11/22/08

Amazing and Authentic

by noak11

My Vietnamese friend took us last night. He claims it to be one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the city. He was not lying. The appetizers were the best part. We had crispy spring rolls, grilled prawns, and a lemongrass beef roll. Then we had another order of crispy spring rolls. We learned that the greens that come with are not a garnish, but you should wrap the spring rolls in the lettuce and ginger provided and dip the entire thing. It was amazing. We ordered 3 entrees and shared them and they were good, but the crispy spring rolls were delicious enough to die for. The place is hard to find, since there is no sign, and the front door doesn't close automatically, so if you sit by the door you will have to get up constantly to close it. The service was fine, nothing amazing. The wine selection is small, so we ordered liquor. They don't have a cocktail menu, just a full bar. Martinis were $11, sparkling wine was $7. Prices are decent. I will definitely come back.

• Pros: Authentic, Great Appetizers, Delicious!
• Cons: No sign, average service, door wouldn't close all the way

11/10/08

Best Vietnamese in NYC

by nathalie508

I've traveled extensively in Vietnam and love the food. O Mai and its sister restaurant, Nam, in SoHo, are to my mind the best Vietnamese places in the city. I've been to O Mai probably 15 times since it opened and have never found the hostess or wait staff to be rude; I don't know what these other reviewers are talking about. The food's great and very well prices. Try the spicy beef salad, and definitely get the shrimp ravioli. The green papaya salad is really good too, not your ordinary green papaya salad at all. The Hanoi style pork is fantastic, but ask for extra vermicelli. Also love the red snapper, I think they call it tamarind-glazed crispy red snapper or something. I've taken loads of people there and they've all thought it was great (but the dishes I mentioned are, to my mind, the best on the menu). The curried vegetables you can get as a side dish are really good too. I usually go with one other person, and we order maybe three appetizers, the pork or the fish, and maybe the curried vegetables, and that's plenty of food at a really good price.

• Pros: Great food, great prices.
• Cons: Atmosphere is a little spartan, and the tables are too close together (but that's NYC).

05/12/08

Great food, good service, would def go back

by scorpgirl

Great duck, really good summer rolls. Loved the coffee. We didn't have dessert, but it looked good. Don't go here for the pho. It's also very crammed seating.

04/06/08

Omai-What a disappointment

by edwardgrossman

I took my wife to the joyce theatre tonight, and decided to take her to Omai because I read in Zagat that Omai is so good they do not need a sign on the door.I truly believe that this review has gone to the owners head.The food was so bland, and tasteless,but I must admit it was clean. The service was awful.The waiters,and waitresses were up at the bar talking away,and not paying any attention to us.I am sorry to say that I could never recommend you to anyone-What a shame.

• Pros: nice atmosphere
• Cons: bland food-poor service

11/08/07

Cozy, trendy, and very very tasty

by jay2002

I love love this place, one of my favorites and regular friday night dinner places. It looks like in the picture... intimate room, close tables, trendy but intimate. I always have one of two dishes the crispy snapper or the beef sate. both are great. with my friends we always drink the tamrind margarita, maybe more than one sometimes. service is always solid. can be quite tight between tables, and when its full its also really loud. best table are those by windows, there are two of them they sit 6 you'll be lucky to get them.

01/03/07

Nam's little sister brings inventive Vietnamese to Chelsea.

by Contributor

The Scene
Diners sit elbow-to-elbow at paper-draped tables, sipping from wine glasses and straining to speak over high-decibel mood music that bounces between the brick walls. Ill-informed servers are often rushed, and parties are rarely served at the same time.

The Food
Fans of Nam may experience deja vu--the menu's virtually the same here, and the creative, casual Vietnamese dishes are attracting crowds. Start with cucumber and cilantro stuffed tuna rolls, sizzling wok-seared sirloin and watercress salad or monkfish with peanuts, mint and peppers. Soups, such as creamy pumpkin curry or fish broth with shrimp dumplings, are excellent. Both the chili-lime glazed snapper and steamed bass over ginger-scallion noodles are reliably good. Some familiar dishes, such as chili-lemongrass chicken and roast duck, are humdrum. Creamy chocolate mousse with orange marmalade, and chilled coconut cream topped with tapioca sauce are nice finishes.

12/03/06

cozy, moderate price and consistently good Vietnamese

by plinko9999

Our favorite date night spot. We have returned every few weeks over the last 6 months and the food is consistently good. The beef salad is my favorite in the city. Also, the shrimp on sugar case is great and not deep fried like sometimes happens at other venues. The grilled sweet and spicy eggplant is also tasty. They have Evolution white wine by the glass for a good price. Also, the specialty cocktails are great. The restaurant is very cozy. In short, our favorite place for Vietnamese, and we have tried nearly all of the Zagat-recommended places.

03/20/05

great, small place

by bigaub

I visited 3/20 - I thought the service was quite good. There were many helpful people, not only one waiter - kept refilling the water, the wine, asking if everything was okay.

The food was fresh, clean and reasonably priced. The duck was hard to eat with chopsticks, but I suppose that's my problem. Spring rolls were good, and the mousse for dessert was great too.

This is a great low-key neighborhood spot, allowing you to avoid the overdone Eighth Ave. scene and the too-hip Meatpacking district to the south. This could be my new favorite place.

• Pros: fresh, clean food, good prices, nice atmosphere
• Cons: elbow to elbow, wine list pricey

01/09/05

don't let the host scare you away

by skipmuller

My partner and I wandered into Omai for the first time last night, Jan. 8th. We arrived at 6:30pm without reseverations. We received a cold reception from the host and considered walking out, but decided to give it a shot.

Our waiter was attentive and friendly. The food was quite reasonably priced for the high quality. We started with the seared tuna spring rolls, simple and wonderful, then had the delicious shrimp and pork ribs with a carmelized onion-pepper sauce, and a seafood soup with a fragrant and tasty coconut broth. We had an inexpensive 2003 Fleur du Cap chardonnay which was light and perfectly accompanied our dishes. The ambience is warm, with soft lighting and brick walls. Quiet enough to enjoy conversation with your companion.

I will go back to Omai again soon, and hope that next time there is a friendlier host.

• Pros: food quality, service, value

05/23/04

O My! O Mai!

by morontas

It was funny reading all the negative reviews, but in their defense-here goes...

The food is great! In one word "clean", the food tastes "clean" to me (not heavy or unhealthy). Lots of starters that you can make a whole meal of. Very vegetarian friendly menu too.

It is crowded and the host can be a little difficult at times, but hello people-It's New York!

I had my birthday dinner there also for 20 guests and they took very good care of us. I eat here reg. and find it consistently good.

• Pros: great food, charming
• Cons: , saucey host