Cafe Trang

Cafe Trang chef and co-owner Anna Tran opened the restaurant with her family after moving from Saigon to Salt Lake City in 1987. I've been eating there ever since. Cafe Trang has grown to include locations in Salt Lake City, Park City, West Valley, Clearfield and Draper, and their menu has grown as well to include not just their trademark Vietnamese dishes but Thai, Chinese and Japanese dishes as well.

I wouldn't say every dish on Cafe Trang's huge menu is fantastic, but their best dishes are very good. My favorites are the noodle dishes, especially the Saigon noodle salad that includes soft white rice noodles, sweet and salty barbecued pork, vegetables, egg roll pieces and a tangy, sweet dressing. Ha-Noi Pork Noodle is the same dish presented bento-box style without the pieces of eggroll.

Two other noodle dishes I highly recommend are the Cantonese Chow Fun made with wide, flat noodles, vegetables and oyster sauce and the spicy Beef Hue, a Vietnamese noodle soup served with fresh vegetables and cilantro.

If you like spicy Thai flavors, Cafe Trang's Thai red curry is delicious with a subtle hint of coconut. The Thai green curry has an earthy, herbal flavor that may seem strange at first bite but will grow on you. In 2009, Cafe Trang's mango fish won an Asian cooking competition at SLC's Viking School of Culinary Arts.

The service at Cafe Trang is usually good but can be inconsistent, and the decor varies by location but is generally comfortable and nice enough for a business lunch or Friday night date.

Cafe Trang

Clearfield
1266 S. Legend Hills Dr., Suite B1
801-776-8808

Downtown SLC
200 S. 307 W.
801-539-1638

Park City
1811 Sidewinder Drive, Suite 102, Prospector Square
435-655-8884

West Valley
2860 South 5600 W.
801-840-1887

Draper
1442 E. Draper Parkway
801-571-3888

Entrees $7.95-$13.95