Where is the Best Vietnamese Food in Orange County, California?
In my ventures to Vietnam, the seven course beef meal was not often eaten by the natives. Here, while the locals believe that this is the place to go for this seven-course adventure, most will believe that this is very pricey for Vietnamese food with very small portions. The members of the Thursday night dinner club have rated this the lowest of all the restaurants we’ve visited due to the small portions and the expensive price. The best of the seven courses were the last two, the beef soup and the beef salad. My recommendation is that you can try it once, but you will not want to try it again. Go one or two blocks down the street and eat banh xeo at Nha Hang Van
I would be completely lost if I’m not with a Vietnamese friend when I come here. They have a wide assortment of dishes to pick from, and figuring out what you’re going to have can be an adventure. Most of the patrons are Vietnamese, as is the staff, so its best to be careful you make your order as clear as possible to avoid any misunderstandings later on. This is a large friendly restaurant that can accommodate a lunch group, or if you have children in your party. If you’re Vietnamese you’ll be able to offer a much more qualified critique of this place; however, for the non-Vietnamese, I think you’ll find it amazing!Pros + The variety and quality of the food.Cons – Usually crowded.
I know this is a sandwich place, but they have the best Iced Coffee around! So good, I usually buy the quart and take it home. It’s true what one reviewer said about putting half the cup full of ice. If any of you have never had Vietnamese coffee, it’s very strong. Putting a lot of ice in there means you can drink it slowly until the ice melts and dilutes it. If you drank a whole cup without the ice, you’d be pretty jittery. Anyway, as far as the food, your typical Vietnamese sandwich is probably an acquired taste. The basic ones have BBQ or grilled pork or chicken and then is topped off with pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, and a jalapeno. Pretty good in my book, but not everyones. They also have various types of desserts in here and most of them are decent.Pros + Great coffee, Delicious breadCons – Can be crowded at any time
Pho Republic (PR) seems more concerned with ambieance rather than serving up well proportioned more ‘traditional’ Vietnamese dishes like in those Pho ‘noodle soup houses’. And that’s the price you pay. I will admit I have enjoyed the food at PR. It is made fresh and prepared to order. But, to me, it’s like the PF Changs of Veitnamese restaurants. Sorry, but I like ‘tradtional’ when it comes to international/foriegn foods. And living in Orange County, believe me, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for great tasting well propotioned traditional foods when choosing a Vietnamese restaurant. I highly recommend Pho Nam Dinh in Garden Grove at the south east corner of Harbor & Garden Grove Blvd (in the ‘strip’ of buildings just north of Mervyn’s). Search Pho Nam Dinh for my review.Pros + Food is fresh, Nice banquet room, Good drinksCons – Pricey, Small portions, Service a bit slow
