Cong Ly

Amazing pho

Pho is good, not great. No jalapeño or Thai chilies, which makes me sad. Worth returning, but not my first choice.

Food is good, but frankly I have had better! OTO rating One Time Only!

Cheap in price and quality. The service was really bad, as the waitress seemed very unmotivated (he looked like a random guy from the street, wasn't friendly, placed the meal randomnly on the table, was playing on his cell phone instead of paying attention to his guests - for whole 10minutes). We were thinking of giving no tip at all, because it couldn't be worse.
The food itself tasted okay, but looked gross and wasn't very trustworthy. We just picked some the chicken and the rise. The spring rolls were just disgusting. All in all, we wold never go there again. Absolutey not advisable!

Cong Ly is along the small Vietnamese corridor of shops within the Eastern boundaries of Chinatown. It is a no frills restaurant with low décor tables, chairs and suspended ceiling tiles. It is one of the few Vietnamese restaurants that is not Cho Lon Chinese but rather a Vietnamese owner. It has some of the most authentic Viet dishes that is as close as you are going to get without going to Philly and DC. The Bue Bo Hue broth was good and all the condiments with the noodle soup…but westerners beware. *pig foot and shrimp paste alert.*

The very popular Pho Xe Lua here is also pretty decent and the broth fragrant with all the proper ingredients. The bun nem nuong is also delicious but not the best compared to others I've eaten. The Cha Gio(fried spring roll) and Goi Cuon(Spring roll) is also made/fried fresh. Only thing truly missing in the Goi Cuon is the pork but I haven’t found any restaurant in NYC that includes it.

Overall, it is one of the top choices for truly authentic Vietnamese cuisine in the city made by Vietnamese owners.