Love the food at Huong Tra. It is authentic Vietnamese food. Although parking can be challenging,…read moreis worth finding a spot. I have been coming to Huong Tra for many years. I am surprised I have never reviewed it. Recently, I did a small catering order with the owner. She was very accommodating and pleasant to work with. Since they do not offer a catering menu, the order is based on how many items you want. I ordered 12 chicken and 12 pork sandwiches; And 20 orders of pork eggrolls. Everything was split in halves and tasted fantastic. My guests were very happy.

Dry egg noodles with broth is only served at this Vietnamese restaurant as far as I know in the…read moreEast Bay. It's supposed to be a Vietnamese street dish. It is like a pho but dry. It's like a pho salad. It has tons of bean sprouts underneath the noodles and a lot of deep fried garlic pieces that make the noodles taste like Hong Kong crunchy noodles. At first I thought the egg noodles were fried. It was crunchy and there wasn't a lot of noodles but mostly a lot of sprouts and herbs. There were a lot of fatty barbecue pieces that I did not eat. I enjoyed one shrimp and one piece of squid. There were a ton of fake crab meat. The side soup was very nice and hot but had a taste of chicken fat and lots of salt and MSG. The noodle dish is extremely tasty and doesn't need any addition of soup. This was excellent on a hot day after a nice hike at Tilden Park. My husband ordered the same dish as me at my recommendation and loved it. My friend had their chow fun with seafood and barbecue. She enjoyed it and it was a generous amount so she took home half. This place is not shy about using MSG and the food is very salty and strong tasting. I find the dishes much cheaper than other Vietnamese restaurants. My dish was only $13.50. That's very cheap since it was full of herbs and seafood. Service is very efficient when they're not busy. No frills. Service is very slow when it's busy. Most of their customers are people who are coming here during their office lunch break during the weekdays. I noticed it was very quiet on a weekend. I'm still going to go back to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Berkeley next time I am in the area, Phosho Dough.

I usually only write negative yelp reviews but decided that this place could get a boost. This…read moreplace is my savior haha. I love their beef pho broth - it is flavorful and clean. Now, others might like the broth to be fatty, but I personally don't. I love how it's clean and as someone who is picky with meat, I love how the rare steak is always fresh, clean, and so tender. It is my pet peeve when the beef is too chewy or has too much fat. This place is my go to for hangover days or just whenever I need a pick me up. It doesn't make me as thirsty as other places as well, I think they use minimal or no MSG. If I had to give one advice, it would be nice to get some more green onion and cilantro, but not the biggest deal.

So it's the 4th of July and my fave pho place is closed. These guys were open...hadn't been in a…read morelong time, and since the last time I was here they've covered the patio which is nice. It used to get super hot outside. The food is pretty good and about the same price as similar establishments on San Pablo. I had the beef pho (I like it without tendon, beef ball, etc) and the broth was great, the noodles bouncy and it came with all the basil, sprouts, jalapeño and citrus I could want. We also got what they call egg rolls which were like imperial rolls in regular egg roll wrappers. They were decent. Daughter got combination bun which she liked a lot. 3 stars cuz I had to use the bathroom which was absolutely horrifying. They have 2 bathrooms. I opened the door to one and had to shut it really fast. I just edited out details because you don't want to read that.

Still my favorite go to banh mi spot, friendly workers, great prices. My favorite order is the #8…read morebanh mi with a viet iced coffee They also sell trays of other kinds of foods depending on the time of day (egg rolls, spring rolls, banh cuon, etc). This is only a takeaway spot and there's parking

Tried out the Banh Mi Ba Le in El Cerrito because it was time for lunch and we were too far from…read moreour regular spot on International Boulevard to make it there before their mid-afternoon closing time. I had high hopes given the name and the largely positive Yelp reviews. I'd liken my assessment of this shop to that of a teacher who instructs students from the same family in different classes: Even though objectively you know that each person (or sandwich) should stand on their own merits or lack thereof, it is hard not to compare, especially if a prior experience was so stellar that it set a standard for the brand. This Banh Mi Ba Le is located in a small, humble strip mall occupied by an array of mom-and-pop shops, including a nail salon, electronics repair store and various ethnic restaurants. There are parking spaces in front of the stores, as well as along San Pablo Avenue. The shop is a small, no-frills spot offering an array of takeaway pre-packaged Vietnamese food, cold drinks and made-to-order sandwiches. Upon entering, an older man with a proprietary air was the only visible staff person. I asked if this spot is related to the one on International; he said that that one is run by his niece. Food and beverages in front of the counter are self-service. I ordered my go-to sammie on International, the BBQ chicken (coincidentally the number nine, both here and on International). The pricing for that sandwich is comparable: $6.50 in El Cerrito, $6.30 in Oakland. The El Cerrito version was solid, but not as good as the one from the hood. Even though I was quite hungry, I was not that interested in the second half of the banh mi. The bread lacked the crispness of the one on International and the chicken, though flavorful, was more chopped up and, well, mushy, like chunk canned chicken. I like a little kick, but had to remove the jalapenos slices after a few bites because they were too powerful. As for the service, when we arrived in the early afternoon on a Saturday, we were the only customers. Almost immediately after we entered, the man behind the counter made eye contact, ready to take our order, eager to serve. Within minutes, we left with a bag of carefully wrapped and bagged sandwiches. Overall, it was a fine experience, but, since the sandwiches were mediocre, I'd not go out of my way for another visit.

Good food options. Very friendly staff…read more I especially enjoy the outside seating and Marina view. Pet friendly.

Great food but really loud. Came to celebrate my uncle's birthday and there was plenty on the menu…read morefor the group. Started with the fried calamari, spring rolls and fried shrimp. The calamari was the hit, light but crispy. There was a assortment of mains but the highlight were the garlic noodles with protein-chicken and shrimp. So garlicky and flavorful! Also had their pork belly, lemongrass chicken, and beef bun. Good but on the saltier side. Service was quick and friendly.

I loveee Kim's. It's my go to everytime I'm back home from school! Their lemongrass chicken…read moresandwich is me and my family's fav and their vermicelli bowl is always packed to the brim! I can eat it for 2 meals! Always a good place to go to grab some sandwiches and have a little picnic!

I haven't gotten Kim's Cafe out of my mind and I want to go back! They have a cute little - if a…read morebit cramped - covered parklet on Solano Ave. The lemongrass chicken banh mi was full of really good and flavorful chicken. Honestly I wish I'd only eaten that. The salad roll with shrimp is basically a shrimp fresh roll that comes with dipping sauce. It's also pretty great. Then there was the vermicelli with beef. I was not a fan. I wish it came with nuoc cham. The beef was pretty dried out. This is the first time I've ordered this dish anywhere and not liked it. If only the bahn mi - 5 stars Because i had beef vermicelli bowl - 4 stars

Larb Thai Food & Tapas is one of my favorite Thai places in the East Bay. The crispy rice salad is…read moreincredible -- super crunchy and full of flavor. I also love the larb, the boat noodles, and pretty much anything from the skewers section. It's absolutely banging and definitely one of the most authentic Thai spots in this area. This is the kind of place you almost want to keep to yourself, but it honestly deserves the recognition.

Amazing authentic Thai food ! Service was fast and friendly…read moreatmosphere. Order fish cake; papaya salad;

If you are willing to drive out a bit, there are surely better Vietnamese options than Pho Saigon…read more However, as one of the few restaurants I frequent regularly, it is honestly a solid middle of the road option that provides reliable and decent experience, even if not a great one. Because it is located in the Pacific East Mall with 99 Ranch, Pho Saigon has become a regular option I turn to when the weather (or my stomach) calls for it. You will find it near the back of the mall, and the place feels a little dated like an old school Asian family restaurant. It hits the spot when you are in a pinch for Viet staples like pho or vermicelli rice dishes, but as stated earlier, it's not where you go if you're looking for standout Vietnamese food. The value is decent, especially if you get the large pho. The service is generally pretty quick and friendly. While not my favorite, I still want Pho Saigon to be an option I return to, I'm giving it a slightly higher rating knowing full well that negative reviews can hurt business.

We enjoy coming to eat whenever we come to this plaza. It has been our little family ritual. My…read morekids enjoy the food, we 98% end up ordering the same thing. Our com suon and pho dac biet, we would ask for bowls for the kids because they like to eat a little bit of both. My kids starts with the pho and ends with the com suon. My bf and I like combining at 3 sauces as our dip, the hoisin sauce, Chili oil and Sriracha. The parking here is easy, there's always seats available, food comes out pretty fast, servers are nice, and when you are done, you pay at the cash wrap. Whenever you try to switch our typical order, the other stuff on the menu is just okay.

This is a cute little noodle and tea house that really hit the spot. I was craving noodles, and…read morethey definitely delivered. I ordered the Canton Seafood Stir Fry, which came with plenty of seafood and fresh-tasting noodles. The portion was generous, and everything came together really well. My husband ordered the Sweet & Sour Chicken, and he really enjoyed it too. It even came with rice, which feels like a nice bonus these days! Another pleasant surprise--they serve wine, too! We'll definitely keep this place in mind the next time we're craving noodles.

just made it !!$11.95 lunch specials Monday-Friday 11am- 2:30pm !!!…read more I love all the vegetarian/vegan options, so tasty & most are on the lunch specials !! W/take out you get a sampling of fried salted peanuts !! The tasty soup is in its own container separate from the chewy noodles & tasty gluten puffs & mushrooms so it travels well !! Service so quick & pleasant, it's always very zen in this space