Mekong East

This place was solid and I enjoyed the authenticity of the meal. This place is conveniently located by the intersection of Bell and Northern, although parking is somewhat problematic. The restaurant itself is tiny with at most 10 tables. Service was good, although our waiter never said a word to us; he just nodded and smiled. The menu is wonderfully simple: there are appetizers, phở noodle bowls, traditional Vietnamese dishes, fusion dishes, and drinks. We started off with their summer rolls, a staple of Vietnamese cooking. While the skin was too thick, the filling was great and flavorful with all of the herbs and shrimp. I had the beef phở, which was good, but wasn’t amazing. The beef was flavorful and plentiful. The bean sprouts were raw, which altered the balance of the soup. However, the broth was really yummy with the lime and the noodles were cooked well. We also got their pork chop, which was so flavorful. It was lightly breaded and was served with a fantastic sauce. Prices were fine. I did enjoy this place and I wish to return soon.

The phở is a good enough to not have to travel to Flushing for (which is a huge deal to me, brings them from 2 to 3 stars), but only the phở. If you want something more, this is probably not the spot. Service is subpar, at best.

Best bahn mi in Northern Queens! The phở is pretty good and fresh although the broth doesn’t have that authentic long-​stewed flavor (I haven’t been able to find that really in NYC). The restaurant itself is clean and has a homey, mom and pop-​shop vibe to it. It’s strangely always empty but don’t let that deter you!

The ambiance is casual. I ordered the Phở Bo with raw beef. I’m usually used to Phở bowls coming out in less than 10 minutes since broth is usually already made, but it took a bit longer than 10 minutes here. When the bowl of noodles came out, it was a bit weird to see the soup color being of a darker brown. I liked that there seemed to be a lot of herbs in it, so looking forward to it, I tried the soup first. From the first taste, I knew this wasn’t the taste I looked forward to. It tasted like a bunch of herbs (basil, mostly) and MSG mixed in together. I thought putting in lime juice would make it a little better, or refreshing, but it didn’t. It made it worse. It’s also a bit annoying when there are lights flashing at you from the cars coming out of rite aid’s parking lot. It’s lighting directly at you, so this may be uncomfortable at night. The price is a bit higher than other phở places. Paid $ 9+tax for a bowl of phở. I’m just going to stick to Mekong on 156 and Northern.

The only thing worth coming here for are the bahn mi sandwiches. Everything is overpriced and not very tasty. The one time I ate here with my family, the waitress was so snobby. She acted like she was doing you a favor whenever you asked for something. The last time I was here, I called in an order and was told it would be ready in 15 minutes. Arrived 20 minutes later and ended up waiting another 15 minutes. When I got home, my order of Bo Luc Luc was the smallest and saddest portion I’ve ever seen. A total of 4 items came out to almost $ 50. I could’ve fed a family of 6 with that money at Phở Bac or Saigon and the food taste better there.

For $ 23, you get skinny summer rolls and a decent bowl of phở. This place is crazy priced for the quality of food they are putting out. The phở is OK… nothing spectacular. The summer rolls suck. I think they might have changed owners. The first time I came here… it was great. The service was awesome and very inviting. The phở broth was really yummy. This time around… the «new» owner seems to walk back and forth… not noticing his customers existence. The waiter is nice but is always on his phone. The atmosphere was really weird. I won’t be coming back to this place. Hurts me heart that I paid $ 23 for mediocre summer rolls and phở… Just make your way to Elmhurst at Thai Son, you can get 2 bowls of special phở AND fluffy big summer rolls for only $ 20. And THEIR food is much better. Major disappointment this time around here. The 2 stars is for the really nice young male waiter there.

Incredibly rude customer service. Not a pleasant experience at all with under trained waiter! This is what I can see outside the kitchen, hopefully their food is made by professionals and safe to eat! If you want a pleasant experience, find yourself somewhere else to spend your money!

A bit pricey for phở but food was great. We always get phở with beef and chicken vermicelli and they are always delicious. Also Try the Thai iced tea.

I wanted to try this restaurant because it’s very close to where I work. I ordered pork chop with rice for pick up it was very fast. The food was okay but the price is a bit higher than most of the Vietnamese restaurants I went to.

I wanted to try this place because i like to give small restaurants business.
It’s a small place and is located on 43^rd ave and Bell Blvd closer to Northern Blvd side. They accept major credit cards, have take out, dine-​in, lunch specials, delivery and catering.
For an app, I tried the Crispy Shrimp rolls. It’s whole shrimp, pork, glass noodles, carrots, mushroom wrapped in egg roll. I also wanted to try the chicken skewers with peanut sauce on the side.
For the entrée, my BF had the Phở with beef broth. He had beef slices, flat rice noodles, onion, basil, cilantro, and bean sprouts. I had the grilled marknated pork chop. It came with carrots, cucumber and tomatoes and a side of rice.
I liked my dish very much. It was exactly how I’d expect it. It was a bit over priced, though. I’ve had this at other places with the same portion, and it’s half the price. My BF wasn’t crazy about his soup though. I do like this place and would like to try other things on their menu.
While i was there, there were 3 other tables and noticed people came in for pick up.

This is not a copy of the original Mekong in Flushing. It actually feels quite different. from the menu, to the ambiance, to the service. Pricing seems to be a bit higher. This is a small place that can fill up very quickly. I was satisfied with the food, and the service was friendly (something that I never got from the Flushing restaurant). Will visit again!

Very good Bell Blvd Vietnamese in a tiny, blink and you’ll miss it spot right off Northern Blvd. Summer rolls were great and the phở bo was terrific. Only complaint was they put Sriracha in the peanut sauce which gave it a strange flavor. Service is friendly and prices are dirt cheap. I highly recommend this place.

priecey Vietnamese food.
best item on menu is the banh mi $ 8.50 (pork or chicken)
French bread, fresh cilantro, grilled pork or chicken with jalapeño, carrots, a bit of mayo make this sand which an ideal item for lunch or dinner.
I can eat it all day, they have phở and other items but servings are kind of small and over priced. The peanut sauce with the summer rolls is too watery, dont bother ordering it. be careful when you call for your order. Make sure to repeat order, I can never get my order correct when I pick up.

Pretty good Phở spot. A little bit on the more expensive side but cannot complain.
Phở was good and the Grilled Pork is a DEFINITE fave!

Disappointed.
After having gone to Thai Son in Jackson Heights last night (AMAZING FOOD there), I was still craving some good Vietnamese but needed something car/​parking accessible (no subways or going to Flushing) so decided to come here. I called for pick-​up; I ordered Spring Rolls and the chicken skewers. The gentleman on the phone was very nice and when I arrived, my food was ready.
I arrived home and tried everything… the Spring Rolls taste as if they were bought pre-​made/​frozen and had a weird pork after taste. The skewers were OK but nothing remarkable. The (watery) peanut sauce made them palatable. For $ 11, this was a let down.
+ for the location (in the heart of Bayside), the pleasant man on the phone, and the order being ready when I arrived.
— for the food (which is pretty much everything)
Go to Thai Son or any of the places in Flushing/​Elmhurst. I’d only recommend this place if you’d trade convenience/​neighborhood over taste… environment…cost…

Stopped in after a co-​worked told me about her good experience eating here. I had been looking for a good Vietnamese restaurant on Long Island but Bayside is the closest you get. This is a small but nice restaurant. The food tasted very much like what I had eaten in Ho Chi Minh City. Phở was my choice. Very good, reasonable prices and a good location on Bell Blvd in Bayside. Even Long Islanders can make the trip if you’re feeling like Asian food other then Sushi or Chinese (which has now become very common). Give Vietnamese and Mekong East a try. You’ll like it.

I recently ordered take out from this place and…
I am definitely not going back.
The service was nice and quick while the food was just… I can’t.
I ordered the summer rolls and phở (no. 9).
Now the summer roll could’ve have been better and the «peanut sauce» was so diluted with like other unnecessary ingredients (pepper flake really?) it was alright. Not the best.
The phở was so gross. It was overly fragrant to the point you can taste it. I’ve been to some phở places that were 100x better than here (i.e: phở bac /​elmhurst). It was so hard for me to eat because of the taste. It literally tasted like hot water colored with brown food coloring seasoned with the phở spices. I can’t pinpoint which spice it was exactly… but it was so gross. The smell was … ew.
Never going back again.

The Phở here is pretty good and the Bahn mi sandwiches are good to, but are on the small side and are a little spicy. Service can be slow, even when nobody is in there. This is a cool little place and is worth a try.

I have no idea why it has taken me this long to write this review! Well, I’ll tell you why. because I want Mekong East all to myself :-)
We eat here regularly. Let me rephrase that. VERY REGULARLY. I adore this place. The food is absolutely delicious and consistent*! The beef and chicken phở are pretty damn good. The phở broth is definitely what makes it. I’ve had their Banh Mi on several occasions and it never disappoints. The baguette is always fresh and they tend to run out depending on the turn over for that day. I have also tried their iron-​pot lemongrass chicken curry, which I highly recommend!
The service and interior are simple, I have no complaints about it!
I don’t know why this place has received just «OK» reviews. I am honestly impressed with their food, not to mention on Thurs-​Sat nights this place is packed. Their lunch specials are a steal and their regular dinner menu item prices are very good. For example, dinner for two with: 3 appetizers and 2 entrees= ~$ 44.
Tips: They accept both cash and cards. They are closed Mondays and do not deliver but pick-​up is available!

I gave 4 stars just because I liked their pork bahn mi sandwich.
The first time I went, they didn’t have any bread (I don’t know why) so I was very disappointed and ordered pad thai instead. They give you a lot but their pad thai was just whatever. I’ve had so many other pad thai dishes that were better than this.
I went again and thank god they had bahn mi sandwiches. All my friends got pork and so did I. I understood why people recommended the bahn mi sandwich here. It was my first time having it so I was just enjoying the sandwich but my friend told me that their sandwich is a little spicy. I’m guessing they make it spicier than other restaurants do. But all my friends loved it anyway. I don’t know if I would get it with different meat but I would gladly go back there for some more pork bahn mi sandwich.