Jack of All Trades, Master of Some
For a solid bowl of phở, look no further than Golden Deli located in San Gabriel off of Las Tunas Dr. Their menu is HUGE which can sometimes be indicative of a “jack of all trades, master of none” type of situation; however, Golden Deli proves to be an exception to this expectation. Though we’ve only tried a handful of things off the menu, every single thing we’ve ordered has been excellent. Affordable, consistently delicious, and convenient; Golden Deli’s got it all and is definitely one our go-to spots when we’re craving Vietnamese food.
We always start with their sampler, a plate of 3 popular Vietnamese snack-like appetizers: grilled pork sausage (nem nướng), egg rolls (chả giò), and shrimp cakes (chạo tôm). Not exactly the healthiest appetizer since mostly everything is deep fried, but so fricken’ good. Served with a side of fish sauce mixture (nước chấm), this dish is a great way to start the meal and also an opportunity to sample more than just one dish. Everything is very flavorful and fresh and fried to crispy perfection.
One of the dishes Golden Deli is probably most well known for is their phở. We usually order one phở with rib eye, brisket, tendon and tripe (phở đặc biệt) and one phở with rare sliced beef (phở tái). Their broth is just how broth should look and taste: rich in flavor from beef bones simmered for hours on end, clear, fragrant, fresh and void of the MSG ridden phở flavored powder so many Vietnamese restaurants use to enhance the flavor of the broth. The noodles are also cooked perfectly al dente. There’s nothing worse than overcooked, soggy noodles in a bowl of phở. Their sliced rare meat, or tái, is very high quality and not the unpleasantly chewy kind we are sometimes regrettably served at lower quality Vietnamese restaurants. If you so desire, you can add some sriracha and hoisin, or opt out. Golden Deli’s broth is delicious enough to stand alone without any extra flavor.
Though it’s not pictured here because we didn’t order it this time around, we thought it would be worth it to mention that their Bún bò Huế is also off the heezy. If finding tasty, home-made quality phở is rare, finding tasty, home-made quality Bún bò Huế is even rarer. It is so damn hard to find a solid bowl of Bún bò Huế outside your Vietnamese grandma’s kitchen; however, Golden Deli whips up a pretty decent bowl that will tide you over until your next home-cooked bowl. They don’t make their broth too spicy, but you can definitely ask for some chili on the side to spice up to your liking.
For those of you living in the LA area, check out Golden Deli next time you’re craving some phở. We promise it will hit the spot and miraculously cure your hangover.
Golden Deli
815 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776
