Thao Ngoc Restaurant

I love the food here. I know they switched to new management but their scallion and garlic crab is delicious along with the lobster! Must try!

Only good if you speak vietnamese, had fish sauce chicken wings here before and they were great with my viet friend, went back there and ordered 2 orders again (speaking english) and they gave me basically bones and fish sauce (they cut the meat part out of the chicken wings! Very messed up. If you dont speak vietnamese, dont bother coming here as they will serve you crap food. I attached a picture of the «chicken wings» with the meat part cut out, leaving only the end pieces

The food was good, however the environment on Friday night is too much!!! I meant many people talking out loud.
The chopsticks weren’t clean, so i used the disposable one!

OVERPRICED AND DIRTY sums it up! I came here with a few friends for a late lunch. The place was empty except for 1 more table. Service was slow and they messed up our orders. We ordered the baked catfish but parts of it near the bone was uncooked. The plastic holder where they put the water and the rice wrapper was so dirty I didn’t even want to eat. It was laced with sauce and there were things INSIDE the water compartment. We asked for them to switch it but they just brought it back and wiped it off. We also ordered the chili wings and they recommended that we should have the wings cut in half so it soaks up more of the flavor. When it came out they said they forgot to cut it. Nothing special it was just deep fried wings with super salty sauce poured on top. Basically the food was poorly made and cleanliness was clearly an issue. I’ve had better food at the vietnamese places nearby. This place also overcharged us at least $ 20 for the fish. Usually a fish of that size is about $ 50 – 60 but they charged $ 80.

Average Vietnamese restaurant but they had banh khot. I haven’t found another restaurant that had that dish. We were in search of this dish and stumbled upon this place. It’s the average Vietnamese cuisine. The food was good but if they didn’t have banh khot I probably would not have travelled far. I live in the Lowell area and there are plenty of Vietnamese restaurants around.

This is the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant I have been to in Boston.
You can tell by the extensive menu of traditional dishes, many not found at other restaurants. This has been my go-​to destination for my Vietnamese cravings. Below are the dishes that I have personally tried and recommend:
Hu Tieu Mi Kho
Mi Vit Tiem
Banh Khot
Banh Canh Cua
Banh Hoi
Bun Rieu
Goi Oc
My only word of caution is that the staff’s English speaking skills are not the best, so you may need to pull up pictures to be sure you get exactly what you want. The menu only lists the food, no pictures.

I must say that I absolutely enjoyed the deep fried flounder with soy sauce and that was the end of my enjoyment. My party and I ordered the phở noodle soup, the deep fried flounder, and the house special fried rice, and our meal was accompanied with complimentary tea. Like I said in the beginning the flounder was great, it tasted like authentic Vietnamese fish. The house rice lacked seasoning and flavor and came to the table cold and the tea was lukewarm. The phở soup was awful!!! The broth tasted like old dirty pot water with sour meat. When we immediately asked to have it removed from the bill she smiled and said okay. Of course when we received the check the phở soup was still on the bill, and she had the audacity to say to me «take home with you, I can’t take it off the check» *dumbfounded look*. If I didn’t eat it in your restaurant, why would I bring it home? After receiving the wrong change and an ignorant attitude, I have vowed to never return to this restaurant again!

My mom and I came into this restaurant a few months ago when it just opened. It had wonderful staff just a bit things need to be changed. I ordered a mi xiao yong, only to be surprised that the noodles were raw. Dissapointed but they took it off my bill. This place is pretty small for a restaurant and I’m a claustrophobic, so I wouldn’t come here as often.

This is one of my favorite places. I am rating this place based on their ca kho to. That’s all I ever order here and I love it. Definitely give it a shot if you come here.

Food here either tastes like burnt wood or dirty wster. came here once, and never coming back.

«I don’t care»
«I am not sure what the people on Unilocal are talking about»
Those are the only phrases my mind wanted to compute when I went here for dinner earlier. I have had PLENTY of Vietnamese food in my life and this is HIGH on the list of disappointments. Let’s begin with the glass of water that they brought me… it tasted like it had been run through a dirty beer tap. My roomie ordered a coconut shake and was told there were out of that and all they had was avocado. Apparently they have a mango tree in the kitchen because he came back a few minutes later to tell her they were out of avocado and they had mango.
I ordered fresh rolls and the sweet and spicy chicken wings for an appetizer. and roomie got the egg rolls. Nothing was too impressive. Sure, they were edible, but no more than any other place I have ever randomly stepped into. I hate when I am not given peanut sauce with my fresh rolls and I get hoisin, so that put a damper on my mood as well.
I ordered the duck noodle soup with bamboo for my entrée. and it would have been okay if I was in the mood to drink warm water that was completely devoid of flavor, but I wasn’t. There was a good amount of duck and it was cooked well, but I am still searching for even the scantest iota of seasoning. Can I get some lemongrass, garlic, onion or something… wtf.
My roomie got the loc lac and I felt so bad I wanted to hug her and sing her a lullaby. It was random chunks of beef in a watered down random sauce that resembled the watery gravy from KFC. That was accompanied by rice and soy sauce that was filled with jalapeño slices. Well there was a good point here, the rice was nice and white and cooked… yep…that is the best compliment she could muster for this travesty.
By this time I was convinced I was in a Vietnamese food Twilight Zone so I was ready to pay and get the hell out of this place. I love how I was told later that the price of my soup had changed and they forgot to tell me when I ordered it. That is fine… I had a great time removing that dollar from the tip I was leaving. As I left the restaurant and almost busted my fat ass on the steps due to the shitty construction on the stairs I silently cried and wished I had headed to Phở Countryside in Quincy like I planned to. NEVER AGAIN!!!

The food recommended by prior Unilocalers was super helpful.
The caramelized catfish was amazing. I’ve had this dish at: e’s and it was overly salty and not as enjoyable, but Thao Ngoc gave the dish a comeback. Being skeptical I wasn’t sure what to expect, but one bite and the flavors just raised my eyebrows. I was like a young fawn discovering the treat to hoping in the quiet just misty meadows. My room-​mate orders (we ended up eating family style by the way) grilled clams. These things were also equally amazing, in fact they had a battle on our table for our attention and affection. The clams ooozed with penutty flavors mixed with scallions and their oniony flavors slithering on my tongue. While the sinister caramelized catfish bold and spiky flavors took hold of my every tongue and all its flavor buds. Definitely a great place to come back to. The waitress was great and very attentive (Yes her smile was amazing as well). If you fear Dorchester because you grew up here, don’t worry (I grew up here as well). Its GREAT worth the drive and whatever you feared is probably gone by now. TONS of changes to the ‘ol hood.

Absolutely the best Vietnamese food I’ve ever had in Boston! Affordable authentic dishes with big portion and amazing service. Try the slow-​cooked duck noodle with herbs or their chicken wings for appetizer. Highly recommended!

I must say it is the best Vietnamese restaurant I have been in the States. unbeatable. I have visited it 4 times in the past 10 days (I am not even living in Dorchester area). Authentic Vietnamese food. Great customer service!

A New Gold Star on Red Dot Ave.
Thao Ngoc is a full-​service new comer to Dot Ave, where a vibrant community of Vietnamese shops and people live in Boston. Although no reviews or internet threads have started, it has been in business for almost six months. I spotted it driving after completing a banh mi run of Ba Le, Chau Bakery, and Kingdo Baguette. It felt interesting, so I took one of the three roughly surfaced askew parking spaces on the side and parked next to a car in disrepair, supposedly undergoing maintenance from the car repair shop next door. The house in which is occupies has been refurbished for restaurant use, and although the crowd had a strictly Viet only feel, I felt comfortable enough to walk in, scan the menu and then take a seat.
The menu bills itself as Vietnamese and Chinese but it is written in Viet and English. I would say it is Vietnamese with some Chinese influences. Actually, some Thai influence and Chinese but they are both limited to a few noodles entrees. The very extensive menu covers a huge range from Goi, Hai San, Com Dia, Bun, Chao, Banh Canh, Phở, Hu Tieu, Cac Mon Lau, various entrees and even Com Gia Dinh, like the famous Ca Kho To, or caramelized catfish casserole. For the adventurous, Dac Biet like grilled goat or wild boar plus specials (only written in Viet) round this very long menu. A notable missing specialty is Bo 7 Mon, or Seven Course Beef, but surely this flexible establishment could accommodate on advance notice.
The service was excellent, bit of a language barrier but the manager came out to help me decide on two dishes I felt I had room for. I decide to go full-​throttle on the kitchen’s ability, skipping past expected dishes to the seafood entrees (Håi Sån), which was noticeably longer than all the meat entrees menu items combined. Seafood is also foremost in the menu’s mains. So, although it’s not stated, definitely a seafood focus, which sets Thao Ngoc apart from it’s other full-​service contemporaries. After a very friendly and involved conversation, I decided on Ngheu Nong Mo Hanh, or Grilled Littleneck Clams with Scallion & Peanuts for $ 12.95. I was floored when they came out. 13 large juicy Littlenecks nicely plated, perfectly roasted and garnished at a level you’d expect from a medium-​priced western restaurant. The scallion and peanuts were a delightful mix, so novel compared to mignonettes, even if it is probably pretty common in Vietnam. The provided nuoc nam (fish sauce) was a mix that was cut back on acidity and strength, slightly boosted by finely julienned chilis and a touch of sweetness. A lovely balance of flavor in the nuoc nam alone speaks well for a kitchen. I could not believe my fortune and the price, less than a dollar each. The texture of the clams was spot on, not cooked through but heated enough to accentuate and complement the brine flavors. The last warm sip of clam juice from the shell was savored and memorable.
I was regaining appetite much like I do after oysters so I wanted to push it. I am rarely in Dorchester so three banh mis and one entrée wasn’t going to stop me. More consulting with the manager who is by now throughly enjoying the spectacle of me photographing and making faces as I make mental notes. We decide on another grilled dish, this time squid off the specials board. Again perfect texture, with the right bite and just roasted aromas pleasantly wafting through. Served on a bed of watercress, which is common in Vietnam, and yet another variation of Nuoc Nam, I was really full but ate all of it with the rice provided.
I highly recommend the seafood here and the Dac Biet grilled meats look very promising. The standard dishes, or even uncommon ones like caramelized catfish, well, the store-​provided pics look good enough to eat. There is definitely a skill level in the kitchen that is not run of the mill, and while it does all the basics, it’s capable of more and there are enough interesting and specially prepared items for repeat visits for lovers of Vietnamese food searching for something new. The best find in Asian food since Thai North in Brighton.
Finally they offer food to go from 6:30AM to 11:00AM for the local hard working Vietnamese community.