Lien Son Restaurant

My family used to come here 20 years ago. Still great! The atmosphere was chill with music and a very sweet waitress! Definitely will come back! Amazing egg rolls and all the food had great flavor thank you!

My family and i were in the area so we decided to try some places around there and stopped at this place. A little restaurant, waiter was super friendly and the food were pretty good. Spring roll was a giant! The spring roll sauce was on the sweeter side. Got cream cheese wonton.. can't never go wrong with that. The wonton sauce was on the sweeter side more Pineapple favor. My spouse got pho V8 and my son got V3 or V2. The Pho broth was a little plain but a little salt and you can taste it better. No fish sauce on the table but you can always ask. They ran out of Bean sprouts but it's fine. Hopefully only today. I got V9, it was pretty good. The sauce definitely hit the spot! It's like a bite and u want more! If you do get V9 Wrap the meat rice eggs on in the lettuce and dip in the sauce. Promise it is delicious!

Overall it was an okay experience - nothing spectacular. The food was pretty good I had the beef pho phō with spring rolls. I also ordered a banh mi sandwich to go. The service on the other hand, left much to be desired 😑. I believe it was the owner that seated me and took my order. She did not bring my tea that I ordered to have before my meal, I had to remind her. Mind you, there were no other patrons in the restaurant at that time. When my food arrived, I did not have any sauces or spices to go with it. The hostess stayed in the kitchen throughout the duration of my meal, and did not check to see if I needed anything - so I pillaged the sauces and spices I needed from other tables that were better stocked. When I was ready to go, my bill was not brought to me - no one checked to see if I was done or needed anything. I went up to the counter and asked for boxes and bags for my remaining food. I believe it was the hostess's husband that finally came over to me with my bill. I was boxing up my foods, and he set my bill down right next to where I was pouring soup, and nearly dumped the foods onto the bill itself. As to whether or not I'll be back to this location again I am uncertain... Although the food was better than some places, the service and atmosphere where's severely lacking. For me, that is a big proponent of how well I tip, and if I choose to return 🙄😒

Came for the bubble tea and so glad we decided to stay for lunch. Good food, good prices, huge portions

Family-owned restaurant Lien Son serves exceptional Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. The pho and egg rolls were incredible, the service was exemplary, and the food was served extremely fast. I have never been part of such an incredible dining experience. Our server, Danny, was quick and ensured our satisfaction. No complaints, would definitely return again!

Lien Son just opened their bubble tea bar and it's really great! I'm picky about my bubble tea, and was really impressed - the perfect level of sweet, really delicious flavors, all the good stuff! They're also going to be doing a remodel to add a lounge for customers to drink their tea in. Super excited!!!

Pho is delicious. Spring rolls...amazing. my new secret spot to go. the chili sauce not for the faint of heart it made my pho even better. . big portions and reasonable price. Visit on an empty stomach.

Got take out here for the first time. Food was great and portions were above par for sure! I especially enjoyed the crab rangoons (cream cheese wontons with crab) and the Mandarin Chicken Combo. I’m not really a fried rice person but this fried rice was awesome:) will come again!

the pho, hot spicy chicken, and sesame chicken are the best I have ever had at a Vietnamese restaurant. I can't forget about the amazing hospitality and service of the family that owns this restaurant. If you want authentic Vietnamese food, this is the place to be

Food is horrible. No taste. The vegetables are not even rinsed. This is the pho I ordered, oily and tasteless.

Delicious food, great deals, and top-tier service. I would definitely recommend the sesame chicken combo and the pad thai.

Got takeout food and it was great. Not the best I've ever had, but for the price it was much appreciated. Glad to have it in the neighborhood.

Tried the Orange Chicken combination, a little different than my usual OC, but still good. Definitely want to try a few other items on their menu. Will be back soon

Ordered takeout with friends. I got the Sweet and Sour Combination Platter. Egg rolls and cream cheese wontons were delicious- favorite part of the meal. The sweet and sour chicken was OK- enjoyed the sauce but would have liked to chicken to be more hearty and less breading. I will be trying other items on the menu because this is very close to my house. Pick up was extremely easy and ordering over the phone went smoothly. Wish boxes were labelled because I did not know which dish was what leading to confusion. Price point was not too high, but would have liked to have more variety in the fried rice (egg, vegetables, rather than simple plain). Happy items came with dipping sauces which allowed me to douse the rice in delicious sauce to make up for the lack of variety. Will be stopping by for lunch specials another day!

The food was great! The staff was friendly, but they were very busy so they weren't super attentive, which is understandable! The restaurant is nice, not overly fancy, but also not unpleasant.

(Updated review) Well we have a winner dish here, and it's the L1 Grilled Pork Rice Platter lunch special for $7.99. It's basically the same as a Broken Rice Grilled Pork Chop platter at most authentic Vietnamese places in town. The only difference is that they debone it and slice up the meat. It is not as deep of a marinated and caramelized flavor that I'm used to, but it's good enough to eat. For the price I wasn't too disappointed. It is completely edible, though I did have to ask for salt and season my pork a little bit more. One thing to note is that because they have such a big dining room, and really have 1 turn of customers for lunch, they leave old tables un-turned/un-bussed. It is quite disturbing from someone who has worked in the industry before, or anyone weary of germs or old dishes laying around. I went in for a late lunch, and nearly all the tables had dirty dishes on them. Fair warning to any germaphobes out there. The bussing cart didn't come out until about 2:30 pm. By the time we left at 3 pm the lady finally had all the tables cleared. Yes they run on a one-person front-of-house. She is hostess, order taker, cashier, waitress, all-in-one. Bussing was not on her priority. Also fair warning as in previous, the kitchen is slow, so don't expect your lunch special to come quick. Plan on an hour lunch there. All in all if I'm needing an Asian fix, don't want to drive to Dinkytown or Columbia Heights, and don't want to pay Hai Hai prices, this is really the only spot in NE. Oh well. Like I said, it is edible. Order the LI lunch special. Not BBH. (Previous Review) Came in today to try the Bun Bo Hue. No good. There's a slight taste of mold somewhere in the bowl, probably from the meat. The meat selection was NOT traditional BBH fare. It's just meatballs and what looks like sliced chuck roast. The soup was strange...tasty, but strange. Not like the competition. It's been my experience that suburban Vietnamese places that do not draw a large Asian clientele has trouble keeping their BBH fresh. I should have known better. On top of that it was expensive at $10.95. Also the service was extremely slow to get to the table compared to the competition for a nearly empty restaurant in a late afternoon. Last time we ordered Pho here it proved to be a small portion for what you pay for. It would only work if you are not very hungry or have a smaller appetite. Next time I think I'll try their lunch special grilled pork rice plates priced at $6.99. They seem to sell a lot more of that stuff. We'll see. I'm hoping it'll work out better.

SO GOOD. such a little spot that absolutely delivers. If you just want that classic Chinese food that hits the spot and is higher quality than fast food, this place is your best bet. Their egg rolls and wontons are to die for. The fried rice is a liiiittle bland but still good

Never had an order I didn't like here. I only wish they had brown rice. Nice family own place, good people.

YUM! I'm so happy I found this place! As an obsessive eater of pho, having this so close to my school is the greatest thing I can imagine! The portions are HUGE, I couldn't even finish my bowl. They put it a looooot of meat as well which is very exciting because I always try to ration my meat until the end. The broth was delicious and they put in the perfect amount of noodles, honestly it took all my willpower not to cry tears of joy because I was envisioning all the future lunch breaks I will spend here! The girl that was serving me was really sweet and had really nice eyebrows (irrelevant, but I was jealous). There is free parking on the street in the residential area. If you suck at parallel parking like me, don't worry because there wasn't too many cars and you can just drive in right next to the curb. The restaurant is very big so even if it gets busy, you'll be able to get a table. This place is just down the street from Spyhouse NE. 11/10, will be back.

Ordered the kungpao beef, which the website said was 9.99. Got there to pick it up, paid, then noticed they charged 12.99. When this was pointed out i was told it was a new menu. Well their website showed a completely different price and i wasnt informed of the difference nor told of the price before paying, so i wont be going to this deceptive location again

Used to go pre-Covid only because it was convenient and nearby, giving it several chances. The husband is way nicer and more engaging than the wife/mom could ever be. I dreaded getting her to serve me, food at average. Go to Que Viet or venture over to Nicollet Ave. Tonight, I stood at the locked door watching all the kids and wife having dinner, the attitude has NOT changed with this woman. I was barely communicated with and had to figure out myself while asking over and over at the locked door what to do in ordering my dinners before they closed. NOPE!!! I will never go back and give you my business again and will tell everyone I know to go elsewhere. Such a disappointment, I tried giving you my business a number of times and even encouraging others to try you prior Covid. Never again.

Overall Experience: Close enough to downtown that I'll definitely be coming back to try the actual lunch specials. I would pass on the Pho but the lunch specials according to my friends were delicious. I'll definitely be coming back here to try finding any other gems besides the egg rolls XD Taste: Pho didn't have the dept of flavor with the spices that I'm accustomed to tasting if you've eaten at Pho79 or Quans which was disappointing. However, the lunch specials according to my friends who bragged in my face their eggs rolls are really good, same with the food. Food Quality: Fresh, made to order. Similar to other Vietnamese restaurants. Restaurant Appearance: Gave a French Vietnamese vibe but the slush puppie really brings it back in time. Love the tranquil piano music in the background :D Recommended Party Size: 1-6, regular sitting tables Service: Still need work out some kinks in terms of food turn around time but hospitality was good. Pricing: Cheap $6.99 for lunch which is god for saken if you've been eating lunch downtown! Parking: Free residential parking around the corner

My favorite favorite favorite Vietnamese Restuarant! As a teen, I worked for a small Vietnamese Restuarant and the owner was trained by LeAnn Chin herself. His food was hands down the best. His egg rolls, his friend rice... Every thing was top notch. So I am very picky about my Chinese/Vietnamese food because the bar was set so high. Lien Son is one of the only places I've found with food comparable. The egg rolls are so good! Plus they do the beef and potato, which was my favorite. This is the best food and I am often surprised at how empty the place is.

After long last they have reopened. Same owners and a newly remodeled dining room, I became very fond of this place when they were previously opened. I loved their spring tolls and hot sour soup. Perhaps its just nostalgia for me, but they taste just as good now. I liked the new offerings I tried (Bahn Mi and Com Da) Parking is a bear, but I think its worth it.

My favorite Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant in the Twim Cities. Love their Pho Bo Vien, Bun Bo Hue, and especially their Sesame Chicken entree! Clean and warm atmosphere and owned by a lovely family. Definitely recommend!

Looking for good pho in NE Mpls is not easy..... Que Viet doesn't have pho, Kim's broth is too sweet for me, Cali's was my only option until I saw the pho banner at Lien Son! Say what!!??? I was excited to try it. Went there on a weekend and they were closed a couple months back. Yesterday they were opened but there was only less than 10 of us in there over dinner. I think I know why. Firstly, they should turn up their heating in the restaurant because I was eating my hot soup with my winter jacket on and my beanie hat. Secondly, they should revisit their pricing on the menu. $9.50 for a bowl of pho? It's downtown price for a NE location. The price and the portion doesn't go hand in hand!? I ate the handful of noodles in this giant bowl of soup and picked through the few pieces of meat in there and I am left craving for more. They give you a lot of broth but the flavor is underwhelming. The rice dish with grilled pork is about the same price as the pho and it's a way better option if you dine here. It's very tasty. Add $1 for an egg. It is worth it because it really elevates the dish. I highly recommend this dish over pho. Parking is not great either for dinner. The residents in the area took up much of the spot on the street. The host was friendly and nice though.

Food is absolutely fantastic and the prices are reasonable too. Great service especially by the young woman who took my call. I'd highly recommend the Beef Rare Pho, Sesame Chicken, and Pad Thai. Definitely check this place out if you're in the area!

Was looking for a new place to try some asian cuisine in NE and boy did I find one. I have passed by this place a bazillion times the past couple years wondering what was going to happen (partially for my real estate side in case it went for sale) but we pleasantly surprised to find them reopened last week. So I didnt go for the Pho which is really what i wanted to try, but the two other items although not what i ordered were spot on- I ordered House Lo Mein but believe i just received beef since I didnt see any other meats in there. Normally thats a deal breaker but there was so much meat in there i didnt care and the noodles were perfectly sauced but not overly sauced. Also plenty of fresh veggies I also go the Cashew Chicken and wow was it good! A little saucey if I had one thing to mention, but still not a deal breaker since it was very very very good! Fresh veggies with tons of chicken! I hope these guys can keep serving dishes like this with the amount of veggies and meat since if they do, they have a customer for life! My neighbor said they're egg rolls are very good too. I usually snag mine from Que Viet but will have to try these next time since he said they definitely compete which is a bold statement. Great Job Guys!

I ordered takeout from Lien Son, for the first time since they reopened. I ordered the Bun Tom Nuong salad (vermicelli rice noodles, grilled shrimp, pickles daikon and carrots, cucumbers, and peanuts), spring rolls, and cream cheese wontons. The wontons were the large triangle-style, served with a most delightfully neon-orange sauce. The spring rolls were big, but lacked some fresh herb elements that make a spring roll seriously good. The spring roll dipping sauce was surprisingly good, thick, sweet, salty with a good kick of spice. The bun salad was also excellent! It came with plenty of shrimp which was a pleasant surprise, and had plenty of noodles. The daikon and carrots were crunchy and fresh, the lettuce was minimal (thank you), and it came with plenty of cilantro. I'm only taking off one star because as mentioned in other reviews, they do use styrofoam containers. The food was good though, and I was impressed with the bun salad!

SO good! I wanted everything on the menu! The vermicelli bowls with pickled veggies and Vietnamese pork was addicting! I will eat here again and again. Very fresh and flavorful! Unlike other places that I've tried in the area. 5 Stars!

Looking for Chinese NE is not easy. Made my choice based on Yelp reviews. Very disappointed. It was ready right in time. Packaged nicely, all but one dish in styrofoam container which.....Boo. Not good for the environment. First, cream cheese puffs were pretty good, at least the ones that were cooked right. 2 of them were not melted, the cream cheese still in the squares it was cut in. Sweet/Sour dipping sauce was really good. The egg rolls were awful. Roll in phyllo, crispy but a little over done and greasy. The inside was a mushy nightmare. Flavor and texture were off. Not edible. Beef & Vegetable were okay tasting. Edible, nothing more. The sauce was not a sauce. It was literally a watery broth. Pork Lo Mein was confusing mix of good and not good. At first, the overall flavor was good, but it was much too soft, over cooked. The pork itself was good, but very few vegetables. Just a soft, mushy mess. Also detected a very slight fishy taste. I don't like ANY seafood, so that made this dish inedible for me after 3 spoonfuls. The General Tso was NOT General Tso in any form. First, they used the old trick of using white and dark meat. Not cool. And the pieces were clumped together. Too much breading. As far as the flavor, it taste more like Sweet Sour Chicken, nothing like General Tso. The sauce was red,not a bit of spice detected. It's hard to describe what it is, but it wasn't General Tso. And not good. Mystery Meat.... Yeah, I'll usually give a place a second chance. There can always be an off night. But this is obviously a case of using cheap ingredients and not knowing proper spices/sauces. Pretty much everything was off and just wrong. This is classic "Bad Chinese Food".... I'll continue my search for good Chinese in the Northeast area....

Very tasty! I had dishes from the Chinese side-Vegetarian hot and sour soup (no egg, so Vegan) and spicy bean curd. The soup is def hot but a nice balance of the sour. Some places make it too vinegary, but this was spot on. Also, plenty of tofu and bamboo shoots. It was very filling! So, I could not finish the stir fry, which was also good and very oniony. Tofu is soft and lightly deep fried. Sauce was slightly sweet-went well with the onions. I also had an ice coffee. Great place and the server was very nice. Will def be back to try the more Vietnamese side of the menu.

Food was great. We had pho beef balls, chicken fried rice and sweet and sour chicken.

Pho base is definitely on the light side which may become more flavored eventually. Spring roll and egg rolls are really tasty. It's quite roomy inside but only curbside parking. Lunch specials are great Prices and they also delivers! We are so happy there is a pho place opens up in our area for our pho crave!

I was so hungry and now I am just so disappointed. Ordered the vegetable spring rolls & spicy bean curd. Food arrived quickly and hot - but all in styrofoam :( come on y'all, it's 2017, lay off the damn styrofoam. Spring rolls were an absolutely nightmare. My vegetable spring rolls - hence the word "vegetable" - had nothing but glass noodles & SHREDDED LETTUCE. No sliced carrot, mint or cucumber... literally shredded lettuce and noodles in an over-steamed, sticky spring roll wrapper. So boring. So not worth 50 cents, let alone the $4 or something I paid for it. Spicy bean curd was almost as bad. The tofu was so over cooked and soggy that it just fell apart in the dish - no firm chunks of tofu to be found. Pair that with about 75 onions - no peppers, mushrooms, baby corn, nothing, the dish was complete. The sauce was spicy and yummy, but overall sloppy and oily and oniony. Go somewhere else for your Chinese. It's obvious these folks don't care an ounce about the quality/presentation do their food. Ugh.

I'm always surprised to see this place empty - the food is great. I recommend the V25 for a hearty noodle soup dish

A fine option if you want to get take out. The service here has been consistently poor when I dine in. If you're going for pho, it's just ok. I'm not impressed with the food quality compared to other pho spots. The other cooked dishes are good, standard, and have really large portion sizes. The restaurant and bathroom is clean and the food is reasonably priced. The egg rolls are probably the best thing on the menu!

We are there yesterday and the food was AMAZING! Very quiet and comfortable atmosphere, will definitely go there again and try more of what they had to offer (all of it looked so good and it's very inexpensive for all the food you're getting)

I have been hitting this place for lunch about once a week. The chicken and broccoli lunch special is a big tasty plate of food. 8 bucks and it comes with egg roll. Really can't do too much better for lunch. Check it out.

Fresh and delicious Vietnamese food. Family owned and extremely kind. Great service. Get the pho or rice plate. Support them. Northeast MINNEAPOLIS. Enjoy.

The food is very good, but the service is the exact opposite. I'm currently sitting in my booth waiting for my server to finish her lunch as well as her heated conversation with her mom so I can pay my tab and leave. When we came in the door the lady didn't acknowledge us for a few minutes then pointed us to a table, left and returned a few minutes later with waters. She never asked if we'd prefer something else to drink. She asked what we wanted so we ordered and received our food fairly quickly. It is good, but it's annoying listening to her fight with what appears to be her mom and yell and spank her kid for doing kid stuff all while I'm just trying to leave this place. At this point we've been done eating and out of water for 10 minutes. Not once has she came to the table asking if we need anything or if the food was fine.

This place is a family owned business and the food is made fresh and is fantastic. Egg foo yong is outstanding like no other. I have made many people fans of this place. The ownership are very kind people and again the food speaks for itself. Can't wait to go again soon

I was really excited to have a new restaurant on my block but nvm.. Food is overpriced and of very poor quality. They've messed up my order multiple times. Really disappointed every time I order from here