Thien An Bo 7 Mon

Satisfaction guaranteed! We called in 45 minutes advanced to order our baked catfish. The minute we walked in, the huge place was empty but Kyle started bringing out the veggies, wrapper and sauce… then finally our golden baked small (not too small) catfish. By this time we were ready to gobble the fish with our bare hands but Kyle stopped us in our tracks and took the time to show us how to wrap and get the most of the catfish and the dipping sauces. So sweet. Kevin, the guy/​cook I talked over the phone came and explained the different sizes of the catfish to match our group. He was very entertaining. We’ll surely be back for more.

I love this place !! Best fish in town. My boy Kevin always takes care of me. The catfish is nice and crispy. The way i like that shit ! Good place to drink and bull shit with the family.

Worst service. When the food started to arrive, they didn’t even give us any plates or utensils for the food! ! What’s worse is that the place was completely empty. It would make sense if the place was busy. They even mixed up the sauces which was a huge let down. They certainly lost my business

Darling durians, ya’ll have a strong competition. Stinky tofu, you’ve found your sister. That fermented shrimp and pineapple juice sauce is truly the stinkiest sauce I’ve ever smelled.
You’re in luck if you have adventurous taste buds. In regards to the specially fermented dipping sauce, it’s either you love it or you hate it. I run a mile away from it but you gotta try it at least once when you have Vietnamese baked fish.
The food is great and being able to wrap your own spring rolls with either fish and/​or meet is awesome. It’s so fun and this location is perfect for large parties. The service, quality and taste is consistent. However, what’s not is the size of the cat fish. Size consistency does matter when you’re here and I hope you read this, Thien An Bo 7 Mon!

Mmm… mmm…MMMMMMMM! Delicious!!! Is this the only 7 course beef join the in the SGV? Hmmm… regardless, they have it on down. — I love Ahn Huong in SF… even Pagoloc but what this joint has that they don’t is the BOMB catfish!!! Not to mention venison, goat and boar specialties! Oh and alphabet soup! Lol nice OG touch! Kudos to the wait staff. I give them 10 stars! Seriously! Now GO NOW!!!
You must try it… u will NOT be sorry. Come on and go already…“cam on”!

If you haven’t tried baked cat fish spring rolls. YOU MUST TRY.
The baked cat fish can be called to order in advanced before you arrive at the restaurant. Usually you order by size small, medium, large. Depends on your quantity of people and level of hunger. They also have options of eating the 7 courses of beef.
All the condiments you need arrives on you table before the fish arrives. You get their spring paper wrap, cucumbers, bean sprout, pickled carrot and radish, vermicelli noodles, and a plate of leafy greens. Even their mam nem is on the table. Now that’s awesome. It’s a fermented fish sauce that is slightly pungent. An acquired taste, so if you don’t like fish sauce… Stay away. It also has chunks of pineapple too. You can always ask for regular tamarind sauce or their regular fish sauce.
Once the fish arrives… Wrap it up like a spring roll.
Their goi salad was not something I was «whoa» about. It was just ok, but wished they had lotus shrimp salad.
We also tried their venison steak this time around and it was pretty gamey. Thank goodness the lemongrass helped massed the taste.
Kevin has a great personality and sense of humor. He sure cracks us up during all of our visits. We need more people like Kevin. Besides Kevin, other servers were great as well. There’s a lot of them every where. So you can ask anyone for help.

Always down for some family time with a 5 course beef dish! (I don’t think we got the 7 beef portion because I counted it and it was only 5?) My family also ordered one large fish and a giant plate of fried rice for the kids. The fish and the beef course are things you wrap in the spring roll, along with greens and bun (noodle). I’m pretty sure if you’re looking at this review, you already know what a spring roll consists of lol. so I won’t further my explanation.
Location: near an Asian super market but not close enough that there’s no parking. Their restaurant is extremely large and you probably won’t have to wait long.
The customer service was amazing– don’t forget to check in for free beer. They saw that we needed more bun and veggies and brought it right away once we looked up. The beef wrapped in the leaves is my absolute favorite, along with the shrimp chips.

Great stop for your decadent Vietnamese fix! Gone, are the days of driving all the way to the OC to get your fill of Vietnamese food.
The Bo 7 Mon here is worthy of being in the name of the restaurant. Bo la lot is exactly what it needs to be and nothing less. All of the beef is very tender and not at all dry.
The ca nuong is also spot on! It’s loaded with oiled onions and fried onions.
Only things I noted that weren’t perfect about this place is that you have to order the vermicilli noodles on the side. But that’s okay! Less carbs, right?
Enjoy.

This place has bad service. We asked a waiter for chilly pepper and he never brang it.

This is my first time eat here today. Last night I walked out from a BBQ because there is not much veggies. I strongly believe this is the place I should visit. I’m right. Service: excellent
Food: delicious
I do prepare to wash hands before and after meal. This kind of food will requires lots of hand’ s work. The bathroom is a little faraway. Never mind. Walk further is better.
Then I ordered food to go.
And what? There even little towel provide by the end. Really? So cool!

7 course beef and baked fish must try. Deliviouso. You got to take a course on how to wrap first. I must have asked the waiter million questions. Loved the tamarind and house made fish sauce.

Was never really a fan of any kind of spring rolls up until I came here. I’ve also never tried any other Vietnamese dishes other than egg rolls and Phở, so this place was different for me. If you’re in the area and don’t feel like eating any of the mainstream Asian restaurants on Valley, a visit to this place is so so necessary.
My family ordered the medium sized catfish which was more than enough for the 4 of us. Just a tip, if you plan on ordering it, you MUST call in advance because it takes about 30 – 40 minutes to be prepared. I don’t exactly remember our waiter’s name, but he was definitely a character! He was super friendly and very funny. He also explained to us that the entire fish is baked, even though the skin is crispy as if it was fried so the process takes quite a while to get it perfect. You will not be disappointed. Only downfall here is that the price is a little steep…$ 40 for a medium sized catfish! But for the way they prepare it, it’s understandable. The catfish also comes with a generous serving of rice paper, lettuce, vermicelli, cucumber, carrots, and radish– everything to make your spring rolls. Everything was amazing. It comes with sauces as well if you’re feeling adventurous, but I stuck to the sauces that were already on the table.
We also ordered the BBQ Beef Meatballs and the BBQ Beef wrapped in Basil Leaf. Both tasted really authentic and delicious. I definitely want to come back here to try the 7-​course Beef.
All in all, it was a good experience and I came on a slow day so it was relatively fast, but I heard that this place does get packed, so call in advance regardless!

I feel like I have a middle school crush on this place. It’s been a few days, but we had such a great time the other night that I honestly can’t stop the memories from infiltrating my thoughts – think video montage but far less sentimental.
The name of restaurant, I believe, translates to something like beef-​done-​7-​ways (excuse me for my lack of Vietnamese skills), but it’s a trick. You should actually be here for the catfish – trust me on this one.
When ordering the catfish, you have your choice of three sizes: small, medium, or large. Easy enough, but do keep in mind that if you do intend on going for fish, you should call in half an hour in advance to minimize your wait time when actually at the restaurant. For those of you that have never stepped foot into a Vietnamese restaurant, brace yourself, and for those of you that have, brace yourself. The stank in this restaurant is like no other (it may actually evoke images of rot and decay), but trust me, the experience is worth it – or, I should actually say the fish is worth it.
The catfish comes out with the perfect sun-​kissed tan, which could mean one thing and one thing only – crispy, chip-​like fish skin! Don’t knock it until you try it. It’s a beautiful sight really, but if it’s your first time, the whole experience could seem rather daunting. But have no fear, Kim is here. Essentially, the first thing you need to do is create and customize your sauce. There will be several jars and you could mix to your heart and stomach’s content. I tend to do equal parts of the fermented fish sauce in the silver jar is a fermented fish (which I’ll assume is largely to blame for the smell) and the tamarind sauce. I’ll also add a generous glob of chili and an even more generous glob of lemongrass. If the jar of minced lemongrass is missing from the table, make sure you ask for it because it makes one hell of a difference! After your sauce is ready and your fish is looking bronzed and beautiful, you’re good to go! Grab your rice paper, wet it, then proceed with the greens and the fish, then roll it up like the nice little Vietnamese burrito that it is and chomp away.
The dish may be a bit too pungent for some, but baby if you’re down down down down down, I’d give it a go! It’s bold and beautiful as all great things in life are and should be! What do you have to lose! And if you hate it that much, there’s always Phở next door. Win-​win.
P. S. Also be sure to try the beef wrapped in grape leaves. That thing is an absolute flavor bomb!

If you are visiting the 626, this is a necessary stop over for sure. Call ahead of time to order the Catfish since it takes 30 minutes to prepare to cut your wait time. I’m a sauce girl and the ability to stir up some yummy goodness is endless! A total plus.
Need to come back to try the 7-​course Beef. Hmm beef.

I believe this location use to be down the street in a much smaller location. I am glad that they have upgraded to this new location which is about six times bigger than the old one. Food taste great, service is just as good, and parking is ample.
FOOD:
Baked Catfish ($ 28.99 and up to $ 69.99) — price depends on the size of the catfish you want. This catfish is baked to perfection with garlic, some special sauce they put on it. I really don’t know how to explain this dish but if you like eating catfish, this is delish. I ordered the smallest one at $ 28.99 for me and the S/​O and almost finished all of it. They also serve you a huge side of veggies and also rice paper (wraps) to make your own rolls. Don’t forget to use the sauces they give you, the tamarind sauce is my favorite!
Special Beef Alphabet Soup — this is one of those soups that just remind you of «home» — this rice soup really reminds me of when I was a kid and would order this soup at a Vietnamese restaurant when I had a cold. It has thin slices of beef with rice and alphabet noodles with a beef based broth.
SERVICE:
For a restaurant this large, they really do emphasize the importance of customer service. The waiters are always keeping their eyes peeled to see if any tables need assistance or anything else. They are friendly, most of them speak good English, and they aren’t stingy when you ask for more veggies or rice paper.
**Don’t be shy to ask for more vegetables or some of the other condiments/​preserved radish/​wrap/​etc… They will gladly give you more!

I was impressed on my recent visit here! I usually get my baked fish from Phong Dinh but the catfish here was just as good! This place is pretty spacious with plenty of tables that can easily accommodate large groups. You can order your catfish ahead of time so you don’t have to wait half an hour at the restaurant. It’s kind of nice when you sit down for a few minutes and they already bring your catfish out!
The catfish is well flavored and delicious. You wrap your own spring rolls with rice paper, water, veggies, and sauces provided. (I liked the tamarind sauce!) We also tried the shrimp and sliced beef, which we grilled (on a teeny grill platter) at our table. The sliced beef was good and I absolutely loved the shrimp! It was very well-​marinated. We also got these banana leaves-​wrapped beef appetizers that were yum. The beef tasted like an amazing burger patty.
My only gripe is that they should have two grills for the long tables accommodating large groups. Also, the grill was ¾ the size of my laptop. Other than that, I had a great dining experience here. I would definitely come back. Also, when you check-​in on Unilocal,you get a free beer!

I came here again but this time I ordered the 7 course beef instead of the catfish. Oh my goodness the beef courses were so good and very filling! It is 20 dollars for each order but I recommend getting 2 orders between two people. My favorite course would have to be grilling the beef. The flavors used to marinate the beef were super delicious.
Kevin, our waiter, was super friendly and great to interact with. He kept us entertained throughout our meal and good service is pretty rare at small Asian restaurants these days.
I can see this place becoming my go to restaurant whenever I am in the mood for Vietnamese catfish/​7 course beef.

We came here for the seafood hot pot ($ 26), enough to share for 4 people. The seafood wasn’t the freshest, but it wasn’t exactly rotten either. We ordered a baked cat fish (size small) but they only had medium, so they gave us a medium for the price of small. It wasn’t cheap however! Catfish is supposed to be cheap. We paid $ 34 for ours… granted it was quite large but still, $ 34 for catfish?!
They give you quite a generous helping of rice wrappers (comes with catfish), almost to a fault because there’s no way we can eat through all of them (they presumably go to waste… so much waste… how about INSTEAD they lower the price and give you a bit less… I digress).
I do love that a Unilocal check in offer gets you up to 4 FREE BEERS, not bad huh. Take advantage of that.
What makes Thien an Bo 7 Mon unique is they have an entertaining stage up front… reminds me of a venue for wedding parties (?) LOL. Not even kidding.

Food:
1. 7 course of beef:
My favorite out of all the 7 dishes is the: starter salad and the leaf wrapped beef rolls.
a. Starter Salad:
Consists of crunchy vegetables, a couple pieces of shrimp and a crunchy chip on top. All of this vegetables are already pretossed in a tart vinaigrette. Dish is very refreshing to eat.
b. Leaf wrapped beef rolls
These meat logs are super juicy and flavorful! I am so sad that they only give you three pieces per order!
**Tip: If you want more of a certain dish, you can opt to take out the one you don’t like and supplement more of the dish you do like. So in my case, I skip the beef poached in vinegar and just get more of the leaf wrapped beef rolls.
2. Baked Fish
The fish skin is always crispy and delicious and I love love LOVE the green onion and garlic that comes with it. For your reference: the fish comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. If you are a party of two like me, then a small if more than enough for you.
Complaints:
1. Ice water always tastes super funky.
2. Service is definitely lacking during the dinner rush, they should definitely hire more people to accommodate their growing customer base.
Final Verdict:
Food is just too good to give up on this place!

I’ve been here twice and the service gets worser than before to the extent it’s non-​existent. Either hire more people or don’t even have such a huge restaurant space.
The last visit was the last time I’m ever coming here. No more patronage from me… not like they even need my business anyways.
I came here with my family and the restaurant is half-​empty. I waited a good 10 – 15 minutes and never got seated. I know 10 – 15 minutes isn’t that long, but you wouldn’t expect to have to even wait in a half-​empty restaurant. Next thing I know there were six parties waiting to be seated and the restaurant did nothing to seat us. A server came to the front, looked at the sign-​in sheet, and walked back in. I had direct eye contact with a staff and he ignored me.
The food is decent, but if I have to get this kind of attitude and lack of service… no thank you. especially when I have to tip you. I’m going to Westminster whenever I want to eat Vietnamese baked catfish or DIY at home.
Hire more people to accommodate or reduce the size of your restaurant.