Vietnamese is my go-to food, and in decades and dozens and dozens of Pho restaurants, this place is…read moresimply the best. tonight I had shrimps with vegetables and brown rice in oyster sauce and each ingredients was cooked perfectly. this is under/the-radar gem.

Had lunch here, located in the back of the boat harbor on Francisco Blvd. Restaurant gets busy at…read morelunch time but service is great. I had the fried pork chop dish and it was very tasty. I try to stop here whenever I'm working in the areas. Sometimes I'll just order a jack fruit smoothie to go.

Very good food! all the people working are very kind people! Highly recommend for a dinner with…read morefriends/ family! Shout out to the waiters for there works too the people working 4/14 @6pm very awesome!!

This pho spot is a must try!! It literally brought me back to life after a 5 mile hike. Service was…read moregreat, they ensured we got everything we needed and checked up on us regarding our orders. Ambiance inside the restaurant is really aesthetic and clean. The B4 combo was stacked with meat and noodles. They didn't skimp out on flavor and portion. The fresh spring rolls were also a great portion than most pho spots that usually give 3 pieces.

My wife is from Vietnam and this is her favorite Vietnamese place north of San Francisco…read more She goes here at least once a week and I tagalong, (accompany, not the Girl Scout cookie). Very friendly staff, easy-going, and welcoming. Great prices for large portions. I enjoy the various vegetarian options. Not great ambience but solid food at a great price and nice portions. Everything's available to go or for pick up as well. A well run smooth operation, and you get your food in a hurry. Always hot and delicious. A perfect spot to get some grub before or after Trader Joe's shopping! This is the real deal, take it from my wife as she too is the real deal. A hobbyist self taught gourmet cook of various ethnic cuisines and a pastry chef extraordinaire! She knows her food, so if she recommends it you won't regret your visit.

I love Vietnamese food and sadly there are very few choices in Marin County - Saigon Village, Pho…read moreViet, Pho and a couple of Banh mi places. For take out I only order two things - A9 Fried Chicken Wings; crispy and done very well but they used to give you six and now only four for the same price. And fresh spring rolls. Neither have I ever been disappointed by. When I sit down I only order one thing - #1 House Special Combination Pho. Unfortunately prices have gone up considerably but that is the case with every restaurant in Marin and the Bay Area as a whole. Pho is perfect for when it is cold, you feel run down or are hung over. When it comes to Pho, broth is most important followed by how generous and fresh the meat portions and then the noodles. VN Noodle has satisfying broth and I have yet to be disappointed by the portions and freshness. Pho Viet is a very close second. Four stars because this is good Pho, not great Pho (no where in Marin has great Pho, or great Asian food in general. Sorely lacking for such an affluent area. Marin needs a Ranch 99 or HMart as well). $20 for a decent bowl of pho is quite a lot. The ambiance is so so and the service can vary depending on the visit. Still this is probably your best bet for Vietnamese food in Marin County. Parking is good and you don't have to wait long for your food.

It's been years since we have been here and it's better than we remembered. The service was amazing…read moreand friendly. Our food was delicious. There is street parking available and seating was quick, although we arrived shortly after 5 pm. My husband had fried spring rolls, fried chicken, lemon aid, and the seafood hot pot with rice. I had the fresh rolls with shrimp. Both of us took home lots of leftovers. The fried chicken was excellent and not greasy. The spices were delightful and not overwhelming. It was perfectly crispy. The spring rolls were also very good and crispy with a nice mix of flavors. The real star was the seafood hot pot! So many great pieces of shrimp, seafood, mushrooms, peppers, bok choy, onion, and the best light broth. I kept sneaking my fork into my husband's bowl for more and I'm usually not a big fan. My fresh rolls were both generous and excellent. I appreciated the delicate balance between the romaine and mint with the fresh vermicelli. The shrimp were thinly sliced and fresh. We will be making this place a regular on our rotation of favorites.

One thing I really appreciate about Saigon Village is that you don't often see Vietnamese…read moresandwiches on full restaurant menus--but here, they do it right. Their bánh mì options are legit and absolutely worth ordering. They also have a killer pho lineup with all the classics--barbecue beef, chicken, pork, and more. The broth is flavorful and comforting, and the portions are generous. It's the kind of pho that hits the spot every time. Don't miss the fresh shrimp rolls--light, refreshing, and super tasty. Perfect balance to the richer dishes. Another standout detail: they serve coconut juice straight from an actual cut coconut, which feels both fresh and fun and pairs perfectly with the food. They offer both dine-in and to-go, which makes it easy whether you're sitting down for a meal or grabbing something quick. Between the bánh mì, the pho, the fresh rolls, and the coconut drink, Saigon Village delivers on flavor and variety. A solid go-to spot for Vietnamese comfort food.

Both broths taste very clean. The beef stew with rice was tasty and I finished it all. Beef stew…read morehad very generous amount of tendon, beef shank, and bone marrow. The meat for the beef pho was very basic, but soup was good. It cost $42 for us with tip.

Walked past this spot as I was wondering around San Rafael. Decided to stop in around 1p on a…read moreFriday. Ordered the beef combo pho. What a great choice! The pho was delicious as is but with a little chili oil it was really good. Service was great, everyone sitting for lunch told me how delicious this place was and that they were weekly regulars. I definitely recommend and will be back.

Found this place randomly while walking when visiting the area-decided to try it after reading the…read moreYelp reviews. Great food...Thai tea pancakes were perfectly prepared and unique. Excellent service.

I've been to TuTu Lounge several times for brunch now and forgot to take pics every dang time…read morebecause I'm just so excited to eat their food I love the spicy pork rice bowl and the som tum chicken salad, which my husband and I get at every visit. I'll update my review with pics next time!

I had time to burn. I was half way to my destination and I figured, it was time for some food. And…read moreI wanted to stick around in San Rafael to visit the camera store. Anyhow, never judge a book/restaurant by the cover...(however, I guess I've been judging restaurants by yelp reviews though...). From the outside/street view, this place doesn't look like much. And the menu is handwritten. And there are maybe two, 2.5 tables available for dine-in customers. But the bread was memorable. I felt the sandwich was well balanced between the pickled vegetables, the protein, and bread. If I find myself bored and hungry in San Rafael again, I would gladly return to Thuan Phat.

Thuan Phat opens just 3 days a week. Next to them is another banh mi cafe. Small space with 2…read moretables for seating. Limited menu. Cash only. Offerings (Vietnamese): banh mi, coffee Ordered at counter, paid, ready in 5ish minutes. Bites: Combo banh mi (7) -6" banh mi filled with daikon/carrot shreds, jalepenos, parsley. Not a lot of veggies. -crunchy fresh baguette also filled with ham, pork loaf, ham, head cheese. Slathered with pate. -Slightly dry. Overall moist with prescence of veggies. 4.5 stars: worthy! Quality: excellent! Quantity: commensurate with pricing. May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

I was looking for local Thai food to find a new "go to" locally, and came across this Laos food…read morespot - named Laos. I felt compelled to stop in and try lunch. San Rafael 4th street has a lot to offer - and it's worth checking these spots out. The storefront is inviting and the inside of the restaurant is clean and well organized and appointed. The wine and beer list has few choices - and I would encourage a little more local variety to make it inviting to a wine lover like myself. I was efficiently approached by wait staff and felt welcomed I ordered Pad Woon Sen, which I've never before tried. The food came quickly - a beautiful dish of thin noodles and mushrooms with onions and celery adorned with steak. I finished my plate. Perfect lunch portion. Attentive service. The taste of quality ingredients and pride in their efforts. I will add this to my go-to spots in San Rafael!

A very popular place. I chose the special plate called Pun Khao Poon--or was so much fun to make my…read moreown lettuce wraps! It included ingredients I've not had before (always a thrill!) including fresh coriander herbs and green-striped skinned Thai eggplant. Also included were delicately-flavored julienned ginger, vermicelli noodles. I also chose grilled salmon. The ambiance was lovely. There were about a half dozen 1-foot spongy squares on the ceiling that usually serve as sound dampeners. I'd recommend a few more to help with the sound level. The light fixtures are lovely--see photos. The patrons are very friendly and will make pleasant comments. Service was pleasant and attentive.

Loud and noisy and colorful and I love it this way. If for any reason we're north of the bridge,…read morestopping for lunch is a must. My favorite thing is their pique, a pineappley mildly spicy concoction. Anything I order is just an excuse to eat about a quarter bottle with the food. Today I had the three pork ribs with half sweet and half savory plantains, black beans. The garlic lemon dressing on their greens? Just like my family makes it- garlic forward with lemon spike. Everything must be accompanied by a mango tea. You really can't go wrong. Today I had the ribs because I could smell them a block away, but my usual is the chicken thighs. Their sandwiches are amazing, and you can substitute the r bread out for plantains. Their food is consistently delicious. They never disappoint.

Got the plantain crusted shrimp plate, and my partner got the bistec plate - I think next time I'll…read moretry the shrimp with sauce instead! For drinks we tried the regular mango tea, and the mango tea with lime. Personally liked the lime one more. Also got a coconut flan as dessert and it was so custardy! Loved it. Would come back again!

Love this place. You can likely get a little better fish elsewhere, but you will likely over-pay…read more The staff here is amazing. My wife and I have been coming here for 30 years, and will still come in 3 times a month. It's far from pretentious, and when it's good.. it's great! On an off day, it's just good. While it used to be an amazing value, post Covid, it's a good value. Their rolls are fantastic; their 'Crab Specials' are to die for! super friendly team! show up twice and they'll know your name. Not to put off the sushi snobs, but they also serve Chinese food. I think it's about the best chinese food in San Rafael, though San Rafael does not set a high bar. Go check them out. You won't be sorry.

Being originally from central California it's hard to find comparable Chinese food in Marin County…read more The shrimp fried rice is a 7/10 and was the best item I tried during my visit. I also had lemon chicken and beef and broccoli. I expected the lemon chicken to be similar to sweet and sour chicken/pork or orange chicken where the batter/outside is fried and crispy and the chicken/pork in the center is seasoned and tender. The batter/outside was for lack of a better word "soggy" but the saucy was lemon forward with a slight tang. I'll rate it a 5/10. The beef and broccoli had a strong ginger flavor that I was a fan of, so I would rate it a 2/10. The service was fast and attentive and the restaurant itself is average not fancy and not rundown. I've already visited again and my opinion has not changed.