By Sarah Beth Neese

A night filled with a crisp coldness found typically on a January day melted into a night of warmth and comfort. Seconds after I had sipped my pho, Vietnamese soup from none other than Richmond legend Mekong, I was embraced with immediate satisfaction. 

Founded in 1986, Mekong was opened by owner An Bui shortly after his family immigrated from Vietnam to Richmond. Bui bought an old Vietnamese restaurant and created Mekong in hopes of bringing his family together. 

Mekong owner An Bui displays his restaurant’s famous tagline. Photo credit: Mekong’s website.

Located on West Broad Street near Horsepen Road, Mekong is a restaurant not only known for its friendly and welcoming atmosphere but also its expansive beer menu. Voted the “Best Beer Bar in America” for the last two years; it is no secret that “Mekong is for beer lovers,” a phrase frequently displayed on the restaurant’s website, accurately captures the restaurant’s connection to beer. Bui even runs his own brewpub behind the restaurant.

After several positive recommendations from family and friends, I decided to try out Mekong, a “Vietnamese eatery with an accolade-winning craft beer selection & expansive food menu.” Unfortunately, I was unable to experience Mekong’s atmosphere in person, so I had to put my tasting skills to the test with take-out.

Upon opening the bag of food, I was instantly greeted with an intensely pleasing aroma. When the food smells this flavorful, you just know it will taste 100 times better. And, sure enough, this statement held true. 

Assortment of Mekong dishes. Photo credit: Sarah Beth Neese.

Our order consisted of Cha Gio (spring rolls with pork filling), Cha Gio Chay (spring rolls with vegetable filling), Goi Cuon Cha Gio Dac Biet (“soft and crispy rolls wrapped together!”), pork dumplings, veggie dumplings, “Sup Karen” soup, Pho Ga (chicken pho), Ga Kho La Chanh (caramelized clay pot chicken), Bo Xao Bong Cai (beef with broccoli and carrots in a brown sauce), Pho Xao Bo (beef with rice noodles), and the Com Chien Duong Chau (shrimp, chicken, and pork fried rice). 

The appetizers were not strikingly amazing and were a mediocre start to the dinner. This was primarily due to the dumplings and the “soft and crispy rolls.” Trying both the veggie and the pork dumplings, I could not get over the fact that both were overly doughy. On my first bite, I was eager to taste the gooeyness of dough and the tenderness of the pork, but to my surprise when after several bites in, I could only taste 80% dough and hardly any pork filling, which was the case for the vegetable dumplings as well. 

Unfortunately, another disappointing dish was the Goi Cuon Cha Gio Dac Biet (“soft and crispy rolls wrapped together!”). I’m not sure what was in the roll, since the menu does not describe it in more detail, but it tasted like I took a handful from a garden and stuck it in my mouth. This is not an exaggeration. Despite this, my mom Kristen Neese says, “My favorite was the soft and crunchy spring rolls.”  

The regular spring rolls were delicious, but nothing beyond something you could get at any other Asian restaurant. With a mix of crunchy, savory, and sweet all-in-one bite, the pork spring roll was one of my favorites. Paired with an exquisite sweet and sour sauce, both spring rolls are something you can’t go without ordering. 

Mekong’s “Sup Karen” soup (left), and Pho Ga (right), along with various other dishes. Photo credit: Sarah Beth Neese.

Each entree that I tasted raised my opinion of the restaurant and completely compensated for the unsuccessful dumpling encounter. Hands down, my all-around favorite was the “Sup Karen” soup. With an intriguing title and an abundance of flavor,  the “Sup Karen” soup is now my go-to soup whenever I am sick. Kristen agrees, saying, “I loved the soup and pho.” From the smooth and sweet broth to the excellent combo of chicken, noodles, and broccoli, nobody can go wrong when ordering this dish. 

Coming in a close second would have to be a tie between the Bo Xao Bong Cai and the Pho Ga. The Bo Xao Bong Cai is a dish described by Mekong’s website as “sliced beef sautéed with American broccoli and carrots in a light garlic brown sauce.” The rich and juicy brown sauce added just the right amount of flavor to the beef, making the already perfect combination of meat and vegetables that much better. 

It is not uncommon to find a Richmonder that is a fan of Mekong. Collegiate Upper School English teacher (and Match advisor) Vlastik Svab says, “My wife and I love Vietnamese food, so Mekong was the first restaurant we ever visited in Richmond, on the weekend we came here in 2007 to look for a house before moving here. I love the clay pot dishes – a great method of cooking steeped in ginger and garlic. There’s a great Vietnamese food scene in Richmond, and Mekong is one of the best.” My father Michael Neese who has dined in at Mekong before, said after our family meal, “Excellent food; it tasted homemade, and the service was first class.”

Prior to my Mekong experience, I had never tasted Vietnamese food before, let alone pho. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup dish that consists of broth, herbs, spices, rice noodles, and meat. The Pho Ga was one of my favorite dishes because of the blend of herbs and spices within the broth, as well as the whole pieces of veggie and chicken floating on the top. Each herb paired nicely with the chicken and the broth. 

Now being able to check eating Vietnamese off of my list of culinary adventures, it’s certain that some may say that Mekong is for beer lovers, but I say Mekong is not only for Vietnamese food lovers across Richmond, but any person looking to be adventurous when choosing their next meal out.

Featured image credit: Sarah Beth Neese.