Leanh’s Vietnamese Restaurant

I don’t usually give 1 star reviews but this place was particularly bad. You have to wonder about a Vietnamese restaurant that doesn’t even have fish sauce in the table. And even though they knew we are Vietnamese, I still had to ask for it when my phở came out. This is a basic condiment that accompanies many dishes, especially phở. The best thing were the egg rolls but even here it actually resembled more of a Thai style egg roll with more veggies than meat. I think they’re trying too hard to hit an American palette. Also, the sauces that came w the spring rolls and egg rolls were totally wrong flavors. They’re in the ball park but not very close. And service took Forever. From the previous reviews it seems like a family operation. It’s not the fault of the two waitresses. They just don’t have enough staff for even a ¾ full restaurant. Too bad. Save your time and money for Phở Cali.

Super tasty food. Tofu with lemongrass, hot peppers and onions was amazing — pretty spicy but so good!
If we were not continuing on, I’d be back tomorrow!!!

Let me start by saying that this restaurant has the nicest, warmest people working here! That alone makes for a great dining experience! We only had soup & fresh rolls and they were very satisfying. Def coming back to this place again!

Highly recommended … The best Vietnamese food in the area!!! Will definitely come back

What a nice surprise! Some friends of mine told me about this Vietnamese restaurant and even though it doesn’t have a great location, it has fantastic and authentic food. The BBQ pork sandwich is delicious and it’s all homemade ingredients and fresh. Every time I’m in the area I tried to stop at this place and it’s also great for lunch. And of course try the tapioca milkshake,

The beef & broccoli tastes odd. The meat is not high quality. Bun bo hue has a thick brown broth (not really bun bo hue). I only stop in here because Yummy House was closed. I’m writing this in hopes that this restaurant improves. Very poor representation of Vietnamese cuisine.

I just don’t understand the poor reviews. We have become regulars, eating here at least once every two weeks. It’s a family-​run restaurant, with parents cooking and two sisters serving. They have always been cheerful, friendly, and welcoming. I do not like spicy food, but my husband loves it. They are quite happy to accommodate both of us. Any of their grilled pork or chicken dishes is excellent. My husband often says, Surprise me,” and has never been disappointed
Yes, the décor leaves something to be desired, but we don’t come because it’s pretty. I have never had a problem with cleanliness, either in the restaurant or the restrooms.
I think if patrons act towards the servers as they would want to be treated, they will have a well-​cooked, delicious, and friendly meal.

Last time I was in Sarasota, two years ago, it looked like this restaurant was about to open, but hadn’t yet.
Just got back in town and I remembered that this restaurant was going to open, so we looked for it.
Yes, it was open and my partner and I had dinner there. And, the food, was, in a word, EXCELLENT! The best Vietnamese food I have had so far — and we are both picky, very discriminating eaters. (I was a chef and baker at one point and cook a lot of Vietnamese at home.)
The two sisters that are running around, running the place are very sweet and accommodating. The food is authentic and absolutely delicious!
We shared a «make your own spring roll» (that’s what the waitress called it) appetizer. It was grilled beef with lemongrass and onions on a platter with warm rice noodles, cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, fresh Thai basil and lettuce. It comes with dry rice papers, which you moisten yourself at the table, and a fish sauce to dip in.
I had a chicken and lemongrass stir fry which was spicy, like I was hoping it would be. The portion very good. My partner had a Bun, which is a bowl of warm rice noodles, with whatever you choose. This one had grilled pork and pork spring roll.
I highly recommend this restaurant! I will be here for a couple of months and I will visit this restaurant often!
Do NOT pass this up, just because it looks like a little hole in the wall — it is a little hole in the wall, not much ambiance, but who cares? The food more than makes up for the surroundings.

I really enjoyed today’s visit to this treasure of restaurant. The food, friendly prompt service and ambiance is a pleasant surprise. it’s got an intimate feel and great tasty authentic Vietnamese cuisine. I had this chef’s special — rice/​tofu/​onion and veggie dish. It had braised tofu and lemon grass and spicy-​hot peppers. I’m fan of mild as well as moderate-​to-​hot spice. This dish was fairly spicy (for some folks) but perfectly-​balanced. The portion size was generous.
My date had Rice Porridge, served with a side of fresh beansprouts, lime and jalapeño pepper, topped with scallion, fried onion and ground black pepper. She loved this dish. We can’t wait to go again.
Located not that far down Tamiami Trail from the Ringling Museum of Art. Here’s a perfect set of activities to do on rainy or not-​so-​rainy day. My

The staff is incredible. Personable, courteous, and fast. The food is outstanding. By far my favorite place in Sarasota. Just moved back here and have been most looking forward to eating here again!

Not sure what the poor reviews are all about. My husband and our friends from NY and Florida came to this restaurant twice during our stay in Florida. I was skeptical at first because of some bad reviews. But as I said, I rate according to my experience and stay free from the influence of the great eaters out there. If you don’t try it, you wouldn’t know. So we tried it and we know. Oh boy I had to come back for the second time *:] The service was good. If you’re wondering whether the servers are polite and friendly, yes they are. If you’re talking about giving you a french service, of course no. But this is a family asian-​style restaurant. So they do it the asian-​way. It’s hard to believe they’d throw a menu at a customer (saw a review about this). I think service and treatment goes both ways. Ok, enough lecturing. Let’s get back to food! We had some famous fish soup, some catfish that came in a clay pot, grilled shrimp over rice, some chicken dish, do-​it-​yourself vietnamese summer rolls and a nice-​looking quail dish. All of them were so flavorful! The soup is definitely shareable, enough for at least 4 people. I liked everything here except their summer rolls. I didn’t care much for the rolls because I prefer the shrimp as-​is to go with the vegetable for the rolls, not the mashed-​shrimp. We went here twice for lunch and the menu stays the same all day all night. We received a modest check, great way to enjoy life while on vacation. I really-​very-​truly liked the grilled shrimp over rice, so simple yet so tasty. I must say that the catfish was well-​prepared. I wouldn’t eat it any other way. The chef could be a master Catfish! We would definitely go back next year or sooner.

Stop in for some quick Vietnamese food. The decorations remind me of Vietnam! The food is excellent and the server is so nice. Love it, will definitely come back! Thanks Yen!

The services was horrible, my mates and I went to the restaurant last week which it was my birthday. I had a horrible time, and the waitress just throw the menu on my table and also snatch it over from both my friends and I.
We ordered it and since then, by not looking at their faces /​entered the restaurant again, instead of eating in. We have it take away from the very end… Food is ok, but I’m not going back again. Good luck to you if you like to treated in that way!

I had a bad experience the first time I visited… But I have now become a regular! Family owed and operated, mom, dad and brother cook while 2 sisters work the dinning room. Phở broth is tasty, kids love the chicken rice and fresh lemonade, I enjoy making my own roll! Must try!!!

Leanh’s Vietnamese Restaurant was a great experience for us. We ordered fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, chicken phở soup with egg noodles, and sweet and spicy fish & shrimp soup with a side of rice noodles instead of rice. Everything was exactly what we were looking for. The taste of everything was perfect.
There are other vietnamese places in the area, but this one worked perfectly for us. It was a nice open space, and it looked a bit better and cleaner than another place that we had stopped at.
We were surprised because we came at around 5PM, and it had been pretty empty. Soon after that, people were coming in like crazy, and it became a full restaurant. That’s a great sign. There were only two servers, and wow, they did a lot. I was concerned about our service at first because there were so many people. They did well, and were very welcoming and patient.
We now know another place in Sarasota for Phở, and we will be happy to be back when in the area, and having a taste for it again. There are also a ton of other options that I would love to try on their menu.

Overall: Great tasting Asian cuisine, a friendly staff, and reasonable prices. Leanh’s is the way to go!
The good: One of the only Vietnamese options in the area. The food is authentic and fresh and tastes great. The service is fast and friendly. The prices are pretty reasonable and the portion sizes are fitting. Lots of options on the menu.
The bad: The décor could have been a little better, and the whole period when we were there took awhile even though we were the only ones. Still, great experience. Not too many beer options.
Atmosphere: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: ⁹⁄₁₀
Food: ⁹⁄₁₀

Honestly, I don’t understand some of the poor reviews. I have eaten at several Vietnamese restaurants (at least 5 – 6 in South Florida), some of which are very highly rated, and this place was pretty much up there. The service was very friendly, the place was clean (yes, I used the bathroom and no, it was not dirty), although the décor inside the restaurant was rather bland. It’s also conveniently located on the strip where several hotels and motels are all found, not too far from the downtown either. Parking was easy and the place was not too crowded.
For my lunch, I ordered the curry chicken with angel hair noodles, which came with lettuce, cucumbers, pickled carrot, mint leaves and side of fish sauce, topped with ground peanut and fried onion. It was delicious, very flavorful and tender. Adding some chili and garlic sauce really brought out the flavors. My friend had some sort of stir fried entrée and enjoyed it as well. He was also baffled as to why some people thought this place was worth only 2 stars, or less. Both our meals came out to about $ 20, not bad at all, and we were both very full. I recommend giving this place a try, especially if you like exotic cuisine at affordable prices.

Authentic Vietnamese flavors and pleasing service. The dining room was clean and filled with daylight at lunchtime.
Another reviewer commented on the filthy bathroom. I didn’t see the bathroom, but my husband did – he said, although it wasn’t pristine, it was far from filthy. Maybe they got the message?
I really liked the grilled pork and shrimp on rice vermicelli, menu item No. 58 ($ 10.95). The flavors of the meat and shrimp were great and very fresh – You also could tell they’d been well marinated. The dish had soft, chewy, crispy and crunchy textures, combined – from slivered vegetables, nuts, chopped lettuce, soft noodles, tender meat – and plenty flavor.
Best, though, was the banh mi sandwich with grilled beef. Fabulous – although it was missing from my menu, it was on my husband’s in a special section with photos. The roll had that crispy, light, melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness that I associate with authentic Vietnamese-​style sandwich rolls – They use part rice flour in the bread dough. The meat was delightful as were the rest of the banh mi trimmings. Yum. It was easy to eat 2, because the bread is so light.
Some of the people that gave the place an indifferent rating, I notice, ordered dishes that aren’t typical of Vietnamese cooking. I’d stick with the fundamentals here and doubt you could go wrong.
I’d definitely return to Leanh’s. And I’ll check out the bathroom!

Back from vacation, what to do? Try the new place that opened just before I left town.
I always start off with either bun bo hue or something like bun cha when trying out a new vietnamese place. Went with the grilled pork on bun this time. The DC homed right in on the eel and lemon grass. We both love eel but she has more of a passion for it than me. But sounded really good. On one hand I was worried, as how many people in Sarasota eat eel and so how fresh was it? or maybe they have a tank in the back? In any case my worries were for nothing. The eel was really good. Fresh, tasting, not muddy at all, super tender, feel right off the bone and practically melted in your mouth. Plus the lemon grass flavor was nicely balanced and came through very well. The veggies on this dish worked nicely as well. The server said to us, «if you like the eel, get the frog legs next time, they are better.» Might just have to do that.
The grilled pork and bun was fine but there is better nearby. But this was decent. The main thing was the grilling didn’t put marks on it and it was just shy of truly caramelizing the sugars on it. It was almost like the meat was glazed instead of caramelized. So good, but not what I usually get when I order something like this.
Service was great. I’ll go back for more eel and to try a few more things. But they need to put the wine, beer list and prices for drinks on the menu.

The service at LeAnh’s is the best I have received at a Vietnamese restaurant in Sarasota. Service will get you really far in an area dominated by Baby Boomers that insist more on good service than good food. The atmosphere leaves much more to be desired, and maybe a mop across the floor and some disinfectant would help with that.
The Good:
Goi Cuon is soft with just the right amount of meat inside. Dipping sauce is delish.
Chinese Sausage Fried Rice is nice and chewy, the sausage is thin sliced with care and blanched beforehand to make it more tender. Every kernel of rice is coated.
They serve Che Ba Mau. They even give you a little spoon to eat it with.
Friendly service, you are not rushed. They accept every credit card.
Open 7 days a week with consistent hours. Easy to park in private free lot.
Water is served with lime.
The Bad:
They do not serve Phở Ga. However, they will serve you Phở broth (which is made of beef, by the way) with chicken floating in it. Wrong.
The Com and Bun meals are served with curry-​powder-​flavored chicken instead of the usual lemongrass flavor.
The pickles are not pickle-​y at all. More just lightly soggy.
They do not serve Bun Xeo.
Broths are not very flavorful. Including stews like Bo Kho.
If you are one of those people that think the only food that Vietnamese eat is Phở, then you are mistaken. That is like saying the only food that Japanese people eat is sushi. Try something else on the menu sometime.
By the way, there are only five restaurants in Sarasota that serve Vietnamese food. So, when you say that something is «the best is Sarasota,» that is not saying much.
This is where I offend the locals after years of research on the Sarasota area:
Sarasotians have this habit of never leaving the Sarasota area, unless they are forced to— most of the time stating that civilization is «too far» to drive towards— so they live in a bubble. Take that into consideration if vacationing in the area and trusting the locals… keeping in mind that they have probably never been outside of their bubble in a really long time. Well, maybe over the bridge to Longboat Key or Siesta Key.
While the food quality is much better at Phở Cali, their hours are sporadic and service absolutely horrible.
It’s «Vietnamese» not «Vitnamese.»