V-Nam Cafe — Restaurant in New York

My friends and I went here as part of our hunt for a good bowl of pho in NYC. Based on ratings, we decided to give it a shot. Regret. Regret. Regret.

Please, please do not go here if you’re looking for an edible bowl of pho. This place had no redeeming quality.

Location and Atmosphere: First, the area seemed extra sketch the night we dropped in with garbage lying directly outside and unsavory men standing around the doorway. Secondly, the place was so tight they had to move already seated customers from their table so that they can fit the 4 of us. The place was dimly lit but not in the romantic, intimate ambiance type of way. It was more like the light-bulbs-went-out kind of way.

Food: It should’ve been a clear sign when we saw Chinese on the backside of the menu. We ordered pho beef, spring rolls, and iced Viet coffee.

The worst pho I’ve ever had, hands down! It tasted like packaged pho that you pop in the microwave. There was no flavor and nothing savory about it. Broth was almost clear and bland. After one sip, I didn’t want anymore. However, I had to taste the beef to give it a fair judgment. And that is when I found out what regret tastes like. Old meat. I honestly can’t describe this. I had one bite and did not eat ANYTHING else. No lie. So I can’t tell you what the spring rolls tasted like.

The Viet coffee was definitely not brewed in a drip fashion like Viet coffees are supposed to be made. Tasted like regularly brewed coffee with little condensed milk, if any, and melted ice.

Shame on all of you who gave this place a good rating and allow this to happen to us and...

V-Nam Cafe is a small cozy casual Vietnamese eatery located in the East Village. clean, dimly lit space. some Vietnamese decor. chill vibe.

the menu has range but is small—divided up into apps, sandwiches, rice and noodle dishes, desserts, and cafe drinks. most of the eats are comfort eats that hit the spot when you want something savory but not too heavy.

stopped here for a late takeout lunch so i could sit outside and eat on a non-sweltering day. got the fried spring rolls and an iced Vietnamese coffee. the springs are tasty bites of shrimp, pork, and veggies fried in a wrapper. it comes with a salty sweet dipping sauce and a small salad of lettuce, carrots, and daikon. the spring rolls are tasty, but not greasy. perfect savory eat for al fresco dining in the summer. each order comes with 5-6 spring rolls. $5.50 + tax + tip

the Vietnamese ice coffee is a smooth caffeinated refresher on a long hot day. the Vietnamese coffee is less sweet than other place’s and has a slight acidic touch that pairs nicely with the condensed milk’s sugariness. i had extra ice put in mine so i could stroll around with my icy drink. $3.25 + tax + tip

staff is friendly and fast. was in and out in less than ten minutes...

Delicious chicken banh mi at a reasonable price!! Made fresh to order and the baguette was lightly toasted so there was a nice crunchy exterior with a soft interior. Super generous amount of filling but I do wish the pickling liquid for the carrots and daikon was a bit more acidic (but now I'm just being picky). You can adjust the spice level by adding sriracha, thai chilli, and/or jalapeno, and it's actually SPICY!! Staff are super friendly and you can tell they take care in preparing your food. Interior is a bit run down and sauce bottles could do with some cleaning, but you come here for a good feed and not so much the atmosphere :) Will be back for another banh mi or to...