If you’ve ever in Saigon, you really should check out Cuc Gach Quan. Yes, it’s full of tourists. But it’s #17 out of over 1,000 restaurants (just in Saigon!) on TripAdvisor for a reason. The food is excellent. When I noticed a new place on 3/2 Street in Da Nang with the same name, my first thought was that they had opened a Cuc Gach Quan in Da Nang, so I went to see for myself.
First, the obvious bad news: Cuc Gach Quan in Da Nang is not the same place, and not even close. The name, which just means “brick restaurant”, is common enough that I should have expected as much. Fortunately, this place is still great. The inside has a garden-type feel, though when we arrived sometime after 9 pm most diners were sitting outside working their way through cases of beer. From the dipping sauce for the excellent pork ribs (sườn heo), to the nước mắm for our bánh tráng, even the peanuts, everything was spicy, which for me was a good thing. In addition to the ribs, we took the waiters recommendation and went with the beef marrow steamed with egg (tủy bò chưng trứng), which was nicely cooked with big delicious marrow-ey morsels.
Service was great, though they wouldn’t leave us with the bottle opener for some reason, and prices were reasonable. Great food in a fun atmosphere turned this potential disappointment into a fantastic meal.
For more great evening dining spots, check out the Evening Food Tour.
Cục Gạch Quán 127 đường 3/2, TP Đà Nẵng
