One of my go-to restaurants, for its outdoor seating area and delicious food. It is easy to eat there as a vegan.

On Tuesday March 3rd, the counter person seemed to be working out an issue and helping others before taking my order...and I stood there for about 5 min. Then I ordered the lunch special. The soup was a bunch of root vegetables and it looked like the parts you throw away......and was okay, too much vinager or something. The main special was cold, rice cold, chicken cold... it sat on the counter for awhile before i was served. Pretty disappointed read more

I've wanted to try this restaurant for awhile now because their menu is very interesting and different from others in the area. Plenty of new and exciting flavors from what I saw! I ordered the ginger stir fry with tofu, and I loved the tamarind sauce (but I do wish it was a little thicker so it sticks to the veggies and tofu more). It was sweet and delicious! The dish was very heavy on the ginger however, so if you aren't a fan of that, I would suggest ordering something else but I thought it was delicious nonetheless. The food came out quickly and our waitress was very friendly. We ordered while sitting in the bar next door as the two restaurants share a kitchen and are owned by the same people. There are so many other menu items I want to come back to try! If you're a foodie, or just want to try something different and exciting, I would definitely recommend coming here! read more

Jia Tella's - Menu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

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Your restaurant is literally 5-10 minutes maybe from my house. I was unable to go pick up my dinner so I thought I'd try door dash. Well it was late arriving and the food was cold. I gave the tip ahead of time which I should have waited. The guy was on phone as I could clearly hear him talking to someone on speaker phone hence maybe that is why the food was cold not lukewarm but cold. I called the restaurant and the person didn't even apologize only to say that it was probably cold because the guy was late. Don't think I will order from them again! read more

Wow! Judging from the photos I was a little weary of what I was getting into but I was very pleasantly surprised by how tasty the food was. I got the appetizer fried chicken spicy and the fresh spring roll. My folks had the Tuesday special which was a beef stew that was spiced perfectly and reminded me of Thai flavors. Super delicious food. I can't believe this place has a 3.5 rating. It definitely deserves a 5 star rating! Be sure to hit this place up if you are craving Thai food. It's very similar flavors. read more

Jia Tella's - Beef stew Tuesday special. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

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Love love love everything here! Always sweet to costumers, and super awesome you can order on the other side (two doors) if you're in the mood for a variety! read more

I went to the restaurant on Saturday evening as a recommendation from a post-hiking group. We all came up to the counter and ordered around the same time. More than 30 minutes later I was still with the group and waiting for my meal (I had pre-tipped them generously at the counter before sitting down). My group's plates were being cleared up before I spoke up and notified the wait staff that I was still waiting for any food to be brought to me. After a 6 mile hike and being so hungry, this really rubbed me the wrong way. No one apologized or offered any kind of compensation back to me when the rest of my group clearly saw this blunder and had to stay longer so I wasn't left alone eating my late meal. I guess it's the downside of leaving a tip before you've actually had your service. The staff were friendly enough but just not responsive to a point of awareness of what it takes to keep customers happy. This kind of mistake should not have happened with a system of orders in place and I'm bewildered how the order could've been lost and forgotten about. The food was only so-so to me when it finally arrived so definitely not worth the wait at all. read more

Such an interesting find here in Scotts Valley! Cambodian cuisine is not common so I was curious to see what they would offer. I wouldn't necessarily call Jia Tella's 'Cambodian' food per se. A lot of the items they sell here are more Pan-Asian/Southeast Asian inspired but uses some Cambodian dish names like their national dish, 'Amok.' Having also been to Cambodia multiple times, the menu felt a bit all over the place. Nonetheless, how does the quality and taste hold up? My friend and I ordered their Fried Spring Rolls (6 pieces for $10.50), Lemongrass Stir-fry with Tofu ($16), and Mi Sur with Tofu ($16). They have an ingredients list at the counter which helped me confirm the items were vegan friendly, but is definitely something I wish was more clearly marked on their menu. Everything we had was fine but nothing noteworthy. I thought the stir-fry actually lacked in lemongrass flavor and was a bit too oily for my taste. The Mi Sur Noodles were fine - dried pan-fried thin rice noodles with tofu and sauce, can't go wrong here. Our experience was hindered with the noise of kids running around the outdoor dining patio playing tag. Where were their parents?! Overall, it was a fine spot for Southeast Asian inspired food but I wouldn't come here expecting it to be anything authentic Cambodian. read more

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The food is so delicious!! Great flavors, huge portions, reasonable prices. Don't judge by the photos on yelp, the food isn't necessarily pretty when it comes out, but we were all in heaven with how great the flavors were. Also-- we had two super picky little kids with us, and they couldn't have been sweeter accommodating them with the more American menu from next door (same owner). The waitress could not possibly have been sweeter. read more

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Wednesday's lunch special is my favorite. New to Jia Tellas, try the Cambodia Salad, Cabbage Soup (especially when you are not feeling great), and stir fry Lemon Grass. The best! read more

I have been here a few times now & just LOVE it. I love how there are so many options, including vegetarian. Today, I had the fried rice & the deep fried tofu. The Tofu was so good, fried in panko with a sweet & sour dipping sauce to go with it - it satisfied my need for a little something "naughty" :) I had fried brown rice with veggies in it. It was plentiful and satisfying. I topped it off with iced tea and it was so nice. They have a great little outdoor sitting area and indoor dining options as well. Keep up the good work, y'all! This place was awesome! read more

Ordered takeout. The papaya salad should have ONE piece of papaya in it right? Why would I even think I needed to look in the takeout bag to check? So we called but their phones are not working. Of course not. Got the delicious looking iceberg lettuce salad with the thinnest slice of tomato ever cut, see picture with a tiny cup of dressing, oh yum. Completely tasteless. Through it down dink. Even my sink hated it. Ordered the lemongrass chicken entree w And not surprisingly there was barely any chicken! Surprise!!! I'd bet 1/2 a chicken thigh. But more importantly, they gave us chicken with green beans. Not what we ordered. Needless to say no wonder they were empty when we walked in to order. Remember phones did not work. Do not waste your time. read more

Jia Tella's - Yummy plain salad without papaya! Glad I went there! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

Such good food and great service. Boyfriend and I have been wanting to try this place for awhile but never had time. We came in on a rainy Friday night, we shared the salt and pepper chicken wings, the kabobs and sour soup with chicken and a side of rice. Everything was phenomenal and tasted so good, everything had so much flavor! Ambiance was nice with low lights and plenty of seats read more

Jia Tella's - Beef Kabob, salt and pepper chicken, sour soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

Great food. Service is really friendly and helpful. Zac is an asset. Unique offerings and portions are generous. read more

Jia Tella's - Red curry| Jasmine rice Cambodian Chicken Salad Lunch special - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

Won't go back. Had the stir fried ginger dish with string beans, carrots and beef. Every single piece of beef was so tough and sinewy it was like chewing gum, like cheapest cut of beef available. Spoke to the staff but all they said was, "oh, so sorry. Choose a different protein next time." The sauce was so soupy, rice should have come with the dish but they wanted $2.50 extra for some rice. The bill did seem too high already for what we ordered but we were never given an itemized receipt. read more

Check your receipt before leaving the restaurant! Just picked up my food here. The new system automatically set a tip of 18% instead of telling you to select tip option. So, if you just hit continue, you will pay a big tip for a non-service. This is a terrible, ripping off your customers. Also, the receipt you get don't even have an itemized list of food and sub-total. It just a tip and the total. read more

Jia Tella's - Check your receipt's tip amount before leaving the restaurant. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

I always love the food here whenever I'm in Scotts Valley. I have to do it to go. They were very very nice customer service. I got the food I wanted and it was amazing. read more

Good food, order at the counter service. I didn't know what to expect with Cambodian cuisine and the woman taking orders didn't have much guidance. She mentioned that some people say this dish is kind of like Pad Thai or this other dish is kind of like Pho... She said one of her favorites is the spicy Basil chicken so I went with that. I am going with another approximation here to describe it... The rice noodles and sauce reminded me of Pad see ew from a Thai place. But with less sweet soy base and more heat. The chicken was ground and there were also ground peanuts throughout. The heat level was strong, I would call it a 7 out of 10, it was clearing my sinuses and by the end I had a light sweat going. read more

So the food was pretty good. A little salty though. I got the spicy basil chicken with wide noodles and a drink. The service on the other hand is beyond sub par. When you come in, you order at the counter and then you take a number and sit down. I tipped well even though there isn't really proper service because you order at the counter. There was 4 tables already sitting, and 4 or 5 front of house staff. I got my food and halfway through still no water or my drink. I had to get up and ask for my drink, to which he replied sorry I'm busy. I almost finished my meal before my drink came. Isn't it crazy how service is such a big part of your dining experience? It's not just about the food. read more

This is a wonderful restersunt with very tasty food. I recomend this place. Its been around for years n years.

Every few years I get back here to eat and of the 3-4 times I've been here I think it hurts get better. To be very honest, I've been to Cambodia and thought the food was just ok, but this good? Delicious!! It's better than what I had in country. The spicy basil chicken we get with rice noodles for my gluten free friend and it's always sooo sooo good. Perfectly sauced. Not greasy, not too wet, just perfect! The green curry is a generous serving and all the veggies are still crisp-tender. We had it with chicken and it was wonderful. The lemongrass beef is a flavor explosion. So be prepared for that and you won't be disappointed. Large generous cocktails for $9. You can't beat that price! And all te servers and staff were friendly and helpful! read more

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my wife brought me here for my birthday for something new. the food was mediocre at best. for a quiet evening with the restaurant half empty the service was surprisingly slow. the sign warned about cooking food from scratch takes time but this broke a record. the waiter took a long time to just take our order and even longer to bring the check. and here's the kicker...they charged us twice!! we did not know this until we received our credit card statement. my wife called yesterday but no manager could take our call. she left a message with no return call. called again today, left message, no return call. so, for a dinner that was below average, we got to pay twice. will not go back and I hope they have the integrity to resolve this. read more

I have never had Cambodian food, so I have no basis for comparison, but we enjoyed our lunch here. The red curry stew was yummy. The chicken was tender, and the stew broth was flavorful. It's true, the food is a bit sweet, but I still enjoyed it. We also ordered the pan-fried noodles. The food is not spicy enough for my taste, but you can always add hot sauce. I like the fact the owner also owns the burger/beer joint next door, so that in case you want to grab beers and food with people who have differing tastes in food, there's something for everyone. We all enjoyed lunch on a spacious, shaded patio, with good beers and food. It was a relaxing lunch experience, even with two kids. read more

Don't go here. Literally found a maggot in my food. Used to love this place and now i will never go back. read more

Jia Tella's - Maggots!!! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

Spicy basil chicken, red curry stew, and Cambodian chicken noodle! All phenomenal. Well done. We been here two years and finally tried this place. We coming back! read more

Jia Tella's - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

The best mango and sticky rice is located in this little plaza that opened up a couple years ago. Friends suggested this place for their noodle dishes. The daily specials are not an all day thing as they stop at 3pm. I don't remember seeing time stamps on the menu so I ordered the tamarind noodles, hot n sour soup and of course, the mango and sticky rice. Service can be slower during the lunch time crowd so plan accordingly. My sister ordered the mild lemon grass chicken flat noodles. Even for mild, it was too spicy for her. Heck! It was spicy for me too! Thankfully, the server remade her order without the added peppers and to me it tasted a little bland, but sister really enjoyed it. She was able to taste the lemon grass better this way. Tamarind noodles tastes very similar to the Thai version of Pad Thai. Full of flavor with a squeeze of lemon. Every bite had at least one piece of chicken. I like it! The hot n sour soup is tom yum soup without the crazy spice! It's spicy enough for flavor, but not to burn your palette. In case you're scared it may be too spicy, my sister thinks sriracha is spicy and was still able to clean her bowl. You got this. The mango and sticky rice took a while to come out, but the wait was so worth it! The rice was extra sticky and the cream spread across it was enough to not drown it. The slices of mangoes used were sweet! Definitely recommend anyone to come and try this place. read more

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Lots of vegan options that do not require modifications. The staff is extremely friendly and answered lots of questions. I ended up with a tea and tamarind noodles w tofu. The guys got fish and soup. We also ended up with some crispy spring rolls to share. Definitely will come back. There is plenty of indoor seating and a back patio that is perfect for summer. read more

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So I haven't read other people's reviews and my honest opinion was that the food was no where close to being authentic Cambodian. My point of reference is that I am Cambodian and I've of course had home cooked Cambodian cuisine all of my life. I also cook recipes handed down from family as well. Aside from that I've had Cambodian food from large communities in California. The egg rolls were okay...they taste like they came out of a frozen purchase from a restaurant store or something. The dipping sauce isn't the normal Cambodian/Khmer sauce. I think they diluted the idea since of course I'm in the Santa Cruz area. I was so excited too since I'm out here for work and stumbled across this place initially. The ginger stir fry was also too sweet. The beef skewer was decent for what it was but it really missed the traditional flavor of Cambodian lemongrass beef skewers by a mile. I wanted to really praise these guys but I didn't even see a Cambodian cook in the back like I usually see. Needless to say. You guys are giving a good try but the place more caters towards the American palate and not someone who typically eats various ethnic foods regularly. I will give them kudos for their ambience and the fact that they are right next to another bar. Their beer selection was decent. Other than that, I'd probably be kind of embarrassed to bring my family here to eat because I'm pretty sure they'd curse my bloodline or something. read more

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Ordered the red curry with rice. It was really delicious, flavorful, and the food came fast.

This place was on my bookmarks for a while, ever since I saw it on a "best restaurants in Santa Cruz (and surrounding area)" list. Since my sister doesn't have a car, and we had to pass this place on our way back from San Jose, I decided we should try coming here for lunch. The place wasn't too crowded during lunch on a Sunday, so we were quickly helped and our food was brought out soon after we ordered it. I like salmon and I like mango, so I thought I couldn't go wrong with this item. I guess I thought it was going to be salmon with yellow mango chunks, not green mango strips. Maybe it was described as such on the menu, but I was disappointed regardless. This may be a traditional Cambodian dish, but I thought the flavors and the consistency were off. I didn't like how firm and sour the mango pieces were with the salmon. I wouldn't order it again or recommend it, unless you want hard, sour mango with your salmon. The mi sur with chicken was a lot better. The portion was too big for my sister, so I ended up finishing the last fourth of it. Although better than the other dish, it still wasn't so delicious that I would recommend someone come solely to try that. If I were still living up there, I would be willing to give them another chance. The employees were very nice and the place was clean and bright. In the very least, it's a pleasant place for a meal! read more

Jia Tella's - Salmon mango - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

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I had their supposedly "fried noodle" which turned out to be a soup like sauce with over boiled noodles in it with raw garlic which was not only not fried but not even cooked with a few cold shrimps thrown in it and barely any vegetables other than few pieces of broccoli to justify the term " fried" Cambodian noodle. The service was beyond lousy. The price was $20 or so for what turned out to be more like spaghetti only with awful sauce. I almost threw up after eating two bites. I had to ask twice till they finally gave me a glass of water. The setting is too dark to see what you are eating. The seats are uncomfortable. It is a clean place but not very attractive. read more

This is a simple fast servicing restaurant. ( NOT FAST FOOD RESTAURANT ...) The foods are cater to toward Thai/ Cambodian style with the twist of Chinese food. 1) Food: great individual portion, good taste but not specialities. The style and some of the ingredients are more toward Asian fusion then just one style. I have to say, it's great appetizing and not to heavy for lunch consumption . Good job 2) Quality: Average Quality with good freshness of the ingredients it use to cook the dishes. The veggies are ok and the meat was so so. Overall, still taste good 3) Price: Base on geographic , the price is ok against the quality/portion it serve. Estimate per person $ 12 to $16. 4) Decor: The Decoration is cater to the community then to the food That is serve. The decor are surfing decoration, give you a sense of surfing town. Nice and hang loose style 5) Service: this is more like a self serve style. Order up front and then then bring the food to you. So I call it 2 stars on the service. Overall, it's a nice place to hang out for quick lunch and a place to kick back for happy hours. Go try it and you will love it. Go Foodie read more

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Jia tellas has the best employees. I went last night and all three of the front of house acknowledged myself and my family, made small talk, helpful with the menu/ ordering and super engaged. That alone will have me coming back. The food was also great and left feeling light vs. weighed down and gross. I also love that they have a patio for my kids. It was such a positive experience. read more

Been here twice now. The food seems to be hit and miss. Some things are good, others are so-so. The servers are all young kids and lack the typical professionalism seen in experienced servers. The gal who was helping us was definitely more interested in socializing with coworkers than keeping an eye on her ONE table. I had to go up to the counter to order bc we waited so long for her to stop socializing to take our order. Then there was a no-cash fee on the tab without previously asking if we were paying with cash/card. We usually pay w cash. When I asked about it she initially gave me a blank stare, then explained it. This is the second time, also, that I had to be given some explanation to the transition from everything being to-go during the pandemic era, to now being sit-in service. Like stop already. Tons of restaurants pivoted right back to normal service without all the excuses. So, note to self, watch out for hidden fees and excuses. read more

After a nice two hours hiking in nearby Greenwood Open Space Preserve, five of us went to Jia Tella's for lunch. So glad we did. It was a Friday and three of us went for the Friday special which was Tamarind Noodles with Chicken, a bowl of Hot'n Sour Soup, and Cambodian Salad (similar to a slaw with peanuts and basil). We asked if the Thursday special was available and it was. Two of us ordered it, Chicken Curry, Brown or White Rice, and Cambodian Salad. We were all delighted with the food. The curry, noodles, and soup were all mildly spicy. The Cambodian Salad was the star of the show-just plain delicious. The portions were generous and the price ($14) was really fair given the quality and portion. We just had water to drink but there was a good selection of beer. They are connected by ownership to the bar next door so you can probably choose from a wide variety of wine, liquors and mixed drinks. The food came out quickly and the wait staff were smiling, friendly, and efficient. I'd give Jia Tellas an extra star if I could. It was as good as the food we ate in Cambodia. read more

Only second time having Cambodian (that I know of ha, first one being at Chez Sovan in SJ where I had Amok which changed my worldview. Not really but DAMN good) so wanted to try another. After 30 miles on my bike I can't tell you how GOOD their Anok tasted. Went with catfish and it was everythang and then some. The staff were super kind as I asked a whole bunch of questions and didn't make me feel like a nuisance. So props to them and the management for training sincere courtesy and making bomb.com food. Plus their patio is cool. Very easy recommendation! read more

Jia Tella's - a woman standing at the counter - Asian Fusion Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

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Love the Fish Stew!! Love the vibe and food is amazing! We do dine in and take out often.

Scotts Valley is a true desert for serious food ... kinda sad & astonishing that the benchmark is so low, I still drop by here occasionally out of desperation... If you shop at Safeway and are happy with the average American diet, I'm sure this would be OK. If you've traveled, or have lived in big cities, you'll be very disappointed. read more

Great food, good service, and really good value. Highly recommended! My favorites are the Cambodian salad, and ginger chicken. Soups are great also. read more

We love Jia Tella's! The spicy basil chicken is to die for. The flat rice noodles with chicken, the deep fried catfish, we love it all!