Trieu Chau

3.5 stars. The phở base here is light and has a sweet hint to it as opposed to the more beefy one I prefer, but I could use change once in a while. The meat choices and portions are decent but I’ve had better. They don’t offer fresh jalapenos, instead you get the preserved ones by the side of the table.
Bun Bo Hue
Super light broth base compared to Phở Hoa, Quang’s, etc. It’s almost like they used the same exact base for phở and added a bit chili oil to it? I like mine to be richer with sour, spicy, and lemongrass flavors — reason why I docked off a star.
Very small place although we didn’t had trouble getting a table. The 2 person tables are super tiny. The service is better than other comparable Asian restaurants. Overall, a decent place to get some cheap and quick phở.

This might be the friendliest restaurant in Saint Paul! We absolutely felt welcomed by the helpful staff. The phở was delicious — flavorful and fresh tasting. My 12 year old said the egg rolls were the best he had ever had! This is a great spot — even with all of the other great Vietnamese places along University avenue this one stands out!

This is by far the best place to get phở in the MSP area. Great broth and toppings! We also can’t get enough of the spring rolls.
The service is super quick and always friendly.
It’s nothing pretty on the outside but I can’t say enough about how great this place is.

I literally drive half an hour sometimes just to eat here. The restaurant may seem small and cramped, but the phở is absolutely worth sitting down and waiting for. Yes, the waitresses are busy, but they have their friendliness and charm– they’re absolutely hardworking and doing an excellent job and helping the constant customers coming through.
The phở is a little sweeter than most phở restaurants, which actually makes the broth unique in its own way– but it’s absolutely satisfying because of the multiple flavors it gives. The special phở is a must– the only thing I recommend is tasting the broth FIRST to determine what other condiments you want to put in (because it’s already slightly sweet) Something else I highly recommend is their egg noodle soup– it’s extremely underrated but it’s so good. The only thing I’m a little concerned about is their bathrooms and if they’ll ever renovate the store.

I never knew this place existed until this week when my husband brought home a French boule and a cardamom roll for me. I love this bread! The roll was lightly sweet and had a satisfying chew. The boule stayed soft for a few days wrapped and toasted great. I think this is my new favorite bakery.

One extra star JUST for the service alone. This cute place has some of the best staff I’ve ever experienced. They joke with you, make you laugh, dictate small talk and it’s not annoying or unreasonable. That’s enough to make a place 5 stars if the food is amazing ta boot. Take note service industry peeps! :)
PHO OBSESSED PPL like myself! This is your place!
Ordered the *beef and brisket Phở*. Only comes in one size (which I don’t mind at all), which seems to be between a regular and large accordingly to most phở restaurants. $ 7.50 for most flavors that I noticed are all beef. This could be an issue if you’re cravin’ a chicken thing but usually that’s not the case with phở.
The phở was amazinggg, I always try the broth prior to doctoring it up to see the taste and this was a more SWEET than savory broth. Which I usually don’t prefer but this was amazzzing. It could possibly change my whole outlook on sweet phở broth!
As an app, decided to get the *shrimp and pork wontons* instead of the reg cream cheese. This is one of those places you can feel comfortable switching things up without getting disappointed. So good. Can’t remember pricing.
Parking for cars is in back, free. Biking is efficient and many places to lock up because it’s on University and University got more bike-​friendly thankfully.
Amazing place, awesome staff, great food. 5stars well deserved!!! Will be back for sure.

BEST Phở I’ve had outside of Boston’s chinatown. The broth has that fresh herbiness and savoriness and is somewhat more clear than many places (which i’ve heard indicates quality and that they likely make their own stock instead of using canned). I had the brisket and rare beef, and the quality of the meat was pretty good. Its an instant hangover cure. Just walking in the door to the fragrant steam will make you feel 80% better.
Now for the downsides: no décor to speak of (which doesnt matter to me). There can be a bit of a wait because its not a huge place. Its hard to «catch» the waitresses becuase they’re always super busy. You pretty much have to flag one down because they rarely come by after delivering your food.

The food was great and the service was excellent! There was a great assortment of condiments on the table. The prices are fair and portions good size. I gave 4 instead of 5 because it table and especially the condiment containers were sticky and tbh sort of grimy. The place could use a good cleaning.

Food is always good here. Nothing to complain on that at all.
But service was so bad. So bad, I honestly felt bad for the waiters. The girls working basically seem like they hate their job. Only friendly person was the cashier behind the counter.

We were looking for a Phở restaurant, and looked no further after stumbling upon, Trieu Chau. This place is amazing! We ordered the chicken phở, and the #142 Beef Phở. I’m not a fan of tripe, so I wished that wasn’t in my dish, but it was very flavorful. If you’ve never been to a Phở restaurant. They bring your a plate full of fresh veggies for you to put in your Phở bowl. Phở is typically served with rice noodlesThe arrangement of veggies were bamboo shoots, scallions, carrots, fresh basil, cilantro, and a lime slice to squeeze in for more flavor.
At the table sauces were provided, so I added soy and sriracha… as well as a little hoisin. We also got an egg roll. I have to say it was good too, but a little greasy. I think it could be drained onto a paper towel before serving. The atmosphere of the tables and chairs seemed cramped, but the staff is really nice. If you like Asian food and you want to try Phở, go to Trieu Chau off of University Ave in St. Paul!

You won’t see it coming. Turn into their parking lot just East of the Midas sign. A little grey box on a rise houses a wonder. If restaurant operations were food engines, this one would be Formula One– light, compact, and wound tight.
Inside, all business. Little décor. Plain furnishings. Generally full. Despair not. Your turn will come soon, and happy will you be!
Thirtysomething, super-​extroverted dude runs the place, I think I heard that the foodsmith is his mom. I stand in awe. I imagine her with eight arms. Where does all this food come from? The servers are sized to glide gracefully through the undetectable voids between the tables while I, a giant among men, have to carefully scoot into my spot. Everyone is fast, friendly, and efficient.
Portions are generous, vegetables cooked to a good point, never too soft. This is not art food. This is a heap of tasty, pleasant, unchallenging food, served astonishingly fast. I have been here dozens of times, for years. The friends I bring are also fans. It is true that at peak hours it would be considerate not to linger in this miraculous, buzzing place. But I love it.
These folk are the only ones I am aware of who still do iced coffee with real sweetened condensed milk, like it’s suposed to be. Everyone else has gone to sugar syrup of some kind. They put the glass on your table, with the drip-​brewer over the glass, and the condensed milk in the bottom. It is candy! So good! You’ll never want to order it anywhere else again.
So, please don’t come here. They’re already busy enough, and for the best of reasons.

The taste of the food is excellent. Some of the best we ever had. We had phở, vermicelli salad, fried rice and spring rolls. Delish. Only suggestion is to offer different size phở.

Tried this place for the first time. I got the egg roll salad– it was good, not the very very best I’ve had. The sauce could have been a little spunkier (and a little more). Good noodles, nice fresh veggies & herbs & really delicious egg rolls. My husband (not typically very adventurous with Asian food) got the chicken friend rice. While it wasn’t real exciting to look at, it was actually really flavorful. We got an order of cream cheese wontons which were also good, fresh out of the fryer. The dipping sauce was good. Overall very good. The service was quick & the did not pester. We did not have to wait for a seat, came at about 1p on a weekday. There was a variety of «kinds» of people eating there (ethnicity, age, etc); clearly a favorite in the neighborhood. I’ll come back again– yummy enough to satisfy my need for good Asian food, traditional enough for my plain-​taste husband, and reasonably priced.

Absolutely tasty phở, extremely friendly staff and some of the best smells for free. Take out or eat in, this is a place that our daughter clued us in in when she was a teenager. It is still one of my go-​to places for amazing Vietnamese food. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area. Tell them Geo sent you

My family and I have come to this place several times now, we live about four blocks away from here so that is wondeful.
We come mostly for the Phở (brisket), special fried rice and shrimp with mixed vegetables. We always leave with a happy face. One time however, their regular waitresses had quit or so I heard. They ended up with two new waitresses who were training on their first day of work and we just happened to stop in that same day, sadly service was slow and terrible, our food was served after 45mins but I was not upset. We have stopped in recently and service is better now! Anyhow, prices are great, parking is very limited, restaurant space could improve if they relocated to a bigger building.
Fyi: I tried out the special chow fun 2−12−16 for lunch and it was flavorless. Do not order that. (Quite disappointing!)

Superb Phở! Talk about Phở on point! Delicious broth and very hearty. This place is usually full by lunch time so it’s a quick dine and out experience. There are times when I feel a bit rushed by the waitresses but it’s understandable for a mom & pop restaurant at this caliber.
One of the best phở restaurants in the Saint Paul, MN area.

Such an awesome neighbor place for good phở, excellent service. Now days i find reasons to go!
Very small location but so worth the wait if there is a line !

Small place but great food. It’s always busy!
Best egg rolls in town. Have been a regular customer for a long time.

First time trying Trieu Chau and enjoyed the rare beef and tendon phở. It was New Years’ Day and quite busy, though I got seated fairly quickly as a single diner and my order taken quickly, other table service spotty. I had to ask for water several times, and larger groups (I.e. more than two) had to wait a while. Phở was very satisfying, though I missed the fresh jalapeños on my garnish plate. Cream cheese puffs were good, too. I’ll be back, perhaps to try their Mi, which is what I understand they are best known for.

The phở was amazing, great customer service too. Will be back.

The phở rocks! AMAZING flavor. Amazing spring rolls. This is such a great place for a cold day. I always have left over phở that makes for good left overs.
The restaurant… I think this used to be an old Burger King maybe? If your deciding whether or not to do take out instead of eat in I’d say take out. Not sure there is a public restroom there.

It’s cold outside and when that happens, I always crave phở! I was here at 7pm tonight and was in and out in under 10 minutes. No joke. I am sorry to say this, but the phở does not measure up. I ordered the traditional phở with flank steak and tripe. First of all, let me advise that I am a phở purist. My favorite phở is one that I make at home. This broth seemed strongly scented of fennel as the primary aromatic which is an immediate turnoff. While clear and appetizing looking, it just didn’t suit my highly tuned Asian palate. More so, there is WAY too much sugar in the broth. Why Trieu Chau, why?! No sugar! Disappointing. The fresh herb plate was also missing my sliced Thai chili peppers and jalapeños! The pork egg rolls came out within minutes and seemed to come straight from the deep fryer. I was excited! They were utterly flaky with a gorgeous amber hue and smokin’ hot. One bite in and yet another disappointment. While they looked gorgeous, they needed to be rolled in a paper towel to remove the grease and just didn’t have much flavor. Zilch. The nuac cham, traditional dipping sauce, was again too sweet! Do you see a theme here?! And in a moment of panic, I also ordered chicken fried rice. I would never do this at a Vietnamese joint. Ever! Just, no. Dried out chicken and utterly boring. I got that boxed up and it’s now sitting in my fridge as hangover food.
Service I must say was extremely efficient and the servers were young Viet tween and teen girls with perfect English. I love a place that uses borderline child labor to teach respect and ethics of work. All in all, the place met my expectations and I would do takeaway if I was in the area.
Observation: one scan of the joint and I noticed that it was almost entirely filled with non-​Vietnamese people. That said it all. I mean no disrespect to this establishment, but it just didn’t suit my own personal tastes at all. This is a very Western-​friendly restaurant that tries to introduce Viet foods to the masses. They seem to be doing that quite well looking at their takeaway window. BUSY.

If this review was just about the food, then this would probably be 3.5−4 stars. However, since there’s more to any restaurant than just the food, most of this review is about the terrible service. As others have said, the place is very small and the food is affordably priced. In the middle of the lunch rush, there were 2 ladies running service (taking orders, clearing plates, bringing checks, etc.) As for as my mom and I could tell, there was not any organization to their service at all. I ordered bun, and was not served any fish sauce with it. When I asked for some, it took almost ten minutes to be given a small bowl with less than two tablespoons. When I asked again, it took almost that long again for another small bowl. Also overheard at the next table over were two customers asking repeatedly for the check, and being told that they would get it when the restaurant calmed a bit. They eventually got frustrated enough to just take their check and bring it to the front. We followed their example. If you were just coming here for the food and don’t care about the service, then by all means, it’ll be fine. As for me, I’ll only be ordering takeout from now on.

How could this restaurant not be 5 stars!!! This is the best Vietnamese food I’ve had in a very long time! There was not one thing I tasted that wasn’t a delectable delight. I ate so much and got orders to go! I hate hate hate green peas. I was disappointed to see them in my fried rice. Most places I usually pick them out. Here I ate them all without one complaint because I couldn’t slow down long enough to pick them out. The staff was so friendly. Didn’t really know who our waitress was because they were all so attentive. I absolutely loved this place and I will be back again and again

I love their broth! It’s small place but the service is good and fast. I would recommend it!

TC is one of my favorite Phở places! Love the staff and the food is always fast, fresh and delicious!

Pure deliciousness! Every time I eat at trieu chau I have never been disappointed. Their food is very consistent every time and the price is very reasonable. They give generous portions and the servers are friendly. My favorite dishes are the beef and potatoe, hot and spicy chicken, and the combination noodle salad. The egg rolls and cream cheese wontons are the best around too. If you’re looking for a great place to eat on university this is it!

Phở, Bun, egg rolls, and cream cheese wontons. This is comfort food… this place makes me sooooooo happy.

Enjoyed the food there, the egg rolls and cheese wontons are highly recommended. For dinner, I had the Phở special. Good quality food at affordable pricing. Service was speedy and friendly. Definitely will be back.

My coworkers and I ordered lunch from Trieu Chau today. In one of the noodle salads, we discovered a cockroach! DISGUSTING!!! It’s bad enough that the restaurant is run down and dirty, but now there’s proof that it’s more dirty than we think! The owner offered my coworker a replacement salad and a voucher for a «future salad». Definitely NOT eating here again!

Trieu Chau is a deliciously authentic, local Vietnamese restaurant located in the Little Mekong District on University Ave. The staff are very genuine and efficient; always making sure your glass is at least half full and the place has very reasonable prices. The seating area is kept well organized and clean for the most part. At each table, they have a variety of sauces/​spices to choose from and more than enough utensils and napkins to make use of. Although there is limited seating in the small restaurant during busy hours, the authenticity of the food is definitely worth the wait. Note: Trieu Chau has a parking lot that is accessible from both University Ave and Mackubin Street and like most local shops, they have a minimum of $ 10 for credit card.

I am by no means an expert on Vietnamese food, just a whitey from the burbs. About 5 years ago, we (almost) literally stumbled into this place. It was late, we were starving, and traffic and late night construction veered us right into the parking lot. What a find. I couldn’t tell you what we had that night, but it was damn good.
After talking with a friend of mine from Vietnam, she stated she loved it too but said that they are much more known for their Mi soup than their Phở. The Mi is egg noodles and pork broth. After that, I tried the Mi and it was fantastic. It’s the only soup I ever get there. As a tip that I just learned the last time I was in, they have larger portions of soup for a nominal up charge. I heard the server say this to another table. After I ordered of course, DAMMIT! This isn’t stated on the menu, but definitely something I will try next time.
Also, the Bun noodle salad is awesome. I have the shrimp and pork. The pork is grilled and smokey and oh so delightful. It’s a cold noodle dish and is so so so perfect on warm summer days. The fresh spring rolls are tasty as is the peanut sauce.
It’s definitely not a fancy place. Not someplace you would bring a hot date. The interior is kind of run down and has some booths and tables. I’ve never had a problem with the service. They may not be the most pleasant servers I’ve ever had, but they get the orders right, are prompt, and like I said, it’s not the kind of place you are gonna get that phenomenal service anyway. A lot of times we just do take out and they pack it up nicely for my drive home.
There are probably a few dozen other Vietnamese places just along University. I’m sure I won’t ever get to try all of them. I do know that this place is very tasty, very authentic, and just plain great food. Give it a try.

…so this was my default Phở place on a Monday since Phở Ca Dao closed at 8pm and I did a piss-​pour job of Unilocal-​researching. I did bookmark this place as a recommendation from someone. Plenty customers from all walks of life, from college students to other asians to single diners to couples/​groups, were in and out of the place whether dining in or placing an order for pick up so it’s isn’t that bad with the crowds that it draws, which wasn’t bad but I have definitely had better
Here are my thoughts:
–Phở: Pluses was the speedy service. Minuses are: Bean sprouts and basil appeared a bit banged up. I’m quite picky with presentation of close-​to-​flawless veggies. Pickled jalapeños part of table condiments… who knows how long those have been there. I’ve always had Phở with fresh jalapeños –can’t beat fresh veggies. I opted-​out on the jalapenos and decided to add heat via Sriracha.
–Fried Spring Rolls: Great crunch and savory goodness, more so as I double, triple, and quadruple dipped into sauce (unsure if it is fish sauce –but i love it).
University Ave is sprinkled with many asian restaurants to try so I’m unsure I’ll be back… onto my next food adventure.

There is no better place in the Twin Cities to find good noodles than some of the restaurants along University Avenue. Among these, Trieu Chau is the best — at least for those seeking Phở.
During cold Twin City winters, my daughter and I go out for Phở every week to thaw ourselves out. We’ve tried many locations, but find ourselves coming back to Trieu Chau for their friendly service, affordable prices, long hours and tasty noodles.
Phở comes in many forms although we tend to order combinations of rare beef, flank (#141, #142, #143, etc) and seafood (#123, #126, #A8). It took us a while to work up the courage to order seafood Phở, which includes a mix of scallops, shrimp, fish balls, imitation crab and octopus. Now its our favorite. They offer two versions, one with regular broth (#126) and one in spicy broth with pork (#A8). I order Phở with Tendon and Tripe occasionally, but these ingredients aren’t part of our typical order.
Trieu Chau offers a plate of bean sprouts, basil and lime with your Phở order. There are also fresh (crunchy) Jalapeño Peppers, Chili Sauce and other condiments that can be applied table side — which is typically why I don’t order the spicy broth. It’s easy to manage your spice level table side.
Anything you order here will be tasty — but your likely to have questions. Don’t hesitate to ask the staff if you have questions. They LOVE talking to new patrons. If you already know Phở and don’t see a combination you like, just tell them what you are looking for. They’ll make it to order.
Although we haven’t eaten entrees other than Phở here, my daughter is an egg roll addict. She considers the crispy pork egg rolls at Trieu Chau to be the best in St Paul.
Now that the weather is warm, it’s time to try some of the fried noodle dishes on their menu! The restaurant is easy to find with a parking lot and on-​street parking nearby. We often take the Green Line and walk from the Western station.

Found this place with my buddy on Unilocal,decided to check it out. It still amazes me how many good places there is to see and eat on University Ave.
We came in got greeted and seated without a wait. The waiter was friendly and kind. And brought us water right away. The place is kind of dirty and old on the inside. I went and used the men’s room right away and though that they could use a few new things in there. Just very outdated stuff.
The menu is full and you have plenty to chose from. Some great Vietnamese selections. My eyes were hungry so I decided to order the wontons and the phở with everything in it. My made went with egg rolls and phở as well.
We got our food in under ten minutes, everything tasted great, I really enjoyed my wontons and the phở was delicious as well. What was even better is the reasonable price you pay for your food. Our total for the both of us came out to be only $ 25 which I was very pleased with.
I will come back to this place and recommend it to friends.

Noodles. Noodles. Noodles. Cheap delicious noodles. What more do you need?
I will admit that I have never ordered anything but the noodle soups, cream cheese wontons, and egg rolls on the back of the menu. They have like 30+ varieties so I don’t feel much of a need to look through the other American-​Chinese in the first few pages. I’ve heard good things about it though.
On to the noodle soup: the broth is flavorful. Meaty, complex, and even better when the little sauce they bring out is added. The noodles are on point. Always more than I can finish and I like it that way. My favorite dish is the egg roll vermicelli «salad.» It’s noodles, fried egg roll cut up, lettuce, carrots, spring onions, and pure deliciousness.

The Phở is fantastic. The flavors are some of the best in town. Love it.
The restaurant is very small and has very few places to sit. So if you want to go… Try to avoid the obvious busy times. Lunch/​dinner etc.
They have these cream cheese puffs that are big and flaky with a lot of cream cheese. These are a perfect appetizer for anyone that can handle cheese! Best part is that they have jalapeños on each table with sugar, vinegar/​oil and also the traditional chili in oil. I love adding the jalapeño to the cream cheese puff to make them spicy. It’s just an added treat that I love.
The phở is a beef broth cooked over a long time to get the flavors right. I always get extra veggies and beef. Slab on some sauce and sriracha into the broth and you can be transported to phở heaven.