Great food , great service and a very friendly environment. The wings are great and have a good flavor. Â The spring rolls are fresh and tasty. Â
I am visiting for work and have visited a few other bars in the area. Â Jia Tella's reminds of a place I go to back in Houston, Tx. Â It's a place where a lot of locals go and everyone was friendly. Â The staff was great and the service was better. Â They also have a restaraunt next door with a great Patio area. Â If you are in Scott's Valley be sure to swing by Jia Tella's
Cambodian cuisine in Scotts Valley. Â Lucky us! Â The owner is energetic, enthusiastic and an enophile. Â Combine that with light Southeast Asian spicing with always FRESH, tasty ingredients and this place will have you coming back for more. Â Lunch specials are definitely a meal to fill you to the top. Â Also have a good selection of beers and beer on tap. Â If you've managed room, have some gelato afterword.
Review Source:This used to be one of our favorite restaurants, however, lately it seems that the food is inconsistent. I ordered the flat rice noodles about a month ago and it was delicious - the sauce was rich and yummy with fresh ginger slices. I ordered it again last night and the sauce was mild and sparse with no ginger and the noodles seemed not as fresh as last time. Also, the last two times, I've found a short grey hair in my food - yuck! It's a shame, but I dont think i'll be going back for a while since, when I go out to eat, im looking for a really good satisfying meal.
Review Source:Bad service this time around. Usually we grab the food to go so I think this made it more apparent.
Server chick did not write down our order, did not bring out the appetizer as an appetizer, got the appetizer wrong (had shrimp not tofu), got the entree soup wrong (sour soup vs hot & sour, but at least this did have tofu) and generally seemed overconfident of the service she was providing. No real apology for the shrimp mistake but did swap out for tofu and she didn't even realize that she got the soup wrong (we didn't send it back). Poor check-in timing from start to finish, we had to flag her down twice.
Why do people eat shrimp? They don't taste like anything (yeah, you can say the same about tofu). Coming off of a looong travel day I didn't even realize it was shrimp, good thing I don't have an allergy. The spring rolls were on the plate greens up (vs protein up) that would have been a clear indication to the server and us that the order was wrong.
Simple suggestion of WRITING DOWN THE ORDER and CHECKING THE ORDER AT THE COUNTER BEFORE YOU BRING IT TO THE TABLE Â could have turned a crappy experience into one without any major issues. To be in the service industry you need to care about your customers or at least pretend to.
Ug. Still overall a 3 'cuz it's all about the food but I think we'll opt for takeout in the future.
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: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.
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.
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.
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'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.
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.
We finally made it up to Jia Tella last night. I had been following the reviews on Yelp and was looking forward to checking it out. I love Cambodian food, and there is NO place in Santa Cruz county that serves it.
Got there around 6pm. It wasn't too crowded...yet. Â The woman who took our order was helpful when we told her it was our first time there. I decided to go with the Basil Chicken. Jean ordered Cambodian Noodle Soup with tofu.
We took a menu with us to the table so we could look it over. Noticed that they have "dumbed down" the names of the dishes. Not a lot of Cambodian names. Guess that makes it easier for people to order.
The food arrived after a short wait. The soup was in a nice tureen and the waitress brought all the condiments, bean sprouts, cilantro and plum sauce. The tureen was full of noodles and broth and tofu. Jean enjoyed it. Â The broth was delicately seasoned, the noodles were satisfying. Jean would add some hot sauce to it next time, but otherwise was quite happy.
My Basil Chicken surprised me. The chicken is ground up, and served on top of the rice. I had never had the dish served like that before. I was a little put off, until I took the first bite. Wow! Â Each spoonful was filled with wonderful flavors. You could really taste the ginger and the lemongrass, and of course the basil and spices. It was very good.
The restaurant is not very big and began to fill up quickly. It was obviously a lot of local Scotts Valley folks. There were quite a few children in the place, and it got rather noisy. If you want to have a conversation over dinner, this is not the place to go.
It's not inexpensive. For our two dishes, and nothing to drink, it cost around 24.00 total. (before the tip) However, the quality of the food was worth the price, and there was plenty of both dishes to share.
We'll definitely go to Jia Tella again. Maybe to try the lunch specials, or for an early dinner. By the way, they also have free wi-fi, so you can goof around on your iPhone while waiting for your food. Go check it out.
Went for lunch last week and was surprised with the number of people there. Â It was a full house. Â I had never heard of this place before. Â What a pleasant surprise.
We had the catfish amok (I'll pass on that but everyone else at my table LOVED it!), the green beans dish rocked and the noodle dish with chicken was a favorite. Â The sticky rice mango dessert was delishhhhh! Â I'm craving that sweet coconut milk and mango taste right now!
I am definitely heading back there again at a time when there is some outdoor music. Â Looks like a fun place to totally chill.
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.
I've been here a few times and went again last night. YUM! The food is so good and tasty I almost wish I could eat there weekly.
The Amok is awesome, both chicken and the catfish. The catfish curry stew is also VERY tasty. I'm usually there with several people and we always order several items and share everything. Re-reading the reviews about the prices, I can't really say. I think they've raised the prices recently, but hasn't everyone? I didn't think they were that pricey compared to other places, and with great tasting food it almost doesn't matter. I will come back here as often as possible. Their outside patio is also really cute and very nice during the summer.
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.
Generally I don't feel moved to yelp about something unless it really wows me in some way. Jia Tella was simply on par with other restaurants in the area, but I decided to review it because it's still relatively new and it's the only Cambodian restaurant in the county as far as I know.
We stopped by on a Sunday evening and it was pretty dead. A very young boy took our order - he was pretty cool and fully competent. Anyway, I ordered the salmon with mango and my date had the beef kabob. The salmon was quite good, but I didn't enjoy the special sauce on top. I found it overly sweet so I tried to scrape it off. The date thought the beef was all right - stimulating spices, but a tad dry.
I'd definitely go back someday to give it another shot (especially if someone else is treating!), but I doubt that I'd initiate another rendez-vous here. Besides, it's a little out of the way.
3.5
The chicken curry here is decent. Not as excellent as other places, but perhaps I caught them on an off day. Or perhaps I prefer a milkier thai curry.
I've also tried the stir fried ginger with chicken on the menu and after a while it just became a task to finish. Do ginger and chicken complement each other?
I need to go back for the Amok, BBQ ribs (my friend said this was delicious) and famous fried chicken wings.
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
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