NEP Cafe - Fountain Valley

Visited NEP cafe a Friday morning and really enjoyed brunch there. We arrived 11:00am and didn’t really have to wait but the cafe was already pretty full. We liked the modern and cozy vibe there, and loved the food a lot. Food was not only very well presented but also really testy. The squid mango salad and the xoi man were very flavorful and full of layers. The crab toast was super creamy and tasted. Also really like the salty egg latte, very good and special.

I absolutely love the ambiance of this restaurant. It has a refined, high-end feel, making it perfect for a date night. The food is Asian fusion, and I ordered the Seafood Ceviche, Seafood Tom Kha Pasta, and Filet Mignon Bánh Mì Chảo. Each dish was beautifully presented. The ceviche was very fresh with a nice touch of spice. The pasta was a bit too sour for my taste, but the noodles were perfectly al dente. I was really impressed by the pâté in the bánh mì chảo—it was incredibly tasty and savory. Even though the restaurant was busy when we dined, our food came out quickly. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxing, and parking was easy to find.

We ordered the Bun Bo Hue dried. Interesting dish. It’s something different but not replacing the original for sure. The beef and rice were ok. The kid meal was a plus to my kid. He loves it. Daniel was an excellent server. I rarely come across good service these days. Food and drinks 4.5. It would have been a 5 had the beefs not so dried.

The service was great. The food was delicious! Everyone was all around pleased. We ordered the filet mignon banh mi chao, bone marrow pasta, 5 spice roasted chicken, fish sauce wings and seafood ceviche. The kids ordered garlic noodles, chicken nugget meal, and Chinese sausage and rice. Staff were friendly and loved the atmosphere. Kid friendly and accommodating. Great food selection. The ambiance was great for families and couples. Overall, wonderful time!

Checked out Nep Cafe, one of the buzzier spots under the Kei Concepts group and yeah, this crew definitely knows how to serve up aesthetic + flavor. You’ll find Kei Concepts all over Orange County, repping that new-gen Vietnamese fusion flair. Think modern Pan-Asian vibes: part Vietnamese roots, part global remix. From the decor to the staff, everything about their places screams young and chic vibe. Nep’s currently got a pretty solid Happy Hour (weekdays 2–5pm): • Drinks (incl. cocktails): $6–10 • Bites: $8–12 Menu’s not huge, but what they do have is flavorful and fun. Here’s what we tried: *CHICKEN WINGS $10 Marinated in caramelized fish sauce, garlic, and chili. Flavor hits just right , sweet, savory, spicy. We get 5 wings for $10, which is actually a steal these days. *SHRIMP TOAST $10 Don’t let the name fool you. This was a sleeper hit. Thick layer of shrimp paste on crispy toast, drizzled with honey mustard mayo, and topped with a full coat of black sesame. Sounds wild, but it works. Lowkey might be one of their best dishes in my opinion. *SPICY WONTONS $10 Not classic Chinese style, these come with bold garlic and Southeast Asian chili oil vibes. Heavier flavor profile, more punch, still tasty… hmm but just not mind-blowing because the wonton wrapper was a bit thick. *SHRIMP GARLIC NOODLES $12 We have tried this (similar) dish at many Viet-fusion spots, but Nep’s version is legit. Stir-fried with garlic, butter, and lemongrass, the noodles were super fragrant and actually had flavor in the noodles, not just on the surface. Comes with 5 shrimp, and for $12 it’s a way better deal than other spots (Garlic & Chives, a Michelin guild recommended restaurant has the same dish for $16 but noodle tasted bland). Portion’s a bit smaller than a full entrée, but worth it. Honestly liked this more than the $20 version at their sister restaurant, Vox Kitchen. Regarding the service, I have few feedbacks. The staff was very attentive, like, water refills and check-ins every 10 minutes. Which, okay, they’re earning that 18%+ tip but two things a bit bugged us: 1. They kept bringing dishes meant for other tables “twice”. If we weren’t already eating, we probably would’ve just dug in by mistake. Definitely a red flag on table number checks. 2. Plate-clearing was way too aggressive. Same issue I had at Vox Kitchen. Even though the restaurant wasn’t full, it felt like they were rushing us either to order more or leave to flip the table turnover rates. A server even interrupted our convo to take plates and then told us to ignore her and “keep chatting”. We were like… okay? Between the hovering, the questions for asking to order other dishes or desserts or drinks, and the constant clearing, we just didn’t feel super relaxed toward the end. If you’re into trendy fusion eats and stylish vibes, it’s worth a visit, just don’t expect to linger long without someone hovering with a water pitcher or collecting plates. Overall, food was solid and I would have given 5 stars but decided to take 1 star off for the service part. 📍Nep Cafe 10836 Warner Ave, Fountain Valley, CA 92708

First time dining at this popular restaurant. At 10:30am on a Monday, the place was bustling and we soon found out why. We ordered the squid and mago salad along with the crab omelette and crispy pork bowl. The flavors were strong yet balanced, keeping the taste buds entertained. While we didn't order any drinks, the many trays of drinks passing by our table told us to try some next time. Looking forward to dinner here in the near future. This is another winner by Kei Concepts.

Food 5* Vibe 5* Service 5* The food at this place is delicious. Not only that, the time to get the food out to us was pretty quick. Also, shoutout to our server Asia, she was a great help and gave us great recommendations to try. The number 1 dish here, hands down, is the macaroni beef stir fry. And if you're a seafood lover, the seafood tom kha pasta is top tier.

NEP Cafe offers great food and drinks, with the added convenience of easy parking. The dishes are flavorful, and the drinks are refreshing. However, my experience was soured by the service. We visited on a Saturday, and while the wait time for two people was 30 minutes around 1pm, the real disappointment came when the server brought us the check before we even finished our meal. This felt unnecessary, especially since there were plenty of available tables and no one waiting after the lunch hour.

Swung by for Sunday lunch and it was quite busy. Glad it was just 2 of us and had to wait about 40 minutes. Glad we did as service was excellent and food captivating. We had a table outside with a heatlamp as it was chilly for OC at 56F! We ordered the Crab Toast, Avocado matcha with Coconut water and Banh Mi Chao filet mignon. The first 3 items were amazing. They are Def unique and captivating! The seasoning and flavors were just right and not overwhelming. The crab portions for each were generous and fresh. Those 3 paired great, avacado macha, crab toast and salty egg yolk pasta. The last dish was Banh Mi Chao and that was just too heavy. Great experience overall.. even sitting in the chilly air.

Amazing dinning experience. The room had a warm and cocktail bar kind of vibe. It wasn't too crowded when we showed up at 6pm on a Friday. We ordered 3 appetizers : squid & mango salad, seafood ceviche, and shrimp toasts. All phenomenal. They all highlighted very strong Vietnamese flavors and a good kick to them. We also got 3 mains : salted egg pasta with crab, bone marrow pasta and shaking beef with garlic noodles. All very solid but I think the appetizers took the show. And we split a banana bread pudding for dessert, also 10/10. We got a soda chanh and the ube coconut ale, which were both very good. We didn't try the cocktails but they all looked very enticing. The service was fast and polite. Our serve gave amazing recs and checked in on us several times throughout the meal. The price was also fairly reasonable for the experience, totaling about $171 for all 3. 10/10 would come again.

Did I drive 50 mins to eat lunch here? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes! I wish they had a Nep Cafe in West LA, I would probably be there every week. The crab toast is 10/10 and a must order. The steak fried rice is also a solid 9/10. The steak is so tender and the fried rice is very flavorful. I don't normally order fried rice at restaurants, but this is definitely worth it. And finally, we also ordered the ribeye. This was also amazing but I would say the crab toast and fried rice were the best.

Me and a friend came here on a Monday afternoon, so we didn't have trouble finding seating. It usually gets very busy here on weekends and peak hours, so reservations are recommended! Food: Everything was fairly priced and such unique dishes. All the dishes were a bit too salty after eating all of it, but it makes sense given the amount of overall flavor in everything. The curry crab omelet was our favorite because the aromatics paired so well with the crab as well as the soft scrambled eggs. It comes with rice. The filet mignon bahn mi chao was exactly what we expected, and I liked the sweetness to it! Hearty and filling. I ordered the coconut coffee- black coffee with coffee cream on top, over coconut water. I've never had my coffee with coconut water, but it added a nice fragrance and slight sweetness. It was so yummy I killed it in like 5 min. I like the coconut meat in it, too. My friend ordered the coconut ube coffee and that tasted great too, super strong viet coffee. Service: Amazing service with friendly staff and server. Ambiance: Modern, minimalist decor inside. It gets a bit loud when the restaurant is packed, but overall a great time.

My all-time go to spot for brunch! Only catch here is that you have to wait an hour or longer depending on the time that you want to get your grub on. There is no yelp waitlist. You have to go in person to put your name down. I usually have my sister or niece drive-by to put my name down so by the time I drive down there, I am seated. :) The ambience is always a chill vibe when I come to this restaurant. They have modern decor and the place is always spotless. The food has always been consistently delicious and occasionally they will have creative, new items on the menu. Being Vietnamese, I am always excited and impressed by the presentation and textures of the Viet food and drinks here, modern and fun to eat! The wings had a nice punch of nuoc mam and garlic, the ceviche was perfectly sour and seafood was tender, I got carried away with the shrimp salad -- the dressing was perfect so I was barely able to share with the rest of the table. Shrimp toast was surprisingly flavorful with the dip and loved how crunchy it was! I finished my avocado coffee so quickly. Who knew avocado and coffee would be such a good pair!

This is a trendy restaurant with beautiful seating and clean interior. We were seated immediately. Our server, David, was very friendly and quick. I enjoyed all the food that we tried here! - Banh Mi Chao: We got it with Filet Mignon at medium well and it was cooked to our liking. The meat was bug and tender. The french bread was crispy and fluffy, it soaked up the runny egg and sauces. That pate tasted like it was freshly made, so good. - Salted Egg Yolk Pasta w/ Crab: Wow! This pasta dish was amazing and packed full of crab! - Xoi Man: Everything in this rice dish was great! - Mango Sticky Rice: Delicious, especially with that fresh mango and young coconut. There's also pandan sticky rice and salted black sesame. - Avocado Coffee: This was pretty good! The avocado paired well with the coffee. And they definitely put a lot in the drink! The only reason that this is 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the bathroom. The bathroom looked like it hadn't been cleaned or checked up on in a bit. There were toilet paper and trash all over the floor and stalls.

Solid brunch spot. This place was poppin' on New Year's Day. It was a good thing we had reservations and it was just a short wait for our table. The interior is bright, modern, and earthy. Our waiter was friendly and helpful when it came to asking about vegan options. Our party of 4 started with drinks and I loved my Calamansi Paloma made with tequila, mezcal, calamansi, grapefruit, lime, and soda. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nep-cafe-fountain-valley-24?select=-DRuPAHndrLcrSiyYpB6RA The only vegan entreé available is the Lemongrass Tofu. Topped with Thai basil, chili, and crispy fried onion (maybe garlic) mixed well in a flavorful soy glaze. It also comes with a side of white rice. This photo doesn't do it justice because the tofu squares are actually quite large which makes this a filling dish. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nep-cafe-fountain-valley-24?select=fOUX4XTouddFI6tYVu6D4w We did experience a faux pas when Hubby's dish took a long time to arrive. That said, the waiter did a great job providing status updates and then eventually offering to comp it after the finished dish accidentally went to a different table. All that said, I like this place! I would eat here again.

I'm a huge fan of the Kei Concepts restaurants and I'd say Nep Cafe is one of my favorites. I tried out a dish I haven't eaten yet before: the crispy fish skillet. The presentation was perfect and the combination of flavors was 10/10. It's a savory dish, so the sauce tastes great with the crispy fish and the banh mi they serve with it. I also ordered the Avocado Marble Milk, which was also amazing. It's made with Oat Milk, so the lactose intolerant girlies can also enjoy it! It's still creamy and has some small avocado chunks. ALSO, it's *not too sweet*. 10/10. Service was quick and welcoming, and even with the hot weather, they made sure we were comfortable. It's another vibey spot, so it's great for brunch with friends or family! Give it a try, you won't regret it!

This eatery was suggested by one of pseudo Yelp Elite friends and apparently NEP Cafe is one of many restaurant brands owned by the Orange County's hottest restaurant group Kei Concepts (sister restaurants include Súp Noodle Bar, Vox Kitchen, ROL Hand Roll Bar, KIN Craft Ramen & Izakaya, INI Ristorante, Kei Coffee House, etc) . It is a modern Vietnamese eatery and I felt like I had stepped into one of the trendy brunch spots in West LA upon arrival. Currently, NEP Cafe has two locations - one here in Fountain Valley and another in Irvine. [Recommendation]: It is HIGHLY recommended to book a reservation on OpenTable ahead of time. Otherwise walk-in visitors may have to wait a long time. Fortunately, our party arrived at 11 AM on Saturday without a reservation and few bar seats were readily available within 5 minutes so we didn't have to wait long. [Parking]: There is a free private parking lot, but it can fill up quickly during peak dining hours. [Menu]: Yelp's top three highlights are the Banh Mi Chao, Crab Toast, and Beef Tongue Fried Rice. Any items designated as House Specials are marked with a large bullet point on the menu. Customers need to scan the QR code to see the menu. *** Banh Mi Chao Filet Mignon (medium rare - black peppercorn sauce, sunny eggs, pork roll, pâté, tomatoes - $25): This is absolutely an S-tier dish - perfectly cooked filet mignon, a killer spicy-sweet-savory sauce, and an amazing pâté. And then you dip the baguette into the sauce? Yum! Crab toast (lump crab, brown butter, soft scrambled egg, cajun salt - $20): The fluffy toast, rich mac and cheese, and tender crab complemented each other extremely well. It was a surprisingly good appetizer. *** It is hard to deny that everything Kei Concepts touches turns to gold. While it is by no means inexpensive, you are getting what you pay for - a modern American brunch vibe, an open kitchen, and incredible food. The only slight downside was that the food took a while to arrive, but it wasn't enough to detract from the overall experience.

ORDER shrimp garlic noodles (5/5) chicken wings (5/5) banh mi chao - beef belly (4/5) they have happy hour from 2-5pm on weekdays and everything i ordered was from there so very well priced! my favorite was the shrimp garlic noodles, it was packed with flavor. it was more of a lemongrass flavor, not garlic. i wasnt a fan of the charred shrimp, but that's just my personal preference. the chicken wings had a fish sauce glaze, which was super flavorful as well. the beef belly for the banh mi chao was very fatty. overall, everything was delicious! the garlic noodles will always be my go to! happy hour is definitely the best time to go to try their popular dishes for a little cheaper. SERVICE we made an online reservation and were seated right away. service at any kei concepts restaurant is always top notch, the workers are always very attentive and kind. AMBIANCE spacious restaurant with an open kitchen, which i thought was super cool!

Wow! I've had this place saved up for 3 years and I was finally able to stop by and try NEP Cafe! I started off with crispy calamari and the breading was a light crisp with a nice bite into it and the calamari was not too chewy which was my favorite texture to eat calamari. The garlic noodle with the charred shrimp was hella good. The fried garlic really compliments the dish and it wasn't too garlicky. I ended the meal with the bananas foster sticky rice which tasted amazing. Everything in the dessert has a crunch to it which I really enjoyed. The crispy banana brûlée matched perfectly together with the vanilla ice cream. It was so busy on a Monday night, but I was able to get seated at the bar right away. The industrial interior design made this restaurant look very modern with all these beautiful plants surrounding the whole building. I wish I had a bigger stomach to eat, but I'll have to come back the next time I'm in SoCal.

Nep is a good place for nicer brunch. When we went, the wait wasnt too bad, but only because we opted to sit outside. The line to sit inside was significantly longer and we thought the outside atmosphere was great as well. As for the food, I would say the dishes were tasty, but not worth the long wait, if that is the case. I would come at off hours and also the drinks were unique and I particularly enjoyed the egg coffee.

Came here for lunch with my sister since she was visiting from out of town. And NEP did not disappoint. The food is reasonably pricey, but the experience made it worth the money. I def recommend the curry crab omelet, it was by far the best thing I have eaten at this restaurant. The egg was so silky with generous portions of crab meat, strong curry flavor with a kick. It was so good eating with the freshly baked bread. The filet minon mi chao was really good, but I regret added the bone marrow to the dish because it's already so fatty from the oil. It was very good and filling. Def try the coffee, the avocado coffee had fresh lumps of avocado which was really good, wished I had a bigger straw to drink with it. Overall the service is good, the restaurant was pretty busy at lunch. And they offer great happy hour prices from 3-6. There is parking next to the restaurant.

Kei Concepts does it again! I've been wanting to try Nep for a while, and finally got the chance for a weekday brunch. The reservation was easy to get and it wasn't super packed so I'm sure walk-in would've been fine as well. The Banh Mi Chao was the star of the show, with perfectly cooked filet mignon in a garlicky sauce that mixed wonderfully with the creamy egg yolk for dipping the baguette. The spicy noodles with shrimp and pork dumplings is also not to be missed, with a sauce that's sweet and not too spicy and juicy filled dumplings on top. We didn't get the drinks since we wanted to go to a different coffee shop after, but they looked great as well. Can't wait to be back!

Coconut Ube Coffee - tasty - strong coffee - good ube coconut flavor Cajun Pork Jowl - spicier than I remember - tasty Banh mi chao filet mignon - tasty steak - free bread refill Bone marrow pasta - al dente pasta - rich and fatty

I came here for brunch and everything tastes so good. The Beef Belly Bah Mi was so delicious and absolutely love the curry crab omelet sticky rice. Banana bread pudding finishes the meal perfectly. Service was excellent and really had a great time. I look forward on coming back soon.

This is a good brunch spot. A lot of my friends from overseas and out of state love to come here for our brunch/breakfast meal when they visit. Some of their favorites are the shrimp toast, the crab toast and the banh mi chao. The shrimp toast and ga roti were new additions to the menu that I had yet to try. Both were delicious. Our shrimp toast was a little burnt but the sauce made up for that tiny mishap. It was a bit spicy and creamy which is always a yummy combo. The ga roti had a nice skin and the xoi under it was cooked well. It is definitely not a shareable item because of the bone in chicken leg, and it is a little more work to eat it. But other than that no complaints!

The ambience of the place is great. The food is good but it is not memorable. This is a place to go to for socialization but if you want something fantastic and memorable to eat and is worth the money, I would not recommend the ones I ate which were I believe $25 each-ish. Bone marrow pasta: 4/5 Rib Skillet: 4/5

My family and I were in the area and I Yelped a place for lunch and found NEP so decided to dine here. I was worried that it was going to be a long wait as some of the reviews said there could be a 2 hour wait, but it wasn't too bad - about 30 minutes. I liked that they had a large waiting area so that you don't block the entrance. I loved the decor inside, it's very airy and modern. There's also seating outside, but since it was cloudy and cold, we opted to sit indoors. Our server was Samantha and she was a sweetheart. She was very accommodating with all our questions and showed us pictures of the dishes on her ordering device so that we knew what we were getting into. She also noted that we had peanut allergies in our party so that our food didn't contain any of it. We ordered: *Creme Brulee coffee - 5/5 - sooo good and looked so beautiful with the crunchy top! Such a treat! *Shrimp Toast - 5/5 - tasty and I loved the hot honey mayo that accompanied it. *Banh Mi Bites - 4/5 - This was good but kind of weird to eat. Cubed bread with various items to eat with it. Basically a deconstructed Banh Mi sandwich. It confused me. *Filet mignon banh mi Chao - family said it was 4/5 *Xoi Ga Roti - 5/5 - Loved the flavor of the chicken and the sticky rice was bomb. First time the chicken came out undercooked for my liking, but Samantha brought it back to the kitchen to get another one more well cooked. A new one came out with the chicken cooked perfectly, but the rice had peanuts all over it, so we asked if we could just have another bowl of rice for the kiddos, and she gladly brought one over. *Lemon Grass Tofu - 5/5 - Yum! I love tofu and this one has an amazing sauce on it. Hubby liked the sauce so much he was putting it on the other dishes too! *Salted Egg Yolk Pasta w/ shrimp - 3/5. This dish was ok. Shrimp was fine, but the dish as a whole did not have a lot of flavor. Maybe I should have put some tofu sauce in there. The manager came by and apologized for the whole peanut situation and offered us a dessert. We tried the mango sticky rice and we all LOVED it. It's not like the thai sticky rice, as it had pandan flavored sticky rice. In addition to the mango, there were bits of young coconut too. Super yummy! Overall we really enjoyed the food and dining experience here. Highly recommend!

Nep Cafe is always a good idea. Make reservations or you will be waiting! I've been here for a few times, a fan of Nep, not too much of Gem dining (which comes to live during dinner) I've tried almost everything and it is consistent and so good. I love the egg coffee, the matcha coconut drink, Bone marrow and pate is to die for. The service is always great and the place is clean and pretty.

I had some family visit me and I just knew I had to bring them to Nep Cafe. I have been to the Irvine location mostly for their brunch option so it was my first time trying the dinner menu. We opted to try the Vietnamese shrimp salad as an appetizer, it was very light and refreshing. I was curious to see how they would elevate the already simple dish, and found the dressing to be slightly different than the standard nuoc mam. I would recommend getting this alongside the pork tomahack as the fatty pork cut well with the refreshing salad. Sometimes when I order pork, it tends to be super chewy and porky.... however here at Nep, it was very tender and not too fatty! We also tried the beef tongue fried rice and that was also a win! The beef tongue was tender and had a lot of flavor to it! We also got the classic kei concepts garlic noodles which made the meal complete! Unfortunately, we were too full to get any dessert but I would come back to try them next time! Overall, Nep Cafe has both a solid dinner and lunch menu, great and fast service. And vibes that makes you bring people to have a great meal over!

Great spot to host large parties or celebrations! I went for my mom's birthday and tried a bunch of dishes. Everything was shareable and my favorites were the Dao, Beef Belly Chao, and Shrimp Toast! Their drink options are great too! It was hard to decide. I tried the marble coffee and creme brûlée egg coffee. Both were not too sweet, but the egg coffee tasted stronger.

Great service, lovely ambiance, and a spacious setting. The waiting area was thoughtfully designed with seating and water, making it comfortable while waiting. But most importantly, the food was scrumptious. I enjoyed the xôi gà roti the most. The chicken was tender, crispy, and flavorful with just the right amount of oil. It came with sticky rice, although the rice was a bit firmer than I expected. For dessert, I had the mango sticky rice. Similar to the xôi gà roti rice, the rice was on the firmer side, and the grains stuck together, making it a little difficult to eat. A touch more condensed milk might have helped, but overall, it was a delicious experience. I enjoyed my visit and will be coming back!

We ordered the crab toast, dao, crab curry omelette, banh mi Chao plates for brunch service. The dao is a classic and hasn't changed much since they opened. I'm impressed with the curry crab omelet, a nice a hint of spice, and very filling with a choice of sticky rice or bread. I think the garlic noodles with crab has a good portion, but my mom did not enjoy the Al dente cook on the pasta. The beef tongue banh mi Chao plate was so fragrant, it had lots of fresh herbs. The wildberry matcha drink was sweet and milky, but not much matcha flavor. The egg coffee was delicious per usual, but since it's strong I took the remainder to go. I would definitely come back to try dinner service and my mom enjoys their brunch service. The ambiance is very busy, so expect a wait for a table.

Dinner here was a great experience. I've been here twice before and felt it was just fine. I'm not sure if those other times, my group did not order the best items. However this time around, the group of people I went with did a great job of ordering because all the items we purchased were delicious. Lemongrass tofu tasted great. The lemongrass flavor was not too strong and there was a good kick of heat that follows. There is plenty of sauce too if you like dousing your rice in sauce. The red rice that came with it is sooooo fluffy and flavorful. The com ga roti was also good. It seems like a basic dish, but it's still overall a really good experience because it also comes with the amazing red rice and the salad dressing was nice. The dipping sauce is delicious and not quite so basic. This is the only one that would be 4/5 stars while all the other dishes are definitely 5/5. Still a very satisfying dish. The shrimp toast was surprisingly moist, juicy, but the toast still had a good crunch to it. It was very delicious for a light appetizer. Recommend. I think tons of people order the bone marrow pasta. You might have already read raving reviews. But just in case, I recommend this one too. It's simple, has that meat fat flavor that is very satisfying. The pasta was cooked well, still a bit al dente so had a good bite to it. I love when there are veggies in a dish, more than just a garnish so I was happy with the spinach. Finally the salted egg yolk and crab pasta was filling and delicious. There was enough crab to get a nice crab flavor with every bite. I personally am glad my group did family-style so we can try a little of everything because it was really rich and I'm happy with the amount I got. I don't think I could finish the whole thing. But my friend said she could totally eat it all up herself. It was that good. Overall a great experience. Our server was friendly, everyone we interacted with was very nice. Would definitely come back.

Excellent food - top-notch quality, delicious, well-presented, all-around a pleasure. The red rice with chicken was delicious. Chicken was juicy. Red rice taste is light and goes perfectly with the dish, plus any sauces. Shrimp toast was stunning good. The sauce it comes with is amazing! Egg Yolk Pasta with crab is dense and absolutely tasty. Bone Marrow pasta is ridiculous. So. Good. Service was great. Accommodated us outdoors, with a dog. And they also brought a heater nearby to keep us warm. Went at 530pm on a Saturday and there was no wait. Food came out very quickly too. A must-try destination!

Revisited After A Couple Of Years With My Husband. The Hostess Didn't Instantly Acknowledge Us With A 'Hello' Or 'I Will Be Right With You'. It Took Her A Couple Of Minutes To Even Greet Us!! The Female Server Must Not Be A Morning Person. She Didn't Give It Her All. Later, A Male Server/Food Runner Comes By. Very Attentive & Friendly!! I Tried A New Dish - The Squid & Mango Salad. It Was Very Fresh & Flavorful, But There Was No Bite On The Squid Or Mango Slices For My Taste.

Food was innovative and excellent. Service was friendly and fast. Decor was cool and inviting. Top-notch all around! I thought the crab omelette was great, and the bananas foster sticky rice was excellent as well. The shrimp toast was pretty skippable, but still, Nep Cafe was excellent.

Came here to celebrate a birthday and we were able to try a few things that was new to the menu. TIP: always make reservations at this place, it seems to always be packed. We had: Bone marrow pasta, pasta, spinach and bone marrow. Please add the bone marrow goodness into the pasta, it does change the flavor of the pasta and elevate the dish itself. Banh Mi chao but with ribeye and they only cooked it two ways, med rare or well done. Get it med rare, the steak is thin so it goes great with the dish. Super flavorful and HUGE whole garlic in the dish. Beef tongue fried rice was flavorful and buttery, really good. For dessert we had to try the flan Really good and worth getting. Comes with a scoop of coconut ice cream and it goes together so well.

Nep continues to serve consistency cause their dishes are delicious every time. Most of their dishes are bomb. My all time MUST ORDER: seafood ceviche, squid & mango salad, crab toast, chicken wings, their coconut coffee or egg coffee The only thing I'm sad about was the change in their bone marrow pasta. I was so excited they brought it back but the kind of pasta they use now isn't as chewy as the one before. The sauce was also more of a watery consistency so the flavor is more mild than before. It was definitely way better before. We really enjoyed their new item salted egg crab pasta, it was rich in flavor and the noodles are chewy. I'm a texture person so I love chewy noodles. I tried their banana pudding and it was good, I loved the corn flakes added for some crunch.

I had such a good time here, and the food did not disappoint! I'm obsessed with their coffee drinks--so, so good. Here's what I ordered: - Chicken Wings: My favorite dish of the meal! - Banh Mi Chao: It was okay, but I'd probably switch it out for something else next time. - Filet Mignon: Loved the bread that came with it and liked this much more than the banh mi chao. - Garlic Noodles with Shrimp: These were different from the usual garlic noodles I've had, but I really liked them! - Coconut Coffee: Hands-down the most delicious coffee--so creamy and flavorful. - Egg Coffee: Also good, but the coconut coffee was the winner for me. Definitely worth a visit if you're craving great food and amazing coffee!

Had brunch with my team from work here - and eat was delicious! Definitely made it harder to work after since we were so full XD If you're not familiar with Nep (or Kei Concepts) it's always good to know that their ambiance and spaces are always warm, elevated and a great place to bring someone to for a date or dinner (or brunch in our case!) Our server was amazing, and the food came out delicious- thank you Nep!

Nep has been on my list for a while now, but since I already have a list of things I ~must~ eat while in socal, it unfortunately never made the cut until this past trip. I met up with my friends (s/o to Michelle L :')!!!) over dinner. What's better than good company, good food, and good conversations? We ordered - -Squid & mango salad - typical vietnamese goi, it was refreshing with our meal, but nothing special -Chicken wings - these had really good flavor! would order this again -Beef carpaccio - I was hoping this would be a bit more flavorful, but it was still good -Seafood tom kha pasta - my FAVORITEEE dish of the night. I'm not a pasta person by any means, but this was sooo good. there was plenty of seafood in the dish, too! standout dish. would 1000% order again. I'm trying to see if I can recreate this at home now. -Bone marrow pasta - would notttttt order this again and would absolutely not recommend it. it was very creamy, but it lacked salt to offset the creaminess. basically no flavor lol. that was the general consensus at our table -Banh mi chao - this was good, as expected, but nothing too special -Banana bread pudding - my table loved it but I couldn't enjoy it bc I was too full, oops lol -Coconut matcha - MUSTTTT order, this was so good and refreshing! order light ice though. Service was meh, they forgot to give us utensils and it took a while to flag someone down.

Absolutely one of my favorite spots to eat in the area!! All of the dishes are super delicious and the drinks are must tries. Came here for lunch and dinner during my trip to LA, and neither time disappointed! The staff were all super friendly and very nice, and the restaurant is really clean and well decorated. Seems like there's usually a wait so definitely budget in some time to wait to get seated, and usually sitting outside is faster. What I ordered: Seafood Ceviche - refreshing, acidic, and light! I always start off my meals here with this appetizer. Shrimp Salted Egg Yolk Pasta - definitely one of my favorites! The salted egg yolk flavor isn't too overpowering and the pasta is perfectly cooked and seasoned. Banh Mi Chao - I've tried multiple orders and it hits every time. The filet mignon is probably my fav but everything just tastes so good with the bread. Xoi Ga Roti - the chicken isn't dry at all and I loved eating it mixed with the rice and pickled veggies. Coconut Matcha - the matcha and coconut flavors both shined through and worked so nicely together to be a refreshing drink! Overall, everything I've had here on the menu is delicious and I would highly recommend!!

My girlfriend tricked me into walking 2 miles to Nep Cafe to meet her parents for New Year's Day lunch. We went on a crab bonanza: - The Dao: Loved the truffle with the soft egg. 4/5 I would only say maybe add one or two more pieces of bread since we still had some leftover after splitting it 4 ways. We still put the leftovers on another piece of bread though. - Crab Toast: Can't go wrong with crab and bread 5/5. - Shaking Filet Mignon Beef Platter: I didn't get to try it but her dad cleaned up the entire plate so it must have been good 5/5 - Beef Tongue Skillet: It was definitely interesting seeing these big chunks of beef tongue as opposed to small pieces like in tacos and kbbq. Very tender! 5/5 - Garlic Noodles with Crab: So much crab! It was all very tender and loved the whole garlic cloves. I wish there were some veggies though but I know it's just noodles. - Curry Crab Omelette - 5/5 My girlfriend loved this one and it was a huge portion too with the sticky rice. - Espresso Martini - Very strong and usually I don't drink coffee but I was tired. 4/5 Service was a little bit slower than usual and I think the server could have done a little bit more to check up on us more. However, I know it was New Year's Day and it was actually pretty busy so it's understandable. Thank you David for taking care of us! Ambiance was nice and chill with some edm vibes. Decor is homey and I love the open kitchen. Overall we had a great time. Just be careful of an hour long wait though but there are some stores near by you can walk around or maybe hit some golf balls across the street to work up an appetite!

I was pretty disappointed due to the amount of great reviews on Yelp. We unfortunately waited 30 minutes to get the food and it was underwhelming. We ordered the banh mi bites, filet mignon banh mi chao, & chicken wings. I felt nauseated after a few bites, I can't tell if it's just too greasy or? The food isn't terrible, I just wouldn't spend my own money on it or take more than 2-3 bites :( but to each their own! It was fairly busy so I'm sure many others like it. Me and my BF just aren't fans.

Ordered to-go. Shrimp toast, coconut ube coffee, and salted egg yolk pasta with crab. I had a few bites before driving home and everything was delicious. The dipping sauce for the shrimp toast was really good. The pasta came with a lot of crab (good chunky lumps, not the blended to oblivion kind). The coffee was good, strong and sweet. Service was friendly and quick enough given how busy they were. I was waiting outside and the host came outside to give me my coffee when that was ready first. Inside is cute but packed and busy. Oh and the to-go packaging/containers are really nice and sturdy. I don't live in the area but wouldn't mind getting food from here again next time I'm in the area.

What can I say, my trip to NEP was an interesting yet amazing experience. Came here with my wife and sisters and ordered a large variety of items (see pictures). Got started off with the egg coffee and crème brûlée coffees which were amazing. We then got to the entrees which all slayed, however, we had a minor issue with the beef tongue fried rice. One of the bites contained glass, and we notified our server immediately. She quickly replaced the rice with a proper one and removed the charge from the bill. I appreciate the service we got during this issue. Ambiance of the resto is amazing, I'd come here for any occasion with a group of friends or for a date night. Food is here a perfect ode to the flavors of the local area. I'll always be a fan of Kei Concepts. 5 stars

Food: another Kei Concept place that I really liked hehe. Even though it doesn't quiet surpass INI Ristorante or Vox Kitchen for me personally, it still deserves a good review with their quality delicious food. I really liked the seafood tom kha pasta, sauce is to die for. Garlic noodle was good but standard, and I wasn't too big fan of lemongrass tofu. Hamachi crudo appetizer was refreshing, and I liked the crunch Price: for dinner, appetizer was around $12-17, rice/noodle dishes were around $14-26, dessert was around $7-12, which are fairly reasonable, but maybe slightly pricier than I would normally like Ambiance: I came here for dinner both times, it was dimly lit with lots of booths/tables inside and mood lighting. Great for date nights or meeting friends for a fancier dinner Service: good service, had no issues with ordering and getting our food/drinks, our waitress was always kind and patient even though we waited for our friend to show up for 30 minutes Parking: there is a pretty big parking lot associated with the restaurant/plaza, never had issues finding available parking around 7-8PM dinner time.

I took my family from out of town to NEP. They're the family that want to try something unique and yummy but not stray to far from traditional foods. I know NEP is always popping so I came a bit early to snag a table. Reservations were closed online so my only hope was grabbing a table in the morning. I was luckily able to get seated within 30 minutes. The customer service was superb. a couple were running late with their kids and I was a little embarassed to be stuck in a situation where I was waiting in a blank table but the service was amazing and they got us strated on drinks and apps first. The food we ordered everyone loved. The kids got their butter noodles and were happy with the coconut water. Service was so attentive and they grabbed us a lot of little things for kids like water, extra ketchup, extra napkins. Service, quickness of everyone, the vibe of the place, delicious drinks, and yummy foods all so 10/10 that my cousins came back a second time without inviting me. Very rare that visiting family would go back to teh same restaurant as we like to try everything when we're out of town. But this left such a mark on them they're already raving about coming back! Thanks Nep for making a core memory in someone's california visit :)

Nep Cafe has been on my FYP and on my Yelp Bookmark for months now so we were so excited to come today. We saw they were dog friendly so we brought Peanut. We made a reservation for the Patio and put that we were bringing a dog and it was totally fine. Very cute patio area as well. Reservation is definitely a must if you come at prime lunch or dinner time. I have to say, Nep Cafe lived up to the hype. We started our meal with their Crème brûlée coffee and Vietnamese Milk Coffee. OMG! That Crème brûlée coffee with egg foam is a life changer. It's soooo good. Now let's get into the food. We started with the Seafood Ceviche and Crab Toast, which were stars of the show. The ceviche was one of the best we've ever had. It was light and so refreshing. The crab toast had lumps of crab paired with fluffy eggs...so delicious! Our mains were the Shrimp Garlic Noodle and the Banh Mi Chao - Ribeye. The Ribeye was tender and flavorful with the onions and sunny side eggs but the pepper sauce was a bit too sweet for our liking. The Shrimp Garlic Noodle was so good that we had to get another order to go so our friends back in LA could try it. Everything was so good! From the wonderful service, especially from our sweet and friendly server Joanne to the amazing food! Can't wait to come back for their dinner menu! You got to give them a try. Definitely worth the wait and drive!

If you're from Orange County, you've been to this spot at least once. And if you haven't been, this is your sign to go ^_^ Nep Cafe just launched their all-new happy hour AND new menu items, like Ribeye banh mi chao. Break that bread and smear pate and gravy on. Salted egg yolk crab pasta for all my carb lovers, and com ga roti with the unbelievably crunchy chicken skin. And from 2-5PM on Monday through Friday, you can get items during happy hour like shrimp toast and sticky chicken wings, AND cocktails at $10 each, say whaat??? For dessert, mango sticky rice, and I'll definitely be back for their banana bread pudding. Thanks for reading! ^-^

Not gonna lie, this place is amazing. Double amazing! Food was phenomenal. Mouth watering. That Tomahawk pork was so juicy and tender. And the filet mignon cube steak was cooked to perfection. The boneless flounder is a must try. Super tasty. The presentation was outstanding. Really love the ambiance here too. Staff were amazing and excellent. The manager gave us an extra platter which was super generous. A million thank yous!! That Uber beer was different and creamy, and I kinda like it. All in all, we had a fantastic time here. Cheers!

4k reviews can't go wrong and they weren't. This might be the best restaurant we've been to in a long time. Food wise: The banh mi ribeye was beyond amazing. The tofu lemongrass was unbelievable. The garlic noodles was excellent as well. Ambience wise: perfect for a date night, or night after breakfast spot or just great. It's so good, it's beyond busy though. Service wise: excellent Price wise: Food this good, I don't care. Just charge me anything. Overall: I'm not from the area but whenever I'm close, I'm coming back here. I'm impressed

Nep is my last restaurant from Kei Concept to try. I have to say, it was a big disappointment. Over priced, over rated. I feel like they took a few dishes from their other restaurants and showcased it here with fancy protein add on of beef tongue, filet mignon, or shrimp. Garlic noodles...I rather order that at their other establishment, Vox kitchen. The sizzling plate is pricey from the protein choice. You can order the same thing, less fancy, less price elsewhere. I assumed the coffee would be same as Kei cafe but it's different. Some items are with Vietnamese milk coffee and some are made with black coffee. I ordered an avocado coffee which is w black coffee. It had fresh chunks of avocado at the bottom with black coffee layered on top. It needed a spoon. Also got egg coffee and that was weak. The food came out super fast. Maybe because it's lunch and people can be in and out under 30mins. Or, food was ready in mass production, waiting. We had 12:15 reservation, got there at noon, seated immediately and home by 1. We ordered: -Crispy wings - typical glazed fish sauce topped with peanuts -Crispy Brussels sprouts - instead of your typical bacon or pork belly, it's with Chinese sausage -Shanghai dumplings - nothing special Food was mediocre at best and food came out extremely fast. Great if you're on a lunch break. There's a nice outdoor patio if you want to have a large girls brunch or sit outside.

For an "upscale" Vietnamese place it certainly shows. However, I think for the "deconstructed/reconstructed" take on Vietnamese foods that I grew up and loved, I'm not sold. While prices seem affordable, portions are tiny and thus you'd generally have to order more. Workers are either very friendly or very dismissive, all depends on who you get. Tables are sat very close to others so it gets quite loud very easily. For the handful of times I've been, I'm generally baffled by the food. It is flavorful but I think I'll just stick to regular tried and true traditional style.

I'm surprised I've never written a review about this place until now. It's been one my favorite brunch places in OC for the last few years. I've been here numerous times and have probably tried almost everything on their menu. The service is always consistently friendly and the food and drinks never disappoints. You pretty much can't go wrong with any item on the menu. The space is clean and modern. It's always busy on the weekends so expect a line. They also have a brunch happy hour menu on the weekdays starting at 2pm.

Great elevated Vietnamese and Thai cuisine fusion cuisine, but some dishes are a little pricey for what you get so definitely look at the photos before you decide to order.

Imagine you have a girlfriend who's the love of your life, and one day she's taken away from you. And you don't see her for many moons and think she's lost forever, but one day she comes back! And she feels the same except now she has a fuck-ass haircut that kinda throws the vibe off a little bit so you wonder if your love was real or if it was an illusion you made up in your head. That's how I feel about the return of the bone marrow pasta. It's true; the bone marrow pasta is back. Bone marrow in general is back and available as an add on to your entrees (yay). The bone marrow pasta has a revamped look, trading in its disk-shaped orecchiette for the "rice macaroni," spindles of skinny macaroni with ridges down the side. It's definitely a choice, and I commend the Kei Concepts team's dedication for innovation and striving for self improvement, but I definitely enjoyed the old pasta much more. Texturally, the dish feels completely different - it's less smooth and the new skinny noodles feel awkward. It's still good, but I hope they change it back to the disks. Complaining aside, I loved everything else about my brunch. I noticed a couple new menu items, which I appreciated. I got the Banh Mi Chao - Ribeye with the works - every single add on they had: laughing cow cheese, bone marrow, and lap xuong (it already came with truffle butter). I loved it. It was so indulgent - two slabs on ribeye stacked on a hot skillet, absolutely soaking in its own buttery juices. The meat was juicy and tender. The toppings are what really made the dish though, and although I love the bone marrow, my favorite topping was the laughing cow cheese. It's that little extra touch that made the dish feel so much more Vietnamese. Other standouts for me include the shrimp toast. The spicy Mayo was delicious and the fried bread was really good. The lattes are always good too - I tried the Wildberry Matcha Latte today. It's like that one Boba Guys drink with the matcha strawberry. Overall, the food and service was superb. I'm loving the new menu items and return of the bone marrow. Would go back again.