Vinason

Vinason is a wonderful Vietnamese spot with a few locations around Puget Sound. They feature a 24-hour slow cooked bone broth for their pho. Talk about impressive and delicious. Their menu features pho, banh mi, vermicelli bowls, rice bowls and more! For their banh mi, vermicelli noodles, rice bowls and salads, you can choose between the following proteins: lemongrass pork, lemongrass chicken, tofu, steak, and you can add an egg or 2 eggs to any. You can also get shrimp for the vermicelli bowls. Their dishes also come with pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, and cilantro. You also get a choice of sauce – peanut sauce, their homemade soy sauce or fish sauce. I love both their soy and peanut sauces. The soy sauce also has a vinegar in it, so it is a bit tangier than your typical soy which is why I love it so much. It gives a great balance and pairs really well with the banh mi and vermicelli bowls. The peanut sauce is also really good, but different from what I was expecting. It is a little thinner than most and is more on the acidic side.

I got an assortment of dishes to try them all. I grabbed a lemongrass chicken banh mi, lemongrass pork vermicelli, shrimp rolls and their beef pho with meatballs and brisket. My favorite meat was pork. It was so juicy and tender with a phenomenal flavor. It was like my mouth was singing while I was eating it. The flavor had a hint of sweetness that was so good with the pickled vegetables and peanut sauce. The lemongrass chicken was good, but felt like it was missing something. The meat was a bit dry, especially with all the bread from the baguette. I loved the ratio of meat and vegetables on the banh mi, but it was definitely missing some flavor and juiciness. If they put Vietnamese mayo on it, you couldn’t tell. I think the banh mi would be much better with a different meat option – like the pork! I dunked the banh mi in their soy sauce and it made it much more palatable, but if you grab this item, make sure you get a sauce or a different protein. Don’t get me wrong, it was still really tasty, I just think it could be better compared to their other dishes. The vermicelli bowl was just so wonderful it was hard to beat. The shrimp rolls were a nice crunch that were light and refreshing, especially dunked in the peanut sauce – I recommend for sure grabbing an order or two of these. And lastly, the best for last – the pho. it was PHOnomenal, see what I did there? 10/10 would get again and eat every day. It is one of those that really don’t need a lot of extras to be good – you know what I am talking about. Check this spot out for sure for tasty vietnamese cuisines. There are so many wonderful vietnamese spots in and around Seattle, and this is one that should be on your list.

For their full menu, click here. You can also order online and see all of their locations, some even have a beer wall!