Monster Pot

"Read a good amount of reviews before deciding to try this place. Some people claimed the food tasted rotten. I came prepared. Before my partner and I were greeted, a lady spoke to a man who emerged from behind one of the front counters while having his phone out. I tried to think nothing of it. I ordered teriyaki tofu and rice, Kung pao tofu and rice, sesame balls, and a Thai tea. The food took the same speedy amount of time one would expect and wish for at a fast food establishment. It felt less than 5 min and both dishes were ready. The Kung pao tofu was spicy and flavorful. Whole thing was consumed contently. Sesame balls were good. The problem came with the teriyaki tofu. A few bites were chill. It's your standard teriyaki dish in terms of flavor. I had a slight "funky taste" in a bite of white rice. The "funk" for sure was present in one of the tofu pieces. It tasted sour/gone bad. I had to spit the bite into a napkin. My appetite left. I'd order the Kung pao again and even try a new dish, but the fact I and other people have had not so good experiences give me great hesitation to come back. The lady at the front was nice. The place was dead for a Saturday evening. I expect and don't mind waiting for a restaurant to cook some "fresh as can get" food. I don't expect a garden in the back. Please don't serve any more old food. Spent like $40 and didn't get to enjoy what was paid for. Also, parking is small, so it's best to park somewhere else close by and start walking."

"This Monster Pot is the old Betty Noodles House! Because I met Betty. I've loved eating at Betty Noodles House since 2014, it's really delicious. This restaurant is my favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz. They can now dine indoors and outdoors, the food they make now is still delicious, today my friends and I chose cold noodles, it was really delicious, the noodle soup was sweet and sour, we also ordered a few dishes ,all good. The service is very good, providing free ice water, answering questions patiently, I will come here again! Recommend cold noodles, Sichuan hot pot, salt and pepper prawns, Thai iced tea!"

"I ordered salt and pepper shrimp, but got chicken wings instead. Here is a photo of the garlic broccoli for $10.25! The container isn’t even 1/2 full. The Szechuan noodle broth had 3/4 “ oil on top, I removed. 2 Szechuan noodle dishes, broccoli for 1 person. Salt and Pepper what was supposed to be shrimp, but got a 5 chicken wings, $52.20! I won’t be back!"

"Just a BAD experience overall. The customer service was horrible. An older man "served" our table disturbingly rude and unprofessional, throwing stuff in our faces. We asked for a cup of hot water to help with a group member's stomachache and were responded with, " Sorry we only sell hot tea (for ~$5/cup)." I mean, wow, unbelievable!! We got a hot water cup from the neighbor restaurant, Sesame Korean Grill, and the waitress of Monster Pot finally decided to give us a hot cup of water...(?!) We tried spicy kimchi hotpot, tomato hotpot, fried rice, and spicy noodles. For average of $15/dish, NONE of them was worth it. And I truly mean none, regardless of their services! The foods were either TOO salty or too bland or overcooked. The portion was also not appropriate for the price IMO. In short, I do not recommend this place at all."

"I ate the Yellow Coconut curry with all the meat additions and it was very good! The broth was the best and everything tasted fresh. However my only complaints are I didn't taste any coconut, beef was very dry and the shrimp wasn't shelled. Other than that it was very filling and I'd try it again with less meat."