An's Lemongrass Grille

 

8

69

A J.

Denver, CO

I love this place. When I'm in the mood for Pho I don't really care what else is on the menu, and in this case that works out beautifully.

I'm not a huge Pho connoisseur, but I do know I like this, and it's the only place downtown I know of to get it.

Plus, I think they have maybe the best eggrolls I've ever had. They're great.

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Elite '08

21

89

Alicea W.

Denver, CO

Out of all the bad fast food there is, this is probably one of the best.  The food quality is equivalent to mall food, not bad if you are hungry, but not good if you have any expectations.  I've sampled all their rice bowls: the beef and chicken ones were mediocre, the shrimp one was terrible, and the tofu one was pretty good (I like the crispy fried outer coating).  Their rice bowls are really just a bowl of bland rice with some meat or tofu on top.  If you are on a sodium-restricted diet, I feel sorry for you, but you are in luck!  If you actually want food with some flavor, be sure to use the fish sauce liberally.  I haven't had their pho, but it looks like they come in really small portions.  For really good (and large) pho, I recommend Pho Duy (945 S. Federal Blvd. # G).

Overall, An's Lemongrass Grill is aiiiiiiight if you work in the area and are hungry, but definitely not worth a special trip.  They display couple plaques of awards from Taste of Colorado, but let's face it, Taste of Colorado only features carnival-quality foods, so those awards don't impress me much.

1 star off: gross shrimp rice bowl
1 star off: small pho soups
1 star off: I don't taste the lemongrass

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3

14

Shannon W.

Denver, CO

I finally tried this place out for lunch today, now that I'm back downtown for work.  

For where it is and what it does, it's more than fine.  

I got a small rice noodle bowl with shrimp, and spring rolls with tofu for a snack for later.  As for the bowl - Noodles were perfectly done, thumbs up for the fresh veg on the side with plenty of cilantro, and then there were the shrimp.  I have to say, the shrimp were TERRIBLE.  I have no idea what you have to do to shrimp to get the texture they have.  They weren't really overcooked, I don't think... they were mushy for sure... perhaps they'd been sitting in a bowl of lukewarm water overnight?  

The sauce that comes with everything was ok... it's fish-sauce based, but watered down with, well, loads of sugar, probably lots of water and a little bit of vinegar.  There are bits of garlic and peppers and maybe ginger floating in it.  Not offensive, just overly sweet.  I solved this by adding sriracha and soy sauce to my little container of the stuff, shaking it up and pouring it over the bowl.  Turned out pretty good!

The tofu spring rolls were fine, nothing to write home about.  The dipping sauce was, as expected, overly sweet.  Again, treatment with sriracha and soy sauce improved everything.

For sure nothing was freshly-cooked - I had a chance to grab some sriracha, extra too-sweet fish-sauce-combo-stuff, and a packet of soy sauce and my order was ready.  *Maybe* one minute, folks.

I agree, don't diss the place for a small menu - um, hell-er?  Chipotle across the street has, what, 3 main choices?

As long as I can continue to customize my sauces and avoid the shrimp, I'll probably be back.

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2

3

Bryan J.

Rowland Heights, CA

Sometimes, on a busy workday, you want to grab a solid lunch you know will fill you up. With a small menu of appetizers, pho, and rice/salad bowls, you hope that they do those things right.

This place doesn't claim to serve the best vietnames food ever, and certainly doesn't try to pass itself off as a fancy place: you get what you pay for.

The rice/salad bowls of the grilled chicken or pork are good, especially with the nuoc cham (vietnamese fish sauce, chili, and garlic). The shrimp could use a little more help, but when you are serving the crowds they have here, time is of the essence. I especially like the tofu as it's tastier than you think tofu can be.

When in a need of sinus clearing and stomach settling bowl of something hot, the pho here will do. The lime and mint leaves are a good supplement in flavor here as well.

Another solid staple to Chipotle, Jimmy Johns, McDonalds, Jamba Juice filled 16th Street Mall.

Best Highlight: Quick vietnamese food with no frills.
Low point: Don't expect the same you would get at a real vietnamese sit down restaurant.

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Elite '08

27

73

Andee H.

Brighton, CO

I have never been to the downtown location, but visit the Highlands location as often as I can! It's on 32nd and Zuni. I love this quick, healthy, and inexpensive joint! The pho is amazing and I absolutely love the tofu. I get irritated at the people who are down on the "limited menu" I love the choices and what more do you want people!!!??

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4

29

Scott W.

Aurora, CO

I really have to give this place 5 stars.  They are always friendly, fast, and get the order correct.  Now, they are crowded often at lunch, but you should know they share upstairs / down the hall seating with Fontano's next door.

There is a somewhat limited menu, but it all tastes good, and hey, they know their niche and they do it well.

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Elite '08

278

267

Jessica H.

Denver, CO

I give An's 2 stars for food....the tofu in the pho was off putting and the price was a bit much for pho. I will call this , "fast pho" ..or fast vietnamese. Very limited menu, but decent and one extra star for being a different and healthier option off of 16th's average fried food filled restaurants.

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Elite '08

41

137

Brye L.

San Francisco, CA

I liked An's, it wasn't the down and dirty Vietnamese that I was looking for, however on a hot day the rice noodle bowl was really refreshing.  The BBQed pork was tender and tasty.  The menu was limited but I would recommend it for a light lunch...trust me it won't stay with you like the typical burrito bomb!

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0

1

Tonya L.

Denver, CO

I work downtown and I eat at this resturant regularly and have always found it to be very tasty and consistent each time I go there.  The rice bowls are perfect for a lunch on the go as well as in the resturant.  I especially enjoy the water buffalo wings and the spring rolls.  If you're looking for a quick and healthy meal this resturant is definitely a try.

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Elite '08

450

1054

Shiho F.

Carmel by the Sea, CA

An's Lemongrass Grill is a decent place to go to for a quick lunch during a work day.  The menu is pretty limited which works in this cafe style locale.  I had the beef pho which was average -  stock was nothing special but the chunky pieces of steak were tender and hit the spot.  Make sure to get all the spices offered to give it a little kick.  It was pretty crowded at noon and most of them seemed to enjoy the rice bowls.  Brown rice is an option which is nice for the health conscious.

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