Jelly Bar

HH review:
How have I not reviewed this place yet? Even though this place is really just the bar of Long Provincial, I like this place better. I think it’s because my expectations were lower, I come during happy hour so the prices are better and frankly, the name is cool.
Some of the items I’ve had are:
–Mango martini– good but weak
–Long Provincial rolls (without pork) — with shrimp
–Tamarind Tree rolls– with tofu
–Drunken lemongrass clam
–Crispy chilli lemongrass tofu
–Baby clams rice cracker
Everything here is good but nothing stands out as super amazing. If I had to choose a favorite, I’d go with the Long Provincial rolls.
However, the HH hours and prices are excellent, the atmosphere is nice and it’s a great choice in the heart of downtown. I also like the presentation of some of their dishes like the baby clams rice cracker and I like all the varieties of martinis they have. I always have a good time here. Everything listed in this last paragraph is truly what elevates Jelly Bar to a 4.
P. S. If you want to taste the best these owners have to offer, Tamarind Tree is still the way to go!

The Peanut Butter Martini.
The last item on the menu. The strangest drink I could see.
Such a bizarre idea, but yet so amazingly interesting that one can’t help but try.
Vodka. Peanut Butter. Chambord. Cream.
Maybe it just might work…
A sip.
Somewhat sweet. Creamy. A little kick of booze. Hearty. And… wow is that peanut butter salty.
Arrive at the bottom.
Mini peanut butter cups.
So novel, but simply too bizarre.

Wandered by Jelly Bar last night and popped in. Ordered a drink and some appetizers. The bartender and I had a communication problem, because he wasn’t familiar with the word «neat» (as in, opposite of «on the rocks»), but once we got that ironed out, all was well.
The place is sleek, with a cozy feeling without being crowded. Food came quickly, and was tasty. I would get the ocra satay again, and probably the tofu rolls, too. There are lots of vegetarian options to try! And they are clearly marked, which I appreciate. When paying my bill, the bartender made an error giving me change, but saw me sitting there a moment later, realized his mistake and rushed over to rectify it.
I would definitely come back on a busier night (Tuesday was a bit dead). Maybe before a show at The Moore, around the corner?

Spontaneous visit and spontaneous Happy Hour alert!
Sweet.
It was dead but gradually folks made their way in after work. I pulled a seat at the bar and look things over. The bartender recommended the Cinnamon pork meatballs… cinnamon, huh? Yeah, and it’s topped with special rice krispies, too! Whoa! Curious about this dish with potentially the most fusion in it, I get 1 order… and a 2^nd later on. This is actually pretty good and unique. The pork meatballs have a thin cinnamon coating and rice krispies drizzled on top (their green hue is from some sauce, I’m told). Tasty meatballs with a nice soft crunch! Mmmm. With or without the side sauce is ok, as well. Also, I tried the Saigon Meatballs and Asian eggplant. The Saigon meatballs had good density and the eggplant’s tenderness was well-​rounded. 2 whiskey sours to wash things down and I give their HH 2 thumbs up.

Best Squid in Town!

Really good food, nice asian-​inflected drinks, especially the ginger whassisname, that one was really good and I kept ordering them. At happy hour you can get tons of food for a reasonable price and the green papaya salad’s big and awesome. The décor is very nice and romantic, I really enjoy it every time I come. There’s a mixed crowd of people from nightclubs and concerts at the Moore and a lot of upscale-​looking asians. I’ve never had a bad experience at this place, but sometimes you need to be a little firm with the wait staff — some are great, and some don’t speak much English beyond what’s on the menu.

Jelly Bar, you scared me at first… I get nervous walking into a place that I can’t see into, but I’m glad my friends and I did that night at 12:30am. They were so hungry… & I was so undecided that night, I think I was just company and had a drink. You were welcoming and just kept the food coming for them and were very helpful.
Oh you lil Jelly Bar, thank you.

There aren’t many places where you can find late night Viet food in town – much less, late night happy hour.
I prefer to come here for my dose of tamarind tree rolls… less waiting, more eating! Other good things on the menu: phở, green papaya salad, and spicy chili chicken wings. They come with a delicious tangy citrus sauce that cuts right through the sticky hot sauce. Sometimes this is just the thing you need at 11pm.

Excellent late night happy hour starting at 10pm. Tasty drinks with wonderful deals on food. Yum. Not only do I get my Vietnamese food fix, but I get to do so after 10pm. I’ve been there twice and both men bartenders were super nice.

Amazing. I had the special Phở. — it was beautifully cooked beef, ohmygoodness it melted in your mouth, I always get the special of the day because you never know, could turn out great, and this did. A Greentini — a zen green tea liqueur drink, very posh. A Spicy Watermelon — made with chillis infused Vodka, not spicy at all but enough zest to make you go — niiiice. And a Asian Pear Slush — Rum with a little asian pear — totally refreshing.
All the food and drink was great. The space has a cute jelly fish tank, I think they were moon jelly fish. They also got a modern fire pit in the restaurant section. But wherever you decide to dine it will be great. Both portions of the space are amazing and I had a great server. :)
Need to come back and try that Peanut Butter Martini.

I cannot believe I am giving a poor review to anything associated with Long, but the Jelly Bar is at my limit… My last 3 visits have been disastrous at best… Couple of hints: 1) Act like you are happy that I am there 2) Notice when I arrive 3) Drinks should come before the meal 4) When you screw up my order, do not charge me to fix it 5) When you screw up my order, and charge me to fix it, and it takes half an hour, so much that we have the charged correction boxed to go, it might be time to make an ass-​kissing apology, a «free» glass of wine is not an apology if I’ve been charged to fix your mistake…
I loved Long, and probably still do, but it will be a Long time before I return…

OHHAI Jelly Bar. Didn’t see you there. In fact, none of my friends have ever seen you before, either. We just happened upon you one day, and uh… yeah. That was an experience and a half, right? …Right.
So basically, let me first start off by saying that it was really unfortunate that you screwed up the order of the only person at the table that is an active Unilocaler. Sorry about your luck on that one.
I’ll give you props on the drinks. They were decent. I mean, the food was good, too, but completely forgetting to turn in my order until well after 10 minutes after everybody else at the table got their food, eh, I could have done without that. Honest mistake, but it sucked to have that be my first impression of you. Also, maybe not a good idea to hand out the lunch menu then charge us dinner prices.
Oh, and also, hey everybody that works there, how about you not be a jackass and maybe say «excuse me» as you push me out of the way while I’m trying to figure out where the bathroom is in your cave of an establishment?
+1 star for the jellyfish. Everything else is only aesthetically pleasing. Thanks, but I’ll pass.

I had a late-​night craving for phở after a concert and we found this place was open. We sat at Jelly Bar (inside Long Restaurant) and it was small, dimly lit, and intimate. There was a deejay at the table by the window which I found odd since the restaurant could very well have used an iTunes playlist, since it wasn’t packed (nor is their room for lots of people) and the music was mellow and quiet (which complemented the atmosphere well). I got the vegetarian noodles and I was impressed by the fake tofu prawns and overall presentation of my soup and the appetizers we ordered. The broth probably had a ton of sodium in it but it was so flavorful and delicious — the perfect dish to end the night well. I will definitely be back for another bowl soon. Another bright side was we paid $ 23 for a bowl of phở and five appetizers.

I came in here based on the two reviews on here, so I thought I’d add another one. A positive one at that.
I came here for the quickest, closest spot for phở and was not disappointed. Granted it was my first time having phở but I have enough good taste to say it was very good. I mean phở isn’t a hard dish to do so you can only go up from there.
It was very tastey and flavorful. It’s .95c more for a large bowl and well worth it if you’re coming down with the flu as I was. Large chunks of meat as well (in my case chicken).
I came in during happy hour but only had a glass of neat soju. Although I wish it had been chilled it was still good.
As previously mentioned this bar is attached to the larger Long Restaurant but you still get the same menu and service. The décor was subtle and dark but nice, especially to catch full view of the jellyfish tank. The chairs were also comfy. The bar itself looked a bit short and I’d advise that if you’re going to eat to grab a table instead if you can otherwise people will be reaching over or around you to collect their drinks should it get busy.
All in all a good quiet and calm experience with some smooth tunes and really close to Pikes so you can take a walk there afterward.

Fun, fun, fun. and phở is yum!

Not bad. I’ve eaten at the adjacent restaurant several times and peered down here each time, curious. We finally got seated in here for dinner during a very busy night at the restaurant.
They’ve got a pretty good wine list and cocktail menu, serious by Vietnamese restaurant standards, and cheap by lounge standards (starting at $ 7 a cocktail). Their drinks aren’t too strong and their martinis favor the tropical fruity side.
The décor is nice. Very funky and dimly lit and not too over the top Asian kitsch, which is always a plus for me. Their main allure is the jelly fish tank which everyone can’t stop looking at. It’s very relaxing watching the jellies move up and down and side-​to-​side over and over again.
Again, we were here for dinner and drinks, not happy hour, but we had a great time nonetheless. They advertise happy hour and music on weekdays, which we are definitely going to try out soon.