Gao Viet Kitchen — Restaurant in San Francisco

Viet cuisine meets modern dining— Gao takes the win in both categories in my book.

When you enter Gao, you’re greeted with a cozy yet bustling atmosphere that smells like grandma’s kitchen during the holidays. While you wait for your table, relax at the bar where you won’t find yourself scrolling on your phone. Instead, you’ll likely be watching closely as all of the near family-sized dishes emerge from the kitchen.

My table started off with a pair of appetizers to share. First, the Banh Cuon (rice noodle rolls) served with fresh veggies for preparing your perfect bite, Banh Hoi (grilled pork sausage skewered with sugar cane), and Cha Lua (pork loaf). The Banh Cuon was just the right texture— bouncy and delicate, while the ground pork and wood ear mushrooms were still juicy and not overly greasy. The Banh Hoi lemongrass flavor was too abrasive, I would much prefer to be slowly introduced to a flavor rather than hit with it during each bite. Our Papaya Salad arrived quickly after the first dish. Its bright and colorful presentation was glittered with bits of fried shallot that brought a little bit of savory and umami to each sweet and tangy bite.

It took a significant amount of time for the entrees to come out. After completely finishing our appetizers, we waited about 30 minutes for Lemongrass Pork Ribs with Garlic Noodles to come out, 45 minutes for the Chubby Pho (filet mignon, tendon, and, marrow rice noodle soup), and a little over an hour for the The Sizzle (roasted beef rib over fried rice served in a cast iron skillet). While we were waiting, we tried to get refills on water and tried to ask for an update on our food. The staff did not give us a heads up that the dishes would take this long to come out. We were pretty disappointed that we weren’t all able to enjoy our food at the same temperatures and at the same time, but the food in itself made up for it a fair amount.

The Lemongrass Pork Ribs were the type of bbq ribs where you feel no shame to lick your fingers clean after, because how could you waste such a perfectly sticky bbq sauce? Thankfully, the lemongrass sauce on the ribs was not overpowering in this dish. The ribs were served over garlic noodles, and boy was my table excited. We all dug in for a bite together and we were so ready for that buttery goodness. Sadly, we were struck with the piercing flavor of raw garlic. I am a total garlic girl, but a mouthful of that while hoping for some serious comfort food is too much for me. We called our waitress over, and asked if we could send back the noodles. They offered to remake it for us, but we opted in for just plain white rice.

The Chubby Pho had such a fun mixture of meats! This was also my first time having marrow in pho. I really enjoyed how comforting and aromatic each sip of broth was and the heaping portion of rice noodles it came with. The bowl itself was massive, it fed the three of us and we had leftovers. I will admit that I am more of an ‘accidentally makes lime soup’ person when it comes to dressing up my bowl of pho, but this was a broth that I wanted to enjoy with minimal condiments.

Once The Sizzle finally came out, we dug in right away. I wouldn’t say it is worth waiting over an hour for, but I would happily wait 30-45 minutes for it, if I was given a heads up that it takes longer. The gorgeous golden color that the turmeric gave the rice was just the right contrast the dish needs with the black cast iron and grilled beef rib. The rib was almost falling off the bone and we were so entertained by picking up the rib bone. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the dish was actually the layer of crispy rice.

I will definitely be back for the food. Maybe my next visit will be to their San Mateo location!

Please note that this review is based on my visit...

Dined in at the SF location on 14-May-23. Super busy for mother's day, waited about an hour for seating. Parking at this location is hard to find, especially during peak hours so plan ahead.

Orderd 3 dishes Chubby pho Gao fried rice BÁNH CUỐN

Chubby pho - broth was rich from the bone marrow, but lacked the flavor you're expecting from a 24 hour broth. Tasted mellow and slightly underseasoned, so could of used some fish sauce and chili oil on the side to boost the flavor. Fresh noodles were 10/10 (if you're a fan of them). Came with side of jalapeños, lime and sriracha and hoisin sauce for dipping, no side vegetable (bean sprouts, basil...ect). Meat portions were just perfect. The filet mignon was nice and tender with just the right amount. The tendons were on point as well. Soft but still have some texture when you bit into it. Overall 6.8/10. Portion, flavor and lack of side ingredients just didn't reflect the price ($22) for this bowl of noodles. Would I try it again? Probably not.

Gao fried rice - rice was slightly crispy but yet mosist with the smoke flavor from the wok which I enjoyed. Although it slightly underseasoned and tasted pretty plain. Shrimp, Chinese sausage, tomato and pickeled daikon was added but I didn't really care for. Some chili oil would be nice for a boost in flavor. Definitely one of the most expensive fried rice I have ever ordered (25). The portion was okay, but the overall quality doesn't justify the price in my opinion.

BÁNH CUỐN - highly recommended menu item so we got a plate to try. The steamrolls were good but not great. Again just lacking on the seasoning side. Felt like it tasted really plain and even with the sauces provided. Also on the expensive side (19) for a Plate of average steamrolls.

Overall, good experience. For being so busy, the staffs did great getting people seated and cleaning up to keep the wait times accurate. Could use bigger water cups as we kept waiting for our waiter to refill our water. Probably a one and done experience for us. Plenty of other things on the menu we wanted to try but everything is very much overpriced...

I have no complaints at all.

I went by myself on a busy evening. I waited about 35 minutes for a table (about 5 minutes longer than the estimated wait on their computer waitlist).

In the meantime, standing, I had a "Toki Sour" cocktail (Toki whiskey, yuzu liquer, lemon, sugar, egg white) that was perfect. It was $14 which is about usual for a good cocktail, ime.

I was seated at a 4 top despite being alone, and offering to share the table (they declined the offer) and the waiter was very nice even though he probably wished I weren't solo.

I ordered a lot and some to go boxes right at the get-go because I wanted to try things out.

Papaya salad with shrimp ($17): So good! I get this everywhere and this one is my favorite. Super garlicky, which kind of snuck up on me later, and included red peppers that added a little zing but not much, which is good because I'm a spice lightweight. It was the perfect amount.

Banh Cuon ($19): I hadn't had this before and the waiter gave me a recommendation about how to eat it (involving mixing things together for each bite). It was good but not as amazing as the other things.

Bahn Xeo ($25): I order this pretty often too, and Gao Viet's is good! Maybe a little heavy on the oil. The inclusion of 5 spice pork belly is really tasty, and the thick rice paper "bands" to help wrap it isn't something I've seen before but it was nice. The waiter also preemptively brought a stack of paper napkins since it's always so messy to eat.

I ate my fill and took home enough for two more meals, though of course they're always best really fresh.

The only negative, besides the wait, is that it's noisy. It's a big restaurant that's packed to the gills with tables.

My total bill, including the cocktail and tip was a little over $100 but I also got 3 people's worth of food. The prices aren't more than other places' these days- other places that have inferior food.

I definitely recommend it! I might even go there just for a cocktail, if it's not...