Address: 48 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6EP, United Kingdom
Phone: +442033435050
Rating: 4.1
based on 127 reviews.
Food Quality
Pros:
"Cheery, good, honest, local place serving up the likes of fresh summer rolls, bowls of tasty, cleansing pho and other Vietnamese staples - all at reasonable prices."
"The beef Pho and Pho King were just what we needed: broth was delicious and the meat/noodle portions were generous."
"Great tasting food."
"The best noodle salad I had."
"Really good food. I ordered the roast duck with bbq sauce and the meat was very moist and perfectly cooked."
"The food is very fresh, decent portions and and the dipping sauce is fantastic!"
"Delicious Vietnamese food. Pho, spring rolls, Bun Bo Nam Bo are among my top favourites."
Cons:
"Below-average food (some of which also extremely messy, e.g. their tofu baguette) at above-average prices."
"Didn't feel that the food was worth the price."
"Everything screams not authentic."
"Lack of rare beef for pho, which is absolutely detrimental."
"Food was mediocre, much better Vietnamese on Kingsland Road and the staff serving us were awful."
"The Bun Hue soup used to be my favourite in London. Unfortunately the same soup has increased a third in price and tastes now like any other Vietnamese place."
"The food is very bland. (For example, the tofu in the vegetarian pho was completely unsalted and tasteless.)"
Service
Pros:
"Fairly quick service but up to 10 min at busy times."
"The waiter who took my order, Mai, was super nice and helpful."
"Friendly staff."
"Nice place, nice staff, and really fast service."
"FASTEST service I have ever seen at a restaurant!"
"Very tasty food with attentive and lovely staff."
"I was warmly welcomed by servers Mai and Lily who made me feel right at home and were very attentive to my every need."
Cons:
"Poor service from one of the staff members."
"The service was so rude we had to leave."
"The last time I been to this place was two years ago, it had very good standard of service and good food. I went in the restaurant two days ago and the services was appalling."
"However, one particular day, I asked the waitress if she could adjust the music volume, as I felt it was too high, and she responded by saying 'that's just how it comes out'."
"The service is usually very slow."
"They did add a 12.5% service charge to the bill without asking."
"Service was efficient but not especially friendly."
Price
Pros:
"Prices are decent for the location."
"This place is amazing if you are looking for a cheap and casual dining experience that serves Asian/Vietnamese food."
"Quite good and an excellent value for what you pay for."
"The price is cheaper for the food they offer."
"The price perfectly matches the quality."
"The prices are very reasonable."
"Delicious hot food thats reasonably priced."
Cons:
"Prices have jumped outrageously but they still seem to be doing well."
"A bit pricey for what it is - we ordered two noodles, one starter and two drinks (an Aloe Vera and Vietnamese coffee) and it came to nearly £50."
"It isn't cheap, though, but what do you expect in London?"
"Not cheap at 5.50 a pop but nothing's cheap in London anymore."
"I knocked 1 star off because of the central location the prices are expensive to have lunch there several times a week."
"I find it pricey though 15 pounds for one soup."
"You won’t get a feel of 'authentic Vietnam food taste' from it. In addition, the price is among top end regarding its quality, which is not a good value for money."
Ambiance
Pros:
"People were friendly and the place was clean."
"Wonderfully lively atmosphere and superb food."
"Busy, bustling, small Vietnamese cafe in Holborn area. It's cramped when it is busy but all the same it has a great atmosphere and ambience."
"Really cosy inside."
"A very cosy eating experience, similar to wagamamas benches and stools."
"Nice cozy restaurant with excellent Vietnamese and Asian dishes."
"Really good and more subtle than a simple fast food, but still for a low price though."
Cons:
"Seating is communal, so you might end up a little too close for comfort with the strangers at your table."
"Seating is quite small and tight so don't bring big bags with you!"
"The restaurant is overcrowded during lunch time, and you have to share table with some strangers, which is not a good experience at all."
"The place needs a clean and the staff could smarten up too."
"The tables are way too close together. It felt like we were sat on top of the people next to us and could hear each others conversations."
"Little charm or charisma, which is a shame given the degree of competition in the area."
"Have since learnt that this restaurant has an appalling hygiene rating of 1/5, with ‘improvement’ deemed necessary in all areas and ‘major improvement’ necessary in food safety."
Customer Service
Pros:
"I'd highly recommend the pork in five spices."
"The staff are friendly and really spot on with service."
"The serving staff are generally polite."
"Very good service - better than many more upscale restaurants I've been to in London."
"The waitress was also really nice and welcoming!"
"Hazel our server was lovely and warm."
"Friendly and helpful staff make this bustling cafe a favorite of locals and travellers alike."
Cons:
"Food was mediocre, much better Vietnamese on Kingsland Road."
"The staff was very difficult to communicate with, they got confused with the food requirements of me and my friends."
"The place looked good. However, the service was so disappointing."
"Service could be better. I found the waitress to be rude and moody."
"The staff is a mix of both - very kind and rude staff."
"The waitress was rude, it was like I owe her money…"
"Overall quality customer can expect in every respect gets lower and lower as time goes."