Lotus Restaurant

The last time I was back in CA, Phil's Kitchen/Phil's Treasure Pot was getting renovated and I was so devastated. I was finally able to go back this Thursday evening and I was so happy to see it open, reborn as the Lotus Restaurant. Phil, friendly as always, greeted me and my two co-workers. The interior has lovely lotus light fixtures and a more modern, sit-in dining feel. With the new furnishings, it feels more spacious now and there's plenty of space for parties. They also cater still (they had catered in the past for my department at Stanford and we had their food for baby showers, bridal showers, and birthdays). I used to get the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken plate and musubis every other weekend and often after work. So of course as soon as I get there, me and one of my co-workers split a spam musubi. Phil had cut it in half for us and I did not have time to take a picture because my half went straight into my mouth. Since my co-workers had never been to Phil's before, I ordered the Hawaiian mixed plate (so they could sample the Hawaiian food) and my co-workers ordered the heavenly crispy noodles and the crispy garlic prawns. Phil has stayed consistent in aloha with such generous portions. We had leftovers to take home for another meal. The Hawaiian barbeque chicken was on point, flavorful, and juicy (and most importantly not teriyaki...don't even get me started on all the other places that claim they serve Hawaiian food and it's all Chinese American style with various meats covered in teriyaki sauce). The steamed rice was perfect and fluffy. No soggy, underdone, or overdone rice here. One of my co-workers ate most of the mac salad and the little that I got was exactly what I remembered pre-pandemic so I'm glad the flavor stayed consistently awesome. While I was focused on the chicken, I didn't get to try the beef or short ribs because my co-workers attacked those. My best guess was they were really good. The crispy noodles came out and we were delightfully surprised by the presentation. There was a pair of chopsticks that looked to be holding up a generous amount of noodles. Phil was so sweet in helping us tackle the plate (but gracefully and like a pro), mixing the crispy noodles into the sauce but in a way where you still had some parts that stayed crispy and other parts where the noodles soaked in the sauce. This is what I think sets Phil apart. As an owner, he is not only always ready to help, he engages with his patrons. If it's not crazy busy, he is able to catch up with his patrons and also gets to know his newer ones. It's been so long and he still remembers my name, my husband's name, and even remembered to ask about my little ones.

Now back to the food. The crispy garlic prawns. There was no skimping on the prawns nor the garlic. I have never tried the prawns here and I have to say that this is a must order if you like garlic prawns. So so good. I cannot wait to see Lotus Restaurant be filled with patrons. I love supporting mom and pop shops and hope that Phil and his family are able to continue to provide Menlo Park and it's surrounding area with fantastic Hawaiian, Chinese, and Vietnamese food. My hope is a bit selfish since I hope with more business, Phil will be able to expand their Hawaiian offerings and slowly re-introduce their lau lau, kalua pork, and loco moco (those were so good pre-renovation). I'll certainly be back and you can bet we'll be catering in the future as well as hope to have group dinners here. I also love that the flower chosen for this restaurant is the lotus. Through the hardships of the pandemic, Phil and his family were able to make it through. The lotus flower grows in muddy water so I feel like it's symbolic. The most beautiful things can come out of challenges and hard times. Here's to resilience, kindness, community, and good food!

I've been here twice and enjoyed both visits. Their wonton actually has pork AND shrimp. For those of you that enjoy a good wonton soup, there are very few places that make wontons with both pork AND shrimp. I have never been disappointed with the food here. My only complaint is the wontons are on the smaller side.

This spot is connected to a big parking lot so parking won't be an issue.

The decor is modern and spacious as well. With so many positive reviews, I am shocked it's empty during my two lunch visits. I hope business picks up because I don't want them to go. It's not easy finding a wonton spot that makes them with pork AND shrimp. Service is also great. The owner is very perosnable

Their house fried rice looks good too. That's next visit.

Came here tonight for dinner with my mom- her pick. The spot isn't a hole in the wall, but it's not fancy either. The best description I can give is that it's a clean mom and pop restaurant that exceeded my expectations, and I would definitely come back- thus the 5 star review.

Pros: a variety of items to choose from... Chinese (which my mom wanted), Hawaiian (which sounded good to me), and Vietnamese as well (will try that sometime). A large variety of food in a restaurant can sometimes result in a mixed bag of what you get. The food at Lotus though was quite tasty and unique (heavenly noodles). Phil the owner was there and he provided excellent customer service... he was attentive and helpful throughout our entire meal.

Cons: it's a little pricey for some of the portions... ordered a small salad, and it was quite small. The pot stickers too, came in an order of 4. And while they weren't very big, they were quite tasty! I thought about ordering a second plate.

Menlo Park, as with other Bay Area restaurants, are on the higher side, price wise, so while a little pricey, still fits in with the area.

Side note: For dinner, my mom and I shared a few of the Chinese dishes. I ordered a Hawaiian plate (chicken) to go, which my son ate some of when I
went home. He said it was really tasty. I thought it looked really good, but was still full from the Chinese food, so I haven't tried it yet.

Looking forward to trying more items here (and there is plenty more to choose from!)

Delicious food! We had the pho which was very enjoyable. Our son had and loved the orange chicken. Great service and relaxing atmosphere.

Owner is very friendly. Pho is very tasty, and is what we order the most often. Bahn mi is ok. Flavors aren't quite what I expect, but it's still ok.

Used to be called Phils ?

Service is all. The church of food is what a restaurant, diner or hole in the wall takeout window all strive for... just at different levels, as a restauranteur once confessed. If you are not good with people, and you are a smaller business you may as well throw in the towel and let the food chains take over.

Then there is Phil like a preacher of his fare, he pitches pho, walnut shrimp, crispy dry chow mein noodles with chicken, and his famous teriyaki chicken.

Regulars from the neighborhood come in and he is proud that he knows their usual. I witnessed customers coming by for chat, and a kitchen so busy with takeout orders there is a loud Chinatown kitchen vibe consisting of yelling in cantonese, pots and pans crashing and sounds of woks sizzling simultaneously with Phil checking on orders and refining orders if needed.

It was a stormy day when I walked in to have my large bowl of Pho ( with the works including tripe and things non Asians might cringe at ..)
The noodles were slightly more firm, al dente. Soup hot, slightly greasy and fatty the way most broths should be. The beef slightly rare and nicely thin.

It seemed this stormy day brought in a storm front of customers. I listened to the racous in the kitchen, and Phil preaching his menu this day.

No wonder the neighborhood comes here.

Note: menlo park prices ...
$20 ish dollars for a large bowl of Pho

Pricing is on par with the neighborhood ... rents / leases are high and housing almost untouchable these days.

Absolutely bomb! If you're a spam musubi person, pls pls try it with a fried egg. This was on Phil's (the owner) recommendation, and I didn't regret it one bit. I then chose the House Fried Rice and I ordered it to be spicy (although it could've used a bit more of a kick!). Love going to this place, never disappointed.

By the way, Phil was so kind and welcoming. He made sure to go through the menu with me and gave me some background on the history. Pls come here whenever you're in the mood for Hawaiian, Vietnamese, or Chinese food

Hidden gem, have had pho, duck fried rice, wonton soup, pot stickers, egg rolls and teriyaki chicken-everything was delicious. Service is outstanding and the custom made dipping sauce is so good. Clean and cozy setting with lager tables available for bigger groups. Oh yea, the Vietnamese coffee rocks my world.

Hidden gem in downtown Menlo Park. Great pho and Chinese food. Owner is friendly and always makes sure you're happy with your order.

Love this place! Excellent Vietnamese soup (Pho) and delicious Chinese dinner specials. Been there three times with friends the past month and we agree the friendly owner (Phil) provides a wonderful experience.