Dou Dou Cafe — Restaurant in Richmond Heights

Total hidden gem! I only stumbled upon this restaurant when driving down a side street after leaving Parker's Table. This is a tiny Vietnamese restaurant tucked along side the Cheshire Hotel.

As of March 2021, you need to call your order in and then pick up in about 30 minutes. There is a parking lot in the rear of the building and parking along the street on Clayton. There is a driveway on the side of the building that connects the rear lot with Clayton. If you are on Clayton, you'll be able to see their outdoor patio dining. Call when you arrive in the parking lot for curbside service. I had arrived early so I went to the door. They said they would bring it out and I didn't need to wait inside. Very friendly service!

We tried both the DouDou Beef Noodle Soup (beef pho) and the spicy lemongrass beef noodle soup. Both entrees were $16. Since we ordered our food to go, the thinly shaved beef was served raw on top of the noodles. The same container had cilantro and peppers. The lemongrass soup also had green onions as a garnish. Both broths were boiling hot and served in a separate container. When you get home, just add the raw meat to the hot broth. Since the meat is sliced so thinly, it should cook in a matter of seconds.

I thought the portion sizes were generous. I couldn't fit the entire portion of broth/meat/noodles into a large cereal bowl, so I had enough leftovers for the next day. My partner was able to eat it all in one sitting.

Completely out of the ordinary for me, I didn't order spring rolls (gasp)! The description of the rice rolls was too enticing to pass up: steamed rice rolls filled with ground pork, mushrooms, and onions, topped with steamed pork. Served with 2 containers of sweet and sour dressing on a huge fresh bed of mixed greens. And not wimpy wilted greens, but enough for a salad. Three come to an order for $13.

The prices do seem high, but over the phone, I was not given an option to tip. So, in that case, the price was...

Please read this!  We had just came into town late on a Monday.  Walking down to the hotel restaurant, we were disappointed to find them closing.  I pulled up the google maps, plotted a course for a long walk to anywhere that was open.  Out of the darkness came a bright, beautiful building with Dou Dou Cafe sprawled across the side.  The bright open sign lit our path towards an unfortunate locked door.  We were not to be sad for long though because the amazing owner hurried down and opened the door for us.  It immediately felt like we were walking into a friend's house to hang out and have dinner.  We were welcomed into a bright modern cafe with our nostrils quickly picking up the scents and making our mouths water.  Our new friends (the owner and his wife) had closed the store an hour earlier and were cleaning up after a very busy night, but their mood was more akin to a newly married couple that had won the lottery.  They slung a menu on the counter in front of us and waited with big smiles as we looked it over.  My wife and I looked it over and, to our stomachs pure delight for the rest of the night, ordered the spicy pork belly.  We all carried on a great conversation about our days, sports, places we had lived, etc. and before we knew it, two stunning bowls of the tastiest perfection were placed in front of us.  After looking at the edible art in front of us, we locked eyes and grinned, ready to satiate our hunger.  The rest of our time was just as memorable as the first bit.  More great conversation followed by our new friend's story about how the eatery came to be, left us filling as full in our soul as our stomachs felt.  After finding out what time they will be opening tomorrow, we bid our farewell and left with joyful smiles that I feel like could have fixed even the worst of days.  Please, do yourself a favor and pay these incredible...

I ended up here by chance, and for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised. The decor is the first thing I noticed. It basically looks like someone's house. I liked it, and everything looked clean and modern

The open kitchen is set up just like one at a home would. You order at the counter, and I assumed it was self service, so I waited while the chef prepared my meal. There was a home cooking vibe to the whole process. Inside seating was about 4 tables I think. There are 2 tables outside.

I ordered the beef pho. The noodles were very different than the thin vermicelli I'm used to at other places. These were flat and wide. I did not see the usual condiments that are at every table at most vietnamese restaurants, like sirracha and plum sauces. The bowl came with everything in it - no separate plate of veggies. Basically, I assumed the deal was, eat it as it's presented.

Everthing about this place up to this point was different from any other vietnamese restaurant I've been to, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Once I took my first sip of the soup broth, I loved it, probably near the top of the best pho broths I've had. Lots of flavor but not overpowering. The flat noodles were different, but it was good. Meat quantity was a bit on the light side (i think you can request additional meat, though), and the overall portion of the pho was about average to slight smaller than most places.

The menu itself is pretty limited, i think like 4 or 5 main entrees, which was good for this size restaurant. A couple of other dishes I would like to try in the future include the pork belly with rice, and the spicy beef soup.

Looking forward to...