My Lai Kitchen - Sunset

We spent $36 for a bowl of Phô and a Vietnamese sub and we still felt like we were low end trash. A barren , inhospitable environment and surly service. We ate-in and my sub was brought in a paper bag. When I asked for a plate, I was brought a tray and had to point out that they actually had plates to serve on. The Phô was not bad although the stock was basically Oxo cubes - industrial food. The sub was made with a stale baguette that was hard and dry at the ends. Our worst food experience in LA by far. My wife is Vietnamese, we have been in Vietnam, and we know what we are talking about.

Loved all the flavors in my chicken bowl. Several sauce choices, so I was able to pick one with just enough heat without overwhelming my tongue. Fresh, clean and colorful meal.

Believe the reviews! Excellent friendly service. Clean. Top flavours. Fresh food. We recommend the limited edition pho dip, as well as the bahn mi and the seasonal pho is good too!

I was pleasantly surprised. Since it’s a new location, I wasn’t expecting my bowl to be as delicious as it was. I must mention that the tofu bites are a must try. The toppings are unlimited when you BYO bowl, a great touch. I also recommend the peanut sauce (sauces are in generous portions btw). The only thing I wasn’t impressed with was the brown rice; it tasted odd. Service was expressly pleasant and she answered all my questions with a smile. Clean bathrooms and clean tables, always a plus with a fast casual place. Will come back!

Food was delicious, nutritious and audacious! Very much enjoyed the Bomb Bahn Mi and Build Your Own Bowl but what really STOODOUT was the customer service. Major shout-out to David for his absolute SUPERIOR service! What really motivated me to even post this was to give that man his flowers. He expertly guided us through the menu, gave us great recommendations and made us feel like we were guests at his home...what a professional! So when you stroll into My Lai Kitchen and the guy behind the counter is skillfully taking care of you, then you know you're talking to David. Get in there and say, "waddup dude, I heard you're the MAN"😁 and get ready to have a great dining experience.

Fresh, clean food and restaurant. I stopped by a little after 6pm on a Friday, ordered a bowl with chicken and brown rice. All the toppings looked like they had been recently prepared. My dinner was very tasty. I especially enjoyed the pickled, slightly spicy cucumbers and fresh herbs. I’ll swing by again.

This place is so good! The build your own bowls are amazing, everything is always fresh and filled with flavor. And the Bahn Mi is the best I’ve had in LA! I frequent this restaurant when I want a healthy lunch thats also flavorful. The owners are always present and you can tell they’re so kind and passionate about what they do. Definitely show up and support this local business, you won’t be disappointed!

Banh mi for how much? $15?!?!?! Your telling g me I can go to banh mi che cali or THH and get 3x banh mi's cause it's buy 2 get one free. No wonder i hate Los angeles vietnemse people. I'm from the ghetto in district 14 and even 12 yo working the banh mi cart has them for 75 cents! Lol nah homie I'm straight off of these. I had really good street tacos in the area for cheapppp. This ain't gourmet vietnamese but charging gourmet prices. Yeah I'm a hater but at least I told my truth. Have a wonderful day, yours cruelly from east side

Staff is very welcoming. This is a small place to grab lunch to eat there or take it to go. Build Your Own Bowl- 10/10 Very generous portion. I did enjoy being able to build my own bowl. They had many different toppings to choose from. They also have a great variety of sauces.

Build your own bowl has increased in price by $2 in five months?! MASSIVE price increase. Not cool. Won't be back.

First of all....I really don't like writing bad reviews as I'm in the service industry and I know how hard this business is, however, when things are as bad as this order, a business needs to know. As I understand it, a Bahn Mi sandwich in general has a basic set of ingredients, one of them is a pate of some sort. I didn't see it listed as an ingredient so, I assumed it was implied. There is none such. Sadly, as you can see from the photos, this is basically a few parts of a traditional Bahn Mi thrown into a halved French loaf haphazardly. When you order a sandwich, especially delivered, you expect it to be, at the very least, completely composed. This, was a mess. A mess that also, was barely dressed. A pinch of each vegetable ingredient, at best. We ordered the vegan option of tofu based on Instagram photos and how good it looked. A gross misinterpretation of what arrived. At almost $19 for a sandwich, I expect better. Everyone does. Even the bread was stale. The $16 vegan sausage rolls? 3 of them. Cold. Our order even with some fees removed was $60. Look My Lai, I am truly sorry to write this review, but if you are charging these inflated prices for items that have a food cost of very little as is these sandwiches and rolls, you NEED to do better than this in Los Angeles. We gave a new thing a chance. If you want to survive in the city of Hollywood, this isn't going to remotely cut it. Two stars is only because 1.) there's a vegan option that if nothing else in town were available, at least we know this is here for now 2.) delivery fees removed as a promo. At these prices and such poor quality, build, and presentation? Two stars is extremely generous.

As a tamarind lover, I frequently daydream about My Lai's tamarind vinaigrette, which tastes even better when combined with their peanut sauce. I first visited My Lai for a Yelp Elite event a few months ago, where I was really impressed with the freshness and flavor of their ingredients. I've returned a couple of times since then, and have opted for the "build your own bowl" which is a Chipotle-style order of customizing a Vietnamese rice/noodle/salad bowl with tons of delicious toppings. The portions are generous, which justifies the price for me (~$17-18) because I usually have leftovers. There are lots of unique sauce options and you can get more than one. Most of the ingredients for the bowl are excellent. However, their garlic rice is underwhelming, when it could and should be the star of the show! Otherwise, I love My Lai and will keep coming back.

This is the best Vietnamese fusion restaurant I have ever been to. They have brown rice & offers grilled chicken with 4 kinds of pickled vegetables as sides. There's at least 6 different sauces, I will make sure to come back to try each one. On my first visit I got the tamarind sauce and it was fantastic. Only problem though, is the price per bowl is $17. On + On kitchen is $13 per bowl, but to be fair, My Lai Kitchen offers a bigger bowl. I will be a regular to this place.

Continuing on my mission to write reviews to businesses that have been helping the community, here's to My Lai! During the LA Wildfires, they're offering free meals to the firefighters. My Lai Kitchen is owned by Traci Davis, a Vietnamese-American highlighting dishes that she grew up with. What I love about My Lai is the fact that they're creating a Chipotle/Cava style restaurant where you can build your own bowl, but a Vietnamese version of it. The ingredients are fresh and make you feel good about your choice. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone in the WeHo area looking for delicious, clean Vietnamese food.

A solid location! It's basically a Vietnamese chipotle, with the way you order and it's served. I grabbed the grilled chicken with a bunch of veggies and rice. It was a solid dinner, especially for the size and price. If I'm in a pinch or don't have time, I would high suggest this location. Service: 4/5 Food: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Atmosphere: 4/5

This is my new favorite spot for outstanding banh mi sandwiches! Service is fantastic, the gentleman helping me was super friendly and helpful while another lady - I believe the owner - was so kind and sweet to everyone. The bread used for the banh mi is perfect. Fluffy interior with a crisp outside. The pork was so flavorful and had a good bite. The veggies were all fresh, the pickles added a depth of flavor to cut the richness of the meat, and the Viet style mayo added a creamy and sweet flavor. The Thai Tea was also amazing, not overly sweet or rich like a lot of places do. I'm not sure if it's made from scratch here but it sure tastes like it! I'll be returning any chance I get

Food 3.5/5: the pork bahn mi was a bit too chewy for me. The bowl was delicious but I think my husband and I did not enjoy the sauce that we chose as much. But my husband loved the bahn mi. Service 5/5: owners served us and they were very friendly Ambiance 5/5: pretty and modern design, for quick eats and the price, we would come again!

Absolutely delicious ! I tried this place on 1/23//25 at 8PM, I ordered the garlic rice with chicken bowl and veggies. Super delicious , the place is clean and cute , the young lady that helped me is polite . Will be eating here again! Thank you

Best pho I've had since being in Viet Nam. Great place for noodle bowls and rice bowls! Super clean and well kept place, looks like it may be new. I highly recommend it!!

Food was delicious, nutritious and audacious! Very much enjoyed the Bomb Bahn Mi and Build Your Own Bowl but what really STOODOUT was the customer service. Major shout-out to David for his absolute SUPERIOR service! What really motivated me to even post this was to give that man his flowers. He expertly guided us through the menu, gave us great recommendations and made us feel like we were guests at his home...what a professional! So when you stroll into My Lai Kitchen and the guy behind the counter is skillfully taking care of you, then you know you're talking to David. Get in there and say, "waddup dude, I heard you're the MAN" and get ready to have a great dining experience.

Great Vietnamese addition to the Beverly hills area! If you're in the area & looking for some good Vietnamese food this location is definitely worth a try. Portions are generous & the food is filled with flavor. My favorite is the byo bowl & I always go for their Rockin beef which is so tender & flavorful. The garlic rice they make here deserves a spotlight in itself as the texture & flavor is unmatched. The spring rolls they serve are another huge yes for me! They are filled with fresh veggie goodness & are surprisingly filling. Pro tip when ordering make sure to take advantage of the yummy side sauce options as they really elevate your meal. Service is fast & friendly & the vibe in here is so cool. I love the modern twist this location has to offer along with all of the indoor seating. Side note I just want to thank Tracey for making my experience right & enjoyable. I had a not so great experience at their other location & she was more than quick to send a gift card ensuring that this visit would be different & indeed it was. I really appreciate the great above & beyond customer service! Overall, great location with amazing food!

Love My Lai! They have great Vietnamese food at a great price point. Parking can be hit or miss on Sunset with street parking but I think they do a lot of takeout so usually it's not too too bad. I love coming here to build my own bowl. The garlic rice is so good and they are always generous with the meat potions. Food is very fresh and I like that you can also get healthy options here.

Super delicious fresh food always served with a smile... I recommend the cilantro sauce

The place is small yet spacious & very clean. . Being from Dorchester, MA, there are many Vietnamese restaurants in my hometown that I haven't had the pleasure to try in years so I was ecstatic when a good friend recommended we try @themylaikitchen in Hollywood. . We were greeted by one of the owners who described the style of food like Chipotle with Vietnamese flavors, we were taken down the line to build my bowl and his Bahn Mi sandwich or you can choose one of the signature options on their menu. . I ordered the Mama Mai's Garlic Chicken Bowl which came with two sauces and my comrade ordered a pork Bahn Mi. These dishes were easily customizable and extremely filling as I inhaled the hearty and phresh ingredients, but still couldn't finish my bowl. To wash it all down, we got a ginger beer to split which was moderately sweet and refreshing. . If you're looking for authentic Vietnamese food in Los Angeles, My Lai Kitchen is a good place to break bread!

Finally got to try this local spot. I live just down the street and have been meaning to drop in since I saw them take over the space. I walked over with my friend to dine in before our event just a couple blocks away. I got a bahn mi and egg rolls and chased them with coconut water and Thai iced tea. The food was ok. I think we actually overcommitted cos I only ate half of my order. There was really nothing special about the food. The drink was definitely strong.

Endless possibilities! Love the cucumber sunomono, pickled carrots and garlic rice options in the BYO Bowl. Ingredients are fresh and meal is filling!

Quite a nice little place, super clean and tidy, minimalist decor, not a bad place to spend half an hour grabbing a bite. The front counter staff seemed a bit bored, definitely got the vibe that they were a bit ambivalent and wished they were somewhere else... but it's not fine dining, I get that service isn't going to be the same at a build-your-own Vietnamese lunch counter as it would be elsewhere with table service. The menu is limited; I found it a bit odd that, for example, there were exactly two choices for the bánh mì - beef or vegetarian - when everywhere I've been has 5+ options, usually chicken, pork, tofu, 'special' (paté), etc. That said, the beef bánh mì I had was delicious, the fried spring rolls (chả giò) also quite good. The local-healthy soda was fine, I guess, though nothing wrong with a Coca-Cola machine, really... would have preferred that. $30 was a bit spendy for a sub and some spring rolls and a soda, but it's Sunset Strip LA, so I suppose considering what they likely pay in rent, that's inevitable. Bottom line, the space was nice, the food was tasty, it's a nice addition to the neighborhood. I do wish their menu was a little more expansive, though.

I love the friend tofu and the preparer is willing to work with you to get your banh mi or bowl EXACTLY as you like it. Tasty, light and fresh with a modern atmosphere and easy street parking.

Delicious take out Thai with vegetarian option bahn mi and salads. Very nice and clean!

This new offering on Sunset is tasty, quick, and has great service (thanks David!) We had a DIY bowl with vermicelli, egg roll and chicken along with the mama Mai's chicken and we'll definitely be back... but we won't be hungry for a looooong time! Love the portion size and the fresh ingredients. Also love the batch soda!

If you like Chipotle for Mexican food, this is the place for you and it's even better! The rice is always great and the staff here are positive and friendly. My fave is build your own bowl. I can't decide between the vermicelli noodle or garlic rice and I get to ask for 1/2 and 1/2! Can't decide which herbs you like on your bowl? Have a little of each! Not sure what sauce to pair with your food? Kalina can help you decide. I stumbled onto the salty plum lemonade. Never heard of it before with all my years of eating Asian food and if you like umami flavors, try this! It's the same as the salted plum candies we had as kids, but put with soda water, it's delicious. Tip: I needed to add extra squeeze of lime or lemon to this. And the salted plums have so much flavor I got several cups of lemonade out of this at home. The pho broth with the French dip is so delicious, I could have just the broth every day. If you ever saw the movie Tampopo, you know the broth is everything.

I'm so happy My Lai has opened up nearby and love the concept of a quick, fresh meal. I got Chau's Chicken Salad for hubby and I built my own bowl with the following: 1/2 salad & 1/2 brown rice, crispy tofu, all the toppings available and the honey sriracha was recommended for the dressing. The toppings and tofu options were plentiful, but my dressing was a tad too spicy for my liking and made it a little difficult to finish my food. I loved how fresh the toppings were; especially the picked veggies. My hubby liked his salad and said the value was there for him. Service was friendly and welcoming and my first impression was good. I'll definitely be back as they have a good selection of plant based/veggie options.

This relatively new place on Sunset is a Vietnamese take on the Chipotle-style model of base, meat and toppings... its a delicious and affordable option and a welcome addition to the neighborhood! For $15 you can choose a base of garlic rice, rice, salad or noodle; beef, chicken, pork or tofu; and your choice of whatever toppings. The sauces are great. I especially liked the Cilantro Ginger sauce. You can also choose to get a banh mi sandwich instead for $13. This is a small chain that will continue to expand i hope. Service was quick and friendly. The decor is simple and the lighting isnt as harsh as some fast casual places which is nice.

This place is such a fantastic find in the heart of WeHo. The ingredients are so fresh and flavorful and with the customization factor, you truly can't go wrong with whatever you try. I got to try the new Pho Dip Bahn Mi and WOW was that great. It was perfectly warm & filling; melt in your mouth dipped in the pho broth! Spring rolls were generous proportions and so fresh! The peanut sauce was the owner's mother's recipe, so that's when you know it's going to be good. The build-your-own bowl station had so many great toppings, all fresh and so many great pickled options. I usually tend to stick to chicken or tofu options but the pork here was SO good I had to go with that. I had so much left over that even the next day I had a solid lunch that held strong and still tasted great. I'd recommend the fish sauce and the green cilantro sauce! The employees were super friendly and gave great recommendations. They were kind enough to give us a whole run down of the menu and what all goes well together. The shop is clean with lots of natural light and plenty space to sit! Really glad to have a new favorite lunch spot to have in rotation. Highly recommend!

This was my first time at My Lai in Hollywood. I had been to their Mar Vista location, so I was excited to stop by here. I was absolutely blown away by the pho banh mi. It was definitely my favorite thing I tried. This would be my recommendation for sure. It was like having a sandwich version of really good pho. The bowl was also delicious! It's so much food and full of healthy ingredients. There's ample street parking around here and it's easy to get to. I spoke with Traci, the owner, who was so kind and told me a bit about how My Lai started. Can't wait to come back and hopefully get some more at Coachella 2024!

Great new Vietnamese place in Hollywood on Sunset. Has a fantastic array of choices to make a delicious healthy bowl. I ordered a tofu bowl with rice and vermicelli noodles as the base . Then topped my bowl with the pickled carrots, pickled cabbage, cilantro, lime, and tomatoes with crunchies on top like the fried onions , sesame seeds and nuts. Then added the peanut sauce. There are several other vinaigrette choices for sauce. The ambiance is clean and sharp looking with so much ceiling space for fresh air. The employees were very kind and attentive. Will definitely be back again for some healthy food.

The food is good but the name of the restaurant is concerning, I wonder why they chose that name

If you're looking for tasty, fast casual Vietnamese food, then this is your spot. The flavors are authentic and the portions are generous. At first, the menu is a bit overwhelming - a lot of quality choices (vegan and vegetarian friendly). I went with a build-your-own bowl, and it was great to have some variety. There was one person working, so it took a beat, but there wasn't much of a line, so I didn't feel pressure to order quickly or rush. Our server took the time to walk through the different sauce options. They have seating, but I wouldn't recommend coming here with a group or expecting fast, fast-casual, but it's a good neighborhood spot

if you translate my lai from vietnamese to english, it means "my hybrid", on google translate. my friend who grew up in vietnam says it means half and half or something. so it must mean this place is like fusion of american and vietnamese culture. i really enjoyed the banh mi sandwich here. all ingredients were perfectly prepared and flavorful. got the beef and it was delish. lots of seating everywhere with nice views of sunset blvd. my one gripe was it came out to like 19 dollars after tax/tip.. i understand the rent is high but sadly i'm not able to make this my usual spot for affordable sandwiches as i have done in the 626 with banh mi my tho. this place is good for the area though! i'll be back someday..

Went here today for the pork vermicelli bowl. The server was super helpful and even gave me extra sauces to try as they had so many flavors! Portion sizes were pretty big and I took the second half of my lunch to go. The ambiance is pretty chill and parking on the side street is perfect. Highly recommend if you're looking for a healthier alternative to Chipotle.

Absolutely our favorite place to visit down Sunset to eat. We enjoy always the customer service and especially the food! Our favorite is the Pork & Pork Egg Roll Vermicelli Salad! But now they introduced us to their new pho pizza, and we are hooked! Thank you again!

I really had a chance to experience food that I've never had before . The owner was very nice and helpful . They were all fast and attentive. I felt great coming three guilt free after a workout . The music was good and the vibes were right . Definitely coming back for dinner and lunch soon .

My husband and I ordered the spring rolls, banh mi, and the chicken garlic rice bowl... wow! Everything was very fresh and well prepared. You can tell they're using high quality ingredients across the board. We arrived just a few minutes before they opened but they welcomed us in anyway. We'll be back- Yummmm!

So fresh and delicious. Super satisfying in terms of flavor and quantity. Very friendly staff.

I'm so sad this place fell off. I ordered a grilled pork banh mi and it was honestly disgusting. In the past they had amazing grilled pork and it was full of flavor and meat. The meat they now use is soggy and has a boiled type of texture. The worst part was the amount of solo pieces of fat. You take a bite and it's just soggy baguette, daikon, and a large piece of boiled marinated fat. Disappointing for a $18 banh mi.

Damn this is good!! It's fat, flavorful and filling. I can't believe I haven't tried this spot before. Price is great at $12.50 I'll be back!!

In love with the concept and caliber of flavor here. Imagine Chipotle but swap the cuisine with Vietnamese. Yes, that's right. Where has this been all this time? Seeing that this place is fast casual, the flavor is INCREDIBLE. Honestly, it holds up against more fancy sit down establishments. The sauces are to die for. Try a way to sample all the sauces. You'll be shocked at how flavorful they are. The folks running the counter are super sweet and helpful. Not sure what you should get? Ask them. They'll help your tastebuds out!

Came to try this for the first time let me tell you it's amazing the food 100/10 the service amazing Melanie and Joseph shout out to them they were beyond awesome and super friendly. The inside was adorable we usually don't like to eat in but we couldn't resist . They make you feel at home . Must Try their soda . The orange taste just like a Mexican crush.

They have great bang mi sandwiches and the rolls are good because you can choose your toppings and sauce to go with them. So glad to have a go to banh mi spot in the area.

My Lai is kind of like the Chipotle of Vietnamese food. You pick out the ingredients you want and they assemble it for you. I usually go for the bowl which has been tasty the few times I've ordered it. I do think their prices are a little expensive, around $17 for a bowl. It is pretty big, though, and I can usually get one and a half meals from it. Service has always been super friendly and I've never had to wait long to order.

*****3.5 stars***** In short: typical Americanized Viet food. Quick, satisfactory if you're desperate for Viet food, but good service nonetheless. The name of the restaurant translates to "Half American," which is pretty indicative of the food you'll get. I've visited both this location and their Venice Beach location one time each, and had about the same experience at both. For this location, we ordered online, so the pick-up was efficient and the worker was nice (note: they don't put veggies on the Bún unless you ask). The flavors are just average, though. The bánh mì was admittedly pretty good; it had lots of filling, and the thịt nướng was tasty. My parents say the bún was alright. The fried tofu was ok... they need to use medium or soft tofu instead of firm. My dad said the cà phê sữa đá didn't have condensed milk, so it wasn't sweet and ended up being a normal latte. Los Angeles lacks Viet food, so the scarcity makes this place better. Still, I think there are more authentic places you could go if that's what you're looking for. If speed is your goal, though, they've got you.

We ordered a pick up order this evening to take with us to the bell. The order was ready when I arrived, however once we got to pie final destination we. Noticed our egg rolls were missing from the order, and we were charged, the BOY bowels were delicious and so were the spring rolls. We got beef and chicken ones. My only suggestion though is maybe not wrap them in plastic as I literally dipped my roll and took a bite not knowing it was wrapped in plastic. I was eating in the dark.

Must-try Vietnamese food spot, especially if you are craving banh mi's!! I ordered online for pickup and service was extremely fast! Workers were super kind when I entered and food was still hot and fresh. There is no parking directly in front but you can find a street space nearby if you want to eat inside. I got the tofu banh mi and it was so delicious, with the crispy tofu, flavorful sauce, and the fresh veggies. The daikon and carrots were also perfectly crunchy and pickled! The bread was also so fluffy! Highly recommend this place if you're in the area.

My husband and I gave this spot a second try and as expected, the service was great and the staff are always friendly. We ordered two Banh Mi this time, one was the impossible pork and one was beef but with the toppings that go with the pho dip. Like I mentioned in my previous post, the flavors were good! This time, the bread was perfectly toasted and all the ingredients tasted great! We were surprised by the impossible pork and it is one of our new favorite proteins. So glad we are walking distance to the restaurant and can't wait to try the egg rolls and vermicelli bowl next.

How is it possible I haven't tried this place until yesterday?! A promotion with my kid's school prompted me to give My Lai a shot -- I was blown away! The service, the atmosphere (I took my food to go, but still, the space was beautiful), and ESPECIALLY the amazing food! I did the Build Your Own Bowl -- with brown rice, grilled chicken, and LOTS of veggies -- along with Spring Rolls and the spicy Tofu Bites. Everything was super fresh and tasty. Even the drinks were delicious! I had the Mint Jasmine Tea and my daughter had the Boba Tea. I can't wait to get back to My Lai!

Service was friendly and attentive. I was excited there was something new and Vietnamese in the neighborhood but it just wasn't great. Food was disappointing. I ordered the thit nuong pork banh mi, chips, and iced coffee. The bread was just ok. The meat was a bit dry and salty with not enough other spices. The veggie toppings were good. The chips tasted like straight oil. And the premade coffee was a combination of bitter, thick, and sweet that I couldn't drink it.

The pork bomb banh mi was really good. Very filling. Delicious sauces included. Personalized service. Cool ambiance. Street meter parking.