Asian Express

Banh Mi is delicious…. Pho looks great, will try that next.

Sandwich is too good to talk or do anything else. bread is crispy, beef is tasty with delicious souse. Pho is better than anyone in San Jose. best part is they don't charge tips. 👍

I love the Vietnamese 3 Color Dessert (drink) known as Chè ba màu and was pleasantly surprised to find it on the menu at Asian Express in Capitola. Theirs is quite good - a generously sized drink/dessert with layers of sweet red beans, pudding, and crunchy green gelatin strips. Topped with coconut milk and shaved ice. Yummy … to the point that I will now have to go there every time I’m in the area!

Wow. I probably had the most delicious Vietnamese grilled chicken with rice noodles here. We stumbled upon this restaurant on our way to the Bamboo Giant store in Aptos. We were hungry and just needed a quick bite. My friend and I hadn’t expected much as it looked like a nondescript suburban takeout restaurant with just a few tables inside. However, upon my first bite, my mouth watered, and just thinking about it now makes me want to return for more — even though I live 25 miles away. We also had the spring rolls, they were good but nothing special like the grilled chicken dish.

Best place to go in the area for Vietnamese food. Excellent Pho, and Banh Mi sandwiches. Their rice plates are also good. I am not much of a fan for Boba tea drinks, but I see a lot of people ordering them.. It is a small restaurant and on the busy hours you might not find a table to dine in, but it is worth going if you have a craving for their food.

The best hole in the wall spot! Egg rolls are so good. Veggie pho and spicy tofu are really good too!

I was riding my motorcycle from my dr appt in San Jose back to Monterey, and stopped here to stretch my legs. The banh mi thit heo was awesome. I took half home to my wife so she could see how good it tastes—we haven’t found any restaurants around Monterey area that serve good banh mi, so we’re going to be coming back.

This place has the best pho in town, hands down! The broth is incredibly authentic and packed with flavor. Every bowl I've had has been consistently delicious. The vegetables are always fresh and crisp, which really adds to the overall experience. I've tried both the beef and chicken pho, and I highly recommend either--both are fantastic! If you're craving authentic, flavorful pho, this is the spot to go. You won't be disappointed!

Best pho around, excellent service and friendly staff. Their catering also has fantastic pricing.

Best Thai Tea in the area. Love the Pho.

Pho or Banh Mi? This place makes the choice impossible because they’re both 10/10. The vegan options are endless and the veggie pho broth is magic, and the tofu Banh Mi is the freshest sandwhich I’ve ever had. I’m officially a repeat offender.

Love this place...we sat outside at one of their picnic tables... nice friendly people that work there... delicious food

One of the only decent restaurants in town. Santa cruz has some of the worst food in the world per square inch. It’s beautiful here and people pay a lot to live here… unfortunately the food is god awful overall aside from Palomar Taco Bar (not the palomar restaurant) and i think this place is alright too…. A slice of pepperoni pizza from Pizza My Heart (downtown location) with their Ranch is good in the right situation too. Thx

Food was DELICIOUS. I ordered some noodles with chicken. My partner ordered seafood pho. Hers was incredible. The eggs rolls were also a good choice.

We like the Asian Express in Capitola, next to the Starbucks and Subway. When we have a craving for Vietnamese food this is pretty much the only option on this side of the hill. They have the menu (with photos) on the board to order. I love #13, the grilled (I think marinaded in lemon grass) pork & grilled shrimp on vermicelli noodles, salad, slight mint sprinkled with chopped peanut topping. It’s very refreshing and flavorful with the sauce. We usually take out after work and eat at home but today we just ate in one of their clean booths. The decor is tasteful and bright and nice hospitality. It’s one of our usual places. The one negative is that they don’t have a homemade smoked chili oil unfortunately so I haven’t tried their pho.

Very delicious, but definitely a fusion restaurant – aptly named. With that expectation, it’s a good price, great taste, and fast service.

BEST Vietnamese Sandwich in Santa Cruz. All-around Good prices and really tasty menu options, especially the lunch specials! Didn't know about this place until recently and boy, is it good. Nothing fancy, just solid eats when you did to GRUB. Great and friendly service too! I've had their pork and beef sandwiches, chamain, and fried rice and have been satisfied everytime. Their Vietnamese coffee is ON POINT as well. Try this place out!

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz! I have been enjoying their wonderful food for a long time and have finally gotten around to writing a review. My favorite items are the fried shrimp rolls, spring rolls, spicy seafood pho (9) and the pork and wonton pho (21) and their lollipop chicken. The fried food is always hot and crunchy and the soup is rich and flavorful. Both the service and atmosphere has improved significantly over the years and the owner is always so sweet and welcoming. Highly recommend Asian Express if you are in the mood for some unique, flavorful asian comfort food!

Super tasty Vietnamese soups. I always get spicy wonton noodle soup. Not on the menu. Just order 31 and say make it spicy. The wontons are large and meaty. My wife has #11 chicken leg noodle soup and loves it.

Nice little hole in the wall. Tasty food. Cook to order. It was remodeled not too long ago and have improved their service. This eatery has a variety of asian foods, from Vietnamese Pho to seafood specialties. That being said, Chicken filet pho was good. As was the pad thai. They even have a Chopstick sterilizer to ensure their hard chopsticks stay fresh.

kelly woblesky

Pho or Banh Mi? This place makes the choice impossible because they’re both 10/10. The vegan options are endless and the veggie pho broth is magic, and the tofu Banh Mi is the freshest sandwhich I’ve ever had. I’m officially a repeat offender.

Pam Santos

Love this place...we sat outside at one of their picnic tables... nice friendly people that work there... delicious food

Maverick Kressman

One of the only decent restaurants in town. Santa cruz has some of the worst food in the world per square inch. It’s beautiful here and people pay a lot to live here… unfortunately the food is god awful overall aside from Palomar Taco Bar (not the palomar restaurant) and i think this place is alright too…. A slice of pepperoni pizza from Pizza My Heart (downtown location) with their Ranch is good in the right situation too. Thx

Mayra Carranco (Mai)

Food was DELICIOUS. I ordered some noodles with chicken. My partner ordered seafood pho. Hers was incredible. The eggs rolls were also a good choice.

Lynne MacFarlane

We like the Asian Express in Capitola, next to the Starbucks and Subway. When we have a craving for Vietnamese food this is pretty much the only option on this side of the hill. They have the menu (with photos) on the board to order. I love #13, the grilled (I think marinaded in lemon grass) pork & grilled shrimp on vermicelli noodles, salad, slight mint sprinkled with chopped peanut topping. It’s very refreshing and flavorful with the sauce. We usually take out after work and eat at home but today we just ate in one of their clean booths. The decor is tasteful and bright and nice hospitality. It’s one of our usual places. The one negative is that they don’t have a homemade smoked chili oil unfortunately so I haven’t tried their pho.

Calvin

Very delicious, but definitely a fusion restaurant – aptly named. With that expectation, it’s a good price, great taste, and fast service.

Dayne Gradone

BEST Vietnamese Sandwich in Santa Cruz. All-around Good prices and really tasty menu options, especially the lunch specials! Didn't know about this place until recently and boy, is it good. Nothing fancy, just solid eats when you did to GRUB. Great and friendly service too! I've had their pork and beef sandwiches, chamain, and fried rice and have been satisfied everytime. Their Vietnamese coffee is ON POINT as well. Try this place out!

Maya Yokoyama

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz! I have been enjoying their wonderful food for a long time and have finally gotten around to writing a review. My favorite items are the fried shrimp rolls, spring rolls, spicy seafood pho (9) and the pork and wonton pho (21) and their lollipop chicken. The fried food is always hot and crunchy and the soup is rich and flavorful. Both the service and atmosphere has improved significantly over the years and the owner is always so sweet and welcoming. Highly recommend Asian Express if you are in the mood for some unique, flavorful asian comfort food!

Vince Sanchez

Super tasty Vietnamese soups. I always get spicy wonton noodle soup. Not on the menu. Just order 31 and say make it spicy. The wontons are large and meaty. My wife has #11 chicken leg noodle soup and loves it.

edwin Sanchez

Nice little hole in the wall. Tasty food. Cook to order. It was remodeled not too long ago and have improved their service. This eatery has a variety of asian foods, from Vietnamese Pho to seafood specialties. That being said, Chicken filet pho was good. As was the pad thai. They even have a Chopstick sterilizer to ensure their hard chopsticks stay fresh.

Actually for the most part a Vietnamese restaurant. It is a real sleeper. The Pho is actually surprisingly good given the area. The service is great. Easily overlooked because of the name but it is actually a decent spot and I’ve eaten here several times.

Such a Cozy place! The food is great, the drinks are great, and the staff is AMAZING! I love this restaurant so much and it is the best pick for a place to eat or get a drink at!

This restaurant is one of my family’s favorites. They have the best “Pork fried rice” I’ve ever eaten. My children and wife love the pho and Avocado Smoothies! A+ The atmosphere isn’t of importance here. We often get it to go, it’s all about the food not the atmosphere. The staff is efficient.

Torunn Wennstrom

Such a Cozy place! The food is great, the drinks are great, and the staff is AMAZING! I love this restaurant so much and it is the best pick for a place to eat or get a drink at!

M C

I was riding my motorcycle from my dr appt in San Jose back to Monterey, and stopped here to stretch my legs. The banh mi thit heo was awesome. I took half home to my wife so she could see how good it tastes—we haven’t found any restaurants around Monterey area that serve good banh mi, so we’re going to be coming back.

Dax Arsanis

This restaurant is one of my family’s favorites. They have the best “Pork fried rice” I’ve ever eaten. My children and wife love the pho and Avocado Smoothies! A+ The atmosphere isn’t of importance here. We often get it to go, it’s all about the food not the atmosphere. The staff is efficient.

I came here a few years back and the food was greasy and dry, we decided not to go back. I've noticed recently that they changed their setup and they no longer have the hot bar, it is made to order! Me and my co worker and wife decided to come back and give it another shot. I got the chicken pho bowl, and spring rolls. The meal was delicious, and quick! Will definitely come back to this place. The vest part about our experience was the employee who was so upbeat and nice. I didnt catch his name, but I will be back!

I liked the chow mein it was really good

I enjoyed my meal. I got the orange chicken combo and potstickers. Food was fresh and tasty. The potsticker wrapper/dough was much too thick for what I like and a bit chewy, that's my only complaint. Good atmosphere and very nice staff there. Will definitely go back and try some other things.

Prices don't match up with what you're getting. A plate with all the add on extra come out to 15+ for a basically meat and noodle or rice. But it was late and we were running out of options after being at the car dealership all day. Clean place, lots of locals but nothing special.

Liz Zzzz

I enjoyed my meal. I got the orange chicken combo and potstickers. Food was fresh and tasty. The potsticker wrapper/dough was much too thick for what I like and a bit chewy, that's my only complaint. Good atmosphere and very nice staff there. Will definitely go back and try some other things.

Vanessa C

Prices don't match up with what you're getting. A plate with all the add on extra come out to 15+ for a basically meat and noodle or rice. But it was late and we were running out of options after being at the car dealership all day. Clean place, lots of locals but nothing special.

Decent place for a quick fix if you need Pho or a Vietnamese Sandwich. Double check that the cups and silverware are clean. Use the disposable chopsticks if you can! The staff is friendly and it gets really busy during expected lunch and dinner hrs with limited indoor seating.

This place is the best Vietnamese you can get in town but that’s not saying much. The flavor is good and if y’all get the vermicelli, it’s SUPPOSED TO BE COLD. However the customer service here is pretty terrible and unfriendly. I asked if they served hot water and they didn’t tell me it would cost more than regular water - instead they charged me for the price of tea and proceeded to provide it in a small mug that honestly looked like it belonged to a staff member and not for typical restaurant use. Despite this, I’d still recommend this place if you’re desperate for pho or vermicelli and don’t want to drive to San Jose. Or you can go to Betty’s Noodles and have their “pho”.

This was my first time back after having been away from the area for a couple years. I loved this place and used to eat here at least weekly. Flavor was great and the prices fair. That is until now. First thing I noticed is the price. What happened!? How is a bowl of noodles over $13?? This was more than what I paid to eat Pho in San Jose. Food was great like I remembered. Didn't get spring rolls like I used to because the cost for those have doubled. Lunch ended up costing $32.00 for two bowls of noodles. This is the equivalent to what my wife and I pay for dinner at nicer sit down restaurants. Sorry guys. We won't be back.

First off, my take and comments here primarily relate to their Bánh mì (Aka "Vietnamese sandwiches") only. I love Vietnamese food in general, but I have been a Bánh mì addict since our first visit to Vietnam 25 years ago. Just to clarify,I have not yet tried out their phở, or any of their other dishes or drinks. I had their 'barbecue pork' sandwich (Bánh mì thịt nướng) twice now. I really liked it the first time, but tonight, when i was really yearning for it, it was a total disaster. The pork was marinated and flavored nicely, but it was put on the sandwich 'by the pound' in large, thick and too big ungainly chunks of pork, making chewing difficult and a chore (for lack of a better word). And the Maggi was sorely missing. The best description I can give for my experience is "disappointing", and "displeasing". Which is too bad since I REALLY want to love this place. And I really liked their Bánh mì the first time I had it. Not this time though. Staff is really nice, but not sure I'll go back. "Don't touch my Bánh mì"... 🤷‍♀️

Update since a year ago, I went on a Sunday because everything is close and just wanted to see if it gotten better and no... It's getting worse and the people that think this is a good place to eat are the ones that stay in Santa Cruz and never go out of town & see how over price this place is too 🤦 and don't try other places. the noodles where all stock together at the bottom and tasted like mold.. And alot of water. That place should really work on their food quality.. A year ago Okay I just want to say my experience with this place that has been a sore spot for me. before covid hit us, the prices used to be decent and the food used to be really good and my favorite one was number nine but recently over the years especially after COVID the prices have gone up and the food quality has gone down. The number nine spicy noodles doesn't even taste like it has any spice or Even anything spicy like it says. I understand that they had a rat problem in the past and it was in the newspapers and they dealt with that and it affected their business but it still tasted good after for some time before they change their prices that used to be $10.00 now it is $15.99 and seems to be going up every month But the quality keeps dropping. I used to go here all the time with my best friend as a kid and during college, this used to be my favorite place in Santa Cruz to go for a while then I moved to LA for a year during the lockdown and came back & was deeply saddened to find out how bad the restaurant has gone down. I understand that things are now expensive due to the inflation but with the price it is now with the quality of the food is just worng am sorry.

For a quick on the go place to check out. I had a cravings for chow mein noodles. It was OK. Not the best. The broccoli beef was over cooked. I'll try their Pho next time... Which I should of ordered in the first place....

I only tried the Banh Mi and the Thai tea. The beef Banh Mi is a little weird to me. In other Vietnamese restaurants, the beef is BBQ and dark, but this one tasted and looked different. The bread and veggies were okay, but the meat was not the usual that you would find in San Jose or Orange County. It wasn't exactly bad, but not exactly good. For the price, it was the usual 10 dollars you would find at other places. The Thai tea, on the other hand, was also weird. First several sips, it was okay. But after that, it started to taste weird. Not sure what kind of mix they are using, but the sweetener tasted artificial or something wacky. I suspect it is not condensed milk like usual Thai tea uses. Not the worst experience, but from a regular Banh Mi and Thai tea enjoyer, this was mid.

I was excited to try Asian Express because I hadn't had a Bahn Mi in a long time. The menu looked great, and the price was reasonable, so I ordered the Grilled Chicken Bahn Mi and picked it up on my way to West SC. I was really disappointed in the bread, which is the French component that makes it special. Have you ever had stale bread that was warmed and over-toasted? Yeah, it actually rubbed my lips raw from trying to bite through it. Such a shame because the meat, veggies, and overall flavor were very good.

Beach Town Traveler

I was excited to try Asian Express because I hadn't had a Bahn Mi in a long time. The menu looked great, and the price was reasonable, so I ordered the Grilled Chicken Bahn Mi and picked it up on my way to West SC. I was really disappointed in the bread, which is the French component that makes it special. Have you ever had stale bread that was warmed and over-toasted? Yeah, it actually rubbed my lips raw from trying to bite through it. Such a shame because the meat, veggies, and overall flavor were very good.

Eddie Cotillon

For a quick on the go place to check out. I had a cravings for chow mein noodles. It was OK. Not the best. The broccoli beef was over cooked. I'll try their Pho next time... Which I should of ordered in the first place....

John Nguyen

I only tried the Banh Mi and the Thai tea. The beef Banh Mi is a little weird to me. In other Vietnamese restaurants, the beef is BBQ and dark, but this one tasted and looked different. The bread and veggies were okay, but the meat was not the usual that you would find in San Jose or Orange County. It wasn't exactly bad, but not exactly good. For the price, it was the usual 10 dollars you would find at other places. The Thai tea, on the other hand, was also weird. First several sips, it was okay. But after that, it started to taste weird. Not sure what kind of mix they are using, but the sweetener tasted artificial or something wacky. I suspect it is not condensed milk like usual Thai tea uses. Not the worst experience, but from a regular Banh Mi and Thai tea enjoyer, this was mid.

The quality has really gone down over the last year or two. Not sure what has changed. This had been my go-to place for pho and banh mi for several years, but the quality is just not good anymore. The noodles are like mush, and there is an off flavor to the soup. The pork and chicken banh mi aren't nicely grilled and savory like it used to be. I won't be going back unless something changes. The service is always really good, but not the food. Too bad, because this was the only decent Vietnamese food in Santa Cruz area.

The pho was mid and overpriced. The broth tasted watered down and almost flavorless.

Virak Chum

The pho was mid and overpriced. The broth tasted watered down and almost flavorless.

I have eaten at some terrible places but I can't think of any as horrible as this place was. For one thing, both my friends and my food was cold. Like it came out of a refrigerator right to our plate. Even the egg rolls that were deep fried were cold. Then there was the noodles with chopped lettuce mixed in. How ridiculous. And one more thing. The little cup of broth that I assume was to go over the top of everything, I'm glad I tasted first. It tasted like pee. No exaggeration.

I stood in the front waiting to either be seated or helped, none of which happened, so after 10 minutes of waiting, I left empty handed. I wasted 10 minutes of my 30 minutes lunch break. There were about 4 people there sitting at the tables eating, apparently another customer was too much for their staff to handle, no one behind the counter seemed to care, I'm so sorry for you guys.

This is supposed to be a fried tofu vermicelli bowl. No fresh carrots/cucumbers, no sauce in the side, just a wet mess. The restaurant would not call me back (after I called back 2x) about a refund or exchange. In the end, when I had to drive back to the restaurant and speak to Ahn the manager, she basically gaslit me and said that I “didn’t know how this kind of food was supposed to be served.” I was offered an egg roll for my troubles! She also said that she had called me but there was absolutely no record of her call in my phone. I couldn’t get ahold of her until I called the restaurant’s 3rd party ordering platform. Why would anyone treat someone this way?

Brigit Schroeder

This is supposed to be a fried tofu vermicelli bowl. No fresh carrots/cucumbers, no sauce in the side, just a wet mess. The restaurant would not call me back (after I called back 2x) about a refund or exchange. In the end, when I had to drive back to the restaurant and speak to Ahn the manager, she basically gaslit me and said that I “didn’t know how this kind of food was supposed to be served.” I was offered an egg roll for my troubles! She also said that she had called me but there was absolutely no record of her call in my phone. I couldn’t get ahold of her until I called the restaurant’s 3rd party ordering platform. Why would anyone treat someone this way?