Little Vietnamese Bistro - San Bruno

422 San Mateo Ave
San Bruno CA 94066

Parking: street parking and parking in rear

Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-9pm, Closed Mondays

Edited: January 7, 2022

Last Visited: November 2021

Food: 3 stars

Sadly, I'm editing this review because after a few additional visits, the quality of the food is not as good as when they first opened.  My most recent order of a combination pho was not hot enough. Although it was steaming upon arrival, it was not actually boiling hot and food got cold quickly.  While understandable that the pandemic has caused some rising costs due to cleaning, a new sign that is nearly illegible at the restaurant entrance now indicates an 18% service charge.  When I asked the waiter about this charge on my bill and what that was about, he mentioned the sign which is hardly noticeable and claimed that it's been there since the start of the pandemic.  However, after checking my bill from August, it was clearly a new charge.  I would have preferred that they would have just owned up to this, but this blatant misinformation was discouraging.  Coupled with the experience with the hainan chicken which really is just plain boiled chicken with lackluster sauces, this experience was disappointing.  

Last Visited: August 8, 2021

Food: 4 stars

Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars

Service: 3 stars

Price: $$

Little Vietnamese Bistro opened recently on San Mateo Avenue in San Bruno.  Just when one might have thought that opening during a pandemic would be tough, this spot features a few menu offerings that seem fresh and new to the neighborhood and it's a welcome sight to see.  A fellow Bay Area Eats Facebook group member posted their takeout order and approval of their experience.

The first time I visited, I ordered one dish for takeout.  After calling in my order, I was able to quickly pay upon arrival, but still had to wait about ten minutes for the food to come out.  There were only two people front of the house and the place was about half full.  The phone was ringing frequently with more takeout orders and they seemed to struggle a bit with juggling everything which I attributed to their being new.  

- Seven Color Rice Plate - If you want to try a variety of items, the 3 color, 5 color, 6 color, or 7 color rice plates are a great way to go.  In this 7 color plate, there was egg loaf, shredded pork, pork chop, five spice chicken, egg roll, BBQ prawns, BBQ ribs.  While shredded pork is smaller in quantity than the rest, the amount of protein included in this plate is more than generous. Dipping sauce and a few vegetables, cucumber and pickled vegetables, accompany the dish.  There really is a ton of meat.  Even though I split this dish, it seemed like there was always more meat.  I enjoyed the BBQ prawns, pork chop, and egg roll the best.  If you haven't tried a Vietnamese egg loaf, it's like a quiche with mung bean noodles and black fungus.  Everything is super flavorful and each item is distinct (not all the same sauce or marinade for everything).  Fried shallots and green onions top the plate.  The amount of rice is also ample.  This dish could easily be shared by two light eaters.  Very good and great price.  $15.95

Fast forward to a month later and this time, I came for a dine in experience about 15 minutes after opening.  We were promptly seated and after ordering, food came out in a reasonable amount of time.  Both dishes arrived together.

- Garlic Noodles with BBQ Pork Chop - Noodles are mixed with minced garlic and sauce and pan fried with sliced onions.  Two large pork chops are grilled and top the noodles.  The pork chops are slightly sweet.  While it's not the loin, the pork is still meaty.  I would guess they're shoulder slabs with a bone on the edge.  There is a decent amount of fat on the chop, but that probably helps keep the meat moist.  Even after the fat has been removed, the portion is generous. Delicious.  $12.95

- Combination of well-done, rare beef, and beef ball noodle soup - Pictured here is a small sized portion.  The bean sprouts were really fresh.  Four wedges of lime were included, and two big sprigs of basil.  The broth was flavorful and there was a good amount of meat.  I also appreciated that the rare beef was still rare upon arrival.  The noodles are a bit wider than some of their competition.  I didn't notice any cilantro on top of the noodle soup, but there was a good amount of sliced red onion and green onions.  Another good sized portion.  I would order this again.  Small $10.95, Large 13.95

Hearty portions and great taste make Little Vietnamese Bistro worth checking out.  They offer a beef pho that has a bull pudendum (I don't know what that tastes like and you can look it up to see what that is) as well as a number of vegan dishes. 

While they had three people working the front of the house today, they still seem to be working out a lot of the kinks.  I noticed that they were pretty patient answering other patrons' questions about the menu.   Drinks come quickly, but they did not check on us after the food arrived, and it took me a while to flag them down to get a box for my leftovers and the check even though the restaurant was only half full again.  Nevertheless, I expect it will be a regular spot on my rotation.