Thien Hong

A series of missteps occurred that put me off of going there again. Thien Hong has the best deep fried calamari I have ever tasted. I make a point of going there any time I am in Portland. I met a friend I haven’t seen in some time for lunch there yesterday, January 14,2016. She had never been there before, but went on my recommendation. It was 11:45, the height of the lunch hour, and during the hour and a half we stayed there, maybe two or three other customers came in. It seemed odd, because the quality of the food is very good, and the prices are very reasonable. But, issues soon began to surface that seemed to explain their lack of customers. My server, whom I think is the owner’s wife, asked me if I wanted hot and sour soup, or won ton soup. I said, won ton, she brought me sweet and sour. I didn’t complain. She asked me what kind of rice I wanted, I said fried rice. She brought me plain rice. That time I said something and the fried rice was brought. Then my friend and I went out and sat in my car, in a parking lot where ours were two of the only three cars there, and caught up with each other for about two hours. When she left, I took my Miniature Schnauzer out to see if she had to go potty. I never was out of sight of my car, and was gone about 5 minutes. When I returned to my car, the man from the restaurant, who had talked to me when I was there and couldn’t possibly have not remembered, since I was one of only 3 or 4 customers that whole time, and was wearing a very distinctive bright red coat, came out and pounded on my window, yelling at me that he had called a tow truck because I had been parked there too long, and I would be lucky if I got out of there before it arrived. By then, the parking lot was empty except for my car. I mentioned that I had lunch there with my friend, and he waved me off saying that was a long time ago (2 hours), and that next time I should tell him I am going to be there in my car talking. But, I don’t foresee that happening. I don’t think he needs to worry about my car being in his parking lot ever again.

Oh my. I was ready to overlook the gross, dated tank full of sad ass lobsters right in front of the door, but this place is seriously dirty. Like food remnant splattered all over the wall dirty. By the time we realized how yucky it was, we were too embarrassed to leave so we rolled the dice and ordered. Mistake. My crispy duck was dry (how do you dry out such a fatty bird??), served with no sauce and was cold. The rice was bland and the hot and sour was mediocre at best. I give this two stars because the tea was hot and the lady who helped pack up all of my sad, unwanted food was very nice.

This place has terrible service. If you want to be treated like you don’t exist then this is the place to go. They do have their on and off days though. There are days where their service is good and then there are days where you walk in and it takes them 5 – 10 minutes to greet you. Honestly the only reason why I put up with it is for their Pepper Salted Squid.

After a three-​day business trip in downtown Portland, this East Portland favorite is a good ending to a tough week. My wife had fried squid and pea shoots, I had my favorite tofu pad thai.

Greasy, grimy, poor quality. Also, who doesn’t bread seasame chicken? Bland and the rice was mushy. Not sure if my stomach ache after was because of the quality or because I couldn’t personally stomach the fact I ate here.

Once was known for their msg salted pepper squid. I’ve now discovered other places to also get this crispy fried tentacles. Can’t really think of anything else memorable to eat here, but giving then high marks because they are friendly!

The place is somewhat dated, they have the cleaning station right in the middle of the restaurant were booths are right next to it. So you are seeing somebody wash dishes. The place was somewhat dirty, and I also noted my water glass was dirty. The food was OK but nothing to write home to mom about.

The squid is worth the five stars. Shut up, eat, pay, and get out. I really like the people I get along with all of them and joke around with them. Just talk and make friends. Also. Leave large tip.
I am not a paid spokesman for Thien Hong. Thank you! America number one.

The famous salted squid is good. Try it with their ong choi. I’m visiting Portland for a couple of days and it’s refreshing to have good Asian food outside of the Bay Area. Owners are friendly and definitely has a family owned atmosphere.

Muc rang muoi. It’s that famous.

LOVE their pepper salted squid! I usually order the same 4 dishes, but this time, I decided to give their fried sole fish a try… BEST I’ve ever had!
I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great Chinese/​Vietnamese meal for a fairly decent price.

My girls and I moved to the Bay Area in 2009. This is the only restaurant that I can truly say I have found no equal. Their pepper salted squid is the best I have ever had and still crave. The whole fried fish, salad rolls and green beans with garlic are also very well made and unique. I also miss the warm family environment where they always remember you and your family.
If I ever return to Portland, this is the one place I would insist we revisit.

Love this place. Thien hong is our go to comfort spot. Everything we get is always good. We have our favorites that we must order very time. The Vietnamese sour soup and their salt and pepper squid. The soup is jammed packed with catfish and yummy veggies. We always order the large so we can take the rest home, it’s a bit on the spendy side but it’s so satisfying. We can never finish the squid and it’s not good left over but it’s a must. Service is good for your basic Asian restaurant, honestly we don’t expect much when we go cause that’s just how Asian restaurants are. The only thing is that I sometimes feel like the restaurant doesn’t present itself to look that clean.

I have to admit this place serves really good Chinese food but they have the worst customer service in town!!! The owner lady and the main guy who works there always keeps an eye on your wallet. We’ve been asked for a tip more then once. Once we put the tip on the table so when paying we put $ 0 on the credit card receipt. The guy looked at us and said «tip tip» and points to the receipt. Who does that? I find that so rude and unprofessional. Another time a friend paid and the same guy says «more tip». I’ve heard other people tell similar stories about this place as well.
MY HUSBAND AND I REFUSE TO GO THERE NOW. GO TO ZIEN HONG INSTEAD. THE FOOD IS COMPARABLE AND JUST AS GOOD. THEY HAVE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE THERE!

I had the General Tso chicken again yesterday – after not having gone there for months – and it was disappointing. The chicken had way too much breading. The meat didn’t have a texture. It was almost slimy inside. The pieces were also too big, that’s why with every piece I was able to see all that breading. The sauce was good. but that’s about it.
Even though – as I mentioned in my previous review – their calamari is good, crispy and savory, this place doesn’t let you leave with a good feeling. It sort of like after eating McDonalds – where after eating, you know the burger and fries tasted pretty good, but you feel a bit nasty inside because you now what you just ate is filthy. I highly doubt that this place serves fresh food and I KNOW it’s pumped with a lot of MSG.
I’d go here again if I need my calamari fix or some crispy duck.

Thien Hong is one of my favorite Vietnamese-​Chinese restaurants in the Portland area. It is a good place for family style lunch or dinner. I have dined here about 6 – 8 times in the past 10 years.
I love eating here and crave their food! They are popular for their muc ram mui (salt and pepper squid) and the canh chua ca (hot and sour fish soup). I also love their garlic string beans.
The menu is large and I have enjoyed all of their dishes each time I visit. The food here is consistently good and authentic Vietnamese as it gets.
For décor and ambiance: It is pretty standard with no frills. Nothing fancy here. The location is spacious. There is a parking lot that can sometimes fill up during peak dinner hours, which in that case you can also park on the street. There are large tables and booths inside the restaurant, so I have never had to wait when dining with party sizes from 4 to 10 people.
The service is mediocre, just your typical Vietnamese family staff. Sometimes they don’t speak much English, which I don’t mind. They will ensure you are seated, get you some hot tea, take your order and bring the food.
The only downside is that during a few past visits, there have been tables here and there that were left uncleaned after the previous diners finished eating and left. It was a little uncomfortable sitting next to a bunch of empty messy tables with dirty dishes and half eaten food.
This is just a simple Vietnamese-​Chinese restaurant with good food for groups and no frills.

Like everyone else I’m normally a fan of the pepper salted squid. This particular time it was a bit dry but this was made up for by the waitresses effort to help my gf decide on a fresh seafood option. They are lightening fast at this place. The wok’s must be red hot because the food comes out in about five minutes. In fact, if you’re the sensitive type there’s a chance you might feel rushed.
It’s definitely not the kind of place you go for a relaxed romantic dinner-​it looks like it was built in the 1980’s and never touched again. It is clean however and very reasonably priced.

Go here for the pepper salted squid but be warned it ain’t fresh. A family friend used to work here and tells us the restaurant uses dried squid from Asia because it’s dirt cheap compared to frozen squid. They then rehydrate it by just soaking it in water, season, batter, fry and serve for a hefty profit.
It’s still pretty tasty but I’ve noticed on some weekdays the squid batter is different.
Also be warned one of the owner (chubby bald man) will glare at you if you are in your younger 20’s (through fear that you will dine and dash) especially when you get up to pay. Otherwise I will return.

I’m giving this place a 4 because of the Calamari (Salt & Pepper Squid). Its the only reason i come to this place. The calamari are cooked just right and seasoned perfectly.
Overall, this place is just like any other Chinese restaurant. Because this place is literally down the street from the «Grotto», I would not recommend coming here every 1^st Saturday of the month, it will be chaotic.

I’ve been coming here a couple years with my family, they have some great food not great customer service though we’ve been chased out for not tipping enough? Like really. Green beans are awesome rock fish is delicious, taro bubble tea is too sweet. The tea is good though.
Update.
Was just about to pay I’m 18 and it was my dad’s birthday dinner the owner was rude and was like is this your card how old are you is this even you did you leave a tip. Nope staying away HORRIBLE SERVICE.