New Orient

New Orient is one of our absolute favorites. We get the Lemongrass Chicken and the Honey Crispy Halibut every time. Staff is awesome.

Crispy honey chicken is the best chicken ever. Yum!!! Shrimp fritters are awesome as well

Since it is my first review here, I like to give wiggle room. We will be back. The Hot/​Sour soup had GREAT depth of flavor and consistency. The Shrimp Avocado Rice Rolls were tasty, but a bit inconsistent as far as filling distribution. The potstickers were very tasty. There are other things I would like to try!

I thought this place was pretty good. I like the food at Cody’s Café and I’m told New Orient has the same owners. My dad and I shared a Vietnamese version of cioppino — it was great other than a few of the mussels being undercooked and inedible. Will probably try it again, especially because they deliver.

We enjoyed our meal, ordering a couple of appetizers and a single entrée for two of us. The shrimp and scallops with garlic was smoky without being overpowering.
There are daily specials, so we had a soft shell crab. This was fried and served on a good sized salad.
We’ll definitely be back. This place is super?

This place is amazing. High quality Asian food with an articulate twist. Asian paella?! Do it

We were running some errands in this Neighborhood. Hubs wanted to have his Dinner, and hence to this establishment we went. That recent visit was on Friday February 20^th 2015. We entered this establishment and there is like 2 other party dining in. This establishment seems so DEAD, aka Empty. Err, is this a good sign? Well for one, I am so exhausted and hence «settled» just to go to this establishment since it was the closest to where we were.
Time was about 19:40hrs ish. Once we entered, the staffs said, we can seat ourselves anywhere, though we request for the Booth Seating which is closest to the Entrance. Once given the Menu, we realized, its the Beginning of Denver Restaurant Week February-​March 2015. We look at the Restaurant Week Menu, but nothing spell out, hence we just opt to order from the REGULAR MENU.
From what I could recall we ordered the following dishes :
* Shrimp Fritters ($ 8.50)
* Curry Chicken Stew ($ 10.95)
* Sizzling Beef Platter ($ 11.95)
* Seafood Fried Rice ($ 12.00)
Hubs also opt to have Hot Vietnamese Coffee ($ 4.00) as part of his beverages that evening.
Our server brought out the Hot Vietnamese Coffee and water for us.
The Background Music seems more western aka «Classical» when we were there.
Then at about 19:52hrs ish, the Fried Shrimp Fritters, came out hot, just the way we like it, with a dipping sauce of some kind. Apparently, I am surprised, Hubs like this dish a lot! He even requested, that some time in the future, I could fry the Shrimp Fritters at home. Hmmm. Hubs is not into seafood that much, but I guess, since this item maybe «unique» to him and perhaps Hubs is super hungry, he said this dish has 3.5 stars in his books.
Personally, I grew up eating Shrimp Fritters, but from what I could recall, not so many Vietnamese establishments in town, offer this kind of Fried Shrimp Fritters.
At about 20:05hrs, our Main dishes of Curry Chicken Stew, Sizzling Beef Platter and Seafood Fried Rice came to our table. As for the Curry Chicken Stew, those were just «MEH»… The Sizzling Beef Platter, though it does not «sizzle». it comes with several cuts of Onions, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes and Pineapple. Those Sizzling Beef Platter is more like a BEEF Skewers, though there are some charring to it, its tender to eat.
The Seafood Fried Rice, those can get addictive in my taste buds. Its very light, and filled with Seafood items that I like, such as Scallops and Shrimp. The Fried Rice also comes with the standard Vegetables such as Broccoli, Diced Carrots and Peas. How I wish, they could changed it to offer more Asian Vegetables rather than the «generic» Western Vegetables. Maybe its MORE Expensive to purchase Asian Vegetables such as Bak Choy or Kai Lan. *SIGH* Personally, this kind of FRIED RICE, are just the kind of «Comfort Food» that I have been craving lately.
Overall, the service can be a hit or miss. We are indeed stuffed with the Dinner we had. Though the restaurants seems DEAD throughout our Dinner time there, our food come out HOT, aka either from the Fryer or the Kitchen, in which we like. 3 stars in our books. Now I know where I can get that Seafood Fried Rice in case I am craving for those.
If I am not mistaken our Server that evening, her name is Dung.
TAKE NOTE: The Menu Pricing ONLINE is NOT THE SAME AS the ones in the Restaurant MENU. The ones found on the Restaurant Menu is «HIGHER» than the ones ONLINE. *SIGH* Hence plan accordingly when ordering the items.
Or perhaps to NEW ORIENT, PLEASE UPDATE your ONLINE Menu so it would not «confuse» future patrons alike OR it SHOULD NOT Be «Misleading».
Thank you.
New Orient
Exquisite Vietnamese & Seafood
10 203 E. Iliff Ave,
Denver, CO 80 247
Tel: (303)-751−1288
@51/2015

Reading many of these reviews, I feel like everyone else went to a completely different restaurant than myself. But then, they sound, and the photos look-​very staged/​fake. So perhaps that explains it. This establishment was dark, dirty, and the food was awful. We were the only customers there (usually a bad sign) and we felt awkward leaving, so we stayed and ordered. What followed was our worst meal in Denver so far.
The meat in my noodle dish both tasted and looked as if it had been cooked and then reheated… many days previously. There was no sauce on the table, and only fish sauce offered which we did not want. We ordered a lemonade for our daughter as the waitress (owner?) kept pushing us to, and it was made in a dirty blender steps away from us then had remnants of fish sauce (red pepper flakes etc) in it when served to her. I don’t feel like I could possibly cover all the issues we had with our meal so this will suffice.

When you’ve been in business for over two decades, it’s probably pretty safe to assume that you know a lot about pleasing your customers. Case in point — the Havana Street District’s own Vietnamese specialist, New Orient.
Far from the hustle and bustle of Federal Boulevard, New Orient presents an elegant, serene face with its cool wood and marble surfaces, carefully knotted napkins, and walls full of accolades. The dishes emerging from the kitchen are similarly tasteful and classy, while still making their presences felt. A very popular starter is a duo of rice-​paper rolls [Goi Cuon] bursting with noodles and barbecued pork — or why not split a nice big bowl of tamarind soup [Canh Chua] packed to the brim with with tomatoes, pineapple and shrimp? Another fine choice is the shredded chicken salad with mixed veggies also known as Goi Ga (this one has a bit of French influence, substituting a lime vinaigrette for the often fish sauce-​heavy dressing you may be more familiar with).
As good as the starters are, you’ll find that main courses are every bit their equal. The Ca Ri Ga, for example, is an awesome amalgamation of chicken, potatoes, and carrots in a turmeric-​kissed gravy that will probably remind you quite a bit of Thai yellow curry. Another worthy contender is the stirfry of beef, onions and lemongrass called Bo Xao Sa Ot (this one’s slightly on the spicy side by the way). Tom Ram Man sounds a bit like it might be the name of a shock-​punk group, but in fact is a high-​intensity sauté of shrimp in garlic sauce. Each of these will satisfy culinary desires you never knew you had, especially when paired with a tangy lemonade and one of their frequently-​changing housemade desserts — so why not pay them a visit sooner rather than later?

Upon walking into New Orient I was very glad to see a menu that was more than just phở and noodle bowls. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good bowl of phở, but I feel fairly confident that the entire country of Vietnam has more to offer. The menu was chock-​full of delicious sounding dishes. I opted for a shrimp curry while the Mrs. went for a dish that consisted of pork, shrimp, and veggies over chow mein noodles. As the server brought the dishes out both looked to be top-​notch. Unfortunately, upon tasting the dishes we were entirely underwhelmed. The food was fine, totally edible and mildly enjoyable, but it was not particularly memorable.
Otherwise, New Orient made for a pleasant evening. The restaurant has a small attractive dining room, and despite trying to serve a large party (which they seemed to be under-​equipped for), the service was great. All of the staff that we encountered were very friendly and kind. Based on the entirety of the experience, I would guess that I will probably head back to New Orient at some point, but I’m definitely not running back right away.

AMAZINGLY DELISH!
Tien is so great! I am gluten/​lactose free and he rises above for me! I don’t even order anymore, he just brings something yummy out.
Come for Tien’s special holiday LOBSTER! He has them around most holidays – Valentine’s Day, Christmas…
Try the halibut and the three mushroom beef!
His appetizers are delicious and a meal in themselves.
Ann is the most incredible baker on this side of the Mississippi, her desserts are to die for!
New Orient is just a really nice place all around. It feels good to do business with good people. These are GREAT people. They have accommodated us for birthday parties and work events (pretty last minute).
Keep it up guys! Can’t wait to see you again!

After perusing the reviews I decided to try this restaurant last night. It is small, but certainly adequate and nicely laid out and there were just a few occupied tables. There were two entrees I was considering — the Paella and a soft shell crab dish. I mentioned what I was considering to my waitress and she indicated that the Paella is what I wanted — and IT WAS WONDERFUL! Shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops HEAPED high and topped with a delectable and absolutely perfectly prepared fillet of salmon (pink, creamy, yummmmy!) Not sure when this dish is on their menu; it may have been a ‘special’ that night. Certainly left a «happy camper’!

The beauty of the New Orient is Tien himself. Once you’ve gone in a few times, you’re locked in. His lobster is out of this world. No one else can cook it like he can. If you feel like you’re in the mood for something unique, ask him to make you something special. Also, the hot and sour is my absolute favorite! I can’t eat it anywhere else now because I have fallen in love with theirs. They also have some kind of starter where he fries shrimp with something that looks to be carrots and is amazing!

Not your typical Vietnamese restaurant. Fine dining not the usual phở noodle house.
Full bar and amazing menu makes this one of our go to Denver spots. Good seafood dishes. We stick to the specials.
We got shrimp avocado roll apps. ³⁄₅ good dipping sauce
Crab and asparagus soup ⁴⁄₅ real
Chunks of crab
Bass Hotpot ³⁄₅ not a fan of bell peppers and the rice was super hot as per the dish HOTPOT made it difficult to eat right away
Salmon salad ⁵⁄₅ only way it could be better was if it was served with cold noodles
Honey sesame ⁵⁄₅ love the walnuts
We when on a night where there was a huge party. The place only has like 10 tables maybe. However, service was fine. Got our order in before the large party. Good service and great food.

Sometimes my reviews are more about the service than the food — other times it’s the food that captures my interest. For New Orient, it’s a bit of both. Let me start by saying that this is a nice, clean little place that is bright and well-​lit. We went on a Saturday night and were quickly seated. We ordered a couple of plates of eggrolls which were just okay. I mean, they’re eggrolls and you have to do a lot to turn me away from crispy fried stuff. Here’s where it gets a bit weird, though. One of my friends hates anything seafood. So when she asked the server what’s in the sauce accompanying the eggrolls, the server told her fish sauce. «Oh, okay, thank you, not for me,» my friend said, to which the server replied «you should try it, it’s good.» I guess I’m not used to restaurants telling their customers to get over their phobias and just eat their food. (That’s a bit how it came across). You know me, I told the server to not force things on her patrons. (Actually, I scolded her harshly and said «never tell someone to eat something they don’t want to eat!). That just felt odd to me. She had no other sauces to bring us other than soy. Disappointment.
We ordered: salad with beef, stir fried veggies (extra hot) and cashew chicken. The salad was the clear winner. Fresh veggies, just enough lemongrass to make it interesting and a light chile lime sauce (no fish sauce present). The veggies were so mediocre. I was expecting large, bright chunks of red, yellow, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, snow peas bright and spicy! Instead, we got frozen-​looking veggies that were overcooked. The chicken in the cashew chicken was tough — pre-​cooked, most likely and then re-​heated. And one very small bowl of steamed, white rice to share among the three of us.
Overall, not impressive food and just off-​putting service. A weird night, made up by the opportunity to hang with my gal pals.

Per recommendation of my wife who raved of this restaurant, I went with skepticism. Went for lunch and was surprised with the décor. Better than expected. Small, but clean and quaint. Since it was fairly quiet with few customers, I remained skeptical. Ordered the halibut and shredded pork dished. It came with soup, egg roll, fried rice, and salad. A lot of food for $ 6.95 and $ 7.95. Seriously, was very surprised with the quality and quantity. Why didn’t I find this place sooner? My first impression is overall very positive. Their plating is more like mom pop restaurant trying to stuff so much on one plate, but I didn’t mind. I felt like I found a secret place where only few people know of this place, but then I thought, it’d be waste if this restaurant closed for lack customers when it served such quality at a bargain price.
Conclusion: highly recommended. Is this the best Viet food? No. But for the price, quality and their offering, definitely worth a visit and revisits. Bargain and value.

THIS PLACE IS GREAT. The food is excellent, large portions. Customer service is outstanding. I only wish I had found this place sooner and did not waste money at other places

We eat here all the time and LOVE it! We have never had a bad meal. The wait staff can be a bit slow, but it is worth it to eat the food! GO!

If you are looking for a nice quiet atmosphere with really good Asian seafood hit up New Orient. You can always get something off the standard menu or go for one of the specials. This place is a hidden gem, and even better that it’s just up the street from where I live. The chef will pretty much do anything that you request, (within reason of course).

We came and tried the soft shell crab bowl, which we both enjoyed. Crab could have been more crispy. Only one waitress today at lunch, but she was efficient. Liked it, did not love it.