Salted fish fried rice!!! If you are to get 1 thing here get the salted fish fried rice. It was so delicious with a little crunchy for the perfect texture and taste. Another honorable mention is the tamarind chicken wings. I thought it was pretty unique as it's something you don't see often. The flavor was strong but not too overpowering read more

Lau Hai San - Lemon chicken salad - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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This restaurant is situated in a tiny plaza with not much else and the parking lot is very small. I always need to mentally prepare myself before I come here because the parking situation can be really difficult during their busier hours but honestly the food is worth the stress. The interior isn't anything fancy and it's a typical hole in the wall Asian restaurant but that's how you know the food is gonna be good. I'd also have to admit their service was lackluster back then but they've improved a whole lot since then. I only order two things when I come here and it's always the #38 Thai seafood hotpot which is tom yum based and the #1 banh khot. Their Thai seafood hotpot always hits and has stayed consistent throughout the years. It's a classic tom yum soup base with a variety of different items like fish balls with roe (loveeee), lobster balls, shrimp, mussels, and so much more. They did switch up their hotpot veggies though and it's a platter of lettuce and cabbage now whereas before they used to have crown daisy (which was so much better) but that's okay. As for their banh khot, this is my favorite place to get it. It's always so fresh! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and the flavor is always on point. Definitely a worthy spot to visit if you haven't had the chance to stop by yet. read more

Lau Hai San - #1 Banh Khot - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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Lau Hai San is where you can get your Vietnamese hot pot. It's not spacious at all because they do packed you like sardines. The parking is tiny. It's hard to maneuver in and out. If you have the money then do a rideshare. The only upside is the hot pot is really good. The meat/veggies are bountiful. You definitely can get full. Like I said about the space and parking, it's small. It's not handicapped friendly unless you sit in the front but that's a tight squeeze. Would I come back here again? If I'm not driving and in the area, I would. read more

Wow the broth is flavorful! Reasonable price. Good food and services. Highly recommended

Love coming here for Vietnamese style hot pot! The small size is perfect for two people and it comes with so many different foods. We usually get the spicy Thai pot, which is their Tom yum soup. It's a great balance of sweet and sour, not so much spice. Service is always fast and pleasant. The parking lot is pretty small but I'm always able to find parking here. read more

Lau Hai San - Spicy Thai Pot small - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Delicious hot pot! I loved all the variety of seafood and sides. We also ordered extra meat on the side. I shared this dish with 2 other friends and it was more than enough for the 3 of us. Service is nice! read more

Lau Hai San - Tom yum hot pot - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Solid and rare vietnamese hotpot. If you never try Viet hotpot, this is a good place to do so. - thai surgeon hotpot: very southern Viet style. Broth is sweet and good. Surgeon is, however, not fresh and came in little quantity, a little pricey for the price - bánh khot: the dipping sauce is good. The bánh khot is not similar to what offered in vietnam. The batter is too thick here and not very crispy Service is great. It's lovely to see mom and pop shop and all workers are middle aged read more

I loved: Beef, Chicken, and Seafood Hot Pot I really liked: Shrimp Cup Cakes Fried Pork intestine Lau Hai San is a solid spot for Vietnamese hot pot #goodeats in San Jose. It's great for groups and delivers on freshness, flavor, and value. We went with the Beef, Chicken, and Seafood Hot Pot. The broth is flavorful and picks up the taste of the ingredients really well. Even without spice, it had a lot going on. It came with three types of mushrooms and four seafood options including shrimp, crab, squid, and shrimp balls. The portion is generous, easily enough for four to five people. It looks like a lot at first but is surprisingly light and easy to digest. The Shrimp Cup Cakes are also worth trying. They come out hot, packed with shrimp flavor, and have a nice texture. The Fried Pork Intestine is another standout--crispy, clean, and not greasy. The restaurant has a casual, comfortable vibe with lots of plants and simple, functional decor. Service is friendly and more efficient if you can speak Vietnamese. All around, Lau Hai San is a dependable choice for hot pot with solid sides and good value. Nothing fancy, just good food done right. read more

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I've been coming here for so many years. There just isn't many Vietnamese hotpot in the area. Luckily I came during an off hour so it wasn't too busy and food came out quick, as I was starving. My girlfriend and I got 2 things, the banh khot (appetizer) which was nice and crispy with all the herbs paired with it. For our main, we got the seafood + beef Thai hotpot which was a good size for 2. Again, this comes with a bunch of veggies and herbs + noodles (options are vermicelli/egg noodle or both). This is a great comfort food place as they have a huge Vietnamese menu where you can get things like noodle soups, banh xeo, com tam and more! read more

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I came here with a few friends for dinner and was pleasantly surprised. The menu has a lot of traditional Vietnamese options, but the highlights for us were definitely the clams, hot pot, snails, and beef salad. The hot pot was flavorful without being too salty, and it came with a good variety of seafood and vegetables. We got the tomyum broth, and it had a nice kick without overpowering the other ingredients. The snails were tasty--especially with the coconut. A bit of work to eat, but worth it for the flavor. The beef salad was super refreshing. Thinly sliced beef with lime, herbs, and onions--simple but really well done. Service was quick, and the staff were helpful. The place isn't fancy, but it's clean and comfortable. Would definitely come back, especially with a group. read more

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This is a great place to get Vietnamese hotpot. I love how they specialize and have so many options. We got the sweet and sour hotpot with sea bass. It's nice that they offer smaller size too, so it's good for smaller group of 1-2 people. Lots of other places only offer regular size and it's always too much food to share. We also tried the broken rice plate(com tam). The tofu wrap is very good and juicy. I'll definitely order extra on the side next time. read more

Lau Hai San - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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It's no longer as good as it used to be. The soup doesnt taste like thai hotpot ... less spices are being used. The flavors are bland and taste like water down. The veggies are limited and not abundant as before. A large hotpot is now $57 with tax. read more

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Great Vietnamese food and reasonable priced! I loved their banh khot. Perfect amount of coconut and crisp! I want to try other items next time! Oh, and I also love that you can do half and half noodles! It's a little cramped inside, but it's kind of a part of the vibe. read more

Lau Hai San - Banh khot - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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Good Food: broken rice dishes, banh khot, tamarin chicken So So Food: shaken beef, fish hotpot Service: slow but good Ambience: musty with strong aroma read more

I never want to go dine in for Vietnamese hot pot because my family makes it all the time, but my partner kept raving about it; so I had to try it. The name of this restaurant literally translates to "seafood hot", but they also serve different types of hot pots and Vietnamese dishes. Coconut sea snails (5/5): This is the perfect appetizer. It was very sweet creamy and succulent. Probably one of the best I've ever had. Seafood hotpot (5/5): i had to get this dish the restaurant is named after. It came with shrimp, squid, scallop, tofu, fish ball, clams, mussels , and other. Love the variety of seafood. It was very plentiful and the broth was the perfect sweet and sour. This place definitely blew my mind. read more

Lau Hai San - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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Pretty rare that I give 5 stars on Yelp but I've been coming to Lau Hai San for years now as this is my go-to spot for viet hot pot. The food here is so good and the staff is also very attentive! I always get the Spicy Thai Seafood Hot Pot which is all seafood and veggies. I've ordered meat on the side before but am more than happy with what it already comes with as it's perfectly portioned. Depending on who I'm with, I'll almost always get a small unless I'm in a big group. The broth is flavorful and the food tastes fresh. Their Banh Khot here is also yummy, and my friends enjoy the snails as well. I've never struggled with parking here but I will say it's a small lot and the road isn't the smoothest. Other than that, zero complaints! read more

Our family all got diarrhea (and my wife even vomit) next morning after having a dinner there. This is first time we have such a situation(all family diarrhea, vomit and upset stomach). Wondering anyone has similar situation there? If so could you please comment and let us know, so that we can report together. read more

Whenever we want Vietnamese hot pot, this place always hits the spot. The staff is friendly and welcoming! It's nice to see they have an extended room for large parties as well. The service is great as well! read more

Lau Hai San - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Final Thoughts: 3.49/5.0 Vietnamese hot pot spot that my friends and I went to for a simple lunch. This place intrigues me because there really aren't a lot of places that specialize in this type of hot pot. We came on a Friday afternoon, so there was no wait time at all. Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed overall, but perhaps am willing to try other items from them in the future. Food: Lẩu Canh Chua Cá Thuyết Lá Giang (Sweet and Sour Chilean Sea Bass with Jute Leaves Hot Pot) - Size Medium: 3.0/5 Hmm...the rating is mostly for the broth and the protein. About 90% of this is vegetables, 9% is broth, and 1% is protein. I'm not too fond of this ratio. That is perhaps our fault for not choosing a different hot pot. What we received was not to my expectation though. If you refer to the picture, the ingredients provided for this hot pot where three pieces of fish (4-6 ounces maybe?) and the remainder is bạc hà (I'm actually not sure what this is called in English), celery, 3 pieces of tomato, a few pieces of pineapple, and okra. The amount of vegetables is fine. My concern was really the amount of protein. Quite literally one piece of protein per person. Flavor wise, the broth is heavily seasoned. We took some of the broth home and it was diluted for a more palatable taste. Something I also noticed was that the flavor is more sour when hot and less so when cooled. Personally, I did enjoy the amount of sourness though. Some places usually only use tamarind and tomato to add the sour taste, but this place includes the jute leaves too. Seems to contribute a fair amount to the sourness level. For the fish, the meat of it is delightful. The cut of this fish is very thick, so the meat has some resistance and bite to it, while still being very soft. No real flavor to the fish, but that is where the broth and fish sauce come into play. The fish tastes amazing with the chili fish sauce. Adds a saltiness and umami component to it. A hefty amount of chili is added to the fish sauce, but it kind of just exists in the sauce. Not too much spice from it since the chili is simply cut into the sauce and not really mixed or incorporated in. That, in addition to the vermicelli/noodles with some broth works nicely together. Aesthetics: The hot pots have a nice presentation to them. They all come in this pot where the broth is poured in the middle with a built-in plate where the raw vegetables and proteins are laid out. Looks very nice for the presentation. --------- Quality: Half fresh Some items are fresh and others are frozen. This doesn't bother me too much because I'm aware that some of these items can't be found fresh here. From my knowledge, the fish might be one of them and the jute leaves are another one. With that said, the quality is quite good. As stated above, I personally really enjoyed the fish. Texture of it was still really nice for something that is perhaps frozen. Price: Inflated Inflation hit everyone, so the prices have increased. Can't say the prices nicely represent what was provided to us. Total was about $54 for the medium sized hot pot. Servings per item also decreased, which is interesting. For something that contained 90% vegetables, this is quite expensive. I'm aware that the fish itself is perhaps more expensive than other types of fish in the market, so maybe it dictated most of the cost. Service: Optimal Seems like a mom-and-pop shop, but no one quote me on that. We had 2 waiters and they were both very efficient. There was only one other table there when we came and when we left. They check on their customers often enough, which is nice. They asked us if we wanted fish sauce for dipping or more noodles, as well. Ambiance: Average Vietnamese Restaurant This place looks like what your average Vietnamese restaurant would look like if you thought of one. Tables take up most of the space and then the back is divided by a counter. Something to note is the seat. Some seats are raised and others are not. It's either this or the table is lowered. This may or may not make it comfortable depending on the person. I sat on a raised bench, which was fine for me except for the limited leg space. Vertically, they're a mere few inches away from each other. Location/Parking: Kinda hidden Interesting that I pass by this spot so often on the streets and yet I never once noticed it. This spot is quite hidden because there's a small shop that sits perpendicular to the sign. Depending on the angle that you're at or where you're at on the road, you may or may not see the sign at all. Parking wise - not ideal. Previously, I have visited this location because of Thanh Huong (permanently closed now), so I'm aware how the parking is. Very small and cramped area with some steep dips and slanted parking spots. Caution for my car owners with a low car - might not want to risk it here. In terms of amount of parking spaces, there are 32 spaces available? Sounds like a fair amount given the size of this space. read more

Lau Hai San - Lẩu Canh Chua Cá Thuyết Lá Giang (Sweet and Sour Chilean Sea Bass with Jute Leaves Hot Pot) - Size Medium - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Great food, friendly service, generous portions for price value! Located in a small plaza with a dedicated parking lot, this is a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant with cozy interior. Service was very quick and efficient, and they helped us with the menu and checked on us throughout our meal. It was clear we've never been here before so they told us how to best eat the dishes when they arrived! Banh Khot: I was so hungry and devoured it before I could take a picture lol. They're mini shrimp pancakes that come in a crispy shell. Came with plenty of fresh vegetables to wrap the banh khot in and the fish sauce was great with it! Very fresh and flavorful, huge portions too. Get this! Spicy Thai Seafood hotpot (small): comes with vegetables and your pick of rice noodle/egg noodle/rice. There was a great assortment of fresh seafood, and the broth was not too spicy, just enough of a kick with a hearty Tom yum flavor. It was super filling too. Highly recommend! I'll definitely be back! read more

Lau Hai San - Spicy Thai seafood small - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Was looking forward to a great shared hotpot experience but the menus are outdated. Prices are currently ~15% higher from last year, and then they either downsized servings or maybe decided to fix their actual servings stated. The small used to state 1-2 people, medium 3-4 people, large 5-6 people, and now it's small is 1-2 people, medium is 2-3 people, large is 3-4 people. It's a better bet to consider the smaller number instead, so I don't understand why they have a range value. I'm pretty sure some choices it's even closer to half the stated serving sizes honestly. With that said, there really is no standard for the hotpots. Some of them you may get a bit of your moneys worth when they're filling with a bunch of regular hot pot items (like the Spicy Thai Seafood which even the small seems generously filled). Then other items you may to consider looking up pictures first as we definitely did not expect 99% vegetables. Overall, this place requires a lot of research beforehand or you'll probably run into disappointment if you pick random items. Location wise, seems pretty random, no other big restaurants there, and the parking lot itself is fairly small and cramped and some parts of it has many random dips which is not entirely car-friendly. read more

My favorite Vietnamese spot for lau. It's the perfect portion. I recommend ordering the banh knot as a dish. Perfectly fried & paired well with veggies. I was so stuffed. You can always order more. I ordered extra fish balls. This place can get packed, but so delicious. read more

Lau Hai San - Thai seafood hot pot - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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Không if you're looking for traditional Vietnamese food look no more. This is the spot. The menu is literally something that came straight from Vietnam. They even have the days and trash cans at the table. Has anybody mentioned that they were Michelin guided as well. They are known for their hot pot however, there is one dish that you will have to try because you will not find this dish anywhere else. It's called Bò tái Mè. Also known as Tamarind beef. Get the one where it comes with vegetables and that you can roll. Trust me, you will not regret this. It's on the sweeter side however, it's one of those dishes that you have to try for yourself. The other dish that I would get is the hot and sour soup made with Chilean Seabass. Parking is OK because the plaza has limited parking however, you can always park on the streets in the residential area around the corner. They have an extension to their first dining room and that opens up if the first room gets full. What is nice is they also sell jackfruit on the side. I bought the large one for $18. It was very sweet and nice to be already peeled, very fresh indeed. I would definitely recommend this place hands-down one of the best hot pots in San Jose I stopped by a second time to eat a bowl of noodles and it hit the spot, it's called hủ tiếu hải sản or seafood pho. It was amazing. I almost drink all of the soup. read more

Lau Hai San - Hủ tiếu hải sản - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

I love Lau Hai San!! This is my favorite place for family styled hot pot. The Thai hot pot broth is just right, not too sour, not too salty. The portions they give are decent size & they don't skimp on the seafood that goes inside the hotpot. The service here is always great :3 read more

Lau Hai San - Lau Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Lâu Hai Sản has been my favorite Vietnamese Hot Pot since 2015. The service is usually really quick and efficient here. The servers are attentive and make sure you have everything you need and more. It can be really quiet and empty on weekdays so I try to go on those days when I just want a quick and delicious meal with friends. The wait can be fairly long on weekends during dinner time so definitely plan accordingly. Every time I come here, I always order the same thing and it never disappoints me! The Bánh Khốt as appetizers are a must here! These savory mini pancakes are made from rice flour batter mixed with coconut milk and turmeric powder, giving it this beautiful yellow color and crispy texture. It's topped with shrimp and garnished with other fresh herbs. Normally it's paired with greens such as lettuce and mint so that you can make a wrap! A dipping sauce goes along with this type of appetizer too. It's a mixture of fish sauce, lime, sugar, garlic and chili. This might sound kind of "fishy" but it's packed with so much flavor that you have to try it! Now for the star of the show... the Spicy Thai Seafood Hot Pot. This flavorful and aromatic dish is the best thing on the menu. It comes with a variety of seafood that sits around the pot and you just "push" into the soup broth to cook it! It usually comes with shrimp, imitation crab, fish balls, fish roll balls, fish cakes, mushrooms, shellfish, scallops, squid, and tofu! You can also add other protein on the side too. This soup is spicy (not like Thai spicy) and tangy and just so so delicious. Did I also mention that it comes with a side of noodles? You can choose between rice noodles or egg noodles to go with your meal. Egg noodles are my favorite to add : ) read more

Lau Hai San - Spicy Thai Seafood !! The best flavor : ) - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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The lau thai. Specifically the Thai seafood hot pit is a real winner. I tried their Thai catfish hot pot and did not find it as tasty as their seafood dish. The prices is so reasonable it's a deal! We've also enjoyed their banh khot and cha gio. This has now officially been our go to spot for a great, meal that's a great price for the family. read more

Not in the greatest of neighborhoods or streets, but, wow, the food was surprisingly solid here. My friends usually just ordered the hotpot for takeout, but today, it was my family who decided to come out and eat for once. Service was okay to subpar. The staff was attentive to come back k and check up on us frequently enough, but with a notice to sell more dishes. We were asked to try all sorts of dishes that other tables were ordering. I succumbed to getting a plate of fried pork cheek. It was good, but it left us too full to finish the rest of the items we did order ourselves. The store seemed small and outdated. We were surprised they have bidets in both the men and women's bathroom. Different in both rooms, but no the less, not your typical toilet. read more

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Came by on a Saturday dinner around 7pm. The parking lot is pretty small. The GPS is confusing and will take you to the street right by the restaurant. The restaurants itself is homey. We were seated immediately. We ordered the shrimp cupcakes, tamarind beef, and the sweet and sour Chilean sea bass hot pot (medium for 3-4 people). They are very efficient. The beef came out first. It cooks quick on a burner at the table. The beef comes with crackers and watercress. The booth was a little small so the server was quick to clear the tamarind beef set up as soon as we were done. Shrimp cupcakes (not pictured) were my favorite dish of the night. It seems to be very popular because every other table around us also ordered that. The shrimp cupcakes can be eaten with lettuce as a wrap. I felt very healthy eating the hot pot. There's a lot of vegetables. Elephant tarp, celery and celery tops, and bean sprouts. The taste was very good too! The sweet and sourness came from the pineapples and tomatoes in the broth. We got a side of yellow noodles with the hot pot. The broth adds a lot of flavor to the noodles and some warmth. Yum! We were tempted to order another hot pot but all of this food left three people very full. The total came out to around $90. I see why this place is so popular. Glad we went. read more

Lau Hai San - Tamarind Beef - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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This place is good but I'm not able to eat lots of spicy food so I was only able to get the chicken and seafood soup for myself. The Banh Knot were so good tho! I wish I can pick the meat choices but I was still able to eat most of it and it was good and filling!! If anything I would just order extra meat whenever. read more

Lau Hai San - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

I've always wondered about this spot and decided to give it a try. My group of 4 ordered a medium size #1 Spicy Thai Hot pot. For those worrying about the spice level, it's not spicy at all. My friend who doesn't eat spicy food was able to enjoy it! If anything, the broth is more on the sour side like canh chua (vietnamese sour soup). The broth is very flavorful and reminds me of my parents home cooking. The only downside is that the portion seems very small. We had to order extra noodles for our group. So fyi, if you're pretty hungry you could probably opt for the bigger portion size or order extra items on the side. We ordered the fish sauce chicken wings as our appetizer and that was delicious! Everything else here looks pretty promising so it's definitely worth a try! read more

Lau Hai San - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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Picture said it all, nasty!!!!!!! I almost throw up after I saw how they prep the clams. They didn't even bother to clean it!!!! read more

Lau Hai San - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

This place is legit. Deep in the hood and has a menu no one else has. Don't ever close.

Always one of my favorite spots to go for Vietnamese style hot pot! Very comforting for a cold day and their spicy thai seafood pot comes with a delicious soup base!!! 38. Spicy Thai Seafood Hot Pot: 5/5 Got a medium size that usually serves 3-4 but it was perfect size for our table of 2 since their portions are a bit small. Soup was so delicious, but sweet and hint of spicy, perfect for me since I can't eat spicy like that. It came with a mix of seafood: clam, mussels, scallop, shrimp, fish balls, tofu, mushrooms, and a side of greens and noodle! This place has tasty food, affordable pricing, and friendly service, can't really ask for anything more. Come check this place out, I definitely recommend! read more

Lau Hai San - 38. Spicy Thai Seafood Hot Pot (medium) - Came with side of greens and noodles (half and half) - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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Been here a few times and it's solid place for Vietnamese style hot pot. My family likes eating here and we came to celebrate a birthday. Both the hot pot and appetizers were really good! SPICY THAI SEAFOOD HOT POT (4/5) - We love tom yum flavor so we always get this broth. It's the most popular soup here for a reason. Seafood and veggies were also good, and we recommend getting the egg noodle here. - It wasn't spicy, but I felt the sweetness was overpowering the sourness of the broth. Flavor was still good, I just thought it was too sweet. FRIED PORK INTESTINES (4.5) - Crispy with a nice chew! It tasted great with the sweet and sour sauce and I liked the pickled daikons. The daikons helped balance out the intestines. FRIED SQUID (4/5) - My family ate this fast before I got to take a picture! - The squid was fried nicely and had big pieces. It was yummy to dip it in the sweet and sauce from the fried pork intestines. I also liked how the squid wasn't too chewy. NUOC MAM CHICKEN WINGS (4/5) - The wings were big! I wasn't expecting to see whole chicken wings! You don't really see that at other chicken wing places. - Wings were cooked well in the nuoc mam and had a nice caramelized color. It wasn't too sweet or salty, which was nice. Overall, Lau Hai San is a good place for Vietnamese hot pot! However, I still prefer other places, like shabu. After eating here a few times with my family, we feel like the portions here are bit small. We have to order 3-4 appetizers in order to feel full when the hot pot should be the main course. I think the size of the pot is great for 2-3ppl. read more

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I really enjoyed this place. My cousins and I were craving Vietnamese hot pot and this place literally felt so wholesome! We ordered the large hot pot with catfish and it was perfect for 6 of us. It came with veggies and rice noodles. I believe we also ordered two sides of beef just for some extra protein. Everything was great here, the taste of the broth was delicious! I believe it was the Tom Yum. Service was super nice and attentive! The bathroom is a plus, I appreciate a clean bathroom.. it even had a bidet! Lol read more

Lau Hai San - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Vietnamese hot pot makes a great first impression. Somehow I hadn't tried Vietnamese hot pot up to this point, but the wait was worth it. Came to Lau Hai San with a friend who recommended it, and I can see why. We tried two of their signature dishes: the crispy shrimp cup appetizer and the seafood hotpot. The crispy cups were a great way to start the meal. They were served hot after being freshly friend and were accompanied by a tasty sauce and an assortment of herbs that when put all together make for a satisfying, refreshing, and balanced bite. The seafood hotpot for 2 came with a very nice assortment of items including tofu, fish balls, vegetables, and shellfish. Everything tasted great and the rich and slightly sweet broth provided great flavor and is light enough so that you can also drink it like a soup. The friendly service and casual atmosphere help you keep the focus on the most important thing which is the food. Recommended for a casual meal with friends. read more

Experience is meh. Tables too tiny for 4. The table is too low or the seats are too high. The so called seafood hotpot includes precooked stuff? The Thai soup based is good, but the hot pot ingredients are disappointing. Alternatively, if you have the hot pot equipment at home, just buy the Thai Tom Yum soup from an authentic Thai restaurant, and get the better seafood ingredients from a grocery store, you could have a better meal and cheaper meal too! Hot pot needs dipping sauces. They have none. None! However, they can give you fish sauce if you ask for it. Too many hot pot places. What makes this place stands out is the Thai soup based. That's it. Won't be back. read more

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My friends and I were recently in San Jose for a trip, and we learned that many restaurants around here close pretty early compared to what we're used to in our hometowns. It was pretty late on a Saturday night, and everywhere else my friends and I wanted to go was either too busy or already closed for the night. We found that Lau Hai San was still open, so we decided to stop by for dinner. The restaurant was small but busy, but we were seated pretty fast. Service was also pretty fast, and our server was friendly and attentive as well. We had to order the Lau Hai San Thai Lan (Spicy Thai Seafood Hot Pot) of course, and the medium was just the perfect portion for my group of 3. We also ordered the Ruot Heo Chien Don (Fried Pork Intestine) and the Banh Khot (Shrimp Cup Cakes). The Banh Khot was so good. They were fluffy, light, crispy, and flavorful, and the fish sauce was prepared just right, not too salty or bland. They were definitely my favorite dish of the night. The Fried Pork Intestine was also really good as well. I've never had intestine before, so I was afraid to try them at first; they were crispy and tasted light and fresh, and the dipping sauce went really well with them. The Thai hot pot was good, but it was not spicy at all. It was definitely on the sweet side, which I liked, and it was packed with seafoods and veggies. read more

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If I've never written a review for this place, excuse my manners. I've been going here for over a decade and food is so comforting here. Always getting the Banh Khot and Lau Thai Lan with extra meat on the side. I continuously tell myself to try a different broth but the Thai Lan can't be beat. If you order Togo, it feels like the portions are also a lot bigger and can feed more. Plus you can order extra broth and have extra proteins and noodles at home and feed even more people. A friend of mine also buys the broth and freezes since she doesn't live in the area anymore. I have never had to wait to eat here. Service is fast and staff is friendly. Service - 5 / Ambiance - 3 / Food - 5 / Price - 4.5 read more

This place is one of our local favorites! My partner and I frequent it so often during the winter months that I've lost count. Tucked away in a small plaza, this unassuming spot is truly a hidden gem. Our go-to dish is the Lau Hai San Thailand (#21), which features a sweet and sour tom yum broth served in a unique hot pot bowl. We love that we can add whatever toppings we want to the broth and eat as we go. The dish comes with a variety of seafood and toppings, including fish balls with roe, which are our favorite! It also comes with a side of vegetables that rotates between daisy crown, waterspinach, and cabbage, as well as your choice of noodles (egg noodle or rice noodle), which can be half and half. We typically order a small portion and find that it's plenty for the two of us. The shrimp cupcakes (Banh Khot) are another popular favorite of ours. They always come out crispy and piping hot! Loved eating it wrapped in fresh herbs and dipped in fish sauce. Overall, if you love hotpot, give this Vietnamese-style hotpot place a try and I promise you won't be disappointed! read more

Lau Hai San - Lau Hai San Thailand - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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