Top Vietnamese Restaurant in San Bruno
Little Vietnamese Bistro
422 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
New Vietnamese restaurant in San Bruno? Of course I had to check it out.Theres free street parking although empty spaces can be sparse depending on the time of week/day (I hope you are okay with parallel parking). Inside the restaurant there is ample seating, though. And the inside is very clean and nicely decorated.The entree portion size for the garlic noodles was VERY generous for the price, and everything was fresh and flavorful. The imperial rolls appetizer came with lots of decorative garnish while still remaining true to its purpose: being tasty.I didnt manage to get any photos of their menu but there are lots of appetizing options here, I can easily see myself coming back.My only gripe—and its a relatively minor one—was that after I got my food my waiter pretty much didnt check on me at all (e.g. asking if the food was all right, if I needed a refill of my drink etc.). No biggie, I just had to flag him down after a while but still... considering it wasnt busy it wouldve been nice if they asked if I needed anything else during my meal.At any rate, I cant wait to go back!
Bayhill Vietnamese Bistro
851 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
Okay all the employees must have reviewed this seriously!? Check it on yelp (2 stars).It pains me to write this review because I am very forgiving when it comes to food and service especially when its busy. Today was not one of those days. Walked into a nice restaurant/atmosphere, seated right away, and food came out fast. Good right? Wrong.Ordered pho special which was okay. The bo vien (beef ball) was really rubbery which tells me its been frozen for a while. Pho came out with 2 small limes and I asked for more lime and I got the your stupid look,that the other reviewer mentioned. Thats expected though with most restaurants I go to and asking for extra condiments but they make up for it with good food. My girlfriend kept asking for seafood dishes which they were all out of so she got chicken soup with no chicken. They never gave us tea or water which i had to ask for twice. Tea was cold. and water never came. Had to get it myself.To top it all off everytime I asked for something the guy would go sit down and watch TV. I,would ask for it from another server. I walked up to get our check. I,asked for the iced bean dessert which they were out of. At this point its clear they are just checked out and dont want to make anything special. I asked for ice coffee and to cash out. The guy takes my card, runs it and says nothing about the cost, gives me the receipt and goes back to his chair to sit down!!Another guy comes I ask if I was charged for coffee as the receipt says nothing except the total (hate that). At first he says no, is about to charge me again,and I ask can you check to be sure....he checks and voila, I WAS already charged. He calls his coworker over and he looks at the receipt and than finally goes to make me some coffee.The place wasnt even busy at all during this time which sums up the 1 star review. This was the worst pho experience I ever had and I,have had a lot,my girlfriend is Vietnamese and shr even spoke to them in vietnamese so no excuses there. I never felt so compelled to immediately review right after a meal before today.
Pho de Nguyen
586-A San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
The chef has brought in creative and fun dishes to Vietnamese cuisine in this amazing San Bruno restaurant. The most interesting part about the previous statement is that the place isnt located in San Jose or Sacramento--a haven known for Vietnamese cuisine.The interior is clean, feng shuid up and ready to accommodate large gatherings of friends and families. The vibe is calm and the neighboring conversations from nearby tables seem to liven the atmosphere up. I like it already.The menu shouts brevity and simplicity and says youre here for Vietnamese cuisine with a high probability of an appetite for Pho. We order the duck garlic noodles, oxtail pho and beef pho. Shortly thereafter, some shouts in the back, clanging of pots, sizzling sounds of something on the wok and voila: our order appears before our hungry eyes (photos attached for yr enjoyment of course.)Oh how cool! The duck garlic noodles are presented beautifully on a stone plate (or was it wood?). The oxtail and beef pho were producing a smell so intoxicating I just about fainted (but I didnt, I swear!). Well, maybe its a gimmick, let me just tr--OMG ITS SO GOOD!!!The reviews were all just so RIGHT! The broth is so full and the the taste of hours and hours of simmering of the core ingredients seem to induce a dopamine frenzy like no other as you enjoy the bowl of pho. The favorite smell and taste of garlic on the roasted duck are infused perfectly together and what better way to eat it, but with some noodles? Hats off to Chef Nguyen and his team for putting out their best--it really does show.The end.(oh and street parking, meh!)
Ph No 1
2571 San Bruno Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134, United States
My kids & I went here many years ago, it wasnt good or Authentic. The pho was thick rice noodle instead of regular pho noodle & we were not impress with their pork chop or spring rolls either. We havent been there since until a few months ago when we thought they had changed owner or remodelled.We ordered the Bun Bo Hue & Grilled Pork Chop over rice. Their Bun Bo Hue was almost flavorless. Their Grilled BBQ pork was also very flavorless even with the sauce & the pork chop was 50% fat & 50% low quality meat that didnt look or taste fresh. The servers were all chinese, not vietnamese or mixed chinese vietnamese. I question if the cook is even vietnamese. We went there during the daytime both times.Weve ordered these 2 items at many different authentic vietnamese restaurants so we know what is good & not. This place does not serve good authentic vietnamese food.I dont know why there are so many good reviews. Either they are fake reviews or theyve never really had authentic good vietnamese food. All the other Vietnamese restaurants on San Bruno ave are not that good but ok. This place has the worst weve ever had.
Banh Mi & Rolls
2646 San Bruno Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134, United States
Super good: combo banh mi, shrimp rolls, smoothiesDo yourself and them a favor and order online well ahead of time for pickup because they don't have a lot of staff working and have to hustle when they have multiple orders. The smoothies and shrimp salad rolls were fresh and delicious. Baguettes are really good, and easy to bite into, not as hard as some banh mi places. We liked the combo meats better than the lemongrass grilled pork, but both were made well.
Top other services in San Bruno:
Banh Mi House
2701 San Bruno Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134, United States
Real French bread. 5.00 average price. Not the cheapest (Saigon Sandwich is 4.00, the one in Oakland China Town is 3.75!) But pretty good! And $5 is not a horrible price for a meal. Right? Actually pretty damn Delicious. We got a pork and Pate one for 5:50 and a five spice chicken for $5. I think the tofu one is 475. So for the Portola with all the Chinese restaurants and Vietnamese as well this is about as good as it gets. Most of the Vietnamese restaurants there are not very good.
Societea Tea House & Eatery
446 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
Ordered a CTC (cinnamon toast crunch), machagato, popcorn chicken, and classic vietnamese sandwich.CTC was creamy and tasty. it didnt really taste like cinnamon toast crunch but still good. Stir it as you drink otherwise you will get all crumbs in the bottom. It has the cheese foam on it but it mot salty loke some places.I recommend trying this if you like creamy milk teasmMachagato is a spin off of the affogato. Green milk tea with green tea ice cream and a shot of matcha. After mixing it up, it kind of just tasted like a matcha latte. It was ok but I wouldnt recommend it unless you just want a matcha latte.Popcorn chicken was good. Meat was tender. I would recommend this.Viet sandwich had a good amount of meat in it but 2 major problems. 1) it was the wrong kind of bread. I dont know what kind of bread it was but it didnt taste like the typical viet style french bread. 2) the pickled daikon and carrots were WAY to sour, to the point that it was overwhelming rather than complimenting to the sandwich. Not recommended.1.31.2021Went back again. This time we got the mangonada and strawberry matcha. We liked them both ?. If there was just a tab more match flavor in the strawberry matcha then it would have been perfect.Also very pleased that manager messaged me back telling me that they fixed the issue with the pickled daikon and carrots. Show that they ready care about their products and services.
Sonesta ES Suites San Francisco Airport San Bruno
1350 Huntington Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
Unfortunately had a poor stay at the Sonesta ES Suite recently.I was looking for a place that was close to the airport as well as in-between SF City and San Jose, and the location itself was solid. The area also is basically like a re-made condo area. Instead of interconnected hallways, there is a large outdoor courtyard surrounded by separated buildings.Staff was super nice when they welcomed me in - being able to take my bags and keeping me posted on when my room would be ready.The part that I had a really rough time was an odd smell that was super pungent and nauseating. I couldnt quite put my finger on it but basically smelled like a really strong perfume-like cleaning agent, strongest in the living room area and wafted towards the bedroom as well. I went up to the front the first time and asked if anything could be done and was told to leave the AC/Heater fan running and that it would go away on its own. That wasnt the case and after about 8 hours, I went again to the front office and told them of the issue. They would send a deodorizer fan over to the room after about 4 hours. Although the smell would be a little less worse, I still had a nauseating feeling every time I stepped into the hotel room and would leave my room door open for a while to try and help a bit.On top of this, the room itself wasnt all in the best of shape. A door stop was loose on the ground. Painted walls were chipped. The conditioner had some weird brownish goo.The room itself is large though! With a large living room area / stove / big fridge / big bed / functioning shower / a large bathroom and closet area.The best part about Sonesta here is that its fairly close to the airport (about a 10-minute drive) and that it is across the street from a mall that includes some food options and a Starbucks as well as a nearby cafe that was nice. Do note that the mall nearby is unfortunately pretty desolate and the sidewalks are not in the best of shape either.Families looking for a bigger suite area with a swimming pool / basketball court will also find something to like here as well. Noting here too in case people like to work out - the fitness room is tiny with three cardio machines (bike / treadmill and one other item Im not remembering) with a tiny bit of room behind the machines to do other body workouts). :(
Isla Restaurant
448 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
Came here with a party of 4 on a Friday around 6:30pm for dinner. Super spacious restaurant with lots of seating. The place filled up at 7pm so we are glad we came a bit earlier than their dinner rush. Their waiters are friendly and work fast, but they’re a bit understaffed for all the tables. We had a feast and ordered a ton of stuff for 4 since their menu was so expansive!- Lumpiang Shanghai: easy appetizer and made in cute bite sizes to easily munch on throughout dinner.- Sizzling bangus sisig: solid dish and goes well with plain rice or another rice dish- Binagoongan rice: I liked the mango and tomato bits that added flavor to the rice. The fried pork in this was also very tasty and balanced the salt and fried was of it with the rice and tomato and mango.- Crispy pata: massive thing and we took it home at the end but very crispy and a popular dish since it’s not easy to make at home. Also goes well with rice or noodles since it’s just meat.- Pancit bihun guisadu: I love my noodles and this was a solid dish. Loved the seafood and quail eggs added to it too.- Bicol pakbit: added a veggie dish cus we need a balanced meal :p I love the coconut flavor and reminds me of Thai dishes but lots of veggies in it, even bittermelon!Drinks:- Black gulaman: love the little bits of grass jelly and coconut pandan — reminds me a lot of Che (Vietnamese desserts). Let the ice melt so it’s not so sweet too.- Red horse (2): 8% beer, one of their stronger ones but it’s a their local Philippines beer so try it if youre a beer fan.- San Miguel pilsener: their lighter local Philippines beer, also worth a try if you’re into beers.Overall we left super full and satisfied! Family-style is the way to go. All this was around $40 a person including tips. Also, don’t forget to like them on their social media page for a free scoop of ice cream. I got ube and it was such nice cherry on top of the meal :)