28 Best Vietnamese Restaurants near San Carlos

“Simply the best pho on the Peninsula! This is a very casual restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere and staff and a video screen that shows authentic food preparation scenes from Vietnam. The service can at times be a little overwhelmed, because at dinner times they tend to be a little busy. But they are always pleasant and the food is fantastic and a good value at today's prices.“

“We love this restaurant! The food is phenomenal and delicious.“

“Saigon Butter Tofu Wine sauce Ox Tail Noodle Soup Crab & Pork Meatball & Tomato Vermicelli And to drink: Taro w/Coconut Slush“

“This place serves authentic cuisine with delicious options. The dungeness crab in garlic and butter sauce was amazing. All the side dishes that come with it were tasty with my favorite being the garlic noodles. Mango and Coconut ice cream at the end was the perfect touch. Great place to order family style and share several entrees. Highly recommended.“

“Great food❤️Great service, great atmosphere.“

“Visiting from MN and found this bahn mi shop. Ordered the chicken spring rolls and the lemongrass beef bahn mi and it was all magnificent!
The spring rolls were huge and we purchased two of their hot sauces for dipping and it was all delicious.
The sandwich was perfect with a crispy baguette and lots of veggies. Highly recommend!“

“I'm not expert on Vietnamese cuisine, and for that reason this review has to be read with a grain or two of salt.

My two cents is this: the last time I visited here with my lady, we enjoyed new dishes we don't usually get (she ordered a combination fried rice and we also shared another appetizer, their crispy imperial rolls.)

We have been here more than 10-12 times together, and I've also ordered Bahn Mi sandwiches here for lunch many times; yet, we can still share items that we are either familiar with or not, and still consistently enjoy the experience dining in here.

Top notch service most days, reasonable value on pricing, and good food make this place an 11/10 for me.“

“I always get good food and great service. Take out or dine in .“

“Great food and service. Always a good experience.“

“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“

“I’ve been to this restaurant awhile ago, almost a decade ago. Food was not good. So I never came back again. Swore I wouldn’t come back again.
I had been wanting Vietnamese food a few times now. I went to Pho Element, that place turned out not good at all. So I thought it’s been sooo long since I’ve been back here, I should give it another chance.
I got these to go:
- Bun Rieu (for me)
- Beef and tendon Pho (for the husband)
- and an appetizer, Banh Hoi Tom mia

All 3 dishes were surprisingly delicious! The noodles were separated from the broth and half cooked, which was awesome of them to do. That way, when I got home, I still had time to reboil the broth and they wouldn’t get soggy or stick together. I was able to fully cook the noodles with the reboiled broth. Tasted as if it were brought to me at the restaurant. So good!
The appetizer was also really good. They gave us a full bag of veggies, which was also awesome! Didn’t skimp!

Service, was as expected, mug faces. But that’s usually how it is. That does not bother me. As long as the food is good, I’m good!
Aside from mug faces, the food was ready for me as soon as I got there. Took me about 10 min to arrive. The person that helped me was nice. Before I paid, he said, “let me go check to make sure if your food is ready.” It was.

The person that took my order on the phone, was there as well. She said “thank you for coming.” That was nice.

I’m very happy that they stepped up their game. I’m definitely coming back again!

Thank you, Saigon City Rest for upping your game, cooking delicious food! Please keep it up! You are my only go-to for Vietnamese food when I’m missing home-cooked meals! ❤️💯🫶🏼👏🏻🥰“

“I like the ambience and enjoy the cuisine. Bring back lots is nostalgia!“

“We shouldn't always go off of the reviews. There was a review that wasn't too long ago that said this place wasn't good. I went today for the first time in the food I had the Pho. It was actually very tasty fresh. Customer service was good. I will go again“

“This is a busy restaurant, and I’m impressed by the efficiency of the staff. They were very friendly, and quickly served this busy place.

The food portions are great. We ate very well. The people here feel honest and down to earth. Would be happy to return in the future.“

“My favorite pho ga. You know it's good when it doesn't need to be meddled with. The broth bursts with great flavor content. Best thing, they don't use msg! No bloat, no headache. Maybe just a little bit more thirsty, likely from the sodium content. They attain maximum flavor, but I'm a simple girl. Most if not all of their staff is vietnamese so sometimes you'll get a limited response, but to your advantage the food is authentic in that same way. They're super, super kind and service is quick. Place is clean, peaceful. My only complaint is that the spray they use to clean tables off is way too strong and it's a bit unpleasant if it's while you're eating. Otherwise, this is definitely my go-to, without a doubt.“

“We were looking for a pho place since we live by San Mateo area..cause we usually go to Daly City for Pho..this place is amazing😍😍this will be our forever Pho place😍it’s clean and the services is excellent ♥️love,love this little Saigon place..come check it out♥️“

“FOOD 4.5
Ordered the Bun cha with pork and imperial rolls topped with crushed peanuts. Slivered cucumbers, bean sprouts and lettuce under the rice noodles. Nuoc Mam dipping sauce with shredded carrots served on the side. Plenty of pork brochettes and imperial rolls. Volume of food is significant, and I couldn’t finish it by myself. Very yummy.

Friend ordered beef pho. Soup is aromatic with lots of star anise and clove. Thin noodles. Yummy

SERVICE 3
Ordinary, friendly, nothing special.

ATMOSPHERE 3
Ordinary, nothing special. Great place to take the family.

OVERALL 4
I would eat there again for sure! Excellent food and good value.“

“This Place is so Good and Delicious!!! They have Chinese, Hawaiian and even Pho! Been coming here a lot!“

“I really enjoyed the curry chicken and the veggie/curry chicken boxes. Portions were reasonable and everything was very tasty!! Price is of course a bit higher than outside but it’s an airport, what do you expect ? The ladies working Wednesday afternoon at 2 PM were very friendly and helpful!“

“Stanford in campus counter style cafe offering a blend of Southeast Asian flavours. One has to lower expectations given that this is within the university and caters to a diverse set of diners, so the tastes are milder vs the local Asian staples. A good representation nonetheless of Asian cuisine. The dining area is soley outdoors but relatively clean and provides a good campus spot to have ones meal and to meet up. No toilets available.

Vegetarian options: Counter style gives you options but ask servers on specific ingredients used

Parking: Stanford University parking system in effect while free parking lots are further situated with the use of free shuttles

Kid-friendliness: Ample options for kid's tastes

Wheelchair accessibility: Spacious seating outdoors but ordering has to be done by counter“

“Healthy options Good price“

“Always fresh and fantastic! The guys who work there are always friendly and nice, as well!“

“We are vegetarian, and we had such a great meal! They modified the yellow chicken curry with tofu, and they were nice enough to clarify with us that we didn't want fish sauce!

It was really tasty. The flavors were there. Give this place a chance. It's often missed in PA, but we'll be coming back again for the awesome food!“

“Great food and nice people! It’s a family run/owned business. They have a wide selection at low prices! The pho is the best I’ve had in the SF Bay Area! Always a great choice of where to eat.

Nobody asked me to make this post, but this place is a hidden gem and I want people to know.“

“A Must-Visit for Musubi Enthusiasts!

This spot is a hidden gem for musubi lovers! Their Spam musubi is perfectly grilled, with seasoned rice and crisp nori. The variety of creative fillings keeps things exciting, and the quality is consistently top-notch. Friendly staff and a welcoming atmosphere make it even better. Highly recommended!

Feel free to personalize this review with specific details about your experience or favorite dishes!“

“Tasty vietnamese desserts. Staff are knowledgeable about how to make items vegan and many things are automatically vegan. Got the red bean trio which was really tasty, liked the different textures. The pandan jelly was good and not artificial tasting at all. The taro in it added a nice creaminess. Also got the choco banana smoothie with soymilk which was good.“

“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.“

“😋😋 good eating experience“