Com Tam Dat Thanh

worse com tam in town !
everything is dry and pre-​prepared so it is not fresh !
please don’t deny it !
to prove my point, I came at 10:15am, which is around the time the restaurant is opened for business
but the meat is already dry and hard to chew on.
it is like eating the leftover of yesterday.
what a torture !

Combination broken rice FTW! I’m a huge carbaholic and when I found out through Unilocal that there was a rice restaurant that had 4 stars, we definitely had to go check it out.
The bottles on the table are not tea but fish sauce. The combination is the way to go with the yummy grilled pork chop, fried shrimp roll, shredded pork skin… MMMmmm! I doctored the fish sauce up with a bit more sugar and hot sauce. SOOOOOOOO good!
Parking is a pain in the a$$ but if you can get a parking spot this place is well worth the circling!

Been supporting this business since I was a kid and I am now saying you lost my support! Horrible service and food is low quality. It isn’t anything amazing so don’t expect much when coming! It used to be so packed and popping. There was plenty of table when I came in. Don’t be fooled by their 4 stars.
3 rice plates for $ 28
Tofu had intense orange color dye. I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with eating color dye… But that’s just me.
Pork had no flavor. Aren’t you suppose to marinate the pork? But I mean what do I know since I’m just a customer…
PS work on the customer service!

Came here for dinner before he dinner rush at 5pm. Each order comes with a complimentary soup that they charge 50 cents a bowl for to-​go! I got the vermicelli noodles with fried eggrolls and pork — generous portions but lacks flavor. This place is known for their rice plates so I should have ordered the rice plate instead :/​the rice grains are smaller (which I like) and the options they have with the rice plates are delicious. The fried crab pieces were so good, especially in order #3 that my boyfriend had. Fish sauce is also yummy, but watch out on getting it on your hands or self, the smell will stay for awhile haha.

#35.super delicious… the portion is decent for the price. the egg cake was really good as well as the shredded pork. lots of good options here. the bowls are pretty big… service was nice. really good place. i’ll come back.

5÷27÷16: Just got lunch here, and I thought overall it was alright, but there’s some bad mixed in with the good.
I went ~2pm, so the place only had 2 tables with customers (including me), though 3 other tables were taken up by restaurant staff or their family members (like a young girl doing her homework.) Ain’t nothing wrong with that, but they didn’t pay me much attention.
Also, I got screwed by the CASH ONLY thing, which I didn’t notice until it was time to pay. I guess technically that’s not their fault (though the sign was kinda obstructed, behind the cash register), but well, we all know why it’s cash only so I think there’s still some blame there. I had to go to the liquor store next to them to use their ATM, which charged $ 2.25 above whatever my bank fee is gonna be.
As for the important part, the food, if I’m not mistaken, there’s no phở here! There’s mostly rice dishes I think, with a smaller list of vermicelli-​based dishes on the back of the menu. But that said, the variety of rice dishes they had was quite impressive. And I really do like Vietnamese broken rice. Good stuff…
1. #3 Com Tam Suon Nuong, Tau Hu Ky, Bi, Cha, Tom Nuong, Chao Tom $ 13.95 «rice with BBQ pork chop, fried shrimp cake, shredded pork skins, egg cake, BBQ shrimp, grilled shrimp on sugarcane»:
1a. BBQ Pork Chop: Decent. Over-​marinated for sure, to the point that the meat lost its meaty texture, but it still had a good flavor.
1b. Fried Shrimp Cake: Same problem but more so. Extremely over-​marinated. Started to turn into jello. A little gross.
1c. Shredded Pork Skins: Typical Vietnamese shredded pork.
1d. Egg Cake: It’s okay. I think it was also over-​tenderized or something, cause it was a bit mushy. But still tasted good.
1e. BBQ Shrimp: Again, over-​marinated. Turned jello-​ish. Flavor otherwise was good. Good char flavor.
1f. Grilled Shrimp on Sugarcane: They probably should have noted this was shrimp paste, not whole shrimp. But anyway, same problem as the fried shrimp cake – basically half-​jello half-​shrimp. I did like the sugarcane flavor that got absorbed into the cake.
So, I would say overall ⁵⁄₁₀ for the whole thing.
Well, it’s hard to go wrong with Vietnamese broken-​rice dishes, but I do think the version here is just about average in taste. Maybe a tad worse.
³⁄₅
#vietnamese

I’m super picky with Vietnamese food since I grew up on my family’s home cooked Viet food and all the Vietnamese cuisine in the SGV area (where I grew up). However, this place has come to be one of my favorite Vietnamese places in SJ. Whenever I crave Vietnamese food, this is the first place I want to hit up.
I’m a really big fan of their com tam suon nuong tom nuong. I think it’s so yummy. The restaurant itself really isn’t too big or too small. The place looks a little dirty, and from what my friends have told me, it’s not the safest area. The first time I went, I went with my sister and her friend. A little over halfway into our meal cop cars start pulling up outside the restaurant. We thought nothing of it until 3 more SUVs pulled up and men got out and started putting on heavy armory and pulling out rifles. We got all our food to go and ended up leaving just in case their was a shootout or something. We drove past the scene and turns out the hotel parking lot, right next to restaurant, was literally filled with probably 15+ cop cars. I believe it was a hostage situation or something. Anyways, since then nothing terrible has happened all the other times I’ve gone.
The portion size of the food is huge and very filling. The food always smells super yummy. Although the food doesn’t taste as authentic as what you could get in SGV or home cooked, I still really like it. It’s the closest thing I’ve found to what Vietnamese food tastes like back home. I’ve only ordered the rice plates here, so maybe I’ll try one of their noodles the next time I go.
The service is usually very quick. It’s not usually a long wait when you first walk in. It’s not usually a long wait for the food to come out either. However, sometimes it’s pretty hard to catch the waiter’s attention. I notice that when they don’t have anything to do then they’re not usually wandering around seeing if anyone needs something or cleaning tables, they’re just standing there picking at their nails or something. You have to go to the cash register and pay as well.
Parking is almost always super packed. Spaces are a bit narrow and people don’t really know how to park (a lot of people take up more than one parking space). Also, be warned this place is CASH ONLY! There is an ATM next door though.

Three stars. I reaLLy wanted to give them a higher rating but… there is just one thing I can’t get over…
Sure the Com Tam Dat Thanh’s aroma is amazing– inside and out, they offers you a reaL bang for your buck, and the food is tasty as heLL… BUT!!! I aLways have to worry about the cLeanLiness.
On a handful of occasions, my rice pLate came fuLLy Loaded with HAIR!!! Gross right?!!
I thought it was just an off day so i Let it sLide. When it becomes a reguLar thing, thats when i draw the Line.
This used to be my go-​to spot whenever i had cravings but i’ll save me the grief and just eat over at Com Tam Thien Huong. It may be a bit more expensive and i dont get as much food but at Least its CLEAN & DELICIOUS.

I REALLY like this place as they’re very generous with their portion sizes. My boyfriend and I had a mid-​week date night and he really liked the food as well. I ordered a BBQ Shrimp/​BBQ Beef Combo Rice plate. Definitely had enough for dinner the next day. Would love to go back again whenever I’m craving AUTHENTIC Vietnamese. It was nice to re-​visit this place as I haven’t been here in years. Fresh food, decent prices, chill atmosphere (for a Wednesday night).
Quick Tip: I think they’re CASH ONLY just as an FYI :)

Good food. Good portion. Free bowl of soup. My favorite is the Shrimp Cake, Grilled Pork Chop, and the Egg Cake.
I would say it’s not exactly authentic Com Tam, because in Vietnam they don’t put that much food in a plate lol. And the flavor in Vietnam is a little different. Still Com Tam Dat Thanh is very good. So, not authentic, but good.

I am a little curious on how this place has 4 stars on Unilocal.I took my parents here over the weekend just for a quick lunar new years lunch. We walked in around 1030 and the place was pretty empty, but that’s understandable since it was lunch time just yet. We were seated and provided a menu. They have a vast com tam menu with many different types of meats.
I really wanted to try the tau hu ky as that is one of my favorites for com tam. I ended up ordering the nem nuong, bi, and tau hu ky. The meat and ta hu ky looked awesome. My nem nuong appeared to be grilled perfectly. However, the look was definitely deceiving. The nem nuong was actually really firm and it lacked seasoning. They packed the nem nuong too tight that the meat itself did not have a bouncy texture. It really didn’t have any taste, so I can’t describe what it tasted like. As for the tau hu ky, that was a disappointment as well. The filling was also tasteless. In all, my com tam wasn’t as I expected after reading the many great yep reviews about this place. The only good tasting option for com tam was the cha. The cha was seasoned well soft, and had a good ratio of egg vs meat. I’d definitely order the cha if I ever come back. Maybe even try the thit nuong.
The soup they give you is tasteless as well. No flavor whatsoever. Probably watered down chicken broth.
The service is good here. The waiter was nice and so was the cashier. Do keep in mind that it is CASH ONLY!

Best rice plate place. EVER!!!
Giant portions!!! One plate is 2 meals for me. a win already.
All the meat and seafood ontop of the broken rice are cooked deliciously. Very good portions of everything. Still good after you save it.
Service is meh, but cant expect too great at a place like this, the food speaks for itself!
The only reason why I’m giving a four star is because sometimes after eating here, I’m left super thirsty. Worth! but maybe they use a buttload of MSG.
And because its CASH ONLY! a few plates can rack up! (I take one to go to bring home to my parents in SF) so if they started taking card… mucho appreciated.
They need to open one in SF!

Been on a broken rice craving so I figured I stopped by here for lunch given the popular ratings. Surprisingly, it was quite empty during lunch hours.
I ordered one of the riceplate combos. This is my first time going to a restaurant that serves fried shrimp cake (yummy). The food came out in less than 10 minutes.
The grilled meat I got tasted pretty good with the sauce they used. Fried shrimp cake was average. My major disappointment was the broken rice (supposingly star of the dish). It was super dry as if someone left it out in the open and gave it to me.
Overall, the food was good but perhaps it was an off day because the rice was dry.
Cash only !

*Cash only!*
FOOD
— Com Tam Ga Nuong Bi Tau Hu Ky: grilled chicken, shredded pork, and shrimp tofu over a bed of broken rice and a side of cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and daikon. It also comes with a side soup. The chicken is tender and flavorful. I like the crunchy, flakey shrimp tofu. They give a good amount of rice and plentiful meat. ⁵⁄₅
SERVICE
Not the friendliest staff but we got in and out without any complaints. ³⁄₅
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is my fave spot for com tam! My tummy always leaves happy! Their food is consistently good. My dad likes this place because they don’t skimp on meat.

Com Tam Dat Thanh has a parking lot! parking space was all taken at bout 10:00 am on sunday wen we came. Had in mind the restro must b busy but wen we walked inside, theres no one? I was feeling a lil worried food wont b good. Then came to mind, it is only 10:00am on a sunday, mayb ppl at church? or sleepin?
anyways, service was great n quick as well. I realli enjoyed my bowl of bun thit nuong w eggroll. loved the crispy eggroll, good flavor too. the fried shrimp cake is so crispy n tasted ok, I realli like the fried shrimp cake at com tam tien huong betta tho, as well as the egg cake. The portion seem much more here tho, too much for me. Overall, we had a good meal. :-)
The owner was so kind to me. I didnt know its a CASH ONLY restro! I was short few dollars :-(he say its ok. I felt too bad n say I go bank n come back. He say its really ok. I say thanks. Wen I walked outside I saw an ATM inside a liquor store nxt door. Went there n got cash n came back to pay wat I owe plus tips.
The quality of food is 5 stars for me, but I realli hate CASH ONLY restro. I agreed wit Tram, also limit me going to places tat dun accept credit card!

Coming before the crowd at noon was great. I was a bit worried when my food came out turbo fast, less than 2 minutes. It was excellent, only wish the pork chop was made to order. It was cold, but fully cooked and tasty. I don’t like that much sauce though and prefer more grilled taste. The egg cake and pork skin and rice all A+ just as I ate growing up.
p. s. Found it amusing white couple came in mistaking place had phở. If they read Unilocal they’d have known. Felt bad they didn’t know and they left. Wished they had known broken rice is a Viet fav!

Came by for for a weekend brunch the other day and it was surprisingly empty right when they opened with plenty of seating available.
Ordered the #79 with grilled pork and fried shrimp cake and it was delicious. There was plenty of very fresh and flavorful grilled pork along with a meaty shrimp cake that was fresh. The bed of vermicelli was decent too.
There’s an entire container of fish sauce to use too!
The soup was rather bland on this visit though…
~$ 10 after tax and tip for brunch. Cash only.

So I should be writing this review based off the rice plates, because that is truly what their known for, but my focus is on the bún for obvious reasons.
Food: Rice plates here are probably some of the best I’ve ever had, so many combos to choose from to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. I usually get the BBQ Chicken, since I’m not a big fan of Pork. However, the menu is more limited with Chicken options, but they will happily switch Pork/​Beef out for BBQ Chicken if you ask. I love their shrimp cakes too much, they’re crispy and delicious. I’ve tried pork/​beef off of my boyfriends plate and both meats are extremely flavorful, just not my cup of tea. Their chicken is my favorite in the South Bay. It is extremely juicy and packed with flavor. I love how the chicken is grilled, you get the char flavor, but never have to worry about it being burnt. The sugarcane shrimp is probably my second favorite thing here, I can’t get enough of it. It’s extremely fragrant and grilled to perfection, it comes off of the sugarcane very easily and I usually like to wrap it in lettuce and dip it in fish sauce, but it’s so flavorful that you can just eat it right off the cane. Chew on the cane afterwards for some refreshing sugarcane juice! I usually order # and switch the meat out for chicken. I will mention that the ratio of noodles to veggies is a bit off, I’d like more veggies and less noodles… but that is just me. If you ask them to do that for you, they certainly will without hesitation.
Service: I like the service here a lot, like I mentioned I do a lot of tinkering with my orders and no complaints ever! They’re very attentive to customers and are very friendly even when they have a full house and not a lot of people working. Be nice to them, they’ll make your tummy happy!
Parking: This lot is the worst, the spots are all compact and limited. Be careful parking here!
Price: Reasonable, under $ 9.00 for most plates, if not all.
Ambiance: Older restaurant, but very mom/​pop. It’s simple and I like that. It gets busy, especially at dinner time, but the service is super fast and it doesn’t get as loud even when it’s packed… people are too busy enjoying their delicious rice plates, etc!
Overall: One of my favorite, if not my favorite Viet restaurant in SJ. I highly recommend this place to anyone/​everyone wanting rice plates, but also venture out and try the bún or other items on the menu.

I came into Com Tam Dat Thanh (abbreviated hereon as CTDT, for my fingers’ sake) with high hopes. Sketchy East San Jose location? Check. Packed full of Vietnamese people? Check. Highly reviewed by Unilocalers? Check and check. Yet somehow… CTDT failed to live up to the hype :(
What’s good, though, is good: they have *huge* portions, their rice is in fact, very broken, and their spring rolls are one of the best I’ve had in a long time — crispy on the outside, a mess of molten veggies and pork on the inside — delicious. Their portions are extremely generous too, despite pushing the $ 10 point; a crispy shrimp cake is easily the size of your palm, and the fish cake + sugarcane combo, which I’m used to being maybe 2 inches and covered in a thin layer of fish cake, was actually about six, and covered in a massive roll of said fish cake. Amazing-​ness. Oh yeah, and soup. But you knew that, right?
However, I don’t REALLY understand the hype about their «amazing» grilled meats. I ordered the pork, which I felt was pretty standard, but it was surprisingly dry and sad considering everyone elses’ reviews. My friend who ordered the vermicelli was the same way, though hers’ was slightly better, so I know they can do it better. Maybe I should have gotten the chicken, or beef ribs? I’d put them down as a solid 3.5, but since I’ll be back, I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt this time. Still, I’d like to see a bit more care in their grilling :(
—
sweet: huge portions, excellent fried food
bitter: pork a bit dry, and no amount of fish sauce could save it :(

I came here on a Saturday afternoon with my bf and his brother. I ordered the beef short rib plate with egg cake and shredded pork skin (#40 I believe). They give you nice soup/​broth to start your meal. Flavors were great and definitely satisfied my craving for broken rice. However, the beef short ribs were disappointing– I had 8 short rib pieces, but 5 of them were mostly fat and inedible. l hope to come back to try the BBQ beef or pork– hopefully it’s more meat than just fat on bones. The egg cake was delicious. The fried shrimp cake looked delicious (I’m allergic, but my bf said it was good). Food was plentiful and service was quick.
Cash only!