Hẻm 23 Vietnamese Bar and Grill

Awesome food and the service is just as great! We tried a lot of different things because it was happy hour and they were all delicious. One of the girls suggested to add tequila to a non alcoholic drink with passion fruit and it was amazing!!! All the other drinks are really good too but that one was extra good! The happy hour portions are great and we loved everything we tried.

After reading Willamette Week and Eater PDX reviews of Hem 23, the MagoGuide team was all excited about trying out this new Vietnamese drinking food venue on 23rd street in NW Portland. We couldn't have been more disappointed. Everything looked good, but everything about this chain restaurant in disguise was bland, especially the food. If you want real Vietnamese drinking food head for Fish Sauce or Lela's Bistro in Northwest, Lu Lac in Southwest, or cross the river for Short Round.

Solid vegetarian pho and I loved the fresh spring rolls. It was a quiet night but had good service, good food and solid portions. I really like the spring rolls, maybe a tad on the pricier side ($8) but they had good flavor so I’m giving this place a 5/5.

I am fully impressed! If you plopped this place down in a cute part of Queens or Brooklyn you would have to book a reservation a week in advance. The lean brisket pho was delicious! The skewers were so good that we did a "round two" on them to try other kinds. The pork belly satay is meat candy on a stick. I would return here just to eat 50 of them. Spicy Mezcal cocktail (name of which escapes me) was perfect balance of sweet, smoke and heat. Service was fantastic, not typical of Portland. I'll be back. Maybe my new Prov park pregame jam! Can't think of a better way to start the night before a Timbers or Thorns game.

This’s my family’s favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Portland. It’s our must go place whenever I visited my parents. I live in Seattle and I usually have to go Chinatown to get authentic Vietnamese food. But this place is surprisingly authentic! The soft shell crabs were the best we have had. Service is also much better than most Asian restaurants! In lots of Vietnamese restaurants, their services usually stop after you food arrived, which’s not cool. But here, we have gotten good service all the way till the end every time.

The price here is a bit higher than the usual Vietnamese restaurants in town, but the portions are bigger too. I got the mixed grill platter. It was great. I shared with my son. My wife got the ox tail pho. this was awesome. One of the best pho I tried in Portland. The firecracker wings were okay. Not that great, I'd skip them if we go again. Overall, very good. Pricey.

Good venue, good value, good food. Definitely the best-looking Vietnamese restaurant I've been to and I will definitely be coming back. It has a very interesting decor, semi-industrial (but classy) and some craftsman even decorated a portion of the wall with old cabinet doors. The presentation of their food was amazing. This chicken rice was only $11! Brought me a napkin, fork, knife, and a pitcher of water. Chicken was on skewers, and dressed with green onions and sauteed garlic slices. I just wish they could number their menu items b/c the Vietnamese dish names are tricky for me :).

I usually have pho in the new Chinatown off 82nd. This is a uptown pho experience with awesome taste and favors