Banh Cuon Tay Ho

Banh Cuon Tay in San Jose is officially living rent-free in my mind. If you’re looking for peak comfort food that hits the spot every single time, this is it. The bánh cuốn is actually immaculate… the rice sheets are so thin, perfectly translucent, and have that elite chewy texture without being mushy at all. Everything feels incredibly fresh, from the pork and wood ear mushroom filling to the massive plate of herbs they give you. The nuoc cham is perfectly balanced too, which literally makes or breaks the whole meal. The service is always super quick and the staff is incredibly sweet, even when they’re absolutely slammed. It’s just an ungatekeepable neighborhood spot that deserves all the hype, and I’m already planning my next visit. 🥢🔥

An authentic Vietnamese restaurant that has been around for a while. Their menu is pretty diverse with an array of dishes like cơm tấm (broken rice plates), phở, but most popular for their bánh cuốn (rice paper dishes). I got the bánh cuốn tay hồ đặc biệt for $19.00 (rice flour paper specialty plate) which came with their original and pork & mushroom filled bánh cuốn, beansprouts, fried sweet potato with shrimp, Vietnamese ham, fried egg roll, fried mung bean ball, and a side of sweet Vietnamese fish sauce to dip everything with. The main flavor profile of the dish is from the nước mắm (fish sauce) – it was on the sweeter side. I wish I got the spicy version and that there was garnishing to add more complex and herby flavor to it. The rice paper was soft, floury and slightly chewy. Mixing everything with the beansprouts and fish sauce made the dish feel healthy. My favorite component was the fried sweet potato and shrimp – it gave the meal a crunchy texture and a palette reset from the fish sauce. Overall good portion size and decently priced.

Craving banh cuon and bun. Flavorful and good texture. I wish they could char the meat like the gold old days but still very nice. Empty bowls to fill pre-made fish sauce and can add spice to your preferred level. There was a sour and sweet drink that blends with sparkling water that was refreshing. Service was nice and efficient.

Came for dinner on a weekend. There was one table left so there was no wait. The food was good and came out quickly. The Vietnamese coffee was strong. Smoothies came in to go cups which was helpful since they were large and kids didn’t finish by the time we left. I thought the traditional Banh cuon was good. The shrimp and pork were relatively overcooked and dry.

Highly recommend this place. Their banh cuon tastes exactly like the one I made at home, which is made from fresh rice instead of dry flour. It has a distinct traditional flavor that if you don’t make it in the right way, no way it will have that flavor.