Di Vang Cafe

I gave them three stars for the food. The noodle soups are good as well as the Vietnamese sandwich. Coffee and smoothies are also good. Service is ok and the place is clean enough. What I don’t like is the strong cigarette smell so on nicer days I would rather eat outside in front of the store.

A friend, who used to work at this place, told me that they have the best Bun Bo in Houston. I should have listened to my conscience that she might have been biased. It turns out that I was right.
Having listened to my friend, I came here to try their Bun Bo Hue. I also ordered a Vietnamese milk coffee. The coffee was delicious, but the Bun Bo Hue was not good. The bland soup lacks Bun Bo flavors. It tastes more like a pineapple beef soup. The bill came in at $ 10.00, which is expensive. Those two things usually cost me about $ 8.00 at other places.
The bottom line is that I doubt that I would make another visit.

What a strange, strange trip this was. We were greeted at the door by a woman who insisted that we wanted the place next door. (We ate there last week and I will be posting a review) We insisted we did not, and she told us they did not serve food. I asked her about a couple of the dishes listed on the front window, and although she did not look happy, she sat us at a table and served us. At some point during the meal, everyone in the place came by to check us out. I guess they do not get many whites and Mexican Americans in the place. Only Vietnamese men came in during the time we were there. They smoked like chimneys under the no smoking signs at each table or booth.
The bánh mì thit was good. I have always loved Vietnamese sandwiches. The bread was crunchy and fresh. The soup was good too (I think it was bun bo hue, bit there was a language problem– I do not speak Vietnamese and her English was limited.)
There were a lot of 8-​liners in the back half of this place, and I suspect other things may have been going on here. The food was good, though, but I do not think we were welcome and may have unnerved the regulars there.