Loi's Kitchen

1. The pork had a nice crispy skin, and they gave a lot of Banh Hoi! I love that they put a lot of garlic bits on the fries! Finally, the coffee is strong!2. The spot has fun casual vibes!3. There are only indoor seatings!4. The staff were friendly and timely with our order!5. Parking lot is medium-sized, and it can get busy depending on time and day!Note: There is a 4% Discount for cash payments!Photo: Woven Vermicelli Noodles with Crispy Pork, Vietnamese Iced Coffee, and Garlic Cajun French Fries

We were in search for a quick dinner spot and found this restaurant on Yelp based on reviews. We decided to try it out and it was a decent dinner. Service was fast. We ordered two items: crawfish wild style pasta and green sauce - the green sauce was tasty and paired well with the pasta Bo luc lac - tender beef with lots of onions and bell peppers with white rice

Super quick service. Huge parking lot and cute decor. I had the banh mi chao which was pretty good. Steak,pate, one meatball and two eggs served with the Vietnamese baguette and a small side salad. But I think the cheese was missing and it was rather small on potion size. It wasn't worth the 19 dollar price tag though. I'm not sure if I'll be back, but you may want to give it a shot.

I don't understand why this place is so highly rated. My friend and I ordered 2 bowls of Bun Mam. My bowl was brought out first. The broth wasn't hot enough and the fish was still raw because it hadn't completely thawed. I was so hungry that I left the fish and ate the meat and fish cake. The roast pork was very hard to chew . I had almost finished 1/2 my bowl but my friend's bowl still hadn't been brought out. Meanwhile, the two of us ordered 2 bowls of Bun Mam at the same time. And I reminded the waiter, my friend's bowl of Bun Mam was also brought out and the result wasn't any better than mine. The broth wasn't hot enough and the fish was raw like mine. After that, I had diarrhea all night. It was scary. Opening a restaurant requires a conscience and careful cooking to serve customers, otherwise no one will dare to come back to eat.

PSA: The problem with Loi's Kitchen is that they automatically charge you 18% gratuity for all party sizes. I got charged $13-$14 for the automatic gratuity. Not knowing any better, I added an additional cash tip for another $13 dollars. The service charge is written on the receipt, however, it's a little confusing because in what world does it make sense to charge 18% for a casual dining experience? Upsetting. Food wise, Loi's menu is interesting, good, though unfocused.I mostly came for the bánh hỏi heo quay ($14.49). It's steam woven rice vermicelli noodles with crispy roasted pork. The crispy pork was crispy pork-ing. The pork belly had just the right amount of fat with a thin crispy layer of skin. They serve this dish with fish sauce, which is sufficient though not satisfying the way it tastes with mắm nêm.I also shared the bánh mì chảo ($18.49). It's a sizzling breakfast platter with filet mignon, a pork meatball, eggs, pâté, and a baguette. Unlike other places where the pâté is its own entity, the version here is quite different. The pâté is slathered on top of the filet mignon which, I guess, makes for a convenient bite. While the steak was tender and flavorful, I didn't like meatball whatsoever. It was a literal Italian meatball in tomato sauce which didn't really mingle with the rest of the flavors. Loi's is cool, but heed the PSA.

Gotta have that Vietnamese food when visiting Socal. I mean we have good Vietnamese food in the bay too but when traveling with a parent they have to have some Vietnamese food after eating too much American food during our trip. I was excited to check out Loi's kitchen since they had everything we wanted. It was about a 20 minute drive from our hotel. The owner is super friendly and personable. He even took time to talk to us. I have one kid that loves Vietnamese food and one that is super picky. So this place was perfect. Restaurant is nestled in the corner and parking can get busy. We were greeted and seated right away. Two other patrons were already eating. Wait time wasn't bad and our food came out fairly quick and fresh.On the menu:Cajun fries with teriyaki wings: 4/5 Fries were hot and fresh and I cough a bit with the Cajun seasoning lol. Wings were good and flavorful. I would prefer them to be a bit more crispy. Com bo luc lac: (shaken beef rice plate) 5/5 my kid devoured this! Beef was tender and seasoned well and lots of salad. Banh bot chien: 5/5 I have never finished banh bot chien but I murdered this plate. Cake was crispy and not oily. Tons of eggs and green onions. Dip dip sauce was not salty either. Bun mam: My mom had this so I can't leave a review but she said it was really good and definitely would get it again.Overall a good meal and decent prices. If you want some good Vietnamese food come and support this mom and pop shop!

If you're in a gambling mood this place sells lotto tickets . We were greeted upon entry and directed to take a seat at any open table. The table we sat at was kind of sticky but it might be the lacquer on the table (idk)? Be aware that your eating experience may come with unwanted guests. There were A LOT of gnats where we sat (booth at the front on the left side if you're looking into the restaurant). One or two gnats, okay, but when you have to constantly swat several gnats away while eating, I think there might be a problem ?Banh Hoi Heo Quay - Crispy Pork Belly served with banh hoi (woven vermicelli) and veggies. The skin was crispy, but the meat was on the drier side. After assembling my wrap and dipping it in fish sauce I could still taste how dry the meat was. 3/5Bo Luc Lac aka Shaking Beef - upgraded my rice to garlic pasta for $2 and surprise, surprise, it was not worth it. Pasta was crumbly and was bland, oily, tossed with a wee bit of garlic. Beef cubes were thin, salty, and overcooked (even more so than the pork). The beef was served with sautéed veggies and a green sauce. The sauce flavor profile was predominantly sweet, maybe to balance the saltiness? 1/5 for garlic pasta and 2/5 for shaking beef

Came specifically for their Bo kho and wow. I really enjoyed the aromatics in it. Reminds me of pho aromatics. Smaller portion but it's super hardy and comforting. I got it with the baguette instead since noodles would get too mushy. Their lomo saltado also had an amazing depth of flavor and the crunchiness of the onion or garlic in the egg fried rice was delightful. The fries are fried and seasoned perfectly. Beef portion is alright, pretty normal and consistency is not terribly chewy either. But not the best quality of beef either but overall pretty darn good. I would come back. Service is normal but like most garden grove restaurants, they don't use the AC.

Loi, where are my wide noodles???????---I've visited Loi's Kitchen twice now, both times opting for takeout, and I have to say I really enjoy the convenience of ordering through the Grubhub app--especially since I'm not a fan of chatting in person. I specifically requested wide hu tieu noodles in my order notes and even reiterated this when I arrived to pick up my meal. They assured me it wouldn't be an issue, but unfortunately, when I got home, I discovered they packed the skinny noodles instead.Despite this mix-up, I have to commend the staff for being so friendly and accommodating. The broth, presentation, and all the little tidbits were absolutely perfect, which makes me feel a bit guilty for bringing up the noodle issue. I will definitely be returning, but I'll make sure to double-check my order in front of them next time since I'm particular about my noodles. Overall, a solid experience, and I'm looking forward to my next meal!lets get me the wide Hu tieu noodles and I can bring up the stars!

Unique spot to go to if you're bored of the common Vietnamese classics like pho, bun bo hue, or com tam. The bum mam here is definitely great. The other dishes banh mi chao and kho ha gioi were fine and good quality but I've had better renditions of these dishes elsewhere.