Canton Restaurant - Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ — Restaurant in Westminster

I've been here twice now and the food has been consistently good.

They are known for a their chao ca (fish porridge) and their cha ca thang long (turmeric fish with dill). When you sit down and look around, you'll see everyone around you has those 2 dishes, and I suggest you also follow along and get them too.

When I first came in, I looked at the menu and saw they had bun rieu (pork and crab noodle soup) and wanted to try that. As I sat waiting for the waitress to come take my order, I looked around to see everyone with the 2 dishes I mentioned. At the time I didn't think much about it. Then the waitress came to take my order. I asked for the bun rieu and she looked at me puzzled, and quietly asked if I ever had it here. I shook my head and said no, then she promptly told me not to get it and get the specialty items they were known for. Hindsight I should have realized this and ordered thos items from the beginning.

After getting the chao ca to start, it was a simple fish porridge with a soft and flaky white fish. The soup had no fishy flavor to it and was a great soothing start to a meal. Make sure to get the side order of banh quay (chinese donut) for your chao ca. Adds a nice crunch and chew to your porridge. Also for a crunch, you can ask for bean sprouts and lemon which will add a nice bright freshness the dish.

Now to the main course, the cha ca thang long. This dish came out hot and sizzling still from the hot skillet. You can smell the onions and dill being grilled before you can see the dish coming to you. The fish was very soft and flakey with a strong turmeric flavor to it. Mixed together with all the veggies, noodles, rice cracker and shrimp paste sauce to top it off, it was simply amazing. This dish did not disappoint.

After the meal, I can clearly see why everyone got the exact same thing here. Next time you come into a restaurant and see everyone has the same things on their table, make sure to get...

I stopped in at Chạo Cá Chò Cú in Westminster after hearing so much buzz, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The place was packed with mostly Chinese and Vietnamese locals, which to me is always the best sign that a restaurant is doing something right. The atmosphere was busy but still welcoming, and the staff were extremely friendly and attentive even with so many tables to take care of.

What really stood out for me was their vegetable chow fun. The noodles weren’t quite as wide or as thick as I expected, but they were still cooked beautifully—chewy, flavorful, and full of that smoky wok aroma that makes chow fun special. The vegetables were fresh and plentiful, and the whole dish came together in a way that was absolutely delicious. A lot of restaurants don’t even serve proper chow fun noodles, but this place does, and it makes a big difference.

The menu itself is a unique mix of Chinese and Vietnamese dishes, which gives you a lot of options depending on what you’re in the mood for. Everything I saw coming out of the kitchen looked generous and authentic, and it’s clear why this spot is so popular among locals.

One thing to note: they don’t take credit cards, so make sure you bring cash or be ready to pay by Zelle. It’s worth the extra step because the food and service really deliver.

If you’re in Westminster and want to experience a local favorite with excellent chow fun and a lively crowd, this is the...

Wow. Every bite of everything we ate was amazing. Like can’t-help-making-noises-of-joy delicious. For 4 of us, we ordered chicken porridge, chicken chow fun, and the fish special plate. Each course came out one at a time so we really got to savor each on.

I never thought rice porridge could have such a complex taste, but the flavors and salt and herbs and broth...... just wow. I would’ve been happy if that’s all we had.

Until the chow fun came out. Those noodles were perfectly seared, and again, perfectly salted and spiced. Veggies were great too. One of the best noodle dishes I’ve ever had.

Then the fish! I’m guessing the person who helped us was one of the owners, and since we are obviously not Vietnamese, she asked us if we would like to learn how to eat this dish. She carefully walked us through the rice wrappers and how to place the noodles and herbs and fish and wrap it up, then use the dipping sauces and eat the crunchy things on the side. She helped each of the 4 of us build our own. She took a lot of time to do this with us, it was pretty amazing.

We will absolutely be returning - and often. It’ll be hard to decide whether to try anything new because what we got was just...