Roll Play, Quick-Serve Vietnamese Grill on Leesburg Pike and International Drive in Tysons Corner

[teddyguy]

Have to disclaim that I am related to one of the co-owners, but Roll Play Vietnamese Grill is currently soft opening in Tysons Corner.  It's located at the intersection of International Drive and Leesburg Pike in the same office building as the Healthy Back store and Peet's Coffee. It's located right by the entrance of the parking garage. Its ordering system is a bit like Sheetz and Wawa; you order at three kiosks located in the front of the store, and then you either pay with credit at the kiosk or take the receipt to pay with cash at the pick up area. 

 

You pick from several different options, including pho, banh mi, spring rolls or a bowl and then customize it with a choice of protein, veggies, sauce and other fixings.  There are several side items such as mini crispy spring rolls, small size pho and a papaya salad as well. I ordered a pork belly and lemongrass steak banh mi with all the fixings and added an egg as well.  I also got a side order of crispy mini spring rolls and a side beef pho.  My son ate the pho, but the tastes that I had were definitely beefy and aromatic as a pho should be. The banh mi was stuffed to the gills with pork belly, steak, and all my selected vegetables in a medium soft roll.  While the egg I ordered it with was not runny, the overall flavor was meaty with a crunch of pickled and fresh veggies.  The crispy mini spring rolls were great, their fillings were meaty but they were not too oily.  

 

Their drinks are also interesting.  They have a young coconut drink which is a whole coconut opened on the spot, a house-made limeade, vietnamese iced coffee and a Puck's soda fountain. I enjoyed the coconut drink the most because of the novelty drinking from a coconut and the fact that you can also eat the coconut meat afterwards.

 

Overall, I enjoyed Roll Play, and while it definitely "Chipotle-izes" vietnamese food, I think the flavors are solid and the concept is interesting.  I was invited and received the food for free because of the family connection, so I can't comment on the overall value. However, I thought the food and drinks had great flavor and are worth a stop if you're in the area.

[Simul Parikh]

It's a credit to this site that you would repeatedly mention the conflict of interest, yet still let the community know that this place exists and is probably pretty good. I had a tour in 'Nam, and the food seems to be very well suited for a fast casual concept. I'm looking forward to checking it out!

[DonRocks]

It's a credit to this site that you would repeatedly mention the conflict of interest, yet still let the community know that this place exists and is probably pretty good. I had a tour in 'Nam, and the food seems to be very well suited for a fast casual concept. I'm looking forward to checking it out!

Absolutely. I "Liked" the post because of honest disclosure - it may be a credit to the site, but it's an even-bigger credit to teddyguy.

teddyguy, it's safe to assume that Roll Play doesn't yet have a beer and wine license, but will it ever get one, or will it be non-alcoholic only? That will help people's decision on when to go (oftentimes, people enjoy a beer in the evenings). I know from Takumi that it can take a full month to get a license after you open. The website takes awhile to load, but gives a pretty good idea of what the product is.

[Folks, I also wrote teddyguy privately, and reminded him that it's okay (encouraged, actually) to post about your own restaurant, or a restaurant that you're affiliated with, up to twice a month. So if he does do this, it's because I encouraged him, not because he's "shilling" - restaurateurs, please remember that I *want* you to post about your own restaurants here, up to twice a month. People *want to know* what's going on, what specials you have, how things are going, what the best times to come are, and there's plenty of space here on the internet. "Twice a month" is an arbitrary figure, but so far it has really helped restaurants who've done it, and has hurt restaurants who haven't, and posting twice-a-month or less does not seem to bother our members. That figure can change should it ever become problematic, but right now, I generally welcome more posts, not less, and everyone here has an equal chance - it's free PR, and is a win-win-win scenario, it helps our readership by keeping them in-the-know, it helps the website by allowing us to be more visible, and it helps the restaurants by giving them free publicity.]

(teddyguy, your answer to my question doesn't count in the twice-a-month guideline! It's a loose, flexible guideline to begin with.)

[teddyguy]

Not sure about alcohol,because honestly the place doesn't have a lot of seats, just two long tables and a row of bar seats. My impression is that it's geared more towards takeout than dining in.