By: Analie Nguyen ‘26

(Photo from Analie Nguyen ‘26)

Gao is the most recently opened Vietnamese restaurant in Madison Heights. Madison Heights is home to the largest population of Vietnamese immigrants in the Metro Detroit area. Gao serves Vietnamese cuisine but with a particularly “hip” vibe. The space had previously been used as a pho restaurant for a decade. The pho restaurant moved out a few months ago and was quickly remodeled into Gao, which opened on January 12, 2026. 

My first impression of Gao was positive. Though there was less seating than I would have liked, I loved the new remodeling. Gao only has three walls and the fourth wall is entirely made out of window panes. I thought this was a very innovative way to make the restaurant feel less small and more open. However, I have been told that the window wall makes customers feel uncomfortable on account of it making it easier to be gawked while eating. While the paint job looked very patchy, I liked the slight color contrasts that added depth to the restaurant. The wall adornments were all very representative of Vietnamese culture and did not feel like stereotypical depictions. The koi fish display was especially memorable. 

As for the food, I cannot be as positive. The menu itself had a decent number of options spanning from street food style appetizers to stir fried noodles. Despite being named Gao, which in Vietnamese means rice, this restaurant had very few rice dishes. The menu looked aesthetically pleasing, but I could not be certain that it was not made by AI. However, this is pure speculation. The prices for the food were rather high, but affordable enough for a meal every once in a while. I ordered the “fish sauce chicken wings.” The chicken was moist and well seasoned. It had a subtle kick and a salty and sweet flavor. There was a lovely crunch, and the marinade was very flavorful. However, on its own, it is much too salty since fish sauce has a very powerful taste. I would recommend ordering a side of rice. For appetizers, I ordered the spring rolls and the garlic butter fries. The spring rolls looked nothing like how they did in the menu. The meat, which is meant to be a pinkish-red, was instead a yellowish-brown. I even double checked to make sure that the waiter bought out the right order. The spring roll was also filled with pickled vegetables and crunchy egg roll wrapper, both of which were delicious. The yellowish meat, however, tasted nothing like how it was supposed to taste. In a blind taste test, I would not be able to identify what it was. Its texture was oddly crumbly which was not how it was supposed to be. The garlic butter fries are fries with saturated garlic and butter. It is pretty hard to mess up. It tasted fine, though it was nothing special. The rest of my family had even harsher reviews than I did. None of them enjoyed their food including the “Yangzhao fried rice” and “Ha Noi noodles.” The average score for these items was 3/10 stars.

The service was decent for a newly opened restaurant. The food came out quickly, though it may have been due to the restaurant not being too busy at the time. The servers were observant, and most of them spoke Vietnamese and English. The water was self served, and each table had a pitcher and cups. I liked that detail because it would prevent wasting water. The only complaint would be that the water pitchers were 70% ice and 30% water. 

Overall, I would recommend trying this restaurant at least once. I do not think that it will be popular among the Vietnamese community, but perhaps the restaurant style will fit well with foreigners. It is not the best Vietnamese restaurant in the area (by far), but it is nowhere near inedible. The service and decor were lovely. The food itself, though not perfect, had some redeeming qualities. 

Gao

30921 Dequindre Rd, 

Madison Heights, MI 48071

10am-9pm

Closed on Wednesdays