vietnam cafe

cheap viet. i haven't really been impressed by any of the vietnamese places i've been to in k.c. this place has been hit or miss. the wife has had a craving for it (vietnamese) lately, so i've been there a few times. the salty lemonade was very good the last time i went, but so-so before. go figure. the restaurant is small, but that is part of its charm. one telling thing is that there are always alot of vietnamese customers.
the way i judge a meal is to ask myself "the question": would i order it again?
the food here is cheap enough to risk the coin toss for me. service is usually satisfactory overall. recommend? i would recommend a thai restaurant first unless you're really jonesing for vietnamese.

when it comes to asian takeout, we all have our favorites. recently i was chided for proclaiming that i was faithful to saigon 39 in westport, though, and it ended up finally pushing me out of my comfort zone. when i asked my challenger for a better recom

worth the drive. for appetizers, we had egg rolls and spring rolls. both are excellent. we were bummed that they did not have the pancakes. we wish the egg roll would come with some lettuce to cut down the grease and the peanut sauce for the spring roll to have some peanut in it for texture. the fillings in the spring roll included both shrimp and bbq pork. very nice. for the main courses, we had a couple of different pho's and the fried noodles. the ingredients are true to the culture, in generous portions and great value. most people tend to have pho's at vietnamese restaurants, but their fried rice and noodles offer a unique flavor and texture that is different from the chinese version that most of us are familiar with. vc's fried noodles stood up to our palettes. it is refreshing to have food prepared the way it is meant to be. vc prepared the food the way it is suppose to be done, not what the customers think they may like.

when you serve good food, the customers will come. and they have. the restaurant was packed. some may feel a little rushed by the "busyness" of the restaurant but that's okay. i would suggest taking out as an option. we ended up taking some fried rice home and can't wait to eat it.

love this place. it's my 2nd favorite bowl of pho in town just behind pho vietnam in overland park. great food, great service and close to work = frequent visitor.

mmmm. best iced coffee, yummy fried egg rolls and spring rolls. always get the beef or seafood pho

vietnam cafe is hands-down the best vietnamese restaurant in kansas city! a small, clean, unassuming diner-type building in the old little italy section near river market, they have great, authentic vietnamefood at very reasonable prices.

i took others advice and got here early today. we beat the lunch crowd. i got the crispy noodles with chicken (not a very daring dish i know). i thought it was really good. now, i need to go back and find out some other dishes i need to try.

i have visited vietnam café on several occasions, though it used to be specifically for pho and only for takeout because it is always so busy.  recently, i have had the chance to get there at 11:00, thanks to my new food friend (who i will respectfully refer to as t bone), who takes an early lunch and frequents vc.  just the fact that i continuously go back there for pho is enough to assume my opinion as far as that goes.  today i was excited to try a few new things; fried quail, fried pork chop, and beef hot pot.  the quail was crispy, juicy, full of flavor and fun to eat.  for whatever reason, picking the meat off those little bones entertains me.  it was served with pickled carrots and cabbage and vc’s signature vinegar based dipping sauce.  the fried pork chop was crisp, tender and delicious but i was most excited about the “egg loaf” that was served with it which was like a distant cousin to a piece of quiche and surprisingly exciting to me.  it was also served with a fried egg, white rice, pickled carrots/cabbage.  finally, the beef hot pot was a mound of thin and tender beef strips, a variety of mushrooms and onions that was perfectly seasoned and tasted like it has been cooked on a grill; smoky and delicious.  i couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but i kept going back for more.  by the time we left just before noon there was a line of “evil eyers,” at the door who stared us into guilt to leave sooner that we were probably ready.  love this place

do not be fooled by the looks and the location of this place. it's great for authentic vietnamese food. you'll probably have to wait a little bit to be seated. it's always packed when i've been, but worth the wait. try the pho of course, personally i like the spring rolls to go with it. however, everything here is cheap so try whatever looks good to you.

sooooo good! the fried noodles with chicken is excellent & the pho is the best! (i recommend pho with beef) i've eaten there multiple times & have never been disappointed. if you're looking for something tasty & a little different -you'll love this place!

wow! best pho in the metro!!!! busy dining room, friendly, efficient staff. can't go wrong with any of the items on the menu. delicious!

off night?. uh oh. we've been going here at least 8 years, and it's been consistently the best pho and spring rolls ever. better than other pho shops in town, better than other pho shops in much bigger towns.

but we went last week, to find new menus, new faces, and a new chef in the back. stir-fry noodles were undercooked (hard), and the pho was off -- too sweet and lacking umami. we also had the classic "there's a fly in my soup" moment, though that's probably inevitable once in awhile with fresh greens. but i really, really hope it was just an off night, or someone took a well-deserved vacation. because if it's permanent, i'll be one sad customer.

if you haven’t been to vietnam café in columbus park, you need to go. like today. vietnam café is fresh, authentic and ridiculously affordable. not to mention their pho (pronounced fuh) is sensational.

bowl of noodle love. go early or you may be standing outside in line! i almost always order the egg noodle tofu soup with vegetables. it's a giant bowl of noodles with a delicious broth. it also comes with lime, fresh basil, fresh cilantro, bean sprouts and a slice of pepper so you can adjust the taste to your preference. all this for $7.00! great value and fresh ingredients.....

pho-tastic. there isn't any food that hits the spot on a chilly day better than a big bowl of pho. after seeing the glowing reviews of vietnam cafe, we stopped in for lunch. we were rather early, arriving at 11:20 am, but the restaurant was already half full. in another ten minutes a line would begin forming out the door. all good signs!
we were seated right away, and immediately asked for our beverage order, and if we wanted to order appetizers. in some restaurants that would be considered bad form, as we had not even opened our menus. but it soon became evident that the waitress knew they were about to get slammed with a customer tsunami, so she was trying to eliminate "dead time".
we ordered tea and spring rolls. almost immediately a tea pot and the spring rolls arrived. in all honesty, i have had better spring rolls, but they were serviceable, if a bit on the chewy side.
we ordered pho for lunch. my husband opted for the beef version, and i the mixed seafood. as soon as we finished off the spring rolls our waitress delivered two large steaming bowls to our table.
i absolutely adored my seafood pho, which contained several shrimp, what appeared to be crab, calamari and mussels. but the broth is what stole the show. it was almost hypnotically good. the flavor was delicate yet profoundly aromatic.
i also sampled the beef version, and found it much more intensely flavored. you could taste the beef in every spoonful.
vietnam cafe offers a large menu of foods beyond pho. we saw many different items whisk by us on their way to other tables. next time we are in town we will return to sample something different. i suspect we will love those items just as much.
this little neighborhood dining spot is somewhat short on style and fashion, but oh, so long on flavor. i can see, but even more, i can taste why it is so popular.