Ngon Ngon To Go

I have never written a review on Google, but this place deserves one. The staffs are very friendly. The food was good, coffee was amazing, and the atmosphere was really nice even though it’s a take-out store. Definitely will come back again. I hope I can catch Bún riêu cua next time (it’s a pop-up/pre-order dish that’s only available in limited quantities on some undefined day)

I'm so excited to have this new addition to Mira Mesa. Their dishes have really unique ingredients that could only get by driving down to El Cajon. love pork intestines and their fried pork paste ball. The cuttle fish salad is delicious. Will be coming back for a quick and delicious lunch. It is located in the Vietnamese market that looks like an old movie theater. EDIT: Didn't wait long to get more take out. The Spicy Free range chicken with sticky rice is amazing. Oddly don't see it on the menu. If you only get one dish here this is it!

Very good spot, gem in the rough. Had a cafe sua and fried rice combo with crab. Pretty good, very authentic feel and taste in my opinion. Thanks

Food: 4.5/5
Service and Setting: 4.5/5
Value: 3/5

During a visit to Hong Kong BBQ and Dim Sum located inside of Vinh Hung Supermarket, they rudely said that they do not have chopsticks. I meandered the market and found Ngon Ngon To Go and they graciously gave me a pair to eat with and simply asked me to come back to try their food. If that is not a start to a love story, I don’t know what is.

The restaurant itself is very clean and maybe slightly warm. The lady that was helping me in the front was very nice and even though her English was not the best, she made sure that I was well taken care of. You can tell that people really love their business as they have regulars come by and chat up the owners. She saw me taking pictures and offered to plate everything up, but the freshness and care in their food speaks for itself! This type of kind and genuine service is very rare to see in these types of restaurants, frankly speaking. Ngon ngon in Vietnamese means delicious, thank you Google Translate, and it certainly was!

Bun Cha Ha Noi: 4.5/5
Whenever I get this dish, I was always expect it to be cold because I see the pickles floating in it. Their bun cha comes out steamily hot with 2 grilled meatballs and a healthy portion of grilled pork. The pickles and meat are then put into a broth of diluted fish sauce that is fragrant, sweet, and savory. Though there is a touch of funk, it is not nearly as strong as fish sauce you normally dip egg rolls in. The meats themselves are perfectly grilled with more than a kiss of char, lending a delicious barbecued flavor. The meatballs taste very similar to a dumpling filling with strong notes of onion and other aromatics. They also brought out a plate of greens that included green leaf lettuce, perilla leaves, and Vietnamese mint. I just tore some up and added it to the fish sauce soup and it did add a new layer of crisp freshness. The noodles they gave were well cooked and not soggy at all. The very nice lady also offered me some more noodles, but she just might have been very nice to me this day haha. The ingredients used here are all extremely fresh and delicious and I can tell it was made with care. Sometimes, even with famous Vietnamese restaurants, the grilled meats taste like they’ve been chilling for a little too long, but not here! The lady was very nice and even tried to teach me how to eat the dish. Very tasty and highly recommend as this is a hard dish to find in San Diego!

Thai Tea: 3/5
This is a very standard Thai tea, but again, tasted fresh though it is pre-made and chilling in their display fridge. Sometimes you get that one tea that you know they saved from last week, but this one was fresh! They add ice and some more dairy I believe right before they serve it to you. It was a little flat in the flavor department and lacked that sort of rich vanilla flavor I’ve had in Thai restaurants, but it is a great way to end a meal and cleanse your palate.

Filled mignon stir fry, garlic battered chicken wings, grilled pork with vermicelli... awesome flavors and healthy portions. Great and friendly service!!!