Top Southeast Asian Restaurant in Santa Cruz
Malabar Restaurant
514 Front St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, United States
I ordered takeout. When I arrived (after the time they told me it would be done), they told me it was almost ready. I inquired again ten minutes later and again was told it was almost ready. After another ten minutes, I was informed that they had lost my order and had not even started cooking it in the first place. I lost over an hour of my evening standing around listening to too-loud pop music from a decade ago, waiting for food that should have been ready before I arrived. They gave me no discount, only offering me a coupon for a specific entree (the cheaper of the two I had ordered) should I ever order takeout again.The food was also subpar compared to other south and southeast Asian restaurants in the area. Needless to say, after an enormous waste of time for an underwhelming meal, I wont be returning.
Hanloh
1011 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, United States
The vibe was amazing. The restaurant is located inside a bookshop that also sells wine, so while youre waiting, you can browse for books, which is a great way to pass the time.The food tasted great. The oysters, curry (Geang Kua), grilled chicken, and steamed fish were all on point. My favorites were the curry dish and the steamed fish. As a Thai, I can say the dishes felt like a fusion but still gave a sense of authentic Thai cuisine.The only drawback is the price. While the food is exceptional, the portions are too small for the high prices.
Top other services in Santa Cruz:
Golden Triangle Cuisine
217 N Santa Cruz Ave Suite A, Los Gatos, CA 95030, United States
We, a family of 4 adults and a toddler stopped by Golden Triangle( Los Gatos ) this evening to grab a quick bite before heading home. We had been out all day and it was raining, we just decided to spend some time together at the restaurant. Let me start off by saying that weve been here multiple times and have never really had any issues. We have almost always enjoyed the food and the ambience. Not sure what went wrong yesterday. When we entered the restaurant and asked for a table, the staff at the entrance asked if he had a reservation ( we did not know we needed one, weve never really had to make one in the past), and we said we didnt. She was polite and did let us know that the table she was willing to offer was reserved for another party that was coming in an hour later and that we would have to leave by then. We agreed and she seated us. We sensed some irritation when we asked for a high chair for my toddler but we just brushed it aside as we knew that they were busy and were probably in a rush, we were provided one nonetheless. Next, I asked another hostess if there was a baby diaper changing station in the restroom and she snapped back with What changing station? I repeated my question with more clarity, this time around she just responded with No! Just a restroom! with some amount of irritation which again, I didnt think much of. She handed out the menu and repeated you dont have too much time to order, ok? The hostess that checked us in came back to take our orders and we did let her know that we were ready to place an order for our toddler and that we would be ready in a couple of mins to order main course for the adults. She got upset and started rushing us and said ok no, I was clear that we have only one hour for you, ok? You have to order soon and just then my 2.5 year old daughter reached out to shake her hand and said Hello, nice to meet you! (I have a chatty toddler and she was just happy to be at the restaurant), she withdrew her hand in annoyance and walked away and said that we would have to decide and that she would return in a few mins to take our order. This attitude, is something that I do not appreciate. Im not expecting every person out there to oblige and to reciprocate to friendly attitude from a toddler, but she neednt have reacted the way she did and we did not have to be reminded every 5 mins that there was a countdown. If they were super busy, they could have told us straight up that theyre not able to accommodate us, we would have taken a to-go. We, anyways were prepared to pack the rest of our meal closer to 7pm and head out in case we werent done by then. All, I want to say is that we arent paying less just because we have no reservation and do not have to feel obligated to anybody for accommodating us! Overall, the food was good but the service was pretty bad! Rude staff! I dont feel motivated to return here!
Coup De Thai
137 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030, United States
If you come for dragon ball because of the lawsuit like I did, you are bound to be disappointed. But if you come for good food, you are in the right place.Let me cut to the chase. Given the lawsuit alleges that this dish causes chemical burns, I was expecting hotter than usual spicy. Dragon ball is a disappointment to this extent. It is objectively mild by any standard. Yes, I am used to Sichuan food. But that is also why I was ready to taste something that is hotter than that. Other than this point, the dragon ball is quite tasty if you want some spice but cannot take too much heat.As we only had a quick lunch, and I am not versed in Thai flavors. So, I will skip commenting on food. (The other dish we ordered was Thai BBQ pork with sticky rice. It is also well prepared, although personally I would like it better if meat is marinated more. Other than the dipping sauce for the BBQ, these dishes taste closer to milder, Southern Chinese than Southeast Asian food. The coconut ice cream they say they got from a shop on the street, on the other hand, has a unique texture that we like very much. We went to the shop afterward, but they do not sell that flavor.)The restaurant has a welcoming air, elegant lighting, and is very stylishly decorated. (Food plating is also delicate.) Given this is downtown Los Gatos, there is amble free parking nearby. We arrived a little after lunch time and got seated quickly. The server is very attentive as you expect from a South Asian joint. Overall, Coup de Thai is a very pleasant place to eat.
Betty Noodles
431 Front St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, United States
Its not easy to write...but I believe this was one of the worst tasting meals Ive had in a restaurant. There were 3 of us. I had the super veg noodle soup. It tasted like cheap vegetables boiled in water with some top ramen noodles. I asked the other two to taste the broth and they agreed. Water only, zero flavor. I asked the waitress if I could have some miso or something and she said just pointed to the hot sauce. I put some in and it helped...but it was still just water with hot sauce. My girlfriend got the curry soup. We all agreed, it tasted like it was the exact same soup as mine, but they poured a bunch of trader joes indian curry powder in, cooked for 3 minutes and served it. No coconut milk, no attempt at thickening or developing the flavor by cooking the vegis with any flavor. Just water, Indian curry powder and bam...soup. The woman at the table behind us asked the server for some help with her dish. I wasnt sure what it was but she said she had been there before and there was supposed to be a sauce. The waiter said sorry, I dont really know what comes with the dishes and handed her some plum sauce. Our waiter clearly didnt know the dishes either. I really dont like leaving bad reviews. But I am 53 and eaten in a lot of restaurants. This was in the top 4 worst ever. Maybe they have a new owner? Maybe the cook was out and a host was cooking??? I dont know...but friends, dont let friends eat here.
North Seasonal Vietnamese Cuisine & Bar
133 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030, United States
One of the best southeast Asian restaurants in the Bay area. Wonderful service, lovely ambiance and outstanding flavors in the food. The Japanese Eggplant was bursting with flavor.