Top Asian Restaurant in Encinitas
East Village Asian Diner
628 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
Oh my God this is actually the most amazing and delicious restaurant in San Diego. I was walking by it one day and decided to try it and Im so happy I did.Ive Only gotten the Mongol pot (I think thats what its called) and its so good. All it is is a bunch of vegetables, some meat of your choice (they also have vegan options and you dont even need to order meat), white or brown rice, and an egg. You can also substitute the rice with kale and add or take away anything you want. They serve it in a really hot bowl that keeps the food warm the entire time youre eating it (its what makes the food so delicious). However, you should take their advice and never touch the bowl under any circumstances ever unless you want to burn yourself. Anyways, so on top you can add their sauces and some Sriracha and it all melts together. to be honest Im not even the biggest fan of vegetables but they become so tender and flavorful that it would be a shame to eat the bowl without it.In terms of the restaurant, its very rustic and clean. The waiter that works their is really chill and cool so Ive never had a problem with the service. The price of the bowl is around $9 with no meat and with beef (which is what I highly recommend) its around $14 after taxes. You get so much food and its so delicious that its really worth it in my opinion.Tl;dr If you are looking for a healthy place to eat thats extremely delicious and unique, I highly recommend eating here.
Tandoori Palace - Indian Restaurant & Catering
257 N El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
VERY ENJOYABLE DINNER ! There is a first time for everything and this was our first time having dinner here. I said to my wife a couple of days ago that we should try this Indian place on Friday evening. And my wife agreed ! So we turned up on spec without a reservation ( took a chance ) at around 6pm and a server/ hostess named Bianca welcomed us warmly. It looked a little quiet but Bianca assured us that the heavy action usually kicks off about 7pm. Glasses of cool water appeared on our table before anything was ordered. Bianca said to scan the QR Code for the menu. No prob ! They had an almost decent beer selection but I decided to play it safe and stick with a Stella Artois Lager. When I checked in on Yelp I received an offer for a FREE Garlic Naan. YES PLEASE ! To kick things off we ordered a CHICKEN SAMOSA APPETIZER ( Chicken turnover stuffed with potatoes, peas & spices ). My ice cold Stella Artois Lager and a very chilled tall glass hit the table. After filling my glass it tasted very refreshing ! For our entrees my wife ordered BUTTER CHICKEN ( Chicken cooked in a butter sauce & herbs incl a serve of Basmati Rice ) while I ordered LAMB VINDALOO ( Lamb cooked in a fiery hot curry with potatoes incl a serve of Basmati Rice ). To go with our FREE ( thanks Yelp ) GARLIC NAAN ( Naan topped with garlic & cilantro ) we also ordered KABULI NAAN ( Naan stuffed with coconut, raisins & nuts ). In the meantime Bianca brought us a COMPLIMENTARY serve of PAPADUM with 3 dipping sauces ( Sweet, Cilantro & Spicy hot ) and it was very delicious ! Our Chicken Samosa Appetizer arrived before too long and tasted quite good. A few more diners were appearing but these guys were doing great take-out business we noticed. Bianca brought out our entrees together on a huge tray....they looked pretty darn good ! My wife commented that the Chicken in her Butter Chicken was very tender and juicy. Now part of the reason I wanted to have dinner at an authentic Indian restaurant was I was sick & tired of asking for spicy level 5 at our fav local Thai and Indian places and getting a FAT ZERO spicy flavor. This place did not disappoint me....my Lamb Vindaloo nearly blew my head off. I LOVED IT ! I totally cleaned up my plate...this was real good ! We werent sure about dessert but we like to try new things. My wife ordered RAS MALAI ( Milk cheesecake, Indian style with pistachios & thickened sweet milk ) and I couldnt resist the PISTA KULFI ( Indian style creamy ice cream with pistachio ). Bianca our server brought them out before too long and they tasted great. It pays to try a new place. We were very happy with our dinner visit !
CHIKO
101 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
Not impressed. This place encapsulates everything wrong with American tipping culture, and don’t get me started on the food. Apart from someone plopping your food in a metal tray on your table, everything is self service here- you seat yourself, order and pay first through a QR code on your phone and you have to get out of your seat to dispense and refill your own water. There’s another restaurant that does this- it’s called McDonald’s, and they don’t expect a tip.While I have no problem either serving myself, or with tipping as a reward after good service has been rendered, I find it fatuous and very rich to be presented with a suggested tip starting at 18% when ordering through my phone before any service has been given. Much less when I have to refill my own water cup. Furthermore, as we were eating our meal, I saw a notice that our bill automatically included a 5% gratuity to cover “cost of labor”. So I guess the proprietors aren’t really paying their employee’s wages- you are. Again, not as much a of a problem if someone’s taking your order, providing you with menu suggestions and refilling your water, etc.Now, on to the food. Suffice it to say, this place caters to western tastes- not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that. My wife and I chose this place as is was the only Chinese/Asian restaurant in the area that seem to feature authentic flavors, compared to the usual orange chicken and broccoli beef at typical American-Chinese restaurants.However, the dishes definitely were modified to cater to an American palate; very sweet with liberal amours of oil and salt- basically everything that makes makes Americans fat and unhealthy and which authentic Asian cuisines use more sparingly.I ordered the cumin lamb noodles. Cumin lamb is a classic sichuanese dish, but what I got was completely different. Very little cumin flavor and it was excessively sweet, like a cup of sugar was poured in and then drenched in oil.Maybe we ordered the wrong things, but don’t think we’ll be giving this place another try. I guess still nothing beats driving 40 minutes down to the convoy area….
One2Go Thai Kitchen
191 N El Camino Real #110, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
I called around 9pm and was told by the person(JACK claims to be his name. Image attached) who attended my call before even taking my order that they are closing soon. Then he asked me what I want? I said 2 orders and of tom yum soup spice level 10. Then he asked me what meat I want in my soup? I asked him what options I have? Which is a common question everyone asks while ordering. But then Kim he right away got mad and told me “YOU ARE WASTING MY TIME” can't you look at the menu online and order? I was soo down hearing those words from him at that point. Again I politely replied him that I am driving from Fallbrook to his restaurant only so I can't look at his menu while driving and I requested him to go over the protein options they have? He refused to provide option. Then I asked him do you have beef? He said “NO”. Then I aske do you have “MIX SEAFOOD”? He said “NO”. But even then he is not ready to explain the option. But he was in a intension to disconnect my call and told me he not gonna place my order until I reach his restaurant and do not want to waste food. I again pleaded him that I am driving please place the order for 2 Tom yum chicken soup large spice 10 and if you want I can pay now on the phone so that if I reach close to his closing time I can just pick up and I won't be a reason to close his ledger delayed and go home late. But he refused that too. He again said he won't place the order and waste food, and be here before closing and place order in person.After the experience over the phone I was about to turn over from my half way, but since my wife asked for the soup and that was the only restaurant open until 9.30 i proceeded.Once I reached the restaurant I asked him are you the one who was talking to me on the phone? Can't you explain the protein option while I was driving? He again with an attitude showed me the laminated menu to see the option, and didn't allowed me to talk further.I then placed the order for 2 large soup and told him I “Don't want to waste time with a person who doesn't know to respect others time”.Not sure if this business owner read this review?I was standing in front of him and waiting for my order for 10 mins for no reason and that could be avoided if he took my order over phone and that would have made both ends easier. He was showing kind of worst attitude like why I am there at his restaurant for the whole time when I was there waiting for the food.And BTW: The soup was soo bland. No sourness at all. No taste at all. I am having Tom Yum soup for years and this is not the one I expected. My bad. Wrong restaurant choice. Never ever returning back.
Don Chicken
215 S El Camino Real g, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
These arent tiny chicken pieces. You get your bucks worth here.And dont let the menu intimidate you (theyre working on changing the menu up to be more clear and consice). Everything we tried was top-notch.The dad and son sitting next to us each got the chicken sandwich combo, and their sandwiches looked huge. At the end of the meal, I asked the dad how it went, and he said he was stuffed, and thats hard to do, cause hes a good eater.The oven baked chicken with the honey spicy sauce, hands down the winner. Treat yo self to this experience. The manager said there are 300 plus stores in Korea and lots in Vietnam and China. Cant wait to try other sauces from their selection.
Panda Express
1084 N El Camino Real #e, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
Been coming here for years and never expected this type of behavior specifically from two employees!My mom went in today around 3:40pm to buy our family dinner, an employee supposably named Amy was asking her for our 3 bowl and 2 plate orders too quickly that she couldn't keep up with what my mom was telling her! She was annoyed at my mom and telling her she was confusing her when my mom was clearly telling her what she wanted in each plate! My mom made a comment saying that the reason she was “confused” was because she was trying to serve the plates too quick!! clearly she can't multitask!!Mind you there was no one behind her in line so what's the rush?She left her unattended for over 5 min without telling her that one of the entrees wasn't ready yet!She and another employee supposably named Greg were making comments and laughing at her and ignored my mom when she tried to confront them!When my mom left the lady named Amy mocked her saying “byeeeee” making fun of her with her tone of voice! They were being DISGUSTING with their behaviors just like them as people! My mom had to ask another staff member for their names because they didn't have name tags and didn't want to give them their names so we don't even know if this third employee was being truthful!!This kind of behavior is not okay especially coming from fast food workers who think they're entitled?? Not only did my mom feel humiliated but it goes to show that those two humans don't care about their customers or people in general! Would love to see their moms or someone they care about being humiliated to see how they feel about it after! I will be contacting corporate non stop until they do something about it, people who are so low these days think that taking it out on others will make them feel any better, it's truly sad.. I already spread the word and we are all equally disappointed!!!Do better!!!
Chins Szechwan - Encinitas
625 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
This is an overdue review. My sister and I got off from work one Friday evening. On the way home, we thought why not have date night since it’s a Friday. We were craving Asian food, so I yelped and this place came up. My sister only heard good things about this place, so she recommended this place. The location of this location is somewhat hidden and on a somewhat of a hill. The entrance into the restaurant was so darn cute. A red door. Once you walk into the restaurant, you feel like you’ve entered into another place. The interior decor was very fitting and intimate. I loved it. The food was delicious and delectable. Whenever I go to any new Chinese restaurant I always want to order my favorite dishes to compare. The favorite dishes are eggplant and beef noodle soup. There were two other dishes we ordered, but I cannot remember what it was. However, they were also very good.I recommend this Chin location if you are craving Chinese food in this area.
Surf Brothers Teriyaki and Catering
274 N El Camino Real A, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
I have been eating here (and its previously named iterations) for more than 20 years. It is my favorite place for teriyaki.Their rice is so so so good. Sticky and slightly sweet. It is a great vehicle for the teriyaki sauce. And the chicken and steak are both cooked well, they arent greasy or full of connective tissue.Now, the sauce. This sauce is to die for. I would buy it by the gallon, if they sold it that way. I moved from Encinitas to Santee almost 7 years ago, and I still drive up to eat, and buy sauce to go. They do sell bottles of sauce. Its sweet, but not too sweet. It doesnt have that excessive saltiness that is common with most store bought teriyaki. The viscosity is perfect, so it can be used for dipping, or pour it onto foods directly, and you arent going to end up with too little or too much.I dont have photos of the delicious food, the generous portions, or the glorious sauce. It is consumed far too quickly. Its just too good to wait.
Hooked on Sushi
272 N El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
I had the pleasure of dining at Hooked on Sushi, and it was an experience that I think is worth sharing. It was an unusual scenario because I arrived just 20 minutes before closing time. Despite the timing, the staff welcomed me with open arms and displayed genuine warmth and hospitality.I could tell they were preparing to wrap up for the day, but they didn't let this show in their demeanor or in the quality of their service. If anything, they seemed to go the extra mile to ensure my dining experience was as good as any other customer's would be at peak hours.I want to commend the staff for their professional conduct. I understand that my late arrival could have been an inconvenience, and I appreciate their graciousness in accommodating me. The level of service I received was beyond what I expected, and it's not something you come across every day.As for the sushi, it was a feast for the taste buds. Every piece was a perfect blend of flavors and freshness, testament to the chefs' skills and passion.In conclusion, Hooked on Sushi not only won me over with their fantastic food but also with their exceptional customer service. They've set the bar high for hospitality in the industry, and I can't wait for my next visit. My sincere thanks to the team at Hooked on Sushi - I hope this review conveys just how much I appreciated your efforts last night.
Harumama Noodles Buns Beer (Encinitas)
1460 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas, CA 92024, United States
A Saucy Tale of Love, Loss, and Ramen!Alright, yall, lets gab about Harumama, the local belly-lovin gem smack dab in the plaza where Ive clocked more hours than I care to admit (dont judge me, okay?).First off, yes, the service. Its like a good date - attentive, charming, and occasionally tardy. But hey, arent we all? Theyre worth the wait, promise.Now, onto the tragedy of our tale. Imagine my shock, my heartbreak, when I found out that my beloved pulled chicken bao buns had been banished from the menu! I mean, I mightve shed a tear. Just one, mind you.And yes, sure, they sometimes run out of stuff. But hey, the early bird gets the bun...whatever the saying is. You get my drift.But fear not, dear reader, for there is a silver (or should I say, spicy) lining. Allow me to introduce you to my new infatuation - Me so hot! Ramen. Talk about a meal and a half, folks! Packed with enough punch to keep me fuelled from lunchtime till the stars come out.And their character buns? Think doughy deliciousness meets a Pixar movie. Irresistible, I tell ya!I still adore Harumama. Would I eat there more? Heck yes. But you know what they say, you are what you eat. And as much as I love em, Im not quite ready to be as soft and squishy as their buns.You dont want to turn into a bun, do you? Or... do you?