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    CoTu Oriental Cuisine

    4.5 (167 reviews)
    ModerateVietnamese, Chinese
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    CoTu Oriental Cuisine Photos

    COTU ORIENTAL CUISINE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Spicy beef noodles soup
    Hoa N.

    Waited for about 5 minutes to be seated and after we ordered our food came out pretty quickly. We ordered cream cheese wontons and meatball pho to eat in and ordered a shaking beef and curry chicken for to go. The sweet and sour sauce for the cream cheese wonton tastes like homemade as it has a strong ginger flavor which I liked. Prices are reasonable for cash payment and 4% surcharge for credit card payment. They have two TVs showing different Asian cooking and Vietnamese restaurants/street food coming in Vietnam that is very interesting. Ambiance is quaint and friendly. One bathroom stall. Takes awhile to get to go containers for leftovers.

    Pho
    Thea W.

    We stopped in while in town for some authentic viet food and it was delicious. The egg rolls were fantastic and the pho broth was delicious. We bought the pandan jelly's to take home to Texas and now we can't wait to go back and get more! Seating is a bit tight so be prepared if you're with a group!

    Oxtail pho with extras
    Daniel Y.

    Had to sneak off from my company gathering to try out their pho with ox tail. I grab a teammate who loves the Asian dishes that I like. It didn't take much to convince him to breakout from the restaurant we were in that had like 200 kids on school vacation losing their minds. This was a much needed meal that was good for my stomach and great for my mental state.

    Pho Co Tu Special (no tendon no tripe)
    Haley C.

    Writing this review after 2 dinners at CoTu. Small restaurant with fast service. I'm trying to find the best phó soup in the Twin Cities area. If you like thick cut phó noodles then CoTu is the place for you. Hence why I've been twice in the last month - I have yet to find thick cut noodles at another establishment. Ambiance is decent. Workers are up front prepping materials & servicing tables. Will be back for more noodle soup & interested to try other dishes when the weather heats up.

    Pho special
    Gary M.

    Best pho I have had in a very long time! House pho at 15.99 I will be back anytime I am close to this area!

    Flan
    Robert W.

    CoTu is a must go in the greater Twin Cities area. A cute little Asian restaurant with some of the best food and kindest service you can find, all for an extremely reasonable price. Food: I ordered the pho and was not disappointed at all. The bowl was gigantic and they did not skimp on anything, plenty of noodles, herbs, vegetables, and beef. The flavor of the broth was incredible and the beef was fresh and tender. 10/10 Drinks: The Thai tea was amazing. Strong and sweet with the flavored jellies. I know some people prefer tapioca balls in their Thai tea so keep that in mind if that is your preference, but these are my addition of choice. 9/10 Desserts: I decided to go with two desserts since they were just so kind to me. The waiter took the time to explain to me their culture and how they bake all their desserts fresh in house. He recommended I try the flan and the banh da lon (steamed layer mung bean cake). The flan was alright, I'm not huge into flan but I can tell a good flan from a bad one and this was much better than the rest I've had. The banh da lon was such a unique dessert that I've never had anything like it. It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly and had a very sticky, gel like consistency. They are filling so share with your friends! Flan - 8/10 Banh da lon - 9/10 Service: The staff at CoTu are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Our waiter was a young man who took the time to answer all my questions about their menu, their dessert selection, and even explain to me what's popular amongst Vietnamese patrons of the restaurant (since I am not). Super sweet people and they care so much about the quality of their food! 100/10 I will definitely be coming back next time I'm near, and may even drive over to get some pho sometime soon.

    Cristina D.

    It was 17 degrees today and of course, weather calls for a bowl. As I've said before, I always gotta get my fix and my fix I got today. CôTú Oriental Cuisine by Penn Lake in Bloomington, MN, is a local mom & pop shop that serves Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. We just came today for the pho and this place did not disappoint. I've eaten a lot of bowls in my life and I'll never say it just to say it. The broth smells of anise and cinnamon so I already know it's gonna be legit. The is plenty of beef, flank, tendon, tripe and meatball in this one-size order of pho so you will definitely be full after your meal. Of course my bowl is paired with an appetizer round of shrimp spring rolls and the iced Vietnamese coffee. I was reading the other reviews prior to coming here and one of the gals commented on the size of the noodles. Yes, the width of the noodles are not the thinner rice noodles you'd typically get from other pho places, which are generally dehydrated noodles anyway that are cooked in hot water prior to making it on the bottom of the bowl. The noodles here are freshly made and the width typically looks like the noodles you'd find when ordering something like pad Thai. Either way, the broth was clean and you won't find any impurities floating about. On the way out, I saw they had some homemade desserts on the counter. I typically stay away from sweets but had to try the Bánh Da Lợn (Steamed Layer Cake). These steamed layer cakes are made with pandan leaves (green) and taro (purple) and tapioca flour. They have just enough chewiness to them that the texture is not like jello and not spongy like a mung bean cake. The owner said that I should definitely come back and try their Bún Bò Hué (Spicy Beef & Pork Noodle Soup). I told her I'm sure I'll be back at least one more time before I fly back to CA. Looking at the forecast, it looks like it will be sometime next week since it will be negative 7 degrees. Brrrr!!

    Seafood crispy pan fried noodles
    Katherine C.

    Bring cash for a 4% discount on the bill. Also I don't know why but the charge on each item did not match what was listed on the menu so either they didn't update the menu or some weird stuff is happening I was really craving pho and always down to try a new good pho place. Got their shrimp and pork spring rolls and pho special. Others got the seafood crispy pan fried noodles and BBQ pork. All of the dishes were a generous portion. The seafood crispy pan fried noodles were very crispy with good flavor and good amount of seafood. The BBQ pork was bbq pork fried rice which was not what was expected but still good. The pho had flat medium width and thin thickness rice noodles which are different than the noodles in most pho places in the Twin Cities. I think the noodles are good either way. Their broth leaned more heavily on the spices used in pho than other pho places but I really enjoyed the broth. Not too heavy or overly salty while still having tons of flavor. The meat is not the most tender but the pho has a good amount of meat as well as tripe and tendon (which I appreciate since the tripe and tendon are the toppings I like the most in pho). A bit of a drive from the cities but would definitely make the drive again for their pho. The restaurant is a bit small so it could get busy/crowded depending on the time, but there is plenty of parking.

    I had oxtail Pho I loved it, the meat was melting in my mouth no need to chew . will be back again.

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    Grand Szechuan

    Grand Szechuan

    3.5
    (387 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    This place was great!! Such an amazing deal!! I came with one other person on a Saturday Afternoon…read morefor Lunch. We both got the lunch special. The lunch special comes with a generous size salad, a bowl of hot and sour soup, egg roll and an entrée. The salad was delicious, perfect size not too big not too small. The dressing was my favorite part. I had a hint of sweetness, and the lettuce was crunchy and great. The hot and sour soup was amazing. So many flavors just bursting into my mouth not extremely hot, but my mouth was tingling. The broth is my favorite part, bursting with flavor, but the big pieces of tofu and different little things were very, very nice and interesting. The egg roll was also crispy and yummy with that bright red sweet-and-sour sauce. For my entrée, I got hot orange chicken. The orange chicken was so good not necessarily very hot, but I think how they do it as they put peppers into it and some pieces have more peppers than others. The chicken was great though so saucy and the portions were extremely huge. I got fried rice with mine and it was pretty good. Nothing super special, but still tasted great. My friend got the Kung pow tofu, which was super crispy on the outside and had a great texture on the inside. Had a hint of spice as well and was very great overall. My lunch special with the soup, salad, orange chicken, fried rice, and egg roll was about 11$. Insane. Incredibly insane. For the giant portions they gave us and the quality of the food. No better prices could be seen elsewhere. My friends with the soup, salad, egg roll, and Kung pow tofu was about 9$. The service was great, not long wait times and the waiters were very friendly with my indecisive picking. The ambience of the restaurant is very interesting. Walls are very pretty and space is big and luxurious. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for those prices great food, and friendly service. Note: pictures of entrees have a bit eaten out of them, not full portions.

    We have generally enjoyed the food here. However, we believe there is room for improvement when it…read morecomes to hospitality and customer service. During our recent visit, our server was not very welcoming or helpful while we were trying to place our order. We showed a picture of a dish from the restaurant's own menu that we were interested in ordering, but were informed that the item was only included for display purposes and was not actually available. This was confusing and somewhat disappointing, especially since customers naturally expect the dishes featured on the menu to be offered. Unfortunately, this is the second time we have experienced a similar issue, and it has involved two different servers on separate visits. The food itself is enjoyable, which is why we continue to return, but we hope the restaurant can place greater emphasis on customer service and hospitality. A friendly and attentive interaction can make a significant difference and would better reflect the quality of the food being served.

    Photos
    2 out of 4 of the women that seen us waiting
    2 out of 4 of the women that seen us waiting
    Chengdu grilled squid, wish that there were veggies than just onions
    Chengdu grilled squid, wish that there were veggies than just onions
    Grand Szechuan

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    Northern Kitchen

    Northern Kitchen

    4.4
    (25 reviews)
    2.4 mi

    Came here on a Sunday night looking for a bite to eat with my brother. At the door we were greeted…read moreby the owner who spoke very little English (a tell tale sign of some kickass Chinese food). She seated us in a roomy booth and immediately brought us some waters. We ordered a the fried dumplings and the sesame balls. Both were absolutely delectable, best of each I've had in my life. The sesame balls had a crispy sesame coated exterior with a sticky bun interior and sweet bean filling. The fried dumplings were perfectly cooked to delicate perfection and were accompanied by a soy sauce with freshly minced garlic. Those didn't last 2 minutes on the table. We ordered the twice cooked pork and stirfry lamb as entrees and, as other reviews have said, the portions were generous. As for the the meats, they were thinly sliced, tender, and cooked to perfection. The spice level was right on point, not enough to numb your tastebuds but surly will leave you with clear sinuses. The spice contributed significantly to the succulent flavors found in each dish. Each entree comes with a bowl of buttery white rice. As a man of high caloric intake I was very satisfied with this establishment's CPD factor. As a genuine touch, there is heartfelt apology for rising prices due to rising ingredient cost and bird flu found at the bottom of each menu. 10/10 will eat again.

    I wanted something spicy Chinese and gave this place a shot. Spoiler alert, it wasn't but I also…read morehave a pretty high tolerance, and we are in Minnesota (no shade). I ordered the Stir Fry Spicy Beef, Mapo Tofu, and the Pork Belly. Everything was tasty and have no complaints as far as the actual flavors. I do think that the Mapo Tofu should always be soft tofu rather than firm, but that's just a personal preference. The beef was plentiful and extra tender and the pork belly was perfectly melt-in-your-mouth, so good that I felt like I had to ration it throughout the next few meals. I do wish it came with more rice. I ordered three sides and only got one box of rice. I was hoping to have at least two so I can eat it for several days. However, to end on a positive note, when I walked in to pick up my order, the woman (owner possibly) was incredibly friendly and spoke Mandarin to me. She was welcoming, funny, and we briefly argued how spicy food should really be for it to be enjoyable. "The spicier the better," me thinks. Come show these guys some love!

    Photos
    Restaurant counter
    Restaurant counter
    Chicken fried rice
    Chicken fried rice
    Entrance to the restaurant, be on the look out or you might miss it!

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    Entrance to the restaurant, be on the look out or you might miss it!
    Master Noodle - Edina

    Master Noodle - Edina

    4.4
    (262 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Another fantastic Master Noodle experience! I've been to multiple locations now and feel that each…read moreplace has fairly consistent tastes and quality. In true family-style fashion we got plenty of dishes to share: some appetizers and some "main dishes" as well. The Xiao long bao and beef burrito are great starters. I enjoyed the wontons in chili oil, but wish they would've been spicy - we added our own chili oil/sauce. The pork belly fried rice and Shanxi shaved noodles were both fantastic. Both great portion sizes for main dishes with plenty to take home if needed. The restaurant is large and spacious nestled in a strip mall, and the service was fantastic. Boba is such a great deal too!!

    I had a really good experience at Mastering Noodle overall. The food was delicious, fresh, and full…read moreof flavor, and you could tell that everything was made with care. The noodles were cooked well, and every dish tasted high quality. One thing I really appreciated was the portion sizes. They give you a generous amount of food, so it's definitely worth the price, and I even had some leftovers to take home. If you're looking for a filling meal, this is a great place to visit. The only downside was that it took a little while for our food to come out. It wasn't an unreasonable wait, but it was a bit longer than I expected. Thankfully, the quality of the food made up for it once it arrived. I also wish they offered smoothie-style boba drinks. Regular boba is great, but having blended boba smoothies would be an awesome addition to the menu and would make the experience even better. Overall, I'd definitely come back. The tasty food, large portions, and welcoming atmosphere made it an enjoyable meal. With a slightly faster kitchen and a few more drink options like boba smoothies, this place would easily be a five-star restaurant for me.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Garlic Chicken Fried Noodles and the chicken Fried Rice
    Garlic Chicken Fried Noodles and the chicken Fried Rice
    Restaurant interior

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    Restaurant interior
    Dragon Star Buffet

    Dragon Star Buffet

    4.2
    (96 reviews)
    6.5 mi

    The restaurant was packed & very busy! Apparently everyone loves it here. Our experience was good…read more Since it was so busy, some food was not replenished as quickly as we hoped and they ran out of many things. I was not a fan of the cream cheese wontons, as the outside used was too thick. The servers were quick and accommodating to our drink requests & cleaning up our finished plates. Beverages are included which was nice. I love getting hot tea. The restaurant was clean & well taken care of. They even have a waterfall with a pond with real fish in it, my little brother loved this. We would definitely come back.

    Great spot for AYCE americanized asian food. Located in a strip mall, there is plenty of free…read moreparking available in a lot. You pay when you first arrive with cash or card (they only take visa and mastercard). Note that if you pay with a card and add a tip, they will just give you cash from the register for the tip amount to leave at your table when you leave. I would bring cash to tip your server with at your table. After paying, you can seat yourself anywhere and a server will come by and take your beverage order. The buffet includes unlimited soft drinks, drip coffee, and hot tea. Their Dr. Pepper is extra syrupy compared to normal fountain drinks, would recommend! Throughout the meal, the server will clear your empty plates and at the end of the meal they will drop off fortune cookies and towelettes. Crab days are Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. During these days they serve lil crabs. There is also a build your own noodle station where you can choose your mix-ins and sauces, and they'll fry it up for you. The fried rice is solid and the garlic toast is shockingly really good. Food is pretty fresh and warm, and there are people constantly refilling trays and cleaning the buffet.

    Photos
    Buffet Área
    Buffet Área
    Crabs
    Crabs
    Food

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    Food

    CoTu Oriental Cuisine - vietnamese - Updated July 2026

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