This restaurant has been my family's favourite for as long as I can remember. It's peculiar for a…read moreNorth Shore family to willingly travel so far for a bite to eat, but that's a reflection on how good the food is here. Heck, when I was little we saw former prime-minister David Lange eating here and my dad had a chat to him - I think that tells you everything you need to know of the awesomeness that is Vietnam Cafe. Now take everything I say with one qualifier - this place is a hole. It's in a dingy old building which looks in dire need of a clean and a paintjob. It doesn't have any discernible decor apart from a mirror on the back wall. Parking's a bit of a bitch. The toilets should be avoided at all costs. But man, all that is totally outweighed by the standard of the food which was and still is the best of any Vietnamese restaurant I've visited in Auckland. The pho is always perfectly done, the pork spare ribs are tasty, and haiananese chicken is a favourite dinner of mine. If you like good honest Vietnamese cuisine, you won't find many better than this if you can stomach the lack of decor. The presence of a Hansan in my neighbourhood as well as local night markets have meant my visits here aren't as frequent as they used to be, but when I do you know you're in for the best.

I had just moved to Auckland from LA so this place was my first "ethnic" experience here. We did a…read moretake out of a curry, a vermicelli bun, and fresh and fried spring rolls. The food was delish, and well priced. I'm still adjusting my taste buds to Kiwi standards but I would go back to this place. Also there is a big Asian super market across the street which is a big perk.

Wow! I can't describe how delicious the pho is. It's not favor water it's actually tasty. The…read moreveggie soup with noddles was water watering soooo delicious!!!!! The wait staff is kind and helpful as well which makes it even better. 10 stars!

My partner and I were long time customers so it was extremely disappointing that the management was…read moreso rude when they cancelled my order with no explanation and instead told me to eat elsewhere. To be fair, the baguettes and summer rolls are some of the worst "Vietnamese" dishes I have tried. The only nice dish was the halo bowls but after their response, never again.

One of the best VIETNAMESE food we have found in Auckland. The portions are generous and the…read moreservice is first class. The location is in the quaint township of Birkenhead with its variety of individually owned stores. We tried the beef pho and lemongrass chicken bun. Both were very good and authentic. To top it off we also had the iced coffee. In all we definitely are coming back. Should try their Banh Mi and other dishes. The atmosphere here is hip and the decor very inviting. Great for a little eatery with great food!

We visited this place 3 times for food takeout. Reliably delicious Bahn mi and the service is…read morefriendly great. There are also 12 cinemas in this building. Other reasonable options are here too.

Yet another eatery has just opened up in the CBD, serving none other than delicious Vietnamese…read morefood! My SaiGon serves all the Vietnamese classics - beef pho, rice paper rolls, fried spring rolls, noodle dishes, vermicelli salads, grilled pork and of course, banh mi. After seeing a picture of their beef pho on Instagram, I just knew I had to try this place out! I went there last Friday for a takeaway dinner. The girl at the counter was friendly and helpful in terms of recommending her favourite dishes to me - there are many! I eventually decided on not one, but two dishes (I was pretty full afterwards) and ordered the Rice Paper Rolls with pork and prawn ($10 for three rolls and a peanut dipping sauce) and the Vietnamese Chicken Salad with peanuts, herbs etc. ($12). I must admit I did wait about 15 minutes for the food. Finally, the girl and the chef came out and apologised. They said they make their rice paper rolls fresh from scratch, hence the longer wait time. That was okay with me, because the food looked amazing! I couldn't wait to get home and try it! Both meals were incredibly tasty. The rolls were chunky, with lots of filling and they tasted very fresh. Instead of the usual Vietnamese dipping sauce, the rolls were accompanied by a peanut sauce, which was just as good! The Vietnamese salad was also very nice - it was quite spicy, which I wasn't expecting at all! However, I polished the whole thing and was already thinking about when my next visit to My SaiGon would be (food obsessed I know)! They also serve cans of soft drink, coconut water and Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. I am still yet to try this coffee - hopefully one day it will be soon... Just a side note... the shop is tucked away in a small food court just up the lane from New World Metro on Queen Street, so it is quite easy to miss, unless you walk up Swanson Street. However, I do highly recommend venturing out to find this place - it really is a hidden gem!

I was in a great need of a hot soup to recover from my hangover. We were in north shore so I've…read moremanaged to persuade everyone to go to Pho Bien for a Steam Boat (hot pot). We ordered a medium Steamboat (55) which says it's for 2~3 people. Well, this was an overestimation as four of us couldn't finish it. We received a boiling bowl with two sides of spicy and non-spicy broth but they soon got mixed together when food was put. We started by putting in the meat and seafood followed by vegetables (as veges get cooked faster!). Noodle went in last as you should enjoy it with the broth full of beef and seafood flavour. The waiter was happy to top up our broth as we ran out. The great thing about the Steamboat is that you can taste a variety of food including mushrooms, prawn, fish cakes and so much more at once. You can also control how long the meat/veges are cooked as you can simply pick them up and eat it when you like it. Everything was delicious and the soup really healed me :p The ginger and lemongrass condiment wasn't my thing so I made my own by mixing chili sauces.

Got the Large steam boat (4-5) for dinner with the family for a birthday. Was huge- 2 platters well…read morestocked with an arrangement of seafood, meat, vegetables & noodles. Definitely recommend buying the medium size unless you're starving or feeding boys/men. Got a group table in the outdoor portion of the restaurant. It is a neat wooden patio just next door to the four walled main interior with a makeshift material roof and front wall cover that does well to protect from the elements. Luckily they had a tall heater in the middle so we were protected from the cold night temperatures as well. Was surprised by how busy it was- both sections were fairly full and it got more packed as the evening went on. I can see why- the steam boat was a fun way to eat dinner and there was great things to put in - octopus, mussels, tofu, thin sliced beef, cabbage, rice noodles- to name a few. Liked the split steam boat bowl with two different soups- one spicy, one plain- and to be able to have two steam boats going at the same time and no extra waiting. Great sauces on the side to mix- with a green paste, bbq sauce, hot sauce and very spicy red peppers, beware. Definitely recommend the steamboat. Curious to try the cooked dishes and their dessert menu at another time.

We have recently found this little gem. Its unassuming…read morefrontage hides the fact that this is a great eatery. The menu is varied and very affordable. We like to drop in here on our way to the movies, and the speedy service is always welcomed. We ordered our food last night, and within 7mins we had all of our dishes in front of us! The service is efficient but not "warm".. but when you're there for a meal, efficient is all you need. We would reccomend this place to all for speedy, tasty and well priced vietnamese (mostly) food.

This is the spiciest pho I've ever had, and not in a good way. So unless you're a competitive…read morepepper eater specify mild to the staff because at least in my case they didn't ask. PS my review is for the Auckland airport location

My partner and I have been a regular at this place ever since it opened earlier this year, and we…read moreare thrilled with the food here! Everything from their fresh salads, grilled meats, crunchy spring rolls, to rice and noodle dishes are bursting with flavor. I've tried a variety of things on the menu and have never been disappointed. Most recently, I had their pork bahn mi (lunch special only) and it's now one of my favorites (on par with the ones from Hello Mister). Service has always been friendly and the decor is quite nice as well. Although it's a casual restaurant atop the mall, they've made the effort with indoor plants and lighting to make it feel more upscale. I'm so happy that a Vietnamese restaurant of this quality has opened up near me. If I were to move suburbs, I would still consider making a special trip just to come here. Highly recommended!

Tasty and affordable street style food. Kids meals at $12 with a juice are decent. Not the menu as…read moreon the site, as we went there for bun bo, but not on the menu

4 or 5 stars ? I'm not sure but this place is definitely up there !…read more There are 2 chefs , one Malay and one Vietnamese with the menu being split with some Malay dishes and some Vietnamese food . Geographically speaking Vietnam is more closer to Thailand ,but when the heart wants what the heart wants it makes more sense to put those two cuisines next to each other . Don't you think ? There is a mish mash of dećor but it's more than ok . A large selection of beers and a Vietnamese beer I don't think I've ever seen before . It's pretty clean and tidy . I had a old faithful of prawn toast which was so nicely cooked and a pancake of prawn and pork , the pancake was bigger than my eyes but it was very light and came with lettuce leaves to rip up , fold and dip into that yummy sauce . I imagine I'll be dragging people to this place now that I've fallen hard/crazy in love with Vietnamese cuisine .