(323) 644-1600

2396 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039 34.0999 -118.259

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Neighborhoods: Silver Lake, East LA

GINGERGRASS.COM

Years in business

Established in 2004

Hours:

Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm, Sat-Sun 11:30-5pm

Sun-Wed 5pm-10pm, Thu-Sat 5pm-11pm

Last updated 1.24.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Restaurant Special Features:

Casual Date Spot

Cuisine:

Vietnamese

What People Are Saying About Gingergrass

Featured Review

Kelly Wardle

Contributor

Natural decor and soft lighting create a welcoming environment at this casual Vietnamese lunch and dinner spot that’s popular with couples and groups (this being Silver Lake, the crowd skews towards young hipster couples and families). The menu features a variety of Vietnamese favorites, including standards like pork-and-shrimp summer rolls, beef, chicken or pork noodle bowls, and banh mi sandwiches; non-meat eaters will find vegetarian- and vegan-friendly options like vegetarian pho with mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, ginger and baked tofu in a vegan broth over rice noodles, and the…

ambiance
88.10000419616699% positive
  1. “Nice decor bad food”
  2. “It has a great atmosphere coupled with good, classic vietnamese fare.”
  3. “This new "LA-hip" joint in Silverlake serves up solid Vietnamese staples in a great atmosphere for good prices.”
  4. “The decor is warm and modern and the ingredients themselves seemed very fresh, loved the staff and the prices are great but the cuisine is so horrific that i'd rather open up a pre-packaged box of ramen noodles.”
  5. “This restaurant has gotten my money and patronage since opening and used to be my favorite place to eat - fresh, tasty food, reasonable prices, nearby location, you know, all good stuff.”
  6. “Every time someone enters the restroom (which is right next to a couple of tables) you get a nasty smell and a view of the toilet bowl - Not a very nice experience for a night out, even at cheap prices.”
  7. “We also had a "magnificent view" of the toilet.”
dessert
75.0% positive
  1. “It tasted like a warm desert dish with fish and the cold noodles on the side.”
  2. “(Oh yeah, we ordered the vietnamese coffee ice cream for dessert, creamy, fluffy, with a hint of coffee and served with best gingersnap cookies i've ever had.)”
drinks
60.0% positive
  1. “(Oh yeah, we ordered the vietnamese coffee ice cream for dessert, creamy, fluffy, with a hint of coffee and served with best gingersnap cookies i've ever had.)”
  2. “Gingergrass has an application for an alcohol license pending, so they'll probably soon be offering overpriced wine and implementing corkage fees.”
  3. “After being told it would be a 20 minute wait, and standing in the cold outside for 50 minutes we were finally seated( my friends wanted to leave, but they kept saying we would be next)If they want to operate on a 'no reservation' basis, then get organize”
  4. “And, due to their lack of liquor license, you can hop across the street to the awesome Silver Lake Wine Store and score some interesting beers to bring in.”
  5. “The server had great drink suggestions, and we ordered the specials.”
food quality
76.85999870300293% positive
  1. “Nice decor bad food”
  2. “and the worst thing is that when they're carrying too many dishes, they lean them against their sweaty body with dirty clothes.”
  3. “It's fresh Vietnamese-inspired food, but there's nothing like the real thing”
  4. “It truly seemed as though the staff was making a strong effort to be rude, the embarrassing part for them really being that the food isn't even minutely good enough to be flaunting such an attitude.”
  5. “Growing up Vietnamese Chinese I'm pretty picky about my those aforementioned dishes because homemade was always the best or living in the San Gabriel Valley and being driving distance to Little Saigon you could get authentic and good almost anytime.”
  6. “We love the food.”
  7. “It was my first experience with vietnamese food, and I really enjoyed i.”
  8. “love the shaking beef!”
  9. “This place is fantastic - super flavorful reasonably priced dishes.”
  10. “fish/seafood. For the previous reviewer who complained about the price, I don't think $5-$6 is much to ask for a large bowl of delicious, authentic pho that equals my family's homemade dishes.”
  11. “only had one gross dish, and it was right when they opened (it was a fried beef salad).”
  12. “LOVED shrimp chips growing up.”
  13. “ordered the sweet and sour seafood canh chua ( a type of hearty noodle bowl) and it tasted like 1 part dishwater with 1 part watery bad fish stock, it was just disgusting, I wouldn't give it to my dog.”
  14. “The Vietnamese sandwiches were pretty awful.”
  15. “Their sandwiches are clean, large and filling!”
  16. “Fresh delicious vietnamese food”
  17. “The decor is warm and modern and the ingredients themselves seemed very fresh, loved the staff and the prices are great but the cuisine is so horrific that i'd rather open up a pre-packaged box of ramen noodles.”
  18. “Fresh, delicious, and healthy food with no attitude.”
  19. “Love the pork chops”
  20. “We ordered the Gingergrass fresh rolls, which was a suped up summer roll, packed with avocado, crab, and a good amount of mint and/or basil.”
  21. “all others carry this air of righteous superiority, informing us the "proper" way to eat certain dishes, never smiling, ignoring water glasses, ignoring eye contact, ridiculous delays in delivering the check.”
  22. “My grandma would fry them in a big wok in our backyard, crispy, shrimpy, yummy!”
  23. “The Curry Claypot is delicious, as is the Shaking Beef.”
  24. “My friend's entree was undercooked and he might as well order hot water because his soup had no flavor at all.”
  25. “This restaurant has gotten my money and patronage since opening and used to be my favorite place to eat - fresh, tasty food, reasonable prices, nearby location, you know, all good stuff.”
  26. “Good food and as a previous user stated "authentic vietnamese" food but it's still good.”
  27. “While not necessarily a place I'd go for a "special meal," Gingergrass is consistently of good to above average quality: a great place for weekday dining.”
  28. “They said yes, they loved the food.”
  29. “Outstanding peanut sauce.”
  30. “Our food was not only tasteless but undercooked.”
  31. “It may not be the most authentic Vietnamese, the friendliest, or the fastest, but it has a great upbeat feel, delicious and healthy menu options and I will continue to love and visit this neighborhood joint.”
  32. “Have enjoyed every dish each of the seven times we have been there.”
  33. “just read a review saying that it was the worst food he'd ever eaten.”
  34. “once seated we were immediately provided with crispy, yummy shrimp chips and ice water.”
  35. “The beef noodle bowl is amazing, the imperial rolls are phenomenal.”
  36. “This is for great flavor and small portions, although my friend's grilled shrimp bowl was unexciting and was more like an appetizer than main course.”
  37. “Since then every dish has been excellent.”
  38. “horrible service, if you want to try the food get takeout”
  39. “actually like the food at this place.”
  40. “Great food, unbelievably bad service”
  41. “this is one of my favorite restaurants, so to be fair, I have to say I absolutely love the Shaking Beef and the Tofu dish.”
  42. “the servers are snotty and the food is tasteless.”
  43. “The papaya salad is also very tasty.”
  44. “will agree that I have rarely had an exceedingly nice server, usually they're merely passable but they deliver the food and bring me the bill so honestly my love for the food negates their poor attitudes.”
  45. “Meals are pretty cheap and my staple of Hazelnut Rogue Beer, fresh Papaya Salad, and Chicken Noodle Bowl (the best noodle bowl ever) are always fantastic.”
  46. “The food was terrible- flavorless noodle dishes and disgusting banana leaf-wrapped fish with more ginger than fish.”
  47. “We ate there a few times and although we liked the food, the service was consistently lacking, it made the wait not worth it.”
  48. “Love the design of the place and super incredible food.”
  49. “but I don't care that much about that aspect of dining as long as it's not bad and the food is good.”
  50. “The tofu rolls were delicious and the accompanying sauce was slightly spicy and very good.”
  51. “The shaking beef and mako salad and if you like shrimp entree are recommended.”
  52. “If you've got money to burn and don't care about having authentic Vietnamese cuisine, but like to eat in the hip neighborhood of Silverlake,.”
  53. “The food was excellent, the service was exactly what you would want, helpful without being pushy.”
  54. “Love the food”
  55. “but don't expect authentic flavorful food.”
  56. “And the tofu noodle bowl is excellent.”
  57. “Authentic Vietnamese noodles and even better is that quite a lot of varieties are available.”
  58. “Awesome food - we love it!”
  59. “A woman came by who I'm guessing was a sort of manager to ask about the dish and I said I didn't want it and she said maybe I don't like fish, so obviously they're not really interested in what people think.”
  60. “Food is fresh and delicious, though it is possible to find the occasional underwhelming dish, taste-wise.”
  61. “Fourth, although I don't eat at Gingergrass nearly as often as I used to, the food still manages to give me horrible indigestion EVERY SINGLE TIME.”
  62. “Great food, bad service.”
  63. “was prepared for a complete bastardization of Vietnamese cuisine but hoping for a good plate of Asian Fusion.”
  64. “It tasted like a warm desert dish with fish and the cold noodles on the side.”
  65. “So I ordered the other flavor also tried to order a salad to go she rudely interrupted and said "We are closed.”
  66. “The tofu dinner was great and the fish wrapped in banana leaf was also good, if small.”
  67. “Love the pork chops.”
  68. “If you're a Vietnamese food purist, you already know where to get your favorite bowl of Pho in San Gabriel or Westminster.”
  69. “Be reminded though, this is Americanized Vietnamese food, that is all good.”
  70. “All were served with fresh, crisp vegetables such as lettuce, cilantro, cucumber, and pickled carrots and taro root (just like how my mom serves it in my own Vietnamese household).”
menu variety
55.999999046325684% positive
  1. “Authentic Vietnamese noodles and even better is that quite a lot of varieties are available.”
  2. “can't say I've EVER had a bad experience there or had anything bad on the menu.”
  3. “the menu seemed to have lots of interesting variety and everything was quite affordable.”
  4. “It may not be the most authentic Vietnamese, the friendliest, or the fastest, but it has a great upbeat feel, delicious and healthy menu options and I will continue to love and visit this neighborhood joint.”
  5. “not much selection, prices aren't that great.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “great place for a fusion experience.”
  2. “What a great place!”
  3. “heard it was a great place for Bun, Banh Mi, and Pho in the Silverlake area.”
  4. “While not necessarily a place I'd go for a "special meal," Gingergrass is consistently of good to above average quality: a great place for weekday dining.”
service
45.65000057220459% positive
  1. “the place is a casual, bustling hangout - and while they didn't have very formal service, the staff were all very friendly and helpful.”
  2. “A woman came by who I'm guessing was a sort of manager to ask about the dish and I said I didn't want it and she said maybe I don't like fish, so obviously they're not really interested in what people think.”
  3. “... some servers need to shave and wear clean clothes”
  4. “However I noticed that when the waiters bused tables they would stack the dirty plates that they had picked up from other tables on top of your plate and then pick up your plate.”
  5. “service is HORRIBLE!”
  6. “or miss, the ginger limeaid is fantastic, but the service is always the same- terrible.”
  7. “can't recall the last time I have received such poor service.”
  8. “The food was excellent, the service was exactly what you would want, helpful without being pushy.”
  9. “We ate there a few times and although we liked the food, the service was consistently lacking, it made the wait not worth it.”
  10. “the servers are snotty and the food is tasteless.”
  11. “The manager "Johnny" was rude and unapologetic.”
  12. “Great food, unbelievably bad service”
  13. “The second time was at Monday at 6:30, well before their rush as there were only 2 other tables, and still the service was very slow and unattentive.”
  14. “On the other hand, I've almost gotten sick to my stomach a couple of times that I've gone in for lunch and saw how dirty the servers' clothes looked.”
  15. “Excellent at providing terrible service”
  16. “The service is sometimes good and sometimes not.”
  17. “The service was a bit spotty but the greeter was amazing!”
  18. “The decor is warm and modern and the ingredients themselves seemed very fresh, loved the staff and the prices are great but the cuisine is so horrific that i'd rather open up a pre-packaged box of ramen noodles.”
  19. “horrible service, if you want to try the food get takeout”
  20. “will agree that I have rarely had an exceedingly nice server, usually they're merely passable but they deliver the food and bring me the bill so honestly my love for the food negates their poor attitudes.”
  21. “Great food, bad service.”
  22. “It truly seemed as though the staff was making a strong effort to be rude, the embarrassing part for them really being that the food isn't even minutely good enough to be flaunting such an attitude.”
  23. “The server had great drink suggestions, and we ordered the specials.”
value
74.43999767303467% positive
  1. “If you've got money to burn and don't care about having authentic Vietnamese cuisine, but like to eat in the hip neighborhood of Silverlake,.”
  2. “This is the kind of affordable, laid-back neighborhood restaurant that raises property values.”
  3. “Gingergrass has an application for an alcohol license pending, so they'll probably soon be offering overpriced wine and implementing corkage fees.”
  4. “fish/seafood. For the previous reviewer who complained about the price, I don't think $5-$6 is much to ask for a large bowl of delicious, authentic pho that equals my family's homemade dishes.”
  5. “This restaurant has gotten my money and patronage since opening and used to be my favorite place to eat - fresh, tasty food, reasonable prices, nearby location, you know, all good stuff.”
  6. “Every time someone enters the restroom (which is right next to a couple of tables) you get a nasty smell and a view of the toilet bowl - Not a very nice experience for a night out, even at cheap prices.”
  7. “This is for great flavor and small portions, although my friend's grilled shrimp bowl was unexciting and was more like an appetizer than main course.”
  8. “tasteless, cold, bland, OK cheap-but so what-no value for money.”
  9. “not much selection, prices aren't that great.”
  10. “We ate there a few times and although we liked the food, the service was consistently lacking, it made the wait not worth it.”
  11. “The decor is warm and modern and the ingredients themselves seemed very fresh, loved the staff and the prices are great but the cuisine is so horrific that i'd rather open up a pre-packaged box of ramen noodles.”
  12. “Overall, not a fantastic dining experience and a bit overpriced with some entrees in relation to portion size.”
  13. “This new "LA-hip" joint in Silverlake serves up solid Vietnamese staples in a great atmosphere for good prices.”
  14. “Meals are pretty cheap and my staple of Hazelnut Rogue Beer, fresh Papaya Salad, and Chicken Noodle Bowl (the best noodle bowl ever) are always fantastic.”
  15. “the menu seemed to have lots of interesting variety and everything was quite affordable.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “After being told it would be a 20 minute wait, and standing in the cold outside for 50 minutes we were finally seated( my friends wanted to leave, but they kept saying we would be next)If they want to operate on a 'no reservation' basis, then get organize”
  2. “but I don't care that much about that aspect of dining as long as it's not bad and the food is good.”
  3. “The second time was at Monday at 6:30, well before their rush as there were only 2 other tables, and still the service was very slow and unattentive.”
  4. “it's a great local spot to grab a quick bite, takeout or hang with friends (although it can get quite loud).”
4 Star Rating: Recommended

08/03/09

Great little asian bistro with a lot of character.

by Sheauen

I've been dabbling with the idea of trying Ginger Grass for a while. I heard it was a great place for Bun, Banh Mi, and Pho in the Silverlake area. Growing up Vietnamese Chinese I'm pretty picky about my those aforementioned dishes because homemade was always the best or living in the San Gabriel Valley and being driving distance to Little Saigon you could get authentic and good almost anytime.

I was prepared for a complete bastardization of Vietnamese cuisine but hoping for a good plate of Asian Fusion. Instead, I came away really impressed. I had the Noodle Bowl with Grilled Shrimp and Imperial Roll. It was 10.50!!! the Imperial roll addition cost $1.50 for a little tiny roll the size of my thumb. My grandma would lecture me firmly for even thinking about paying for something like that. However, the little imperial roll was well done. Reminded me of Grandma's freshly fried Cha Gio. The grilled shrimp was well marinated with definite lemongrass flavors. I suspect either the nuoc cham (dressing) or the shrimp had a bit of msg in it because an hour after eating the bowls my bf was passed out in a food coma and i got my typical msg headache induced coma an hour after he did. Not verifiable though...but suspicious.

We ordered the Gingergrass fresh rolls, which was a suped up summer roll, packed with avocado, crab, and a good amount of mint and/or basil. It was served with a mayo mixed with sambal, which i found a little weird. Too creamy for the rolls. I squirted some hoisin sauce and sirracha on the plate and it was much better with the rolls. I didn't want to ask for another sauce cuz the waitress seemd a bit overwhelmed despite the restaurant being only half full on a late Saturday afternoon. She brought our appetizers out after we halfway into our noodle bowls.

My boyfriend ordered their limeade. It was watered down. He loves a good soda chanh so was a bit disappointed with it. I ordered the gingergrass ginger ale, and it was very very gingery.

We saw people crunching on the shrimp chips which they sold by the bags. I LOVED shrimp chips growing up. My grandma would fry them in a big wok in our backyard, crispy, shrimpy, yummy! We bought a bag to take with us on a road trip, it didn't disappoint. Brings back the memories. At $1.50 a bag, by one of those instead of spending it on the imperial roll addition to your noodle bowl.

We gotta go back for dinner, try the pho and the claypot catfish, and their cocktails. (Oh yeah, we ordered the vietnamese coffee ice cream for dessert, creamy, fluffy, with a hint of coffee and served with best gingersnap cookies i've ever had.) I want to make my way down their dessert list too.

To sum up, I would go there to get my vietnamese fix without driving to westminster or san gabriel and know that i'm going to get well executed food. I woudln't take my mom or grandma there though. They'd be horrified with the prices. And, I'll probably drink a lot of water before and after just in case they do use msg.

  • Pros: well executed food, relaxed but nice setting
  • Cons: flaky service, they might use msg, pricey for what you get.
1 Star Rating: Poor

04/24/09

Slowly but surely, another one bites the dust

by Daniel333

I have never been compelled to write a review - until tonight - about Gingergrass. This restaurant has gotten my money and patronage since opening and used to be my favorite place to eat - fresh, tasty food, reasonable prices, nearby location, you know, all good stuff.

But never in my life have I personally witnessed a restaurant fall so far from grace, leaving me with only the hazy memory of its former glory.

First, the food is so saturated with a salty, saucy coating that most all the dishes taste the same... Now I am not a horse, but you may as well serve up a salt block, garnished with a sprig of alfalfa.

Second, there has recently been a mysterious shortage of rice. On several occasions I've been told they were out of rice, and would I like something else? Certainly not! I am Asian, and I need rice with my Asian food! Whoever takes charge of rice I deem unfit for Asian food service till the end of time.

Third, if I wanted to listen to new age trance on loop all night, I'd be at my little brother's high school rave party.

Fourth, although I don't eat at Gingergrass nearly as often as I used to, the food still manages to give me horrible indigestion EVERY SINGLE TIME. Maybe I'll post my next review on LA's public health page...

4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/04/09

Love the pork chops

by sk1017

Love the pork chops. The marinade is similar to Korean BBQ marinade, and the pork chops are served with short grain rice and an Asian-style cole slaw.

  • Pros: Value, portions
  • Cons: Loud, service isn't consistently good
2 Star Rating: Below Average

01/23/09

Love the food ... some servers need to shave and wear clean clothes

by yes2no

this is one of my favorite restaurants, so to be fair, I have to say I absolutely love the Shaking Beef and the Tofu dish. On the other hand, I've almost gotten sick to my stomach a couple of times that I've gone in for lunch and saw how dirty the servers' clothes looked. I looked down and this server's shoes looked like he had partied too hard the previous night, stepped all over his peeuk , went to sleep and rolled off the bed right over to do his shift at Gingergrass. and the worst thing is that when they're carrying too many dishes, they lean them against their sweaty body with dirty clothes. There's one particular server that the last time I walked in the restaurant, I just had to leave. He has an extreme amount of facial hair (very puffy, long beard), and on my last trip, I thought I saw my food almost touch his beard when he was walking through the tables. I thought there were some food serving laws against facial hair being that ungroomed? I've cut down a lot on my trips to Gingergrass for the simple cleanliness of the servers, and when I do go, I try to eat at the tail end of lunch so that they're not too busy and my food doesn't have to touch their unlaundried shirt or ungroomed facial hair.

  • Pros: Tasty dishes
  • Cons: uncleanliness of serving staff
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/18/08

Fun with Vietnamese food!

by asp811

I've always had good dining experience at Gingergrass. I like going on Thursdays because just accross the street there's a wine vendor offering wine tasting. So I first find parking which can be dicey, I put my name on the list at Gingergrass, along with my cell no. so they can call me when my table is ready. Then we scoot across the street for some wine tasting. Every time we've decided on an appropriate bottle of wine, we're called letting us know our table is ready. Typical of the Silverlake/Los Feliz area, you'll find the crowd is eclectic, and the mood is casual and overall friendly. I've sampled most of their menu and haven't found fault in it. Be reminded though, this is Americanized Vietnamese food, that is all good. If you're looking for "authentic" then consider going to Garden Grove (try Brodard @ 9100 Trask Ave, or Pho Lu @ 10141 Westminster Ave). But given gas prices today, I'll go to Gingergrass every Thursday for my Vietnamese food fix.

The Details on Gingergrass

Place Categories:

  • fresh americanized vietnamese food
  • bad service
  • worst flavorful food
  • great place
  • great prices
  • affordable laidback neighborhood restaurant
  • very nice dining experience
  • warm desert dish
  • nice decor
  • terrific authentic pho
  • very tasty papaya salad
  • dirty clothes
  • clean design
  • love pork chops
  • great atmosphere
  • favorite tofu noodle bowl
  • dirty plate
  • large sandwiches
  • love shaking beef
  • rude johnny
  • loved shrimp chips
  • cold noodle
  • healthy menu options
  • helpful staff
  • delicious tofu rolls

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