Little Vietnam

Wow!! The food was SO GOOD and the service was exquisite. A lot of different restaurant concepts have occupied this space and this is one of the best. The chicken wings were fantastic. We ordered almost everything on the menu and it was all good. Some dishes were more authentic than others but mostly it was a vibe. A great vibe! Highly recommend.

Food: amazing Service: pretty good Atmosphere: small but cute and music was a little jarring. Heard the cooks arguing. Server was friendly. Cocktails: fun and unique Fave dishes: fried egg salad: 10/10 ginger chicken dumplings, so good. Also had the fried chicken with curry (super tasty but needed more curry), cacio e pepe (tasty but could use some crunch and veggies on the side for the price), and pho fries, which were fun! I will definitely come back to this place a lot because the food was so so good and full of flavor. Definitely one of my new fave restaurants. It’s odd they don’t have a website or phone number. It was pretty tame tonight when this place should be packed. Maybe a website presence would help with that.

It’s a small venue, about seven tables and a bar- so the setting is certainly intimate if bustling. The standout dish for us was the ceviche although the 72 hour short ribs were a VERY close second (part of the pop up collab w Kevin Tian!) Loved our meal there and the cocktails as well, very interesting and still good. Looking forward to a return.

Little Vietnam is a nice addition to Upshur Street. Service was great and attentive. The food was good and the fresh ingredients were noticeable. Menu changes based on what’s available in the kitchen which is always a nice way to try new things and get out of your comfort zone.

Rarely so good in DC! This is what we want. An Example of making good food and people are willing to pay and enjoy. I loved the food here. So good. This place is not like 50~100 menu Chinese style Vietnamese cuisine. A bit pricey but you won't complain. New menu coming back for September. There are around 10 menus only, that means they are focused on those menu instead of making 100 crabs.

The menu was small, but everything was very delicious! All was made well, and was flavorful! We enjoyed the drinks and stay for a few courses. We will definitely be back!

Both the food and service warmed us up on a chilly night. The Vit Ca Ri - duck curry was a favorite with a crispy leg, rich, fragrant curry and chewy noodles. The service was chill and friendly from the waiters to chefs. Also, the millennial playlist of 2000s R&B and hip hop didn’t miss. We brought our toddler and they couldn’t have been more friendly or accommodating, even though it’s definitely more of hip vibe. Our kid slurped down half our pho. I wish them best of luck and much success. Upshur is now blessed with wealth of world class noodles as Little Vietnam sits directly across from Menya Hosaki. I’d love to see bahn mi and Vietnamese coffee for lunch one day. In the meantime, we’ll be happy to go back for dinner.

Y'all, I am high key obsessed with Little Vietnam. Probably the best burger I have had in DC. Tom Sietsema got it wrong. The Vit Ca Ri was delicious (and the portion was huge), I could have drunk the Tom Yum sauce that accompanied the tofu and the French fries that came with the burger tasted like the memory of McDonald's fries from childhood--aka: impeccable. Service was efficient. Pre-botted cocktails were tasty. My only complaint was that I wanted to see what this creative group had for dessert...and there was not yet dessert to be found! Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu.

We were here for the Little Himitsu collab. We had the Bo Nuong Banh Hoi, Cacio E Pepe, Catfish, dumplings, Chicken Karaage, Cumin Lamb Dumplings, and Duck Biscuit Sandwich. All in all, very great choices on food. I'm a huge fan. I'm impressed by their service. The chicken they served was raw. When I mentioned it to the waiter, he claimed it was a piece of "fat". I kindly asked if he could have the chef check it. Being that the kitchen is open, the chef immediately threw his hands up and shook his head, acknowledging it was raw. They comped us the chicken and also gave us free dessert (which was not necessary but a very nice touch nonetheless).

So I was here for the Little Himitsu collab with Chef Kevin Tien. The restaurant interior is a little small but it was homey. At times a bit loud but it's a small space so that's expected. The food was out of this world good. We got the Karaage, the Tom Yum veggies, the dumplings, the buratta salad and the Panna cottage. I can't really explain it but the Tom Yum veggies was the winner for me. The sauce..the sauce. I wish we had gotten a bigger portion of rice with it because there was still some sauce left and I wanted more rice to just empty out the bowl. This one was my top winner. The Karaage was spicy but the chicken was crispy despite being drenched in the sauce. Also loved the Panna Cotta. Service was good and food came fast. If you can manage to go before the collab ends definitely recommend it.

This review is for the Little Himitsu popup! I was so excited to finally try some of Himitsu's famous dishes and they did not disappoint- the food was absolutely incredible. The real standout was the chicken karaage, which I honestly think was some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. It was covered in a gochujang sauce but stayed unbelievably crispy and flavorful- I took a piece home and it was still just as crispy and delicious an hour later. It came with rice, Japanese pickles, and mayo- the portions for each were a bit small (we didn't try asking for more, though), but the chicken was massive. We shared it between two people (along with other dishes) and had some left over. The server did let us know this was one of their entrée sized dishes. We also tried the cacio e pepe, which was creamy and comforting without being overly decadent. There is a truffle aroma but the dish does not use truffle oil or have that overpowering truffle flavor- it was truly truffle used perfectly, with lots of fresh black pepper and cheese. The hamachi crudo was also very good, the fish was so tender and the sauce that came with it was the perfect complement. We had Vietnamese coffee panna cotta for dessert that was good, but not a standout like the other dishes. There were a few cocktail options as well that were pre-batched but excellent. I tried two- one was a passion fruit tequila option (a bit sweet but I enjoyed it), and one was like a Thai basil milk punch (the thicker texture was unusual, but the flavor was incredible, it was almost like a basil milkshake). I believe they were $17 each. I took off one star for my experience because it was extremely loud in the restaurant- my companion and I were almost yelling for the first half hour/45 minutes until it cleared out a bit inside- and our service was okay, but not great. I also find it annoying that the restaurant does not have a website. I found the menu for this popup on Instagram, but it didn't have prices, and the prices for everything were higher than I expected (although that's also just dining out these days). I would still recommend going for some incredible and memorable food.

Stopped by Little Vietnam for the Little Himitsu popup with Kevin Tien and everything was delicious! The hamachi crudo was probably my favorite of everything - super refreshing with the orange wedges and the citrusy nuoc cham. The karaage was very good also and decently portioned. The chicken was still pretty crispy even after being sauced and I liked the gochujang glaze - it wasn't too overpowering. I would say the duck was the most disappointing, although it was still pretty good; the meat was super tender and juicy, and I think even people who normally don't like duck would enjoy it. However, I was expecting a thin, crispy skin as it's advertised as Peking duck, but it just seemed like a regular roast duck and the skin was a bit salty. The biscuits were good but the ones on the bottom close to the duck got soaked in oil and other juices, making them soggy and a little off-putting. Everything was also pretty expensive compared to what you get, but it's overall a good experience to try.

I wish I liked this more. I saw great yelp reviews and felt like the ratings and my expectations for a 4 star average place didn't seem to quite add up. However, I will acknowledge my biases in that... I am not much of a fusion-y place fan, and I prefer authentic flavors. The name Little Vietnam (to me) suggests that I would be transported to a mini version of Vietnam. Bold flavors, fish sauce, lemongrass, mint, fresh but richness in the sauce and soups - that's what I was looking for. I half expected that this wouldn't be super authentic, as I have found many places in DC to be more fusion-y than authentic flavors when it comes to Asian cuisine. OF COURSE, there are exceptions (off the top of my head, I find Baam Siam and Beau Thai and Full Kee to have some pretty authentic tasting stuff). Anyway, the menu items here sounded really cool and it is a good location for my friend and I to meet, plus the relatively good reviews drew me in, but man the value is not there for me. I've mentioned in previous reviews that I consider the overall value frequently when doing reviews. What I mean is - does the price fit the experience (food being a huge part of it)? My friend and I got here relatively early for dinner at 5:30pm on a weekday night - usually people don't have dinner until later I think. The place itself was small/cozy. It seemed like it could have been a bar in its previous life? The first impression was that it felt a little snooty when my friend was told that they will try to fit us in, when the place was fairly empty then. I think it was more the tone/way it was presented, rather than anything else. Let's move onto the food: We got a dumpling app - mistake! This tastes like frozen dumplings from Costco that got plated and dressed up. Now I enjoy frozen dumplings from Costco very much, but this was suppose to have lemongrass in it!? I didn't taste that at all :( There really wasn't anything unique about this. And the price of it was the same as a giant bag that would last 10+ meals from Costco (this is the value part). Then I asked for recommendations from the server, and I took his rec in getting the hamachi crudo - but it was ~5 pieces of raw hamachi with a few tiny orange wedges and a nice citrusy nuoc cham (refreshing sauce) it sat in for $17. I could have eaten the whole thing in one bite - I did not do that!! But I'm just saying that I probably COULD have to illustrate the smallness of the plate. However, it is nicely done, with a nice presentation and good flavors, but the value is low for me on this. My friend got the catfish dish- which did have pretty good flavors, better portions, and ultimately a better value than the hamachi. The name is confusing to me too - Little Vietnam - but karaage is Japanese technically, cacio e pepe, and Tom Yum (veggies) Thai... I probably would not return given how I approach restaurants (value) and the slight comment we got in the beginning, but I do think many DCers who like fusion would enjoy this a lot. Make a reservation if you go!!

I just loved it. Incredibly flavorful, great service, and we didn't feel rushed. The Tom Yum vegetables were my fave with the Bo Nuong as a close second. It's great to see some reincarnations of Himitsu favorites (i.,e., the karage chicken) and the Caccio e Pepe was even more flavorful than its predecessor. Go while you can!

Interesting little Vietnamese Restaurant with a small menu... but that's not a bad thing. Sitting by the bar and being able to watch how your food is made from beginning to end is an experience of itself that everyone should try. The small menu allows these chefs to perfect those dishes so you leave satisfied and full. Will come back later when they eventually decide to switch up the entree dishes for a new taste.

Incredible service and such a cute atmosphere. I went for the little himistu pop up and everything we had was absolutely incredible. It was a really small restaurant so definitely make a reservation. Try as many of the Himitsu entrees as you can when you go. I started with the fried chicken and ended with the short rib. Both were fantastic but the short rib was truly the star of the meal. It was so tender. The sauce that came with the meal was absolutely delicious. It came with lettuce so you could make a lettuce wrap, but it honestly didn't even need the noodles or the lettuce. I also got the matcha ginger lemonade and it was so refreshing and delightful. Probably one of the best meals I have had in DC ever.

Stopped into LV recently and had a great meal - love this space, it was busy on a Friday night, they had a great playlist (maybe a bit loud for an older crowd but we didn't mind), and food comes at you quick. We ordered a bit so our table filled up quick. Favorites were - tom yum tofu (very addicting, good sized portion), fried egg salad (the nuoc cham dressing was insane), vit ca ri (favorite dish, the curry was so rich and comforting, lots of noodles and the duck leg was perfectly crispy and delicious). Other dishes were good - the fried chicken has a light batter and nice flavor but thought it could have even more fish sauce/caramel - make it funky! the cumin lamb dumplings were a touch salty (we ordered them fried - would go steamed next time). duck fat rice was a nice side but nothing extraordinary. The scallion ginger noodles were pretty good, we ordered them with the lemongrass chicken which didn't stand out, would try another protein next time. And the banh mi burger was tasty, but didn't get much 'banh mi' out of it with the exception of the inclusion of pate - would love much more pickled veggies/cilantro/jalapeno. Overall a great time and delicious food though, will be back

We live pretty close to Little Vietnam, but haven't had a chance to check it out! We were excited about the Himitsu pop-up, since we really enjoyed Himitsu when it was open in Shaw. I will say that the restaurant is tiny, but it was very cool to see through the bar to the kitchen. There are so many people working in the kitchen for such a small space! I think because of the small number of tables, they are efficient with turnover. I think we were done with our full meal in 35-40 minutes, which is pretty quick. We would have been happy with an extra couple minutes between dishes to just absorb the atmosphere and chat. From the menu, we ordered the crudo and the duck/biscuits dish from the Himitsu side, and then the dumplings and the fish sandwich from the Little Vietnam side. I think that the crudo, dumplings, and fish sandwich were excellent. The crudo had a great spice, the dumplings were super flavorful, and the fish was piping hot. My only critique would be that the sandwich bun could use a bit more pizazz... maybe it needed to be toasted longer with a little butter or maybe using something more like a Hawaiian bread? (I'm a HUGE fan of the Dabney's fish sandwiches, but I think this was a close second.) The duck dish was much larger overall than we had thought it would be, but that's good since it was pricey. I think it would work great as an appetizer for 4 people -- each person could make their own little duck biscuit sandwich. All the elements were ok, but I felt like it was missing just a liiiiittle something. Maybe a bit more crunch/vinegar for the cucumbers? The duck could have used a bit more flavor? I would have been happy with more of the sauce, too. Overall this wasn't bad, but I was a bit jealous of the chicken dishes that folks around us had ordered and would probably have ordered that instead if we could go back in time. My husband's only point was that his negroni drink was really quite small -- the glass was short and filled with a big cube of ice. For $17, it felt like the drink was half the size that you'd get at most bars. Definitely worth checking out!!!

Y'all, I am high key obsessed with Little Vietnam. Probably the best burger I have had in DC. Tom Sietsema got it wrong. The Vit Ca Ri was delicious (and the portion was huge), I could have drunk the Tom Yum sauce that accompanied the tofu and the French fries that came with the burger tasted like the memory of McDonald's fries from childhood--aka: impeccable. Service was efficient. Pre-botted cocktails were tasty. My only complaint was that I wanted to see what this creative group had for dessert...and there was not yet dessert to be found! Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu.

I loved Himitsu and was happy to hear there was a Little Himitsu pop-up at Little Vietnam in Petworth. Reservations are encouraged but they accept walk-ins if there's space in their patio. Our server Preston was attentive and checked up on us periodically to ensure we weren't thirsty or hungry. My fiance enjoyed a Sapporo, while I enjoyed a fruit-forward cocktail "Pick Up The Phone, which consisted of lemongrass infused tequila, passionfruit-cinnamon syrup, lime, and housemade Tiki bitters shaken and served over ice in salt-gochugaru rimmed glass. For dinner, we shared the Tom Yum Veggies (with the chili oil on the side) and Bo Nuong Banh Hoi (without the peanuts garnish and with the sauces on the side). The Tom Yum Veggies consisted of purple cabbage, chinese cauliflower, baby corn, green beans, and chinese water spinach wok sautéed with ginger and garlic in a mildly spicy coconut Tom Yum sauce and served with fragrant jasmine rice. The Bo Nuong Banh Hoi consisted of bibb lettuce wraps, fresh herbs (including cilantro, basil, and mint), woven rice noodles topped with scallions and crispy garlic, and 72-hour braised short rib. Due to my food allergies/sensitivities, the condiment (jalapeño pickled daikon) and calamansi-fish sauce and miso caramel sauce. Everything was absolutely delicious! If you have a chance to stop by in September, you should!

Atmosphere, food, and service all wonderful. Neighborhood gem. Bring a group and try lots of things!

This new Vietnamese in Petworth is worth a try! My friend and I came by on a weekday and there were seatings available upon arrival. The coconut horchata was great considering the coconut and cinnamon went really well together. For appetizers we ordered the tom yum tofu and cumin lamb dumplings, which were both delicious and flavorful. The tofu was particularly airy and crispy, and the portion was also decent. We got mi xao chay as our entree, which was a scallion ginger noodle topped with sautéed vegetables. We also added lemongrass chicken as the protein for this entree. Ultimately, this dish was disappointing. The chicken didn't really have any flavors and the noodles were very mediocre and also lacked flavors. We ordered a duck fat rice on the side, but it didn't really stand out to us. I would visit this place again to order the appetizers and try a different entree. There was a lemongrass red curry dish on the menu and I believe what would go with the duck fat rice better.

Every bite we tried made us look at each other and say - wow!!! The food is fresh and the flavors are bold and delicious. We ordered every appetizer - a great strategy although we had noodle envy from our dining neighbors. The standouts for me were the lamb dumplings and the light-as-air tofu. We can't wait to come back to enjoy the mains and maybe a drink or two. I tried the herbal vodka soda and had to send it back because it was so bitter and strong. Not a real miss bc our server was so nice about it. Highly recommend this tiny spot - reservations are the way to go with so few tables.

Both the standard offering and the Little Himitsu pop-up are consistently delicious, creative, and unassuming. It's a true delight to have this gem of a restaurant in the neighborhood.

Rubbery fried chicken wings. Dry burger. Savory Pho. Liked the fried egg salad. Rude waiter. I asked the server to portion out the Pho into two bowls for the two of us; he said that was fine. Later, the waiter set a single bowl on the table and when I asked about portioning it out into two bowls, he told me "that's the problem with splitting the soup." After a few seconds he dropped a second bowl and a third spoon on the table that was just barely larger than the spoons already on the table. Overall this place is okay, not worth a huge wait or the price. If there is a wait, you are much better off at Pho Viet USA for Vietnamese food which is up the street on Georgia Ave. Likewise for the wings, fried chicken can be had for much better at Honey Moon or Cinder right down the street.

the reservation system is primitive: you make a rez on exploretock.com but then if you need to change it you have to email the restaurant. I did so and it was a bunch of tedious back and forth with a rude tone on the restaurant's end. Do you have this day? No. Do you have this day? No response. Very internet 1.0. Why they don't use something like OpenTable or Resy that lets you change and make new reservations is strange.

Yeah I'm going to put this out there - Little Vietnam is the best Vietnamese restaurant in DC. My boyfriend and I came here spontaneously to eat dinner a couple of weeks ago, and WOW. We were blown away by the quality of the food as well as the genuine, authentic Vietnamese flavours in every dish (even the fusion and non-traditional ones!!). Coming from NYC and Toronto, I've been trying to find comparable Asian restaurants and I 100% believe Little Vietnam meets that bar. Definitely try the banh xeo and egg salad if you get a chance--those were our absolute favourites

Went for the Himitsu collab this summer. I thought the food was quite good, but very overpriced for the neighborhood and overall experience (the duck was really tasty but $46 did not seem right. $17 for the tiniest negroni I've ever seen in my life?). As others have said, the service is incredibly rushed. Rather than spacing out the plates, they pretty much brought everything at once and we were out the door within an hour. Our waiter also not great and made some weird comments. The restaurant was also very stuffy, not sure if the AC was working? Overall, I think they need to step up the delivery and atmosphere if they want to continue attracting customers at this price point.

The chef Kevin Tien and little Vietnam did not disappoint. The Bo Noung Bahn Ho was the star of the meal followed by the Tom Yum Veggies. The sauce with the Tom yum veggies could stand on its own with just a bowl rice. Dumplings were great with the crunch component. The Peking duck & biscuits was a delightful dish that differs from your traditional Peking duck dish with a southern touch of biscuits. Would definitely come back.

Extremely overprice for half decent viet food. I'm Vietnamese and I frequent a lot of the Vietnamese spots around the dmv. Our table order one grilled beef banh hoi (vermicelli). The portion was small, barely enough for 2. The meat was alright and there wasn't a lot of veggies assortments, the vermicelli were lacking grilled green onions. And to top it off the bill came out to be $80 for one entree. If you wanna over spent for a mediocre Vietnamese food be my guest.

The menu for their special popup event was superb and well worth the reasonable price. The fried chicken is a must, and I was blown away by how much I loved the chicken dumplings. The place is a bit small, but I actually never felt cramped. The service was also lovely. All in all would recommend!

While small in size, Little Vietnam packs a huge punch when it comes to delivering great flavor in their dishes. The tofu bites were so light and airy and seasoned well. I had the banh xeo which is a menu item not too often seen at Vietnamese restaurants. The crispy yet light texture of the crepe with the subtle (not overpowering, just the right amount) flavor of turmeric was phenomenal. I also had the egg salad, an instant fave. The nuoc cham is a nice balance between sour and sweet. I cannot wait to go back and try more dishes.

Went for the Little Himitsu pop-up and it did not disappoint! The menu is small, but every dish was so well thought out. The horchata is SO GOOD!! Highly highly recommend. We ordered the crudo, egg salad, and Peking duck. First two were awesome, the Peking duck was yummy, but a little chewy. For dessert we got the panna cotta. I have a huge sweet tooth, but the panna cotta was really disappointing, I wish I ordered another dish instead. The prices are definitely high (2 people was $100). I would really recommend this! It's a super unique, and tasty experience! Also, service was AWESOME! Super friendly and attentive waiters.

Went here on a Friday night around 6:30pm with no reservation but put my name on the waiting list. My party was sat down, got comfortable and right about when we were ready to order I was informed by the host that the table was reserved and we have to move due to an accident on their end. They then told me the wait was one hour afterwards. Fortunately they were able to make some room at the bar and gave us a free drink. Which somewhat made up for the buzzkill and embarrassment of being told we have to move. Wanted the Pho but it was sold out already. We ordered the fries, lamb dumplings, chive noodles, confit duck with curry noodles, and chicken wings. The food was great and no major complaints there. But the curry soup was too thick and rich to be considered soup for my liking. I would have given a higher review if not for items being some out and the table situation.

Would have liked to try. We were a group of 3 with no reservation around 6:30pm on Friday night. Fair enough I understand if no seating but I did see the patio was empty and asked if was available they told me the patio is closed. No problem went across the street dined and as we walk out sure enough 2 ladies are being served on the patio by same gentlemen who told us there was none. Can't rate the food because were not given opportunity to try.

If only I could get a table! No phone, no clear website and they changed the closing time without publishing it. I'm still hoping....

the service was super quick in the beginning- food was coming out very quickly until the end when dishes started crowding the table and no one would clear the empty dishes and then once we got the check, no one would come pick it up. the food itself was great, there are definitely some items like the fried chicken starter that require a more acquired taste than i have. the cacio e pepe was unexpectedly salty, and the fried egg salad was super spicy. not the best meal experience ive had, but far from the worst. would gave been a solid 4 stars if the service didnt fall off towards the end

Amazing food. Creative and delicious. Cool and relaxed vibe. We have been there twice already! Go before the secret is out.

This is an awesome new addition to the neighborhood. Wonderful hospitality and the food is delicious. Highly recommend the lamb dumplings and any of the noodles-flavorful and filling. Sit at the bar and watch the chefs work!