The Lemongrass

Lemongrass in Renton has been consistently good every time I’ve visited. Some of my favorites are the cơm gà siu siu, gỏi xoài, and the Lemongrass special combo rice/cơm đặc biệt. Everything I’ve tried has been well seasoned, flavorful, and cooked just right. The cơm gà siu siu was especially satisfying. The rice is cooked in chicken broth, which made it flavorful on its own, and it came topped with well-seasoned chicken. The fresh ginger fish sauce added a nice savory kick that tied everything together. The gỏi xoài was refreshing and bright, while the special combo rice was a great option if you want to try a little bit of everything. Their iced coffee and yogurt drinks were also refreshing and paired well with the meal. The staff has always been friendly and attentive. Prices are slightly higher than your typical Vietnamese restaurant, but the food quality speaks for itself. I would definitely return for more.

The vibe here is very open and relaxing. Love the playlist and fun atmosphere. The food came very fast as well. The seasoning is to perfection while the bang canh was extra hot. It stays hot while eating it. Great portions to share with our 6 year old.

I seek out places that serve Mì Quảng. It’s a near & dear dish for me & typically a good indicator that the restaurant is authentic. The Lemongrass hit all the right notes with the soup, and shout-out to how fresh the garnish & veggies were. I also ordered a gỏi xoài (mango salad) to share. Overall, it seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. The fish sauce wasn’t strong enough and was rather thick & sweet. Adding bell peppers, without blanching or stir frying them first, did not quite absorb the sauce or flavors around it, but it also did not detract from it. If I were to give an input to the chef & owner, I would lean more toward making it the traditional way - more fish sauce, more herbs, swap out tofu for shrimps and bell peppers for red onions, most importantly, drench it in the sauce. That way, every bite retains more flavors. Aesthetically, my food & the plates I saw on other tables all looked very colorful. The ingredients were evidently of high quality & very fresh. Not pictured was a Vietnamese coffee - strong, generous scoop of condensed milk, and very good. One small thing - most of the seatings hug along the walls on the side of the restaurant. This is very reminiscent of the common restaurant layout in Saigon, thus subconsciously, the place naturally feels familiar & homey. Overall, I loved the food & would return and try their other soups.

Food was great and server was very nice - he took time to explain and recommend dishes since I couldn't really decide or know a lot about their food. Food was good except the pork chop was very chewy and not tender

Tried out Lemongrass and had an awesome experience from start to finish. We ordered the brisket pho, Vietnamese crepe, and a few other dishes, and everything came out flavorful and fresh. The brisket pho was rich and comforting with perfectly cooked meat, and the Vietnamese crepe was crispy, savory, and packed with great textures. You can tell why this place is award winning because the quality really shows in every dish. The service was friendly and attentive, which made the whole meal even more enjoyable. The staff made us feel welcome and checked in just the right amount without being overbearing. Definitely recommend stopping by if you are craving good Vietnamese food, and make sure to look at my photos to see how good everything looked before you go.