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    Pho Ca Dao

    3.8 (172 reviews)
    InexpensiveVietnamese
    Closed 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Pho Ca Dao Photos

    PHO CA DAO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Pho Ca Dao

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    Soup #50, noodles #28b, veggies on top of white rice #29, shrimp wrapped with wontons #7b (I think, this one is from memory a bit unsure)
    April B.

    This restaurant is exactly why I look for the "hole in the wall" establishments. Looked like they were setting up a catering on one side of the restaurant, and the other side had a few tables eating upon our arrival. Seemed like a family ran shop. The food was delicious! We ordered 28b stir fried noodles with veggies & shrimp, 29 just veggies served with a side of rice, and 50 the most delectable pho broth with shrimp and some delicious herbs! We will most certainly be back! Well done guys!

    Pho with chicken at Pho Ca Dao
    Kristin L.

    We wanted pho and egg rolls for lunch and decided to frequent Pho Ca Dao. We had pho with chicken (pictured) and egg rolls. The food was delicious - we had a second order of egg rolls! The atmosphere was busy and there was only one server so the service was a bit slow and cranky, but we will go back.

    Famous tri color
    Mary Y.

    Not the best place I have been to. If you want nothing, but pho then yeah this place is for you. I got the house special and the broth was good it has a sweet taste to it. I like more of a savory taste and to get that you can't get rid of the sweet taste. The pho came out faster then the drinks did. I think that the portion is small and I pay about almost 60 for four large bowl of pho, which is 36 plus three drinks. The food wasn't full filling, I shouldnt have to pay so much for the food and drinks i got. The bubble thai tea doesnt even taste like thai tea (the pearl in the bubble tea does even taste like boba; it was hard and not chewy) and the famous tri color, . It has too much coconut. Overall, I dont think i will be coming here again. *cash only

    Large pho, built my own with extra steak, *on the left is onion oil--pro tip: get it! Not on menu*
    Stephanie G.

    *cash only* *only things on the menu are: pho and egg rolls* But hey, when you do one or two things exceptionally well, go all in right? I've had Pho at upwards of 20 places around the twin cities at this point. No where else comes close to the flavor here. At all other places I am dousing the broth with sriracha and pho sauce. Here? The broth has a deep rich flavor that is SO GOOD on its own. Another yelper recommended getting the onion oil, which is colloquially referred to as "the nectar of the gods" and is the delicious fatty top layer of the broth. They serve it with some green onions, just dump it in the pho and you're all set. In non-winter months they also serve an Asian cilantro with the basil and bean sprouts. No other pho place I've been to in the TC serves this and it's a great addition. They're very generous with their veggie add-ins. I rarely have cash on hand any more but a couple of nights ago I raided my piggy bank to scrape up enough quarters and dimes for a small bowl of Pho here... it's THAT good.

    Pho dac biet with extra steak
    Kevin L.

    Boarded up but they open. Broth wasn't hot enough and could use more msg beef fat flavors. Noodles perfect with nice texture. Best part is the perfect square thin slices of steak. Mung bean sprouts, basil, jalapeno super fresh. Expected more for a pho only spot.

    So bad. Had to add Sriracha when I usually don't add anything. Never coming back.
    Emily Z.

    PSA: Go across the street for better pho at Thai Garden. This is definitely a hole-in-the-wall place. I had high expectations because my friend said the pho is really good here, but honestly this is probably one of the worst phos I've had. Flavor of the soup was not there. I usually do not put any sauces in the broth so that it can speak for itself but I had to for this one because it didn't have enough flavor. There was also a little piece of lint inside my soup...glad I found it and took it out before eating it. Not sure what it was from...Thai Garden is right across the street from this place and has 10x better pho (I know, it's supposed to be Thai but their pho is amazing). Plus they take credit cards. I am only giving it a 2 instead of a 1 star review because service was fast, otherwise I would give this a 1 unfortunately.

    House Special Large Pho
    Peter S.

    Well I was excited to try this old school pho joint that serves nothing but Pho. I guess I had high expectations: they do one thing, so they must do it REALLY well? Right? So the Spartan menu consists of Pho, egg rolls, Vietnamese desserts, and a full beverage selection including bubble tea. The dining room is typical old school Vietnamese street food vibe. Service is lightning quick, and they do have a small lot for off-street parking, albeit a little chaotic since there are no slot markings on the asphalt. When it comes to pho, the broth is king. Typically it is a beef bone broth simmered 6-8 hrs, along with a bevy of spices and adjustment to finish. This is why I don't cook it at home. Well the broth here is what we Chinese call "Soy water." Ok it's more than soy and water...but as far as I can tell this is soy, fish sauce, a lot of MSG, and seasonings. This is NOT the 8hr+ bone broth I have come to respect, adore, and expect at the top Pho joints in town, of which there are three on this strip of University alone (Trieu Chau, iPho, Ngon Bistro.) The dull headache coming on as I'm writing this is a sure sign of MSG. I ended up eating all the solid foods and left most of the broth in the bowl. This is a major sign of what's wrong with this place. The food portions are good for the price and size of the bowl. At $7.95 it's definitely the cheapest bowl of Pho in Frogtown. Well you get what you pay for here. I was naive to think I couldn't possible get a bad bowl of Pho in Frogtown... I see absolutely no reason to return unless all the other places are closed down, or insanely busy...even then I might go get a Croissant at the Viet-French Bakery or a plate of Chicken and purple sticky rice at the deli at Sun Foods grocery before coming here again.

    Dine in XL #1 - Traditional (taken a week before shut down began)
    Huy L.

    10/10 - my favorite restaurant in St.Paul is still open!! #BlessUp Not gonna lie, I've probably spent over $500 at this place and have introduced so many friends and family to this hole in the wall. Words can't express how much I love Pho Ca Dao. Please support if you can, I really want this place to survive. Btw it's CASH ONLY so don't show up with a credit card. I called 5 mins before getting to the restaurant, and my food was ready by the time I got there!! It's quick, affordable, delicious, what more can you ask for? IG @ hweedafoodie for more reviews!!

    Traditional pho! Moved into my own bowl from takeout.
    Linnea L.

    This place was amazing!! I've tried a few pho places in the area and this has been my favorite so far. I got takeout (because obviously businesses aren't fully open right now) and they provided such a well organized, clean, takeout box of pho. They provided all of the usual toppings (and more than I usually get in person from other places!) and sauces too. I really appreciate how well they have adapted to takeout during COVID and the owners seemed very very sweet. They even brought the food out to my car for me. Support this small business‼‼ Note: It is CASH ONLY, but totally worth it. The prices are also super reasonable. Soooo delicious!

    Small pho still a pretty good size!

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    3 years ago

    Some of the best pho in the twin cities- no-nonsense menu and quick service. Heads up: cash only!

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    4 years ago

    Prepare for a limited menu and to pay cash. Good tasting food though! Fair price for what you get.

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    Ask the Community - Pho Ca Dao

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    iPho by Saigon

    iPho by Saigon

    4.1(523 reviews)
    0.6 miMidway
    $

    Love this place! Perfect for a fast lunch by yourself, or with your coworkers. Service is quick and…read morefriendly, food is hot and flavorful, and I always leave satisfied! Faves are the classic pho, classic bahn mi (you can also order these right at the counter if you need a grab and go!!), and the salads. There are several parking spots on the street. There are two parking lots nearby as well. The restaurant is large but does get busy, so hurry in!

    Fun! My friend recommended iPho and I was so glad I got exposure. We went on a Saturday evening…read morewith the intention of ordering Banh Mi's. Unfortunately, when we arrived around 6:45 pm, they were sold out. To me, this implies that the Banh Mi's are top notch so my goal is to return again at an earlier hour to snag one. There is a tiny parking lot which is nice otherwise I believe you will need to seek out street parking behind University. I don't know what to expect inside but I was surprised. The Bahn Mi has a little walk-up line similar to Subway where it's made on the spot. All other items can be ordered via table service. I got a passion fruit bubble tea smoothie with tapioca pearls to start and my friend and I both opted for pho since our planned menu item was sold out. Pho comes out almost immediately which is nice especially if you have places to be. It was fresh, hot, and came with the toppings on the side to add as you please. I'll definitely return! 4 stars due to the main item being sold out and really good pho but not outstanding blow me away good. Additionally, there are plastic spoons for pho and I was hoping for a regular utensil. Lastly, the waiter was really quick to ask us what we wanted to eat without much time to explore the menu.

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    Stone pho

    Stone pho

    4.4(61 reviews)
    4.9 mi

    I came here for dinner because I had work related events in the state. I dont have any pho in…read moreMadison that is catered for the viet taste bud. I lived in the Houston and Garland Texas area all my life where there is a large vietnamese population... and for the past 5 months, I have just been exploring Minnesota and Wisconsin and Illinois for vietnamese food. This evening... I was just craving pho. lets start with the ambiance. Its a pretty hip place once you get inside. I do like the cultural blend of modern and old school, and you see it with the different type people that come in. The staff there was prompt, and unlike my old school favorite in Richardson Texas... the staff to customer ratio was high. So the service was quick and attentive. Now for the pho. I went with the Dac Biet because I never know sometimes if I will get tough precut preprocessed meats... not in this case. I felt that all the ingrediants were fresh...and catered toward the old school viet palette, which I thank you. I understand a lot of pho house have to stay in business and cater to the local palette but this one was spot on. You can just breath in the right mixture of ingrediants. The bowl was reasonably priced, and the portions were similar to what I am used to having in Houston. It was fantastic as I scarfed it down to quick and forgot to take a picture. However, all the pictures that I have seen associated with this location are accurate. Overall, I would come back here. I am interested in trying their Stone pho next time as th emenu advertisement made it look tasty.

    Went for an early dinner on Mother's Day. Was expecting a long wait but was surprisingly seated…read morequickly. Service staff was as expected for a busy day and we kept getting the wrong items sent out but they were nice and apologetic, it was just a busy day and had newer staff. Parking is limited, be sure to pay attention to where you're parking since certain spots are meant for businesses nearby. They have patio seating but I don't know if they actually provide food service outside. Bathrooms are currently out of service so they have two port-o-potties outside. It's a nice space and gets lots of natural sunlight, I do wish they had some tint or blinds though because we were seated next to a window and it was a bit blinding especially with the sun reflecting off the metal cups and laminated menus. I've heard great things about their food but for me it was a miss. We all had pho but the amount of herbs and fresh toppings wasn't sufficient for 6 phos. They were accommodating and gave us additional items we asked for. The calamari was on the greasier end and was bigger than expected. For my palate both the banh mi and pho were lacking in flavor. I put a lot of things into my pho but it just didn't taste like anything to me except for pho powder. The ribeye pho had a generous portion of broth but only like 5 slices of meat. The oxtail stone bowl pho one looked hot and didn't have enough space to add everything in without it overflowing while the other didn't look like the broth was hot enough to cook the noodles. I will say though their ordered drink cups and to-go containers game was top notch. I received a reusable bag with my two banh mis to go instead of a plastic bag. It's probably not somewhere I'd return to unless someone else absolutely had to have it but to each their own.

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    Stone pho - Bar area

    Bar area

    Stone pho - Salt and pepper wings and p1 pho

    Salt and pepper wings and p1 pho

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    Pho Pasteur VN - Vietnamese Roll Roll

    Pho Pasteur VN

    4.2(115 reviews)
    2.4 miMidway
    $$

    Food: Strawberry Smoothies with tapioca was amazing, special fried rice was good but a bit dry,…read morespring rolls were good, oxtail pho was amazing. Service: Very lovely people. Price: Rather expensive to get the full experience, but worth it. Ambiance: A tad loud but not overly so.

    There is a lot to like about this place and I will definitely return. I like straightforward steak…read morepho like you get at places like iPho, and they have that covered here just fine. But their banh mi is where they hang their hat, and I get that. I've had the Banh Mi Bo Nuong with pork, and I loved that pork in there, very nicely cooked. I think I'll get that again for sure. We also tried their "Vietnamese Roll Roll" which is, I kid you not, a full fried egg roll INSIDE an oversized cold spring roll! And it works! I would get that again! But like, definitely split it with at least one person as an appetizer. I've also gotten smoothies both times, and I REALLY liked the taro one. The manager that has been here for both of my visits is so nice, you will definitely love her if you chat with her. And she's really honest about her menu, she will tell you if something isn't as good or popular as something else. Specifically, if you get a smoothie you should ask for her recommendation about adding boba bits. But don't get me wrong, she is very proud of their food. This is a really cute, homey neighborhood Vietnamese place that I look forward to visiting with some regularity.

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    Pho Pasteur VN - Banh Mi Bo Nuong

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