I spent an additional 10 minutes searching for this restaurant because the owner had forgotten to turn the Viet Bistro restaurant sign/banner on. The server told me this happens all the time...
Long story short: pho came out REALLY FAST, was sadly warm and not piping hot like I expected, and paled in comparison to every other bowl of pho I've had in Indy. The cilantro wasn't fresh, I was hoping for some chilies to add but wasn't served any, and the broth... was bland.
My condensed milk iced tea was really watery -- I should have asked for a remake.
I enjoyed the soft spring rolls. They were fresh, had an interesting texture, and were a great size.
All in all I ended up feeling like this place is an OK stand-in if you find yourself craving some Vietnamese food in this part of town, but that it's probably not worth seeking out if you want quality Vietnamese food with complex flavors.
I was on the go in Castleton and needed to try something new (and something non-chain in this chain-ridden part of town). Thank you, yelpers. I've been on a Vietnamese kick lately and pho and soft spring rolls on the go seemed like just the lunch for moi. I must forewarn you that I am in love with Saigon, so poor Viet Bistro had quite the uphill battle of winning my heart over.
Ordering over the phone proved to be quite difficult, so I kept my fingers crossed that the order would come out right. Bingo, bango - one order of tofu soft spring rolls and vegetarian pho later and we were on the road. My total was somewhere between $12 and $14. I would give this review 5 stars if it were solely based on the spring rolls ------ amazing! the tofu was just right, slight crisp on the outside and soft and moist innards. However, the pho was meh - the broth tasted more like wonton broth - not that I don't love wonton soup, but I prefer Saigon's. Also, I found the vegetables of broccoli, bamboo shoots, etc. interesting that they included with the pho. So, if I could take these tofu spring rolls and pair them with the pho tai at Saigon, I'd be high on the hog.
I really wish you could have seen me rolling down the road gnawing on spring rolls with peanut butter sauce and rice noodles dripping all over my lap. There are certain foods that are outrageously worthy of a mess in the car.
The husband, the mother in law, and I stopped in here after a day spent shopping. Â
I really enjoyed the wraps. Â He really enjoyed the Vietnamese coffee. Â
The atmosphere here is super Cool and it does not have that strip mall vibe. Â
The waitress was super attentive.
Overall I'd go back. Â Husband found a good find.
My friend suggested this place. We went here Sunday for lunch. It had beautiful decor for the price being so low. They have an awesome vegetarian selection, I'm sure it'd be easy for vegans to chow down too. Warning: portion sizes are HUGE! Share with a friend. Or just take some yummy left overs home and eat it another day.
Review Source:I've only been here once, so when I go back if it changes my mind I'll up the star count.
The food was good, but not great. Pho broth was a bit bland, too many noodles and not enough broth, beef was overdone, meatballs were nice but not anywhere close to as good as other places in town. The cha gio was a bit soggy. I'm not so sure about this place.
On the plus side, it's close to my job and my wife's office... so I'll give it another shot here soon.
Great Pho - very authentic although it's served without the usual jalapeno pepper slices, basil leaves and not quite as much cilantro or bean sprouts as I get in some other Vietnamese Restaurants. Â I don't know if that's a regional style or something because I've had very authentic Pho in other places that didn't serve it with peppers and basil either. Â
I'm very happy to see a Vietnamese Restaurant in the Castleton area. Â Prices are very reasonable and on par with other Vietnamese places. Â
As good as the Pho is, their banana dessert is just superb and something I've never seen anywhere else.  It's lightly fried bananas wrapped in rice paper and placed on a  pool of coconut milk-based tapioca pudding sauce with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts.  Very good and well worth the $5.00.  Being parsimonious as I am I never get dessert, but another Yelp review convinced me to splurge and try it and I'm glad I did, and it'll be something I get every visit!
It's hard to find a good asian restaurant in the north east. This one was ok. We had Pho. And spring rolls, The spring rolls didn't come with any veggies. What's up with that ? Service was slow. Seems like a lot of these smaller places were two people operations. Just glad to find a asian place ! Yes I would go back.
Review Source:It's the BEST Vietnamese restaurant on the north and northeast side!!!
Sounds like a resounding endorsement, except it's the only Vietnamese restaurant (that I know of) on the north and northeast side. Yes, that's what we're down to. There are 5,000 chain restaurants on the north and northeast side and one Vietnamese restaurant - chain or not.
I often wonder how they stay open. Without exaggeration, there are typically twice as many people on the waitlist at the very meh chain Outback Steakhouse two doors down than there are inside Viet Bistro. It's a shame.
The food is pretty good but nothing special for Vietnamese food. Why four stars? Because you have to go to the west side or south side to get better Vietnamese food, and that's 30+ minutes away. And pretty good Vietnamese food close to my house is still better than the crap at the ubiquitous chains smothering Indianapolis.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a Vietnamese restaurant. All the reviews I've read said to try the Pho. I couldn't being vegetarian, but the people that ate with me did and from what I could tell, they liked it.
The meal I got was a pretty standard vegetarian tofu with veggies. It wasn't anything really unique, but it was done well. It's not slathered in sauces like Chinese food is. The flavor comes from the various spices they cook everything in (not hot spices, just spices). All the veggies were nice and fresh. I enjoyed my meal with a "33" Vietnamese beer. It's a rice lager that though it doesn't have huge taste, is still a hell of a lot better than most American lagers. very crisp.
We went there at noon on a Friday. We were one of 4 tables in the place so we had lots of attention, it was quiet and the food came very quickly. The staff was nice and didn't just come take your order. She was personable and funny and helped explain anything you had questions about.
so i've been to alot of pho places.. i grew up close to little saigon (OC) - and i fancy myself as a connoisseur of various noodle soups
i've had a craving for pho ever since i've moved here and today i had my first bowl in indy
whenever i get pho i always get the rare steak pho.. straight up simple.. so in the spirit of simplicity, lets just get straight to it..
the broth is pretty good.. i'd say a 7.5/10.. i'm really glad it wasn't overly salted b/c so much sh*t that i eat here (midwest) is so overly salted
the noodles were very average - 5.5/10 probably the weakest part of the meal
the rare steak was of better quality but i felt like i should have gotten a few more pieces (but i was really hungry so maybe i ate them too fast :P )
lastly the garnish provided was lacking.. the pho came with a small wedge of lime, a small portion of soy beans and cilantro.. i just felt like there should have been a bigger lime and more soy beans.. and where is the basil?
the food is more like a 3.5/5 but what made me give it a 4 was the decor and ambiance of the place.. as it was clean and had a peaceful atmosphere.. also the lady was very nice and attentive but then again i was the only customer there at the time.. i'd eat here again so i hope it don't go under or anything
It's great to have a restaurant that offers good pho on the northside of Indianapolis!
I came here after a harrowing experience at Monkey Joe's across the parking lot on New Year's Day. A big bowl of delicious noodle soup was just what the doctor ordered to wash the memory of 500 children clamoring over inflatable slides in the noisiest possible setting out of my mind. I ordered the beef pho, and it did not disappoint.
The restaurant is in an unassuming location in the middle of a strip mall behind Castleton. It's more or less a square room with tables, so it's not oozing with ambiance, but it's pleasantly decorated.
Our service was rather slow, so if you are in a hurry or looking for a quick lunch, this might not be the place.
Their Pho was really tasty and fresh, with a generous amount of meat. They also have a small but yummy appetizer selection that featured good fried tofu and excellent shrimp spring rolls.
The atmosphere is casual, comfortable, and a little bit classy. The chairs were really great too.
Right next door to the excellent Downtown Comics in Castleton.
I popped in here late one evening with a friend for dinner. I've been trying to reacquaint myself with some of Indy's ethnic cuisine, and I've always had a taste for Vietnamese. Fortunately, Viet Bistro didn't disappoint. My friend and I ordered the soft spring rolls as an appetizer, and the vermicelli noodles as our entree.
I've gotta say, it's refreshing to find spring rolls that aren't deep fried into oblivion and actually have fresh veggies in them. I enjoyed them quite a bit.
The vermicelli was pretty good too. I'm used to it being served in a broth rather than dry, but it was still pretty good. I got the pork, my friend got the veggies. A family friend of hers is originally from Vietnam, and she commented that the food was pretty close to what she would have at their home, so I think that's a pretty solid thumbs up.
The food was tasty and the service was good. We were actually stayed a little past closing, but we were never hurried or rushed. All in all, a great experience if you're looking for some good vietnamese food, or just a break from your regular take out chinese.
I've seen Viet Bistro for a few years, but last night was the first chance to try out their food. From the sign up front welcoming vegetarians (don't worry - they have non-vegetarian food, too) and the friendly hostess who spoke with a sing-song Vietnamese accent, this place has a very non-assuming vibe. The food was well priced and delicious. I had the fresh spring rolls (must try these!) and the curried tofu along with a bottomless cup of jasmine tea. The food came out promptly and the service was wonderful.
Go here for a relaxed dinner with friends or family.
I felt so welcomed by Viet Bistro's proud declaration of vegetarian-friendliness on its window. I wanted to love it a little more, especially because the steamed spring rolls and sauce were outstanding! It seems like every restaurant in Indy deep fries its spring rolls so I cheered when I saw these on the menu. However, the main dishes were just okay. We had lemongrass tofu and stir-fried egg noodles with tofu. I found both dishes a shade greasy and the egg noodles were a bit on the bland side.
The dining room was dead on a Friday night--kind of sad. Too bad Indy is sprawl city because in any dense urban area, this place is good enough that it would probably be hopping on weekends. In any case, I will probably be back for the steamed spring rolls until I find somewhere else in Indy that serves them.
I love the tastes and smells of Vietnamese food and is probably one of my favorite ethnic cuisine. The Pho at The Viet Bistro is some of the best I have had, full of noodles and tasty beef.I have tried Pho at other places that left me flat, but not here! Please try it for your self!
Remember to eat well and live well and please no chains!
This is probably my favorite restaurant in Indianapolis.
Whenever I went I would get #17, or 18 or something. It was literally the best thing I've ever eaten. I'd finish it off with their rum cake.
Its a quiet place, and they play nice relaxing music. I was always seated immediately and since I went at least once a week she hostess knew what I wanted to order.
I can't remember the exact prices but I know for a fact it was cheaper than the Outback which was right next to it.
I could never understand why more people wouldn't try it. I had the hardest time getting people to go. If I could only eat at one restaurant the rest of my life, Viet Bistro would be it.
I hope that more people will try it!
Vietnamese food is probably my hands-down favorite ethnic cuisine. Viet Bistro has some of the best Vietnamese grub in town...I haven't tried King Wok out on Lafayette Rd., so I may be jumping the gun here. I am a big fan of Vietnamese style noodle dishes, called Pho, that layer rice noodles and crisp veggies with just the right amount of chicken, pork, beef and get dressed with a delicious fish sauce based condiment called nuoc cham. This is a very healthy one-bowl meal and the combination of these ingredients is like nothing you'll ever taste in any other style of cuisine. Viet Bistro does Pho very well, along with a number of other Vietnamese delights, including fish in clay pot and various stir frys. But, the real thing that brings me back again and again is Viet Bistro's goi roll appetizer and fried banana dessert. The former includes a small amount of rice vermicelli, shrimp, pork, thai basil or other fresh herbs, cucumber and carrot slivers, and mung bean sprouts wrapped and rolled in a delicate rice paper. Surprise! They are not deep-fried and the spicy peanut dipping sauce that accompanies them is good enough to eat by itself with a spoon. The banana dessert has sliced bananas wrapped in rice paper -and yes, these are fried - then arranged on a nice pool of coconut milk-based tapioca pudding. The pudding is more like a sauce, actually, and the whole caboodle gets a nice little sprinkling of crushed peanuts.
Service here is good and the décor is an inviting step above fast-food style Asian eateries, with darker colors splashed with a few bright accents.
If  you've never tried Vietnamese, this is a good place to start.
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