Location: 4706 Bethesda Avenue #A, Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: (301) 718-1872
Website: https://www.ricepaddiesgrill.com/#home
Style of Food: Vietnamese-American
Owner & Chef: Family operated
Reservations: Not accepted
Private Dining: Unavailable but they do offer catering
Parking: Street parking or county garage (cheaper than street parking FYI!)
Metro Accessible: Bethesda Station is the closest metro and is about a 5 minute walk heading south
Dress Code: Casual
Other Locations: Saigon Kitchen in Glover Park, DC (just opened November 2017)
Noteworthy Mentions: The restaurants participate on SpotLuck (www.spotluck.com) where you can spin for a chance to earn a discount. This site features many restaurants, I encourage you to check it out!
Booze: Not offered (Saigon Kitchen offers a full bar)
Review:
I have never dined-in at this establishment, but I have picked up food twice now. The store front is slightly hidden if you’re not looking for it. It’s on the same corner as Starbucks. When you walk in there are cases of soda syrup bibs and bottled beverages stacked up high on your right and soda machines and coolers on your left. They do boast an interesting array of non-alcoholic beverage options (such as coconut water with pieces of coconut in it). There is always someone sitting at the cash register which is where you place your order if you haven’t called it in. There really isn’t room to wait for your food so I do suggest calling ahead. To the right of the register there are boards on the wall which feature the menu. To the left of the register is a small dining area which is very casual, and I mean very. There are also tables on their small patio to sit at when the weather is pleasant. I have seen this full during the warmer months
The menu has all the traditional Vietnamese-American offerings that we’ve all come to expect living in the DMV plus a few things I haven’t seen before. Their appetizers consist of three different spring roll options each priced at $3.95 (they all come with two rolls): Crispy Spring Rolls, Veggie Spring Rolls, and Summer Rolls. I have had the Summer Roll which can either come with shrimp or tofu (I got shrimp) wrapped in rice paper with lettuce, rice vermicelli, and peanut dipping sauce. It’s very similar to what other restaurants/fast casual Vietnamese places prepare. I haven’t tried their Crispy Spring Rolls yet but they sound great: chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, rice vermicelli, carrots, and onions are all stir-fried together and wrapped in a small egg roll skin and fried, served with fish sauce (a guilty pleasure of mine!). There are two salad options for $7.50, a Chicken Salad and Tofu Salad. Both sound interesting but I’d probably steer more towards the Tofu Salad.
At minimum, there are 17 different Rice Platters to chose from which vary from a simple Five Spice Grilled Chicken to Grilled Porkchops or Asian Short Ribs. If you are vegan, they actually make their own seitan here and offer many options with it. There are also at least ten Grilled Rice Noodle Bowls which offers everything from Grilled Lemongrass Chicken to Tilapia to different protein combinations. There are also two Vietnamese desserts to try: Fried Banans or Young Coconut. I have personally never tried any of the previously mentioned (yet!). I come here for the Pho.
So, let’s talk Pho! As far as the price goes, it’s a little on the more expensive side but I’m talking within a buck or two. If you are taking out you only have one size options of regular which starts at $8.45. If you dine in you have a second option of a small bowl which starts at $7.50. I’ve never seen anyone order a small pho but that’s the way my friends, family, and I roll. You have six different Pho options: chicken, beef, meatball, veggie, vegan, or seafood (seafood is more expensive at $10 for the small and $12 for regular). You can add on to any of the bowls as well; i.e. extra noodles, extra meats, etc. all have associated costs starting at $1.25.
If I’m dining solo, I tend to order a beef and chicken pho and when I get home, I put everything into one soup pot and mix it all together. Potentially blasphemy (sorry!) but I love both broths and both proteins. Yes, there are different broths depending on what pho you order. We have ordered the meatball (my dad’s personal favorite) and the seafood (Laurie’s personal favorite) All of the pho options come with your traditional raw bean sprouts, basil, lime wedge, jalapenos, scallions, cilantro, sriracha, and hoisin. I personally order my pho without the cilantro (yes, I’m one of those people). They are very happy to oblige with any modification. Be careful because there are extra charges: a $0.50 for pho carry out and $0.25 for extra sauces.
I enjoy the pho thoroughly, it’s been flavorful every time I’ve gotten it and packaged well to carry out. Soup is sometimes tricky for some restaurants to get right for takeout. The service is what it is for a fast-casual, mostly order out type of establishment. They’re friendly enough to keep you coming back. If you’re an Ali Wong fan (Baby Cobra Netflix Special), this always is what runs through my head when I visit any pho restaurant: “It’s not authentic, OK? You can tell, first and foremost, by the name, ’cause it don’t got a number in it. Second of all, you can tell by the bathroom. If it was legit, the bathroom would double as a supply closet. When I pee, I need to see ten gallons of bleach, an ATM machine and a grandma with glaucoma napping in the corner. And the wait staff here is too nice. We need to leave this restaurant deaf and emotionally abused.”
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Girls That Nosh 