Fast Friendly Service at the East West Cafe

East West Cafe screams scrumptious Vietnamese food to the Sacramento Region. Pho Anh Duc/East West Cafe is the complete name and is a place that aims to please the high maintenance foodie. Located in the heart of Elk Grove, California, this little cafe serves delectable Vietnamese food with fast and friendly customer service.

About East West Cafe

The cafe recently switched ownership on April 26, 2019, but kept it’s name and the cooks who have worked there for years. Major changes have been made, along with massive food servings at surprisingly great prices. The new owner is Mr. Lap Chu who expressed a deep love for Vietnamese cooking and the restaurant business. He jumped at the opportunity to take over the East West Cafe and has since made improvements in all aspects to keep his customers coming back for more delicious Vietnamese food. Mr. Chu is a soft-spoken, yet friendly man who moved from Vietnam to San Francisco in 1989. Back in Vietnam, he worked at perfecting his culinary skills for 5 years and mastered the art of cooking the traditional Vietnamese Pho Soup (pronounced Fuh Soup).

Pho Soup is a delightfully, healthy and hearty soup made with beef broth and filled with noodles, vegetables and meats. Mr. Chu also loves cooking the vermacelli rice noodles which can be eaten in a soup or separately along with a favorite meat. “Everything is homemade” says Mr. Chu as he laughs and shares with us that he loves cooking Italian food as well, so much so that he owned Bella Pizza and California Pizza in San Francisco prior to moving to Elk Grove in 2012.

The Food At East West Cafe

Being highly versed in Vietnamese food as San Franciscans, we sampled our usual orders of Egg Rolls, Spring Rolls, Pho Soup, a Banh Mi Sandwich and a Mango Smoothie. My kids who are picky and particular foodies were extremely satisfied with the variety of flavors, the freshness of each dish, the cleanliness of this cafe, and most importantly the fast and friendly customer service. We were very pleased with the presentation, aromas, tastes of each dish, along with the quiet ambiance and family friendly service.

Pho Soup with Meatballs and Vermacelli Rice Noodles

Pho Soup is a traditonal Vietnamese soup. The East West Cafe serves large bowls of savory, beef broth filled with aromas of ginger, garlic and onions. Generous portions of vermacelli rice noodles and beef balls are added and cooked to a perfection. Every sip and morsel of this soup was pleasing to the taste buds and satisfying to the appetite. It is light yet filling, wildly tasty yet nutritious. This has to be one of the best pho soups we have had in Northern California.

Mint Leaves, Sprouts, Lime and Jalapeno Peppers served as an options to add into the Pho Soup

For your preference, this plate of mint leaves, sprouts, lime and jalapeno peppers are served to add more varieties of flavoring to the pho soup. We typically add lime and mint leaves to the soup, but upon being served, it was so insatiably delicious that I found myself enjoying it as is. Should one choose to add these additions, it changes the flavoring drastically, but is equally as delicious as the first option.

Shrimp and Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

The Shrimp and Veggie Spring Rolls were the largest I have seen served at any Vietnamese restaurant. Large succulent cold shrimp are placed inside a rice paper wrapping, along with lettuce leaves, vermacelli rice noodles, fresh cilantro, and mint leaves. The Spring Rolls are scrumptious on their own, but even more enticing to eat along with the smooth creamy peanut sauce topped with bits of peanuts. This plate is a healthy choice and can be served as a vegetarian meal without the shrimp.

Crispy Vietnamese Egg rolls with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

At the very first bite, this fried crispy egg roll is tantalizing and addicting to the taste buds. Each serving is large, with a crunchy rice paper wrap around sweet, salty fillings of rice noodles and pork. The dipping sauce is a delightful added condiment, flavored with fish sauce and garlic that is sweet, sour, salty and savory. Even though these egg rolls are deep fried, they are very light and bursting with flavors that will keep you ordering more. This is a wonderful appetizer to enjoy over some cold beer while watching a game with friends and family on the large flat screen television that remains consistently on at the cafe.

Bahn Mi Vietnamese Sandwich

Another incredible portion of food, this Bahn Mi Vietnamese Sandwich is very filling and one of the largest I have seen. It can be split and served for two people. The servings of meat are incredibly generous, along with the large roll and delicious french fries. With plenty of protein, vegetables and carbs, this sandwich beats out the rest out there in the market place of sandwiches. Choices of meat are chicken, pork and spam. I personally could eat the Bahn Mi Sandwich for lunch and as a vegetarian sandwich, without any of the meats, and be perfectly satisfied.

A Cold Mango Smoothie

The Mango Smoothie is perfect as a sweet dessert or a cold drink during the scorching hot summers in Sacramento. Rich and thick with mango bites, it is not too sweet but completely filling and very large in size. Again, this can be split for two people as a drink or a dessert.

Ambiance at the East West Cafe

The East West Cafe is hidden inside a tranquil cove off Laguna Springs Boulevard, right off the Laguna exit near the 99 freeway. This is a quiet yet happy cafe, with plenty of parking spaces, and surrounded by other quiet but thriving businesses in Elk Grove. The 60 inch flat screen television will keep you entertained if you choose to go solo, or if you choose to go with a group of friends on game night. Yellow walls and little elephant statues surround this cafe along with beautiful new furniture, comfy leather seats and a bright happy decor. The servers and cooks are quiet, focused, and friendly. Their smiles and hospitality will keep you coming back for more of their delicious cooking and friendly service.

Overall Experience

This cafe is highly recommended if you are looking for fast and easy service along with some terrific Vietnamese food. If you are looking for a serene place to enjoy your meal and drinks, this cafe is it. We have eaten here as a family for many years, but with the new ownership and changes, we will be visiting more often as there are many new dishes we have yet to try.