CASH ONLY! I wish they put a sign out in the front so you're not stuck in an awkward bind to get…read morecash. Otherwise, this place is awesome. Good pho-od, good mood, & good price. The rare beef in the pho was very tender (see pic for the pinkish meat), and the broth was seasoned well. The bun cha also had a nice balance of veggies to noodles to crunchies. All in all, will be back for more.

Delicious and fresh food for take away prepared very quickly. We ordered the summer rolls with…read moretofu, bun tofu sa, and bun nem chay all with tofu and everything was delicious. The portion sizes were good as well. Definitely recommend!

Opened just a few weeks ago, this little Vietnamese take-away place enriches the Charlotte-Street…read morearea in Fitzrovia with yet another culinary adventure. I actually discovered by accident that the "famous" Banh Mi Bay" from Holborn had set up shop in this area as well. To be more precise, I'd come to the area to try out the new Okonomyaki place just around the corner (called Yaki). Anyway, I'd made my typical mental bookmark and I came back the following week to grab some lunch from here. I walked in and I was greeted super-friendly by the staff behind the counter. They invited me to a small conversation about Vietnamese food and I admitted that I'd lived in San Francisco for a long time and that my expectation would be quite high ;-) Undeterred by my food-snobbishnes, the nice guy behind the counter went ahead and recommended some special items from the menu. I ended up choosing their special Vietnames sandwich special and although I was tempted to go for the healthy option by choosing brown bread, I went for their home-made Vietnamese baguette, which is made from rice flour. The sandwich was good, although I would've personally liked to have it a little spicier. At the other Vietnamese sandwich places in the city (Cà Phê, for example), they usually ask to add extra sauce or peppers...I missed this here. (Although I assume that if I had asked for it, they would've been very accommodating.) What I really liked best here was the vibe - all the staff was super-friendly and when I asked a random question about Vietnamese cuisine, one of the cooks overheard my question and came to the front and answered it. (I wanted to know, what a typical Vietnamese breakfast consists of and he told me - to my surprise - that people would eat Pho for breakfast! Who would've thought...)

A lovely place right by St Pauls. Great Lunch Deal, especially if you are vegetarian…read more The decor is nothing special- not very Vietnamese. The price was a great value, especially considering the location. The food was delicious! I ordered the Lunch special rice box that came with braised tofu and vegetables, along with carrots, cucumbers and radish salad and rice. The tofu was well cooked and flavorful and went beautiful with the rice. Overall a fulfilling meal.

This place is related to yum bowl, although they don't have the crispy pork belly at this location…read more You'll have to g down the street on white cross M-F during lunch time to get yum bowl, which is cash only. The other yum bowl location on leather lane is card only. Anyhow, back to Chao, I love the options here. The five spice beef reminds me of my grandmothers version that she used to make. The pho is pretty solid- the broth is lite, but the meats are on point. I like the beef balls the best. Also had their BBH, vermicelli bowls. All great options to rotate into my weekly lunch routines. Also great option if you don't have cash on you!

There is this market on Whitecross Street near Moorgate/Old Street which sells many a cuisine…read more Lineups are a regular occurrence, and are often met with......disappointment. The Indian stall has lineups down the street, but the food? Mediocre. Same goes with the Thai, the Jamaican, etc., etc. (there are exceptions, btw, ie., Italian can be good, roast meat sandwiches, turkish type wraps). Walk slightly past the market and you come to Chao Kitchen. It can be really busy as well, but at least you're waiting indoors, alongside those IN THE KNOW. I'm a pretty well respected voice in the London-has-no-good-vietnamese-food contingent, however, Chao Kitchen does a little bit to silence my otherwise bellowing cries. Their BBQ lemongrass chicken bowl is pretty good, though best when they fresh grill the meat. They serve some rice, some chicken, and cover it with mint, coriander, and pickled vietnamese veggies (the kind that come in a bahn mi). Its really a nice fresh meal for about 5.50, and it's usually pretty fast.

Absolutely brilliant noodle bar. Great menu. Good service. Definitely worth visiting if you are in…read morethe area and want excellent cheap food.

Very cute little family run noodle bar with friendly service. The staff were helpful and flexible…read morewith the menu. I ordered a stir fry for mains and spring rolls as a starter. The spring rolls were ok, nothing exceptional, but I was very happy with the stir fry. It was loaded with different flavours, crunchy vegetables (how I like it) and a lovely soy sauce. Every time I pass this restaurant I'm glad to see it's always busy! Definitely not a good place for a romantic evening, has quite a casual atmosphere, but for me this adds to the character of the restaurant. The service is fast and its a nice place to grab a takeaway if you don't fancy eating in. Although they do have a BYOB option with only a £1.50 corkage which makes it really reasonable!

A pretty basic, but excellent value, local Vietnamese cafe, and the locals know it, so be warned,…read moreyou may have to wait for a table at peak times, and if you arrive late in the evening, they may have run out of some of the most popular dishes! I'd especially recommend the delicious and healthy crunchy fresh salads, soft shell crab and bun hui (spicy noodle soup), although in my experience the standard pho can be of a slightly variable quality. Another thing that can disappoint slightly is the often pretty cheerless service, however, this is still my favourite Crouch End cheap eat.

Love the soups, summer rolls and shaking beef! Cheap too. :))…read moreGood service.

We had just finished a pub walking tour and we needed a late dinner. This place was right down the…read morestreet and had strong reviews. It is tiny with just a few tables and counters. We pulled up a couple of stools and placed our order with the waitress. I got the grilled pork banh mi which was super good. The baguette was fresh, the pork tender and the sauce tasty. My wife really liked her rice chicken curry. Tip: if you just want still water ask for a carafe which is free versus a plastic bottle of water which they charge for. Otherwise prices were fair.

got the wonton noodles and it was divine. v flavorful and the portion size was great too. great…read morequick service sit down restaurant

Amazing vietnamese spot! We loved the pho, the menu was pretty simple and there wasn't much seating…read more(seems to be a popular grab and go spot). The soup really hit the spot on a gloomy day.

Quick review of a place popular with my uk coworkers. Tried the beef pho, summer rolls, and the…read morepork bun (which strangely translates to noodles and not sandwich). Pho has rich broth and comes with a packet of sprouts, julienne carrots, cilantro, and lime. It really hit the spot on one of those cold rainy London days. Shrimp summer rolls were tasty - fresh and wrapped neatly enough to ensure nothing came out. Most days there's queue but it moves pretty fast. So great place for a fast fulfilling meal.

I don't even care about the food or service or whatever I just thought the name was crazy, the food…read moredoes make you one!

Came here after I found out that Natasha Bedingfield comes here! This was the best meal of my…read moreLondon trip. Fast casual spot, I ordered then found a spot to sit and they brought out my food to me. No wait on a weekday lunch. The duck wrap was good but it wasn't a must get. The chicken laksa was soooo good. The broth was soooo good. The noodles were sooooo good. The chicken was juicy and good. Gosh that was a freaking amazing bowl. I was sitting there on cloud nine eating it up. Highly recommend.