Cadao Express

Pretty much a hole-​in-​the-​wall joint. It’s pretty small. If you dine in, I think there’s like 4 tables and it each seats 2 – 4 maybe? Not a place to get dressed up and take your prom date but maybe that girl you’ve been dating for awhile. In a nutshell this place is quick and has great phở. I haven’t ventured off and tried anything else off the menu.
The server/​owner there is this Vietnamese man and I don’t believe he smiles but if you order to go and pay for your food, walk out, but walk back in because you forgot your food… he may just crack a smile…

I was looking for phở around this area, not many options. I gave this place a try. Great phở! I’m super happy. You won’t have to put on a suit and tie to go here. LOL. It’s just a tiny place. But great Vietnamese food!

A wonderful restaurant with a fantastic Beef Phở Soup. if you have a chance to get there I highly recommend it. There are only four tables, but the food and service is great!

Ordered phở to go. It was awesome. I know it is good phở when I don’t need to add any sauces to the bowl as I would rather dip since the pure broth is why I love phở. Not the cheapest or closest for me but worth it for taste.

Perfect neighborhood phở stop! I ordered beef phở for takeout and it was delicious and perfectly portioned for its price. Can’t wait to go back for more winter time phở takeout!

Let me make this clear, this score is solely based on my one-​time experience with the only dish I had here, the phở. Living in the west metro, phở places are a few and far in between. When I came across Cadao Express here on Unilocal,I was excited to give them a shot! Of course, I looked through some reviews and hoped for the best. I finally found time to go during lunch one day. The place is located on the south end of a building with other businesses, a very unlikely area for restaurant. This place is small. Four tables that seat two to four people and the cash register stand, that’s it. Very small place. I looked through the menu and saw the typical offerings that I’ve become accustomed to while frequenting phở places like this. Of course, there was only one thing I came here for, the phở. I was seated by the kind gentleman at a four top since that was the only table available (kinda felt bad when a group of four came in after me but had to wait for a four top). I placed my order for the phở with sliced beef and meatballs. About five minutes later, my Phở arrived, along with the basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and jalapeño (yes, one jalapeño slice) that usually accompanies it. I was highly disappointed when I saw my phở. The meat in my phở was definitely not sliced and looked and tasted more like pork. The meat was in chunks, although tender. The meatballs were the meatballs. After the initial disappointment, I was happy to see that the broth was clear, usually indicating that it should be good. I was wrong. It lacked the usual spices and seasonings that are usually present in phở broths. I proceeded to add whatever I can to make it taste better. I was just glad that they had the usual condiments on the table. I would’ve felt bad if I had to ask them for it because it can be offensive to do so. The phở noodles themselves were cooked nicely so that was a plus. I finished what I could of my phở, paid my tab, and left. If happen to go back to this place, I would not order the phở again.

Went to this place during their operating hours and they were closed. Call ahead before making the trek!

This is place falls in the category of hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants. They literally have four tables of seating in the entire place. Some people would say that makes it more intimate. I personally feel a little weird having the owners within arms reach of every customer…
The parking lot is a bit small, it’s located in a strip center with about four other businesses and there is only one row of parking for everyone. The few times I’ve visited, there’s been a few openings, so I guess I was lucky.
The list of food items is pretty limited, but the prices are very reasonable. I stuck with the traditional bowl of Phở with sliced beef and noodles in beef broth. I’d say the noodles were average. I’m just glad there’s a place near my office for me to grab a fresh bowl of Phở! Asian noodles will always have a soft spot in my heart… mostly because I’m Chinese and grew up with it as my comfort food.

We went here on a weeknight. The place wasn’t too packed. The Phở was good. Portions could be a little bigger. The broth was better than most places but definitely not the best I’ve had. There is lots of parking but very little seating indoors. There is some seating outside. Service was quick, food came quick. Indoor seating is a little cramped. We were the only ones inside and it felt cramped (i think this place is mainly for take out). I couldn’t imagine how it’d feel if the other 2 tables were being used. Overall good experience. I would definetly eat here again.

My husband found this place on Unilocal in his quest to find good phở. We are from out of town and this was our first time here. Upon arrival the restaurant didn’t look promising from the outside as it is in a strip mall and has a tiny store front. When we walked in we were greeted by the kind owners and took a seat at one of the four tables in the establishment. We had our 4 year old and 18 month old and they both sat well on the stools. We ordered the beef phở and chicken vermicelli salad with a side of Vietnamese spring rolls. Our server brought the kids complementary toy cars which was unexpected and much appreciated! Our food came quickly and we gobbled it up. I was so full but extremely satisfied. I can definitely see why this is a popular place and I would have to say that everything about it was a wonderful experience. I have never been in such a clean Vietnamese restaurant with such kind workers. Even though our kids made a huge noodle mess on the floor they were gracious and accommodating! Would highly recommend!

Phở had chunks o’meat in it, not your typical thin sliced rare beef. Broth was average. Vegetable plate had one sliced jalapeño on it. Egg roll was good but almost too big. «Dining room» (if you can actually call it that) is about 12×12 and has 4 stainless steel tables with metal stools. Very uncomfortable height and size for your average sized Minnesotan I think. If you are on the tall or hefty side its going to be uncomfortable.
Overall its not bad, its just not good enough to go back or recommend to anybody.
Drive 7 minutes north and go to Quangs or Phở 79 instead.

Visiting from out of town. This place was near the hotel. Small hole in the wall but so clean. Had phở. It was so good and a huge portion. Nice service too.

This little cramped «hole in the wall» was tough to find but worth the search.
Good spring rolls and Great Chicken Phở. Just ask what everything is before putting together your bowl of phở. I thought I was adding hoison sauce but it was a bottle of squid sauce… crisis averted but it could of been a different story.
Find this place.

The atmosphere of Cadao reminds me a little bit of being back in Asia with the Vietnamese tv channel playing in the background and the way seating is somewhat compact. However, don’t let the small seating area steer you away. you can’t judge a book by its cover until you’ve tried it. The Beef Phở and Vietnamese Spring Rolls were authentically amazing and the owner is really kind. I was pleasantly surprised with how efficient their serving was and would definitely recommend this place to my fellow Phở-​loving friends or people who’d be interested in trying it.

Just a quick update. This place is still excellent, and I wanted to add that I *think* I’ve determined their beef phở and spring rolls are gluten-​free. Both are made in-​house from scratch. I had a long talk with the owner, and while his English is not perfect I felt like he understood what I was asking and was honest with me – for which he earns an extra star. (For example, he knew to tell me to not add the hoisin that the phở comes with, and to avoid the peanut sauce that comes with the spring rolls.) I eat here maybe once a month (more if I’m sick) and my TTG-​IGA bloodwork has been normal.

My phở tour in the twin cities next stop: Cadao Express. Stop number #4
The restaurant has a vibe of a Taiwan night market. This is your mom and pop shop/​hole in the wall. The restaurant has 4 metal tables and metal stools. Max capacity maybe 20 people.
I got my 3 items I’ve been getting at every stop. Beef slice phở, spring rolls, coffee.
The phở was excellent. Great flavor, and the beef really hit the spot. They used steak sirloin and it was cut perfect to my liking. The noodles were cooked just right.
The spring rolls were a good size. It had two slices of bbq pork and 3 half of shrimp. The sauce for it was ok.
Coffee was very disappointing. It came pre mixed. It’s not your typical drip Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk.
The price was .50−1.00 more per dish than the previous 3 locations I had visited
I would have given it five stars if the coffee was on point.
Will definitely make this my new home place to visit when I’m looking for phở. Downside they are not open on Sunday.

Went for lunch today. Parking was tight, but we found a space close and went in. This is a really small place. There are five small metal tables, with matching tiny metal stools. Both were really cold on the butt and elbows and kind of reminded me of a cross between a kindergarten room and a jail processing area. The gent waiting on us was in hover mode from the second we sat down. No less than three times he said“you want noodle soup?” We ordered two bowls of phở, the #11 and the special, plus an order of egg rolls. Everything came out fast. The phở broth was tasty and the accompanying basil and sprouts were fresh. I felt they were a little chintzy on the noodles, but all in all very good.

I live really close to this little joint and it is the best take out in the area. I’ve had the phở, fried rice, egg rolls, wontons, and I’ve never been disappointed. The helpings are generous and the prices reasonable.
I usually choose to take out as the dining area leaves a little to be desired. But the staff is always great.

Man, I really wanted to love this place. It has everything I usually like: limited seating in a small cramped space, terrible Vietnamese satellite television advertising various vitamin supplements, and OG Viets in the kitchen cooking up a storm.
Rollin’ with my lady, we ordered the Café Sua Da (Vietnamese Coffee), Goi Cuon (Spring Rolls) and the Phở Dac Biet (House Special Beef Noodle Soup).
Goi Cuon — Expensive (about 50 cents to a dollar more than other places) but well worth the money. They were large, stuffed with shrimp, pork, noodles, and herbs and came with a delicious peanut sauce. This was probably the best part of the meal.
Café Sua Da — A bit disappointing. The coffee was too watered down. It failed to have the signature strong coffee kick which is essential for Vietnamese coffee.
Phở Dac Biet — While the broth, slices of sirloin, meatballs, tripe, and tendon were fine, the noodles were too chewy. As a person that makes phở, this means that the noodles are old or frozen. Worst part of my meal.
Disregarding the price, I don’t think I would go out of my way to return, unless I try the other soups that they have (e.g. Bun Rieu aka Crab and tomato soup). When compared to other restaurants in the Twin Cities though, it’s about average.

Finally I am in the area at the right time of day to check out Cadao Express. Yes, the place is small, maybe seating less than 20. Yes, the parking lot is flat out dangerous, especially if you wind up parked next to a behemouth truck or SUV and have to back out blind. Yes, the food is good.
I got an order of egg rolls and a rice noodle salad (bun) to go. Others have commented that the egg rolls are huge but they are not the biggest in town. The biggest I have seen have been at Wok in the Park and its seen better days neighbor Thanh Do. The rolls were good though with plenty of ground pork and seasoning that actually gave them a nice flavor on their own. The dipping sauce was the traditional variation on seasoned fish sauce with some pepper flakes.
The salad seemed a bit short on the veggie components but the shrimp and onions had been caramelized on a flat top, some of the onions were a bit too caramelized for my taste but the shrimp were perfect. They had even gotten a slight smoky taste from their time on the grill with the onions.
Service was quick and friendly and I would definitely return again if I am in the area at meal time.