Lunch before our flight!!…read more Affordable prices and Excellent service ! Love the modern red transparent acrylic dining chairs!!! Food were all great! A generous serving of the Grilled Pork with sides of rice, cup of broth and green salad !!! Love the shrimp cakes as well with the dipping fish sauce !!!

Decent neighborhood Pho spot. Clean, convenient, and genuinely welcoming. Parking is easy, the…read morespace is spotless, and the family-friendly atmosphere makes it a comfortable choice for a casual meal. I ordered both the wonton soup and the beef pho. The wontons were satisfying and the pho does the job -- but if you've had deeply rich, slow-simmered broth from a more traditional spot, you may notice the difference. The broth here is lighter than what you'd get at restaurants that simmer their bones for longer. That said, the staff was friendly and attentive, the vibe was relaxed with good uplifting music, and the price is fair -- around $16 for a bowl of pho. For Marin, that's reasonable.

My wife is from Vietnam and this is her favorite Vietnamese place north of San Francisco…read more She goes here at least once a week and I tagalong, (accompany, not the Girl Scout cookie). Very friendly staff, easy-going, and welcoming. Great prices for large portions. I enjoy the various vegetarian options. Not great ambience but solid food at a great price and nice portions. Everything's available to go or for pick up as well. A well run smooth operation, and you get your food in a hurry. Always hot and delicious. A perfect spot to get some grub before or after Trader Joe's shopping! This is the real deal, take it from my wife as she too is the real deal. A hobbyist self taught gourmet cook of various ethnic cuisines and a pastry chef extraordinaire! She knows her food, so if she recommends it you won't regret your visit.

Was very cold outside and spicy noodle soup sounded great ! Was seated immediately, The young lady…read morethat took my order was very nice and helpful. I got their #25 which was a large bowl of noodles with spicy broth, Shrimp Cakes and Spring Rolls. The Shrimp Cakes and Spring Rolls were Ok, The Spicy noodles were good, spice level and flavor was good and warmed me up, was exactly what I needed for a cold night. Overall the food was decent. My only knock on the place was no public bathrooms and the inside wasn't really nice. I will go back in the future. to try other dishes.

Ate lunch here because we couldn't get seating at the Flat Iron(world cup match). We were seated,…read moregot to. see the match and ordered some of the best vietnamese I've ever eaten in Marin. The finishing touch was the check, more food for less money than the Flat Iron. We're definitely coming back!

It's been years since we have been here and it's better than we remembered. The service was amazing…read moreand friendly. Our food was delicious. There is street parking available and seating was quick, although we arrived shortly after 5 pm. My husband had fried spring rolls, fried chicken, lemon aid, and the seafood hot pot with rice. I had the fresh rolls with shrimp. Both of us took home lots of leftovers. The fried chicken was excellent and not greasy. The spices were delightful and not overwhelming. It was perfectly crispy. The spring rolls were also very good and crispy with a nice mix of flavors. The real star was the seafood hot pot! So many great pieces of shrimp, seafood, mushrooms, peppers, bok choy, onion, and the best light broth. I kept sneaking my fork into my husband's bowl for more and I'm usually not a big fan. My fresh rolls were both generous and excellent. I appreciated the delicate balance between the romaine and mint with the fresh vermicelli. The shrimp were thinly sliced and fresh. We will be making this place a regular on our rotation of favorites.

I was served quite an amazing bowl of pho today…read more I wanted to try the pho at Golden Era for a while now, but never made it there until today due to various reasons. Since I had to get my watch fixed across the street from the restaurant at Gold Rush Jewelry today, I had decided to do my foodie thing and see if I have been missing out. My review here is strictly related to the pho that I had today. As long as the restaurant location was clean (and it certainly was), the food makes no difference to me whether I was served at the restaurant or the WH with the whole place painted in gold. Also I do make my own pho broth (aka liquid gold) at home, so I am all about searching for a different impressive interpretation. Back to the food, I took a picture of my bowl of pho as soon as it was served at my table, and I immediately tasted the soup before anything else was added to it. The soup was perfectly balanced both spices and seasoning wise and the temperature was just right. Then I added basil, bean sprouts, and a squeeze of lemon juice to my pho, as nothing else was needed to alter or masking the original taste of the slowly simmered broth. There was no need to insult the broth (or the broth chef) by adding hoisin sauce and fake stuff to it. I truly enjoy the style of the beef served. The beef pieces are very tender, not like the rare beef slices that most Vietnamese restaurants offer. Also I cannot say enough good things about the ribs that came with my pho order. Overall it was a very satisfying bowl of pho to me. There are many Vietnamese restaurants out there with their own interpretations of pho broth in terms if the use if spices, seasonings, and bone to water ratios in make the all day all night long slow simmering broth. Also, northern style and southern style pho are quite different from each other by taste and composition. There is nothing wrong with most of these other Vietnamese restaurants and their own interpretations , however I found the pho that I had today at Golden Era very agreeable with what I am looking for in terms of "balance". Some spices might smell great if a lot of it is used, but could create a noticeable unpleasant taste and even an irritation reaction to the throat. This is why I believe Golden Era is a winner with the pho game. I have a photo of a fully finished bowl to proof it. I will definitely return to Golden Era again. Will see if their quality control is consistent enough to build a regular customer base. Other factors to consider: they do have a clean and tidy looking kitchen, but from the front end of the restaurant to the kitchen is about 30 plus steps; the restaurant was operated by a grandma and grandpa only when I was there at 11:30 am, they were very nice and doing the best that they could... please be kind to these folks.

We had shrimp fried rice, beef rib pho and short ribs. Favor was great! Their sauce was amazing.read more

This is the nicest restaurant!!! This is my 2nd visit, and the food has been fresh and delicious…read more You can tell the chef really cares, as each plating is beautifully crafted. The service is also superb, as is the calm environment. I look forward to exploring more of the menu! BRAVO!

I went to Tutu Lounge after a group hike and I had an incredible experience…read more The decor is beautiful, the restaurant has a nice vibe, and the service was excellent. I ordered a Mango Mimosa, Thai Tea Pancakes, and a side of bacon (My bonus day meal ). The mimosa was yummy and the bacon was cooked just right. The Thai Tea Pancakes were like Heaven on a plate. The pancakes were soft and packed with flavor, beautiful presentation, and highly creative. Our entire group raved about their meals. I am very excited about this restaurant and am planning my next visit.

I had time to burn. I was half way to my destination and I figured, it was time for some food. And…read moreI wanted to stick around in San Rafael to visit the camera store. Anyhow, never judge a book/restaurant by the cover...(however, I guess I've been judging restaurants by yelp reviews though...). From the outside/street view, this place doesn't look like much. And the menu is handwritten. And there are maybe two, 2.5 tables available for dine-in customers. But the bread was memorable. I felt the sandwich was well balanced between the pickled vegetables, the protein, and bread. If I find myself bored and hungry in San Rafael again, I would gladly return to Thuan Phat.

Thuan Phat opens just 3 days a week. Next to them is another banh mi cafe. Small space with 2…read moretables for seating. Limited menu. Cash only. Offerings (Vietnamese): banh mi, coffee Ordered at counter, paid, ready in 5ish minutes. Bites: Combo banh mi (7) -6" banh mi filled with daikon/carrot shreds, jalepenos, parsley. Not a lot of veggies. -crunchy fresh baguette also filled with ham, pork loaf, ham, head cheese. Slathered with pate. -Slightly dry. Overall moist with prescence of veggies. 4.5 stars: worthy! Quality: excellent! Quantity: commensurate with pricing. May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Love it love it love it!!!…read more Love the layout and decoration not to mention how friendly the staff were. Food wise, omg to die for! We got a combination of BBQ pork with papaya salad and black sticky rice and we asked if I could add one more Lao style papaya salad into it and she said 'yes!!' Also Nam Kao Tod and beef jerky were so tasty!! Would totally recommend this place!

The food at Laos Kitchen is amazing! Everything was light and fresh and the three of us devoured…read moreall of it! We ordered the Pun Khao Poon platter (lettuce wraps) with pork springrolls, pad thai with chicken, and the mango salad. The portions were very generous. The mango salad was the highlight of the meal, followed by the lettuce wraps. The dressing in the mango salad had just the right combination of sweet and tangy. We loved the addition of mint for the wraps, but I personally don't care for perilla leaves. The fish sauce accompanying the wraps was delicious and was also great over the pad thai, which was a bit on the bland side without it. Service was a bit less than perfect. When one diner asked for water, only her glass was refilled when another glass was obviously in need also; minor overlook, though. The one thing that was a bit disturbing was the noise level. It was extremely loud, so it was really difficult to hear each other talk. It didn't help that the party at the next table had a woman who cackled loudly when she laughed. It was a relief to step outside after we ate. Not sure what can be done to help with this, but it did make dining there not as pleasant as it could be. Even with this, I'd definitely return if I was in the area.

This is my favorite restaurant in Marin county! My only complaint is the San Rafael location is so…read moresmall, if you go during their busy hours good luck finding a spot to sit at! They do have a to-go area where you can place order and pick it up, rather than going into the actual restaurant. My go to dish is the bistec sandwich, paired with their house special hot sauce, it is soooo good!!!! They also sell bottles of their hot sauce and salad dressing which is amazing. I recently tried their plantain burrito and it was also very delicious. My go to drink is their ponche which is super refreshing, especially during their summer months. I always forget to take photos of the food before I eat here because I am so excited to always dig in! I'll aim to come back soon to take photos and update my review. I love that they also have a mill valley location as well as Petaluma!

This is a really popular spot among the locals so getting here anytime past 6PM and expecting to be…read moreseated immediately is an anomaly. I came around 5:50PM on a Sunday night and had to wait about 10 minutes, but by the time I left around 6:30PM, the line was out the door and then some. Definitely get here early, and parking shouldn't be too hard with a lot nearby and free street parking. This spot is pretty casual, as in you order at the counter before grabbing a number and sitting at a table. As opposed to a food hall, you get directed where you sit before ordering, and sometimes end up sharing a table with another party, especially in my case when you have a party of 2. Service was attentive and food came out at a decent pace, though they did not come all together. I ordered a large Bistec Sandwich and a Pasteles Special. The Bistec sandwich is a must order, and I recommend ordering the sandwich over the plate due to how fragrant the bread was. Pictures might not look like much, but the bread was sooo good and crispy, and they give a good balance of meat, avocado and veggies. It can be a little heavy, but a large sandwich was perfect for my wife and I to share along with another plate. The Pastales was alright - the rice is pretty unique if you're looking for new flavors, but the pork was a little stinky and dry. The hot sauce on the table is really good and managed to mitigate that, and it's not as spicy as you'd think given the color and smell. The banana leaf in the tamale made it really fragrant with a unique taste, and the lemon sauce on the salad balanced the entire plate out. For a party of 2, I recommend ordering the Bistec Sandwich in large size (since I believe the regular price only gives you half) and another plate. I also recommend using the toast tab (online order) to look at the menu over their actual menu; the UI of it makes it hard to choose what to order and the toast menu has pictures next to the menu item. Given that Marin food options can be quite expensive or fancy, this place is the perfect place to go for a unique food spot, especially if you're coming from SF.