Hu Tieu Mi La Cay Cho Lon

This place comes off as so authentically Vietnamese that it hurts. Thankfully, authentic Vietnamese food is pretty darn good.
Hu Tieu is a place where you go when you don’t want to be coddled. The menu is barely in functional English, the décor is that brand of crazy over-​the-​top that you only really see in select parts of the Eden Center, and most servers barely understand English. It’s kinda awesome — and the dirt-​cheap prices certainly don’t hurt.
There’s a lot here that’s unique to the Eden Center — lots of white noodles (Hu Tieu), egg noodles, etc. I ended up going for the goat curry. The curry itself was to die for, and the egg noodles added a lot — I was in heaven. Unfortunately, the meat itself was simply hucked in, bone, skin, and all, meaning I spent an inordinate amount of my dining time trying to extricate meat from bone. It wasn’t exactly a clean or easy process, and frankly, I looked dumb. That said, what I did get to eat was delicious, so I can barely complain.
Take this place for what it is — a great option that may be a bit imposing — and give it a shot.

The broth was the best part. We all ordered noodle soups. I like egg noodles the most, so I got the seafood version of that. They included fake crab sticks, which I thought was unnecessary. Solid noodle place otherwise.

Food here is amazing. Both low priced and very tasty. Extremely fast also. I order, wash my hands, and the food’s ready. Come after rush hour for the best service/​food.

Long menu of authentic Vietnamese dishes. Not a fancy place but very tasty food, big servings, fast and efficient service, and reasonable prices. Usually crowded with regular Asian customers. My friends eat here at least once a week. Biggest problem is getting a parking space on weekends (Eden Center gets so crowded). Note: payment in CASH only!

Within a week, I’ve been here twice… & that never happens. It definitely surprised me that their food was THAT good.
I have tried the banh canh tom thit and their popular hu tieu; both of those experiences were the epitome of Vietnamese soul food. This place does not skimp out on anything! The amount of food and variety of meats/​seafood they give you is glorious. The broths were light, but flavorful… they hit the spot.
Service was good. The décor is a little tacky, but the restaurant is clean & spacious. My group had no trouble getting seated during lunch or dinner time.
It’s unfortunate that most people are only familiar with phở, but Northern Virginia needs more establishments like this one to offer more varieties of Vietnamese noodle soups. I will definitely bring my non-​Vietnamese, phở-​loving friends here with me the next time I visit, & show them what’s missing from their lives!
**TIP: This place does not accept credit cards, so bring cash! (I believe all places in Eden Center only accepts cash).

Known for their Hu Tieu (white noodle), you can get your fix in a soup or dry with soup on the side. I got their dry seafood noodle and loved it. I’m allergic to pork and sensitive to MSG so this felt like the best option. Soups are pork base FYI. Noodles are lightly seasoned with a sweet soy sauce and paired well with the seafood. Loved it!
I also got their chicken curry but they’re known for their goat curry. (Darn allergies to goat!) It was delicious with bread! The curry was sweet. a bit too sweet for me but still delicious. Wish I got a side of noodles with it. The curry was very watery and would have been great with noodles. You should get it with both if you do try it ;)
Overall it was delicious. It’s located in a plaza so there’s lots of parking. I hear there’s usually a wait but we lucked out since we went at 2pm after the rush. Service was good. No complaints. Thumbs up.

Mi la cay here is great! I’m from San Jose, California so trust me when I say this place is legit.
But what I thought was really nice is the service. I realized I had forgotten to bring cash after I ordered. When I asked the waitress where the closest ATM machine is so I can quickly get some cash, she told me to eat first. She was worried my food would get cold and not taste as good. Ain’t that sweet? :-)

This place is really good; makes me feel like I’m home. I’m from Southern California where I think they have the best Vietnamese food! There’s not that many places here that can live up to that for me. Try their Mi la cay special. So yummy!

Reminds me of a home cooked meal. Décor is pretty basic but clean. Some longer tables for groups.
We tried the beef stew with egg noodles. It was good but I wish there was more meat. They put a lot of tendon which for the most part was tender if you enjoy that (I do!). We also tried this fried rice noodles (the flat wide noodles like in chow fun) which seemed to be deep fried and the sauce with veggies and protein were separate to maintain crispiness. Was good. The last item was «mi kho» (dry noodle) which my dining partner seemed to like.
Nothing over the top but comforting Vietnamese food that focuses on noodles and is a little different from the typical phở or rice. Their café sua da was really good too.

First less-​than-​stellar meal in Eden Center. Not bad, just not Eden Center quality.
Got the chicken curry and seafood phở, which came with a deep-​fried shrimp toasty thing that I didn’t get near.
The chicken curry sauce was good, but the chicken itself was mostly bones and skin. Total disappointment. The seafood bowl wasn’t that great either, but I’m not really into fish balls and imitation crab sticks.
Service was decent. The place was nearly empty, which probably should have been the sign to bail.
Cash only.

Very good food, and very affordable. Unfortunately, they don’t take credit card and the staff doesn’t seem to speak English, so, it’s difficult for a westerner. However, I could not get enough of the fried rice.

We found two bugs in 2 orders.
Couldnt stand with this restaurant.
I saw the first bug in my noodle and then I told them. Then, they replaced me a new one. And they said «this is just an accident this bug is coming from outside «. Later, my friend was having a noodle too he found the bug too.
So i guess those bugs are not coming from the outside.

Very solid hu tieu. We got two different rice noodle bowls, both with soup. The first one (forgot the name, but would probably be the original) was filled with all sorts of goodies, from noodles to all sorts of meats and seafood. And don’t forget the bean sprouts. The broth was positively flavorful as well.
The duck noodle soup was another happy story. This one came with what I think were chives, as well as a giant roasted duck leg. The meat came off the bone with surprising ease, and it definitely lent its flavor to the broth. Only thing was that it could’ve been less salty. Otherwise, all was great.

I didn’t get to try what they were known for but from my experience this place was better than average if you compared it to other places in the area. The people were friendly, the food was well prepared, and the restrooms were cleaned. The problem was that the place was too warm during the summer and even though they had fans blowing it ruined the experience. The seating is cramp, the food didn’t come out all at the same time, and even though they changed out our cups there was still stuff floating in our water. Other than those issues, I still feel like I would like to give this place another try. That being said, I don’t regret my first try and you probably won’t too.

CASH ONLY!
This is in Eden Vietnamese center. The restaurant is next to the tofu place.
For those who haven’t been to Eden Center, there is parking lot in the back also. Parking can be a hassle on a weekend especially during lunch time.
Wonton was delicious (just a little on the salty side for me). They are not cheap on the meat.
The Hu Tieu was very yummy, both dry and soup.
The bánh canh was decent. I love the broth in the bánh canh and hu tieu.
Friendly customer service.
Price is reasonable.
Would I recommend this place to my family and friends? YES!
Will I be back? YES!
CASH ONLY!

I came here for dinner over the weekend with my sister. There are a lot of different types of noodle soups on the menu. I ordered hu tieu which is their restaurant’s name. The portion is nice with a large variety of different meats: squid, shrimp, quail egg, grounded pork, liver, fried fish cake, crab stick, and thinly slices of cha siu pork. There is also a nice topping on the side of a deep fried shrimp on what I believe is wonton skin. This adds a nice touch and crispiness to the dish. You can either have this dish wet or dry. I had mine wet, because hot soup compliment the cold weather. You also have your choice of noodles, either the chewy noodles or the regular noodles. I picked the regular noodles because I was afraid the chewy noodles might be too chewy for my liking. Over all, the dish was good but not memorable.
The restaurant is bright and clean. Cash ONLY.

This is a gem in Eden Center. I wish I could pronounce what I ordered or for that matter even know what I ordered. I asked my server what I should get — she pointed to a number and I immediately said yes without a second thought or for that matter looking at the menu.
It was a soup dish with ramen like noodles with a lot of seafood and pork in it. I ate what I could then took the rest home where I ate it for lunch the next day. She was even sweet enough to add an extra thing of soup broth for me to add to it since I consumed it already in my supper meal.
Like Jeong L. said, they have EXCELLENT smoothies. I got my beloved jack fruit shake that I have not been able to find in any other Vietnamese restaurant in the DMV area. I haven’t had a jack fruit shake since dining at Phở Siagon in Memphis, and that was a very long time ago… like two years. Yeah, way overdue to have that drink. They use real fruit versus the flavored powder. You can tell in the consistency of how authentic it is.
Our server was really nice. I enjoyed speaking with her and her getting to know our table.
I visited with Jason C. and Jeong L. I think I would easily come back. Just next time I need to pay attention to what I order that way I will be able to put it in my future review!

Great jack fruit and guava smoothie!!! I would come here just to get the smoothies! They grind up real fruit (NOT the powdery stuff) to make the smoothies, so it is worth the trip! :)
I didn’t eat anything else, so I don’t know how the food is, but I would go back to try out their food as well. Also, the owner lady is the sweetest thing, and she will do everything to make you happy! Very impressed.

I came here some time when I have this weird craving for la cay. This is the only place I will get la cay in Northern Virginia because I love their flavor and the way mix their ingredients. The service wasn’t bad but they tend to rush you when you need more time to look over the menu. One day I came here and they didn’t like it when I only ordered water and nothing else to drink.
The place only accepted cash therefore I always need to bring enough cash to this place since they don’t accept credit card, but isn’t all asian restaurants are like that?

Daddy/​Daughter lunches usually run the gamut from endless bottomless fries and milkshakes at Red Robin to the finest filet mignon at Ruth Chris. Not with my pops. I can always guarantee that he will take me to some place completely random with a name that I would never be able to pronounce if my life depended on it.
Today’s lunch was no different. He told me to meet him at «Mi La Cay» — I searched high and low for this place only to find out that it’s real name was actually seven different syllables.
My dad suggested that I order the restaurant’s specialty «hu tieu», a Vietnamese dish that I never had before. To break it down, it is a rice noodle dish topped with a healthy heaping of lettuce, steamed shrimp, a fried shrimp wonton, fish cake, thinly sliced pork, liver, and squid. On the side is a light scallion broth that you can pour into your bowl or eat on the side and a brown sauce that you can dip your toppings into. The dish can also be served «wet» with the broth already in the bowl.
I skipped the pork and liver in the bowl but still found the dish to be hearty but fresh tasting. All of the different flavors from the broth, to the seafood, to the noodles, and the sauce was a wonderful and exciting combination that was both familiar and new to me.
Can’t wait to go back for seconds!