Lang Van Vietnamese

I been eating here for about 20 years, it was one of the first viet restaurants in Charlotte. Over the years the owners have started to cater to American customers and don’t really care about serving traditional food any more. It just taste like it. I probably won’t ever be back to eat here anymore. There are other options for viet food nowadays

Pros:
Excellent Phở
Excellent pancakes
Very good Spring (not the fried kind) roll
Service
Menu selection
Con:
Not very attractive outside
We were looking for a place to eat as we passed through Charlotte and read the reviews of this place and were in the mood of Vietnamese food. This place is a bit out of the way and does not look very impressive from the outside, but we were impressed with what they serve.
The service is very attentive and efficient. The first wow is the selection on the menu. It took a while just to read through them and the selection is overwhelming. Many of the items we’ve not seen before. The Phở (I had the first item in the Phở section) is very good. The broth is excellent and it didn’t leave that MSG aftertaste so I know it was the real good stuff. The pancake is crispy and tasty. The spring roll (get the one that is cold and wrapped in rice cake skin, not the fried one) was pretty good.
The price was reasonable.
A very enjoyable meal. I’m not Vietnamese, but I’ve had my share of Vietnamese food, especially Phở. This was one of the best. I can’t vouch for authenticity, but regardless, I enjoyed it.

Always fresh and friendly, staff stays right on top of things and the kitchen is always spot on

If you know phở, you would know their broth is from a can. Go dumpster dive in the back and I bet you will find those cans. I have eaten literally a thousand bowls of phở from largest viet communities in orange county, seattle and all over vietnam, so I kind of know what I am talking about. Their steak meat isn’t even the right thickness. This is consistent with my hypothesis that if the menu is too big, it is difficult to make everything tasty.
They charge $ 12 for a vermicelli bowl. Wtf, seriously? The fish sauce a bit on the vinegary side too. You are just paying a premium for the wine-​glassed water and cloth napkins.
Their spring rolls are ugly but tasty, but the again, any idiot can make good spring rolls. You just need fresh ingredients and a decent sauce.
For phở, go to Phở Hoa. I am sure every phở hoa in the nation boils their own broth.
I feel so bad for these folks who love this restaurant so much.

Last night, I had a terrific experience with a take out order. I ordered without using menu numbers, and I asked for a Com Tam Bi that was not on their menu and she made one for me. Outstanding! The spring rolls were as good as ever. The Goi Ga should have had more chicken, though. The tofu with vermicelli was ordered «very spicy» and came that way — great job! This update puts them back on top.

This place is amazing. The food is always fresh and is never not served with delicious fresh herbs. I recommend the phở, lemongrass curry, lemongrass beef skewers or the chicken skewers. I always order a jackfruit shake with whatever I get. If you are still not sure what to order, the friendly staff will be sure to help you.

The menu is huge but the waitress did a good job of identifying the most popular selections. Wife got #45 (bun) and I got #103. I thought there should have been more shrimp, meats, etc. The flavor was good on both meals. Place was very clean. Service was unmatched. I actually liked the Vietnamese beer. We had the quail appetizer and it was great. Would recommend this place if you crave Vietnamese.

If you’re not looking for Lang Van, I can’t imagine why you’d be in this neighborhood… It’s worth venturing off the beaten path to get there though! I love their iced coffee and swear I can feel the sugar and caffeine literally coursing through my veins as I drink the sweet, thick, ice-​cold concoction.
The menu is super overwhelming and I often have a hard time deciding. (That is, when my heart isn’t set on #19, of course.) If you can’t decide, just ask the owner… I’ve told her so many times, «I love fresh veggies and am in the mood for something spicy with lots of herbs, maybe some chicken…» She’ll listen for a second or two, grin and exclaim, «I fix good for you!» I’ve even been before and ordered something only to be told, «No. You don’t want that. You want #XYZ instead.» Without fail, she’s ALWAYS right. I don’t know how she does it, but her recommendation is always exactly what I’m craving and hits the spot every time.
Lang Van’s food is fresh and flavorful! Trust me… set your GPS to take you to Shamrock Road, ask the nice lady the seats you for her recommendation and get ready to enjoy! Oh, and don’t forget that iced coffee.

Wow I know this place looks like a hole in the wall, but do not pass it up! The menu is huge and I didn’t see one plate in the place that didn’t look amazing. Also if you don’t know what to get they will suggest something perfect for you. It has been a long time that I went somewhere for lunch and really wanted to go back for dinner.

In Charlotte for business, found this gem on Unilocal.I had traditional Phở noodle soup, which is what I always order at any Vietnamese restaurant. This was one of the better ones, the broth was full of flavor, they only serve one size bowl but it was generous.
Don’t let the rather worn and dated look of the building, or the décor, scare you away. If the rest of their cuisine is as good as their Phở then it’s well worth the visit. The service was attentive, and not just friendly but downright cheerful, like they were glad you were there, without being chummy or intrusive. It was a delight to eat there, if I am ever in Charlotte again this is where I will go for Vietnamese cuisine.

How is it possible that, with my obsession with Vietnamese food, I did not know about this gem hidden less than 2 miles from my house?! Thank you, Unilocal,for righting this wrong.
We went to this place on a random Sunday afternoon when our meal timing was off so we were totally starving, and we were not disappointed.
From the second we walked in, we knew we were in a good place. The restaurant smelled amazing and it was very nicely lit (lots of sunshine) and we were immediately approached by a smiling woman who seated us in a comfy booth.
We had the jicama rolls and the summer rolls as starters (both delicious) and I had a mix of beef, chicken and shrimp stir fried with vegetables and rice virmicelli. It was delicious and I topped it with some of their chili sauce to add a little extra heat. (The dish was delicious and flavorful by itself, but I felt like making it spicy anyway.) :)
I can’t wait to go back to explore more on their menu. On the to do list to try are definitely some of the curry dishes, the hot pot, and the phở (to name a few!)
Just writing this made me hungry for their food again…

It’s a hidden gem… well, it’s always packed so I guess it isn’t all that hidden. I love everything about this place: the authenticity of the food, the fast pace of the servers, the four fortune cookies you get with your order. It’s perfect. The shrimp phở and summer rolls are the best. Ask for hoisin sauce.

The menu to me was super overwhelming, however the waitress was helpful in identifying a dish that I would like. They left a pitcher of sweet tea and water on our table and came over often to refill our drinks. However, once we had nearly finished our meals, they didn’t refill the pitcher anymore. I guess they decided we weren’t thirsty anymore.
I ordered #105 spicy. It was good, although I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of shrimp. I counted five shrimp to begin with and had hoped for more. That being said, the flavor was delicious and I really liked the rice noodles.
Overall, this place is alright. I wouldn’t be opposed to going back but I don’t think I will go running back.

Really enjoyed this place. Not much to look at on the outside and not in best neighborhood but worth the extra effort. Fast and friendly service with delicious options.
Can’t wait to try more of the menu.

All hail the yellow pancake! For you are filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts! As Tonya instructed, I will fill you with cilantro, basil and homemade hot sauce!!! I will then spend the next 15 minutes moaning out loud and making other diners feel extremely uncomfortable or highly intrigued as I consume you in a gluttonous onslaught!
The staff is a well-​oiled smiling machine! The food is incredible! Garlic tofu is king!
All hail the yellow pancake! That is all. Carry on!

This is a review for take out at Lang Van Vietnamese. No way one can miss this restaurant driving by Shamrock Drive. Nice size parking lots.
Walked in to place a take out order after visiting the museum earlier. The menu for take out is the same as eating in the restaurant.
The phở soup base came out in a container and the broth was delicious. Soup was still piping hot when it got home.
The rare beef was laid out with noodles underneath in one container and another separate container with mint, basil and parsley with fresh bean sprouts on the side. Blended it all together in a soup bowl.
Crispy spring roll to go too and crunchy dipped in the sauce they provided for take out.
Will definitely be back for dinner.

Not only is this one of the best restaurants in Charlotte but the service here is also incredible, it will be busy here so plan ahead and go during off hours if you’re in a hurry but they work efficiently and turn tables fast so even if the line looks long, you’ll get in more quickly than you expect.
The menu is incredibly extensive-​like 7 pages long. It could be overwhelming for those not used to Vietnamese food but luckily, everything is good! My favorites are the lemongrass tofu and garlic tofu dishes but they also have plenty of good non vegetarian dishes if you prefer meat. My fiancée got a stuffed pineapple dish with shrimp and vegetables last time we went and he really enjoyed it (and it was so pretty too!). Anything with pork is also good here. I’m not supposed to eat pork due to allergies and pork’s not usually my thing anyway but I make an exception for Lang Van’s summer rolls with pork. I can deal with some itchiness and discomfort in exchange for the deliciousness :)
A trip here isn’t complete without having one of the fruit smoothies. In addition to the usual fruits, they also offer more exotic choices such as soursop and durian.
A meal here is capped off with a small plate of complimentary desserts-​usually peanut butter cookies, tamarind candies, and fortune cookies. During my last trip here, they even gave the customers a thanksgiving treat in the form of an entire jar of the peanut butter cookies! They really know how to make customers feel special and appreciated!

Great spot for some Vietnamese! I went with a friend wondering how the place would be like. The place was pretty packed especially considering it doesn’t have the best location. The menu was a bit confusing — they have stir fried noodle dish under rice dish category. But the waitresses helped us find the dishes we wanted pretty quick. Id say the highlight of the dinner was the Jicama roll — it was not something I’d had in other Vietnamese restaurants but was absolutely delicious and reminded me of China since it has Chinese sausage in the rice paper wrap. The service was awesome and I enjoyed the little dessert and candy besides fortune cookie at the end of the meal. Will definitely come back with my Vietnamese friends to check its authenticity next time!

This place is amazing. I can’t believe I didn’t find it sooner!
The most noticeable thing is the service. Literally if you take one sip of your water there is an entire team of people walking around that will make sure your water glass never gets below completely full.
The food is quick and absolutely delicious. I didn’t try anything I didn’t like. And their menu goes on for days! I had the coconut curry with tofu and I could literally eat it every day of the week. Wow. My fiancé got the lemongrass chicken and it was beautiful.
Vietnamese desserts are my absolute favorite and Lang Van did not disappoint! They brought out a handful of «cookies» with the check. ~the end to a perfect meal~
We brought our own wine and I don’t even think they charged us a corkage fee.
Overall — love love love. Cannot wait to go back. The noms are strong with this one.

Perfect! I got tofu curry with extra vegetables. The vegetables were so fresh and cooked perfectly. I don’t normally like tofu, but it was fried nicely and added to the dish. I got rice, which was great to soak in the curry sauce. I wanted French bread too, but they said they didn’t have any.
My son got phở dac viet and loved the flavor of the broth. He said it was on par with his best friend’s mother’s homemade phở, which according to him is the best in the world, so there you go. :)
We got the fried spring roll appetizer and they were really good. The thin, tightly rolled egg rolls are the best. They even had dried mushrooms in them which added to the flavor. Very yummy.