Reviews Pho Ga Dakao

Love the pho and spring roll!! Alway so fresh and crisp ��

Let me say that this review may have been affected by the wait I endured to get in. I came in a Sunday morning and when I arrived there was the largest group of people I’ve ever seen waiting to get into a restaurant. My initial impression was that this place must be astoundingly popular. There were several huge parties and some smaller ones as well. We must have caught the after church rush. There were two people in my party and with caution I walked in to reserve a spot. I was told it would be 20 minutes… 20,30,40 minutes…1 hour+ later and after a few inquiries about an update on the wait time, we were seated. This place was highly recommended, so I endured the wait in good spirits. To the credit of the young man working the front door/host area, he stayed calm under overwhelming circumstances. After the extensive wait I was ready to get down to business and I wasn’t prepared to review the large menu that was presented to me. In the interest of time I ordered the Phở gà khô (Dry Chicken Pho) with an appetizer of Chả Giò/nem rán (Vietnamese egg roll/fried spring roll). The service by the wait staff once seated was very prompt and fast. The restaurant itself was very nicely decorated and laid out. The ambiance was vibrant with a packed dining area and lots of large groups eating family style. The conversations were animated and engaging. People seemed to be having a blast in there. The Chả Giò/nem rán came out and as expected were excellent. Next the Phở gà khô (Dry Chicken Pho) came out and I was excited to try it. This was my first time eating it and I had high expectations after trying Pho and Bún bò Huế at various locations around Houston. The Phở gà khô was really good and I would say excellent for my first time trying it. I devoured it and in retrospect, wish I would have savored it more. I instinctively understood the concept of how to eat it although the waitstaff asked if I wanted any explanations. Part of the appeal I desire in experiencing Vietnamese cuisine is to understand the traditional way of eating the various dishes and the stories behind the cuisine. It’s always appreciated when someone takes a moment to ask or explain the dishes. I really enjoyed the taste and experience of trying this dish! I’ll definitely return to try more dishes on the large menu. I hope the wait will not be as long and thus I’ll do my due diligence on what peak hours are. I frequent Đại Lộ Sàigon regularly during the work week, so I’ll try again then. Looking forward to it!

Very good and it came fast even though there was a long line. I think soup is best here. The catfish in caramel sauce was really good. Big menu so lots of options for everyone. Large portions so easy to share.

Their menu had so many options so we opted to order multiple dishes and share everything family style. Their dry pho ga is good… a different spin on traditional pho. The noodles were good and the sauce they add was very savory. Their appetizers were all good and came out really fast. Even with five people in our group, we were unable to finish everything we ordered (and we ordered all the small portions versus large). Considering they are a popular place the wait wasn’t bad at all and their staff is very quick to take your order and grab whatever you need. A must try if you’re in the Bellaire area!

Pho place above the others. The meat was soft and tender, the broth was great, everything tasted perfect! I also ordered lotus dessert and it was a unique and delicious Vietnamese dessert. Waiter had great service. It can be busy in the morning as I went here for breakfast.

This is a great come-as-you-are spot with a large and widely varied menu that definitely has something for everyone. The staff is always busy and oftentimes stretched a little thin, but be patient with them and you will find them to be both pleasant and really helpful. It's easy to get overwhelmed when confronted with an extra large menu, but the good thing is is that there's something new to try with each visit. For starters I recommend the spring rolls, any kind really. Soft fresh rice papers stuffed with either hot crispy tofu, grilled chicken or beef, and served with a slightly runny but chunky peanut sauce on the side with a pickled carrot garnish. Also highly, highly recommended are the garlic butter chicken wings, although these easily make a suitable entree as well. Crispy on the outside and so incredibly juicy on the inside, these lightly coated and seasoned whole wings are sprinkled generously with crunchy fried garlic chunks that pack a punch of extra flavor to the dish. Also recommended as either a group starter or an entree is the beef salad with lemon. A very generous portion of thin sliced rare beef is tossed in a beautiful pile with thin sliced veggies, sprouts, and fat chopped herbs before being doused in a delicious lemon and fish sauce dressing. The acidity of the pungent dressing pairs wonderfully with the earthiness of the herbs and the slight copperiness of the barely cooked beef. There are so many interesting entree choices to try it definitely takes a few visits to begin to scratch the surface. Comfortable favorites like beef pho are available but oftentimes run out early in the day, something to bear in mind. The pho is good but I'd still recommend coming here for other items instead. At the front of those items is the chili and lemongrass crispy tofu. Crispy cubes of seasoned fried tofu with a super creamy, earthy center sit under a thick blanket of fried chili flakes and lemongrass, giving this dish a variety of great textures as well as great flavors. This is definitely a standard order dish for us, regardless of what else we may be trying the same day. Another noteworthy dish includes the crispy noodles with beef and vegetables, an eye appealing bird's nest of crunchy noodles filled in the center with generous cuts of vegetables and beef stir fry in a tasty brown sauce. Sprinkle a little chili oil over top to add a bit of a kick to the dish. It is also hard to go wrong with the vermicelli and grilled meat dishes. A platter of the thin white noodles is decorated with pickled and fresh veggies, herbs, sprouts, and fried onion garnish, as well as a grilled meat of choice. Both the chicken and the beef are excellent, both arriving hot, juicy, and rich with flavor. The stuffed tofu is an interesting dish but not necessarily one I would order frequently. The thick cut blocks of tofu stuffed with shrimp then deep fried to spongy perfection were met with excitement, but the sauteed chunky tomato sauce on top did not seem connected to the rest of the dish. The sauce together with the tofu left a slightly unpleasant aftertaste that lingered, and while the components separate were both good they did not benefit each other. As a lighter side (or entree) try the sauteed snow pea leaves with garlic. They are so flavorful and cooked to just the right slightly snapping texture. This place is busy for most of the day so remember to have patience waiting for a table or waiting for food, it's worth the wait. Try ordering outside of your comfort zone from the extensive menu and you may just be very happy that you did.

Great chicken soup (but a little too sweet)... i had the one with dark meat, livers, gizzards, and a few little yellow eggs (the best!). Comfort food at its best. Pricing was inexpensive. 2021 update: the remodeled dining room looks great... soup was just as good!

I normally don’t enjoy restaurants with giant fusion menus, but Dakao is one of the better ones. Their Vietnamese food is good and there’s a dish for everyone in your family. The restaurant is surprisingly well-decorated with a modern wooden touch. Expect wait times on weekends.

Place is beautiful and big, food was delicious, I ordered 4 dishes, Hai nam chicken rice,dried vermicelli with chicken ,clear vermicelli chicken and banana flowers with chicken salad. Services is good and nice. Highly recommend

Delicious and big portioned! This place was packed with Sunday lunch crowd. One of my fav Vietnamese restaurants!