Doyers

09/19/09

Not what is was

by nealr2000 at Citysearch

This place was once great. It was Zagat's number one Vietnamese in NYC. This was when it was called Vietnam. It's been through a change of name and a chnage or two in ownership. It's now Chinese owned and operated and the food is not close to what it was. Still, it's not bad, but this is only because the quality of Vietnamese on the East Coast is average. The West Coast is where it's at.

• Pros: None
• Cons: None

11/10/08

Run away!!

by Arelene1123 at Citysearch

Given the great reviews on this site, I was expecting to find a hidden gem. Instead I had the WORST, yes, the WORST dining experience of my life tonight at Doyers Vietnamese. I ordered Buddha Rolls, which contained some weird pasty/sawdust ingredient, then the papaya salad (vegetarian) that had an off/refrigerator flavor. Then the Lemon Grass chicken barely resembled chicken. It was completely dried out, almost like jerky, a strange color, and was completely inedible. I am not a picky eater, but this was absolutely inedible. My friend and I couldn't wait to get out of there. But the service was so slow and inattentive we basically had to do cartwheels to get someone to bring us our check. Our table was full of uneaten food (her shrimp had a strong fishy odor) and they said nothing to us--didn't ask how our food was. Oh, and it took them a good ten minutes to come to our table in the first place and another 15 for the drinks to arrive. I work in a restaurant and usually have an understanding patience when things don't go well, but this was above and beyond the worst of the worst. I literally kept thinking that we walked in the wrong place because I could not see how anyone could have anything positive to say about the food, atmosphere, staff, etc. And it wasn't that cheap! I spent $20 to cover my table with "food" that barely fit the description. Plus, we ordered the "greatest hits" of Vietnamese food...surely they could have at least tried to get one thing right? Please, save your money and your stomach!

• Pros: there are NONE.
• Cons: horrible food, horrible service, bad atmosphere, inattentive staff.

02/27/07

Traditional Vietnamese on a quintessential, curving Chinatown block.

by Kathleen Squires at Citysearch

The Scene
Set in a dingy, badly lit basement with faux wood-paneling and linoleum accents, an eclectic group of Chinatown explorers--from students to silver-haired baby-boomers--struggle to recapture the authenticity of the restaurant's former incarnation as Vietnam. Servers rush to take orders but aren't very interested in the follow-up. Dishes arrive in haphazard, random order and empty platters overstay their welcome.

The Food
These Vietnamese dishes are cheap, generously portioned and perfect for sharing, yet truly uneven quality-wise. The kitchen misses with leaden, fried-to-death spring rolls; an ungainly, oily crepe stuffed with bland shrimp; frighteningly undercooked grilled meat balls; and an over-battered soft shell crab. The hits--a perfectly dressed grilled pork and shredded green papaya salad, juicy diced beef with onion on watercress, and an aromatic, fiery and flavorful basil chicken--aren't strong enough to encourage repeat visits.

01/21/07

Secret hidden Vietnamese

by hooahman at Citysearch

On the weekend, we skip typical Chinese restaurants in China town because its so packed with tourists. Instead we walk to the Doyer street and head to the basement of one of the buildings. They serve very decent Vietnamese for excellent price. I like Rice noodle soup with thin sliced beef (winter time favorite), over rice dish (all of them are good), and finish by dark Vietnamese coffee.

• Pros: Rice noodle soup, coffee, $
• Cons: ambience is not for 1st date

09/16/06

Best Summer Rolls, Best delivery !

by miketr at Citysearch

I order those rolls through SeamlessWeb and they are really wonderful. I also like Shrimps & String Bean. Grilled Beef Papaya Salad, and Rainbow Ice Drink. Overall,the food is excellent , their service is fast and price is cheap comparing with those Vietnamese restaurants provide delivery service in Downtown area like Nam or Viet Cafe...etc.

06/06/06

Excellent food but can be inconsistent

by drogoving at Citysearch

My family have been going there for years. It's our favorite place.

Try the curry shrimp or chicken. The Sate is out of this world when it is on and okay the other times. The summer rolls are light and airy and better than any of the other Vietnamese Resturants downtown. The other dishes to try are the lemongrass chicken, or the curry duck soup. The salads are also great. The food is not oily like most vietnamese places but is rich in flavor. Just a good solid resturant with no pretensions.

• Pros: Inexpensive , Good Food, Good Service
• Cons: Inconsistent, Ambience

04/21/06

great take out!!

by kakekoko at Citysearch

i have been ordering from here since it was called Vietnam. Great place always good food and i am a cook and picky about the restaurants i eat at.

• Pros: delivery, cheap, fresh
• Cons: basement location

04/14/06

Doyer's is no 6.9

by nybengoshim at Citysearch

I visited 2 weeks ago friday. Had lemongrass chicken, raw spring rolls, papaya salad. Objectively, I gave the food an 8.8 - 9.0. It was outstanding, and when the bill is considered $23 for all (plus 2 desserts) AND 2 beers, it's off the charts. Others may have had bad experiences, but I for one had nothing of the sort. This is just the real thing, and it's very good. The basement setting isn't nearly as dingy as it's made out in the reviews.

04/18/05

"Z"=25, citysearch=who cares?

by quiddity9 at Citysearch

While reading "Z" (ratings guide) I came across Doyer's in their book because it's among NYC's highest rated and cheapest restaurants. It CERTAINLY earns RESPECT.

I've lived in Thailand and am familiar with cuisine from that region (Burmese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian). Doyer's is the REAL DEAL. Hey, did you catch the review by the Vietnamese guy? He has nothing but high praise.

Every time I go looking for the restaurant, I always forget it's location. I've spent up to 1/2 hour looking. Worth it.

• Pros: Best USA Vietnamese, Salt/Pepper Shrimp, Papaya/Jerky salad
• Cons: Don't think so

01/04/05

Our Favorite NYC Vietnamese!

by annbgreen at Citysearch

This is our favorite NYC Vietnamese Restaurant, a real treat. It is down steep stairs and is busy so the service is not always perfect but we are always quite pleased with it. We find the atmosphere pleasant. This restaurant is our first choice to take friends to in Chinatown.

• Pros: great food, excellent specials, reasonably priced
• Cons: , busy, steep stairs