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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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Reviews With Photos

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.

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.

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.

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!
Samty X.

My in-laws make pho every Sunday, and while this can't compare with something homemade by the parents, the pho is pretty good good. My husband said it could use star anise and cinnamon. There are two sizes of pho you can get, and I'm so happy they have a small because I don't have to feel guilty for not finishing all of my noodles. The small is still a good size, especially if you wanna eat some eggrolls as well without overstuffing yourself. Eggrolls were crispy and tasty. The meat in the filling seemed to be very finely grounded, which wasn't something I was expecting. Nonetheless, still good eggrolls that aren't greasy. My favorite was the salty lemonade!!! If you've never had it, definitely try it! It was delicious. Decor could use some updating (although this is one of those places where you come for a very affordable meal and not decor) and there's parking on the street was available.

Small Traditional

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4 years ago

Great, tasty Pho. Also papaya salad that include whole spices that give it added zing. Takes CC now.

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