Dan Da — Restaurant in Aurora

When we arrived at the funky Aurora Cultural Arts District, where Dan Da is located, I thought of Dorothy’s comment in The Wizard of Oz: “I got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Though the colorful murals on the neighboring buildings are nice eye candy, we came to eat at this new Vietnamese eatery operated by the daughters of Pham and Thai Nguyen, former owners of the recently closed New Saigon, our go-to spot for decades.

We started with the crispy fried shrimp and pork egg rolls with lettuce, herbs, and fish sauce. To taste different meats, we had the rice plate with perfectly prepared pork, beef, shrimp, and vegetables.

Another tantalizing winner was the salad with shrimp and pork slices with green mangos, papaya, onions, and other sliced vegetables in a spicy fish sauce. To round out our feast, we also had two types of curries, beef and scallops, equally savory and satisfying.

Everything about our food exceeded our expectations! Dan Da’s Chef An Nguyen delivers those delicious tastes reminiscent of Vietnamese food: sweet and salty, the cool of fresh lettuce and herbs with the warming of curry, the fresh greens, and the fermented. Oh, let’s not forget the subtle tastes of mint, cilantro, lemongrass, and, of course, the tangy and spicy fish sauce.

You won't find overly plush decor or a spacious dining room, but it’s the family neighborhood ambiance coupled with a tried and true family tradition of preparing great Vietnamese Food that earned the high marks.

Dan Da, we are returning soon. Congratulations, and keep up the...

I always have Bun Bo Hue. It tastes good (albeit a little bit salty).

The restaurant is, however, on the small side, thus it is pretty noisy even when being half-full.

Update: food is okay, but bad customer service. Refill was free before (I did ask the waiter the first time I went to the restaurant, he said no extra charge, the lady at the bar counter also said no extra charge, and I always do one refill), but they just changed the policy this week and never let the customer know beforehand until the bill is out. You should let customer know that refill is no more free before grabbing their glasses. And when I asked at the cashier station, the guy just murmuring sorry, running back and forth to other tables for 5 minutes (I was confused about what he was sorry for) until he actually stopped and said that refill was no more free.

Being a usual customer who went to the place at least once a week for several months, this is disappointing. I will stop going to this place.

Another update: I came back today wanting to give them another chance. They refused to serve me. That is kinda funny when I actually gave them good review about their food but only bad review about their inconsistency in pricing policy and the way they served me in the past. Good luck operating your...

Without question, this is one of the best restaurants in Colorado. They call it Vietnamese comfort food, and it is that and more. The menu has dishes you will recognize that are fantastic and elevated, and there are other dishes that you haven't heard of that are filled with flavor and excitement. I went there with a group, we all got something different. All of us were completely blown away. Thr location is in downtown Aurora, right across from the historic Fox theater. The location is surrounded food and shops and a wonderful brewery nearby. Next door is the sister business, Bahn and Butter, one of the best bakeries in the Denver Metro area. There is plenty of parking out back too. This area is notable for the amazing art on the sides of buildings, I think there are about 29 unique and colorful panels. Inside Dan Da is another gorgeous mural that needs to be seen. The waitstaff is friendly and knowledgeable and can tell you about each of their amazing dishes. I highly recommend this family run business. It is an...