Gao Fresh Noodle — Restaurant in Johns Creek

Not too many places serve pho with fresh hand cut noodles! Gao Fresh Noodle is located in Johns Creek, GA. It's in an area where the only real competition when it comes to Pho, is Le Mekong, which happens to be closed due to the renovations at the moment so Gao opening was perfect timing as it can gather up the existing clientele who are craving pho.

So to start, the interior is very bright and modern. I think they took over what used to be a Tin Drum and they may have inherited some of the decor as well. Anyways, the seating setup is mostly booths and individual tables that are located in the middle of the open layout. There is a counter at the front as well, where you can order takeout or pay there if you're in a hurry to head out.

The menu is pretty small in my opinion. Not a bad thing. They server apps like Spring rolls and Egg rolls, they have some rice and vermicelli options as well. Their pho is what you would expect, you have the basics like Dac Biet (basically the one with all the meat options in it!), some that have just one selection of meat like brisket or just chicken. So it's basic for the most part. It is kind of pricey when it comes to pho though, $15 for a bowl is up there but not unexpected for the area and with the economy due to COVID, most places have increased their prices too.

That being said the pho is is really good. They give you a generous amount of noodles and meat. The broth is very savory and doesn't feel that heavy compared to other pho places I've been too. If you haven't had fresh hand cut pho noodles before, it's definitely something worth trying to see if you like it. I prefer it over the traditional pho rice noodles, but that's just me.

At the end of the day, it's up to you if you want to try this place or not, I'm just giving you my opinion from my perspective. Hopefully this review was...

How do I say this…. Best Pho’ that I’ve had in the NE burbs. Please people, please help me keep this business cook such fantastic food. Imagine getting your take out and it’s still warm when you arrive home, this is what you get.

The broth was crystal clear, fragrant and tasty. For us, we heated up the broad h in order to cook the beef that we ordered. The lean brisket was just that with a fine fat layer for flavor.

The tenderloin was from a well marbled cut, it cooked quickly in our reheated broth. The extras bag held Siracha, hoisin, Thai basil, bean sprouts, onion and jalapeños.

The noodles are excellent. Thick cut and tasty, not like the prepackaged, thin noodles served at other restaurants. I think that I fell face first into the bowl once the noodles cooked just a bit.

My final complement is that the utensil bag contained a real soup spoon. Imagine the number of shirts that I’ve ruined from sipping Pho’ broth out of a table spoon. These people have thought through and the outcome is fantastic.

My only “negative” comments are

1. they don’t offer fresh basil rolls (I subbed the rocket shrimp but it’s just not the same).

2. please place your carry out quart broth containers in smaller, individual plastic bags. Yes, I know it costs time and money but it helps to keep the broth contained and not floating inside and outside of the carry out bag.

An update… Best fish sauce I’ve ever had. Not too sweet, not too strong. Perfect for the...

I stumbled upon Gao Noodles while at Whole Foods returning amazing packages. I get a text from my wife was “asking whats for dinner?” When in doubt, Pho is always a good option. I was ready to brave the trek to Duluth area as we usually do for asian food. But instead just google/yelp a restaurant.

To my surprise, Gao Noodles popped up as a nearby option! I have to admit, I went in a bit skeptical (this area isn’t exactly known for stellar pho), but this place was actually solid! At first glance the menu was like 2 pages with like 5 items or so on the pho section.

The broth was lighter than what I’m used to, but it had a good, clean flavor that still hit the spot. Also this spot is toddler friendly, there was even a table next to us that was having a great time and my toddler was just staring and being entertained by them(shout out to them celebrating their daughter 14th bday). Back to Toddler friendly with high chairs and kiddos love noodles and soup!

The menu isn’t massive, but every dish we tried was on point. And the service was great, too—not something I expected going in. If you’re in the area and craving Pho without dealing with the usual Duluth area and crowds, Gao Noodles is definitely worth a visit its located “duluth” but its really closer to Johns Creek right close by to Johns...