My mom just moved to the area and we needed Pho STAT with all the cold weather so stopped by Van's cafe and it hit the spot. Great flavors, prepared quickly and enjoyed the conversation with the shop owner. Look forward to coming back next time I'm in town read more

Very mixed experience. We tried two types of pho and a Vietnamese coffee, all of which were really tasty. Unfortunately, the service was rude and pretty bad. We waited about 30 minutes for our food, and people who ordered 20 minutes after us received their meals shortly after we did. When it came time to pay, the total appeared on the card reader as expected, and I selected a 20% tip that didn't match my experience. After that, the staff member increased the total even more, with a poor explanation of a card fee. With menu price increases written in marker and no notice on signage or menus, this extra charge felt totally uncalled for. read more

Me & my husband had chicken pho here. It was super delicious. I even added a side of siracha.

Best soup and sandwiches. The broken rice is good too. They took my order immediately after I sat down.

Not at all authentic but does the job of pho. Char grilled pork or chicken are just roast pork or boiled chicken. Which viet doesn't have bbq pork? Well, this place. Bubble tea is very watery. Bubbles are stuck together and not edible with the straw. read more

What a cute place. Our waitress Kim was pleasant and efficient. She explained the prices were different. We ordered shrimp spring rolls. The were big, full and delicious. We both ordered Beef PHO. Very well prepared. Absolutely delicious. Quality outstanding great value. If you read any of my past post, you know I love, PHO. To the reviewer that gave them a lower Mark because the prices were different on the wall than on the menu I just ask, can you not read? Are you not aware that most restaurants I go to the prices are up a little, because we are in a very basic inflation mode. Great place delicious food friendly staff. Try it you won't be disappointed read more

Pho was delicious and especially the broth , the shrimp rolls great. I will be coming back! read more

Most outrageous experience I've had in recent years. A quick look at past reviews done by me would reveal that I don't tolerate poor quality of any of the three pillars of value of any meal: price, service or ingredient. Van's provides good quality of food, without argument. But, the menu we were given did not show the correct prices and when we questioned it, we were pointed to a sign on the wall that basically told the reader that prices would be much higher than that shown on the menu. Can you believe it? That's dishonest and is poor service as much as lazy or mistake-ridden serving. Who reads signs in a restaurant to be warned of deceptive menus? So, bottom line: If you want good Vietnamese food, you'll get it at Van's; if you want good service and a fair price, you won't get them at Van's! read more

Food is so good and flavorful. The lady that waited on us was very kind. So cute inside, I love the flowers.

Stopped by on my way through the area. With two of my kids. We had pho special, tasted home made! Spring rolls were the best I had! So crispy without being oily! Almost like air fryer style. Plenty of seating. read more

Drunken house noodles off the chain good and the people are amazing price was not bad and had a lot food I is a great portion

We've been going here to both eat in and takeout every once in a while for years. The food has always been mediocre at best, and the service even worse. However, it is close by and doesn't require a longer drive to FAR BETTER vietnamese food experiences that are available. Our last experience with Van's will be just that, our LAST. We had a guest in town and wanted a small dinner after a phenomenal brunch elsewhere, earlier in the day. We looked at the menu on Van's website and each selected an main dish and a handful of sides amongst us. It came out to roughly $40. The woman on the phone was quite rude, talked over me when ordering, was condescending, etc. But that's always been the case here (Red Flag #1). When I arrived to pick up our order it wasn't ready, so I waited while they finished it up. This, however, gave me the chance to take a good, hard look, at the food prep space and kitchen, which is, honestly, filthy and disorganized. If you want to feel like your food is being prepared in the back half of someone's dirty home kitchen while they eat out of the front, then this place is for you (Red Flag #2) And here is the last straw. When they finally did get our food done, they rang it all up and it came out to about $60, $20 more than the menu on their website listed. When I mentioned the discrepancy, they got very upset, and literally accused me of referencing an old menu. I told them that we had used the menu on their website and they dismissed it as my fault. Now, we're the type that during the pandemic we bought $100's worth of gift cards from each of our local favorite spots and held them for a couple years to help them get through that difficult time. And, we have no problem with establishments raising prices as their costs for labor, ingredients, equipment, insurance, etc. rise. What we do take significant issue with is a restaurant KNOWINGLY advertising out of date pricing on their website and then charging 50% more at checkout (Red Flag #3). Needless to say, we refused to pay, and all had a sad laugh about the state of society... Must say, I have not been bashful about letting everyone know about our experience at Van's. In conclusion, if a restaurant is dirty, has rude staff, knowingly overcharges (see other reviews as well), imagine what they are doing when you cannot see... read more

The meat in the pho is so good but ive been to hundreds of pho places and the portion sizes are kinda small. I also ordered their summer rolls and was not a huge fan of their peanut sauce. I prefer my DC pho places. read more

Van's Cafe - a bowl of soup with meat and vegetables - Vietnamese Near Me - West Reading, Pennsylvania

Pho is all about the broth, man. And when it comes to broth, this place totally delivers. It's a perfect sweet, beefy blend that serves as the perfect steamy bath for heaping portions of rice noodles and succulent chunks of meat. Staff is friendly enough. The matriarch who mans the register is the sweetest. But her daughter (I think?) who works as a server is kind of "out there". She doesn't really pay attention to the tables and has no sense of urgency in the fast and furious nature of dining room service. It's actually refreshing to know there are a number of Vietnamese options in town serving up their own renditions of pho and other Southeast Asian classics. The Vietnamese hoagies here were decent, but the meat seemed overly dry and tough. It was kind of a slog-fest trying to get through each bite. Good news is, if you order one with a bowl of pho, you can dip the hoagie in the broth to soften it and add some extra flavor! You will also put on about five pounds, but it's oh so worth it. read more

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Food service is extremely slow. They obviously play favorites with their service. We came in 30 minutes before another party and they got all their drinks and food before us. I don't care how good for your food is, if it takes 45 minutes to get out a bowl of pho this is not worth it. read more

Van's Cafe - I still have no food. - Vietnamese Near Me - West Reading, Pennsylvania

Simply fantastic- my favorite kind of place, casual, "hole in the wall", family atmosphere with INCREDIBLE food. I dream about the dumplings and the sauce that comes with them. The drunken noodles and spring rolls are delicious! If you want legit Vietnamese food and want to eat local, Vans is your place! read more

Very disappointing! I came here with my granddaughter... I was thinking about how much she loves pho only to find out that this place doesn't serving people like us. This is very disappointing, you're better off eating something else! read more

Excellent food, The owner was very sweet and the service was very quick. I had a delicious vegetable pho I would totally come back

Food is okay. Portions are tiny. My 2 year old finished an entire bowl of pho and he doesn't eat much. Had to ask for extra noodles and they came back hard. They microwaved the noodles for me after I complained. Service was horrible, waited a long time to get a table, then waited about ten minutes for the menus. Server/host were always leaving into the back kitchen. After I got my food I never saw the waiter again. I literally walked into the kitchen to get help. I walked into the kitchen a second time to get my bill. Ambiance was okay except they never clean any tables. Every table was dirty and looked like they haven't been cleaned in hours read more

When I travel on business I avoid fast food and always eat healthy. Glad I found this great place. Wonderful laid back service. Love the family atmosphere. Kids we're watching Sesame Street! Food was amazing. Great prices and huge portions. Will eat here again for sure. read more

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Went here since the Pho house closed and found it to be terrible. Containers were only 1/2 full, service was terribly slow and the food we received wasn't great. Will not be back. read more

Has okay food but really terrible customer service. I ordered food for take out and asked for a replacement of veggie rolls instead of spring rolls and the woman on the phone huffed and laughed and said "no"... I'm not really one to write a bad review about a local business but the woman who answered the phone was super rude. Don't recommend. read more

I tried Van's on the basis of the photos other Yelp-ers have posted. I don't know how this place garners the positive reviews it does, as our experience was pretty bad. The atmosphere is run-down, and service (from I think the male owner no less) was rather off-putting. I've eaten great food in dives with less-than-charming hosts, so although warning bells were going off we wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. Prices were rather high for a dive pho joint, which should imply the quality is a cut above. However our fresh rolls were tasteless - the shrimp and pork had no flavor, nor did the salad elements. The pho itself was two pegs down from what I'm used to. The broth was overly salty, there was hardly any beef flavor, and the meat itself was grisly and not of good quality. If I think about the five fundamental tastes of Vietnamese cooking - sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, salty - 4 out of 5 were lacking. Visually and taste-wise this pho was also missing crucial elements. The experience with all the food we ate was bad enough that I brought it to the owner's attention. He seemed to only feign interest in my feedback and whose only response was along the lines of "sorry you felt that way." No ownership over the poor ingredients or preparation, no effort whatsoever to adjust the bill or otherwise make amends. We left about a third of the way through our soup and went to a Mexican restaurant since we hadn't eaten all day. If the food was reasonably priced but not great, I could see giving it Van's two stars. But the owner's lack of regard for quality and customer experience, coupled with high prices sinks this place. It's a shame he doesn't aspire to better, which this fine culinary tradition deserves. read more

Terrible! The spring rolls were soggy and the pho didn't have much flavor. The service was terrible even they answered the phone. If I could give them 0.5 star I would and very pricey. Not worth it !! read more

Food was good, however the girl at the front was a bit rude, i don't know if this was her fault but my order ticket was somehow never sent back so i waited 40 minutes for my food (they said it was going to be 30) until i went up and asked them about it. read more

The food is always phenomenal and service is always great. They are attentive, the food comes quickly, it is delicious and a great amount for the price. The Pho is my favorite around, and I have tried all of the other Pho places around here, none can compare. I have had their spicy beef noodle soup, which is also delicious and their curry chicken is a favorite with both myself and my 7 year old. We have been eating here since they opened in the old location a block away and continue to eat here now. Do yourself a favor, stop here and get some great Vietnamese food. read more

Today I tried Vans Cafe for the first time, at this location it is mainly known for there pho and other Vietnamese styled food. When I came in the staff was super friendly and very helpful for it being my first time. I ordered there beef pho, pork rolls and there mango bubble tea. The pho was very delicious and the broth was very tasty, but in my opinion the beef was a little too chewy and could've used more overall flavor. The egg roll in my opinion wasn't that good it was very bland and didn't have enough flavor and as for the bubble tea I would give it a 10/10 it had a great taste and it was just perfect. Overall I had a great experience here and would definitely recommend read more

The food is either very salty or very sweet. The house special pho is ok but pretty salty. It does have a decent flavor and the broth is very fatty. The shrimp papaya is mediocre at best, they don't use a mortar for their papaya salads. I also got a deli special banh mi which was good, the bread as missing something, it did have a good crisp and crunch though, but it's definitely not worth the $7.95 price. The mango boba slushie is good and made if powder but it's very sweet. read more

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Love the pho. The seafood pho is our go-to. Have tried other food, sandwiches and pho's. Best in reading area! read more

Always the best!!! Broken rice platter with grilled and shredded pork, assorted leafy veg and 2 fried eggs. OUTSTANDING. House vermicelli bowl with egg roll, grilled me shredded pork, assortment of leafy veg sprinkled with chopped peanuts. Also OUTSTANDING. My number one go to place for Vietnamese food in berks county. read more

Not the best pho, but it does the job. It's not very authentic but the staff is friendly. The bubble tea is pretty good and my dad loved it!

Great food. Super accommodating. I love that they have vegan fish sauce! The mango bubble tea was great too. Just ask for no milk if you're vegan read more

It was my first time with Vietnamese food and it's different from all other Asian food :) I really liked it. Specially with the unique fish source they have. N the food here was awesome I would definitely visit here when I am back. You should try the broken rice (com tam). read more

Van's Cafe - Pork Rolls n Fried Vietnamese Egg Rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - West Reading, Pennsylvania

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Great place to eat Vietnamese, always stop by this little place to eat when I'm in Reading, best food around the area.

What an awesome bowl of pho! I stopped in for a quick lunch and it was. Trying this spot for the first time I was very impressed with the broth. Which when it's good I don't add anything to it. A good amount of noodles and beef. What I really Love is the chopped greens which just send it over the top. read more

Van's Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - West Reading, Pennsylvania

Love, love, love this place! The Phó broth is so smooth and flavorful! I eat here at least 2x a month. They also have tripe and tendon unlike the other place that says that it's not popular for the area. Slowly trying other items on menu, but hard since I love the Phó so much. Small and cozy place with friendly staff and owners. read more

Van's Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - West Reading, Pennsylvania

Small local restaurant. Pho was not authentic but I liked it. Parked my car in a lot across the street.

Great food & wonderful service. Also good options for vegetarian and vegan diets. Pleasant atmosphere!

Best pho in Reading. I tried their seafood once and although it tasted fine (can do without fake crab) but I think it's in beef broth which was weird. read more

Best place in Berks for pho, hands down. Seat yourself. Staff are always friendly and are willing to get whatever you want. The owner is super cool as well. It does tend to get a bit busy and there is only one person on the floor so have patience people... the pho is worth the wait. read more