Cindy Lee Cafe

After traveling past it many times on Trax, I decided to stop by for some lunch.
Not what I expected. I am pretty disappointed with the food. I thought I was playing it safe with the sweet and sour pork. I was wrong. It was dry and the sauce reminded me of ketchup. The fried rice smelled like cigarette ashes.
Overall, not a good experience. I might come back… Who knows.

At first I hated Cindy Lee… but now it’s become one of my go-​to lunch spots. Reliable quality of food, great prices, and super quick take out.
I think what made me change my mind about Cindy Lee was exploring the Vietnamese side of the menu. Their Chinese food is meh, but they’ve got some pretty awesome Vietnamese choices. Their phở is good (not the best I’ve had, but for the convenience and price, very good) and I’ve fallen in love with the BBQ Pork over noodle dish. Also, their daily specials are usually spot on, so if you’re feeling adventurous, go for the special.
I generally spend about $ 7 for lunch here regardless of what I order and my food is usually ready in about 4 minutes. If i call ahead and leave my office right after calling, wait time is zero :)

Who is Cindy Lee? I dunno. But whoever she is, the staff is scared of her. Cause they’re working like they mean it – like Cindy Lee herself is going to pop in at any moment and fire someone for not hustlin’ fast enough.
That’s pretty much the service here. So very efficient and gracious. I didn’t feel rushed, though, which can happen when your server is TOO on top of their game. Then again, there wasn’t much of a crowd so they weren’t hurting for seating space.
As the food goes, I’m saying it’s a solid choice for dependable Vietnamese. We only sampled a few things here, so there may be something else on the menu that knocks you for a zowie, but we tried the spring rolls, the hot & sour soup and the beef phở and they were all totally acceptable. Totally affordable, too.
The spring rolls had some girth to them, which was nice. The hot & sour was more sour than most I’ve tried, but I guess that’s a nice change of pace. And the phở was the exactly what I wanted on a cold night of walking around downtown. Delightfully warm, a good value, and fresh. It did come off a bit strong in the anise/​fennel/​licorice taste category, but that might just be my own taste.
It’s a great location right on Main and is actually nice and bright inside with ample seating. Seems like places like this usually have half the space, so you may lose a little of the cozy, neighborhood feel in favor of the spaciousness. But when you wrap all that up, you’ve got a completely suitable place for fast and friendly Vietnamese.
Need to mention that there are NO SUBSTITUTIONS (they’re very clear about that) and a minimum $ 5 charge for credit cards. Checks not accepted.