DAO Fu

I’ve been traveling through the US for five weeks now and this has BY FAR been the best restaurant I’ve eaten at. It already starts with complimentary salad, lots of water and a huge variety of vegetarian option. The food was amazing, portions were big and the overall quality was great. The Tofu here is just a blessing! The complementary (and very delicious) ice cream rounded-off things perfectly. I would 10/10 recommend this restaurant to absolutely everyone. Don’t forget to bring your tip money - they sure deserve it!

I would love to give more than 5 stars if possible. They were soooo nice & attentive service. Salad+ tofu appetizer and a little dessert are included in your entree. So delicious! All vegetarian options. So tasty, you don’t miss the “real” meat. Only negative: street parking that isn’t the easiest to get sometimes.

A little too pricey for take-out, but the portions are huge and the dine-in experience is great. Staff and owner are very kind and skillful. The complimentary salad and dessert for dine-in are quite good (especially the house made tofu!!), food is great and most items very healthy

One of those spots you know all the food is gonna be good. So tasty! Their house sauce is SO good. Went with eating inside bc you get complimentary salad w/ tofu and ice cream. Had a shrimp salad roll & Eric stir fry.

My new favorite restaurant in Normal Heights! The portions are GIANT, enough for one entree to share between two or multiple people. Don't get me started on the delicious free starter salad and ice cream. I can't wait to try the ramen here, the Vietnamese dishes are so flavorful. Also if I remember correctly the whole other side of their menu was dedicated to vegan and veg dishes.

Best restaurant I’ve eaten at in my entire trip. I ordered the lobster tail tonkatsu ramen. It tasted amazing and I especially like the fried lobster tail in the ramen. The Thai tea was also pretty good, it was noticeably fresher and I like the texture of the boba. For desert I had green tea ice cream which tasted great, was very well presented, and free. I also liked how the restaurant was decorated well throughout along with the soft lighting. My waiter, Maggie, was extremely friendly, attentive, and pleasant. I highly recommend this place if you’re looking for Asian food in San Diego!

Have loved everything we’ve gotten here. The service is so so great and the best part is the complimentary tofu salad and the complimentary ice cream Also a ton of great vegan options

Giving an honest review, I wanted to love DAO Fu and I hoped it would become my new vegetarian spot. I wasn't as impressed as I had hoped. I read the great reviews and saw the food pictures. It just didn't hit the spot for me. The menu is half vegetarian and half non vegetarian. Vietnamese/Japanese fusion. The server was awesome, he was very friendly and had jokes. He offered us a complimentary appetizer of the homemade tofu and salad. The tofu was really good! I wasn't a fan of the dressing so much. I started with a miso soup. It was loaded with tofu and veggies. I actually enjoyed the soup. I decided to order the tofu vermicelli noodles. Since this is Vietnamese/Japanese fusion spot I thought it would be similar to what I'm using ordering. It had more sauce than I expected but it was okay. The tofu was fried and had this odd glazed skin on it. The sauce was a mix of the pink vinaigrette of the salad and another sweet soy sauce. I would have enjoyed the dish better without the sauces it was a little too sweet not as savory as I hoped for. Portion sizes are huge here the two plates we had barely fit the table. My husband had their vegetarian pad Thai. That was pretty good, it was heavy on the sweet sauce as well. We ended with complimentary mint chip ice cream with some fruit. Overall the experience was very good, the staff was nice. The restaurant is clean. The food was okay for me.

This spot is a not-so-hidden gem and the food is always so yummy! The owners are especially friendly too :'). My faves: - fried tofu - katsu curry - tofu salad that they always provide each table - tonkotsu ramen (don't remember the exact name but my friends always get this and I usually take some from their bowl) Wish it wasn't as far from my house but maybe it's also a good thing or else I'd be there weekly. I'll be back!

Garlic chicken 8/10 Didn't love the veggies but I was very happy with the chicken! Kasagaki champon 8/10 nicely seasoned except the chicken but the clams were delectable veggies not top tier Lily flower asparagus and oyster mushroom 7.5/10 pretty good variety and big serving size very vegan friendly menu Lobster tail 7/10 Liked the broth but the ramen is just alright nothing new but not bad and egg was a little more runny than standard ramen and the lobster shell on the lobster was challenging to eat but overall good. Service was kind even though we stayed close to closing. And it was nice lighting and in cute area!

so homey!! everything tasted amazing and it comes w HUGEEE portions. server is so friendly, she was serving every single table which is so impressive. wish the mi xao was in less sauce!! 7/10 gyoza - bombbb spicy beef ramen - not as spicy as expected but so delicious 9/10 garlic chicken - sooo good the sauce w the rice is amazing

7/12/25 - had reservations at 5:45. Lots of options for vegan to meat eaters. Ordered eggplant and a mango chicken. Piping hot temperature wise and fantastic. Had an appetizer as well which was very good. Spice they ask from 0-10. We did 1s. 5 stars. Cash you save like 2-3%. We got robbed a few for a Credit card. They passed it on to consumer which I didn't like. 4 stars. Would have been 5 but the charged us for use of a credit card. No one uses cash anymore. Cmon.

Our server was so nice and full of joy which made our experience exponentially better. They have a very diverse menu with a lot of options which can be overwhelming for someone who is decisive but great if you're in a big group and dining family style which we did. I really appreciated all the tofu options and the free tofu salad appetizer. All the food was delicious and we enjoyed the garlic chicken, Hainanese hot pot with swai, Thai stir fry with beef, fried tofu appetizer, chicken wings and lily flower dish. The wonton soup was ok, probably wouldn't order it again. They also offer complimentary ice cream for dessert. What a deal! Great spot for Chinese food with a lot of vegetarian options especially if like you mushrooms and tofu.

Dao Fu deserves 10+ stars. Its hosted mainly by this sweet lady that can literally manage 7 tables all by herself. Barely any wait for the food. They may have a wait to get a table but I'm telling you it's so worth it. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu, they start you off with a complimentary tofu salad drizzled with delicious beet dressing. Soo fresh. We decided to try the spring rolls, which is a must! So fresh and such quality ingredients. Then we enjoyed a tonekatsu ramen and the chicken hot rice bowl. At the end they gave us a complimentary ice cream which was to die for. I highly recommend this place. You won't be disappointed.

Was in normal heights area and saw that this place was at the top of the list for restaurants! I do see why the reviews are ranking the way it is! Complimentary salad and dessert?! Wow love that! The food was flavorful! It was so yummy and visually pleasing. The soupiness of the noodles was unlike other noodle places, but as it sits in the sauce the flavors marinate more and more into the noodles, veggies, and protein! The restaurant is fairly small with only 12 tables. I like seeing the stuff written all over the walls, it's something to look at and admire while dining. Overall, place is fairly clean and quick in service. There is lots of business with orders as you can see many people coming inside to pick up orders. Normal heights is such a fun area to people watch, good location with lots of business. The server on 2/8/25 was funny and nice. He made conversation with all customers at the tables and knows the menu really well. All the food was yummy. However at the top I would say that I highly recommend trying the ramen!!! It would be the 9/10, and think if the broth was a little more deep and/or rich it would've been a home run. I would definitely come again.

This place is absolute fire I had a bowl of ramen for lunch one day. It's easy to miss if you're just walking on the street, and the inside is a little weird with all the writing and doodles which give it an edgy vibe. But my waitress was so sweet & the lunch prices were pretty amazing for the value. I also had a Vietnamese iced tea which was so good. Definitely filling!

We were going to go to a comedy show next door and decided to eat here ahead of time. The place is family owned with the husband as the chef and the wife acting as the hostess and waiting on tables. She offered us complimentary tofu salad to start which was a nice way to start off. We tried the Indonesian fried rice dish and some Vietnamese egg rolls. Both were very tasty. Would come again!

I didn't get to take a photo, but I absolutely loved this restaurant. We went for a birthday celebration with friends. The owner is so sweet. I ordered the family dish rice pot with Shrimp, spice level 7. It was perfect! It looks big, & I thought I wouldn't be able to finish the dish, however, it was so delicious till the last bite. I am excited to come back and try more things. I love that they give you an appetizer salad/tofu when you sit down. So hospitable!

First of all, my hometown is Hong Kong and when I first dined here and was met with the server which spoke Cantonese that is the owner of the restaurant. I felt so familiar and at home to be greeted and treated like family here. I saw the unique menus, and was instantly drawn to the clay pot rice dish. She affirmed that it was a great choice and told me it was her family recipe, and that her husband is the cook! I got mine with fish and it was packed with flavor and the rice at bottom of the pot was turned crispy because the clay pot comes out hot, and if you leave the rice alone and allow it to sit, it becomes crispy! So delicious, 5 out of 5 highly recommend! My friend got the cutlet curry rice dish which I got a taste of which was also delicious!!! My partner got the ramen, and wow!!! the broth was so flavorful and she shared with us that the broth took 18 hours to cook and they make their noodles in house! Parking is a pain, so be prepared for that. I had to park 3 blocks away and walk, but one time I got lucky and had parking right up front! Lunch hour is way more accessible with no wait. Dinner is quite busy and since it's only the wife as server and husband as chef, you may expect a bit of a wait. Totally Worth it though. They make their tofu and soy milk in house, and bring you a tofu salad for free as soon as you get sat! You'll be delighted by the sweet owner and be pleasantly satisfied with the food. Enjoy!!!

My favorite spot for Japanese curry! This is Japanese and Vietnamese fusion restaurant. They also have a good amount of vegan and non-voptions. I always order the curry but friends who come here with me and order other dishes always like what they order too. The meals come with complimentary salad and ice cream. There is no parking lot so you have to find street parking. I come here for both lunch and dinner during the week and they are not ever too busy when I go. They are closed on Mondays. The restaurant is fairly small. It has Asian decor and you can write on the walls! I highly recommend if you're in the neighborhood.

This place is amazing!!! The food is excellent and the owners are such a delight!! The atmosphere is quaint and the ability to write on the walls gives our young ones somewhere to show their art talents!

Checked out Dao Fu on a Friday night and the place was packed. There was only one server working the whole floor, but she was hustling and doing her best to keep up. The ambiance is dimly lit and cozy, and we didn't have too much trouble finding parking nearby. We started with a salad that came with what seemed like a beet and ginger dressing. It was tangy and bright, though I'm not a huge fan of ginger. The marinated tofu on the side was a nice surprise and really tasty. I ordered the scallop spicy ramen. The scallops were an interesting addition and worked surprisingly well, though I could've done without the tomato bits. I did enjoy the fried garlic and onion toppings. It came with all the usual ramen fixings like a marinated egg, bamboo shoots, green onion, and seaweed. To end the meal, we were served ice cream. I had the pineapple coconut with fruit syrup, and it was a great way to finish off my meal.

Service was very welcoming and accommodating. My son have chicken, dairy and egg allergies so they provided suggestions on what he could have. Both my sons loved their homemade Tofu! Their special rice in the pot was saucy and comforting. Pho was a bit on the lighter side.

Delicious! I ordered the Eggplant Tofu. The service was friendly, and the atmosphere was ideal for gathering with loved ones. I met my friends here for a quick lunch. They even serve free ice cream for dessert. Plan ahead when looking for parking, as only street parking is available.

Dao Fu has an extremely extensive menu of Japanese and Vietnamese food with a whole back side of the menu catered to vegan dishes is what brought my attention to dining here. My diet is temporarily vegetarian and this place exceeded my expectations with the taste of their dishes the and humorous server that brightened our mood for lunch! Their starter includes a side salad with a sweet beet dressing and some of their house organic tofu. Their tofu was warm and soft! The dressing was very sweet for me. Su Ramen (4/5): Served with a thick noodle with a soy sauce based broth. The noodles were on the softer side but still remained silky and chewy. Toppings included mock chicken, zucchini, snap peas, broccoli, carrots, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and scallions. The mock chicken were in small bits so I did not taste much of it. The broth was more of the highlight for me! Thai Drunken Noodle (5/5): The noodles were chewy and tasted pretty authentic to a drunken noodle dish. It wasn't too sweet as they fry it with tamarind sauce and the tofu and vegetables went really well with it! This restaurant has definitely been around for a while as you can see the all the walls are plastered with Sharpie messages all over. I think it gives the restaurant more personality, however, cleanliness could be improved as our cup had lipstick stain on it. I definitely approve their vegan dishes and how extensive it is. So far it is some of the best vegan food I've tried with the most options here in San Diego.

My friend and I came Dao Fu tonight after trying to find a place to eat. I realized I had it saved on my yelp for quite a while, and I hadn't been yet. Let me just say I'm so happy we came here. I had the Japanese Chicken Curry, while my friend had the Lobster Ramen. Both were incredible! We also received a complementary salad and ice cream. The entire restaurant was completely packed, with only one waitress for the entire place. Albeit, it was a small restaurant, but nonetheless, she was amazing and had the best recommendations and provided wonderful service. I will definitely be back and can't wait to try the rest of the menu!

The cutest little quaint spot. Graffiti walls, simple. No over the top decor to distract from mediocre at best dishes. This place is such a hidden gem. Incredible food. I got the Scollop Ramen. The flavor was ALL right. What I mean by that is, entirely correct. Not at all over salted. Perfect balance. I went for lunch right before they close for their lunch. It was empty. Just one other table. My kinda dining. The chef comes over to check on everything(bless his heart). Complimentary salad and dessert. Consider me a regular.

I found DAO fu on Postmates and have exclusively always gotten delivery so can't speak to the restaurant. But I really enjoy their vegetarian dishes which I view as very flavorful, and light. Specific standouts for me include the Haianese Rice Pot, Pho (mock chicken is so yummy), sizzing mushroom, and stuffed eggplant with tofu and peppers (though I think this one has fish too)

Great casual spot. They have a huge vegan menu! I ordered the vegan pad Thai and it was awesome. I thought the prices were very fair. Service is quick.

Our server was hilarious with the dad jokes and welcoming attitude. We came for dinner and were not disappointed! Food and service was great. They have house made soy milk too and prices are reasonable for quality and portions. Favorite dishes: Swai (steamed fish) clay hot pot Fried tempura Garlic chicken Fried tofu I ordered a ramen with Katsu chicken and probably won't order it again. The summer rolls with pork were beautiful presentation wise but too acidic for me. Loved the started salad with seasoned tofu and the ice cream dessert that was complimentary! Street parking off Adams wasn't too bad on a weeknight evening.

A really great spot for both omnivores and vegans! We have dinner here with our friends who live nearby whenever we're in town (hi Deepa!), and it's always a hit for all of us ^_^ my SO is on a medically restricted diet and the spiciness (level 7) hits the spot for him when he can't have much salt. I also got a lvl 7 but for a dish with broth, and I keep forgetting this - it's much spicier in broth than in a dry dish, so FYI! I would probably get it at a level 6 next time. 7 wasn't overwhelmingly spicy, but would probably lower it just a tad for maximum enjoyment xD I think level 7 is a good starting point for spice lovers for dry dishes though! Otherwise maybe start at around a 4. The meal comes with a complimentary salad (with their homemade tofu - delicious!) and ends with a complimentary scoop of ice cream (our choices were green tea or vanilla). TL;DR: Excellent service all around and delicious food :)

I noticed my last review is from 15 years ago so here's an update! Dao Fu is one of my favorite spots. It's a small space so you may have to wait a bit but it's worth it. Everything I've tried on the menu is delicious. I love the complimentary house made tofu salad to start, so good. Try the lobster ramen or the tasty red chicken (my favorite) for an entree. You also get to pick your spice level 1-10. I usually like a 7 but be warned they don't mess around when it comes to spice. They also finish off the meal with a complimentary scoop of ice cream. The prices here are really fair as well.

I have came here a couple times now. Each time we are greeted with friendly faces. At times, there might be a wait as it's small but the food is good. You always receive a complementary salad and a pitcher of water. They have vegetarian options and even some meat dishes. It's cooked to order so your food is always fresh. We have the pad Thai in the drunken noodles.. the place has a cute vibe with writing on the walls, so bring a marker to make your stamp. honestly on Adams Avenue this is probably one of the better places to eat. We will definitely be back.

What a find!! Not only is the tofu home made but so are the noodles. There's nothing like the toothiness of fresh noodles and in my neighborhood!! The veggies are fresh and the sauces right on. I'm going back for sure!!

30Apr2024 Date # 819 Once again the most amazing food has shown up to bring us ethereal happiness. Ice water, chilled & warm beverages, & hot tea followed by A fresh house salad, Katsue Ramen & A Drunken noodles plate the size of a car with beef and we also ordered yummy white rice, tenderly done. The umami of the noodles punctuated by fresh herbs was enough to make you feel the very name of the dish in mouth watering pleasure. For dessert, complimentary ice cream. Umh umh umh.... The service was some of the best recently experienced. The prices are quite reasonable, value enough to offset the neighborhood parking. Please, try it for yourself. I'm glad we did.

Dao Fu is a little neighborhood gem. I dined here once almost seven years ago but never went back for some reason. My friend suggested we go after yoga's fee weeks ago, and I have been back once since, and ordered delivery 4 times. Their made in-house tofu is amazing! So far my favorites are the veggie pad Thai and the citrus tofu with wild brown rice. I haven't had anything I don't like from here. The food is a bit lighter than most restaurants and seems to contain a bit less oil. I highly recommend this spot if you want a fusion of Vietnamese, Thai and ramen, or if you want a lot of vegan/vegetarian options.

Dao fu is one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego! The food is sooo good and the owners are super friendly. I can't wait to eat there again next time I'm in town!

The food was amazing, had the sizzling pot with shrimp, yummy, yummy, free, tofu, salad and free dessert, which was great love the coconut ice cream. The service was wonderful. Can't wait to go back to try their homemade Ramen noodles and their crêpe dish.

I waited 24 hours until I made this post just so that I had time to reflect. But I need to because it's sad the place is delicious and I will never return. I am very happy with all of the food we ordered. That being said, I suggest not looking at the pictures on yelp or any other social media place. Because apparently their menu changes. Which is totally fine but just beware. So we ordered the Katsu chicken and the waitress quickly said with white rice or brown rice my husband said white rice because it was for our son (10y) we ordered other food. We get our food and our sons Katsu chicken came with curry, we meant to order it without the curry and you can order a side of Chicken Katsu for $13 (that's the one we thought we ordered) we said "oh this is not what we ordered, we actually wanted just Katsu chicken" the waitress got visibly upset and said "no that's what you ordered!!!" Then she ran off grabbed a menu and shoved it in my husbands face and pointed to the Katsu Curry. ‍ We were taken back. And I said well regardless can we send it back and just get the chicken without the curry please. And she angrily said " no that's what you ordered"... the person sitting next to us seemed appalled at the way she was talking to us. As were we. I finally had to say look we have our food and we were a party of 5 so we're not about to leave , I said "can we please just get Katsu chicken and rice please, I don't want to write a bad review or never come back here." She laughed and took the plate back with an attitude. Then she had another worker bring out the plate to us which was lovely. He was very professional and even checked on us a few times and gave us ice cream in the end. When she finally did reappear it was with the check. And it was with the price of the Katsu Curry price of $19. My husband gently asked if we can get the price of Katsu Chicken side and she fixed it. At the end of the day I don't see us going back there. So many more delicious places in San Diego to enjoy with lovely service.

Nice visit here at Dao Fu. Wouldn't mind visiting again if I'm in the area. Complimentary tofu salad was a great refreshing way to start the meal. Buffalo Garlic Wings had a good crunch, juiciness, and were meaty. However, I would have like a little more kick. Katsu chicken curry plate was fantastic. A curry sauce that would make a meal out of a pack of #2 pencils. That good. A specialty dish that was recommended is the Hainanese Cast Iron rice pot. It's billed as a secret family dish. As such, I'm going to guess the main ingredient is love. It was tasty and I highly recommend. We got ours with shrimp which were perfectly cooked. The night ended with a complimentary ice cream. The night's flavor was coconut. Never turn down free ice cream. Our server was not much of a talker but did check in frequently. They restaurant is small and intimate, perfect for a date. Decoration is a little bland and as a novelty they allow guests to write on the walls (I did not do this) which I guess is cool.

The restaurant was extremely clean and well-kept! Very inviting workers/ owners. We checked out this restaurant because it was close to our Airbnb and it had good reviews. I was a bit disappointed with the hot and sour soup as it kind of tasted more like tom yum instead of the Vietnamese style. There was only a little bit of fish in it and 90% soup without many other toppings except for some pineapples, bean sprout and onion garnish. Not even a side of rice to go with it. Flavor wise it was good but just not what I anticipated. It was also very spicy so be warned! My favorite dish here was the fried tofu. The texture both inside and out was amazing! It paired well with the sauce. The fried fish dish was not bad but the sauce was too salty. The complimentary salad as an app and complimentary dessert were very nice. Service was great and attentive as well. Perhaps we tried some of the less popular dishes, but I can see the care the owners put into this restaurant.

Hanging out with my coworker and we wanted to find a new lunch spot and we stumbled upon Dao Fu Noodle House. This place is AMAZING and I'll definitely be back!

I don't know why I put this as four stars before. Definitely five stars for the quality to price to vibe ratio.

One of the best meal I had in San Diego. Hainanese chicken is super tasty and in rich flavor. The ramen is among the tier-1 ramens in San Diego. The waiter is enthusiastic and kind, offering free vegetables, tofu, and ice cream! The restaurant is well-decorated -- a mixture of Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese. The owner operates with care.

Round up for the small business status and wonderful, wonderful service. Two families with young elementary aged children after a day watching sports in the sun. All the littles were already at their wiggle explosion limits from sitting in stadium seating with no run around space for 2 hours.. they were amped up from a slow and steady consumption of sugar/ treats.. and now tired and hungry. We went to watch the Wave girls play at the new Snapdragon stadium which was awesome but we wanted eats near by and fast. Called up DAOfu and inquired about availability and the auntie on the phone said sure no problem.. come down as soon as you are able. By the time we arrive in 15-20 minutes.. they had a lovely table set up for our group of 8.. menus ready.. warm and welcoming. Parking around this area is tough.. but manageable. We ordered: * Cast Iron Pot with Chicken: This was lovely and my favorite dish of the night. The hot pot (kind of reminds of korean stone bowl rice) crisps up the rice and the saucy gravy melds with rice, vegetables, velvet chicken, and mushrooms. The mushrooms give the dish a yummy umami kick to the dish and it's very comforting. I would definitely order this again but it is a "dine in to enjoy and appreciate" kind of dish imo. * Fried Tofu appetizer: ANYTHING with tofu here.. especially the little salad they give in the beginning with tofu.. is AMAZING. I love all their tofu and we all agreed they know tofu. Such a yummy appetizer. * Wings: delicious and saucy with lots of garlic. Loved this dish. If it weren't for the kids.. we would have ordered these spicy.. but the chicken was fat and generous and the sauce was a good balance of flavor. * Garlic Chicken was tasty and more like your chinese take out fluffy battered chicken pieces with sauce and vegetables and rice. It was yummy. I liked that they offered half and half brown and white rice. This dish worked best with the half/half rice. * Mango Chicken: a hit with the kids.. I personally am not a fan of sweet with meat.. but the kids loved it.. and the mango chunks were generous. * Katsu Chicken with curry: this was also warm and comforting.. another hit with the kids. I love that there were tons of delicious vegetables in every dish and nothing was over sauced.. just the right of everything. This dish even had potatoes! which i personally LOVE in curry. The ladies serving were attentive, kind, and generous. I felt like they were aunties sharing their love through food and making sure all of us were fed and happy.. leaving with big bellies. We ended the night with a wonderful little bit of pineapple coconut ice cream with an AMAZING jam sauce (mango and strawberry?). It's just the perfect little palate cleanser to all the wonderful saucy food we consumed. OH and the drinks!! Soy milk is house made (and DELICIOUSSSS) sweet.. cool and refreshing for the hot and long day.. thai tea was delicious and strong with just the right amount of sweetness.. I had a great experience and can see why this place gets such high reviews. Prices are very fair and good portions to share. We cleaned our plates. 4.5 on the food and a strong round up for service and all other factors. Definitely would recommend and come back.

Fantastic food, great creative chef, huge portions, good prices. The only tofu that I have ever liked - made in-house.) Consistent over the years: No hype or expansions. I love this place! (It does get crowded.)

Someone recommended this place. Wow did not fail. Food is amazing!!! So is the service and price Mango Chicken WOW!!!

We were looking for a place to eat especially with lite options. This place is known for their fresh tofu so we gave this spot a shot. Here was our experience. AMBIANCE: Parking: Welcome to Normal Heights. There's some street and neighborhood parking but it gets competitive. You're best doing a ride share or carpooling. Seating: Inside seating great for groups. There's maybe room for 50 people total. Vibes: Normal Heights has a nice downtown atmosphere with a bunch of eclectic shops close to each other. The place itself is relatively simple. Well lit place with nothing too flashy. It's no hidden gem as the place was pretty packed in the early evening. There was k-pop music playing in the background but it was dominated by people chattering with the hustle and bustle of the store. Great place for a good food adventure with friends or family. FOOD: Fried Tofu (Recommend) Awesome! Fresh, moist, good crunch, and a good sweet/savory kick from the soy sauce Beef Spicy Ramen (Recommend) Delicious. The broth was flavorful and rich. The noodles were well cooked and the beef was well sliced. The soft boiled egg brought some good umami and the bamboo sticks brought a nice dimension to it. Finally the spice gave it an enjoyable kick. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Great! Friendly people even during the busy rush. Respect. TL; DR OVERALL: 4.5 Stars. Awesome! Great choices, reasonable prices, and a pleasant experience. I enjoyed this place and look forward to returning and trying their other dishes. Tips: * 10% discount if you're interested

Tough review to write. It's kind of between a 3.5 and 4 stars. I believe this restaurant used to be Dao Son aka "Hot Chef" on El Cajon Blvd many moons ago. Of course that was a long time ago but the portions were way too small for the price compared to the old days. So I admit I might be overly critical from previous patronage. I don't eat big portions and even I was still hungry after three of us shared three entrees. We ended up ordering an extra entree. We also had the spring rolls appetizer and it had a weird watery sauce on it. Would've rather had the more common peanut sauce. We did like that we got some salad and ice cream dessert included (kind of like a 3 course meal deal) and the salad was decent. I gave the extra half star up for service. The server I think was an owner or manager, and she was doing like triple duty but still had a funny, friendly attitude. They were very busy so she didn't really get a chance to check on us or refill waters. It's a small and popular place so you might have to wait a while if you go during peak hours. By the way, this place is famous for making meals on a spice level of 1-10. I've seen college kids dripping sweat choking their food down, so beware. I get a level 2 spiciness. You're gonna want that water if you like it hot!

Came here for takeout and ordered the lemongrass chicken for takeout. I really liked the design/layout of the restaurant inside, as well as the service. My food came out quickly and the servers remembered my name. However the food was pretty average. Brown rice is similar to the one used at Panda Express, and the whole box was soaked with sauce. I ordered medium spicy but it was not spicy at all. I liked that a lot of fresh veggies including lettuce, sliced tomatoes, green beans, and cucumbers were provided. Chicken was ok. Overall, this cost $15, and I'm easily able to finish the entire meal with still some room. Although this place may be decent for Normal Heights, I don't think it matches the standards of Asian food in Convoy/Kearny Mesa, or for me in general.

The food is consistently delicious. Service is very attentive and welcoming. The owners, Eric and Maggie go above and beyond every time we eat over there. Prices are very reasonable and because of all those reasons we have become regulars. Highly recommended.

Pros: Very expansive menu with vegan AND nonvegan dishes! You get a free tofu salad and sorbet at the end, which is a kind gesture. Their homemade tofu is fire and I wish you could buy it from them in bulk! Staff is friendly and accommodating. Portions are huge! Cons: There aren't any, I just think that it's hilarious that the serving dishes are comically large.

Always a favorite. The food is some of the best in the city. No exaggeration, simply facts. Ambience is cool mom and pop but definitely date friendly. You absolutely must try this place or you have deprived yourself. Tell Maggie I said hi

So delicious!! Complimentary salad and ice cream, friendly owners and yummy food. Leaving a review so I know to come here again :)0

Excellent attentive service. Super helpful, especially when explaining the heat level of the ramen. Cool decor. I keep staring at everyone's writing on the wall. Really spacious restaurant. Though we come here for date night, it's also family friendly and a fun, trendy place for friends. I like that. It's welcoming. Whenever my partner and I come to San Diego, we come here for the highly coveted lobster ramen. That egg is decadent. The pork melts in your mouth. The broth is hearty. And of course, the lobster. Succulent and tender. Get spice level 2. 3 if you like it hot. Anything higher only if you're adventurous. The chef knocks it outta the park with these flavors. I can't wait to come back. It's so delicious.

One of the best restaurants in San Diego, their food is top tier, having a Vietnamese, Japanese, and American blend creating food I've never tasted anything like anywhere else. The restaurant is very unique, with the walls being lined in words from previous customers, some having funny words or drawings. Service is pretty quick with food taking around 10-15 mins in my experience. Parking is a hassle but its well worth it.

Everything was good. Service was extremely fast, great tasting food, atmosphere, and will def come back. Everything we ordered was good, so it will be hard to order new items, but I do want to try the other items on menu.