Vietnamese casual restaurant serving noodle soups, savory crepe, spring rolls, banh mi, and simple plate meals with rice, veggies, and mock meats. Tapioca cake and other cakes for dessert. Sells some ready to eat items for takeaway. Under new ownership & fully vegan from November 2021. Off-street parking. Est. 2019 as Nha Hang Chay Hoa Tu Bi Tam. Open Mon-Tue 10:30am-9:00pm, Thu-Sun 10:30am-9:00pm.
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4591 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, California, USA, 92115
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 03 Jan 2024 by Ladulé
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Added by westcornersville on 17 Jan 2019
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102 Reviews
First Review by KellyBone
emilyycu
Points +18
Best ever! - Edit
Kindest staff and some of the best vegan meats and Vietnamese food I’ve ever had.
Read moreGuest
vegvibez
Points +244
Best food in SD - Edit
Holy cow. I am truly amazed by how authentic this food was and how many options there were! I was overwhelmed (in a good way) by the amount of food on the menu and how sooo much of it is GF. The staff were so friendly. I would eat here everyday if I could. I wish they had more locations! #Veganuary
Read morePros: So many options!, Gluten free options , Authentic food
Cons: Expensive (but worth it), Atmosphere… eh
Guest
Headeik
Points +55
Incredible food - Edit
Incredibly delicious Vietnamese food. We tried a ban mi and the lotus salad. Everything was so fresh and tasty. The host/waitress was very kind and let us try some dessert. We will be coming here again and again!
Read moreGuest
NicoleParks
Points +2336
amazing vietnamese food - Edit
food was incredible!! tried the pork belly banh mi and dried pho noodle with crispy chicken. they also gave us free dessert which was really good!!
Read moreGuest
TamlynShimizu
Points +366
Just go! - Edit
Amazing food, water and creme brulee. I really loved the Helen buns and crispy beef buns and the creme brulee. They will sing on your birthday!!
Read moreGuest
Ladulé
Points +604
Unparalleled dining experience, but expensive. - Edit
Not only is the food delicious, made in house (tofu, mock meats, soy sauce, etc.), and fresh, but the staff is lovely.
Read moreThis restaurant is the pinnacle of vegan dining, and very affordable with decent portions. Will be my go to.
Update 12/2/2024:
They have increased prices to an prohibitory level. You used to be able to get a tofu bahn mi for around $5, now that's around $20.
$13.20 for French fries is probably the most absurd thing on the menu.
Equally shocking is that this restaurant is in a low-income neighborhood, so although it used to be a place where locals could grab some nutritious food, it is now impossible.
It's a shame that this is what they have to do to survive, but that's the climate we live in.
Updated from previous review on 2024-12-02
Pros: Incredible food, Variety of options, Amazing staff
Cons: Expensive
Guest
Dunori
Points +293
Pricey but amazing - Edit
Just got back from vacation in Vietnam 🇻🇳 so I had my taste buds ready to compare and this place definitely did not disappoint - the food here I had was easily just as good if not better than I had over there; only thing it cost significantly more but arguably worth it and the staff is very friendly.
Read morePros: Best vegan 🇻🇳 eats you might ever have
Cons: Pricey; especially compared to food in 🇻🇳
Guest
Gopala108
Points +3865
amazing all vegan Vietnamese food with plenty of choice - Edit
I was excited to try Thanh Tinh Chay. It has a five star rating on Yelp. In 2022 Yelp rated them number four out of the top 100 vegan restaurants in North America. Anticipation.
Read moreThere are 240 vegan dishes on the menu. Talk about choice!
Simple ambience here that was sufficient.
The water was infused with fruit and was very refreshing, I opted for the Bun Thanh Toan Vermicelli aka Thanh Toan Noodle Bowl. It was amazing. Tasty. Fresh. I loved the homemade hot sauces clearly labeled in the bottles. A lot of care is taken with the food here and everything is made from scratch including the tofu.
Thanh Tinh Chay met my expectations. As some other reviewers have stated it is costly aka expensive here. This is true yet I found the entree just a few dollars more than anywhere else although I only got one entree without an appetizer or soup. DIning out can be expensive yet is a nice treat and especially worth supporting an all vegan restaurant like here.
They kindly gave me a complementary vegan flan for dessert after I finished the noodle bowl.
I look forward to returning here again next time I am in San Diego.
Pros: friendly staff, plenty of choice, tasty all vegan cuisine
Guest
brieskis
Points +245
Unassuming deliciousness - Edit
Don’t judge it by how it looks from the street. It’s a cute little casual place with friendly staff and delicious food. They make all their own faux meat, some of which you can (and should) buy on site to take home. The meal was absolutely delicious. Our favorite was the Helen Buns, but the ‘pulled pork’ Banh Mi and Coconut Crème Brûlée were also amazing. Ask the staff for suggestions. We will return next time we’re in San Diego for sure.
Read moreGuest
CommanderZander
Points +39
Possibly Best Vegan Restaurant in SD - Edit
Delicious, many options, very friendly.
Read moreNote - they do seem to be putting special effort into getting 5 star reviews, which explains the high ratings. However, they did this in a ethical way. Rather than directly asking, they simply tried to impress us with food. So that's not much of a problem.
Pros: Big all-vegan menu, Delicious, Enough protein for my diet
Cons: Introverts might dislike the attentive waiters?, Mediocre parking
Guest
JakeFuller
Points +1554
Amazing - Edit
It’s not too often I am extremely impressed with a vegan restaurant. It’s everything they do here—special water to perfect textures. Each item was perfectly crafted and tasted incredibly delicious. The crème brûlée was better than most non-vegan versions I had years ago. Very friendly staff, amazing food, and worth the few extra dollars.
Read moreGuest
CuriousDeer
Points +118
Good food, rare unique place - Edit
Enjoyed their noodle bowl “Dan Dan “ with bok choy and some plant based beef and good flavors /spices. Did not enjoy the Vietnamese crepe but there are many interesting other items to try next time. Unfortunately the main two things that will keep me from returning often is the location, not easy to get to for me, and the prices are quite high for the amount you get. I guess that’s everywhere these days but, every dish including most or many “appetizers “ is over $20. Still, unique place that I wish there were more of in San Diego. Very attentive and kind staff.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-07-11
Pros: Great flavors, Tons of vegan options , Delicious infused water
Cons: Prices , Location
Guest
Vatchka
Points +22
Huge menu great food - Edit
All vegan menu with amazing choices. Service was also excellent
Read morePros: Beef style noodle soup, Desserts , Even the water is amazing.
Cons: Parking is tight. But they have a lot to park.
Guest
Sunii
Points +20
AWESOME - Edit
The food was very delicious and the staff is very kind and helpful! 😊
Read morePros: Delicious food, Fast Service, Very Kind staff
Guest
estherMata2
Points +100
Good food and friendly service - Edit
Good service and delicious food. We had the Pho Tofu and the Pho Bo that were very tasty. We also had the cheesecake and flan (we at too quickly and don’t have a chance to picture). Both were exceptionally delicious! And can I just say that their water that infused with whatever deliciousness was very refreshing!
Read moreGuest
Cali.Kat
Points +28
As a gluten free vegan, I could eat anything! - Edit
The owner came out and talked to everyone in the restaurant. Everything is gluten free and vegan and organic and so so good! I had a hard time choosing and the waitress suggested her favorite, glass noodles and I was pleasantly surprised.
Read morePros: Gluten free AND vegan , Delicious food, Friendly staff
Cons: Parking
Guest
RisBurton
Points +1078
20th + time here - Edit
The food here is good. We are trying different items each time we come. I only wish they served brown rice. The food is inexpensive and decent.
Read more12/3/2023
We haven't been here in years since the menu changed. The menu is jam-packed with soo many more menu items. The wait staff was soo helpful and kind.
Updated from previous review on 2023-12-04
Pros: Great staff, Very, very tasteful
Cons: The prices have increased
Guest
VeganLion777
Points +216
Best Vegan Organic Vietnamese Food! - Edit
Vegan and Organic! There is no Vegan Vietnamese restaurant anywhere except for here !!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-11-19
Pros: Vegan , Organic , Over 200 menu options!
Guest
lovebeachesandturtles
Points +96
Good food - Edit
We ordered the kung pao rice plate. One with venison and the other with beef. Both were good. Finished the evening with some crème brullee, which was really good. Even the fruit infused water was a step up from other places that just put a cucumber or lemon wedge, with a mix of five ingredients.
Read moreStaff was helpful and attentive to explaining everything as to their ingredients and processes with making the proteins. Great service making sure everything was going well.
Updated from previous review on 2023-10-20
Guest
jlusin
Points +425
Awesomeness food - Edit
The food was so delicious, organic, they make their meats, tofu
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-10-10
Pros: Food, Atmosphere , Delicious
Cons: Pricey
Guest
deckle
Points +146
Delicious vietnamese food - Edit
ordered 180 with vegan sausage protein and medium spice, it was delicious and filling, very flavorful.
Read moreGuest
CupidsWaterBearer
Points +22
Helen cultivated a sublime menu and team, this place is a must try and come back - Edit
We have been coming here for the past 10 months to explore their wholesome, scratch-made-in-house menu. Trang is wonderfully intuitive, always pointing us and whoever we bring in the right direction for recommendations.
Read moreGuest
Dafna-bar-el
Points +135
Amazing food and service! - Edit
Everything was super special and delicious!
Read moreThe service was great and they free deserts are such a treat.
Pros: Delicious food, Good service, The deserts are really special
Cons: Too many yummy options to choose from 😋
Guest
BanezaM
Points +644
My Favorite Restaurant in SD - Edit
I love this place. I’ve been several times and it’s always tasty and fresh. All ingredients are organic and house made. Their water is also delicious!
Read moreGuest
Finnagetveganfood
Points +72
The best soup I have ever had - Edit
OH MY GOD this place has straight up gourmet soup. I got the Vietnamese Duck Noodle Soup (mi vit tiem) and every single ingredient was perfectly cooked in this delightful broth. They make everything in house and you can taste the quality.
Read morePros: Delicious, Huge menu
Guest
prettyinglamour
Points +216
Fresh food. - Edit
Very very inexpensive natural fresh food, it was all very good, I even took some food for later. I will really let people know of this location, it is very good.
Read moreYou might have to specify no egg, though because in the fried rice they put egg.
Since the changes in ownership prices are pretty high. It's still really good and highly recommend.
Updated from previous review on 2022-02-06
Pros: Lots of vegan options. Very courteous staff.
Cons: They put egg on the fried rice. Waited a bit long , Busy at times, Prices are high
Guest
KiroFu
Points +40
Amazing!! - Edit
Everybody is super nice. They make you feel like home. This is the best vegan food I’ve tried.
Read moreGuest
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