Gạo Restaurant - Tampa, Florida

Tram Truong

One of the best Pho I have ever tried in Tampa with fresh rice noodle, delicious and authentic broth. I love the taste of soup with special chili sauce combine with garlic pickled which I haven't found this taste in another Vietnamese restaurant here. My husband also ordered chicken fried rice and it was wonderful. We want to explore more dishes in the menu. Highly recommend Gạo restaurant for those who crave and love for authentic Vietnamese food.

Debra Gow

Small and homey viet restaurant. The service took a bit longer than other places but staff is very friendly.

Lotus root salad 9.5/10 - Very crunchy and the flavors paired well together with the shrimp crackers. Would definitely order again

Pho dac biet (not pictured) 8.5/10 - You can tell the pho broth had been simmered with a lot of spices and the fresh noodles elevated the dish

Bun bo hue 7.5/10 - I wish the broth had a stronger lemongrass flavor and was spicier. Was more to my taste after adding one of the chili sauces on the table

Todd Piper

This is a top tier Vietnamese restaurant. The food is wonderful, and the staff are very kind. They happily suggest the best ways to enjoy the food if you’ve never had a particular dish without being condescending or negative. They’re very kind, generous, and the restrooms have charmin bro.

Châu Minh

I had such a great experience here! The food was absolutely delicious, and the staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was cool and comfortable, perfect for relaxing. Plus, the prices are very reasonable. I will definitely be coming back to support this place again!

Johnny Nguyen

I don't really write many reviews on restaurants but i must say Gao surprised me as a California boy who grew up on Viet food. My go to in any Vietnamese restaurant is always Bun Bo Hue if they have it. This restaurant definitely delivered with a refreshing taste of the lemongrass and the depth of flavor that was not artificial. This was the closest to what i found to be similar to the ones i find in California. this is by far the best Bun Bo Hue in the area. I have tried many even from those who are locals that have recommended places but none of them come as close to this one. All the meats that were meant to be in it were there including the blood cake and the pork knuckles. They even gave me a side of the fermented shrimp paste for my tasting but it really didn't need it (I typically have to ask for this at other places due to lack of depth of flavor). My only critique of this dish is the spice level. I'm used to having it spicy and there is chili on the table but its not the same as being cooked into the broth. 9/10

Other Dishes:

Goi (Salad)- The herbs and ingredients were great. It was surprising to sea the clear sea bean in there which added a great texture. Everything was great and harmonious in flavor. My one critique on this dish would be the over dressing of the salad. They give you a side of the dipping sauce (which is amazing) but the salad itself could've been slightly less dressed. 9/10

Cha gio ( Egg Rolls)- pretty standard egg roll, filled with lots of meat but the flavor was under seasoned. dipping sauce was standard nuoc cham. 7/10

Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam (Fish sauce wings)- I've had plenty of these in the area but this was definitely a different take on it. The wings seemed battered then fried then tossed in the sauce. The sauce was a bit on the sweet side and the sauté with the onions and peppers seemed unnecessary. I believe this would benefit more for just a basic unbattered fried wing and a more fish sauce forward sauce that is a bit thinner. 6/10

Com Tam Thit Nuong (BBQ pork with broken rice) - One of the only places in the Tampa area that i have seen actually serve broken rice. This is a must because the texture definitely changes the dish to something better. The meat was grilled to perfection, great char and great marinade for it. The sauce was definitely a bonus. simple but great. 9/10

Cafe Sua da (Vietnamese coffee with salted foam)- Now this is the real deal drip coffee. If you have grown up with Vietnamese coffee this is that authentic taste. The dark intense fruity bitterness of the coffee and the sweet salted foam made it a customizable drink throughout your experience. You could have it as dark as you want or as light as you want as you mixed in the foam so the flavor can go from ice coffee light cream no sugar to a salted caramel macchiato flavor pending how you want to mix it. 10/10

Service- was impeccable. The servers were great at greeting and even instructed us how to eat certain dishes and recommended certain sauces to go with certain dishes. Appreciated their enthusiasm.

Overall the experience was amazing and the people were on point with service. I highly recommend folks stopping by this restaurant and checking them out.

Next time I will be trying their Mi Quang and Banh Canh.

The ACID family

Our first time here, customer service is top notch, food is delicious and authentic, very good portions and great price. I highly recommend this place if you want to eat authentic Vietnamese cuisine
100/100

Alisa Nguyen

Bun Bo Hue was sooo good. Toppings are plentiful and fresh. The quality of the dish was outstanding. Service was great and the owner was helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. It’s so hard finding quality Vietnamese cuisine in general so this gem is a must go. Can’t wait to come back for a fixing. Thanks!!

Martha Nguyen

My boyfriend was too shy to leave a review so I’m writing this for him. He tried the mì quảng and it was delicious, so flavorful. His server was so so nice and attentive; AMAZING service, he was raving about it. Thanks for a great meal and even better service!! ?