Banh Khot Vung Tau

I am sad to say that Mr. Alain Nguyen, owner of Banh Khot Vung Tau, has sold his business and has closed shop as of late June. It is now another eatery but the name escapes me. The new owners also sell Banh Khot which I plan to try. I have come here over the past several years to order the famous Banh Khot and other items when I longed for the South Vietnamese cuisine. My family frequented Vung Tau, VN in the 70s so when I saw the Vung Tau sign, I naturally gravitated towards it. To be honest, I would usually go there just to chat with Mr. Alain about Vietnam history and its current events. His generation is one which we will never see again. Au revoir, Vung Tau!

If you’re a fan of Banh Khot and you’re not able to head out to Vung Tau in DTSJ, Grand Century is a good option to get your fix. $ 7.50 for one order! Cheap, fast, and easy!

Nestled in the Grand Century Mall, Banh Khot VT is the place to go after Bling shopping for the day. Owned and operated by a friendly old Vietnamese uncle, it’s the perfect quick lunch spot. They offer chicken, beef, seafood phở, variety of fresh made spring rolls, and rice/​noodle plates. What they are known for are their Banh Khots, a savory rice glutinous cake topped with shrimp that is fried until crispy on the outside and left chewy on the inside. A multitude of banh khots delivered with a plate of fresh lettuce greens piled up high. Wrap, roll, dip and serve… and wash this all down with a fresh sugar cane drink two shops down.

I’m not sure how to pronounce the name nor do I know what it is or mean. I do know that the food is quite good for the price. I wouldn’t even have known about this place had my friend never brought me here. I ordered the #25 which is the rice and chicken wings. For a food court meal it’s very good. The portion is huge and you get a free drink with your meal. The service is very good too. The people behind the counter are very courteous.

This review is for the com bo luc lac shaken beef plate. I defin would say this is probably the best com bo luc lac i have had in a while. Back in the day we always went to Vung Tau and I would get it cuz i love the tomato rice. At first when I saw this place I was like ehh i dont know. Scared the beef was going to be tough and not good quality. However for the price we paid I got a lot. Huge plate of tomato rice, beef with stir fried veggies with also fresh lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and a fried egg. Plus we got a free soda with our order which is a plus. Knockin off one star for chargin me for a togo box lol it should be free!

Their banh khot is good. I read some of the reviews and people talked about it tasting just as good, or even better than the banh khot stands in Vietnam. I don’t know what the banh khot taste like in VN, but I know that I like it more than the banh khot at Vung Tau Restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, Vung Tau makes it really good too, but I prefer it here. I came to this place a few times to try their banh khot because Unilocalers rave and rant about it so much that I had to see what the big fuss was about. Nice stand. Good banh khot. I’ll be back for more.

One of my besties loves Nem Nuong rolls, and only gets them from here… so i had to try it out.
mind you, she’s never eaten it in socal at Brodard, nor at my house!
So… we got the Nem Nuong Rolls, with Banh Hoi (noodles) and we rolled them up ourselves…
Good eats. the sauce though wasn’t the best i’ve ever had, twas just your basic peanut dipping sauce. not bad for just 8 bucks.
(This place is named after their «Banh Khot» So next time, i’ll HAVE to try what they are named after… next time!)

Best banh khot around!
What’s banh khot? Kind of hard to say. But, they are fricken’ delicious. I guess you can say they’re like the famous Japanese takoyaki balls that you often see on Travel foodie shows but they’re not the entire ball but still cooked in those metal pans that look like the pans for escargot. They’re super crispy on the outside and there’s the hot, soft ricey goodness on the inside with shrimp on top.
I go here quite often. The only bad thing about the place happened on my last visit. The shrimps were bad. I suspected it because the tiny suckers just didn’t look or smell right. But, I was hungry. So, I thought, «what the heck… what can a few bad shrimp do to me and my super stomach?»
Food poisoning… that’s what! Luckily, it was just a mild case of it. So, be careful of the shrimp!

I don’t eat many Vietnamese dishes, but I absolutely love banh khot. I don’t come out here too often, but on a whim decided to tag along with the parents.
Mom ordered an order of their Banh Khot. I was reluctant to try. I’ve only had my grandma’s, which I thought was the best there is. When the plate came, all the banh khots were stuck together. It was fried… crunchy. I’ve only had ones that are on the softer side. One bite and… OMG! I was in love. It was so so so so good! (Grandma’s got to step her game up) I would have eatten plate after plate. They gave me a huge plate of greens, which I didn’t eat. I would have rathered more banh khots.
I guess I’ll have to make the drive more often to get some of their banh khot. It’s worth it.

I love all kinds of banh khot, but I crave theirs the most! Here, they’re huge and super crispy (since they’re deep-​fried) with deliciously seasoned and tender shrimp pieces. An order comes with a generous portion of lettuce, other greens and fermented sweet fish sauce so it’s definitely a full meal. My brother doesn’t like lettuce so instead of giving him any greens, they’ll just give him two extra banh khot. Very sweet deal!
Sometimes you have to wait a little bit to get your order but that’s okay because it’ll come out fresh, which I’d say is a great reason to wait! I’ve seen banh khot pre-​made at stands in Phuoc Loc Tho in Westminster for the same price and without any greens. From those disappointing experiences getting lukewarm stale food, I have no problem waiting a couple of minutes and getting crispy hot food!
This is undoubtedly my favorite food stand in Grand Century Mall and a top 5 in my list of favorite eateries. It’s that good!

Banh Khot and Beef Fried Mac is the BOMB! Totally love the food here but hate the parking cause ofcourse, its Grand Century Mall where all us Asian cats hang out for food and exercise, lol. But yaaah, this is the only place I eat Banh Khot at. Yummmmy!

Every time I say «banh khot» to those folks who do not speak Vietnamese, it sounds like I’m saying cock. No joke.
But every time I say «banh khot» I immediately think of this place. Going to Grand Century Mall reminds me of Phuc Loc Tho (Asian Garden Mall in Orange County) except it’s not hella old and smells like Vietnam… yet. This food court is not your typical mall food court, it’s always packed with folks. Come here on a typical weekend and risk waiting for a table for days. Be prepared to bus your own table as the staff at this mall is slow as snails.
Imagine if you would a magical place where tons of wonderful Vietnamese food is collected in a single area for you to enjoy: that is this place! Keep in mind the hours of this place is not meant to open late. I would arrive here at 7:30 pm on a weekday and find everything closed so be mindful of the hours here.
The people behind the counter taking your order are super nice. Maybe it’s because I’m Vietnamese (and speaks fluently) but my other friends who come up have always had a good experience. I always order banh khot every single time. It’s deep fried orgasms. Plain and simple.
The dicon is always perfect. The fish sauce is fermented to it’s most awesomest. The huge leafs of lettuce are awesome to wrap the banh khot in or to dip in the fish sauce. Either way, you’re going to leave this place happy, full and totally ready to come back for more.
When you’re done, stop by the spot with the sugar cane juice a few doors down. — They put lots of ice so be sure to order the bigger size if you’re a sugar cane addict.
Only reason why I didn’t give this place 5-​stars is because of the parking and lack of seating that takes away from the experience. Those things are totally negligible because the food is that damn good.

Spring rolls, shaken beef, all check! Celery — yes, soybean milk, no.
Banh Khot Vung Tau is a food stall in Grand Century Mall and serves up simple and quick Vietnamese cuisine. I have tried several items from the shop and it does hit the spot when I am craving fast Vietnamese food but it’s not the best. I know I should be ordering the banh khot here but I am not much of a fan of those.
Recently, I tried their shaken beef which I might add was tender and juicy but the rest of the plate just tasted off. You can view my pictures and you can see, there was a mish mash of all sorts on there. There was corkscrew pasta, tomato red rice, broccoli, carrots, fried egg, pickled vegetables (which did not look so appetizing) celery and so much more.
When I order shaken beef, I expect onions, mushrooms, bell peppers and lots of flavor from the beef. However, BHVT’s version has way too much going on that it can leave a sour or bitter taste in your mouth. Celery and broccoli along with the pickled vegetables don’t go too well with the shaken beef. I love vegetables and when they are with the right protein, then it’s a magical experience. But the vegetables chosen for the shaken beef, a big no no.
Their spring rolls are quite good and remind me of Garden Grove’s Brodard restaurant but the sauce is just so so. It’s better just to dip them in fish sauce for a better kick. Lastly, almost every Vietnamese food stall in Grand Century has soymilk, which is a staple in Vietnamese food and drinks. However, they don’t have it here so I had to go next door to get one. All in all, a quick fix if you want Vietnamese cuisine.

Oh man… if you only try ONE place I Unilocal… BKVT has got to be it… and you HAVE to order the Banh Khot. It’s insanely good.
The shop is located inside of a food court inside of a Vietnamese mall. The first words in the name of the shop is BANH KHOT, so I don’t know why people are ordering other things and then complaining it’s not good. Just go straight for the $ 7 banh khot and get a free drink.
Their banh khot is not traditional, but by far it is the best best best I’ve ever had. It’s so crispy, coconutty, shrimpy… sigh. all kinds of goodness in my mouth.
I must bring my husband back here since he’s a big fan of banh khot in general. True happiness in my mouth.

Ordered the $ 7.25 bun thit nuong (rice vermicelli with charbroiled pork) and tried to finished but ate only half. The charbroiled pork was salty, even overpowering the dipping fish sauce. That always makes or breaks the meal. The good part was the rice vermicelli they used, the thin ones used in banh hoi.
The egg rolls were salty as well, with a fishy aftertaste. Even the regular goi cuon (they also have nem cuon and chao tom cuon) was so-​so and the best item I tried. Unilocaler TH had banh cuon, which to me was banh uot with a combination of charbroiled pork and cha lua, etc., and seemed to like it.
Located in the food court of Grand Century Mall. I tried these guys a long time ago, haven’t been back since, and remember why now.
Milestone: the 4,000^th «Funny» vote’s review… I think. :D

Banh Khot here is great! I rather eat here than Vung Tau restaurant which charges you for the lettuce if you ask for more. LOVE the banh khot with mung beans and some coconut flavor.
We also ordered Bun and Mi‘ which were really good too.
Price is very good.

Super Good. In this food mall you definitely just look at the shops namesake and order that, whether it’s Banh Xeo, Banh Bo Hue or in this case Banh Khot. This is the shops specialty and with a high turn over rate everything is extremely fresh.
Banh Khot is a crispy on the outside soft on the inside rice flour cup that is topped with a grilled (or fried) shrimp. To eat you’ll have to break the little cup into a bite size piece place it on top of a piece of lettuce and add a little of each of the accoutrements given. Wrap everything up as tight as possible (similar to a japanese hand roll) and dip into the fish sauce and eat.
This goes for a Banh Xeo as well… basically if you’re served food with a ton of greens, it is usually for some type of wrapping deal.
I don’t find Banh Khot in many Vietnamese Restaurants so it’s always a treat.
FYI: Asian Food courts are nothing like american food courts. I think it’s a lot more fun. especially for foodies.

Good food in a Vietnamese mall food court? You betcha! =)
You HAVE to stick with the signature dish mentioned in the name. Banh Khot!
If you’ve never had it, its basically like a fried rice ball with shrimp. It’s SOOOO good. You eat it by wrapping it in lettuce with some other greens and dip it into some fish sauce. I’m a tad lazy at wrapping so I’ll just rip up some lettuce and eat it as I munch on the banh khot.
This place is from the same people that bring you Vung Tau in downtown San Jose. Except this place is a slightly cheaper alternative. I don’t even remember what other dishes they have because the banh khot is the only thing I order. =P
Great for a quick and cheap lunch. MMM… I want some banh khot now!

After driving around contemplating over vegetarian food, soup, or rice plates… we ended up having a late lunch at the Grand Century Mall food court for variety.
I had a large serving of their Seafood Pad Thai for less than $ 8. The basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, peanuts, carrots, and onions are abundant amongst the seafood and tofu. I noticed that they didn’t over exaggerate with peanut sauce (like at some other places) giving this dish a light and refreshing flavor. I doused the chili sauce and lime over it, and it turned out to be one of the best Pad Thai dishes I’ve had in years.
Kimber, who «can’t wait to go back,» had the grilled pork dish (#23). The many thin slices of pork had a «nice charbequed flavor.» Again $ 7.75 for a large dish!
I’ll be back for sure!

Had lunch with some Unilocalers who know their stuff. Props to Kris H for the introduction. This is located in the Grand Century Mall food court.
If, as a kid, you liked putting puzzles together, then this is the place for you. For about $ 7, you get a tray of rice paper, bowl with warm water, platter of mixed greens, and finally the protein. In my case I had what looked like grilled sausages; there is also shrimp cake and other options.
To start, you dip the rice paper into the water (dip, not soak) to make the paper pliable. After the paper is wet and slightly firm, grab a lettuce leaf and put it on the paper. Start layering the paper with mint, basil, shinko leaves, and whatever else the gardener picked that morning. Top it off with the protein, roll up the paper like an egg roll, and dip it into the accompanying sauce. If it hasn’t broken apart by now, you’ve succeeded and you can easily shove a bite in your mouth. If you soaked your paper, you’ll look like a clumsy rookie and will want to stick to the rice plates next time.
I’d definitely come back to get my fill of fiber and have fun playing with my food.