Sun Foods Deli - St Paul

We've driven by this place many times, wondering what it was, first when it was Foodsmart and now as Sun Foods. We passed each time because Sun Foods and the strip mall it's attached appears run down, something found in a rough neighborhood. I suppose this particular parcel of Frogtown could qualify as a rough TC area neighborhood.

Curiosity may have killed the cat but curiosity also can leads to discoveries. Sun Foods is a multi-ethnic grocery store with a small deli. When I say multi-ethnic I mean Hmong, Loation, Vietnamese, African American, Somali, White, Mexican, plus a few more I'd be guessing at.

Reportedly the food is Hmong but it appears to be more pan-southeast asian. The $4.99 combo I chose consisted of Chicken Pad Thai, a seafood food side which included squid, octopus, and shrimp, and a Hmong sausage. We ordered and then went inside the small fishbowl cafeteria.

For the price, this was a very good combo. The Pad Thai wasn't a standout but it was decent and tasted something a good amateur home cook would put together. The seafood was a little cold but a very decent offering, again reflective of good home cooking. This was the first time we had tried Hmong sausage. The best way I can describe is as a mix between Chinese sausage and Western sausage but leaner. It had a courser grind of meat, didn't have globules of fat, and not as much filler as Western sausage. The sausage was different but enjoyable to the point where we bought a package in the grocery.

Whereas the combo was decent, the Pho at $4.99 was unexpectedly very good. It was close to but not the traditional Pho I had come to expect. The bowls were huge and came with large swirls of oil as well as what I believed to be little dots of red chili oil floating on top. My first thought would be that the Pho would excruciatingly spicy but it turned out not be. The broth was hot and flavorful in a moderately intense and mouth pleasing way. The noodles were cooked just to the right level. The Pho had just the right amount of thinly sliced beef and a couple of meat balls. At this price and quality, this is the best Pho value we've come across in the TC.

We also picked up a Banh-Mi sandwich. It was average, not having the freshness or zing I've come to expect.

Bottom line: Hole in a wall with great Pho. Go during the day.

Sun Foods
544 University Ave
St Paul, MN