Golden Era 1 — Restaurant in San Rafael

There are already a number of really good Vietnamese restaurants in San Rafael. How did we get so lucky?

Golden Era 1 adds to this line up and offers something different.

The menu is not as extensive or as typical as other American Vietnamese restaurants, but the food feels very home style in a great way! Everything I've tried has been delicious.

I'm not Vietnamese, but it really feels like you are having an amazing home cooked meal. The dishes are so hearty and comforting. Everything tastes like it was made with TLC.

I've tried the Beef Rib Soup, Combo Beef Soup, a special spicy Beef Soup, Beef Shank Stew, Shrimp Fried Rice, Grilled Chicken, Pork Rib Barbecue, and Korean Beef Barbecue. I'm pretty sure the last two aren't traditionally Vietnamese, but the chef includes Vietnamese tasting herbs and sauces with them, and I really enjoyed the fusion.

If you have the Pho, the broth tasted clean and not overly salty. Just the right amount of flavor so you can really pick up the flavors of the fresh herbs that accompany the dish.

If I had a gun to my head I'd pick the Beef Shank Stew as my favorite, but I still have not worked my way through the menu yet.

The food speaks for itself. Do not look this one over.

• Finally came back again and tried the Grilled Chicken. The flavor was unexpected and delicious! I've eaten A LOT of Asian food and never had grilled chicken like this before. This place continues to surprise me with their...

Delicious, authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of downtown San Rafael. I just had the very best bowl of pho ever! The broth tastes amazing - I suspect that their pho broth is homemade. Golden Era looks unassuming from the outside, and I have been reluctant to try it, but this is now my absolute favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Marin. I had the chicken wings and beef rib pho. The chicken wings were generously sized, crispy and fully cooked, yet juicy and tender. I realize I've become accustomed to freezer burnt undersized wings at other local Vietnamese restaurants. The beef rib pho had a huge tender, cooked to perfection rib, AND several large pieces of incredibly tender sliced beef (prime rib? so good!). I'm blown away by the broth! Every other Vietnamese restaurant I've ever been to has the same powdered, tastes like gym socks buillion broth. Okay, maybe Slanted Door and Golden Era 1 have housemade broth.

This is the tasty, high quality comfort Asian/Asian fusion food you've been looking for. And at such good prices! The menu is on the small side, but I think that's a good thing, so they can focus on their delicious dishes. Family run, these folks try super hard to make delicious food for...

Absolutely delicious Pho spot! Broth was super flavorful and the meat was delicious and tender. We also got several appetizers to share in our group, and everything was excellent. Everyone was friendly and attentive to our needs and the food came out quickly. Definitely would eat at Golden Era 1 again!

I would have some suggestions to the owners regarding the space and ambiance: 1) Get rid of the old decor from the previous business that doesn’t fit the establishment. It doesn’t add anything to the restaurant and looks awkward. 2) Maybe add a couple small space heaters to the front of the restaurant, as it gets a little cold by the door/windows. 3) Please consider putting on some radio or TV in the background. It was so quiet, it felt like eating in a library!

The food here is SO GOOD honestly, but the atmosphere doesn’t...