Thanh Van Restaurant

I was so happy when I found Thank Van Restaurant two years ago. Prior to that I was making modifications to dishes when dining at Vietnamese restaurants. As a Vietnamese, I love Viet foods above all other cuisines. Of course, I'm bias. I have tried many soups on the menu at Thanh Van and like them all, but my favorite is bun rieu. Every time I come here I do about $30 of carry-out so I don't have to cook for the next few days.

Thanh Van only accept cash and the workers don't really speak English but they're very friendly. The owners were students of a Buddhist temple in Vietnam where they learned to cook vegan cook. Highly recommend Thanh Van!

This place is so fantastically authentic. I could imaging I am in the middle of Hanoi as the ambience is not high-falluting but the food is super tasty and authentic.

It is hard to find as it is in the Eden Center 'Little Vietnam' and you actually have to go into a little arcade to get to it. You cannot see it from the street.

This is the quintessential authentic 'hole-in-the-wall' great food experience you are looking for.

This place is awesome. It's snuggled inside the Eden Center, so if you don't know where to go, you may be frustrated and leave. Please do not! This place requires you to go inside a main door right near one of the road entrances and then just walk a little way down, and you're there.

They have pho and noodle soups galore, definitely a specialty and a saving grace for those who love the idea of pho but can never get good vegan pho (let alone be sure that is is pho). They also have Vietnamese pancake!!! Love it. The sauces are lovely, and go well with the summer roll or spring roll appetizers. They provide lots of fresh bean sprouts, basil, mint, and lettuce for just about everything you order. They also have delicious vegan beverages like avocado smoothie, tea and coffee drinks. Although not on the menu, they have a small selection of items that are made daily like noodles, tofu, and veggie dishes that you just have to ask about - they sit right in a buffet stand as you walk in this small establishment. Oh, and lotus root salad, yes please - who has this, really? Yum! Very authentic flavors made vegan, love it.

They have traditional Vietnamese desserts like cold agar-based vegan custards.

It is cash only. The owners are very patient and kind, but there may be a slight language challenge.

Go for the pho, and try something new - you won't be disappointed!

Of all the vegetarian restaurants I have experienced in my life, Thanh Van Vietnamese vegan restaurant is my lifetime favorite in the United States. Thanh Van is so authentic -- rather than trying merely to mimic meat-serving Vietnamese restaurants -- that I anticipate that omnivores will also love this restaurant.

Thanh Van is apparently at least one or two years old. The owners speak limited English for me to ask more of their history, which also helps the peacefulness of the experience, because of the quiet we enjoy from our language dynamic. I deeply appreciate all that Thanh Van has done for me, and wish to thank them by encouraging people to visit, while the pho is hot.

I loved this place! As a vegan, it was so nice to be able to eat everything there, care free. And...everything as delicious! So incredible to be able to enjoy authentic Vietnamese food freely, without having to worry about the ingredients. And the prices are so low that you can really try everything. A really special place--definitely worth seeking out!

What a great way to warm up on a cold day! Yummy! I had a huge, steamy bowl of Pho so chock full of veggie, noodles, and an assortment of faux meat that I couldn't even finish a third of it! My husband had a gigantic plate of stir fried veggies with faux chicken. The menu is very large. They advertise a buffet, but there were only about 3 things on there that looked like they had been sitting a LONG time. The ample menu more than makes up for this though, and prices are great. This sits INSIDE the mall so if you are using your GPS to find it, it will only take you to the general area. You have to go inside little Vietnamese mall, behind the huge music store. It is well worth the trouble. Also they only take cash.

Their food is excellent! It is healthy for you and the store sells completely vegetarian food. There is absolutely NO MEAT but they do have things that mimic meat and it taste just like the real thing. I eat meat and I prefer their vegetarian Pho over other stores' Pho.

When I am in the mood for great veggie food this is where I go. The place is run by an old Vietnamese Buddhist couple. As far as I can tell the place is completely vegan...but you could eat there and not know it because the menu that they have (I hear they are working on a new one)does not advertise that it is veggie and the couple's English skills are lacking... The traditional Vietnamese cuisine is also so tasty that you might think you are eating meat when you are not. If you want a piping bowl of spicy Pho full of imitation meat that is the best I have ever tasted than this is the place for you!!!
Updated from previous review on Friday March 30, 2012