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Categories: Asian Fusion, Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: North OaklandOf not- then you should! chicken, shrimp, mushroom, carrot, taro, glass noodle and nuoc cham (fried)
Mon-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Wonderful!!!!!!!!!! The tumble dice filet mignon steak is so delicious, and so is the noodles+pork+shrimp. My boyfriend and I went to Ruth Chris' the week before, and we both agreed that we would have rather spent our $ here. The price isn't bad at all, for what you get, and the staff is REALLY friendly. I told them that it was my friend's bday and they gave us this really delicious pudding thing. I really recommend this place. I crave the dice steak as we speak!
We were looking for a place to have dinner after a movie. So, after a so so movie, we walked over to Xyclo.
We had pre-read the menu and were hopeful.
Everything was delicious. The standouts were the rolls: the sausage one and then the shrimp rolls. Right up there was the Mom's Pork. There was purring around the table.
The soups were also hits. The wonton soup and the pho were both very tasty. The broth was superb.
We also had the birds in the nest, the chili spare ribs, and a chicken curry. All were very good.
I haven't given many 5 stars but this place deserved it. The food, the server, the setting all earned this review.
We'll be going back!
Really wanted to like this place.
Wonton soup is AWESOME!
Springs rolls seem to be the specialty.
Try them all!
Most "stir fried" items taste the same. Salty & greasy.
Garlic noodles BAD.
But, they get a star for the full bar!
Still will eat their with restrictions.
My friend has been wanting to bring me here for the longest time. I was thinking something overrated like PF Changs or something. Annoyingly like Asian food but NOT.
This place tales food beyond mere Asian fusion. It's invented it's own genre. Who ever though of wings and ribs with that sauce? This place is wow
I don't like salad. But somehow someone got me to eat one here. The apple salad I think. I weirdly like it! And crave for it.
Went to Xyclo for the first time last night - the place was packed on a Wednesday night at 7:30PM - popular place! We got seated a lot faster than I thought which was a nice point - then we waited ... When the server finally arrived he was apologetic and very attentive after that - but many of the diners were done with their meals and leaving by that time. So the service was not so hectic. The meal was good - and the drinks are good! Overall a good place!
Note: if you order the clay pot the rice is "blackened" on the bottom and that flavors the rice a lot - if you want un-burned rice order a side of rice - and eat that with the vegetables and chicken in the clay pot which are cooked perfectly .
We will be back!!
Ok so I finally tried my very 1st Vietnamese cuisine..
I played it safe and took a friend... I see everybody writes about the noodles so why not. We shared an order of Crispy shrimp roll. I ordered that one becase it looked like something that I would be able to like.. I loved it!!!
When I saw the menu and saw " birds nest " I said hell no..but ah, why not, all of the meats were cooked very well and I had the soft noodles I really liked the veggies that it came with. For my main dish I ordered the 'XYCLO Chili Ribs" it was fantastic.. It wasglazed in sweet chili sauce, and it had sesame seeds and peanuts....
Overall, the service was good, it didn't take that long for us to eat and we were served in a timely matter.. Price?? Who cares, it was my 1st time here... I will be back !!!
I am acquainting myself with the northern part of Oakland and when selecting a place to meet a gal pal, thought it would be perfect to combine great chat with a scope-out of the Piedmont Avenue area. My thanks to the Yelp friends who suggested this place.
After looking at the photos of Xyclo, along with the prices, I was expecting something very upscale. I managed to park directly in front of the restaurant, and was shocked at my good fortune, as I expected somewhat difficult parking. I made a reservation, as I didn't want to arrive and then have to wait, and was a bit shocked to see that the restaurant was about one-third full. These economic times are definitely hitting the restaurant industry!
I ordered my standard dish, Bun Thit Nuong (lunch special $10) and a Vietnamese Iced Coffee ($4). I was hoping the iced coffee would drip at the table, but it was mixed at the bar for me. For some reason I always like the taste of the slower method (drip) over a pre-mix or mix by someone else. I wasn't entirely crazy about the coffee and drank only part of it. My entree was absolutely delicious!
The service was very good; our gal was running the entire show by herself and it did get busier during our time there. Xyclo is a very low key, casual eatery with good solid food. I now have the first of a dozen or so restaurants under my belt in North Oakland.
Today was my sister's birthday and I thought of Xyclo. I called about 9pm to reserve a table for 5 telling them the occasion. We sat in an intimate setting already ready for us...in the back where the lighting is gorgeous (love the interesting ball of light...I think its from Ikea). We arrived about 9:15pm when the kitchen closes at 9:30pm. He said, don't rush the ordering, I'll make sure your order gets in just take your time =)
Food: Xyclo taste, xyclo chili ribs, garlic herb noodles, spicy green beans & tumbling diced beef
Drinks: Lychee martini, mangopolitan & pomegranate mojito
Desserts: coffee gelato & hazelnut mousse
My dad's favorite was the tumbling diced beef, my mom's was the spicy green beans, my sisters liked the Xyclo taste friend roll and I liked the garlic herb noodles. There was something for everyone. It's definitely not a go to dinner every night place, but for something extra special.
I spent nearly two months in Vietnam enjoying awesome food while sitting on minuscule and rather uncomfortable plastic chairs better suited for 5-year olds, and while different than your typical food stall in Ha Noi, Xyclo does an excellent job at bringing back those flavors and aromas. Just don't expect to find snake-infused liquors as those have yet to make it into West Coast mainstream ;)
This small restaurant, located in the heart of Piedmont Ave, offers a cozy ambiance, suitable for romantic tete-a-tete, and delivers fresh, tasty, and aromatic Vietnamese food that will not disappoint your taste buds and spirit.
Not the cheapest, perhaps not the most authentic - whatever that means -but truly enjoyable every time.
My friend and I came here the other night for a delicious dinner. To start, I had a pomegranate spritzer, which was quite good (reminded me of a Shirley Temple).
We shared the Tao Roll and the Bird's Nest for dinner. The presentation was gorgeous! The Tao Roll was nicely put together and the ingredients blended together quite well. I love shitake mushrooms and tofu, plus jicama was a nice treat. The carrots and lettuce didn't tone down the flavor and the cliantro was not overpowering.
The Bird's Nest was quite good (though I liked the Tao Roll better). We had soft noodles, which was a nice twist on typical bird's nests. The chicken breast and the veggies were seasoned nicely.
The atmosphere is really cool. Not overly hipster, but nice and intimate. The service was very warm and fairly attentive. I'm giving it five stars because of the uniqueness of the food, and how well the chef fused the ingredients to create delectable meals. This really was a unique experience and the next time I am in Oakland, I am coming back to try more off of this menu.
This is a gem of a Vietnamese fusion restaurant located a couple of stores down from Fenton's. I came here on a Friday night for a friend's birthday, and it was just the right pick for a girly Bohemian friend of mine as it's fusing the best of the East & West. I like their decor, red walls, whimsical light balls that hung from the ceiling (I swear they looked just like the ones from a beach in Thailand I went to).
The food was second to none. Friend and I shared the Lemongrass Chicken Curry, wow... can we say flavorful? The greenbean salad was also a fresh pick, if you want your mouth zinging with gingerly spices, go for that one! I love how everything is wallet-friendly for Piedmont Ave., around $13-$17 per dish.
Will definitely go back for great service, lovely atmosphere and mouthwatering dishes.
Definitely a good spot for dining on the week day when you don't feel like cooking, as we experienced the other day. We sat down, had a Vietnamese Coffee and Thai Iced Tea before ordering our Nam Nuong (really good spring roll with crispy pork and sweet dipping sauce, not fish sauce), Sweet and Sour soup with fish (perfect for a soup night, really got it right with both ends, and shared the Lemon Chicken curry (this was alright, great flavor...not spicy at all, so ask for hot sauce or some spice).
On the pricier end, so get ready to spend at least $35-45 for two with drinks, appetizer, and entrees.
They had parties of 6-8 on separate tables, also kid friend section on the other side of the restaurant. Good for a intimate convo and lighthearted laughter. Don't break up here, as atmosphere is pretty positive and casual :)
I recommend you to eat here!
This my favorite restaurant in Piedmont. The people are like their food: GREAT! I come here every now and then when I don't feel like driving out to the city. I usually get this really great waiter and he remembers me every time I come in. He also makes a great cocktail. Now that is great customer service!
I've had a variety of dishes such as the spring rolls, the ribs and the fried chicken but nothing beats the Butterfly Prawns. That is a must every time I come here. It is a noodle dish with huge prawns. I highly recommend it. The food here is true Asian fusion done right!
The ambiance here is excellent and fits the theme appropriately. The lighting is not bright and creates the atmosphere that a hip and sheik restaurant should have. The furniture also fits with he decor very nicely. The restaurant also has touches of Vietnamese cultural items which adds to the overall feel of the place.
One of my favorite restaurants in Oakland. Family owned, friendly service and great food. Very consistent. I fantasize about the savory crepe with shrimp and calamari. The flaming quail , tumbling dice and green bean salad with shrimp are a must. It never disappoints.
I've had both their dining and catering experience.
For pho, I'd rather eat at a divey pho place like Anh Dao than Xyclo only because I feel like I can get the same thing for less!
I do admit their garlic noodles are addictive. :)
Three of us went here on a Thursday night. We made a reservation so we got seated right away, but the restaurant, as well as the lounge next door were full. All in all, the food here is very good. I highly recommend the carpaccio, the garlic noodles (LOVE!), and the crispy ribs. We also had the sugarcane shrimp rolls, lemongrass chicken curry, and the clay pot. All were fine but nothing I would rave about.
I would never call this authentic feeling Vietnamese food, but for a very yummy dinner out with good food and great drinks, I definitely recommend it. This place loses a star for the craptastic service though. Yes, the restaurant was full, but it is very small and I would estimate that our server was only covering 6 tables, all of which had been there well before we had arrived and it still took us 10 minutes to give a drink order and 10 more for it to arrive.
Total cost for two appetizers, three entrees, a side, two beers, and four mixed drinks was around $160...not bad at all, especially considering I had two meals in leftovers.
This is one of my favorite places on Piedmont Ave. The spring rolls are all great and I love getting the assortment. And the tumbling dice is so good, I've converted some of my non-meat eating friends to indulge. Service is sweet, and the decor is lovely.
hit or miss. I live right down the street from this place and few been to Xclyo a hand full of times. First off its pricey, well at least for the quality and portion size of what you get. I went there a few weeks back looking to taste the tumbling dice which a buddy of mine had ordered a few weeks back. It was to say the least underwhelming. Apps are good. Service is good.
I would go again to try other dishes. Just not my first choice in the area.
The food is great and always consistent! If you are craving for Vietnamese food, Xyclo is the place to go....they have some traditional dishes, but some have a slight twist and it's appetizing!
We've tried most of their dishes, but our favorite dishes are:
- Sugarcane Shrimp Rolls
- Butterfly prawns with garlic noodles
- Sweet and sour soup
- Vietnamese crepe
Location is great - along Piedmont Avenue and only a block away from Fenton's! Sometimes parking can be hard to find...The employees are friendly and service is pretty consistent. We can't wait to go back!
In a city with no shortage of choices for exceptional Vietnamese food, I don't understand the appeal of this place (and there's certainly some appeal, judging by the number of positive reviews here and the fact that we had to wait for a table on a recent Sunday night). It's priced about 10% higher than Huynh, 25% higher than Pho 84 or Le Cheval, and 40% higher than the holes-in-the-wall (hole-in-the-walls? holes-in-the-walls?) on International Ave, without offering as much in the way of either quality or quantity.
Food is great, but portions are a little small for the price. I like to have leftovers : 0
Upon moving to Piedmont Avenue, I started to interview people who lived in the neighborhood and the store owners if they could recommend some places for lunch... Time and time again people recommended Xyclo so today, I finally decided to try it out since the rain would have been nice to watch while eating lunch.
Upon entrance, I was invited by beautiful wood beams that decorated the interior of this restaurant. I was beginning to have really high hopes so that I could add a new favorite restaurant to eat at in my new neighborhood.
Outside the window, Xcylo advertises 5 lunch menu items which included a chicken, fish, vegetable, pork chop, and banh mi all at $10.00 each. I decided on the Fish and MK ordered the Pork Chop... to our disappointment the waitress returned to tell us that they no longer had any pork chops (mind you it was only noon). We were disappointed and had to change the entire game plan since MK has already tried the other dishes which he didn't really like and felt was a bit bland in the past. We then settled on calamari since nothing else sounded too appealing on the menu and decided to just half the fish dish.
We enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant while waiting for our order to arrive... For lunch, the restaurant didn't seem as packed as the rest of Piedmont Avenue. That's when we started to get nervous about the food.
The calamari was disappointing since they served it with a traditional shrimp cocktail sauce... for a fusion restaurant I would at least expect a chili sauce mixed with rice vinegar as a dip NOT bottled cocktail sauce - it just seemed so WRONG! The fish wasn't bad, it had a good flavor with caramelized onions and sauteed bell peppers. It was served with a salad with a vinegarette. Our entire order was "okay"... I expected better tasting food for the price and ambience offered. As I was convincing myself to come back to try their dinner menu I took one last bite of my salad and noticed a bug on my leaf. And upon inspection I found another one.
Believe me, I hate having to encounter a situation like this.. I really do feel bad even having to report it... I am embarrassed for the restaurant ... but they have to know what they aren't catching in the kitchen... By the time I noticed the bugs, most of the salad was already eaten...
They were polite about it and removed the entree from our tab. We payed $15 for Thai Iced Tea and calamari that I would expect from a seafood shack. I went home and cooked my own Pho... I should have just saved my money and stayed home.
Nice and tastey lunch
We call Xyclo our 'healthy, fine-dining option'. The food is very fresh, the flavors enticing, the selection varied. Our favorites include: Tao Roll (my 14 year old daughter has one order for herself when we go), Green Bean Salad, Vietnamese Carpaccio and Combination Stir-fry. We've tried most of the menu and it's all good, though the Chicken Curry has too little chicken and is on the watery side.
However, if you leave without trying the regular Mojito and the Seven Elements dish, you have totally missed the 5-star portions of this place.
The 4-Star rating is for inconsistent service (sometimes just OK, sometimes great, never bad), strangely high prices on some items, and for the really bad artwork on the right-hand side wall (as you enter).
Ate here yesterday afternoon at about 5:20pm.
The place was empty which was one of the main reasons to eat here.
I've always passed by later in the evening previously and have always seen the place packed.
My girlfriend and I ordered the calamari, the scallop/shrimp fried rice & a side of the garlic noodles.
For drinks she had the passion fruit mojito & I, the unfiltered saki.
The calamari was light, tasty and seasoned just enough. The fried rice was good as was the noodles. I like their garlic noodles better than the ones at Dragon Rouge in Alameda.
Overall the the dining experience was good.
I'll be back here to try the carpaccio & the fillet mignon.
I really like the food here, I just think its a bit pricey. Great spring rolls, good curry, and I'll certainly go again.
Sick-Low is how you pronounce their name for all you non V speaking peeps! And yes, I had to ask also. Loosely translated means rickshaw.
Great fresh food in an art deco atmosphere. Very nice. Lots of beautiful friendly servers to help with your gorging needs.
Veggie spring rolls - fresh and tasty great!
Claypot - a fusion of flavor, not greazzy at the bottom, but a little dry.
$6 noodles - fantastically a little sweet. side portion good enough for an entree.
Tumbling Dice fillet Mignon - an explosion of flavored POW. Awesome!
Lychee Black Tea - nice..subtle lychee flavor takes the bite out of bitterness.
Hazelnut dessert - prolly not made there, but was good.
Beer- well thats alwayz good!
$65 including tip and we left happy campers promising to come back for more gluttony. Hopefully we can find a rickshaw, as you need to be lucky for parking.
Xyclo, Xyclo, Xyclo! How I savor your sugarcane shrimp rolls and love your lemongrass chicken curry! Your bird's nest makes we want to fly away to a Xycloian paradise and never return! And your ambience and settings inside are oh-so exotic. (Not to mention you're almost next door to the world-famous Fenton's!)
This place was a real find, at least as far as the food. Food 4 stars, service 2.5.
I ordered the carpaccio, which was icy cold beef wonderfully marinated. I also ordered the fried shrimp rolls, which were too hot to eat, temperature-wise. So I had hot-cold, cold-hot going constantly. But they were both delicious.
My partner had the 5-spice chicken, which she really liked.
For dessert, I had the Bomba, which was quite unusual and very tasty (even though I'm not sure what the tastes were).
Negatives: no Earl Grey tea; only some herbal stuff. They say small plates, but the plate the carpaccio was on was too large for the table. There only seemed to be one waiter (not sure about that), and the service was spotty; I received my 2 plates immediately, and I ate while my partner had nothing for 15 minutes. And at the end of our meal, when we wanted the check, we couldn't find the waiter.
Overall, however, the food was very intriguing and delicious.
This place was decent and not too expensive. I recommend the clay pot dish, and, if you like rolls, the $21 assorted rolls dish (but only if your sharing because they all taste similar).
Decor can be described as a tad pretentious, but if you like that stuff, you'll like their lamps and red walls.
Do not take fried rolls home for the next day. Totally my fault, I didn't think about the fried wrapping getting all soggy and they were nast. But bonus points to XYCLO for packaging them very well specifically so they wouldn't get soggy from the cabbage slaw thing or the sauce. Still, crispy fried stuff needs to be eaten warm and fresh.
Loved the salt & pepper tofu. The pho was good too, fresh ingredients, though next time I will ask for meat on the side bc it was mostly cooked by the broth by the time I got it (and I like it on the rarer side). Waiter was very nice and place was clean.
Pretty decent for asian fushion food. Like every other restaurant down Peidmont Ave the ambiance for a little place is great. Specifically for this one, I really like the color scheme they have chosen for this place. This is a great place for a date.
Everything on the menu was alright but not spectacular. I would definitely recommend the garlic noodles though. It seems like that is a signature item on the menu.
I would give them props on the packaging and presentation of the food. You can tell the chef takes the extra effort to arrange the food in a way where it looks really pleasant so that even before you take a bite, you are already in euphoria.
This is a standout spot on Piedmont Ave. Great food and inventive sake-cocktails. The ribs are to die for! The perfect grown-up place to drop in on before or after you catch a movie. Super friendly staff and good service. The only down side is how packed it can get! Can't wait to go back!
The food was delicious and amazing! It was a little packed both times, and we had to wait a while for our food, but it was great. I love the eclectic decorations. I had the carpaccio, and it was great. They have an awesome bar with great soju selections, too! I totally recommend this place!
Pretty good Asian Fusion restaurant on Piedmont Ave. We ordered the Xyclo Roll -- which tasted pretty typical of most vietnamese rolls, but was still good nonetheless. We also ordered the apple salad, spicy wings, a carpaccio and garlic noodles.
The Spicy Wings were delicious! I'd order take out just to eat these all day. The Apple Salad was a little above average and pretty refreshing and the garlic noodles were so-so.
The service was definitely 5 stars. The waitress got our order correct and even offered to heat up the carpaccio once we realized it was too raw for our liking.
I'd definitely come back here again for the chicken wings. It's a nice place to sit down and catch up with the intimate atmosphere.
The food was Delicious, the service was great and I loved the calming ambience. I also loved the old wood displayed, the server even gave us some history on the art piece!
We ordered the calamari, fresh spring rolls, eggplant special, ribs, soup, noodles and a plate of broccoli for the kids (which they only charged $5). Basically enough for 3 adults and 3 children under the age of 8 and all of the food was Incredible!!!! I was super impressed with the speed of how quickly the food came out as well. The eggplant Tofu was my favourite, I have been craving it ever since!!!
I have never had such an all around super dining experience! And the bill was only $100, couldn't believe it. I can't wait to check out the lounge area on the other side...
They even do orders for carry out!!!
Sigh. You know when you're kinda into someone, but you know it's just cuz they're arm candy, and then you regret it all evening cuz you've gotta make some chit chat about some shit, and you'd rather be at home eating take out, watching bsg with yer dogs?
Well, it was like that (cept my date is brains *and* beauty...but remember this is a metaphor for the restaurant, not miz sy, k?)
On the food alone, this is a one-star. But the service was friendly, and the vibe is chill and relatively sleek. I'd like them to succeed, but I'd probably only come back for pupus and pricey drinks before a proper dinner somewhere else.
Whether it's meant to be Vietnamese food or California-fusion food, it's not succeeding at either. Here's what we ordered:
- Green bean salad
The green bean salad was positively astonishing in its bite (lime plus vinegar). We kept eating it just to exclaim at the sensation...something between a taser shock and a dash of sulfuric acid.
- Shrimp and taro fried rolls
These were ok, lovely little fried things, good combo of shrimp flavor and texture with the taro and the fried bits. Prolly my favorite in the whole meal.
- Butterfly prawns and garlic noodles
Meh. Too much butter, and otherwise not so flavorful. Nice large shrimpies, but it didn't salvage the dish. Bland.
- Chili Ribs
Sigh. I love ribs. I love meat. This was disappointing. The flavor was a bit too sweet, the crust was interesting, but not as flavorful as I'd like. And some of the ribs were on the dry side.
- Salty Spicy Shrimp
The salty spicy shrimp was neither--more like a friendly fish and chips shop that discovered panko, and then threw in things like dried tofu skins (which were admittedly very cool, but added to the oddity of the disparate flavors mixed together).
(Note: We saw another couple get the claypot, and I was tempted to brave the third degree burns to snatch their food. So mebbe we just ordered badly?)
Not sure we'll be back, unless the arm-candy includes free drinks, and doesn't mind if I doodle rather than make chit-chat.
The food here is DELICIOUS!!! I had the spicy steak salad which was incredible. I usually can't stand steak, but this meat was cooked perfectly and marinated in some heavenly combination of who knows what. Our table also tried the sugarcane shrimp rolls which were great - the shrimp is warm and the roll cold, and the contrast is surprisingly satisfying. My friend had the pho here, and it's certainly the best pho I've had in this area! The broth was peeeerfect. Plus, they have some good asian beers, which are a great compliment to any meal!
The restaurant itself has a nice feel. It was really stuffy when we went, but maybe they just had the heat on too high. The decor is pretty and it's nice for 2-5 person groups, i'd say. Our waiter was ok. Nothing to brag about, but he got the job done. Definitely recommend this place, especially for a date night or catching up with old friends!
Went here with my girlfriend yesterday. We both ordered Pho (she had beef and I had vegetarian), plus a side order of steamed tofu and spicy green beans.
The green beans and steamed tofu was pretty awesome. They were about $5-6 each but definitely worth it.
The vegetarian Pho was okay. The flavor was pretty light but it was still quite refreshing. The sides were a definite ++++.
Neighborhood: North Oakland
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