Thanh Binh II — Restaurant in Lake Forest

This is the most regretful review I've written. My wife and I had been eating at this restaurant since the mid 1990s and during the 30 years we lived in Ca. it was our favorite Vietnamese place. The old menu was full of great combinations. My favorite was the charbroiled pork, shredded pork, meat cake, and rice combo. The nước chấm sauce was always flavorful. The chả giò were fresh, crisp, and flaky and were served with a pile of lettuce, jalapeño, sprouts, fennel, and mint. So, when we came back to Ca. after two years on the East Coast, we were really looking forward to visiting Thanh Binh again. Something had gone wrong during the last two or three years. The menu is now reduced from what it used to be. The rice combinations no longer include shredded pork or meat cake. In the combination that was available, charbroiled pork and shrimp, both the pork and the shrimp were dry and tasteless. The nước chấm sauce was watery and over salted. The chả giò were almost inedible, and served with only a couple of lettuce leaves, mint, and shredded carrots. The reason this is three stars instead of two or one is because the chicken curry stew that my wife ordered is delicious. The service was friendly and efficient as always, but somehow the people cooking the food have lost interest in making it tasty and memorable. We'll always remember the many very good meals we've eaten here over the years but, this is not the same restaurant anymore and we...

Where can I go for great pho in the Irvine/ Lake Forest area? Thanh Binh!! I am so glad I found this place, because previous I going to the horrible Pho 99 just down the street. Pho 99 has horrible service and food quality, but I went because I was desperate for some pho, but now when ever I have cravings Thanh Binh!

I love their Large number 1 Pho special, but the thing that I enjoy the most is the egg rolls. Vietnamese egg rolls can vary extremely from restaurant to restaurant. Some places are crisp others taste old and soggy. Thanh Binh has the freshest tasting viet egg rolls I have ever tasted. I would recommend wrapping it in lettuce and the other veggies provided and dip in the vinegary type sauce. The Pho has a delicious soup base. I'm still unsure if they use MSG or not. The soup is very flavorful on its own, but you can always spice it up or add mint, lime, hot sauce or jalapenos to taste. The Large is enough for two people, but if you are a hungry man like me you won't be let down. The pho includes a lot of meat.. I wish they would slice it thinner, but still delicious. The service is very friendly and attentive, which is a shocker, because I don't expect good service when I eat a Vietnamese restaurant. I am glad that Thanh Binh changed pho experience.

Highly recommended. Pho- shizzzle!...

I have been going here for years - since I was a kid to be exact! This was when their walls used to be a medium shade of pink lol. My dad was a huge pho enthusiast and this was one of his favorite spots.

After my dad passed away when I was 10, we stopped going. We continued on with our lives and I eventually found myself living in LA for 3-4 years and moved back to OC in 2020.

I drove by the shopping center soon afterwards and saw that it was still open! So, I went in and tried it again. Their fresh spring rolls are always* tasty. I LOVE their combo fried rice and their fresh coconut juice. I'm one of those customers that once you find your favorite dish, it is hard to try another one because you just can't get enough of it. I am not a big pho fan like my dad was, but whenever we went here it was like a trip to Disneyland for him LOL.

They never changed anything about their food or service since I was a kid. To be exact, I must've been 6-8ish when we began going. I'm turning 27 this year. To say that about a restaurant shows how much they...