Mekong Restaurant

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

4.71/5  rDev +7.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4 | $$

One of the best beer bars I've visited. It's in a nondescript strip mall in Richmond--a real hidden gem. Given that this place is a restaurant, the menu is fantastic. Actually, it's fantastic regardless. I spent a lovely evening there sampling the many Belgian beers. Incredible selection.

Get to know Anh (Ahn?), the owner. He knows his Belgian beer better than just about anyone. He travels to Belgian a couple times per year to select what he wants in his bar. He makes great recommendations, and the customer service is great.

Definitely a must-visit when you're in Richmond, or to make the trip down from in nearby DC.

02-24-2013 23:51:10 | More by Beerstorian

clayrock81

Virginia

4/5  rDev -8.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $

This place is a little hard for me to review as I'm trying not to hold this "best beer bar" award they have won against them, b/c quite frankly I wouldn't call it the best in the state, yet alone the East Coast (I'm not sure what award they won: "city", "state" "region" or "country"). That being said, there are some great finds here and without a doubt one of the cheapest beer bars I have ever been to and if I lived in Richmond I would be a regular here. I went on a Saturday afternoon to avoid any crowd and was succesful as very few people here and I didn't eat b/c I am not a fan of the food style but my wife and stepson ordered and I have three observations. The food is cheap, pricewise, the servings are big and they thoroughly enjoyed their meal so based on that I would say this place has great food. Also, I read about the "Andal" or something and some tasting parties they have so this place seems pretty serious. About the only knock I actually have on this place, and it's not really a knock, is if you're looking for the hard to find gems and a large selection of hard to find imports I wouldn't recommend this place but that's about the only "complaint" I really have.

05-13-2013 19:07:34 | More by clayrock81

enmity1380

Virginia

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

One of the best beer bars in va, perhaps even the east coast. An has put together an amazing selection of beer to pair with really good Vietnamese food--all priced significantly lower than most beer bars (I.e allagash confluence or interlude for a $5 pour or a vintage Bon chien for 5-6 vs. the $8-10 and up you would find in most city beer bars). Going to their anniversary nights as well as the special nights are even better (ie sour night with incredibly hard to get sours, gose, geuzes, etc from around the world 5 and under). The only negative thing lately has been their spike in popularity from winning the best craft beer bar in America on craftbeer.com has made it harder to get in--good for them, bad for the regulars

03-09-2013 13:44:51 | More by enmity1380

Hanzo

Virginia

4.04/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Arriving at Mekong for lunch on a Saturday left me very skeptical, but I do not judge books by their covers. Headed in and was promptly seated at the tables near the bar. The place looks like your average Asian restaurant, but with beer signs thrown in to try to depict beer being their focus, place seemed slow and quiet for a Saturday afternoon. Finally ten minutes later someone came by to take our drink order. I order my beer and an appetizer, followed by entrees for my wife and I.

The food itself was very fresh, tasty and hot. I cannot complain about that or their massive beer selection between bottles and draft. Had a few beers and had planned to order one more but the waitress had already dropped the check off without asking if I wanted anything else, so I had to flag her down to order my final beer and have my check adjusted. Felt like I was being rushed off, which would be excusable to a degree if they were busy which they weren't.

I certainly would go here fairly often if I were closer than two hours away, but as it stands I won't be back until some Richmond BAs have an event there, they tell me that is when the place comes alive and is best experienced...but as far as just stopping in for a bite to eat and a few beers, I can think of many places that do it better.

Also, they need to go for their off-site license. There were several bottles I would have bought to take home if I could have.

EDIT: I have gone back since this review and had a much more enjoyable experience, when you go when they are busy it is a whole different atmosphere.

02-12-2013 20:12:11 | More by Hanzo

triwolf

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

GO GO GO GO!!! OK, if nothing else, where else are you going to find a Belgian bar in the middle of a Vietnamese restaurant? The oddity alone is worth it. That aside, they have a good beer selection with a couple of local brews and I've never ordered anything they didn't have. Then there's the food - great stuff and large portions that make it well worth the price. The servers are great, know the beer list, and are quick! The tables & chairs are very basic & not super comfy, but that's a small price to pay for the experience. This place should be on your 'must go' list if you're ever in the Richmond area.

10-13-2012 01:01:19 | More by triwolf

EricP

Mississippi

4.53/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

This is a fantastic place. The food is very good and they have a solid beer selection. The number of taps is nowhere near Capital Alehouse, but all are solid.

We usually order the Pho and you can get a huge bowl.It's some of the best in town. The other Vietnamese food is also very tasty.

This is a place where my kids love the food, my wife loves the food and I can get great food and beer.

It's in a nondescript old strip mall and has plenty of seating (its much bigger than it appears from the front).

I've been several times. They only down side has been that sometimes service has been a bit slow. Sometimes it doesn't seem they have enough folks working for the size of the place.

Highly recommended.

05-02-2012 22:03:58 | More by EricP

homebrewer88

Virginia

5/5  rDev +14.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I've been going to Mekong for a while now and have never had a bad experience l. An always has an amazing selection of beers on tap and in bottles, and the food is great, all of it. You will not find better beer prices anywhere. There is normally a pretty big crowd so if you want a spot at the bar you may want to get there around 5:00 or 6:00.
Even when they are packed I have never had to wait more than ten minutes for a table. All of the wait staff that I have experience with were very knowledgeable about the beers they offer.

01-10-2012 17:11:27 | More by homebrewer88

ChefHopMeister

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

This place is a textbook example of the saying "don't judge a book by its cover". Located in what appears to be an older, somewhat rundown strip-mall, its not necessarily a place that would catch your eye when driving through the streets of Richmond looking for a place to eat, let alone to have a beer!

Once entering the restaurant, you are greeted by a whiteboard with a listing of the current beer selections offered on tap. There must have been over 20 beers on that menu which hinted I was not going to be disappointed.

I proceeded to the bar area which is located in the back of the house. Along the way, there are displays of various beer bottles, shelves of beer, coolers loaded with beer and ultimately the beer bar with many handles to choose from. The atmosphere in the bar area was very enjoyable and relaxed.

The menu offered a huge variety of beers as well as a wide selection of authentic Vietnamese food along with prices that were very reasonable. The food was fantastic with the crispy spring roll being the best I've ever eaten. The Pho that was ordered was also very good with flavorful broth accompanied by fresh proteins, vegetables and condiments.

This place is a must go-to experience for the beer enthusiast as well as those seeking great Vietnamese food. Mekong is now on my circuit of places to go when in Richmond. After living in the area for several years, I wish I had discovered it sooner. Better late than never!

01-10-2012 13:01:26 | More by ChefHopMeister

YumYumGumGum

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Appearrance - Great crowd, not difficult to get served, best bet is a table.

Quality - I went to the 16th Annual Mekong celebration last night for an Allagash takeover. 5$ tickets for about 10oz glass of Allagash's best stuff on-tap. Its very organized, very reasonable traditional Vietnamese food.

Service - Very average on crowded nights and better on quiet nights. Food service is lightening fast and saved their grade.

Selection - The bar in general does have a fantastic selection every night and the rotation on beers is phenomenal. Worth a visit by every hophead in RVA.

08-12-2011 15:25:40 | More by YumYumGumGum

phisherman11946

Virginia

4.95/5  rDev +13%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Mekong is for beer lovers. Their beer selection is ANstoppable. They have about 18 taps and everytime I go back there are more and more taps to choose from. If you get there early enough and get a chance to sit at the bar in the back, do so. You just might find yourself with a surprise beer to try or finding yourself in a conversation with An, David, or Diablo. This is the haunt for local beer people.

The beer is alway fresh or vintage or rare. Every once in a while you will see beer flowing through a randall of hops or coffee to make your beer taste different. There are always events celebrating various things. The sol-stache parties raise money for pints for prostrates.

If you are on facebook, look for the Mekong page and hop on in.

07-06-2011 19:58:07 | More by phisherman11946