Rong Bien Restaurant

Rong Bien has good service, but the food could use less sugar. Omg the hu tieu I had tasted like Che. So sweet, almost unbearable. I couldn’t finish my meal.

There’s a roach crawling on my seat. Makes me wonder how many family members they have in the kitchen.
We had the mi dac biet and mi vit tiem. The first was so bland, but has a good jumbo shrimp. And the latter dish was just gross. Service was good though.

Fuck this piece of shiit place. Wait for 30 minutes and the next costumer walk in and they sit them down. Stupid piece of shiit place.
Not worth to eat here with shiit service.
This is not the first time I am frustrated with this restaurant. It happen to me
Multiple times. If I have to report my last 10 visits, 6 of them were like today.

I’m Very picky when it comes to authentic Vietnamese food. I normally will cook myself if we want a family style dinner. This place is as close as you can get to a home cooked meal. Not only is it so good, the price is just right! The staff was friendly and nice and they even give you complimentary dessert. This is my new go to place. We’ve had most of our big celebrations here and will continue to come so please do not go anywhere. It reminds me of my moms home cooked meals.

If you’re a huge fan of Hu Tieu then come to this place! The Hu Tieu here is just as comparable as to Nam Vang’s off Senter Road, but I have to admit I like this place a lot better. Yes, that is shocking news, I know!
The Hu Tieu here is amazing and I love the Bone Marrow Soup that comes on the side. Don’t forget to add some siracha before mixing the noodles and soup together. It is amazing and so satisfying.
The only thing I have to complain about is the portion. The portions for the Hu Tieu was a bit small and I was still hungry after. I could have probably ate another bowl by myself. Besides that, this is my go-​to place for Hu Tieu! YUM!

This place I guess my favorite too:). Well I’m vietnamese that why most of all times, I’m always into asians food. Expecially Vietnamese foods:)

I paid $ 23 for this Thai hot pot and it taste okay.. Should have went to Dong Que or Lau Hai San. People, Do not waste your money and time to come here and eat hot pot… Not worth it!
I waited over 20 mins for this to come out and the place is not even pack! Our server have a hearing problem plus he doesn’t know his food. Ask him what type of veggie is this over and over and he doesn’t know. I suggest the owner train the server over!

Not a huge fan of this restaurant, the quality in their food isn’t equal across the bar. The escargot were pretty difficult to eat, and not the best. The seasoning was okay, but there were definitely a few empty shells in the little guys. I was told the Honey Dew smoothies were made from Fresh honey dew so that peaked my interest, but it wasn’t very sweet so I couldn’t even finish it, the pearls were also soggy but that was to be expected.
Their Bo Luc Lac, shaking beef was DEFINITELY not fresh, rice was bland and the onions tasted like they went bad. Sour and spoiled. The lettuce from the salad straight up looked like they cut the cabbage in pie Slice and served you a piece. I also asked for a sunny side egg on the side which took about 30 minutes. Ordered it with all the food yet it came half an hour later, and by then my food was cold. They were meant to be together. But that definitely didn’t happen. After the first egg came out, suddenly a second one appeared 20 minutes later. What am I going to do with two eggs that came an hour late with my cold food.
We also got charged for an appetizer that never even came out, overall the food and service were mediocre. Didn’t ease my patience that the Giants and the Dodgers were playing, yet all the televisons had Virginia vs Florida on the big screen. Just saying. that may have helped.

We came on a Tuesday night. There were a couple other customers but not extremely busy.
There was four of us total and we decided to get the family meal for four and I forgot which letter, either combo C or D? But it included:
Yummy banana dessert
Fried Tofu
Salt and Pepper Fried Pork
Spicy Thai Hot Pot with veggies, noodles and seafood
Bok Choy with Pork?
A giant pot of rice
Everything was really delicious! My table particularly raved about the salt and pepper fried pork.
But I came here to make a review because of one dish, THE FRIED TOFU!!!
!!!
Omgosh, it’s the best fried tofu I ever tasted in my life. And I am not a tofu person at all so that it saying something! I never voluntarily eat tofu and I kinda dislike it. When I get miso soup at Japanese restaurants, I will always drink all the soup and leave the tofu. But omgosh this fried tofu tasted like heaven! It was perfectly crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside. And it tasted SOOOOOO good with the dipping sauce that came with it, I almost gobbled up the whole dish. So whatever you do, get the fried tofu! It’ll be a hit.
Service here was super awesome! The guy that waited on us was extremely nice, always making sure our water was filled. And plus we came two days before the powerball of 1.5 billion dollars was drawn and they went around and gave everybody a lottery ticket for the powerball :)!

Came an hour before closing–
Ordered (not on the menu) phở Dac biet
Mongolian beef
And crispy fried tofu.
Food came out quickly.
The tofu was the best. So silky so good. Definite favorite !!

Came here to eat with my parents. We were a bit lost because no one was in the front to seat us. A family came after us just grabbed a table that was open so we just did the same. My dad and I ordered Hu Tieu Kho and my mom ordered Hu Tieu Chay. Our Hu Tieu came without sauce. When asked the waitress said they just got a new cook and apologized. The food was good but it wasn’t anything special. It could be because we had to add the sauce separately. My mom liked hers though. One thing I like about this place is free hot tea, which is perfect in this cold weather.

3.5÷5 solid stars
Rong Bien, if you didn’t know means Seaweed.
Good service and more modern than you typical Vietnamese restaurants
Located in outside Grand Century Mall
Ordered:
1) Hu Tieu Mi Dac Biet: 3.5÷5 stars
2) Banh Canh Cua: 3.5÷5 stars – very starchy

Right by grand century mall. And after so many years and whenever i pass by the mall, the restaurant at this location keeps changing, but my family finally got to try this latest restaurant
They have your traditional vietnamese food that you usually eat at home. When you look at their menu, have breakfast, lunch, dinner plus family style dinner.
Food here are good. But the price is like $$/​$$$ since some of dishes that we had were more like small portion. Maybe my family is too use to large portion or eating a lot
The dishes that we had:
1. Hot pot with catfish
2. Mussels
3. Chicken wings
4. Forgot the name but we had one of the salad.
5. Shaken beef
We ordered the braised catfish but they never brought out this out this dish. We had to tell them to cancel this dish.
Plus they didnt have enough of the regular workers since 4 of the workers on the day we came were still training. We had to ask the workers a few time to make sure if we get rice or make sure if our food will be coming out. Some foods came out quick while we had to remind them about our other foods
They give you free ice cream after you finish eating all your food

3.5
Came back here a few more times. Service has definitely improved and I find myself really liking their sautéed noodles with beef. It’s one of their «special» dishes and not on the menu. It’s on their board in front of the entrance though. The noodles are super flavorful and the beef is soft and tender. They also mix in saucy yummy potatoes into there. I do find myself wanting more of it when I haven’t had any in a while lol.

**Phở Quest: Hu Tieu Side Quest #6**
I was in the mood for some hu tieu nam vang so imagine my disappointment when my favorite spot and bargain Nha Hang Saigon Seafood was closed on a Monday. (their large bowl costs $ 5.50 compare to $ 6.95 at Nam Vang or $ 10.95 at Dalat).
As I pondered my choices, I happened upon a tip from trusted reviewer Cuc Crystal N that mentioned Rong Bien served Hu Tieu Nam Vang like the prior occupant. I had seen Rong Bien when stopping by Grand Century Mall, but had never paid it much attention, confused by the gentlemen that seemed to lounge all day on the patio seats and by the name, which made me think of a Taiwanese restaurant. The Unilocal 3 star reviews didn’t help either.
My assumptions turned out to be incorrect and Rong Bien is actually a Vietnamese restaurant serving a broad variety of Vietnamese cuisine. Besides the aforementioned and popular hu tieu noodles, they also serve seafood dishes including lobster and crab. I’ll have to come back to try those. My order:
Hu Tieu Mi Dac Biet Nuoc — $ 9.95. I had to ask the waitress what the difference between this house special noodle soup was and the regular hu tieu nam vang variety also listed. She mentioned that the house special included two extra large cooked shrimp and also included two quail eggs. For only a $ 1 more, the choice was easy.
My order was ready fairly quickly and I ordered it my standard way of dry with pork bone broth on the side. One nice touch is that there is a clearly labeled hu tieu sauce bottle among the condiments and you can tailor that delicious sauce to your preference when your bowl arrives. My bowl came quickly and it was a generous serving with the mentioned large shrimp, quail eggs, but also lean cuts of pork, liver, and celery and bean sprouts. The pork bone broth came in a large bowl as well and the soup was flavorful but didn’t have the MSG flavorings I remember from Dalat.
Overall, I was quite happy with my extra special bowl of hu tieu nam vang and thought how fortunate I was that my go to choice was closed. While the bowl here is priced higher, it was larger and had some extras my favorite lacked. The décor was clean and the location is definitely convenient near the Grand Century mall. Small victories keep life interesting.
Rong Bien accepts credit cards, but not American Express.
*My Hu Tieu Nam Vang Ko Rankings*
1) Hong Ky (renovated to Nhan Quan Noodle House) — $ 8.25. Excellent pork meatball. Most varieties of noodle (clear, udon, rice, etc.) for this place that specializes only in this dish. Lots of fresh garlic. Probably my favorite.
2) Nha Hang Saigon Vien Dong — $ 5.50. Unbelievable that a large bowl is so cheap. Consistent and with lots of fresh vegetable and garnish to go with shrimp, meat, calamari, great noodles and hot broth.
3) Nam Vang — $ 6.95. Probably the most well known and favorite for many. Great varieties of noodle and solid meat ball and Chinese donut. Downsides are they use a lot of Maggi sauce on the noodles and the broth is served lukewarm. Parking lot is also a mess and the place is the dirtiest establishment on the list.
4) Rong Bien — $ 9.95. A bit pricier, but ultra convenient location and you’re given two super large shrimp and two quail eggs for the price. They even have a container of nam vang sauce to customize your mix. Definitely hits the spot.
5) Vung Tau — $ 11.00. One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants, but their strength isn’t the dry Nam Vang version but the soup version with crab claw and prawn. A more expensive price but nicer ambiance and most mainstream restaurant listed.
6) Dalat — $ 10.95. Probably the second most mentioned after Nam Vang. Other than the large bowl and two great cooked prawns, I’ve never been a fan of the version here. The soup broth is too sweet (as if from MSG powder stock) and the dark soy sauce is similar. I love the variety of soup noodles here, but would only go here if the others were too far.

3.75 stars
I like this place. It has a large menu so more likely than not everyone can find something they want to eat. Unlike a lot of other Vietnamese restaurants around, Rong Bien doesn’t specialize in any one dish and has a lot of family style options.
Seeing as how I’ve been here quite a few times, I can’t recall everything I’ve ever tried but there are a few things I remember quite well. Their Thai hot pot, I thought was just alright. The broth wasn’t all that impressive and rather sweet. The seafood that accommodated the hot pot was fresh. In combination with that, I’ve also tried their sauteed string beans with beef and found that I actually really liked it. The string beans and meat were tender and perfectly cooked. Their fried fish filets did not lack flavor and were crispy on the outside. The entrees, such as the string beans or ca kho to, are definitely where they stand out. All the combination, family style dinners you can order come with rice enough for everyone.
The portions for their individual, single item menu options such as bun or mi hu tieu are rather large, more bang for your buck. I especially like their shaking beef sauteed with noodles, although it is one of the more expensive individual dishes on the menu.
They also offer complimentary che or ice cream after your meal.
Since the first time I’ve been here, their service has definitely improved. Their staff is better trained and less accident prone.
Considering that this is one of the few restaurants that offer family style Vietnamese food as well as single item options, it’s pretty good and I like it.

My wife & I came here for dinner on a Thursday evening. This place was reasonably busy. The service was prompt but could be a bit more professional.
As soon as we finished ordering, a large open pot of rice was brought to our table. I’m not sure I like that, since the rice sat there & cooled down before the rest of the dishes would be served. Cool rice is not a way to enjoy food. The rice pot should either be brought out at the same time as the other dishes or, at the very least have a lid.
The roast quail for appetizer was flavorful; it brought up our hope. But sadly, the water spinach stirred fried with garlic was bland. Disappointing.
The deep fried fish was crunchy; even some of the small bones were good enough to eat (I did). It was somewhat savory, but unfortunately it was a bit too oily.
Overall, the dinner we had was less than good. I am not sure we will come back.

We are always looking to try something new!
At first it seemed pricey with all those dinner packages, but we found single item dishes. The waiter and staff were very friendly, kept checking on us and even helped us by explaining the different dishes.
I would have appreciated more crab in the Crab Fried Rice but it still was tasty with a small kick. We had no complaints about the Beef Chow Fun overwhelmed with beef and crunchy greens. The Mongolian Beef was flavorful and had tons of onions, which I love.
At the end we all agreed, we will be back and this time try one or their Hot Pot Soups…

Never seen this place before so i’ll assume it’s new. Inside was nice and from other Unilocalers the owner changed=name changed so building changed. No idea what to order so i got #78 grilled pork with the fixin’ and broken rice.
****#77 and #78 exact same description, but 77 is a porkchop instead of the boneless slices. The one i got, i’m not sure how to describe it other than boneless. They don’t have grilled chicken or fish com tam unfortunately.***
The plate was pretty big. Lots of rice, meat and shredded pork stuff, but never enough pickled daikon and carrots. Bf got the mussels appetizer with sweet sour sauce. Not too sweet or sour, but more on sweet side. Both dishes were just ok.
Service was really slow sometimes inattentive.
1^st time: ordered #78 asked for no shredded pork. Got the shredded pork.
2^nd: asked for water. Never got it until 3^rd time. Same waitress who took my order was refilling water, but never bothered to check our table. she checked everyone else, but not us?!
3^rd: 3 of our guests DID NOT get their food until everyone (both tables) finished eating.
The only american food they have are fries and gt ice cream were given at the end. Melted, but can’t complain on free dessert. Bathroom was nice, but i wouldn’t come here. Try nha trang in lion plaza if you want fancy vietnamese food.

I heard about this place from my dad. My dad always want to go eat here when he visits San Jose. He loves this place. My dad said their dry style Hieu thieu dac biet, canh chua and ca Kho are very good. One day I went with him to San Jose and he took me here and ordered the dry style Hieu thieu dac biet .
Dry style, Hieu thieu/​mi dac biet (soup on the side): This dish is soooo yummy esp if you are a «soup on the side «person ! The seafood is fresh and big ! Can’t really describe this dish but it is a must have here !
⁵⁄₅
Very good service. They are very attentive and fast ! I came here several times. Most of the time I would order the dry style, Hieu thieu/​mi dac biet. One time my friend and I got the «for 2 people «meal which was the ca Kho and canh chua .
Ca Kho is good but I had better at other places. ⁴⁄₅
Canh chua: It was so good but the fish came out so hard !! It was so weird. I guess it was overcooked. I was pretty bummed because eating the cat fish is my favorite part! Because of that I give this dish ²⁄₅. The soup was good and tastey tho ! I def have to come back here to give this dish another shot because my dad said it’s typically really good.