Monsoon

Very nice atmosphere and fantastic food! Service was great too. If you are going i would highly recommend the spicy beef pho!

Ryan Dorrill

Yummy Vietnamese eats in a casual environment- great for takeout! We had the fried rice and beef short rib, which were great. A lot of places make their fried rice too bland, but this was just right - with seared onion and chicken, little bits of egg, and green onion. Hit the spot!

Gabriel Hongsdusit

I ordered the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, which was similar to Bun Bo Hue in spirit but much more simplified. The sate had a nice lemongrass aroma, a good amount of heat and elevated the pho broth. Broth was on the sweeter side, but worked with the strong flavors of the sate. The noodles were cooked beautifully, perfectly al dente. And in addition to top round steak and meatballs, they gave thin slices of fatty brisket! That was a nice touch, considering the bowl is on the slightly pricier side at $18. Overall it’s a charming, laid back spot for casual dining or takeout. I like supporting family-run businesses like these. I found it charming that the young server would shout “Mom, do we have that?” in the back kitchen for certain orders.

Cai

I stumbled into this local gem by accident and found one of the best and most filling bowl of pho in Piedmont! Small menu but I love the spicy beef pho and their pork chop rice. You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table. Pretty much self service but we like minimalist interactions. I hope more people discover this family run restaurant!

E Lee

We were in the area so we stopped by for lunch. We found parking a couple blocks away. Service was fast. Iced Vietnamese coffee was good. I appreciate the portion sizes. Garlic noodles were great. Shrimp was grilled well.

Peter Koepernik

Small family-run Malaysian restaurant. Delicious and very generous portions!

Calvin Kangsan Lee

If you're in the mood for some authentic Vietnamese cuisine, look no further than this hidden gem of a restaurant! Their fried chicken wings are to die for - crispy, flavorful and with a perfect hint of five spice. The vermicelli egg rolls are also a must-try, with a satisfying crunch in every bite. But the real standout dish here is the pho with filet mignon - the beef is cooked to perfection and melts in your mouth. You can tell that they only use high quality and fresh ingredients in all their dishes. The noodles are also incredibly fresh and add the perfect texture to every dish. With such delicious food, friendly service, and reasonable prices, this is definitely a spot worth checking out! The ambience of this Vietnamese restaurant is the perfect blend of modern and traditional. The decor is minimalistic yet stylish, with elegant lighting and tasteful decorations that transport you to the streets of Vietnam. From the bamboo furniture to the colorful artwork on the walls, every detail is carefully curated to create an authentic atmosphere. One thing that stood out to me was the dishware - it's super cute! The plates and bowls have intricate designs that add an extra touch of charm to the dining experience. Whether you're here for a quick lunch or a relaxing dinner, the ambience is cozy and inviting, making it the perfect spot to enjoy a delicious meal with friends or family.

Tyler Houck

The dinner vibes here are very chill. We came around 7:30 on a Wednesday and were seated immediately. The windows looking out onto Piedmont Ave are beautiful, the restaurant is clean, and it is quiet enough to enjoy a conversation. We ordered the vegetarian noodle soup and pork chop rice plate. Plus a free Thai iced tea from checking in on Yelp. The Thai iced tea was on the sweet side but the flavor and richness hit. The vegetarian noodle soup had a variety of several types of tofu, charred vegetables, and a flavorful broth that was not too salty. There are 3 noodle choices for the soups — thin “pho-style” rice noodles, flat rice noodles, and thin egg noodles. The pork chop was huge, thin-cut, juicy, and had a nice char flavor. There were several layers of meat on the plate! The pork came with some simple veg, fluffy rice, and an acidic dipping sauce. Prices were affordable — our dinner came out to less than $18 each including tax.

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen

A true gem!! Flavorful, delicious food at reasonable prices. A quiet restaurant where you can have a nice conversation without screaming. The vermicelli bowls are fantastic. The best Vietnamese I’ve had in the East Bay!!

Bryan Richter

The best Vietnamese I've found in the East Bay. Highly recommend the Pork Bahn Mi -- the bread is the perfect balance between a crunchy exterior and soft interior, the pork is well cooked with an almost smokey flavor, and the aioli that ties it all together was an incredible addition.

Mayra Cervantes

We celebrated my daughter's graduation with a small amount of friends of 12 people, everyone of us loved our individual order, & the drinks were delicious!! We all not only had a good time, but had wonderful service by everyone of the staff ! Thanks Sandi, Juliet & Kevin. It was a memorable experience that we will never forget ❤️

Majin Buu

This place just became my regular pho spot. Writing review as im sitting here and everything from flavor to ambiance was great.

Isobel Needle

Very nice atmosphere and fantastic food! Service was great too. If you are going i would highly recommend the spicy beef pho!

Love this place. Everything is always tasty and delicious. Banh mi are big and excellent. Small menu but everything is great.

Really loved my experience here. Service was very good, helpful, and polite. The bahn-mi was very generous with meat portions and super tasty. Thai tea was good as well. Prices were reasonable.

Delicious, fresh flavors and generous portions of modern Vietnamese are what you get at this comfortable counter service restaurant. Banh mi and spicy soups are excellent. Happy dining experience here.

Best pho spot in California! The broth, the amount of quality meat 🥩 The reviews don’t do this place enough just, the egg rolls are also another hit!

I was having a rough week and just needed a nice meal to sustain my hunger. I didn’t know what to expect besides craving a bahn mi. I walked into this no frills restaurant and my eyes immediately darted to the pork combination rice. You maybe need to wait a bit for your food but that just shows they only cook when your order. When I got my dish my goodness my eyes lit up at the beautiful grilled pork and fried chicken wing and fried pork roll. Perfect crisp and crunch on every item. My heart and my stomach was full. The menu items are on the pricier side but generous proportions. The pork combo meal ended up being a total of 3 meals for me as I took the leftovers home. Every time I reheated the food I was filled with so much joy. It’s a humble no frills restaurant yet somehow I felt the love put into the meal. Just the right meal for a much needed time. I will definitely come back and try the other dishes.

Fantastic food, excellent service, great vibe! They made my Vietnamese iced coffee on the spot and it was so good! I had the noodle soup but I'm excited to go back and try the banh mi, the couple next to me had it and it looked and smelled amazing. Really good prices too! Highly recommend.

corie

I was having a rough week and just needed a nice meal to sustain my hunger. I didn’t know what to expect besides craving a bahn mi. I walked into this no frills restaurant and my eyes immediately darted to the pork combination rice. You maybe need to wait a bit for your food but that just shows they only cook when your order. When I got my dish my goodness my eyes lit up at the beautiful grilled pork and fried chicken wing and fried pork roll. Perfect crisp and crunch on every item. My heart and my stomach was full. The menu items are on the pricier side but generous proportions. The pork combo meal ended up being a total of 3 meals for me as I took the leftovers home. Every time I reheated the food I was filled with so much joy. It’s a humble no frills restaurant yet somehow I felt the love put into the meal. Just the right meal for a much needed time. I will definitely come back and try the other dishes.

Matthew Bratko

Fantastic food, excellent service, great vibe! They made my Vietnamese iced coffee on the spot and it was so good! I had the noodle soup but I'm excited to go back and try the banh mi, the couple next to me had it and it looked and smelled amazing. Really good prices too! Highly recommend.

Jackie Chan

Best pho spot in California! The broth, the amount of quality meat 🥩 The reviews don’t do this place enough just, the egg rolls are also another hit!

Zach Powers

Really loved my experience here. Service was very good, helpful, and polite. The bahn-mi was very generous with meat portions and super tasty. Thai tea was good as well. Prices were reasonable.

Michael Lev

Delicious, fresh flavors and generous portions of modern Vietnamese are what you get at this comfortable counter service restaurant. Banh mi and spicy soups are excellent. Happy dining experience here.

Very good portions for the price. The soup is rich with a pronounced taste. The tables are a bit dirty, but otherwise the place is 10/10

Boris Ryabov

Very good portions for the price. The soup is rich with a pronounced taste. The tables are a bit dirty, but otherwise the place is 10/10

I’ve eaten at Monsoon around 5 times. I definitely go back for the food, since the atmosphere and service is lacking. The tables have a weird sticky texture, and the dining room ambiance is depressing. It’s rare to see anyone at the counter, since it appears they are often doing so many other tasks in the kitchen. Today I stopped by and had the chicken vermicelli, which was underwhelming. The chicken was charred and sliced, so the burnt taste permeated the dish. I ate around the meat though, focusing on the noodles and veggies. I eventually came across a piece of wire when taking a bite, most likely from the grill brush. It was super sharp, but fortunately did not cut my mouth. I showed it to a gentleman that came out of the kitchen (again, no one at counter and had to look around to find someone). He offered to make me another, but I lost my appetite. I know it wasn’t his fault, and mistakes happen, but I doubt I would go back.

Let’s start with the food. We got a chicken Banh Mi and a Bun Bo hue soup. The sandwich was very sweet. Why would you make Banh mi sweet? The sauce used on the chicken was just overpoweringly sweet it kind of ruined the whole thing. The meat to pickled veggies ratio was MOSTLY meat and hardly any veg. The bread was good, but that’s about it. The soup noodles were not great. They use the cheap vermicelli noodles. The soup was also like a sweet and somewhat spicy. Not good. Service was okay. It wasn’t busy there at all. Atmosphere…I normally don’t really pay much attention to atmosphere but this place is kind of bland. No music so it’s eerily quiet and all you hear is the clashing of dishes being washed in the back. All in all, I probably won’t be coming back here sadly.

Mike Dumas

Let’s start with the food. We got a chicken Banh Mi and a Bun Bo hue soup. The sandwich was very sweet. Why would you make Banh mi sweet? The sauce used on the chicken was just overpoweringly sweet it kind of ruined the whole thing. The meat to pickled veggies ratio was MOSTLY meat and hardly any veg. The bread was good, but that’s about it. The soup noodles were not great. They use the cheap vermicelli noodles. The soup was also like a sweet and somewhat spicy. Not good. Service was okay. It wasn’t busy there at all. Atmosphere…I normally don’t really pay much attention to atmosphere but this place is kind of bland. No music so it’s eerily quiet and all you hear is the clashing of dishes being washed in the back. All in all, I probably won’t be coming back here sadly.

Michael O'Malley

I’ve eaten at Monsoon around 5 times. I definitely go back for the food, since the atmosphere and service is lacking. The tables have a weird sticky texture, and the dining room ambiance is depressing. It’s rare to see anyone at the counter, since it appears they are often doing so many other tasks in the kitchen. Today I stopped by and had the chicken vermicelli, which was underwhelming. The chicken was charred and sliced, so the burnt taste permeated the dish. I ate around the meat though, focusing on the noodles and veggies. I eventually came across a piece of wire when taking a bite, most likely from the grill brush. It was super sharp, but fortunately did not cut my mouth. I showed it to a gentleman that came out of the kitchen (again, no one at counter and had to look around to find someone). He offered to make me another, but I lost my appetite. I know it wasn’t his fault, and mistakes happen, but I doubt I would go back.