Nha Trang Restaurant

We came all the way from Houston, TX to see my Master Chef, Xuan Hong. Unfortunately, I was not too pleased with the food and the service… Sorry, I like Xuan Hong as a teacher, but 2 stars is the best I can do.

Posted business hours M-​F until 10:30pm, arrived at 9:45pm on a Monday night and got turned away at the door. Do yourself a favor, don’t waste your time and head to Phö Hōa at the end of the shopping center, QUALITY place all around!

This is my first time here after watching and making many recipes from the pretty owner Xuan Hong Nguyen. The foods are pretty impressive, very good! Absolutely come back to try more dishes! Staff are friendly !

It’s pretty obvious that this place is loved by the Asian community. Perhaps it is because the owner of this restaurant is well known for her cooking show as well as beauty products. But I can’t seem to get myself to give them more then one star. This one star is for their cat fish sour soup. It’s not the best, but it was edible unlike their thit kho. It was so sour, I don’t know what they put in there!
From the beginning, we were forced to sit at a certain table. When we asked to sit somewhere else, the answer is always no. They use term like «you can’t and no, you have to». Secondly, I asked the waitor for 5 minutes to look over the menu. His response? «no, you have 2 minutes» whaaat?!
Perhaps the other foods are good and they allow a reasonable price for family dinner. Maybe that’s why they have so many customers, but if customer service isn’t top priority for these folks, I honestly don’t know why you keep coming back and get treated like hungry dogs.

I came to this restaurant with my husband, child, & sister in law ~25 years ago. And then I came back today to bring back the memories.
How shall I put it this way about your restaurant?
Answer: It was great back in the day & it was EVEN GREATER now!!! Still good taste Viet food I ever tried in history!!! Especially in the past 25 years!!! My husband & I reminisce your place a lot after our recent visit here.
We really like your Ca Kho Sea Bass & your Bo Luc Lac a lot. Definitely those dishes are your signature dishes!!!
Definitely next time when me & family come back to visit San Jose, we’ll definitely stop by your restaurant again.
Perfect ⁵⁄₅ from me!!! Congratulations Nha Trang Restaurant of San Jose!!!

I can’t remember the last time I was here before I came here recently, but damnnnnn its hella good. There were 5 of us who came to eat, but it seemed like we ordered for a party of 10. We got the lobster (4LBS) with noodles, bun mien ga (vermicelli noodles), hu tieu xao bo (beef chow fun), com tam dac biet (broken rice, rice plate), oc dua (coconut snails) and bun rieu (don’t know the english version). We got seated, ordered our food in like 5 minutes, and the food came out before I can even set my utensils down. It was so fast I didn’t even blink and it was here. Everything was super good, flavorful, juicy, garlicy. Highly recommend this place if you are feeling something filling. I walked out with a food baby.
When you get here, it doesn’t really look like a popular restaurant from the outside because its super dark looking, honestly I did not even realize there was restaurant there if I didn’t walk past it. But you won’t be disappointed.

Food is not too excellent as what’s been said over the radio. I went here for Bun Rieu since this was the only thing I’d like here.
Food is okay BUT the service was horrible. The old waiter asked us what we wanted for drinks. I said «Please get me a water». He wrote it down on his little note, then for a second, I gently asked for another cup of tea. His attitude was like Why the heck I wanted both drinks @.@
What’s wrong with drinking ice water with tea?
My friend was ironically laughing over the service

Want to take a trip back to Vietnam? Savor its delicious authentic cuisine? Nha Trang is a classy Vietnamese restaurant with SUPERB FOOD headed by the famous Mrs. Xuan Hong.
Food: A
Authentic Vietnamese food at its best in the shady East Side San Jo! The cooks and employees are all Vietnamese and know how to cook up a delicious Viet cuisine. The owner, Xuan Hong, has been a long-​time, well-​known chef in the Viet community. The returning, loyal Vietnamese customers like my family and I come back time after time when we crave the best Viet foods.
Must-​Trys:
+ Canh Chua Ca Bong Lau (Soup Soup with Catfish), free soup base refill
+ Com Chien Thai Lan (Thai Fried Rice), comes in a pineapple!
+ Goi Ca Cau Bong Nha Trang (Fish salad with rice paper), Viet salad with a kick!
+ Muc Rang Muoi (Salt n Pepper Calamari), solid squidoo for fans
+ Nem Nuong Cha Ram Ninh Hoa (Grilled Pork Meatball with salad and rice paper), some assembly required! Basically a do-​it yourself spring roll kit :)
+ Mocha Smoothie with boba and coffee jelly, oddly one of the best I’ve tasted #BobaPrincessApproved
**Online Menu:
Service, Location/​Ambiance, Prices: B
The employees are friendly but seriously overworked. Come on a Friday night or Saturday lunch/​dinner and it will be completely packed with a wait… but a restaurant full of Vietnamese patrons is a good sign ;) It’s not a 5-​star French service, but they dress professionally and are quick to serve. Location is inside the busy Tully Road Lion Center Plaza and parking is pretty impossible. Bring out your stalker persona! Ambiance is casual nice? I am little confused by the interior schematic inside Nha Trang. There are some nice décor yet some tacky ones. The tables/​chairs are old and outdated but it gets the job done– cushing your tushtushyy for a good meal. Prices are in the $$ range. It’s a higher end Vietnamese restaurant and their high quality food merits such prices (average $ 10 — $ 15+). Card or cash! Check them out you won’t regret it! xoxo, Viet chick

Came here since I was around the area. Ordered the lau Thai $ 28.50 for a small.
Came here, three workers are just sitting around talking. No one took our order, I had to call someone to take our order.
Our waiter wasn’t friendly.
For veggies they barely had a variety.
$ 2.00 for the noodles, it doesn’t come with the hot pot.
No one asked how was our food or if we needed anything.
I had to wait until a waiter walks by to ask for napkins.
They forgot our waters. Had to call the waiter and ask for our waters.
Cashier lady is rude.
Soup and broth was ok.
Definitely would not come back.
Very disappointed.

OVERALL RATING: 4 STARS
FOOD: 4 STARS
I’m so surprised by the amount of negative reviews, but I realize that every customer gets a different experience based on day, time, etc. My family and I had a great time eating here for lunch on a super busy Sunday. We ordered 2 bowls of Bun Mam, 1 bowl of Bun Rieu, 3 bowls of vermicelli noodle bowls and 1 grilled BBQ beef with rice. The food was DELICIOUS! My aunt, uncle, grandma and mom are all from Vietnam and felt that the food was very authentic and extremely flavorful. We are looking forward to returning for dinner later this week. Their shrimp paste sugar cane is on point, as well as their noodle soups. Price is also very reasonable – for 7 people, it was only $ 75 after tax and before tip.
SERVICE: 3 STARS
Waiters are VERY forgetful with sides that are supposed to come with orders (e.g. basil and bean sprouts with noodle soups) and with basic service needs (e.g. refilling water). Granted, they were super busy and only had about 2 servers working that day for some reason. However, bad service at Asian restaurants is pretty standard, so this comes at no surprise.
AMBIENCE: 2 STARS
It’s pretty much nonexistent. This place is just way too busy, so don’t come for a romantic date, but rather a super casual lunch or dinner.
I recommend this place, but judging from the reviews from other people, read over your bill very carefully and ask your waiter for more information if you’re unsure about what you’re ordering!

Parking can be pretty hard in this plaza, depending on the day and time you come. Avoid weekend evenings or be willing to drive around a bit until you find a spot (unless you’re one of those gosh darn lucky people who always can find good parking — note the hint of resentment in my typing).
I’ve never really had to wait here because the restaurant has a good amount of seating. My family and I have been coming here since I was a little kid. The staff members here never seem to change.
I’ve tried everything here, from the spring rolls, to the shaking beef with tomato rice dish, to their bun xuon (don’t know how to translate it). Everything I’ve ever ordered here has been delicious and brought out in a timely manner. I recommended coming here for big parties and intimate dinner dates.
Service here could be just a tad bit better. Just refill my water once, that’s all I ask… Other than that, this place is one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants.

i would give them 4 stars but they get a star off for automatically adding 15%tip to my bill without telling me so I ended up double tipping.
Im sorry but its the customer responsibility to put in how much tip you get. BTW the party was for 2 and we ordered 3 dishes.
Food is good, people are nice but adding 15% gratuity to my bill and not informing me is not right…
15% tip is standard but its not mandatory…

I have been here countless times ever since I met my boyfriend. Whenever we are craving for something home-​y, authentic, or something that reminds us of a favorite aunt’s Vietnamese cooking, we we would come here.
My favorite dish:
Goi Ca Cau Bong Nha Trang (Fish salad spring rolls) — This is a great dish to start off your meal. You make your own spring rolls with their fresh fish, vegetables, and rice paper. Every time we order this for appetizers, I can barely start my entrée since the portion is huge and this is delicious. If you ask them, they would prepare two spring rolls for you if you are a spring roll wrapping noobie.
Other favorites:
Nem Nuong Cha Ram Ninh Hoa (grilled pork meat balls spring rolls) — Similar to the Fish salad spring roll dish except this is with meatball.
Grilled Pork and egg roll vermicelli — Dried vermicelli topped with vegetables, pork, and eggrolls with fish sauce.
Shaking beef with rice and french fries
When we come to a place like this, we don’t expect much service except taking our order and handing us our food. They will respond to your simple requests but wouldn’t take the initiative to ask if you need anything.

This restaurant used to be so dang good! What happened???
I’ve frequented this place recently a couple of times and noticed the food quality has gone down. Maybe the behind the scenes chefs and food engineers are new and need a lesson in seasoning food?
I’ve ordered my go to dishes nem nuong (Vietnamese pork spring roles), shaking beef, and bun cha Hanoi, these dishes are meant to be explosions of flavor! But they’ve become bland and flavorless here.
Maybe I should try the more traditional dinner options and stray away from what Vietnamese people coin the «party foods».
I’ve been spoiled my whole life with my mothers homemade cooking so I have a right to be picky! Just sayin’

My go to Vietnamese spot! Everything is good!
Know for their seafood selection! Crabs, lau, and oc. Quick friendly service everytime! Family from the East coast always request for dinners here!

LIARS, LIARS, LIARS!!! Their pants better be on fire! We just ordered 100 Vietnamese egg rolls with the special spring roll wraps from Vietnam for Christmas dinner tonight. When my Dad picked them up, they gave us the regular kind. When we called to inform them, the worker had the nerve to say they are not aware of any special preparation. We specifically heard the radio advertising and placed the order ourselves only to be duped, of course, on a day where we were hosting a special dinner.
Avoid this business.

My family and I love this restaurant! This was my first time here but my family has gone to it multiple times. I can see why they like it so much. Food was delicious. We got pad thai, pineapple fried rice, salt & pepper calamari, and a popular vietnamese dish called Bun Dau Mam Tom which translates to Fermented Shrimp Paste Sauce w/​Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli. It was definitely my moms favorite dish since she tells she gets it every time they come here.
1) Pad Thai: The pad thai was pretty good. Well seasoned, not sweet which I like because most places can make leaning to the sweet side but this was perfectly done. It had a mix of chicken, shrimp, green onion with bean sprouts, peanuts, and lemon wedges on the side.
2) Pineapple Fried Rice: I thought the whole concept of putting the fried rice inside the pineapple was pretty cool. The fried rice was also well done itself. A mix of pineapple, chicken, diced carrots, peas, green onion, topped with peanuts. The fried rice wasn’t too fried to the point it was dry and it wasn’t too moist either. I saw a lot of people order this so I would assume this is one of the popular dishes here.
3) Salt & Pepper Calamari: Perfect coating on the outside. The salt & pepper was well seasoned because it wasn’t overpowering. It wasn’t too salty or oily. It also topped with some sliced jalapeños and diced green onions. I recommend this as an appetizer.
4) Bun Dau Mam Tom (Fermented Shrimp Paste Sauce w/​Fried Tofu & Rice Vermicelli: If you have a sensitive nose that does not like unfamiliar smells then this dish might not be for you. The shrimp paste sauce can have this overpowering fish scent that some may not like. But, I really like it with this dish. It went along with sliced pork meat and fried tofu. How I was taught to eat was to put your assorted veggies, the vermicelli noodle, the meat and tofu, and then top it off with a couple of spoons of sauce. It tasted really good to me!
I recommend trying here! My parents told me that the lobster here is really good too and it seems like a really popular dish since all the tables seem to have it! Our bill came out to around $ 60 for the huge portions!
The service here is good too. The waiters all were really cheerful and came to you right away when you needed something. Be prepared to be a little rushed when you finally come in and sit down. They ask for your order right away but take your time! There are also menus near the door for you to look at outside while you wait for your name to be called.

So I’ve been here more than 10 times and haven’t written a review yet for this awesome Vietnamese restaurant, ahhh! Nha Trang is literally my favorite Vietnamese place to eat in the San Jose area. If you mention even the name of this restaurant, you’ll instantly make me smile, no lie. It’s just that darn good, now let’s get to the entrees.
Whenever I go here, I HAVE to get the Sweet and Sour Catfish Soup. It is absolutely amazing. You will even see families order the same thing at various tables, but I would suggest ordering this dish only if you have a big party since it is somewhat of a huge portion. Or, you can order the soup for yourself or your party of two and have some delicious leftovers to-​go ;) Also on my list of recommendations — Beef Salad, Fried Springrolls, and the Soft Shell Crab. The beef salad with their fried chips is too addicting and I’ll never keep my eyes off of that plate, not once. For another great bite, wrap one lettuce leaf around a fried springroll, a chunk of vermicelli noodles, and dip this heavenly creation into fish sauce for an addiction of a lifetime. The soft shell crab is deep fried to a perfect degree and is so much better than your average popcorn chicken at Quickly’s. In the past, I also had the Honey Walnut Prawns here and they were delicious as well :) One thing I wouldn’t recommend in my personal opinion is the Pad Thai. It is definitely flavorful, but tastes way off from your authentic Pad Thai dish (which was the taste I was expecting). Plus, I felt that it was a bit too sauce-​y for my liking — and by sauce-​y, I mean that it literally has too much sauce on it.
As for the customer service, you will always see that it is super crowded in this restaurant because it is just so popular during dinner time. Don’t expect the greatest service in the world, but the employees are very hard-​working and try their hardest to fulfill all of their customers’ requests. My family and I haven’t had a problem with the workers here with each time that we came here. This is definitely a restaurant I would recommend you take your family and friends to :)

I’m not going to lie, I am not very knowledgable with Vietnamese cuisine, so this review is coming from someone totally unfamiliar with these foods. With the help of my girlfriend, I will try to figure out the correct names of these dishes, and not the American names I just make up for all of them. They have good lunch specials and the few times I’ve been here, my friend’s parents have ordered. The place is often crowed, but you get seated fairly quickly.
My favorite dish is the Thit Kho Tho, which is this fatty pork cut into pieces. It’s topped with some jalepenos and green onions. The sauce it’s in is really sweet, so it needs to be eaten with a lot of rice, but YUM SO GOOD. The jalepenos on top balance out the sweetness of the dish. We also had the Canh Chua, which is this catfish soup. The fish is always extremely tender and the soup is flavorful. They have a water spinach that they flavor with garlic that is also very good. For lunch the other day, we had the corn with coconut cream for dessert! It’s a little too sweet, but still really enjoyable!

4* Thit Kho
3* Beef & Chinese broccoli and an eggplant dish
One of the best thit kho I’ve had in town. Excellent tasted, good meat-​to-​fat ratio, and wonderful presentation. The other two dishes we ordered were nothing special.
The portion of the beef & broccoli and eggplant dishes were huge. They are not nearly as generous with the thit kho.
Service was fast. Well, up until it was time to pay. They took more than forever to run the card. I guess they were just so busy bc I know they wanted us out. Lots of people were waiting to be seated.
***New dishes tried***
4* Bo Luc Lac
3* Shrimp Dish, Ga Hai Nam, Ribs, Beef w/​Vegetables
Also forgot to mention that the pickled sweet kimchi type side is amazing