This little jam hidden in Bloomington Off Penn Ave was recommended by a friend because the restaurant makes fresh noodle and I want to give a try. They did not disappoint very flavorful as far as a broth, and the noodles were just perfect bouncy. I will definitely come again. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Special pho w/ rare beef on the side - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Solid spot for a bowl of pho. The pho is rich and flavorful, and is served with ribbons of sliced scallions. The broth isn't too sweet or greasy. I had the sliced beef pho, and the beef was a little on the tougher side. The garnishes with the pho (bean sprouts, basil, limes, jalapenos) were super fresh. The veggie egg rolls were small and tasted greasy, but the wrapper was deliciously crispy and flaky. Service was fast and friendly. The restaurant volume is on the quieter side, and there are both booths and tables for 4 to sit at. The prices on the menu are cash only prices, and a 4% fee is added if you pay with card. There is free parking in the lot outside. They also sell an assortment of snacks you can take home. read more

See all

Plenty of parking, easy seating options, and simple menu. The place is very quiet and easygoing. One size bowl of pho, soft noodles, and rich broth that is more on the savory side. The jalapeños looked freshly cut, and loved all the sides available like chili oil ready at the table. I was so excited to see Vietnamese snacks like jerky and crispy scorched rice (com chay). read more

See all

The service was very nice and the restaurant is very clean, but I didn't like the kung pao chicken. It had no flavor, it was salty and it lacked the typical sweetness. I would come back to try their pho once the weather gets cooler. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Kung Pao Chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Just tried their grilled pork Bahn Mi. It was outstanding. Best Bahn Mi I have ever had. The owner came out and asked me how it was. Seems I have become a regular. read more

Waited for about 5 minutes to be seated and after we ordered our food came out pretty quickly. We ordered cream cheese wontons and meatball pho to eat in and ordered a shaking beef and curry chicken for to go. The sweet and sour sauce for the cream cheese wonton tastes like homemade as it has a strong ginger flavor which I liked. Prices are reasonable for cash payment and 4% surcharge for credit card payment. They have two TVs showing different Asian cooking and Vietnamese restaurants/street food coming in Vietnam that is very interesting. Ambiance is quaint and friendly. One bathroom stall. Takes awhile to get to go containers for leftovers. read more

See all

Cream cheese wontons are the best I've ever Had. Crisp and light. Had the wonton soup....also amazing. read more

Excellent! They have the best cream cheese wontons and they give you a very large plateful. The Pho and noodle salads are great. Egg rolls, delicious! We go regularly. read more

Loved the Pho here! It's a small spot but we liked that they were accommodating to our two young kids. The TVs helped to keep them from getting impatient. The inside is a bit older looking but you come here for the food which was great. Service was also good. We will be back! read more

Ordering on the phone was super easy, I wish there was an online option but it's probably good to pick up the phone every once in a while. I ended up ordering ox tail pho to go- the food was ready right on time and piping hot! I had about 30ish minutes to my destination and I am happy to report everything was still hot and fresh when I got there! I paid about $22 for the meal and it would feed two- if not two meals. I loved that everything was separate and we can create the pho ourselves. The pho was good and the spicy sauce I requested was also remembered. The restaurant is small and located in a strip mall with a lot of parking. I stopped on a Friday around 5pm and there were way more people than I thought there would be. Clearly I am one of the last people to learn about this hidden gem. I'm excited to return and try other parts of the menu! read more

Food is excellent. Staff are friendly and fast. I've never eaten there, but when I do expect it will be delightful.

We stopped in while in town for some authentic viet food and it was delicious. The egg rolls were fantastic and the pho broth was delicious. We bought the pandan jelly's to take home to Texas and now we can't wait to go back and get more! Seating is a bit tight so be prepared if you're with a group! read more

See all

Had to sneak off from my company gathering to try out their pho with ox tail. I grab a teammate who loves the Asian dishes that I like. It didn't take much to convince him to breakout from the restaurant we were in that had like 200 kids on school vacation losing their minds. This was a much needed meal that was good for my stomach and great for my mental state. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Oxtail pho with extras - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

Writing this review after 2 dinners at CoTu. Small restaurant with fast service. I'm trying to find the best phó soup in the Twin Cities area. If you like thick cut phó noodles then CoTu is the place for you. Hence why I've been twice in the last month - I have yet to find thick cut noodles at another establishment. Ambiance is decent. Workers are up front prepping materials & servicing tables. Will be back for more noodle soup & interested to try other dishes when the weather heats up. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Pho Co Tu Special (no tendon no tripe) - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

Awesome food, service, and a quiet ambience. Probably some of the best Vietnamese food you will find in the Minneapolis surrounding area. Coming from a West Coast guy that travels across the country on a weekly basis, I left super impressed. read more

First of all I would like to say that this is a family owned business. It shows to, the service is top tier and the food is great. I went at lunch time and the place was decently busy. It has a small cozy feel and the place was very clean. I ordered the pork egg rolls and meatballs pho. The egg rolls came out nice and hot. There was a sweet and sour dipping sauce on the table. It complimented them well. The pho has a very deep flavor and lots of noodle and meat balls. The noodles weren't your typical thin rice ones. They were a little thick but not as thick as a chow fun noodle. The price wasn't bad either. If you get a chance stop in and give them a try. read more

We had pho. We ordered some spring rolls, they were great. Inside is a little small and tight, like a small restaurant. The food was great and so was the service. read more

Great staff but to be completely honest, this is not even close to the best Vietnamese food in the twin cities. Everything lacked flavor.

One of the best, if not the best, bowls of Pho in Minnesota. This is the bowl for you if you like your Pho broth on the spicy/herby and hearty side. The broth has just enough oil to bring all of the flavors together. The meat is of high quality and among the most flavorful I've encountered in a bowl of Pho. The fresh noodles were delicious. That also helped distinguish this bowl from the others. The portion was perfect! That is how a good bowl of Pho should be! Overall, the customer service was outstanding! I can't wait to go back! read more

Best pho I have had in a very long time! House pho at 15.99 I will be back anytime I am close to this area! read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Pho special - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

CoTu is a must go in the greater Twin Cities area. A cute little Asian restaurant with some of the best food and kindest service you can find, all for an extremely reasonable price. Food: I ordered the pho and was not disappointed at all. The bowl was gigantic and they did not skimp on anything, plenty of noodles, herbs, vegetables, and beef. The flavor of the broth was incredible and the beef was fresh and tender. 10/10 Drinks: The Thai tea was amazing. Strong and sweet with the flavored jellies. I know some people prefer tapioca balls in their Thai tea so keep that in mind if that is your preference, but these are my addition of choice. 9/10 Desserts: I decided to go with two desserts since they were just so kind to me. The waiter took the time to explain to me their culture and how they bake all their desserts fresh in house. He recommended I try the flan and the banh da lon (steamed layer mung bean cake). The flan was alright, I'm not huge into flan but I can tell a good flan from a bad one and this was much better than the rest I've had. The banh da lon was such a unique dessert that I've never had anything like it. It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly and had a very sticky, gel like consistency. They are filling so share with your friends! Flan - 8/10 Banh da lon - 9/10 Service: The staff at CoTu are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Our waiter was a young man who took the time to answer all my questions about their menu, their dessert selection, and even explain to me what's popular amongst Vietnamese patrons of the restaurant (since I am not). Super sweet people and they care so much about the quality of their food! 100/10 I will definitely be coming back next time I'm near, and may even drive over to get some pho sometime soon. read more

See all

It was 17 degrees today and of course, weather calls for a bowl. As I've said before, I always gotta get my fix and my fix I got today. CôTú Oriental Cuisine by Penn Lake in Bloomington, MN, is a local mom & pop shop that serves Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. We just came today for the pho and this place did not disappoint. I've eaten a lot of bowls in my life and I'll never say it just to say it. The broth smells of anise and cinnamon so I already know it's gonna be legit. The is plenty of beef, flank, tendon, tripe and meatball in this one-size order of pho so you will definitely be full after your meal. Of course my bowl is paired with an appetizer round of shrimp spring rolls and the iced Vietnamese coffee. I was reading the other reviews prior to coming here and one of the gals commented on the size of the noodles. Yes, the width of the noodles are not the thinner rice noodles you'd typically get from other pho places, which are generally dehydrated noodles anyway that are cooked in hot water prior to making it on the bottom of the bowl. The noodles here are freshly made and the width typically looks like the noodles you'd find when ordering something like pad Thai. Either way, the broth was clean and you won't find any impurities floating about. On the way out, I saw they had some homemade desserts on the counter. I typically stay away from sweets but had to try the Bánh Da Lợn (Steamed Layer Cake). These steamed layer cakes are made with pandan leaves (green) and taro (purple) and tapioca flour. They have just enough chewiness to them that the texture is not like jello and not spongy like a mung bean cake. The owner said that I should definitely come back and try their Bún Bò Hué (Spicy Beef & Pork Noodle Soup). I told her I'm sure I'll be back at least one more time before I fly back to CA. Looking at the forecast, it looks like it will be sometime next week since it will be negative 7 degrees. Brrrr!! read more

See all

This place is amazing. It's a small restaurant, but don't pass it up. Their food is so amazing and their portions are absolutely massive. We truly appreciated stopping while on a road trip. read more

Bring cash for a 4% discount on the bill. Also I don't know why but the charge on each item did not match what was listed on the menu so either they didn't update the menu or some weird stuff is happening I was really craving pho and always down to try a new good pho place. Got their shrimp and pork spring rolls and pho special. Others got the seafood crispy pan fried noodles and BBQ pork. All of the dishes were a generous portion. The seafood crispy pan fried noodles were very crispy with good flavor and good amount of seafood. The BBQ pork was bbq pork fried rice which was not what was expected but still good. The pho had flat medium width and thin thickness rice noodles which are different than the noodles in most pho places in the Twin Cities. I think the noodles are good either way. Their broth leaned more heavily on the spices used in pho than other pho places but I really enjoyed the broth. Not too heavy or overly salty while still having tons of flavor. The meat is not the most tender but the pho has a good amount of meat as well as tripe and tendon (which I appreciate since the tripe and tendon are the toppings I like the most in pho). A bit of a drive from the cities but would definitely make the drive again for their pho. The restaurant is a bit small so it could get busy/crowded depending on the time, but there is plenty of parking. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Seafood crispy pan fried noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

Good service, delicious pho! Oxtail pho has amazing tender meat that doesn't have to be chewed read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - I had oxtail Pho I loved it, the meat was melting in my mouth no need to chew . will be back again. - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Freaking delicious omg. So much flavors . I get the seafood pho, actual big scallops. Craving some right now of course they are closed today . Best believe will be there on Wednesday read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Yumminess - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

One of the places in mind whenever I crave bun bo hue (BBH). I think that BBH is harder to master the cooking than pho so it's hard to find a decent place. The best BBH I've ever had was a little shop in Vietnam from over 12 years ago. It's so good that the memory still linger until today. Of course, I will never find better BBH here than that bowl from the motherland. This restaurant is one of the few restaurants that has some good BBH. The broth is very flavorful. It's not too spicy so you can always add chili pepper to your own spice level. I think the only thing that could make it better here is the veggies that would make it more flavorful like rau muong and bap chuoi (veggies) but these are hard to find/shred. But overall, if I ever crave it, I would go here or another place in mpls. Pho tai bo Vien: the noodles are are bigger than normal pho. According to my cousin, this is the ha noi style but never been to that city so not sure. The broth is also very flavorful and a little different from the normal pho you'd find at most Vietnamese restaurants. This is the first place in MN that I've been too that uses big noodles. Both of the dishes are good and it's hard to chose which one to order so maybe go with a friend and split half half? When you come, try to bring cash because they do charge an extra 4% for credit card transaction. It's a shame a lot of asian restaurants are starting to do this but I get it. Businesses are hard to sustain and every penny counts. I think it's a family owned and run restaurant so everyone is really nice and inviting. They have a little area for bakery stuff to buy on-the-go as well. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Bun Bo Hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

Pho was good. Didn't get enough veggies but overall soup was good. Wasn't sure if the fried wonton, I though it was more like dumplings

I enjoyed delicious pan fried noodles on a weeknight. The atmosphere is comfortable, down-home, and everyone was friendly. I especially enjoyed how the food came up piping hot -- basically billowing steam. Super delicious! read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Crispy pan fried noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

I was crazy crispy pan fried noodles which is my fave dish in the world. I like Chinese version and Vietnamese so I found this place. I ordered 30 minutes before close and was informed about the closure but was told no worries if I'm a little late. Super nice. I order shrimp fried noodles and 2 pork and shrimp spring rolls. I got there and my ordered was ready and I was on my way to enjoying a dinner after a long day of travel. When I got to the hotel, I started with the spring rolls. Very good and fresh. The peanut sauce (the must have) was really good. They put a small amount of Siracha or some hot sauce so beware. The noodles were actually not what I ordered. It was a rice noodle stir fry of sorts. The noodles had a charred smoky taste and the stir fry itself was good. It wasn't bad but I was disappointed since I was craving something specific. Based on reviews - pho is what is to get so next time I'll try that for sure when I'm craving Vietnamese and I'm in the area. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - a tray of food and a laptop - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Hands down the best vermicelli salad I've had in MN and that's a bold statement since I grew up going to all the Vietnamese restaurants on Eat Street. Their pork has a lot of flavor. It's also a generous amount so if you can't finish it you can take the other half home. Also try their pho, and you can make it however spicy you want with the seasoning on the side. Great small business staff to support! Inside the ambiance is very standard. It's like your hole in the wall hidden gem so the inside isn't Instagram worthy or anything but the food is worth it! I've been here a few times now and I'm still impressed! Even the egg roll is perfectly crispy! read more

See all

I came here looking for a new place to get pho that is close by where I didn't have to drive to eat street on a busy weekday. I came here for lunch, ordered fresh pork & shrimp spring rolls and pho (I mixed tai & chin meat). The pho broth was better than I expected. It has the right, earthy flavor that you would expect but maybe a bit more on the cinnamon/ star anise side than other places. The noodles are a bit wider as others have mentioned but I didn't mind that, as long as the broth was good. They gave plenty of meat as well but no culantro? My son loved the pho and ate up his whole bowl as well. The spring rolls were fresh and I really liked their peanut sauce. I ordered dinner to go just so I can try other dishes! I ordered fried egg rolls, bun bo hue, the fried rice with bbq pork with side of egg rolls for him. The bun Bo hue had great flavor and wasn't too strong in shrimp paste like some places can be. I enjoyed it. They did not skimp out on meat either. I would have liked to have more fresh mint and basil and they used red cabbage instead of banana flower but it was still a great dish. I ordered fried rice with bbq pork and 2 egg rolls for my son but instead got bbq pork cut up in the fried rice with a side of stir-fried veggies and one egg roll. It seemed like the wrong order for what I paid. The fried rice was good, a little dry. The side of egg rolls were disappointing. It's expensive for the size you get, not flavorful and it came with a ginger sweet and sour sauce instead of fish sauce. I won't be ordering that again. I must admit, it's a small place but service was friendly which I appreciated because that's rare from an Asian restaurant business, very nice surprise. I gave them a good tip because of that! Will definitely come back to try their rice platters and noodle salads! read more

See all

Great hole-in-the-wall ambiance: generous space, good service, and above all excellent food. I had the shaking beef, which was delicious. I need to come back for the broken rice.i read more

I have not actually eaten in this establishment but I have picked up spring rolls from here multiple times and they are by far by favorite spring rolls in the greater Twin Cities. Always very fresh ingredients, the peanut sauce is light and not too thick and they are always rolled to perfection. I also do appreciate that you can have various types of meats or even combine them! Every time I call to place an order, they are always very sweet and accommodating on the phone! I do look forward to eventually trying other food that they have there. read more

We have order for pickup a few times since moving to the area. It's our new favorite neighborhood spot for Vietnamese. I'm a huge fan of rice noodle salad and spring rolls, so that is usually my order. It always tastes fresh and hits the spot. They have very quick and friendly service. We have yet to eat in, but it looks like they have a nice cozy dining room. read more

Got take out from here so I didn't entirely get the full experience however, from what I experienced while waiting for my food; this place seems to be authentic and family owned. The noodles appear to be handmade and are the perfect thickness and texture. I got the pho and fried egg rolls and it was superb. I'm surprised this place wasn't more busy. Of all the pho restaurants I've been to all across the nation, this place ranks in the top 5 for best pho I've ever had at a restaurant. Highly recommend this restaurant for the quality and service. 5 stars and beyond. read more

The food is great, good size portions and great flavor. The service is good too, we were seated and attended quickly. After ordering out meals arrived quickly too. My favorite is their egg rolls and spring rolls and as a main I enjoy the shaking beef with the fried rice. I would highly recommend checking it out. read more

See all

Pork shrimp spring roll. Pork was made Chinese char siu which was unexpected but nice. Pho broth was clear, oily, and beefy as it should be. Meats were good, nice portions, tripe was cut thick which I prefer. Unfortunately the noodles however were over cooked before being placed in the soup so by the time I was eating they were way bloated. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Located at the far end of a dumpy strip mall, This little Vietnamese restaurant should not be missed! When we walked in we noticed it was very busy and most patrons were Asian. Good sign that the food may be authentic, and not geared to the American palate. The seafood and the beef pho were the best we ever had. Both broths had great depth of flavor and were filled with tons of thin noodles and veggies and in my case sliced tender beef. The seafood pho had lots of large shrimp and squid and was out of this world. The lovely owner/server brought out a pot of steaming tea and cups and a tray of crunchy bean sprouts, fresh cilantro and limes to top off the pho. She also asked us if we had ever eaten it before and Wanted to be sure we knew what to do. She showed us the multitude of condiments (hot chili oil, Siracha, etc...) which made me think that they may not get too many non-Asians in there! And of course as pho goes, the portions were enormous so we each had almost an entire quart to take home and eat for lunch the next day! Not a problem. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Came in for lunch. Service was good and ambiance casual. The moment we walked in the burst of aromas assured us that we were in the right place. Pho was one of the best I have had thus far. Broth was delicious, we also had summer roles and the peanut sauce was the most unique I have ever had. It was spicy and I love spicy. Hidden gem for sure and anytime I visit this city I will be sure to come here. read more

CoTu Oriental Cuisine - Vietnamese Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all