Chez Thuy Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
13 Reviews for Chez Thuy Restaurant
When I first looked at the menu of this so called Vietnamese restaurant I became really concerned - items like Kung Pao Chicken and Pad Thai were prominently displayed. There is nothing that bothers me more than dumbed down Asian food for the American palate. It is almost like nails on a chalkboard. So here is this restaurant in Boulder that is absolutely packed on the lunch hour - the clientele is almost exclusively white. Could it actually be good? I went with the only authentic looking items on the menu - Pho Tai, Egg Rolls and Vietnamese Iced Coffee. All were really good. I was surprised at how good the Pho was, it was authentic and tasty with the customary accompaniments such as chili sauce, hoisin sauce and herbs. The broth was good and the soup was served steaming hot, which is key. The Egg Roll could've been hotter but it was fine and served with authentic tasting nuac mam. The iced coffee is served via French press and Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk remains my favorite iced coffee anywhere.
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So I'm visiting Boulder and my brother suggests a Vietnamese place for dinner. Naturally I got a little nervous, since although I am not a very smart man I still suspected that Boulder, CO was not the epicenter of Vietnamese cooking in America. Upon walking into the place, you pass by a large golden Buddha. I rubbed his belly for luck, because after getting stuck in an elevator, shit on by a bird while waiting for the airport shuttle, and almost missing my flight this morning, the last thing I needed was more bad luck. And gastronomical bad luck can be very bad, indeed.
I was surprised how busy the place was. After being seated and taking a look over the menu, I first noticed that the menu was very different from most Vietnamese places I've been to. Gone were the typical broken rice, noodle, and rice vermicelli sections, instead replaced by such authentic Vietnamese dishes as Pad Thai and kim chee. Although not very authentic, the food was actually pretty good. The lemongrass chicken was amazing - seasoned and grilled to perfection. We ordered the chicken, lemon beef salad, some seafood mix, a pork hot pot, and spring rolls for the table, and all of it was enjoyable. The only thing I didn't care for was my Thai iced tea. The boba were more like crumbly gum drops than actual boba.
The service here was really good, and I've never had a waitress come by more times to ask if everything was alright or to see if we needed anything. And I kept looking around for hidden cameras because it felt like every time I took a sip of my water the water guy would appear out of nowhere to fill up my glass.
And to top it off, the waitress brought out fortunes and mine was "you will live in comfort and material wealth." So I've got that going for me, which is nice. If only I had rubbed Buddha's belly earlier in the day!
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Many years ago, a friend who had been to Vietnam on vacation a few times invited us to join him for dinner at Chez Thuy. I was eating meat at the time, and tried the Lamb Curry Stew, with the rice noodles, and it was absolutely magnificent.
Of course I don't order the Lamb Stew anymore, but they have a very good Vegetarian Curry Stew. Their vegetables are rather amazing, too. Huge, always tender and perfectly cooked. Yams, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables in a lovely curried stew liquid with just the right consistency.
There is a massive choice of vegetarian food here.
As much as I've experienced Vietnamese food, their food seems authentic to me. Admittedly, there is some Chinese food on the menu as others have stated, and it is represented as such.
I'm puzzled about others' comments regarding the service, as I've always gotten prompt and friendly service. They do not ooze hospitality here, but they are polite and efficient, and I sense they create their food as if creating a fine work of art.
Haven't been in since the remodel. Just writing this review makes me want to go.
Did have one disastrous blind date here....girls...never plan a blind date at one of your favorite restaurants. A nightmarish date from hell can kind of ruin a place for a person, at least for awhile!!
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There's something a little odd to me about getting a check while I'm still eating a bowl of soup (pho). The waitstaff seem a little rushed, no make that extra heavy on the rushed side. I asked for a little extra lime and the waitress looked to see if there was still the one lime slice on my plate. She did not want to do anything extra.
Why four stars? Well, the food is pretty tasty! The ambiance, other than the rush-rush-am I in NYC?-pace is lovely too. The spring rolls were great, love the peanut sauce. The pho was nice too. It needed a little extra lime, for my taste, but once I got that in it was perfect for my palate. My friend very much enjoyed her veggie-curry-noodle dish (it was the last one on the menu) though it was a little spicy for her tastes. She was happy to take it home as there was a whopping amount of food on her plate.
They were quite responsive to my needs as I can't eat shrimp and they rearranged the seafood pho to have no shrimp.
Dairy-free foods are easy to find.
Gluten-free foods are relatively easy. Just make sure to ask about what dishes might have wheat-based soy sauce.
Vegetarian and vegan options are great. The whole last page of the menu is devoted to vegetarians and most, if not all, of these options are vegan.
Their menu has a lot of different items -- duck, escargot, frogs legs, quail -- if you intrepid in trying different foods this place will appeal to you.
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I went to the Rocky Mountain National Park with friends a couple of days ago and happened to eat our lunch at this restaurant. It was kind of crowded and the deco. seemed not too bad. We thought to ourselves that we picked up a good place.
Disappointment soon came up as the waiting staff never smiled. Thinking that they must be very tired, we started to look at the menu. It was extensive however the stuff we ordered really kind of sucked. The yellow curry was literally sweet to death!!! They must had dumped a bag of sugar into that plate. The dumplings were really deeeeeeeeeeeeep fried. The noodle spicy the waiter recommended was awful too.
We have been to many vietnamese restaurants before in different cities and we all agree that this one is really kind of lousy.
We still tipped 15%. But sorry, never again.
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Don't expect an extensive Vietnamese menu here. They're pho and their fried imperial rolls/ eggrolls were decent. It's not the best I've had but it's definitely good. A lot of the menu though is kind of like Chinese food. This place won't have com tam, banh tam bi, banh xeo or any of those dishes that you're used to seeing on the menu if you're from LA / Orange County where we have an awesome Little Saigon. I noticed that most of the people there were eating the more Chinese-like food. One of the Vietnamese waitors there told me to go to Denver where there are apparently more Vietnamese people and Vietnamese restaurants. I need to do more research. I just moved here. As for this place, my final comment is: okay.
This place is the best. Great for carry-outs, a super quick lunch or a mellow long dinner. I love the spring rolls, they have the best peanut sauce, the lettuce wraps, pho....I'm drooling just thinking about it. Lots and lots of booths, that's how I like it. At times the service is awkward, but in an endearing way. Cheap!!!
Got to agree with Margot. Chez Thuy really deserves 4-5 stars. Some of the best and most consistently good Asian food in the Front Range.
You do need to know what to order and it helps to be ready to order as the service is efficient but certainly NEVER effusive over attentive. Thuy herself sets the tone with the haughty look even for recognizable regulars that she likes.
About the food - you should try:
Duck noodle soup - we get this whenever one of us has a cold. Tasty duck, noodles, broccoli, bok choy, in a fantastic broth.
Pork or Shrimp egg-rolls - the best anywhere.
Grilled ribs with slaw - excellent dry rub on lean ribs with a sweet sour sauce on freshly cut slaw - I have a hard time making myself branch out and try other dishes.
Tofu hot pot for the vegetarians.
Skip any deserts and I don't think they do too well on mixed drinks so stick to beer or wine and go downtown for desert.
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This is the best place in Boulder to get Vietnamese... the menu is super extensive, but i typically contain myself to various permutations of pho, the vietnamese noodle bowls, and the hot and sour soup... pure yumminess. Lunch prices are very reasonable... and while you're there, make sure to try "33", a crisp, tasty Vietnamese beer.
I don't ding Asian restaurants for unfriendly service, because i typically go in expecting it.
If you're in Boulder and you want to try out some different types of pho to compare, head on down to Broomfield to Pho 79 or Pho Duy. I was just there today and it was very tasty.
I don't know what the reviewers below were thinking. As more reviews are added for Chez Thuy, I'm sure that it will range around 4-5 stars. The pho is delicious, the vegetables are perfectly cooked, and the service is truly Asian - slightly rude (I can say that because I'm Chinese). Try the spring rolls or curries - they're all fantastic.
greatttt vietnamese food. if you're looking for a nice sit-down atmosphere and delicious food, then try this restaurant. it's not five stars due to its sub-par service though. the staff (owners included) could use a class on courtesy.
Not bad Vietnamese food for Boulder. You're better off heading to Westminster for something more authentic and for a much cheaper price.
Popular place for fairly bland food. Staff is overworked and won't win any friendliness awards.
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