Viet Bistro

My husband and I were looking for a quick, non-​chain place to grab a bite for dinner. He was coming from Anderson and I was coming from Carmel, so meeting in Castleton seemed like the easiest area. I have a hard time wanting to eat in this area usually due to the lack of interesting, local eateries. But, I had passed Viet Bistro a couple times and remembered it!
The place was dead when we came in, which is not always a good sign for a non-​chain restaurant. But, after being greeted by a kind, elderly Vietnamese woman and directed to our table, I had a feeling all would work out. And it certainly did. We ordered their steamed dumpling appetizer to start. It came out in no time at all and was very good.
For the main event I ended up getting their fresh spring rolls and my husband ordered a beef Phở bowl per our waitress’s suggestion. Again, both entrées arrived promptly and were so very delicious. The spring rolls definitely hit the spot and were accompanied by a delicious sauce. I had to keep from licking the bowl it was so good. I had a little order envy of my husband though. I was trying to go the «healthy route» with my spring rolls, but I can’t resist a good bowl of Phở! Lots of noodles, some sliced scallions and carrots, and seared beef all in a delicious broth. They didn’t skimp on the portion either, so I ended up with his leftovers! Woot woot!
Other than the fact that the atmosphere was a little dead, this place is quite good in terms of service and food. Definitely check it out if you want to dine somewhere other than the typical steakhouses/​bar and grill restaurants in the area.

Viet Bistro has a quiet and simple atmosphere, and delicious phở & spring rolls — can’t get enough!

My go to place for Phở! The number 33 is my favorite full of great noodles and beef. The soft spring rolls are good. Quick service with lunch specials on Phở and other items. Fresh ingredients in everything I have had there. Décor is not the important part of this place. It’s stuck in the 80’s but the food is good.

Great place when I’m getting a phở craving. Food is yummy, place is quiet and clean, and the lady that usually serves us is the sweetest. What more can you ask for?

Had a bowl of Phở for lunch. Hot a delicious with everything it needed. More then I could eat and I am not a waif. Going to have to come back for dinner sometime.

Delicious! The phở here is some of the best in Indy. The real reason to eat here is the amazing owners who make you feel completely at home. Wonderful place.

Good food. I really liked what I had. Different than other places I’ve been before for vietnamese. Not better, or worse. Probably just regional differences. Not some place I would go often but once or twice a year when I’m wanting something different.

It’s a great alternative to the sea of chain restaurants that consume the area and a better alternative to the Outback next door. The women running the place are very friendly, gracious, accommodating.

Today was my husband and my first time trying the food here! We got it to go and as I’m sitting here eating, I just HAD to write a review! The food is DELICIOUS! This business will be seeing more of us, and, not to mention, our friends!

Wow! We were looking for somewhere new to go to add into our rotation and decided to try this place out. A small presence in a strip mall behind Castleton Square Mall contains a gem.
We started with a VietBistro soft spring roll. Yum! Fabulous peanut dipping sauce. Followed by hot and sour soup, double yum. Caution it has a bit of a kick.
For dinner we shared a Vietnamese flour crêpe with pork, shrimp, onion, and bean sprouts! Also a bird nest with various meats and seafood in a crispy fried egg noodle nest!
Both were fabulous!!!

I have been here a couple times in the past and I’m surprised it isn’t more popular and it is. I have never been there when it’s been crowded. The last time we were there we went only for their Vietnamese summer rolls everyone has their own way of doing these rolls but I like their way the best with mint leafs and vegetable spear inside. We plan to go back to continue to try more things on their menu. I enjoy experiencing the little differences in each Asian restaurant.

I love it here. Staff is very friendly and the food is great. Soft spring rolls and phở, might be my last meal.

I’ve been here several times for dinner and the food is consistently good. There are not a lot of non-​chain restaurants in Castleton, so it’s nice to go somewhere different if you’re shopping in the area. My husband, who I would not call an adventurous eater, always orders the Birds Nest, which is vegetables and beef sitting on a bed of fried rice noodles. He loves it. I’ve had the tofu curry and a couple of different phở dishes, and they were all great. We also always order the fresh spring rolls, which I think are a must at any Vietnamese restaurant, and these don’t disappoint.
I have to say that I never understand how this place stays in business because it is always completely empty when we dine in, but maybe they do a lot of carry-​out business. Our server is always the same person, who I’m guessing is an owner because she’s usually doing paperwork in between courses, and she’s always very attentive and friendly. You won’t have any problem getting seated if you walk in for dinner.

Visited 10÷1÷14 @ 5:30 pm
Service 2
Food 3
Atmosphere 2
I’ve been here a few times now. I always want to give it another chance simply because the Phở /​Bun options in Castleton are short. The closest competition is V Café OK which isn’t leaps and bounds better. Long Thanh is also nearby but just outside of Castleton.
Service:
We were seated right away. It wasn’t at all busy with only one other table seated.
The lady who always seems to be there sat us. She was quick to ask for drinks and appetizers. The appetizers came out quickly and were as expected.
After ordering, it didn’t take long to get our food out with one exception: My Phở came out 5 minutes before my wife’s bun. To me, this shouldn’t happen.
Food:
My phở was tasty. It had a good amount of fat and good beef flavor. Much better than what I remember. I typically order the phở dac biet which is the «special» or «everything» phở. It normally comes with meatballs, flank, tendon and tripe. I noticed mine had no tendon or tripe. When asked why I was told that most customers pull it out, so they provide extra meat instead. If I wanted the tripe, it would’ve been by special request. Well… this is a negative for me. Why order something and in fact get something else? This is really a service issue. I would assume that it would come with it!
Outside of the order not being as expected, the soup was flavorful and enjoyable.
Atmosphere /​Cleanliness:
The place has an odor which is hard to describe. It has a bit of a greasy feel to the place. Much like older Korean BBQ places do; like it doesn’t have adequate ventilation over the fryer and cook tops. I wouldn’t consider this place very clean but its also par for many inexpensive Vietnamese restaurants.
This is a convenience choice in my opinion. Rather than go to the west side for King Wok or the other west side Vietnamese staples, this place works when a phở hankering hits. Although, I have always left a little disappointed and unsatisfied. I will probably not return anytime soon.
I’m going to give V Café OK another shot. It seams to be much cleaner and the soup just as good. Also, Long Thanh is OK but maybe not for the uninitiated. Its very much a hole-​in-​the-​wall.
PS A slight gripe of mine is the gratuitous use of 4 and 5 stars on Unilocal.Its my opinion that 3 is a good baseline and nothing to be mad at. All of the 4 star reviews seem to skew the reality. That being said, its a matter of personal preference. I get that. But be wary of ratings and try to be objective!

The décor here is quite nice, and the menu has a broad array of Viet entrees. Start off with the soft spring rolls (cuon). For an authentic dish try the Vietnamese Flour Crêpe. (Banh Xeo)

After having become a huge fan of phở while living out in LA, I crave it regularly. As a Unilocaler, I searched for Vietnamese restaurants while running some errands out in Castleton, expecting to be out of luck. Thankfully, my pessimistic expectations were smashed and I was excited to find a highly reviewed restaurant within minutes.
I walked in during that time that’s always quiet for restaurants, even if they are open… just about 5 and found only one table in the restaurant. I was greeted enthusiastically by what I assume was the owner – a lovely lady who was so friendly that I decided instead of take-​out to enjoy my phở as it is enjoyed best – fresh out of the kitchen.
I grabbed a table and in no time was noshing on delicious, fresh spring rolls, followed shortly by a delicious bowl of phở – steaming hot, excellent broth (the key) and filled with delicious slices of brisket, flank steak and meatballs, scallions and noodles. Of course, it came with the requisite side plate of bean sprouts, cilantro and asian basil and lime – peppers were available on request served in the small dish you use for dipping. I’m a little surprised to have read a review or two that didn’t have this experience…
Anyhow – I’ll definitely be back and I’d encourage others to do the same… especially if you have never had phở (pronounced fuh by the way!) Enjoy!

My brother and I were out Christmas shopping in Castleton and, both disliking chain food, decided to try Viet Bistro. The day was cold and dreary, so we were drawn in by the fluorescent sign advertising phở. Nothing warms you up like phở.
We started with cups of hot tea (free refills on hot tea) and split a lotus salad. The Lotus salad was flavorful — the dressing was fantastic — and the shrimp chips were some of the best I’ve had. The tea was soothing and a nice warm complement to our salad. We both went with a meat– filled phở (#33 on the menu) for lunch. The serving of sprouts and herbs was a little small but we easily split the veggies and loaded down our soups. Our phở had rare steak, flank steak, brisket, and meatballs — there was meat in every bite. The rice noodles and broth were both good too. I like hoison sauce, so I added a bit of that and a bit of lime to my broth. Spectacular.
Over all, this place was a great stop on a cold, wet day and I will be returning phở sho!

Started off with the fried tofu, a beef dish and the goi cuon. Goi cuon was on point, could use more meat/​shrimp in my opinion… but that’s always my opinion, lol. Fried tofu was okay (I prefer raw tofu over fried. Probably the only time I will ever say that about anything, lol). The beef was just so-​so. Probably wouldn’t order it again. For my main order I got the banh xeo and the pork chop. Pork chop was definitely my favorite dish. It also came with an egg! Such a simple touch, but I’ve never seen that before… As for the banh xeo, the actual banh was cooked perfectly, but I’m not a fan of the pork they use. I’m used to the the thick pork with the fat on it (pretty much slices of pork belly). To be honest with you, I’m not sure which is the correct type of pork to use, but I’m used to eating the other one, and I grew up eating it… so it could just be a personal preference. If you know me, you know I love me some fat! hahah. I tried my cousin’s phở, but she got chicken… I can’t give you an accurate rating on their phở based off chicken, lol. Broth was okay, nothing extraordinary.
I met the lady whom I assume is the owner. Very nice lady. The restaurant is very clean and decorated beautifully.

fairly good Viet food.
I’ve had better… had worse.
wish they had more choices for their phở…
Good service
Nice looking restaurant. wish they had chili sauce on the table
a little pricey for what I am used to… but I am new to this area so this may be standard
Looks like they have a phở lunch special which is probably a good deal

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, Unilocalers. I’ve been on a Vietnamese kick lately and phở 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 phở 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 phở 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 phở. So, if I could take these tofu spring rolls and pair them with the phở 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.