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Nga Restaurant
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- Neighborhoods:
- South Central, Midtown
- Categories:
- Restaurants
- Price:
- $
- Cuisine:
- Vietnamese
- Restaurant Special Features:
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At a Glance
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100% dessert
“The binh beo, steamed rice cakes with shrimp, are delightful and these are a rare to find in other vietnamese places in houston.”
100% food quality
“one of my favorite dishes, and they did it well.”
100% menu variety
“Don't limit yourself to just pho, they also offer a large variety of other very tasty dishes to choose from.”
100% overall
“Definitely the best pho restaurant that I have come across in Houston.”
100% service
“The prices are very reasonable (you can get a very filling homemade meal for under $6) and the service is excellent.”
100% value
“The staff were super nice, the prices were typical of Vietnamese places in the area (awesome value), and the place seemed pretty clean despite it's uninviting and featureless exterior.”
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Nga Restaurant
What Our Expert Scouts Say
July 13, 2010
Consistent, authentic Vietnamese.
Nga Restaurant used to be called "Pho Nga". Regardless of the name change, Nga's is a veritable institution on Milam; I've been eating here for more than 10 years. Same owner, same delicious food. As a creature of habit, if one thing tastes good, I get cravings for it. When I get a craving, I go to that restaurant to satisfy the craving. So in truth, I must say I have not tasted most of the things on the menu at Nga's, because there are a few standout items that I always order.
Today I revisited Nga's for the first time in 5 years (we live in Sugar Land so it's not as accessible as it used to be when we lived inside the loop). I had a craving for their "banh uot thit nuong," which is a thin, soft rice flour cake roll stuffed with their signature charbroiled Vietnamese bbq pork. Served with a warm, house special secret sauce with ground pork, hoisin and peanut, this is my absolute favorite dish at Nga's. i always get it and it always hits the spot. Today was no different after 5 years, although I had a moment of panic when I couldn't find it on the menu. It's item #113, the young server said. Thank goodness good things never change. As a sidenote, we also really love the "bun suong," a spicy rice vermicelli soup tomato soup with ground shrimp paste balls, and the "mi quang", a Hue region flat yellow egg noodle dish served in a bowl. And from what other people are saying, the "Bun thit nuong" (rice vermicelli with bbq pork) and their Pho should also be pretty darn good. Pho Nga is the real deal and if you want good, stripped down, authentic Vietnamese, you won't be disappointed.
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Tips for Nga Restaurant
April 28, 2011
New Favorite. I love this place! When Mai's burned down I was looking for a new local place. I asked a friend and he pointed me towards NGA and I have not been disappointed. It is not fancy but everything I have had ate there has been so good. It is my boyfriends favorite Pho. I love the rice plates #69 is my fave. The wonton soup is so yummy and the small is so huge it has about 8 or 10 wontons! See ya there!
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March 13, 2011
A Near Perfect Combination.
From the outside, Nga doesn't look like much, but the food they serve does not comply with the meager exterior. The only thing meager about the menu is the pricing, which is absurdly low for food of this caliber.
The appetizers are all excellent, but do yourself a favor and order the Vietnamese rolls/Imperial rolls. Whenever I am in this part of town, I always look for an excuse to stop by Nga and pick up an order. On many an occasion, I have stopped in for a quick afternoon snack of these sublime treats.
As for the main courses, anything involving the charcoaled pork is an extreme delight. I also love the wontons...the wonton skins are ethereally thin and delicate, which is such a nice contrast to the thick, doughy versions you find at most restaurants.
If I had a criticism, it would involve the chicken dishes. Most of the chicken comes from the chicken that is boild to produce the stock. The stock is outstanding, yet the chicken tends to be rather bland.
Finally, it is impossible to argue with the price. Recently, I reconnected with a few old friends and suggested we meet at Nga to catch up. We shared the imperial rolls and each had an excellent entree. The tab was less than $30. How can you beat that?
The menu is extensive, and while I've sampled a large portion, there are many items I still want to try.
Nga has become a guilty treat for me. The food is so consistently good and affordable that it is al too easy to stop by regardless of what I happen to be doing at the time...and I usually bring home take-out at least once a week.
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Heart
February 22, 2010
Pho-bulous.
Sometimes it's a Saigon Day .. sometimes its a Nga Day. Nga has a sweeter broth. Their Vietnamese egg rolls are also a winner - although I don't know that I've met a Vietnamese egg roll I didn't like yet.
I really like Nga - honestly, really, truly - but I have yet to get out in under 45 min ... 30 of which is spent waiting to place my order and waiting for my check. They also don't let you use a credit card unless it's over $10. Boo. But I come back loyally for my sweet pho. And usually fewer crowds than Siagon.
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Heart
May 04, 2009
Can't go wrong here!. Finally stopped in Nga's this weekend, and had a great meal! We got the vermicelli with chargrilled pork and egg rolls...one of my favorite dishes, and they did it well. The pork was sliced thin and chargrilled very nicely...better than many other places I've been to. It also had lots of vegetables and tasted very fresh. The staff were super nice, the prices were typical of Vietnamese places in the area (awesome value), and the place seemed pretty clean despite it's uninviting and featureless exterior. I'll be back!
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Heart
July 13, 2008
A Houston Favorite. Having stumbled across this Vietnamese restaurant has been a delicious blessing. The pho, bun and rice dishes here are to die for. Definitely the best pho restaurant that I have come across in Houston. The prices are very reasonable (you can get a very filling homemade meal for under $6) and the service is excellent. After bringing large parties of first-time-Vietnamese-food diners, they have been both impressed and hooked. Make this place a frequent stop if you are in the mood for some comfort food.
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Heart
October 04, 2007
i dream of their chargrilled pork noodle bowls. we stopped in here one afternoon by chance, looked around at the only two guys seated in the restaurant that perhaps could have been homeless, almost took flight but decided to risk it since they did serve tsingtao.....what a delightful experience! fresh beautiful food and the owner is a wonderful lady. i go as often as possible and everything i have tried is wonderful.
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Heart
November 27, 2006
It's more about gastronomy than glamour at this traditional, home-style Vietnamese favorite..
The Scene
Nga's (pronounced "Naws") is no great shakes in the looks department, but the caring Vietnamese owners make you feel right at home, and the price is right. Hip couples drop by this snug corner cafe throughout the day for a rich ice coffee pick-me-up and a torrent of menu discoveries.
The Food
Tender lemon-grass chicken snaps with gingery spice, steamed vegetables are crisply pristine, and cold spring rolls, anointed with peppery peanut sauce, have all the right stuff. Chicken pho, a wonderfully restorative Vietnamese soup with star-anise-flavored broth and long, silky noodles, comes ready to be doctored with fragrant herbs, jalapeños and lime. Vermicelli dishes--ladled with deftly grilled meats, chilled cucumbers, scallions and sprightly fish sauce--also invigorate. Pleasant surprises: hacked duck with mint and fried onions; the dessert parfait of shaved ice, sweet beans and syrup.
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Heart
October 09, 2006
best pho in town. I have tried pho in numerous places around houston and to me this is where to get the best bowl of it. I like how their broth is beefy and not overly flavored with fish sauce. Some places i've noticed seem to make up their flavor with using more fish sauce but pho nga does not. Don't limit yourself to just pho, they also offer a large variety of other very tasty dishes to choose from. The binh beo, steamed rice cakes with shrimp, are delightful and these are a rare to find in other vietnamese places in houston. Also, you can't go wrong with their rice plates and their hainese chicken comes with a gingery dipping sauce that is to die for! I eat here a few times a week it so good! Not only is the food good but the staff is very helpful and super friendly.
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October 30, 2005
Great Food Great Value. Great Pho and excellent charbroiled pork spring rolls. Highly recommended
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Nga Restaurant
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