Pho Ta Vietnamese Street Food — Restaurant in London

UPDATE: Two years later and I returned today to once again have a taste of the Pho. I came around 3pm on a weekday and it was not busy but just a few other customers. It's small but cosy and with the waitress greeting me warmly, very welcoming.

I tried the special beef pho this time with three types of beef including the beef balls, which I have to say I have never tried and was a little nervous to try but they were delicious and just a little hint of herbs and spices gave them a lovely flavour.

Once again the broth was amazing, deep flavour and just a little sweet. Hearty and wholesome. I loved it. The noodles were plentiful and silky and not too soft. The amount of beef felt generous compared to some and I had to work to finish it but it was all so delicious I couldn't bring myself to leave anything. The fresh herbs, lime and chilli meant I could play with and develop the flavours as I ate, which I love.

Could this be the best Pho in London? I have certainly not had better. Delicious.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:

Amazing! As a Pho lover and having tasted some amazing Pho around the world and in Vietnam, I can honestly say this is one of the best I have ever had. I ordered the Stir Fried Beef Pho and I was not disappointed. Firstly and most importantly ... the broth. Delicious and full of a depth of flavour, light, savoury and wholesome. I feel like I am getting healthier just sipping the broth. Then everything else, fresh herbs, chilli and bean sprouts, great and plentiful noodles. A very hearty meal and one I will come back for again and again. I love...

My wife and I arrived at noontime. There were 13 two-seat tables, some of them grouped in pairs. There were only 8 customers, so lots of vacant tables.

However, the waitresses just looked at the row of vacant tables in front of the cashier and told us that all were reserved, and we had to go away.

Actually there were at least two or three other tables around the restaurant that were not marked as reserved and not occupied.

However, it seems that they did not want to help at all.

For a small local shop like this, they could have been more active to increase revenue during rush hours, but they were not.

Fortunately, a couple who only used half of two tables told us to sit next to them.

After we sat down, people left and came, many of them seemed not having booked any tables.

1 hour later when we left, at least three tables of those “reserved” were still vacant.

The waitresses could have told us to wait a bit, or found a table for us, but they didn’t. The customers themselves provided that service to us, not they.

That was not the first time we encountered the same situation in this restaurant. We were very disappointed.

Food was ok (but the pork belly was over-cooked and tough) but the customer service was appalling.

Previous low-rating reviews by other customers also highlighted the poor customer service. I don’t know whether the owner has actually tried...

V01 Pho Chay £11 10/10 Apple juice £5 10/10

Pho Ta is a Vietnamese street food restaurant in Kentish Town. A short walk from the station, parking directly outside after 6.30. The food comes incredibly quickly and it was very fresh.

This is a bit of a hidden gem for locals. I'm a bit scared if everyone knows I'll never be able to get a table haha!

There's a veggie vegan section on the menu, it was funny to me that the dishes all sound exactly the same but with either rice or noodles so maybe some clarity on the sauces might be useful. But the waitress was so helpful she would have gone into detail if I had asked. Seemed like a fun gamble to work my way down the options so I just went for the first one.

The pho chay dish was really lovely, the vegetables had been prepared with care even down to the way they had chopped up the carrot. There was a nice variety and the broth was full of vegetable flavour. There was no chilli which is what I asked for. I already love puffed tofu in broth as it soaks it up so makes it fun to eat!

My apple juice was freshly squeezed and I'm not sure if the photo does it justice but it was massive.

Fantastic for a fairly cheap but huge meal!! Very convenient as well!

From my Insta page almost...