If you ask anyone in San Jose’s Little Saigon where to get real com tam, there’s a good chance they’ll point you toward Com Tam Thien Huong. This small Vietnamese restaurant chain has been feeding East San Jose for decades, and it’s built its name on one thing: broken rice plates piled high with charcoal grilled meats, fried shrimp cake, and a splash of nuoc cham that ties the whole plate together.
This guide covers everything you need before you go. That means the full com tam thien huong menu with prices, both San Jose locations and their hours, how ordering and takeout work, what regulars actually recommend, and honest thoughts on whether the wait is worth it. Whether you’ve been a dozen times or you’re planning your first visit, you’ll find the details here.
What Is Com Tam Thien Huong
Com Tam Thien Huong is a Vietnamese restaurant specializing in com tam, which translates to “broken rice.” The restaurant operates two locations in East San Jose, both inside the Story Road and Capitol Expressway corridor that locals call Little Saigon. It’s known for grilled pork, fried shrimp cake, and generous combo plates served over broken rice, along with a smaller menu of pho and Hainan style chicken rice.
The restaurant draws a steady lunch crowd of office workers, families, and longtime East San Jose residents. On Yelp it holds roughly 700 to 800 reviews per location with an average rating in the 3.3 to 3.5 star range, which reflects a place that’s popular enough to get crowded and inconsistent enough that reviews vary depending on the day.
What Com Tam Actually Means
Com tam is a Southern Vietnamese dish built around broken rice grains, the fragments left over after milling whole rice. According to Wikipedia, the dish is also called com suon and traditionally pairs broken rice with grilled ribs or pork, cucumber, pickled carrot, and sweet and sour fish sauce. Those broken grains used to be considered lower quality and were sold cheap to Saigon’s working class. Street vendors turned that cheap rice into a filling, affordable meal, and it eventually became one of Saigon’s most iconic street foods.
When Vietnamese refugees settled in San Jose after 1975, they brought com tam with them. Today it’s a daily staple across East San Jose’s Vietnamese restaurants, usually served from late morning through the afternoon rather than all day, which is exactly the pattern you’ll notice at Com Tam Thien Huong.
Com Tam Thien Huong Locations In San Jose
Com Tam Thien Huong operates two separate restaurants in San Jose, each with its own kitchen, phone number, and hours. If you’re searching for com tam thien huong near me, here’s exactly where to find both.
Story Road Location
The original and better known location sits at 909 Story Rd, Unit 100, San Jose, CA 95122. This is the com tam thien huong story road spot that most people mean when they talk about the restaurant, right in the heart of Little Saigon near McLaughlin Avenue. You can reach this location at (408) 275-6650.
Capitol Expressway Location
The second location is at 1759 E Capitol Expy, San Jose, CA 95121. This is the com tam thien huong capitol expressway branch, a short drive south of Story Road and easier to reach if you’re coming from the Capitol Expressway or Highway 101 side of East San Jose. You can call this location at (408) 274-8188.
Both addresses are confirmed on the restaurant’s own website and on Yelp, so if you’ve seen the keyword “com tam thien huong 1759 e capitol expy” or “com tam thien huong 909 story rd” floating around, those are the two real street addresses, not a typo.
Com Tam Thien Huong Hours
Both locations run on the same schedule, and it’s one detail that trips people up. The restaurant is open daily but closes for a break in the afternoon:
- Monday through Sunday: 10:00 AM to 2:45 PM, then 4:00 PM to 7:45 PM
That gap between 2:45 PM and 4:00 PM catches a lot of first-time visitors off guard. If you’re planning a mid-afternoon stop, call ahead or check the current hours on the restaurant’s Google listing before you drive over, since hours can shift on holidays.
Com Tam Thien Huong Menu With Prices
The menu is built around broken rice combinations, and the restaurant offers an unusually large number of ways to mix and match proteins. Below is the full com tam thien huong menu with prices as listed on the restaurant’s official site, broken into categories so it’s easier to scan.
Com Tam Rice Plates
These are single and double protein plates served over broken rice. Prices run from about $17.95 up to $20.95 depending on the combination.
- Bi, Cha (shredded pork skin and egg cake) — $17.95
- Tau Hu Ky (fried shrimp cake with rice) — $18.95
- Bi, Cha, Tau Hu Ky — $18.95
- Tau Hu Ky, Chao Tom — $18.95
- Bi, Cha, Chao Tom — $18.95
- Bi, Cha, Tom Nuong — $18.95
- Tom Nuong (BBQ shrimp with rice) — $19.95
- Bi, Suon Nuong — $19.95
- Bi, Ga Nuong — $19.95
- Suon Nuong (BBQ pork chop) — $19.95
- Ga Nuong (BBQ chicken) — $19.95
- Suon Nuong, Chao Tom — $20.50
- Ga Nuong, Chao Tom — $20.50
- Suon Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $20.50
- Ga Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $20.50
- Tom Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $20.50
- Suon Nuong, Tom Nuong — $20.50
- Ga Nuong, Tom Nuong — $20.50
- Thit Nuong (BBQ pork) — $20.95
- Bi, Thit Nuong — $20.95
- Bi, Cha, Thit Nuong — $20.95
- Thit Nuong, Chao Tom — $20.95
- Thit Nuong, Tom Nuong — $20.95
- Thit Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $20.95
- Suon Bo Dai Han (Korean style BBQ beef rib) — $20.95
- Suon Bo Dai Han, Chao Tom — $20.95
- Suon Bo Dai Han, Tom Nuong — $20.95
- Suon Bo Dai Han, Tau Hu Ky — $20.95
- Bi, Suon Bo Dai Han — $20.95
- Bi, Cha, Suon Bo Dai Han — $20.95
- Bi, Suon Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $21.50
- Bi, Ga Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $21.50
- Thit Nuong, Tom Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $21.95
- Ga Nuong, Tom Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $21.95
- Suon Nuong, Chao Tom, Tau Hu Ky — $21.95
- Bi, Cha, Suon Nuong, Tau Hu Ky — $22.50
Special Rice Combinations
These are the loaded plates for anyone who wants nearly everything in one order. Each combines a grilled protein with fried shrimp cake, shredded pork skin, egg cake, and grilled shrimp on sugarcane for $24.95:
- Thit Nuong, Tau Hu Ky, Bi, Cha, Chao Tom
- Suon Nuong, Tau Hu Ky, Bi, Cha, Chao Tom
- Ga Nuong, Tau Hu Ky, Bi, Cha, Chao Tom
- Suon Bo Dai Han, Tau Hu Ky, Bi, Cha, Chao Tom
Pho Menu
Pho makes up the second half of the menu, and every bowl is priced at $13.95 regardless of which cut combination you pick, from tai (rare) and chin (well done) to nam, gau, and gan. A no meat bowl, Pho Khong Thit, runs $9.00, and a kid’s meal with well done beef, meatball, and a soda is also $9.00. Extras include an additional meatball for $2.50, steak on the side for $1.50, and larger extra bowls of specific cuts for $7.00 to $9.00.
Appetizers
- Cha Gio (egg rolls) — $8.00 for 3 rolls
- Banh Kep La Dua (pandan waffle) — $3.00 each
Bun Vermicelli
- Tom Thit Nuong (grilled shrimp and BBQ pork) — $20.95
- Thit Nuong (BBQ pork) — $20.95
- Thit Nuong, Cha Gio (BBQ pork and egg roll) — $20.95
Com Ga Hai Nam, Hainan Style Chicken Rice
- Com Ga Dui (chicken thigh) — $19.50
- Com Ga Uc (chicken breast) — $19.95
- Com Ga Canh (chicken wings) — $19.50
- Com Ga Ro Ti (house special rotisserie chicken with tomato rice) — $19.50
Side Orders
- Com Trang, steamed rice bowl — $3.50
- Trung Opla, fried egg — $2.00
- Lap Xuong, Chinese sausage — $4.00
- Ly Sup, soup to go — $3.50
Drinks Menu
The drink menu leans heavily into Vietnamese coffee and fruit teas. Vietnamese iced or hot coffee runs $6.50 to $7.00, fresh orange juice is $7.50, and coconut water is $6.50. Most milk teas and fruit teas, including Thai milk tea, taro milk, jasmine milk tea, and fruit flavors like mango, lychee rose, and guava, are priced at $7.00. Fruit smoothies like strawberry, avocado, and mango shakes run $7.50, and toppings such as boba pearls, popping fruit, and jelly add $0.95 each.
What To Order At Com Tam Thien Huong
With a menu this large, it helps to know what regulars actually reach for. Here are the dishes that come up again and again in reviews and local food write-ups.
Fried Shrimp Cake, Tau Hu Ky
The fried shrimp cake is consistently one of the most praised items on the menu. It’s crisp on the outside with a dense, savory shrimp filling, and it holds up well even in a takeout container, which says a lot for a fried item.
Egg Cake, Cha
The steamed egg cake is a mix of minced pork, wood ear mushroom, cellophane noodles, and a thin layer of egg on top. It’s softer and more savory than the fried shrimp cake, and it’s a good contrast when you order a combo plate with both.
Grilled Pork Chop, Suon Nuong
The marinated, charcoal grilled pork chop is the backbone of a classic com tam plate. It’s smoky, slightly sweet from the marinade, and the reason a lot of people compare com tam to Vietnam’s version of a weekday lunch special.
Grilled Shrimp On Sugarcane, Chao Tom
This one is more of a novelty than an everyday order, but it’s worth trying at least once. The shrimp paste is grilled around a stick of sugarcane, and you’re meant to eat the shrimp and leave the fibrous cane behind.
How Much Does Com Tam Thien Huong Cost
Most rice combo plates fall between $17.95 and $24.95, with pho bowls flat at $13.95. A simple two person order, say one rice combo plate and one pho bowl plus a drink each, lands somewhere around $45 to $55 before tax. That’s on the higher end for a casual Vietnamese spot, which is one of the more common criticisms in reviews, though portion sizes are generous enough that most people leave full.
Ordering Com Tam Thien Huong Online, Takeout, And Delivery
Com Tam Thien Huong accepts online ordering directly through its website for pickup, which is the most reliable way to skip the line during the lunch rush. The restaurant doesn’t list its own delivery fleet, but both locations show up on third party delivery apps in the San Jose area, so you can check whichever delivery service you already use for current availability and fees.
Dine-in seating is limited at both locations, and the restaurant doesn’t take reservations. It operates more like a counter service spot where you order, grab a number, and find a seat if one’s open.
Is Com Tam Thien Huong Worth It
Reviews for Com Tam Thien Huong are genuinely mixed, and it’s worth being upfront about that instead of only repeating the good parts. Yelp ratings for both San Jose locations sit in the 3.3 to 3.5 star range across hundreds of reviews, which is solid but not universally glowing.
The recurring praise centers on the fried shrimp cake, the egg cake, and the grilled meats, along with generous portions for the price. The recurring complaints are about long waits during peak lunch hours, a confusing number calling system at busy times, and service that can feel rushed when the dining room is packed. Several reviewers also note that quality can vary depending on which location you visit and how busy it is that day.
The honest takeaway is that Com Tam Thien Huong is a genuinely popular, long running com tam specialist with food that earns its reputation, but it’s not a place to visit if you’re in a hurry or expecting a quiet sit down meal. Going during off peak hours, roughly mid morning before noon or later in the afternoon session, tends to get you a noticeably better experience than the noon to 1 PM rush.
Com Tam Thien Huong Compared To Other San Jose Com Tam Spots
East San Jose has no shortage of com tam specialists, and Com Tam Dat Thanh on Tully Road is the name that comes up most often alongside Thien Huong. Dat Thanh tends to keep its menu narrower and leans almost entirely on rice plate combinations, while Thien Huong offers a broader menu that includes pho, vermicelli, and Hainan chicken rice alongside its com tam lineup. If you want variety beyond broken rice in one visit, Thien Huong’s wider menu is the more practical pick.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
A few small planning mistakes account for most of the frustration people report.
- Showing up between 2:45 PM and 4:00 PM, when both locations are closed for their afternoon break
- Arriving right at noon expecting a quick in and out visit during the busiest stretch of the day
- Assuming the Story Road and Capitol Expressway locations are interchangeable when checking hours or placing an order, since each has its own phone line and online ordering link
- Ordering a loaded special combo plate without checking the price first, since the fully loaded combos run close to $25
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Thoughts
Com Tam Thien Huong has earned its spot as one of the go-to names for broken rice in San Jose’s Little Saigon, and the menu backs that reputation up with real variety beyond just com tam. The fried shrimp cake and grilled meats are worth the trip on their own, and the split hours and occasional lunch rush are easy enough to plan around once you know what to expect. If you’re craving authentic Vietnamese com tam in San Jose, either the Story Road or Capitol Expressway location is a solid choice, just try to time your visit outside the noon rush for the smoothest experience.
Source Links
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C6%A1m_t%E1%BA%A5m
- https://comtamthienhuong.net/san-jose-com-tam-thien-huong-food-menu
- https://comtamthienhuong.net/san-jose-com-tam-thien-huong-drink-menu
- https://comtamthienhuong.net/san-jose-com-tam-thien-huong-locations
- https://www.yelp.com/biz/com-tam-thien-huong-san-jose-2
- https://www.yelp.com/biz/com-tam-thien-huong-san-jose-4