7436 E. McDowell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257
http://www.phocaoaz.com/
Open from 11AM daily. Happy hours from 3PM to 6PM (Why didn’t I know about these??? 😭)
Cool vibes and delicious food
It’s an interesting that Vietnamese food, live music and bars are together in one place. Usually Vietnamese restaurants will keep the old style that a Vietnamese family would run the shop and the place would be more like “family-meal” time, which is popular to see in Vietnam.
With that vibe, the restaurant has brought me a refreshing mindset and a surprise with its good food and great services. So far, I have tried Pho, Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Beef Noodle soup, picture above), Canh ga chien nuoc mam (Chicken wings) and the flavor is super super close the authentic dishes in Vietnam, especially the Bun Bo Hue – a difficult-to-cook dish, even in Vietnam. My friends have tried Vegetarian dishes, Fried rice (I don’t remember which) and Bun Thit Nuong (Charbroiled pork and egg rolls with vermicelli) and they all agreed that it was delicious and the taste was similar to the dishes prepared in Vietnam. All of us are so happy to know this place. And since then, I come back almost every month for the Bun Bo Hue, because I cannot create that flavor at home. Why do I have to torture myself with such a complicated dish when I know a good place for that, right?
(Update: I still come back even though I made decent Bun Bo Hue at home!)
If you’re somewhere near Scottsdale, stop by PHO CAO Restaurant for savory Vietnamese dishes. And the live music would lighten up your day.