Janbo Café

I decided that I’d give this one a try based on the good Unilocal reviews, the pictures that look pretty good, and there always being several cars in the parking lot.
I got an order to go, the service was quick and friendly, the prices seemed ok, and the food looked good so we were off to a good start.
Unfortunately, there really wasn’t any flavor. At all. To anything.
The Vietnamese egg rolls were filled with ground meat and a few slivers of carrots that didn’t taste like anything, but the sweet/​sour type sauce that came with them was ok.
The calamari appetizer didn’t really taste like anything and was definitely overpriced. There was a small amount of very thin calamari rings with one or two other pieces of calamari mixed in on a huge bed of salad and pickled carrots topped with a sort of sweet chili sauce. The sauce was good, but I would have ordered salad with dressing if that’s what I wanted.
The chow fun didn’t really taste like anything, which is weird because it seemed like everything had a nice coating of sauce. The noodles were well cooked, the beef was ok but large pieces that were awkward to eat with plenty of gristle. There were two pieces of broccoli and one baby corn in the whole dish.
The Chinese style rice also looked good and had no flavor and I’m not sure I actually got the right order because there wasn’t any type of Chinese sausage in it, but that may have been my fault because I wrote down the item number and they prefer the title of the dish when you order. I got the house specialty meat combo and there were two shrimp and a few pieces of gristly beef in it, but plenty of chicken and bbq pork. The soy sauce helped with the rice, because that gave it flavor, but the only flavor was soy sauce.
I feel like it should really be a 2.5 star rating, but the food wasn’t bad, it just didn’t taste like anything so I’ll give it an extra half star for quantity. Even the leftovers were incredibly bland, I’d hoped maybe more flavor would come out, but no luck.
I may be back one day, I still want to try their bubble tea, but I’ll have to forget how disappointed I was. There are better places in Everett for me.

Janbo is very close to my work, and I keep giving it another chance after so many try’s. The service is good, and very friendly. The restaurant is disgusting. you can see into the back where they prepare the food/​kitchen area and it is messy, dirty and no way that they are up to health code. Each time I have sat and ate in the lobby/​restaurant area, there have been flies of some sort, and the tables are cleaned with a dirty rag. They leave the tea cups turned upside down on the table, which I refuse to put my mouth on once, it has been placed on the dirty wash rag «cleaned» table.
The food, is alright– but I have gotten bigger portions and better prices at a place right down the street. The free cream puff is a nice plus, but it is not always offered. I will however stop and get a bobba tea, but ONLY because it is the only place around that has them, not because it’s anything special.
They are also closed on Monday’s which is odd. But overall, I stopped going here due to the cleanliness of the restaurant.

We tried this place for the first time on a Sunday afternoon. I have three criteria for my five-​star food reviews: It should be delicious, reasonably priced and come with great service. Janbo hit all three!
1. Very good food. I was worried about the mixture they have on their extensive menu… there was Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cuisine. There were a reasonable selection of vegetarian/​vegan choices, which I love. We ordered: Chinese donuts, the tofu banh mi sandwich, a cream puff, and the almond chicken meal (which came with soup and an egg roll).
2. Two of us ate here for less than $ 20 total after tax! Everything was so good that we were too busy stuffing our faces to grab a picture, but I have no complaints with anything we ordered. Lots of flavor and seemed very fresh. I love that you get not only water, but complimentary hot tea as well, which many places seem to charge for.
3. Our waitress was very attentive and made sure we had everything we needed/​wanted. The café is clean and cozy.
We will definitely be back!

Firey chili chicken is incredible. If you are tired of the same old overly sweet American Chinese food and want a little salt, this will hit the spot. Absolutely amazing.

Everything tasted good but the breeding on the orange chicken was so hard that it made the roof of my husbands mouth bleed! A lot! We were so disappointed because all the other reviews are so good! My jaw is sore from trying to chew the chicken. It didn’t even seem like there was any chicken inside the bread. I wouldn’t eat there again…

This place is fantastic! Decided to try it out for the first time tonight for some take-​out, and i’m sure glad I did.
I had originally decided on the vegetarian pad Thai, but after walking in and looking through their menu i was kind of overwhelmed by how good everything looked and sounded. Finally– i just stuck with my first choice. It was delicious! The flavor was spot on and the portion was nice and big, i still have leftovers for tomorrow.
I also got the coconut smoothie with tapioca and it was great! The tapioca actually tasted good unlike in most places where its pretty much still frozen in your drink.
Overall, the service was fantastic, the waitresses were kind enough to ask if we wanted tea (twice) as we waited for our order and the food was great. Whenever i’m feeling for Chinese food again I will stop by!

We ordered tofu spring rolls, pork banh mi and the veggie phở.
The tofu spring rolls were great. the tofu inside was fried and yummy and the peanut sauce was delicious. You get two fairly large rolls for a decent price: you can’t go wrong.
The pork banh mi was fairly good. All the ingredients were fresh and the pork tasted faintly of bbq. The sandwich comes with mayo which makes it extra yummy. The bread felt a little sharp and toasted, softer bread would’ve been preferred.
The veggie phở is what brings me back every time. All the ingredients are fresh, the fried tofu is so good and the portions are super generous. This is hands down my fav phở place in the PNW.
Beyond the food the service is pretty good as well. They bring complimentary black tea and cream puffs to your table with each meal. The waitresses are usually friendly but sometimes not as attentive as would be preferred when waiting for refills/​the check/​the receipt. The food also came out at weird pace: first they brought out the banh mi then the spring rolls then they brought out another table’s entire order before they brought me my phở which is a little ridiculous considering the table ordered quite a few minutes after us. I speculate that they are regulars which is why their order got bumped ahead of mine. So the only real constructive feedback I have is that the orders should be made in the order they were received not based on favorites.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place before. Janbo Café rocks. Everything is so so good that it’s hard to decide what to get. I’ve never had a bad meal here. The Chinese items are awesome and not all covered in sugary glip glop like so many fake Chinese places. Try the Fiery Chili chicken. Spicy and awesome. Oh, the Seafood & Pork Wonton Soup is crazy good with a really tasty seafood broth. I know it takes a lot of work to make the broth and it’s truly amazing.
The Phở is amazing as well. There are two great Phở places in Everett and this is one of them.
If you’re a bit adventurous, try some of the house specialties. They are Vietnamese dishes you never heard of but so good.
And finally, the owner and the staff couldn’t be a nicer bunch of people.

My new favorite place! The seating area was packed when we arrived, but the wait staff was great. My husband and I shared Phở (very flavorful), spring rolls (fresh! my only complaint: they didn’t devein the shrimp) and a Vietnamese sandwich (chicken). All were wonderful… especially the sandwich; which is a long time fav of my husbands and it’s been difficult finding a place that does them to perfection. Well… we found it!
Definitely give them a try. :)

What a disappointment this place turned out to be. The service was very good, the restaurant was clean, the prices were reasonable and the menu was exactly what I like. The food looked delicious… and then we tasted it. I ordered a bowl of Phở Thai and the fried almond chicken. The meat in the Phở was so overcooked it was a cross between powder and jerky. The chicken was so overcooked, it almost took out a cap I have on one of my teeth. It all tasted disgusting. My daughter didn’t dislike hers as much as I disliked mine but she definitely felt that it wasn’t up to snuff. I took home what I had left and ended up throwing it away. If you know me, that tells you everything you need to know about how gross it was right there

We were very fortunate that these kind workers stayed past closing time as we had a late game and called in our order based on their online menu. Our phở noodle soups and spring rolls were delicious. The soup hit the spot and our tummies were happy. And they sent us off with their cream puffs — nice!

First of all, a big thank you to previous Unilocalers who had me select this as today’s lunch destination — great selection of Chinese and Vietnamese favorites at Janbo Café. The Shoreline trio met up with family members driving down from Stanwood. Nice find on Evergreen Way (diagonal from Value Village) in Everett.
The entire time we were there, all tables were filled and there was constant traffic for takeout and catering orders. The two wait staff covered the dining room with friendly efficiency. I also greatly appreciated the generous carafes of hot tea provided along with ice water.
Note: prices listed were from the online menu.
Two family members had the huge Combo Bowls ($ 8.25 each) served with grilled meat, fresh veggies, fried egg rolls, atop vermicelli noodles, and topped with sliced scallions, cilantro, and roasted peanuts.
Another had the Orange Chicken Combo ($ 7.95, plus $ 1.50 upgrade to combo with added cup of soup (egg flower or hot and sour), veggie egg roll, and steamed rice.
Another ended up finishing off the hot and sour soup and enjoyed the Pork Chow Mein with thin egg noodles and veggies ($ 8.25)
I had the Pork Chop Rice Plate ($ 8.25) where the pair of thin cut, lemongrass marinated pork chops are grilled and placed atop steamed rice garnished with scallions. A generous side of lettuce, pickled carrots, daikon, and sliced cucumbers is also provided. I used up all of the chili infused sweet tart accompanying sauce. It was delicious that kiddo ended up eating a decent portion of the pork chops. It was comparable to my favorite version at Local Phở in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood.
And…what a big surprise to be given a huge complimentary cream puff filled with either vanilla or chocolate custard filling to end our meal. The cream puff (pâté a choux) was crisp, light and not soggy — excellent! Compared to the dinky ones at Than Brothers Seattle locations, these were ginormous!
Excellent and worthwhile find in Everett. Again, thanks to previous Unilocalers and their helpful posts!

Food was delicious, service was kinda lacking. Price was higher than menu shown. Portions large

I have been going to Janbo for at least 3 years and this place has become a reliable source of excellent Phở. When I moved out of LA, I left my favorite Phở place behind and I was naturally upset and sad. However, when I discovered Janbo café right by my work place, I naturally had to try it. I was not disappointed.
I have not been disappointed with either portion size or taste. The staff has always been very nice as well.
This place can get a bit busy at times so I would highly recommend to call in your order so that you can save time and get to your food faster.
I have tried other Phở houses around the area and I have not found a place that keeps bringing me back for more.

I took my mom with me to try out this place for the first time.
Phở was good. So was the fresh spring rolls which were large.
I docked off one star because they use very thick chopsticks for us to eat thin noodles. I wish they had wooden chopsticks.
Since we dined in the waitress asked us what kind of cream puff we wanted. My mom and I ordered the chocolate one which was really really good.

Music selection is kinda rad. Love the food. Everyone around Snohomish in the car scene knows Janbo for the Phở. They also have awesome array of Asian food to select from.

I have been a loyal customer of Janbo before the Janbo Café came to be. The owner has been in my family’s life since before I can remember. When I heard she opened up the Café, I was elated!
This place is magical. I guess the building and décor could stand an upgrade, but really, I almost consider it charming. It’s like, the food is so good, you find it more comfortable that way.
The phở is «phở“nomenal. Heh. Heheh!
I have tried so many things on this menu it could take forever to list, but everything was perfect. And the quality is consistent everytime!
The nicest staff you could hope for! It’s like, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it won’t. This place is perfect. Great place for a first date, great place for solo binging, and family dining too.
Keep it up Janbo Café, you are Chinese/​Vietnamese perfection!

Always the sweetest servers & delicious phở!
Their ribs, sweet n sour soup, fried rice… heck I haven’t found anything I don’t like here! I love their shrimp salad when I’m in the mood for something different and their lime/​lemon? juice is refreshing!

Awesome.
Food 5
Service 4
Value 4
Ambience 5
The place has a definite nostalgic feel to it. My family and me liked it a great deal.

We came here about a week ago and was very disappointed in the service. It wasn’t even a busy night. There was maybe 2 other couples that was already sitting and eating. Our food took way too long. We both had beef stew. When we were done we waited almost as long as the food took to come out for the waitress to come get the bill going but decided to wave her down.
Overall, food was 3 and a half star. service was horrible. Half star…

Like a previous reviewer, this place is no-​nonsense when it comes to ordering. Short and to the point which I appreciate. I showed up soon after phoning in and I walked up to the counter, said hello and was immediately helped. Got my food a few minutes later, and it was still nice and hot by the time I got home.
The FOOD itself was amazing! I’m not really impressed by large portions in and of themselves, but this was a big portion for a large phở, with lots of options in a sort of make-​your-​own setup. Also ordered a pork sandwich: delicious. Will be back soon!

Yessssssss! I love this restaurant! I was pleasantly surprised by a huge creampuff afterwards. And they are so nice! I always order the spring rolls alone because they are so big and fill you up and then I buy my bf a beef soup. I have other restaurants that I like but this one somehow overthrows all of the others and calls out to my taste buds. Big servings for the price and perfect service!

Ok it had bad service the first time I went but after being back around 3 more times the service has been much better and the food still huge portions for the price.
The food is a little on the oily side but it is still very tasty.