Yes, it's definitely worth going to if you've never had Vietnamese beef 7 ways or baked catfish…read more There's not many of these types of restaurants around. General for celebratory reasons and it originated from the south as well. You can find many other Vietnamese cuisine out there, but unless you have a bigger Vietnamese population, this is a much more rare find. So when our friend from NY was visiting for Fanime, we had to get this. Though, I will say this to start with, nothing can ever beat my dear Thien An Bo 7 Mon from SoCal. I'm biased and I'm not afraid to say it, but I know that NorCal is lacking in many ways and with that in mind, it makes sense that the prices are higher (rent and costs of operation are much higher in NorCal, I'm sure) and the other differences as well. Regardless, the service was attentive and welcoming and they even chased my bf outside to his car when he foolishly left his card in the restaurant. There is a policy that the 7 course beef is 1 order per person and minimum 2 orders. I have not seen that in SoCal and they let us grossly share 1 order between 3 people, but things might have changed. With that in mind, 2 orders split between 3 people was more than enough. For drinks, my boyfriend got some local brewed IPA and when I sent my dad the picture (he's a Viet refugee), he immediately got triggered by the year that was on the can before I explained to him the origins that were on the label. I got a soda chanh muoi (salted lemon sparkling water and you pour the sparkling soda water from a cold can yourself into the mix in a glass). Refreshing and a sharp salty sour bite in between courses. The 7 course beef came as it would any other restaurant that does it: 1) Goi Bo (House Special Beef Salad) 2) Bo Nhung Dam (Beef in Wine Vinegar Fondue) -Not sure why it's translated this way but it's raw beef slices that have been seasoned in vinegar with some onions on top and you cook it in a hot pot broth. 3) Bo Cha Dum (Steamed Beef Patty) 4) Bo Cuon No Chai (Grilled Beef Sausages) 5) Bo Cuon La Lot (Beef wrapped in Lot leaf) -Easily the favorite of the table. You can never go wrong with leaf wrapped meats as you can see that it is a worldwide dish and phenomenon regardless of the protein and the vegetation used. -Savory and a bit smoky with a kick from the leaves. Good stuff. 6) Bo Nuong Xa (Beef roll with onion and lemon grass) 7) Chao Bo (Beef porridge) - the version I had in SoCal had cute beef alphabet and star pasta soup and I'm not the biggest fan of porridge so this was just okay to me. All the beef was seasoned well and moist, not too dry or tough. Definitely more than enough to share especially with the generous amount of rice paper and veggies to roll in. Again, just my qualm because I'll always compare every Viet 7 beef course with my OG in SoCal, but they had a vertical rice paper water rolling dish that made it easier to wet the rice paper without it getting soggy and without the water getting gross or the bowl taking up too much space. We additionally got vermicelli noodles to stuff our rolls too, which would have been nice to add a little bit of carbs into our meal, but if you're more into protein and veggies, this was good. Overall not bad and a must to try at least once.

Food: 0.5 out of 5 Service: 1.5 out of 5…read more Ambiance: 1.75 out of 5 Location: 2.25 out of 5 Celanese: 0.75 out of 5 Parking: 3.5 out of 5 Price: 1 out of 5

Friendly staff, consistently fresh food, and still one of my go-to spots for banh canh cua. The…read morebroth is rich and flavorful, and the ingredients always taste high quality. The restaurant has a welcoming vibe and the staff are always kind and attentive. It does seem like the menu has been expanded or updated recently -- possibly from an ownership change -- but overall the quality has still been solid. Definitely a spot I'll continue coming back to when craving Vietnamese comfort food.

I think the rating for this place sits squarely where it belongs. Not great, but not bad. It is…read moreclearly a family run restaurant, but with all of the competition in the Bay Area, you have to find a way to set yourself apart that is more than the fact that you are family run restaurant. The price was a bit high (by a bit I mean a lot) compared to the amount of food that is served. My BBH was mild in authentic BBH flavor, but was tasty nonetheless. It was small, so I ordered a bowl of rice and that took about 10 mins to serve, much longer than it took to get the BBH to begin with. Then when it was time to leave, there was no one to be found. I believe they were taking out the trash and closing up for the night. I will chalk this up to my late dinner and will not hold it against them. Overall, the food was good, but just wish the portions were bigger for the price they charge Food: 4/5 Portion size: 2.5/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Service: 2.5/5 Overall: 13/20

Best pho in area hands down. Skip pho mai. skip pho Saigon. Head to the "New" Pho Saigon to get…read morethat New New and you won't be dissappointed. This is the shizznit and the only place I go for that plug and it always hella slaps! Big ups to Stephanie and team always keeping me well fed and happy. Local approved! YEE YEE - Neil (Local)

Solid pho place--nothing wrong with it, but nothing that really stands out either. The broth and…read morenoodles are decent, and the portions are okay. Good for a quick meal if you're nearby, but not a spot I'd go out of my way for.

Went here on fathers day, food came out in a timely manner and was hot and fresh. Everyone enjoyed…read moretheir food and my father had an especially large piece of beef that he enjoyed. Service could have been better, they lacked a bit if attentiveness but I can chalk it up to it being a holiday weekend. The restaurant itself felt clean and fresh, it seemed to be a new renovation from maybe the last 6 years and overall had an inviting and spacious interior design.

Yum! They're a…read morepretty busy spot here but somehow the staff still manage to check in frequently. The interior is cute with plenty of seating, but do be prepared to wait if you're here on a weekend. I know everybody raves about the pho here (rightfully so) but their chicken wings are a must-try!! They are perfectly fried without being too greasy, and tossed in a sweet and savory fish sauce glaze. The chicken was juicy too. Had to stop myself from eating too many of these or I wouldn't have touched my pho. Haha. The pho broth is very flavorful too, I only add the slightest hint of lime and it's perfect. I tried the brisket and other meats this time but they were pretty fatty -- I usually get the flap meat and will continue to stick to that. Other than that, it's a 10/10 pho spot and worth the wait. Get the fresh noodles.

This place does get busy, but we came on a Sunday evening and had no wait at all. It's also a good…read morespot for small or large groups, and I've been back several times. The Bun Cha Ha Noi is fantastic. The pork belly was grilled perfectly, and it came with a huge assortment of veggies, a big bowl of sauce, and a good amount of rice paper. I loved being able to easily dunk everything into the sauce. Even the small portion was enough for 2 people. The Banh Mi Chao Bo Luc Lac was just okay. I liked that the pate was warmed up with the rest of the dish, and the beef cubes were well seasoned, but they could have been more tender. We also got the fried chicken wings in garlic fish sauce. The flavor on the outside was great, but the breading was a bit dense and the inside needed more flavor. The service was great and they checked on us several times. There is also lots of blue monkey decor throughout to live up to the name.

Blue Monkey drew me in because it offered various cuisines around Vietnam, and Northern cuisine is…read morenot one that I've seen often. Despite it being in a big lot, parking still took a while to find. Thankfully, we had thankfully just beat the lunch rush and not had to wait longer than 10 minutes for a table. My friend and I shared a Northern spread (Bun Cha Ha Noi) and a Southern style Goat Curry (Banh Mi Cari De). Service was definitely on the slower side that day, but thankfully we were proactive at getting the orders in. The Bun Cha Ha Noi was delicious - pretty much a DIY spring roll - all the fun, all the mess, with none of the clean up other than licking the plates clean. The pork belly was delicious; I was surprised how much I liked it, since I'm not a fan of pork. I devoured numerous rolls, and we also had some extra vermicelli to finish off the rest of the protein. This single meal was definitely more than enough for two! The Banh Mi Cari De (goat curry) was unfortunately quite the opposite. The goat was cooked very well - tough, gamy, and difficult to eat. There were probably six pieces in total, our first was tender, our second had bone, a little harder to chew, and the last was best compared to rubber. The curry was a bit watery, which made the banh mi soggy when dipped in. This was probably an adventurous try, but not a dish I'd ever consider ordering again.

Came back to Pho Nguyen with my girlfriend to give their bun bo hue a try, and I've definitely got…read moresome updated thoughts after this visit. Honestly, this place might be my go-to spot for both pho and BBH in the Bay Area now. The bun bo hue really stood out this time--the broth was super rich and packed with flavor. You can tell it's been simmered properly, with that deep, savory base and just the right level of spice. The portion was solid too, with a good balance of noodles, meats, and toppings. I also tried the pho again (gf got no.10?), and it was just as impressive as I remembered--honestly, pretty much perfect. The broth was clean but still full-bodied, not greasy, and had that comforting depth that keeps you going back for more. The meats were tender, and everything tasted really fresh. After this visit, I'm officially updating my rating to 5 stars. Between the consistently high-quality broth, fresh ingredients, and overall execution, Pho Nguyen has really earned a top spot for me. Definitely a place I'll keep coming back to.

This Saturday, I went with my boyfriend to eat rice plates and they hit the spot. Plenty of nuoc…read moremam, pickled vegetables and a good ratio of meat to rice. The eggrolls were perfectly crispy and well filled and the pork chops were nice and tender. For 18.50, it was a fair price for how filling it was. We were starving and we still came home with leftovers! Also, I left my jacket here and they were waiting for me to come back to it which was sweet of them.

I've had hella people tell me this place is hella good. And they weren't lying…read more It's located in a strip mall so there's hella parking. Which is good because the road is hella busy. We ended up coming here after an event and was starving. The service was quick and they were hella fast with taking our orders and serving us. We ended up getting pho, but with fresh noodles. That thang was smacking. Holy, way better than I expected. I will come here again whenever I'm in town.

Came in around 8:10pm with a 9pm close so I already felt bad walking in, but they still sat us down…read morewithout any issue. It did take a while for them to take our order and get the appetizer out, which I chalked up to us coming in so late. Ordered the pho tai and fried wings. The food was really solid. Broth was flavorful, noodles were cooked soft which is my preference but not soggy, and the rare steak was tender and melted in your mouth. Really good quality pho tai overall. No complaints on the food at all. You pay at the cashier on the way out and the price felt fair for what you get. Im not local to San Jose but would definitely come back if I was in the area and craving pho again. Hopefully at a more reasonable hour next time, though they were still really popping at that time.

One of my favorite places to eat out. I'm very biased though. it's near me and I've been going for…read moreyears The food is really flavorful, big portions, and well priced (especially with their in person deals). I usually go for the family meals with lemongrass pork, pad se ew, fried rice, or a curry Service is fast and understanding. They know the menu inside out and are great with substitutions The dining area is super nice, really big, nice tables, great for talking. I enjoy take out for the convenience and deal.

We were craving Thai food and decided to give Thaibodia's takeout menu a try. We were instructed to…read moreplace our order online to receive the takeout pricing and arrived on time for pickup. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. When I asked for a small container of the pepper sauce that is available at the tables, I was told no. After paying and leaving, we realized our dessert was missing from the order. I returned about 10 minutes later with the bags, and instead of simply verifying the mistake, the employee counted every item in the order as if there was doubt about the missing dessert. Once the mistake was confirmed, I still had to wait another 10 minutes while multiple employees checked on me. To make matters worse, the food itself was fairly mediocre and didn't stand out compared to other Thai restaurants in the area. Between the service issues and average food, this wasn't a place we would return to.