Cao Cao — Restaurant in Berlin

I had one of the most disappointing dining experiences, despite the food being surprisingly delicious. I arrived at 22:16, well before their closing time of 23:00, and from the very beginning, I felt unwelcome. A staff member told me I could order in five minutes and stay for 30 minutes, which I agreed to. However, moments later, a waitress walked in, visibly irritated, and almost shouted at him in Vietnamese, insisting they only take takeout orders. This created a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere from the start.

I complied without complaint and placed a takeout order. Immediately after, the staff member handed me the bill and expected me to pay upfront. I told him I would prefer to pay once I received my food, and he reluctantly agreed. However, barely two minutes later, he returned, insisting, ‘Card or cash?’ and pushing me to pay again. I felt rushed and treated as if they couldn’t wait to be rid of me.

And as soon as I left I noticed I forgot my scarf so the waiter opened the door and handed it to me almost screaming something negative to me and I even said thank you.

Despite all of this, when I finally got my food, I was genuinely surprised—it was incredibly delicious and packed with flavor. Unfortunately, the excellent food couldn’t outweigh the terrible service. The rude and unprofessional attitude of the staff overshadowed the experience entirely. Restaurants should prioritize making their customers feel welcome, especially during posted business hours.

While the food was fantastic, the service was so poor that I won’t be returning. Good food alone isn’t enough when you’re treated as though your presence is an inconvenience. I hope the management addresses this, as the food deserves better representation than the unwelcoming service I...

This was my first time in Berlin from England, and I was really looking forward to some good Vietnamese food. Unfortunately, my experience here was quite mixed.

On the positive side, the restaurant itself is beautiful. The décor is tasteful, the music is soft and calming, and it’s a nice place to sit and relax. The menu is straightforward but has enough variety to suit most people.

However, the food was disappointing. We ordered two phở (chicken and beef) and another chicken dish. The food arrived within two minutes, which showed it wasn’t freshly prepared and just reheated. The phở lacked depth of flavor, and the meat didn’t taste fresh — more like pre-cooked strips. I had to ask for condiments (pickled garlic, chili oil, fish sauce) just to add some flavor. The chicken dish we ordered didn’t arrive as described — instead of chicken leg with soy sauce, we were served a different meat, closer to duck, without any explanation.

Service was indifferent at best. When we asked for a simple plastic bottle of water, we were given a glass bottle instead and charged €6.50, which felt unreasonable, especially as it wasn’t what we ordered. Despite the lack of attentive service, we were still asked for a tip.

Overall, the food quality was average, the service not very professional, and the prices only made sense if the food had been much better. If you’re a tourist who just wants a comfortable place to sit in a pleasant atmosphere, this might be fine. But if you’re looking for authentic, flavorful Vietnamese food with good service, I can’t...

We came here three days ago as a group, paid separately by card, each of us below 20€ and everything was just fine. What a nice place to dine it was! Now, three days later, we decided to come back again and when we are about to pay, all of the sudden you are telling us it’s not possible to pay by card separately below 20€ ?? Are you insane?! We showed the waiters the paid bills from a couple of days ago and yet they argued with us for 10 minutes. What is wrong with you and what’s your problem?! If you don’t know how to run a business then just better shut it down and do something else. And don’t put up those card payment stickers on the door if there are some silly conditions like 20€/meal. Ridiculous! Either take card payments or don’t, but don’t change your mind from one day to another and then argue with customers who were paying here literally three days ago by card without any problem. That you are plotting some sneaky way how to avoid taxes isnt the customer’s problem either. And if ,in 2024 (!!), you are making such a fuss about card payments then you are not a serious business, unfortunately. We will not be coming back and it’s a huge disappointment cos the first impression was so good.....