Hoa Sen — Restaurant in Garden Grove

This place changed my perspective on vegetarian restaurants. Easily recommendation from me!

Used to always be a proud meathead but had a respect for vegetarian/vegan restaurants as I believed they had to be good to be around. After giving Hoa Sen a try with some friends, I realised that meat isn't always the best thing in a meal. Almost every single order I've had here has been a smash.

The Happy Hoa Sen salad is usually a staple when I go with friends to share. Vegetarian food already feels light in general but this was a great refresher between bites. The Com Dap is a comforting crunchy-ish rice dish that feels like a sure hit with anyone indecisive. The claypot rice is my favourite meal here for sure, reminding me of an amazing rice and mushroom dish at a now closed tapas restaurant. These two rice dishes come with their own sauces if I remember right that absolutely change the way the meal tastes, and not just like adding soy sauce. The house special fried rice is a nice familiar staple for those less adventurous, and it's impressive that there's even vegetarian pork floss! The Mi Xao Gion isn't much to write about though, as I'm not much of a mi xao person.

The servers are all very nice and friendly, with the restaurant making good use of space although on the cozier side. The food doesn't crank out fast but you won't be...

This is our GO TO for authentic Vietnamese! Even if we weren't vegan/vegetarians we would without a doubt still be coming here.

My wife and I have practically tried everything on the menu and every dish we've tried has been 10/10 every time! Even during these incredibly weird times, they managed to impress us with how well presented the take-out orders are. They also package it so neat/tidy that there's no way anything will spill in your car.. think of it as Take-Out Tetris

My wife particularly likes their Bun Hue - broth is light and refreshing with suttle hints of spiciness. She also loves the Banh Xeo which is supposed to be an appetizer, but it's enough to be an entree. I can't say I have a favorite dish because I love them all! But the one thing I do always order is their Nem Nuong or Goi Cuon to help stretch my tummy before I dive into a bowl of soup or a rice dish OR BOTH! Yes, I've ordered two entrees before because I couldn't decide if I wanted soup or rice 😁

Yes, it's true the place could use a little update BUT WHO CARES!! The place is clean, service is excellent, prices are amazing and the food is ridiculously...

Located in a rather dodgy strip mall on Brookhurst, it doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside is veggie heaven! Or should I say nirvana...just take it from all the Buddhist nuns I saw there on my visit. If it's good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me. The interior is modest but clean and pleasant. My bf and I ordered the omelet thing, some fried egg rolls, and the rice with lemongrass chili "chicken" (yum). The portions were very generous; it was more than enough food for the two of us. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs, but everything looked so good! Wish I'd seen Sandya N's rec for the clay pot before I went--will have to definitely get them next time. The young man serving us was very friendly and efficient and overall we had a delightful visit. The iced Vietnamese coffee was a bit of a disappointment because they don't use regular condensed milk, but such is the vegan life. Everything else was very good and I can't wait to go back and try...