Don't be deterred by Vietnamese restaurant Cyclo's location: step inside, and you'll instantly forget you're in a strip mall on the corner of Chandler Boulevard and Dobson Road.
Check to see if the bicycle is out front - a sign that Cyclo is open for business (which it sadly is not on Sundays and Mondays).
The first thing that will catch your eye in the subtly lit room is the mural covering the left wall, followed by the streetlamp in the middle of the floor, around which the dozen tables are crowded. Add that to the giant fish floating in a tank at the back and the leafy overhang shading the cash register, and you'll be enamored even before the spunky owner approaches you.
Friendly and teasing, she provides superb service with a personal flair, floating among diners to chat with them and check on them, making every customer feel as though they're receiving star treatment.
However, you won't feel like you need to be a celebrity to afford the food at Cyclo. Everything on the menu is extremely well priced, and while the list is short, nothing disappoints.
Start out with jasmine tea and an original appetizer.
Good choices include Beef Cafriccio, in which extremely thinly-sliced raw beef is topped with coriander and pineapple and served alongside airy sesame crisps. The Black Pepper Shrimp, which combines the flavor of peppery shrimp with crunchy bread rounds in sweet, brown gravy, is also delicious. The spring rolls - vegetarian, pork and shrimp, or the featured variation of the day - are also fabulous, each served with a deliciously smooth peanut sauce.
The next course is equally delighting, featuring a variety of entree choices categorized as noodle soups, noodles, or meat and rice.
If you're feeling brave, try the Mint Chicken, served atop broken rice and mixed with Thai chilies - a seriously spicy but sumptuous choice.
Soups are dished out in generous portions and feature thin rice noodles or wider egg noodles in flavorful, light broths, accompanied by herbs, sprouts, chilies and lime for garnishing.
The Crisp Rice Noodle Cake is another different choice, with noodles fried into cakes and combined with beef, shrimp, scallops and vegetables in a yummy sauce. Vegetarian options are also available, and some dishes can be altered to accommodate non-meat eaters.
Cyclo does not carry alcohol, but is happy to serve any wine that patrons bring themselves.
You could try the sticky rice with mango for dessert, another scrumptious and unusual selection, or head across the street where you'll find a great, cheap gelato place, Angel Sweet, where the flavors of this creamy, airy ice cream change daily.
There's also a Starbucks nearby, but if you're craving something less corporate, head a block north to Ray Road and sip late-night chai or coffee on the patio by the lake at Coffee Rush.
No matter how your evening ends, the dishes served up at cozy, must-try Cyclo will surely satisfy your stomach.
Reach the reporter at: jessica.kokal@asu.edu.
