Renton is a great town for Vietnamese cuisine. There are a plethora of options from across several different neighborhoods be it Banh-Mi sandwiches, pho, fresh rolls, or whatever your go-to choice is.

However, the people of Renton have voted, and there is a community favorite according to this year’s Best of Renton results: Papaya at the Renton Landing.

Papaya Renton Landing’s menu has all the expected Vietnamese fare, including Banh Mi, fresh rolls, pho, noodles salad bowls, and stone pot rice bowls, all with several different protein options like pork, chicken, beef as well as tofu and vegan options.

Some options that caught my eye included: grilled prawns papaya salad ($18), sauteed lemongrass chicken and rice ($15), grilled pork chop and fried egg over rice ($18), and Hue spicy noodle soup ($18) with beef shank, Vietnamese ham and thick rice noodles.

To begin, I ordered the Papaya beef fresh rolls ($10) as I had never had fresh rolls with beef. The beef was tender, the vegetables had great textural snap and each sweet soy sauce dipped bite was just as delicious as the one before it. It was the perfect light appetizer.

Then, I ordered something I had never tried nor heard of — a Vietnamese Crepe ($18). It came out as a rather large yellow crepe, puffy and crispy from the light egg batter. Inside were shrimp, pork and plenty of bean sprouts for a tender crunch. It came with lettuce to wrap bits of the crispy crepe in, pickled carrot and daikon, Thai basil, and a lime vinaigrette for dipping.

It was a delicious and unexpected treat. The crepe was light and crispy and would make a tremendous shareable dish, which I happily enjoyed eating just myself. I would definitely recommend a visit there.