Truc Orient Express

I'm spoiled. I love great Vietnamese food, which is plentiful in San Francisco. Having just moved here, I was blindsided by the culinary talent at Truc Orient Express. This restaurant is a gem in The Berkshires that is deserving of all five stars. Try the Vietnamese pancake--it's all that it should be--crispy, fresh and filled with fresh produce and shrimp. The sauces are fabulous and the desserts are to die for. If you have an opportunity to meet the owner, say hello. She and her staff take great pride in their work ad know their customers on a first-name basis. I can't say enough good things about how lovely the food is and accommodating and kind the staff are at delivering a memorable first class dining experience.

Exquisite hospitality and kindness shown by the owner. Her attention to detail and care with everything she does is expressed in her delicious authentic food. She takes immense care with my food restrictions and is one of the only places I feel safe eating out. Truc is a true testament to her long standing family business that continues to thrive and be an active part in our community here in West Stockbridge.

First time trying this restaurant- the food was fresh and delicious- I had the shrimp rolls and sweet and sour chicken and both were delicious! If you are in West Stockbridge I’d recommend stopping in for a great meal.

Update: I originally left this review to express my disliking to how the owners treat other businesses in this town. Since posting, the owners have since found my personal portfolio website, and threatened me via an email submission. They are absolutely unprofessional, and have harassed me over a simple Google review. This lends more evidence to how awful they are as people, and I can only hope their business doesn't last much longer. I have nothing to hide, and happily post the message here: "Perhaps you shouldn’t walk your dog and husband by peoples homes and give them the finger and give fake google reviews. I wonder if your web developing business is on there. Maybe I will take a gander" This is a clear threat to my career, and not taken lightly. And frankly, this only solidifies my original review and opinion. Original review: Horrible owners.

I cannot believe there are negative reviews here. This restaurant is a gem: a family-owned Berkshires institution that offers delicious, healthy food at fair prices. The owner has always been kind and gracious toward me. TOE is an asset to the West Stockbridge community and Berkshire county. Highly recommended!

We come out to the Berkshires every summer and Truc is always a highlight. Google Maps seems to be the cause of some difficulty, as they had incorrect hours for the restaurant (now removed). Testimony to how good the food is here, you need to order takeout a day in advance! We look forward to dining inside again soon!

Awesome! Gift shop supports artisans in Vietnam! You must see it to fully appreciate all the beautiful items here! The family is so gracious and the restaurant is so amazing! Don't miss this wonderful place and their hospitality! Seasonal so check before you go!

Not perfect, but reliable and always fresh, beautifully-cooked food. This family run (our host was all of 8) local Vietnamese restaurant has some aspects to legitimately criticize like the ac is rarely on, even assuming they have it, and the wait staff is either family or less than expert (but unfailingly sweet), but the food will rarely disappoint. Prices are reasonable for Berkshire food, but seem to grow year by year. But then there is the food. If Vietnamese is what you crave it should satisfy.

Our favorite go to Take out! The tofu noodle salad is our favorite! Vegetarian is VEGAN!!! Woo HOO!!! And TRUC is AWESOME!

The owners are so nice and the food is so delicious. I highly recommend the sweet and sour chicken. This is my favorite restaurant in the Berkshires!

I feel like we went to a different restaurant than some of the other reviews. So be it. First, I'd like to acknowledge that I am not Vietnamese nor am I an expert in Vietnamese cuisine. However, I have eaten in some fantastic Vietnamese restaurants in other places where it is well known, such as Clarendon in northern Virginia and Orange County in California and the food at Truc's was unlike in those places. I fully grant that I am naive about the diversity in Vietnamese cuisine so the food at Truc's may reflect a different type or location, but just in case people are expecting things they've eaten elsewhere. For example, the Stir-Fry tofu with mixed vegetables was a large portion of what tasted like steamed vegetables with strips of tofu. We could not detect any flavor or seasonings, yet it cost 3 times what I would pay for the same thing at my local Chinese take-out in Pittsfield. The vegetarian spring rolls were basically fried very thick rolled dough. There were a few tiny shreds of cabbage and carrot in them and I found them inedible (although one of my dinner companions who will eat anything did eat them). The Happy Pancake (with chicken) was a large saucer size fried dough sitting on top of chicken, although the sauce made it better. We did not think that the prices reflected the quality of the food. I wish I could have given a more positive review but we would not return. There is a shop with Vietnamese clothing, jewelry and accessories so you can shop while you wait for your food, and note there is currently only outdoor seating.

We got 6 different items from the special menu. Everything was AMAZING!! It is a limited menu, take out or eat on their deck and Truc is doing a fabulous job all by herself! And that Lemon Mousse.......!!! Will definitely be back many times this season.

I was blindsided by the culinary talent at Truc Orient Express. This restaurant is a gem in The Berkshires that is deserving of all five stars. Try the Vietnamese pancake--it's all that it should be--crispy, fresh, and filled with fresh produce and shrimp. The sauces are fabulous and the desserts are to die for. If you have an opportunity to meet the owner, say hello. She and her staff take great pride in their work ad know their customers on a first-name basis. I can't say enough good things about how lovely the food is and accommodating and kind the staff are at delivering a memorable first-class dining experience.

It has been years since I ate here but I recall very good food. At the time, they offered hot pot - whatever it was called - it was an Asian version of fondue. It was fun and tasty. I think the prices have risen substantially.

There hours are not correct. We went last night 2/1/20 and yelp said they were open and they were closed. Disappointed as we heard good things about the restaurant

Great food, attentive staff, lovely location. And this little gem is nestled behind a storefront featuring an array of fine Asian gifts and household items in the center of the funky little town of West Stockbridge. Friends from town introduced us to their favorite spot and we are glad they did! It's a true family business, so don't expect service as usual. But you can expect great food!

Truc Oriental Cafe Vietnamese food is what makes my life worth living. It forms the bulk of my diet (seemingly) back home in Sacramento, and it's what I miss most when I'm up here in New England. So I when I heard there was a Vietnamese restaurant near me in West Stockbridge, I absolutely had to go - damn the drive! I shanghaied some friends into visiting with me and away we went. It took a bit of effort to find the place, but we were rewarded: the interior is lovely, built inside what seems to be an old farmhouse. The soothing, richly lit wooden room is a wonderful place to sit and relax, aided by the romantic scent of Vietnamese incense in the air. And after subsisting on dining hall food for a while, one really grows to appreciate a candle and a snappy white tablecloth. But what about the food? The menu features a wide assortment of traditional Vietnamese dishes. We began with the Shrimp Summer Rolls ($6.95.) These were big, plump, fresh and absolutely fabulous - one of the best renditions I've ever had. Scallion and a bit of jalapeno even gave them a spicy and seductive kick. Dip them in the silky smooth peanut sauce and you have entered spring roll Nirvana. We moved on to main courses, sharing the Char-broiled Pork over Rice Noodles ($17.95), the Shaking Beef ($18.95), and the Hanoi Style Fish. ($20.95) The pork was served on a bed of rice noodle cakes, with shaved carrot, peanut, and a bit of green sauce on top. The pork was thin, tender, and expertly cooked, juxtaposed well with the soft noodles. The beef was flavorful and tender, with the silky texture you expect from really high quality meat. This was served in a rich and juicy sauce on top of a bed of watercress, which soaked up all the liquid....yummy. This went fast. Finally, the fish was served in a big hot pot with lots of peanut, dill, onion, and lemongrass. This had a fresh, wonderful dill flavor, and flaked deliciously on the plate. Served over rice noodles, it's a great light dish. Service is excellent, and the friendly owner checked on us throughout our meal...he was very happy to find out we were from California. (And he complimented me on my spring roll eating form...hah!) Apparantly his son is a chef at San Francisco's Ana Mandera. Cool! Truc is a wonderful option for fresh, high-quality, and super authentic Vietnamese food in a very unlikely location: the Berkshires. Please visit them often and give them all the business they deserve. Also check out the cool Vietnamese gift shop attached to the restaurant, selling all manner of Asian curios.

We visited this place on a Thursday night. The place is big and pretty. It wasn't busy at all but the waitress took about 15 min to get our drink orders and then about 10 min to actually bring the drinks. Food is nothing special and a bit pricey. For appetizers we ordered a crab soup that didn't have any crab in it and the special shrimp roll that had a small shrimp and tasted very very old. For the main we had BBQ pork, nothing special. It was a little bit burned and had no flavor at all. We also had the shaking beef, the beef was tender but tasted like any other thing I could have cooked in my house. We also ordered the special fried rice, that was our favorite dish. It was very tasty but came in a very small portion. Also, the place has no AC so it wasn't very pleasant because we went there in a very hot summer night. Overall, I wouldn't recommend visiting.

We are so mad!! My husband and I just left the restaurant and all I can say is the service sucks!!! We were the only ones in the restaurant when we were seated and they totally forgot about us. The bus boy brought us our food. When We were about finished with our meal the waitress finally decided to show up and ask us if there would be anything else and we said no. We waited, waited and waited for our check until we finally got up and went to the bar to ask for it. Told the bartender that they forgot about us and he just shrugged his shoulders and totally didn't give a rats ass. We will never come back. The Chronicle was sadly mistaken when they said this was a gem in the Berkshires. Maybe they had a reservation.

This is my favorite Vietnamese Restaurant and one that we Keep coming back to year after year. Vegetarian food and fish were excellent. Hot soup was spicy and chick full of veggies. Service was very good. The whole family bent over backwards to serve us when we told them we had tickets and had to leave on time.

My go-to restaurant. Always great quality, flavors are delicious, and wonderful family who owns and runs it. Very welcoming. Love the happy pancake, barbecue pork on rice noodles in particular!

I love this restaurant. The food is really good. The family is the friendliest. Definitely a must!!!@@

The food was mediocre at best. Started with the hot and sour shrimp soup. No shrimp to be seen in it. Then, I ordered the Hanoi Fish for $26. For that price, I was expecting it to wow me. It didn't. If there was 4 oz of fish in the entree, I'd be surprised. To call it a $15 entree is a stretch. My girlfriend ordered the Shrimp summer rolls to start. They are yummy, but they were also $8.50 for two of them. She also ordered the Happy Pancake. It was bland at best. Greasy, barely crisp and swimming in oil. The shrimp weren't even shelled. Though, if you like canned bean sprouts, this is the dish for you! Overall, this was NOT worth the $70 it cost for two apps, two entrees, and one glass of bad wine. At least, the waitress was kind enough to take one whole whopping dollar off the bill when I informed her of the shrimpless shrimp soup! Yay!

My family recently gathered to be together on a summer evening. The owners knew my parents and gave us great treatment. We ranged in age from 4 years old to 70 plus. We all enjoyed our meal. The food was not very spicy and the portions were very generous. The food was good, but not exceptional. The food was not very spicy. But, the children loved it, especially the fish. The only issue that occurred to me, was that I was a little worried because the food was served by the owner who happens to be a spry elderly gentleman. I had to contain my urge to spring up and help him out as he seemed a little shaky on his feet. It all worked out well in the end and we all had a good time.

This is my first review for yelp. Since this restaurant is so bad and I would like to give a review It is the worst service I have ever met. I have been to multiple restaurants and never met any bad service like this. We have a group of eight people. We went to the restaurant pretty late and we just wanted to eat light before sleep. We ordered 8 soups and one pancake. The owner told us" if you only ordered those, go back and we won't server you". What the hack!. Since we were so tired and didn't want to look for other places, I tried to change my order. No soups and pancake. Give me 5 entries. The owner said "go back if you order only 5 entries for 8 people". So we tried to leave and the owner said "Wait, you need to pay for tea". Only one of us drink tea but the owner wanted charge $11+tax for the group. What the....

Humiliating ---- Came here with my family a year ago and still can't shake what happened. After an extremely mediocre (nothing compared to what I get in places that cost less in Manhattan) meal served by a nice very young waitress we left. After getting into the car the owner ran after us and banged on the window. My husband rolled down the window and the owner asked: "was the meal And service unsatisfactory?" No my husband answered it was fine. "Then why didn't you leave a satisfactory tip???" My husband who always tips generously was embarrassed in front of his entire family and thought he must have made a mistake. The owner marched him back inside and stood over him as he added more money to his already satisfactory tip. I've been dining out multiple times a week for years and something like that has never ever happened. Maybe the owner saw the New York license plates and thought why not they are just visiting - but my family has been in the Berkshires since the 1930s and we will never ever be back.

We enjoyed Truc on a recent vacation - the food was excellent and fresh. One caveat -- if you're looking for Phö, the wonderfully flavorful Vietnamese soup, you won't find it here. The owner told us that he can't make any money selling Phö in West Stockbridge, as the tourists only come during the summer months. I perfectly understand this - a bowl of Phö costs at most $10 and easily could fill a meal -- and those prices, paying rent in West Stockbridge could be quite unreasonable. So that's my only caution. If you're looking for Phö -- Phögetaboutit! :)

This review is based on infrequent visits over the past 10 years or so. The last one was in June 2006. The review is so late because I just learned of this Web site, and thought it was important to issue a warning. The Truc is a totally family-owned restaurant. It serves what is, in my opinion, excellent Vietnamese food. It has been in existence for at least 20 years, first in downtown Schenectady, NY, and then in West Stockbridge. One caveat must be made. The staff, by their own admission, know absolutely nothing about wine. Patrons are totally on their own in choosing wines, and the descriptions on the menu are sometimes inaccurate to the point of being totally wrong, 180 degrees. Thus, we ordered a white wine listed as "dry" and found it intolerably sweet. We tried to return the bottle, but were told that no one on the staff claimed any wine expertise and, having ordered it anyway, we were stuck with it. It was undrinkable with the meal. We ended up taking it home and using it for cooking.

One of the worst meals I've had in a long time. The appetizer was some kind of shrimp/pork/vegetable roll... totally overdone. Almost burnt. Nearly hard as a rock. Gross. My friend and I each had the bbq pork with garlic over rice noodles. The plate was appetizer size (for $21!). And the food completely mediocre and served warm (not hot). Even the flan for dessert was not that good. The place seems "tired." I did not use the bathroom, but I expect it's not that clean. I'm feeling a bit sick from this meal.

Displeased. The owner was beyond rude and had a "melt down" in front of me. The place was empty. The positive reviews confuse me. I assume most are by the establishment. Not impressed by food either. -It's been a while since I was here and I still think back to the poor service. I am currently living in San Jose. Here we have a large number of vietnamese establishments and wish that the food I got at this place was as good or the service was better. Out here the vietnamese is great so it's not that I don't like the type of food. I now eat vietnamese once a week and this review reminded me of the first time I had had it, and it was almost the last.

Not your ordinary Vietnamese restaurant. Proprietors Lui and Trai have been in West Stockbridge for roughly 40 years perfecting their shaking beef, fried eggplant, happy pancakes, and much more with a Gallic touch. Don't miss lemon mousse for dessert!

The key to enjoying Truc is not to compare it to other Vietnamese restaurants. Instead, consider it fresh pan-Asian cooking. Lots of vegetables, healthily cooked in lean broths and not too greasy. Service might depend on how well the owners know you.

Truc is fantastic! We are so lucky to have them in West Stockbridge. I only wish they were open all year round! I always get take out, but the inside looks comfy and fun. They are always very welcoming when I walk in the door and I LOVE to look around in the attached shop. I'm a huge fan of the 5 spice Chicken. But really? Everything on the menu is fantastic!

Einstein defined stupidity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome each time. No, I'm not taking about Hamas, although they clearly qualify. I'm saying that if you ignore bad Yelp reviews and go to the restaurant anyway, expecting a different outcome, you get what you deserve. Welcome to the Truc Orient Distress Vietnamese Restaurant, where two diners sitting at adjacent tables on the same night can come away with entirely different experiences. My fault. I saw the many single star reviews, but chose to ignore them in favor of the couple of five star ratings. I know there's a fancy psychological term for this. Oh, yeah: stupidity. Take tonight, for example. Our very own NY power couple agreed to skip the Hamptons and come to the Berkshires to visit the folks. Where to dine is the obvious first question. We were inclined to favor the Red Lion Inn, but had dined with friends the previous weekend at Zinc. They raved about their meal at Truc the evening before. So we gave the kids a choice: the RLI or Truc. They chose Truc. We trucked to Truc, which is located at the ass end of West Stockbridge. The restaurant shares a building with a shop selling Vietnamese tchotchkes. We were seated promptly in the side room at a nice four top and were given menus. For those who don't know Vietnamese food, this is not the place for the best introduction. We ordered soup, starters, and mains and found everything to be completely bland: under spiced and mostly tasteless. The hot and sour soup was hot in temperature only and we had to ask for additional chili paste to bring it up to speed. My chicken was without any taste whatsoever and was beyond salvation. The filet with string beans was ordered medium rare but served mostly raw and had to be sent back for re-firing. The grilled duck breast was just OK, but the tofu dish was reported as being not too bad. The only pho on the menu was a chicken version. Fie fi faux pho! It was like going to a McDonalds in Singapore and finding that they only offered tofu McNuougats. Unlike others who posted here, we had no complaints about the service; it was friendly and prompt. But, this was our one and only visit. Oh, one last thing: I thought that the prices were waaay high for the quantity and quality. Be prepared.

When you walk in, it's like you're taking a trip to Vietnam. The ambience is delightful! The food is wonderful as well (some of the best Pad Thai and spring rolls I've ever had). There's also an attached gift store that has some really interesting pieces. The place gets very hot in the summer as there's no air conditioning, but it just makes it more authentic lol. Definitely a must.

Terribly confused by the positive reviews?? This "restaurant" is a travesty against Vietnamese food and the service was equally dismal. Bun Cha Gio is NOT dry pork cutlets on a bed of rice noodle cakes - sorry, awful. And no Pho on the menu?! Are you kidding?! How do you claim to be a "Vietnamese" restaurant and not have the national dish on your menu. This place is a major-league rip off and best to be avoided at all costs.

I first discovered this place around 1985, it was a place to get a fresh clean taste. I made friends with Louie and than unfortuanately I moved 3 hours away in NH. I visited again in 95 where I caught up to my friend Louie the owner in Lenox at a food fair. Now ive always enjoyed the food,especially the appetizers and sauces. I also get the summer squid dish with vegetables.

Deliciousness! We've been going to Truc Orient Express for 34 years, and the restaurant, owners, and food are still going strong as ever. I use Orient Express as a standard with which to measure any other Vietnamese restaurant I visit, and no other can hold a candle to this one. The food is consistently fresh tasting, light, flavors are subtle, and portions are aplenty. We especially love the "Happy Pancake" and "Spice Squid Salad" with tamarind sauce. I think the food and wine prices are very reasonable, and less than many of the pricier restaurants that populate the Berkshires. We like the variety on the menu, the unusual mix of flavors and spices, the service, decor, and the originality of the cooking. Food presentation is lovely, and the quality of ingredients, yumminess. Go to Orient Express when in the Berkshires, and I think you will become a fan.

My wife and I and three of our friends visited Truc tonight on a return visit (we had first gone there last summer. Another reviewer previously commented on the menu no having Pho... but that's no longer true. There was one Pho dish on the menu! The portions are generous and the food is tasty and fresh. Guy com (summer rolls) were large, stuffed with shrimp, vermicelli, mint, cilantro and scalions (out both ends - uniusual) and very tasty. We ordered (as a group) sirloin steak, shaking beef, grilled pork, and a dish called "happy pancakes", essentially a crepe stuffed with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, pork and shrimp. The entrees were large, visually pleasing, aromatic and tasty; my only quibble would be with the "happy pancakes"; the crepe was friend, but then placed into a broth which tended to make them mushy (but still extremely flavorful; sweet and mildly spicy). The service can be slow at Truc, irrespective of whether it is crowded. Even so, this is a restaurant well worth a detour from Stockbridge. There are a dearth of Vietnamese restaurants in Western Massachusetts, and even fewer good ones. Truc is well worth the trip.

The 5 of us had dinner here. We ordered 2 soups - the chicken noodle and crab with asparagus. Both were disappointing. The 5 dishes we ordered were the duck, "shaken" beef, 5 spice chicken, seafood curry and mixed vegetables. We found that the meat in every dish was flavorful. But the amount was very small especially considering the price of the dish. We were surprised that there was not even one "pho" on the menu. Quite disappointed with this Vietnamese restaurant. Will not go again.

Hadn't been in years, and found the food to be most mediocre. I ordered the barbecued pork, which consisted of a couple of very dry, unflavorful pork cutlets on a bed of dry, unflavorful rice noodles. No veggies. If I had been on my own, I would have sent it back, as I found it inedible. Instead my companion graciously offered to switch with me so I had the "Shakin'" beef, which at least came on a bed of watercress but was drowning in sauce that tasted as if it came out of a bottle. No enthusiasm on the part of the servers. Couldn't wait to get out.

Our family has been coming here at least 2-3 times a summer for the past 15+ years. The same family has owned it and they are warm and so sweet. But more than that, their food is outstanding. I wouldn't say that my family doesn't have refined taste either... we have eaten at many other Vietnamese places and they don't even come close to Truc. The Shaking Beef and Happy Pancake, grilled eggplant and shrimp summer rolls are all equally fantastic; I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack every time we go out to eat there because I can't decide on which entree to order! You cannot go to the Berkshires and not eat here, trust me, I've eaten at almost every other place in the middle and southern county and Truc blows them out of the water. Also, there are typically celeb sightings here so clearly I'm not the only one who drinks the Truc Kool-Aid!

I had really high hopes for Truc Orient Express based on the many raving reviews I had read. However, I left rather disappointed. The atmosphere was very homey and charming and the food was ok, but based on what i had read, I had expected a lot more. The ingredients were definitely fresh but some of the dishes were quite bland. Whether this was intentional or not I'm not really sure. It could be a reflection of what most of their customers are looking for. The prices were quite high for what the food was, and were really more in line with a fine dining restaurant. I've had tastier and more authentic Vietnamese food for lower prices in Boston. The biggest disappointment however was the service. There were very long waits throughout the meal, but especially at the end when we needed our bill. And once we gave our credit cards, it took a long time for them to get back to us to sign. It's too bad really. The family who runs Truc seems very nice and it definitely serves a niche in an area with a lack of sit-down Asian restaurants. I just wish it had been better.

We have been coming to Truc's for many years and always enjoyed it. Tonight, we brought old friends of ours and had a party of nine for dinner. As usual, the family that owns and runs the restaurant were gracious and welcoming - and the food was excellent. We had multiple vegetarian entrees as well as a shrimp and a duck entree. All were well prepared, tasty and well presented. The entire group had a great time and all commented on how pleasant everyone was. A true West Stockbridge treasure and one that we value greatly.

The restaurant has been here for many years, and we've visited several times. The ambience is nice, but the food is mediocre, and the wait staff are inconsistent. We were very annoyed at our last visit. We had ordered 3 beers, but were charged for 4. When we brought their attention to the error the waiter insisted that we were wrong, and actually brought another waiter over to our table to back him up! (btw, there were 3 empty bottles on the table. They insisted that one must have been removed). I will not go back again.