Kimmade Vietnamese Food Village — Restaurant in Utrecht

As someone who visited their original location at least 1-2 times a week in 2015-2016 (back when they were the only Vietnamese offering in all of Utrecht), this was an extremely disappointing revisit. We’ve moved away since but do try to come from time to time and the previous time was similarly disappointing but I assumed it was a bad day. This visit all but confirmed it. With the first taste of pho broth I was hit with a mouthful of salt that is unlike any pho anywhere - north or south. As someone who was born in Hanoi and grew up eating Vietnamese food, this is the only time I remember not drinking the broth at the end (I even drink it when it’s instant pho!!). My husband picked up the distinct taste of garlic which is widely known to be a big no no (clashes with distinct spices and beef) although I couldn’t confirm it myself as my head was throbbing from trying to down the insanely salty broth. His pho noodles were also well over cooked too - he couldn’t even pick it up with chopsticks without it breaking on touch, although mine was fine.

Very unfortunate that they’ve not stuck to their authentic origins - I loved the light but flavourful and fragrant taste of the north where I’m from. We really thought the last time was a fluke, unfortunately this time was much worse. I’m very glad there are so many options in Utrecht for Vietnamese and Asian food now, compared to when we lived in the city almost 10 years ago!! Will definitely go back yearly and patron the other places, and I have to give it to kimmade - they were the trailblazer and I have had many good memories eating there so often in their original location.

Really sorry to leave such a negative review for such a beloved institution for me personally - the vibe in the new restaurant is lovely though and the service was fine and friendly. If you don’t eat a lot of Vietnamese food, most likely you won’t notice so I’d still recommend it to those just for the beautiful restaurant...

When I ate here I had a really terrible experience.

I have been vegetarian for the last 5 years and when I ordered the vegetarian pancake starter I was assured it was indeed vegetarian. However, it appeared to be real chicken so I double checked with them - the waitress laughed and assured me it was fake meat. However..after eating more I came across some kind of prawn. I showed the waitress and she realised that it in fact WAS meat that I had been eating.

The starter was replaced but I still was very upset that I had eaten meat against my will. Especially after checking twice already that it was vegetarian.

When it came to paying the bill i asked if I could have the (€5) starter for free and explained the situation. However, the waitress showed no empathy and acted like I had been lucky to eat extra (meat containing) food....

I then asked another waitress who was nicer and showed more empathy. However, she told me no manager was in that day (on a Saturday night?!) and therefore she could only give me the starter for half price.

I left feeling very upset and receiving only a €2.50 discount. It's one thing to make a mistake - but at least try to rectify it in an...

Nice ambience with quite a number of tables both indoors and outdoors, which comes in handy when you're feeling spontaneous and don't have a reservation made in advance (do make reservation for big groups though!). We popped in on a Saturday night without reservation and still managed to grab a table for 2 almost immediately. Service was fast and everyone was super friendly and welcoming!

The food, though, was a bit of a let-down if you're looking for authentic Vietnamese food. Viet native here, and I'd recommend you look elsewhere for legit Viet food. I had the Sweet&Sour Fried Chicken, Noodle Salad with Honey Grilled Pork and Bún Chả, all were so oddly salty and very, very strong of fish sauce. Yes, fish sauce is very much at the heart of Vietnamese cuisine, but it shouldn't taste like pure fish sauce alone...

That said, if you do appreciate fusion cuisine, you will perhaps enjoy this place. For my Viet folks looking for a taste of home: bỏ đi các bác ạ, bắt tàu đi Quận 13 Paris hay chợ Đồng Xuân Berlin thôi chứ ăn bữa xong sang chấn...