Top Vietnamese Restaurant in Pasadena
Ph Bnh M Ch Cali
1525 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106, United States
Pho Banh Mi Che Cali (or BMC for short), is one of my go-to Vietnamese chains here in Los Angeles because of its great value, delicious yet simple offerings, and quick service.This location is right next to Pasadena City College (PCC), and is one of the nicer BMCs in terms of space, decor, and cleanliness.They recently updated the inside with bigger tables which is a nice plus.Its hard to beat the value of BMC, and I typically get the buy 2 get 1 free Banh Mi. At $3.50 each, I can get 3 Banh Mi for just above $7.00 after tax. Banh Mi travel well, so I typically take them on hikes or on a road-trip. They have traditional choices for their protein, nothing fancy, but all equally delicious. My personal favorite is BBQ Chicken (not the shredded chicken).This BMC, like all the others, offers the same no thrills simple menu of classic Vietnamese restaurant dishes. This is why I believe BMC excels, because it only offers a few items, makes them delicious, and offers them at a good price/value.BMC in general earns 4 stars instead of 5, simply because it isnt a blow your mind away experience, but simply a great eatery, with good food, at an excellent price.
Ginger And Spice Noodle & Grill
451 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101, United States
Good service, not operated by all Vietnamese even though a Vietnam restaurant. Food is good, however the Pho noodle and the meat is kinda too thin. Good taste but no where near the original taste. Cozy and warming setting.If youre not Vietnamese, worth trying since pretty good price; otherwise, should find a place with more original taste.
Pho on California
133 W California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105, United States
Used to come here often. It's been a while since we last came here, and this time the experience was overall HORRIBLE. Our friend mentioned that they saw a dead cockroach on the floor of this restaurant and recommended us not to go anymore. Given previous experiences, we came to give it another try.The server never checked on us until she brought us the check. Also, we did not receive any basil (they used to come in the side dish) so we asked for a plate. But apart from that, given zero service, we did not leave a tip, because at every other restaurant I've eaten, the server came at least once to ask how everything was.The server chased us into the parking garage asking if we forgot a tip, and I told her I did not receive any service. She aggressively argued otherwise, saying she brought out the dishes?? I have tipped as much as 30% at restaurants, as long as the service was worthy. I asked for her name so I can talk to the manager, because if the management thinks this service represents the restaurant and is justified, I will pay any amount they think is worthy. She said “I don't have to tell you my name. Also the manager is not here.” Later she said she's the manager???There's so many other great pho restaurants around. It is not worth it for the disgusting service, dirty environment and mediocre food that's very salty with a lot of MSG.
Boda Restaurant
2310 Pasadena Ave Reference Area, Los Angeles, CA 90031, United States
Great Vietnamese and Chinese food here! One of the best family run restaurants in this area. Very popular among the locals.
Pasadena Noodle & Grill
2335 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107, United States
Decided to try a new Vietnamese restaurant for takeout, got my usual shrimp paste and egg rice, this is the portion you get for $15 before tax+tip(I have tiny hands). The egg was burnt and hard on the inside, the fishcake was burnt on the outside and soggy inside. Drive yourself south 5 extra minutes and get a proper Vietnamese meal for a reasonable price in San Gabriel.
Lees Sandwiches
766 E Colorado Blvd #100, Pasadena, CA 91101, United States
A great Vietnamese restaurant in Pasadena, CA !My husband and I were craving bah mi sandwiches and spring rolls, so we came to the right place.Everything was cooked very well and had tons of flavor. I opted for the tofu bah mi.The baguette was crispy, yet soft at the same time.My husband ordered the tofu rolls for us to share and the peanut sauce was delicious.Everything was relatively inexpensive for Pasadena, CA typical price point. Its a good stop for lunch or small dinner while youre exploring the city.
Paper Rice
20 Union St #150, Pasadena, CA 91103, United States
Wow. Just simply, wow.The spring rolls here are DELICIOUS. Oh. My. Odins beard. Going to be my favorite spring rolls place starting today (next to home made ones). The ingredients were fresh and cooked well, the portions were fantastic that made for great ratio when they made the spring rolls.Ive been looking for a place that used shrimp, pork and green leaf lettuce together. Almost all mom-and-pop Vietnamese restaurants always used one or the other protein whilst having less than desirable lettuce choice: romaine and worst of all: iceberg lettuce-- yuck.Came here for lunch and ordered a Build My Own option that came with crispy shrimp egg roll and chives-- Albeit they didnt have a duo protein option (you choose one protein per roll) that I wanted though. I ended up getting the garlic shrimp for two rolls and nem for my third one. Got myself green leaf lettuce and noodles with a side of savory peanut sauce.The ingredient ratio was perfect, not too much of one thing or not enough of the other (some places have too much lettuce or almost no protein or too much noods, etc). The size of the rolls were also perfect (I had a place where the spring rolls were SO gigantic that they were very difficult to eat and not enjoyable at all). The garlic shrimp was very tasty and had always been a childhood favorite, loved that it wasnt overcooked (rubbery shrimp is the worst LOL) and the slight crispiness of the thin egg roll gave it the perfect all around crunch. Nem was also so good, the cuts they have werent too small or large and worked impeccably well in size for the spring roll. Lastly, the sauce, its just a tad bit spicy giving it nice kick and the flavor was just *chefs kiss*. It complemented the rolls so nicely. I cannot say enough good things about Paper Rice. I had a fantastic meal!Just unfortunate that Pasadena is a wee bit far from where I live, if I lived closer, def would frequent this place religiously. ?
Banana Blossom Bistro (Pasadena)
1060 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106, United States
Wow. The chef owner was so incredibly gracious - I could have been a guest of honor at her home. She came out to greet me and personally hand me the order, she went back to give me her familys famous chili oil and scratch made peanut sauce. The banh mi wasOMG good - packaged perfectly, my custom notes executed to perfection, the bread crispy - not soggy despite the uber fresh veggies...Just perfection - from ordering, helpfulness, food - concept, ingredients, execution, to the ultimate in hospitality & warmth.Michelin star in their future! ???
Top other services in Pasadena:
Wanderlust Creamery
59 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105, United States
I visited wanderlust for the first time today while walking towards another ice cream place. I got distracted, ended up going into wanderlust, and I did not regret it!I tried the following flavors:- Pandan tres leches: my favorite flavor today! The pandan flavor was prominent but not overbearing. The tres leches part (including bits of cake crust!) was creamy and not too sweet.- Thai tea: my second favorite! I love boba and this ice cream had a strong tea flavor and was very fragrant! I couldnt get enough of this tea fragrance in the ice cream and I havent found that aroma in other Thai tea ice creams nor Thai milk teas!- Vietnamese rocky road: it had a pleasant coffee flavor and had a nice texture that included some crunchy bits. The two aforementioned flavors outshone it.- Ube: my boyfriends favorite. Creamy, rich, and had tasty crunchy bits! It was just fine to me.- Mango and sticky rice: deadass felt like I was transported to a Thai restaurant where I was eating mango and sticky rice. Because of the difference in texture between ice cream and actual sticky rice, it caught me off guard and was sort of uncanny valley? It was delicous though!- Japanese neopolitan: the matcha and hojicha parts were tasty, but the black seseme threw the mix off. Our least favorite flavor today, but it was still good.
Afters Ice Cream
1265 E Green St #2616, Pasadena, CA 91106, United States
So excited that Afters opened WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE. AMAZE.PARKING: Street and small lot. By small, I mean like 3 cars. Dont worry, theres plenty of street parking.FOOD:-Milky bun: If this is your first time at afters, you must get the milky bun, Dont forget the toppings. Jasmine milk tea is a favorite for me, but I also like the cookie monster. You have the option of glazed or unglazed - probably better to opt for the less sugar.-Ice Cream: I ordered Jasmine Milk Tea with fruity pebbles. Ice cream was incredibly creamy, and it has this strange kind of bounce to it that I cant explain very well. $4 for a single scoop is a bit steep, so Id opt for the milky bun next time as theres so much more value for the extra $2 (not to mention each topping is an additional $0.50 with the ice cream alone!).SERVICE: The line moved pretty quickly, and people received their orders within 5 minutes. Pretty efficient! Its strange that their only door is the same door from which they take your order, so there were employees walking in and out to refill stock.Definitely a go-to weekend dessert!