Pho La Mint is a Vietnamese Kitchen located in South Reno. Part of the Smith’s Parking Lot, it may not be the most obvious place for a Vietnamese restaurant. Not only is the food here a delicious representation of modern Vietnamese food, the inside looks like it belongs in a city setting, with adorable photo ops at every corner.
While La Mint does sell pho—and a lot of it—it’s not the only cuisine the restaurant specializes in, which is by design. While many Americans think of pho first when they hear the word Vietnamese, La Mint is out to prove that their culture has much more to offer hungry Renoites.
Many will still dine here for the pho because it is truly delicious. Each beef broth noodle soup is finished with onions, scallions, cilantro, bean sprouts, Thai basil, jalapenos and lime. There are several types of proteins to choose from, including combinations of rare beef and meatballs, chicken, grilled pork and spicy beef—to name a few. If you’re hungry, you can even load up your pho with extra proteins, including shrimp or an extra filet.
If you order food to go, the broth is served separately from the rest of the dish, so you can pour it in and enjoy the meal fresh (without wilted greens). When you do it this way, you’re given a large bowl of toppings to pour the broth into or to spoon into the broth container.
The noodles are traditional rice noodles unless you choose to substitute the thick, flat chow fun noodles instead. Speaking of chow fun, that’s another menu stand-out. Choose from chicken, BBQ pork, beef or shrimp mixed in with those delicious Shahe noodles and greens.
Also on the menu, you may find some traditional dishes that sound familiar. La Mint serves all the classics, including sweet and sour chicken, orange chicken, Mongolian beef and pad Thai. Plenty of fried rice and chow mien variations ensure there’s a little something for everyone to enjoy. Don’t forget to load up on those appetizers, which include pot stickers and spring rolls.
We’re convinced the best way to enjoy a meal at La Mint is with a large group so you can share a little bit of everything family style. The menu is simply too robust to attempt to tackle on your own. Each dish is enough to be a meal—or more. The good news is that no one is going hungry, and you’ll likely have leftovers.
The staff at La Mint is also very adept at accommodating allergies and food preferences. Many of the dishes use tofu and vegetables, so vegetarians can enjoy them. The food is also made fresh to order, so removing an ingredient that may be bothersome is often easy, although substitutions for some dishes are limited.
If you’re dining in, take advantage of the beer, wine and sake lists. Or choose a non-alcoholic beverage such as jasmine tea (served hot or iced), Thai Iced Tea with tapioca or Vietnamese Iced Coffee (which has become quite popular in the states in recent years). There’s also smoothies in several flavors and traditional sodas.
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770 S Meadows Pkwy Ste.101, Reno, NV 89521
(775) 470-8400
