East Village Asian Diner

Wow! I really loved my food here! I had just come across the street from the candle making place & needed to kill some time, but this was a wonderful surprise!I ordered the fallen monk (pulled pork) stone pot & made sure to make it spicy. I opted for noodles in mine & my bf got the beef over rice. We both added eggs. We tried each others & loved them both quite a lot. We ordered Oolong hot tea with honey & it was such a beautiful pairing for the food. Their tea + honey were both a nicer flavor than usual. Our waitress was pretty cool. She had a chill, sweet vibe about her & really helped us make great decisions. We got seated at dinner time on a Saturday, but somehow managed to beat the "rush." It filled up mostly, yet wasn't crazy, which is nice.

Came here last night and have been here a few times before! Sign yourname on the waitlist right when you walk in if they're full. Waited about 10-15 min to be seated on a busy Saturday. Had coconut shrimp and some pot stickers for appetizer which were delicious and came out quickly. Had the monk bowl with pork and noodles and an over hard egg and it was sooo amazing! their monk bowl is their signature and so delicious. put their sauces they have in the table on the bowl and you're in Heaven! server was very sweet and attentive. great little local spot:)

Generally reluctant to get Asian food outside of Kearny Mesa but I was pleasantly surprised! Ordered the stone pot with beef and a side of kimchi. The bowl was well balanced with all the veggies and having the option to additionally season your bowl is nice. I will say that it does come with an absolute minimal serving of protein (maybe 2 or 3 oz total) in the bowl and $4 for a tiny side of kimchi is a bit outrageous (total serving size pictured), but can't deny that it was delicious. I'd prefer to go to Kearny but if I was around the area and craving bibimbap, it's a decent option.

Experienced this spot last night for dinner. I was really impressed with their stone bowls. This place is fresh and healthy. I will be coming back. The service was 7/10. And the atmosphere was comfortable. I really enjoyed trying new things. Looking forward to another experience soon.

Cute place and fast service. Got the fried spring rolls and thai peanut noodles. They gave a lot of food and the friend spring rolls were fresh and not too oily. The service was friendly as wwll...

Still love East Village! The rule here is you place your order, always get an app if your dinner is the monk pot, because you'll have to seriously wait 10 minutes after the food comes or your lips will melt off. It's SO worth it though. My go to is the fried spring roll which are rolled up fat boys filled with fresh vegetables that are then deep fried and served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. I then always order the monk bowl with ribeye. The blend of crispy rice on the bottom of the pot, mixed with vegetables, the protein of choice and the egg on top creates a masterpiece. Add the two sauces that come to the table and it's a dream come true. The hubby added chicken this time but said he much prefers the steak, salmon, or shrimp. We've had their dynamite fries a few times and sub out carnitas for ribeye instead. Their fried coconut shrimp is a delight as well.

Food - seriously delicious. I always get the Mongolian monk's stone pot and it never disappoints. My husband has tried both the salmon and tofu stone pots and he likes them both. They have 2 kid's meal choices - chicken tenders or your choice of noodle or rice bowl. They also have drink combos to choose from (e.g small sake + draft beer for $10)Service - we've been several times and service is always solid. Super friendly and attentive Ambiance - it's a cute little place, not super large so maybe it can get busy. We went right when they opened so we didn't have a wait. They have little TVs and usually Totoro is playing (silently). My son couldn't keep his eyes off of the tv, which worked for us since it meant we could eat in peace!All in all, love this place! Wish they were also open at lunch so we could go more often!

Great local place with consistent service and quality. I've been here a multiple times and finally getting to my review. We ordered the following: pot stickers, hot stone pot with steak, Peanut noodles- one with shrimp the other with beef. First, everything is really fresh and second, they don't skimp on the protein or vegetables- it's the perfect balance of protein/veges to noodles or rice! Pot stickers were delicious as was the dipping sauce. They are known for their hot stone pot dishes, the base is the same and you choose the protein and the rice. This is a star dish and highly recommended! We had the steak and it was the so good. Cooked perfectly, tender, and had very good flavor. I wish all of their beef dishes used this particular steak. The peanut noodle dish was very good, however the peanut sauce was too spicy (heat) for me. I'd rather have normal peanut sauce and then hot sauce on the side so you can increase the heat to your individual liking. Next time I'll ask if they can give regular peanut sauce. The proteins were good- very large shrimp. The beef was good but certainly not as tasty as the steak that was on the stone pot! Again, this dish had the perfect balance of protein & veges to noodle ratio. That made feel like I'm getting good value! It's not just a plate of noodles. Dessert was the apple cinnamon wontons with ice cream and caramel sauce. Excellent! So good I was scooping up the last remnants of ice cream/caramel/cinnamon to the last drop. I highly recommend this dessert! Service was great, they ask you if you've been here before and always walk you through their homemade sauces. If you come on a Friday or Saturday they fill up quick (small dining room) and there is a wait- but it's downtown Encinitas so you can walk around and shop/sightsee while you wait. Easier to walk in on other days, but I'll say it's always worth the wait! I often come right when they open so I don't have to wait. This is a great place with delicious food with generous portions of protein and veges and strong service.

Friendly staff. I got the "not so spicy" noodles with peanut sauce and added chicken. The chicken was over cooked and not so much in the dish. This was also spicy when the title suggests it is not. Sadly the food missed the mark and probably why it is not busy.

8.3/10. One of the best Asian restaurants in Encinitas. It's pricey but that's due to the location