Banh Xeo Ngon — Restaurant in San Jose

Banh Xeo Spot on Silver Creek – A Crispy Coconut Masterpiece in the Heart of Viet Town

When my partner and I are craving something green (but not too green), we head straight to capital express way for our go-to veggie fix: the beloved Vietnamese coconut crepe, banh xeo. If there’s one silver lining to French colonialism (and let’s be real, there aren’t many), it’s the culinary crossover that gave us this golden, crispy, coconut-laced delight.

Traditionally stuffed with shrimp, banh xeo can be customized with pork or chicken, but here’s a pro tip straight from a pair of loyal regulars: stick with the original. If it ain’t broke, don’t hit it with chicken. The magic is in the details—crispy coconut batter kissed with chives, topped with lightly sautéed bean sprouts, and served with their signature carrot vinaigrette dipping sauce. One dip and your taste buds are doing the Electric Slide. This is not your average lettuce wrap situation—it’s a handheld flavor bomb wrapped in crunch and nostalgia.

Feeling extra? Add the banh khot—a smaller, thicker, pot-pie-esque cousin of the banh xeo. These mini crispy cups pack serious flavor and are the kind of thing you’ll find yourself Googling at 1 a.m., wondering if anyone delivers. Spoiler: they don’t. Get it while you’re there.

The restaurant itself is small—intimate, if you will. About 15 to 20 seats inside, and a modest patio area outside for those who enjoy dinner with a little neighborhood ambience (read: Teslas playing bumper cars in the parking lot and the occasional RV that may or may not be someone’s permanent residence). But between the charming pink flower walls and that distinctly local energy, you’re too busy vibing with your crepe to care.

This spot isn’t trying to be flashy—it’s a no-frills, flavor-first staple of the San Jose Vietnamese community. Family-run vibes, solid prices, and food that hits harder than your mom’s best soup when you’re sick. Whether you’re new to banh xeo or it’s already in your rotation, this spot is a must for anyone who respects crispy edges and coconut...

I actually walked into this restaurant blind. I moved in January of this year and haven't had the time to look around the city to check out good eats. I figured since I had plenty of time before work today, I thought I'd drop by to check out the place.

First thing I notice is how narrow the restaurant is with one major walkway down the middle with table sitting against the walls. Not too small, but it was good enough to walk past without bothering anyone eating. Got seated, and ordered a báhn xèo (Vietnamese savory crepe) with mushroom, tofu and shrimp with a one order of spring rolls (2pcs) and a fruit tea drink.

Plates come by with a bowl of Romain lettuce, basil and cilantro, and I realized just how BIG the crepe was. It was stuffed with plenty of bean sprouts, surrounded by the mushrooms, shrimp, and tofu. I learned that you wrap cuts of the crepe into the leaves and dip it into the sauce.... I'll tell you something though, I love texture, so when I bit into the leafy goodness, I was in heaven. You could taste a bit of each ingredient in the bite with crunchy, slightly buttery taste with the fresh basil and cilantro.

I tried the spring rolls and my goodness, it's hefty, large, and in charge. The spring rolls are very filling and quite a mouthful. They don't skip out on the meat either so each bite is not too the broom with fresh herbs and meaty goodness that you can do into this sauce. I'm not quite sure it's a peanut sauce since it was dark in color. It was probably hoisen (oyster sauce).

I was planning on only eating half of the crepe and taking the rest too work but ended up finishing it, and paying for my food. It's definitely worth trying it since there's not a lot of restaurants similar to...

We gave this place 1 star because the bad dinning experience and the server's attitude!! We had been there once a while for a few years now, the service was never friendly, but we accepted it as it is. We knew the service at Asian restaurants are never friendly and the servers usually are unattentive. This recent experience was the worst! The older lady/server who took the orders has always been there these years. She never smiled nor ask you how/if everything ok all these years. But this time she was very rude and yelled at us for asking something different for the green vegetables that came with the Banh Xeo. She replied 'Why didn't you said so in the begining?!!' God forbid if you made her do extra work!!! Whenever we asked for something extra, she made us feel guilty! We learned from past experiences that we even prepared and bring our own extra lemon slices and napkins. But still she is unhappy to serve customers for something different!

When we asked for box for leftovers, she looked at our table 3 times before she is willing to give us what we asked, and that was after she came over to inspect our table to see what we have left. WHY do we have to justify for what we asked? Are we not paying customers? We do NOT owe her any money (this is what her face and attitudes show as if we do owe her money)!!

We told her that we will not be dining there again! At Vietnamese restaurants, they don't seem to care about their customers and yet they expect to get good tips. They don't understand that 'customer gratitude' (tips) are earned, not entitled!! Good customer services lead to more...