Vegan
Asian
Vietnamese
Small place with good food - try the sesame 'chicken' sandwich or rice plates and steam buns. Operated by disciples of master Ching Hai. Also known as "Ben's" after the friendly owner. Reported fully vegan Jan 2018. Open Mon-Fri 9:00am-6:00pm, Sat 9:00am-5:00pm. Closed Sun.
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388 E Santa Clara St (at 9th St), San Jose, California, USA, 95113
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- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 15 Nov 2022 by villain
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50 Reviews
First Review by 20YearVegetarian
solparaiso
Points +20
A big Let down - Edit
Im very supportive of all vegan places but this one was a big dissapointment. The place is dirty and the food is all precooked and sitting there for who knows how long. The egg roll was soggy and cold. The teryaki sauce was gross, tasted like ketchup and bbq sauce mixed together . Everything was rubbery and cold. The staff was pushy and rushed my order after ignoring all the customers. Also they will only take cash which is extremely inconvenient.
Read morePros: The lemon grass tofu and the chow mein tasted good, But were cold
Cons: There are too many better options to go back.bye
Guest
Corona
Points +288
Love this place - Edit
They have so many options I couldn’t believe it was all vegan! So many different textures and flavors !
Read morePros: Delicious vegan “meat” options, Inexpensive
Cons: Only one table outdoor
Guest
bmu08
Points +103
Love the banh mi and drumsticks - Edit
The banh mi and drumsticks are the best here! They have a variety of different dishes to try, very affordable. It's a small place with limited seating.
Read moreGuest
Manderz
Points +74
Perfect hole in the wall - Edit
I found this place while in SJ looking for bahn mi, didn't even realize it was fully vegan until we got there. What an awesome surprise. I stop by whenever I'm in town, or even just passing through. I've tried almost everything and it's always amazing and really affordable.
Read moreGuest
JPJackie
Points +146
Happy Food - Edit
Their food is amazing! It tasted so yummy and left us feeling happy and satisfied! Plus they are doing great work during these times with delivering to health care workers. Definitely gonna come back and support them :)
Read moreGuest
yael
Points +78
Such good soups - Edit
I have only ever gotten three things here because they are so good I never want anything else: the summer rolls, the pho, and the spicy noodle soup (it has these super yummy mushroom stem pieces and delicious chili broth ...). Everything is vegan, the thai iced tea is tasty, and sitting out on the sidewalk is really nice. And if you forget to bring cash to pay, there's an ATM in a shop across the street. One of my favorite places in San Jose
Read morePros: Delicious, Delicious, Delicious
Cons: Only a few tables
Guest
Maricelha
Points +127
Tofoo Com Chay - Edit
Their food is delightfully surprising
Read morePros: Lots of dishes to go
Cons: Small space
Guest
mylesgearon
Points +84
Delicious, cheap - Edit
Unbelievably wonderful variety of vegan meats and soup and desserts
Read moreGuest
naama651
Points +372
Nice little place - Edit
We had the Vietnam soup number 12 on the menu. It was a big dish, made for two in my opinion. The soup was delicious, the owner is very nice! The reason I gave them only 4 stars and not 5, is because they need to improve the cleaning of the place.
Read moreGuest
veganpatch
Points +5252
Great Options - SoSo Take Out - Edit
**Make sure to bring cash!!
Read moreWe were really excited to try this place based on the reviews.
We ordered to go, walked to a nearby vegan donut shop and returned to pick up our order.
$6.50 Veg Sesame Chicken Sandwich: Good but chicken was room temperature and veggies seemed wilty
$9.50 Spicy Noodle soup: This wasn't heated up when we picked it up. It was room temperature at best. The noodles were okay and the veggies seemed fresh.
$4.00 Steamed buns (2): We had asked for these to be heated up when we picked up our order. They had been in the case and it didn't seem like they had actually been heated up. Okay flavor, but could have been better. Still a nice option.
When we visited it was during the week P&G had scheduled power outages. Perhaps this is why our food was not hot? Or they simply try and save money by not heating up the food?
Its unclear but it is a health issue for food to be sitting out at room temperature for extended periods of time. Our tummies did get a little upset, but hopefully this isn't how they actually do business.
It was also extremely inconvenient for our food to not be hot because we are in the area for work and don't always have microwave access at our accommodations.
$3 Vietnamese Coffee: This was way too sweet and I didn't really like it.
The seating is extremely small. Total inside and outside can accommodate about 12 people.
The inside tables also hadn't been wiped down.
The pricing is very cheap and we do hope to return and have a better experience.
Pros: Cheap
Cons: To go food is not heated up, Extremely small seating, Cash only
Guest
sphyxx
Points +60
Good flavor, fun texture - Edit
Really cool little spot, to-go or a few tables available. Fun fake meat and fish textures,
Read moreGuest
badgirlsvegan
Points +2109
Delicious and cheap - Edit
I love unpretentious places with good food. They’re cash only but that’s why it’s cheap I guess
Read moreGuest
moriamerri
Points +76
Casual, enjoyable, good food - Edit
I ate here once a long time ago, and then unfortunately forgot about this place. Tonight I wanted soup, and I'm happy to have something a bit more low-key than vegetarian house. I had the rice noodle soup. Reasonable price, good food, nice informal place to chill for a while. I must remember to come back here when I'm downtown! Love being able to order soup and know it is vegan.
Read morePros: Tasty, Fast, Casual
Cons: Cash only, Limited seating, fine for 1, 2, 3, not for group
Guest
missfury
Points +285
Tiny but mighty - Edit
Glad to finally try this famous downtown spot. For such a small place, the crowd was varied. Would take out in the future, but enjoyed eating there. Decent amount of choices for such a small place, and the value is fantastic.delicious as well!
Read morePros: Good prices, Interesting takes on veg. Asian food, Generous portions
Cons: Small
Guest
astrobelter
Points +46
Sooooo good! - Edit
You have to try this place. Everything is delicious.
Read moreGuest
Robynjoi
Points +61
Wow! - Edit
The food was fantastic. They do an amazing job with flavor and texture!
Read morePros: All vegan , Fast
Cons: Small location , Street parking only
Guest
fitplantbod
Points +34
Must try! - Edit
The food was sooo good .. I couldn’t decide what to get but my choices ended up amazing :)
Read morePros: Lots of choices , Friendly workers , Budget friendly
Guest
CamilaHolm
Points +154
great little place - Edit
ordered the chow mein which had faux meat and egg rolls and both were great. friendly staff. good prices. the restaurant doesn’t look very nice but the food is great and i hope the business does well
Read morePros: fully vegan, big menu, activism signs
Cons: small
Guest
misterunderhill
Points +36
Great Value - Edit
If you're in the area and want to get a big satisfying meal you can't do much better than Toofoo Com Chay. I wouldn't recommend them over Vegetarian House for a large party, but if you want to grab a quick bite with a friend this is the perfect place. Their soups are all excellent, they always have great options for a combo plate and it's all very affordable. When I lived in the area I went here all the time. The only thing to keep in mind is that it's cash only so you'll have to walk over to the next block over if you don't have cash on you.
Read morePros: Great value, Excellent Soups, Fast Service
Cons: Small Seating, Sometimes Crowded, Cash Only
Guest
Rebeli
Points +152
Little Jewel - Edit
What an awesome find. A little place with delicious and authentic food. All vegan. Exceptionally friendly owners. Beware...cash only, but worth it! (And how inspiring to run into a sweet elderly couple who have been vegan for 45 years.) We'll be back.
Read moreGuest
Lich King
Points +40
Brilliant food fast, cheap, and flavorful! - Edit
This place is by far the best one to find cheap, easy, and lovely vegan food. It is my go to place which every week.
Read moreIt is relatively small but, they have a few chairs outside. They do also To-go orders which are super lovely.
I usually get the three item plates which costs around 8 dollars but, it is loaded with food. This is best price you cannot beat it.
Pros: Price, Taste, Choices
Cons: Small area, Hours closes early and closed on Sundays
Guest
schumacher62
Points +488
every tuesday night - Edit
my boyfriend and i come for dinner. we eat, and get take away for our meal the next night. predictable items are in the deli case, but thats what we like the most, this sort of uniformity. there are phos and sandwiches for those who wish, and other vegan items for sale on the counter.
Read moreben, ti and daniel are all so friendly and helpful its hard to stay away. missing a tuesday, we feel guilty about not having let them know we are coming in!
portions are fairly sized, there is brown rice available, and even though the place is tiny there is always a table which opens up just in time.
for meat substitute vietnamese meal, this is the best there is and as good as it gets.
Pros: quality, flavor, choice, first-name service, easy to get to, near sjsu
Cons: sometimes a bit oily, wait a bit long at times, take out seems to be the priority
Guest
20YearVegetarian
Points +17
Awesome! - Edit
I love this place! The food is really good, cheap, quick and the owner is really friendly. They do 1, 2 or 3 item lunches that are I think $3.50, $4.00, and $4.50. The sandwiches are about $2.50. A small tub of veggie grilled pork for takeout is only $3.00 and will make plenty of sandwiches or several dishes at home.
Read moreFavorites:
* Grilled Veggie pork (more like veggie beef to me), by itself or in a sandwich)
* Spicy Soup (it's still good but it used to be better; I heard they changed chefs recently)
* Drum sticks
* Sesame style skewers
* Black Pepper Sausage
* Tartex veggie pate (if you've never had this before you MUST try it; I used to buy it in England all the time when I lived there but can't really find it over here)
* Lemongrass tofu
* Spicy/sweet Dark veggie tofu skin snack things...I don't know what they are called and they don't always have them (they'll be in a container on the counter if they do) but they are really tasty!
...and I think there's some others I'm forgetting. I try and check out a new dish each time I go while getting my fill on at least one I really like.
The only thing they could improve on is the location; it's pretty small and crowded during lunch. The tables are pretty much two people tables with only a couple that will hold more. So go before 12pm if you can or a little after 1. Parking around there is pretty much metered street parking so bring some quarters.
Pros: Food is awesome, good selection also, Friendly owner, cheap and quick
Cons: Small size and number of tables, Parking
Guest
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