This place feels like the original owner/operator sold the business to a new operator who didn't have the same vision. Not all bad, the staff and facility are nice, but the food didn't deliver.I had one guest with me who got sick from eating the soft shell crab. That didn't factor into my score.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Barbara B.
Ate lunch here today, the calamari and zucchini appetizer was excellent. Followed by seafood pho. The broth was rich and flavorful and the seafood was fresh and plentiful. Really enjoyed the food and the server was outstanding. Definitely a great place for lunch at competitive pricing. We'll be back for sure!
C Pizzle
This is a Vietnamese restaurant that serves authentic flavors but a bit more fancy than the restaurants in Vietnam town and they have a French flair to their ambiance. It was lunch time and we ordered the spring rolls, wagyu pho, papaya salad, and seafood soup noodle. The spring rolls were standard and simple. Papaya salad was heavy on the sauce so it was a little sweet. Wagyu pho - broth was good, bone marrow was good, aged filet a little weird if you want the real pho flavor. Seafood noodle - broth was good, calamari was meh, big shrimp, and pork was good. They charge a fee if you use credit card, it's written on their menu. Pay cash if you want a slight discount. Service was great and the restaurant was very clean.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Bao Lenguyen
We had bun tom thit nuong and pho special. They both are very fresh. The taste is very pleasant. Overall the food was great. We would recommend others as the environment is pretty nice also. Next time we will try dinner time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Uyen L.
I had a great experience at this restaurant. A lovely, chill place to have dinner with friends and family. The food and service are so good that we decided to mark this place as our family place to go from now on. I truly felt the genuine welcome from the servers and the owner. They would come to our table and check with us quite more frequent than other places to make sure we had the best experience at the restaurant.
Veronica C.
It's been probably more than 10 years since I last came here, having just moved back to the area. I remember my first time being a lovely experience - great food, good service, decent ambiance as an elevated dining experience. Now in this new location, I will say it's a hidden gem. I feel their ambiance definitely fits more now with good lighting, and their wine/bar area with the wood slat feature. I also appreciate the crisp colors they use on the walls, with a nice contrast of the paintings on the wall. Service this time around was good too, very courteous, albeit a little on the slow side as I believe they were trying to accommodate a busy kitchen with the restaurant being about half full. We tried the tuna carpaccio appetizer, the grilled beef in rice crepe with grapefruit essence, their lemongrass encrusted sea bass special, and the sauteed beef with onion vermicelli and egg roll. While everything was really delicious and gorgeously presented, it felt like each dish had a missing element (forgive the pun) in execution. The tuna carpaccio was so worth it... plenty of tuna, onions, fried shallots, but the sauce/dressing wasn't evenly spread. It's possibly because of the shape of the plate, but everything in the middle had good flavor, but any fish on the outside seemed to be lacking. The fried rice cracker that it came with though was whimsical and popped as you put the cracker in your mouth. The grilled beef wrapped rice crepe, again another eye-pleasing presentation. And again, although it came with a sauce, the beef still seemed dry and under-seasoned. We had to slurp the sauce cup and along with a bite of the beef to really feel the full effect as the sauce didn't seem to be sticking when we poured it over. I mostly focused on the sea bass as my entree. Beautifully plated, and I loved that there were plenty of vegetables, the wild rice was cooked well, as with the sea bass, but without that sauce, the sea bass felt so plain. My partner's dish was good, and we poured the sauce all over the noodles and felt it held onto the flavor better, but the beef in the dish was tough to chew and under-seasoned. Dinner took about an hour and a half, and in the middle, you could hear the cooks and servers arguing with each other, which was a bit off-putting as the restaurant was fairly quiet. While I understand there may have been an issue, at some point, I felt like the most vocal chef should have stepped away and taken a breather. And lest I forget, there was a cute, pleasant elderly server who I dubbed the bread man. He was responsible for delivering warm sliced French baguettes and butter to the tables and was very sweet. But I will be back; I'm interested in trying their lunch menu.
Patty S.
Excellent food, and we have tried almost everything! The Pho is excellent, and I love the Salmon.I recommend this restaurant highly.
Vlada G.
We have been coming to this restaurant for 9 years, we started from the previous location at via valente. The food here has always been outstanding - our most favorites are wonton soup,, salmon Wellington and seafood pasta capellini. The desert selection is great too - lava cake, tiramisu and cheesecake are incredibly tasty. This place is family owned which adds a personal touch to dining where the chef remembers us by names and also remembers the menu items that we usually order. The service is always great, we never have to wait too long for the food . The prices are also comparable to the prices at other restaurants in Bay Area . We try to come here almost every week .
Catherine Baldwin
Unable to tell anything about it was running late and called would arrive at 8pm . Was told not busy food service stopped at 8:30 pm . Told “Not busy but could order to go only..” Very disappointed was my Birthday !!!!! Doesn’t close until 9pm but can come tomorrow ??
Dong Wook C.
Been here many times for special occasions. Really enjoyed their old location. Salmon Wellington is what I typically order but I have also tried their Tea Smoked Duck and Lemongrass Crusted Sea Bass. The food is still on point.
Elements can compete with any restaurant in the Bay Area. Any item on the menu is prepared and presented to Michelin Star quality. Service is attentive and professional. Very clean and a place you can go to relax and have a conversation. My only disappointment is that they keep too many boxes, heating lamps, and cleaning products out in the open.
Kim Lurie
Creative menu (Vietnamese/American fusion- Meat Loaf, Salmon Wellington, Five Spice Chicken, Black Rice), food excellent for the most part.(Cooked vegetables more on the raw side). Had to wait 50 minutes for our entree. Do offer take-out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Holley Vincent
We had the beef in rice crepes, sea bass, tea smoked duck and chocolate bomba. Everything was perfection! Surprisingly delicious, high end food in this unassuming shopping center. There are so many more menu items we can’t wait to try! Will be back friends! Excellent gluten free options!Dietary restrictions: Many gluten free & pescatarian options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea-Smoked Duck with Taro Au Gratin
chris monahan
So delicious and great service. Will return!!Parking: Parking is easy and plenty
This place feels like the original owner/operator sold the business to a new operator who didn't have the same vision. Not all bad, the staff and facility are nice, but the food didn't deliver.I had one guest with me who got sick from eating the soft shell crab. That didn't factor into my score.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ate lunch here today, the calamari and zucchini appetizer was excellent. Followed by seafood pho. The broth was rich and flavorful and the seafood was fresh and plentiful. Really enjoyed the food and the server was outstanding. Definitely a great place for lunch at competitive pricing. We'll be back for sure!
This is a Vietnamese restaurant that serves authentic flavors but a bit more fancy than the restaurants in Vietnam town and they have a French flair to their ambiance. It was lunch time and we ordered the spring rolls, wagyu pho, papaya salad, and seafood soup noodle. The spring rolls were standard and simple. Papaya salad was heavy on the sauce so it was a little sweet. Wagyu pho - broth was good, bone marrow was good, aged filet a little weird if you want the real pho flavor. Seafood noodle - broth was good, calamari was meh, big shrimp, and pork was good. They charge a fee if you use credit card, it's written on their menu. Pay cash if you want a slight discount. Service was great and the restaurant was very clean.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
We had bun tom thit nuong and pho special. They both are very fresh. The taste is very pleasant. Overall the food was great. We would recommend others as the environment is pretty nice also. Next time we will try dinner time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had a great experience at this restaurant. A lovely, chill place to have dinner with friends and family. The food and service are so good that we decided to mark this place as our family place to go from now on. I truly felt the genuine welcome from the servers and the owner. They would come to our table and check with us quite more frequent than other places to make sure we had the best experience at the restaurant.
It's been probably more than 10 years since I last came here, having just moved back to the area. I remember my first time being a lovely experience - great food, good service, decent ambiance as an elevated dining experience. Now in this new location, I will say it's a hidden gem. I feel their ambiance definitely fits more now with good lighting, and their wine/bar area with the wood slat feature. I also appreciate the crisp colors they use on the walls, with a nice contrast of the paintings on the wall. Service this time around was good too, very courteous, albeit a little on the slow side as I believe they were trying to accommodate a busy kitchen with the restaurant being about half full. We tried the tuna carpaccio appetizer, the grilled beef in rice crepe with grapefruit essence, their lemongrass encrusted sea bass special, and the sauteed beef with onion vermicelli and egg roll. While everything was really delicious and gorgeously presented, it felt like each dish had a missing element (forgive the pun) in execution. The tuna carpaccio was so worth it... plenty of tuna, onions, fried shallots, but the sauce/dressing wasn't evenly spread. It's possibly because of the shape of the plate, but everything in the middle had good flavor, but any fish on the outside seemed to be lacking. The fried rice cracker that it came with though was whimsical and popped as you put the cracker in your mouth. The grilled beef wrapped rice crepe, again another eye-pleasing presentation. And again, although it came with a sauce, the beef still seemed dry and under-seasoned. We had to slurp the sauce cup and along with a bite of the beef to really feel the full effect as the sauce didn't seem to be sticking when we poured it over. I mostly focused on the sea bass as my entree. Beautifully plated, and I loved that there were plenty of vegetables, the wild rice was cooked well, as with the sea bass, but without that sauce, the sea bass felt so plain. My partner's dish was good, and we poured the sauce all over the noodles and felt it held onto the flavor better, but the beef in the dish was tough to chew and under-seasoned. Dinner took about an hour and a half, and in the middle, you could hear the cooks and servers arguing with each other, which was a bit off-putting as the restaurant was fairly quiet. While I understand there may have been an issue, at some point, I felt like the most vocal chef should have stepped away and taken a breather. And lest I forget, there was a cute, pleasant elderly server who I dubbed the bread man. He was responsible for delivering warm sliced French baguettes and butter to the tables and was very sweet. But I will be back; I'm interested in trying their lunch menu.
Excellent food, and we have tried almost everything! The Pho is excellent, and I love the Salmon.I recommend this restaurant highly.
We have been coming to this restaurant for 9 years, we started from the previous location at via valente. The food here has always been outstanding - our most favorites are wonton soup,, salmon Wellington and seafood pasta capellini. The desert selection is great too - lava cake, tiramisu and cheesecake are incredibly tasty. This place is family owned which adds a personal touch to dining where the chef remembers us by names and also remembers the menu items that we usually order. The service is always great, we never have to wait too long for the food . The prices are also comparable to the prices at other restaurants in Bay Area . We try to come here almost every week .
Unable to tell anything about it was running late and called would arrive at 8pm . Was told not busy food service stopped at 8:30 pm . Told “Not busy but could order to go only..” Very disappointed was my Birthday !!!!! Doesn’t close until 9pm but can come tomorrow ??
Been here many times for special occasions. Really enjoyed their old location. Salmon Wellington is what I typically order but I have also tried their Tea Smoked Duck and Lemongrass Crusted Sea Bass. The food is still on point.
Restaurantji Recommends
Elements can compete with any restaurant in the Bay Area. Any item on the menu is prepared and presented to Michelin Star quality. Service is attentive and professional. Very clean and a place you can go to relax and have a conversation. My only disappointment is that they keep too many boxes, heating lamps, and cleaning products out in the open.
Creative menu (Vietnamese/American fusion- Meat Loaf, Salmon Wellington, Five Spice Chicken, Black Rice), food excellent for the most part.(Cooked vegetables more on the raw side). Had to wait 50 minutes for our entree. Do offer take-out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
We had the beef in rice crepes, sea bass, tea smoked duck and chocolate bomba. Everything was perfection! Surprisingly delicious, high end food in this unassuming shopping center. There are so many more menu items we can’t wait to try! Will be back friends! Excellent gluten free options!Dietary restrictions: Many gluten free & pescatarian options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea-Smoked Duck with Taro Au Gratin
So delicious and great service. Will return!!Parking: Parking is easy and plenty
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Wellington - Advance Notice Required
AMAZING! Food was delicious and wonderful service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Prawns, Shrimp Scallops Soft Shell Crab with Zuchini Rice Pea Sauce, Seafood Paella, Five Spice Vietnamese Beef Stew