Pho Dang Vietnamese Cafe — Restaurant in Winooski

Found this gem 5 years ago. The food is just as stellar today as it was when I first came. Though I kind of miss the old hole in the wall location.

The menu has all the classics of Vietnamese street food; rice dishes with grilled meats, rice noodle dishes, and of course, pho. Portions are a good value, with menu items over $12 generous enough for two when taken home and split.

The #33 is a great changeup to the pho, with both rice and egg noodles, shrimp, quail eggs, and a generous portion of tender, low fat pork. The #34 is the stir fried version, also delicious.

The pho is the standout here. I have compared this pho side by side to the pho from another, more prominent Vietnamese restaurant.

Hands down, the Dang rules SUPREME!!

The key to pho is the extraction of gelatin from the beef marrow bones. After a triple wash (cold water on bones brought to a boil and dumped), the bones need 18+ hours on low simmer for full extraction. You can observe the gelatin content by letting the pho cool to 40 degrees F.

Cooling both of the samples of pho, the Dang pho is completely gelatinous, but solid enough to maintain the shape of the container when gently shaken.

Pho B was in a liquid form with no signs of gelatin forming. Pho B was also heavy on the aromatics normally used (star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and coriander seeds).

Gelatin in the broth is what gives richness to the liquid, delivering an incomparable mouth feel. There is no shortcut to this. Neither msg, salt, nor aromatics can come close to replicating this.

Attempting to accelerate the process with high heat will destroy the clarity of the broth. A gentle simmer is critical.

Pho broth, at its essence, is a classic french broth, consomme like, but without simmering with a raft to clarify the liquid.

The chef is a master of this craft.

Thank you chefs for keeping our...

I will say that it's a shame that some folks are not able to experience. When the restaurant was at its original spot it was a tiny spot, but it certainly made it build character. However, because they have done so well with how delicious their food is, they had to upgrade.

I am quite a foodie and I'm very snobby and picky when it comes to eating delicious food. I have gone up the east coast. I have traveled out to California, Florida to try pho soup. Without a doubt I don't have to think twice. This is the restaurant that you'll get the best pho soup ever.

If you're ever feeling blue or down in the dumps, you're missing home perhaps or you need something for filling in your soul, not just your tummy, then I would highly recommend going to Pho Dang, and that's just for the broth.

This restaurant has turned into quite a legend among college students. They will come here when they are sick to be able to get just a broth so that way they can get healthier and feel better.

Now on to the topic of how delicious is food is. It is exceptional. Doesn't take much time for it to come out and the service is pretty easy going as if you're coming into their home and they're ready to feed you what mom just made onto the table. It has that mom and pop feel it's wonderful. I love it.

The atmosphere is very welcoming. The cleanliness and the restaurant is very nice in my eyes and in my tummy and in my pallet I give it five stars. I certainly would recommend it to my family and friends cuz I do.

I truly believe there is a sliver of world peace, when you put their food in your mouth. It is definitely a...

Drove an hour to eat here again today 11-8-21. Delicious, I had the Pho Tai (pho with rare beef) and the egg rolls. Fantastic food. Excellent service, they were quite busy and the one young lady serving everyone was very attentive and quick, while not making the patrons feel rushed. Excellent service and excellent food, will drive the hour from Middlebury to eat here again.

Visited here again on 10-5-21, really excellent service, delicious food, absolutely 5 stars. A few constructive comments for the owner: the brown plastic cups you serve water in, and the large bottle of sauce you leave on the tables out front where I sat, are both odd and seem out of place. The dishes you served looked like a fancy, high-dining, luxury experience, where those two items look like something you'd see at a cheap chain restaurant or some hole-in-the-wall place. If you removed them and put the sauce in some fancier container, and served the water in a nicer cup, the whole experience would feel a little more high-brow. Additionally, while the interior of the restaurant was beautiful and clean, and the table and dishes were also beautiful and clean, the concrete floor under the outdoor tables looked like it could use a good scrub with a brush and bucket of sudsy water. Photos of these details are included in the review. Please know that I am a very happy customer! I think you could easily charge double what you do, the prices are too low for the quality of the food. But to attract the customers willing to pay that higher price, you would need to "make beautiful" all the tiniest details, like the ones...