Cong Tu Bot

"Inspired by the Vietnamese quán nhậu (think: izakaya or gastropub), Công Tử Bột focuses on small plates with natural wines, local beer, and cocktails. So naturally, it’s a pretty ideal restaurant for some casual drinking, snacking, and sharing. There are dishes like bánh bèo, which are steamed rice cakes with shrimp and egg floss, chicharrón, and fish sauce, and bigger plates like the Mom Style which layers Maine red hot dogs and pineapple on top of an already delicious garlic fried rice. Whatever you order, it’s pretty impossible to have a bad time here: there’s lush lighting, upbeat R&B that seems to change at the whim of the bartender, and brightly colored decor." - Alana Dao

"It’s back. After shuttering during the pandemic, the beloved casually cool favorite slinging bright, bold Vietnamese has reopened with an expanded menu—almost all of which is best consumed family style. Settle into one of the mismatched metal chairs at either the high-energy, open kitchen or near the garage doors that open to the sidewalk, and allow the swirl of smells, heat, and laughter around you guide your order. Are those mushrooms on the next table? Indeed. “Mouthwatering mushrooms,” to be exact. With pickled beans sprouts, sesame, cilantro, and a giant kick of chili oil. Fresh purple basil pervades plates, like the shrimp cakes—sweetly fried with carrot, then wrapped in butter lettuce—and servings of velvety twice-cooked eggplant with peanuts, scallion oil, and nước mắm chấm. And don’t bypass the burnt banana coconut tapioca pudding. It may not look like much, but like everything else here, its flavors run deep." - Alexandra Hall

"From the minds of Vien Dobui and Jessica Sheahan, Cong Tu Bot on buzzy Washington Avenue offers ca phe sua da martinis — a Vietnamese iced coffee play on the espresso martini — and wine by the glass, shareable dishes, and sultry lighting that Cong Tu Bot dubs “bisexual.” This is also the first independent Maine restaurant to unionize in four decades. Dobui learned how to make noodles at his uncle’s shop in Vietnam and uses traditional techniques to create dishes like chao so, a littleneck clam congee featuring savory pork sausage and pickled shiitake mushrooms. Look for Cong Tu Bot’s Cambodian-focused sibling, Oun Lido’s, popping up at local hot spots like the Jewel Box and opening an express counter soon." - Stasia Brewczynski

"Công Tử Bột has gone through various changes inside their pink walls, but their newest iteration feels like a shiny new beginning. Inspired by the Vietnamese quán nhậu (think: izakaya or gastropub), Công Tử Bột focuses on small plates with natural wines, local beer, and cocktails ideal for drinking, snacking, and sharing. You’ll find plates of local Bangs Island mussels in coconut tamarind sauce or Maine mushrooms with puffed rice in a fiery red-eye sauce, while specials like the Fall River Sandwich—a slab of wok-fried lo mein heaped onto white bread with broiled cheese —are fun takes on Asian American classics. Whatever you order, it’s pretty impossible to have a bad time here: there’s the lush lighting, upbeat R&B that seems to change at the whim of the bartender, and brightly-colored decor that’s always giving warm weather vibes." - Alana Dao 2, Team Infatuation

"Tandem Coffee co-founders Vien Dobui and Jessica Sheahan made waves years ago with their noodle pop-up dinners before opening this casual, brightly colored cafe in 2017. Tucked into a corner of Washington Avenue, the restaurant serves standouts like bun cha, goi cai bap, and pho." - Kate McCarty