First off...the food is fantastic. And so is the service; very friendly and helpful. Its more of cafe ambiance; smaller in size, and minimalist in feel. Nine small tables inside and four outside in the front. Not a place to go with a larger group of more than six. The prices are appropriate given the quality of food. If their prices were lower, this place would be packed all the time, so I'll very happy to pay a few dollars extra. read more

We made the decision to support our local restaurants one night a week early on in this pandemic. I am so glad we decided to branch out from our regular spots by ordering from Mint Leaf. My husband was craving a vermicelli bowl from a spot near his office, which would have been a trek for us to get to. I hopped on trusty Yelp and found this spot, not too far from our place. We each ordered their Saigon Vermicelli bowl. He got pork, I ordered the tofu. When phoning our order, I checked on how the Tofu is prepared as I like it fried. Their tofu is lightly flash fried and braised to order, say what? The dish is well priced for how much food you get. Each bowl comes with an egg roll and enough noodles and meat/tofu to fill you up, and then some. The food was delicious. My plan was to eat half save half. Yeah, that didn't happen. By far, this spot has had the friendliest and safest service. I went in, face covered with a mask. There were two others there picking up food. The place is small, but they have made enough space for at least three people to be in there 6ft apart. The gentleman ringing me up sanitized his hands and my card, which he does with each order. We had a friendly banter about the pandemic. He thanked me for supporting them during this time. We will be supporting them again. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Saigon Vermicelli Bowl bun Dac Biet with Tofu - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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Fresh flavors, wonderful menu, friendly service. Excellent all around dining experience. !t's our favorite local restaurant.

It's easy to miss this spot as it's in a low key neighborhood shopping center. But Mint Leaf Vietnamese is full of delicious surprises! As an avid fan of Vietnamese dishes- I normally stick to my usual favorites. we hadn't tried this place and so we gave it a shot. The **Summer Roll with coconut prawn** was totally unexpected and super tasty. Best spring roll I've tried- totally unique. The toasted coconut adds a lot flavor on the shrimp. yum yum yum. The vermicelli bowl is also a nice surprise- the pork is seasoned nicely and cooked almost with a carmelized flavor to the sauce, so yummy. We have added this spot to our lunch rotation. They are open during COVID for takeout and have very clear procedure to maintain safety. Definitely support this locally owned spot- they have a menu full of less-common Vietnamese items that I get the sense are their own unique invention. read more

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Ive ordered from here three times. First was the saigon plate, very average but large portion. Second time was wonton soup. The wontons were great but the broth was SO bland. The third was the worst. I got the shrimp and scallop garlic noodles. The sauce was runny and you could tell it was poured over the noodles in the container. There was clumps of just plain noodles because the noodles weren't actually cooked in the sauce. The shrimp and scallops were very fishy and I like seafood. Im really hoping I don't get sick. But I will update if I do. Overall, not worth the price when there is much cheaper and better in the area. I wouldn't recommend eating here. read more

I was in the area so I got lunch to go. I got the fried chicken sandwich with aioli and sweet potato fries with garlic. Both were out of this world The Thai ice tea was authentic. Few tables inside and out. My only complaint is that they told me 20-25 mins for pickup when they were dead inside. read more

We had special pho, bahn mi with beef, shaken beef and garlic noodles for a take out. Pho and bahn mi were okay , just okay, but the shaken beef and garlic noodles were straight up disappointing. First of all garlic noodles were spaghetti noodles and that is not what you expect when ordering at a Vietnamese restaurant. As for the shaken beef , it was an overcooked mess, soggy onions, chewy meat, buried in the gravy, also no sides were included. Maybe it's just not the right dish for take out and shouldn't be offered at the moment? Just look at the photo of the food , is that what you're supposed to get for 30$ ? read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Shaken beef and "garlic"/ spaghetti noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

I have been here many times and I'm always happy with the food and service. It is a small place but never too busy out of all the times I have visited during lunch (both weekday and weekends). I've tried a variety of things on the menu including: - #4 Avocado Imperial Spring Roll, good vegetarian option that I really enjoy. Good balance of flavors inside the roll - #19 Taste of Mint Leaf, nice starter to share with 2-3 people, includes 3 diff items. - Mint Leaf Special Pad Thai, very good flavor, it's their own version of traditional Pad Thai - Iron Skillet Lemongrass Tofu and String Beans, it is served over garlic noodles but asked to have it with rice - Fish and Chips, nicely battered piece of fish with sweet potato fries with a curry dip. Batter is thin so you can still taste the fish. Good take on traditional fish and chips with the sweet potato fries :) Other things I've tried but wouldn't rave about: - Saigon Vermicelli Bowl w tofu, I would only order again if it's a hot day and crave a cold dish - Vegetable pho and Seafood pho are nothing too special. Broth is not bad (comes out super hot) but I agree with another review saying that pho might not be their specialty. This place is pretty authentic and is good on flavor overall. They are open to substitutions/making things vegetarian if you ask. I'm glad this place is near me. read more

came here on Tuesday close to 5pm. got in and sat down right away. We order two bowls of noodles and two rice plates. Food came out pretty quick since we were the only ones there at the time. Once folks started coming in we asked for water refills but they took a min and we understand. portions here are pretty big. we couldn't finish our food so it was lunch the next day. when we asked for our bill and to-go boxes they took a while which is the only down side but other than that everything was good. read more

Although my rating is based solely on the food, I still wanted to share my experience on this review. I was desperate for some pho and did not want take out so decided to come here for the outdoor since there's not that many people at this plaza. The cashier was friendly but he did not tell me the credit card machine was out of order after I finish eating. Luckily I had cash on me. After I paid the bill, he came back and said he gave me the wrong bill so I owe more. Again, I didn't include the experience in my rating because I do understand it's during pandemic time and service might be better when things were running normally. There was two other tables and for some reason, the server asked the Caucasian guy if he wanted water and didn't even ask me, which I think can become an issue. Also, the noodle was served in take out bowl. Ok, now to the food. I ordered the Pho Dat Biet (combination beef noodle). I took one star away for not having tripe and tendon in there. The broth was sweet and did not leave an after taste for me. Maybe because I haven't had pho for a while but I cannot stop sipping on the broth. The noodle is a little overcook. It didn't give me what I called a bouncing texture. I also ordered the eggroll and they were not impressive. I can't taste the meat in it because the veggies or the cabbage over power the meat. I am surprised that I could not taste much of the taro though, which is good for me since I am not a big fan of taro in eggroll. I will come back here for lunch but I doubt I will go out of my way for it. I can get better pho in Oakland that's only a 15 drive away. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - 21. Special Pho Pho Dac Biet - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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FYI, the tofu banh mi combo automatically comes with a meat spring roll. It's not listed that way on the menu and the restaurant refused to replace the meat roll with a vegetarian one once I took a bite and found out, since it had a bite taken out of it already, as if there was any other way to find out. They blamed me for not ordering an additional vegetarian one even though nothing on the menu indicates that vegetarians need to make a special request. They said they shouldn't need to say anything on the takeout order menu about it either, since not all people who eat tofu are vegetarian. Really disappointing. I love the banh mi but hate how I was just responded to when it was their lack of clear information that resulted in me eating meat when I can't do that, and the fact that they wouldn't replace it or refund me the portion I paid for a food I can't eat was really poor treatment. read more

Still loving their Vietnamese chicken salad! But the DoorDash shenanigans just keep going! I had another gift card and this time (for pickup) I paid DoorDash prices that were ~23% greater than those shown on Mint Leaf's online menu. Pricey! I did a little digging, and it looks like DoorDash provides a "level pickup prices" mechanism for restaurants can keep their DoorDash pickup prices the same as their "normal" pickup prices. I guess Mint Leaf just isn't onboard with that plan. Too bad. I'll be using my Doordash gift cards elsewhere until they come around. read more

So gooood, got the spicy beef soup, some imperial rolls everything tasted really fresh and yummy. Service was great, the staff was super nice. Great food portions for sure! read more

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Our go to spot for Vietnamese food. Lots of wonderful choices. Great service, easy parking.

I had 2 horrible dishes there and complained and was not even offered another meal...Im sorry it was actually 3 bad meals, I gave one to my sister and she told me later how awful it was. Maybe this is what they served the POW's in Vietnam. The main evil person is the manager Sandy, who will smile and chuckle in your face, but behind that BS watch out...better yet Stay Away. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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Definitely enjoyed lunch at Mint Leaf Alameda today on this gorgeous Wednesday, 6/8/22, at 11:45am! There was a good amount of takeout orders being picked up that I noticed as we sat outside for fresh air. Seemed to be a popular easterly with quality food and excellent service. The sweet potato garlic fries were a hit! Claypot mussels tasted so fresh with the basil and garlic special touch! The salt and pepper tofu with string beans were yummy especially for my plant-based diet friend! The grilled chicken garlic noodles are my favorite, topped with chopped garlic "chips". I was particularly impressed with my waiter's skills in juggling a full glass of "light on the ice Thai tea" and ginger beer with a cup full of ice from inside of the restaurant to outside of the restaurant since the front entry door was kind of heavy for me just to open by myself without any drinks in hand. In all, the food was fantastic and our waiter was really attentive and helpful. Thanks so much Mint Leaf for a wonderful experience! read more

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The food and service were excellent! Each dish we ordered was delicious, including the avocado spring roll, coconut rice, claypot mussels, vietnamese traditional chicken salad, sizzling shaking beef and Tofu & Eggplant claypot. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a great meal. read more

Zero stars isn't an option, so here we are... Food is not authentic and menu is quite confused (pad thai??). Beyond that, the food is subpar and overtly salted. The real clenched? Service sucks and is unsafe. They sat somebody within elbow bumping distance from my partner with multiple tables free elsewhere. The table they sat 20m after we arrived for their food first. Pho is typically speedy, right? We waited over 40m for our food. Will never return. With so many great options around here, don't waste your coin here. What a waste of a date night. read more

COVID DINING They have outside dining and some opened up to some indoor. The outdoor is nice. I always love their won ton noodle and the ginger lemonade is really gingery (just the way I like it) read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Won Ton Noodle & Ginger Lemonade - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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This was my second time ordering #55 (Lemongrass Tofu and String Beans) and I just needed to come here to encourage others to try it out. The tofu is sooooo good, even more so because it's soaked up all the goodness from the string beans and the garlic noodles. All in all, i love this plate. Do yourself a favor and also try out the ginger lemonade-- V refreshing My bf tried a bite of my food and he thought the noodles were sliiiightly greasy but he said this didn't stop them from being good. I can agree that they were a little greasy but again, the whole plate was delicious read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - #55. Iron Skillet Lemongrass Tofu and String Beans (over garlic noodles) - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

Came here one cold night and we ordered their noodle soups. My husband ordered a veggie noodle soup and he says it taste exactly as you would imagine in a veggie noodle soup. I guess nothing too spectacular but he did say, they loaded it with a descent amount of veggies. I on the other hand ordered the Bun Rieu, crab paste? noodle soup. Loved it! This noodle soup may not be for everyone as it has the fermented smell & taste. This is a dish that I will be back for. Service was good & best part, there was ample parking. read more

Ordered from here for dinner tonight and it was pretty good. Ate their garlic noodles and drank their chicken broth. I wish they included vegetables with all of their entrees but alas, I found something to eat at any rate. I will definitely try something different from the menu next time! read more

We enjoyed our dining experience here. We ordered the raw beef salad, hot & sour soup, and tofu and eggplant Claypot. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. There is also an option to dine outdoors. read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

Very good chicken pho, pork banh mi and imperial rolls. Solid and quick on doordash. The broth didn't have too much msg or maybe none at all because it didn't make me feel sleepy or sick. Will definitely order again! read more

Came here for one of my first outdoor lunches since the pandemic started. Ordered tofu / vegan vermicelli bowls which were really delicious, and had really great customer service. read more

I've been going here for years and I just love their Banh Mi sandwiches here. They always have this combo where you get an imperial roll and either broth or salad which I always choose the broth. The bread is always toasty for all sandwiches and the veggies are fresh but what I like most is that the meat is well marinated and seasoned. Every time I visit Alameda this is my go to place for sure. read more

This was my second visit at Mint Leaf. The first time, I had the crab soup (bun rieu) and it was delicious. The ingredients were fresh especially the fried tofu, the inside texture was so soft, and so fresh while the skin was nicely fried to my liking. Little wonderful things like the fried tofu make a difference. The broth was very tasty, and the crab paste was delicious. One thing I like to emphasize is the affordable price. For that generous portion, it costs around $16. It is easily shared by two persons w an appetizer. You could find the cost fr $18-35 depending where you eat. Sometimes I just want some tasty noodle soup beside Pho, the crab soup at Mint Leaf does that for me: tasty, not pretentious, w generous portion and for such an affordable price. I am happy to find this place. One wishful thinking is the restaurant would offer shrimp paste (mam ruot) optionally since it is deliciously stinky, and some mint instead of basil for this soup. But I'm ok since everything else is just right. I came back the 2nd time not long after and ordered the same crab soup. But in addition to the crab soup, I had beef carpaccio (Bo tai chanh), and it was so fresh. The beef carpaccio took me some time to like it, but when found my way :pouring the sauce and mixing it up, it was great. Again, the price was $15. You can't beat that price at anywhere else. The restaurant and the area are clean with plenty of parking which is hard to find in Oakland. So if you don't want to drive to OC or San Jose for a nice bowl of crab soup, try Mint Leaf, and thank me later:) read more

One of alameda's old time favorite. They have been one my go to Vietnamese restaurants for many decades with awesome pho and spring roll.

Mint leaf has always excellent service and value awesome food friendly waiters. Lots of free parking. Restaurant always clean. Food is awesome. Has outdoor seating and indoor seating. read more

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Pretty good viet place. Don't try to order the food in Vietnamese though, I thought it was a viet person on the other end and it wasn't. My bad. The Viet wonton and Canh Chua (sweet/sour soup) are pretty good. Can't find these in EO, so I'm glad I have a close one here. read more

Delicious! Speedy! Pandemic observant! Delicious! So good had to say it twice! The spring rolls are generous and flavorful. Something maybe gently seasoning the vermicelli! Fresh and crispy lettuce. Too good. The vermicelli entree was generous and fresh and delicious. I really enjoyed this takeout. And mostly I am disappointed with takeout. I was not so let down here. I was inspired and pleasantly surprised. I was SO inspired I broke my Yelp silence to tell YOU about this great local restaurant. Take out is inspiring again and yummy and fulfilling. Order. Support Mint Leaf!! Oh! And reasonably priced too. Not the cheapest. Not the most dear. Just right and good servings for your dollar! PS: the sweet handwritten inspirational note attached to my receipt was a precious touch. I am so craving human interaction I teared up a little. Thank you, ML! read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Inspire! & Be You! - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

Ok so I was here yesterday with mt sister snd her boyfriend. They only had one table sat but even though they could sit a couple more tables, the hostess hesitated to sit us down in the seat we wanted. She sat us next to the door and opened the door as requested by one of the annoying ass customers. We were cold and requested again to be moved. Then eventually we moved to a better seat. Ok now let's talk food. Nothing was mind blowing and they also couldn't make anything spicy for us. Also they bought my sister beef soup snd she doesn't even eat beef. My sister had requested chicken soup. I'm not sure if it was just not a good day but we didn't have a very good experience here. We probably won't be returning read more

Mint leaf has very flavorful dishes. My favorite is the grilled lemongrass chicken. I also enjoy the spring rolls and plenty other plates. This is a must try. The staff is very friendly and a very clean environment. read more

Alas, Alameda has a Vietnamese establishment to brag about. I was shopping at Lucky's over in the Marina Village Parkway shopping center yesterday and noticed that "Mint Leaf" has taken over the "Dog Out" and that today, they would have their grand opening. So today, after 18 holes of golf in Novato, I decided to check this new place out for dinner. The interior is classy but not in a snobby manner, but rather in an elegantly warm sense. Not too bright and not too dim. We started off with drinks and the bar menu has an interesting array of alcohol to get things going. I had "Hue" a very good Vietnamese beer ($4.00). Other drinks on the bar menu included Sangria ($5 for a glass or $20 if you wanna go wild and get a carafe); Red and white Wine; and some interesting cold sake drinks that are very good but deadly (because you don't even taste the alcohol). Try the Ginger, Mango flavored Sake. 'tis delicioso! For dinner, there's 51 items to chose from including two Mother's Day specials at $25/person. I was very impressed at the variety of "rolls" out there. I saw the traditional Spring Roll (goi cuon) and Fried Roll (cha gao) but I was more impressed with the summer roll, and other rolls they offered. I opted for the "Lemon Grass" roll. The Lemon Grass Roll is a savory, mouth-watery spring roll with barbequeue beef, chicken, pork, or pork balls. I had chicken. On the side is a peanut sauce. Very Good! Another appetitizer that I tried was a carpaccio to die for! It's seasoned with a sweet fish sauce and is topped with fresh lemons, mint, possibly coriander, and something very unique and signaturesque: deep fried shallots. I love shallots. I had the Dac Biet (Pho special). The broth was not too oily and the noodles were pretty much perfect with rare beef and brisket. We finished off the dinner with a very fresh, delightful and light papaya shrimp salad seasoned with all sorts of veggies and again, the fried shallots. The menu's easy to follow and they offer lunch specials. Move over Le Cheval, Alameda has a better alternative just on the other side of the tunnel nestled safely away from the gridlock of Downtown Oakland and Chinatown. Excellent service, social, comfortable & clean environment, and fresh. And a first: a Vietnamese Restaurant with no flies hovering about. Look forward to coming here again sometime. For dessert, save room and try the banana cigar. It has a very tasty custard like/cheese cake fiiling that is garnished with strawberries and seasoned with a very good sweet syrup. read more

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Expensive but it's California so everything is unreasonably expensive. Other than that, the place is great. The food is fresh, flavorful, and you get a good quantity. read more

It's been a year and a half or so... thus it was time to go back... The S.O. surprised me to a Warriors game and since we both didn't think it was necessary to spend $15 for a hamburger... we needed a decent meal to last us for a good 2.5 hrs. Yup... I dragged him here. It was a Friday night... it was quite busy which was good to see. We got seated... told the S.O. what was good... what we've had... and so we ordered the following: - prawn spring roll = this is always my fave b/c it's simple ingredients and just fresh tasting. I told the S.O. it got bigger the last time I went back so that's a good thing. S.O. liked it and he ended up eating 4 out of 6... I was getting full =) - Saigon style rice plate with grilled pork and coconut rice = BINGO! Finally found the right combo for dinner! It was the right size... pork was nicely grilled and tasty... coconut rice was delish... didn't have time to eat the spring roll since we were kinda running late... - Sizzling shakin' beef + coconut rice = was the S.O.'s food... it came out nice and sizzling indeed... I think he liked it... but he didn't have time to devour it... yes the first time I've seen him NOT finish the food but it was due to time constraints. His only con was the bone tendon from the beef that he chewed on ... that hurt his teeth and it also looked like someone's teeth... yah kinda gross... he ended up telling our server and confirmed that it was a bone / tendon. - Vietnamese drip iced coffee = this place does it really well! It helped wake me up for the game! Overall... still good quality service... good for the price and still tasty! Check it out folks! read more

Mintleaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Famous drip Iced coffee - Vietnamese Near Me - Alameda, California

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I came to the Mint Leaf Restaurant with my guy and his friends. I was really excited to finally get to try the Pho they rave about every week. We started with the Steak Roll Appetizer. It was really good, I liked the cooked, yet fresh tastes of the roll. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/9khVsJM_HJUlnQBm8Z9AuQ?select=V0sDxhpTLhMNhnnXcR937w Then for my main, I always get the Beef with Beef Meatball, so I ordered that. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/9khVsJM_HJUlnQBm8Z9AuQ?select=HBhDScsf9K6GdiK3gRrgoA I also put my Sriacha heart on that, because that's what I do. ;) Loves spicy. My guy ordered his favorite, the rare beef Pho. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/9khVsJM_HJUlnQBm8Z9AuQ?select=2Y0a2hYQ9_clW2kEQcNhyQ Everything was great and pretty inexpensive, less than $15 per person for dinner including the appetizer and tip. I enjoyed my dinner with good food and good company, the food came out fast and we were on our way to the next place. read more

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Not sure if they use MSG in their recipe, because I didn't ask. I developed a wicked MSG headache after eating the Sweet and Sour Pho with pineapple and okra. read more

IT is very Americanized and expensive for Vietnamese food! Bun Bo hue: Portion is small for 8. Taste is ok, but could be spicier. Vietnamese sandwich: not bad but still not worth the price. I would say .....just go through the tube and make your way to oakland for better vietnamese food! read more

Literally everything here is good!! The rolls are incredible. I love the summer roll with coconut shrimp, avocado,pickled carrots, and vermicelli. The garlic noodles with prawn and scallops are so indulgent and delicious. I ordered a fried chicken bahn mi and loved the miso slaw and bread. The sweet potato fries and dipping sauce were an unexpected surprise too! Not so traditional, but very yummy. read more