Blue Monkey Cafe & Restaurant

The bun cha Ha Noi here is really good. The grilled meat tasted like charcoal or wood grill

Just walking around in Vietnam town in San Jose, thinking what to eat. This was the first restaurant by the our parking spot. The menu looked interesting and as I saw dry noodles on the menu I had to try.I have been looking for good Vietnamese restaurant with good dry noodles, specifically dry clear noodles. I have tried a few and not every place met my expectations.My husband was intrigued by the chicken feet salad so we also got that. I was hopping to try the Che Sam Bi Dao ( sone kind if dessert per menu), but they ran out so I got the iced coffee.The noodles were very tasty, and the soup that came with it... wow the rib! The little fried lard pieces pushed it to the next level. All dry noodles should have these lard pieces. A 5 star !The salad was poached boneless chicken feet with mango. There were no vegetables so we were a bit surprised it was called salad. But I guess it was cold . The chicken feet were crunchy and mango fresh. The dressing/sauce was sweet and tangy. It tasted more like Thai food without the heat. 4 stars.The coffee was a bit too sweet, and not as strong as the other cafes su da I have had in the pasts. 3 stars The service was good and place was a bit noisy as an Asian restaurant normally is. Overall we had enjoyed our visit and will definitely go back again.

These owners are downright terrible for stealing tips from their employees and refusing to pay workers their rightful wages. They're nothing but greedy scammers who have no respect for their staff.When we leave a tip, it's meant for the servers, not for the owners to pocket! It's disgusting how they take advantage of their workers like this.PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THESE TYPE OF BUSINESSES!

Came here on a Friday night at 9pm as a group of 2 and the place was still pretty packed! We were seated with no wait, but there weren't many open tables! ~The food~As a group of 2, we ordered the following:- A2: Bun Cha Ha Noi (for 1, $24.95): Very generous portions! We ordered the "for 1" size but it was plenty for two people! The platter comes with a generous portion of delicious grilled pork belly slices that have such a nice chargrilled flavor! The lightly sweet and savory flavor of the meat was perfect when we wrapped everything in the rice paper (which you have to order separately! Some more details on that below!). The pork patties were also well seasoned and cooked! Love the fish sauce (I think?) dipping sauce! It's like the typical dipping sauce that is often served along side spring rolls, and this one was just perfect, not too salt or sweet! - Side order of rice papers ($3.95): I could be totally wrong, but I did see a lot of folks ordering a side of rice papers with the platters (Bun Cha Ha Noi or the Bun Dau Mam Tom) so that they can make spring rolls using the two! We followed that pattern and ordered the side of rice papers which say that there is 10 rice papers, but ours came with closer to 20 rice papers! - C1: Ga Quay Xoi La Cam (Quarter size, $16.95): A quarter size of the fried chicken served with some purple sticky rice! This dish was not bad; the fried chicken skin was very crispy, with no thick batter. I will say it was a bit challenging to eat the chicken as there a lot of bones and I didn't quite know how to effectively get the meat off the bones. The purple sticky rice was VERY sticky and had a slight sweetness to it! ~Parking~There is parking in the plata, but it did seem a little limited as many of the spots are labeled as 15 minute loading zones, so you may need to account for some time to look for a good spot! There a lot of restaurants in the same plaza so during peak meal times, it may be challenging to find parking! ~Overall Vibes/Service~I really liked the vibrant and lively atmosphere of this restaurant! The staff were pretty friendly and the service was quite fast and efficient despite being decently busy! The staff kindly offered some takeout containers for our leftovers too :) I'd say this place is definitely worth a try and I'd love to go back and try out their Bun Dau Mam Tom!

My friend recommended me this spot for us to have dinner and catch up and YUM! Nestled in Vietnam Town in SJ, I can see why this place gets so busy! The platter for 2 is so convenient, you can either build your own vermicelli bowl by yourself or eat it one by one directly from the platter (thats how we did it) I was pleasantly surprised by their drinks! I got the Green Thai Tea with Strawberry and it did NOT disappoint. Very fragrant. Very yummy :) Definitely recommed this place for your next yap session over yummy eats.

Glad to find a place that opens late. Came here on a Wednesday night. They close at 10pm but still pretty packed at 955. The menu and the big tv inside is definitely attractive. We got the hu dieu nam vang with soup, razor clam and pig egg salad. Pig egg salad was a little dry. Razor clam was dry and blend. Soup noodle could use more ingredients. Good place to hang out with friends here.

Came here on a weekday, hoping that there wouldn't be much of a crowd, but we had to wait around 20 minutes for a table. It seems they are known for their seafood dishes and their large noodle platters, which was definitely delicious and great for sharing with a group. The platter came with pork, egg rolls and meat balls, vermicelli, mint and basil, peanuts and thai chilis. The fish sauce it was served with was very good and has a very rich flavor, and a little definitely goes a long way. Their mild coconut sea snails were very tasty, albeit, a little challenging to eat. Don't make eye contact with anyone while eating snails, haha. Overall, the food was very delicious and I can't wait to come back and try more things.

Saw this restaurant through Mimi hoàng hậuđít bự (Queen Big Butt) on Instagram and decided to try it while I'm in San Jose. I've been out of the country for almost 3 years in a place where they do not have real Asian food. So I was so excited to eat some real Vietnamese food at Blue Monkey. My dad and I came here for brunch on a Monday. It was not busy at all. We were instantly seated.My dad and I each got a Hu Tieu Nam Vang (Dai) Kho. For appetizers we got Banh Bot Loc and grilled oysters. The Hu Tieu Nam Vang (Dai) Kho was delicious!!! The black sauce they give you with your Hu Tieu was very flavorful and savory. I love clear glass noodles!!! The Banh Bot Loc really hit the spot. I miss Banh Bot Loc so much!!! I forgot about this wonderful Vietnamese dish until I saw it on the menu!!! So good!!! The grilled oyster was my favorite!!! I highly recommend this as an appetizer. All the oysters were a good size. You get your moneys worth and it was so delicious!!! Yummy oysters!!! Overall I had a very fulfilling meal at Blue Monkey and will be back to try other dishes!!! I might be bias because I haven't had any real Asian food in almost 3 years..and will probably think most if not all Asian food is good right now. Please keep that mind.

The food was REALLY good and the price is really affordable for a high school student. The owner and staff were very friendly and the ambience was amazing

The food was amazing especially for the price. The staff was extremely nice and the service is put of the question and the ambience was 10/10