I came in to Asian Express close to when it closed and the service was horrible, did not understand my order and acted mad that I was there. The food was okay but I guess you get what you pay for! read more

Wow now this is what i call REAL asian food that id usually have to drive all the way to san jose for. See the first bowl? Thats real sweet and sour for my egg rolls its a sweet and sour BROTH no red dye or refined sugar corn syrup round here and the second bowl? The best teriayki/onion/chicken broth in town omg we needed this! Dont be fooled by their name they really need to take out the express part of their name because they make everything fresh and from scratch right in front of you and they all actuallly cook with fresh gloves on thank you so much clean and couteous!!!! And yes for you express type americanized asian food lovers they also have the sweet and sour / kun pow or whatever staples but please guys order the authentic part pf the menu.... u wont be disappointed ...... by the register the have a longer menu then what is shown yes!!! And thank you!!!! Finally a place by the mall that is actually nutritious and good who would have though aka its next to starbucks on the corner in the citi bank parking lot!!! A must!!!! read more

Asian Express - Grilled/bbq chicken with rice and eggs rolls yahummmm! - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

Yummy spring rolls and pork banh mi. My companion had the spicy seafood pho and enjoyed it. I was worried that I would not find a casual Vietnamese restaurant in Santa Cruz. Worries gone! read more

I love this place. Some of the best pho and wonton soup I've ever had. Friendly service and good lunch specials for when you don't want soup. The broth of the pho is great and the steak is really tender. Really nice on rainy days or when you are recovering from a cold, this soup has healed me no lie! Don't be swayed by negative reviews. This place is worth it. read more

Best Pho ever. I'm always searching for a really good seafood soup and their spicy seafood pho is exactly what im looking for. The fresh vegetable ingredients make the soups incredibly flavorful. And there is just enough spice to loosen your sinuses and deliver just the right amount of flavor. Even the basic menu items like the orange chicken and chow mein are super good! read more

The food was fresh. The wait time wasn't long. It was about 10-15 min wait. The orange chicken was just a little on the sweet side but still good. The fry rice was deliciously fresh. The pho broth, I would rate it a 3 Star. I did not see any fish sauce on the tables. The chicken basil was encase in batter making it a little thick to enjoy. The water was self serve and the cups were kid's size up so you will have to refill yourself. Aside from self serving yourself the food was good. I would go back. read more

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Not happy. The first time I tried this place, the food wasn't bad but their beverage menu is misleading. There is a list of Boba teas and a list of "Classic" teas. I ordered a classic Thai tea, which came full of Boba which I can't stand. Waste of $. I decided to give it a second chance and came back a few weeks later. This time I ordered the same vegetarian dish as last time, to-go. I get home and find that they mistakenly made my dish with meat instead of tofu. Extremely disappointing and another big waste of $. Do not recommend. Not reliable service. read more

This is our favorite pho place in town. The food is delicious and the service is fairly fast as well. I'd definitely recommend trying #10 and #12!!! 10/10 restaurant:)) read more

Umm nothing worth going back for but if you're in the area and crave greasy Chinese food then this is the place to go.

I really wish this place would ditch the Chinese food and focus on Vietnamese specific. Santa Cruz has Chinese restaurants all over, and if Asian Express focused on what they do better in, this place would easily be a 5 star restaurant. The people here want Vietnamese food... something that San Jose has too much of. Why is it this hard to have 1 restaurant? But if I'm going to grab some pho, or vermicelli.. this is the place to come to without driving over the hill. I would avoid the Thai and Chinese dishes, as these cuisines aren't as authentic compared to some locally near by. Again... trying to make three different types of Asian foods, will end up lacking. Focus on one! Simpler is better. And if you're going to eat 1 of the 3, eat Vietnamese. Thanks guys! read more

I agree with @Dawkson K. This place is niiiiice. I had Pho and I'm beeathin a sigh o relief that I don' need to always drive over the hill to get good Pho! I'm coming back for the Bun and the Banh Mi. Pho sho read more

This is my first time and my last trying Pho Tai with meatballs (#8 on the menu) at this place. I don't know what they put in the soup but the aroma stank so bad, like rotten meat or unclean raw ox tail of some sort. I had to separate the noodles from the soup and ate them only with the bean sprouts and mint leaves on the side. The rest of the broth and meat I threw away. I complained the shitty smell to two lady workers there. One was Chinese and the other Vietnamese, both of whom were callous and completely insensitive to the issue. The Chinese lady even said that's how Pho is supposed to smell. So pathetic! This place is a disgrace to Vietnamese cuisine. Please don't eat Pho there! read more

Wow. This place needs a better name and more credit. By far one of the best banh mi sandwiches I've ever tried. And I've been to Vietnam. They are not stingy with their portions. And they put pate in their pricked pork sandwiches. Five stars. The summer rolls are also delicious. Fresh. The rice paper they make the rolls with is chewy with just the right consistency. read more

I've only gotten the pho at Asian Express, and it's been really good each time. Really big portions and they get it out to you really quickly. I can't speak much about any of their other food, but this is the only place I know of around SC that has pho! read more

Santa Cruz county, the home of mediocre food (other than great Taquerias), now has a spot that makes decent Bánh Mì. Warm crunchy rolls, cilantro, sliced fresh jalapeño, marinated carrots and daikon, good bbq pork. Large and satisfying and completely enjoyable, even if there are only two meat options (pork, chicken). I can't vouch for anything else on the menu, but if you're done with tacos for a while, try these sandwiches. read more

Came in today (Saturday) around 4pm. BF and I were craving Pho so decided to yelp something in the area. Turns out this is really the only place in town that serves Pho. Other places were not vietnamese or did not offer pho as their main cuisine. We decided to give it a try. We just moved to the are and were very spoiled by the authentic San Jose pho. Place was about 60% full. Got helped right away & ordered 2 chicken Pho's, chicken egg rolls (you get 5) & 2 Vietnamese coffees. Consensus: We loved it and would totally come back here again. There was only one size but the portions were very good and we got lots of meat with our orders. We both agreed that they gave great portions (except on the bean sprouts but not a big deal for us and I'm sure you can order more if really needed). Anyway, we had a minor hick up with the payment (thats why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 stars). As for the vietnamese coffee, I was not a big fan because it was too sweet, but my boyfriend loved it. Egg rolls were yummy but the sauce was just ok. At the end of the day this place was decent and would definitely be back when we are craving Pho again :) read more

This place is surprisingly good. My favorite dish is the vermicelli with grilled pork. I also like the pho with rare steak. When you order the pho for takeaway, they pack it up nicely in separate containers to assemble at home so nothing gets soggy. They also sell the young coconut juice with pulp in a can, that I like. I stop by pretty much any time I'm in Capitola for something! read more

Disgusting. Spaghetti noodles do not qualify as chowmein no matter how much oil you dump on them. Avoid. Does not deserve even 1 star

It was 2pm and they're out of bread for the Vietnamese sandwiches. Booooo. Also, their sesame chicken could be jerky. Hella dry. At least you know it's cooked all the way. read more

it's pretty tasty and quite authentic! Large portion beef noodle soup, and fresh non-fry spring roll. It feels so good to warm up in cold weather with big bowel of soup. Their grilled chicken with vermicelli is delicious! It goes perfectly with Thai tea. Yum~ read more

Decent soups! I'd come here for that. Everything else is pretty sub-par. The chicken I had was dry and chewy. Good sesame balls, not much to rave about on the eggrolls. The customer service was curt. I don't think I'll be back, but if you see me there again, it'll be on a cold day eating hot soup. read more

The only item I've tried here is Bubble Tea. If you are a Bubble Tea snob, you should probably skip this place. The rest of the menu may be good, but the tapioca balls I had in my tea were really hard. Missed the mark. read more

This 'place has it all! I got the number 15 and it was bomb. The price is cheap for santa cruz and it was decent vietnamese food. Everyone living in Santa cruz and craving vietnamese,chinese,thai food should give this place a try. I read more

Okay place for pho, not anything special but will fulfill a craving. The quality of meat used could definitely use an upgrade.

Tried this place for the first time today and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it's so delicious!! Great menu selection and pretty awesome food. Customer service is pretty good too. Look forward to my next time here! read more

There customer service is the worst take for ever to feed you and then you still have to wait for them to tell u they can't like what kind of service is that? ?? Don't recommend this place they have nothing ready to feed you with!!!! read more

I ordered bun thit nuong yesterday. It was too bad that I couldn't eat it. I left all egg rolls and meat( looks like they put them frozen for years). The food is not real Vietnamese food. The price wasn't reasonable. Won't come back:( read more

I got the #7 - beef noodle soup - to go. When I got it home it was a DIY kit, which is great in theory. Except the broth came in a separate container with weird chewy meat type balls floating in it and the really thin, fatty slices of beef essentially disintegrated into this weird stringy thing of meat when I put it in the broth. The noodles, broth and basil were delicious though. read more

I love Pho noodle and was so glad to hear that we now had a place to buy this wonderful soup near my home. The wife and I went in here the other day and had the beef Pho noodle soup with fresh spring rolls to start. The soup was so big that we shared it between the two of us. Great flavors and a very hearty soup. This is the new go to place on 41'st Ave. read more

Asian Express. Hmmm. Mixed bag here. I will not lie...the Pho is not bad for Santa Cruz. Hey, we are not in San Jose here after all. But, regardlessly yesterday was my last visit for sure. As with many diners I am always looking to stretch my food dollar. I sometimes use the various Groupons or half off coupons to both try out new restaurants and to return to the ones I like. I brought one to AE yesterday and they would only honor it for certain menu items (not the ones I wanted) and added in other stipulations and were very rude in their acceptance of the coupon, whining about how much money they were losing on my meal. And this was from the owner! Honestly, if you don't like to draw the business in, don't offer Groupons! BTW...anything other than Pho should be avoided like the plague. Not even edible. Proceed with caution. read more

This a good please to get some pho soup but the food is expensive I will only recommend the pho soup is really good

I like their pho. Better than Betty's Noodle for sure. It's the only decent pho / viet place in santa cruz area read more

Fantastic pho soup! I'm a vegan and get the veggie pho, so glad they added it to the menu!

Decent Pho. Finally! They should cook authentic food without compromising for the Santa Cruz audience would be my only recommendation.

The places needs a revamp in terms of concept. They call themselves Express but it's only express if you order the hot chinese food that's been sitting there for a while. Anything off the menu takes the same time as it would in a restaurant except you pay restaurant prices for an order at the counter to go joint. I went in hungry so i was cranky waiting for my vermicelli with shrimp and pork. I watched as the family run business fumbled with helping the smallest number of people. One guy was just standing there and couldn't help anyone and had his hands on his hips because he couldn't speak english. Another guy came out from the back, grabbed a spring roll with the tongs and dropped it into his bare hands to steal as a snack. The owner just gave him a fake reprimanding smile. The owner tried to handle all the money and the front and cook. His wife tottled back and forth while yet another lady appeared and dissapeared with food. It was all very confusing how many people were working, meanwhile, there were 5 people waiting to be helped. One disabled man only wanted food from the hot tray, and he couldn't be helped with his order because the only person that worked the front (the owner) was working the cashier, while everyone else stood theire with hands on hips. DEFINITELY NOT EXPRESS. I was sitting there, cranky and hungry. Thinking about the review I was going to give them on yelp. Finally after 15 minutes I get my food from the Asian "Express". I get to the car and open it up and am totally surprised and pleased by the amount of food that is packed into this box. There is a fresh green salad of garnishes (cilantro, bean sprouts, cucumber, lettuce) and pickled carrots and radishes (one of my faves about Vietnamese food) and a half cup of fish sauces to pour over my piping hot pork, shrimp and egg rolls. WOW!! Everything was super fresh and they did not skimp on quantities. I shoveled the whole thing in my mouth in the car (I was hungry!) and decided that this was their saving grace. IN conclusion: 4 stars. Minus 1 because of the concept of an TO GO asian place. They would do much better to model their restaurant after Chopstix in Marina and now newly, in Monterey. Chopstix is restaurant style, simple and CHEAP delicious Vietnamese, Boba and some Thai. Their prices are cheap but the place is PACKED. This place charged me $8,75 for my order at the counter plate. At chopstix or charlie hong kong you're paying an avg of $7 for a bowl/plate. Because it's cheap people pile in the door and they are constantly busy. It' also FAST which this place is not. They couldn't figure out an efficient procedure for the life of them! The only redeeming quality is the food (and also, he gave the disabled man a TON of food and even cooked him a fresh batch of veggies bc he asked!). It was delicious, fresh and a great, healthy alternative. Four stars also because it's the only place of its kind with a specialization in Vietnamese food. But, there location is a bit tough, their predeccesors have always been chinese to go joints. This will be a hard pattern of thinking to break. They should be careful though. If Chopstix moves up here with a joint they are going to have some very stiff competition. read more

The pho here is really great. I am vietnamese and crave REAL asian food and this beef pho (#7) does it for me, and more. Thank you Asian Express! read more

Great spot for phó in Santa Cruz. Good variety and is in a good location. Right outside of Capitola mall! YEE.

Today I was craving some Pho and quickly busted out the yelp app and saw Asia Express at the top of the list. I like it when there are lots of reviews because that means this place has been frequented many times for good reason. Anyways, I went there for lunch and the service was excellent. The lady was prompt and I ordered my usual pho dac biet. Let me tell you..this was the best pho dac biet I ever had. The beef tasted fresh, the broth was perfect, and the meatballs were so tender. I wanted more, but I was so full because the portions were so good. The best thing about my experience was the super cute register girl when I was paying for my food. She was really nice and helped me navigate the menu. I hope she is there again when I definitely come back. I would give this place an extra star because of her if i could! read more

This is the best meal I've had in a few days! The Pho is soooo delicious! Nom nom nom! Also loved the Orange chicken, fried rice and egg roll! So good! So cheap! So fast! So authentic! Highly recommend! read more

I am shocked at how good their Pho is. It's surprisingly good, considering this is a strip-mall Asian food place. Their other food is decent, kind of what I'd consider a slightly upscale Panda Express. If you want excellent soup/pho, go here, because it's actually quite good. Their beef pho is great. read more