Minh’s Restaurant

FYI — This restaurant is now closed and currently home of Phở Garden.
When this place was still around it was good, but not consistent. For some reason they only served Phở during lunch, and barely started to offer it for dinner during their last few months that they were around.
My boyfriend and I called it «fancy phở» because, well, it was fancier than the phở we usually had, but totally worth it. It was a bit more expensive for the phở, but you pay for what you get — quality meat.

This might have been the best Vietnamese place in the Castro St area of the 4 or 5 that have been through here. Unfortunately they are no longer and have transformed into Phở Garden.

3 ½ stars really but kicked it up to 4 for the quality of the food (minus half for the service).
Five spice chicken — a really good five-​spice. Didn’t care fo the gingery sauce that they serve with it, but luckily, it’s on the side so you can avoid…
The beef over the crispy noodles was rockin! They fry the rice noodle instead of the typical egg noodles seen in the «birds nest» dishes. Flavor of the beef and veggies was yummy but uniqueness of the fried rice noodles made it devine. I couldn’t stop eating it.
Stir fried tofu/​veggie — shoulda known better. It was good but nothing spectacular or unique. Flavor was just like the beef and veggies over the fried noodle dish. We ate it all though…
Shaken beef — I didn’t care for the extra gingery tang to it, but hubby and friend loved it. I like how it was accompanied by a couple slices of cucumber and tomatoes (tho not enough) to cool the heat.
Fresh tofu/​veggie spring rolls were good. It’s the sauce that really makes it (peanut sauce with a kick of heat).
Rice — they serve brown and white which is nice, but the bowls are teeny-​tiny so beware and order a couple bowls per person if you have carb/​rice lovers at the table.
Service this night — sloooooow. Although the restaurant was close to empty when we arrived at 6:15ish and the owners/​workers were diving into dinner themselves at the table closest to the kitchen, they had 1 guy working the tables and as the restaurant filled up, they still had the same guy who was clearly not checking up on us after the food was ordered and served. Had to flag him down for more water. Flag him for extra rice. And finally, one of the dudes sitting at the owners table noticed I was craning my neck to get someone’s attention and I got him to get us the check. A bit annoying but the food was still good. I’d go with take-​out next time.

2.5
Fancy Vietnamese resto
— staff was very nice and friendly
— i tried the beef phở — which was OK but a little bit disappointing/​only because the beef was very fatty, and everytime ive had phở before ive never once gotten a single piece of fatty meat, so i was surprised.
–since it is a ‘fancier’ place, the phở was more expensive for the size and quality.
— my friend ordered a non-​phở dish which looked good, so i think the deal with this place is they dont specialize and phở, and so u should try something different!
–dunno if i’ll go back, but i wouldn’t turn anyone away, just suggest they try something different.

I once had this origami sea bass dish that I could never forget. Ever since than I was on a quest to find that perfect dish. Silky buttery taste that just slowly melt in your mouth and that creamy juicy aftertaste that haunted your soul forever.
The sea bass dish I had at this place reminded me so much of that experience. But it wasn’t the same. The ginger was too pungent. The shape taste brought my feet back on ground. I didn’t want to aware of my earthy existence. I wanted to feel the same lightness.
Maybe one day I will find that perfect dish again. Until then, I would be happy to settle for the imitation.

Food’s decent here. people from work love this place. I had the chicken vermicelli, they give you a lot of meat and the chicken was very flavorful, but i found the fish sauce too greasy…
the another time i had the heart healthy lunch or whatever they call it… i ordered the lemongrass tofu one. food was good, but the service was terrible. first they brought the wrong dish (curry tofu instead of lemongrass), so I was sitting there staring at my colleagues eat their food for a good 5 min or so. then they gave me the wrong side — salad instead of the steamed veggie i asked for… plus the wait staff was slow considering there weren’t that many people there…

The façade to the restaurant is misleading and I did not expect it to be as nice as it is inside. The wait staff was nice but seemed a little stressed and flustered. The food itself was very good. They have lunch specials which run around $ 9 and come with rice, soup, salad and the entrée. I tried the lemongrass chicken and the tofu curry which were both very good. The 3 flavor ice cream was excellent as well. It is no Vung Tau but a shorter drive so I am going back for sure.

We love Xanh, and thus wanted to try out the second Vietnamese place on the same street which claimed to have similar fare, at least based on the reviews. The night’s specials had a vegetarian entrée too, so needless to say that’s what I went for: Braised Tofu with Tomatoes. Husband and bro-​in-​law got the Crab Meat + Asparagus soup (along with two other entrees) and claimed it was really good (after putting some spicy sauce in it). I’ve gotta say that the presentation certainly was good, as was the décor of the place — simple, nice, elegant, and a lot of it from Ikea :)
My braised tofu was very fresh (as they claimed on the menu) and was a very simple dish — the cooked tomatoes didn’t have much zing to them, but the dish felt healthy and homely. It certainly wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t say it was amazing either. I’d want to come back to this place and try their Lemongrass Tofu and other veggie items before I fully make up my mind.

Okay, Me love you long time the Vietnamese food, but this place was really good. Usually the décor in Vietnamese restaurants are nothing to write home about, but this place had a pretty cool vibe to it. I think it’s owned and managed by a family. However, the floors made this sticky noise as I was walking across them. Could be my shoes.
The food was absolutely delicious. The shrimp cake appetizer was the definite winner for me. Its consistency had crunchy outer delight with soft surprise in the middle. The fish sauce was not fishy at all. The flavor was perfect. You could really taste all of the different components underneath fish sauce. I usually ask for the meat on the side for my phở tai but this place you didn’t need to worry about that. It was seriously tender. I think they have about 250 people in the back massaging the meat till it’s tender and kobe filet, but without the organ donation of a price. The broth did not at all taste salty at all. I basically, have tried 6 of their dishes so far and all of them have been a winner in one form or another.
I would definitely recommend this place to anyone.

RATING: 3.5 stars boys n girls.
ya wanna know why?
Service– attentive & kind, yet not the most helpful. (i asked the waiter which sea bass dish he preferred n had a lame-​0 answer).
FOOD: decent price for the ambiance/​food/​overall experience, nice presentation, generous portions (for the most part)
1. calamari appetizer– very tasty EXCEPT only about 8 pieces for $ 9…with the bulk of it being bell peppers n basil. totally skimped on the calamari which was disappointing
2. cubed filet mignon– the dish i would totally order again. flavorful. just wish the meat was a little more rare
3. sea bass w/​asparagus– not a big fan of the sauce which wasn’t very flavorful at all. i normally like to douse sauce on my rice, but it didn’t taste like much. but otherwise, veggies and fish were good.
4. grilled 5 spice chicken w/​curry dipping sauce– 3 large pieces of white meat; i was excited by that. but too bad the chicken was overcooked but still tasty.
In conclusion, I would give this place another try. But be aware of lil flies hovering around… im assuming it came from the plants near our table. It was a pleasant experience besides that.

I loved Minh’s and I can’t wait to go back!
Originally, my friend and I were going to have phở at the Phở Hoa a few doors down. But after walking by Minh’s and reading their lunch specials, I figured a couple dollars more for «fancy» Vietnamese wasn’t a big deal.
We were seated promptly and the décor was very nice. One of the most notable things about my first time at Minh’s was that the service was so kind! This bumped what would be a 4-​star rating to a 5.
The vermicelli noodle bowl w/​prawns & pork was excellent! SO refreshing and tasty… perfect for the current heat wave. I look forward to ordering this dish again.
We also tried the beef phở — which was nothing special. I’ll still be hitting up good ol’ Phở Hoa to satisfy my phở cravings… but will head to Minh’s for damn good vermicelli!

Definitely not impressed. The décor is nice, which is what drew us in, but we were disappointed in the food. For the price range that they charge, which is one notch below the Xanh price range, they are definitely off-​the-​mark.
We ordered the glass noodles with crab, the sea bass and eggplant claypot special, and the lemongrass chicken. I agree with another reviewer that they really skimped on the sea bass; we fished through the sea of eggplant only to find a few pieces of fish. The glass noodles were okay, and the lemongrass chicken wasn’t amazing. Not going back.

Minh’s Restaurant is adjacent to Kappo Nami Nami and replaced the space that was Fu Lam Mum’s old location. The modern Vietnamese dishes and much improved interior design had long beckoned, but I wasn’t able to try Minh’s until this week.
Let me start by saying that I consider Minh’s vastly better than the overrated and disappointing Xanh. As two upscale Vietnamese restaurants along the same strip of Castro, it’s inevitable to draw comparisons. Many dishes even overlap. While Xanh may be more about the club feel and bar atmosphere, it’s nice to see that Minh’s keeps it relatively simple. While they have a small bar area in the back, the focus is clearly the food.
Our orders consisted of almost the same orders as when we tried Xanh.
Sweet and Sour Soup — a generous bowl of soup came out piping hot. As some may remember, that was my main criticism of Xanh… cold soup. Neither sour or sweet flavor was overwhelming and instead each complimented the other nicely. Fresh bean sprouts, tomatoes, and a unique green crunchy vegetable (same as at Xanh) were mixed throughout the soup alongside the numerous shrimp. On a cold night, this soup was a hit and easily, for two, consisted of about 3 servings each.
Cubed filet mignon — a very large dish of cubed filet mignon was mixed with mushrooms on a bed of spinach. Flavor was spot on and the filet was cooked nicely. I perhaps would have cooked the filet a bit more on the rare side, but each piece was tender and tasty.
Caramelized cat fish in clay pot — this is perhaps one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes and I liked the rendition here. A tad salty, but extremely flavorful, the sauce and tender catfish went very well with rice.
Minh’s Restaurant is a welcome addition to the Castro food scene. To me, it’s much better than Xanh, and while it isn’t comparable to top Vietnamese places like Vung Tau or Slanted Door, it’s not too far behind. The fair prices, pleasant décor, and quiet interior make it a good spot to grab dinner.
Minh’s gladly takes American Express though the credit card sign on the door only shows Visa and Mastercard.

Come to Minh’s restaurant if you want to try modern Vietnamese-​inspired dishes with an upscale feel.
Do not come if you are looking for traditional Vietnamese food (or the menu from their Milpitas location off of Landess).
The Breakdown:
— Portions aren’t huge, but surprisingly filling
— Large bar if you would like a cocktail with your spring rolls
— Not the best place to bring a group larger than 4 as it is a very small space
— Not the place to expect traditional Vietnamese food cooked at its finest (my half moon crêpe, or Banh Xeo, looked like it was Cajun-​style)
Notes:
— Food was a bit salty
— Service was lacking with only 2 other tables
— Make sure to life some free weights the week before if you plan on ordering hot tea — the iron kettles they use here feel like they’re 10 lbs.!!

Similar to Vung Tau, Minh’s Restaurant served a variety of Vietnamese dishes. We had Banh Xeo, a Vietnamese curry-​n-​coconut crêpe filled with pork, shrimps, and bean sprouts. It was served with a fish sauce-​based dipping sauce and a plate of fresh mint, cilantro, and romaine lettuce. Banh Xeo was followed by Canh Chua Ca Bong Lau, a sweet-​n-​sour basa fish soup, and Tom Heo Rim Man, a pork-​n-​shrimp braised in fish sauce and spices. My friend ordered the Bird Nest with Chicken Vegetable Sauteed.
The Banh Xeo was good, not quite exceptional. But the Canh Chua Ca Bong Lau soup was amazing. Filled with fish, bean sprouts, tomato, bac ha (Vietnamese rhubard-​like stalk), and ngo om (Vietnamese rice-​paddy herb), the soup was exactly as our cook had made in Vietnam.
The braised pork-​n-​shrimp dish was also excellent. Most Vietnamese restaurants tended not to use fatty pork as they have adapted the dishes to the Western palate but Minh’s used pork shoulder, where the bits of fat enhanced the dish. It was perfect, not too dry, with just enough fat to be great.
Unfortunately the wine list was average, filled with the normal Californian and South American wines. Missing were the Rieslings and Gewurztraminers so complementary to our Vietnamese dishes. I would recommend bringing your own wines to dinner. Corkage was listed as $ 15 per bottle.
Our wait staff was attentive and friendly, maybe because we conversed in Vietnamese? And the best part was that the restaurant offered to make some native dishes at my next visit, provided that I would call ahead.
All in all, Minh’s is a nice Vietnamese restaurant, much closer to where I live and not quite as pricey or fancy as Tamarine. I will definitely be back to sample more dishes.

I came in here expecting it to be a trendy Vietnamese fusion spot like Xanh. However, it’s more like an upgraded Chinese restaurant, the ambiance, not the food. The food was pretty good. Not as tasty as the Vietnamese restaurants in East San Jose but if you don’t want to drive 30 minutes, you might check out Minh’s. They have these soju martinis which is definitely worth a try.
Dinner is around 10 – 15 but I hear they have a pretty good deal on lunch specials.

Probably the best vietnamese restaurant I’ve ever been to!
I used to live in San Jose, and my family and I first discovered Minh’s in their San Jose location on Tully St. It’s a family-​runned business, and the family that runs it is very nice. They get to know their customers.
They moved to their current location on Castro St. in Mountain View, and they are as good as they were back in San Jose. They have fast, polite service, the food is amazing, the décor is beautiful and very appropriate, and the place is very clean.
This place will always be a favorite of mine!

Hands down my favorite Vietnamese place in the South Bay/​Penninsula! I’ve been there quite a bit of times because I always dj across the street. The service is excellent and the owners are really sweet. The décor and ambiance of the restaurant is nice and modern, quite upscale, and the asian artifacts hung up on the wall are intriguing.
I always love starting with the Lychee Sake chilled in the martini glass, one of the few places I know that serve this. All of my friends who we’ve invited to Minh’s Restaurant absolutely loved their dishes!
Stuff I’ve been hooked on at Minh’s:
Calamari w/​veggies
Fresh Spring rolls
Shaken Beef (filet mignon cubes w/​mushrooms)
Half Moon Crêpe
Chilean Seabass w/​asparagus
Glass Noodles w/​crab meat
for dessert. try their fried banana! They also have coconut and mango ice cream!
So yea, thumbs up for the great Vietnamese food, i’m hooked! This is one of those places that’s great to go to with 4 or more people, because you can order a lot of dishes family style and share. Or you could just order a ton like we do and have leftovers: D

The Secret of Minh…
…is that everything tastes good.
Not amazing-can’t-wait-to-go-back-there-good, but solid, as in I’d order it all again. I have MQI (Meat Quality Issues), but all the meat here passed the KMQT (Kathleen Meat Quality Test).
In order of my faves to least faves, we got:
Mixed Vegetable Yellow Curry (broccoli, celery, cauliflower and carrots in a cury sauce). I loved the complex flavor of the curry sauce. (my husband teased me for using the word «complex» as though I was trying to be hoity toity with my review, but the truth is that so many places do one dimensional curries and this one is much better and yes, more complex.) Everyone else ranked this dish last or second to last. Blasphemy! The only criticism my husband had was that this dish needed protein. Uh, hello? We ordered it to be vegetarian and we said no to the tofu option so that’s not the fault of the dish.
Shaken Cubed Filet Mignon with Mushroom — Sizable portion for $ 12.99 (I’ve seen similar elsewhere for $ 19). Waiter brought lime and salt/​pepper and explained how to use them. (Often places don’t bring this unless asked.) This was everyone else’s top dish.
Lemongrass Chicken — Not as good as Le Cheval’s rendition (in Downtown Oakland), but solid.
Chicken Bird Nest — Crunchy noodles that turn softer with sauce, served with lots of vegetables. This is very similar to Le Cheval’s version.
All dishes were $ 9.99 except for the Shaken Beef. I was surprised since if you were to look at the space, done up in minimalist Asian modern décor you would think it was pricier. (Pssst! I recognized the dresser as being from Pier One!)
I liked that the vegetables included weren’t filler onion/​bell pepper like at some Asian restaurants, but actually included substantial veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. My only criticism of Minh’s is that I missed the vibrant flavors I’ve had in other Vietnamese restaurants.

I give it 3.5 stars
Elegant surroundings: white table clothes, a fresh orchid on the table, fancy odd shaped bowls, and museum-​like art/​artifacts on the wall.
The lunch menu consists of phở, rice plates, vermicelli bowls, and pan fried noodles. I had the vermicelli bowl and a friend had the noodles.
My bowl was fine – standard but a bit more fancy. It was good but I like the ones at Khan’s better (across from Santana Row), as the flavor of the pork here is more bland.
My friend who had the noodles thought the place was «da bomb» and gave it his now signature happy food clap since he started that last week. He liked the pan fried noodle with the gravy and beef and an assortment of vegetables. I thought it was going to be noodles mixed in with the ingredients but it was more like they put a bunch of the noodles together, flattened it, and fried it and then put the other stuff on top.
All dishes had simple ingredients that were well put together and fresh, tasty, and light. My friend said even the crispy fried noodle dish wasn’t heavy which is nice for lunch. The shrimp in another friend’s vermicelli bowl were quite sizable grilled «like you would bbq in your backyard» according to her.
The hot tea was kind of random and had a licorice flavor. We asked the waitress and she said it was lotus – kind of funky but different and served in an iron looking teapot with matching mini black teacups.
The service was great: they were very friendly and seemed to aim to please, as the place is only less than a month old and all.
Overall, everyone enjoyed it and I probably would come back. It’s in between traditional no frills Vietnamese (like Khan) and the fancy trendy clubby version down the street at Xanh.