Tay Ho Oakland Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Oakland

This modern yet homey restaurant serves common Vietnamese dishes in a simple, neat, and plentiful manner. My bun cha ha noi featured two spiced pork patties sitting in a heaping pile of thinly sliced pork. They sat in a salty and savory bowl of dipping broth with pickled vegetables at the bottom. There was a side of plain vermicelli noodles, sliced cucumbers, herbs, and whole romaine lettuce leaves. The herbs and lettuce being in large whole pieces did make the dish harder and messier to eat, so use your hands to tear them up. Flavors are clean and transparent, as bun cha is somewhat simple. The quantity in meat and vegetables was high, but the dish was inherently light, so all was finished.

My dinner was on a surprisingly busy Tuesday night where I was seated at the last table at 7:45pm. Water was served immediately. We were made to find their menu via qr code. There being one proper server, and the small kitchen kept wait times long; the bartender also served as a waiter but came onto the floor much more unreliably than the main waitress. The surfaces of the table and chair were slightly sticky, as is common in some restaurants. Lamps hang down via long wires from the high ceiling. Tables were a dark and heavy wood. The decoration and furniture were quite nice, and the atmosphere was improved with a moody lighting influenced by controllable lamps on each table.

Prices were higher than other Vietnamese restaurants. The atmosphere is both airy and cozy. Service is quite slow here, it being so busy, and therefore impersonal and maybe inattentive. The food was clean, light, and delicious. I'll come again for a satisfying dish in a...

Are you kidding me?? -- Were my exact words when the waitress drop off the tab. $22 for a bowl of Pho? That was seasoned with black pepper on top? I have gone to well over several close to 30+ Pho Restaurants across the US. And truly never have I been met with such a high price as this. This is well over $10 above average. The waiter said that he goes off "Spoken Word" of what you order and perhaps this was to save us from over paying. Had I known it was so expensive I definitely would not have sat here and ate. Completely ridiculous to not give a menu before seating and expecially expecting us to know what to order.

Update: Per the response of the restaurant. My cheif complaint is not about black pepper. Never have I ever gotten black pepper in bowl of Pho. That's not the issue, I'm not an expert nor Viet. My complaint is the fact that I've never paid more than $15 for a bowl of pho in the Bay Area not even the heart of SF is it that expensive or Down Town LA. Blame it on Covid sure. But a menu at the start would be nice. My review stays the same. Hardly do I ever give a bad review. But unfortunately $22 for regular run of the mill bowl of pho (that wasent even large) is not...

We tried a variety of dishes, including the House Special - Bánh Cuốn Đặc Biệt, the Hanoi Banh Cuon Rolls - Bánh Cuốn Thịt Nướng Xả, and the Classic Spring Rolls.

The Classic Spring Rolls were a refreshing and light appetizer, perfect for a hot summer day.

The Hanoi Banh Cuon Rolls, particularly the version with grilled lemongrass pork were amazing. The pork has a wonderful balance between sweetness and saltiness. The combination of bean sprouts, basil, and soft steamed rice rolls complemented the pork beautifully, and the addition of fried shallots added a delightful crunch.

The House Special offered a combination of three different hand-made steamed soft rice rolls filled with ground pork and mushroom, ground shrimp, and plain rice. It was topped with house-cured beef, sweet potato fritters, crispy roll, and green bean & shrimp fried bread. The variety of flavors and textures provided a unique dining experience.

The only downside was that the sweet potato fritters were not as crispy as...