Stopped by on a whim on the drive up from Big Sur and was blown away by this place. If they were near me in LA, I'd go at least once a month. Mandarin chicken in particular was really good. Wish I had more people with me so I could explore the menu more. read more

We wanted Pho in Monterey.... What were we thinking.... So we stepped foot in the Orient since we saw some people eating Pho from the window. We opened the menu, there's only Pho with sliced beef and Pho Ga. When we asked about maybe if they have the regular #1 bowl with some tendons and such, the waitress drew a blank on her face, we knew right away not to fxxk with their Pho.... So I ordered the Saigon soup noodle and the bf got the combination plate with fried rice, chow main, and egg roll.... Saigon soup noodle was VERY VERY delicious the first sip. I like the clear rice noodle. The portion is rather small. Lots of shrimps, imitation crabs and such. I started to feel funny after like the 5th or 6th bite. And then I just couldn't eat that anymore. It was.. um... perhaps too sweet. Whatever it was, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.... The combo was OK, something you would expect from Panda Express. The egg flower soup that came with the combo wasn't impressive. Like salted thicken water with egg flower. And then I let the bf finish my saigon soup. He then went to the bathroom and came back, murmuring to himself, dayam the msg. OHHHH awakening moment! IT WAS THE MSG!! N-A-S-T-Y. No wonder the soup tasted so good initially. It was artificially flavored. My appetite was kinda messed up afterward. read more

My family and I have been coming here for years. It's definitely a hole in the wall restaurant. Don't let the casual look of the place fool you, once you enter, it totally has a chic asian flair to it. It specializes in Vietnamese and Chinese food. I recommend the Imperial rolls- rice noodles, lettuce, shrimp, and pork wrapped in a rice paper with a peanut sauce. My favorite has to be the Mandarin Chicken that is fried and glazed with an infused sweet and spicy glaze. It also deserves five stars because it is one of the 2 restaurants in Monterey that serves Boba, a chewy black tapioca pearl that is served in an icy blended drink that can vary in different flavors such as thai tea, honeydew melon and taro. Each dish is served in large portions that could feed two people. on top of that, it is an affordable place that wont break your budget. This is definitely place to go for great Vietnamese food. read more

This place is amazing most authentic Chinese food I've ever had I am so glad that I try this place and I will always come back The crispy beef is amazing and the barbecue pork foyoung is fantastic read more

Orient Restaurant - Super small but so worth it because the food - Vietnamese Near Me - Seaside, California

I have been here many times, both for dining in at lunch and take-out for dinner. The place is simply begging for some curb appeal and for at least some attention inside. How can they work in such a dull place every day....? Hire a design student and at least spend a couple of grand on the place! It is clean and neat, no sticky tables or anything. Ok, maybe it doesn't look like Roy's, but the food is very good and the service is friendly. I think I have had most of the items on the menu as I try to stay away from the standard dishes found in every single Asian restaurant. I have ordered chow mien and such for others as take-out and found it very good, just not adventurous. This is a very good, family owned competent and successful restaurant that has gotten good reviews from local publications. The food has been uniformly good in my experience. Sure, I like some things better than others, but I never felt anything was prepared incorrectly or with old ingredients. Some people shy away from Seaside, recalling the problems of the past. Now it is a family-orientated town and I have never seen any incidents at all for many years. It just isn't an issue any more. Note that although the address is supposedly on Fremont blvd, the Orient is actually a couple of buildings up on Echo. Look for a non-descript strip mall on the right as you go up. Plenty of parking. read more

Delicious ! Every time we are in the area we will be eating here. We were not put off by being the only caucasians in the place, we actually take that as a good authentic sign and we were not disappointed. Had the Vietnamese meal for two for $26 which came with an appetizer, soup and two entrees. All perfectly spiced, fresh ingredients and so good! read more

Never had a disappointing meal here, but their fried rice is to die for! Best in the area for sure

Had a variety of dishes there over the last couple of months and always liked it. Their noodle soups are our most favorite. The dishes are quite cheap as well. read more

I had the vietnamese glass noodles and the imperial rolls. The imperial roll sauce was ok. It had the peanut sauce, peanuts, some hot sauce & pepper. The pepper grossed me out. Also the rice-paper on the imperial roll had a dry corner (eew). But the filling was good. Shrimp, pork, rice noodles, cucumber, cilantro, lettuce. All in all, i prefer noodle bar (in marina) since the seaside noodle bar is a literal solid-long-table-BAR. The thai tea pearl drink was alright. Mild in flavor. read more

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We cannot say enough positive things about this place. After 30 years, this guy is as good as it gets. He makes his own sauces from scratch. That includes the sweet-n-sour sauce, which means it is not too sticky sweet like typical Asian sauce. A local turned us onto this place and we won't go anywhere else. We enjoyed the prawns (butterflied) which look large and taste great and BBQ pork chow mein. We recommend the squid with pepper sauce as well. What makes this place great is that it is clean and not greasy. The owner is Vietnamese and he cuts back on the fat wherever possible. Whoo Hoo! If you got slow service in the past - realize that this is a family restaurant. It may take some time, but it is definitely worth the wait! read more

I always walk past this place going to Baan Thai, and every time I always think I should stop and give it a go. I finally decided that I should give it a try, and try I did. I started off with the spring rolls, which I think they refer to as imperial rolls, fresh wraps and they were freshly made. They used the thick sliced pork inside. They also used cucumbers, its been a while since I had one that way. It was good though. The peanut sauce did take me a minute to get used to, I still haven't figured out exactly what they did or did not do to it. If I at the spring rolls again, I would probalby get the fish sauce for dipping. On to the pho, I had a small bowl of the Tai. I usually play it fairly conservative at places I am pretty unsure of. Broth came out decently clear, but the meat had also been cooked. There was no rawness to the meat at all by the time it made it to me. They serve with lemon instead of lime, which does bother me. The flavor was pretty good though. Don't expect ngo gai, in fact when I asked for it the kid laughed at me. They even have boba drinks. Though not the best, I think its one of the few places here in the monty area you can get one. They made it pretty fresh and it did satisfy the taste, though the boba drink was barely on the scale here. It was just good to have one. Prices are reasonable. Any purchase over 10 dollars you can use visa or Mc on. nothing under 10. Anyway, I gave this place a 3, however I think it very well could be a 4. I plan on going back sometime this week and getting an accurate gauge of what it is. *****EDIT****2007Dec10*** Upgraded to 4 Stars. Had a decent bowl of pho on this cold evening. Not SJ, but its good. No ngo gai, and they serve lemons instead of limes, yuk. As someone else said, WTF is up with the Lemons. Anyway, it will have to do, its Monterey. read more

The menu was Chinese and Vietnamese. My partner ordered Lemongrass Chicken and I, Chicken Pho. The stock of my Pho was purely stock cube variety and there was nothing like the authentic home-made stock. Lemongrass Chicken was just deep-fried (!!) chicken with lots of sliced onions. Why did they have to deep-fry the chicken if they were fresh? Simple stir-fry would make the dish lighter. I think we should try the Noodle Bar next time. read more

A-OK describes my experience. Because so many people mention it and because I'm always on the lookout for the egg foo young of my childhood, I ordered the house combo foo young. Very generous sized order, nice FAT (tall) servings. Slightly crunchy, slightly chewy, lots of meat & shrimp, the bean sprouts crunchy. The sauce was NOT the thick globby gelatinous kind, hallelujah. Pretty tasty. Service was okay if not cheery or zippy, but they were busy. Would come again to try something else too. read more

sauteed beef with noodles a-one. In addition to excellent Viet dishes, their Chinese food is some of the best in town . fresh fresh food ! Crazy about the Thai Iced Tea, and the sake is very nice also . High quality with decent prices. Good service. What more can one want in a restaurant ? Of course, the atmosphere is family style . if you search hard , you might find glamour surroundings at twice the price ...but not any better food . Sake read more

I just love this place, the food it's beyond amazing. Spicy crispy pork it's my favorite. Great local spot , I highly recommend it!

Our family had tried several wonton noodles soup in the area, but most of them were unappealing; while this dish at Orient restaurant is outstanding: great broth, tasty noodles (not overcooked like other restaurants in town). However, other dishes are pretty good. However, the pork buns are so plain, we wish there are mushroom, eggs... inside, not only meat. read more

If you want Orange Chicken with good meat this is the place for you! None of that stuff that is passed off as meat here! And their Sizzling Rice Soup is to die for! They are fast and friendly and not to mention reasonably priced! You can pretty much always get a table too! read more

I ordered the pho. The noodles were good and the meat was alright, but the broth was a bit lackluster, so I had to add some spicy sauce to flavor it even though I don't love spicy food. However, the prices are very reasonable and they seem to have quite an expansive menu, and good Asian food is not overly abundant in the area, so I would definitely consider coming back here again! read more

Mandarin Chicken (with sauce) is mine and my family's favorite! We have been coming here for 12 years + and the owners/staff are always so friendly. read more

Limited Chinese menu with a few Vietnamese specials thrown in for good measure, most likely to validate their claims on the signage I would assume... Best Hot & Sour Soup ever and a massive portion even when I ordered the small! Spicy Crunchy Pork was good, but I'll try something different next time. Service is a little slow and a tad bit inattentive, but that seems to be the norm for asian style restaurants around here. Overall it was a good experience for lunch by myself, but I would be hesitant to bring a guest. The limited menu and lack of descriptions on the items could easily lead to someone not getting a meal they would appreciate. read more

I have been going to this restaurant for a long time and they have some of the best Vietnamese food in this area for sure. I absolutely love all the soups, and the braised catfish Hot Pot is a "converter" for me, someone that really doesn't have much respect for the catfish. I will say that the stand out dishes for me are the Mandarin DRY Spiced Chicken Wings, you MUST order them dry. Also, the Sauteed Glass Noodles, Black Pepper Beef, Any Hot Pot all are excellentlent. I also love the way they do the Fried Bean Curd App and their Spring rolls. The service is really nice, it is a family run restaurant and they are very sweet. Go!!! read more

Right when you walk in to Orient, its friendly staff immediately greets and seats you. It's a pretty small restaurant so they don't mind giving you the power to choose whichever table you want to sit in, so long as that table is free of course. I have been coming to this restaurant with family and friends for over 10 years now and still enjoy their delicious food and great service! From appetizers, soups, to lunch or dinner specials, you can't really go wrong with your choice. One of the many things that keeps me coming back to this place is its family-style atmosphere and the owners' / staff's quick, but thorough service. My favorites are their pho, seafood hot pot, and mandarin chicken. Makes me hungry just talking about it! read more

I have been coming to this restaurant for years, and after all the delicious meals I've had, I really feel it's my duty to write a review and spread the good word. I fully support local businesses, and this is a family-run restaurant. The food is delicious, using fresh ingredients, visibly lacking in heavy oil and over-use of sodium. I have a hard time eating at Chinese-style restaurants due to oiliness, high sodium, frequent MSG use, thus it's absolutely a delight to eat at Orient Restaurant. While my go-to dish here is definitely the pho dish Saigon Soup, they have so many delicious dishes on the menu, you really should come with 2 or 3 people and order a few dishes. Mandarin Chicken is amazing, both the Dry style, and the Wet style (although the former is generally the crowd favorite). Salt and Pepper Shrimp with spicy jalapenos and green onions another winner. They Orient Special Fried Rice and Chow Mein are both delicious, although some may find the Chow Mein less salty and saucy than they are used to. Sweet and Sour Chicken is another winner, and you will be hard-pressed to ever eat sweet-and-sour anywhere else after you try theirs. Veggie Mu Shu is another winner in the appetizers list. They are open for lunch, and dinner on weekdays, and all day on Saturday. If you're hankering for a pho fix, I wouldn't look any further in the area. The restaurant is a very unassuming, modest place, simply decorated. As other Yelpers have described, rather than being solely a Vietnamese cuisine restaurant, there is almost a Chinese-restaurant emphasis on the extensive menu. read more

Food is always amazing!!!!! Love the salt and pepper squid, dry mandarin wings and spicy crispy seafood. Great family own restaurant that never fails to please. If your in Seaside you must try. read more

The good: Great price for the amount of food that you get. The not so good: They weren't as friendly as other reviewers had mentioned. I have a feeling that they charged me extra for having tapioca in my boba tea. Well isn't tapioca part of a real bobba tea? hmmm I also experienced having to run to the bathroom after eating my soup :( agh read more

Worst restaurant I've ever been tomade an order to go, when i opened the boxes they smelled horrible, almond chicken was raw, rice was cold and undercooked, we all felt sick after eating , very bad experience read more

Save your money and time and don't eat here!! I doordashed some food from this restaurant and there was a FINGERNAIL in my chow mein! I asked for a refund and the people said she would lose money ( as she should) Not sanitary and totally unacceptable! read more

Best Soup in Seaside! This is always my go to spot on a cloudy or cold day and I am craving a bowl of soup. They have a variety of soups that is unmatched by other similar style restaurants. Bonus is that they have the option of vegetable broth but there chicken broth is never oily as I have had elsewhere. Fresh ingredients, friendly service, lots of options, and they do to go orders. Their other items are delicious as well but I can't say enough good things about the soup because it's what I always crave, and order. read more

Oh my oh my, the spicy fish is a must. If you like spicy Thai and/or Vietnamese food, you gotta trust it. You won't be disappointed. I order the same thing everytime. read more

Stumbled upon this spot as our go-to pho place was closed. Not only was our pho AMAZING, but every single item that came out during lunch looked incredible. And the staff was so sweet and awesome to talk to!! So happy we found this little gem and can't wait to return :) read more

Orient Restaurant - This pho is phat. - Vietnamese Near Me - Seaside, California

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I'm a huge Mongolian beef fan, it's my favorite dish in any Chinese/ Asian restaurant. But this... I don't know what it was. First of all, there were mushrooms, which I normally love, but these were definitely canned and were not appetizing, Then the abundance of bamboo shoots to fill space. Very little green onion. The sauce was bland and had very little spice. There were no rice noodles.. It just wasn't magnolia beef! Small portions too. The service was strange. The guy at the counter seemed to be busy looking through old checks and adding numbers, not very attentive. Kind of cold. I had also ordered the "half liter of wine" and received a glass. Which I totally didn't mind because I wanted to leave anyways. Took a long time to get the check. I work as a waiter so I have high standards when I go to a restaurant. Probably wouldn't return. read more

Favorite place for Chinese food, their mandarin chicken is amazing! The workers there are awesome. They make cool doodles on the takeout boxes. read more

Orient Restaurant - Best mandarin chicken in the world! The workers are awesome, they know I have a dog so they draw little pictures on the box. - Vietnamese Near Me - Seaside, California

Ate here for lunch during a weekday. We were quickly seated, though it took awhile to place our order due to the lunch hour rush. I ordered the glass noodles with chicken while my wife ordered the Mongolian beef lunch special. The glass noodles were decent, but neither of us liked the Mongolian beef. We're almost positive they use MSG and too much sodium in their meals - both of us ended up swollen and with stomach aches. Good service and a very good Vietnamese iced coffee, but I would avoid the food unless you're desperate. read more

the tradition asian food and good service. I have been using the fried rice and beef soup. Even I was took the garlic. very good. some people have to be happy with the dinner. read more

I usually go out to San Jose for good Vietnamese food, but heard this place was decent. Went there for lunch on Friday and ordered spring rolls and Pho. The quality here is good and the service was definitely top notch. The waitress was friendly and helpful. Soup was flavorful and the ingredients were fresh. The selection is smaller than most restaurants, but it seems like they concentrate on making a few good dishes to attract the regulars. Definitely better than any of the Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants in the area, and comparable to the best of San Jose. Good place to go to have authentic food. Only downside is its a bit hard to find (behind the 7-11 in the mini-plaza) and it can get crowded inside during peak times. read more

My girlfriend and I eat at the Orient frequently. In my opinion, they have the best Pho in the area (beating the Noodle Bar, and Pho King). We have tried all three restaurants on several occasions and have found the Orient to have the most flavorful broth. If they put MSG in it, I am unable to detect it so I'm inclined to think they don't. I will ask tonight and find out for sure. The beef is nice and thinly sliced in the Pho Tak, and usually comes out on the raw side as it should be. It cooks in the broth, so if they are busy it can get cooked by the time it hits your table. With all of that said, I have not eaten Pho at any of the restaurants in San Jose, or San Francisco, so any true Pho afficianado may or may not agree with me. read more

*Review is for pho only* If you're looking for decent beef pho, this is the best Monterey has to offer! We tried like 5 local places, homesick for East Coast noodles, and this one exceeds them all. We didn't try any other food items, but the Thai tea is also good. read more

Food was amazing but the waiter got my order wrong so I had to wait a little longer but in all definitely a great place for lunch or dinner read more

Orient Restaurant - Glass noodles with beef chicken and shrimp - Vietnamese Near Me - Seaside, California

This is by far my favorite Vietnamese restaurant because its very fresh and flavorful food. There's levels to the flavor in the broths of their beef pho and and sour shrimp soup. Its absolutely delicious. Must try's: Dry mandarin chicken wings- juicy and tasty Shrimp egg foo young- melts in your mouth Beef Pho- comforting Imperial rolls- fresh Sour shrimp soup- you can't get enough- there's levels to that gorgeous broth Happy Family- traditionally done well All in all I wont go anywhere else for Vietnamese! And you can't beat their $3.50 Glasses of wine! read more

Good is very good. Pho was exceptional, and service was a bit slow but very friendly. We went here because Bahn Thai was closed and was a great fine! read more