Keep Me in the Soup I don't know about y'all, but after this brutal summer, I'm ready to bust out my hoodies and for some fall weather. For most, fall means pumpkin spice everything, but for me, fall means the official beginning of soup season. While it's a little too early to ring in the soup year, the recent drop in weather to the low '80s had me feeling like maybe we could dip our toe, which lead us to Roots Bistro. After reading all the glowing reviews about their Phở,I knew I would have to try it to myself and see if it's worth the hype. Spoiler alert: it is. The Good: *We enjoyed the modern décor and ambiance but with distinctive Vietnamese flair. *Service was friendly, fast, and efficient. Make sure you go up to the counter to pay, and don't wait for them to bring you a check. *They do accept Venmo™ as payment if that's what you're into. *Dog-friendly outdoor seating--however I'm not sure if they will serve you outside or not? Might be one of those you have to order takeout and eat it there kinda deals--but like I said, I'm not 100%. Hopefully, the owners will respond. *Pricing is pretty dang good, and they give you ample serving sizes. *Pork Fried Wontons were delicious, and we really enjoyed the Sriracha-mayo dipping sauce. The presentation is really unique, too. *Crispy Shrimp Spring Rolls were also another unique app. I don't recall seeing it before, but the crunch from the fried shrimp was a nice textural difference. *The Phở broth was ridiculously good. It's rare that I don't ever add a little extra sauces to gussy it up, but this was perfect on its own. Deep beefy umami flavor with the right mix of spices made this extremely slurp-worthy. *Make sure you get the rare tender Wagyu on the side and cook it in the broth to your liking. *I didn't try the Shaking Beef, but Carissa gave it a big thumbs up. The Meh: *Fresh noodles were good, but I felt like they started to disintegrate rather quickly, which made them hard to wrangle with the chopsticks. The Ugly: *Located at The Plant, this isn't my favorite shopping center as the clientele tends to be on the hoody side, and the parking can be a bit of a shit-show. *I'm not sure why, but despite this place being open six months, it's not getting much love here on Yelp. But it's definitely worth seeking out. TLDR: Delicious food, good service, and fair prices--what more do you need?! read more

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I was looking for a place for our lunch date and found this restaurant. I spied the pork fried wontons and immediately knew I wanted to go. Highlights: *prices are very reasonable! *everything was delicious. I tried John's beef pho broth and it was outstanding. So good that I even added it to my turmeric rice. *the pork fried wontons were such a treat! *I couldn't stop eating my shaken beef even though I was so full from the appetizers (John always orders way too much food--gotta love him). The beef was very tender because they use filet mignon. *service was good and the décor was beautifully designed. Very elegant looking. We loved our meal and experience and can't wait to return. Highly recommended! read more

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Love this place. Are here many time and was Abel to book the entire resturant out for my bday. Food, service and nice ambiance. Staffs are nice. The down side is one staff kept cleaning up my drink before I could finish it. That was a bit annoying but overall, this is an awesome place. The chef even came out to wish me a happy birthday which made it even more special. Thank you rooting for bistro for the delicious food and my guests all loved it. Thank you for celebrating my big birthday!!! Presentation of the food was nice! Definitely recommend to book out to throw your own celebration and will definitely come back. I ate here more than 5 times already! Wagyu pho and shaken beef are my two favorite. Definitely need to come back to check out their new menu of sizzling plate. read more

Roots Bistro - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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I came back to Roots Bistro with my family some of them visiting from Irvine, California. We decided to just ordered a few appetizers for lunch that day. I was pleased to see the dishes: very beautiful, and they were very tasty. My favorites were chicken wings and octopus salad! You must try! I hope that the restaurant will continue to improve and serve many delicious dishes. I do want the yellow rice to come back sometimes soon! read more

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I called first to confirm if there's a wait before I drove in. I don't live too far from there, I'm by Communications Hill. So grateful the gentleman that answered the phone informed me that there wasn't a wait. We were seated right away and I can see only one person about to finish their meal. As soon as we were waiting to order, a few groups came in. Gavin and I ordered the Wagyu Pho Special. It's $17.99. I miss it when a bowl of pho used to be $8.95! Those days are over, but it doesn't hurt to ruminate from time to time. The restaurant is clean, service was pretty fast, and their pho is wonderfully delicious. I will ask for more onions and cilantro next time. I don't cook w/ MSG so I appreciate restaurants not using it as well. They offer other things on the menu such as udon, shaking beef, vermicelli bowl, rice plate, etc. so you are not bind to order pho here. The same gentleman that answered the phone was the only one working the front of the house. He seated people, took orders, brought beverages, served the entrees ordered, rung people up, and cleared the tables. He was super! read more

Roots Bistro - Pho Wagyu Dac Biet x2. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Uniqueness: Vietnamese food with a nice modern twist but needs slight improvement on flavors. Wait Time: [x][x][x][x][x] Food Quality: [x][x][x][ ][ ] Service: [x][x][x][x][x] Setting: [x][x][x][x][x] Cost: [x][x][x][x][ ] Recommendation? The Bo Kho is my recommendation here. The Pho seemed to be a miss but could try again later on if it improves. In The Plant Plaza, there isn't many Vietnamese restaurants here so The Roots Bistro is a nice place to add in this very diverse shopping outlet. When we came here, there wasn't any line so waiting wasn't bad at all and the service was great. The food here is definitely presentable but unfortunately the taste is a little bland in my opinion. The pho with the Wagyu and no MSG was great to have but the broth was missing some key flavors that make Pho "pho" so it definitely needs to improve on this (slightly more salt and more star anise?). The Bo Kho sizzling plate was good with the good amount of beef and stew, but perhaps should have more carrot than potato. Bo Ne was decent as well and out of the two, the Bo Kho is more preferred. If you're craving Viet food that's higher in quality than other Viet places in east side, Roots Bistro is a good place to go to although I wouldn't say it was an excellent place though. Worthy of at least 1 try and go from there. read more

Roots Bistro - Sizzling Bo Kho - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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-food- I ordered the Bo luc lac and it came with turmeric rice (yellow rice), my cubed steaks was juicy and overall plate was done right. My boyfriend ordered the wagyu pho, it was tasty and portion was filling. I would definitely come back. Price point was very affordable for the quality and quantity. -Ambience- It has a earthy tone to the decor and cute. read more

Food is delicious and fairly unique IMO. We tried the brown sugar lemonade for $5 but this mostly tasted like limeade (with a thin slice of lime too) without much of a hint of molasses or anything "brown sugar." The bowl of vegetarian vermicelli was huge, perhaps to stuff volume where dense meat would usually be. But there was also a lot of vermicelli (maybe even a whole 14 oz pack) at the bottom. The sauce that was already on the tofu was really good though, slightly sweet and with a good amount of garlic. We also ordered from the Sizzling menu only available on Saturdays and Sundays before 3 PM. The sizzling pork meatballs came with 3 meatballs if I recall correctly, and I liked how it seemed to be mixed with wood ear mushrooms inside. The 2 sunny side up eggs were runny which isn't my preference but nicely cooked otherwise (mild salt). The dish also came with cherry tomatoes and some chicken pate, like concentrated chicken paste. The other sizzling dish, the short rib stew, had a complex and umami flavor and the meat was soft. Everything was tasty! read more

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Came here from brunch & it was not busy! We ordered 4 dishes. Each dish came out within the first 10 mins! Ordered Thai teas, which was a little bit bland nothing special. Their decor is very simple and modern. Clean utensils and seating arrangements. Seafood udon (Banh Canh) The broth was pretty good, needs a little more fish sauce. Noodles were regular noodles not the chewy kind. The broth could've been a little more thick. 7/10 Shaken Beef plate (bo lúc lắc) Beef was super tender, chewy, and tasteful. It was seasoned beautifully and it was good with the turmeric rice. 8.6/10 Sizzling plate with egg,beef, & chicken pate This was our over all favorite plate, the bread that was paired with this dish was perfect. The combo of the soft beef adding the perfectly cooked egg + chicken pate just melts nicely together. 9/10 Pho wagyu beef soup This dish was super bland, not much flavor could use more sauces but the beef for this dish was good. 6.8/10 I would definitely come back here again for specific dishes or even for new ones. Family friendly or good for a quick Viet bite. 8.9/10 read more

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I was really excited to try Roots Bistro because of the photos. My friend and I stopped by and got seated immediately. We ordered the Hoi An fried chicken rice dish, fried wontons and the vermicelli noodle bowl. My friend thought his noodle bowl was ok. It was very big but he said it was nothing to rave about. The fried wontons were good and was presented playfully like lollipops. The Hoi An fried chicken dish didn't look like the photo I saw on Yelp. When it came out, the batter looked undercooked and still white. The chicken was quite dry and had the sweet and spicy sauce all over it, (similar to Thai sweet chili sauce) which really didn't help. The fried chicken wasn't that crispy and lacked flavor. It was quite underwhelming for me. The restaurant has nice decor and plenty of seating as well. Maybe next time, I'll try the pho or one of the sizzling platters on the weekend. read more

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My husband and I were recently at The Plant and noticed Roots Bistro for the first time. Although we ended up eating somewhere else that day, I tabled Roots Bistro for when I crave Vietnamese food in the future. I noticed Roots Bistro was on Doordash and scheduled a pre-order. I ordered a few things off the menu including fried shrimp spring rolls, soft shell crab, and Hoi An fried chicken rice. The fried shrimp spring rolls were fine. They were exactly what I expected. It came with a side of sweet and sour sauce. Peanut sauce would've been nice to have if it was an option. The soft shell crab was a total disappointment. The majority of this dish was spring greens. I didn't even have 1 whole crab! Either my dasher ate half the crab or Roots Bistro is out there skimping on this dish. Hoi An fried chicken rice was the best food item out of the 3 I ordered. The chicken was moist, and I liked the light breading. The chicken was great with their house fish sauce. The turmeric rice was average. If I were to give Roots Bistro another try, I would go for the wagyu pho. read more

Yummy pho spot! Tried this place on a whim and the food was great! We both ordered the brisket pho! Large portion and very filling. We also had the spring rolls and wontons along with some Thai iced tea! Service was fast and the food was nice and hot. We just missed the lunch rush so we were seated right away with practically the entire restaurant to ourselves. I would dine here again forsure! read more

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Thoroughly enjoyed this new Vietnamese fusion spot! The chef mentioned that he was previously employed at a 2 star Michelin restaurant in Brussels and now wanted to share his take at Vietnamese food The portions are good, and the presentation is exemplary! The octopus salad was a fan favorite, the sauce was refreshing with a kick! My parents who are tough critics, had to give compliments to the chef. Servers were super personable and nice as well! read more

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B E S T P H O in the Bay Area is right here in San Jose. Legit traditionally cooked beef broth with no MSG providing an authentic Pho noodle soup experience just like grandma used to make it. Each bowl has razor thin sliced beef with fresh scallions, cilantro, and bean sprouts. The beef is so tender and fresh. Roots Bistro has achieved Pho perfection in my book. My family and I visited for lunch on a Sunday, and the eating experience was memorable. Service was excellent like their pho--the staff was attentive to anything we needed and followed up with us as well. The food left me wanting to come back for more. I'll be back! read more

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The pho dac biet was tasty with great flavor in the broth. Meat was tender and delicious. Bo luc lac was also tasty but rice wasn't as good, it's kinda dry. Fried shrimp goi cuon was good but a messy eat and the sauce was too sweet. The decor and ambiance are very modern and good customer service. A little expensive because pho, shaken beef and appetizer was $50 with no drinks. read more

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Rainy/cold weather = perfect for Pho. They have a PROMO going on for their Angus Beef Pho, $10.99 until 3/15. - Appetizer - Soft shell crab : Was good. I liked the sauce that came with it. The veggies/pickled veggies was also good as it added a nice freshness. - Angus Beef Pho : Flavorful for no MSG. Could taste the ingredients that went into the broth. BF also enjoyed the nice, clean, flavorful broth. Would've liked a bit more protein. I also liked how they plated the veggies that came with the pho. It was neat instead of having them all piled on top of each other like other places, which could cause spilling when attempting to get the veggies. Service was nice, but could tell they were learning/training. Parking was ok as it is located in a huge plaza, however it can get busy. read more

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The food was amazing if I could rate this a 10 stars out of 5 I would in a heartbeat the bbq baby back ribs is a must try I went with some friends and we all agreed it was phenomenal and so tender and flavourful 1000/10 stars that doesn't even include how I feel about the sauce that comes with the ribs it wasn't like any other sauce I had before I started dipping all of my meats in that sauce because of how good it is I can't even describe the flavour because it was so unique you def have to try it yourself. I ordered the wagyu pho special and the wagyu meat was sooo tender and the broth was my favourite part overall especially learning that it's made with no msg yet it's still as flavourful and homey I also got the fresh noodles for my pho and I would 100% recommend upgrading to the fresh noodles the service was really good as well. Our server Toan was very helpful when our larger group had lots of questions and even recommended us some dishes he seemed like a genuinely nice guy and was funny Would I come back here again? 150% already dreaming that I'm there right now read more

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Today was a weekend menu that is not available during the week. The Sizzling beef with egg and chicken patte with toasted bread and Filet Mignon was splendid. A NOM NOM plate with different flavors for our taste buds. The waiter was fast and prompt with the service. read more

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3.5 Had to try the highly anticipated wagyu pho. Unfortunately maybe I set my expectations too high. It was decent but the steak wasn't as tender as I thought it'd be. The texture want quite how I had imagined it. The broth was decent but I've had better. Maybe I'll be back to try their octopus and other items. Overall the pho was solid but at $17.5 not including tax tip I was hoping for more. My top spots are still pho San Jose and pho dao. read more

Roots Bistro - Wagyu pho. Fresh noodles. It was decent - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Spent part of the day in SJ, and needed lunch before driving back to SF. Stumbled upon Roots. New?! Soft opening?! I'm in! Wanted to try everything! Decided on: -Grilled octopus salad - grilled to perfect tenderness, fresh, with a mild charred flavor. Will be back for this. -Crispy shrimp spring rolls - the rice paper and veggies are so fresh, contrasting with the crunch of the crispy shrimp. So clean and light. -Angus steak pho - the broth is piping hot and delicious, with tender slices of Angus. Yum! The ambiance is clean, modern and casual. Great service! Extremely attentive, and efficient. Thank you Chefs and service team! read more

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The pho noodle here is super chewy, very balanced broth, and melt in your mouth meat. I could rave on and on about the pho noodle, very dense and bouncy, with the right chew and smooth texture. I want to know where they buy it from because the ones you buy in stores cannot match it. Some pho places vermicelli are either too over cooked, and soft and has no bite, or the texture is too gritty. This noodle was perfection. The broth was tasty, you can tell that they boiled marrow and knuckle bones for over 14 hours, but I do wish it was a bit less salty. Right now they're running a special for their pho tai which is only $12! read more

Roots Bistro - Menu - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Always great food and great service! Very chill and modern vibe. Clean and well decorated too read more

Roots Bistro - Vermicelli #1 with pork and egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Ordered take out of the vegetable pho. Extremely disappointing to order from a restaurant that serves frozen vegetables. The soup has frozen broccoli frozen cauliflower and frozen carrots as the "mixed vegetables." I find it unacceptable for a restaurant not to use fresh ingredients. The broth wasn't great either. Couldn't eat it. read more

Roots Bistro - Veg soup with frozen veggies - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

This place has really warm ambiance that I greatly appreciated. The older man and the young girl working the register were very cheery and kind. They were both attentive and eager to create a relationship between worker and customer. The interior is modern and it was lovely to dine in. I ordered the Pho Tai which I will give a 4/5 stars. The soup was very flavorful, but towards the end it was almost overwhelming. The bowls were much bigger than anticipated so I would consider splitting a bowl next time I stop by! Toppings were nicely plated and they gave a good amount of all things -- meat, noodles, bean sprouts, herbs, and lime. They even offered more if needed. The angus meat was very soft IMO; however, I tasted some of the wagyu steak in my partner's bowl and there was a huge difference. Way softer and almost melt in your mouth. The bo tai chanh was 3.5/5 stars for me. The meat texture was just right and I appreciated how much cracker they gave as a side. Overall, I think the dish was lacking in flavor. Mostly, I think it could've used a hint of fish sauce. I ended up using the extra limes from the pho to top it off + some siracha and it was much better. Something to note: my partner and I ordered fresh noodles (extra 50 cents each for fresh noodles) with our pho and the waitress unfortunately forgot that detail. We were not upset and just hoped it wouldn't appear on our bill since we were happy enough with our food. We decided we were not going to bring it up since we know mistakes happens; however, to our surprise the waitress came back to our table to apologize for forgetting the fresh noodles. She also let us know that she applied 10% off our meal for the mistake which is beyond what we expected! I think it was incredibly honest of her to address the mistake let alone comp for it. Because of that, I would give 5 stars for service. Cheers to that!! Thank you for the great food and service! read more

Roots Bistro - Pho Tai and Bo Tai Chanh - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

What a cute little Vietnamese restaurant at the Plant! Roots Bistro is viet fusion restaurant. They specialize in Wagyu pho. I got the Wagyu Special and it was loaded with tendons, meatballs, and wagyu. The wagyu was soft and really does melt in your mouth. However, the broth was fatty and I wish they use fresh pho noodles here. The noodles they used were still clumped together by the time we got our bowl. The spring rolls were, well spring rolls! Nothing mind blowing or really special about it. A bit overpriced for what it is if you ask me. The workers here were really nice and the restaurant itself is clean. read more

Roots Bistro - Spring rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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This review is for their private event service. Leading up to our event, Bao was very responsive with helping us plan our party. He is very good at communicating. From our correspondence, we can tell he was very experienced with doing events. Decor-wise, the restaurant already looks nice as it is, so we felt that we didn't have to add any of our own. The most important part of it all was that all of our guests enjoyed the food! The favorites of the night were the shrimp and mango ceviche, and the shaking beef with garlic noodles. Everyone kept asking how we found out about this place. Bao and his team are rockstars! Thanks again. read more

So excited about this new Vietnamese/Asian fusion restaurant that opened recently. You have got to check out this place! The interiors are so beautiful, I love the little details. I think I had the Best Vietnamese Coffee here! It had the perfect amount of sweetness and coffee, just delicious in every sip. I tried the special seafood udon, it was rich and full of flavors, the portion size is big, I could only eat half of it and I was so full. It kept me full for a very long time. The broth was great, loved the fish cakes in it, the shrimps were cooked well. It was a great meal for a cold day! I'm definitely coming back to try other stuff in the menu. read more

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The food is 2.5 Service 3 fried wonton - it's not that great, the filling taste weird, not to my liking. Octopus salad - the texture is kinda weird and overcooked .. the flavor is kinda off..the salad is not fresh The food looks better than it tastes. Service is nice Restaurant nicely decorated but it's small read more

Roots Bistro - Wonton fried - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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We were so impressed when we first walked in. The place was very modern and cozy. We ordered the shaken beef (bò lúc lắc) and Pho. The food was amazing. They all tasted like mom's dishes - authentic taste with high quality traditional Vietnamese food. Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 5/5 Kid-friendliness They even have pillows on the couch. So my kids can lean their back on comfortably read more

Roots Bistro - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Starting from the customer service it was a great experience. To the food which was so fresh and delicious. We had the chicken fried rice, egg rolls, garlic noodles with tamarind prawns and the chicken karaage. I would recommend them all. My 1 year old enjoyed with the high chairs that are provided. My 3 year old also enjoyed and loved the noodles. We'll definitely be back! read more

Nicely decorated. Decent amount of seating. Nice staff with great service! There are seating both inside and outside. The have traditional dishes with a slight twist for the better. Everything we ordered were very tasty and recommended. The price of the food is appropriate for the area and the quality of their dishes. If you are in the San Jose area and want to have some nice, higher quality Vietnamese food, check out Roots. read more

Roots Bistro - Storefront - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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The pho broth is spectacular. I usually have to mix the seafood sauce with sriracha for dipping the meat or I will squeeze some of the sauces into the broth but not this time. One of the best broths out there without adding any extra condiments. I ordered the wagyu beef pho. It was delicious! I like how they give you a single portion of bean sprouts, lime, basil, and jalapeños with each soup order so there's minimal waste. Also tried their pork wontons. They were good. I didn't expect the curry flavor in the wontons but it was mild and delicious. Also good amount of stuffing in each wonton. The dipping sauce was a nice addition. The presentation looks pretty cool. If you have young kids, don't let them spill the rocks in the container...no, they are not edible and only there to hold up the skewers. A+ for food presentation. A+ for the taste of the pho. A+ for customer service. Clean and modern interior. read more

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I love this place!! I was not a fan of Pho until I found Roots Bistro. I had tried it at a few other places and it was just ok, nothing I would crave. Once I found Roots Bistro I crave and have Pho there at least once a week. I am picky about the quality of food I eat. I usually pick fresh and organic. I find the food here to be of a high quality and always fresh. I usually order the rare Wagyu steak (and add a side of more Wagyu). Sometimes I order Wagyu with the Brisket. Both are delicious. My daughter loves the grilled pork and egg rolls over vermicelli noodles. My son tried one of the sizzling steak plates and really enjoyed it, and he is hard to please. My husband had the fried chicken plate and said it was very tasty. The Black Thai Iced tea is always amazing. Everything is very reasonably priced. I would highly recommend. There is plenty of parking on the backside of the restaurant and the walkway from the back is next to Roots Bistro. read more

Stop by Roots Bistro if you want amazing authentic Vietnamese food. The pho and environment are Top Notch. David offered great customer service as well read more

Pho was off the hook! Perfect portions of meat, sprouts, noodles, etc. and broth that was sooooooo good. As Pho goes, it simply doesn't get any better. The grilled pork spring rolls with peanut sauce - those go on the list of best things I've ever eaten. They were absolute perfection. Great vibe in the restaurant - it's clean and has a great modern design. And the service was excellent - helpful, friendly, but not pushy. All in all just fantastic. I can't point to a single thing that I would change about my dining experience here today. read more

First time at this restaurant and will definitely be back. They had a favorite dish in our family that is hard to find. They updated the dish a little, while keeping all the authentic flavors and pieces. Ambiance was nice , and their customer service was great. Looking forward to bringing the family to try it. read more

Roots Bistro - Bánh canh - Vietnamese Udon - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Solid Vietnamese food here! We did take out and ordered egg rolls, baby back ribs, and grilled pork. All super delicious , especially the ribs. Everything was still hot and the order was accurate. This restaurant is def on our regular rotation now. Super easy parking since it's at the plant. Lots of places to eat there but this one is a gem. Will be back soon. read more

I think they rely heavily on their "wagyu" marketing to draw a crowd. Decent pho base but inconsistent flavor and portioning between visits. Very good when good, and not good when not. Broth strength varied from watery to very savory beefy good. One visit, the meatball was "funky" tasting due to a substitute supplier. Good thing I had a coffee to wash away the yuck. Spring and crispy rolls are good. The giant wonton on a stick is fun once. read more

First of all - a big thank you for Bao and his team at Roots Bistro for hosting our family for a private lunch event in May! Our group was roughly ~40 people and everybody was extremely happy with the food and venue. Bao worked with us to create a buffet-style menu and served us many of their dishes. For appetizers, we had various spring rolls (goi cuon), chicken salad (goi ga), and their oversized pork wontons (with their spicy mayo sauce). Other dishes included grilled pork with vermicelli noodles, stir fried vegetarian chow mein, and their bo luc lac (shaking beef!) with red rice. The meal was accompanied by mix greens salad and dessert too. I loved their take on banana CHE CHUOI! I really enjoyed the food as they took many Vietnamese favorites and added their creative spin on it. The dishes used bold flavors such as wasabi/horseradish and turmeric while still maintaining traditional Vietnamese flavors. Overall, really tasty. I can't give enough credit to Bao, he's a very nice guy and his staff was wonderful. We really appreciated the hospitality! Whether you're looking for catering or bulk order OR in the area for lunch, definitely give Roots Bistro a try. read more

The food is good. But the service was lacking. Despite asking me multiple times about our order it still came out wrong. We were the only group in the restaurant at that time. Rice platters came out nearly half hour after the noodle soups which is unacceptable. The Soup was cold by the time everyone could eat. Also suggested tip values on the receipt should be in subtotal not on final total. read more