Nong Lá Vietnamese Cafe

We were in search for a Vietnamese place near UCLA. It's a small Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of a Japanese area of Sawtelle. The Pho was meh. To be expected in a non Vietnamese environment. It has your basic tripe, rare steaks, and brisket. The broth was ok. The grill pork noodle was actually pretty. The pork meat was fairly lean with a slight char for the smoke smell and flavor. It was a good simple seasoning. The bowl has a lot of fresh chopped vegetables and herbs. They give a lot meat for the bowl. The fish sauce was simple and to the point. Two negative comments. Fist, the meat is a bit dry and would benefit more from a more fatty cut. Second, the noodles they used we the thick bigger style found in Bun Bo Hue. It would've been better if used the smaller vermicelli noodles. The Vietnamese milk coffee, simple and pre mixed. You can't request for less sweet or more sweet. No complaint as it is simple and serve the purpose. If any place can make this wrong, shouldn't even open a Vietnamese restaurant. It's a small place with plenty of interior and exterior seats. Don't expect large parties. Service was good and fast. I don't recommend the Pho but do recommend the Bun Thit Nuong, grill pork noodle.

My best friend and I have a tradition of getting pho on groundhogs day (it's a funny story, just go with it), and this year we decided to try out Nong La. Unfortunately, we left more than half of our food untouched and stopped by In-N-Out on the way home. There's not much to say in terms of atmosphere - it's a super small space, lots of overhead bright lights and it's pretty cold in there. But that could all be excused if the food was good. It's unfortunately not. Now, I'm spoiled in terms of pho / Vietnamese food in general because I just moved here from the Bay and pho spots are everywhere up there. But objectively, this just wasn't good. Thai iced tea was good but 75% was ice and watered down the drink horribly. I got the vegetarian pho -- broth wasn't flavorful at all, and the vegetables didn't make sense for a pho. It feels like one of those places that doesn't know what to do for vegetarians so they just throw all their vegetables in a soup and call it a day. My best friend got the spicy beef pho and barely ate any of it. We also got fresh spring rolls and they were very mediocre -- tofu was super spongy like it hadn't been properly pressed before cooking. Might come back in the future and give it another try considering we came in late and close to closing, but I'm in no rush.

I had long heard about how great Nong La is and when I finally went, it didn't disappoint! I went while my family visited (they were craving Pho) and boy did they get good Pho!Parking is on the street around Sawtelle and can be challenging depending on the time of day and week. We sat down at the bar at first--it was so busy--but eventually, we moved to a table once one opened up and the place quieted down from the lunch rush. I got the vermicelli beef bowl, which I loved, and my parents got various pho soups, which they approved of as well!I also ordered an excellent Thai iced tea.Definitely lived up to the hype!

Decided to come here last minute for dinner since we were in the area. We got a Thai & passion fruit iced tea, beef ball pho as well as the grilled pork+egg roll noodle salad. Both the drinks tasted authentic but had too much ice to make it seem like there was more liquid to drink. The pho was decent but sucks that they don't offer a size option- just one size so the portions seemed very tiny- my husband & son left feeling still hungry bc they are accustomed to being able to order the biggest size possible. The grilled pork in the noodle salad was flavorful but chewy & the eggroll skin was hard- I still enjoyed this dish though. Service was almost nonexistent since they were quite busy on a Wednesday night. Parking can definitely be a nightmare due to all the restaurants in 1 centralized loc.

Small Vietnamese restaurant in Sawtelle! My go to has always been the pork belly banh mi - super fatty but he vegetable balance it out! A great spot for a quick lunch during the weekdays. There is no parking lot for the restaurant but should be able to find street parking nearby.

If you're craving a delicious bowl of pho to warm up during the cold season, look no further. Nong Lá offers cozy indoor and outdoor seating, with a heater for the outdoor area. I tried the Pho Tai, which comes with thinly sliced filet mignon. The broth was light, perfectly flavored, and incredibly comforting. The servers are very friendly and seem to have a great camaraderie with each other. Highly recommend!

Not authentic Viet food. More like an American style version of pho since the pho noodles were a bit too thick and the soup was more of a seasoned soup as opposed to a well stewed pho broth that's been simmering for hours. Pho - not great but not entirely awful. Noodles were non authentic pho but rather thicker rice noodles. Beef was unseasoned and came out thick and "boiled" in texture. Broth was okay but did not hit the savory pho broth. I might order this again but wouldn't rush back to this shop.Bahn mi - I'll never order this again. Bun was so hard and dry it didn't hit the spot. The lemon grass chicken was also dry and crumbly. No bueno. Shrimp Summer roll - hit the spot. Tasted authentic thankfully. Vermicelli bowls and shaken rice pork bowls were good but not immensely great. Of all the dishes these were the best & if I had to return I'd choose these

Wow really great spot for your pho fix! I order the vegan pho it was absolutely delicious, flavorful broth, absolutely fresh veggies and condiments. Highly recommend this place; the whole menus has only a few vegetarian options. The server was very nice and attentive.

I was craving banh mi and decided to get one here. I ordered the grilled pork banh mi and a small side of beef broth. Banh mi was insanely delish and hit the spot! The pork was flavorful and cooked to perfection. The pickled radish and carrots paired with the cilantro and jalapeño perfectly balanced the rich pork with freshness. The baguette was crispy and the kind that kinda hurts the roof of your mouth but in a good way. The beef broth warmed my soul. I asked for the pho sides to go with it so I added bean sprouts, basil and jalapeño with a touch of lime to the broth. Broth is so one dimensional so adding the sides gives it some depth and extra texture which I enjoy. I found metered street parking really close to the restaurant on a weekend so I felt lucky. I ordered to go but they have some tables inside and outside if you prefer to dine in. Service was quick and friendly.

More pricey than Pho Fever Bistro but also in a cooler location (heart of Sawtelle) and with a better ambiance. Food came out quickly. Vegan pho was pretty good, appreciated how many mushrooms were included. Staff was super nice; they misheard my order and brought out a beef pho but were so nice and quickly replaced it with the vegan pho when I brought this up. I'd come again for vibes but would choose Pho Fever Bistro (also in Westwood/Sawtelle area) for pho and price.