Dao Son Noodle House

Please, come back. Please.
Tao just isn’t the same. I could go there everyday, but for some reason nothing compares to Dao Son. It’s kind of odd because they are owned by the same place, but even so… To this day I think of my past Dao Son experience and miss it so.

Last Wednesday was our last visit to Dao Son sorry to say.
I have enjoyed «Hot Chef» for 10 years and have watched this family run business go from really good to very lack luster.
NOTICE: They are closing in June.
According to T its a business decision based on rent, plus they are more focused on their lovely new place Tao over on Adams ave. You can still find many of the same dishes they served here over at Tao.
It was a good run — but «the times they are a changing»
Wishing Eric and his crew all the best.

I visited this place so much, I wish I had one in my home town.
This place set the standard for what a fried spring roll should be, I always get them no matter what and they never fail to be the highlight of my day.
I usually order ginger fried tofu or tofu and eggplant, but I’ve tried many things on their menu and everything is always tasty and expansive; one definitely gets their money’s worth.
The place itself looks a bit down but honestly, once you receive your food none of it matters because the food is so yummy and flavorful.
Definitely give this place a try.
And P. S. Thomas is hilarious.

So, I’m not sure why it took me so long to go here, but I finally made it! Actually, Ruggy’s review made me wanna go! I have heard lots of good things about this place for a while, but his review gave me an extra push!
The hubs and I wanted to have a «date» and were looking for somewhere new to go. When I mentioned Dao Son, he was in. We were pleased with all of the menu options, especially veggie ones for me! I got the lemongrass and garlic tofu. I didn’t realize that Tao was the sister restaurant to Dao Son. I could tell that the tofu was just as amazing though;) The only thing I wished, was that my dish had a few veggies in it too. The flavor was good and it was hot! I love spicy, but being 9 months pregnant, I toned it down a little. I dropped it a notch to 7, instead of my usual 8 and it was still pretty spicy! I don’t want to induce labor, so that was a good call.
I was pleased that I could get brown rice with my dish, as I am trying to be more healthy… although I had peanut M & M’s after dinner. The portions were a good size. If I hadn’t been so hungry, I would have had leftovers! The salad rolls looked delicious, but I figured I shouldn’t eat too much. They were a good size too, so I would have been overindulging.
The prices were right on! It only cost us 17.00 for our dinner! I couldn’t believe it! The place is not fancy, by any means. Those are the best kinds though. There were only a handful of people in there and one table complained of the spiciness. I think one of the kids had a friend eating with them and the man was concerned because the little white boy could not handle the heat! My husband thought he was talking about him! Haha!
All in all, it was an awesome meal. The waiter was very spunky and all over the place. I felt like I was in some weird 80’s movie while I was there. Check out Dao Son if you want a good meal at a good price. You will leave with a full belly!

This is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in San Diego. It’s different than most phở depots though in that they have a really wide and wonderful suggestions of entrees like lemongrass chicken, red pot chicken and much more.
The décor is completely unpretentious. One might even call it underwhelming but like so many great ethnic food restaurants, who really cares? If you’re really worried about the décor, this restaurant probably isn’t for you.
While the soft rock music plays, you can order any of the delicious entrees or appetizers available on the 4 page menu. Some highlights:
Salad Rolls – so huge and gorgeous; they could be a meal unto themselves if you’re feeling a light meal.
Lemongrass chicken/​pork – a delicious spicy red sauce.
Red Chicken – also delicious.
The place is really amazing and most importantly, DIRT CHEAP. You can get away for $ 30 for 4 people. Wow.

Growing up in a very Vietnamese household made me accustomed to eating lots of tasty weird stuff. Initially, i was baffled at the wrinkled noses and groans of, «What’s that smell?» when I’d bring garlic shrimp ground beef sandwiches for 3^rd grade lunch, and i couldn’t understand why no one wanted my shrimp chips. I always brought extra.
Nowadays, I realize that not everyone has the same taste palate and that getting many of my gringo friends to try authentic Vietnamese cuisine requires an initial excursion to a NON-​authentic Vietnamese food place. This place would be Dao Son.
I had theHot and Sour soup, which was a steamy hot mess. The broth was too sweet, like someone had dumped in one too many cans of crushed pineapple, yet they forgot to add enough tamarind. The biggest tragedy of all, was the lack of fish heads in my bowl. Yes bitches, there were no friggin FISH HEADS (insert sad face). The only good points were its large portion and it had just the right amounts of spiciness, bean sprouts, and basil.
I had low expectations for this place (as with many Vietnamese restaurants) since I’ve been disappointed by many. i’ve grown up eating these dishes and I know exactly how they should taste, and although some variation is desirable, it becomes unacceptable when key ingredients are left out completely.
So yeah, give it a try. Just know that it’s not authentic, and is better known as a (con)fusion place.

Dao Son is my favorite place to eat in SD. I always get the tasty red chicken because it is awesome. I usually go with a heat level of 10, but be careful because they call Eric The Hot Chef for a reason. If you don’t like spicy food I recommend the lemongrass shrimp and spring rolls.
The prices are usually 6 to 8 dollars per entrée item and you will receive a lot of food for your money.

After reading the great reviews, I decided to try it out one night with my friend for dinner. The restaurant is dark, with random chairs and tables and cleanliness is tolerable if you’re okay with a little dinginess. I tried the tasty red chicken and she had the catfish with eggplant.
We did not like either dish. They were over-​seasoned and we had to order more rice to dilute the saltiness of the food just so we could come close to finishing it. The chicken tasted frozen, something that was not covered up by the strong red sauce the chicken was cooked in.
The service was good, but then again the restaurant was almost empty when we were there so the waiter was able to be more than attentive.
Overall, a rather disappointing experience. In my personal experience, if an Asian restaurant’s menu comes in only English, I cannot expect much from the meal. After all, if the menu is not in Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean, that means those who appreciate the food most are not visiting this restaurant for obvious reasons. I acknowledge that this restaurant IS a fusion restaurant but I’ve been to fusion restaurants with a multilingual menu and they are usually good.

Anybody looking for exceptional service needs to go elsewhere. Yes, it’s lacking when compared to Western standards, but you have to keep in mind this a family-​owned and ran restaurant. Which explains Eric’s (the Hot Chef) kids running around the dining room. And only one server that is also the food runner, the cashier and sometimes the busser.
Ever wonder why the prices are so affordable? They are able to keep the overhead low, that’s how. I’m not trying to make excuses for the lack of service, but when you have to look at the whole picture and the priorities of such an establishment. If I was paying $ 40 for a meal, then yes, I would have rated this lower. But tell me where else you can get a great dinner for $ 7, add $ 5 for a large Sapporo. You want to beat that kind of deal, you have to goto a third world country, minus the hepatitis.
I look like at it like going to a friend’s house for a dinner. To speed up the service, I grab my own menus as soon as walk in the door and I am READY to order when the server arrives. Don’t dick around and act like this is «Face The Nation», asking him 20 questions. The menu isn’t complicated and is self explanatory. So hurry up, there’s people waiting…

I heart Dao Son. I used to live a block away on Meade, but I get to pull even more cred and say I ate at Dao Son back when they were over on Park (where Gulf Grill is now).
My fave dishes: roasted sliced pork (served with rice), lemon grass chicken (spicy!), salad rolls, chow fun, clay pot chicken. For noodle/​soup, I usually ask Eric to start with one of the chicken udon or ramen soups and pile on a ton of extra veggies and throw on some egg and sliced fish paste stuff. Like many family restaurants, they’ll make oders custom if it’s basically similar to something they have on menu. Make sure to try some things off the backside of the menu, where they have the house specials. Most are delicious.
I think I’ve tried most of the stuff on the menu, although I saw a few new things last time that I’d like to order next time I’m there.
It’s a super casual interior, feels like a hole in the wall, but the friendliness and food is what keeps people like me coming back. It’s a perfect gathering place for a group of friends — the portions are huge and everyone can share. Eric and Thomas («T») freakishly remember nearly everyone who comes in, and often by first name.

I’ve had this in my «Places to Try» bookmarked folder for awhile, and since it was a Friday (no meat!), I decided to give this place a try with my bf.
First warning, parking sucks.
The place is a good sized restaurant, seems like there’s just one server (the one everyone mentioned) serving the whole place. Upon another reviewer’s recommendation, I ended up getting the garlic tofu, and my bf got some kind of pan fried egg noodle thing. I asked for the garlic tofu (not on the menu, there’s garlic chicken or garlic fish — but they will accommodate anything and substitute tofu instead), and he was like, «What fu?! ok, fu!» get it? yeah. and he was calling me «foo/​fu» for the rest of the night. I guess he was trying to be sassy/​funny, but it was whatevers to me.
I chose for the tofu to be fried, and chose an 8 for the spicy rating (on a scale from 1 – 10). the 8 was just right (i love spicy), the fried tofu came in a dark, spicy sauce. i’m not sure how to describe the sauce, but it wasn’t nasty or delicious. it was just «ok.» i was disappointed though, because i didn’t taste much garlic in it… however, after eating about 7 cubes of tofu, i started to feel sick. the batter was just.soo.fried…and oily. and not in the good way either. =(My bf’s egg noodle was pretty good, i liked the sauce they made for it, it was a sweet sauce!
With only one server here, the service was not that great… joking with me does not make up for the lack of service, sorry. We were waving our arms and saying «excuse me,» many times before my bf finally just walked up to the server and asked for some chili sauce. If you’re the only server in a place, please me more attentive, not so oblivious.
Over all, decent prices (meals ranged from $ 5 — 10) for a good portion of food, service a bit slow, food is «A-​ok,» if you choose the right dish.

The first time I came here, I thought I was dying.
Since my health insurance hadn’t kicked in yet, I decided the next best thing to prescription antibiotics was chicken soup, so I went in and ordered phở ga (or chicken phở). I couldn’t find parking, so I parked illegally next door.
After I sneezed on the waiter, I explained that I was very sick and needed chicken soup like a pregnant teen needs an abortion. He nodded and told me to wait in my car and he would take my take out soup out to me. (say that 3x fast)
7 minutes later, there was a knock on my window, and I drove the block and a half home.
6 months later, I’m still alive and full of life, thanks to Dao Son.
I came here a second time, this time to sit down and eat. I ordered the ginger chicken over white rice. it was amazing. I couldn’t stop smiling. Extra strength isopropyl alcohol couldn’t have wiped the stupid grin from my face.
I really should take advantage of the fact that my apt is a hop skip and jump away from this fantastic eatery. I will make it a personal commitment to eventually try everything on their menu.

I have to give this place props. On a busy Friday night, the staff of 4 was able to handle a completely packed house and pull it off without having anyone complain.
The chef was cooking by himself ! No helpers, just him. You can see him doing his thing and he wasnt even rushing. You could tell that he was going at his own pace and the food came out in a timely fashion.
The only thing that bugged me was the busser. I kept on having to move whenever he came around with his cart.

«Hello! Sit wherever you would like.»
Astrid and I go to take a seat in the corner so we can watch the customers– c’mon, it’s half the fun of going out isn’t it?
«Oh, no not there!»
I turn to confirm that the server actually didn’t want us to sit at the table we were about to perch at. He’s got a huge grin on his face. I like him already.
We sit down and peruse the menu which is full of noodly goodness. Soba noodles, egg noodles, rice vermicelli noodles, udon noodles, thin noodles, thick noodles… you get the picture. I’m a Pastafarian, I’ve accepted the Flying Spaghetti Monster as my personal Lord and Savior.
So naturally, noodles are Heaven for me.
Astrid asks the server if they have hot tea. Completely straight-​faced, he says «no, we don’t serve tea here.» Then the grin again… This guy is classic! In between getting us tea he’s talking to people coming in the door and speaking Spanish to a three top across the room. An Asian guy speaking Spanish? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? He knows everyone on a first name basis as does the owner/​cook. It’s a real local, family type place. People coming in, saying hello, and sitting down to eat. It just felt nice.
We ordered Eric’s Special Chow Mein with Mixed Vegetable and Mixed Meats– extra spicy, a bowl of Curry Soba Soup and Fried Pork Spring Rolls. We watched in the kitchen as everything was being made fresh as it was ordered.
The rolls came out garnished with lettuce, mint and cilantro leaves to wrap them. A good supply of Nuoc Nam sauce was provided for dipping. The rolls were MOLTEN inside, but extremely fresh and excellent tasting once the burning sensation went away. Our entrees came next, a steaming bowl of curry soup for Astrid and the Chow Mein for me. The Chow Mein was excellent! Incredibly spicy with fresh veggies and tender chunks of meat. The fine noodles complemented the spiciness perfectly. Astrid’s soup was good, but seemed to be missing something.
We’ll try Dao Son again soon, but for now, I’m a fan!

I’ve eaten here several times now, and have never had anything less than a great experience! I ate here last night, and I am already craving it again. Good thing the servings were big enough to provide me with leftovers for lunch today.
Atmosphere — very casual, and though it wouldn’t be classified as a «nice» place, it is clean enough, and makes you feel comfortable.
The menu has a ton of options. Last night I chose the stir fried curry rice noodles, and substituted tofu for meat; my bf chose the Udon noodles, also with tofu.
Like everyone says, the tofu salad is amazing. My bf and i were each going to get one as an appetizer, but the little Asian guy everyone talks about told us that we would be sorry… that it is big enough to split. He was right. Gigantic plate (size wise, think Hash House) filled with stir fried vegetables, tofu, and just the right amount of flavorful sauce. Another appetizer to try — the salad rolls! They are delicious, and HUGE, and could almost be classified as a burrito. I have never seen an Asian roll of any type like these.
Anyway, ten minutes later, as we finished up the salad, halfway through our beer and sake, two heaping plates of noodles came out.
If you think of cutting a football in half, length ways, you will have an accurate image of how big the heaps were on our plates. Maybe a little bigger. If you can eat the whole serving in one sitting — you have a serious problem — either you have the world’s largest stomach, or you are ½ pot belly pig.
More importantly though than quantity, is quality — and everything was great! My rice noodles were perfect — just the right amount of spice and stir fried flavor; perfect texture. Not sure where the curry was… I definitely didn’t taste curry, but I was OK with that. It came with a little bowl of sweet dipping sauce — perfect accent to the noodles and their flavor. My bf’s Udon noodles — also delicious. Nothing was greasy — a big pet peeve of mine when it comes to many Asian places.
For $ 7 here, you can get your dinner, and lunch for the next day. This will definitely be a place i start coming weekly… maybe twice a week. Or three times…

Love this place for 2 of their dishes… Pan Fired Cat Fish w/​Eggplant and the Garlic Fish. First off, I have to say, I am not much of a fish orderer. The only other place I will order fish from on a continuing basis is Flavor Thai’s Siamese Catfish. But back to Dai Son’s offerings.
The Pan Fried Cat Fish w/​Eggplant is just splendid. The spices and eggplant simply melt in your mouth. The garlic fish comes served cut in bite size chunks and are marianated and fried in garlic! Absolutely 2 dishes that will contiinue to haunt your cravings!

This is how much I love their hot pot: I ate here on Tuesday night for dinner and returned the next day for lunch! Oh, it’s all about their «HOT POT». The white rice is cooked in a cast iron pot (like the one they would use for nabeyaki udon) with onions, chicken and mushrooms ($ 6.50+). By the time you’re half way through the dish, the rice becomes charred and the taste is heavenly. I’ve told the short waiter that the cook must put some kind of drug in it because I’m scarfing down the whole plate… including licking the spoon!
Other dishes I tried were:
soba: not like the typical Japanese style. It’s in a big bowl with lettuce, grilled onions and meat
garlic chicken: excellent. Order it on the spicy scale which is comfortable to every individual
curry ramen: just the right amount of spice for my kids to eat. They used the thin egg noodles
This place is very kid friendly and has good food to fill you up with the right value. I’m sorry to hear the bad reviews but give it another try and remember the HOT POT!

This is one of those times when I wish I hadn’t bookmarked a place due to overwhelmingly good reviews. The majority of the time, whenever we’ve gone to San Diego, Unilocal has steered us pretty much in the right direction. I guess, all good things must come to an end so to speak.
The parking situation first of all is worse than sucky especially at dinner time. People have all come home from work and thus, the spots have been taken by all the residents who live in the area. We circled a few times around the block and finally found something pretty close by.
We get to the restaurant and there weren’t many people inside. The girl told us to sit anywhere and we did. After perusing the huge menu items I was surprised that they had a little of everything, except Korean. There were Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese offerings… we decided on the salad rolls which are similar to Vietnamese summer rolls, a tofu salad, chashu ramen and a tempura soba.
The food took quite a long time to arrive although there weren’t many customers. On the TV screen was a bull fight and the bull fighter was hurt and he was getting surgery. One of the other diners loudly exclaimed to the server «could you please change the station? that’s so unappetizing while we’re trying to eat don’t you think?» OH TOTALLY! We got the football game instead.
Salad rolls with shrimp: Poorly rolled up. One of the rolls had already split open. Skimpy portions of shrimp. The hoisin dipping sauce was pretty good and even better with the chili sauce.
Tofu Salad: This was probably the best tofu salad I’ve ever had in my life, although there was only a few strips of tofu. What made it great was that it combined raw veggies with stir fried veggies and the heat from the cooked veggies wilted the raw veggies a bit. For some reason it just works.
Tempura soba: Arrived in a nabeyaki pot. Broth was tasteless, like water. The soba was over cooked. Tempura was dark brown and definitely tasted like it had been fried and refried again (maybe and again?).
Chashu ramen: Interesting. It wasn’t ramen, but Vietnamese mi. Chashu wasn’t Japanese style chashu but Viet/​Chinese style cha siu. There was nori as well as a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. The broth was light, not all flavorless, but I was just thrown off by the mix of Viet/​Chinese and Japanese. It was neither here nor there.
I think if we hadn’t ordered the tofu salad, I would’ve given them 0 stars. Everyone ended up fighting to eat the tofu salad. The rest was reluctantly eaten, though not finished.
Service was okay. This isn’t a place I would ever return again. If you do go to Dao Son, just eat the tofu salad.

Been a fan for years.
Dao son cooks a hundred different varieties of my favorite food. Noodles! From the vermicelli, Eric’s chow mein, chowfun, to yakisoba, they do it all and they do it all well.
Got take out last night, and they had run out of chow fun noodles, hot chef eric himself ran out to apologize and proposed a couple of alternatives, and within another minute he had cooked up another dish, which in my opinion may have been even better than the chowfun I’d ordered.
Oh! Be sure to get the crispy vegetarian spring rolls. Mind meltingly good. I’ve never tried the meaty ones because I’m afraid they just wouldn’t be as good. It’s like a hot crispy delicious piece of heaven melting in your mouth.

I live exactly 1 block from Dao Son, and I’m stoked! It’s perfect for a quick dinner when I’m just too damn lazy to make anything myself.
If you’re a fan of spring rolls, you will LOVE their salad rolls. They are pretty much a meal in and of themselves and they taste extremely fresh. You get two HUGE rolls packed with cilantro, bamboo shoots, lettuce and your choice of tofu, chicken or shrimp. Seriously, they’re as big as a baby’s arm. Only knock is the fresh mint wrap can be a little chewy, so sharpen ‘dem teef! The peanut sauce is great as well.
The noodles are always spot on as well. I’m a fan of the «Chow Fun» with tofu. You’ll definitely have leftovers… unless your stomach resembles the Grand Canyon. Watch out for the heat though! I asked for a level 5 (ranges from 1 – 10) and I nearly incinerated my lips. In fact, they still sting a little bit. I was sweating like a pig just trying to finish my dinner! I’m gonna roll a deuce next time around… that fiver was just too intense.
The guy that works the counter with the Blue Tooth ear piece is a real yuckster. He cracks me up. If you’re ordering out, be sure to rap with that dude for a while… you’ll be entertained while your food is being prepped.