A friend told me about Bao Vietnamese Kitchen opening so I wanted to give it a try! The owner's name is Bao, otherwise people may think it's a type of food. Walking in, it's a beautiful place with wonderful decor. The bar is gorgeous with a black and white theme and in the dining area, there's a Vietnamese theme with a French twist. Behind the bar, there was a juicer and a press with oranges and stalks of sugarcane nearby. Yum! There was authentic Vietnamese music playing in the background so it felt like I was standing in a restaurant with rich culture. Attention to detail is amazing! They were very busy when we came in and we were quoted by the hostess around 45 mins. We weren't in a rush so we sat at the bar. The variety of Vietnamese meals were great, but the menu wording was small so it was a bit hard to read. They had two tvs at the bar and there was one that had a woman teaching you how to make spring rolls! I thought that was a great way to get to know Vietnamese style of cooking and preparation. After about 25-30 mins, we were called to be seated, so it was sooner than expected. My first thought was that I loved that their tables did not have preset container of utensils like chopsticks and spoons. Some Vietnamese restaurants tend to have it and I feel like it clutters the the table.
The menu consisted of many options. The appetizers consisted of various types of spring rolls, egg rolls and Vietnamese chicken wings. The entrees had many favorites of Vietnamese cuisine that were broken down to categories such as banh mi sandwiches, noodle soups like pho, hu tieu and bun bo hue, rice plates, and vermicelli bowls. They had a selection of specialty drinks and che, Vietnamese ice desserts as well!
The waitress took our drink orders after a few minutes. My friend got the fresh pressed sugarcane drink. She said it tasted great! We ultimately ordered two large phos, one with rare beef, which we requested on the side, and one with brisket and tendon for me. And my other friend wanted to try the bun bo hue, which is a spicy beef broth. The food took a few minutes to reach us but with it being so busy, I am always reasonable with the time. When the noodle soups came I was ready to dig in! The broth was clear and tasted great! There was a lot of noodles which there was so much that I ran out of my protein to enjoy with every bite. My friend also agreed with his pho and wanted maybe 2-3 pieces more to be happy. My other friend said she enjoyed her bun bo hue and there was plenty of meat in her meal.
The waitress refilled our glasses a couple times during the meal, so I was happy she was attentive. One of the main owners came by to check on us and see how we enjoyed our meal and asked for ways we felt that they could improve the business. I thought that was a great way to improve the business and become better is by asking the customers directly. I gave her constructed criticism about a few details I'm including in my review, and she is planning to tell the owner. She also mentioned that they are planning on tweaking the menu more so they are expecting a change, including larger lettering. Whooo hoo!
Overall, I love the ambiance, the soups were great and I heard great things about their other food options too, like their beef stew and banh mi so I can't wait to try! They are planning on improving so I'm expecting the next few months, it's going to be even better. Staff were great, food was good, and I'll be recommending to others for sure! There's good Vietnamese spots on Sherwood but it's a far drive so I'm glad to have a good Vietnamese restaurant near Highland area! I'll be back for more! read more