This place has good pho and noodle soups. I also like their fresh rolls because they have a variety of them. The summer roll is my favorite. I also like their egg rolls. They have healthy and tasty options here. Try a ginger lemonade while you're at it. read more

This has been one of our go-to places for the past couple years - always great food, decent prices, and never crowded. Space is loft-like - floor to ceiling windows, lots of right angles, hefty tables, bench seating. There is outside dining space with bistro tables and umbrellas, but haven't eaten there when it's warm enough - cold weather typically steers us in the direction of phoa joints. Try the salads - very tasty chicken Pho - very nice smoothies! - sooo good, we always get the coconut and they're always happy to "split" the giant serving in two glasses for us wide menu selection and of course the coffee - yowza There are some "creative" interpretations of some of the dishes, no so authentic, but hey I still appreciate that they're yummy. Bonus: Restrooms are spacious and always clean read more

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Lunch today. Hubs ordered the Pho Dac Biet & a smoothy. Daughter ordered the kids beef ball noodles soup. I ordered Pad Thai Appetizer: avo & coco shrimp spring roll. Everything was pretty decent and tasty. Place was very clean! ++ in my books. Don't know why I have never had the urge to come here but will def. be coming back. read more

Summer rolls, tofu and eggplant clay pot, and spicy lemongrass chicken entree is the go-to order here. Whether it's takeout or dine in, they always hit the spot. The coconut shrimp in the summer rolls is like nothing I'd had before. We order take out from here almost weekly! read more

My co-workers and I were thinking of what to eat and whether we should eat out or just order take out for lunch on a busy Sunday. Everyone couldn't decide on what type of food to eat, thank goodness there's this thing called yelp! So we searched for a take out restaurant nearby and Mint leaf happened to be one of them. None of us have tried or heard of this place, so we decided to give it a try. Four out of five people in our group ordered the Saigon vermicelli bowl with either chicken, pork or prawns. The portion was about right to fill me up. The sauce seemed a bit diluted. There was just something missing in it. The bowl also came with one piece of imperial roll and it was the BOMB! It's crispy, and had pieces of taro in it which made every bite tasty. Yummm... Noodles + veggies + prawns + meat + egg roll = Satisfaction. I called to order our food over the phone, but the guy who picked up did not seem to know what vermicelli bowl is. He then gave the phone to another person and asked to repeat my order. It was no wonder the first guy had no clue what I was talking about.. I called another business number which happened to be an Indian restaurant with the same restaurant name. Awkward! Click..... Google led me astray on that one. So I finally got the right number to the right business and placed our food order. The food was ready within 15-20 minutes! read more

Mint Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Saigon vermicelli bowl - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

one of my favorite places to get lunch on weekdays! their spring rolls are amazing and i've enjoyed them very single one i've ever gotten. my favorites are the curry tofu and the lemongrass. if i'm feeling more hungry i'll get the coleslaw bahn mi and sweet potato fries. i'm not even a coleslaw fan normally but this one is great. the fries have lots of garlic added to them and the sauce you get is amazing, not sure what it is exactly though. all the workers are very kind. it can get busy sometimes during lunch hours but the service is always quick. read more

Small portions big price. The fact they don't provide a small bowl of broth with my rice dish was a sign it is not authentic Viet food. What irked me is that I politely asked for a small bowl of broth (that every other Viet restaurant provides), and they gave me a blank stare. I had to explain what other Viet restaurants do and said I would pay for it, as I want it. I was brought out a bowl of broth, but it had no green onions/onions/etc. it was clear and tasteless. Then they charged me a random $2.34 for it. Co-workers and I never went back. Clean restaurant and nice looking establishment, though. read more

1. Clean tasting broth 2. Pho Special beef is tender. Not dried out and strongly like most pho joints. 3. Pricey for the size, but better tasting. 4. Wife enjoyed her spicy chicken wrap. 5. Garlic sweet potato fries. 6. Coconut rice only has a hint of coconut. Try Tenni Easts coconut rice! read more

I accidentally found Mint Leaf when I took a wrong turn on my way to Berkeley Bowl one day. It took me a few months to finally try it but I've been there a few times since then. I go to Mint Leaf when I'm too lazy to go to Le Pho. Mint Leaf is walking distance from my bf's apartment. Well so is Le Pho...it's just a longer walk These are dishes my bf & I have collectively ordered before: * beef ball pho * lemongrass pork * pad thai * banh mi * thai iced tea read more

Eaten here once before, definitely not the best or freshest Vietnamese food there is. Its OK if its the only place open and if you don't have Vietnamese food at that particular point you'll literally die. I wouldn't bother going otherwise. The customer service is awful too, if you ask about ingredients in the dishes, you'll be met with huffing and puffing and just general bad attitude- seems they don't need the business. read more

Not your typical pho restaurant. I ordered one and it was a very small bowl for over $12. I ate that in 5 minutes, it was so small. Maybe other diahes are good, but I'd check out pictures. read more

Food is good. Time management is horrible! How can you phone in your order 45 minutes prior to pick up and you still have to wait for your food? Server goes to pick kitchen for your food an end up having a conversation with kitchen staff and another server. I only get 30 minutes for lunch, it's nice to know they could care less about your time. Hey Mint Leaf up your customer service game because you are seriously lacking. read more

The food is mediocre for the prices. I paid 12 dollars for 3 egg rolls (imperial rolls). And their rice plate is 18 dollars with just regular marinated beef. The Banh mi was 12 dollars and there was nothing special about it. If the prices are going to be on the higher I expected to be more than mediocre. You can get amazing rice plates from other Vietnamese stores with more meat for less. You can get quality Banh mi for 6 dollars on international. And not to mention the staff seems to hate their job, they didn't greet people when they came in. The lady working saw me walked passed me and didn't even acknowledge me. And the lady who was sweeping finally came over and handed me my food, and she did not wash her hands before doing so. And they need to be careful about speaking in Vietnamese around customers. Just because I don't look Vietnamese doesn't mean I don't understand it. if you got the money to spend on mediocre food and service. I would say go for it. read more

Consistency is very important to me and this place is ALWAYS consistent. Though not super authentic as many have noted, their pho broth is flavorful and delicious and is what brings me back again and again. I also love their smoothies and fresh young coconut. read more

I love this place. We eat there all the time. Great quality fresh Vietnamese food for a reasonable price. It is our go to eatery in the neighborhood. read more

I've got to go to Mint Leaf more. It's a bit out of the way unless you work in West Berkeley. My wife and I stopped by around 8pm on a Monday, the restaurant was mostly empty. Service was quick, perhaps on account of the low volume. My wife ordered an awesome bowl of pho, and my chicken/noodle/lettuce wrap was large and satisfying. For the price (about $20 for the two of us) we felt like we good great value. I'll definitely be back! read more

Much needed good Vietnamese food finally in West Berkeley. Staff is friendly, ingredients are fresh and tasty, portions are hearty. We had dry (non soup) dishes this time around: Imperial rolls, lemongrass pork, very tender and a big portion, and the Ban Hoi special platter - more than we could eat! Will come back soon to try the Pho---SO glad they serve it. You can see into the kitchen and it looks like "mom and pop" are cooking back there...precisely who you want to see cooking your food. :) So happy to see a delicious restaurant occupying the space that our beloved Cafe Cacao left. The atmosphere and food is what we loved at the Cafe, and it's nice to see that Mint Leaf has maintained the bright and beautiful space that we loved. read more

I just absolutely love the clean, fresh taste of this place. A little pricy but I don't eat it that often for it to be a problem. I've tried a bunch of things including the calamari, the prawn spring roll, the #21 special pho, the steak roll, and everything has been good! No complaints about anything I've tried so far other than small portions and a little expensive. read more

I'm not the biggest fan of their pho but I really enjoy the avocado imperial spring rolls (#4). They are a combination of soft and crispy spring rolls. You MUST try their smoothies! They are SO good. Sometimes I go to Mint Leaf just for their smoothies and not to eat! My favorites are: Young coconut (tastes SO fresh) Mint lychee Avocado I'm giving this 3 stars because their service is extremely slow. read more

It's great to have a Vietnamese restaurant in this neighborhood, taking over the space where the Scharfenberger Chocolate factory used to have a cafe (oh so long ago). In the vicinity of Berkeley Bowl West. We had the salt & pepper fried calamari with string beans. The batter is light, the calamari tender, and the fried string beans were a nice suprise. For some reason I thought the beans would be sauteed, but they were sort of like tempura string beans (but just barely coated wih batter). Portion was good for two as a starter; you would need to order more/something else for a larger party. I had the clay pot paella, which was coconut rice topped with sauteed chicken, shrimp, calamari, and 'seasonal greens' (in my case, broccoli and baby bok choy), plus lots of fresh cilantro and toasted garlic. Very tasty and a sizeable portion, though it was not served in a true claypot. My friend had the Saigon vermicelli bowl with grilled pork, which was pretty standard. It was quiet for dinner service on a Saturday night. Hopefully the word will get out on this new endeavor. Nice, bright atmosphere with warm wood furniture. read more

I always get the vegetarian ban mi sandwich combo here. It is perfect. The broth is delicious. My favorite!

Checked out the new location in Berkeley last night. It is HUGE. The Alameda location is small and intimate, but I liked the Berkeley location was awesome. Outdoor seating is available too. We had - Mint Leaf Rolls, Vegetarian Potstickers, Spicy Wings, and a few other items; all spiced to perfection. The waiter was friendly and kept checking to make sure all was well, or if we needed anything else. I really appreciated the great service. Dessert was great too (fried ice cream). Oh, I also tried the avocado smoothie. Obviously the prices are just right because we were able to sample so many items and not break the budget. The ladies room was clean too. I don't have ANY negative comments about this place. It's family owned and the food is delicious. Lastly, the garlic noodles and calamari will be repeats again & again. read more

Oh my, first review? Really? Awesome. I would give this a 3 1/2 star if I could. I rounded up since presentation was nice and ambiance was clean and modern- unlike most Vietnamese restaurants. Location is great as well. Price is just a couple dollars more. Our lunch included: - shrimp spring rolls - pho tai with meat on the side (beef balls included) - lemongrass chicken - Thai iced tea - Vietnamese coffee Spring roll dipping sauce was very thick and peanut-ty- I absolutely LOVED it! My favorite spring roll dipping sauce at a pho place in mtn view. Pretty particular about good dipping sauce! I know it when I taste it and mint leafs was off the chain. I wanted to scoop a spoonful in my mouth. Pho broth was pretty good, not the best we've had but aromatic and clean. The noodles were perfect springy al dente. I'm very picky about noodles and texture. My lemongrass chicken was served on a hot cast iron skillet. It was very spicy. I like some spiciness buy not a huge fan. Loved the onions it was grilled with. Ice coffe and Thai iced tea was nothing out of the ordinary. I do have to add that we both had a slight buzzing headache after eating. I wouldn't think they'd use MSG but looking forward to any other reviewers who might experience this? read more

I love Mint Leaf. This is literally right across from my work. So every time I crave for soup I go here and I love it. Services are great !! Foods great !! Location Great !! Price is a bit higher but location is key ! read more

Yay for Chicken Pho! Came here with a few friends for relaxed sunday funday and it was just what the doc ordered. There wasn't too many people in there so we were attended to regularly. The food was great and the staff was friendly. 4 stars! read more

The service at Mint Leaf is very pleasant, but is their their noodle dishes that truly shine. Plump, juicy wantons; rich, not overly salty soup broth and and fresh slices of chicken/beef never fail to beckon when the weather starts getting ugly. Ambience is very airy, clean and modern. Overall, I'm pleased that Mint Leaf took over from Crema so we can get our pho fix. read more

I have to say, I didn't eat a full meal. However, the service was very friendly and attentive without being intrusive. We had six people meeting for a late dinner and meeting, and they weren't pushy even when we stayed past their normal closing time. I loved the crispy vegetarian rolls, and their Thai iced tea was fabulous. I'll be back, perhaps for a lunch break, or with my mother for dinner! read more

Mint Leaf is where Cafe Cacao was. Same space with a brighter paint job. Lunch was rice noodles with pork and salad. Pork was grilled and sliced, retaining flavor from its marinade. Citrusy and spicy but not spicy hot. Rice noodles and salad get doused with accompanying fish sauce. Mixed everything up and ate the whole mess. Quite enjoyed it too. Ginger limeade packed a punch! Will try Pho next time. read more

If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and somewhat tastes like a duck.... then it must be a duck. Right?! Well, not really... Mint Leaf has a decent selection of all the Vietnamese favorites. Pho, banh mi, bun, com thit nuong, chicken curry, sweet/sour seafood soup, and even Bun Bo Hue. But they all seem to be missing something. Authenticity? lack of fish sauce? I'm not sure exactly but the flavor seems to be a bit watered down. It's definitely catered to the American taste. For example: Bun Bo Hue is known for it's special ingredients of blood gelatins and crazy animal parts (tendons, hooves, etc) but none of those were included. Not that I personally wanted them but that's not the point. Overall, I'm happy to see a new Vietnamese establishment outside of Chinatown and East Oakland and closer to my workplace. And yes, I plan to come here again. The food is good (not great but decent) and the service is top notch. That's one thing Mint Leaf does better than the typical Vietnamese joint.... Service. Imagine that. They're polite and friendly. Wow, what a concept. Now imagine, if these other Vietnamese restaurants with great pho and bun bo hue actually caught on to the whole "service" thing. read more

I think Mint Leaf, besides being conveniently a block away from work, is a good lunch spot. They float around between 3 and 4 stars, but seem to get better and more consistent every time I go. I have tried their soup as well as their Saigon vermicelli bowl. Yum! I love the emperial rolls! Their service is friendly and attentive without being annoying. They are welcoming as soon as you walk in. The interior is very clean and well decorated and laid out. I have heard a couple of people at work say that they are slow, but I have yet to experience it. They do have some room for improvement. Some of their dishes could have just a little more meat and vegetables. Also, they could kick up the spice a wee bit. I think if they keep improving they will have a long stay here. It's nice to have a good sit down restaurant so close to work. read more

1-2 stars from a Vietnamese perspective. 3-4 stars from a, forgive the generalization, "Western" perspective. FOOD -- This place does not do Vietnamese food justice. Come here if you haven't had real Vietnamese food yet. Bun Rieu "Crab noodle soup" -- The best dish I've tried. Broth is decent on a cold day. Noodles are cooked... decently. Toppings are, to be kind, sub-par. Toppings consist of 4 thin slices of gio lua.. That's it! There are some thin clumps of egg/shrimp paste. No tomato, no quail egg, no tofu, no shrimp, no anything. You do get some cabbage, bean sprout, and basil.. Bun Bo Hue "Spicy beef noodle soup" -- Sub par. Broth is lacking in spice. Noodles were borderline over done. The toppings were, like the bun rieu, lacking. No blood, no tendon, no pork knuckle. Forgettable. Bun Dac Biet "Saigon Vermicelli Bowl" -- Nothing Dac Biet about this bowl. The noodles were partially dried out (read: HORRIBAD). The pork was overly fatty. The egg roll was average. Banh Mi -- The bun, pickled veggies, and garnishes (mayo/cilantro/jalapeno) were great. The bad part was the meat - a slab of pork. It was impossible to bite off so you'd have to rip off big chunks and chew what you got. DRINKS -- This is where Mint Leaf gets saved. They have a good mix of made-to-order drinks. I'm partial to the Avocado Delight - avocado shake sweetened with sweetened condensed milk. SERVICE -- Service is pretty bad. Waitresses jet past you, even after establishing eye contact and signalling for help. Yet when the bill comes, they smile and ask how the food was. PRICE -- Way more than one would pay in a Vietnamese restaurant in Oakland, SF or SJ. The location/clientele are most likely the reason for this. NOTE -- If you use a credit card for a charge less than $10, be prepared to get charged the credit card fee. Even if you tell them to include the tip to make the bill over $10, they will not waive the extra fee. I thought the waitress was incompetent, but this might just be a jig to get more money out of a customer. CONCLUSION -- Mint Leaf is a good introduction to Vietnamese cuisine, but it isn't a Vietnamese Restaurant. Try it if you're new to the flavors, but when you're used to it, go try some real Vietnamese food. If you're already familiar with Vietnamese food, stay the heck away! You'll thank me later. read more

I choose Mint Leaf for lunch about once/month. The food is tasty and prepared quickly. The pricing seems fair to me. The staff is pleasant, but pretty quick, which suits my preference for lunch. They can accommodate vegetarian requests on many dishes, which is good for folks who prefer to eat plants. clean, not too loud. read more

I felt pretty sick after I ate here. I think it was all the acid in their tofu salad. The fried tofu was served cold on top of a fistful of shredded cabbage with some dehydrated onions on top. Errrr... not so good. The dressing was this vinegary fish sauce thing. I usually like this sauce for Bun to cut thru the grease of spring rolls. This salad really needed a creamy peanut dressing. I ordered some on the side to make it more palatable. My friend got sweet potato fries. They give you this curry to dip it in and it tasted creamy and sweet--- I liked it. However, I did not like the minced garlic, straight from water in a can, on top of the fries. It was quite nasty, I hate minced raw garlic out of a jar... that stale garlic water flavor makes me dry heave. The service was really sweet. They asked me if I liked the salad or not and what they could do next time. They didn't do anything right there to make it right, i.e. make me another salad, take it off the check, comp the drinks... etc, etc. But I don't think it's that kind of a place. We waited outside for our cab after lunch and I popped in again to use their washroom. I heard the server joking to another member of the staff, "everybody can go home! There's no customers!" Yep. Oh, and there's another Mint Leaf in Berkeley--- it's a very established Indian Restaurant in the gourmet ghetto. This Mint Leaf is a chain of Viet places--- how could they not know there's a rather intimidatingly better Mint Leaf just right around the corner in their small south Berkeley world? Weird. read more

Eaten here 6 times now and I will keep coming back Once I find a dish I love, I stick with it and stop exploring the menu. My loves are... Appetizers - fresh shrimp spring rolls and thin sliced rare beef. Incredible!! Entres- hot and sour soup with thin noodles. I never thought catfish and pineapple would go together but it's amazing I love how clean everything looks and tastes here. Fresh herbs, jalapeños, lemon and sprouts on the side Skip the mussels and clay pot. But that's just me. Wasn't bad, just wished I'd ordered a soup instead read more

I got sick from eating here. As I ate the food I knew I'd get sick. The pork seemed days old...inedible. The bun dish was missing mint and the fish sauce was awful. I forgot that I ate here before and hated it. I doubt I'll forget again. read more

All the three dishes we have ordered were not bad: the pot stickers, the curry clay plot and the lemongrass pork chop, although the taste was not outstanding. The lemongrass pork chop didn't taste very lemongrass though. No American Express accepted. read more

Not bad. Good flavors all around. Just pricey. Like real pricey. But if you can get over the sticker shock and convince yourself that you're paying for ambiance or convenience or farm-to-table or some combination of the above, then you'll be hard pressed to find a more solid bowl of pho around the area. Soaring ceilings and bright light fills the beautiful space. Seriously, these guys did a really bang-on job with the vibe. It's just... everything is pricey. Their juices are pricey (a large juice will cost about as much as a meal itself). All their dishes are $4-6 more than where you'd pay at any other Vietnamese restaurant. Even if the food isn't half bad, it's hard to recommend a place that is so-damn-moneys. read more

Not sure what all these bad reviews are about. Seafood pumpkin curry still on my top list here. I generally like there dishes rather than the soup/pho. Lemongrass sizzling chicken is SO good! especially if you like grilled onions. fresh roll wraps (with fried shrimp, pineapple, avocado! yum!) Coconut blended shake OMG best dessert ever! You must get the coconut rice. Solid place. read more

I had vermicelli noodle with pork and imperial rolls. It was pretty good. The place wasn't crowded (12:30 on Sat) and so that part was nice so that we could talk. The portion was huge. I wish they reduce the portion/price ($7.50 instead of $9) a bit because that dish is never good left-over (gets so soggy with the sauce). read more

Wow! How refreshing to have some FRESH and FLAVORFUL ! Service was great and the food was very good. The grilled chicken had a lot of flavor and good consistency. I had veggie pho but with beef broth and it was refreshing to be able to specify what I wanted and have it made correctly. read more

Mint Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Noodles with grilled chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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