Mimosa Restaurant

They recently changed their name to «Phở 18» and I was hoping it was a completely different restaurant but nope still the same– HORRIBLE service, horrible food, and can I repeat HORRIBLE service. They never seem to have half the items on the menu, no one ever knows how to know how to make their smoothies/​bubble tea, and if they don’t know what to say on the phone, they just hang up. Don’t bother coming here– there are many other places to get great Vietnamese food in the DMV area. HORRIBLE.

It’s a hilarious name, so I was a fan before I sat down. We had spring rolls (bland, as expected on some level) then the phở with eye of round. The soup was pretty tasty, mild broth with nice accoutrements including fresh chills on request. Service was very friendly. The TV set up is a bit funky but I enjoyed the pop music videos.

Not the best phở I’ve ever had but good service and it’s a nice neighborhood spot.
Oddly enough they serve iced Vietnamese coffee but they don’t serve it hot.

The weeks since Christmas have been filled with runny noses and colds galore, so it’s no surprise that I was craving soup. Not soup from a can, but hearty, stick to your ribs soup. Phở was my first choice and I was happy to see that a well-​reviewed restaurant was serving it up right around the corner.
My phở pallet isn’t particularly well defined, so pretty much anything would do. That being said, Mimosas’ phở was delicious! For $ 10, you could customize with any number of meats you wanted (options include brisket, flank, chicken, and tripe). The portion was huge, enough for two meals for me, and was packed with delicious vermicelli, herbs, and came with sides of bean sprouts, jalapeños, and lime. I added both Sriracha and hoisin to my bowl and was one happy camper.
The restaurant itself was not crowded on a Monday; there were two other parties dining while I was there. Two large TVs adorned the space and the owner graciously changed them to a basketball game at my friend’s request. Service was okay, hence the 3 star review. We didn’t get refills on water until we asked, and the soup was seriously spicy, so that was a bit disappointing. He wasn’t particularly attentive and never came to check on us after the phở was dropped off.
I’d recommend the phở for sure, but will maybe order it for take out next time.

Mimosa is one of the best and most interesting Vietnamese restaurants within DC proper. Our menu favorites include the shaky beef, caramelized pork with black pepper, GÀ XÀO CI LÀN (Stir-​Fried Chicken with Chinese Broccoli), and more. They used to have a really good «Vietnamese beef stew» on the menu with thin egg noodles and potatoes (kind of the ultimate French-​Vietnamese fusion), but unfortunately they edited their menu recently, and I guess it didn’t make the cut. I hope they bring it back.
It’s also a fun place to try something new, like the Bánh Hi (fine vermicelli), which is kind of like a crêpe made from rice vermicelli pressed together, which you eat with lettuce, herbs, and grilled protein (in my case, shimp). It’s good, if a little tricky/​embarassing to eat as a novice. So far the only dish I haven’t loved was the lemongrass chicken, which was a little bland/​one-​note for me. My husband also got a pork stew/​soup once that was kind of intense, but I don’t think it’s on the menu anymore. The grilled pork bún is tasty but not quite as good as Phở 14’s, which has more herbs, a better dressing, and more flavor all around. Still, this is splitting hairs. Mimosa is so much better than a bunch of other restaurants in the area, Asian or not.
Oh, also? Happy hour is hella cheap. And they keep the complimentary roasted peanuts coming. Service is always very friendly as well. Worth a stop! Just sit outside if you can to avoid distraction from the giant flashing flat-​screen TVs. Ambience is not the draw here.

Okay, so maybe I’m just being kind of a butt, but I was kind of like a see-​saw on this restaurant. «I want to like… I don’t like…»
Phở — for sure great phở, great broth (though slightly salty), noodle texture was on point, and it was displayed to me in a way that I’m very used to in Seattle.
CONS: The restaurant itself was very dark when I walked in on a weekday afternoon, a bit strange; also, the waiter was less than happy to help though the gentleman who brought out the food was very sweet. Also, their wifi apparently was down and I was told to go to a generic ATM nearby which FYI charges a $ 3 fee for taking out money.
I would return, only if I have enough cash on me.

SERVICE: Excellent take-​out phở experience using EAT24. I was on a BestBus coming back from New York around 8:30pm on a Sunday – exhausted, dreading the work week, and starving. While I could have reasonably made one of the Blue Apron dishes that were in our fridge, or grabbed something on the walk home to Adams Morgan from Dupont Circle – I was still on vacation brain, and vacation brain wants an Über and delivery. Cue Mimosa: they have some of the only reasonably priced phở in the district – while it’s not the ideal Vietnamese food offerings (this kid misses Irvine, CA like it’s her job), it did the trick. The man brought the food and beat us back to our apartment by 4 minutes – we were lucky he was willing to wait for us to arrive. So far I’m a fan of EAT24 and the service I received from Mimosa Restaurant.
FOOD: I ordered the «7. Flank Phở» and the «1. Eye of Round Phở.» The bag of goodies was as plentiful as you’d expect in the establishment (fresh ingredients and extra everything because we were their last order of the night), and the noodles hadn’t all clumped together. The phở broth was fine. I was hungry and there was enough basil/​cilantro/​onions/​and sriracha to remedy the near-​blandness. There was a generous portion (even by phở standards), and I had enough leftover for a full lunch the following day. I look forward to trying the in-​house experience.

So after visiting Mimosa, my search for good Vietnamese food in DC proper still continues… sigh.
By a thin margin, this place passed as decent. But by my family standards (full Vietnamese right here), I doubt I’ll return anytime soon.
1. Phở $ 10 — the broth isn’t up to par and this is what makes phở awesome.
2. Bun thit nuong $ 10 (vermicelli with beef) — tasted more bland…
3. Cha Gio $ 4 (egg rolls) — Good. Wish we got more than two but that’s the standard around here.
4. Smoothies $ 5 — Too sweet for my liking, but good.
This place teeters more on a 2.5 for me, but I’ll round up bc I don’t know how much of a Vietnamese snob I am being. ;)

Horrible take out. Ordered fresh spring rolls
Got fried one. Phi broth was very salty and had to cut it with water. Flank looked scary. Pork was uneatable: way too salty and we had to throw it. Repugnant. Avoid There are dozens of places around.

Washingtonians no longer need to head to Eden Center for an inexpensive and satisfying Vietnamese meal. Tasty vermicelli noodle and rice bowls are available at Mimosa Restaurant, topped with flavorful grilled pork or beef, pickled carrot and daikon, and fresh herbs. Service was attentive. Lunch time specials ($ 7.99) are a STEAL.

Unfortunately the management who ran the place sold it to another Vietnamese family two weeks ago. The menu has been cut down dramatically to maintain overhead costs. The waiter told me they will gradually expand the menu but for the time being, it’s just mostly phở.

Excellent Vietnamese Restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C. may be a good experience for you during the Memorial Day Weekend and for the spectacular Rolling Thunder, Inc. Run demonstration by chapter member motorcyclists who are supporting the return of all of the POW/​MIA from foreign wars, our Veterans, Active duty, and their families. It is very easy to find that Mimosa Restaurant serves the best authentic meals. #1 in my book.

Pleasantly surprised! After some deliberation, a friend suggested this place I had never heard of before and when I got there, I was skeptical heading into a less-​than-​stellar entrance on 18^th St at the beginning of the rowdy bar scene, but as usual, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Service: Adequately attentive servers mill around, even when my friend and I were the only patrons for lunch. Water was always topped off, questions answered, and we had our space for conversation and did not feel bothered.
Food: We started with two (one each) very hearty and fresh shrimp garden rolls with a yummy peanut spicy sauce. I haven’t had good garden/​rice paper-​wrapped rolls in awhile, so those were pretty memorable. I had the grilled lemongrass beef with rice vermicelli as my entrée, which is one of the two most popular [lunch] dishes — the other is the phở. Being relatively unfamiliar with Vietnamese food, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised with this rice noodle-​vegetable-​pan fried steak concoction priced at a friendly $ 7.99. A sauce came on the side, which I poured over my big bowl of food (not sure if I was supposed to do that) and accompanied by squirts of sriracha, I was very happy with how fresh, savory, and filling my meal was.
I strongly recommend the lunch here and would not be surprised if a dinner experience was similar. I feel more educated in Vietnamese cuisine, and look forward to my next Vietnamese culinary foray.

It’s funny, because for a restaurant named «Mimosa,» this place had absolutely no mimosas on their menu. When we further inquired about the mimosas, our waitress seemed confused and apologized and said they don’t offer any mimosas. Strange!
But what they do have is phở. And excellent phở at that. Even on a warm May day, I ordered a bowl of warm phở (I can eat phở anytime, even on sweltering 90+ degree days). I ordered a regular sized bowl with all of the meats they offered (eye round steak, brisket, flank, soft tendons, and meatballs) and it was DELICIOUS.
They have a pretty nice lunch special ($ 7.99 for a bowl of phở, even on the weekends), which is great, considering this restaurant is in a prime location between Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan, where restaurants are generally overpriced.
My fiancé and our friend ordered the chicken fried rice, which was also on the lunch special menu ($ 7.99 for a very generous portion). My fiancé and I also ordered drinks — he got a DC Brau beer (he liked that it came with an already-​chilled mug, but wasn’t a big fan of the beer itself) and I got a glass of plum wine (delicious, and surprisingly paired very well with my phở).
Service was attentive and friendly. And come to think of it, we were probably their only customers throughout our Saturday lunch meal.
I would certainly visit this restaurant again, but I won’t go in assuming that there are any mimosas.

I love having lunch here. They offer terrific lunch deals ($ 7.99), friendly service, and consistently fabulous phở. If you haven’t been here yet, I highly recommend!

Before I begin my review this place is authentic which I am surprise to see.
So I came here today for lunch… Unilocal said they were open at 10 n my sister and I arrived at 11ish… walked in and the guy that worked there was like we are not open yet. So qe can back exactly at 11 (the correct time). One of my favorite vietnamese dish that I haven’t ate for over a year because I only eat my mom’s homemade is bun bo hue. I so wanted this, but they didn’t have that this weekend. They said the following weekend they will have it. If only I lived here to even come back. I jokingly replied should I come back from LI to eat this? Haha
So I thought well my second choice would be bo kho. Its beef cubes with potatoes n carrots in a very thick sauce that I prefer eating with a baguette. Even that, they didn’t have today. It is definitely not my luck today and it’s my Birthday today. Wassup with that. So luckily my 3^rd option was available because if they didn’t have my Ka Kho (caramelized catfish) I wouldn’t know what to get. This is my other favorite dish I love eating… especially when my mom makes it. Actually anyone making it at home is good.
It arrived in a nice presentation. I was satisfied with this dish but somewhat disappointed because it is catfish filet! And I wanted the legit way and have the fish with the bones and skin. If it had the fish head in there I would be even more pleased. But yes, it was just a filet =(it is still good tho. For anyone who loves fish and don’t want to bother with the bones then this is for you. I like to work for my food haha. Give me the bones!!!
My sister had beef phở. I tried the broth and it was good. She doesn’t eat the jalapeño for her phở so I ate it haha
We also ate the fresh garden roll aka spring roll with their homemade sauce. It was good. Taste like home which is not hard to make in general.
The place was small but it’s like every other restaurant in the area. Itse roomy tho where it’s not clustered with tables n chairs. Decoration is nice with one huge ass screen tv and a small one.
If I was in the area I would go here again and hopefully they would have my fav bun bo hue to try it.

The food was ok.
The ambience was terrible.
Terrible wait. 45 minutes for Phở with only two other tables being occupied.
Spring rolls were colder than room temperature (they are supposed to be served warm)
The service was the worst I’ve had in a while.
In my 90 min there my water was refilled once even after asking for a refill 20 min before leaving.
The check was 100% inaccurate. Instead of an itemized breakdown we got a list of ‘custom entries’ that were higher than the menu prices.
The place will likely last as long as their line of credit isn’t fully consumed, there is ZERO probability that I will come back.

It’s exciting to see another Phở/​Vietnamese spot in the city!
This place opens late and the owner was very sweet and accommodating. She chatted with us for a bit before we ordered and made sure we were OK throughout the night. A bunch of the items were sold out when we went — no peanut sauce or crispy egg rolls. The owner apologized so profusely that we felt bad for ordering! she gave us 2 complimentary spring rolls instead, which was nice.
The phở noodle soup had a funny chemical aftertaste. Like the finishing rinse on the noodles was still there. My friend got the pork and vermicelli. Yummy dish but the meat was a bit burned. But overall, we were thankful for a late night spot with warm soup.

The best neighborhood phở/​viet spot ever! I’ve lived near Eden Center my whole life, and it was bittersweet moving into the city. On one hand, I’ll be in DC, on the other, I’ll be away from authentic Vietnamese food. I was skeptical that a Dupont area Vietnamese restaurant would have authentic Vietnamese food, serving all of the Vietnamese dishes I’m accustomed to (which is a lot more than just phở). In comes Mimosa Restaurant. They got all of the noodle soups you can ask for, not just phở, but also hu tieus and egg noodle soups, bun bo hue, banh canh and more. They also got Banh Hoi, the fine vermicelli type of noodle, which is far superior than just the regular vermicelli noodle (try it!). They also have caramel fish hot pot and other dishes you can only find in authentic Vietnamese restaurants.
So far, I’ve only tried the noodle soups, but they are the real deal. The egg noodle soups and hu tieu’s were flavorful, and on point. My brother got the banh canh which comes with pork on bones, and had that bone-​broth flavor that you only get at places that aren’t cheap and use real pork bones. The phở is also excellent, and is one of my favorite phở soups in the area. The broth is tasty, hearty, and comforting. It has that deep bone-​broth phở flavor, that only a few phở places can get right.
This place also has an amazing lunch special that’s a great deal, especially since it’s in DC. For $ 7, you can get a variety of dishes, which includes beef phở, and on weekends! You can also choose combination which INCLUDES MEATBALLS! When I first saw this deal, I thought it was too good to be true, and that you would only be able to choose one piece of beef. But no, you get it all, and it’s all delicious! This is the best deal I’ve seen in a city that overcharges for food. This is one of those places that I feel has great food and a great value, and I’m scared to blow it up b/​c then it’ll be too crowded and there will be a wait. But, the waitress told me it hasn’t been too busy, so I’d like to help them out but at the same time, hopefully not make it too popular that the wait will be horrendous! Oh well, this place is too good not to give them their due mention!

This is the best phở I’ve had in DC. It is definitely better than Phở 14 and Viet Phở. I predict that if this place retains its kitchen staff and doesn’t let its menu get Americanized, it will establish itself as the best place to get phở in the district.
Aside from the garden rolls, I can’t speak to the rest of the menu since we just went for phở, but I saw things on the menu (quail, frog legs) that I normally see only at Eden Center or Westminster, CA. We loved both the garden rolls and the phở. Nothing at all to complain about here, except perhaps the slightly echoey acoustics which were really only an issue because there was a very loud table sitting right in the middle of the restaurant.
Prices here are better than any of the places in Capitol Hill and they also have the option of just getting a bowl of phở broth with noodles! Parking is what you would expect for Dupont, but it’s worth it. This is our new go-​to place for Vietnamese whenever we don’t feel like driving out to Eden Center.

The first thing I have to say is that if you are craving authentic Vietnamese food and don’t want to make the trip to Eden Center or Columbia Heights, you should definitely check out Mimosa Restaurant. Upon recently discovering this establishment even existed, I knew that it was on my list of places to try because as we all know DC is lacking in restaurants that service AUTHENTIC and NON-​ASIAN FUSION foods.
Although I didn’t dine-​in and ordered my lunch to-​go, the servers seemed very fast and attentive (but it should be noted, the place wasn’t packed at the time). My co-​worker and I ordered our food were able to leave the restaurant within about fifteen minutes, so that definitely wasn’t too shabby. But definitely don’t quote me on that because time is also going to depend on what you get, how much you get, and when you go here.
Let me also say that the lunch specials here are pretty good. I ordered the Phở with brisket and a regular bowl on the lunch special will cost you about $ 6.99 without tax and tip. However, if you’re going to carryout a bowl of phở, there’s an extra 50 cent charge. but still that’s not bad at all in my personal opinion.
Now let’s talk about PORTIONS (as pertaining to my carryout phở), I was really pleased with how much broth, meat, and veggies they gave with your order. I felt it was a reasonable amount in accordance to what you’re paying. You definitely get more bang for your buck. I felt like I was given more meat here than I was at Phở Viet and I have absolutely no complaints there, the more brisket the merrier. Also, unlike other phở places (like Phở Viet) you have the option of getting a large bowl of phở. So if you really need your phở fix for a dollar extra you can get a large bowl (a regular bowl of phở here is $ 8.95, so a large bowl is $ 9.95 — I am basing this on the menu online because I didn’t dine in and once I saw the lunch special menu, as you can tell, I holla’d at the $ 6.99 bowl of phở).
So if you live in the Dupont Circle/​Adams Morgan area and want to have a delicious bowl of phở or some authentic Vietnamese cuisine, I’d definitely give Mimosa restaurant a shot. After all, it’s getting chilly out here in DC and a bowl of phở can warm you right up or let’s be real… replenish your body after a night out (aka phở = hangover cure)!