Da Kao

Ignore the ambiance. Been a frequent customer for over a year now. Still the best Vietnamese food of the burbs and I’ve tried all in the 25 miles radius.

I had the shrimp spring rolls and beef sandwich and they were heavenly! Can’t wait to go back to try something new. Highly recommended!

Overall, this place was disappointing. The service was friendly but slow… no refills for water and the dishes were brought out one at a time over a rather long period.
The most disappointing part was the vegetarian menu. There are so many awesome vegetarian Vietnamese dishes. There were a few options, that looked good, until they came out… with «vegetarian ham.» This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen. I’m a vegetarian for a lot of reasons, and not appreciating ham, fake or not, is one of them. Such a let down.

I must have eaten here a dozen times or more, not to mention all the times we had take out. Always planned on leaving a review because when I was searching for reviews on this place there were so many that seemed to contradict each other. After eating there so many times I now know why the reviews ranged drastically– it’s because every time I went there my experience could be drastically different than the last. The one word that best describes this place is INCONSISTENT– from the service, to the taste of the food, to the amount of food, even to the cleanliness of the place.
If I wrote this review after my very first visit, I would have given it rave reviews. The place isn’t much to look at, and the service was never great or good, rather it ranged from bad to fair at best. But we never really held that against the server as he waited on every table in the place– if filled it would probably be 20 tables. The food on the other hand was AMAZING. It was so good, I ordered seconds and another dish to go home. It’s rare to find authentic Vietnamese that tastes as if we were dining in Vietnam.
My second visit was a little disappointing– didn’t taste as I remembered and definitely smaller portion size. Needless to say I continued going back looking for that ‘first high’, that first meal. I can say with confidence the food was never quite that good again although coming close on occasion, and the almost amazing meals kept me coming back. Now there were some pretty awful tasting meals as well, although the majority of those were through take out. For example, shorting me a pork chop or just outright burning it up and plenty of times excluding parts of a meal or using old bread for the sandwiches. Keep in mind I was always hoping it was as good as my memory was of my first visit and just when I was ready to write the place off they would go ahead and throw me a bone and I would once again be their loyal customer.
Well, as I write this I have officially written of da kao. The pros no longer outweigh the cons. A string of bad meals in a row. The last being a take out. The portions were definitely skimpy but the straw that broke the camel’s back was the phở. Yes, the phở that I ordered for my 18 month old. I prepared it in the usual way. Noodles, a little beef, a little bean sprouts, cilantro, broth, lime, and of course hoisin sauce– or what I believed to be hoisin sauce. The baby took two bits and refused anymore. I didn’t think much of it, as anyone with children knows, they can be finicky. I proceeded to eat the rest of what I prepared for the baby and to my surprise my mouth was on fire! How could this be? Something must be wrong with the broth? No no no– da kao actually mixed the hoisin sauce with the hot sauce. You’ve got to be kidding me. What kind of a joke place would ever do something so stupid just to save a dime?
So there’s my story. Haven’t eaten there since. Haven’t even been tempted to compromise my principles. As any mother knows, mess with my child, and that’ll be the last time. We moms have long memories and fiercely protect our babies.
On a final note, they would have only gotten one star, but it just didn’t feel right as I recounted that amazing first meal… If you choose to go, may all of your meals be ‘first meals’.

Don’t judge the book by its cover. Food is what won the stars. Got the bahn mi grilled pork and grilled beef with spring rolls with special peanut sauce on sat evening. So mmmm! Hands down the best Vietnamese food around these parts. Deserves more traffic and a better interior. Will be picking up again.

Da Kao is SERIOUSLY the BEST viet food in the area. HOW have I possibly not found this place until now!!! The woman who owns it is extremely friendly and speaks good English so if you’re worried about communication issues, rest assured that it won’t be a problem.
The phở here is much better and the broth more flavorful than any other places in the area. I feel like a lot of the other Vietnamese places in the area only offer different kinds of phở and bánh mì, with a small selection of appetizers and a couple of rice dishes. Da Kao, on the other hand, has a much much larger selection of viet foods, and a much larger menu overall compared to other viet places around here.
Try this place out!!! All my friends who I’ve brought to da Kao have all loved it.

The few dishes I’ve had here are pretty god. I read some of the reviews and before I went it. My boyfriend and I stopped in on my lunch break. I ordered some Bun Bo Hue and my BF just got some Vietnamese Coffee. My food was great but when she came back with the coffee it was in a to go cup. Eh I thought but than I wanted a tapioca drink, So I made it a point to emphasize Tapioca smoothie. Well if you read any other reviews you know she didn’t bring tapioca. So when I went to pay the bill I pointed it out and she said «No Thai jelly is better». I wont be coming back

A local recommended this restaurant for me to check out during my lunch break from work. I am Vietnamese and I recently moved here for the land of really good Vietnamese food (Orange County, CA). I took my white friend who has never had phở before.
The restaurant is located in a semi rundown plaza and it looked very quiet when we pulled in for lunch on a Wednesday. There was only one other party eating there for lunch and I was regretting my decision coming here but it was too late to turn back.
The lady seated us immediately and I ordered a Phở Dac Biet and get the phở well done for my friend. Food took about 5 – 10 minutes to come out and from the smell of it, I knew it was going to be good. I have been deprived of phở for so long that I had to take the first sip to see if it is good and boy, was it YUMMY! I taught my friend how to eat the phở. One thing I really like about this restaurant is the platter of veggies that they brought out. The bean sprouts were fresh and clean, the basil leaves were huge and smelled wonderful. Some people don’t like putting these stuff in, but I put in everything. I pick a few leaves of basil, a bunch of bean sprouts, squeeze a piece of lime into the phở. I also add hoison sauce and Sriracha sauce into the phở. Finally, I can start eating. The phở dac biet is really filling and I was super happy and full by the time I was done with my phở.
Total came out to $ 20 for 2 bowls of phở after tax and tip. A bit steep for what I normally pay for phở but there are less competitions for phở restaurants out here so the price would go up. I will definitely come back to get my phở cravings satisfied!
Note: the restaurant’s ambiance is… not the best. Definitely don’t come here for a nice fancy dinner but definitely don’t judge a restaurant by its cover!
$ 10 minimum for credit card

Have you ever seen Kitchen NIghtmares… I feel like this place should be on that show! NO JOKE. Huge freezers full of frosted meat, fruit and who knows what else.
We had some Phở as take-out…The «fresh» ingredients were stuffed in little plastic bags and were so old that they were soggy. SO gross.
no thanks

Just a quick update: Da Kao still has the best Bun Thit Nuong (noodle salad with grilled pork) within a 20-​mile radius IMHO. And it has managed to expand my Vietnamese food horizons, one dish (and one chat with the boss lady) at a time. Phở is so entry level, yo.
Words of caution: the location is too desolate, the menu too expansive and the taste too uncompromised, Da Kao is not for everyone. Oh, and skip the roast duck.

If only I could eat more…
Stopped here for dinner with my buddy last night. Location wasn’t the greatest, I’ll admit, but as soon as I opened the door, a feeling of comfort took over, followed by a heart warming smile from the adorable little lady behind the counter, who greeted us promptly and in the friendliest and most sincere way I think I’ve ever observed. The place was pretty empty inside for it being 6pm. It’s a fairly large restaurant (about the size of Tank Noodle in the city). Cozy interior with plenty of pictures on the wall, that look like enlarged photos taken by tourists, and framed.
App: Shrimp balls… Get some. They were great. Tasted very fresh.
Main: #33 Phở Dac Biet (Beef Phở with all the trimmings) Wow. Huge and delicious. Best beef tendon I’ve had to date. All of the meat cuts were tasty and there were plenty of them. I couldn’t stop eating this stuff. Took down the entire bowl of food and was still craving more, even though I felt like I usually do after I punish a local Chinese buffet. I wanted to try a few more items on the menu, as they all sounded fantastic and were reasonably priced.
I will undoubtedly visit this place again. The Phở is Comparable to the nearby by cult followed Phở Ha, minus the rude staff that makes you feel unwelcome.

This place is really authentic and consistently good since changing owners within the last year. I remember it being mediocre before the change. I really love going here even though it’s far from my house. I literally drive an hour just to come here and enjoy authentic Vietnamese food. We are moving out of state soon and I’m planning to go tonight with my family to enjoy my last meal there.

The phở here was tasty until I found a plastic lid from a takeout bowl at the bottom of my bowl. They took it off the bill but the damage was done. I won’t be coming back.

I came here on a cold, icy Saturday afternoon. My friend slipped on a huge patch of slick ice situated right outside the restaurant. Despite my efforts to pull her back up, I too, sadly became another victim and fell on top of my already fallen friend. When a worker was advised about the ice outside, he seemed disinterested and said that it was not the restaurant’s responsibility to clear the ice.
Although there were only a few tables occupied at the time, the service was slow and the food did not come out at the same time. We also had to repeatedly ask for water as well.
On the plus side, the food was actually up to par and Da Kao has a wide variety of options to choose from on the menu if you’re feeling adventurous.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
First of all, the name isn’t really Vietnamese or Cantonese. Yet they have both Vietnamese food and cantonese BBQ.
I ordered what I usually order at a Vietnamese restaurant, Phở Tai, and I have to say I loved it!
We also ordered the Spring Roll, compare to California, they are a bit smaller, yet the taste is just as good!

I love bubble tea, and I’ve been on the hunt for some for quite a while (anyone know of any places in the Naperville area?). After seeing another review for this place, I decided to give it a try.
I walk in and it was pretty much dead. There are about 18 tables, but only two people were eating I think they worked there, too. There’s a stage in corner for entertainment and BBQ whole ducks hanging under heat lamps. There’s also an empty buffet station; chopsticks and sriracha adorn every table. I felt out of place standing there.
I ordered a kiwi bubble tea. I waited around for about five minutes, received my order, and left.
This bubble tea didn’t have your typical tapioca pearls, but rather kiwi tapioca chunks. I was a bit disappointed they weren’t the standard pearls, but I gave it a shot. They were… different. Not good, not bad, just different. As for the drink itself, I wasn’t overly impressed by it. I felt it was overly sweet and it had a strange flavor overall. I only drank about ¼th of it and had to dump the rest.
I won’t be back.

This review is just of the bubble tea, which we ordered for take-​out last night. I wouldn’t say we are difficult to please, but this was the worst ever. The tapioca balls were small, clumped together, and not delicious at all. The smoothies themselves all had a strange flavor, as though whatever powder was used to make them smooth and creamy was not something that should be ingested.
To be fair, I sampled them all, and the taro was the least offensive. It had a somewhat decent flavor. But the mango and strawberries teas tasted like a hair salon. I know none of us has ever tasted a hair salon, but take the smell of styling products and chemicals, and then imagine it in your mouth.
We also ordered the House Special Fried Rice, and it had strange flavors going on. I am not experienced with Vietnamese cuisine though, so it may not have been a bad thing (which is why this one star review applies only to their bubble tea).

It’s hard finding authentic delicious Vietnamese food in the Chicago Burbs. My norm go-​to place is Phở Ha in Glendale Heights. I tried out Da Kao with my family and really enjoyed it.
The Phở Special was delicious, a generous portion and tasty broth. The eggroll and grilled pork over vermicelli noodles was flavorful, but skimpy on the eggroll.
We were denied Banh Xeo (Vietanese crêpe) because it would of taken too long, my smoothie never showed up and the strawberry smoothie my aunt ordered tasted very bland.
The food is tasty and packed with flavors, but the service and extras aren’t up too par.

This place suffers from split personality disorder. in a good way. Its either a Vietnamese restaurant that always wanted to be a Cantonese barbeque place or a Cantonese barbeque place that wants to be a Vietnamese restaurant. I’m not sure which because the food is good no matter which direction you take.
Hidden in a strip mall behind a car wash, this place was kind of hard to find. I went during an off peak hour so the place was empty. Here’s what i ordered:
Phở Dac Biet: 7.95. It was massive as I have come to expect with every bowl of phở I get. (See picture) The soup was a little sweeter than other phở soups around there and there was no shortage of beef parts and cuts. Definitely a winner.
Lychee smoothy: 3.50 They add some sort of cream to the blend which makes it smooth. Not bad
Barbequed Duck: Kind of rare in the suburbs to find this. They make it in house and its pretty much what you’d expect from a chinese barbeque place in Chinatown. Took me totally by surprise. 10.00 (½ duck)
To sum things up, this is a rare gem of a place hidden behind a car wash. They do BOTH vietnamese and chinese barbeque pretty darn well. Give it a shot if you can find it.

Went in on a Tuesday night, only one table of people were in and one guy waiting for take out. Somehow it took forever. We ordered bubble teas, spring rolls, and one chicken plate with rice.
They didn’t even bring the bubble teas out first to keep us busy. My spring rolls came after a very long wait and my friend actually ended up taking the meal to go along with the or bubble teas which were last to come out.
Also the bubble tea came with the jelly instead of tapioca, I assumed tapioca unless you ask otherwise. Clearly you should never assume! They didn’t ask :(
Kinda hope this was just an off night cuz I wouldn’t mind having a nice lil bubble tea place near me.