Dan Da Debuts With Vietnamese Comfort Food From Former Savory Vietnam Owner

What we saw: The April 6 opening of Dân Dã (pronounced "yuhng-yaa") at 9945 East Colfax Avenue felt like a family reunion. People gathered at tables in the former Baba & Pops space greeted each other excitedly, as towers of make-your-own spring roll spreads and whole-fried sea bass were delivered to hungry patrons.

Many diners knew exactly what they wanted to order, because everyone had been waiting months to once again dig into the culinary creations of chef An Nguyen, who closed her last restaurant, Savory Vietnam, in December 2023.

In January, we named An and her sister, Thoa Nguyen, people to watch in 2024. At the time, Thoa, who owns Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe and had just wrapped up a run on the Food Network show Holiday Baking Championship, told Westword, "I'm just really excited to see my sister grow into something that she can really call her own."

Dân Dã is the result — and it's located right next door to Banh & Butter. "We were very excited to get that space," An says. "We wanted to be near her, and hopefully we can do some pop-ups and partner on things."

The Nguyen's culinary journey has always been a family affair. Their parents are the original owners of New Saigon and still operate the bakery side of the business. (The restaurant side, which they sold in 2017, closed in February).

An's oldest sister, Thao, is helping her run her new venture and headed up the beverage program, which includes colorful cocktails in flavors such as Salty Pickled Lime Spritzer and Guava Lava.
The space has been completely refreshed and includes a small dining room and an open kitchen behind the bar and counter, where patrons pay the bill after feasting.

The focal point is a large mural covering one wall depicting a young Vietnamese girl and a table of people eating outdoors. "We wanted to reminisce on the memories of someone having street alley comfort food," says An, who collaborated with local artist Chad Bolsinger on the project. The mural also includes five flowers to represent An and her four sisters, as well as nods to Asian pottery.

On another wall is the definition of Dân Dã: "A term to describe the people of the countryside or used to describe rustic traditional dishes. These rustic dishes often bring a feeling of comfort, warmth and togetherness among people."

What surprised us: That most of the menu looked very familiar — though the presentation of some of those favorites has changed.

Fans of Savory Vietnam will recognize many of the dishes on offer, though the list has been pared down from multiple pages to one sheet, front and back. "I'm sticking to the formula that works," An says. "I'm trying to bring that comfort back with the dishes people have come to love over the years."
But eventually, she plans to change things up. After closing Savory Vietnam, she spent some time traveling to California and Houston to "get more inspiration from what the Vietnamese community was doing in those areas," she says. "I didn't bring those to the grand opening, but once the staff is trained, I'm going to introduce new dishes. ... Eventually, those will become comfort food for the new generation."

She did debut with some changes, though. An recommends the make-your-own spring rolls for anyone visiting for the first time. Options include some smaller portions suitable for a table of two, but the best move is to visit with a large group and opt for one of the towers loaded with items such as lemon pork skewers, shrimp pork egg rolls, fried shrimp paste, grilled marinated beef and more. Or, go for the whole baked salmon for two, an addition to that section of the menu that An highly recommends.

A highlight from our first visit came from the món kho section. "Kho," the menu explains, "is a Vietnamese cooking technique and the true epitome of Vietnamese comfort food." Each protein option is simmered in a caramelized sauce made with fish sauce and plenty of aromatics. While these dishes were on the Savory Vietnam menu, they're now served in actual clay pots. "This is true, rustic country food — you can't go wrong," An says, and we agree, since the spicy lemongrass pork proved to be packed with flavor.
Seafood fans should not skip the grilled mussels to start. These huge, plump bivales are topped with herbs, scallions and fried onion, and doused in a sweet and savory sauce that can be scooped up in each shell.

"It felt awesome to be back," An says of the opening. "I can't be out of the kitchen too long — I was getting bored." Though she probably won't be bored again anytime soon.

With her family helping to run the front of the house, she's able to concentrate more on the work in the kitchen. "It's like my creative lab," she says. "Eventually, hopefully, we can evolve and create different businesses" outside of the Dân Dã space.

But for now, she's just happy to see familiar faces and share her Vietnamese fare once again. "It's been a lot of hard work trying to get it up and running. It's my baby — mine and Thao's — and more what we want to execute. Finally seeing it on a plate, it all came together and it was worth the wait," An concludes.

Indeed it was.

Dân Dã is located at 9945 East Colfax Avenue and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit dandavn.com.