[Review #757 2023-043 Food Order: CRAWFISH PASTA (crawfish tail meat, spicy sausage, tomato cream marinara sauce), GARLIC NOODLES; BULGOGI SHORT RIB STEAK SANDWICH (bulgogi sauce, onions, cucumbers, pickled carrots, cilantro), CAJUN GARLIC FRIES, JASMINE MILK TEA Located in South Bay Plaza, Nguyen's Kitchen serves Asian fusion dishes, though its name hints at Vietnamese cuisine. I learned of this restaurant when I was here for a Yelp event at Pur Bowls (also was lucky to attend the NK YEE too) & realized it's a dual space that houses Nguyen's Kitchen & Pur Bowls, though you're most likely not able to see NK's entrance since it faces Dominguez St. where as the açaí shop is towards the parking lot. I've mainly been here for their sister restaurant, Nguyen Kitchen is an afterthought. Not sure why... the food is fine, not amazing that I would crave or go out of my way for. I was first introduced to the garlic noodles that were ok & slightly on the dry side. The next trip, I was looking forward to the crawfish pasta. It was almost great except for the minuscule crawfish, which was overcooked so they're rubbery. The pasta had a generous serving of spicy sausage, though I didn't think they were that spicy; my kids felt otherwise. The green sauce ups the flavor (I need to remember to ask what it is); really love this. On my most recent trip, I had their bulgogi short rib steak sandwich with cajun garlic fries. I also got comped for a jasmine milk tea finally; I kept forgetting to redeem my Yelp check-in complimentary offer. I also like their Thai Tea, Cucumber Lemonade, & Peach Lychee Tea; sampled them before. The sandwich was flavorful & tasty, but had too much sauce so the roll got soggy & a lot of filling fell out. The bun:filling ratio was just right, though I wouldn't mind a little more veggies to offset the greasiness of the steak, felt a little skimpy. The cajun garlic fries were served hot & crisp with loads of garlic. I see my husband lovin' this (garlicky) side. TIP: Currently with a Yelp check-in, you get a free drink with an entree purchase. Get it while it's hot! I was able to get a premium refresher instead of a fountain drink. The dining space is limited to 6 tables with bench seats with patio space that has another 1/2 dz. tables. Their logo reminds me of the "Top Chef" knife except it's facing down & clear outline. Service here seems a bit of a downer to Pur Bowls, not quite as friendly or cheerful, just doing their thing & ringing up your order. You need to listen for your number (listed on your receipt) for pick-up. Depending on the item, price points run from moderate - expensive. The garlic noodles price is fair; however, adding a protein can run another $6.45 - $7.45 (72% - 83% increased mark-up). This monetary perception alone is turn off & sticker shock; instead, they should just individually list the noodle types with the price & note a "discount" for plain noodles as a vegetarian option. Same goes for the premium salads. While I like some of the premium refreshments, they're bordering boba prices without the boba & sweetness adjustment option. Portions run about 1 serving with the garlic noodles somewhat shy to be satisfying at that price. Menu layout needs a little refinement to be accepted as moderately priced. I like Nguyen Kitchen enough to order a dish or two, but the execution needs to improve for me to want ongoing returns. But they're always there as a reminder when I'm at Pur Bowls... I'm chasing the duchess title. ;-) Recommended: Bulgogi Short Rib Sandwich, Cajun Garlic Fries, Garlic Noodles, Jasmine Milk Tea, Thai Tea, Cucumber Lemonade, & Peach Lychee Tea. read more

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Garlic noodles delish...Steak bowl no guilt... Wing can't complain... definitely will come again read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Window - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

I came here for dinner with some friends because we were craving garlic noodles. We were a little confused at first because it was also in the same building as Pur Bowls but I think it's a smart idea to have dessert right after dinner lol We got the garlic noodles with steak, golden bao, sliders, cajun garlic fries, popcorn chicken and chicken wings. It was a good thing too, cause the portions were kinda small and there was 3 of us to split everything. The bao and chicken wings were crispy and delicious and the garlic noodles definitely hit the spot. Everything else was great too, and the frozen yogurt from Pur finished up the meal nicely. read more

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So I was working late & hungry & I could smell this place from across the street...so I followed the smell...if it wasn't so late I would've tried the Garlic Fries (highly recommend by the young lady at the counter)...but I went with the House Marinated Chicken Sandwich & it was perfect...I was full without the sluggish feeling & the sandwich was delicious read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - House Marinated Chicken Sandwich - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

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My family appreciated several things during our visit to NK. Customer service, we were greeted upon entry, during our meal, and as we exited the restaurant. Nice portions of food were served to each of us. The food was quite fresh in both appearance and taste! Plating and presentation were cool and the food tasted good which is what most want to hear. Definitely recommend the bulgogi sandwich, any kind of garlic noodles and thai tea! Plates are made fresh to order so expect 15 minutes or so. That's pretty good in our opinion for a hot meal. Ask for the spicy green sauce!!! read more

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The second time my drink was in the inundated with creamer I was so looking forward unfortunately I had throw it away again read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - The thai tea was more milk than tea not the correct balance - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

As a fellow Nguyen i feel i have some more weight to my review. These are the red flags: Banh mi was just called a sandwhich Beef dishes were labelled bulgogi (Korean) Not a single thing was also labelled in vietnamese (indicative of a good viet spot is to have bi or tri lingual menus We ordered a lot "Short rib" sandwich was more like ribeye and the bread was stale and soft, and the food had no flavor Popcorn chicken tasted like it came out of a frozen bag that the crappy boba tea shops use. Egg rolls (Cha Gio) was the worst ive had in my life, and ive had one that are 24 hours old that had more crisp and flavor than these had. The spicy sauce was good, but every other sauce tasted like Sysco bought sauces. For the prices & portion sizes, this place deserves a 0. PLEASE DO NOT GO HERE, not a single viet person in sight. read more

Not really impressed. I love Vietnamese food and this wasn't really Vietnamese. I should've known better when I saw bulgogi on the menu. Their photos make the food look delicious but I was bamboozled. My review is solely for the food since I ordered it in through a delivery service. We got the grilled pork sandwich (their version of a banh mi), NK chicken wings and garlic noodles with house marinated chicken. The sandwich was probably their best thing but we ordered this spot because we were craving garlic noodles. The garlic noodles were super bland and didn't even smell or taste like garlic. The marinated chicken was just okay but didn't really help flavor the noodles at all. The wings were overcooked and also very bland and the honey sauce that came with it was.. interesting. When it comes to Vietnamese food, I have high expectations and this was just not it. read more

The food was so bomb, new favorite spot. Tried the garlic noodles with beef and holy Jesus imma always eat this when on the go

Food is good. So happy to find this place. We'll be back again to try The rest of the menu. Lots of parking available. Great vibe with outdoor seating as well. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Order of Popcorn Chicken, NK Slider Burger (2 pcs), and Mango Refresher - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

Food was disgusting af. Service was untrained. I overheard someone praying their food was good because the last time they came it was nasty. I should've just went to PUR because that chewy ass bulgari & dry ass garlic noodles gave me heart Burn. Food is not worth the hype and it does not live up to the posted pictures or menu'd description. Yard house has better noodles .... Nguyen's Kitchen is ALL HYPE. Oh, and the garlic butter for the garlic noodles is an additional $4. -2/10 read more

I had the pleasure stopping by Nguyen's kitchen for a pit stop. This place had very nice ambiance to it I didn't feel stressed out trying to find a nice spot to sit and everything I needed was out in the open so thankfully I didn't have to stress the staff out for extra napkins or utensils. The bulgogi Cajun fries and bulgogi sandwich were both absolutely delicious both were deleted and completed I'm so happy I found this spot. I don't think another place would've satisfied me at that moment like nguyens kitchen did read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Bulgogi Cajun Garlic Fries - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

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First time going here I orded to go. The service was good everyone was friendly. The Thai ice tea was surprisingly great will definitely get that again. I got the garlic noodles with chicken they gave me this spicy green sauce which I loved. Also got the garlic fries which was good but I definitely ordered to much food. Will definitely be coming back soon read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Cajun Garlic Fries - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

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Great place for a late night meal! My boyfriend and I were looking for dinner late at night and most places were closed until we stumbled upon Nguyen's Kitchen. It's a joint restaurant connected to a smoothie bowl bar place. When we entered the parking lot we saw the storefront of the smoothie bowl place and entered from there. The service was nice and fast even though it was late. You enter and order at the counter and there's a nice seating area if you want to eat in or we just got takeout. There were free samples of a bunch of drinks, which was nice to try especially since we ended up buying one. I got the Grilled Chicken Bowl which came with the NK sauce which was a savory vinaigrette type of sauce(?) I don't know but it was good to dip the chicken and salad in. I also got a ranch which I don't know if it came with my bowl or the Popcorn Chicken. The Popcorn Chicken was good - it wasn't a lot but it was also pretty cheap compared to other places so reasonably priced. It came with a green spicy, chunky sauce which was really good but also had a lot of heat. The Mango Green Tea was great - it wasn't too sweet and had a good tea taste. If you want something sweet and mango though, the Mango Refresher tastes exactly like mango jelly in liquid form. Overall, great pick me up especially for those late night cravings. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Grilled Chicken Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

Love that this place is open late. Crawfish pasta with a mango refresher is the way to go. May always has the best energy, you can tell she is a good worker!! And theres always good music playing. read more

Really good food! I love le the Bahn Mi sandwich and the portion was great. We also had the garlic noodles with popcorn chicken and it really hit that food craving spot. We had ordered the food to be delivered and were very satisfied with the taste! read more

I had a wonderful time here at Nguyen's Kitchen. The food is authentic and fresh. The service is very fast and attentive. The ambiance is super clean and fresh. 5 stars. read more

This is my second time on this location I was craving for something light and delicious and then I time so I decided to come over and give a shot to the food which is located on the same place too. says they close at 1 AM. First I order the very Berry bowl & and from the restaurant next to it I ordered the chicken popcorn it was good nice crispy. Definitely I have to come back and try something else for sure the Pur bowls are my favorite. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Popcorn chicken / very Berry bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

Got 2 orders of garlic noodles - one shrimp and one chicken. Didn't realize the chicken was dark meat when ordering. Had I known, I would have gotten a different protein, since it was somewhat rubbery. The shrimp was not peeled or deveined/de-legged, which made it tedious and hard to eat. The noodles themselves were pretty good, but somewhat dry (very flavorful, though). Overall, portion was pretty reasonable for the price, but don't think I'd come back (or I'd try other proteins if I did). read more

The food was absolutely delicious. It was my first time there and I will definitely be going back. Can't wait to try the garlic noodles and the plate i had last time again. read more

Enjoyed the garlic noodles and beef dish for my quick Asian Fusion food fix. They also have a acai counter to finish your meal with dessert!! That's a bonus! Consider this way better fast food than typical fast food and way healthier!! Try it for quick service and sit down self serve ambience read more

Customer service is great, wasn't crazy about the food though. I ordered the garlic noodles with jumbo shrimp, I was expecting the noodles to at least be buttery/oily but they're very dry. The garlic taste is very mild but they were okay. The shrimp was chewy in a weird way. Thai tea tasted very artificial but was ok. I don't think I'll ever come back here again unfortunately. Tables all dirty, don't get wiped down between customers. .... read more

Located off E Dominguez St in Carson this place was formerly my favorite dessert spot Evan Angelos boy do I miss that gelato. The inside is divided by the pur bowl side and the Nguyen Kitchen side it's a bit confusing at first if you are wanting the food when you first enter the place despite of the signage outside upon entering you'll see the Nguyen's Kitchen sign with the arrow. The menu is not big but what they have they all sound yummy from the sandwiches, to the noodles to the bowls and then on the other side you got the pur bowls. They have indoor seats and out door seating as well. Service was not bad. The food was delicious I got the garlic noodles with jumbo tiger shrimp. Got my mom the chicken bowl she enjoyed it. Overall it was still a little weird coming here but glad they opened up a Nguyen's Kitchen here and close by since I had the OC location bookmarked now I don't have to drive far for this. read more

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Really good spot they even have açaí bowls . The wings are the best wings I've tried in the area read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - They even sell açaí cowls - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

Food: Everything tasted amazing. Food came out quickly. Restaurant: Super clean, decor was really modern and updated. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

food is decent service was horrible i ordered a drink and it was flat i asked if i can switch it or pay the difference for another drink and they refused and said i would haveto pay for another drink read more

I love their crawfish pasta. It tastes soo yummy. I recommend it if you like spicy food.. The service seems good. I order my food online and it's always ready on time.. read more

Is really a hit or a miss. I ordered foods here twice and both times tasted different. First time it was salty and the second time was lacking of seasoning. Prices were reasonable for the area, but considering the quality of some dishes, we felt it was a bit overpriced. Portion sizes were decent, though, and presentation was generally appealing. Overall, Nguyen's Kitchen has potential, but they need to work on consistency in food quality and improve service efficiency to match their pricing. It's an okay option if you're in the area and craving Asian fusion, but don't expect a flawless dining experience. read more

I came most recently for lunch. I got the shrimp rice bowl and was fresh and tasty. The Vietnamese coffee hit the spot. I've ordered the garlic noodles with meat, and I'm a big fan. They offer garlic noodles without meat, but I think it tastes better with meat. I've gotten the sandwiches and the fried chicken, and they were good as well. The service is faster in the day for sure. I like sitting inside to eat. The vibes are chill, and the music isn't too loud. There is plenty of parking. However, it's a very busy parking lot during lunch and dinner time. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Jumbo Tiger Shrimp Bowl (5 pcs) Vietnamese Ice Coffee - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

I came in for a bowl, and as I was eating it, I saw all the orders for food and got intrigued. I usually get a banh mi, but this time I opted for a grilled pork bowl. I got it to go, but I opened it right away to shove some in my face before it got cold. I have to say, I was disappointed. The ratio between rice, meat, and salad was off, and I was left with a bunch of rice leftover. Not only that, but the rice was overcooked and on the soggy side. The meat was decent, but there was a lot of fat and the flavor wasn't the strongest. The bowl looks great, but I closed it up again after a few bites and took the rest home for later. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

Very good portion. Casual ambience. Meat is very tasty marinated nicely melts in your mouth. Rice is so soft as well. Yummy would come again. Bowl is pricy however but worth it. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Bulgogi Short Rib Steak Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

Ngl a little mixed about this place. I was looking for Chinese for my homie who was visiting LA and found this spot. Based on the pics it looked like a Chinese version of chipotle and got hyped but turns out it's kinda that but not fully explained and instead small fusion dishes. For the price and lack of explanation I was kinda shocked at the smaller portions on offer. It tasted aight but not what I really wanted to eat when I saw Chinese. Prolly won't come back unless I get the itch but wouldn't knock ya if u gave it a shot like me. It's not bad just not what I wanted and not the price point either. read more

Paid 7.66 for two sliders. They also have an Açaí bar on the other side. Service was super friendly. Very chill R&B/Rap playlist in the background. Clean bathrooms and front of house exterior. Seating is limited though. Decent size parking lot since it is at an outdoor plaza. My beef sliders tasted like a frozen meat patty, but I love the mushrooms, bun, garlic, and onions they use. If the burger had more fat, this would have made it a great slider. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Slider - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

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I love the scenery and how the mood is sets there. The foods are amazing! One of my favorite is the garlic noodles and bulgogi bun mi sandwiches! read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Bulgou bun mi sandwich - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

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This place is such a fun and delicious place to go for dinner. There was a little bit of everything for everyone, their variety was great. Service was friendly, and they have such a cute and quaint outdoor patio for seating. We ordered the bulgogi garlic noodles. Definitely want to try them with a different protein next time. Popcorn chicken didn't disappoint. The sauce it came with was delicious. We also got Thai tea, and Vietnamese coffee. I want to go back and try the açaí bowl place that's also here. Their dessert menu looked legit we were just full. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Bulgogi garlic noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

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Food was really good. I didn't know that they also have acai bowls!! Which were also very good, would recommend read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Acai bowls - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

Nguyen's Kitchen is located across the street from the South Bay Ikea! If you're feeling for viet fusion, this might be a good pick :-) I had the bulgogi sandwich and I thought it was pretty solid. The portion was fair. I'd estimate it is on a 10" banh mi sandwich, and filled with a fair portion of meat and veggies. Honestly not heavy and a refreshing yet delicious pick. For sure do not skimp out on the green sauce on the side. That was really the highlight of the meal- that green sauce filled with spice (a near medium level kick) drizzled on each bite.. oof chef's kiss. The brown sauce is really just whatever IMO, it tastes like teriyaki sauce, which is not what your sandwich needs more of. read more

This was one of our favorite places! However, recently they have changed how they make their garlic noodles and there isn't enough sauce. Then they charge you $3 for more sauce??? That's silly...please just use the right amount of sauce from the start :( At first I thought maybe it was just a fluke but it's been consistently this way now... read more

Nice place for quick eats, they share a space with the açaí bowl and the sign for the actual restaurant faces the street. Plenty of parking and seating inside and out. Grilled pork sandwich and popcorn chicken was decent for the price. read more

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We were in search of something to eat late one night and came across this place and I'm glad we did! We walked in around 10:00pm and it was pretty empty, customer service was welcoming and the place was very clean. I ordered the garlic noodles with chicken and a side of egg rolls. Both were delicious, I do wish there were more protein options with the egg rolls but the pork ones are good. It took about 15 minutes or so for our food to be ready, we took it to go but there are a few tables if you choose to dine in. There is plenty parking available, so that's a plus. It also shares a space with a smoothie bar maybe next time I'll give that a try as well. read more

Nguyen's Kitchen - Bulgogi Short Rib Steak Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Carson, California

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