Botoli

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  10     

I have been eating here for 16 years, I have introduced many people here, it has never been about the look but the food has always been excellent, it is the same family, although I have not seen grandma for a while. I always get the Camp fire beef a real mission to eat but there is a trick. I have seen the place painted once lol but the place has seen me in several states over the years lol more. But if you want to hear the person you have taken to dinner its the perfect place and most of all yummy and the price is great. And who goes to eat the cutlery anyway.

Nov 12, 2011 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  1      Service  10      Value  7     

We came on a tuesday night and other than us, there were only a couple of other people. Had I not read the reviews beforehand I would have never entered this place. Being located on busy burwood st you would think that they would make an effort to make things look more attractive or modern to people walking by. The utensils and cups also need to be upgraded in my opinion. That is probably my only complaint.

The service was great, and the food was yummy. We had crispy fried egg noodles with chicken and it was just the way we liked it. Vermicelli tofu which was also yummy. Sang tong chicken was not bad. Spicy salt pork chops wasn't spicy at all but it was okay (our least favourite dish). Tom yum goong was also good.

Overall I would recommend this place to those who don't mind where they dine so long as food is good but if you're a bit picky than this won't be for you. We had 4 dishes, small soup, 2 drinks and boiled rice for under $100.

Aug 17, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

Botoli has been a favourite of my family for 15 years. They are located on the quiet side of Burwood opposite the park which makes parking a lot easier.

The restaurant menu is massive compared to your general western food. It is broken down into meat categories, each with more than 10 dishes. Their dishes are mainly vietnamese/chinese. Some of my favourites include: fried spring rolls, deep fried chicken served with soy sauce, ginger and shallot, french style beef fillet, herbal cow penis soup (must try this one). Also, don't forget to try their variety of vietnamese sweet drinks.

The service has always been very good at this restaurant. The waiters are very polite and helpful on all occasions. Value has fluctuated over the years, it started off cheap, then they reduce the portion, then raised the price but increase the portion again. Overall, they are good value and you will always walk away full.

May 23, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Original Review Dec '08: Restaurant was fairly full at Saturday lunch so we got to go upstairs. Nice and quiet upstairs but service is a little less regular, so we took to refilling our own teapot, getting our own takeaway container, etc. We weren't bothered by this, as we are regulars at Botoli (15 years and counting)!

We had the fried lemongrass chicken with tomato rice but my only complaint is that the rice was very eggy and not tomato-ey enough! (I just love tomato rice). Other dishes included pho, our usual "bun hoi" ie. pork balls wrapped in rice paper that you soften yourself in the hot water provided, prawn spring rolls (these were a bit ordinary). On the whole, a great place to visit for a casual meal.

Edit Mar '09: Revisited Botoli on a Friday night. We had an upstairs table which was nice and peaceful compared to the buzz downstairs. Had a variety of dishes, eg.
- "bun hoi" (it's a must-have!) - DIY rice paper rolls, crispy chicken with tomato rice (again, the tomato rice could've been more red, but it was still delicious), steamed egg white dish (very silken and smooth) and various others, all of which were delicious. Altogether, great tasting food for great prices.

Edit July '10: Came to Botoli for my birthday dinner. Yes, the place is nothing fancy (particularly the decor), but it serves good Vietnamese food which is what I was craving on the day. The "bun hoi" dish was the best I've ever had. Other dishes were uniformly good too. Well worth a visit.

Jul 23, 2010 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  5      Service  9      Value  9     

My family all laugh at the decor in this place which is basic to say the least. However, we come here for pretty much every family celebration because the food is so good. The service is great and they are happy to put together special celebration meals if given notice. Great for crowds and excellent value too.

Dec 08, 2009 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  10     

I've been coming to this restaurant for a very long time. I've been to many other Chinese restaurants and this one would have to be the best. I went to a Chinese restaurant in Lane Cove, where one of the cups had white powder at the bottom. I was starstruck! The hygiene at Botoli is the best I have seen in all the Chinese restaurants I have been to. The food, no comment. Too good. The service is really good. Go there!

Dec 03, 2009 

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  9     

Been coming here for several years now. The food is always, always tasty. Value is high: we can feed three hungry adults (plus takeaway) for around fifty dollars. Yes, the ambience/atmosphere might not be amazing, but it's consistently good value, tasty chinese food.

Jul 15, 2009 

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  5     

This is a restaurant that I walk past frequently and had always thought that I should give it a shot. Is quite popular, always has patrons and can be quite busy on weekends. Finally came here on a rainy weeknight and the first thing that struck me was how dead in terms of atmosphere the place was. Bare walls, bare tables, no decoration whatsoever and no background music, just pure silence. It was a little disconcerting but as the restaurant got busier, it wasn't so much an issue.

Service is fantastic. Very prompt and polite, discreet and attentive. The menu is wide ranging and we ordered the shan tung chicken, a hot pot, rice and some vegies. The standout dish was definitely the chicken, crispy skin in this amazing red wine vinegar sauce which just had so much flavour in it! The hot pot was a bit hit and miss so probably won't be ordering that one again. There is a lot more to try on the menu!

Value wise there is cheaper Chinese out there probably for similar quality. Don't know if I'll be back at the restaurant, but the shan tung chicken will definitely be on the order if I ever go back!

Jun 21, 2009 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

I have only been going here pretty much for the last year, once every weekend with my boyfriends family. They have been going to Botoli for over a decade. The food is fantastic and they have the best pork with plum sauce, steamboat and ginger and shallot fish. Great place for a family dinner. Looks like a typical chinese restaurant but food is awesome.

Jun 15, 2009 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  6     

Nice food, but feels put off by the often very quiet atmosphere. Have not been for a few months.

Feb 21, 2009