This place is maybe even a new favorite now. Good quick service & the employees look like they're happy that you're there. I got the spicy seafood pho & a Vietnamese coffee which I was very happy with. It's cheaper than a lot of the places I used to go to which is great. The only thing that bothered me was that the table was kinda sticky. read more

This actually a step down from Panda Express. I question the freshness and they skimp on the toppings... expect LOTS of noodles or rice. Lady at the counter was nice. Tofu spring roll was decent. read more

Asian Express - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

I happened in the area and want some Asian food. I ordered a Pad Thai, surprisingly it was GOOD. Actually better than many bay area Pad Thai because it is not dried. Their pad thai is just right and portion is good too! Must go, highly recommend! It is a small place and not much in the menu but food is decent! read more

Their pho is fantastic; it's hearty and fills you up. The egg rolls are fried heaven. The service is super fast and consistent. The milk tea is to die for and half off with yelp check in read more

Dammit, I fell victim to their steam tray "Chinese food" again!! Only go for the items they have to make to order. They are usually bueno! Broccoli Beef was old nasty and shrimpy smelling. Clearly sitting for a while, as well as just being a bad batch. I ate one bite and was done. --$ Go to Panda for steam tray food, at least it's consistent. read more

Solid food and great people, our go to for nearly 10 years. The pho is Phonomenal! Spring rolls and noodles are fresh and tasty, sesame and orange chicken done perfectly every time, the bahn mi sandwiches are amazing value and done right with French baguette - don't forget to include the traditional duck liver pate for full flavor. My kids love the boba too! read more

Their pho broth nourishes my soul. It's perfect. The basil and cilantro they garnish it with are fresh and fragrant, the chicken breast is super lean and delicious. The veggie egg rolls are the healthiest fried food I've ever tasted, crispy on the outside and chewy yummy on the inside. Thai tea is sweet and creamy and perfect. And the prices are reasonable. I love this place. read more

Considering that I go to school in Santa Cruz (no pho places besides here and Santa Cruz Diner), if I'm too lazy to drive over the 17 this is a pretty good substitute. Of course, it's nothing compared to the pho in bay area but the pho here is decent definitely better than Santa Cruz Diner. The price is a little bit more than the pho in bay area. I always order 7 or 8. If you go there, I would definitely recommend trying the pad thai there too. It's not dry and very flavorful. read more

Yay for Pho in SC! This is really a godsend since it really blows SC Diner and the only Thai restaurant on Soquel out of the water! Really authentic and awesome. The broth is soo amazing but the noodles usually clump up here and end up really sparse because of the easy about of breakage from the denseness of the noodles. A few things could be improved about Asian Express. I don't ever get the real authentic feel from this place even though they are made from Vietnamese people. I say that only because of how they label their food--which is to simplify things for non-Pho/Asian connoisseurs, but they just do it in a way that doesn't sound delicious. The boba....could be less sweet. The sugar is on overkill! All in all, awesome that there's finally a place to get legit Pho in Santa Cruz. read more

This place is pretty nice. It has a convenient location and a decent menu. I prefer the spring rolls, beef (haven't tried the chicken) pho, and vermicelli bowls over the Chinese food entrees. The teas is pretty good and they usually have a big drink selection on ice at the counter. It's not the best pho I've ever had, but it's pretty good and it's one of the very few places in Santa Cruz county to go for this type of food. The employees are usually pretty friendly. read more

I frequent this place whenever I'm craving some Vietnamese food but am unwilling to drive to San Jose. The pho here is not bad, a little pricier but it's expected for the Santa Cruz area. I haven't ventured much from their Vietnamese food but my friends like their pad thai :) read more

Asian Express - Vermicelli with grilled shrimp, pork and egg roll :D - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

I came in here based on their hanging sign advertising Pho. In all reality, the store is a mix of asian cusine ... think about one of those places that serves up 2 or 3 entree combos on styrofoam plates. It appears a little bit of everything Asian is here. I enjoyed the Pho. The vermicelli was cooked properly (unlike Santa Cruz Diner), and the meats were flavorful. There was some 'meatball' looking thing in there that I wasn't quite sure what it was ... fishball maybe? I'm glad I stopped by. They're off of Claires and 41st, tucked between Starbucks andTogo's. read more

Best pho I have found in Santa Cruz. everything tastes fresh. I like their boba too. Easy location on 41st ave by Starbucks read more

Asian Express - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

Not bad! A mix of Asian styles on the menu. All of the food is good. They are lightning fast with the to go orders. In fact they finished three orders of Pho before I got to this point writing the review! A good place for Asian comfort food. read more

Asian Express - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

This place has been my family's defacto go-to restaurant ever since I discovered soon after they opened years ago. It is Santa Cruz County's one low key unpretentious Vietnamese family dining experience. We eat in for pho or get take-out spring rolls and bahn mi about once a week. The curry chicken is seriously one of the best I've ever had. read more

I last posted about this place over a year ago, and just wanted to announce that they still rock! I have since learned that they make a banh mi sandwich and it is now my favorite thing to quickly pick up for lunch. I can't find these anywhere else in Santa Cruz, which amazes me. I'm so happy to find out banh mi exist somewhere in this county! Definitely worth a try, either with pork or chicken, pretty damn delicious. Only thing I must comment on that brings it down a star - as I have read other comments about the customer service and slight language/culture clash, I must agree that it is indeed true. Occasionally - not ALL the time. Everyone here is actually quite nice, it is just the language barrier that is tough to break through sometimes, I think. Otherwise, what I said in my previous review still holds true. I'm happy this little place is still around! read more

Kinda cool place. It's like a Thai, Vietnamese,Chinese fast food / dine in plus boba house all rolled into one. I went out there and order a dish I wasn't too sure about. Sounded good. Spicy beef noodle soup. It wasn't bad but it had some sort of lingering flavor that I couldn't pin point. I had also ordered beef steak and there were a few intestine looking pieces mixed in. I'm used to beef being like brownish lol and the beef in the soup was like whiteish light brown mixed with dark brown pieces. Have never seen this kind of beef before. Not sure if the dish was Thai or Vietnamese but I won't be ordering that again. I tried it and it was so so just not something I'm likely to continue to go back for. The boba was ok too. I had a green tea milk boba but again there was some lingering flavor I couldn't figure out. It was almost cilantro like. Don't know how else to describe it. read more

Asian Express - Green tea boba .... Pretty tasty!!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

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Pretty good for the Santa Cruz/Capitola area for pho and the other noodle dishes (dry/soup). Better than having to drive all the way to San Jose. It's a bit pricey for the size, but then again, there's nowhere else to get better pho unless you drive to SanJo. And the chinese food is cheap, but you get what you pay for. Not that great. read more

I usually have a good experience from this place. I order the #10 chicken soup and it's great! The reasons I'm giving this place 2 stars: the meat in the entree was minimal vs. veggies-- sparse, my husband feels like customer service could have been better. Lastly, the restroom had flies in the trash bin. I will not return. read more

Quick pho review: Pro: The broth was very delicious. I would order it to-go in a cup and drink it with a straw. Con: The rice vermicelli was a bit chewy. Wished it was cooked a bit longer. In conclusion: If I still went to UCSC, I would come here to fix my pho craving. read more

I always hit up this place for strawberry iced tea, pad thai, and spring rolls. I also come here when I need a quick fix or take out for the road/school/home. Two thumps up! read more

I decided to get the bo kho with noodles and my cousin got the pho. The employees are really nice. The bo kho tasted about 98% like my mom's, which I liked. The soup was just a little bit thick but it was still yummy. The thick consistency made it looks bloated but that's OK. My cousin said the pho tasted different than the pho she usually eats, but not a bad kind of different. She said there weren't enough noodles either. They have a clean bathroom. Sometimes there wouldn't be enough tables for customers since some would just sit there and talk after eating. Prices are reasonable too. read more

Asian Express - Bo kho. I added basil that came with the pho that my cousin ordered. - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

Pretty darn good, especially in Santa Cruz! The food was delicious and came out pretty fast. The serving sizes are great (see pic of the food we already started eating and use the chopsticks as size reference)! We ordered one serving of sesame balls, which was only supposed to be 4, but they gave us 6 instead . The cashier was nice too. So overall, I definitely recommend this place! read more

Asian Express - Pho, curry, and sesame balls (all of which we already started eating). Everything was delicious and they gave us 2 extra sesame balls! - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

The 4 star rating is really for the banh mi Vietnamese sandwiches. The other food has been a little hit and miss, but if you like banh mi, you have to try theirs. Our experience so far: PROS: Best pork Vietnamese sandwiches I've had in the area, including San Jose (but I haven't tried that many in the area yet). The sandwiches are really tasty and flavorful with pickled carrot, radish, jalapeno and cilantro and pate. My son liked the beef one, too. CONS: the fried "shrimp egg rolls" were super greasy and disgusting. they were literally dripping in grease and inedible. I didn't like the spicy seafood noodle soup either - the scallops were small and tough, and the broth was not that flavorful. I wouldn't order it again. The pho is mediocre. Not great, but ok. The broth is not as flavorful as a real pho restaurant, but there aren't really any other options in Santa Cruz. Will have to try the other items, but this place is a keeper, for the sandwiches alone. 4.5 stars for the sandwiches, 3 for the rest (so far). read more

I have been coming here for a couple of years. The food use to be better, but the cockroach on the napkin dispenser just made me lose it. Hope they improve food quality and sanitation in the future. read more

Pretty good local spot for Vietnamese food. It's worth going to instead of driving to San Jose.

Ok- so I'm from the South Bay originally & I was depressed at the lack of good Chinese, Vietnamese & Korean food in Santa Cruz County. We've good some pretty good Thai, but everything else is a little disappointing. Except for a couple finds- like Asian Express- mind you, I don't recommend the hot bar- for me its about the noodle soups.... particularly some of the off menu items like BBQ pork w/ wontons, I get it with rice vermicelli & its a little spicey, a little sour-- the took it off the main menu so don't be shy- ask & they'll make it. They also retired from the menu board- but will still make pho with duck- OMG!!! so rich & tastie. You can get egg noodles too... read more

I keep trying to give this place another chance (since Santa Cruz is so limited in pho options) and I'm always disappointed. Today was my last time going. They skimp on pho portions, the spring rolls are pre-made and packaged and the peanut sauce is disgusting, and their chicken is tasteless and rubbery. The restaurant was empty, always a sign to run away, and all their staff was sitting at the table eating their own lunch while we ate ours. It's too bad they don't have any good competition in this town to close them down. read more

Apparently, there are only three places in Santa Cruz which serves Pho and other traditional Vietnamese foods. Despite some of the negative reviews, I'm glad that I got to give Asian Express a try. Perhaps there was a change in ownership, but I did NOT experience any of the troubling problems described in the negative reviews. This is a family owned restaurant, and they treated me very well. The soup portions are generous, and we loved the soups and spring rolls. Being from the NY area, I've been exposed to great Vietnamese food, and this place doesn't disappoint. I'll have to try the Vietnamese sandwiches the next time I'm in town. Overall, if you like Pho, this is a great place to get it in Santa Cruz. I haven't tried the other places which serve Vietnamese food here, but I was very pleased with our experience and plan to be back. read more

Service at the counter was very friendly. Just came in to grab boba tea so the review is based only on service and to go drinks. Tea was good not too sweet! read more

The most authentic and best tasting beef pho we've had in years. Not to mention the service, which was better than the great tasting pho.

If you're hankerin' for some pho and you live in Santa Cruz Co., this is a good choice. They could use a little more vegetables and meat for how much they charge, but it's good. I would stick to the rare beef bowl or the other beef bowl. I tried the spicy seafood bowl and had wished I just got the damn beef bowl. The spicy seafood bowl looks good in the picture on their menu, but it consists of too many of those rubbery coagulated fish ball/cake things. Kinda gross, while the beef bowls don't disappoint unless you get too many pieces of grissle, which has happened once. All in all it's not bad and I do enjoy the vegetarian egg rolls that have shiitake inside with my beef pho. read more

I recommend their Pho. I think it is the best around Santa Cruz country. Might not be as good as in San Jose but you don't need to drive across the mountain. They serve very big portion of Pho and the price is very cheap. The staff is very friendly. So I will go back there and eat again .. read more

Very delicious! The service was great as well. I get the chicken pad thai every time I go in! Would definitely recommend.

Best Asian food you are going to get in the Cruz

We wanted Asian food so we stopped at this place from off of the freeway. We got the vermicelli bowls, pho, boba and pot stickers. The vermicelli bowls were bomb! Good portion and a variety of food in one bowl. Healthier option and big enough for kids to share. The chicken pho was so good that we bought some of the chicken stock to bring home. Our kids loved it! The strawberry milk tea with boba was a hit with our daughter. We asked for no caffeine and they were able to do that for us. The only thing we didn't care for were the pot stickers. They were very thick and doughy. The taste was okay, but just not what our family is used to. We would definitely come here again just for their vermicelli bowls. read more

I like their pho. The vermicelli with barbequed pork and shrimp is very tasty. I dont bother with the pre cooked items on the counter. Certainly you can get tastier Vietnamese food in San Jose, but San Jose has 200,000 Vietnamese people . For Capitola this place is good . The restaurant is clean and the staff are friendly. read more

I love that they are open again. I went to pick up some food today it was kind of busy but o don't mind waiting the foods always flavorful and tasty! Love the bahn mi sandwiches. The curry is great and the vermicelli noodle bowl is a favorite. The pho is always great. read more

I had a terrible experience here. I will never go back. I ordered the chicken pad Thai and asked for them to make it with rice instead of noodles and they said okay. I get home to realize they made it with noodles so I called them and brought it back. I came back and they told me they do not make it with rice and I told them I was sorry but that was what I was told. They were very rude and told me this was a one time thing that they would change my order even though it was their mistake in the first place. I wish I could give 0 stars. I have never been treated that badly by a restaurant owner. Terrible customer service and the food they made me after was still terrible. read more

This definitely is one of the hidden gems of quick Asian food. Fair prices and lots of food.