“I went here with my friend around Tuesday at noon and this place was packed! There was only one poor guy manning the entire front and he was definitely overwhelmed. This definitely echoed my experience when I went to White Elephant Thai restaurant (see my review and as this is a sister restaurant, I can't say that I'm surprised. I do feel bad for the servwe as he was waiting on tables, taking orders, and also preparing orders for delivery services too! When it comes to the food, it was definitely great that it was the sister restaurant of White Elephant because the quality, great portion sizes, and authentic flavor is all still there! We ordered the crab fried rice, pad see ew with beef, pad Thai with chicken, and another pad Thai with beef (we were planning dinner to go too hehe). The food came out pretty quick and had tons of flavor. Loved the quality and portions of the food here. As for ambiance, the restaurant is pretty small and has some cool murals on the two main walls. It was pretty packed and people were even waiting outside during this prime weekday lunchtime. As for parking, there is street parking so could be hit or miss! Overall, will definitely come back but would suggest more help for the staff in the front for better efficiency!“
“No frills Chinese restaurant located in the heart of downtown. The menu is fairly extensive for the size of the restaurant, so there are plenty of options for everyone.Service tends to get a little backed up, depending on how busy the restaurant is and also the amount of takeout orders they have. Came here on a weeknight, and almost every single table was full. They also had a ton of takeout orders.I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. I love their tofu dishes, and I would highly recommend the chicken wings.Parking is either street parking, or there are public lots around as well.“
“We love this restaurant! This is one of the only places in town that does a good mussamun curry with a choice of protein. Most places require you to order it with beef, but Siam Spoon lets you pick any protein! I've had it with tofu, and my partner has had it with chicken, both are great. The Thai samosa appetizer is delicious. I've also enjoyed all of their various noodle dishes. They are consistently fantastic.“
“Between their 2,169 reviews (and counting) and the fact that this is the third Ben Tre that I've written about, it'd be fair to say that whatever I write isn't exactly going to be groundbreaking. Really, what are the odds it would be anything that hasn't already been said before? And yet...here we are. Not because I think what I have to add is so important, but because I just think Ben Tre is just awesome! Granted, nothing that I've had is the best that I've had before, but it'd be hard to find something as consistently good across multiple trips and multiple locations as what Ben Tre has to offer! Compared to their spot in Millbrae (and their now-shuttered location in San Mateo), this Ben Tre looks pretty generic. However, what it lacks in trendy or eye-catching decor, Ben Tre makes up for in the basic fact that it is super clean. Also, and most importantly, their all too familiar menu is full of the same tried and true favorites that all of their locations have to offer - a bunch of appetizers, including less common dishes like Banh Xeo (Vietnamese crepe) and fried quail, pho, various noodle soups, bun/vermicelli bowls, rice plates (including their awesome yellow rice), claypots, vegetarian dishes, soups, salads, and garlic noodles. In all, their menu has something for just about every taste! -- (#1) BEN TRE APPETIZER COMBINATION - Imperial Roll, Shrimp Roll, Grilled Pork Meatball, Sugarcane & Crispy Shrimp, Rice Vermicelli, and Lettuce...$19.95 ( I've long wanted to try this, so I was stoked when my friend suggested splitting an order. Of the bunch, I thought the imperial was the best followed closely by the pork meatball. Honestly, though, nothing about this was bad. -- (#28) CA RI GA - Chicken Curry Noodle Soup...$17.95 ( Not quite as good as the one I used to always get in Millbrae, but still pretty solid. While the curry isn't as rich and robust (it's a bit thin), the chunks of chicken are both big and juicy and the noodles have a nice bite to them. -- (#18) PHO TAI CHIN - Beef Noodle Soup with Rare Beef & Well Done Brisket...$16.95 ( Such a basic dish, I know, but still great! The portion is fairly generous, the noodles are tender, and there's a good meat to noodle ratio. The broth is the best part, though (rich, not fatty), so it's hard to go wrong with any of their pho choices. Also, even though I haven't tried them at this Ben Tre, I would assume that some of my favorites at their Millbrae location are just as good here, like their Bun Rieu (Tomato & Crab Pho), Pho Thit/Tom Nuong (BBQ Pork, Beef, or Shrimp with Bowl of Pho Noodle Soup), and their Ben Tre Com Vang & Thit Dac Biet (Yellow Rice with BBQ Pork or BBQ Beef). And that's without even mentioning some of the other dishes on the menu that have caught my eye, such as their Bo Buc Lac (Shaking Beef) and Com Vang Tay Cam (House Special Yellow Rice in Claypot). After all, why would I have any reason to doubt the OG location of the Ben Tre/Gao Vietnamese empire?“