Hien Vuong Restaurant

I was in the mood for Pho when I entered; but seeing the Tomato and Pineapple Soup on the menu, I decided to try something new and unique. I ordered it with a chicken broth base and egg noodles. The large bowl was served without a plate of add-ins like pho has and the main ingredients were cauliflower and broccoli. A fine bowl of soup, but not enough "wow" for a repeat order. My Cafe Sua Da was served traditional style, not premade like some places are doing. Excellent and bold!A few things stand out that keep Hien Vuong from getting 4 stars:My lady server insisted on telling me how to create and drink my beverage. I found it a bit condescending. There were no condiments on the table after I was served my meal, I had to get up and go to another table to retrieve soy, sriracha, hoison. Not a big deal but my server just watched from another table that she went and sat at, while not offering any assistance or sympathy.When paying my tab at the register, I was given a receipt and told, "write down your tip here". Very awkward, a better system needs to be created.The place is small and in very old City Market stall, yet that is no excuse for it's run down appearance. The space really needs a deep clean and a reset. With 3 other Vietnamese restaurants in the surrounding blocks, I would probably not return here.

Cute little spot! Came in for lunch a couple of days ago. I ordered chicken pho and a lemonade. Lemonade took a while to come out but was so good and fresh. The pho came out soon after and was very bland looking. HOWEVER, I took a sip of the broth and it was very good! Decorated my meal with the toppings they provide and added sauce and it got some color. Overall, good meal. Convenient location. Nothing extraordinary.

I came to visit KC's market for the first time in my life, and I was really hungry. One bowl of pho filled me up. Although it's summer, I'm glad I ate a huge hot bowl of soup here. It was phenomenal. It was out quick and the lady was very kind!

After an educational experience at the nearby Arabian steamboat museum, I literally stumbled upon this Vietnamese restaurant while looking for a Starbucks.There is a Farmer's Market / City market here, which also is home to a Vietnamese restaurant called Hien Vuong. I was hungry and it was past 2:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon. I thought Pho seemed to be the thing to have after a nice vacay in metro Kansas City before traveling to Des Moines, IA the next morning. With that said, City market seemed deserted especially on a weekday afternoon. I entered Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant and there was nobody dining presently. I guess I had basically beat the lunch rush and got the place all to myself. I got a table next to the corner of the restaurant, which is pretty small. There was about 6 tables, I think and the ambiance felt like I was in someone's home turned into a restaurant. What stuck out in my experience here at Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant was that when I was in the middle of eating, a guy came into the restaurant and asked the owner whether or not they were looking for any job openings. I'm not sure if she was frightened or just didn't know what he said. She kind of shook her head and he left after that. My experience here lasted about 45 minutes and I ordered the shrimp summer rolls and a large bowl of Pho Dac Biet. The usual for me.The overall experience here at Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant was quite interesting, homespun, and lack of Air conditioning. You could feel the heat on you really and the outside wasn't hot. Just humid inside and the temps were in the mid 50 F outside that afternoon. The service was nice and friendly. The owner made small talk with me when I finished and paid the bill. Somehow, she knew I was visiting from out of town or something. The ambiance was quiet and interesting, but still a good time having Vietnamese fare while on vacation. The prices here was fair and usually on par with what I normally see out there anyway. For the most part though, the experience here at Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant could have been better, especially with the air conditioning aspect, but it is what it is. I definitely beat the lunch rush so it wasn't crowded at all. Score one for me, I guess. The summer rolls were particularly goodSince it was made to order. The Pho itself was good and okay, although decent, maybe should have ordered with extra noodles on the side. It was a nice meal with water to drink. I wonder if I had alcohol with my Pho, would it get incrementally better? That's another story and another restaurant experience for another day. If you are in the area and want your Pho fix, consider coming here and check things out. The Pho was good and delicious, although the portions could have been scantly better. They gave little vegetables and I do love basil in the broth.Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant is located at 417 Main Street in the heart of urban Kansas City, Missouri. They accept major credit cards, as well as cash. The restaurant is part of a farmers market vibe, so it makes sense to come here when they have a good amount of foot traffic. I guess I came along afterwards but i still dig the quiet ambiance. As far as parking goes, there's plenty of parking here for those who need them. Not sure if it's a private parking lot that you'd need to pay, but it's parking for anyone and everyone who wishes to park here for the area restaurants and the farmers market. If you are familiar with the KC bus system, consider the routes you need to come here to Hien Vuong Vietnamese restaurant. If you are like me, Uber and Lyft while on vacation is always a good thing and a godsend in my line of lifestyle. However, if that Pho craving is so strong and you're visiting Kansas City, you can check this place out just to be sure you can secure that taste of the broth that day or be wishing you did the next morning. I know i had that feeling before. Go and get some! Pho is where the heart is.4.0 stars for the overall experience. 3.0 stars for the ambiance, but 4.0 stars for the service and the food. 3.0 stars for the prices. 5.0 stars for the location.Support local!B

This is a continuation of my mission to eat at a new place every week or so, even though this is an old eats. When I first came to Kansas City and didn't know anyone, this was the first place I went to. It has some good memories for me, but I hadn't been here since 2008.It happened to be the first time in a year or so since I had been to River market and I decided to pop into this legacy place. The restaurant had not changed since I had first been here and it is still a hole in the wall place, which I tended to like.I ordered the large Beef and Tendon pho and my meal came out to about $13 with tip.The good thing about this place was the broth, it is pretty good, if a bit salty. The rest of the pho was sorely lacking. The noodles were limp and felt old, as did some of veggies like the coriader and basil. The meat was lacking, coming in little bits, rather than slices and I found maybe one piece of tendon. I often get this cozy feeling after eating Pho, as it is my comfort food but with this place, I felt....empty. It was a strange feeling and I was sadly letdown by the first place I had every been to in KC. Vietnamese food is competitive market here in KC and there are many quality places you can go to. Unfortunately, some places do well with the quality of food and some do well with their location. I would say that if this place didn't have the River market location, it would have folded a while ago, cause it doesn't excel with the food.

The service was absolutely slow and the wait staff ordered items for us that we did not want!! There is NO BATHROOM INSIDE and the waitress DEMANDED A TIP!!!! Wt holy moly?!

Cozy Vietnamese restaurant in the middle of River Market area. This is definitely a family-ran mom and pop shop. I was away on a trip and was craving a nice cozy bowl of pho and strong Vietnamese coffee. Would come back again. It was designed really nice inside as well.

I don't know why this place doesn't have a higher rating. I find it to be very good and I like the quaint atmosphere. The spring rolls were some of the best I've had in town, and I enjoyed their sauce. I ordered a veggie dish with egg noodles and tofu. The tofu was prepared well & while I'm not convinced they were actually egg noodles, they had a unique and delicious flavor I have not experienced before. The veggies were also crisp and very fresh. I love when there is still a crunch to the vegetables. Their homemade sauces are pretty yum too.The only down side is that I developed the start of a migraine about 15-20 minutes after the meal, which I fear may be the result of MSG and I know while it is natural, some will also add it to ingredients/dishes. So I guess it's a crap shoot if I'll be back, but I did still want to sing their praises!

Interesting. So I've been going to this place on and off for 20? Years. Nothing has really struck out. Seems decent and can't really complain.Today is a different story. Extremely rude service. Very unfriendly. And they forced me to pay a gratuity. Not sure how these guys became so bitter but they want to extend zero effort towards customer service.Plus the pho is not bad but very bland. And they over cooked the noodles.

I have meals here a few times. I like its environment, location, and its noodle soups, particularly its dumpling BBQ soups.