Ben Tre Restaurant — Restaurant in South San Francisco

10/1/2025 update: After a trip away, I always want to come back to Ben Tre and get some pho. This time around, we opted for our favorite dishes: side of 5 spice chicken $12, #15 pho ben tre $19 and #32 BBQ meat & imperial roll vermicelli $18. The waiter from Tart to Tart is still here. Eating at Ben Tre is like seeing an old friend, literally. Ben Tre's consistency is solid.

6/20/2025 update: Ben Tre gets the 2025 Jeff H. Best Pho Broth in South San Francisco award. They are consistently good. We have been fans of Ben Tre ever since their old location, by the gas station. Back then, the menu was a bit smaller. Nowadays, their menu has expanded. The characteristics we love about Ben Tre are: awesome broth, authentic flavors, loaded with meat pho, variety of dishes (dry noodles, soup noodles, rice plates, vermicelli, salads, garlic noodles, etc.) and service. The guy from Tart to Tart on Irving St. is still a waiter here. That guy is pretty awesome. It is nice to see old friends. Great job everyone at Ben Tre. Indoor dining 4/2/2021. An update. Today we had the Bo Tai Chanh (Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio) $13, three item rice platter $13 and the shrimp garlic noodles $15. Food is still awesome here. Indoor dining tonight 3/8/2021. There were seven tables for indoor dining and three for outdoor dining. The wait was about 15 minutes at 6:30pm for an indoor table. 3/4 of the tables were removed because of Covid. Ben Tre is always a solid option for pho. I've been coming here since they were at the last location a few years ago down by the gas station next to the Korean restaurant. Too bad the waiter that used to work at Tart To Tart on Irving no longer works here. He was a familiar face and a great waiter. For their #15 - Pho Ben Tre Dac Biet, I really love how the broth tastes here. Not too heavy and with the right amount of clarity. It comes with generous portions of basil, beef pieces, cilantro, jalapeno, meat balls, sprouts and tendons . Good job Ben Tre. The beef pho was...

My partner & I were craving Vietnamese food a few days ago and decided to try this place for an early dinner. Ben Tre is authentic, from the family who owns and operates it to the food that is served there. My partner is first generation Vietnamese and values a truly authentic dining experience. But our overall experience was mixed, with both highlights and lowlights.

We ordered #12 Muc Chien Don (Crispy Salted Pepper Calamari), #29 Bun Rieu (Tomato Crab & Pork Vermicelli Soup), and #64 Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef). Though we had ordered the calamari as an appetizer, it was the Bon Rieu that came out first, and quickly. When asked if we should still expect the calamari appetizer, the waiter said yes. You could tell he had been asked that question many times before as he went on to explain that soups like Bun Rieu were prepared ahead of time and come out faster.

The disappointing dishes: My partner had ordered the Bun Rieu, one of his favorite dishes, because it received so many compliments in online reviews. He said that it was ok, but lacked flavor. And the lowlight among the dishes was the calamari. Rather than being "crispy" as the menu described, these were very lightly-battered longer strips of rubbery calamari served on a thin bed of what looked like chopped iceberg lettuce with salted, peppered, and very lightly sauteed green bell peppers, onions, and julienne carrots. And this $13.50 appetizer was served with no sauce. At the end of the meal the waiter noticed that we had hardly touched the calamari, and he seemed surprised when we declined the offer to box it up for us.

The clear highlight of the meal was the shaking beef, starring as described "very tender cubes of filet mignon" sauteed with garlic, bell pepper, and onion, served with the garlic noodle option, and all topped with cilantro. I have ordered Bo Luc Lac at nearly a dozen restaurants over the years, and this was one of my favorites. I was glad the portion was family sized because the leftovers also ate well...

December 2022 THE FAMILY RECIPE STILL INTACT 👍 On this winter day I crave for some Vietnamese food and as usual find comfort with the BBQ Pork Chop and Rice at Bến Tre. The meat was well seasoned and fresh tasting, hot from the grill. It made this ‘meat minimizer’ enjoy every single bite. I don’t know how the caramelized sauce was made—with sugar? honey? coconut water? Or all combined? But it gave such a balance of sweetness, saltiness, and spices. And when the sauce was heated on the grill, the charred meat smelled so inviting. The meat portion was generous when the price was still just average. I’m afraid I did a disservice to myself if more of you customers out there know that this is THE best Vietnamese restaurant in this part of the Bay. Oh well, it’s really worth the waiting in line. Thank you Bến Tre for the great tasting Vietnamese dishes and for the energetic and friendly staff that really made me come back to your restaurant time after time. If you ever think that my comments are rather subjective, you’re completely right. It’s just a case of a happy Vietnamese customer enjoying such a good Vietnamese lunch on Grand Avenue.

February 2021 - COMFORT FOOD IN THE TIME OF COVID It was a breezy but sunny afternoon. The outdoor service was open. I couldn’t help but took a seat in the tented area and ordered a big bad plate of BBQ pork chop over rice. Aaahhh happiness is to enjoy my Vietnamese rice plate at Bến Tre. The meat was well seasoned, tender, so tasty. The diluted fish sauce was well balanced. The rice warm and soft. The portion generous. The price reasonable. On top of all that, the service was courteous, caring, and swift even though almost 10 tables were manned by one staff. I named Juan ‘the Staff of the Year.’ Thank you Bến Tre and Juan for making my day so nice. You help me go through my Covid...