Crystal Thai-Cambodian Cuisine

Crystal wasn’t that good looking but damn she had a great personality. Food was out of this world. Parking sucks complete ass but so worth it. If you drive a truck or SUV do not park in the lot I repeat DO NOT park in the lot. It’s a one way which leads into a narrow alley with a really sharp turn. I love the fry rice and side sauces. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Incedibly delicious! LEGIT! Flavors all melded nicely and not dumbed down for western palate. I knew just by the smell when I walked into the place it was going to be awsome!

I love Cambodian food. The ambience here provides nothing but it’s essence. The location is in the heart of Cambodia Town however the space is limited. The service is a bit latter-​day being there’s only one chef, you can expect nothing but wait time to increase as hungry Cambodians march in. As far as transaction, I don’t understand why they don’t honor Visa or Mastercard yet. I had to find an ATM.

The food here is very affordable but a little bit on the spicy side. The boyfriend and I ordered thai boat and pad thai with beef. Both noodles were delicious but I think they put more spice than necessary, and also the pad thai noodles were a little undercooked. The thai tea had the perfect sweetness to it. Service was okay also. If I am in the area again, I would probably go back and try some other dishes. Oh and it’s CASH ONLY.

I always come here craving their Thai boat noodle! It’s my top #1 fave. Food is authentic and it never disappoints. The only reason why I gave this a 4 star today is because the service was decent. Usually there would be this nice woman working but this time I got service from one of the male server. He just didn’t respond much. For example I asked for a refill for my tea and he didn’t say a word just rushed to get it. It wasn’t busy but he just seem like he was rushing everything. Overall service was fast. I just missed the nice woman.

Great food, best Khmer food in town prices are reasonable … Recommend friends and family to eat here. My favorite Thai boat noodle, Lemongrass catfish stir fry. Only thing I don’t like is parking is tight !
Regards

This hole in the wall locale is a real gem for authentic and delectable Chinese Cambodian entrees. Some of my favorites include Chicken Curry, Beef Skewers, Ginger Chicken, and Vietnamese Omelette. The price range varies from $ 7.00 — $ 15.00 and it is comparable to other caual dinning establishment locally.
The drawbacks are there is no A/​C running, CASH is the only acceptable method of payment, and there were lots of roaming and buzzing flys fighting for your food. Thus, creating an unsanitary and unpleasant dinning experience.
Cheers to good eats and good health!

A work colleague of mine recommended Crystal Thai a long time ago and I’ve had it bookmarked forever. He is Cambodian, so I trusted his judgement. Then, when I saw the Unilocal OC post on Instagram for the beef steak salad, it was an easy convince for a visit.
When I first walked in, I thought «this is a funny place». The orange walls with purple trim really grabbed me. The theme, by the way, carries on into the bathroom.
I asked the waiter for his favorite dish and he steered me towards the Karrie Talong curry (Cambodian style curry). It was flavored with star anise and kaffir lime leaves. Great flavors. Of course, I had to try the beef Steak (with Cambodian mud fish sauce) over green leaf lettuce at Crystal Thai in Long Beach, as it was the picture I saw. It was good, but not as good as the curry. They give you complimentary tea, not sweetened, with the meal and I really didn’t need anything beyond that.
I liked that they gave me an eating spoon and fork and that I didn’t have to ask. So many places give you chopsticks or regular silverware. To me, its just not eating Thai if I’m not using a left handed fork and a right handed spoon.
As to the atmosphere, they were playing constant Thai music videos, which were kind of amusing to watch. We filled in our own words. Overall, it was a very enjoyable dining experience. Just have to make sure you steer towards the specialties. I personally would not get the pad thai or the the pad see ew, but that is my own personal preferences.
The area and the parking is somewhat questionable, so I’d come here when its light out or with a group. However, the food is worth it and I shall be back.

Located in not too nice of an area, but don’t let that fool you. Parking is a pain and cramped, but if you park on the street it’s not bad. Let’s get on to what really matters…
The food is AMAZING. I grew up eating my grandmas cooking and boy, it sure tastes like it. Their salaw machu is soooo bomb. I got it with beef and it’s so tasty! Definitely order this one. Chicken satay was good not the best I’ve had. Another must have is the Phnom Penh noodles! It’s the best I’ve had, and trust me I’ve eaten a lot of Phnom Penh noodles…
The service is almost nonexistent. They were as friendly as they had to be but definitely nothing to rave about.
I’m lucky this place is a bit of a drive otherwise I would be going just about everyday…

The food here is very good and very tasty. The portions are big well worth the price.

Reminds me of momma!
This is definitely a hole in the wall so if you’re a pinkys out kind of person, this place isn’t for you. But if you’re like me and don’t mind sacrificing a little cleanliness for a little grime to eat some seriously amazing food, then this place is for you! I’ve came here twice in 2 weeks! And the only reason why I haven’t been back yet, is because it takes me that long to eat all my leftovers! Yes, I over order, I can’t help myself– but the portions themselves are very generous.
The menu is huge! I don’t know how big their kitchen is that they can dish out so many authentic Thai-​Cambodian dishes but boy does it make my belly happy.
The gentleman and lady that run this place are amazing. I like to practice my Cambodian when I order with her and she’s the sweetest! Smiles sweetly while she listens to me try to say chicken.
LOVE!
Only bummer— cash only.

I come here when I want real authentic Khmer dishes. To start off, we ordered Thai ice tea and iced coffee to quench our thirst and they were both very good. For dinner, we ordered the Khmer lemon grass beef skewers, grilled catfish which came with fresh herbs and veggies served with tamarind dipping sauce and samlaw Machu kreung (Khmer lemon grass flavored beef soup with water spinach). All dishes came out in a timely manner. The skewers were last to come out but worth the wait. The Khmer beef skewers were flavored nicely, the Khmer lemon grass flavored beef soup was delicious and comforting… I really enjoyed the kaffir limes and the lemon grass flavors. The grilled catfish was loaded with fresh herbs and veggies. They are very generous with herbs and veggies. It was so good when garnished with all the herbs and dipped in tamarind sauce.
Pros:
Authentic Khmer dishes
Great tasting dishes
Great price
Cons:
Hole in the wall place
Ghetto area of Long Beach
Parking is tight and not always available

I came here yesterday for Khmer New Years after coming from the park after the parade in the afternoon. It was packed so we had to wait 10 – 15 minutes until we got seated.
I really wanted the rare steak and fish sauce (it’s my favorite). I’m part Khmer, but I never learned the Khmer language, but I thought I knew how to say the dish in Khmer so in my attempt I ordered «sat with prahok.» I thought I said «meat with fish sauce,» but something else came out that was not what I wanted. This other fish sauce (that was more thick) with raw veggies on the side came out and I was like D: AHHHHH NOOOOOOOO WTH IS THIS I MESSED UP… but I ended up showing one of the workers the picture of what I really wanted on Unilocal and she changed my order. When trying to order in another language fails you… I learned that it’s called «sat co prahok threy»
I also got the cha kreoung which is lemon grass stir fry. I got it with chicken and it was good, but I wish it had bigger pieces of chicken. My friends usually make it with chicken parts that have bones, and this restaurant just had boneless meat. It’s easier to eat, but I enjoy chewing on bones ha.
The papaya salad was ok. I was hung over so maybe I wasn’t in the mood for it, but I thought it was more Thai style than Cambodian style (Cambodian style is more fishy/​salty tasting). I don’t know if you are suppose to tell them what style you want or if there is only one style they make, but I wouldn’t order it again.
I think what you should really try (even though I didn’t try it yet) is the fried fish and the soups. Everyone else in the restaurant was eating those dishes, and I really wanted the soup, but I think it was too big for two people to share. It was also because we only had $ 40 in cash and it was cash only so we had to limit and calculate all the items we ordered ahead of time (SUCH STRUGGLE).
We had three dishes with a pot of rice, Thai iced coffee, and a coconut drink and it was around $ 30 so the prices aren’t too expensive.

A little inattentive and not high ranking on the sanitary scale but when the chicken skewers are this good then count me in.
I don’t know jack diddly squat about Cambodian food but the bf is Cambo and he likes it, as do I. BBQ beef skewers are just as good as the chicken. They come with 5 skewers and papaya salad per appetizer plate. Free white rice and free iced tea. Also tried the catfish soupy soup and it was enjoyably sour with plenty of tender catfish and full of flavor.
Parking lot is small and they leave the door open sometimes without AC so it can get kinda uncomfortable on really hot days. Drown out the heat-​induced misery by listening to the cambodian karaōke! Some girl’s mom is bound to be angry about a lowlife boyfriend and the boyfriend will hide behind a lot of trees. It happens every time.

Came here for lunch on a Tuesday and it was pretty packed! My family and I were lucky to snag a table. Very quick service, in terms of someone greeting you, taking your order, and getting your food. I think we only waited 10 mins until we got our 4 dishes.
Thai Boat soup: good, a little hot (I coughed a bit), filled with beef, noodles, spinach, and some intestine parts.
Beef sticks: 5 out of 5 stars! Love this dish, will always get it.
Pad see ew: with beef, pretty standard

Got introduced to this place by the intrepid Hannah E, who’s all about authentic Southeast Asian cuisine. We’ve been a couple of times now, and the first time I went the safe route and got some familiar spring rolls (huge and fresh) and noodles. The second time I tried the green kroeung with frog, which was like a green lemongrass curry with frog legs, thai eggplants and long beans – delish! We also got a plate of small deep-​fried fish (accompanied by a green papaya salad) that kind of looked like flattened smelts – I really enjoyed them but they were a little too poky for Hannah. My impervious maw had no problems mashing up the delightfully fried fishies, however, mwaha! I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were still good, even microwaved. The place is pretty small, but it’s clean and the owners were very friendly. Our waiter/​owner was the one who recommended the fried fish to us, for which I’m grateful! Prices are reasonable and I believe it’s cash only. They have a small parking lot next door but street parking didn’t seem too impacted on the two weeknights we went.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: A cozy little place for authentic Cambodian eats.

Very sadly I’m deducting a star, for the lack of availability of items, 2 Star Customer service, and the lack of [Supply & Demand].
The owners & operators of this great place are great, courteous, and seated us promptly as the place (as always) was packed.
The sister or wife of the same, was to a degree as well, taking into the fact that she was flying solo with at least 15 – 20 tables of 2 – 4 or more people-​she was doing a balancing act of that I’d never seen from a woman of her stature and, at around 4′ 7″, doing a damned good job too.
*Parking here is tricky, in one way, and the turn into the alley as you leave will require ALL of your driving skills; on the street is my best choice, but you’ll see.
==============================================================
Marty & I went here for lunch, hoping that some good Boat Noddle Soup would help push my Christmas Day present of a sinus infection out of my body, which was as worse as some women screaming, «Get this outta me!» with her first baby.
That being said, we ordered Spring rolls, the big ones, and were told by the women (our server) that she’d check if they had them, she came back, told us they did, took our orders, but then came back and told us the machine that makes them in the back was not working so, we opted for Shrimp Tempura, $ 7, easy enough.
Our orders were:
# 10 & #12, Phnom Penh Boat noodle soup for me, Seafood Boat Noodle soup for Marty, BOTH of our orders include Pork, fish balls, scallions, etc. and on my order, I wanted it served dry so I could stir in the ingredients and not have it too soggy.
As we were waiting, our server brought out our soups before the appetizer; Marty thought it was a cultural thing, but I’ve been to Southeast Asia, and it is not, based on my primarily relevant to a customer experience here before too, it is not.
Let it go, and we delve into our soups after adding condiments; many for me were spices to help this sinal cleanse along.
Marty thought he got the wrong soup because he didn’t find any seafood in his, and I, found only 1 medium sized shrimp in mine; gave mine to him, and then near the end of his meal, he finds one too-that’s it folks, 1 medium sized shrimp a piece, for a seafood Boat Noodle Soup, everything else was as it should be, but even the other seafood items were lacking to a degree, 2 fish balls and 1shrimp a piece for me for a Phnom Penh Boat Noodle Soup, and 1 shrimp, and no seafood items, none, zip, zero in his-​to be factual, there were none-​look:
He did though tell our server that he thought his order was wrong because his soup didn’t have a lot of seafood in it, she just looked at him and said, «That’s ours seafood soup» and walked away-​he said, «She just walks away, that’s it, no let me check, how was mine, let me see what I can do?»
Look, everything was really good as usual, 5 star good, the Shrimp Tempura consisting of 12 very large shrimp was excellent with the sweet & sour sauce, but the soups sadly just did not deliver, even paying $ 6 a bowl, for a large bowl, size didn’t matter, what mattered to us both was that the soups had what I described above and that is not Boat Noodle Seafood Soup, nor is it Phnom Penh Boat Noodle Soup, BOTH soups on the menu mentioned seafood in the items described, and they did not deliver.
I don’t know if it was an off day, the cooks preparing our soups were out of seafood items, our server was just overwhelmed or what, and I understand this culture, and the beautiful people who are its roots, but I was not happy, we BOTH were not happy with our soups & customer service.
In my previous review, I know that I did take out, but everything I brought home was balanced in ingredients, and they delivered 100%.
I’m going to come back, not soon, not after 4 years, but I’m going to come back and give them another shot because I truly love the food and it worth every penny.
On MP’s scale of A-​Okay:
a) A-​Okay in a good way.
b) A-​Okay.
c) Just A-​Okay.
I’m choosing-​c) Just A-​Okay.
So, when I return, I hope that whatever I order delivers & measures up, but until then like my girl sings here, you better be as efficient, fulfilling, above all on it and do this to keep me as your customer:
*Because if not, I’ll stick with:
they have never let me down.

I wish we had restaurants like this in Seattle! Some good ol’ authentic Khmer food that taste like your momma, grandma, or aunty made it!
I could tell this place would be good right as we walked in. The whole place was packed and not an empty table in sight. Luckily someone was leaving right when we got there, but the wait for food still took 30+ minutes. Extremely busy there and I noticed a lot of people coming in for to-​go orders, so I assume they’re usually pretty busy.
The beef sticks were amazing! Or, as my cousin referred to them as, «love on a stick.» The Pad Thai was the best I’ve ever had, hands down. I went for days still thinking about it. Hella fat, right? Lol. Good sized portions at a low price. Cash only though, which we didn’t know ahead of time.
I will make sure I come back when I return to Long Beach. I’m a fan!

I came here three years ago a Cambodian food virgin.
My eel dish was utterly foreign to me, but I described it as best I could with the vocabulary I had. I’d never heard the word ‘kroeung’ and would not have recognized it had it been hovering in neon text in front of me. The tea at every other table was something I just observed and did not think to ask for. As for the stares, I had not yet become used to them, as this all took place before I spent two summers in southeast Asia.
I had no way of knowing that, three years later, I would have traveled to Big Cambodia, and that I would move to Long Beach, explore Little Cambodia with a fine-​toothed comb, and find that Crystal, the restaurant I blindly chose first, is probably the best Cambodian restaurant in Long Beach. (Verdict pending, as my search is not yet complete.)
Their green kroeung (for the uninitiated, and for three-​years-​ago-​me: kroeung is a curry paste) is a lemongrassy hammer, pounding itself into all the dry-​rubbed folds of their tender frog legs (or, I assume, chicken or fish if that’s what you choose). The effect is like an exotic plate of spicy chicken wings, but healthier, because there are quartered Thai eggplants and long beans too, similarly coated in a dark evergreen-​looking paste.
There is a taste in there like Christmas cookie spice, which beat the hell out of me — I consulted my mom and the best we could come up with was maybe it was a cinnamon leaf (extracted and laid on the plate in the photo).
They also — and this is practically unheard of for super authentic tiny places like this — created a vegetarian dish for my vegetarian boyfriend. They didn’t just phone it in, either. A lot of times when he asks, he gets generic noodles in gloppy brown sauce with broccoli or whatever. Here, he received a complex yellow curry overflowing with eggplant, onions, and green beans, which was every bit as good as my chha kroeung.
We had only to ask to receive the free iced chrysanthemum tea, and they no longer charge for bottled water.

CASH ONLY. Family owned Crystal Thai-​Cambodian Cuisine if a find I found on Unilocal.
They have their own parking lot or there is street parking.
FREE iced tea given to everyone. I liked it.
We got:
ong choy w/​garlic — nice, we needed veggies
Noodle dish cold w/​soup on the side, #10 I think. I liked it.
B. got Boat Noodle Soup — he liked it.
CASH ONLY. Bathroom up near the front.