Food was great and it came out relatively quickly. It is a bit hidden with other restaurants. Be sure to check in with the receptionist when you arrive. Most seating is outdoors. It gets busy for dinner. read more

The Beef Ragu, cooked with coconut and star anise -is the flavour to savour. Fall off the bone, fragrant, delicious! Gets tropical-hot inside on a Summers night (or in our case - a 34 degree Spring night), so get a table outside if you can. Chockers with young, stylish, lively diners. I'd say the mean age is about 28 here. Come dressed relaxed or glammed up; you wouldn't be out of place in either attire. Good spot for a semi-casual Birthday. read more

New owners. The squid is not as well cooked as previously and is a bit oily, worse, the house made sauce which used to be delicious has been replaced with plain sweet chilli sauce. The rice rolls are smaller and more expensive. Such a pity. read more

Phamish Cafe - Hey Maria! You get one guess... - Vietnamese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Phamish! Scooting though Darlinghurst you could easily miss this gem. But you need to visit. We went here on Sunday afternoon at 5:30pm as they opened and got seated immediately. Staff are definitely not the friendliest faces in the Sydney restaurant scene but they are busy! So I will excuse that in this review. The food is delicious with every single dish we ordered 5/5 stars. Just go up and order a table full of food and enjoy! Try the specials they were a real treat :) read more

Phamish Cafe - Salt and Pepper Prawns - Vietnamese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Great value for sure. Love this spot. We spent $25 a person on our dinners here and shared plates among four of us including an entree. It's a couple dollars for BYOB and we grabbed a bottle of wine from East Village Hotel (around the corner). The salt and pepper squid, soft-shell crab, duck salad, vegetable curry, beef ragu and rice paper rolls are all amazing. You order at the counter and it comes out super quick. I like that too. The only bad thing about Phamish can be the wait, especially if you're really hungry. Go early if you want a table right away. Otherwise I'd say it's well worth your wait. read more

Phamish Cafe - Salt and pepper squid - Vietnamese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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You know those times when you mention to a friend that you will be coming to visit several weeks in advance... And they insist that they must, simply must take you to this ONE place? That was the lead in for Phamish, and I did go in with a juxtaposition of high expectations and previous experience of Vietnamese food that left me thinking I'd be likely to enjoy my food, but not necessarily love it. I have previously found Vietnamese food to be lovely and light but without a lot of depth or variety. Ok, so this place doesn't take over the phone bookings apparently, and you need to put your name down when you arrive and wait (fortunately there are pubs around). Be aware that some people will however show up at lunchtime to reserve their dinner spot and as such the evenings can mean a significant wait. It's a vibrant little joint, good ambience but so noisy. Keep your conversations close and be prepared to leave hoarse. We some salt and pepper calamari, ginger and lemongrass chicken, crispy skin chicken, caramelised pork, some vegetable dish... I feel like there was more but I can't remember what it was. Everything was deeply flavoured and clearly unique to the other dishes on the table. The consensus on our table was that the crispy skin chicken was the best any of us had ever had. The pork was a close second. I wish I could have tried everything. We BYO'd wine, and between six people only had to pay 20ish per head for a very satisfying dinner. One for the memory banks for sure. read more

Phamish Cafe - Caramelised Pork.... Yum - Vietnamese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

My friends LOVE Phamish....I don't... why because I don't eat meat or calamari or whatever other animals Phamish serve up.... basically what I'm saying is if you're vegeterian you're going to have a very poor expereience at Phamish. The veggie options are bland and you kind of get the feeling they needed some greenery on the menu to counter all the meat dishes.... Those of you who know me, know that I don't have a problem with people eating meat - I just have a problem with restaurants forgetting that there may be customers (and an increasing amount of customers) who don't eat living creatures... read more

Phamish Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

Very, very good - I can totally see why many people say Phamish is their go to for Vietnamese. It's not the delightful and cheap Asian food so common in this city, but it is quality for the price, and the portions are ridiculously huge. 4 stars for the Salt & Pepper Prawns (20.50). As the name suggests, this is a huge bowl of tasty prawns, lightly flash fried and served with an almost meaty dark sauce on the side. It's a ton of prawns ... you could easily share this meal with another person (and maybe add an appetizer) and be all set. 5 stars for their special Fish curry (21.50), the flavours are layered, complex, and straight up delicious. 3-4 stars for the crab dumplings ($12, appetizer). Nice flavours. These crab dumplings are very large and good. I would have preferred some veggies in there as well, or some filling that could help lighten them as the combination of the fried exterior and the crab is a bit on the heavy side. read more

Ok, I'm gonna call it - my favourite asian in sydney! Phamish is an institution, newcomers to the inner city are always taken here by me and their own worship begins immediately. The dishes are so yummy and great, and its so fresh that when its sold out, its taken down off the wall. My favourite is the lemongrass and chili chicken, the spring rolls are by far the best in sydney that I've had, and the satay chicken is also good. I don't eat beef but my friends always order the sesame beef. The service: Its good, its not over friendly but its still nice. I've never been able to walk in and get a table, always a wait, but they are really good at calling you before or on the time they said they would, and you can go drink at the east village hotel while you wait. read more

Vietnamese is fast becoming one of our favourite Asian cuisines. We love the clean flavours, the balance of sweet and sour and their use of fresh aromatic herbs. So tasty! Let us introduce you to one of our favourite Vientamese inner city spots, Phamish. Now, we must warn you, this is not a fancy place. There is not a white tablecloth in sight. You will sit on plastic stools and drink your (BYO) wine out of tumblers. But, that all adds to the charm. Phamish relocated from it's old Paddington digs to Darlinghurst some years ago and it now sits in the courtyard off Palmer Street, next to Lucio Pizzeria and Universal. They don't take bookings and they get busy. You'll want to arrive with your bottle of wine in hand, put your name down for a table, leave your number and head off to nearby East Village Hotel for a drink while you wait. Once you take your seat on the plastic stool, you'll be met with a no-nonsense menu of reasonably priced Vietnamese dishes. We can never go past the Duck Pancakes to start and the Salt and Pepper Squid is a knockout. The food has met a consistent standard for years. Whilst we admit, you may find more authentic Vietnamese restaurants in Cabramatta, we can't help but love this little gem, plastic seats and all. We hope you love it too. read more

I remember from a long long long time ago my first Vietnamese food was here amd was the most spectacular experience - new owners offer a different level of quality food - still achieving a good result with serving a more home style dining taste -nice to see the simple flavours are still on point and incredibly fresh. Definitely worth revisiting. read more

Great value. Delicious food. Some friends took me here the day before I left Sydney. My only regret was that I didn't find it earlier. Kinda trendy and outdoor seating, tucked in a quiet part of town. Try the duck pancakes! read more

Cheap, loud, and overrated - I really believe that this place is only crowded because it serves cheap meals nestled amongst beautiful dining restaurants that are triple the price. I think the surry hills crowd are sometimes guilty of wanting to be seen dining in darlinghurst or surry because they can't afford to eat at a real restaurant. This place serves nothing more fantastic than what you find in any typical Vietnamese takeaway. If Sydney keep supporting these types of businesses we will kill off the art of real dinning. read more

OMG come hungry...like maybe even wear elastic pants because you'll want to eat until you can eat no more. I'd also advise going in a group and ordering lots of dishes so that you get to sample everything. I wouldn't judge you if you ordered a ton of food for yourself, but at least in a group you'll save a bit of $$$. Top picks: rice paper rolls, banana blossom salad with duck, chicken curry and the spring rolls. The food comes quickly and has always been spot on when I visit. Just a note- it isn't super cheap, but for the quality of the food I'd consider it great value! read more

Great Vietnamese food on a budget. Forget red lantern, this place offers up really good quality Vietnamese food for half the price! The place is no frills. You order and pay at the counter. The restaurant is byo and you sit outside in a covered area in stools. Despite this the place does amazing business and is also busy and full. We ordered the crispy crab dumplings, caramelized pork belly with Chinese broccoli and duck in plum sauce. The crab dumplings were a bit of a let down, however the two other dishes were amazing! The total bill only came out to $60 for two including rice which is great value for the quality of food. Will definitely be back again! read more

First, love these guys - they had closed after lunch half an hour previous but let me order a quick snack. Friendly service in central Sydney - who knew?! I ordered rice paper rolls - fresh, crisp, delicious dipping sauce. But the star was the roast Banh Mi roll. French bread and savory, falling apart pork. I dream of a sandwich this good. read more

There's a lot of strong vietnamese in Sydney, and while I'm a fan of Phamish's portions and variety, their dishes didn't quite blow me away to the degree that other spots in the city have. Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere? The atmosphere at Phamish Vietnamese Cafe threw me a bit given the rave reviews. Tucked away on an otherwise residential street, there are plastic seats out front and cramped seating inside and out. I was here on a business dinner, and those with me looked around with some hesitation before we snagged a seat and started digging in. The food offsets the vibe, but be advised that this won't exactly be a romantic getaway or formal function. Star Granted either way. Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost? My party of four opted for rice and four dishes to share, all of which cost right around $20 each. En total this ended up being a little over $25 per person at the end of the day, which was perfectly reasonable given the generous quantities. Star Granted. Stars 3 and 4: How was the food? I couldn't exactly tell you what all my party ordered, but there were starter rolls, beef, chicken, and pork. All of the dishes were good, with strong flavors all around, but I'll admit the quality of meats could have been a tad bit higher. Additionally, the rice was a tad bit undercooked, which came into play with every dish. Single Star Granted. Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could? I can see why Phamish is so popular given their sizable portions and casual atmosphere; but for the price, I'll argue there are better options in Sydney. No Star Granted. read more

Phamish ticks all the boxes when it comes to an awesome cheap eat: fast, fresh and BYO. Located in the courtyard set-up that also houses the well-known Universal on Palmer Street, the alfresco diner is forever packed - there's often a wait, but just put your name down for a table and head to the nearby (and recently renovated) East Village Hotel in the meantime. It's kind of like a cafeteria with table service. Order from the counter, take your number back to the table and in no time at all you'll be munching away on some sweet Vietnamese eats. Don't even think about leaving before you've tried the duck and prawn pancakes. These giant rice paper rolls are chockers full of both types of meat plus plenty of fresh mint and Thai basil, and only $14 for two. I don't know what's in the dipping sauce they come with, but it's nutty and salty and very moreish. The salt and pepper squid is another fave, coated in a light batter and tossed with garlic, lemongrass and chilli. read more

one of the best casual asian food spots in sydney. every one of their dishes is just buzzing with flavour. squid, pork, chicken lemongrass to name a few are the cult dishes. this food seriously is is up there with 40 - 50 dollar a dish places - for the price of 18 bucks! thats value for money - and there is a great vibe. this is my fave casual asian food spot in sydney! read more

Phamish Cafe - Cool menu above kitchen. - Vietnamese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

In short: After messing up our order, not only did they not take responsibility, they didn't believe us. I now understand why so many other reviewers scored them down on their getting their orders wrong too. When calling in our order to Phamish Vietnamese Café (7:55pm), we asking when the food would be ready for collection. When we were told 15 minutes, we asked if they instead could have it ready in 25 min. Should be easier for them, right? No problem they said, when we arrived at 8.30 the food still wasn't ready, and we were kept waiting for another 15 minutes. The staff's explanation for their not bothering to even start preparing some of the dishes before our 8:30 was that they did not want it to get cold. So instead of preparing your dish for your arrival, they think nothing of wasting your time and giving a two finger salute to the convention the rest of us follow. Brilliant! We arrived at our social gathering late as a result of Phamish's incompetence, and when we opened the meals, only there were only two of the three dishes we had ordered, paid and waited for. I didn't want to leave this unhappy feedback review, but instead thought to give the restaurant a chance to correct their screw ups. So I messaged Phamish explaining the situation. The respond just made their screw up worse. They made it made clear that they did not believe me that one of the three paid for dishes was missing. Here's their great customer service ethic: "If that dish had been missing from the bag as claimed, why didn't you ring us on the night, as soon as you found out?" Yea, so I'm going to prioritise chasing a dish rather than socialising at a gathering that Phamish have already caused me to turn up late for. Their response about our "compensation" added insult to injury: "I only can offer you a dish that you think were missing and a rice." Jeez thanks Phamish for offering the dish we already paid and waited for, and your disbelief at your staff's screw up and our integrity. We never got refunded and are never going back. We now know where they got their name: they'll get you feeling famished by not preparing your meal for your agreed arrival time, and keep you feeling famished by not giving you all your paid for dishes! read more

BOOKINGS: 7/10 - Yes, they do take them. If you are calling early to ensure you get a table leave a message and they will call you back. - Maybe, we had a booking but when we showed up, and every time other patrons showed up the hostess looked mortified. I think they must have taken bookings from absolutely everyone that called. RESTAURANT: 8/10 - It is cafeteria style as other reviewers mentioned. You go up to the front where there is a giant menu, order and pay. After ordering you may be sent back outside to the front while they try to find you a table. Once said table is ready they put your number on it and you are good to wait for your food. - Crowded (it was a Friday night). If you come in a group, be prepared to sit around a small table. This will bring you closer to your friends. - The ambience was quite nice. TBH, it felt romantic which not a bad thing since I was dining with my partner. FOOD: 9/10 - Spring rolls: WIN. I believe there were 6 perfectly stuffed, fried amazing yummy spring rolls - Carmelized pork: WIN. Good sized serving with rice and veg - Salt and pepper prawns: WIN. Quite possibly 12 good sized prawns on my plate. - Rice was $3 pp and I'm not sure if we needed it. Quite full at the end. COST: around $65 for 2 pp SUMMARY Overall a good dining experience. I wouldn't trek to Phamish again but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my friends. A bit on the pricey side as they fashion themselves as trendy. The hostess was very friendly but I found the guys at the counter to be a bit rude. TIPS Bathroom - Around the corner and you need a key BYO - It is BYO and you are charged $3pp - I believe just beer / wine KIDS - Yes and No - not a lot of room to move around in the restaurant but outside there is a cement area where they can run around, be seen and not end up in the street. read more

I have been eating at this restaurant for decades-it's been one of my favorite little gems for years but something has changed! It's lost its sparkle-the dishes are becoming a little generic and I'm very sad about this. Don't get me wrong-the food is still ok but it's lost the love that they usually put into everything they do. The "beef la lot" which I always start with has lost its smokey fabulousness. The special for the night was Soft shell crab-very tasteless and I actually put a half eaten piece back on the plate!!!! I will return to give them another try but I fear it's had it's day :(((( read more

Amazing salt and pepper tofu and beautiful little dumplings. Delicious!

Relaxed, casual and fun, with funky. largely outdoor, seating. The food has been consistently good and has a wide enough selection to appeal even to me, who is not too keen on over the top spiced foods. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who likes Vietnamese food or who is up to give it a go. read more

Wednesday night here was bustling, but booking a table in advance was worth it for the food here. Great for sharing, I'd recommend the dumplings! read more

It's rare to get a chance to wrap your mouth around Phamish's flavourful vietnamese treats without a small wait for a table. Cute little bicycle seat style stools look uncomfortable at first glance but prove surprisingly easy to sit on as long as you're not on the heavier side. Food is fresh, full of interesting taste bud tingling flavours and easy to share. Stand outs included perfectly crisp fried blue crab dumplings and a beef and papaya salad. Service is swift without being pushy and although I initially found it a pain to have to order at the counter and pay on ordering.. it did make for a fast and easy exit once meals were wiped clean. When it comes to price factor, costs are reasonable but seem on the heavier side considering you're not getting full table service and knowing full well you could get amazing Vietnamese food from a hole in the wall on Victoria St, Melbourne for half the price. However, with those extra dollars comes more adventurous flavour combinations and the luxury of a beautiful, vibing alfresco setting. read more

Get yourself some green papaya salad and chicken curry and life is better. The service is a little brusque and sometimes the food can be a bit oily, but for the most part this place is an affordable gem that offers some of the best Vietnamese food in Sydney. read more

Phamish has earned quite a reputation over the years, bringing its band of local devotees from its former spot in Paddington to its current location in Darlinghurst. Sitting in the Republic 2 courtyard on Palmer Street, it's not a place for lingering but rather get in, eat a mountain of food, drink a bottle of BYO wine, then get out. But before you secure a table, you might need to add your name to the waiting list and have a beer in the pub down the street, but with such fast service the wait is never long. Order at the counter, making sure to include salt and pepper squid, duck and prawn rice paper rolls, and duck and banana blossom salad. The kitchen usually runs out of the most popular dishes during the night, so if that item's been taken off the giant menu above the register, you'll just have to plan another trip soon... read more

Make a reservation, arrive early and expect to be impressed! A lucky find while exploring Sydney.

Food was terrible. Salt and pepper squid was cold and rubbery. Ordered and payed for fried rice got given boiled. Will not be getting takeaway from this place again. read more

I was disappointed to find out that they didn't serve pho. I came to the place expecting that a full service Vietnamese restaurant serves that. I guess I learned not to assume. I ordered the Vietnamese curry with prawns. It was good, but nothing to brag home about. The service was quick too. The price is a bit more than expected. read more