Located in an unassuming little strip mall right off of the 69 exit in Fishers, Chao Vietnamese Street Food is one of many restaurants I’ve had bookmarked for months to try and hadn’t made it to yet, even though it’s only a few minutes away from my house.
Coming in on a weekday evening around 6:30, the place was busy, but not packed. There’s a sign that says “Please Wait to Be Seated”, but a hostess told us to just sit wherever we want. Our server acknowledged us pretty quickly and was helpful in making recommendations on what to try first from the menu.
Items ordered include the Lemongrass Pork Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce, Pho Gau, Pho Dac Biet, Taro Smoothie with boba, Hibiscus Lemonade and the Bubble Waffle.
The spring rolls were light and flavorful. I loved the seasoned pork and the rest of the fillings in the roll were fresh and the peanut sauce was an ideal condiment for them. But the remainder of the food came out so quickly, they weren’t so much of an appetizer, just more food to eat as part of the main meal.
The pho was excellent! I made the mistake of thinking the green peppers we were given to add to the pho were bell peppers, not spicy peppers, so I tossed them in the bowl WAAAY too liberally! My whole mouth was burning by the end of the meal, but it was still delicious. I ordered the Pho Gau, which has beef brisket in it, and with the addition of a little hoisin sauce and sriracha, the flavor of the broth was perfect. Portion size was very generous and though I was running low on brisket by the time I finished the meal, there were plenty of veggies, noodles, and broth left to make a second meal out of later on.
I enjoyed the Taro smoothie, though I realized during this visit that I’ve only previously had Boba in drinks, without any other food to eat in addition to it. Turns out it’s annoying to have to stop and chew your drink when you’re eating something else! I’d order the same smoothie again, sans boba, if drinking it with a meal. The hibiscus lemonade was good as well, and a very pretty drink, though a tad too sweet.
The bubble waffle was an excellent end to the meal, and was topped with sweet cream, berries, and coconut. Loved the sweet, cake-like flavor of the waffle, but it felt like it really, really, really was begging for some ice cream to be put on it! Next time, I’ll definitely order the purple yam ice cream on top of the waffle, since to me a waffle dessert makes the most sense as a “cone” for some kind of custard or ice cream.
I loved everything I ate at Chao Vietnamese Street Food and would highly recommend it for the Pho! Can’t wait to come back and try lots of other stuff!
