Chez Sovan — Restaurant in San Jose

I want to visit Chez Sovan again and again with my family and my friends!

Food/Drinks: Amok, Chicken Curry, Cambodian Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk • Amok - Although the basa fish was not served in a banana leaf like I was expecting (perhaps they may be expensive!), it being in its sauce made me excited to try it! A part of my first meal of the day, my initial bite of it pleasantly shocked my taste buds—steamed, melt-in-your-mouth fish with a sweet and savory flavor. We even ended up taking our little bit of leftover sauce home to eat with rice! • Chicken Curry - This bright orange curry with the colors of the chicken, potatoes, and carrots peaking through was a sight to behold that helped wake me up! It had a flavorful, comforting taste with spices that warmed my body. We took our leftovers home and even were given extra to go with it! • Cambodian Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk - Served with a spoon of condensed milk to mix the coffee with, I was glad to have another refreshment besides water! It had a balanced flavor with the bitter coffee and the condensed milk for sweetness. I just wish I had a bigger serving! • We were also offered a variety of candy for dessert!

Service/Ambiance: Feels like a home and a close community • Bryan welcomed us in and immediately we felt his amazing aura—funny, kind, and like a cool uncle. He recommended dishes to us and throughout our lunch he made us laugh and made sure we were taken care of. It felt like him and his family welcomed us with open arms and served us a home-cooked meal! • Numerous customers came in and made themselves comfortable—conversing with Bryan and their usuals being known by him, walking around, sitting close to the kitchen; we could tell that they were regulars! There were also customers whose older family members recommended Chez Sovan to them—of course, Bryan remembered who they were when they were brought up in conversation. And, like us, there were first-time customers who have seen and heard positive reviews of the restaurant and are now a part of the family—it is now our turn to pass on the torch!

Parking: Somewhat difficult to find parking • We parked on Madera Avenue, a street in the bordering neighborhood, which Chez Sovan is at a corner of. There is a small parking lot close to the restaurant with limited spaces; it was full when we arrived there on a Thursday right before opening...

My uncle has been a customer of this restaurant since 38 years and highly recommended this place to us for our lunch . We ordered the cabbage salad sans tofu , we were blown away by the salad dressing , the dressing was delicious and an explosion of herb flavors , had right amount of tanginess and sweetness. The slaw was crisp and fresh . Ordered eggplant with tofu and the Sovan sauce was so yummy. Another family member ordered chicken kabab and chicken stir fried rice noodles, both of which were cooked to perfection.The portions are very generous. My iced coffee with condensed milk had sweet notes to it, and spot on to beat the summer heat. Food was very light and not too oily . All the dishes had very fresh herbs. It was worth the 20 min drive to this restaurant. Ambience was very South East Asian. Bryan, the owner and host was very friendly and helped us with our vegetarian food options . He and his wife are very customer service oriented. The only negative is the lack of parking in the neighborhood. Best to Uber/carpool to this place. Highly recommend this restaurant for a soothing...

Everything about this place is absolutely great! Well I guess, I could wish for longer hours but it's not a deal breaker. This is definitely a hole in the wall joint only open for 2-3hrs every weekday for lunch. I've already almost had everything on the menu by my second visit, and I have to say everything I've had is good.

Three dishes stand out to me more than the rest, the Amok, grilled ginger fish, and stir fry noodles. Personally, I've never had anything like the Amok and after having it here, I've been missing out. Grilled ginger fish is easily the best thing they serve here, a must order every time. The stir fry noodles remind me very much of pad thai and I quite like it, especially the noodle texture. One other game changing tip, you must ask for fish sauce + chili (it's def spicy). Huuuuge game changer.

The owner is extremely polite and energetic with every customer. Makes the dining experience that much better, he has also hooked it up with some extra curry when we asked to box up our leftovers! Just a small gesture, but something I always appreciate...