Top Asian Restaurant in Santee
Pho Ca Dao Restaurant
9535 Mission Gorge Rd, Santee, CA 92071, United States
If you ever told yourself that one person could not make a difference, think again.We have been dining at Pho Ca Dao for DECADES. We have popped in for a bowl of chicken pho after a mountain-bike ride on the nearby Stowe Trail. We have brought lots and lots of friends to enjoy a nice dinner. We have eaten there on holidays. Its been very special. The food is wonderful. I love the pork chop with broken rice.But everything changed last week.We were hungry after enjoying the Santee summer concert. Pho Ca Dao closes at 9PM. We entered the establishment at 8:40 PM. An employee we had encountered a week or so ago said Were closed! This guy had been extremely grumpy and resentful when he waited on us last week. We thought maybe he was having a bad day.No. Hes just someone who should not be a service employee.His bad day continued as the manager said we could come in. So we came in, sat down, ordered fast, as it was evident that the staff wanted to finish their day. I ordered a three-bean drink to go.The surly server stood off to the side of our table bussing other tables and banging dishes and utensils into a container on his cart. It was extremely uncomfortable for everybody there to enjoy a meal.My three-bean drink never arrived. When I asked about it, a female server wearing a mask rolled her eyes at me.No customer should ever have to feel bad about spending money in an establishment. And I said this very thing to the manager as we paid and left. Knowing that after MANY years of dining there and bringing MANY friends, that would be the last time we would step foot in there, just because of that one guy who could not contain his anger at us, some of the people who provide $$ to pay his paycheck.Pho Ca Dao, what I would say to you now is that if you are so hellbent on leaving before closing hour of 9PM, then make your closing hour 8:30PM. As I left, I warned the manager that I would be writing this review. The idea that resentful employees might have been spitting into our food clinches our decision to never return. At least until Surly Server has vacated the building for good.ADDENDUM: In less than 24 hours, the owner rectified the situation and we will happily be heading back to our favorite Pho restaurant soon!ANOTHER ADDENDUM as of 7-29-2022: We returned last night with two guests from LA. This time we arrived around 8:20 PM. Our friends did not want to stay and dine because they could sense antipathy from some members of the staff. So we went next door for Sushi and a bowl of Udon noodles at Takka Sushi.The food at Pho Ca Dao is wonderful, the service fast, but at the moment there is a dearth of good service employees who are happy with their employment. Its difficult to feel comfortable at a dining establishment where the staff are shooting daggers at you from their eyes, and if given the chance, would most likely spit into your soup or something worse.
Asian Kitchen
9720 Mission Gorge Rd # D, Santee, CA 92071, United States
This place used to be a go-to for me. The best drunken noodles in the area, fresh and spicy with generous vegetables. And a clean setting with nice smells both from the kitchen and the adjacent donut shop.Well, now the donut shop is gone and walled off, giving the place a sad and claustrophobic feel. And my last visit for lunch, about six weeks ago, got me an almost inedible mush of old gray noodles and a few limp veggies.One guy working the kitchen and counter. You definitely get the feeling that this place is going down. Sad.***EDIT in response to the owners classy reply below. He appears to have me confused with another customer: one who dines in (I never did), who doesnt like bell pepper (I do), who finished his noodles (I didnt), and who is an ahole (Im not).But even though he has me mixed up with someone else, I will take his advice and not go back.
Thai Thai
10251-B Mast Blvd, Santee, CA 92071, United States
The spicy edamame was really good, the rest was a hot mess. Also, no it was not busy.1.The bacon scallops were garnished with hot sauce and yellow mustard. So I hope you like mustard.2.The waitress put in orders for us that we didnt order and charged us for them. My dad ordered a California roll, but they also added a vegetable roll (did not order) on the same plate. He was confused but the waitress said it was right. Me and my bf also only ordered 1 roll but were given a second roll of the one we asked for. We were trying to figure out whats going on but thought it was maybe a remake of the roll we did order because the first was awful. It was a crunchy roll, but the crunchy parts were stale.3. The waitress didnt bring my dads drink until we were asking for the check, she just kept forgetting.4.We asked for the check multiple times. The waitress kept coming back without it even after boxing up my dads leftovers. So we were just sitting there waiting to leave for a while.5.My bf paid with with his card, but the waitress didnt know what she was doing. We got tired of waiting so my bf just walked up to the counter. She kept telling him his card wasnt working, but instead of hitting the skip button on the machine for the tip part so it could be written in, she just kept canceling the transaction (saying the card was bad). So he was arguing with her to just type the tip in since he was right there. She was telling him hes wrong and ended up still putting 0.00 into the tip section and when it printed out she looked at him and said no tip? So we still had to pull out cash instead. (I dont care if the service was bad, always tip something)
Panda Country Restaurant
9621 Mission Gorge Rd, Santee, CA 92071, United States
New owners ruined a previously great restaurant. Kung pao shrimp was never overloaded with broccoli and zucchini as filler. Used to be my favorite dish there. Now looking for a new Chinese restaurant that doesnt do Thai and curry and every other Asian region.
Panda Express
9862 Mission Gorge Rd #g, Santee, CA 92071, United States
I love panda express, its one of the few places I tend to frequent wherever I go. So with recently moving, I decided to visit this store as its the closest to me. Usually I order online but decided to walk in and order.Wasnt particularly busy during the visit, and my order was taken relatively quickly.Brown rice is not available at this store. Unfortunate. I placed my order which included honey walnut shrimp. I tend began to see in each interaction..shrimp falling out of my container. Scoop of shrimp, atleast one fell out. I got chicken dishes next. Shrimp landed on the table. Shrimp landed in the bowl with chicken. At the end of it all, I got 5 pieces of Shrimp and a boat load of walnuts.Im not one to complain much. Majority of my reviews are positive or neutral at best. But the lack of coordination and then cross contamination of foods is unsafe for those with shellfish allergies. The chicken was not taken out to be replaced. I never got an extra small scoop of Shrimp to replace all the ones that got knocked out.It is just really disappointing to have a place I considered a comfort food be taken out of that spot in my mind.
Sayulitas Mexican Food
10769 Woodside Ave #105, Santee, CA 92071, United States
I recently visited Sayulitas, based on a recommendation from my brother, and I must say, it exceeded all my expectations!First and foremost, lets talk about the food. I ordered the burrito, and let me tell you, it was massive! The portion size was so generous that I couldnt finish it all in one sitting. I ended up enjoying it for two meals, and it was just as delicious the second time around. The flavors were authentic, and the ingredients were fresh and tasty. Its safe to say that this burrito ranks among the best Ive ever had.My friend opted for the rolled tacos, and they were an absolute hit. He couldnt stop raving about them!Though I had a bit of trouble finding parking out front, I discovered that there were more parking spaces available on the side. So, if youre planning a visit, dont let the front parking situation discourage you. Trust me, its worth the effort.The service was exceptional. The staff members were friendly, attentive, and patient while I looked over the long menu. Their warm personality added to the overall positive vibe of the place.One thing worth mentioning is that they offer Mexican Coca Cola, which is a unique treat. While I didnt buy it myself due to the higher price compared to regular soda, its fantastic to see them catering to those who appreciate the best soda ever. It is in a glass bottle so I can see why it is expensive.Thanks to my brothers recommendation, I can confidently say that this restaurant serves some of the best Mexican food in San Diego. The flavors, the portion sizes, and the overall experience were outstanding.
Top other services in Santee:
Island Style Cafe
9828 Magnolia Ave, Santee, CA 92071, United States
Disappointed! This was the go to place for great Hawaiian food in East County, but the staff sure knows how to make you feel unwelcome. TAKE NOTE: they close their dining room 30 mins before they close. They do not have any signs expressing this or anything posted online. Unless you are a regular, you only find this out when you place your order and they tell you that you have to take your food to go.Arrived at 2 on Sunday, mothers day. They close at 2:30. There were 3 or 4 seated tables with numbers. After placing the order, the cashier informed me that the food would be to go since they close in 30 mins. Since other tables were still eating, my family and I decided to eat in the dining room since we still had 15 mins before they closed. Food was delicious, however I noticed the staff giving me dirty looks. I understand I broke their rules, but others were still eating. And we were not the last to leave. My wife wanted to splurge and decided to order a shaved ice 5 mins before they closed. The same cashier informed my wife they they allowed us to stay because it was our first time eating. My gripe is if you are going to allow us to stay, why give me dirty looks? I am a paying customer and if you are not going to kick me out, why the dirty looks? We didnt make the staff stay late and we left at 2:32. In another act of pettiness, the cashier reiterated they were closing and said we could eat the shaved ice on the bench outside. A few minutes after we ordered the shaved ice, they brought the bench inside. This is just horrendous customer service and we hope it gets addressed somehow.
Sprouts Farmers Market
9361 Mission Gorge Rd, Santee, CA 92071, United States
The employee named Cheryl who was working today at July 16, 2022 08:33 PM treated me very poorly based on my skin color. In the first hand experience with her, I offered to help to bag my big order of groceries. While I was bagging the groceries, she finished scanning through the items then I made payment. However, I still have lots items needed to be bagged. Without helped me to finish items to put in the grocery bag, she was already taking a next customer in the line. I asked her to help me. Instead she completely ignored me. It was upsetting me, as much as I like do groceries in Sprout, her customer service is away disaster.Then, tonight, it is 2nd time happening again. I wish there was another cash register open, so I did not have to deal with her anymore. It was not my luck.Can y'all train this lady for another couple of years? Just teach her how to treat other customers equally and not go to the next customer while the previous one is slowly bagging the 5-8 grocery bag, which is her job to do as a employee of Sprouts Farmers Market of Santee.REASONS ON WHY I MADE THIS REVIEW:1. She treated the white people in front of us with respect and happiness and when it was our turn her mood went from a happy to a racist moody face(we're Asian by the way).2. Not asking if she wanted to help with the bagging.3. Racist, as I said in reason number 1.
Khao San Thai Kitchen - Santee
9490 Cuyamaca St #200, Santee, CA 92071, United States
One of the better spots Ive been to that serves Thai food. The staff is great theyre all very kind and sweet and take care of guest very well. I watched them help out a homeless man that just wanted some water warm if that speaks volumes about their hospitality. The food is great with a nice selection. The issue that you often run into with South East Asian cooking is that it can be too bland or the flavor is too much depending on the chef. I find that this location has a very good balance when it comes to flavor so dishes arent too weak or too strong in flavor. The other thing that I like about this place is that they actually serve you duck. For those who dont know not all Lao or Thai restaurants actually serve duck and it makes a big difference when it comes to flavor and texture, and not all Lao or Thai restaurants cook them well. So when a Lao or Thai restaurant serves duck its a big factor for me in deciding if Im going to come back or not. Fortunately this restaurant does serve duck and I was very satisfied when I ordered it for the first time. The aesthetics and atmosphere are amazing you get a very warm vibe from the place. The main thing I like about the aesthetics is that its just simple. Its nothing too complicated like these fancy restaurants in the gas lamp. When you go to the bathroom you can get a peek at the other side of the house. The kitchen and storage look very clean and well organized. This displays to me that the food is made with a lot of care and Im very satisfied that things look sanitary. I have only one issue with this restaurant and that the bathroom doesnt have any paper towels to clean your hands with. It only has a hand dryer. This is my only issue with this restaurant which is really just an issue I have with any restaurant with this set up. Overall Im very happy to be a patron and a guest to this restaurant. Ive come here many times and Im always satisfied with my order. I figure since I visit here so often, I might as well write a review about my amazing experience. I hope whoever is reading this enjoys the food if you ever decide to visit.