Monroe Avenue has become Rochester's Asian food Mecca. Sea is in the top tier of those places. SEA blends Vietnamese and Thai cuisine (which are very similar to begin with). I love SEA's pho and their Vietnamese coffee is pretty good (though Taste of Asia's is better). They also have a pretty good vermicelli pad thai. I like their spring rolls, though I prefer veggie rolls, the pork and shrimp combo is nice. I'm currently on the pho tour of 2013. A good friend has told me that New Ming's is better but I'll be the judge of that (since she's a vegetarian and I'm a meatetarian). read more

SEA is everything I want it to be. While it's busy and small, I've never had to wait for a table. The service is attentive and the food is prompt. You can get a giant bowl of pho, noodles, or other Vietnamese dish for between $6-$8. Most recently (yesterday) I ordered the vermicelli noodles with chicken and peanut sauce. The noodles were room temperature and the meat was hot, but the mix of temperatures pleased my palette. The sauce is served on the side so you can mix it in as you eat. Be sure to mix up the bowl, as all of the bean sprouts and veggies are under the noodles. I devoured half of my large serving and took the rest home for leftovers. Oh yeah! I have leftovers in the fridge! So glad I wrote this review. read more

Of the places I've tried, SEA is the best pho in Rochester so far. Their food is consistently excellent, and the prices are more than reasonable. The service is pretty good. Once in a while you have to wave down a server, but it's not too often, and the servers are friendly about it. If you're looking for a refined dining experience, this is not the place. If you're looking for great Vietnamese food made quickly in a casual setting with good service, SEA is the place to go. read more

Sea is one of my all time favorite restaurants in Rochester. I may be the odd man out posting here about something other than the Pho (I've never actually had it at Sea) but I've never been disappointed by any of the dishes I've tried. My favorite is the curried chicken or beef which is made to perfection: the perfect balance of sweetness and mild spice served with al dente cooked veggies over rice. The food is very distinct and unlike much of the other Asian cuisine around Rochester (which i have trouble distinguishing restaurant to restaurant sometimes) As for the restaurant itself, the only reason I dropped a star is because it's a bit small and customer turn over can be slow if you're not there at a quiet time. There is no where to wait really if no tables are open and the area is a bit sketchy if you decide to wander until a table opens. read more

This place is so good and so reasonable in price. We got two teriyaki chicken appetizers, beef brisket pho and the sea food pho. For 22 dollars! Chicken teriyaki was fresh, flavorful and excellent in texture and presentation. Pho was such a good deal - huge bowls, decent amount of meat inside and tasty in general! Service was also good! read more

The right amount of pho. I felt just great. Not salty like others that I had tried in the past. I ordered the small steak pho which came with the traditional basil, lime, and bean sprouts. I love Vietnamese hot pho on a wintry day. It is right across from the church that I visited and so glad that I did stop in. There is a bit of wait like 5 minutes. When we came around lunch time, it was pretty packed. You might need to wait at high frequency times. read more

SEA has been a small piece of home away from home for me. Hailing from New York City, Asian restaurants are far and few in Rochester (in comparison to NYC) and not all of them are very good. Luckily for me (and the rest of Rochester), SEA offers great Viet fare at prices that are manageable for a college student. I usually get the their beef special pho and it has never failed me. The broth is salty and savory and really hits the spot on a cold winter evening. The spring and summer rolls are also pretty good. And every time I stop by, I always order the Thai iced tea. I don't think it's the best I ever had, but it's good enough for me. I mean, there aren't many places in Rochester where you can get Thai iced tea. The service has always been very friendly and warm here. Sometimes there is only one waitress with a full house of customers, but even on those days, I've never been ignored or sneered at. Honestly, I think the waitresses here are really sweet and accommodating. So, if you're looking for Vietnamese food in Rochester, look no further. SEA Restaurant is the place to try. read more

I had friends that used to spend a lot of time near this place, so we would come here very often. We would get Pho, and fried squid, and Pad Thai, and have a good time. Now SEA has expanded to other locations, and also has gotten more competition! Other places have popped up around the city that serve Pho and other Vietnamese delicacies. Because my friends have moved on from that end of Monroe Ave, I haven't been to SEA in a while. Big Mistake! SEA's Pho is still one of the best you can get in the city, a flavorful broth and good amount of meats, and their squid is still salty and spicy and delicious! I will not make the mistake again, going back to SEA soon! Especially now that the weather is getting colder. This location is the original location, and it's tiny! Come early! read more

Perspective...great pho for Rochester...and better than NYC. Just sayin'. It's a delicious broth. A good amount of noodles and a good amount of meat. Maybe someday I'll have to come back and try the rest of the menu, but my friends all said their food was good and #cleanplateclub. It's a great place for Vietnamese and Thai food. Small place (so be aware of the busy lunch/dinner rushes). They're pretty quick and have pretty good service. Also, if you need parking, they have some in the back. TLDR: I'd come back for the pho read more

ZOMG! I just moved back to Rochester from the San Francisco Bay Area where I developed a love for pho. I hoped, but didn't expect to be able to find any reasonable pho in the area. The other reviews about SEA were pretty spot on. The pho was great. Very flavorful. Actually, it was MUCH better than anything I was able to find in the East Bay. I usually like to start with some fresh spring rolls, but I don't recommend the ones at SEA. The Thai iced tea was very good. Prices are typical of Vietnamese restaurants and were very reasonable. A large bowl of pho tai gau was only $6.50 (as of 8/11/09). The menu is somewhat limited, but I'd prefer that they stick to doing a smaller number of dishes really well, than try to do everything. Atmosphere was decent and parking was fine on the side street. The staff was very nice and the place was kid friendly. I brought a 3 and 5 year old. Spring rolls aside, I am officially naming SEA my new favorite restaurant in Rochester as of today. read more

I'm from New York City. So I have my share of experience with ethnic foods, and, in turn, Vietnamese food as well. I was craving some Pho the other day, and I looked this place up. My friends have recommended this place, saying good things, and I went in expecting decent food, but nothing to the caliber of NYC Vietnamese eats. I came out pleasantly surprised. The Pho was delicious! The broth was on-spot (it tasted exactly as I hoped it would), and the meats put into the noodle soup were awesome. However, I am used to each bowl getting one plate of raw veggies and herbs, and here they served just one. It didn't end up being an issue in the end, however. We also all ordered orders of the spring roll (which I've heard be called summer rolls elsewhere, the cold type), and I feel like they used a bit too much lettuce and not enough noodles inside them, but in the end they were also delicious, especially with the peanut sauce they served. I cannot attest to the quality of their specialty drinks, as I did not try them, however, but my buddy said that the salty plum soda was salty, although he said he would prefer it to be a bit more sour. Also, I ordered a Pad Thai to go, and compared to all the other Pad Thais I've had here in Rochester, it was much better. I would definitely still recommend the Pho over anything else though. In all, the delicious food and the amazing prices will definitely have me going back here one of these cold winter days. read more

Delicious beef special pho! Excellent flavorful broth but the meatballs looked processed and I just could not try them. Aside from that It was perfect really. I also had a pineapple bubble tea smoothie which I'm so happy to report was delicious and runner up to my favorite bubble tea shop in Toronto!!! Great shop for soups and bubble tea read more

SEA Restaurant - Beef special pho and pineapple bubble tea smoothie - Vietnamese Near Me - Rochester, New York

To earn 4 stars or more a place needs to have all the merits that makes a good restaurant, and although the food was good, the setting, the service and overall experience left me wondering why this place got 5 stars. The place is pretty banged up with worn out furniture and scuffed walls. Server dumped 3 large glasses of water in the middle of the table with 3 sets of utensils. Never asked if we wanted tea or other drinks. The menu is simple and has what's expected. We ordered the fresh rolls, decent size, the sauce had a nice kick to it. My wife and daughter usually split a large bowl or Pho, but there was no option for a large on the menu, after discussing sizes with the server, she informs us that they do have extra large bowls. Good!. The meal itself was good, plenty of meat in the soup, fully satisfied. But then you sit in front of your empty, dirty dishes until you leave. They will not clean the table while you sit there.. The server had to stretch over the table and dirty dishes to set down the check. Good food, but I will not return. Next time in Rochester I'll try another place. read more

We have been to SEA a bunch of times. Spring rolls (fried) are awesome! We want to try them fresh. Love the pho - we get it with just the raw beef, which cooks just lightly in the rich, flavorful broth. I love the lime, bean sprouts, basil, veggies and spicy sauce added to it. Noodles aren't a must for me, especially the # they give to you, but some are nice. Great that you can control exactly what you put in the broth!! We also like the pad Thai. Sauce is light, but flavorful. Again, add the lime! Husband has tried other dishes on several other occasions and always enjoyed them. Try the Thai iced tea - its a real treat! Prices are pretty good too. read more

Pho-nominal!!! Sea Restaurant has no bells and whistles just real authentic food South Eastern Asian food. I went to SEA about 6 times before I even tried the Pho .... I'll never get those 6 visits back and after my first pho experience I'll never order anything else. Though I'm not well versed in Asian cuisine I know a good dish when I try one. The Pho at SEA is where it's at. Pho, is a broth (beef or chicken) based dish filled with rice noodles, vegetables, cilantro, bean sprouts and your choice of protein. Pho can be modified to your liking which is why I keep going back for more..Pho in beef broth (bad vegetarian!) with tofu, broccoli and zucchini with sprouts loaded with sriracha and hoisen sauce. done and done. Pho is perfect on a snowy Rochester day, a rainy Saturday afternoon and even serves as a cure for a hangover! Located on the corner of Monroe Ave and Rutgers Street (the old Basta Pasta) SEA is your classic "hole in the wall." Street parking only, a cramped dining room and absolutely no aesthetic but oh sooooo good. read more

You will not be disappointed eating here! Everything on the menu tastes great and is always seasoned well. For first-timers, I would recommend the spring rolls with the peanut sauce (appetizer) and the #12 pho bowl :) read more

SEA Restaurant - #12 Brisket & Rare Steak Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Rochester, New York

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I go here every time I'm in Rochester. Small cute restautant. The egg rolls are really good with the fish sauce $3.50. Not big like chinese egg rolls. The house rice $8.50 is a big portion with a lot of meat (chicken, sausage, shrimp) and a lot of flavor!! Add soy and its perf. Def a reg here! read more

If you're a fan of Pho, you came to the right place. I would drive out of my way to get the Pho here. The broth is absolutely AMAZING!!! I always order the large bowl every time I'm around the area & always leave with the bowl empty-I mean, completely empty. For those who have never tried Pho before, go to this place & you won't regret it. Of course they have other great dishes but being a "Pho-natic" (hmm...I wonder if that's trademarked), my review is more on the Pho. Friendly staff, the owners definitely know what they're doing. It can get busy at times so it can be crowded but hey, what good place isn't. Next time I'm in the Rochester area, you'll know where to find me. Hope you guys enjoy the food there as much as I do. read more

It took me over a year of living in the Lower Monroe area to finally visit SEA. To me, it is one of a lot of places on Monroe between Goodman and Culver that you see as you pass by on your way to somewhere else and never end up making the effort to order from or stop at. Between parking issues and nondescript exteriors, you need to make an effort or already know you're getting something good to find your way to them. I'm happy I made the effort and have found a solid option for some damn tasty Vietnamese food when I want Asian takeout. The mixed fried rice is light with plenty of veggies and meats (shrimp, Chinese sausage and chicken) and the fried squid is the easily one of the best I've had. The squid is tender and the batter was really flavorful with plenty of salt and pepper. We had the pho the last time and they did a solid job with the takeout version. Everything was separated properly and the broth was flavorful if a bit too heavy on the 5 spice side. All the meats were tasty but we were a bit light on the meatballs we ordered. Will be back again to sample more of the menu.....definitely worth the effort. read more

A college town hole-in-the-wall summed up in five words: delicious, filling, reasonable and rooster sauce. The calamari app is special--what is that subtle taste in the breading? So lightly sweet, I just can't place it, something to do with my childhood. Finally, the third time I ordered, I realized the flavor. read more

Love this place! Pho is really good and my girlfriend loves the Pad Thai! Try to stop here every time we are in the Roc! read more

I think this restaurant is awesome..My boy friend and I went on Saturday afternoon December 11 2021 the Food was great..the waiter. Was very nice. It was our first time there.And .We will go there Again. Don & Jannie read more

The pho is delicious and very affordable! -- Especially for their large serving sizes -- Every time I've gone the restaurant is pretty full, which is a bit rough since the space isn't all that big. Nevertheless, eating there has always been a pleasant experience. read more

Hands down the best Pho in town. Can't speak to the rest of the menu, I keep on meaning to try it, but I keep ordering the Pho. If you've not ever had Pho - you should go here and try it. read more

I went to SEA last night because everyone was raving about the pho. After trying it, my reaction is "meh." Perhaps you need to have a pre-existing love of pho to appreciate it. Pho is long squishy noodles roughly the texture of jellyfish and flat, tender-but-tasteless meat floating around in broth. There's also a vegetable or two in there somewhere, and at SEA, it comes with a side of bean sprouts, a wedge of lime, and some other optional optional mix-ins. My partner actually got the pho, and he thought it was good-not-great. That is until the very end, when he squeezed in the lime. Though the soup didn't taste like lime, it changed the dish enough that suddenly, it was worth coming back for. I got the BBQ pork and rice, which was exceptionally tasty (I added soy sauce to the rice, which matched perfectly). The dish came with some iceberg lettuce, raw tomato, and raw cucumbers, which I wasn't 100% sure what to do with, so I just left them there. But I was desperately in need of some (cooked) veggies to break up the pork and rice. The spring rolls, though, were beyond compare. Perfect texture, perfect temperature, perfect everything. I'll be back for the spring rolls. After we ordered, the waitress brought out a plate full of bean sprouts and two little dishes of oily dressing. We were puzzled. "Excuse me," Mike asked the waitress, "What are we supposed to do with these?" -- "This (bean sprouts) is for the soup you ordered, and these (dressing) are for the spring rolls." Oooh. So we weren't supposed to dip the bean sprouts in the oil. Didn't taste half bad, though. read more

I had BBQ Beef with fried rice. The beef was very overcooked -- almost crispy -- and the BBQ sauce was pretty much burned off or charred to the meat, and had no flavor. This was very disappointing in a southeast asian restaurant. The fried rice was great, the staff was nice, and my food came quickly. I thought the menu was a little limited. I don't live in this neighborhood so I probably will not seek out SEA again. read more

A great experience, casual, low-key, lots of locals. We had spring rolls, fried squid, the beef special pho and eye round steak pho, and every item was great, flavorful, large portions, etc. Enough said. read more

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Outstanding place, the best Pho in Rochester. Small place, great service and the cost is just right. Not over priced like other places along Monroe Ave. read more

Best pho around. Spring rolls are great, services is good. Best home made pho made with real ingredients, the tripe and beef is unbeatable.

The waiting is wayyyyyyyyy too long, we waited about 20 mins, and it was about 2pm, they need more stuff! Don't come here if u r really hungry. read more

I think this is one of the very few places (or maybe the only place) to taste great Pho soup in Rochester. I have tried every single one of them - I would recommend paying up the extra $1 and getting a larger portion. Parking is still a nightmare on Monroe but, hey, it's totally worth it! read more

Well worth the 20 minute trek from downtown ROC. The place is in a sorta artsy-funky neighborhood southeast of downtown. I had no problem walking there, or finding the place. Modest decor with seat-yourself simplicity. Menu and water brought almost immediately. I had read about the pho, and that's what I wanted, so I ordered a bowl of the $6.75 stuff. Beef tenderloin, served with a couple stalks of freshly picked basil, a pile of bean sprouts, sliced jalepenos and lime wedges. The soup arrived in 4 minutes. Big bowl of meat and noodles floating in a fantastic broth. Here's the deal with pho: the broth either is right or the pho isn't great. This broth was spot on. I prefer to mix in the basil, bean sprouts and lime, then shoot some rooster sauce in there (on the table) to make it perfectly to my liking. With broth as hearty and flavorful as this, it really was splendid. I felt great slurping up every last drop of this stuff. Very satisfying. Friendly staff, too. If all you order is the pho here, you won't be disappointed. No, I didn't try anything else, though many other patrons were enjoying what else the menu had to offer. The place was busy, but not packed. I went about 1pm. In and out in 25 minutes. $9 with a generous tip. I'll be coming back. read more

Extremely reasonably priced. Great food. Friendly service. Fast. What else do you want. I come every week. read more

SEA Restaurant - Deep fried squid. Delicious! - Vietnamese Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Excellent pho for a chilly Rochester day- stopped in while visiting a friend and reliving college glory day (UR alum here). It was quick, delicious, and inexpensive. Loved the chicken Pho (#14) and egg rolls. I definitely plan to stop by again the next time I'm on Rochester! read more

SEA Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Rochester, New York

Friendly staff and nice vibe inside. I went there specifically for the Pho, The pho tasted like old broth mixed with cheap beef broth, no flavor , with 4 pieces of beef . I don't recommend. read more

Delicious & authentic Vietnamese food. Clean & well organized... excellent service. Great place - perhaps one of the only places in Rochester- to get Pho. We dine here at least monthly. read more

If for no other reason at all, the food here is so amazing. It's authentic, delicious, and decently priced; what more can you ask for? Well, the customer service is also pretty great. The staff is friendly and even during busy hours, service is consistently quick. The only potential draw back, and I say potential because I have yet to encounter this, is that the dining room itself is fairly small. If you have a bigger party I would definitely call ahead and usually they will hold a table for you if you're on the way. I would 210% recommend SEA to anyone, and it's one of the restaurants I always look forward to visiting when I am in Rochester to see family. Tips: definitely get the fried calamari as an appetizer, it's so good!! My favorite dishes here consist of the seafood pho, bun house vermicelli, and pad thai. But you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. read more

I have been to SEA roughly six times over the last 3 months and will be returning soon. SEA was my second experience with pho and I cannot get enough of that savory broth. I am torn between the special pho including tendon, tripe, flank and meatballs and the flank and meatball. The broth needs no help but a squirt or two of sriracha and a touch of hoisin really elevates this meal. The fried spring rolls were pretty nice as well. SEA is usually pretty busy for dinner no matter the day. The tiny restaurant fills up fast but they turn tables relatively quickly so I have never waited. The service can disappear at times. It's not uncommon to get your meal and not get your servers attention again until you make it very obvious that you are ready for the bill. Conserve your water if it is a busy night. The waitresses are all very young and friendly so I'll look the other way on the service. With excellent food and generous portions for only $6.50, SEA is really a great value despite its shortcomings. read more

My friend brought me here after my new obsession with Pho! It is great here. Portions are HUGE (without even upgrading to the larger bowl) and their broth is phenomenal. The spring rolls were just as delicious, with a side of amazing dipping sauce! Service as great, would definitely recommend to friends and family. read more

One of my favorite places in Rochester. A couple of items worth noticing on the menu apart from the excellent pho which I will get to later. The fried squid appetizer is amazing, spicy with a hint of curry coating and deep fried, the downside is that the portion is small for the price. Also the pad tai is excellent, salty and savory not sweet like most places. The pho here is the best in Rochester, for a dollar more you get the extra large portion that can surely satisfy any appetite. All of the pho choices are really good given the cheap price. The place is clean, waiters are friendly, service can be slow at times especially during lunch and dinner times, but can be easily overlooked because the food is so great. You can have an excellent meal for 2 for almost under 20 dollars and that is an outstanding price at any standard. read more