Dakao Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Houston

This is a great come-as-you-are spot with a large and widely varied menu that definitely has something for everyone. The staff is always busy and oftentimes stretched a little thin, but be patient with them and you will find them to be both pleasant and really helpful. It's easy to get overwhelmed when confronted with an extra large menu, but the good thing is is that there's something new to try with each visit. For starters I recommend the spring rolls, any kind really. Soft fresh rice papers stuffed with either hot crispy tofu, grilled chicken or beef, and served with a slightly runny but chunky peanut sauce on the side with a pickled carrot garnish. Also highly, highly recommended are the garlic butter chicken wings, although these easily make a suitable entree as well. Crispy on the outside and so incredibly juicy on the inside, these lightly coated and seasoned whole wings are sprinkled generously with crunchy fried garlic chunks that pack a punch of extra flavor to the dish. Also recommended as either a group starter or an entree is the beef salad with lemon. A very generous portion of thin sliced rare beef is tossed in a beautiful pile with thin sliced veggies, sprouts, and fat chopped herbs before being doused in a delicious lemon and fish sauce dressing. The acidity of the pungent dressing pairs wonderfully with the earthiness of the herbs and the slight copperiness of the barely cooked beef. There are so many interesting entree choices to try it definitely takes a few visits to begin to scratch the surface. Comfortable favorites like beef pho are available but oftentimes run out early in the day, something to bear in mind. The pho is good but I'd still recommend coming here for other items instead. At the front of those items is the chili and lemongrass crispy tofu. Crispy cubes of seasoned fried tofu with a super creamy, earthy center sit under a thick blanket of fried chili flakes and lemongrass, giving this dish a variety of great textures as well as great flavors. This is definitely a standard order dish for us, regardless of what else we may be trying the same day. Another noteworthy dish includes the crispy noodles with beef and vegetables, an eye appealing bird's nest of crunchy noodles filled in the center with generous cuts of vegetables and beef stir fry in a tasty brown sauce. Sprinkle a little chili oil over top to add a bit of a kick to the dish. It is also hard to go wrong with the vermicelli and grilled meat dishes. A platter of the thin white noodles is decorated with pickled and fresh veggies, herbs, sprouts, and fried onion garnish, as well as a grilled meat of choice. Both the chicken and the beef are excellent, both arriving hot, juicy, and rich with flavor. The stuffed tofu is an interesting dish but not necessarily one I would order frequently. The thick cut blocks of tofu stuffed with shrimp then deep fried to spongy perfection were met with excitement, but the sauteed chunky tomato sauce on top did not seem connected to the rest of the dish. The sauce together with the tofu left a slightly unpleasant aftertaste that lingered, and while the components separate were both good they did not benefit each other. As a lighter side (or entree) try the sauteed snow pea leaves with garlic. They are so flavorful and cooked to just the right slightly snapping texture. This place is busy for most of the day so remember to have patience waiting for a table or waiting for food, it's worth the wait. Try ordering outside of your comfort zone from the extensive menu and you may just be very happy...

Let me say that this review may have been affected by the wait I endured to get in. I came in a Sunday morning and when I arrived there was the largest group of people I’ve ever seen waiting to get into a restaurant. My initial impression was that this place must be astoundingly popular. There were several huge parties and some smaller ones as well. We must have caught the after church rush. There were two people in my party and with caution I walked in to reserve a spot. I was told it would be 20 minutes…

20,30,40 minutes…1 hour+ later and after a few inquiries about an update on the wait time, we were seated. This place was highly recommended, so I endured the wait in good spirits. To the credit of the young man working the front door/host area, he stayed calm under overwhelming circumstances.

After the extensive wait I was ready to get down to business and I wasn’t prepared to review the large menu that was presented to me. In the interest of time I ordered the Phở gà khô (Dry Chicken Pho) with an appetizer of Chả Giò/nem rán (Vietnamese egg roll/fried spring roll). The service by the wait staff once seated was very prompt and fast. The restaurant itself was very nicely decorated and laid out. The ambiance was vibrant with a packed dining area and lots of large groups eating family style. The conversations were animated and engaging. People seemed to be having a blast in there.

The Chả Giò/nem rán came out and as expected were excellent. Next the Phở gà khô (Dry Chicken Pho) came out and I was excited to try it. This was my first time eating it and I had high expectations after trying Pho and Bún bò Huế at various locations around Houston.

The Phở gà khô was really good and I would say excellent for my first time trying it. I devoured it and in retrospect, wish I would have savored it more. I instinctively understood the concept of how to eat it although the waitstaff asked if I wanted any explanations. Part of the appeal I desire in experiencing Vietnamese cuisine is to understand the traditional way of eating the various dishes and the stories behind the cuisine. It’s always appreciated when someone takes a moment to ask or explain the dishes. I really enjoyed the taste and experience of trying this dish!

I’ll definitely return to try more dishes on the large menu. I hope the wait will not be as long and thus I’ll do my due diligence on what peak hours are. I frequent Đại Lộ Sàigon regularly during the work week, so I’ll try again then. Looking...

I came to this restaurant because of Viet Thao's video review about this restaurant. I don't know if they have a new owner and a new chef or not, but the restaurant itself probably went through a nice transformation. From the outside, the name of the restaurant was changed to Dakao. It seemed they did some remodeling to the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, it looked quite nice and spacious. The two stars were for the food. The large portion was small. We order Phở Gà (Phở Chicken). The meat portion was small for a large order. The gizzard and liver portion was very small too. So low rating for the size, now came the taste of it. The taste of the Phở Gà was sub-par and nothing stood out. I would not recommend this place for Phở Gà. I came because of the video review and thought that the Phở Gà would be very delicious and good, but, instead I was disappointed.

Updated 02/04/2024 I want to write an updated review since I visited this place for dinner. My son had gone here with my brother and they like the wings. So, we gave this restaurant another try. We didn't order Phở Gà as we already knew it wasn't good the last time we tried. So, we ordered wings with two different flavors: Korean BBQ Vietnamese fish sauce The wings were delicious and flavorful. I personally preferred the Vietnamese fish sauce marinated wings over the Korean BBQ.

We also ordered three other dishes and over they were flavorful and delicious. The service was fast and good. They must have remodeled the restaurant as the atmosphere was warm and cozy. I changed my ratings and highly recommend...