Lotus Restaurant

TLDR: the food is good, but the vibes are SO OFF. given this is a restaurant, i'll start with the food then get into the ambiance. CHICKEN KATSU: really good! it comes with rice and macaroni salad. the menu was a bit confusing TO ME because it didn't technically fall under the bbq section (that had specified what was in it). the breading was really good and chicken was super succulent.BEEF PHO: broth is really good - you can definitely taste all the spices they use. HOWEVER it is lukewarm at best. i'd prefer if it was served Hot! they didn't provide many herbs on the side but that's fine. POTSTICKERS: really succulent and fried well! i have no notes on this. AMBIANCE: oh jeepers ... uhhh. it really ruins the dining experience when you can hear the junior server being screamed at by the manager/head chef/trainer in the kitchen. i'm obviously not sure what had transpired before we got here but the entire time my partner and i were here (maybe 30 minutes or so), there were about 3 instances that made me genuinely uncomfortable that this server was getting yelled at?? i'll come back for the food, sure, but maybe just as a to go order ...

I come back over and over for this food. Particularly for the Hawaiian bbq. This last visit we went in for Hawaiian bbq and my fiancé wanted some Chinese food. Turns out that side of the menu was not available that evening due to a chef calling out. We were offered a few dishes from that menu but decided to go with Pho and egg rolls. It was very nice that they wanted to work with us to make sure we were happy with our menu decisions. Big booth to sit in. Don't let the opens seats deter you away. The Hawaiian bbq was delicious. I got the mixed plate. Everything I could ask for in that meal. Delicious. My fiancé enjoyed the Pho as well. I will be back.

It was a pho kind of day and I was wrapping up some errands in Menlo Park when I decided to order from Lotus. I ordered the chicken pho to-go and it hit the spot. The service was quick and they packaged the soups up well so nothing spilled. The menu seemed somewhat limiting though so not sure I will be back (other than for soup to go).

Come for Phil, stay for the foodWhen we walked in we were greeted by the fabulous Phil who exuded energy and excited. Described the specials in great detail and provided excellent service throughout the meal. We weren't for the duck noodle soup, Hawaiian style katsu, and short ribs which were all very well done. Importantly the meat was juicy. My fav was probs the duck - give it a tryPSA: portions are hefty - 3 dishes to share was enough for the 4 of us

I've been here twice and enjoyed both visits. Their wonton actually has pork AND shrimp. For those of you that enjoy a good wonton soup, there are very few places that make wontons with both pork AND shrimp. I have never been disappointed with the food here. My only complaint is the wontons are on the smaller side. This spot is connected to a big parking lot so parking won't be an issue.The decor is modern and spacious as well. With so many positive reviews, I am shocked it's empty during my two lunch visits. I hope business picks up because I don't want them to go. It's not easy finding a wonton spot that makes them with pork AND shrimp. Service is also great. The owner is very perosnableTheir house fried rice looks good too. That's next visit.

Came here tonight for dinner with my mom- her pick. The spot isn't a hole in the wall, but it's not fancy either. The best description I can give is that it's a clean mom and pop restaurant that exceeded my expectations, and I would definitely come back- thus the 5 star review.Pros: a variety of items to choose from... Chinese (which my mom wanted), Hawaiian (which sounded good to me), and Vietnamese as well (will try that sometime). A large variety of food in a restaurant can sometimes result in a mixed bag of what you get. The food at Lotus though was quite tasty and unique (heavenly noodles). Phil the owner was there and he provided excellent customer service... he was attentive and helpful throughout our entire meal. Cons: it's a little pricey for some of the portions... ordered a small salad, and it was quite small. The pot stickers too, came in an order of 4. And while they weren't very big, they were quite tasty! I thought about ordering a second plate. Menlo Park, as with other Bay Area restaurants, are on the higher side, price wise, so while a little pricey, still fits in with the area. Side note: For dinner, my mom and I shared a few of the Chinese dishes. I ordered a Hawaiian plate (chicken) to go, which my son ate some of when I went home. He said it was really tasty. I thought it looked really good, but was still full from the Chinese food, so I haven't tried it yet. Looking forward to trying more items here (and there is plenty more to choose from!)

After reading other reviews, we were excited to try this place. Went for dinner on a Thursday evening, and a bit surprised by how empty it was. Interior felt recently renovated, but my daughters said it gave them "nail salon vibes." We all ordered different dinner specials, with fried rice instead of white rice. The substitution was prominently advertised as an option on the menu, but our server seemed very befuddled about the request and tapped away on his device for an awkwardly long time.When entrees showed up, one of us got eggplant instead of the kung pao chicken that we ordered, but we decided to roll with it. I got honey walnut prawns, but there were zero walnuts to be found. Food tasted ok, but everything had goopy, sweet sauces (tons-of-corn-starch-and-sugar) and tasted vaguely like fast-food.It wasn't awful, but we all agreed it just wasn't a place we'd come back to.

If I can give this place 10 stars for their pho!!!! Oh my god!!!! I love pho so much and hands down this place has the best pho I ever had!!!! The broth is perfection. The flavors are just amazing. Perfect balance. The meat is so tender and flavorful. I highly recommend this place. Don't waste your time elsewhere. Once you have this pho you will be hooked.

To start off, this place has been a favorite of mine for a delicious Banh Mi! It took a while to find a good one despite living in the Bay Area for a few years but I happened to stumble across this place by accident. Gave it a shot and was not disappointed. The menu comes with a surplus of dishes ranging from Chinese to Vietnamese that provide a true Asian fusion experience. The owner is a kind hearted man that would always make time to converse with customers to make this restaurant feel more welcoming and bring a positive energy to the atmosphere. After having been away from the Bay Area for over a year due to work, I was fortunate enough to come visit again for the holidays and stop by this restaurant and to have my favorite dish again.

This place is heaven! Over a year ago my partner and I were in downtown Menlo Park and were deciding where to eat. We decided to come here for the Hawaiian BBQ. Let me just tell you, we first came in with curiosity but this became a staple when we lived in San Jose. And yes we happily drove the 30+ minutes to be able to enjoy this food. Our standards for Bah Mi's and Chinese food were elevated. We got to know Phil really well. He treats all his customers like long time regulars. About last year in February my partner received military orders to move to Florida. We came to eat here the second to last day before leaving. We were devastated to leave such a good restaurant behind. We have been missing it since.Almost a whole year later we came back to California to spend the holidays with family. We both knew that the first thing we wanted to eat was some Bah Mi and Pho at Lotus. We just arrived at SF Airport this morning and rented a car to come eat here once Phil opened. We were the first customers of the day and he recognized us and welcomed us back in like we were coming back home. We haven't been able to find anything like this. The food is more than amazing and Phil is like family. He deserves all the good business that life has to offer.