Huong Viet

Omg I’m Vietnamese and I love a good banh mi! It’s a Vietnamese sandwich. My parent s also owned a banh mi shop in Kansas and I just can’t stay away from this food too long! Everyone who has tried it loves Vietnamese food, especially a banh mo sandwich if it’s made right! Need to try if you have not!

The man forgot our spring rolls and sandwich and suggested us to take it home.
As for the phở, ehhh, it was okay.

Well my intent was to head to Oporto for lunch but they closed at 230 in preparation for their dinner service. So I headed down the street to this place. I had passed it a few times. But figured I would stop in. For starters the place is very sparse. Basically a few tables and chairs. No big deal. The owners are all business no small talk, no how ya doing, no thanks for coming in. Fine I get it. Lastly the food I had spring rolls and an order of Phở Bo extra large and a taro bubble tea. The food was good condiments for the phở, fresh and rolls fresh with a nice sprig of mint. All in all it was good. But as far a friendly service goes and some food conversation. I’m headed to Phở Boston.

This restaurant has changed hands. is now Mai Lan

I just went in earlier in the afternoon and had the most horrible service. I called an order for three banh mi thinking that calling in 15 min for three sandwiches would be ample time. … Guess not. I guess they needed FORTY minutes to get THREE sandwiches done.
The older man was sorry– but err– is it because he didn’t give my order to the cooks out in back? And forgot to give them my order even when I went in? Hmm. He rang me up and didn’t even give some sort of discount due to my long wait. He just apologized.
Needless to say, I’m never coming back here. I’d rather learn how to make banh mi or get recommendations for other places before EVER coming back here.
IT’S NOT WORTH COMING HERE IF YOU DON’T SPEAK VIETNAMESE.

Another ma and pa Asian establishment in the Hartford/​West Hartford area…
What is special about this place is that they make a delicious pork banh mi. The pork is juicy and succulent.
I ordered a beef phở. It was okay, but the broth was bland and it didn’t flirt with my taste buds.
Since I was there at 2 this afternoon, I was the only person in the store. The older gentleman who waited on me was very nice, though there was a language barrier. My order came in quick.
In short, get the banh mi and skip the phở. They only accept credit cards for orders over $ 10. They have unique drinks like salted lemonade.

woohoo, I love this place… it’s my go to restaurant for all things Vietnamese. The pork Bahn Mi is slammin! Sooooo tasty and cheap, i usually order 2 to go with my vermicelli & eggroll noodle dish. BYOB just increases the value :) My other friends who eat more Viet than me, prefer this to Phở-​Boston, which seems to be most people’s go to Viet restaurant. Even my vegetarian friends enjoyed good food, although the selection was def. limited for them.
the place usually doesn’t have a ton of people in it, which is fine because it’s pretty quiet and service is fast and courteous.

Quick review; this is my VN go-​to place locally.
The good:
— Goi ga: chicken and cabbage salad
— Phở ga: chicken phở
— Banh mi: good garsh u$ 3 and change??? Fave is the pork.
— Summer rolls: as good as I’ve had ‘em around here.
— Employees are lovely. Just. Good. People.
— They try to help me w/​my crap VN. Horrible pronunciation.
— Prices in general.
— PRIVATE PARKING across the street!!!
Be it known:
— Don’t go here for the ambiance. This is minimalism, kinda what you see in most of the every-​day VN restaurants I’ve seen in HaNoi, HCMC/​Saigon, Nha Trang, Mui Né, etc
— I can’t remember if they have beer (bia).
The bad:
— They’ve mixed up our phone orders a couple times. Generally, summarizing your order at the end of the call is a good idea.
They have some of those VN desserts, which tend to be wayyyy tooo sweet for me; YMMV.
What Kevin said; «Hidden gem.»

2 years of agony. 2 freaking banh-​mi empty years!!! I am a banh mi-​holic who craves it and spends unjustifiable hours thinking about it while it affects my activities of daily living. I’m a banh mi eater who loves those pickled veggies on a toasty french baguette. I have been on the search in Connecticut for the banh mi sandwiches I so lovingly left behind along with my west coast roots.
Sadly, I was so disappointed. I came here looking for just the banh mi. I didn’t get a chance to try anything else. I wanted to feel the finely julienne pickled carrots and white diakon radishes dancing on my tongue and the sharp sting of jalapeño peppers that truly make a banh mi extra amazing!
All I can say is Do mai! (hope that’s allowed) I was so looking forward to a delicious banh mi. They were also so small. Maybe it’s the fat kid hidden in my petite frame, but I couldn’t believe how small it was. $ 3 something. small. no daikon. no peppers.
Unfortunately, my search continues.

Not the best in service… but I think they have the best Phở in central CT… Price is excellent, generous portion and the broth is cooked to perfection… I’m a big guy and I order a large #10 (without the tripe) and almost didn’t even finish it… I would also recommend trying their «hot» grinders with either beef or chicken as well.

Just stopped by for a Banh Mi. Best I’ve had so far. I got it to go and not only was service fast but they gave me some Jasmine tea while I waited. When I got home I almost lost it to my girlfriend who, while not usually a fan of Vietnamese food, came in from the other room and insisted on having half! I can’t wait to go back to sample the rest of their menu (I just hope I don’t embarrass myself with terrible pronunciation)

Still love it here!
The waitstaff are so lovely (especially the sweet older man) and the banh mi is downright terrific. The gaudy fake flowers add a little bit of awww charm to the otherwise cafeteria-​esque restaurant. And really, $ 3.10 for a pork banh mi is pretty unbeatable. I’ll be back… again…and again. At least once a week for lunch!

I was very excited to try this new Phở place. I had it on my must try list for weeks. When I saw the exterior of the restaurant I was excited. I automatically concluded the place must be good because it has it’s own private parking lot across the street. The street is relatively easy to cross because there are lights.
Décor: I’ll be honest the place looks dirty. The cashier station had a vinyl Christmas themed table cloth hiding the surface. The room was huge but lacked any sleekness. Based on the appearance I don’t think I would be back because I’m afraid they will compromise the ingredients used to prepare my phở.
Cleanliness: while waiting for our phos I noticed the flit covered spoons. Tables and utensils should be clean and dust free. If the outside of the kitchen looks like this I wonder what the inside of the kitchen has growing on the rags.
Phở: I went with the combination phở. I’m picky about having scallions in my food. I specifically requested no scallions and the staff went back and forth confirming my order. When my phở arrived it had tons of scallions in it. Not only that but the scallions were not the freshest. I absolutely hate the smell of slimy scallions.
The broth was decent but I didn’t care for the meat. When beef tastes like pork I start to question the freshness. Just from looking at the way the meat curls I could tell the meat was not the best quality.
Sandwiches: a tad small. When I saw pics on Unilocal I was excited to try. The meat was well seasoned and the roll was crunchy. I was disappointed that there were no pickled chili peppers on the side. I think they should convert into a sandwich place.
Service: staff was friendly and appeared accommodating but I was a tad annoyed that my phở came out with scallions. Glasses were never refilled. To pay you have to walk up to the cashier station. In their defense I think the staff gave us space because we were Asain. I noticed the waitress coaching the Caucasian man at the table a few feet away on how to season his phở, that did bring a smile to my face. It could have been she felt she was being respectful by allowing me to eat on peace.
Summary: not the best phở around. The sandwiches were great but a tad small. Prices were comparable to other phở places around. Due to the dust and dirty spoons I would rather eat elsewhere. I can’t help but wonder what the kitchen looks like.

In the past the west end of Hartford has had a few Phở shops that didn’t warrant a return trip. Maybe I was just unlucky, but none of them came close to 501 (still one of the best) or Phở Boston. That has changed. Huong Viet in the Parkville area of Hartford has a men with nice variety, and doesn’t hold back on the authentic ingredients. The pork Bahn Mi is just what it should be: juicy, spicy, savory, sweet, and made on a great baguette. I think they make their own bread. If not they aren’t giving up the source (I tried). The Phở is very good, and they give you tripe, tendon, meatballs, … no problem. I also tried the weekend special soup with fish/​pork/​shrimp and it is equally great. Good vietnamese food i CT is a rarity, and I continue to hit every viet place i find in hopes of hitting a winner, and this is a place I will keep going back to.

As a Vietnamese-​born American who has lived in California (San Jose and Orange County reign as the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of the country itself) most of my life and as part of a restaurant family, I know the culture and cuisine well.
FOOD: the soups here are fairly authentic and tasty.
SERVICE: was was fairly attentive. The major drawback of this place is its limited hours and days of operation.
AMBIANCE: parking is usually available on the street. The restaurant is slightly run down, but has a «mom & pop» charm.
VALUE: prices are average for Phở places in this area.

This place sells a DOPE Pork Banh Mis for just $ 3.10! The beef version is $ 3.25. The pork sandwich is juicer. This place provides a delicious and cheap weekday lunch. The friendly service is a little slow, but I at these prices I can’t complain. It is a bit of a hole in the wall, not that there is anything wrong with that. The Phở isn’t bad either. A hidden little gem. More people need to find it.
PS They have their own parking lot to the right of Phở 88.
CLOSED ON MONDAYS!