Benley: A Vietnamese Kitchen

Spicy Green Beans. Nothing else matters.

This place is a hidden gem! My search for delicious phở close to home is over. Got the thinly cut steak, so flavorful and tender and the broth was delicious. Definitely hit the spot. Everything else they were serving looked delicious too. Can’t wait to come back on the next gloomy day to try the brisket.

Pretty standard Viet food for a good price. I had their vermicelli, beef and banh mi. They have good lunch deals so check ‘em out! It’s a good substitute if you don’t want to drive to GG/​Westminster.

This is our local favorite. Filet and potatoes and rice vermicelli with tofu. And of course the green beans. If you are a vegan get the tomato confit with no fish sauce.

I’m surprised. I was skeptical when I arrived, seeing the entire place staffed with non-​Asians and a bowl of phở priced above $ 8. Not your typical Vietnamese restaurant. But the phở was legit. They could have given me more than a pinch of sprouts and the noodles could have been a little less bloated. But the flavor was there. It’s also close enough to home to make the inflated prices worth the savings in gas that I would have spent driving to Westminster or Phở Tasty in Artesia. Just glad there’s a good go to phở place around my hood.

I would consider myself a connoisseur of Phở, and I have to say, this is some of the greatest Phở I have ever eaten in my life. Everything is always fresh and cooked to perfection. The meat is perfectly tender and the noodles are perfect as well. Keep it up, Benley! P. s. you should open a location in Newport Beach!

Four stars because they are always out of the favorites… they need to fix this! Food is awesome a must have weekly meal!
Get the BEANS!!! I love the Curry broth with vermicelli noodles. The filet and beef is amazing as is the Salmon!
Real personal service! THANK YOU KELLY :)

This review is long overdue. I’ve been here many times and the food is always consistent. If you want great Vietnamese food without the bad typical Westminster service then come here. But do expect to pay more. Restaurant is very small with less than 12 tables. Dinner can get pretty busy so expect to wait. Its not good for large parties.
I always order the same stuff when I come here.
Shrimp lotus salad (So refreshing and light) Yum-​O
Filet Beef with potatoes and rice (So damn good)
Partner always gets the phở with meat balls (Ok– but better in Westminster) She honestly doesn’t care for this place like I do.
If you come here for Lunch I believe they offer a pretty good deal that includes half of a baguette sandwich and a small bowl of phở.
Service can be pretty hectic because usually there is only one server that takes orders, drinks, and payments. Just be patient and enjoy your dining experience. Although I think they should hire another helper.
What makes the food so good here. In the kitchen they actually have Vietnamese cooks in the back.
Tip: I believe they do take reservations. But I have never tried it.

Very delicious! Had the pork bahn mi – so fresh and tasty! The spicy green beans are unique and familiar at the same time — a must have. Cute atmosphere, too.

First time here. Greeted right away by two smiling faces. Super nice, and offered a recommendation on the favorite Banh Mi based on customer feedback. I went with the Lemongrass Pork.
Oh myyyyyyy… smells amazing. I asked for it to go, but need to finish this glass of wine… do I rip the bag open and go HAM on this sandwich or wait? I’ll wait. Or not.
Okay, I waited until I got to my next location, couldn’t wait to get home.
The lemongrass pork was bursting with flavor, and the bread was a light crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Absolutely perfect. My splurge to eat some carbs was WELL worth it. I am so coming back. YUMMMMM!

This place is so easy to miss! When I eventually found it, I thought it was closed. It really is a little hole in the wall. When I entered however the place was bustling with the midday lunch crowd. I’m surprised we found a seat as it was crowded. I was immediately disappointed to see there was only one waitress who appeared to be running the whole place including answering phones. However, after our order was placed we didn’t have to wait too long, despite the crowd. I choose the phở lunch special with sandwich. Omg! The phở broth was some of the yumminess I’ve ever had! I would go again just for the broth alone! The sandwich didn’t disappoint either. Overall good food quality was excellent but I think service could be improved by adding more wait staff. Once we reviewed our order we pretty much didn’t see our waitress. But food was so yummy. it was okay… I waited while I slowly sipped my broth :)

modern, romantic ambiance, gourmet menu, flavorful soup with a nice amount of choice meat, if you can handle the extra few dollars, Benley is the best, by phở.

Pros:
1. Anything on the menu is good
2. Good service
3. Nice ambience
4. Can always find a place to park
5. Love the ½ phở ½ banh mi special
Cons:
1. Portion size are small
2. A bit pricey

This my new favorite for Vietnamese! The Spicy Fried Green Beans were great! The Lemongrass Pork Spring rolls were the best rolls I’ve had. My kids all had Phò and it was good too, but my Short Rib Stew was incredible. Service was good; I’d recommend getting there early it is a small place and it filled up fast. Prices are higher than Little Saigon and similar to Château Brodard but I’d rater eat here.

First let me start off by saying it was my 1^st time ever having Vietnamese food. I enjoyed all these different flavors that my pallet has not tasted yet. Melissa our waitress was very helpful on help me choose out a dish. She was very knowledgeable about everything on the menu witch was very refreshing. I ended up trying the green beans witch I recommend as an appetizer. I had Beef Phở soup witch was also delicious. I especially liked the jalapeños that came with it. I like spicy food, and the shirmp & Beef spring roll. All and all I loved all of it… Benley is a nice quiet place with a Zen feeling. The inside has a calming affect & is not a loud place. I also thought that the chop sticks were pretty cool. I was told by our waitress that they are brought back from Vietnam from the family of Benley. I like that they service and food are simply and not over baring. Here are some pictures of my trip there. I’ll be back Benley. Thank you for the experience.

The sandwich is good. The phở is so so. When it says rare beef, i guess no. And the portion of veggie is the most pathetic one i’ve ever seen. The bean sprout is only 6 pieces ish? and few basil :(I know I ordered half size, but this is too sad?
Also the noodle are all jammed. Feeled like prepped long ago and bc no one came so it’s all sticky to a big ball. Took me some stir to separate them.
And the price is more expensive than average.
So I guess won’t go again.

The phở and vermicelli plates are pretty spot on. Love the lemongrass pork rolls. Price is on the high end but worth it based on the locale being close to home. So why 3 stars? The salted cuttlefish as take out was shockingly small portioned. It looked like leftovers that’s been eaten. Maybe they could have fooled us by putting the item in a smaller container. That dish is not worth the price.

LOVE this little hole in the wall. The location is unsuspecting, but the food packs a huge punch.
I like coming for dinner since it’s intimate (good date night spot) but their lunch deals are too good to resist. They offer ½ phở or bun and ½ bahn mi, so you can get the best of both worlds. Side note — their sandwich bread is realllly good.
My all time favorite thing is their spicy green beans, which I could eat all day long and never grow tired. Shaken filet and filet and potatoes are also tender and delicious and they don’t skimp on the meat portions. Don’t forget to grab dessert — you will not regret stuffing yourself with their incredible bananas foster.
Their prices are fair because it’s evident that their ingredients are fresh and quality. Service is also warm and quick. This place is a must!

This place is really good, but the location that will make you ask, what the phở! When I think of great little spots to eat, I tend not to think they will be in a strip mall with a TJ Maxx, Goodwill, And Dollar Tree. Maybe that makes me snobby? I’m not saying I’m too good for those places, they just don’t associate with really good food in my mind — that’s all I’m saying so don’t judge me.
Anyhow, everything they make is delicious. The prices are higher than you’d pay at other Vietnamese spots, but I think it is worth it. Go try the spicy greens, any of the phos, the fillet and potatoes, and the house salad and let me know what you think.
If you don’t like it, you can get a great deal on a pair of Fake diamond earrings at the Maxx.
Enjoy.

This restaurant is located in the corner of a plaza. If you see TJ Maxx, you are in the right place. I did a random Unilocal search before eating here, so I had no idea what to expect. Upon entering the place, I realized that it is a little different than your typical Vietnamese place. The space itself was small and intimate. It was really clean and decorated well with old black and white photographs hanging on the wall.
I came on a Monday night and it was pretty empty. Kelli, our server, told us that Monday nights are usually very busy because they are closed on Sundays. Kelli offered great customer service and was always asking us if we needed anything.
The menu offered a lot of other items besides phở. It is primarily in English with the Vietnamese names underneath, so it is a good place to take people who are not familiar with Vietnamese food. We ordered the lemongrass pork spring rolls, beef vermicelli, and Imperial crêpe. I thought the spring rolls were tasty, but did not have the usual veggies and ingredients that spring rolls typically have. My vermicelli was also delicious and consisted of an abundant amount of beef slices, which was nice. The fish sauce was not too pungent so that’s good if you don’t like the fishy smell. The Imperial crêpe was large and the outside offered a good crisp. I hear their banh mi is really good so I will definitely try it the next time I go.
Overall, this is a good solid place to introduce to your friends or family who are not familiar with Vietnamese cuisine. Although the food was good, the prices were pretty high but that is what you pay for when you eat at a nicer, clean restaurant. I grew up on Vietnamese cuisine so although I don’t think the food items were super authentic, they still tasted good on their own.