Le Petit Cheval

I came here once, and it was for the lunch special! You pay $ 6 to get rice and two items that they have in a buffet-​type setting – I had the vegetable curry and the vegetable noodles. The man behind the counter was a little brisk, but it was a very efficient set-​up with no wait. We sat ourselves and we also had to bus our own tables and get our own water.
The food itself was given in large quantities, and the quality was fair. I wasn’t amazed by how the food tasted, but it was a pretty good deal considering its price and size. In the future, I probably won’t come back often.

Le Petit Cheval is conveniently located across the street from campus (even closer than the Asian Ghetto), but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re about to pass out if you don’t get some Chinese (yeah, you read that right) food pronto.
I ordered their 2-​item meal that comes with a side of white rice (you pay extra for brown rice), and they didn’t even have as wide of a selection as Panda Express (or similar Asian fast food). Out of all of their options, the garlic eggplant and the ginger chicken seemed the most appetizing — but even then, it was only mediocre. Edible, but nothing special. The portions are definitely large enough for a meal, but honestly, I’d rather be a little hungrier if it means I get tastier food.

I really like this place for their luncheon special. It’s 5.95 for 2 items with rice and it’s enough food that you’ll feel satisfied and full. I always get my favorites — lemongrass tofu and curry chicken. Pair that with the cucumber water they have for free and it’s a home run! My only complaint about this place is the service. The people behind the counter are always super grumpy and rude to me. I don’t understand why though. They should be happy that they’re serving up plates of heavenly goodness.

Unilocal 100 Challenge * ⁸⁸⁄₁₀₀
My friend, a recent Berkeley grad, took me here during my Bay Area trip. She was more familiar with the area so I had her choose where we were heading to and she told me there was a neat buffet style restaurant otherwise hidden from view for the common tourist that only students would be familiar with.
«Wow, a french restaurant!» I remember excitedly saying when I saw the restaurant name. My friend looked back at me with a half-​smile and said, «It’s a Vietnamese restaurant that serves Chinese food». The service wasn’t too different from Panda Express. I had broccoli and curry chicken with rice. My friend had the BBQ chicken with rice. It was a really nice meal and you get a lot for the money you pay.
Water was free and unlimited. Utensils and napkins were located right across the cashier. Chill place to talk and catch-​up with an old friend.

Every time I come here I’m hoping my experience will be great, but I am always disappointed.
We tried to order the 4 course dinner which is $ 12 per person. It says minimum of 2 people. We had 3 and he said we weren’t able to order this option for 3 people even though the menu says otherwise. He also only let us choose one entrée as opposed to what the menu said which is 2. It was weird.
We had the imperial roll and that was pretty good. We had the chicken salad which was only okay.
My friend and I ordered the Bird’s Nest. We were super excited to eat this, but it was a let down.
The noodles were hard. We were served this dish in a plate as opposed to a bowl so we had a very hard time break up the noodles and dipping it in the sauce to soften the noodles.
I’ll probably come back with hopes of having a good experience, but not quite sure if this will happen.

Every time I have been here, I have been very satisfied with my food! When I came here for lunch one cold afternoon, there were so many tables that my party of 5 had no trouble finding a seat. We were also here during their weekday lunch special deal, so I got two side dishes and rice for only $ 6! That being said, their food is very cheap for the amount that you get.
Service: Sometimes when I am in a rush, I get my food to go and they definitely make sure to load up your to-​go box with more than enough food. Service is usually quick, since I always order from their lunch special menu. They fill up your plate in front of you which is nice so you can get your food quickly and go, or sit down to eat there.
Food: The first time I ordered a tofu curry and stir fry vegetables along with my rice. The tofu curry definitely needed more spice and was slightly too creamy for my taste. The stir fry vegetables were great and flavored and complemented the rice well. I have also had the garlic broccoli a number of times and it is by far my favorite. How is it possible to make just broccoli and onions taste that great? Not sure, but literally my favorite dish here to eat with some hot sauce and rice. It’s seasoned well, cooked right, and still has a little bit of a broth taste on.
This place is definitely worth checking out!

I have only been here twice, gotten the lunch specials, and have taken the food to go both times so I cannot say much about the service or atmosphere of this restaurant. From glancing around, I saw that it was a pretty large space that could accommodate a lot of people however very few of the tables were taken up (I guess a lot of the people visiting during lunchtime took the food to go), and I also did not see any wait staff. The first time I came I got the 3 item lunch plate with rice. The food is all pre cooked and sitting behind a glass case so you can just pick what you want. Very fast and simple.
–Beef Stew: the best out of the three things that I got. Really good with the rice. The broth is really flavorful and not too oily. The meat is really tender and falls apart in the mouth so you know that the beef has been stewing for a really long time. The carrots have a lot of flavor and are also very tender.
–The mixed vegetables: pretty simple dish, just some stirfry vegetables but it was a nice side dish to go with the stew.
–Curry Chicken: the curry was very creamy but I felt like it needed more spices or salt. the chicken did not have a lot of meat on it and it was annoying picking out the pieces of bone. I wish I had some kind of bread or more rice to soak up all of the curry.
The portion sizes are really large and it will definitely fill you up for two meals. The pre-​cooked food they offer out on the lunch special is pretty average. Good to go get a quick lunch for a good price.
The second time I came here I got the Tofu Banh Mi sandwich. It didn’t have much of a banh mi taste (less daikon, carrots, and cilantro) but the marinated tofu was really delicious. They were nicely solid on the outside and tender on the inside. There was a nice chew and the sandwich was very large for the price. For 4.50 you get a sandwich that is enough for a meal and a half. I have not tried any of their other fillings but I look forward to going back for their sandwiches. For another dollar you can get a side of soup or salad.
Overall, it is a nice place to get a quick and cheap bite to eat and if you are craving some good banh mi sandwiches, this is the best place around campus that I have had.

Best place for lunch on the South side!
The lunch line moves very quickly, so if you need to grab a quick bite, the service doesn’t get any faster than at Le Cheval. I usually get the (unadvertised) 2-​item special. At $ 5.75 (although given how long it’s been at that price I’m not sure how long that will last), you can’t get better value than that within a block of the campus.
It’s a good place for lunch meetings, too — seating is easy to find (both indoors and outdoors), and it’s easy to carry on a conversation.

I came in ~12pm for their lunch special. I got the rice plate with curry chicken and eggplant with tofu. For only ~$ 5, it is a cheap, fast, and filling lunch. The quality of the food is not outstanding (for more elaborate dishes maybe order off the menu?), but decent enough. I think the main thing draw is that it is relatively authentic Asian food i.e. not breaded/​fried sweet & sour stuff for a reasonable price – accordingly, I saw a lot of Chinese GSIs there. The restaurant got pretty full while my mom and I sat on the patio and enjoyed our meals, but there is never really a line because they simply have to scoop food onto plates for most customers.

This is my Go-​to spot for bahn mi in Berkeley. Definitely one of the best bahn mi peddlers in the area.
The location is quite lovely as well. There are two outdoor seating areas that are perfect for nice days as well as a large indoor seating area with plenty tables.
I only go here for my bahn mi fix, so can’t say much about the rest. But the service and sandwiches hit the spot.

I’m so surprised!
Le Petit Cheval is usually spot on! Nope, not this time around.
My previous default: Assorted Claypot. It is quite hearty; in fact, more often, I tend to share this dish or save the rest for later.
In my most recent visit, instead of my default, I tried their phở.
Taste: It was okay. Phở is either a hit or miss for me. Nothing really stood out with this phở, except that there was no upset stomach afterwards.
Service: non existent. I seriously had to flag down the waiter 5 times: 1. to give us our menus 2. to take our orders
give us utensils/​napkins for the phở (Don’t they usually come together with your meal, or they are already present at your table?) 4. ask for water (only to realize that we can just take the pitchers of water 5. give us the check
Price: Phở was reasonable; it was under $ 7. Everything else, on the expensive side. Their prices have increased these past few years.
No, thanks. I’d go elsewhere.

They have a pretty good lunch special! Your choice of 2 or 3 items with rice, and for only $ 6 – 8! They basically have all the dishes out in heated trays already, and you just tell them which ones you want. I tried the ginger chicken and the garlic eggplant, and they were both pretty good! And though they were very filling, they weren’t too heavy and the items weren’t drenched in starchy sauce like some asian fast food places. Next time, I’ll try the coconut milk tofu because that looked pretty good too!
Their phở, however, was rather disappointing. The beef was rather stiff, and they didn’t give us basil to go with the phở! (I love basil)
Overall, the restaurant has a very nice setting, with plenty of seats, and even cucumber water dispensers! Great place to grab a quick bite to eat in between class. Just beware of food coma…

Tip:
Lunch time special:
$ 5.75 for 2 items
$ 6.75 for 3 items
Extra 75 cents to get brown rice instead of white rice.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — -
I absolutely love the lunch time special at Le Petit Cheval. It’s basically like a lunchbox type of serving where there is a buffet table of different types of side-​dishes you can choose from. Both lunch time meals come with either white or brown rice and you can choose 2 or 3 extra items. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Curry Chicken: This is my absolute favorite side dish it goes GREAT with white rice (I’ve never tried the brown rice) and the chicken is completely sautéed in the curry which is amazing!
Ginger Chicken: This is a great chicken side-​dish as well. The chicken is very nicely flavored.
Beef Stew: This seems to be a big favorite among a lot of people. It is pretty full-​flavored with carrots and large cubes of beef. I prefer the curry chicken, but it’s also a good dish to pair the rice with.
Sautéed Vegetables: These vegetables are a great healthy choice among the side-​dishes. Yes they are sautéed pretty well in a tasty sauce, but it still feels light and not too heavy.
There are MANY more side-​dishes than just the few I’ve listed. I’d say that you get to choose among almost 20 or so options. The portion is definitely a good enough amount to get you full. For $ 6 or $ 7 that’s a really good value for the amount of food you’re getting.
Aside from the lunch special I’ve also tried the Banh Mi sandwiches which are great as well! I adore the BBQ pork so that’s the one I always buy. The Vietnamese Iced Coffee is AWESOME! They only give you a small amount, but that small amount is STRONG. It’s strong but tasty. I recommend giving it a try if you like strong coffee.

3.5 stars.
recommend: birds nest, claypot, chicken wings, grilled pork bermucelli (is the spelling right? lol)

Alas, the newly opened cart where I got my Phở on, dropped it from the menu. However, I re-​discovered Le Petit Cheval!
My lovely boss suggested we take a working lunch to get out of the office and go to Le Cheval. She got in the rice plate line and up front, I ordered up the Beef Phở.
Delivered piping hot to our table in the patio, I tasted the simmered beef marrow broth. Yum. Added the pepper and Thai basil, dropped a few bean sprouts, and my Phở was back on.
Again, a happy meal!

I’m a sucker for a cheap, delicious lunch so I absolutely LOVE the lunch buffet here. Two entrees + rice is $ 5.75, three entrees + rice = $ 6.75. I usually get the garlic green beans and lemon grass tofu. YUMMY!!! Also would recommend the curry chicken, lemon grass chicken, and singapore noodles. Pretty much everything I’ve eaten here is very tasty. The portions are generous (which also scored brownie points with me). Water containers with cucumber or lemon are available. You are encouraged to bus your own tables.
It’s one of those cash only places ($ 10 minimum for credit cards). I like that there are several TVs mounted on the walls with sports or news channels going. Usually busy at lunchtime but the line at the buffet goes quickly and there is ample seating (indoor and outside).
A great choice for lunch if you are around the UC Berkeley campus!

There is no good reason for me to not have tried this place during my four years at Cal! And here I’ve been complaining that there is no decent Vietnamese restaurants nearby and this was within walking distance from my apartment.
Food: Characteristic of a summer day in the Bay, it was cloudy and cold in Berkeley today. When the weather gets like this, I get huge cravings for a piping bowl of hot soup and noodles. Someone on Unilocal said getting the chicken phở would give you more meat, but next time I’ll try the beef since the chicken breast was a little rough and I did not end up eating it all. But a big plus for giving a HUGE bowl of noodles. Broth was clear and flavorful. I only added a little bit of hoisin sauce and Siracha to kick it up a notch. It came with the standard sides of bean sprouts, jalapeño, basil, and a wedge of lime.
Price: $ 6.50 pre-​tax. A wee bit more expensive than other restaurants I’ve had over in Concord, CA. Since Berkeley is surprisingly lacking in Vietnamese restaurants, I’d say this was an OK price. I feel like I paid for enough food to fill me up.
Service: Restaurant was a bit crowded because it was lunch hour, but there were only 3 other ppl in front of me in line. I placed my order, grabbed my number, and got my food within 10 minutes of sitting down.
Will I come back? Given that it’s less than 5 mins walk from my workplace (Boalt Hall), I’ll return to try some of their sandwiches or a beef phở! Nom nom.

I loved this place when I was an undergraduate and graduate student at Berkeley.
The lunch specials is a great deal, as you get carbs with 2 usually pretty well made dishes — at a pretty cheap price. The chicken phở here is also great post-​workout, as they give ample chicken breast, and a good helping of noodles. (Of course, you are still missing fiber.) Again, the phở is very reasonably priced.
My favorite dishes here are their tomatoes with stuffed tofu, their lemongrass chicken, and chicken phở. The beef phở is also good here, but you will not get nearly as much meat as with the chicken phở.

I feel badly for speaking the truth on the dinner that I shared with 4 other friends a while back — -
Honestly, the food was a 2.5 — slipped a few rungs down that ladder since the days that I frequented regularly. However, the kind owner and service was really impeccable, not having been bothered at all with some specific requests with our entrees ordered.
To be succinct, nothing truly stood out in flavor or presentation; however, the portions were stinkin’ large! Prices were reasonable, and this was another plus (esp. for the graduate students among us)
It certainly ain’t no Le Cheval from the Clay days in Oaktown, but one’s sure to be walking out filled, and if anything, I call the food prepared here a slippery mix of inauthentic, but edible «Vietnamese» food.
And that’s honestly my 2 ct’s worth—

This is one of the few places around UC campus where you can go with a big group to eat. It has so many empty seats, and is pretty fancy!
The food isn’t that great though in my opinion. I ordered phở because it was rainy and cold, but I didn’t like it very much. The noodles were too stiff, and there wasn’t a lot of beef/​cube tenderloin in it.
Maybe this place is only good for lunch.