The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today! After the fall of Saigon in , roughly 10, refugees fled Vietnam and settled in Denver , bringing along their culture and culinary prowess. Today, the Vietnamese community here is more than 31, strong , and some of those residents are slinging the most authentic mi quang this side of the Pacific. Our delightful server explained that selecting four of the smaller plates plus one of the larger dishes usually does the trick for two.
Save for the butter lettuce salad, which begged for a hit of salt, every dish was superb. If we had to pick favorites though? Colfax Ave. Dip the discs in the pockets of hot water to soften enough before wrapping the meat, noodles, and veggies.
The best part? You get to unwrap each caramelized morsel from its banana-leaf packaging like a present. Federal Blvd. B —Charli Ornett. If you are looking for noodles, the vermicelli bowl topped with fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and fish sauce is a refreshing option, while long-simmered broth gives the four varieties of pho warmth and depth of flavor.
Do not visit this Northglenn spot without a plan—and an appetite. The menu, which resembles a road atlas, boasts more than numbered items, most of which are served on oversize platters with sides of soup and noodles. The obvious order is the pho , which is delivered with a plate of the standard fresh accoutrements, and is delightfully bright without being too salty. The build-your-own-wrap dish overflows with grilled pork, grilled chicken, fried shrimp, fried softshell crab, and vegetables for the best tableside buffet.
What do you reach for on a bad day? A greasy grilled cheese? The nine-month-old Aurora eatery specializes in quintessential Vietnamese comfort food , which includes an impressive roster of the aforementioned claypots. The protein—catfish fillets, bone-in swai fish, lemongrass chicken thighs, and more—are caramelized in an aromatic mixture of fish sauce, sugar, herbs, and spices.
