Jia Tella’s

Tasty food, pleasant staff, and a great selection. I’ve only been once, but I am looking forward to coming back!

Ordered Fresh Shrimp Spring rolls, Cambodian Noodle soup, Shrimp & Chicken Bento, Fried Rice, and the «Famous Fried Chicken.» Little disappointing. The spring rolls were excellent-​unfortunately we ordered the last two shrimp spring rolls for the three of us. Overall the fried rice, fried chicken (wings) were lacking in flavor, though the menu boasted of Siracha-​spiced chicken. I ended dumping on the table chili sauce (which was quite good). The fried rice appeared to have Birdseye Frozen Vegetable medley of corn Lima and green beans, peas, carrots and corn – no heat, no basil, no spice, peanut, not a lot of flavor. My son liked the noodle soup and i guess it was exactly as advertised – noodles with broth and the meat of his choice. Though there were condiment items for the soup there was nothing else in the soup — I guess I was expecting something more like phô. Lu liked her chicken with her bento, very tender and moist – most of all she liked the cabbage salad that came with the bento. Our server was excellent – attentive, friendly, prompt, and responsive. I’d come back for the bar and fresh spring rolls, but probably pass on dinner.

I’ve always liked the food here but the service is terrible. Whether we eat there or get it to go something is always wrong. It’s always a bunch of kids working in the front. It’s hard to get anyone’s attention and I always have to wait when I phone in my order no matter how long they say it is going to be. It gets 3 stars because the food is good but the service keeps me from coming back more often and giving them more stars.

OMG. super yummy food …

Tried this place for the second time recently and was very impressed. It’s great to have a Cambodian place just down the road. The service was good and I’d feel comfortable bringing in my kids.

I’ve always liked coming here because the food is excellent but lately the service is dreadful. I just know I have to have time to spare when I come here

Last few times I’ve been here, the wait staff has been more knowledgeable and the food has been great.

Been here a god few times now, a. Few great experiences and a couple of average ones caused not by food but either serving wifey and I at different times or vanishing wait staff. It would recommend a visit.

Order the ginger noodle dish (vegan) with tofu. Feeling brave? Order spicy and ask ‘em for a «toxic» amount of ginger.
Also, there’s a been a rumor that you can sometimes sneak one of the micro brews from the bar in the same shopping center. They have a Habanero beer that’s a nice compliment to above dish. You may have to bring a glass from Jia Tella over there and pay before you leave. I’m not saying it’s sanctioned. Just saying, YRMV. :-)

I was really hopeful for this place because I heard some ladies in the kitchen speaking a southeast asian language that wasn’t Thai, so I assume the place is run by actual Cambodians. The food didn’t quite live up to my expectations though. I was expecting the noodles in tamarind sauce to be similar to pad thai, but it just kind of a single-​note flavor which wasn’t even that compelling to begin with. I got the fish (curry?) soup. This had a lot of potential; the fish was cooked just right and had authentic tastes in the mix, but was a little too bland for my palate. I think what it really needed was some fish sauce but I was too lazy to ask.
This place has potential, but it didn’t deliver today. Perhaps try something that is distinctly Cambodian (like Amok) if you go. I bet this place has one or two dishes that are spot on; i just wasn’t able to find them

I have been to Jia Tella’s a number of times and have always liked it but yesterday was a total let down. We had the spicy chicken noodles and the tamarind noodles, both of which looked absolutely awful and didn’t taste very nice either. The meat, especially the tamarind one, looked like something the cat brought in and I wouldn’t want to make a dog eat!
I mentioned to the lady at the counter that none of us liked it much and she just said. Sorry… it’s my favorite. It was obvious that she couldn’t care less. We took it back for the chickens but I am thinking it’s not even a good idea to give it to them.
The food has been repeating on me for hours and frankly, I am not feeling so well now…
I will think hard about suggesting this restaurant to anyone again.

Blah. The foods not good, lacking in imagination, flavor and completeness. Tamarind noodles over cooked– too sweet with sauce, no balance, no veggies–
Service– waitress rude, aloof and kinda off putting. Not impressed, so sad this place isn’t amazing.

I went here for the first time today. We went with a group of people from work. 15 minutes after the rest of us had our food, one person still hadn’t been served. He went back in line and was told his food wasn’t ready yet. 15 minutes later, still nothing and we we all finished with our lunches. He went back only to be told that they lost his order. He asked for his food to go. 10 more minutes, they give him his entrée, but forgot his spring rolls. At this point, we had all been sitting around waiting, so he just asked for a refund. The «manager» on duty didn’t know how to do a refund and we had to sit another ten minutes while she called someone to help explain it to her. And… they only refunded the spring rolls.
I had the tamarind noodle special. The soup was very good, but we all said it was a bit on the cool (temperature) side. The noodles were good, but nothing special in my opinion. My co-​worker got the fish stew, which was very good and others mentioned that the beef ribs were fantastic.
I am torn about giving this place another go. I have heard great things, but the service I witnessed today really makes me want to never go back.

I’ve eaten here many times since I work within walking distance and it’s just so hit-​and-​miss.
Decent food, that’s one of the healthier options in the area with some good vegetarian choices too. Some people say it’s not authentic, but I don’t really care. Good stir fries, apps, and noodle dishes with a chill atmosphere.
They serve quality beer on draft and have a nice outdoor dining area that gets good sunlight for lunch.
If they ran a tighter ship, I think they’d really have better food and a better customer experience.
A few times I’ve ordered something to-​go and have waited outside (I like to be in the sun — they say they’ll bring it out) for up to 45 minutes and my food never comes.
So I go in to check and my food has been waiting on the counter for a while… A big letdown.
When people get takeout, they often have somewhere to be and don’t want to have the lengthier dining experience.
They’re also about a 6 on the friendly scale, so they don’t seem super sincere when they apologize.
Other times it can be a long wait to get your food when dining there (usually it’s not busy).
I really dig their fresh spring rolls and kabobs. Ginger Stir Fry is another dish I frequently order.
They sell C20 coconut waters and their gelato is legit.
Please step up your game and make a few improvements:
— Friendlier staff (95% of patrons live within a few miles or work within 1)
— More reasonable wait times
— Efficient coverage on to-​go orders
— More consistency with food quality

I can’t understand the high ratings for this place. I thought I wasn’t getting this place the first time around, so I came back. It baffles me that Scotts Valley has all the attitude, but none of the good restaurants (except Otoro Sushi?)
Jia Tella’s is basically fast food. Not a restaurant. It’s alright, but not a place where I would go intentionally or invite people.
You go to the counter to order. So far, the people who took our order were clearly bored and /​or not giving a s#!t. The atmosphere is not super great (wall paint inside is chipped, patio chairs are uncomfortable.) A while later, you’ll get your greasy and somehow still bland food on a plastic plate. Neither time did we finish our dishes.
We’ve had the stir-​fried lemongrass, tamarind noodles, flat rice noodles, spicy basil chicken here.

Having grown up in SV it’s nice to have a go to restaurant in town. Solid selection of craft beer and the chicken curry stew is the only thing I ever order because it’s that good. Also the kids menu which is finger food friendly shish kabob and egg rolls makes it so the whole family is happy. Also the restaurant is connected to the bar next door and they have a cool chalk board where you can buy a friend beer

Food is good; service can be sketchy but the folks are great so it works out to be a great experience – one of the local favorites!

I’ve never had Cambodian food until today.
So I had no idea what to order but the big friendly blackboards make it fun and casual.
So while all my colleagues were ordering Stir-​Fried Lemongrass or their «Bento» boxes with beef/​chicken/​shrimp/​tofu kabobs (which I kind of could easily imagine what it tasted like), I decided on «going native» and had their Amok which is a major national culinary tradition in Cambodia, where they take either fish (J.T. offers catfish) or chicken (J.T. offers shredded dark and light chicken) and blend it together with galangal (kinda like ginger), egg, lemongrass, kaffir, lime, coconut milk all mixed and steamed in a banana leaf «tent».
The result was a very interesting lunch which I took pictures of including the unwrapping. First: after opening, the steamed, pressed pile of boneless, shredded chicken was not probably a visual that would make you go MMM. But I love the flavor of kaffir leaves, so this was a great flavor that immediately made itself known among the very moist, tender and flavorful chunks of chicken.
This is really different from anything I’d had. I’d say it was even low carb because rice was available but not part of the dish (it actually should be). The small side of yoghurt with red bell peppers was a nice offset to the savory sweetness of the coconut and chicken blend.
This was really filling and was a really good intro for me to this place.
Service was not quick for business lunch, but then again they warn you that everything is made to order. All in all, a very nice place in Scotts Valley that I will definitely return to.

I love this place!!!
I come to the bar side frequently and they make great drinks. Good beers on tap and the atmosphere is swell.
Being a veggie it’s really nice knowing almost everything on the menus is based off a veggie recipe and meat can be substituted for tofu. Everything is made fresh to order.
Patrick and Christine kick ass.

After a band gig in Scotts Valley, some of the band members wanted to sit down and have dinner/​drinks nearby in order to let traffic pass on CA-​17. One of the band members suggested Jia Tella. My husband and I got interested because it’s Cambodian cuisine. We were all excited when we got inside. We ordered two pitchers of Shock Top beer on tap and ordered large plates of their entrees. The kids had kids meal portions of Kebob Beef and Pork Fried Rice.
I ordered a spicy version of their String Beans with Beef while my husband ordered their Ginger Beef. I was honestly blown away by the spices of my entrée. Holy Molly! Spicy indeed! Beads of sweat formed all over my forehead, at the back of my neck and ears. Whew! It was that good. Plus, it went very well with the cold beer. I love spicy food, and this place can really serve a hot one.
I just wish they’re not that far away from home. I highly recommend this place for some spicy grub and cold beer. So, if you are near this place, you have to go in and try it.