"…the spicy ribs, pork chop w/ chutney, rolling cakes and pumpkin soup…"
(in 4 reviews)
"If you love spicy food, you have to try it."
(in 10 reviews)
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Hy-Vong Vietnamese Cuisine
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
23 reviews for Hy-Vong Vietnamese Cuisine
Review Highlights
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It takes at least two hours to eat here. The ambiance is simple, but who cares when the food tastes so good?
We ordered pumpkin soup, pork wrap appetizer, cream cheese chicken pastry, duck, & tofu (instead of beef) noodles. The soup was my favorite with the different textures and flavors all coming together in a spectacular way.
If you can endure the time you spend until they seat you,
take your order, serve your food....
you got to be masochistic.
Some of the best Vietnamese food I've ever had. Cathy is like a loving mom who looks after everyone visiting her humble food lovers abode.
This no frills joint is a hole inside a hole in the wall. Don't blink or you'll miss it and if you miss it then too bad for you.
And did I mention the awesome beer selection? I'll have a Grolsch please. And a Pilsner Urquell and a Peroni and a Singha, burp, and a 33, buuuurrrrp and a San Miguel, and a Presidente. Why is the room spinning?
I'll definitely be back.
The food was fab! I throughly enjoyed the pumpkin soup. Then had main dishes which were equally impressive. I will definitely drive to 8th street for this treat. There were many patrons with the same intent........
Great food and great service !
Alright... this place is NOT OPEN Mondays and Tuesdays... and ONLY OPen from 6-11pm other days of the week... So don't come at 5pm. cuz you'll just be waiting around...
also - please take my review with a grain of salt, since i think i can be extra-critical of vietnamese food, just because...
So... We came at 6pm. and got a table right away... no wait, like others have reviewed. They do reservations. but mostly we saw people waiting for tables when they show up later.
The owner - Cathy - is SUPER Nice and knows what goes well with what dishes... She recommended a lot, and we ate family style and every dish was tapas size so very shareable.
Friends who have been here before I did, RAVED About it being "better than SoCal vietnamese food"... so I thought, i should try it out.
yummy dishes:
- Grouper with Mango - this was pretty good! It was seared, and baked with slices of mango on top. the mild fish sauce that went with it went well with the refreshing mango. Yum! I'd get this again.
- Pumpkin Soup - this was like a Bo Kho / Viet Curry like type of soup, with pumpkin instead of the potato, and brothy rather than stew-like consistency. Unique since it used pumpkin and not uber sweet. it was nice, and a new dish. worth trying :)
- Spicy chicken - this was tender, nice flavors, but the kick hits you after you've already swallowed the piece of meat! so if you like spicy. it's great! if u don't... then have a beer or glass of milk handy.
Eh (I can experiment and make better)
- Banh cuon - the rice noodles with pork and mushroom inside w/ the fish sauce. this was decent. "Good" compared to OTHER Miami viet spots... but not THE best i've ever had.
- Pho Tai - the meat was tender, although it wasn't as thin as regular pho places would serve it. and they used the really fat Pho-noodles rather than the skinnier ones that are usually served. the soup was ALRIGHT, not great...
- calamari ginger salad - something to that affect. it had a nice sauce, but was overloaded with onions.
- Bun Thit Nuong - the pork. The bbq the pork in the back alley! decent, but again not the greatest...
-
bathroom is in the back alley... i wouldn't go out there if it were dark...
so.... because it was just an okay experience... i would go back and try one more time to wow me... but this time - it was just an overpriced nice-ish meal. so... perhaps i will revise this one at a later date.
Cathy - is a super pleasant lady, sweet, and remembers the people that I came with, that we were eye doctors and is going to get cataract surgery at our hospital. lol. really nice and helpful. :)
So good, I want to kidnap Anthony Bourdain and take him there.
The first time I went, a couple of my mom's friends invited me, and the three of them would not shut up about the Banh Cuon a.k.a. rolling pork cakes - I could have sworn my mom was stoned! Turns out that once you try them, you will never be able to forget how they taste. You cannot visit this place without eating the Banh Cuon. There are so many flavors in that one dish that it is almost insane. The ginger and mint - WOW - a match made in heaven.
The Kim Chee (spicy pickled cabbage) is *seriously* spicy - they are not joking when they warn you about it. If you love spicy food, you have to try it. One order is enough for two people. And the Vietnamese beer "33" is the best way to cool your tongue.
The Hy Vong Salad is amazing if you want something light to start. Their homemade dressing is delicious. It tastes like a lime vinaigrette of sorts, and I love that they don't drown the entire dish in it.
The Sautéed Calamari Salad is another favorite of mine - at this point, it might be easier to just list the things I don't absolutely love. The only mediocre items on the menu were the chicken livers and gizzards - I'm a fan of strange foods and gizzards are strange, but the livers were just too much for me.
Hy Vong is a little hole-in-the-wall joint that doesn't look like a place you would want to eat at, but don't let that fool you. My mom's friends were joking about the "bathroom alley" in the back - it's definitely one of a kind. The place is family owned (check out the story behind it mounted on the left wall as you walk in) and has a great little story behind it. They will even let you bring your own wine and serve it for you for a small "corking fee." I'm certainly not that picky, but I know a few people who love that option.
Important: If you don't like to wait for delicious things, get there early. 5:45 p.m. for the 6pm seating. If you miss it, come for the 8:00 p.m. seating (that's about the time the first crowd finishes up). This was little-known knowledge that was passed on to me from a couple of girls who have been eating there forever.
I will say this, Hy Vong fed me some of the most amazing food I have ever eaten. I will be back in a few hours w a more detailed description. KNOW THIS, if you want some of the most flavorful food, thats cooked with pure heart and soul, go here. You will not be disappointed.
To be continued...
I'm always interested in people's take on a restaurant and I often wonder how their expectations shift depending on reviews or write-ups or whatever. What is it that people require in order to be happy with a restaurant experience? Are they looking to be surprised? Or are they looking for all the things that can be considered deterents?
Admittedly, Hy-Vong is right around the corner from my house and when I first discovered it about five years ago, I knew I had just found a new favorite spot and, more often than not, I dine here on weekdays to avoid the wait.
Is the wait long? Yes it is. So show up earlier, before the line forms. Is their menu a take-off of traditional Vietnamese cuisine? Absolutely. Forget your presuppositions about what Vietnamese food should be and appreciate the inventiveness. Does the service drag a bit? Sure. So get up, walk over to the cooler and get your own beer. You may surprise yourself with your own resourcefulness.
This place is absolutely no frills whatsoever. No fancy furniture, no stylized art on the wall, no maitre-d to speak of (hell, you have to write your own name onto the wait list!) and yes, only a handful of employees doing a number of jobs. And yet, this place has more character and personality than most restaurants on the Beach that charge you twice as much for food half as good.
Oh yes. The food. My advice: Talk to the staff. Talk the waiters and talk to the owner. Ask about the specials (constantly revolving) and ask about the staples and yes, trust their recommendations. They won't lead you astray. Also, a fair warning, when they tell you that a certain dish is spicy, they're not kidding.
I've taken out-of-towners here, dates, friends and family and no one has ever left not feeling completely sated and thrilled with their experience. I can't recommend this place enough. Unless of course, you like having your butt wiped every two seconds. In which case, there are a million Asian restaurants all over South Florida ready to take your money and serve you completely mediocre food. But, at they very least, they'll sit you right away and refill your water as many times as you like. Just clap your hands.
I'm really not sure what the fuss is over this place. The food is ok, but nothing revelatory, and frankly not worth the sometimes agonizingly long wait to be seated or the hassle trying to find parking.
The servers are friendly but sloooow.
I might be able to muster up a little more enthusiasm for Hy-Vong if they deigned to offer takeout orders. (With takeout, customers who didn't want to deal with the long waits could just call ahead and pick up their orders, without taking up that prime real estate in the dining rooms).
Found this place about 5 years ago and go about once every two weeks. Everything is just wonderful, but especially the spicy ribs, pork chop w/ chutney, rolling cakes and pumpkin soup. Vietnamese coffee is flippin greatness. They routinely change the specials, so there is always variation.
Yes, others are right, it does take VERY long, but don't go there unless you are ok with this. Have a bottle of wine or bring your own and enjoy the company. Not sure where else you can find similar quality food for this price anywhere else in S. FL.
Others have commented that it is expensive, but I highly disagree. As a couple, you can go there and load up on appetizers and share a main dish for very cheap.
Admittedly I did not like it the first time I went, but I gave it another shot and the rest is history.
Hy Vong is one of my favorites in Miami. The spring rolls are a must (nem, but they call them something else). I usually order one of the specials that they offer. They have a very poor selection of wine, but an abundance of beer selections. They seem to do incredible business, since there is ALWAYS a wait, so I wonder why I need to sit in a chair with ripped upholstery whenever I eat there??? Anyway, what brings me back is the food, the glorious food...
This restaurant has a fan base i can't quite understand. You can't get more out of place than having a tiny "in-crowd" restaurant that looks like a cheap chinese take-out joint in Little Havana. The backstory is pretty unique as the owner is a european and is also the main waitress there running at turtle speed. The restaurant has a talented chef that vietnamese and a small staff of 2 handling over 15-20 tables.
I went there because my girlfriend and her best friend love the place. They do have some good appetizers. I liked their dumplings. and the food is quite tasty. But be careful with certain entrees as they can be REALLY spicy.
but for a place that has good food, the wait is just too much for an impatient person like me.
I went on wednesday at 6:30pm and didnt leave until 9:45pm. My numbed butt, which became 20 degrees warmer while sitting for 3 hours, had to be peeled off the vinyl. Leaving a wrinkly imprint on the chair. Parking also sucks in that area..if you cant find a spot on the street, you might have to park in the back in a not-so-safe looking area.
I went once, and i dont think i'll go again.
Aside from the wait to get a table and occasional slow service, this place is a true Miami gem.
Only once have I ordered off the menu...when I did, it was the lemongrass chicken, which was uber spicy. But it was still delicious. Now, when I order it, I just ask that it not be as hot and ask for extra rice and plenty of beer.
The specials seem to be pretty similar from visit to visit. But I often get the seafood special with the mango sauce. Delish!
The owner of the place is almost always there and is wonderful and wants to make sure you're happy. I HIGHLY recommend Hy-Vong. But be prepared for a wait for a table after 6 o'clock.
One tip: if you're a twosome, look for other twosomes and ask if they want to share a table. There are more tables for four than there are for two.
Can't believe Frommer mentioned this place. Tried this place on 10/2/08 and felt really sorry for the Regulars. Even without having to wait, it was not worth it. The place is dark and small. The servers are sloooooooooow.
The food is as best a form of asian fusion but no way in hell Vietnamese. Stick with true Cuban if you're gonna be in Little Havana. If you want good Vietnamese, stick with LA.
This place has NO CHARACTER, it's EXPENSIVE, and there's always a HIDEOUSLY LONG WAIT. Why do I put up with it???
'CAUSE THE FOOD'S AWESOME!!
OK, fine, li'l mr. & ms. picky-picky, it's not "authentic" Vietnamese, but what do I care? It goes down good!!! Giant killer Korean prawns, great dipping sauces, wonderful appetizers, and awesome desserts had me and my Argentinian roommate waddling out the door.
The place was packed to the gills with hardly any room between the tables. Despite that, there was a wonderful atmosphere in the air, where strangers would talk to each other table to table and I made many new friends my first night who would recommend dishes for us. Plus the owners would come and talk to us and tell us old stories. It made for a memorable (and delicious) night!
If you are visiting Miami, try it. You'll like it. We first went here five years ago, and we just went again. The food is a bizarre fusion of Vietnamese with something else thrown in, with that "something else" being different in every single dish. The first time we went, we had some of sort spaghetti dish with peanut sauce and fish roe mixed in. WEIRD. BUT GOOD. (I don't remember what else we ordered on our first trip.) This time, we got spring rolls (on the house, which was great). They were gooey and porky. There are a few traditional Vietnamese dishes on the menu -- pho, bun, spring rolls. But most of the dishes are Vietnamese-inspired.
Sarah got the spicy fried chicken, and I got the curried king fish. This time, I ordered wrong! The chicken dish was huge -- a half of a chicken. Extremely crispy (but light). Laid atop a spicy soy sauce. The chicken reminded me of the chicken crackling dish of the now-closed Chino Latino (Cuban) restaurant, La Chinita Linda (R.I.P), a Chelsea (NY) institution for many years. My curry was good, mostly because of the fresh fish. But the curry could have been hotter. I'm a hot fiend!
Again, this place is odd. Completely unique. But it works baby. It works.
probably the biggest dump in the country..slowest service i've ever had.....the best vietnamise food i've ever had...i can't wait to go back....everyone should experience Hy Vong at least once
After reading all the good reviews we decided to visit Hy-Vong Vietnamese Cuisine and got very disappointed. We were lucky we didnt have to wait for a table but we waited for 30 minutes to come and take the order. In those 30 minutes we saw that the same guy is the head waiter, cashier and even helps with the kitchen. After looking at the same guy putting the stuffings to the soup and getting moneys without washing his hands we walked out of the place. How clean or safe our food would be?
This is the best food in Miami. I mean it. The wait however, is horrendous. An hour is the norm. But what's an hour, when you can taste some of the sweetest (not literally) food that will ever pass your lips!!
i finally went to this place for the first time last night.
we were a group of 10 so i called ahead (3pm) to make a reservation.
so i had read some reviews about this place and i was really curious to try it out. most people said that their service is kinda slow. well, this is true. this is also a small place, looks like youre at someones apartment for dinner, 'family style'. the group of 4 sitting on the table next to us actually left, i guess they didnt feel like waiting any longer.
there was only one waitress, a really helpful lady who suggested some appetizers so we ordered: bahn cuon, (Sauted pork and mushrooms rolled in steamed rice paper, topped with fried shallots, mint and carrots) vietnamese spring rolls and chicken liver and gizzards in curry. those were all really really good. especially the spring rolls!
then our plates got to the table (seriously, 45min to 1 hour later) and they were all delicious. just by smelling this place you can tell how fresh every ingredient they use is. we all ordered family style, which is basically everyone gets a plate with rice, and then share the entrees. we had the marinated roast duck that was to die for, also, king fish in curry ... i was expecting something a little bit more spicy but it was really good nevertheless. also got some vermicelli noodles with pork, pork stewed on coconut milk ...that was very good too! and then we ordered something else. i cant quite remember that well as we were a big table and we drank some beers while we waited for our food.
oh yeah, you get to choose from soup or salad with your entree ... we all got salads but one person who got a soup. he said it was delicious and didnt share a bit. so i believe him! the salad was great too, i dont know what kind of dressing they use but man! id just go back for it.
at the end of the night we had ordered about 6 appetizers, 6 plates and there was even some leftovers. the check was close to 200$ (including gratuity) but we also had beers .... did i mention this already?
so, dont come to this place if you're in a rush. dont come to this place if youre starving, dont come to this place if you have no patience. do come to this place with a group of friends or family, chilax and have a good time and enjoy a delicious home-made style dinner!
closed Mon. and Tues. Is crowded, and dinner takes very long to be served ~45 min. basically 15 tables, 2 overworked servers, and 1 small kitchen. menu a vietnamese variant. lemongrass chicken was more spicy than lemongrass. pumpkin soup was different. not traditional and basically just plopped down in the middle of little havana. I'm not really a fan.
i discovered this little restaurant by chance, well let me correct myself - not by chance but by my nifty gps under food category "Asian".
tucked in a row of shops in 8th street, i must have driven past it several times without knowing this hidden restaurant exist. it does not have an ostentatious signboard to proclaim how good the food were. the restaurant itself was tiny, if you get there during peak dinner time, you are in for a wait.
i had grilled mahi mahi with on my first visit., which was more of fusion food than vietnamese but the fish was nicely done, accompanied by a tasty mango sauce. on my second visit, i wanted the spicy pork ribs which they have unfortunately ran out of, they made up with a customised noodle soup that was out of the menu. the service was delightful since they tried to make something to suit your palate of the day.
the prices were a bit higher than the usual vietnamese places i go to. and yes, the wait was cruel. well, you know that old saying how patience is a virtue. it certainly hold true for this place. if you want good vietnamese fusion food and can afford the wait, Hy-Vong is your place.
the one star off is for the excruciating wait that i had to go through for the food. well, a hungry man does make an angry man.
