Minh’s Vietnamese Restaurant

Truly Northern Vietnamese food. I got the vermicelli with spring rolls and shredded pork and it was delicious. It is a big portion as well. I will definitely come back.

I love this spot. At night this place can get really packed, but it’s worth the wait. For a place that serves mainly rice plates, I decided to do the brave thing and order the phở. To my surprise, it was really good. At first glance this place might seem under staffed by the low number of waiters, but we didn’t notice any slow down in service. They all work really hard criss crossing multiple times across the restaurant to make sure everyone in serviced. Do yourself a favor and check out this place the next time you’re in milpitas.

I’ve always passed by this place on the way to Seafood City but never really thought of coming here because the plaza it’s in is so dark lol. But the SO’s mother insisted on coming here because she’s heard great things about the food from her coworkers. When we arrived, it was a nice lady who took our orders. The restaurant wasn’t really busy when we came but it started to pick up minutes after.
I’ve been wanting to try Banh Xeo for the longest time. The night we ate here was definitely the night to try it out. When it arrived on our table we were confused as to why there were so much vegetables lol. And not gonna lie, I actually Googled how to eat Banh Xeo LOL, don’t judge me. It was so good! My SO and I are addicted and on the hunt for more Vietnamese crepes.
We also ordered Crispy Fried Noodles, Vermicelli Noodles, Shrimp on Sugarcane, and some Stir Fried Squid. All were very good but of course, the Banh Xeo totally made this dinner.
While we were eating, the restaurant was dead quiet. We were sitting by the TV but it was on mute. There wasn’t even music playing which made the scenario kinda awkward and the old man sitting at the cashier was coughing throughout our whole dinner. I think playing music at the restaurant would’ve interfered the coughing :)

Love this Vietnamese gem located in a small plaza next to Great Mall!
Whenever I choose where to get lunch catered for our company, Minh’s is my first choice. Online payment is available, pick-​up is fast, and food is a home run with everyone thanks to their vastly large menu. It can be difficult to choose an item when you are not familiar with Vietnamese cuisine but they keep it authentic and hit the spot.
French pressed ice coffee is a favorite :)

This place is completely incredible!
There fried yams and prawns was absolutely delicious. So was their crunchy phở noodles with a wet sauce!
The only thing about this place is that it was quite small, and they had some concerning issues. I saw that they covered their fire alarm with duct tape, which I do believe is some sort of violation.
But other than that they aren’t your typical Asian restaurant. The servers are much nicer than the typical Asian servers and know their menu quite well

I just can’t get with it when they start mopping floors with strong smelling cleaner while you are trying to eat lunch.

This is a family operated restaurant in a corner of a plaza.
The phở soup color is on the darker side, but it’s not oily, not sweet, just a bowl of good soup.
The rare beef they put on the top is a little weird to me since it tastes kinda bland. I just used a lot of siracha to compensate that.
We also ordered the spring rolls, which has three rolls and for almost $ 7. It was pretty fresh and good.

Came here on a whim since the phở nearby was closed. It was a rainy day and you step inside, and it’s deathly warm and the place just reeks of fish sauce and other foods. Not the most pleasing, and be prepared that your clothes and hair will stink of it.
They placed us at the very front table that is awkwardly right next to do the door when there were other tables available. Ordered the pork chop plate with the spring roll and salad. I asked for water 3 times, and finally got it when I got up and approached the waitress. The pork chop and rice was good, wish there was a little more pork though. The fried spring roll had a very weird smell and taste to it, wasn’t a huge fan of it.
Overall, the food is pretty good, but the service needs to be stepped up a notch, and I did not appreciate stinking like the food afterwards.

first try at this place. thought it is the sister restaurant from the one we like in sunnyvale.
my noodle was to be honest the least impressive i had amongst many great vietnamese restaurants around.
the phở is par with expectation.
the owner is super friendly and engaging to all of the customers.
due to that, will give this place potential another try (different items. quite an offerings)
price is above most of the vietnamese restaurants we frequented.
seems the restaurant is trying to do upscale (but use paper to top each tables — cannot be upscale with paper top tables)

Darn near every chair in the entire restaurant was occupied this busy Saturday night, which made my fam really glad we called ahead to get our order togo. Even with the crowd, they were able to put our order together in under 15 minutes. Both the canh chua and the ca kho came out to just $ 22– pretty good! The canh chua soup was well packaged in a secondary bag to prevent any possible spilling, and the veggies for it were in separate bag.
We get home, assemble the canh chua only to find that broth level was wayyyyyyy below veggie level. =[ That would have made the microwave/​steaming of the bean sprouts and veggies really hard so we ended up having to top it off with some chicken broth of our own. Kinda sad that the broth was diluted because what we did have beforehand was very tasty. I particularly liked that there were full on chunks of pineapple to sour up the broth. The fish steaks (ca bong lao) were just on the bland side, but cooked to soft perfection. Ca kho though was amazeballs! The caramelized sauce and wilted green peppers were the perfect complement to our soup! What otherwise would have take 45min+ to make at home was ready for us in the span it took to drive home from the restaurant.
I’m told the banh xeo here is also superb– can’t wait to try that next time!

#240. First timer here yesterday. This is a nice gem hidden in a tiny plaza. I ordered the grilled shrimp and pork vermicelli (#12). I actually prefer vermicelli over phở so this was great. If you don’t feel like eating phở, check this place out. They have some delicious alternatives. Also +1 for orange-​flavored water?! Whatever it was, it was a nice, subtle change.
Not sure if there was MSG in the fish sauce, but I did get a little thirsty afterwards. Still worth it though. It’s hard to find a good Northern Vietnamese restaurant.
I’ve heard that this place can get crowded during peak hours, so other people clearly rave about their food too. But the ventilation isn’t so great, so sometimes there’s a buildup of smoke in the air…
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
My 2¢:
— First timers: random customer at the table next to us was a regular and recommended #8, #60, #75.

Oh Minh’s…why must you be closed on Wednesdays? I don’t know how many times I’ve craved their food in the middle of the week and realized I can’t get any because it’s Wednesday. It’s such a random day to be closed, so you’ll never forget it!
This place is great. My favorites are the banh xeo and mi xao don, but order anything on the menu, and I’m sure you’ll be in luck. They serve good quality, authentic-​tasting food and give generous portions. The service is attentive and quick, even for pick-​up orders. Good for small or large parties!
Located next to Stuft Pizza, parking can be tight, especially when a sports game is on so choose your time conveniently.

I always come here for their fish that comes out on a hot pan. It comes in skewers and you take a piece put it on noodles, add veggies, rice sesame cracker, and sauce. So delicious! And fun to make. Be careful not to touch the pan.
The deep fried sweet potato and shrimps are delicious too! Wrap it in lettuce and add whatever you want to it. Dip it in the fish sauce and perfection!

Not your typical phở place. Very clean and lots of food options including lau. The Banh Xeo was delicious! Phở and Bun Rieu was OK. Fast service.

Banh Xeo for the win! Minh’s is our go to place for crispy Banh Xeo! We frequent this establishment at least 3 times a month. Customer service could be spotty when they are busy but who cares the food is good. Our fave dishes are
Banh Xeo
OC cha
Mien Xao Cua
Phở Ap chao
Bun Thit nuong cha gio
Bun cha ha noi
Really you can’t go wrong with any dish here! My stomach is rumbling just typing about minh’s! Guess this is where im having dinner tonight!

This restaurant is a convenient spot by my house so we come here once in a while when craving for authentic Vietnamese family dishes.
Bun xeo — loved it. Crispy and loaded with veggies and good amount of meat.
Catfish soup — my husband’s favorite dish here. Loaded with fresh catfish slices and veggies. Broth is sweet and tart. Perfect soup for any weather.
Most customers here order dishes that you wrap with lettuce and rau. I guess this is what they are know for. If you don’t know what to order, start with Bun Xeo and some grilled meat dishes that you can wrap. Oh, and the crispy prawns with sweet potato was very good, too!

I love their banh tom, shrimp cake, it’s a combination of deep fried shrimp and sweet potato. You should definitely order this appetizer when you visit since it’s one of the things they’re well known for.
Banh xeo is another popular dish. Pretty much Vietnamese tacos. Fried egg filled with bean sprouts.
Phở is not the best. I always order it because I love phở and I need something somewhat filling after I enjoy their banh tom.

Living in the East Bay has been tough, mostly because I’m far from Minh’s and other good Viet food places. My ideal meal would consist of warm and crispy shrimp/​sweet potato fritters followed by a fresh bowl of bun thit nuong with the most flavorful pork my taste buds have ever experienced. I can’t leave SJ without hitting up Minh’s. I don’t care about the service or anything else, the food does the talking.

4 stars to their banh xeo! I don’t eat banh xeo very often but omg the one here is freaking huge and tasty! The batter is different from others I’ve tried. It’s much thicker, not flimsy, and super crispy. It was stuffed with plenty of shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. The dish also came with a generous amount of lettuce, herbs, and mints — my favorite part! I tried my brother’s seafood phở ap chao which was also very good and surprisingly they weren’t skimpy on the shrimp and scallops! Overall a solid Vietnamese restaurant and I’d definitely come back if I’m ever in the area.
Oh yeah, this place takes reservations, wtf right? But good to know.

The section of the menu that sets Minh’s menu apart from other Vietnamese restaurants is the family style dishes. The chicken, beef, and seafood plates resemble a selection more reminiscent of a Chinese restaurant. However, ordering rice or vermicelli costs extra, portions are smaller, and everything is slightly more expensive. Don’t worry about that, because you will be full no matter what you decide on.
The service is inconsistent. One time, they were nice to me when I wanted a sit-​down lunch. The waiters have instant radar eyes. The slightest turn of your head, and they swoop immediately to your table to ask what you need. However, another time I wanted a to-​go order, every employee scowled and glared at me from the moment I entered to when I left. I asked for extra fish sauce and apologized for not having cash when they literally scolded me, saying «you’re making us lose money». Why would you make your customers feel miserable about being there?
The egg rolls are average. I’ve had better but I liked how crispy they were. So you know how most family style plates tend to have a pile of food resembling a small hillside? Our beef and mushroom plate came out flat and sunken in a pool of sauce. Fortunately, the visual disappointment translated into a tasty success.