Super yummy! I've been eating here since they opened. Basil chicken is amazing, ginger beef super succulant, fried spring rolls are still light and have a delicious dippiing sauce. The kids bento boxes are generous and the beef kebab is so good. The only draw back......so many choices and they are all so good I end up buying way too much, but leftovers are just as tasty!
Review Source:Love the food, love the people, but damn, the service is HORRIBLE. Today only one girl was serving the entire restaurant and while she was terrific, we had to wait to be seated, for menus, for our order to be taken, to pay the bill. But I will be back because I love the food and I love the people. I just wish there were more of them. I am smiling as I am typing - it is really good.
Review Source:This is an incredible restaurant; I eat here all the time for lunch and dinner. Â The ginger tofu dinner is my favorite. The tastes of each dish are unique and delectable. The Cambodian iced coffee is to die for. Give it a try; it will wake up your mouth. Â My 17 year old daughter loves it too.
Review Source:Visiting from So Cal we went there for lunch. Our first time having Cambodian food my wife ordered Spicy Basil Chicken  and I ordered Chicken Amok which is served in a banana leaf pyramid. Wow! The food was delicious. I might have to move to Nor Cal if I can't find a Jia Tella in So Cal.
Review Source:After a band gig in Scotts Valley, some of the band members wanted to sit down and have dinner/drinks nearby in order to let traffic pass on CA-17. One of the band members suggested Jia Tella. My husband and I got interested because it's Cambodian cuisine. We were all excited when we got inside. We ordered two pitchers of Shock Top beer on tap and ordered large plates of their entrees. The kids had kids meal portions of Kebob Beef and Pork Fried Rice.
I ordered a spicy version of their String Beans with Beef while my husband ordered their Ginger Beef. I was honestly blown away by the spices of my entree. Holy Molly! Spicy indeed! Beads of sweat formed all over my forehead, at the back of my neck and ears. Whew! It was that good. Plus, it went very well with the cold beer. I love spicy food, and this place can really serve a hot one.
I just wish they're not that far away from home. I highly recommend this place for some spicy grub and cold beer. So, if you are near this place, you have to go in and try it.
Love southeast Asian cuisine, but not so keen on Jia Tella Cambodian.
First the positives: clean, good seating both inside and outside, simple decor, our server came quickly to get our drink orders and dinner orders. Fresh spring rolls were wonderful. Drinks arrived promptly. Hostess and waiters were friendly.
Now the negatives: no dinnerware of any type on the table or served with the meal (we had to ask), long (too-long) wait for our food to arrive (over 45 minutes), the shrimp kabobs were over cooked and blackened, the fish in the Salmon mango dish was dried out (over cooked), vegetable tempura was WAY over fried, we had to ask for a booster seat multiple times (I finally had to go retrieve one), asked for water but never came (I had to go get it) and they never picked up the check (had to go to register).
If you are time limited or have children, I would not recommend Jia Tella. Food was basically over cooked. Doubt if we will go back any time soon.
Really good food, very large portions. The curry is amazing, a "small" is large enough to easily feed two. Their fried spring rolls are usually great, but sometimes the oil is dirty which leaves a super gross taste on the outside. Wait staff are kind of nice, outside patio is lovely, and they pack their takeout securely. This is a good choice if you want a semi fancy, americanized ethnic food night out.
Review Source:I've eaten here several times...for lunch, dinner, and take out. Â The food is really good and always prepared to order so it is always hot and fresh. Â The chicken basil dish and the bbq chicken cambodian salad are my favorites. Â The down side is definitely the prices. Â Not sure why everything is priced so high. Â If the prices came down a bit I would go more often. Â With the prices as they are now this is a "treat" for me...not a regular thing. Â So for that reason I rate it 3 stars.
Review Source:Service is weird, but nice enough. Looks like you order from the board, but then you can seat yourself...it's trying to be restaurant-y but is more of a counter place. Â So the service lacks a little. Â The food is OK. Â I had the kabobs (shrimp) which were really good and the Ginger chicken. Â The chicken was tasty and the flavors were strong and of course a little dab of siracha is always fun! Â It was good, inexpensive $20 per person with tip-so not bad. Â If you are in the area, check it out. Â Loved the outdoor patio area.
Review Source:I'd never eaten Cambodian food before I came here so I asked the server to give me their most popular Cambodian dish. She was very pleasant and helpful and I ended up getting a curry. Tastes a lot like Thai food...
The dish was very tasteful and even a Small sized curry was fairly large.
The decor of the restaurant was very "ethnic". This is definitely a place to try out at least once.
Totally over-rated. Â Given the lack choices in this area I can see why people flock to this place. Â The food is not bad, but the prices do not justify what you are given or the quality. Â Lunch special and a couple of egg rolls w/ a drink should not cost you nearly $20. Â Go elsewhere.
Review Source:There's a restaurant side and a bar side, both offer full menu.
We seated ourselves on the bar side, Â upon our arrival it was packed. Â The SF Giants (playoffs) and the Niners were playing so we were anticipating some delays going into it. Â There was a server initially, however she disappeared. Â When we wanted to order food we were advised to order on the restaurant side (walk up style). Â
I ordered the beef sliders, salt and pepper shrimp, and bbq beef satay. Â The beef slider was the size of a burger (I was anticipating smaller sized portions) additionally it was overly salted. Â The salt and pepper shrimp was not salt and pepper like at all, they were prepared in more of a sauce like something (not sure what). Â The bbq beef satay portion size was way too much and again overly salted. Â The bbq beef satay and the beef on the single slider was the same. Â I originally ordered a side of the fresh spring rolls and they were out, as the menu kindly mentioned "until sold out" next to them. Â Hmmm, if they knowingly sell out of something, why not just make more? Â My boyfriend ordered the beef soup, WOW the portion size was large. Â It came with four serving bowls, would have been nice to mention that upon ordering. Â The beef was sparse. Â
Not in too much of a hurry to try again, definitely wont recommend until I have a better experience there myself.
I give my respect to this place. The food was above average with many different spices and sauces. Two major things why this is only 3 stars.
1. Price: It cost me, my siblings, and my parents (family of 5) $90 dollars to eat a dinner here with a large gelato to share. Yes, they have gelato but it is very expensive. Now I know that it isn't cheap, but 6 dollars for the size of a little bit bigger than a golf ball is pricey. Also 13 dollars for a entree that says "large" but is smaller than a lunch special of Chinese food is not cheap.
2. Service speed. It took maybe 15 minutes to get the first dish and 5 minutes after that to get the last, and the place wasn't even that crowded. It also took time for the waiter to notice our empty water glasses; he didn't fill them until after we paid.
Bottom line: Don't eat here with an empty stomach, prepare to pay about the same for fine Japanese cuisine, and only eat here if you aren't pressed for time. Other then price and service speed, this is a nice place with interesting atmosphere.
So yummy and it is great that there is a full bar "Next Door". I always get the boneless rib appetizer and fresh shrimp spring rolls. The peanut sauce is not very saucey but it is decent. I have gotten a lot of things on the menu and these two remain my faves. There is a curry stew that is about a 3 star and a spicy basil chicken dish (not spicy at all) 4 star. The mango Salmon is also super awesome.
Review Source:Ok as much as I like the food I'm downgrading my rating here. Why? Because it's a terrible value that I shouldn't have ignored before.
The lunch special is $9.50 and no larger than any Chinese lunch special by comparison. Plus it's not like you get free tea and table service either. Maybe if they were using pasture meats I'd still be able to think the prices were fair, but it's not the case.
They need to lower their prices drastically for lunch and dinner, then I'd be a regular.
Alright, I'm done with this place. The service was far slower than I've ever experienced, so-so customer service, and the best part?
I found a PIECE OF GLASS in my drink! A straight up chunk of GLASS!
And the reaction of the server was even worse. "Oh, I see. It was probably in the ice."
Really? REALLY? No sorry? No offer to at least get me a complimentary refill for the drink?
I'm done with this place. Crap service is one thing, but glass in drinks is unacceptable. I'll be informing the Health Department about this.
It's baffling to me the number of  4 and 5 star ratings.
We were looking for gluten free food they actually note that fact on items listed on the menu board. Off to a great start with pleasant if not fully engaged staff.
We ordered three entrees:
salmon, green beans and the veggie bowl
The fish tasted, well, fishy. Not a good sign.
the green beans were leathery and the sauce so unappealing that the tofu was also inedible
The veggie dish was in fact the gluten free promised item and okay...suffering from the greasiness noted in other reviews but at lease edible. With well cooked brown rice and drinks the meal total topped $50...a bit of a surprise for the quality of the food and service..
I'd skip this place and drive up to San Jose.
What a great addition to Scotts Valley!
My husband was originally a little leery about Cambodian food but ended up devoring his dish of basil chicken and also dipping into my curry chicken. By the end of the meal, he was a believer.
He was also impressed with the decor. Being in a shopping mall, you don't expect such a nice interior with a roomy pleasant patio.
The servers were pleasant and prompt. Overall, a very nice dining experience.
Jia Tella is still awesome. The food continues to be excellent.
From other reviewers, watch that the reviews could be for the bar area that's separate from the main restaurant (and excellent outdoor seating).
The prices have climbed over time, but the curry stew (ours with Tofu) is still the best curry anywhere in Santa Cruz county. Cambodian Iced Tea uses a coconut milk for the milk portion and is vegan...who woulda thought!
Ok I will say the food is good, greasy, but good. I would go for the food again except the plastic plates are a bit of a turn off.
Now to my experience...sports bar, UFC fight night. 4-5 year old girl sat at the bar the entire time (when she wasn't running about the bar) and not an atmosphere for kids. I found that tough to watch, tougher than UFC. The conversations in the bar took over the fight and you could not hear anything that was being said.
Bartender was very nice, food was good but the place is annoying to sit and watch 3 hours of fights at. It is not comfortable, very noisy and people were not polite for the most part even though the crowd was over 30 (except the child in the bar).
I know I will not go back there for a UFC event again which is where I would spend the most money on food and drink.
Laid back atmosphere. Â Healthy delicious Cambodian food. Â Why don't I eat here more often? Â Oh right, location! Â Still totally worth a trip into Scott's Valley for. Â I think I have tried everything on the menu here at least once. Â My all time fav go-to dishes are the catfish amok and the curry stew with chicken. Â I adore everything on their menu. Â
Sometimes when I'm feeling like taking a world food tour I'll eat here and then pick up a taco next door at Los Gallos! Â Also worth mentioning Jia Tella has a nice sports bar addition called Next Door which is right next door and accessible through the restaurant and you can eat your food in there too.
I can not believe I have not written a review for Jia Tella yet! Well here it goes:
Awesome service (our waitress was so cute, kind and adorable) I wish I knew her name since she was incredibly nice!
Drinks were an IPA, Guava Juice and a Cambodian Iced Coffee
Appetizers were delicious: boneless BBQ ribs, tofu and shrimp spring rolls, deep fried spring rolls, and marinated beef sliders.
Entree was catfish Amok- shared between 3 people (totally worth it)
Dessert was the mango sticky rice which was devoured in a matter of minutes!
You know it is kid approved when it is declared " I would take my dad here."
I've been here a handful of times and they have been consistently not that great with service. The food is consistently awesome!! I LOVE the food but I hate eating food I love at a place that does not have great service. Whether its the cranky mean bartender (I'm not even sure she still works there) or the server that forgets your drinks or forgets your there!
Inside & out this is a nice place, awesome outside patio on a sunny day and again the food is AMAZING!!! Maybe i should just to take-out?!?
If you go, get the fresh spring rolls, every time! they are very DEEELISH!
What a great place! I'm so glad I found out about it.
I've been there 3 times - the food is delicious and the patio is a nice, intimate venue for live music.
All three times I've been the service has been good.
The beef shish kabob bento box is really tasty and the mango rice dessert is a must-have.
Living in the East Bay, I am used to more authentic Cambodian spots in Oakland. Â That being said, the food here is pretty good...
It is also pretty pricey, considering that you order at the counter. Â My "small" noodle dish cost over $9, and the party of three in front of me paid $49 for their meal. Â That's a little harsh. Â The decor here is cute, though, and the outdoor patio seating would be cool on a nice evening. Â Definitely a popular spot with the locals...
My tamarind noodles seemed to be this place's take on Pad Thai. Â Good, but again not worth the $11 that I paid after tip. Â Being served Cambodian food by white people was a bit odd for me as well. Â Glad I checked this place out, though...
Jia Tella serves delicious Cambodian food in a great setting.
You can tell Jia Tella is family-run from the moment you walk in. The walls are decorated with artwork that highlights the Cambodian culture. The staff is incredibly friendly and the service is always exceptional.
The food is always fresh and light. Everything on the menu is reasonably priced, especially the lunch specials which are $8.95 and rotate each day of the week. My two favorite things on the menu are the tamarind noodles and the lemon grass stir fry.
There is an abundance of both indoor and outdoor seating. The inside of the restaurant has a great atmosphere with comfortable seating. The outdoor area is large and perfect for enjoying the sun when the weather is nice.
Jia Tella is definitely my favorite restaurant in Scotts Valley.
Had lunch there today and one other time in the past.
Nice place, lots of seating. My food came out quickly, my friend's did not. They actually had made her food but didn't know who it belonged to until she went and asked about it. Usually they are pretty quick.
$3.95 for 3 fried spring rolls--I didn't see any chicken in them. Kinda pricey for what they were.
$8.95 for my small BBQ chicken salad--it was tasty.
The kabob plates are good--$7.95 for one kabob and $9.95 for two. I will get that next time and sub out the salad because there's more meat. You can also opt to have brown rice instead of white.
Our friend had the lemongrass soup. She really liked it--lots of tofu and tasty.
Overall OK for Scott's Valley.
The food is pretty a-OK, but the service always stinks. You order at the counter and then wait, and wait, and wait for drinks. Sometimes they show up by mid-meal if you're lucky. The table seating feels more like a fast food restaurant and they have gelato for dessert rather than more traditional ones. Their mango drink is described as being juice, but comes in a can (and I think it actually says ON the can that it doesn't contain any juice).
If you just have to have Cambodian, drive over the hill to Chez Sovan and get great service, a bigger menu, and better prices. I don't get the 4 and 5 star ratings for this place. Do you guys ever get over the hill to the other side? Have any of you ever had Cambodian food before? And if you think that this is a "beautiful" restaurant, you really need to get out more.
Surprisingly delicious. I didn't expect to find this little charm of a place down the street from my office.
I had the spicy basil chicken and brown rice which were both very good but WOW. This place is expensive!
Can't come here a lot but nice for an occasional treat.
Maybe there is a 4 star chef behind my 3 star review.
As most of you probably know by now, the NYF is a chef. Â A damn good one. Â So it's no surprise that she hates going out to eat at places where the food served isn't even as good as what we eat at home. Â This poses a particular dining challenge in the Santa Cruz area. Â So when I say that the NYF constantly suggests dining here, you know it must be good. Â Let me tell you how we found this little gem...
Once upon a time a month or so ago, the NYF and I were debating driving over the hill because Gosh darnit, we just can't seem to find much decent Asian food on the coast. Â There are some exceptions to this, like Bangkok West, but sometimes you just need something...different.
Enter Jia Tella's.
We found a reference to it in the San Jose Mercury news; evidently a chef from a wildly successful Cambodian restaurant in Sunnyvale/Mt. View/whocaresit'sallthesametome decided to come to this side of the hill and take all the best recipes with him!
What luck for us! Â This is a totally no-frills restaurant. Â Local art adorns the walls, no waiters, just a simple order-at-the-counter kind of deal. Â They serve beer and wine, which is a nice touch, and they even have a gelato bar if you're feeling overly indulgent. Â (if not, there's Yogizmo next door for a lighter treat).
But really who cares about the other stuff, it's THE FOOD you want to hear about, right? Â Of course you do. Â Our favorite dish is absolutely the chicken curry. Â It's braised in the curry so the meat just kind of melts in your mouth. Â Better still, it's spiced just right, with enough heat to satisfy spice lovers, but mild enough to keep the white girly-men (hey, if Ahnold can say it, so can I) comin' back. Â They offer both brown and white rice so you can go healthy or carb-rich, AND the other dishes we've tried have all been pretty good. Â Again, I emphasize the chicken curry though. Â
Portions are good, Â and prices fair. If you're like me and enjoy sharing, order everything in small and pass the good stuff around. Â The other night, the NYF and I ate here for $25 (small curry, small noodle dish, and a side of brown rice), including a donation to the tip jar. Â Not bad not bad.
We've been back 4 times since discovering it a month or so ago, and have made a point to bring our out-of-town friends, too, who also loved it! Â Yay!
Yum! And furthermore, yum!
I was disappointed with my initial experience, ordering "to go" at lunchtime, in the first few weeks they were open, because I had an absolutely tiny box that was only half-filled - plus the order was wrong. It must have been opening week jitters because since then, I've been here multiple times, and it's always been great - great service, great food and great big bowls and plates of yummy goodness. Sharing plates seems to work the best. I really loved the chicken amok and the green bean stir fry.
I was initially doubtful they could keep enough lunchtime business because the portions, if ordered individually, are on the 'spensive side for lunch. But you come in here at lunchtime... and it's all men. Tech dudes crawl out for their florescent-lit cubes up and down Scotts Valley to come here because they have no guilty qualms about spending $15 on lunch every day (let's be real, they sure as shit aren't going to make themselves a sandwich).
And the food? Oh, delicious. This place has actually pulled me back into Scotts Valley on a weekend. Great beer and wine selection - a wide variety of on tap beers. You know, things you would actually drink. They even have gelato!
This is a family-run restaurant. That's probably Jason or Theresa behind the register, and all summer long their kids would be helping by bringing out the food and bussing tables. There was this one kid - a boy who looked about 10 - and I got more attentive and professional service from him than I have in most of the restaurants in the county. I totally admire this family for getting out of the rat race, opening a restaurant and really doing it right.
Being Cambodian, I sort of have a bias toward the food because grandma cooked the best Cambodian desserts and my family cooks awesome! Â But I'll list some of the things I liked and ordered so far:
I love the Cambodian Tea! Â It's a lot milder than the Cambodian Coffee. Â A lot like Thai Tea. Â
Chicken Kabob - very good because the chicken is tender, moist and big pieces.
Beef Kabob - a little on the dry over-cooked side. Â Didn't really taste the lemongrass.
Ginger Chicken - sorry, doesn't compare to mine. Â A little on the bland side despite all the ginger they put.
I'll still try more and update my review =)
*******UPDATE 10/2007******
Just tried the Catfish Amok today. Â It was yummy! Â Had to have it with rice. Â Also, it was enough to feed about 2 of me. Â I wish I could update my rating to a 3.5. Â This place is not quite a 4 yet. Â Again.. bias... mom's cooking.. can't beat.
A friend introduced me to Cambodian food at Chez Sovan in San Jose and if you've ever made it to either of their two locations, you'll know why I was delighted to hear about Jia Tella here in Scotts Valley. From what I hear, the owner of Jia Tella loved Chez Sovan so much that he paid the owner of Chez Sovan to be a consultant and train his cooks. And boy he did good! I stopped by last night to pick up some to-go for me and the hubby and what can I say  - YUM!
The place is very nice and comfortable with a nice patio outside for  warm evenings. The staff was very nice and helpful too. But what about the food? OH MY GOD! It's fantastic! First of all, you have to get the Amok! Preferably made with catfish! This is my absolute favorite  dish combining catfish, lemon grass, kaffir limes, galangal (thai ginger), fish sauce, coconut milk, eggs, and collard greens formed into a loaf and wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. It's not at all fishy but has a wonderfully subtle but complex favor highlighting the lemon grass! Definately what addictions are made of - it's that good! (My friends and I started referring to Chez Sovan as Amok so often we almost forgot what the actual name was!)
We also got the Chicken Curry which is a definate keeper too as is the Cambodian Salad which is refreshing with a hint of cilantro and mint complimenting the sweet ginger vineagrette and diced peanuts. We topped everything off with a portion of Jasmine Rice to soak up the sauces and were in Heaven!
Please make your way over to Jia Tella, you won't be disappointed! I have nothing to do with the business, just a complete fan who wants them to stick around - it's that good! (had to say it again!) YUM!
Cambodian food made it's way into the Santa Cruz area, yessss!
This is also a perfect new spot if you are stuck in beach traffic either way! You have to take the Granite Creek/ Scotts Valley Blvd exit and when you see Wendy's you know you are at Victor Square ( it's right by the exit) The decor is fresh and new. They have 8 beers on tap, including Blue Moon, Sam Smith and Fat Tire. The Cambodian coffee is like Vietnamese coffee -a.k.a. crack in a cup. They have mango with sticky rice- heaven. Their green bean dish is tasty and tangy with tamarind, a little salty but that is what beer is for - right? Salad, Bento with ribs, kebabs,curry , fried fish, papaya salad....its all good
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
