bistro nguyen's

went there on the weekend. now i have not been to vietnam so i cannot say for sure if the food is authentic but it was certainly good! i ordered the pho with the mix (beef, tripe, tendons and meatballs) and it was quality, the stock had depth, the beef was not overdone and neither were the noodles. the crab spring rolls (some seasonal special that isn't on the menu) were great too and only cost a dollar more than the regular ones. coconut juice was pretty standard but i'm just nitpicking at this point. would visit again.

ordered 2 entries, bottle of wine, and 2 serves of pho. unfortunately the service was just terrible and this it was noticeable that several others around us were becoming frustrated with the lack of service as-well. including a couple telling us we'd have to yell out to the waiters in order to get our orders taken. they were right, we had to yell out ... twice to get our order taken.

one of our entries never arrived which they tried billing us for, even after mentioning it to the waiter who also needed to be reminded about our bottle of wine.

as for the food itself, the honey sweet potatoes were exceptional, with the pho being slightly above average.

unfortunately, the service let the entire experience down massively and even with a half-empty restaurant the service was still shockingly bad.

don't be a spoiled brat: bistro nguyen's is great. i've been here more times than i can count. apart from having some sort of divine pho recipe, the place is friendly and the staff are lovely unless they're too flat out to breathe. be patient with them, they're clearly new to the restaurant game but they've got a great recipe and they've always done their best to fix mistakes when they've made them, although i would say this to anyone having a go at them: you try running a busy restaurant in a second language. that is, if you can even speak a second language.

i’m not very adventurous when it comes to vietnamese food, and when i saw the menu at bistro nguyen’s, i was overwhelmed by the choice. whilst my friends had been there before, i hadn’t, so i chose the rare beef pho and young coconut juice as a safe pick. the juice came out in a huge glass with pieces of coconut flesh floating inside – it was sweet and coconutty and i would happily order it again. we sat outside near the sidewalk and chatted while we waited for our meals. mine came out last and i had to ask for the accompanying bean sprouts, basil and chilli. the broth was quite pale and the beef flavour was weaker than i was expecting (especially compared to the one at my’s), but at lunchtime that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. i was pleased that it wasn’t an overly salty broth, but i did feel a bit bloated afterwards. unfortunately the beef wasn’t rare but it went well dipped in the hoisin and sriracha sauces, and the noodles were lovely and soft. next time i’ll be more adventurous menu-wise – bistro nguyen’s is a lovely lunch spot i’ll come back to.

recently, i visited the newly opened bistro nguyen’s which replaced the recently closed wasabi in civic. i was originally pretty skeptical of this new vietnamese restaurant which screams hipster and i’ve never trusted hipster vietnamese food. it’s just one of those cuisines that doesn’t translate well to hipsterness. vietnamese food is all about delicious flavoursome dishes, good portion sizes and homely comfort. its not something that photographs particularly well, or should be plated in a hipster way. however, after seeing the menu which included many other traditional vietnamese dishes, not just pho, i felt a lot more comfortable that i would have an enjoyable meal and decided to try it out.

overall don't be fooled by the cool looking decor and graphic walls, there are definitely vietnamese restaurants with much better food and service in canberra.

best phở in town!. having only opened recently it's clear that there are a few kinks to be ironed out. having said that this is hands down the best phở i have had in canberra. actually, anywhere. i have phở 1-2 times a week and enjoy trying new places (partly so i don't get judged for being a phở-addict.)

we had one entree not arrive, which turned out fine because the phở was larger than expected. we also ordered rice paper rolls that weren't super fresh, which meant the rice paper was hardening at the bottom. the flavours and the sauce were very good though, it just would have been nice if they were made on ordering.

now the phở, the broth tastes like a beef and chicken mix. it's robust and fragrant. the beef, which we order on the side for extra rareness, was succulent and delicious. the noodles are a perfect consistency and not too plentiful.

i can't describe how good this phở was. i can't wait to try some other dishes.

crispy chicken tomato rice. tasty and filled me up!

excellent food, fantastic atmosphere, fast service.. i was immediately impressed with the rustic/ industrial decor as soon as i stepped inside bistro nguyen's. i was with a group of eight and didn't have any reservation, the place was quite full for a monday night, but the lovely manager quickly seated us down in the central table without any hassle. the smell of spices from the kitchen is instantly recognisable as 'pho' reminded me of my time in vietnam. the menu is small, but filled with many recognisable vietnamese dishes. we all decided to have pho and a few vietnamese pork bread roll( banh mi) to share. our saigon beers were quickly delivered to us while my vietnamese ice coffee arrived momment later. the banh mi arrived minutes later nicely cut and place on a wooden board for us to share. i've got say that was the best banh mi i've ever had in canberra, it was filled with fresh coriander, chilli, pickled carrot, pâté and pork. warm, crusty and flavoursome, well presented starter for $7.50. while downing our banh mi, my 'special pho' delivered with a plate of fresh bean sprouts, basil, lime and chilli. the rather large bowl of pho is aromatic, topped with many different variety of beef product, onion, shallot and coriander. i've tried pho at many vietnamese restaurant before, but safe to say this place does it way better. beefy flavour, loads of meat, and the rice noodle was cooked perfectly. i was told this place only open for a couple weeks and its already popular. look forward to try their crispy skin chicken rice.

worst restaurant i encouter for a while..good decor with bad food, really bad food... they are newly open, and it seems they have no idea how to run a restaurant...
wait staff looked like they didn't know what to do all the time
children running around playing games like it is kindergarten!!!!
chef's skills obviously are not that up to restaurant-level

three of us wanted to check out this new restaurant, so we went there for sunday lunch. two of us finished their meals before mine was brought out! seriously, waited 40 mins to have the last dish brought out.
we ordered two of the vermicelli salad with lemongrass beef and spring rolls: the beef has no lemongrass flavour, didn't seem to be marinated and the spring rolls was substandard, burnt and no flavour. the serving size is really small as well for their price.
we also order bun bo hue which is the spicy beef noodles, which was brought out after 40 mins waiting! the noodles was overcooked and have weird texture, a big chunk of pork with bones and some fatty beef slides with hams....i thought with all that they can't really stuff it up further. oh yes, the broth was like boiling water with heavy lemongrass scent and the complementary green was not very good at all. it was honestly the worst bun bo hue i have ever tasted. to top it up, the table wasn't even so the whole time i had to take care so the whole bowl of hot soup won't spill on me!
well, they also made worst vermincelli salad i have ever seen as well.

overalls, the kitchen need to improve heaps as they are cooking like they just making some quick substandard home made meals at their leisurely pace while looking after their children as well.

wasted money and time going there. definitely not coming back for more bad experience!

save your money for better vietnamese in dickson or turner people...

disappointing experience. my boyfriend and i were really keen to try this place - i grew up not far from footscray in melbourne and am always on the lookout for great vietnamese food. the place, while not quiet, was by no means bustling when we arrived. we walked in and sat down without being greeted; had to ask for menus after waiting about 10 minutes.
after ordering we waited about 20 minutes, then one dish arrived. i say "one dish", but it was pho, and the customary bean sprouts, herbs, lemon and chilli used to flavour the dish (which other people around me were using with gusto) hadn't been brought. we then waited at least another 15 minutes for the other dish, while mine grew cold as i waited out of politeness/for the herbs; we watched people who had just walked in being served pho and stirfries without waiting even 10 minutes. even after the other dish had arrived, the herbs still hadn't. i finally asked and was brought a skimpy dish of a small handful of bean sprouts and one sprig of vietnamese mint.
the place was pretty, but my boyfriend noticed a missing bit of floor exposing a broken pipe under our table. the kids of one of the waitstaffers were hanging out and eating and playing with ipads in the restaurant - this was fine, and it was also fine when one of them first came by to show us a toy he was playing with. by the fourth time this happened we were actually hoping to just be able to hang out and chat, and getting cheekily elbowed on purpose was not exactly enjoyable; we weren't there to babysit. i know there probably wasn't another option; i just wish they could have been a bit more polite and less intrusive.
the prices were relatively cheap for civic, but not for vietnamese food in general. you can get better, cheaper, faster food with infinitely better service at pho phu quoc in dickson, or even at the vietnamese bakery at the fyshwick markets. there may be fewer hip, upcycled wood tables and hanging lanterns, but under the circumstances i reckon we could go without.
i sincerely hope for the owners' sake this was just an off day/learning experience and a once off for the restaurant. based on our experience we won't be returning and definitely wouldn't recommend.

best viennamese in canberra. i've been here twice already and i feel confident in saying this is the best vietnamese i've had in canberra!
the service is great and the food is delicious

delicious!. best beef pho in canberra!! atmosphere was great, service was fast and the staff were very friendly. will definitely be back :d

fast, delicious food. really, really delicious. had the beef banh mi. best i've ever had. pickled veg and the beef are both delicious, and it wasn't drowning in mayo like a lot of banh mi are. coriander could not have been fresher. overall, a satisfying, delicious lunch and all for $7.50. we'll be back for sure!

our only gripe was the tables-for-two which had legs placed really close together, making sitting comfortably almost impossible.

as soon as i walked inside, i could immediately smell the delicious aroma of pho cooking in the kitchen. well that made my decision of what to eat easier. bistro nguyen’s is a funky hipster vietnamese restaurant with mismatching chairs, colourful asian lanterns and plenty of natural light streaming through the large windows. i do love the green plants that decorate the restaurant on individual tables, hanging baskets and the front counter. you can’t miss the large bonsai either. asian hipster decor? the feature wall was decorated by the manager himself scrawling his name on the tiles and doing up the cartoon-like artwork. i think it gives a fun vibe to the place. our table had the essentials ready and waiting – chopsticks, spoons, sriracha sauce, hoisin sauce and small bowls. the four page menu is impressive with lots of tasty traditional vietnamese food items like pho, banh mi and com tam. then there are stir fries, hot pot ($35 for 2 people – on my list for when it gets colder), and dessert. vegetarian options are clearly marked against certain dishes. the menu also states to advise staff for any other dietary requirements and allergies. i would like to point out that i’m impressed with the prices here. dishes are around the $15 mark or under. very affordable! i honestly thought with the location and asian hipster fit out, that some dearer prices would be charged. glad to be proved wrong. a short beer and w