International Restaurant

Wonton soup with egg noodles! No other place makes it like them.

Just an amazing place. Yes it’s a hole in the wall but wow is the food incredible. I have tried several dishes, done of which I had no idea what they were but each had been great.
The servers are very nice and when I asked one is there was any type of dessert I might be able to eat with my hands. .like a sesame ball, the server said no sesame balls. Then thought about it for a moment and suggested an item not on the menu. A deep fried bread covered in sesame seeds. .PERFECT!
The 3 color bean dessert is another fave.
Give this place a try, you won’t be sorry!

Accidentally ate here one night w/​my fiancé because we we’re starving and didn’t want to get fast food across the street. Ordered wonton soup and orange chicken… boring I know, but it was our time and we didn’t want to push our luck.
The wonton soup was the best I’ve ever had; fresh cut chives & scallions, pan roasted garlic, and a perfectly seasoned broth. We we’re pumped.
The orange chicken that came later was also amazing, awesome flavor and fresh orange slices on the side. The portions were really good and we wound up taking a lot home with us. If this restaurant was in a better area w/​a nicer dining area they could charge double and would have a line out the door.
Definitely worth a try.

My families favorite Vietnamese Restaurant for 28 years. All the chef’s are Vietnamese, so your guaranteed for authenticity here.
Recommendations: Stir-​fry Clams with ginger and green onions, crispy noodles, chow-​foon (laaud-​na), PHO, International Fried Rice, fresh spring rolls, wonton soup, 3 color bean dessert, hot corn coconut dessert, and the list goes on…
If you have sweet tooth, try their famous 3 color been or hot corn dessert.

Best seafood chow fun In town. Also love their spare rib and rice. Server was very attentive and kind.

I’ve been here twice. Once I had the seafood chow fun and another Singapore noodle. Both times I didn’t enjoy. The chow fun had no flavor and was too white. Not much seafood either. The Singapore noodle had way to much bean sprouts and I’m not a fan of too much of it. It was a little too sweet for me as well. All I really enjoy there is their iced coffee.

I’m not Vietnamese, so I can’t speak to authenticity, but it looked like a mixture of Viet and Chinese dishes.
What we had:
1. Banh Cuon Tay Ho
2. Vietnamese crêpe
3. Beef noodles
4. International’s fried rice
It all tasted great, and #‘s 1 and 2 tasted fresh and healthy. #‘s 3 and 4, not so much. I mean, the latter two dishes tasted delicious, too, but later in the day my bf and I started feeling ill. Might have been MSG? Not sure what MSG tastes like, but I’m usually not deterred by hole-​in-​the-​wall eateries. A little dingyness doesn’t hurt just as long as the food’s good, but I’ve never felt ill after eating at a reputable dive (which, this one is… look at all those 5 stars).
I’m not opposed to giving it another whirl. But I think I’ll stay away from the heavier stuff and stick with the ones that have a lot of veggies.

Our families favorite place to go as a group. Love the sugar cane shrimp, catfish, noodles, frogs legs. Most authentic Vietnamese I have found.

The garlic fried chicken wings are amazing. I order to pick up often and it’s always ready when I get there within 15 minutes. The staff is so friendly and nice and it’s very affordable. I’ve searched for good Chinese food in San Diego for a long time and now this is my go to place!

This review is 4 stars ONLY because of the food.
For REAL authentic Vietnamese food at an affordable price, International Restaurant is the place to go! Coming from a Vietnamese foodie, this place is highly recommended.
Today, I visited the former Quoc Te Restaurant, now International, with my 5-​year old niece. It was about 4:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon.
Parking:
As mentioned in the previous reviews, parking is horrible. I recommend looking for street parking if possible, because the spots are tiny.
Location:
Yes, the restaurant is located in the «hood» or inner city of University Heights, but it’s fine. I remember my parents taking me here when I was a child. Today, I felt comfortable taking my 5-​year niece here. Similar to down town, you may see a homeless person or two. No big deal.
Ambiance/​Décor/​Entertainment:
The same as how I remember it in the 90’s. The décor is very outdated and the place needs a remodel. Its a large restaurant with about 10 tables.
Food:
The reason why you come here. I always get the Banh Cuon Tay Ho (pork and mushroom flat rice noodles) and the Cha Gio (fried egg rolls). YUMMMMMMM! As usual, I ate everything. My niece also finished her plate too.
Service:
This will be a bias review because I’m Vietnamese and I speak the language too. I placed my order as soon as I sat down, food came out within 5 minutes, and water refilled several times. Also, the check was promptly brought to the table by the time we finished eating. They also gave my niece orange slices which I thought was SUPER SWEET!
I will be back!

ok this place is in the hood! BUT you have to try everything! The shrimp fried rice is my husband fav! We can eat this everyday! MAybe Im just saying it cause I’m viet! :0) but I live in east san diego my whole life and know where to go for some good viet food!

Good chinese food.

I love this place!!! I’ve been coming here for years and I love the food. If you come during the day its not that busy, mostly busy at night after 7pm. My favorite meal there is the International chow mein and their Wanton Soup with egg noodles… the portions are big I normally can order one plate and share with a friend.

I’ve been coming to this restaurant ever since I was a kid. Not the cleanest place but the food really does make up for it.
Banh Canh Cua! basically Banh Canh (thick Vietnamese noodle) in a red broth. They used to put crawfish in their soup but not anymore. STILL GOOD though! I order this everytime.
Parking sucks! there’s only a couple of lanes

The first time I tried this place was when my boyfriend’s mother ordered some Mi Xao Don and Com Tam. I love Mi Xao Don, and this place seriously makes the best I have ever had! Instead of adding lettuce they use Bok Choy, and their squid isn’t that round stuff that they have in the freezer bags, but they are flat (I have no idea how else I can explain it LOL)
The portions are huge, while the prices are affordable. I didn’t try to the Com Tam so I can’t comment on that, but I also tried the Wonton Noodle Soup and it was delicious!
Along with our food, I ordered a lemonade soda and my boyfriend ordered the three color drink (didn’t get to try) I loved their lemon soda, nice and sweet: D
Our total with the Mi Xao Don, Wonton Noodle Soup, Three Color Drink & Lemon Soda was $ 21.40
Parking is a biotch though. Seriously, there are only maybe 10 spots, if that, but don’t let that discourage you from trying this place. Honestly, just take the food to go because they stayed consistent with me both times [:

Pro:
— The food is edible.
Con:
— Horrible service
— Incredibly greasy food (and not the good kind!)
— REALLY bad parking
Okay, so there’s not too many con’s but I don’t see the point of eating here when there are so many other great places in the same proximity! There’s just nothing spectacular about this place at all and I find everything here very «meh.»

Most of the food is pretty edible. Fried rice is good too, actually ordered a catered amount of this $ 75 for a large tray. I ordered papaya salad and got something of the liking, they really dont know what real Papaya salad is. Its says Papaya salad on the menu but when brought to the table it was not prepared correctly, reason being a Papaya salad should not just be a sliced papaya with red pepper on it! So if you try to order papaya salad beware!!!
Other than that the place is pretty ok, cept the parking obviously like other posts! Decent service when me and my girl were there.

Banh Cuon Tay Ho (Dac Biet)
I tried to translate that, but I seriously can’t, SORRY!
Hu Tieu Sa Te Bo
That’s my fav. type of chow foon, with sate beef :)
–parking is a bitch just as mentioned in other posts.
–i encountered a cockroach here twice… and i’m terrified of cockroaches but somehow manage to come back her after some recovery time. That says a LOT!
–so yeah, it’s not clean, but what hole in the wall restaurant doesn’t have roaches anyways? seriously, you might not see it but they’re all in the kitchen feasting away.
That’s all I have to say :)

I have been going to this place since I was a kid and unfortunately the furniture and place still looks the same as it did before. BUT that is not the reason why you come to International. You come here for the delicious food and affordable prices!
The banh cuon tay ho, com tam, goi cuon, mi xao dong, and hu tieu ap chao are always bomb. This place also makes the best che ba mau!
The only bad thing is parking is a total bitchhhh, the spaces are way too small!

Parking sucks, the lanes are way too small. But other than that, the food is pretty darn good!
Food:
— Banh Cuon Tay Ho — Minced pork & mushroom wrapped in flat rice noodles, meat loaf, shrimp & mungbean fritters, bean sprouts, basil and side of fish sauce.
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— Hieu Tieu My Tho — Clear noodle soup with shrimp, liver, fish cake, pork meat and pork stomach.
— Hieu Sau Vegetarian or with Beef — Thick rice noodles pan-​fried. The vegetarian and beef are my favorite.
— Che Ba Mao — Three-​colored bean dessert
*Note: Pictures are for reference only.
Interior:
Needs a serious make-​over, but this place is more known for their food. It can get a bit chilly in here, so bring a jacket if you tend to get cold.
Service:
It can get pretty busy here on Friday nights, but this place stays open late. They know my face and I can speak the same Chinese dialect as the workers, so I get good service :)