Falansai

So good. We shared a bottle of nigori sake, 3 appetizers, 1 dessert, and we each got a main dish — the total was around $ 35 /​person. We tried the green papaya salad, the summer and the autumn rolls — all delicious. Everyone else got one of those globe-​trotting phở dishes (all very positive comments), but I had the crab and glass noodle dish, which I practically inhaled because it was so scrumptious. Then we all had a bite or two of the pear cassava cake (I think it might have been apple that night, actually) which was amazing — the cake was not very sweet, which was so refreshing, and the lime whipped cream set it off very well.
It’s a small place, but my friend was able to walk in on a Saturday night around 8:30 and get a table for 6 right away. The interior feels a bit like you’re in someone’s dining room; it’s pretty quiet and personal. Overall, we really enjoyed it.

While I usually stick to places a bit closer to the beaten path, Falansai was chosen by the group I was dining with and I tried to adopt a «why not?» attitude. Getting there from Midtown on a weeknight was surprisingly painless. Getting back to the Upper East Side afterwards was quicker than I expected it to be. So far so good. Getting off the subway in Bushwick, and on the walk down the block to the restaurant I was greeted by a smell that I can only describe as «fish and garbage» and then by a huge rat that was not at all afraid of me. I arrived second in my party and we joked about how I sidestepped that rat like a champ and also how disturbingly normal the fish/​garbage smell. Obviously, these things are not the fault of Falansai, but still not contributing anything positive to my experience.
The four of us go inside and are seated right away. We had a reservation, but even so the place was mostly empty. We got there just in time for the last 20 minutes of «happiness hour». Not kidding — that’s what it said on the menu. We ordered some drinks (limited beer selection but some strong contenders), summer rolls, imperial rolls, and green papaya salad. We went on to order a few different kinds of phở as well as the lemongrass tofu as entrees. My wife got the curry-​coconut phở, our friends got the beef and the mole poblano. I got the lemongrass tofu. We shared all the apps. Nothing was spectacular.
The summer rolls were my favorite out of the bunch and I really only ate 1 of them anyway. Imperial rolls and green papaya salad were forgettable. Nobody in my party was blown away, but none of us complained that the food was necessarily bad either. The lemongrass tofu was decent, but very soggy, like the tofu wasn’t pressed properly and/​or was fried in cold oil. Very faint lemongrass flavor. Came with rice, which was a pro. The phở was super bland. Those who got the added flavoring were much better off than my friend who the beef. Everyone agreed that the added flavoring was the *only* flavor in the dish. None of the food was unpleasant to eat, but it wasn’t good either.
The restaurant itself seemed clean and generally put together. Our server was nice, if a little bit of a mess (couldn’t properly stack plates and bowls to carry, etc). Food wasn’t expensive at all. They played weird fashion movies, projected onto a wall, the entire time we were there.
Would I go again? No. Am I going to go out of my way to warn people against Falansai? No. Leftover feeling: Indifference.

Interesting twist on classic Vietnamese dishes, with lots of vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. Lots of seating, and attentive service. Very calm cozy atmosphere.
The half price happy hour for appetizers was a pleasant surprise. My friends and I ordered the vegetable rolls, which I found to be too salty and greasy. Everything else we ordered however, was fantastic. The lemongrass tofu was incredible, as were the spicy green beans. Nice wine selection. Credit cards accepted, but no Amex. Recommended!

#Happiness Hour is awesome. You can get lots of different appetizers for cheap. I think that’s exactly what my waitress said to me. They were $ 4 each. Beers are $ 3. House wine is $ 5. Tuesday-​Friday: 5:30 — 7:00 PM
#This baby was stuffed

What a delightful place. I’m trying to nip a cold at its bud and needed phở. Unilocaled for a place near me and decided on Falansai. No regrets! At $ 15 I gobbled down beef phở that just hit the spot and for an additional $ 5 got hot sake in a carafe. I would have happily paid extra for the fun to continue but they didn’t have dessert tonight. The owner gave me a sample of a dry cider he had just sourced from upstate, which was a hospitable act. Today I got the standard phở to understand the baseline, but they have many interesting options, which I am excited to try in the future!

My new favorite vietnamese/​Asian restaurant in NYC!!! Holy crap I’m so happy we had room in our stomachs after having a mediocre experience in our neighborhood, we took an UBer to Bushwick and chose this wonderful place.
We started off with Autumn rolls — Beets, Apples and deliciousness
My boyfriend said its the best beef PHO he’s had in a long time and he’s super picky.
I had the glass noodles and a limeade.
Service was so great even for sitting in the patio area. super intimate and nice with a little lily pad fountain in the center. Perfect for date night. :)
We will be back ASAP!

This is really great place in Bushwick and definitely my new go to spot in the neighborhood.
Servis was very friendly and kindful.
I had the grilled pork vermicelli noodlesw.
It is yummy‼
Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

Really great place in the middle of a random neighborhood. They served beer, imperial rolls, and I sure liked my beef phở with Vietnamese topping. I’d say this is a higher quality ingredients than your typical phở hole in the wall. Lots of nearby techie-​looking and/​or tattoo-​laden workers eating here which made for interesting people watching. I would come back despite its off-​location. It actually reminds me of the mission in SF!

I heard the words, «French» and «Vietnamese», two words that in the cuisine world, do not go together. Why? Oh, young Unilocaler, with your doe eyes viewing the world through your large brim glasses, let me explain. French food is bland, Vietnamese food isn’t. That’s not a judgement on either food, those are the facts, so deal with that. I don’t care about the details of who owns it, etc. Etc. You have already tainted the establishment with the description.
If you have had any type of Vietnamese food in your life, you will want to skip this place, because let’s face it, no one thinks Bushwick when looking for Vietnamese.
This place proves it.
The waitress, God bless her heart, a sweetie pie. The IPA selection had a fan favorite, Delerium Tremens, so kudos. So yeah, pop in here and drink to your hearts content. Just don’t eat here.

This is a hidden gem in a very industrial section of Bushwick. We ate in the dining room and not the backyard. Our waitress was very attentive and knowledgeable. We ordered Summer Rolls for an appetizer and they were great. I had a dark Vietnamese beer and my husband ordered their house red wine. Both were interesting in a good way. My husband ordered shaking beef and I ordered the pork belly clay pot. We loved our spicy entrees! We topped it off with very strong Vietnamese coffee and rice pudding which was vegan. The décor is fun and relaxing and the fact that it was out of the way removes it from the usual nonsense that goes on in Bushwick. We’ll definitely be returning for many more meals!

This place was so open, clean, and beautiful. The chairs are comfortable, both indoors and out. The garden features a gorgeous street-​art mural by a local artist, and is illuminated by charming strings of European café lights. The atmosphere allows one to appreciate the food in a non-​pretentious, Bushwickian atmosphere. The music was notable for its multi-​genre coolness too. (we heard classical piano and Cuban music– both at a volume enough to create vibe without prohibiting conversation— I mention this because it is rare to visit a restaurant that gets this right in Brooklyn)
The food was perfectly prepared. We had a subtle and crunchy Green Papaya salad which was topped with peanuts and thinly sliced shrimp. The eggplant dish was delicious and flavorful without being heavy or saucy. We enjoyed the lamb special with chive flower too. There were so many interesting choices on the menu! Each seemed to have a personal flair– not your typical Vietnamese restaurant. Everything was prepared with love.
The owner of this place came over to speak to us– he was humble and sweet and had lots of interesting stuff to say about architecture and the neighborhood. I could have stayed to chat with him all night. This restaurant makes me happy I live in Bushwick. I will be visiting Falansai again, many times.

Delicious! Clever healthy spin on Vietnamese fare. Friendly helpful staff. Autumn rolls are dreamy! Will definitely come back!

Good clean food. This is my favorite lunch spot, wish it was open for lunch on the weekends. So far I’ve tried the vegan PHO with the globetrotter option for curry coconut (I ended up shamelessly gulping the broth) regular vegan PHO, papaya salad, autumn rolls, summer rolls, hibiscus tea and Vietnamese iced coffee. All AMAZING. I saw one reviewer give a negative comment saying there was better PHO in Chinatown. Well, for bushwick this is pretty great and it’s not doused with MSG which I can appreciate. The food is not over salted, and the new backyard area is relaxing. I want to try other things on the menu but end up having such intense cravings for the PHO so I usually buckle and get that. Would eat here every day if I could :)

Service was good when we stopped by for a Friday dinner. Waitress was nice and had recommendations. However, if you’ve had any sort of decent Vietnamese food, they you’ll probably want to skip this place.
Had the Pork Imperial Rolls which is basically your typical spring rolls in a regular Vietnamese restaurant. They were okay… kinda hard to mess up a deep friend spring roll but I liked it. Papaya salad was okay as well.
Had the Spicy Satay Shrimps and Okra. Dish was pretty plain. Nothing about it made me think it was a Vietnamese or some type of southeast Asian dish but it didn’t taste bad. We also had the phở. Again, kinda plain. Any phở in Chinatown had more flavor than this.
Definitely didn’t understand how this is a Michelin guide recommended restaurant. And I don’t understand why there are so many good Unilocal reviews for the food. I guess Bushwick hipsters in their skinny jeans lack taste in food and fashion: P

Decent food, but the service is just bad. I’ve come here about three times since they opened and last night was the last. The first to times they were incredibly slow. Yesterday came in with three others, we sit down and knew exactly what we wanted. I asked the waitress what beer she would recommend and she shot back that she was «kinda busy» and «maybe look to the menu» pushing it towards me. we all looked at her dumbfounded, and then looked around the restaurant which had maybe 8 other customers. She then just stormed off to clean a table that no one was waiting for.
So we left.

I have been to this establishment before and it has been a decent experience, Last week when I went the waitress was really rude. We ordered Vermicelli, which we have ordered AT LEAST 9 to 19 times before, and she was just like «we don’t do that» and THEN walked away. We tried to ask her name and she just ignored all of our attempts to get her attention. The food has not been bad in the past which is why I gave 3 stars but the service is gradually getting worse. Which is sad.

Very veg friendly, but also has great meat dishes.
Meat is easy to find in BW, but good quality veggies are only here and Bunna. The atmosphere here is also fantastic. The service is always on point. Overall, a winner.

Family style restaurant with great food, and nice décor. Our group ordered the kung pao calamari, eggplant, shrimp with okra, and lamb curry. They were all wonderful and had very unique tastes. The restaurant itself was decorated very nicely and had a cozy atmosphere.
They also have a special from Tuesday-​Friday (5:30−7:30) $ 3 beer, $ 4 appetizers, and $ 5 wines.

Came here a few months ago on a freezing cold night when I was craving Vietnamese. There aren’t a ton of Asian food options in the area, so after consulting Unilocal,we chose Falansai. The restaurant is on an off-​street and it’s kind of the only business around, so we almost missed it.
The decorations were minimal, and I wish that there was more to look at! Menu seemed limited at the time, but I think they change it up here and there (just consulted the menu on their website and I’m seeing more than I remember). I remember absolutely loving this grilled shrimp and brussels sprouts dish that I shared with my bf, but the other entrée we had (something with mushrooms and tofu) was extremely bland and chewy, like the mushrooms had been rehydrated but were still really tough.
I don’t know that I would want to come back here again; I certainly would not go out of the way to, especially considering the prices. It kind of reminded me of Pok Pok in that the plates were small and over $ 10 and are supposed to be family-​style. But seriously, the shrimp and brussels sprouts were total perfection. That alone would be the one thing to bring me back.

Came here for a quick lunch, and I was not disappointed! Service was quick and very friendly, and everyone enjoyed their entrees. I had the grilled chicken over vermicelli noodles– the chicken was cooked perfectly and made for a delicious yet light meal.
The fresh rolls weren’t as flavorful as I expected and had something dried in the middle that was a weird texture, but otherwise it was a great meal. We had an allergy in our group and Falansai was very accommodating. Thanks a lot! I’ll definitely be back to check out dinner soon.