Cafe Da Lat

The place doesn't look like much the inside is modestly decorated, but clean. Central has seen better days and Cafe da Lat is still serving amazing food. I can't recall when they opened, but they've been around more than 12 years. The pho is some of the best pho you can get in a restaurant. They have a special pho pot from Vietnam as I understand. I've been getting the combination pho or pho dac biet for years and it's always amazing. The service is fast and friendly.

A lackluster experience from beginning to end. The food was mediocre and didn't have a ton of taste. We had to flag down the server when we needed water, then again to get the check. My hubby ordered a banh mi, but they brought him a vermicelli bowl instead. There were only two other tables there, so the server was mainly just hanging out at the check-out counter, but didn't seem interested in actually serving guests. I find it hard to get excited about local cuisine when the staff don't care if we're there or not. The positives were the price and the fact they box leftovers for patrons.

We went to Cafe Dalat on a chilly Fall evening. The place was cozy and clean and the ambiance welcoming. We ordered spring rolls, banh xèo and bánh hỏi. They were all very good and well prepared. The spring rolls were fresh, the banh xèo was crunchy and moist and not at all greasy and the banh hoi were so tasty (This was a real treat as most other Vietnamese restaurants do not offer this dish). The service was prompt and the owner was friendly without being too chatty. It was an enjoyable experience. We will be back.

Overall: Cafe Da Lat is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Albuquerque so far. Granted, I've only tried 2, but the food was good, the price was more than reasonable, and the service was good.Food: 5Crispy Cornish Hen: This dish comes with half cornish hen, rice, pickled carrots and daikon, and a lot of steamed veggies (cabbage, bok choy, broccoli). The cornish hen was well cooked. The skin was crispy and there was very little fat.Vegetable, Tofu, & Noodle: You can choose what type of noodle you would like. We ordered it with egg noodle. The broth was light and clear, and it wasn't too sweet.Service: 5The owner and her husband were the main servers. They were very nice and patient with our questions about the menu.Ambiance: 4Cafe Da Lat is a small, cozy restaurant. It has its own parking lot with plenty of parking spaces.

Excellent food. Try the spicy beef stew. One of the best Vietnamese places in town. Very good quality and consistent.

Went for some takeouts. Service was friendly and very quick. Plenty of nice seatings. We enjoyed a lot of our pork and shrimp springroll, the pho was flavorful, pork chop and egg was well-seasoned also came with more than plenty of rice. All the entrees came with big portion. Great cost and quality ratio.

Really excellent selection of food with an absolute huge menu. Everything we have ever gotten has been delicious and well prepared. The neighborhood is sus so I recommend getting to go but otherwise this place is amazing. I had the combo bun noodle bowl last time I was there and it was fantastic.

This restaurant is a hidden gem in Albuquerque. The food is so fresh and delicious. Service is great, too. I had the fried noodles with chicken (F3). The plate had a sauce, then the noodles, then it was piled with vegetables and chicken. We also had spring rolls. A friend got wonton soup. I've never seen wonton soup look so good. Normally it a broth with wontons. This had noodles, a plate with bean sprouts and herbs and a lime wedge were brought to enhance it. I need to try it next time. Delicious!!

Bottom Line:Tasty fare, generous portions, & reasonable price makes Cafe da Lat a winner. Service after food delivery was pretty non-existent.Top Line:Lunch buddy & I chose Cafe da Lat as our monthly get together venue. Good choice!We began the food gamut with an order of their shrimp spring rolls with sweet & spicy dipping sauce that was so good we poured the leftover sauce over our entrees. The vegetation inside the rice paper wrapper was crispy fresh & crunchy. Shrimps were typical, so passably good but not gonna redefine any seafood Nirvana's for you.Buddy got the crispy quail, veggies, & rice plate, with Vietnamese coffee. He gave it good marks on flavor & texture. I scored on the ground pork with eggplant saute with rice plate, with Thai ice tea. A bit salty perhaps, but busting out big time on the flavor front. Both plates had the scoop of rice prettified with shreds of carrot and daikon radish for a touch of visual flair.Portions were plenty big enough to make for filling lunches.Service was professional & prompt, if not particularly friendly or engaging, up to the point our food was delivered. Thereafter the waitress was pretty much unavailable, though she did bring our checks to the table in a semi-timely manner. However, we finally had to walk up to the counter to pay since she wasn't coming around to pick up the checks & payment. Maybe thats what we were expected to do. Dunno. Just felt thin on the follow-up service.Interior was quiet. Subdued decor with downlights dropped quite close to table tops creating small pools of illumunation at each table. Would certainly be cozy & intimate for a date night tete-a-tete.In spite of any downsides, we've added Cafe da Lat to our short list of eateries deserving of a repeat visit. The food is that good.

Not only does this establishment have top quality pho (with rich tasting broth), but also other outstanding noodle and rice dishes. Their menu is quite extensive, including dishes you cannot find in other Vietnamese restaurants.As a family we have been long term customers and have always found the owners to be welcoming and, at the same time, willing to pay attention to details.Highly recommended.