Ngon Vietnamese Restaurant

I had one of the most amazing dishes of my life today. The Bahn Cuon. It is ground pork with shallot and mushrooms inside a steamed «crêpe». It is only available on Saturdays. It is also first come first serve. The staff is very attentive and pleasant. I absolutely loved the bamboo on the ceiling and the atmosphere. As far as parking goes there are a few spaces in the front of the restaurant. I was lucky enough to get one. I can’t wait to come back here again before I leave island. This is a definite must when you are in the mood for Vietnamese. I wish I knew of this little gem sooner.

I wasn’t expecting to find good vietnamese food in Hawaii but this little place was a pleasant surprise. The food was good. There was only a few parking spots in front but we arrived at a slow time and parked right in front. It is by no means a fine dining establishment, but a nice tasty mom and pop place.

This is a must eat in Waikiki if you’re ever in this area. This little place was recommended to us by a vietnamese local that we met on our hike on Manoa Falls Trail. It did not disappoint.
It’s a tiny place in an alley in a seedy part of town so don’t go too late in the day. There’s only 5 spots for parking and they are tight. The restaurant space is shared with a spa which is odd but whatever – I enjoy the smell of lavender oil just don’t get it on my phở.
Strange set up aside, the food was actually pretty darn tasty. Some of the best phở and spring rolls that we’ve ever had. The spring rolls had a bit of taro mixed in which was a nice local touch. Taro is popular in hawaiian cuisine as they make poi out of it which.
I highly recommend a vermicelli salad with spring rolls and grilled pork. It was the bomb dot com! Best thing ever. So good that we came back again the next day. We only enjoy 5 short days in Hawaii and we ate here twice.
If you’re in the mood for vietnamese, try this place out. I knocked off a star for it’s limited seating, seedy location in an alleyway, and spa partnership.

While the food is good, too often they allow their friends to blast music and toddlers to run around the dining area.

Delicious chicken phở, moist chicken meat which you don’t find everywhere. Their broth tastes sweet like cloves. Spring rolls are perfect. Hits the spot!!!

Came here with a fellow colleague and enjoyed lunch. I ordered my usual, the combination phở with the rare steak on the side. My buddy ordered their combination rice plate which included pork chop, shredded pork, meatloaf, rice, and salad. If I didn’t order phở, this would normally be my next choice. Both orders came out in a very timely manner. The phở was very good as expected every time. To me, the most important part of a bowl of phở is the broth. That’s what makes it or breaks it. At Ngon’s, the soup was great. It had lots of depth and the flavor was just right. The meat appeared and tasted fresh. My colleague said he enjoyed his dish as well, but the portions seemed smaller than what I remember. Service-​wise, there is nothing we would complain about, but nothing we would rave about either. If they keep up their good work, I will continue to return.

The place was a bit small and packed (good sign), we were lucky to get the last open table. Went here for lunch today to get the Saturday special, banh cuon, and it did not disappoint! Would definitely recommend going on a Saturday just for it.
Also had the following:
— bun thit nuong with egg roll and shrimp — recommend! Great portion and great flavor!
— bot chien (fried rice cake with egg) — I’ve had better so would not get this again, but worth trying if you haven’t had it.
— limeade soda with mint — just tasted like tart sugar water so would not get this again either.
Since the banh cuon and bun was so good, will definitely be going back to try some of the other menu items when I’m in the area.

Is Ngon hard to pronounce? Absolutely yes! Well at least for most non-​Vietnamese speaking people it is. How does one begin to pronounce Ng? I’m sure you may have heard many variations by now… lol. Well it doesn’t matter because ngon means delicious and that is all you need to remember about this restaurant.
Ngon, neatly tucked behind the former Aloha Tofu Factory on the Diamond Head side off Ward Avenue, has been around since 2012 and opened the restaurant a few years back and their food is as good now as it was then. The staff were attentive, courteous, friendly and very accommodating. We were treated well.
Much mahalos to Russell M. for putting this UYE on a beautiful Saturday to enjoy some ngon food. It was a really fun brunch gathering as most of us wholeheartedly enjoyed the morning «refreshing tonic» shared by a few generous attendees. The bottles really lined up nicely for the photo shoot… lol. But I digress since it is hard not to mention how the happy juice compliments the Ngon food to the tee. Good times are abound wherever there’s good food and spirits around.
NVR is a small restaurant but we able to sit 10 comfortably at 1 longer table after the staff joined 3 tables together for us. A little tight but it was not bad because we were good at playing musical bottles, cups, dishes and utensils. Where there is a will to eat, there’s a way to a workable eating place. In order to make it easier for the staff, they decided to split the orders into 2 groups which worked out fine. I’ve ordered there before so it wasn’t too difficult.
Our group had cha gio (fried egg rolls), banh mi Saigon, bun rieu (crab meat soup), banh canh (chewy udon soup), bo tai chanh (lemon beef ceviche-​style), mi xao dau hu (tofu egg noodles) and of course the banh coun (wood-​ear mushroom with ground pork rice rolls) available only on Saturdays. We were hungry, we ate and we were satisfied. A few compliments were heard over drinking toasts and at times, a couple soup slurping sounds interrupted some mmms. That’s good eating time.
Here is the breakdown of reasons why these dishes garnered some ngon-​ness: egg rolls were fried to a great crispiness, braised pork in the Saigon sandwich was so savory, udon soup stock had a nice, clean chicken taste to it, lemon beef hit all the flavor notes, egg noodles were fresh, served together with perfectly fried tofu and the Saturday special banh coun worked harmoniously with the fish sauce. And we got a special bonus, we were gifted an awesome looking plate of Vietnamese jello in the shapes of flowers (and 1 teddy bear) with ice cubes. Plus we got a plate of fresh cut watermelon. What a Saturday brunch. Mahalo to all and hana hou…

Well done Russell! Awesome UYE, great food, great Unilocal friends, too much fun!
Russell posted this UYE and since I am becoming familiar with this part of town, thank you Terry K, I signed up for the 10:00 AM feeding. What a great time, fun Unilocal friends, new dishes to try and a treat from the owner herself. Met Terry K., Kamala, Lien, Chris and Keith, Peter, Russell, Judy and a couple of other whose names I can’t remember. Blaming the Kir Royales and Bloody Mary for the memory loss.
The food was outstanding! The Spring rolls, crispy rolled in noodles, rolled in romaine leaves, dipped in exquisite sauce… so good! Two different soups, the awesome sandwich, the noodles. OMG it was fantastic from start to finish and the beef carpaccio salad to die for. The owner presented us with her own specialty. Plates of roses and a bear, lavender but similar coconut flavor floating in ice. Very tasty. If you have an adventuresome palate, this is a great place to try.
Kudos to Russell for putting this together, you know your stuff! Kudos to Lien who is fluent in the Vietnamese language for ordering for our half of the table. Funny thing, the spring rolls and summer rolls are switched in names depending on the place so don’t tell me I got them wrong, this place calls the fried rolls, Spring Rolls. Tiny place big favors. BYOB and we did!

Originally went to C4 Waterman to remerchandise and revamp our floor set. One of the workers, who was sweating from the spicy Vietnamese food he just ate, told us about this little ditty right in the back of their store. My manager, having craved phở since yesterday, was like, «Hell yeah!» I haven’t had Vietnamese food in a long time so I wasn’t one to complain.
It is a small but quaint location; ventilated via entrance door kept open. Parking is limited, just like any other venue within that vicinity. Seating is also limited and it seems to be a popular spot since there were a lot of people coming in and out. My manager ordered a regular Phở with beef and tendon while I got the regular Bun Bo Hue. We also ordered spring rolls for appetizers. The food was served very quickly! The summer rolls, 3 sliced in half, were sooo good! My Bun Bo Hue was also yummy, although it wasn’t as spicy as the one served at Phở 777. I didn’t want to go back to the office a sweaty mess so I didn’t mind. Typing this review makes me wish I had slurped up all that broth! My manager seemed to enjoy her Phở as well. On our way out we ordered a Banana Tapioca and a Thai Iced Tea to go. The Tapioca is served with peanuts which my manager thought was different but nonetheless loved it. Their Thai Iced Tea wasn’t as sweet as I would have liked it to be and I wish they had added more tea and less ice cubes. All together our total came out to $ 30 and some change which was a great price for happy, content bellies. I cannot wait to bring my boyfriend here!

There was hair in my phở. The broth was way way too salty. I could not eat it. Limited parking. I will not be back. Eeew. After one bite I pushed my bowl aside and not once did someone stop by my table to see if my food was okay. I would have tried to eat something else if it was offered… but nothing was offered. Such a dissapointment.

So embarrassed to say, I had no idea this little gem was tucked away back here… ah the joys of discovering Unilocal events! ;) I tried the crab soup, and you could smell the deliciousness as soon as they put the bowl on the table! The broth was light but flavorful, with lots of noodles & all kinds of little treats packed in there: a couple good-​sized shrimp, tomatoes, different kinds of tofu, a couple blood cubes (I had no idea such a thing existed, until Theresa explained it… but I’m always down for something new!), and of course lots of flaky crab meat. So good! ;D I threw in some of the extras they served on the side, like beansprouts & banana flowers (Theresa had to explain that too), and I was totally a happy camper!
As for the interior, everything was cute & cozy, clean & well-​lit by sunlight /​lots of windows… but that said, parking was in short-​supply, & it does take some time to get your food (maybe 20 – 30 mins). 0=) Not a big deal, since we weren’t in a rush, & I’m sure they’re working with a tiny kitchen in-​back, but just something to keep in mind. 0=) I’m really curious about the «Saturday special» that a lot of other people got – and raved about – so I’ll definitely be back another weekend for that!

Nice little hole in the wall.
The food is really good.
Atmosphere was clean and fresh.
Only complaint was the Bahn Mi was skimpy on the ingredients otherwise really enjoyed the experience.

Why haven’t I tried this place sooner? It’s down the block, it’s AMAZING vietnamese food, and it’s affordable!
After our trip back from Ho Chi Minh city a few years back, I was really bummed that I couldn’t find legit Vietnamese food (aside from Phở) in Oahu. I mean, there is just SO MUCH MORE than Phở to Vietnamese cuisine. Enter Ngon…
The restaurant itself is connected to Herbal spa (see my review… massages au naturale… think a Korean style onsen…). It’s open air and being in the restaurant actually reminds me of being back in Vietnam (in a good way). The service was friendly, efficient and the restaurant was full of Vietnamese locals (always a good sign!)
Enter the food… BANH XEO… OMG…I mean i was just so happy that this delicious crêpe has finally made it into a restaurant in honolulu. It was just as I remembered it… crispy, light succulent morsels of deliciousness! The flavor was on point and for the price, the portion was very generous.
I also had the fresh spring rolls with chinese sausage… really good too and the Spicy crab soup! This was a refreshing combination of umami, crab and lemongrass flavors. To top it all off, we had some iced coffees.
Needless to say, we were very happy! We’ll be back for sure!

FOOD
– Bun Rieu — Pretty good. It hit the spot. Now that Kim An no longer serves their bomb ass version, there’s a bounty out for the best bun rieu in town. The dish came with everything it’s supposed to, so it’ll do for now. I still want better.
– Crispy fried noodles — Pretty good. I love this dish. Of course, no one makes it quite like mom, but it’s good for under $ 10. It looks intimidating when it comes out, but it shrinks enough to shove into your mouth within seconds of coming into contact with the sauce. The texture of everything is wonderful. I love crispy noodles.
– Summer rolls — We got the garlic chicken ones, and although it was good, I could not really tell that it was garlic chicken. It tastes like what the summer roll with grilled chicken would’ve tasted like.
– Banh mi Saigon — As long as it tastes better than Ba Le sandwiches, I say it’s pretty decent. But this was very doable. I can see myself taking out a bunch of sandwiches from here to feed friends.
SERVICE
– ⁵⁄₅
AMBIANCE
– No A/​C. The restaurant is very open. TV for sports for the OG Vietnamese dudes.
PARKING
– There is parking in front and on the side of the restaurant. If you’re lucky enough to park in the side lot, make sure you are able to maneuver your car very well in tight spaces. Not «pretty well» like you and I, but REALLY DAMN WELL. And by lucky, I mean very unlucky.

We were hesitated coming inside due to the quiet alley and restaurant during 7+ pm.
After we sat down, 4 more groups came in so we didn’t feel so bad.
We ordered Papaya salad. Chicken/​shrimp vermicelli with salad, mint and WOW! So impressive! I love their papaya salad! The sauce was so delicious although the portion is a bit smaller than from the State’. Must try! Also, the young waitress was so polite and sweet. Superb!!!

This little hidden gem. Very clean and the food is fantastic! Some Good Vietnamese comfort food! The «bot chien» fried rice cake with egg and «banh xeo» Vietnamese pancake are so tasty! It can get crowded so plan ahead. The prices are also very good and you get a pretty decent amount.
A must try! :)

Great little hole-​in-​the-​wall. Let’s just say you’re unlikely to go unless you know it is there since it is tucked away on a side street.
Had the combo bun with pork and egg roll. It was really good. You can tell I enjoyed it because I slurped and slurped until I had tons of sauce spots on my shirt. Oh well.
We also regularly get the banh mi. Good fillings, crunchy bread.

Decent Vietnamese dishes for dine-​in and take-​out.
The server was very patient and helpful in describing all the dishes and making recommendations. The menu is a little small, but includes all the standard Vietnamese dishes (phở, bahn mi, rice/​noodle dishes, etc.)
Although the menu pictures seemed to appear much better than our dishes in reality, the food was still fresh and tasty standard Vietnamese fare. No standouts, but still yummy.
Location is off a Ward Avenue side street and parking is very limited (only a few stalls in front of the restaurant, and some in the back lot). But the restaurant itself looks to have been built in a cute and quaint home, whose theme reflects into the dining area. There’s no AC (but there are fans!) so wear something cool and think twice before making that phở extra spicy! For this reason, I opted to order my food to-​go, and aside from some soggy spring rolls, it wasn’t half bad!

I was excited to see a new Vietnamese option pop up on my Unilocal search. I’ve come here twice with my co-​workers for lunch and while I wanted to love this place-I’m honestly on the fence about it.
The pros:
— Place is clean.
— Decent service.
— Menu has some items which aren’t commonly found at other Vietnamese restaurants (broken rice, banh xeo, flan).
— The Vietnamese iced coffee is really good.
— Food comes out pretty quickly.
The cons:
— The parking lot is really cramped.
— The flan is cute, but seriously tiny!
— They don’t always have the desserts on hand.
— The food is meh.
The broken rice combo which I had during my first visit was mediocre. I missed the broth that usually accompanies broken rice dishes (you sort of need it since you end up consuming so much fish sauce). The pork chop that came with the broken rice was pretty tasty.
During my second trip here, I had the Banh Mi Saigon. I wish they had served this sandwich on a plate rather than just a basket. I made such a mess eating the crunchy bread: x The contents of the sandwich were okay, but I would’ve preferred more pâté and some headcheese. The $ 6 banh mi does not compare at all to the way cheaper, Lee’s Sandwiches in California!