“ Went here like twice in a matter of three weeks. It's that good. I follow Mr. Gao on Instagram and admire his positive demeanor and the way he treats his followers in the comments, but more than that, I enjoy the amount of fun he has in the kitchen. Whether it's over the top ingredients or just his infectious smile, he's a great follow. When I found out he had a restaurant in San Mateo, I had to go. So I brought my girlfriend here during the weekend of our dating anniversary. Here's the funny thing -- I've been here before, and I didn't realize it. I was put off by the prices, and I ordered the shaken beef, which honestly I wasn't a fan of. You don't go here for shaken beef. You go here for pho. I wanted to order the phozilla, but I decided to take it easy and order the Big Gao first. If I liked it, I know what I'm getting next time. My girlfriend ordered the big boy pho, and she LOVED it. She doesn't even like fatty beef or bone marrow! So we came back this weekend for my mom's birthday. She got the soft shell crab banh canh. Loved it, but didn't finish it. My brother got the duck pho. Loved it. My girlfriend got the big boy again. Loved it. I got it. The Phozilla. There was much meat in there, I forgot there was lobster, and that came with a house butter sauce. The bone in marrow was fantastic. Was it worth the $110? Absolutely. Would I get it again? Probably not. Unless I knew I was sharing. But I finished it, just not the broth. All the drinks are amazing too. Treat yourself! ”

“ It was about time we have tried Gao Viet Kitchen and Bar. Always seeing the restaurant pop up in my IG. Was very curious on how the Phozilla would taste and was quite impressed. The Phozilla is very massive. It was very large and looked like it was more suited for 5 to 6 people, instead of just 2 people. Never had a pho with lobster, a beef rib, brisket, filet mignon and bone marrow. The broth was wonderful. Nice and hot and brought the dish together. The noodles were good. A much needed part of the soup. The meats were definitely the star of the Phozilla. Loved the lobster. The tail and claw meat were cooked well. It was nice having the sauce on the side for it. A little bit sweet, spicy, and savory. The beef rib was excellent. It was very tender and soaked up the broth very well. The combo of beef rib meat and lobster was the surf and turf mix I was looking for. The beef brisket and filet mignon was good. The added beef to the soup was a pleasant touch to this dish. The bone marrow gave this soup another dimension of beef flavor. The soup also had cilantro and green onions to make this dish pleasing to the eyes with contrast of colors. We also tried their specialty drinks. The Milky Pandan and Lychee Coconut Freeze were very good. Loved the vibrant colors and flavors from the Milky Pandan. The drink had a nice sweet flavor. The Lychee Coconut Freeze was very tasty. Loved the lychee flavor and fruit with the coconut. It was very cold and refreshing. It was an excellent way to wash down our meal. Great experience at Gao Viet Kitchen and Bar. Would definitely recommend this place and come back soon to try out their many other dishes. Thank you very much for making this an unforgettable visit! ”

“ This place was really good. We waiting on the yelp wait-list and walked around until we were called. All the food was top notch! Flavors were amazing, service was fast. Would 100% go back. ”

“ My friends and I came here for lunch on a Saturday morning. People were already waiting in line before their doors open at 11:30am. The restaurant is kind of small, but with the upstairs level, there's more room to seat people. We ordered the Marrow Cracker, the Vermicelli bowl with pork and shrimp, Gao Fried Rice with BBQ shrimp and sweet sausage, and What da Duck with garlic noodles. The Marrow Cracker had good flavors, but I didn't like the sticky rice sticking to my teeth. This is my personal preference. My friends like it a lot. We did family style and had a taste of everything. The Vermicelli bowl is my favorite! The fish sauce over the noodles and salad were delicious. I also love the fried spring rolls. The crunchiness of the skin with the tasty filling made it my number one dish! I thought the duck and garlic noodles tasted great. The duck meat was tender with just enough skin/fat to moisten the white meat. The noodles tasted great and the garlic flavor was subtle and not overpowering. The fried rice had a fried egg, shrimp and Chinese sweet sausage. The sausage was cut up into small bite size pieces. The dish was a bit too salty for me. Otherwise, everything else in the dish tasted good! Gao Viet is one of our favorite places to go. It does get crowded and you may have wait, but the food is worth it! Also, parking is easy with several public parking garages within walking distance! ”

“ Gao Viet Kitchen is freaking delicious. I will come here again and again. I don't even know if I've repeated a menu item yet because their menu is so expansive and everything is delicious. The mango salad is refreshing and delicious. I enjoyed the garlic noodle 3 way as well as the refreshing salad balances out the saltiness. The shrimps are huge, full of meat, and delicious. The pho is delicious and tastes "clean" while still being flavorful. Their cocktails are also good and strong! Counting down the days til I get to eat this again! ”

“ Solid Vietnamese food though a bit pricey. The beef pho with filet and beef rib was big and meaty. While the meat was flavorful, the broth was just a tad thin. The five spice chicken was yummy but not as flavorful as at Ben Tre in Millbrae. This is probably one of the top 5 Vietnamese restaurants in the Peninsula, but I don't think it's quite worth the high price tag. ”

“ After trying this place for the first time a few years ago, I've been dreaming of their banh beo ever since. I moved out of the bay area after that and finally came back. Unfortunately this time, I ordered a Mango Beef Salad that tasted strongly of dish soap. I thought I was going crazy and asked my friend to try it, and she confirmed that she tasted it too. The waiter immediately offered to replace the dish with a new one, but unfortunately the new one also tasted like dish soap, albeit a bit more subtly. I don't have the cilantro gene and have never experienced this before. It made me wonder if the ingredients were contaminated with dish soap, and I consumed it. Although I had an overall great experience here with great food, plenty of options, and friendly service, this incident makes me hesitant to come back. ”