One of my favorite Vietnamese seafood restaurants in the area. If you like anything and everything shellfish (claims, scallops, escargot, etc), then this is the place for you! Have been to this restaurant many times, and food is always consistent! Came visit to the restaurant last week, and ordered my favorite Grilled Escargot with Garlic Butter and Peppercorn, Grilled Scallops with Cheese, and my all-time favorite Chilean Sea Bass hot pot! The grilled escargots are a must-have when visiting this place! These are perfectly grilled with rich garlic butter for sweetness, and with a slight kick of spiciness from the peppercorn. Don't forget to also dip the escargot meat with black pepper and a few squeeze of fresh lime juice! If you like melted cheese, then the grilled scallops with cheese would be the perfect match. Each scallop is covered melted cheese and comes sizzling on a hot plate when ordered! Last but certainly not least, my favorite dish of this restaurant is the Chilean Sea Bass hot pot. The order comes with your own tabletop gas stove, along with a hot pot filled with a tom yum like sour soup base. For ingredients, it also includes a plate with slices of pineapple, quarter cut fresh tomato slices, fresh bean sprouts, rice noodles, and a full plate of large pieces of Chilean Sea Bass. Just put all the ingredients in the hot pot and let it cook for 5-10mins on high, I promise you it is one of the best soups you will ever have! Service is good as always. This place always seems to be busy, so you may have to be on the waitlist during certain business hours (eg holidays, prime dinner time, etc). Parking wise, the restaurant is located in a busy plaza, and so you may have to drive around a few times before finding an open spot. However as I said earlier, it's worth the wait. Highly recommended. read more

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We came here for dinner on a Saturday and the wait was about an hour and a half, so be prepared if you're visiting during peak hours. This Vietnamese fusion seafood restaurant specializes in fresh seafood and hot pots. We started with the razor clams, which were the standout of the meal. They were incredibly flavorful and paired with a delicious sauce that had us wanting every last bite. The spicy scallops were another solid choice with just the right amount of heat. The escargot was a little chewy, but the savory sauce made up for it. For our main dishes, we ordered the Tom Yum seafood hot pot, which was just okay. We also had the deep-fried tilapia, which was cooked perfectly--crispy on the outside. It's hard to go wrong with anything deep-fried here. Overall, the razor clams and deep-fried tilapia were the highlights of our meal. If you're willing to wait for a table, this is a good spot for fresh seafood with a few standout dishe read more

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Every time I come here, the restaurant is busy, which says a lot about the quality of the food. The hotpot is packed with fresh ingredients and a rich, flavorful broth that's perfect for sharing with family and friends. The standout for me, though, is their authentic Vietnamese snail dishes. The snails are fresh, perfectly cooked, and seasoned with bold, traditional flavors that remind me of eating street food in Vietnam. The restaurant has a lively atmosphere, the staff work hard to keep up with the crowds, and the service is friendly despite how busy they are. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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Great place to eat seafood! The service was quick and they took us in for a party of six even in the late hour. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambience was modern, clean and the food was tasty.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They lost the star when they told us the dessert ran out for our birthday girl. We would still go back regardless. See you again next time just store up on desserts for next celebration! read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - See you again OC & Lau! - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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It's been about 7 years since my initial review for Oc & Lau Restaurant & here I am, still coming here religiously whenever my fam and I are in town. If that bit of consistency doesn't speak volumes I don't know what will. Oc & Lau specializes in Vietnamese street food and essentially works in family style dining. Everything is brought out in platters & large bowls where food is shared amongst the table. The menu is filled with Vietnamese salads, snails, assortment of seafoods, rice, noodles, and hotpot. Vegetarian options are available. As if the menu isn't extensive enough, there is a whole section of drinks- alcoholic & non alcoholic. Must haves: *COCONUT ESCARGOT w/ BASIL LEAVES *GRILLED GARLIC BUTTER ESCARGOT *GRILLED RAZOR CLAMS IN GARLIC BUTTER & PEPPERCORNS *GRILLED RAZOR CLAMS IN TAMARIND SAUCE *SALT & PEPPER SQUID *SPICY GRILLED CHICKEN FEET *RARE BEEF SALAD *DEEP FRIED QUAIL IN BUTTER HOUSE SAUCE *GARLIC BUTTER QUEEN CLAMS The food is authentic and genuinely great! Ingredients are always fresh and the quality is on point. My complaints stem from the restaurant ALWAYS being "sold out" of the razor clams and the stir fried basil clams coming out soupy and off tasting to what they normally should taste like. Not too big of a deal once you factor in all the other great qualities Oc & Lau has. The pricing is costly and the portions can be small depending on what you are ordering. Things add up quite quickly since my family and I eat to get stuffed. Lmao. 5/5 stars because a trip to LA isn't a trip to LA without visiting O&L!!! I'll forever be a fan!! read more

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Came here for the first time after a friend recommended it, and I can definitely see why it's so popular. It was super crowded when we got there, and we ended up waiting about 30 minutes for a table. But once we were seated and placed our order, the food came out pretty quickly. Everything tasted very fresh and had that authentic Vietnamese flavor. My favorite dish was the snail -- it paired so well with the sauce they provided. The mango squid salad was also really fresh and had a unique flavor that stood out. Overall, all of the dishes tasted like they were made fresh to order. The only thing I probably wouldn't order again is the bread. It was fine, but it was really just an ordinary loaf of bread and nothing particularly special compared to the other dishes. There are still so many other dishes I want to try next time, so I'll definitely be coming back! read more

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Arrived on a Friday afternoon and waited about 30 min for a table of three. Everything we got was delicious! We tried the scallops, crawfish fried rice, calamari, crab and pork egg rolls and basil clams. I would definitely get the scallops and calamari again. read more

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I've been coming back for my Vietnamese street/bar food! The wait can be really long during usual lunch and dinner times! So I usually try to yelp waitlist it or go during non peak hours. Their menu is quite extensive so it can be intimidating. But I love their sea bass hot pot, razor clams, grilled escargot, basil clams, fried quail in butter, coconut snails, and grilled chicken feet! Those are my go to dishes and they all have really good flavor. If you are overwhelmed by the sauce options, you can't go wrong with garlic butter. My aunt usually gets bloody clams but they have been overcooked a few times. They give you dessert at the end, which is a nice touch. [[HIGHLIGHT]]If you are like me and order a variety of different dishes, the tables can be a bit small.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Otherwise, bring your family and friends and give it a try! read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Frog legs - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

First visit today was a mostly good experience. Surprised how many OC Vietnamnese friends didn't know this place. The "Oc" in Oc & Lau is pronounced 'awwk' and not orange county Lol (In Vietnamnese oc means shellfish and lau means hot pot.) * Live prawns, $67 for 6 prawns, tasted OK, but for same price would get the house lobster next time! * King scallops in shell - FAVORITE DISH, but the scallops were kinda smallish, not exactly king size. * Shaky beef garlic noodle - pretty good, they even give you gourmet salt flakes on the side to sprinkle over the beef cubes. * Seafood cripsy noodle - tasty gravy but the Cantonese version is better. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I wish their tables were bigger to accommodate the large dishes; we ordered 4 dishes and were basically eating off the edge of the table![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Learned two new words today: Ốc and lẩu -- escargot and hotpot in Vietnamese! We tried the Coconut Swirly Escargot with Basil Leaves. I like the coconut source. Tasty, on the sweeter side. The Filet Mignon Shaken Beef with Fried Rice was the champion of the night. The fried rice has that smoky taste. So good! And lastly, Steamed Clams with Tom Yum were refreshing. Everything was delicious. Unfortunately, they don't have razor clams that day. The wait was about an hour, so joining the Yelp waitlist while driving to the restaurant definitely helped. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere felt lively and dynamic, especially with the upbeat background music.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Oc & Lau Restaurant is a Vietnamese restaurant in SoCal that specializes in shellfish and snail dishes. I'll be honest, when I come here, I just point at the photo of the item I want to eat. Why? Oc & Lau does an amazing job with presentation that what I see is what I get. My Overall Rating - 4 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return) Atmosphere - Oc & Lau can get pretty busy on weekends. On my Friday night visit, there was about a 15-minute wait for our large party (no wait for 4 tops). Right away, I noticed how busy it was. Full of people and buzzing with energy, I could tell this was the place to be. 1 Star. Service - The staff was great. Normally, my bar is pretty low for Vietnamese restaurants in SoCal, but in this case they were excellent. We split our party of 10 into two tables of 5, but the staff were kind enough to put two tables together so we all could sit together. Thank you, team! 1 Star. Food - Normally, I try to recall what I ordered, but my dear Yelpers, just look at the photos and point. That's what I did. First, get the prawns in the coconut. Not only is this a photolicious dish, but it's also tasty too. The huge prawns are plump and juicy, and the dipping sauces will enhance the flavor. I also pointed to the clams in the hotpot. Be careful! It's hot, but delicious. Also delicious are the diced, baked clams served on clam shells. The tender bits are baked with shallots and nuts. Bonus, the drinks are superb. I had a coconut smoothie that someone in my party ordered, and I couldn't stop drinking it. 1 Star. Will I Return? - Yes. I try to visit every time I'm in SoCal. It's a great place because the dishes are so unique. Any Vietnamese seafood lover will be right at home. 1 Star. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Fruit Jug - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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Such a great spot to take people who are from out of town, to experience vietnamese food in the OC area. ( no pun intended ) Meet up with a group of friends and it was nice because we got to order more and share the various dishes. You can literally find sour, spicy, savory, and sweet on the menu. Anything with green onion oil is killer. Our server was so nice and tentative, reason why the table turnover rate was high. People enjoy their food and move on. Really love the dessert they give you when you're done , such a nice way to end the meal. read more

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OC wow. That should be the name of this place. Absolutely the best Vietnamese seafood place I've ever had. Every single dish we ordered tasted amazing. 10 out of 10. Definitely get their lobster or crab dac Beat it with the noodles. Get a different hot pot and seriously every single seafood dishes is good so try everything. Put your name down on the Yelp waitlist early as if you don't do it. Expect a long wait. Definitely looking to coming back. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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Amazing service, very nice and friendly. The food is really tasty too and it was a lot. We try their chanh day drink, and their ngheu hap thai are the best. Good atmosphere and they're giving out a sweet dessert at the end is definitely what's making it perfect. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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We often come here for meals on weekends, holidays, and birthdays, and we've always enjoyed dining here. However, today's experience was absolutely terrible. Hot oil splashed onto my arm, the manager had a very poor attitude and looked unhappy the entire time, and to make matters worse, there was a fly in my drink--it had even died in it. This was an extremely disappointing experience. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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First time here and had a reservation for 11. The staff are amazing and I hope they're getting paid well! The food comes out so quickly I'm surprised. Flavorful foods and will definitely come back! [[HIGHLIGHT]]There's a ton of seating indoors and they have restrooms.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered Lobster tail with udon 10/10 Crabs and shrimp fried rice 10/10 House special lobster 10/10 Oyster nuong Bo toi 10/10 Filet mignon shaken beef with egg noodles 10/10 Fried calamari 10/10 Mango squid salad 8/10 Vietnamese tempura shrimp 10/10 Coconut swirly coconut with basil leaves escargot 10/10 Grilled razor clams with buttered green onions 6/10 Stir fried tiger prawns with glass noodles 7/10 Thai seafood hot pot 10/10. I didn't get to picture all the entrees since we ate so fast! Definitely recommend :) read more

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Probably one of the most authentic Vietnamese seafood restaurants around. The best way to experience it is to order a variety of seafood dishes to share. We tried the clams, shrimp, oysters, calamari, and the crab fried rice, along with fresh coconut drinks. Everything was outstanding. The service was fast and efficient despite how busy the restaurant was. Expect a wait for a table, especially during peak hours, as it's a popular spot for families. The ambiance is simple and casual, much like a traditional Vietnamese restaurant in the evening. It's not fancy, but it feels authentic and lets the food take center stage. read more

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Love love love! Great food, fast service, friendly staffs that make recommendations. Clean and pleasant dinning experience with family like always. This is my go-to place whenever I'm in the area. I was introduced to this restaurant by family friend and it didn't disappoint! As the matter of fact, exceed expectations. You can close your eyes and point at any items on the menu and you will love it. All the seafood dishes cooked just right and full of flavors. The sauce and seasonings used didn't over power the freshness of the seafood. King scallop was our favorite of all time! I've been to both locations and I do prefer the other based on dishes. However, this branch seemed to be more updated and less crowded; better for small family with young kids. read more

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This is my second time here! Honestly, if you have the chance to try this place, you really should! The food is a spectacular explosion of flavors. It gets pretty busy there, but that's to be expected--it's delicious! Plus, the service is excellent, too. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

Unfortunately I can't remember what was ordered because I wasn't the one that ordered but one word- DELICIOUS! Though I'm Vietnamese, I wasn't so familiar with these dishes but they were all soooo good and flavorful. I don't know if this would be a good place to go for 2 people only because I personally think a little of each dish was perfect and I think I might not like having a whole dish to myself as it was a lot but for a group, the perfect spread. We went for lunch on a Friday a little after they opened and for a table of 7, we didn't have to wait at all, though I hear the wait can be pretty long. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Staff was friendly and the restaurant was nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Would definitely recommend! read more

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Oc & Lau is always busy for dinner for a reason. We like to come a little earlier than usual dinner time to avoid the long wait. Some crowd favorites of mine include the grilled razor clams, king scallops, coconut snails, and sea bass hotpot. The sea bass hotpot will help feed a group of 4 and it has a great slightly sour tomato both. The only low light for me was their shaken beef with fried rice because the shaken beef was not tender. It was supposed to be filet mignon but it did not seem like it was. read more

Amazing experience at OC Lau. They have an incredible variety of seafood options. Can get very busy during weekends, make sure to come early read more

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My absolute must whenever coming down to OC if you like Vietnamese seafood, especially escargot and exotic delicacies. There is always a REALLY long line but they have a Yelp waitlist where you can join from anywhere which is even more of a bonus. Party of 2 & I joined at 6PM on a Saturday night and was expected to wait 1 1/2 to 2 hours but reluctantly we got seated earlier than the estimated wait. The service is fast so they are always busting people in and out of the restaurant efficiently. We ordered four dishes: the Mango Squid Salad, Coconut Snails, Razor Clams, and a noodle/beef plate. All dishes came out really hot and fresh! All dishes were a 10/10 and packed with flavor! I wish I came with a bigger party since their menu has endless options! The prices for each plate were also super affordable too. It is definitely a treat to find a gem like this when it is very hard to find one in the Bay Area with great pricing. I am hoping that they make their way up here cause I will be a returning customer! read more

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Missed Vietnam, went here to feel something. The vinahouse isn't obnoxiously loud so it feels just right. Clams, oysters, and scallops coming on a hot skillet makes the food come even faster! Our server was super sweet. All flavors were good but the clams came in a unique long oval shaped. The peppercorn was a bit too salty to my liking but everything else was good. Do not skip out on the cheese scallops. Oysters were good too! A cool spot to go eat and drink. Will definitely comeback for the hot pot. And don't forget to check in on yelp. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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We came at 11 AM on a Sunday and there was no wait. The food here is mixed menu of Vietnamese seasoned seafood and the ambiance is family style, loud and open spaced. I had the escargot and crab mung bean noodles and my 12 yr old son, the sizzling filet mignon on a plate, udon noodles. He inhaled that plate in less than 10 minutes. We also tried other pieces from our cousins' plates and can understand why there were 20 people waiting after we were done. It's delicious and glad it could stay open since 2013 right when COVID happened. read more

First time here and service and food were great! Need to come back to try their hotpot as that looked like a crowd favorite! read more

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Escargot in butter is my fav dish here. Mango squid salad is a classic. Razor clams also delicious. Sweet and sour fish is surprisingly a spectacle, loaded with fruits and kind of a twist on the flavor too. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Always busy for good reason.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Excellent food and excellent drinks. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Perfect for sharing and large gatherings.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] However, I would prefer if there was a more flexible grace period for late arrivals especially since they keep telling waitlist parties to check in far too early. The last time I went, the servers were so incompetent. One of them would stack dishes on top of dishes that were already there and get the food dirty and overcrowding the table; this got really hazardous when it got to the tabletop gas stove and hot pot... we had to look out for safety instead of him just doing his job. read more

It seems to almost always have a wait, especially during peak times. Try adding yourself to the Yelp waitlist ahead of time. The restaurant gets quite loud. Food is good but some dishes are quite pricey. Food usually comes out quickly but service is a hit-or-miss. It's more so a miss during peak times, though. You'll have to try and flag any employee you see down for service requests. At the end of the meal, they serve complimentary che, which is usually good. Restrooms are usually dirty and sometime a line forms outside because there's not enough stalls compared to their capacity. They seem to not be able to keep up with maintenance. read more

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The crab was amazing I highly recommend it.there wasn't a lot of space on the table though. the passion fruit drink was also pretty good and the pineapple fried rice was good. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

One of the few restaurants in LA where the 1+ hour wait is justified. Best Vietnamese seafood in town.

Overall, the food is average and the service is subpar. The food arrives very quickly, but after that you don't see the waitstaff again. House mango salad - 5/5, very tasty green mango salad and the snail/squid were tasty! Coconut escargot - 2/5, initially they were really tasty but towards the end of the meal they got really slimy and they were honestly really gross to eat. Butter scallion oyster - 3/5, the oyster was very fresh and large, but I couldn't really taste the butter scallion sauce. Quail scallop - 3/5, fine. Ordering a regular scallop dish would have probably been better. The scallop gets overcooked in the egg. The service was below average: 1. We ordered snails and they didn't give us the bamboo skewers to eat them with 2. They took away the bin to toss the shells mid meal and never returned it 3. No one checked in on our table during the meal so we didn't get any water refills 4. It was very difficult to get the attention of any wait staff 5. Some of the staff are nice and some of the staff are rude read more

A few vegetarian options, making it easy if you're going with a group and need this option. The mi xao mem with vegetables was flavorful and the vegetables were cooked well, not overdone. It was a big portion, enough to share for sure. A place popular for groups. It can get a bit tight in terms of space, it can feel like you're dining as one large group because of how tightly packed the tables are and how loud it can get. That's part of the experience. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Every time we went to our favorite dessert spot, we'd pass by this restaurant and wonder why it was always so packed. No matter what day or time, there seemed to be a crowd waiting to get in.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Eventually, someone told us it was a seafood restaurant that specializes in snails. Since I don't really eat snails, I was a little hesitant at first. But one night, we noticed it wasn't quite as busy and decided to give it a try.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'm so glad we did. We ordered a variety of dishes, including the snails, and everything was absolutely delicious. The seafood was incredibly fresh, the herbs and seasonings were fragrant and flavorful, and every dish felt thoughtfully prepared. Even the snails won me over! Honestly, this is probably one of the best seafood restaurants we've ever tried. The prices are very reasonable for the quality and portions, which makes it an even better value. Now we've become regulars and probably eat here at least once every couple of weeks. If you've been driving by wondering what all the hype is about, trust me, it's worth checking out! read more

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Good Vietnamese seafood but not a must for every SoCal visit. Razor clams were good and I like the pepper flavor. Definitely need to eat with rice though because it's a bit salty Fried squid was ok. Too much batter in my opinion We came on a Friday for lunch and they weren't too busy read more

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Always good. Saturday night had about a 30 minute wait even with the waitlist. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Always a good weekend crowd.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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I've had this placed booked marked for quite sometime so I was extremely excited to finally try it! And wow!! Amazing! Restaurant is nice and modern. Menu has a large selection of everything but their specialty is fresh seafood...oysters, clams, snails and scallops!! Everything was delicious and nicely plated! And make sure to try all their drinks! Sooo refreshing and tasty! Don't hold off...go try it! read more

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Food was okay, but the service was horrible PLUS An 18% mandatory tip is automatically added for groups of 6 or more..... No one brought water when we sat down. When we asked, one of the female servers said water had to be ordered, which I found unacceptable because customers should at least be offered tap water. [[HIGHLIGHT]]No cleaned the table during the meal, and they squeezed 7 of us into a booth meant for 4 people.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The staff also rushed us to order. My suggestion: come with a smaller group to avoid the mandatory tip and still enjoy the food. read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California

If you like seafood and Vietnamese food, this is the place for you! The prices are reasonable and there were so many different seafood and flavor profiles to choose from. Here's what we got: Stir Fried Spicy Squid ($16) The squid was well cooked and the sauces that they were stir fried in had incredible flavors! It wasn't too spicy and had just the right amount of heat. Steamed Clams with Lemon Grass ($15) Generous amount of clams in a comforting lemon grass broth. The broth was so delicious that we drank it to the last drop! Grilled Scallops with Cheese ($17) This came sizzling on the hot stone plate and the cheese was bubbling! It was good but it was personally too much cheese for me and took away the flavors of the scallops. Grilled Giant Clams with Buttered Green Onions ($15) Good amount of clam pieces though they were slightly overcooked and rubbery. Went well with the salt and pepper on the side. Overall, this was a solid spot for Vietnamese style seafood dishes and I would go back to try other dishes. The restaurant is spacious and there wasn't a wait when we went on a weekday. read more

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Iconic Vietnamese seafood spot in town! We ordered the mango salad with squid and escargot, broiled mussels, and Thai seafood hot pot. All of the dishes were delicious and flavorful! The mango salad is perfectly tangy and the squid and escargot were perfectly cooked. The mussels were cleaned well and topped with fried shallots and sriracha. The Thai seafood hot pot has the best broth and toppings - tangy and slightly sweet. Overall really great experience. We waited on the online waitlist for about 45 minutes for a table of 3 on a Wednesday night, so highly recommend you use the waitlist option! read more

Oc & Lau Restaurant - Broiled mussels and squid + escargot mango salad - Vietnamese Near Me - Garden Grove, California