Lúc Lác

The food is good here but you have to wait on yourself! You have to wait in a line to order your food and drink. You must serve your own water and napkins, silverware. It’s like a cafeteria hipster spot. If you need another drink or more food or anything at all get back in the line! Not my idea of going out for dinner downtown. I’m so embarrassed I suggested this place and met friends here. I have no idea why this place has so many good reviews.

This is close to our favorite Phở spot and have tried MANY in MANY MANY places, happy it’s only 45 miles from home.
Have tried a few other dishes here, not bad but can’t really recommend anything that I can recall.
Bit the Phở is great. clean broth, not salty, although the portions of meat could be more.
Be prepared for a long line and their unusual seating policy, which actually works out quite well.

Came here for the weekend girls trip. I’m from so Cali and Vietnamese food is authentic as it gets. I still enjoyed this hip & modern environment.
But I will warn you, if you’re looking for something more «authentic» this isn’t the place for you. It’s more of a modern twist to the dishes.
There is happy house with cheap sides. I got the chicken skewer and it was really dry. Can skip it. The spring rolls were decent.
I enjoyed the phở the most. The broth was tangy and clean. The meat was a little on the skimpy side.
I would get here early to beat the rush hour, if possible. Worth to check it out & try it as an option.

The ambience is a good blend of Hipster and intimate. My girlfriend and I ordered the luc Lac dish and it was delicious! The beef was seasoned well and deliciously tender. Service was quick and friendly.
Would recommend for the casual diner looking for a quick tasty Vietnamese meal.

I really liked this place. A suggestion would be go during happy hour, you gotta order a drink, doesn’t have to be alcoholic, and all those small plates will be half off. I think that’s the best time to go, but be aware there will be a line. I can’t justify going any other time, maybe I’m just cheap, but your best option is their happy hour!

Although the ambiance, location, and layout are aesthetically pleasing, the food itself is just mediocre and nothing to write home about. Luc Lac’s order and pay first, then wait to be seated method seems to be a sneaky way for you to just load up at the bar before being sat.
It took almost an hour for a table on a Saturday, but apparently that seems to be the norm at all the hot spots in the city.
I got the «Train», which is basically a combination beef phở with all the trimmings, and the BBQ pork skewer w/​rice. Both were decent, but not worth waiting the line or paying $ 10 for a bowl. BBQ Pork was OK, but the rice was mushy as baby poop.
There’s over a dozen places back home where you could get better phở for less and no wait. Basically just a hyped up Vietnamese restauraunt with a bar setting.

We were recommended this place by a local. So we thought that we must try it.
When we got there, there was already a line to get inside. If I were you I would do my research ahead of time because once you put your name down you will have to order. After the whole experience, I honestly don’t think I would go again. Considering the food was alright, but the wait and service isn’t worth it.

I wanna start by saying we have come here a couple of times but never had to wait a crazy long time to be seated. I kinda like ordering and then waiting to be seated and having the food turn up straight away, especially when waiting to be seated then waiting to order then waiting to eat is the other option.
we ordered then went to the bar and had a couple of drinks and were seated by the time they were made .
Down to the food —
the fried Spring rolls were really good, not oily logs like I’ve had other places, and the sauce was yummy.
we then had the phở — which had a crazy tasty broth light, warming and filling without benne heavy.
my husband got the vermicelli with beef he also loved it! this is a big me though and not for the faint hearted!

Hard to find a better atmosphere. The music, ambiance, noise level, décor. Everything works. It is normally packed and there is a «serve yourself» style to the place, so don’t expect someone filling your water or waiting on your every need. This place is so popular, you may have to wait in line, as you order at the front and then progress to your seat.
I believe the food is top notch — I am not a Vietnamese expert, but it ranks highly with the cuisine I have had before.

Let me first say that the food was good. I haven’t eaten Vietnamese food much so I have little to compare it to. The atmosphere and process was TERRIBLE. This is another restaurant that has the annoying Portland vibe, where you wait in a long line, sit in a cramped space, and everyone looks alike (beanies, beards, large plastic rimmed glasses, etc.). 1) Wait in long line outside and try to read the menu in the dark. 2) Order at the counter, drinks included. 3) Wait again for your table AND wait for your drink. (One bartender makes for a 10 min wait.) 4) Get seated at a cramped table and get all of your food at one time.
~ If you prefer having a drink at your table, enjoying an appetizer before your main course, and being able to hear your date, don’t go here! We were seated quickly but we were right next to the garage door/​window where people wait. It was like we were the main show as people faced us while we ate. Very rushed experience and could be done better.

Late night joint to get your munchies and cravings fixed. My coworker recommended this place so we decided to try it. We dropped by here Saturday closer to 1am after arriving in Portland. The interior seemed cool with a bar in the middle, but a loud and dark ambiance so it was a bit hard to conversate. We ordered at the front then got seated crammed in between 2 parties. Such an awkward packed setting.
The foods came out real quick!!! We had the phở and luc lac special, which was essentially peppered cube steak with pepper and lemon juice to dip in. The phở was OKAY, it was a bit salty and didn’t taste like a good beef phở that you can get in the bay. Definitely catered to the American pallette. Edible enough for me to devour the entire thing. The beef cubes were pretty good, especially with the pepper seasoning! Wish they had fish sauce mixed with lemon juice not the plain lemon juice to dip it in.
Our total came out close to $ 30. Not the cheapest place to get your late night munchies on but the foods here are pretty good and hearty. Their spring rolls looked good but pricey. Wtf.

Showed up at 11:00AM when it opened. After I was seated (3^rd or 4^th table) I proceeded to see the restaurant fill up in about 10 minutes. Gets packed quick! The restaurant has a nice modern eclectic feel. The umbrellas on the ceilings are cool! Full bar all day.
Service speed: Moderate to slow. You can see right into the kitchen from the dining room and it looks a little too small to service the restaurant. I was one of the first through the door that morning and my table still had to wait about 15 minutes after ordering until food arrived.
No outside drinks. They offered to take my iced coffee and refrigerate it for me though. And they held my friend’s hot tea.
Broth: Really sweet compared to other phở. Overall, decent. But the sweetness threw me off. Portion size is great, and the price is really fair.
Dings for service speed, tight table seating (sat 5 of us at a table for 4), outside drink policy. Would return though.

Unilocal really mislead me with this one. I liked the concept of this place, the service was great but the food was no good. I had the luc lac, sugar cane shrimp, la lot and chicken skewers. And if I’m being honest, none of the dishes were good. None of the dishes tasted vietnamese.

I still find Luc Lac a little pretentious. The lines are stupid long at night (but I mean, after going bar hopping at 1AM what is it to expect?) The price is more expensive (luc lac for $ 15?! #1 phở for $ 12?) than normal food (Ok but it is opened late…) and Luc Lac beef cubes that are the size of your fist (Ok fine exaggeration again, but they aren’t tiny diced cubes like normal viet restaurants…)
The food is good. The food is above average. It’s the sort of place where I wouldn’t go on a normal afternoon or dinner, but will crave after a few libations and drunken adventures.
Would definitely recommend it as an A+ sober station.

I like the concept of the restaurant, but I just wasn’t a huge fan of the food. I was really excited to try this place because of the rave reviews, and when I stepped inside I was impressed with the interior décor. Definitely felt like an art installation! The way that this place works is that you order up front, then get seated, and the waiters bring the food to you. I liked that the majority of the menu were small plates, because there were a lot of things I wanted to try. I also can see this as the perfect place to go after going barhopping, because of its late hours.
My boyfriend and I ordered the pork & shrimp fresh spring rolls, sugarcane shrimp, la lot, and a combination vermicelli bowl. The spring rolls were pretty average, but the peanut sauce was fabulous! The sugarcane shrimp was a little weird… I thought that the sugarcane would influence the flavor of the shrimp, but it didn’t do anything. I’ve never had la lot before, and that was pretty good. I was disappointed with the combination vermicelli bowl, mostly because the chicken was so dry and flavorless.
Being a California native, I’ve had a lot of authentic Vietnamese food before, and all of these dishes didn’t really capture that specific flavor profile. The food was unique and interesting, sure, but it kind of tasted like I was eating a copy of what Vietnamese food is supposed to taste like. If I’m back in Portland, probably wouldn’t visit again unless I’m drunk at 3 in the morning.

I came here during HH one afternoon and had the best experience. I swear it doesn’t get any better than the $ 11 combination plate! It’s a big heap of delicious things — chicken, beef, pork, and shrimp, plus egg rolls, rice, some veggies, fish sauce on the side, and a sprinkling of ground peanuts. The meats came in huge portions and are juicy with a pleasant sweetness. Perfectly marinated and charbroiled, and the fish sauce enhanced everything even more. The shrimp tasted buttery and garlicky in the best way possible. Egg rolls were a bit of a let-​down, however. They were not crispy at all. Instead, they were chewy, as if they had been sitting out for a long time. The rest of the dish was so magical, though, that I would happily forgive the sucky egg rolls right away.
I underestimated the size of this plate when I was ordering at the counter. Outside of the plate, I got an order of charbroiled chicken skewers for $ 4. The cashier looked at me like I didn’t know the size of the meal I just ordered, but I insisted, and when I got my food, I realized right away that she was right because then I ended up with a big plate of many meats and another couple of huge chicken skewers! I ate so much but still had to box up close to 50% of my food, which was okay, because it made for an awesome breakfast the next morning.
The restaurant itself is cool. East-​meets-​West-​meets-​vintage Chinese fast food-​meets-​sexy, urban bar. You order at the counter before you sit — if there’s an empty chair. I went alone, so I had no trouble sitting at the bar by myself on a busy afternoon.
I seriously fell in love with this place after the first bite. It also ruined all other Vietnamese restaurants for me. It’s pretty hard to beat. I can’t wait to go back to Portland for more Luc Lac!

While the set up of this restaurant is super impersonal (you’re just a number), I was dining late at night and at that stage of the evening, I want as little barriers to entry of getting phở to my mouth as possible. Servers create extra and sometimes unnecessary steps to the ordering process, but at Luc Lac, they just bring you food and drinks without little interruption. You order your food first at the counter, pay, get a number, then they will seat you when a table opens up. This means the food is practically thrown in your lap right after sitting down, so you can get to the grubbin’ portion of the experience ASAP. The turn over on tables is pretty quick because no one is waiting on their server for their bill or debating the merits of sharing dessert.
The phở warms all the nooks and crannies of the body, so just stick to that and a cocktail or two. Skip the crispy rolls unless you need them to soak up your fun from earlier in the evening. The music is definitely turned up to 11, but I’m a fan of hip hop, so play it loud, play it proud!

No reservation service. You can’t order unless all parties arrived. You order and pay before you eat. The line gets really long so be sure to come early. They have very limited seating.
Came here for the first time with my family and a friend for dinner. This place is very Americanize. Don’t expect for it to be your typical Vietnamese restaurant. We came right around happy hour so everything was either $ 2 or $ 3 with a few exceptions. If you want to try most of their stuff on the menu, go for the happy hour menu. Although the happy portion comes out very small, you’d be surprise how full you’ll get from it.
We ordered La Lot but it wasn’t reallyLa Lot. It was more like thin pieces of steaks rolled up like La Lot. The Bo Tai Chanh was not all that great either. Neither of these two items had dipping sauces and the Bo Tai Chanh was not as raw as I was hoping for.
They have a full bar so you’re free to drink as much as you want.
I recommend to those who are from out of town. We came from California.

Although this restaurant gets packed, it is definitely worth the wait (Especially during happy hour)!
I enjoyed all the food that we ordered and during happy hour it was such a great deal! Some plates are as low as $ 2!
The way this restaurant works is you order your food and drinks first (a drink order is required to get a happy hour deals). After you order and pay, you wait to be seated. When you’re seated, your drinks will be at your table and you food will come shortly after. I tried the crispy rolls, charbroiled shrimp skewers, pork banh mi, and cream cheese wontons. Everything was awesome!
Also, the wait staff was helpful but mostly everything is out to grab yourself: water, utensils, napkins, takeout containers, etc. This helps to cut down on the wait.

If you’re interested in a cool hipster scene, which I gather is most of Portland, then lúc lác is your place.
I can’t say the food is that amazing, unless you are heavily drinking and maybe hungover. The drinks themselves are quite good. The O Mai is a proper cocktail and definitely recommend you to get this one. Good balance of flavors.
The crispy rolls everyone seems to rave about are about average.
The concept is interesting, with ordering at the front and taking a number. It definitely gives it a casual vibe, but also makes it a little more efficient. No waiting for waitresses. All you have to wait for is the table and for them to bring your food.

This is great drunk food. Large portions, good value. Flavors are passable but lacked the hook that would make me want to come back if I lived in Portland.
I had high hopes for the luc lac but it was mediocre. The beef was not as tender as I would have liked and the flavor didn’t seem to seep completely into the meat. I like my rice like my spaghetti noodles, el dente, but the rice here was on the mushy side. The ketchup that was mixed into the rice took me back to the days when my dad was a poor grad student…
The Tom yum phở was very enjoyable. But the lines here don’t justify it.
Thai tea was interesting. Never had it carbonated before so that was a fun twist.

Identity Crisis
Not quite sure what this place is. Is it a bar? A Vietnamese restaurant? A hip hop hang out? A club? A food truck? I don’t think it even knows what it is. Probably an adopted restaurant child that lost its mommy and daddy restaurant when it was a baby and was put up in an orphanage until it was 8 years old when it was not cute enough to get adopted by any adult restaurant so it wondered the world aimlessly while getting into trouble when it reached its teen years then finally committed a felony and went to jail for life.
I’m just going to cut to the chase, raw and straight up facts as some of the dishes were literally inedible:
Night Ambiance = Loud with annoying clubbers
Sugar Cane Shrimp (Tom Chien) = COLD! Was this frozen?! Was the microwave not working?
Charbroiled Meat Skewers (Nem Nuong) = Burnt and over cooked (Look at my photos)
Chicken Wings = WAY TOOOO salty, whoever said this was good must not have a tongue, did they use the whole container of salt?
Bo Tai Chanh (Raw meat cooked with lime) — Beef was low grade, chewy, and somehow over «cooked»

Found this on the Travel Portland web site and thought we’d stop in for an early happy hour. An interesting concept, you wait in line and order right off the bat, then are given a table number and the food comes rushing out.
It’s very hipster and feels slightly grimy – in a very it’s a bar kind of way. The food was not bad in the end, three stars for having a huge happy hour menu of $ 2 to $ 3 each dish. It’s not bad for a happy hour place if you’re looking for somewhere with lots of choices in the area. But, otherwise, I’d probably try somewhere else next time.