Lotus Vietnamese Grill & Noodles

I love Viet food. Love it! But this place food is not very good. The phở is sometimes good but most of the time sucks. The crispy rolls are sometimes good as well but not all the time. I had many other dishes here and they are all just meh. I only go here because I live in the area. I wish Eden center was closer. They are never busy either. Sometimes its hard to order togo food to. The menu is jumbled and complicated. I ordered their version of «shaky beef» and the meat smelled a little spoiled and served with French fries as a filler and it was served cold. not cool at all. They will not give you the beef rare Togo for your soup like they used to… I gave 2 star cause I’m nice

Friendly staff, great ambiance (something a lot of barebones + fluorescently lit phở joints lack), and most importantly: great food. Broth is very savory and the summer rolls are fresh and stuffed generously. PLEASE PATRONIZE LOTUS, INTERNET FRIEND, FOR SHIRLINGTON DESERVES NOT THIS BOUNTY OF PHO BUT IT HAS BEEN GIFTED US AND WE MUST CHERISH IT.

I’ve had much better Phở at many other locations. I’ve only just tried the Phở Ga twice and both time I took it to go.
When I reached home, the Chicken wasn’t even warm, it was super cold, the noodles were like a thick mush.
Both times I went in the place was like a ghost town. Serving staff was very friendly and the place looks fairly clean, maybe the fans could be less dusty but that’s just me. Maybe I’ll comeback and try something new but I doubt it.

Atmosphere is pretty chill. Not many selections of dishes. And the waiters seem to be a little confused sometimes. The food we did have was delicious. The summer and spring rolls, sizzling beef and grilled meat dishes, the asparagus and crab soup were all great. The owner came by our table to ask after us which is a nice touch.

Good service but my stir fried tofu had a strong taste of old or burnt wok oil. They returned my dish for another but it too tasted overwhelmingly of old or burnt wok oil. The spring rolls were great.

Updated review:
Take a look at my previous review to see what the business owner replied. Very unprofessional and rude. I’ve never seen such a response! Originally gave them 3 stars, which is average technically speaking… But then the owner gives me a nasty message and not others? Interesting.
Not much else to say because their response is enough for viewers to see how they handle their customers concerns or complaints.

The service was terrible (not the server himself, but the managers). We got our drinks wrong twice and the manager refused to take them of the bill.
When she did, she was throwing things around and rolling her eyes.
The food was ok though

I kept passing by this place and returning to my «regulars» in Shirlington, even though I love Vietnamese food. So I finally tried it when a friend was in town visiting. We ordered the summer rolls for an appetizer and the seafood lemongrass as our entrées. We both thought it was excellent. I will definitely go back again.

Good phở and great service. Spring rolls are a little too greasy for my taste, but haven’t been disappointed otherwise.

From a food standpoint, I’d give Lotus four stars. Service was more in line with a two star rating. That being said, I’m still willing to stick with the four stars and give Lotus the benefit since they quickly reminded me how much I enjoy Phở! This past Saturday, I stopped in for dinner around 7:00. There were a couple of other tables in the restaurant at this time. We were quickly led to a table and began to peruse the menu. We both already knew we wanted Phở, however, there were a wide variety of other noodle and stir fry dishes that sounded appealing, perhaps for a future visit. Our server, who also had seated us at our table, brought out two waters, and at the same time, we ordered. I went with the P9-​chicken noodle soup. The broth was extremely flavorful before even adding any accoutrements, I hardly had to add any hoison sauce or sriracha. There was a surprising amount of chicken in the soup and it was white meat, sliced thin and very tender. The broth to meat to noodles ratio was excellent too. My boyfriend had beef Phở, sliced round and one or two other cuts and said it was quite tasty. His suggestion for Phở was perfect on this semi-​chilly night! You know what else was chilly? The service. Our server spoke maybe 4 words the entire time, spent more time sitting at the bar talking to one of the other servers, and conveniently disappeared for a substantial amount of time when we needed our check. Never asked us how things were or checked on us; the service may keep me from dining in again. I’d love to do take out from here since it’s (sort of) on my way home from work and I did really enjoy the food. On a price note, our meal came to $ 26 for two bowls of Phở. In my opinion, this is reasonable and I don’t find this pricing to be outlandish, particularly given the area.

This place is just great. I stopped in here for lunch today with my dog and although the patio wasn’t opened yet, they opened it to accommodate us. I ordered the lemongrass chicken and rice and it was excellent. There was a good serving of meat in the order. I also ordered a glass of white wine from their drink menu. They have beer, wine and liquor. The food came out literally within five minutes and they have wifi too! I will definitely be back often.
Shirlington village is a fun spot and this place definitely adds to the appeal. (I saw that somebody mentioned below that this place wasn’t dog friendly but I would completely disagree with that. They even brought my dog a bowl of water.) As a side note, I have to mention what a pleasure it was to talk with Jonathan, the host. He was so kind and amiable, he made the whole experience even better than it was to begin with.

My second trip here was so much more tasty than the first. We ordered the same thing both visits. My gf is Vietnamese, so you can her word, not mine. We both enjoyed our first experience, but the second was simply fantastic. Oddly, our service was better the first time than the second. The second time the owner waited on us and brought us multiple wrong things, but it was made up by much better food than our first trip. Maybe it’s a little inconsistent, but it’s very good food!

Excellent meal! We have been looking for a solid Vietnamese place in NoVa. The lotus salad was perfect! The two fish dishes were fantastic. We got the salmon and the Mahi Mahi ! The seafood phở was incredible as was the the garlic book choy!
We will be back!

So, Shirlington is supposed to be dog friendly… This place isn’t. Came here with my puppy, sister, and mom while they visited and had a subtle battle on what I was supposed to do with my dog while we ate. We ended up compromising with him leashed very tightly outside the outdoor seating entrance. The only reason we stayed was my mom was very insistent on her craving for Viet food.
That being said, price point vs. quality of food and service? Two stars. Maybe 2.5. It was 60 dollars for the three of us and we didn’t even order drinks (maybe my sister ordered a coke). The portions were very beautifully decorated, but that doesn’t change the fact that the sauces were bland and actually did not belong with the dishes we ordered. We ordered three pork bun (that’s vermicelli bowls) and the portions were small .The spring rolls were good though. (very good)
Conclusion? Don’t come with your dog. And I’ve heard good things about the Thai restaurant across the street ;)

This review is for CARRYOUT only. 3.5 stars
Friendly customer service. IMO this is not 100% authentic Vietnamese food — they customized it more for American taste.
I only ordered the vietnamese coffee, asparagus soup, and shaky beef.
Vietnamese coffee — 3 out of 5
Asparagus soup– 4 out of 5
Shaky beef– 3 out of 5 (presentation is good and looks very appetizing but the beef itself is not very good — not enough flavor, beef not soft like other places i have tried. i think it’s the marinating process and choice of beef.
Usually whenever I order over the phone, I usually add 5 minutes extra to the time they said the food would be ready for pick up. Very disappointed this time around, they said would be ready in 10 minutes but 25 minutes later food finally just got done. If you are not in a rush like me, and don’t mind waiting, that’s fine.
Overall I would definitely recommend this place to my family and friends. I would come back to try other dishes.

I really enjoyed my dinner here. Friendly, respectful, and fast service. The food tasted fresh, and they accommodated my request to combine aspects from the grilled pulled pork vermicelli bowl with the lemongrass chicken bowl I ordered (I wanted the crispy rolls). I got the mango cheesecake to go, and they were as cute as ever boxing up everything.

Even though they are one of the more intimate options in Shirlington, Lotus was able to accommodate my party of 8 right at the beginning of the lunch hour, without a reservation. They were fast, courteous and extremely welcoming, Their menu is extensive, making it the perfect option for a picky group and they have PHO! and lunch specials! But PHO! good PHO.
So yes, go to Lotus and skip the bigger options in the area. You’ll get a nice intimate experience and you’ll return to work relaxed and refreshed!

Let’s see… seeing that the reviews on this restaurant are all over the place should be an indication that sometimes the food and service can be great and sometimes everything can fall flat. There is no consistency.
I’ve been here a few times, and my feelings have been both positive and negative! Hence, I think three stars makes sense. Price-​wise, this place is on point due to the area. The ambiance is spectacular — the décor is pretty and formal, and the space is large. The service can be attentive, but sometimes forgetful and passive. I am a huge fan of hot Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk, and I very much enjoyed it here upon my first visit. On a subsequent visit, our waitress took the coffee contraption away, and I couldn’t make another cup of coffee. I didn’t like that, but it was too late for me to say anything. On the first visit, they let me keep it and even gave me more hot water without me asking for it (like I’ve had to do elsewhere). I thought that was a fantastic touch.
I think the summer rolls are very bland and tasteless even with peanut sauce. I’ve had the vegetarian papaya salad, and it was a very nice portion, but it tasted only okay in comparison to others I’ve had. The lemongrass chicken with rice is good but I’m not so sure about the quality of the chicken. The banh mi are made just fine. I’ve had a few vegetarian rice dishes, and they needed more spice. The lunch specials are alright — there are tacos! The chicken taco is pretty good.
Bottom line: northern Virginia is full of Vietnamese restaurant, and this one is just dandy if you’re in the area.

We dined at Lotus and ate some delicious Vietnamese food about a month ago. I decided to be adventurous and get something besides phở and ordered the spicy beef noodle soup (I also got the sate sauce, which made it even more spicy). The food was delicious, but SO SPICY. Really hit the spot. My bf ordered the pan-​fried rice noodles and enjoyed it too — he’s def not a fan of spicy food the way I am.
In short, my soup was delish — just extremely spicy, so be aware of that if you want to order the spicy beef soup. Also, I would recommend that if it’s your first time trying Vietnamese food, get the phở for the more authentic Vietnamese experience!
I really liked this place — great service, great décor (their lotus flower center piece that changed colors periodically was a great addition), and great food. Also, it’s conveniently located in Shirlington Village, where there is plenty of parking and plenty of other restaurants.

Located in downtown Shirlington, this Vietnamese place delivered the best of Shirlington! We had nice window seating and service was on point especially with our water glass refills. We started with the Crispy Spring Rolls (cha gio) and they provided a nice fish sauce. The order came with 2 rolls (cut into 4 pieces). They were hot and crispy. We also ordered the Crispy Shrimp Rolls, a whole shrimp with the tails and some basil pieces. It was an odd combination but quite tasty. I ordered the Sliced Marinated Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl. There was plenty of grill pork and noodles. It was very hearty and more than enough food for one person. The hubby ordered their ‘Noodle Soup” aka Phở. It had so much meat and noodle, enough for two people!
Service was great, water refills never ended, and speed was their top priority.
We’ll definitely be back to try other menu items!