Lau Oc Viet Seafood Restaurant

Talk about delicious. 100% love the food here. I was not expecting to be blown away. We came here hoping for Hot Vit Lon aka Balut, but were sad to hear they ran out. Still wanting to give this place a try, we asked for recommendations. The staff recommended their Oc Bieu which was cooked in a lemongrass soup. It was the best broth I've ever had in the area. Their oc was plump, juicy, super flavorful, and accompanied by two great dipping sauces. We also tried their grilled snails with butter + onion, and their grilled snails with lemongrass chili mix. Both were delicious. You can order a half-and-half version. Thinking I might still be hungry after these dishes, I saw they had fried quail on the menu. My mom was excited to try them and when she had a bite, she smiled with glee. The salt and pepper dip was a delightful balance to the crispy fried shell. It's only been a week but my mom's already asking to go back. We went during lunch hour where it was super quiet. I was told this place is cracking on evenings and weekends. We might have to try that one time, but I'm happy this place is open during lunch. Chi Tam in the kitchen, thank you for being such a great chef. You took me back to the streets of Vietnam and I LOVED your dishes. Will be back for more!

If you're looking for a place to bring the Vietnamese elderly in your family, I highly recommend this place. I went here once last year and decided to take my mom and grandma here because we don't get many oc places in Sac. My mom was taken by the decor (Between Christmas and Lunar New Year decor) and loved looking around. They greeted us on the way in and helped me make space for my grandma who was in a wheelchair, so it was great help for me.I like that the owner chatted with my mom and went over the menu with us as it was a bit overwhelming for her since it's her first time. We ended up ordering a few dishes and bun bo hue for my grandma. They both tried a bit of everything and liked it a lot.Garlic Butter Oc - Very savory and sweet. Grilled garlic butter oysters - I savored every sip of the sauce in these. They were so good, it's worth that extra cholesterolCoconut Escargot - A must try here. The coconut sauce was so sweet and light, it served as a good cleanser between each oyster and snail dish we triedBun Bo Hue - I didn't get to try this as my mom and grandma ate all of it, so I'm assuming it's really good by their standards too

Miss the mark on too many fronts, unfortunately.I love seeing new Vietnamese restaurants that try to push the envelope beyond just pho, BBH, and rice rolls that we've grown so accustomed to in Sac. And so when I first saw Lau Oc, I was ecstatic! A place with almost the same namesake as the ever-popular Oc and Lau in Garden Grove? How could I not be interested!One could definitely say my expectations were high, which made it hurt even more when I received the food and it fell short of them. For an appetizer I got the sampler, which came with "chicken wings" that were inexplicably stout and small. Not really sure what happened there. Of course I ordered the escargot as well as the razor clams. The former of which was probably the best part of the meal. The snail was flavorful and had just the right texture and bounce while also being substantial enough for what you pay for. The same can NOT be said for the razor clam dish that had maybe 10 razor clams shells and like 6 actual razor clams? Not really sure what happened there either. I also got the steamed pork and fish clay pot which was excessively salty, and the fish had an offputting flavor that made me think it wasn't fresh. Beyond the OK customer service and relatively clean interior, this was in no way more than a 2.5 food experience which makes me sad because I thought Sac had its own Oc and Lau on our hands.

Great food, great service, fun atmosphere. Fun Vietnamese restaurant. Planning on going again sometime soon!

Came here right when they were opening on Saturday and we were the only ones there. It seems to get livelier at night. We ordered the the coconut oc, the long razor clams, the clams in canh chua soup, grilled squid and fried rice. It was too much food for us to finish. The fried rice was excellent, it was actually my favorite dish. The snails were not as fresh as what you can find near SF so we're hard to get out of shell.We got to chat with the owner and he was very nice and very open to hosting weddings, birthday, etc. He seems like a friendly guy that loves to chat and is open to reconfiguring the space for events.

This place was SO yummy! My friends and I stopped by on our way back to the bay from Tahoe. I ordered the mango salad, razor clams, and frog legs and it was so flavorful! My fiancé got the bun bo hue and it was also really good. The service was a bit slow though, but the food was definitely worth the wait. Kind of bummed that this restaurant is so far from me, but I will definitely visit again when I am in the area!

I confess, I was a little concerned when we walked in at dinner time and saw there were no other customers. But those concerns were immediately swept aside when the owner, Timothy, greeted us and told us about his food.Timothy is a fantastic Host. The pride he has in his menu and in the ability of his kitchen to turn out the highest quality Vietnamese food came through loud and clear. I was sure anything he recommended was going to be great. And, boy, he had a lot of recommendations! As he diplomatically questioned us to see how familiar we were with Vietnamese food (not very), he told us what the restaurant's most popular dishes were. He made each dish he described sound like something we really should try. He told us the name of the restaurant, Lẩu ốc, is Vietnamese for Snail Hot Pot. I told him I didn't know much about snails, having only tried escargot two or three times in the past. He explained the different kinds of snails they offer, contrasting the Vietnamese and French versions on the menu. Noticing we didn't seem too enthusiastic about snails, he started telling us about some of the other rather unusual items on the menu. He said they are known for their Quail and Goat and Wild Boar. Listening to Timothy describing those items, my dinner guest, Evil Morty, turned to me and said, Dude, we are definitely trying either the Quail or the Goat. We settled on the Quail. Best decision ever!Timothy said his various Scallop dishes and his Fried Rice were also super popular, as were the Chicken Wings. We decided to get an order of the Chicken Wings.What brought me to the restaurant was the Banh Xeo, one of my all time favorite Vietnamese dishes. I had seen photos of the dish on the restaurant's Yelp page, but when I looked over the menu, I was surprised to find it wasn't there. Timothy explained that it wasn't on the menu because it's a time consuming dish to prepare and it slows down the kitchen too much when the restaurant is busy. But since we were the only customers in the place he said if we were willing to wait like 15 minutes, he would have the kitchen make it for us special. That was hella cool!While we were waiting for the Bahn Xeo, Timothy delivered the Quail and the Chicken Wings to the table. The Chicken Wings were good, very good. Nice and crispy skin, with moist, succulent meat. But in my opinion, ordering Chicken Wings was a huge mistake, because the Quail was 10x better than the Chicken Wings. The Quail was absolutely transcendent. I swear, it was like a religious experience. One of those dishes that make your eyelids flutter and your eyes roll back in your head. Got damn that Quail was good! So, you know, don't screw up and order the Chicken Wings here. You can get Chicken Wings anywhere. The Smart Play here is to Double Down on the Quail. Just as we finished off the birds, the Bahn Xeo came to the table. I was very, very happy with the dish. If you aren't familar with Bahn Xeo, it's sometimes referred to as a Vietnamese crepe. The "crepe" is a crunchy yellow shell encasing shrimp, sprouts and pork belly. The yellow makes you think it's made with eggs, but it's not. The yellow color comes from Turmeric.Bahn Xeo is eaten by cutting up the crepe and making little lettuce wraps. Impeccably fresh Mint, Thai basil, Perilla Leaves and other herbs are served along side the crepe, as is a delicious fish sauce.The whole time we were enjoying the Bahn Xeo we were alternating between raving about it and the Quail. We were like, oh man, that Quail was Fire! Can you believe this place? How great is this Bahn Xeo? Man, I can't wait to come back here. I wonder how the Goat is? I bet it's great!So, yeah, I definitely recommend this place! I can't wait to visit again. I'm definitely going to get me some more of that Quail. Better order your own because I ain't gonna share. And I'm definitely going to get some Scallops next time. The way Timothy described them almost made me want to kick myself for not ordering them right then and there. And I definitely plan on trying the Snails. And the Goat. Who knows, maybe even the Boar. This place has so many great items on the menu!Evil Morty, who knows about such things, tells me the restaurant is in sort of a sketchy part of town. Wouldn't have known it if he didn't tell me. It didn't look particularly sketchy to me. But if you are concerned about the area, I recommend trying the place for lunch. They open every day at Noon (except Tuesdays, they're closed on Tuesdays).I should note that they have Karaoke here. Not a fan, personally, but whatever. LOLTimothy told us the restaurant has only been open for 18 months, so maybe you haven't had a chance to drop by and check it out.But take it from me, you really need to get over here and feast on some delicious Vietnamese specialties. I'm telling you, this place has definitely got it going on! Get in here and get some!Mikey C says: thanks for the hospitality, Timothy!

Food here is still superb. Service is excellent and the ambience.. vibe is on point!!!! Check it out!

What a great place to dine! Fun and lively atmosphere! Service here was great. The workers were friendly and attentive. The food here is yummy!!We had the fish sauce fried chicken wings. It was tasty with the combined salty and sweet flavors. The shaken beef cubes were decent. The steak pieces were tender. The buttered scallion razor clams and the garlic buttered Vietnamese snails were delicious! I would definitely ordered these two again. The Vietnamese beef tartare was delicious too! These dishes were great especially with some alcohol and music!

Great Vietnamese food. Tasty, fresh, and delicious. The owner, Timothy, is super friendly and accommodating. This place turns into a karaoke bar at night so I recommend going before 8pm if you do not like the loud music. The catfish clay pot and catfish soup is bomb. Must try. Tastes very authentic.