I always felt like if i wanted to eat at a really good authentic phò (vietnamese) restaurant, then i had to go to a sketchy a** place! Not the deal here! Far from sketchy. This place is soo clean, nice simple decorations. For some reason it felt so organic and fresh. Lol. ( i dunno but thats how i felt) I ordered the chicken phò, which the chicken was shredded but soo yummy. Will def be coming back here. I was really impressed w the service. The young boy who was working there was very professional. He checked up on us, brought all the sauces to our table w/out us having to ask for anything. Our waters were filled up right away. My friend got the roll which was BIG and tasty. Cant wait to come back! read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

The location of this place was kind of dry, there wasn't many people around. I was in the area and my friend told me this place has the "best" pad thai. I thought that was funny because it was a Vietnamese restaurant. There are many Vietnamese dishes to choose from and some of their appetizers sound pretty good. I ordered the pad thai, it came out less than 10 minutes -The noodles were regular pho noodles -The chicken breast were tender -The shrimps were cooked perfectly -There were very little bean sprouts and I wish they had green onions -THE SAUCE.. It was amateur, the sauce tasted like hoisin sauce, Sriracha, and water all mixed up and stir fried with the noodles Overall, the presentation of the dish was nice and the service was cool. Maybe it was what I got that made the experience not that great. But they should stick with serving Vietnamese food, after all they are a Vietnamese restaurant. Pad Thai? It should be called pad viet cause it taste like pho without the broth.. I would form back, but I will never get the pad Thai ever again. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Shrimp and Chicken Pad Viet - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

Love this place! A good spot for vermicelli, spring rolls, and pho. I love that they separate all of the pho components so it's not all sitting in the broth getting overcooked on it's way home. The staff is always really friendly and they are taking the best health measures of any restaurant I've been to during COVID. They even sanitized by debit card before giving it back wrapped in the receipt. My only very minimal pain point is that the banh mi is a little pricier than places in Oakland just a couple miles away, but overall this place is affordable and everything is really tasty. read more

Had... Imperial Rolls - came out hot , crispy, and tasty...needed more red leaf lettuce to wrap Clay Pot Mussels - small, meaty mussels in a basil, garlic, broth...a little too much on the garlic... Raw Beef Salad - poor....came out a weird pink with hardly any salad....can't eat this by itself...need some greens with it... Tofu & eggplant - tasty but too much tofu and not enough eggplant.... BBQ Pork Chop - two tasty pork chops, probably best dish that we had... Brown and Jasmine Rice - yes, you have to pay for rice separately...other places provide a bowl of rice with an entree... Food overall was ok but to be honest, I had issues throughout the night ...think it was the raw beef....service was ok but limited to one server for the whole restaurant....need some help there! read more

I've been wanting to try this place for long time...but I usually forget that this place exists, because it's sort of tucked away in this small shopping mall located next to the Webster St (Posey) Tube on the Alameda side. Since I was going to be in the area... I decided to try it for lunch. I ordered the Special Pho (Pho Dac Biet) with a spring roll (for an extra $3). I was pleasantly surprised that the pho tasted good. The spring roll was also good (not being greasy was a plus). Prices are reasonable and I had no issues with the service. I like the menu selection, which makes me want to return and try a different dish next time. Seems like a good place to go to if you want to grab a quick "no frills" reasonably priced meal. read more

Tons of free parking in this shopping plaza. It's easy to miss. I've been shopping at the market next door and had never noticed this place. Above all, the service was great! Our waiter was so friendly and attentive to us. He made the experience great. The food is great. We went here for the pho and it was delicious. We had the 27. Spicy spiced beef noodle soup and the 21 special pho. I really liked the flavor of the spicy one. It wasn't very spicy; it just had a nice little kick to it. The noodles were great. The special pho tasted great too. Lots of meat. We also had the summer roll appetizer (breaded coconut prawns with avocado, carrots, and lettuce). These rolls were just delicious. I will definitely be returning when I get my pho cravings! Oh yes...and bread pudding for dessert. Do it! read more

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I love the mussels, calamari, and chicken pho. Also, the ginger lemonade is to die for. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

The name of this place is very cute. Quiet and simple restaurant that is perfect for dinner time. The prices are a bit on the heavy side but the taste is quite rewarding and makes you have an appetite to come back. We ordered a la carte cause it's easier to try each entree and get a taste of how everything is. The appetizer was simply the best; forgot which roll it was but the peanut sauce added the flavor. The entree I picked out was Seafood in the Clay Pot "Kho Tho" and it was absolutely delicious cause I'm more of a sea girl than a land girl when it comes to choosing between seafood or meat. And of course, we each got our own individual rice bowls. I'm not one to drink teas but they looked appealing. This place is clean and staff was nice so impressed job for a Vietnamese restaurant. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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This place has a great price point with great food to match! So far tried their pork vermicelli bowl (unlike other places, they actually serve the pork bite size so you do not need any additional cutting utensils) and the veggies were super fresh and the fish sauce was AMAZING! Also had the chicken with garlic noodles which my boyfriend devoured. He definitely viewed it as a single meal but I had leftovers that were perfect for lunch the next day. Very friendly staff and they are taking all of the COVID precautions. read more

Great food. Ambience atmosphere. Good and prompt. Moderate price. However,the taste is a little salty to me. I would recommend this place to my friends. I wish they can make the broth of the sour soup less acidic taste of the vinegar versus the milder taste of tamarind base. That would make the soup exceptional since the seasoning was just right. We tried the Shrimp Mango salad. We were impressed to see how clever the chief was by adding jikima to the salad to give more texture to it. The shaking beef and crispy chicken wing were great too. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Mango Salad - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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So good! I've tried several things on the menu. Everything is fresh & tasty. Nice & clean restaurant. And the staff is always super nice & attentive. Try the ginger lemonade! It's so refreshing! read more

My main complain is the rare beef salad. The color is a light brown with a hint of pink at the edge and the texture is like beef cooked almost well done. I asked the waitress about it and she said this is how it is suppose to be since they use lemon juice. I had this dish at MANY Vietnamese restaurants before and although some do use lemon juice, I have never had one that is so "well done". Anyways, she did not offer any remedy such as "would you like something else?" or "we can make one without using the lemon juice" and just left it at that's the way THEY do it. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

I'm new to town but my wife has been going here for a very long time. She loved it then and I love it now. Their service is great and their food is super tasty. I'm on a vegan diet and there are good options for my palate. My wife is not vegan and she loves pretty much everything she's had from here. I can't even name all the sauces they send me home with but I haven't found one I don't like yet. read more

I went here for lunch today with Tessie. It was a spur of the moment thing and I had been eyeing this place for quite some time. We were seated promptly and then forgotten for about ten minutes. The table hadn't even been wiped down and we were left contemplating when we would be noticed. However, it was busy so no points marked down for that. We finally got the menus and ordered the Lemon Chicken with Garlic Noodles (Me) and the Saigon Style Rice Plate w/ Beef (Tessie). The Lemon Chicken had way too much ginger on it and I was constantly picking it out of my dish. The garlic noodles, while good, was neither garlicky nor hot (mildly warm at best). The beef on the Saigon Style Rice Plate was good, but it too had too much ginger on it. The Thai Iced Tea tasted pretty good. Would I go there again? Possibly. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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This place is more convenient than anything. It's a small little restaurant in a strip mall. I had the seafood noodle soup and my friend had the pho. Both were just ok, but definitely not authentic by any means. Service took a while since there was only one server the whole restaurant. We could also hear the kitchen staff yelling at him every time he messed up an order. Made it kind of awkward.... If you have a hankering for Vietnamese food and it's close by, then sure. Just don't have high expectations. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Seafood noodle soup with egg noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

Delicious food! Awesome service. I ordered seafood with pumpkin curry, steamed jasmine rice, and Thai ice tea. My good sister ordered tofu with eggplant, steamed jasmine rice, and green tea. For appetizer, we ordered vegetarian egg rolls. We recommend! read more

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definitely a busy place during weekday lunch. There isn't enough staff at the front of the house so it took awhile to get greeted. The seating is quite fast tho surprisingly. Ordered pho soup and egg roll. Egg roll is pretty, soup is good. vermicelli bowl is decent. Not too bad but I've had better. read more

Bun rieu is delicious! Can really taste and smell the seafood. Bun Bo Hue was not bad but a tad light IMO. Overall yummy noddle soup!

Small place great food! We love the coconut rice, sizzling shaking beef, pad Thai and avocado imperial spring rolls are our favorites. Each time we explore something new. Always good whenever we eat here. One of our favorite places. read more

Vegetarian vermicelli noodle bowl was so full of flavor!! It comes with grilled tofu, a crispy veggie roll, and the expected veggie/noodle combo. They substitute the regular dressing for a vegetarian dressing that does not contain fish sauce. Also had the ginger lemonade. It was refreshing. The staff was very friendly. This was my first visit. I look forward to going back soon! read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vegetarian vermicelli noodle bowl and ginger lemonade! - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

Food is great but watch out when you are ordering online. I have ordered a couple times and they got my order wrong both times.. Probably wont order from them again.. read more

Mint Leaf is a relatively small, trendy Vietnamese restaurant. The service took a little longer than I would've preferred considering the size of the restaurant; however, our server was extremely friendly. My uncle has been there a few times and always asks for a fork; the server was so familiar with him that she brought a fork without being asked. It was my first time at Mint Leaf so I ordered the pho dac biet, while the rest of my family all ordered the bun rieu. Obviously I didn't get the memo because the pho was just okay, while the bun rieu smelled heavenly. I will definitely be ordering that next time I'm there. read more

Absolutely LOVED everything from the service to the actual food! The quality of the food was amazing, as is the flavor! Will definitely be returning! read more

Good food at reasonable prices and good portions. Staff are always friendly! Good place for a quick bowl of pho on a cold day! I have gotten the vermicelli bowls, shrimp papaya salad, pho bun hue (beef pho), spring rolls, fresh rolls, wonton soup and have been satisfied! read more

When I walked into the restaurant, the intoxicating aromas mesmerized me. This tiny little restaurant located in a strip mall is all that you'll need to satisfy those Pho cravings. The service is friendly and very efficient. Here are a few of my favorite dishes Prawn spring roll $7 Chicken Pho $8 Vietnamese Traditional Salad $8 Sizzling spicy Lemongrass Chicken $10 served on a sizzling platter-- And on the lunch special Grilled Chicken with Roasted garlic noodles $8 Sweet Potato and Curry Chicken Clay Pot (red curry) $10 The Roasted Garlic noodles are something you will be back for. They're that good. And they're on the "sides" menu, should you choose to take an order home with you. Visit this restaurant on a rainy day for a bowl of Pho. The coziness, friendliness, and delicious food of Mint Leaf will bring you back again and again. Now for dessert CREAM CHEESE CIGAR WITH BANANAS Can I say that any louder? It is a wonton filled with a cheesecake type filling, Then deep-fried. Sliced bananas are placed on the side. Then it is all drizzled with caramel. Kill me now. Dog Friendly And don't forget, you're in Alameda, drive 25. They ARE serious about this. read more

Goooooooood morning, America! Hey, this is not a test! This is rice and roll! Time to rock it from the Delta to the D.M.Z.! Come one, come all! Fresh and flavorful food for growling bellies and those longings of spice with everything nice, Mint Leaf is my favorite new discovery. The top-notch service by our server Greta, a cute friendly girl with fun hair, was the best service by far that I had ever received. She went to great lengths to make sure my guest and I were comfortable, even offering a new table that had opened up since we were situated right next to the door. Although, it was a chilly night we were fine. It seems she could read our minds. Whatever we needed, we received, and without asking. Refills, more napkins, hot sauce, you name it! When she brought over the dish of hot sauce, I actually got the chills. This girl really was psychic! This place only gets better. The crispy imperial roll, which is full of minced pork and shrimp, was hot and tasty. The dipping sauce is light semi-sweet fish oil vinaigrette that tasted just as great on dipped fingers. I am not a vegeterrorist, but was tremendously impressed with the tofu and mushroom pagoda. Who says vegetarian dishes have to taste like bland dirt? The serving was so hefty that, even after sharing, I had to request a to-go box. Sizzling and dazzling, the filet mignon cubes with onions, black pepper, and garlic sauce made my mouth dance. I think they even call the dish shaking beef. Ha! Being the girl who hates rice, even Anne Rice, I was surprised I enjoyed their coconut rice so much. It almost tasted like a dessert. The weather at Mint Leaf is spicy, delicious, and definitely warrants a visit, or two, or twenty. read more

What is the probability of a Vietnamese restaurant being good at a shopping mall in Alameda? After eating here today, I would say very good. Quite possibly the best Bun ruei and Bun Bo hue I have ever tasted. I always like sampling my friends dishes and the flavors were intense, deep, and well rounded. I had the pho dac biet myself and it was decent, not the best I have ever had but it was good. Also had the crispy vermicelli roll with crab meat, minced shrimp and jicama. They use the vermicelli noodles as the wrap, genius. It was a bit greasy for me but the flavor was good. I always hate restaurants that tries to be pretentious without being that good. You know..........lets serve less food and put it on a nicer plates/bowls and then charge more. By doing so then we can cater to the non asians. They did this but the flavors remained true. The service was a little slow but I was happy with the food. read more

Food: 1) Seafood claypot: Tons of yummy seafood in this flavorful claypot! I really liked the flavorful sauce that came with this claypot. The thickness consistency was perfect: not too thick and not too thin and went perfect with rice! 2) Beef Pho: The broth was really good. The rare steak meat was super tender and tasted really fresh! Pho well done :) 3) Coconut rice: Had just the right amount of coconut flavor. Nice! Ambiance: Not that impressive from the exterior but when you walk in, it's really nicely decorated. Super modern and edgy feel. Very clean, neat and efficient use of their limited space! I loved it! Service: The waiters were ALL sooooooo nice! I was seriously originally only going to give this place 4 stars but when I thought about how great the service was, I went ahead and bumped this place up to FIVE stars! This is some GOOD service! Price: Very reasonable for the quality of food that you get here! The bill came out to be around $30 including tax and tip. Overall: I would totally come back! YUMMY! Can't wait! read more

After 2 years in Germany and craving my favorite flavors, mint leaf did it again! Fantastic raw beef, bo luc lac, goi ga, and cha gio. Sweet service and cold Hue beer! YUM-O! read more

this is very small ten tableish, 50 people capacity restaurant. very immaculate, clean and cramped. they have only one bathroom for both men and women so plan accordingly. menu: cao gio/other rolls 7.00+ , iced coffe, iced thai tea 3.25... entree: pho dac diet, rare steak, brisket & flank steak (7.50) pho- there are about 7 pieces of med sized rare steak, and some smaller slices of the others. the soup looks like a medium but the bowl has a very narrow neck, thus there's not a lot of pho there. the broth(sugar?) tasted sweet and there is some msg in the broth. rating: 2 stars reflecting lack of value, there's nothing wrong with the food. overall the menu seems pricey. pro -they are priced competitively with cafe le which doesn't seem to have many patrons. -parking available -friendly cons -pricey read more

Hooray for mint leaf! I have to say that they have THE BEST Vietnamese food that I've had in a long time...my husband and I eat at mint leaf at least once a week. Don't let the location deter you, even though it's in a little strip mall, the ambiance is good (I always dig tea-lights on tables)...kinda funky. The servers are always totally lovely, and well, this place is really cheap. I've had so much on the menu - from a little kitchen they produce BIG food!! My top favs are the Won-Ton noodle soup, the Pho is the best anywhere!! (my husband and I always go for their soup when we're sick or hungover or run-down and it brings a spring back into our step!), mango salad and the prawn spring rolls are delish!! If you haven't been here yet, get your butt over to the other end of the island and eat some serious fresh Vietnamese food!! read more

The family and I have gone several times since the last review. The food is consistently good. Ingredients are fresh, seasoning is well-balanced. I am always in the mood for Mint Leaf. I am sad when it is very busy... read more

Thank you, Nate (or Nat, or something like that), for ensuring that I never patronize Mint Leaf ever again. Your rudeness and indifference when I just called to place a pick-up order was so ridiculous that I even surprised my very hungry self by calling back and cancelling everything 10 seconds later. Not that you cared. If you can't be at least a teensy bit cordial - even if you're just pretending - then don't answer the phone. read more

AMBIANCE: Clean, Modern and calm atmosphere. Can be really crowded at lunch so better to beat the crowd by coming early or just going for dinner because the prices difference is minimal. Beware if you sit by the windows that the reflections from the tables outside will hit you in the eyes! NOISE: Even at lunch time when all the tables are full the noise was very minimal. You do not have to shout at the person sitting across from you. FOOD: Mint Leaf totally kicks Dragon Rogue's booty when it comes to authentic Vietnamese dishes. I had the rolls and they were so delicious, the peanut sauce is just like the way mom does it. Yippee. The Pho may run expensive at 7-8 versus Chinatown's 5-6 bowls, but I think you pay for what you get. The broth was delicious, fragrant and savory. What impressed me the broth wasn't murky at all like the Chinatown's pho. Pho isn't suppose to be a bottomless bowl with tons of noodles and mediocre broth and it's sad that this is what most people consider pho. I don't mind shelling out money for ambiance, an extremely friendly server and kickass food. OVERALL: Will definitely be returning to support this business. read more

This place rocks.....Its a diamond in the rough. located in a strip mall nex to Luckys is not where youd expexct to find the best and most creative food in Alameda. We ordered the strawberry-Mandarin salad, a mintleaf sprong roll, Beef saytay, and a mushroom bean dish. My toes curl thinkin about it. For dessert we had the ....I dont remember what its called but it had banana as a main ingredient. Dear....God.....must ....have.....more.... Soooo damn good. Fresh flowers on every table.....Hope they keep up the good work because I will no doubt be spending alot of money here. read more

The pho was delicious and the portions more than generous. The lemongrass chicken with garlic noodles was a hit with the kids too. We were treated very nicely by the staff and needless to say we can't wait to come back for more! read more

Absoulutely awesome! This is the only good restaurant in Alameda! Believe me! Everything from appetizers to desserts was "toe-curling" good. The food is very fresh & colorful & had a unique twist to your normal Vietnamese cuisine. I can't wait to go back. read more

Good Yelp reviews, an urge for a little adventure and a yen for some decent Vietnamese fusion compelled a weekend brunch visit. Yes it's in a strip mall (in the *center* of the strip mall on the main south-facing side ... don't get google maps tell ya otherwise), but the interior's minimal yet elegant decor makes you forget the smoke shop next door. Hosting/service was humble and sweet. As Jeffers and I were ravenous, we had quite the spread ... Apps: 1. Imperial Rolls (Cha Gio): Good, not necessarily noteworthy ... two rolls cut each into three pieces. The minimal lettuce & veggie extras weren't enough to do the traditional wrap with each piece. 2. Mint Leaf Roll (Xoai Coun): THIS was a nice surprise. Spring rolls with thin slices of grilled beef (still warm) and a little egg along with the veggies. Two rolls also cut into thirds. Main dishes: 1. Sizzling Lemongrass Chicken (Ga Xio Xa Ot): Yes it did sizzle, and it was sizzling good. Served on a hot cast-iron skillet, the chicken and caramelized onions were divine. 2. Sweet Potato and Curry Chicken Clay Pot (Ca Ri Ga Kho Tho): un-frickin-believably tasty. The sauce is the stuff of gastronomical wet dreams. Good on rice, good on a spoon -- probably good licked out of the clay pot but I refrained. Sides: 1. Jasmine rice: fine (it's rice -- unless it's really screwed up, how much can you say about it?) 2. Garlic Noodles: Perhaps my expectations were too high from the reviews, perhaps they were 'off' that day, but the only 'meh' from the meal. Not garlicky and a little dry. Next time I'll get the multi-grain brown rice, which another table got and looked fantastic. As for the "Mint" name ... more I guess an abstract metaphor for the fresh take on the food (which it deserves). But no literal mint made its way into the experience. No mint in the spring rolls, no mint-colored paint on the wall, no mint on my pillow. Brunch for two, with beverages, was about $30 each -- more than I generally fork out, but they do their dinner menu for weekend brunches. Plus, as mentioned, we were hungry. Much as I love my authentic Vietnamese restaurants (sketchy or otherwise) I'm always down for some fusion -- as long as it's good. Mint Leaf is a welcome addition to that roster of eateries. read more

MintLeaf two months later: Yes, I will be going back again and again. Fortunately for me, I have my hair done next door at About Beauty and saw this little gem on its opening day, May 10. While we had only sampled two items (Taste of Mint Leaf and Chicken Pho, excellent), today I went back and we had three items to adore. Vegetable Pho: Outstanding Seafood Noodle Pho: Extraordinary (and this from an 87 year old meat and potatoes Mom who really likes her comfort food) Seafood and Pumpkin Curry: Amazing The tea selection is elegant. We had the Ginger mixture which was super and delicate with our meals. Clean, friendly, and although it is in a strip mall with cheap fast food available, the prices are not going to break the bank. Maybe others who comment on the price are not used to sitting down for a meal. Good job at keeping up a lovely location two months into the game. All the best to you!!! read more

This is our go-to place for Vietnamese food in Alameda, in fact we spent the last three or four mothers days celebrating here. They have tasty pho and their spring rolls are out of sight! read more