It's easy, it's quick and it's tasty enough...so three stars it is for me. I'd actually heard about this place through a Yelp event that took place here a while back and even though I couldn't attend back then, I had bookmarked this place to try out when in the area next time. And that next time was yesterday when I was meeting a friend for a drink and we needed some substance to support all of the alcohol. When we walked inside Velo I was surprised to see kind of a fast food place; I hadn't quite expected that but...hey...why not? I immediately liked the computer terminals where I could place an order and also pay with my credit card. (As a person who loves the self-checkout at Sainsbury's, I was bound to love this, right?) Once I had placed my order, I could see it showing up on the screen above the counter and I was counting down the minutes until it was ready to eat. To my surprise, a waitress actually brought me my food to the table. She was a real sweetheart, which I didn't expect from a fast food place....usually they don't care about service really. The food was really only a-ok, but given the whole setup, I also didn't expect a gourmet meal and so I was ok with that. I had ordered a summer roll with prawns and a vermicelli salad with pork. I liked that they served the condiments on the side (as a typical Vietnamese place would, do) and so I spiced up my order to my liking. Overall I enjoyed my quick meal at Velo and especially for people who commute from London Bridge this is a fast and easy food option. read more

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I dropped by Velo to grab lunch when I happened to be in the area and didn't have too much time. It was pretty crowded at lunchtime so I opted to get my errands done first and come back afterwards. When I came back, it was pretty empty, but the service here was still not very quick. There are touch screens for ordering which is cool, but they weren't in service when I was there. I ordered the beef pho and an iced vietnamese coffee. The coffee was delicious and the pho was decent. I like the noodles a lot but it had too many raw bean sprouts for my taste. I haven't tried too much else here, but it was a warm and filling fix on a chilly day and it did what I needed. The iced coffee was perfect and I would definitely drop by to pick one up if I was nearby. read more

Always difficult to find new and exciting places for a coeliac to try, you always forget how much wheat has invaded our lives! For the record, I'm not a coeliac and LOVE wheat in all its wholegrain goodness. But with a group of friends we did find a suitable place. A lovely little Vietnamese to-go bar with a Wasabi-like feel, you can sit down or you can go fast food-esque and rush back to the office to finish that spreadsheet or trade you are most likely conducting. We sat down, no spreadsheets for us! Good value for money on a limited selection of food - you could have identical options with rice, with noodles or in a soup. Various fillings are also wrapped in spring roll like goodness, with rice flour used as the main wheat-substitute here. As an added touch, you can order direct at the counter or at a touchscreen interface nearby, perfect for those who are in a rush to order and get out. In our case, it was confusing - we were told we could either use the touchscreen and pay at the counter, order at the counter, have table service since we were sitting in. Pick one please! Also, if you have any kind of offer (like a taste card, shout out to Yinnie C and Harriet for that!) you can't use the touchscreen. Also, when you've ordered, where do you queue for your food? We queued up with everyone and then they brought it our table when we weren't there! Huh?! 3 stars is a touch harsh, as the food was scrummy and with 50% off more than well priced. But limited menu and confusing lay-out won't have me running back there soon. More a case of if I'm ever in the area, taking a break from my spreasheet ;) read more

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I would give it 3.5 stars but am rounding up. The food was overall solid but average. My summer rolls weren't as great (they could have had more prawns and vermicelli noodles than lettuce) and my beef pho was okay. Overall, my craving was satiated but not perfectly. My fiancée had the beef stew, which seemed good -- credit for the variety of menu. Ambience was very much fast food chain like. Very casual and minimal service, in that you order at a monitor, after which food is served at your seat. What I score it highly for is it's accessibility. We went on the 29th of December, when most other places were closed AND they seemed to offer a lot of takeaway and delivery options. Great place for a quick fix. read more

Pho is often touted by my Vietnamese friends as the best remedy for any sort of cold or flu. Having been battling with a number of nasty germs and a sore throat, I opted to test this thesis. As an aside, I can see that being a game show one day..."Test that Thesis!"...where contestants try to devise experiments in the same way the Mythbusters crew do. Slightly geeky and probably dangerous, but I think it would make good tv. Anyways, back to Velo. With Caphe House just around the corner on Bermondsey street (and more directly on my way home), Velo needs something to make it stand out. It won an easy victory when I was at work until 6.15 and Caphe House closed at 5.30. The other draw was that touch screens. In an effort to increase the number of tills, Velo has taken an Argos style approach where it allows you to select a food through the touch screen menus and pay via card. If you want to pay cash, you still need to go up to the till but it's an interesting idea. You then get a ticket and they will bring you your food for eating in or to go depending on what you selected. It's a fun idea, and I'd like to see them have screens and pay points on the tables or maybe iPads to make the dining experience in store a bit better. Foodwise, I had the chicken Pho, pork banh mi, and pork spring rolls. I was bloody hungry given it was my first real meal in 4 days. The noodles in the Pho were excellent and seemed to absorb far more broth flavour than normal. The broth was on the clearer side and, while not as meaty as I would prefer, was flavourful and a bit salty. The meat was MIA with just a few bits and barely worthy of the name. The pork banh mi was likewise adequate but far from the best I've had. Contrary to the thin crusty baguette, Velo has opted for a wider softer bread. Not a bad choice, and I like the bigger portion but there was too much butter to the point it overwhelmed other flavours. The meat was also a bit tougher and stringier than the tender spiced morsels of chargrilled pork I've come to expect. I would opt to go to City Caphe for my banh mi over this I think. The spring rolls were quite small and tasteless. Definitely not worth the £4. Overall, I can see Velo doing well as it's placed just opposite More London and it's a fun place to order in. However, when craving Viet, I'll admit to being a bit of a snob and go for the better flavours to be had in Shoreditch. That being said, I'll keep it in mind for emergency late night Pho as Velo is open until 9pm. read more

On the downside, it's a Vietnamese place, and the pho doesn't quite hit the spot. It just kind of seemed like a noodle soup -- not bad, but not pho. However, let's move to the awesome. Fried spring rolls! The prawn and veggie are both delicious. And I might actually drag the boy there just so I can have the prawn and mango salad again, it was that good. Everything about it was perfect, from the cookedness of the prawn, the sweetness of the mango, the spice of the chilli, and the crunch of the nuts and fried onions. The ordering system is unique, pretty easy to use, and fun! read more

I had high hopes for this place - afterall the website was such a fun and interesting concept and everything seems to be executed brilliantly but then I tasted the food and was sorely disappointed. My partner and I had the beef pho, spring rolls, velo special rice (with sausage and pork cotton), the prawn salad, and two Vietnamese ice coffee (caphe sua da). All four items were really disappointing. Let's start with the spring rolls - it was mostly rice paper and oil. There was a tiny sliver of meat, when I bit into it, oil came spurting out the other side of the spring rolls! Pork mince doesn't cost very much so this level of stinginess is inexcusable. The pho, spring roll dipping sauce, salad, and coffee were all very bland and watered down. And to add insult, rice was soggy - how you can make soggy rice with a rice cooker is beyond me. Overall a very disappointing experience. read more

I felt bad giving this place 2 stars so rounded up to 3, but I really dont know if I'll come back to be honest. Positives: Great service and nice people. Decent chicken summer rolls Negatives: I ordered the prawn pho, which was honestly flavorless and i had to add a ton of hoisin and hot sauce to bring any flavor to it. My husbands chicken lemongrass with rice was very bland as well. Positive: Reasonably priced. I might come back one more time for the banh mi and send an update! read more

Totally fine without being anything special. A decent lunch spot in the area offering a range of Vietnamese soups, baguettes, noodles and other dishes. Primarily take away though they do have seats (a few months ago they started serving only in take away containers though). You can modify orders easily so if there are things you don't like or want extra of, that's fine (which is good for someone as fussy as me). It can sometimes be really busy but it normally moves quite quickly. You can order at the till or there are electronic ordering points that are pretty efficient. The quality is fine, though not the best I've had of this cuisine. And the price point is a little high for me, which means it has to be more of a once-in-a-while lunch rather than a regular lunch, for which I'd like it to be a little more special. Still - friendly, modern, happy enough to go there. read more

All started well, was starving, walked past (actually was thinking Indian, but Vietnamese equals more healthy : ) Ordered the Beef Pho, a side of rice, and the prawn summer rolls. The server at the till was clearly new, so things were a little strained, he was at least friendly, and apologised for training...all good I thought. Fit out/ environment was nice and tidy/ minimalist. Summer Rolls were pretty good, not super tasty, but fresh. Dipping sauce was very average. Beef Pho came out, and it looked good...unfortunately it was the worst pho I have ever eaten...basically the broth was nice enough, noodles looked good. But the beef was simply inedible...chewy rubbish beef that was unsuitable for dog food. I kid you not. Seriously, I do not know what they are thinking serving this up to the public...are they expecting people to swallow this without chewing. I perservered on about 4 peices of beef, each worst than the last. Each peice left as regurged, chewy sinew on the plate next to bowl. I couldn't finish it, went up to the counter, explained the situation, and asked for my money back. They acknowledged that they use two types of beef, and I kindly suggested that this type, at this point in time, was not suitble for human consumption. To their credit, they took my concerns seriously, they were most apologetic (in fact the looks on a couple of the staff's faces gave me the impression this wasn't the first time), and promptly refunded me the entire cost of the meal. If you go here, don't get the beef. But if the beef is this bad, where on earth does the chicken and the pork come from?! read more

I've been craving pho since I got back from Canada and I'm on a mission to find good pho in London. I love their touch ordering system- it's quick, efficient and easy to use. Staff are friendly and smiley, even if your interaction with them is limited. The pho itself tastes legit, the base has clearly been boiled up for a while as the flavour good and strong. I was disappointed to find no hoisin sauce or good chilli (not sriracha) sauce or lime wedge to add to my pho and the noodles weren't right- long and flat noodles rather than the long strands of rice vermicelli. Had a delicious little banana and cream coconut dessert too, which was quite yum read more

I really liked the food. I tought it'd be a street restaurant, but it's a fast foid joint. I had a deal of a large tofu vermicelli and a spring roll. Delicious! Also very modern touch screen order system. read more

Velo - Touch pannel - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

Super good service with nice offer. We made the order for two PHO noodle soup but my husband want to change try vermicelli rice, because the credit card charged already they cant change the system BUT they give FREE offer of the rice to us... This is the first restaurant We try in London... Great exprence...highly recommend read more

Skip this place. The pho is bland and tasteless. The rolls are more of the same. This place catches your eye with the fanciness of the setting, but has no substance behind the facade. read more

First time in this place and also the first time with Vietnamese food. So ask the staff what I should have for a light but filling lunch, he suggested Pho velo which I really enjoyed, tasted fresh not to heavy but very filling, I took take away but there was room to sit down, and the restaurant felt really comfortable and friendly, will try again and see if they can get to 5 stars. ( the window seating looking out onto Tooley street would be great for people watching) read more

I went to Velo for the first time last night after having walked past it for a few years. I enjoy pho soup and ordered the chicken pho and some veggie spring rolls and was thoroughly disappointed. The spring rolls were alright (I've had better), but one came out hot and the other a bit cold, which was odd, as they were served together. The chicken pho soup was the biggest letdown. The broth had a really unpleasant minty aftertaste. I was barely able to eat it, which was an utter waste. Also, the prices are too high for this overrated food. The service, though, was speedy and friendly and the restaurant, although is small with limited seating, is very clean. Yet with that being said, I wouldn't go back again. read more

I've been to Velo quite a few times, and it's one of my favourite spots in this area. Ok so it's not the cheapest meal in the world, but the food always tastes lovely and fresh. Summer rolls and spring rolls with vermicelli is my standard order. I've always found the staff really friendly, and once we even got free deserts. It has the feel of a quick in-and-out kinda place, but that hasn't stopped me chilling out there and chatting with friends for over an hour, and I've always felt relaxed doing so. You've got to admire the attention to detail of Velo, just look around and see how well-designed the place is. read more

Nice food but I wouldn't call it tasty. I had a very unflavoured noodles with chicken for £6.80. I wished I only ordered the spring rolls!

Very very tasty food at reasonable prices. Not a lot of room to sit down but perfect to pick something up for lunch to take away. Ordered the Velo vermicelli which was very tasty although some Beef was quite fatty, and the prawn pho which was very flavourful and tasted great. Would definitely come again. read more

This is a Vietnamese fast-food restaurant. You order and pay on touch-screens and then your meal is brought to your table. Very efficiently done but my meal, although tasty, was not very hot. The free Wi-Fi worked very well. I would go again. read more

Velo - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

This has become my neighborhood take-away. I think I've had take-out from here more often than the Chinese place or Indian curry place even though both are really quite good. Reason being that it is so convenient! The automated screens where you order are genius and they are prepared to hand you your food within 10 minutes, if that. I've had the pho, salads, rice dishes and rolls. My favorites are the rice dishes, although sometimes only a bowl of piping hot beef soup will do. This is not the best Vietnamese in London by any stretch but I don't think they are trying to be. read more

This is a great place for eating in or taking away. Easy ordering system using touch screen menus is a brilliant idea, kind of like a supermarket self service and you can see your order status on the live screens in the kitchen area so you know when your order is ready, you either pick up from the friendly staff at the counter or sit down and they will bring it to you. Simple menu, but my favourite is definitely the Viet chicken curry with steamed rice, a great portion for a great price! I also get a work discount so it's even better value. read more

I dunno why I insist on going to these vietnamese places. Overpriced watered down pho with both chicken and beef in it, not to mention shrimp. like wtf is this shit. sit in price is a pound more than takeaway. ridiculous. At least the banh mi velo is decent. I gotta respect the business though cause they got these self order machines in there which is pretty sick. That's the first time I seen something like that at a food place and not market. read more

Velo is a great place to come in Southwark for Pho! Right next to the iconic More London Plaza, Velo is a must stop. Great food and an excellent loyalty program. Make sure you sign up for the email list! Also if you want you can customise your food order if you select the individual item before checking out at the self-checkout kiosk. Enjoy it! read more

I stopped here on my way home because I wanted some dinner but I wasn't mega-hungry - I needed to fill a hole and I fancied something light and fresh. So I was delighted to discover this little gem on my route! There was a very friendly welcome as I arrived (and they didn't frown at my large wheeled luggage I was towing, which was a relief!) The touch-screens for ordering helped me avoid the embarrassment of being under pressure to place an order without actually having a clue what I wanted! The place was pretty quiet, so I could take my time browsing the menu and picking out my choices. I opted for the roast chicken summer roll, which was nice enough - the rice paper wrap filled with salad and lean chicken was uber healthy and the peanut sauce was so yummy I actually drank half of it! I also chose the classic pork spring rolls, which were mind-blowingly good! Choc-full of delicious meat and wrapped in a beautifully & satisfyingly crunchy case, I will definitely be going back for more of these. I didn't order a drink, but I'm looking forward to trying their chai latte or iced Vietnamese coffee on my next visit. I did get a pudding - the black sesame surprise - which I actually took away with me for the train, so I almost felt like I should ask for 50p back from the 'eat in' excess. But it was still worth £3. Not over-sweet, maybe a little bland, but it was light and creamy and felt kinda healthy with all the sesame seeds :). Overall I really enjoyed my first visit to Velo and I will definitely be back to try out some other items from the menu. read more

Quick and easy Vietnamese. I love Pho and theirs doesn't disappoint. I've had it there probably a dozen times and it's consistently good. The ordering process is automated, efficient, and easy to understand. It gets very crowded at lunchtime and is sometimes impossible to find a seat. However, they have a person on the floor that helps make it easy to sit next to other groups of people. read more

No better and no worse than "OK". Disappointing baguette sandwich, esp. at the eat-in price

Nice idea of healthy Vietnamese fast food with quirky touch screens for ordering (though still had to queue up at counter to pay staff). Good labelling on menu what is veggie & vegan etc. Friendly staff. Sadly food pretty bland & expensive for the small portion sizes, eg 4 x veg spring rolls £5.30; Veg Tofu Pho Soup £7.90. Was only 2pm on Mon afternoon but already had run out of all desserts for the day. Maybe other menu options are more flavourful & better value. read more