Gingergrass

06/18/2008 Posted 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.

03/12/2008 Posted by gina_jones

Good food and as a previous user stated "authentic vietnamese" food but it's still good. The servers are only wrapped up about their friends coming through the door and socializing so just feel free to yell and wave to get their attention. Heck even get up yourself to get that condiment you're looking for. What can you expect you're in Silverlake. The shaking beef and mako salad and if you like shrimp entree are recommended. Pass on the desserts and any of the appetizers other than the imperial rolls.

Pros: Food

Cons: Parking when it gets crowded, oh and the people that serves you.

01/15/2008 Posted by zoessimo

Love the design of the place and super incredible food. The waiters are speed lightning and if you can catch one it's a miracle. If you don't get their early enough expect an hour wait!

Pros: the food & great design--killer Ambience; parking can be tricky.

Cons: the wait...--Not a first date spot because if you don't like your date then you don't want them to know about it.

12/10/2007 Posted by maja18

My husband and I grab dinner at Gingergrass at least twice a month, and have been doing so since they opened. Although I will agree that service is iffy, I wouldn't say it's the worst but we absolutely avoid it during peak hours (anything after 7pm on weekdays and after 6 on weekends- seriously they're THAT busy). The place is small and very bustling, it has an urban feel and gets very hectic during peak hours so I understand when the servers are slammed and often rushing like mad, BUT that does not excuse their curt and 'European Style' service. I 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. 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. The Curry Claypot is delicious, as is the Shaking Beef. 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. I'm surprised at the number of negative reviews, and I would expect the staff and owners at Gingergrass to step it up based on this feedback, maybe they're busy enough simply not to care.

Pros: Great Food, Good Beer and Tonics, Bustling Atmosphere

Cons: Service, Service, Service- Not Awful just not great*

10/12/2007 Posted by Elvismorte

I just read a review saying that it was the worst food he'd ever eaten. Seriously? I have been eating at Gingergrass since it opened and I love it. I haven't had the dishes the negative user tried....so possibly they aren't great but everything I've eaten there is fantastic. In fact, I think it's the Platonic Ideal of Shaking Beef. And the tofu noodle bowl is excellent. The service is sometimes good and sometimes not....but I don't care that much about that aspect of dining as long as it's not bad and the food is good. It does get crowded on weekend evenings and there are no reservations. Go when they open if you don't want to wait....or go for lunch.

Pros: Great food. Affordable

Cons: Service is just okay and long waits on weekends.

09/23/2007 Posted by debkleinman

This was the first time in my life that I've sent something back that was truly uneatable. I lived in Europe of 10 yrs and most recently moved from 15 yrs in nyc. I've been eating at vietnamese and viet/fusion restaurants for over 2 decades and can honestly say that i've never tasted anything so horrific at a restaurant, vietnamese or otherwise. I 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. Absolutely distasteful and totally bland. I asked the waiter ( not our actual waiter ) what he recommended and he suggested the curried coconut cod which sounded promising, I figured how bad can it be ? Well, I was floored. i dug my fork in through a 1/2 inch of gelatinous coconut cream and got a little fish and popped it in my mouth. All I could taste was pure sugar cream with the slightest hint of coconut. It tasted like a warm desert dish with fish and the cold noodles on the side. Our actual waiter said that he would not have recommended that dish and really only offered one that he would . 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. They didn't take it off the check either and I literally had one bite off of each dish. I guess they thought I was just being difficult but I thought that was a bad business move. 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. I wouldn't eat this food even if it was free. Maybe they should do a little research in nyc and sample: Nam, Republic, Cyclone, Omai, Pho Tay H. Or better yet, there must be better vietnamese right here in the los angeles area.

Pros: Nice room, friendly staff

Cons: The worst food I've ever put in my mouth

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/19/2007 Posted by ahb

I actually like the food at this place. The first time I ate here the service was bad and slow. While our waiter a combination of apathetic and rude, I gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was busy and it looked like there was only one other waiter. 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. The third time was the worst. A waitress took our order and then we never saw her again. A half an hour later we got our food. About 40 minutes later a different waitress asked us if we wanted dessert. We had been done eating for about 20 minutes at that point. I ordered a dish of the vietnamese coffee ice cream for me to share with my two friends. She said "I think we're out." So I asked if they had the other flavor and she said she thought so, clearly irritated with me. So I ordered the other flavor also tried to order a salad to go she rudely interrupted and said "We are closed." And then said "Except for dessert." If someone had checked on us during that long time I could have ordered the salad while they were still open. While waiting for our dessert I ask the two men who were seated beside us if they had ever dined at Gingergrass before. They said yes, they loved the food. When I asked what they thought about the service they laughed and said it was always terrible and guessed the waiters did not care about tips. It seemed so. However the bus boys were always great and are the friendliest people who work there. 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. It was disgusting and rude and I have never seen that before in a restaurant. I have worked in restaurants before so I give food service people a lot of respect, however it seems Gingergrass doesn't respect their customers.

Pros: food is good

Cons: service is rude

06/23/2007 Posted by frymyeyes

The food is h!t or miss, the ginger limeaid is fantastic, but the service is always the same- terrible. It's just like no one cares. I don't understand why, with this many bad service reviews, nothing has changed.

Cons: poor service

03/31/2007 Posted by arushy

Awesome food - we love it! But the attitude is getting to them, and they don't know how to handle their growing business/popularity. I recommend going in off hours, but peak dining hours seem to throw some people there into a tizzy... not worth it.

Pros: great food, across the street from awesome Silverlake Wine, so they are a great takeout combination!

Cons: hostess' customer skills

03/09/2007 Posted by emrobinette

I went to grab some Banh Mi with my sister. The Vietnamese sandwiches were pretty awful. They were flavored in an "american" style. Also, the chicken was pretty much filled with fatty parts and tendons. I called and spoke to the Assistant Manager and she was pretty nonchalant. She said that she would speak to the cook staff about it. I spent $7.00 per sandwich. It was totally not worth it. It was heinous. KP's which is about a mile away is way better! Their sandwiches are clean, large and filling!!! Don't eat at Gingergrass. It's the gringo Vietnamese hangout!

Cons: Blah Banh Mi