By Scott Cronick
Atlantic City is undoubtedly known for its fine restaurants.
Millions of people flock to the city annually for celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri, Nobu Matsuhisa and Bobby Flay, awesome chains like Carmine’s and Chart House, and iconic local spots like Café 2825, Dock’s Oyster House, White House Sub Shop and Tony’s Baltimore Grill.
For those in the know, Atlantic City is also home to some spectacular cultural restaurants. Mexican cuisine is well represented with Mexico, Jvs, Pancho’s and Los Compadres. Chinese restaurants like Imperial Garden and Chang He are amazing. Setaara has French Afghan covered. Goute Creole represents the Caribbean. Kelsey and Kim Jackson’s three restaurants offers the best Southern and soul food you can find. And others like La Tia Picante (Peruvian), Cuba Libre and Habeebi’s (Middle Eastern) can be added to your must-try list.
At the top of that list — if you haven’t already tried it — should be Com Ga Ninh Kieu, an outrageously fantastic Vietnamese restaurant that is known for its giant triumvirate of statues outside of its doors as much as it’s known for having some of the best pho in South Jersey.
Located right on Atlantic Avenue — a stone’s throw from City Hall and Resorts Casino Hotel — Com Ga Ninh Kieu has been serving some of the best Vietnamese food in the area for more than a decade, but it has grown in popularity recently thanks to an impressive expansion and renovation three years ago that beautified and modernized the eatery while doubling the seating of the Vietnamese dining destination that now features three giant statues of Vietnamese rulers and warriors imported right from Vietnam.
Com Ga Ninh Kieu is the creation and investment of Ricky Hoang, a local legend in his own right whose passion for Vietnam and its food is showcased in the way he talks and the way he serves authentic Vietnamese food to the masses.
“I wanted to create a dining destination for Atlantic City while also beautifying this area and bringing attention to Atlantic Avenue,” Hoang said. “I think we are successful because we do everything from scratch. No shortcuts. We do it right.”
That’s an understatement. Take one spoonful of Com Ga’s beef pho — they also offer the popular Vietnamese noodle soup with tripe, chicken, shrimp, tofu, seafood, meatballs, pork chops and more — and you realize Hoang means what he says.
“Many restaurants use powder for the broth,” he explained. “Not us. Anyone who knows immediately tastes the difference. We prep it all night, and when we leave for the night, that broth is cooking overnight for at least 8 to 10 hours. We cook down all the bones, and it’s a lot of work. But it’s worth it. In one 100-gallon batch, we probably use 70 to 80 pounds of bones. Others take shortcuts. We don’t do that.”
One of the reasons others take shortcuts is because it is costly to make it right. Instead of using an inexpensive powder, those bones cost money, not to mention the labor and time to do it.
“And it’s more expensive than ever,” Hoang said. “Before the pandemic, it used to be about 15 cents a pound for beef bones. Now, it’s $1.09 per pound. But for us there is no other way. When you taste that fresh broth, you know right away. And they come back.”
Meet Ricky Hoang
There would be no Com Ga Ninh Kieu as we know it without Ricky Hoang. It would take a book to capture his history, but the short version is that Hoang is actually Chinese in descent, but he was born and raised in Vietnam, a place he returns to often and a place he may someday retire to.
Hoang came to the United States in 1981 as a young immigrant looking for opportunity. He started in Philadelphia, where he was immediately drawn to the restaurant industry, working as a kitchen helper, dishwaster … anything to make a living in Chinatown. He eventually opened his own Chinese restaurant there in the mid 1980s, which he operated while his wife was drawn to work in Atlantic City in its heyday in the mid-1990s.
He followed her, working at Caesars Atlantic City’s gourmet Asian restaurant as a waiter, then eventually working his way up to being a casino host, a position he enjoyed for decades. While working at Caesars, he decided to open Com Ga about 10 years ago, which he owns and his brother operated until Hoang retired about three years ago.
“There was a Vietnamese restaurant on this property before I owned it,” Hoang said. “And the chefs and cooks I have in the kitchen today that have worked for me for 10 years worked here for many years before I owned it So, they have been cooking Vietnamese food for this community for more than 25 years.”
Hoang now operates Com Ga full time among some other projects, and he oversaw the restaurant’s massive overhaul about two years ago. That overhaul included the stunning courtyard with the aforementioned statues and a new adjacent parking lot that is well lit and kept immaculate and provides free parking for diners. The renovation and expansion also included a brand-new kitchen and a patio overlooking the courtyard that is commonly used for private events and celebrations.
“This was a major investment in this city,” Hoang said. “I wanted the Vietnamese community to have a home, a place they are proud of. Those statues of generals and kings are important to the Vietnamese community. They symbolize that this is a destination for the Vietnamese community and everyone. People driving by that don’t even know we are here stop and take photos and put them on Instagram and TikTok and social media. The statues were commissioned by an artist in Vietnam. He is absolutely amazing. You shoot him a photo and he can make these 14-foot statues that are out there. He’s a genius. I wanted to make an impression with the statues, and I think it worked. We think we created something special here for people to enjoy.”
Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine
Now, to the important stuff: The food.
You won’t find a more authentic Vietnamese experience than at Com Ga Ninh Kieu, which offers a massive menu that has something for everyone.
The most familiar dishes are the pho and banh mi, which are Vietnamese hoagies made with various proteins like beef, pork and chicken served on a toasted baguette with vegetables, jalapeno peppers and a spicy mayonnaise.
For starters, try the spring rolls, which are stuffed with fresh veggies, pork and shrimp and hand rolled and fried perfectly. They are the best spring rolls I ever had. There are also delicate summer rolls stuffed with a variety of options from pork to tofu — yes, there are plenty of vegetarian options here — the very unique fried whole quail on salad. Vietnamese pancakes, duck salad and — my favorite: the lotus root salad with shrimp and pork that is a must-try summer salad.
“I love to eat, so it’s important to present these dishes like I remember them back where I grew up,” Hoang said. “I would put this food up against anyone when it comes to Vietnamese food. It’s a big menu, and it’s a lot of work and prep to make it authentic like we do. But when you taste it you realize it’s worth it.”
Other than pho, there are a variety of noodle styles — thin vermicelli, broken rice, rice vermicelli, rice noodles, egg noodles and fried rice — that are prepared with pork, shrimp, chicken, seafood, veggies and more, and Hoang and his team are there to explain the nuances and differences for those inexperienced in Vietnamese cuisine.
By the way, the restaurant’s name translates to chicken rice for a reason.
Some favorites include the lemongrass beef or chicken over broken rice or thin vermicelli, grilled beef short ribs, steamed fresh chicken with rice with the whole chicken being quartered, beef stew with rice or egg noodles, braised fish — bone-in (catfish) or boneless (halibut)— in a hot clay pot, various congee dishes, and a variety of beverages that are super popular, including coconut drink, fruit smoothies, bubble milk tea, Thai milk tea, iced or hot coffee, iced salted lemonade and more.
“No shortcuts,” Hoang said. “Anything good takes time in life and is a lot of work. I love this food because it can be healthy and delicious. I love Chinese food, too, but that tends to be more greasy. This is more clean, fresh. I often get asked why I chose to open a Vietnamese restaurant and not another Chinese restaurant, and that’s why. Plus, there are enough Chinese restaurants. We are unique. We filled a niche.”
Looking Ahead
As Com Ga Ninh Kieu passes its 10-year mark and is still settling into its new digs, Hoang feels good moving forward.
“The people who know about us come back and find us a couple of times a month,” Hoang said. “They crave it. They have to have it. And that makes me happy to see them come in and become regulars and explore the menu and explore new things as they get comfortable with the menu and what we do here. I’m happy I see people enjoy life and food here. That’s perfect. That’s all I need.”
Com Ga Ninh Kieu is located at 1124 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, and is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, to 10 p.m. Saturday. Call 609-572-9211 or go to ComGaNinhKieu.com
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
