“Tamarine is a upscale Vietnamese restaurant in Palo Alto. The last time I came here, I thought all of the dishes were amazing. After this time, I think it's a bit overpriced for the quality of food, but the service is definitely on-par. FOOD [3.5/5] =========== + Empress Rice (3/5) For the price of $15, I thought this dish was too expensive. It's great sticky rice but the seasoning is weak and the egg was overcooked. + Ha Long Bay Soup (3/5) I ordered this because the reviews said this was a really good soup but unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it at all. It was way too sour for my liking and we couldn't end up finishing the dish because it was just that sour. + Banh Mi Roti (3/5) The roti was great! The dipping sauce was okay. It wasn't as flavorful as I thought it would be. + Shaking Beef (4/5) Really tender beef. Was a little disappointed because even though the meat was cooked well, I thought this was a really simple dish for the price. SERVICE [5/5] =========== No complaints about service! They were very attentive, changed out our plates after every course with perfect timing, and very friendly.“
“The food wasn't bad. It was quite delightful. But one thing that I would recommend to the restaurant is to put more condiments on the tables. Such as soy sauce and fish sauce. Some people like it saltier than others. It would have boosted my rating for the restaurant if it had those two condiments. But other than that. Food was good and fresh.“
“Honestly so impressed with our entire dining experience here! The food was fresh and delicious with perfect textures and dimensions, the house made hot oil was awesome, the service was friendly, helpful, and quick, and the atmosphere was nice - low lighting, pretty wood accents, and not overly noisy. Do yourself a favor and try the Shanghai butter tofu appetizer. We will be back!“
“I ordered food via a food delivery app. I was happy how they packaged the food. I ordered a tofu and Veggie Bahn mi which was rubber banded and wrapped in the usual paper. I ordered a veggie eggroll vermicelli and it was packaged in a plastic clamshell. I also ordered a thai iced tea with coconut milk. The hole was taped closed and bagged separately from the food. I enjoyed both my sandwich and vermicelli. The sandwich had a mayo and flavor that I wasn't familiar with, but it wasn't bad. The tofu was fried and filled with veggie. It was great, I finished it all. I also enjoyed the vermicelli. The carton used for fish sauce was just enough for me. Three eggrolls is very generous; I enjoyed the cabbage and mushroom filling. Since they were not precut, I picked it up and ate it in between noodle bites.“
“Yes it's simple but yes it's good. Wholesome sandwich packed with pockets of flavor and complimentary kettle cooked potato chips. You don't get THAT many chips but it's a nice touch. OG was my pick here here. I'm sure you can find better bahn mi sandwiches but there's nothing wrong with anything they're serving here. FYI watch out for the hot green pepper they include with the sandwich it might take some people by surprise.“
“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?“
“A great BYO Asian bowl spot on Stanford campus! The place is pretty popular with students, so there tends to be a line around lunchtime. Bowls are around $12, all meats are the same price. There is no seating inside, just grab and go, but there are some nice seating areas right outside.I had a salad bowl with half tocino and half panko chicken. Loved the texture and flavor of both meats, and the variety and amount of vegetables I got in my bowl. The tocino pork had a great sweet and savory flavor and the panko chicken was crispy and tender.Topped it off with the sriracha mayo sauce.Would definitely return to try their other protein options!“
“Our friends took us here for dinner. Pretty popular place as people lined up before opening to get in asap, and people were still waiting in line for tables to open. They have items that I haven't seen at other Vietnamese restaurants. I had the lemongrass ribs, that was delicious. My wife and her friend shared the Sea Lovers platter and enjoyed it. If you're in the area and craving Vietnamese cuisine, this is a definte place to go.Parking: There is street and garage parking that depending on the day and time is paid or free.“
“The food here is really, really good. I came here to eat out with a friend of mine and ordered the house garlic noodles, Dungeness crab, and imperial rolls. I can't say much about the service since they gave me and my friend lots of time to catch up, so depending on what you expect, it's pretty good. That's why I gave service 4 stars. Good, but not exactly outstanding. The atmosphere is really nice. I would personally sit on a patio if it's offered, but that's completely your choice.“
“If you’re looking for a place with authentic Vietnamese cuisine, you’ve found it. The people here are kind and genuine. I have nothing but positive things to say about the culture they bring to this area. Do not miss out on an opportunity to eat here. Especially if you’re from out of town!Kid-friendliness: They don’t mind kids. All types of families here.Wheelchair accessibility: It’s all tables you can remove the chair from and put a wheelchair“
“This was the best vegetarian pho I have ever had. The broth was rich and flavorful. The fried tofu was yummy. The noodles were chewy. Personally, I would have preferred smaller carrot chunks, but everything else about the soup was overwhelmingly positive. I would come back again any day of the week.Vegetarian options: There is vegetarian pho and the buddha sandwich.“
“My husband and I are vegetarian and went to eat here on Saturday around 11:30. We greatly appreciated the separate section for vegetarian food on the menu. We found plenty of street parking so that was convenient. We ordered fresh rolls, sweet and sour noodle soup and yellow noodles.We had mistakenly thought that the soup was an appetizer and were trying to order another entree, but we were told that the 3 items would most probably be enough for 2 people. We greatly appreciated that tip! The portions were generous and we came out full to bursting :) We really loved the food and the service. The flavors were wonderful!“
“Whenever visiting San Fransisco, i hv always made time to come here. Our family really love all the food.The bbq porkchop, pho, fresh spring rolls, fried rolls...The food portion is large for our SEA stomach so we usually order 1 main and 1 appetiser for 3 persons.This restaurant is located 2-3 mins walk frm Dylan Boutique hotel.“
“Ben Tre has good flavor with good portion size. In my opinion the spring rolls are some of the best. The soup is in the top groups if you like beef broth. The restaurant is very clean and they are consistent throughout there locations.I always get the rare beef with brisket soup and meatball spring roll. Occasionally I will get the shaking beef or the 5spice chicken and neither option will let you down. The garlic noodles are pretty good, not oily and good flavor of garlic. A place worthy of trying for sure!Parking: Limited but not impossible, if you come on the weekends be aware they have a market and the parking may be toughWheelchair accessibility: Accessible and spacious“
“Right when we walked in, we immediately got greeted by a sweet lady. We weren't rushed or pressured to sit in and eat which I appreciated because some places are really hastily. Me and my boyfriend were waiting for his car to be done and decided to try their pho. It was all fresh and homemade which did alter the taste of the pho but it was still very good. We decided to try their thai tea as well and it was delicious! Overall I would definitely go back when in the area to try some other dishes:)“
“Usually get the banh mi sandwiches here that are very good with delicious bread and generous fillings. The price is more than usual for banh mi, but that’s the Ave for you. Strangely due to it being a Vietnamese cafe, they have a lot of Japanese curry dishes here as well.“
“Best service and congeniality! Loved our crispy tofu bun mee sandwich!!!! perfection! This is a MUST EAT spot on the Filmore or when flying out or into sfo. Thank you again for your service and delicious over the top food-dont forget the crispy sweet potato fries! Yum.“
“After having a craving for some pho, my friends and I went to the nearest pho place from us. The restaurant was relatively empty and so we were seated immediately. The store actually looks a little bland and doesn't play music, but it's not exactly a problem since this is how most pho places are anyways. The food itself is good albeit slightly stingy on the portions. However, you get what you pay for and that's what matters. Water was a 7/10“
“A pretty decent family owned Vietnamese restaurant. It’s been a while we saw traditional dripping coffee, so we really liked it. The taste was authentic.For the food, we ordered one Shrimp spring rolls, one Grilled pork ball spring rolls and one Pho Tai. Pho was decent, the broth was just okay. The other two dishes were good. But, I agreed the price was quite expensive compared to other Vietnamese restaurants I have tried.I think they kinda lack of staff because one lady took the job of waiter + cashier + preparing drinks, one uncle served food and cleaned up tables, and there seemed to be only one chef. Thus, it took a bit of time for food to be served. But, the lady was very nice. She chatted with us for a bit while serving our drinks and during checkout.Kid-friendliness: Kid’s high chairs and plastic utensils“
“Great place to go to lunch or dinner on a whim. Their phó soup is very tasty, but my husband and I are particularly fond of their crepe, the fresh rolls, papaya salad, and I love the crispy noodles. Jasmine, the waitress that's usually there is a real gem. We love this place-definitely recommend“
“They have friendly employees working here—also, a pretty good selection for a location inside the airport. The iced Vietnamese coffee is okay. Not as strong as the Vietnamese restaurants. The food tasted good too! This is not a bad choice inside any airport terminals.Parking: Parking is expensiveWheelchair accessibility: No problem with the wheelchair“
“Folks who go to Asian Box go because the food is reliable and tasty. This is NOT what this review is about (because it is still reliable and tasty). This review is for the service. Door Dash screwed up my order (not surprising) so after realizing that I was NOT going to get my Asian Box order delivered, I drove to the restaurant to place the order again. I spoke with Wendy, the Executive General Manager, and she was understanding, kind, and most importantly, professional. She immediately helped me with my order and expediated it so quickly, I should have just gone to the restaurant to place my order instead of relying on Door Dash. Also, I want add that their crew quickly put together 6 orders in 5 minutes. Go there if you want to be treated kindly and respectfully because fewer and fewer places nowadays seem to remember that service is just as important as food quality and taste.“
“I made an order for only one of my favorite dishes “38. Vietnamese Beef Stew Noodle Soup” Large size. The portion was huge and the taste was so good. The beef stew’s made perfectly the way I love it. I will definitely go back for it again and again. Thank you for making my day!“
“We were craving a little snack one sunny Sunday afternoon and decided to give this place a try. We were surprised at how cute it was inside not your usual basic pho place. We were for two sandwiches Grilled Pork and Combo and beef spring rolls. Service was quick sandwiches were large portion could have easily split one but they were a little dry but we were still impressed that they were tasty as they were it's hard to find good bahn Mi on peninsula.“
“Levi's Stadium plaza on Thursdays. If one is craving musubi, it hits the spot! Have other creative selections to choose from, but opted for the traditional spam tamago musubi. The rice lacked the stickiness like Hawaii would have it and sauce a bit lacking. Other than that, solid.“