Nguyen Trai Billiards

nice chill place to play pool. I always come here because it’s reasonably priced. The biggest downfall is the place allows people to smoke so you get exposed to secondhand smoke for the entire time and your clothes stink after. viet sandwich is pretty good too. they don’t allow alcohol and it’s cash only

Very impressed with the Vietnamese sandwich. Will order it again! Thanks to the Unilocalers!

I LOVVEEEEEEE their sandwiches here. I ALWAYS call ahead to order the sandwiches but sometimes they don’t make them until I get there. It’s a very male dominated place so pretty awkward walking in. Def worth it for yummy sandwiches.

Friendly service, filled with good people who keep to themselves, and even though the tables aren’t in the best quality and the vibe and décor isn’t anything great, this place boasts a very cheap price and honest feel as well as genuine Vietnamese sandwiches and coffee. Plus you can smoke inside.

Good place to play billiards and eat decent vietnamese sandwiches. Highly recommended!!!

Very gud spot to come by an play pool bring ur own homies play at 8dollars a table usaully piasas an chinos

best vietnamese sandwich ever, i don’t really care about how they treat their customers but as long as they turn on their remix music and let us smoke while playing, then that’s already good enough cuz that’s wat i come for.

I call the number above for price inquired, they just sample handed up. One star is what they desired.

Billiards/​snooker table hall that I only go to for the Banh mi.
I am not a huge fan of Banh mi, but i came here with a friend. was skeptical of the sandwich since it is in a billiards place. took a bite and holy cow this thing is delicious. the sandwich is warm, it has a good amount of meat and veggies, and to top it all off, there is maggi in it, which sets it apart from any other banh mi i have had.
$ 4 might be a bit pricier than most other banh mi, but for everyone deterred by the price tag, it is at least worth a try. Please note that there is only one person making the sandwiches and sometimes there are many orders ahead of you so be prepared to wait maybe 15 minutes in the billiards hall (says no smoking but everyone smokes)

I love their Vietnamese sandwich! Call and preorder first =)

I actually came here to play pool and not eat sandwiches (will have to try them).
While the tables may look like they are in decent shape, they really aren’t. Balls roll funny (can do S-​curves, J-​turns, etc). Rails can do interesting things. But they are fine if you are just going to play for fun with friends. It doesn’t help when players come and sit up on the rails (there are plenty of stools in the place) and place drinks down on the felt (there are plenty of small tables too)…
You pay by the hour for the table and not based on how many players like the other established pool halls around the Bay Area. (I think it is $ 10 per hour currently)
The other thing we like, especially on the hot nights — ICE COLD Coke. They keep their fridges set to low temperatures so the drinks come out extremely chilled.
The staff there are very friendly.
Note: if you can’t handle smoke, don’t go there.

This place seems like it has a pretty decent following. The old men gambling in the back seem to know one another well. If you’re from that generation who enjoy 3-​ball billiards, this would be your place.
If you’re like me, who came to play some pool, there were a couple things that threw me off.
Though there were «no smoking signs» plastered all around the hall, the moment you step into the place the smoke just fills your lungs. I read some interesting reviews complimenting the banh mi. Though I didn’t try it myself, the round table next to the wall had some bread crumbs sitting around so when I grabbed the triangle I got a little bit of that on my hands as well.
My friend and I shot for an hour and the tables seemed even, though very worn. Fairly simple, I paid with cash and out we went. Don’t think I would ever bring my friends here to shoot again.

Boyfriend seems to have lots of fun here
it’s pretty cheap
only thing I don’t like is the smoking
but besides that pretty good place
if you want to play some pool

Love the sandwiches… so not the atmosphere. I come here once in awhile to get a sandwich, because due to it’s location. I suggest ordering it before hand, if you don’t want to wait.

I came here back in 2010 sometime and their banh mi is, hands down, the best I’ve ever had. I’m glad it’s still getting positive reviews– the scary walk to the banh mi counter is worth it.
I think the pricing is a little arbitrary depending on how much Vietnamese you speak and how much you order, but don’t quote me on this.

My friend referred me to this place because he’s Vietnamese and he knows his Banh Mi. The pâté is delicious. I prefer more pickling juice in the carrots, though. The bread is crunchy, flaky and fresh! Great Vietnamese Banh Mi, Sun Chips and a bottle of h20 for $ 4.50!

I was told this place has to best sandwich so I dragged myself here to try it out. Just like what the other reviews, the moment I walked in I told myself I will not come back. Then when I take a bite of the sandwich … Yea you know where this is going … My stubborn a$$ is gonna have to risk death and come back again and again. Thank god for the back door.

If you’re a girl wanting to order food, I suggest calling ahead and picking it up. Every girl that walks in here gets stared at by all the men playing pool/​cards/​etc. Walk in, pay and pick up your order and walk right back out. No eye contact whatsoever!
The sandwiches are pretty good though! So it’s worth the stares and catcalls, just as long as you ignore them.

I talked to the woman working the sandwich counter on my way out of town. Wanted a few kick ass sandwiches in the back for my drive back to Las Vegas.
She says it’s not uncommon for people especially young women going solo to be totally scared sh*t-less of the pool hall patrons. She assures that they’re perfectly safe and she makes their order as fast as possible.
Most of what they use is home made like the mayo, the pâté is purchased pre-​made locally but re-​seasoned to fit their needs.
Just BSing with her she told me the biggest order was a togo order of 60 sandwiches for a school.
I miss San Jose now…

If I had to describe my experience here in one word, it would be: WEIRD.
There is NO way to tell that this billiards place makes sandwiches. No sign, no menu, nothin. After I walked in, I noticed that this ghetto-​ass place was filled with about 20 dudes… all staring at me. I mean, really staring. I hate that! As I make my way across the longest room ever, trying to keep my cool, I look on the wall for a menu. Yeah there isn’t any. I asked the lady (the only lady in there) if they made sandwiches. They do, so I ordered the only kind they offered, 2 types of pork of some sort.
While I waited, I noticed a giant blue parrot sittin on a cage against a wall. That was so weird! But then I smiled when I heard it go, «Arrr! Arrrr!!» It was funny. It took a while to make the sandwich, like 8 minutes. Perhaps it was because she kept getting distracted by (translation: watching) the group of guys playing with a remote controlled car.
She said, «okay your sandwich is ready. $ 3.30» I took out $ 5 and searched for change. She asked, «do you have 50 cents?» I handed her $ 5.50 and she opened a drawer (not a cash register) took out a wad of singles and handed me 2 bucks… and no change. I was just so weirded out by the experience, I just left without my 20 cents!
As I walked back across the longest room ever, I thought, «I’m never coming back here!» even before I tasted my sandwich. Headed back to the office, shared my story with co-​workers, sat at my desk and took a bite of my sandwich…
Yep you guessed it… it was f*ckin good. Best I ever had. Lots of veggies, the pâté made it awesome (never had pâté in my vietnamese sandwich before) and the bread had a good amount of crustiness.
Perhaps I may suck it up and go again… but having that parrot there was just so freakin weird!