Mini Pancakes Bahn Khot -- super fresh, fragrant and flavorful. I love the basil and mint that came…read morewith the roll. Every mouthful had a nice hint of buttery flavor from the pancake and then a hint of freshness from the veggies. Spicy Shaken Beef Pho -- flavorful beef broth, perfect amount of saltiness, lots of fresh beef slices. Super filling and warm! The food was delicious and fresh! Would come back and try their other dishes, their standard pho was yummy and flavorful!

We were in the area figuring out where to eat when a lady eating Bánh Khọt in the her freakin' car…read morecame up on my feed. Eating anything with nước chấm in the car is diabolical. With my luck, my car would smell like hello kitty for weeks. Anyhow, I found Mẹ Và Con on yelp, a mother-daughter owned resto that opened in 2024. They serve bánh khọt and have outdoor seating so we headed over. Thankfully, we arrived before the Sunday dinner rush (~5:45 pm) and before the parking lot was filled. Rezzies are accepted (via phone). M E N U Viet Cuisine with some elevated, modern twists (no specific regional specialty). Smaller menu than your typical hole-in-the-wall with 25-30 items including AZN fusion items like shrimp ceviche, kimchi pasta and tom yum pasta. Beer, wine, and soju cocktails available. F O O D * Bò Tái Chanh: Beef Carpaccio w/ Thai basil, fried shallot, house tangerine sauce ($18): https://tinyurl.com/nhcn9kxw - Served at dinner only Fresh, tender slices of beef carpaccio with a sweetness from the tangerine sauce and white onions. I appreciate their twist (tangerine sauce instead of nước chấm) but it was too one note for me...IMO, it needed acid and herbs. Plus, I miss the texture of peanuts. * Bánh Khọt: Viet Mini Pancakes w/ shrimp, coconut milk batter, herbs, pickles ($24): https://tinyurl.com/34nx7sat - Served at dinner only Fav dish of the night, the savory bánh khọt was delicately crispy and slightly custardy in the center with a snappy shrimp drizzled with fragrant scallion oil. It came with romaine, mint, and perilla leaves neatly layered for easy wrapping. The lettuce was a bit soft and soggy tho, and I think they forgot the pickled veggies. Served with a tiny portion of tangy sweet nước chấm. * Bò Lúc Lắc: Shaking Beef w/ soy, garlic, onion, cherry tomato, arugula ($26): https://tinyurl.com/3rkpukct Meltingly tender cubes of filet mignon but light on the seasoning and aromatics so it was bland. Also, was hoping for more smoky wok hei flavor. * Thịt Kho Tàu: Braised Pork Belly w/ hard boiled eggs, rice ($21): https://tinyurl.com/mr2evryw - Includes bowl of rice A traditional dish served during Lunar New Year, it symbolizes prosperity, warmth, and stability. Chunks of pork belly are caramelized in sugar and braised in coconut soda and fish sauce - rich, savory with a good ratio of lean meat to fat (4 pieces). Wish they used more braising liquid when warming up, as some pieces were a bit dry. S E R V I C E Warm, friendly hospitality. Food does take awhile tho...our first dish took about 30 minutes to arrive. A M B I A N C E Casual, no-frills indoor area with about 10-12 tables. Cute covered patio in the parking lot with 5 tables and fairy lights. Overall, Mẹ Và Con is a great place to introduce people that are new to Viet cuisine and/or you're looking for Viet dishes with different twist.

The pho, the rice plate and the bun were delicious! It's been a while since I enjoyed these dishes…read moreso much that this will now be my go to place and my recommended place for these entree. The pho was right on. Piping hot soup that didn't cool down until after you're done even on a cold day. That's just perfect for the wintery weather. The soup was so good - the right amount of aromatics and the beef flavor. And it wasn't overly oily. The amount of meat to noodle ratio was perfect, and I would even dare say I felt there was a lot of meat for a regular bowl of pho that I didn't end the pho with just noodles but had meat to go to the last bite. The rice plate, where we had pork chop with fried spring rolls was yummy! The pork chop was well seasoned that my kids ate it without complaining anything about it. Some places use black pepper and even too much of it to potentially cover up for lack of flavor or perhaps low quality meat. The fried spring rolls were delicious and not too oily either. The bun though with good amount of fresh greens was still a very filling bowl with the amount of meat, spring roll and noodles. The taste of it with the fish sauce was reminiscent of bun in Vietnam. The only thing that ok instead of being amazing was the marinated fried chicken with sauce as it was on the spicier side with the fresh chili and the marinate didn't seem to penetrate into the chicken well enough. Service was reasonably fast, but then again we were there before the restaurant filled up starting at 7pm.

Affordable and delicious pho. Definitely recommend this humble and tasty location…read more I will be back soon!

Today We came and tried special Pho and rice with grilled pork, pork skin and steamed egg meatloaf…read moreFoods were so delicious , the service was so great. A gentleman served us was nice and professional We love this place

I went to Lemon Pepper on a Saturday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to see the restaurant…read morewas fairly busy. We ordered the hu tieu kho (#7) and pho dac biet (#17). i highly recommend the hu tieu with egg noodles; the noodles were covered in a light sauce that had a lot of depth. A decent variety of protein in both dishes as well. Overall atmosphere was very warm and cozy due to the kindness of the server who refilled our water many times. Will definitely come back for the hu tieu!

As a local, I've grown up walking 5 minutes to this spot my whole life for over 25 years. I can say…read morethat it is the best authentic vietnamese banh mi in the east bay as I've tried many other spots that haven't particularly matched or exceeded their level of quality. I usually order a #2, #7, and #13. It's very affordable, especially if you're on a strict budget for lunch. $7 sandwiches? I mean it's a pretty good deal. #2 Banh Mi Dac Biet/Special Combo Ham Sandwich - If you're looking for a cold italian sandwich but want to explore new options this is a vietnamese version that also has pate butter taking it to the next level. #7 Banh Mi Xiu Mai/Meat Ball & Egg Sandwich - An elevated version of the #3 with an added egg. This was my absolute favorite as a child and still is now. Nice balance of sweet and salty. The meat is tender and with the added egg yolk that pops when you take a bite takes it the next level. I think this is also slept on since I don't see many people ordering it. #13 Banh Mi Xa Xiu/BBQ Pork Sandwich - This is their secret weapon. My god the sweetness from the bbq pork with the pate butter is incredible. I always look forward to eating the bottom end of the sandwich because that's where most of the flavor and butter are hiding. The pickled veggies help give it the acidity it needs for a well balanced bite. By far my favorite. They also have many other options besides banh mi that make and sell on the day of like Banh Cuon, Che, Egg rolls, etc. Definitely give those a try especially the Mochi Ham sandwich aka Banh Day they got there too. I always have a hard time choosing between the #7 & # 13 so I always end up getting both. Service is straight forward, you line up, order, and wait for them to call you up for your order. Simple. You don't have to ask me twice if I want to grab some banh mi here. But do be aware that at certain hours of the day it can get very busy and crowded. Either to super early when opening or closer to closing about an hour before. For new comers, I highly recommend starting off with #7 or #13 for your introduction to their banh mi for a better first time experience.

Best bahn mi of the entire East Bay. The #2 combo is…read moreprobably their most popular sandwich, but I am just not a fan of the Vietnamese cold cuts. I rotate through the meatball (loose, juicy and very flavorful compared to western meatballs), lemongrass pork, grilled pork, BBQ pork, and BBQ chicken sandwiches--all of these are great. As of May 2026, most sandwiches come to $7 after tip, which is an unbeatable deal for the Bay Area. Parking sucks and the neighborhood is super sketchy, I do feel for the businesses of this area. Only open Fri/Sat/Sun, unfortunately. Pro tip: get an egg roll ($1) to eat while you wait for your bahn mi to be made. And be forewarned: your car will stink to high hell for a few hours after transporting your sandwiches home. It just means that your bahn mi are legit!

Pho King, Oakland…read more It's been awhile since I've came to this location, I've always gone to the original location on International Blvd but that location is alot smaller. This place is pretty spacious and there was outdoor dining. The place wasn't crowded so we got seated pretty quick. The staffs were nice and friendly. What I ordered: 42. Shrimp, Squid, Ground Pork, Fish Ball with Clear Noodles. The clear noodles were good, so was everything else. Broth was clear and flavorful. Would order again! This location used to be where Rite Aid was, IYKYK! Definitely would come back again when I'm in the area.

The food was ok. But the aggressively tip seeking waiter had me taking my food home to finish…read moreeating dinner. From the beginning the waiter was oddly intrusive. We had a hard time ordering because he kept trying to explain things in broken English. We'd eaten there before, we have no problem ordering by menu number when a waitstaff speaks little English. After a long series of confusions we managed to order. Then my friend wasn't feeling well and asked for a to go box while I was still eating. Ooops. Our waiter came with an array of boxes and wanted to pack everything up. He couldn't understand my asking him to please leave the boxes and leave us alone please. I refused to let him box up my dinner, so he left and came back with the POS machine, cradling it lovingly with its list of tips, 20% basic ok, 25% good service, 30% if you reeeally loved his excellent service. Since tips were 15% for decades, and 10% in Calif when I waitressed, the same tip percentage raises the waiter's income as the cost of food increases with inflation. I do leave 18% since it's now customary, 20%+ on occasion. So I asked for the receipt to see the amount before tax and calculate manually, but he had only a hand scribbled total. His eager greed had the POS machine quivering in his palms, jellifying my brain, I gave up and entered a rough low estimate. Went home and reheated my dinner. Only takeout from this place if I ever return.

Chow Jew Noodles. Thin noodles. Soup on the side. That's what I ordered. It was delicious…read more I think it was $18 before TIPS.

I love little hole in the wall noodle places like this and was passing by so I decided to check it…read moreout. I'm sure if you're a local you know what you want but they asked me right as I sat down and got the menu if I was ready to order. Then came back a second time pretty quickly but I wasn't ready yet. I had to look up some of the options on Yelp to see what they actually looked like/meats they had. I ended up ordering the seafood with ho fun and soup on the side. The soup was light, I wish it had a bit more flavor. The ho fun was slightly over cooked, causing it to break easily and very sticky even after adding some broth. I wasn't blown away but I am intrigued to try another combo with different noodles. I've had a few noodle bowls like this in SF and they had a lot more flavor. Cash only by the way!

2Oi is an home kitchen that opened 2 years ago in Argyle Palms Apartments. Initially I didn't know…read morehow to order. Lately, I saw instructions posted on their website on Yelp. I called to place order. Got a recording. Got a return call confirming my order. Found it's better to text with C6 or F7 unless one can speak Vietnamese. Main associate lacks English proficiency. Much easier for her to get "code" Place was an easy find. Street parking slightly difficult. Unknown if parking in their lot is permissible. Went towards big building on the right . Found unit with "Taste of Asia" brochure on window. Just before the gate. Bingo! Stood in front of open door until Vietnamese lady came out with my order. $21 cash. Unknown if Zelle has tax added to it. Tipped a little. Lady hesitated to give change. Offerings (Vietnamese): street food, drinks, coffee. Sips: Cafe Muoi Bien (sea salt foam Vietnamese coffee, 7)-Viet coffee, sea salt foam, condensed milk. -coffee didn't look full. No doubt foam on top shrank/mixed into coffee. -bold coffee with alternating sweet & salty tastes depending on sipping foam or condensed milk. Bites: Banh Trang Cuon (Vietnamese Special roll, 14). There's also a salad version with same ingredients & no wrapping. -dipping sauce had sweet & savory notes. -rice roll had dominant theme of beef jerky. The surrounding nuanced taste was a symphonic medley of carrots, quarter sectioned boiled eggs, coriander, green mango, dried shrimp, fried onions, peanuts & green mangos, 5 stars Worthy! Quality: freshly premade. Quantiy: ample enough for a meal. Would repeat. *Taste of Asia "passport" given to win prizes from buying from food vendors in Oakland Chinatown & San Leandro Asian businesses. May is Asian American Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Like others have said, text to order and pick up. Fast and efficient and they accept cash/zelle…read more Needed a pick me up on a work trip and ordered the chia seed and grass jelly Vietnamese coffee since that was a unique mix I haven't had before and I've had a lot of Viet coffee. Couldn't ask for a better drink, it had the right amount of sweetness and creaminess you'd expect in Viet coffee. edit: my mistake! only zelle and cash :)

I am beyond happy to have discovered this authentic Vietnamese restaurant! It's always exciting to…read morefind a place that truly delivers on flavor and authenticity--and this one absolutely does. I ordered the Bún Bò Huế, but with a twist. I prefer seafood instead of the traditional meat, and they were more than happy to accommodate my request. And let me tell you--it was hands down the best Bún Bò Huế I've ever had at a restaurant. The broth was incredibly rich, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. Every bite was packed with deliciousness. They also served it with the proper vegetables and herbs that truly complement the dish--and they were generous with them, which I really appreciated. Nothing worse than being stingy with the fresh accompaniments! I'll definitely be back. This place is a gem for anyone craving authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

I love coming here for the Bun Bo Hue and the Banh Beo appetizer. My bun Bo hue is always good,…read moreflavorful, and a great portion. Banh Beo is so tasty and I'm glad they sell it as many places do not. The employees are always very nice too. They take credit card but you can avoid the credit card fee by paying cash.

The food is amazing. Best Pho in the east bay and the ambiance is great in the restaurant. The…read moreservice is awesome. The people are very helpful and friendly. This is my go to Pho and Bahn Mhi spot!

Top 3 banh mi I've had!! It's huge, basically a double sandwich. We got the beef and it was…read moredelicious. The spring rolls are fresh and they have multiple options: pork, shrimp or tofu. I got pork today. I love how much this business owner pours into his community. They're always doing give backs, fundraising, and affordable foods All around great place. Next time I go, I'll definitely try the pho, and grab another banh mi!