Hello Dau Hu

Buffet setting where you pick what you want along the way and pay for it to to-​go. No place to sit down and eat. Now, it being next to Sweet Hut, this place looks like a dump. (ouch! sorry) but in reality, this place really does not have any real aesthetic value … but a bonafide hole in the wall …
But! I must admit, they have the best sesame balls ever! I usually have to fly to some NYC china town to get it this good! I luv it :)

I’m addicted to the egg rolls here. Addicted. Especially to the shrimp ones. Whenever I’m at Sweet Hut — and have some cash on me (it’s a $ 10 minimum on debit/​credit), I’ll stop in and by whatever egg rolls they have left — yes, I’m the culprit.
They’re grab and go selection is just as affordable and tasty. The staff is always really friendly, and will give you an estimated time on the hot bar restock. I always a great meal/​snack to go with my bubble tea!

Convenient place to grab pre-​packaged or self-​serve Vietnamese food. There’s a steam table where you can grab the hot food, but I like to go for the room temperature food on the table. Summer rolls (different varieties are available) and vermicelli combinations plates are my thing. Expect the vermicelli combination plates to run you $ 5.50 and the summer rolls around $ 2.25.
I don’t think I’ll get banh mi here with a stellar alternate restaurant in the same shopping plaza, but this place is good for grabbing food with the least amount of fuss. Like you can forgo talking to anyone. Or navigating a menu. The quality isn’t as good as some sit-​in places, but sometimes you just need to pick up several pre-​packaged meals for the next few meals.

Scored a 15 on their health inspection. BE VERY CAREFUL…
Violation of Code: [.04(4)(q) ] Dry foods contaminated from active roach and rodent infestation.
New Violation. Violation of Code: [.07(5)(k) ] Rodent droppings observed; open holes into the wall consistent with rodent holes. PIC closed establishment.
Violation of Code: [.07(5)(k) ] Severe roach infestation. Repeat violation. PIC closed food service. PIC to contact Pest Control company. Repeat Violation.

(This is my first ONE STAR review) I forgot Quoc Huong was closed on Thursdays, but my mind was stuck on Bahn Mi, so I ventured across the parking lot to HELLO DAU HU. First time, last time. While I was waiting for a to-​go chicken sandwich, I watched a brown, roach-​like insect crawl across the back wall by the kitchen door. I’m not naïve about restaurants, so I tried to think happy thoughts. Yes, I saw the Health Dept. certificate. Score of 71. Oh, dear… Happy Thoughts… la, la, laaaa…
Sandwich: bread was soggy, chicken meat was colored a weird bright red and was fatty. Amidst the carrots was some sour-​smelling shredded white veggie that I picked out. I’m not Vietnamese, and my only experience with Bahn Mi is at Quoc Huong, and they don’t use that awful white stuff. Radish, maybe? Long story short: I took one bite of the sandwich and threw the rest out. My car still reeked of the thing an hour later. This place ain’t for me. Goodbye, Dau Hu.

STAY AWAY! 71 HEALTH SCORE!!!
Although a great little establishment serving banh mi, and premade packaged Vietnamese goodies (like rice cakes, eggrolls and sesame seed balls) this is definitely a shop that I won’t be back at again.
Stopped by here after our weekly venture to sweet hut and convinced the SO that we could have some banh mi for dinner so that I wouldn’t have to cook LOL! We stopped in, grabbed a few munchies and ordered 5 banh mi’s to go. It was only then that I realized one of the staff was really familiar.
Then I made the grave mistake of looking up and seeing their 71 health score, I realized why she did look familiar. Apparently, this is run by the same folks across the parking lot at Quoc Huang (sp?).
Yep, the same people who scored an 83 there also scored a 71 here… can we say repeat offenders?
I decided to put my health on the line and eat the banh mi, and 2 eggrolls anyways since I was starving. The banh mi wasn’t that great. Compared to Lee’s Bakery, this is not even a close second. Maybe it was the ingredients had been sitting out all day, but after I ate the food, my stomach (which is usually very strong) just felt awful!
Even SO said the sandwiches weren’t that great and the eggrolls were very dry and almost tasteless.

This is so interesting. I wonder if the owners read my review or what, but I found hello dau hu selling Banh khot, which they advertised as da nang style. Weird! Now ate officially have Banh khot! They just need Che buoi and I will be a happy camper.
On a side note, I tried their Banh mi dac biet. I don’t like how it wasn’t toasted. I will say, their dac biet is very different than most other Banh mi dac biet. They have roast pork in it, along with Vietnamese salami, cha, and grilled pork. You also get the usual pickled veggies, Hollaaapeno, parsley, and cucumber. It’s different and tastes alright.

Hello Dau Hu opened about 6 months ago in Asian Square next door to Sweet Hut. Dau Hu is just like Viet Tofu down the street and VN Tofu on Jimmy Carter Blvd, except smaller. While they might not carry as many items as the other guys, they do have slightly better prices. Also, they actually have seating inside (3 tables) so you can sit down and enjoy your food or drink there.
If you’ve never been to any of the aforementioned businesses, these are Vietnamese fast food «to-​go» joints. They sell pre-​made, pre-​packaged foods ready to be eaten. These include everything from rice plates with various meats, hot foods like egg rolls and fried tofu filled with various ingredients, and desserts like che (Vietnamese pudding). The foods are made fresh in-​house daily and are put on display so you can grab and go. Very affordable prices. Examples (price per item) include:
Cha Gio Chay Chien — fried vegetable egg rolls — $ 0.50
Dau Hu Don Thit — tofu with pork — $ 0.75
Banh Tieu — doughnuts — $ 0.80
Banh Cay — spicy pastries — 6 pieces for $ 1.00
Chuoi Chien — fried banana cake — $ 1.00
Banh Cam Dau Do/​Kam — red/​green bean sesame seed balls — $ 0.80
Dau Hu Chien Nam Chuy — fried tofu with mushroom 6 pieces for $ 1.00
Goi Cuon — fresh spring rolls — $ 2.00 per plate
Banh Bot Loc — shrimp and pork dumplings — $ 2.75 per plate
Banh Beo — steamed savory rice cake — $ 2.75 per plate
Many of the desserts are $ 2.50 each. You can find these in the fridges. Buy 4, get 1 free. Here are some I’ve tried and enjoyed:
Cac Loai Che — pudding with beans, jelly, seeds, and coconut
Banh Lot — green jelly-​like, noodle-​like Vietnamese dessert made from dough
Rau Cau Dua — coconut jello
Che Dau Trang — black eyed peas dessert
Rau Cau — jello cake
Along with ready-​to-​eat foods, Hello Dau Hu also sells banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) a la Quoc Huong and Lee’s Bakery. Their banh mi is $ 2.50 each. Buy 5, get 1 free. Call ahead if you’d like to pick up a batch of sandwiches. They also sell ingredients so you can make your own banh mi from scratch, from the bread to the Vietnamese ham.
Beverages include freshly pressed sugarcane juice. For $ 2 – 3, you can get a Styrofoam cupful of ice and sugarcane juice. Each order is made on the spot, so you can see the staff feeding the raw sugarcane into the machine and squeezing out the juice. The drink is refreshing and tastes great. Highly recommended. Other Vietnamese coffees, teas, and refreshments are also available.
Good service. Note some of the staff can be a little pushy and try to sell you on other items. $ 10 minimum for credit card orders.
Overall, Dau Hu is a nice place to pick up some tasty and affordable Asian grab-​and-​go food.

Some of the nicest people work here! They are all so eager to help. I picked up a few Vietnamese desserts (che) and there was a buy 4 get 1 free special. All of the other food looked delicious too.
Will definitely be back to try more.

Good for a quick bite to eat, but nothing you can’t find somewhere else other than the beef in betel leaves (expensive but very good).
Just don’t see the point when you have Bahn Mi fast food right across the parking lot unless you need some lemongrass tofu to go.

Trying other places for their sandwiches, however, too salty in my opinion. I haven’t tired other things, but I’ll go back when I’m in the mood of a good Vietnamese snack.

Being across the parking lot from Quoc Huong, I’d much rather buy my banh mi from QH than here. While the cost is the same, the banh mi from QH has more meat, and just tastes fresher. However, I come here to Hello Dau Hu for my other snack needs (tapioca/​taro/​seaweed in coconut milk, sesame rice cake ball with mung bean center, broken rice dishes, spring rolls).
Remember to bring cash, they only accept credit cards starting from $ 10.

Looks just like VN Tofu on Jimmy Carter but smaller. The first time I went soon after they first opened, the guy tried talking me into buying other stuff but I declined. I bought a half gallon of soymilk without sugar listed as an ingredient, but it was mislabeled. That hasn’t happened again because in subsequent trips the ones with no sugar have clearly labeled caps. It costs less than VN Tofu and is open a little later.
I found this AJC blog entry about a 15 out of 100 score on a health inspection.
It’s located on the same side of the strip mall as Fil-​Am and Hair Capital.

«Run, they’re handing out tofu again!»
Panicked scream of a child trick-​or treating ‘America’s Food’ by Harvey Blatt
Run TO Hello Dau Hu, however, if you are a fan of the stuff! Hello Dau Hu is a ‘Vietnamese food to go shop’, but unlike Viet Tofu (my fav for tofu and Bahn Mi), they do have a few tables if you wanted to eat there. Serving Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches, tofu, spring rolls, and a variety of snacks, Hello Dau Hu is a great little shop in Asia Square on Buford Highway. The Bahn Mi sandwiches are fresh and a deal at $ 2.50, buy 5 get 1 free. Counter service is always great. I like the authenticity of the food and the environment. This small, casual eatery is a perfect spot for a quick lunch or snack.