V-Nam Cafe
“Either way, everything worked out great- the easy phone ordering, the no charge delivery, and delicious food.”
“One of the best places to get clay pot rice and banh mi. Everything is so tasty, because of the clay pot method of cooking.”
“V-nam's Pho is delicious, well-portioned and affordable and the spring rolls are on POINT.”
V-Nam Cafe
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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After the comedy show, we were a bit hungry so I look on Yelp for cheap eats and came across V-Nam Cafe and popped my best friend's cherry as she never try Vietnamese food. I shared a Mild Banh Mi Bo with my best friend and my brother's girlfriend ordered a Mild Banh Mi with Vietnamese Iced Coffee. The decor is a little rundown but its really about the food sometimes in these mom and pop shops. I believe the owner might be the old man who took our orders and he was friendly. Good thing I was sharing my other half of the sandwich because it was too fulfilling for all by myself. The baguette was toasted and crunchy which I love. I forgot that Vietnamese sandwiches always are topped with cilantro so I pulled it off my sandwich. Mmmmm there were a lot of beef and woah baby so delicious than the other Vietnamese spots. I need to come back and try the Pho =)
There's a bathroom but only for customers towards the back of the kitchen!
The Banh Mi are sooooooo DELICIUOS that once I had a fight with my BF when he took mine leftovers to work without telling. This time I ate mine so fast that I forgot to take pictures.
Classic with pork it's my BFs favorite. My heart goes to beef with egg – amazing combination of fresh meat, vegies, spices and soft bread!
Most of times we order pick up – they tell you how long it will take before its ready. Very convenient.
Ordered from V-Nam Cafe again for "meatless monday" (my wife and I don't eat any meat on Monday's for no apparent reason lol) anyway I had Vermicelli Veggie and my wife had the Pho Veggie and yet again the food was delicious. Underrated gem!
I can't believe all these years I never knew about this Viet restaurant. The food here is traditional and delicious. If you like spicy foods this is a great spot to hit up. You can add Sriracha sauce or jalapeños with your order. I ordered the traditional Bahn Mi, beef stew egg noodles and clay pot red curry fish with rice. Everything was delicious. The Banh Mi here is different. The bread was soft and the pork was flavorful. I highly recommend this restaurant. This restaurant is tiny but have enough tables and chairs for at least 10-15 people. No bathroom. But people can order and take out. They also do deliveries around the neighborhood. Nice location with M15 bus outside and walking distance from Wholefoods and the bars. I'm definitely coming back to try the Pho.
I've never dined in at V-Nam Cafe, but I've gotten takeout here a few times and this review is based solely on takeout. In my opinion, V-Nam is the best casual and inexpensive Vietnamese spot in the East Village. I've gotten the Vermicelli bowl with spring rolls every time and can't get enough! My roommate usually gets the tofu banh mi and the vermicelli bowl with vegetarian spring rolls and loves both of them! We're lucky enough to live close by so we always call in the order and pick it up after 15 or so minutes because they're so fast.
Good Vietnamese food is really hard to find in NYC. This place is close to my apartment and I woke up craving a bowl of pho to warm me up on this frigid day.
I decided to try this place because of its proximity and the -10 degree windchill. I wasn't really expecting much. The interior is small and divey, but it was warm and the woman working the counter was friendly. (Their health rating was a B if you care about that sort of thing.)
I ordered a hot coffee, beef pho, and traditional pork Bahn mi.
When I got my coffee it had cream and sugar in it. If you want black coffee as I did be sure and specify, however, I wouldn't if I were you – it was pretty bad coffee.
However, that's the only negative part of this review. I quickly received my pho and was surprised by the complexity of the broth AND relieved that the beef was actually rare.
The real star of the show was the Bahn Mi. The pork pate was seriously on point. (If you like spicy food don't be afraid to order extra spicy, it really wasn't that hot)
What really made the sandwich was the baguette they used. Crispy and flaky on the outside but without being tough, yet soft and airy in the middle. The vegetables were fresh. Oh yeah – and it was only 6.50.
I'm going to slap my mom next time she visits and I'm going to blame the V-Nam cafe for making me do it.
I don't want to call myself pessimistic or even a skeptic, but the state of Vietnamese cuisine in NYC is on the decline. Simply "bad" might be one way to summarize it, though "disappointing" seems to ring truer. Hence, that's why I was surprised about V-Nam Cafe. In fact, nothing I've had here was disappointing or bad, which means we've found another potential Viet gem in the works.
The setup is nothing out of the ordinary though divey and dated might one way to describe the place. For some reason the sign reminds me of something out of the 70s with its funky font and basic info ("Sandwiches, noodles & rice."). True to form Vietnamese spots might have a more traditional name and decor, but no such theme exists here. The interior is tiny, with a larger kitchen and just enough seating for a couple of high boys, a window facing counter, and a small table for 5. It might be tight, but certainly not a deal breaker.
The staff seems to be family run; parents and elders are doing most of the cooking while the English fluent young ones are handling the orders, money, and general wait staff stuff. They're a friendly bunch and will go out of their way to make sure you get what you want. I have an inkling delivery does wonders here more so than eat in traffic.
Speaking of eating, their bo kho (Vietnamese beef stew) is really tasty and comes with a banh mi bread for dipping. Take that, French dip. Though I always have a tough time justifying the price for goi cuon (summer rolls), these ones were actually rolled quite well and were tasty enough to merit another order. Pho could use some work, but I've had more decent bowls than not here — the broth is murky brown and cloudy, the meat is tender but underwhelming and the noodles are not much to brag about. Despite all of that, some of their bowls are enough to make me forget the state of Viet food affairs.
I also really dig their spring rolls (cha gio), but only when fresh. The airy crispy and the subtle crunch become somewhat limp when in room temperature mode. Banh Mi fans should know the sandwiches here are real solid. Combos are typical (though I love the house special – dac biet) and thit nuong (pork meat) or xa xiu (BBQ pork). The real star dish in the house is their Cha Ga Ca Ri which has been translated on their menu as claypot fish curry. That ish is a wonderful meal in itself and wonderfully executed. Comfort food never tasted so good.
So give em a try. V-Nam Cafe might not impress every one, but there aren't too many spots in the East Village (let alone NYC) that can execute Vietnamese food as decently as they can. Wishing V-Nam lots of new business in 2016! (Chuc Mung Nam Moi!)
I came here randomly with two friends after volunteering nearby. We originally went to Taste of Bhatki, but they had no food setup yet. We saw this place directly across the street and hopped right over. Best random find ever! The restaurant is a tiny hole in the wall but serves delicious Vietnamese food at really cheap prices. I really loved the food here. My Vietnamese friend from Hanoi said the banh mi was really authentic, so it must be really good.
Clay Pot Red Curry Fish Rice – Delicious!!! Served sizzingly hot in a claypot for only $8. The sauce was actually a little bit too sweet, but the flavor was good. The catfish was flaky. The rice was delicious soaked in the sauce.
Pho Beef – Good broth. My friend said they use the dried noodles instead of fresh, which is not as good and sometimes makes him sick due to the chemicals. Learning new things about Vietnamese food everyday. There was only brisket, no omosoa or tendon.
Banh mi (pork pate) – The pate was delicious and they weren't skimpy on it. There were also lots of pickled vegetables and the baguette was crispy. The banh mi is HUGE. The owner cut it into 3 pieces for us and each piece was like half a sandwich. What a great banh mi.
I'll definitely come back every time I'm in the area for volunteer. I can't wait to eat that claypot catfish curry again!!!