Da Nang

Parking is a little rough but manageable. Right behind the best… phở Hoa. Very affordable and delicious. I will be coming back soon

So first off before I even begin my already known to be great review about this place…
I have to thank my belly for getting MASSIVE cravings for Phở at 3 in the morning that lead me to this Vietnamese place bc without me, I would have never stumbled upon this hidden gem :’)
Aren’t I just great? Kitten kitten kitten
But really…
After reading a few reviews, liking all the food pictures, and traveling 20 mins from Chula Vista to the El Cajon area I have realized Unilocalers were not wrong
The area of this location is sooo sketch like I’m not kidden in the slightest of ways
I usually forget to lock all my doors but no I locked and put my alarm on with the windows rolled up screw that man :-) LOL
BUT THE FOOD OMG THE FOOD…
*mouth starts to water in remembrance*
I came in with the intentions of ordering 2 orders of the 4 dollars worth of the tapioca flour dumplings with pork and shrimp with the AMAZING sauce did I mention how great the sauce is? Bc it’s pretty great people
And I left with 30 of them
Which was the equivalence of 10 dollars CASH ONLY HERE
I probably should have ordered Phở here since I ended up at the Phở place next door ordering an Extra Large number 1 that although was filled with tender meats and (greasy) yummy like broth
The extra fixing weren’t fresh and I found myself forcing myself to finish it which is actually strange for me since I’m usually finishing my Phở and finishing off Matts extra broth but whatevers
Anywaysssss
I seriously RAN TO MY CAR once I left the place 1. To make sure my car was still there LOL no pun intended 2. To stuff my face with all 30 of those delicious little dumplings that I couldn’t fit in my mouth fast enough :(haha
When it came to an end *tear tear
I was contemplating on whether or not to enter the building again to order 30 more but the fear of looking like a complete fatass stopped me…
I WILL BE BACK! even if it’s when I’m returning to riverside I do not care!
The woman who helped me struggled a bit with her accent but she was quick on her toes and managed to explain to me what was inside the item I wanted
Although I already knew bc research research research
All and all
This place is a solid 7 out of 5
I am a firm Vietnamese food lover
I suggest all SD natives and just non natives visiting to stop by its soooo worth it :’)

I added a star for the nostalgia value. This place has good food but it isn’t consistently good. When I lived in the area and got food from here I would wonder how my food turned out every time and whether spending money on it was worth it. Actually, because it’s super cheap, I always get my money’s worth, but I wonder sometimes whether or not to buy again. Parking was never a problem. I lived in the area so it was a five minute walk. I’m saying that because I can’t tell you much about the parking situation. Parking might be a problem. Not a lot of options. The people were always friendly, which is a plus. If one does decide to go, maybe take-​out is the best option. This place’s AC is sometimes on the fritz and, well, I already mentioned parking.

Don’t come here for the ambience or the decorations. Come here for the food. It’s good, and the quality and ingredients have stayed the same. No wait and quick service.

If you’re from Da Nang, Vietnam then you’ll know why people love this hole in the wall place!
Food: everything here is delicious! Especially their wet banh beo. It’s thick dough but the wet paste makes it soft and more flavorful than regular thin banh beo. It tastes really good with peanuts which is included in the paste. Their fish sauce isn’t that great so I’d probably use my own person sweet chili fish sauce. Bun heo is one of my favorite dishes here cause they give generous amount of clams and the portion is perfect for 2 people. They use a strong shrimp sauce paste that not a lot of people like but it complements the clams very well. I’ve never seen bun heo at any restaurants around this area, so it makes this place even more special. Mi quang (da nang dish) is really good here as well, and has tons of veggies because that’s how you should eat it.
Service: gotta be Vietnamese cause their English isn’t that well, so it’s one of those places that feel home-​y authentic restaurants.
Overall, I love coming here when I want that da nang feel because you can taste the authenticity of it in its food. Big portions, cheap prices, and amazing food! Highly recommend people to come here because it’s good and not many people know about it because it’s a small shop next to a 7 – 11.

This place is literally a hole in the wall, and beyond super cheap! It you disagree, then your the king of cheapness! Food and quality is good for the price. Of course you will find some slight inconsistencies, in a place like this… but then this is a small family restaurant… not a corporate place.

I didn’t give my aunt enough time to make banh it for a potluck, so I called this place to order banh beo. Apparently there are two versions– I didn’t know which one was the one my mom always makes, so I just ordered both. When I came to pick up my order, this whole-​in-​the wall looked familiar… not sure if I ate here before or not. They have some other dishes you can’t get at many places in San Diego and are really cheap, so I’ll have to come back to try them. This was the first time I tried the wet kind and it was interesting… I still prefer the dry version because I’m used to eating that but both kinds were well made. They put plenty of dried shrimp and mung bean on the side (dry version). The toppings were plentiful and rice flour had a nice thick consistency (wet version). The lady was able to make it really fast too. She gave me extra fish sauce cause you need to drench these things with the sauce or it won’t be good.

Good authentic Vietnamese food but sometimes were not consistent and the downside of this place is not cleaned…

Please don’t judge this place based on its looks! I almost ran the other way too but I heard so many great things from my parents. It is a total dive togo type of place. The banh bot luc is bomb and its not wrapped in the leaves so it makes it easier to eat. I always order either the bun bo hue or the bun rei and they both have very depth favored broths.
The owner always remembers me and knows what I want lol. Nice people and they don’t speak very much english so just point to the items you want. Cash only

SO GOOD this is authentic Vietnamese food. I love the food! Only downside is that the place is not clean at all. But that won’t stop me from coming back. Bun bo hue is delish

The food here is good most of the time. But the taste is not consistent. Sometimes the banh bot loc comes out way too greasy or theres not enough soup in my mi quang. But the people that work here is friendly. parking is a major problem. Might as well get your food to go.

Delicious renditions of Central Vietnamese food, the banh bot loc were very good, just wish they would have put fried pork skin in with the shrimp

Great food great service. Can’t wait to eat there again

I come here for one reason and one reason only, the banh beo Da Nang. There are several variations of banh beo, but this is the only place that I know that makes the variation from the city of Da Nang.
I love that the cake itself is thick, chewy, but not overly doughy. The shrimp sauce hits the spot, especially with a drizzle of fish sauce. One bite, but packed with flavor.

Warning: CASH ONLY place.
The spicy noodle soup here is really good. Wish I had ordered that instead of their dumplings (banh bot loc). The BBL here was too soft. They over cooked it and the fish sauce had a msg which is not necessary since it’s fish sauce. The bun bo hue on the other hand was really good. The broth was tasty and doesn’t seem to have msg (at least not that I can taste). Food came out pretty fast.
Again this is a CASH only place despite the fact that business info on Unilocal says they accept credit cards.

Very friendly little hole in the wall type of Vietnamese restaurant. We ordered a couple of different dishes to share and asked for a cup of water and was brought 2 bottles of water. I thought it was very nice that they offered the bottle of water from the refrigerator. Banh bot loc was good but nothing special. I like their sweet fish sauce for the banh bot loc. I find their bun bo hue to be a bit too sweet and not spicy enough. I do like that their mam ruoc for the bun bo hue has pepper mixed in it but the soup was still too sweet. Mi Quang was definitely a let down because the flavor was a bit off.

I like this place but a little hit and miss. If you stick with the basics you can’t go wrong. Tried the hot & sour shrimp soup and it was a very sweet soup with pineapples and okra in it very different than the description, but not bad. Soups, bun, broken rice dishes, egg rolls, spring rolls and coffee are right up there with the best in City Heights. Nice family place with excellent service.

I love coming here because i get to talk in my central Vietnamese accent and the people understand me! I really like coming here to get my goi (Vietnamese salad) its really good. Banh bot loc is also delicious here. My sister use to be a big fan of their banh beo but according to her it’s just not as good anymore. I do agree with other Unilocalers on their nuoc mam. One day it’s sweet, one day it’s sour and the next day it’s perfect. Its probably different people making it every day. What I won’t get here is their mi quang! Ahhh it’s so bland! Maybe I’m spoiled to home cooked mi quang but their mi quang had no flavor.

I have looked and searched and this place makes the best (to my knowledge), Banh Bot Loc (Vietnamese Clear Shrimp/​Pork Dumplings). It’s about $ 5 – 6 for a large order that consists of over 15 pcs. Sometimes more! Comes with fish sauce. It’s so so good. I only come here for Banh Bot Loc.
If you’re looking for some really GOOD Banh Bot Loc (Vietnamese Clear Shrimp/​Pork Dumplings) — You best drive to this place NOW and buy some, you will not regret it. It’s soft, chewy, freshly made. Once you pop, you can’t stop! haha
–Parking is REALLY a challenge.

Tip #387: Heatwave means DON’T go to a place with no AC!
Yes, it’s 101 degrees in La Jolla, and we decided to be real smart and dine at a sauna. Haha. Even more smart. we decided to order hot noodle soup. 0₀
Anyway, my friend has been on the search for the best Bun Rieu (Crab Meat Noodle Soup) in town. He still hasn’t found it yet. The waiter asked him if he wanted coagulated blood and pork’s ankle. Haha, yes that sounds very weird. but the reason we were confused was because that usually goes in Bun Bo Hue and that’s not what he came for. When it came out, it looked like Bun Rieu but it didn’t come with the usual veggies or noodle. However, the soup and meats were tasty.
I ordered the Mi Quang because I read about it on Unilocal!I really enjoyed my Mi Quang. That’s what I would definitely recommend here. It came with crispy rice/​sesame crackers, the right amount of veggies and PLENTY of meat. The shrimp tasted perfect with the soup and there was so much meat, I still had A LOT left over.
The best part is that both these bowls were only $ 5.95! And the service was great. Friendly, older couple. that left you alone and just refilled your water when you needed it.
Be forewarned! Definitely a hole in the wall! It’s actually «Da Nang Food To Go» because they also sell food to go. The spices on the table looked pretty old. Ackk.
However, I wouldn’t mind coming back for the Mi Quang! (Pictures provided so you know what to expect!) OH, and the parking lot gets crazy crowded so BEWARE!