Cafe Mama Pho

The 14 Best Restaurants In Deptford

"The warm glow emanating from Cafe Mama Pho is a beacon along the bleak stretch between Deptford and Surrey Quays. And its snug, faux foliage-strewn dining room and solid Vietnamese dishes make good on the promise of being a refuge. How long for is up to you—drop in for a solo, in-and-out bowl of fragrant chicken phở, or get a spread for a leisurely dinner with friends. Whatever you do, order the crunchy, salty chicken wings which arrive fresh out of the fryer. Just know it’s walk-in-only, and a popular spot throughout the week. " - rianne shlebak, jake missing, sinead cranna, daisy meager

Cafe Mama Pho Review Review - Deptford - London - The Infatuation

"The warm glow emanating from Cafe Mama Pho is a beacon along the bleak stretch between Deptford and Surrey Quays. And its cosy, faux foliage-strewn dining room and solid Vietnamese dishes makes good on the promise of being a refuge. How long you escape for is up to you—drop in for a solo, in-and-out bowl of fragrant chicken phở, or get a spread for a leisurely dinner with friends. Whatever you do (and for however long), order the crunchy, salty chicken wings which arrive fresh out of the fryer. Just know it’s walk-in only, and a popular spot throughout the week." - Daisy Meager

Where to Eat Vietnamese Food in London

"Opened in 2014 by members of the family behind Cafe East — which occupied this site before it moved to a Surrey Quays car park — Cafe Mama Pho is a stalwart for its crystalline rendition of the soup that gives its name, as well as a bun bo hue which balances oily heat with the umami hum of fish sauce. Soup-seekers know where to go." - Jennifer Trak

Where to Eat in Deptford

Best Restaurant Delivery in South East London - Eater London

"Nothing says “it’s going to be alright” quite like a big bowl of pho noodles. Luckily, this no frills traditional Vietnamese joint Cafe Mama Pho in Surrey Quays is still here for south-east Londoners on Deliveroo and a proprietary app. Accepting contactless payment and local deliveries only to minimise social contact, Depfordites can enjoy a hug from within and slurp up the comforting goodness from their pho tai chin, a 8-hour fresh beef stock topped with rare beef and fragrant herbs. Other must-order classics should include cánh gà chiên bơ, fried chicken wings with garlic butter and lemongrass, and chả giò, shatteringly crisp deep fried spring rolls filled with pork and prawns. Plenty of other vegan and vegetarian options, too." - Angela Hui

Florin George

SerpAPI

This has been one of the most extraordinary Vietnamese cafe. The food was excellent, everything tasted amazing. Very cool atmosphere and the staff are very friendly, helpful and pretty. I definitely will be back again soon. I highly recommend it.... Thank you for the amazing food. 😋🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗.... I have been there 2 times and I can't believe the food tested better and better which evrey bite, I still can't believe how good the food tastes. My brother was amazed by the taste of the food that we had. I hope I will be able to go back again soon. Thank you so much for your cooking skills and kindness. I highly recommend it again and forever., 😊😍🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Inacio Martinelli

SerpAPI

Lovely little Vietnamese place, very popular with locals in Surrey Quays. It's always busy but the service is super fast so you don't need to wait long for a table. Lots of traditional Pho options for a very decent price - the normal size is already enough to satisfy you but there's also a bigger option. Staff is friendly and make you feel welcome. Perfect spot for a quick meal, not exactly the place you would go to spend hours as it's quite simple. Recommend it!

Saray Gómez

SerpAPI

Cafe Mama Pho is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in London. I discovered this place by accident and what a place! I will recommend their Pho, the best on the menu so far. The mango salad is delicious and you can combine them with some spring rolls. The curry was ok, not the best one but still delicious. The place is small but charming and the service is excellent.

S chen

SerpAPI

A cute little cafe with a homey atmosphere Great food at really good prices! You can get a small or large portion of most mains, we went for small and it was definitely not small! The Vietnamese coffee was really good as well!

Kevin Cheng

SerpAPI

Kept returning for their grilled chicken thigh with rice - and if you’re feeling especially hungry you can order an extra piece too! The pho is rather nice as well, as were their banh mi.

Laurence Jones

SerpAPI

Incredible food, Summer rolls and Pho are the best I have had in London. Service and attention to detail regarding dietary requirements were excellent! Very reasonable price for high quality food and service.

Mr.coffeeuk

SerpAPI

Was the best experience in food tasting in my last few years! Lovely decor with a relaxing vibe, very friendly staff and affordable prices. Needs to be checked out immediately 💯

Marty Smith

SerpAPI

Tasty Vietnamese food. I have visited several times and it’s never disappointed. We had the beef in betel leaf, summer rolls, Bün grilled beef, and pork chop with rice. Portions are generous and reasonably priced.

Jacqueline C.

Yelp

I've been craving pho as the weather gets colder and my friend took me to his go-to spot for dinner, which is Cafe Mama Pho (formerly Cafe East by the same owner). There was a bit of a wait when we arrived but it's worth it. To start, we shared a banh cuon, which are steamed Vietnamese spring rolls wrapped in rice noodle sheets with a minced pork filling. This is a must for us every time we have Vietnamese food. Compared to the ones at Cafe East, the banh cuon here have less filling but they taste mostly the same. For our mains, we both got noodle soups. Most of their main dishes come in two sizes - medium and large. I got a medium pho tai chin, which comes with rare and cooked beef. My friend got a medium bun bo hue, which comes with a spicy broth and round vermicelli. I liked both broths - they were delicious and comforting. What I liked most was that my pho came with different cuts of meat, which usually costs extra to order at other Vietnamese restaurants. The portions were big even for the medium! I was stuffed after this. This is a fantastic place for authentic, affordable and delicious pho. I recommend checking this one out if you're in the area. I know I'm definitely coming back for my next pho fix.

Chris M.

Yelp

Nice small restaurant where to have a good Pho. I had a Pho with rare and well done beef in its small size. It is nice that you can either order small or large sizes. The small one was enough but if you want to fully satisfy a craving for Pho you may go for the large one. Broth is very good and the ratio of noodles and meat is right.

Kel P.

Yelp

It's certainly one of the better viet joints around London. Food was good and portion was appropriate. If you worry you can always order the large which in my opinion certainly feed 2 adults (not exacerbating). It is a decent size joint but you probably will need to queue in peek hours. Speaking of location, there are street parking around the area so do feel free to drive. It was quite expensive though however. Fact that my coffee of £3 was less than half a glass was ridiculous. The pork in the banh mi we got was also quite fat. All in all, I expected slightly more for the price I'm paying, I mean it wasn't expensive but certainly wasn't cheap. So all in all while I loved the food the price pushes it down to just 3 stars (the half glass coffee really annoyed me). You will smell like viet food afterwards tho so don't wear your prettiest clothes! Minor complaint: in my visit, one of the staffs just came back from delivery, and despite there's a whole street of parking, he crammed his car to a tiny spot right in front of my car. Not only was it inconsiderate, it was extremely annoying as now I need to do a 10 point turn before I can get out of the spot. He wasn't even in a legal parking spot anyway! That alone really pissed me off, but what can you do, they do decent viet food and for London that's a hard thing to find!

Sylvia T.

Yelp

This place is authentic! It's run by actual Vietnamese people so you know you're getting the right taste of everything! Would definitely recommend the pho or grilled pork w/ rice noodles!

Jennie Z.

Yelp

Hands down my favorite pho spot in London- the broth was perfect, not overly sweet/dosed in MSG like most places and best beef I've had at a pho place. To be honest, pho is never my go-to out of all the Asian noodle soup options (I usually almost always pick ramen instead) because the broth is too sweet most of the time for me and the beef is just too tough. However, I think this place has it near perfect. I ordered the pho tai chin and while the raw beef (which cooks just slightly in the broth) is very tender, the well-done beef flank just melts-in-your-mouth. I will definitely come back again for the pho chin in the near future. While the pho noodles were soft with the perfect amount of bite, some of the noodles were unfortunately clumped together, resulting in a hard mouthful. I did go at the end of the day, so hopefully that was why. If you need condiments (Sriracha/hoisin sauce), you have to ask for it, which can be a challenge with how busy the restaurant is. Also, it's one shared bottle of each for the entire restaurant...which isn't the most sanitary of things in covid times. We had asked for sriracha and the waiter handed us a bottle, which he took away ~15minutes later when another table asked for it. An easy fix would be to just pour out the sriracha into small saucers for tables that ask for it. Surprisingly, even though I went just before closing at 9PM, the restaurant was still packed! I had to wait about 15-20 minutes before I was seated and there was a queue of delivery drivers outside. It would be a safe bet to say that usually a reservation is likely needed given how busy the restaurant is even at an off-peak hour. Definitely recommend this place, for sure the best pho restaurant I've been to in London and much better than Cafe East. I look forward to ordering chicken wings (They had stopped taking orders for most appetizers by the time I arrived :() and hopefully non-clumpy noodles next time!

Chrissy H.

Yelp

Tasty food and less busy than cafe east! Everything was tasty, although they forgot the pork skin that went with my noodles, but that's probably a good thing to cut down on the calories and fat! Banh cuon was my fav for of the night. :)

Vega W.

Yelp

Taste good! Serving speed good:) Dishes variation but more than café east but the price roughly the same expensive... Staffs friendly, small peace

Mei S.

Yelp

Well, what can I say, it is still as busy as Cafe East, but I feel the food is not as good. It has taken over the space Cafe East used to be before it moved. Mama Pho has refurbished it and it looks very rustic, wooden tables and benches by one wall and stools, which seems to open up the space which was quite tiny when Cafe East was there, so it feels less cramped, and there is even room for a ledge and stools by the window to eat there. I have still to come across any Vietnamese restaurant that does the summer rolls as good or even better than Cafe East, and oh, the peanut sauce and a spot of chili sauce, for dipping is to die for! Nowhere else seems to do this particular sauce. At Mama Pho the summer roll came with hoisin sauce for dipping, just not the same. Also the summer roll lacked the freshness or tastiness, as there is no vermicelli or mint in the rolls. The raw beef pho was good, but slices are thick and not so tender, and the soup was sweet but just not steaming enough. The flash fried well done beef with lemongrass, with vermicelli noodle and salad also tastes good, but the vermicelli was not dry enough, and the beef was not tender enough or well fried. The service was a bit slow. Took a bit of time to take our orders. We had to ask twice. We were eating quite late, around 8.30pm but there were a constant stream of people, and the two waitresses seemed a bit stretched.

Jen K.

Yelp

Authentic pho, better to eat in house than take away, broth was rich, just downside was not having hoisin sauce

Yee Gan O.

Yelp

Thanks to Irene L for organising an outing to deepest ,darkest Deptford on a bitterly cold Friday evening for surprisingly good Vietnamese food. After the 10 minute walk from Surrey Quays station (London Overground), our little band of hungrydiners were relieved to see Mama Pho's bright restaurant lights on the corner The first thing which hit me was the trail of wonderful aromas when the door opened. Familiar scents of south east Asian cooking started the gastric juices flowing. We were lucky to have Sophie, one of the restaurant's owners, come and explain the menu to us. She confirmed that the dishes are from old family recipes. Home cooking is truly the source of some of the best food in the Far East, so this was a good thing in my book As we had 7 diners, it seemed the right thing to order all 7 starters! This gave us a variety of dishes, ranging from a spicy but well balanced vermicelli salad to cheong fun little parcels of beef and mushroom to a DIY lettuce parcel to be self filled with a pancake. It was like eating in someone's home but a home with a great chef in the kitchen For main course, it had to be the pho. I went for spicy soup and a mixture of cooked and raw beef. Don't be alarmed if you order this and the dish arrives with literally raw beef on top. Just dunk it in the soup and it will cook in no time. The soup has tremendous depth of flavour, complex and satisfying. I would say this is the best pho I've tasted in London In the Far East, the best food is usually to be found in smaller establishments and this seems to be true here too. Don't let the word cafe put you off. Come down here for the pho in town

T E.

Yelp

Finally... five-star Pho in London! Mama Pho is the replacement for the nearby Cafe East, which upped sticks and moved to larger car-park based digs behind Surrey Quays shopping centre. The same family running East run little Mama Pho but they do things in a slightly different way, so one is certainly not the same as the other. After walking south from Surrey Quays station, past the McDonalds we arrived at Mama Pho. A small and basic yellow place that was full of local Viets on a Monday night. We spent only £16 between the two of us to get the spicy chicken salad, the Pho Dac Biet, an iced coffee and a glass of fresh lychee drink. It could wel have been the best £16 meal I've eaten in my life. The chicken salad was densely flavoured, layered with so many different herbs, thinly shredded vegetables and different textures of meat. It was damn spicy too, leaving me gloriously steaming at the end and reaching for my bang tidy iced coffee. The Pho Dac Biet with spicy broth was stunning too (see photo). The whole bowl looked immaculate when it arrived, with the rare beef still bright pink on top, with juicy chunks of flank, yellow-skinned chicken bits and three fat prawns. Add to this some lime juice, chillis and oodles of fresh vegetables and the spicy, deeep Pho was instantly declared the winner of my wife and I's 1-year hunt for good London Pho. So Mama Pho is now in pole position. A bargain, a real find with lovely staff and the best Pho so far.

Yinnie C.

Yelp

After many last minute changes of plans, instead of going to shiny sparkly state of the art Stratford, ended up in Deptford. Don't let the fact it's deptford deter you, as many yelp reviewers say, this place is a hidden gem of vietnamese hotspots! Not only because it's pretty much the vietnamese equivalent to china town! Mama Pho is one of these gems, it has family links to Cafe East so you can bet your bottom dollar it'll be as good (or so i hear, I need to try cafe east!) Plus you'll have money to bet your bottom dollar on because it is amazingly cheap and cheerful! (Not that I condone gambling!) Deco looks a bit sparse, but you're there for the food, not the paint. Started with Banh Cuon, cheaung fun type starter dish with vietnamese pork! Really good! Then the two massive bowls of Pho and Bun bo xeo. I mean massive. £6.50 each, it was amazing value. The Pho broth depth test was a winner, it just tops the list. Beef wasn't chewy at all either! We also ordered iced coffee, ice lemon tea and two lychee juices. Our bill came to £11 per person! I'm definitely coming back here, especially during the summer because with our condiments plate, there didn't seem to be alot of mint but that might be because it's not in season yet.

Josy A.

Yelp

This is a fantastic place to come for Vietnamese food, and that is pho sure. From the outside, it looks like a slightly dodgy greasy-spoon cafe with a strange name. Even once you sit down at tables with plastic table cloths it doesn't 'look' amazing. However, looks can be deceiving, just smell the lovely, pho aromas and get ready to order everything!! It's cheap, cheerful and yummi-licious. I'll be back.

Wayne H.

Yelp

A decent pho option in London though why it's ass out in lower slobovia is beyond me. First, it's run by what appears to be Vietnamese speaking folks. Second, the menu is focused and uncomplicated (and not trying to play up the ethnic or freshness factor that most restaurants here like to do) - it's just good old no non-sense rice and noodles. Lastly, they offer drip French coffee and jelly dessert drinks. Oh yeah. Now, if they would consider going heavier on the onions and pork oil in their soup base. Main dishes here start at 7 quids on up, appetizers 5 quids.

Erika L.

Yelp

We started with the prawn summer rolls, packed with vegetables and a slice of pork, nicely garnished with cilantro & mint. We then had the lemongrass grilled pork on a bed of rice (it was perfect) and the pho with raw & cooked beef (very good). Iced coffee was a nice treat at the end. Venue is small and very casual, a good lunch spot.

Linda T.

Yelp

Mama pho is very small so I do not recommend coming here in large group. But the food was nice and a nice alternative if you find Cafe East is closed (like we did), since they are both not far from each other. The menu has a range of pho and rice dishes, along with a selection of sides. As it is called Mama Pho then it must be about the pho, so I ordered the Pho Chin which had the cooked beef (or well done beef as on menu). The soup I found was bland at first so I added some of the fish dipping which gave it a bit more flavouring. But the cooked beef itself have a lot of flavour which compliment the broth and the pho which lack flavouring. Along with our pho we ordered the Banh Cuon (Vietnamese steamed rolls) and Cha Hue (Deep fried Vietnamese sausage) to share. Both was nice and you could have on its own if you are not very hungry. From the outside it might not have that look that says come in for tasty Vientamese food. But Mama Pho does serve decent Vientamese food.

Gwen T.

Yelp

By far the best Vietnamese place that I've been to. It's not fancy but good for value and most importantly..it's DELICIOUS!

Roy G.

Yelp

Lots is already written about this tiny Pho joint and most of it is both good and spot on. We are locals and this is our favourite local eatery. On the last visit we shared a prawn pho and a rice dish with fried beef. The portions are very large and filling, the pho was incredibly spicy but in a healthy, 'clears your passages' kind of way. One star less than perfect because they hardly have any vegetarian options (maybe one salad and fried egg rolls) and this shouldn't be the case in 2016. But they cater to demand I guess.

Masha T.

Yelp

For appetisers we had the summer spring rolls and the cabbage chicken salad. Portions are great and so are the sauces that come with! Very tasty although the summer rolls don't have any mint, the only downside. Otherwise 5/5 for those. We had grilled chicken with rice and salad as the main. I forgot to take a photo but there was no salad!! But otherwise very tasty if accompanied by the sauce. It was grilled with the successful balance between juicy and charred. 4/5. The beef with rice and salad was even better. Mainly because it actually came with salad so you could actually mix it all together. 5/5.

Allen M.

Yelp

Absolutely amazing Vietnamese restaurant. We went there for a regular dinner, but since it was the first time there for us, we were offered a tasting menu at a chef's table. And it was wonderful experience. Chef takes you to a journey through Vietnam ,serving dishes traditional to the country regions. Every dish is different and mouth watering, and you can watch the team prepare it right in front of you. Great experience, we will definitely be back soon.

Soo K.

Yelp

Authentic Vietnamese restaurant, small and quaint, fast service. Reasonably priced. Pho had msg so I opted for a dry noodle dish. Highly recommend this restaurant

Simo R.

Yelp

Decent food but extremely rude service. They brought out all food at once, and while we chow down the appetizers, the pho became soggy and uneatable. We told them, they took it back, and the guy came to ask whether we want the pho back, or get a refund. We told him a refund and we will order something else. However, when the bill comes, they still added the pho charges, and when we ask them about it, the guy 'pretended' that what I said about the noodles was too 'salty' instead of "soggy", and since we had a bite into the noodles, they still had to charge it. The both of us are quite shocked since, if you had the decency to take your food back, it's totally a dick move to still charge your customer, and then shamelessly argue about it. They would have gotten a happy returning customer if it had been dealt with better.

Louisa C.

Yelp

A tiny cafe which is a sister establishment to Cafe East at Canada Water. Mama Pho is a brilliant family-run Vietnamese cafe which serves authentic dishes bursting with flavour. Their noodle dishes are definitely the stars of the menu with both noodle broth and summer noodles equally as tantalizing as each other. The portions are reasonable - large depending on what you order - and at a very reasonable price. It is very achievable to have two drinks and two main meals for £20. Don't expect anything fancy, what you see is what you get but the food is most definitely worth it. The place doesn't serve alcohol but you can BYOB.

Florian M.

Yelp

Real Vietnamese heaven! Bahn cuon was delicious, especially the sauce. The beef pho was one of the best I have had with tender and delicious meat and flavourful broth. And in large size it is simply enormous! Can easily feed two. Everything tasted fresh, service was nice and prices are low for London. What else can you ask for?!

Eve L.

Yelp

Been to this cafe since the old days of Cafe East, maybe since 2003? It is now Mama Pho, and run by a group of younger staff, don't let it fool you. their soup base is one of the best, even better than those in Hackney. Try a beef Pho, or the rice rolls, delicious, and I always coupled with the Iced Coffee (vietnamese style with condensed milk) A note: they close on Tuesdays

Yang D.

Yelp

Finally made it! Heard so much about this lovely restaurant however never made effort to visit. I have to say I really hope Cafe East could have Mama Pho's starters and to combine the Cafe Easy's main courses together. The starters are a lot more better than the Cafe East, but I couldn't tell difference about the mains. Perhaps it is because the taste are so close and Mama Pho is a bit distant so that most ppl go to Cafe East. I found the lovely sausage which Cafe East stopped serving years ago, it is very authentic indeed!

Maradona T.

Yelp

After trying 10+ different Pho restaurants in London, this is by far the best one. The broth is as close as you can get to authentic pho you can get in California (I live there permanently but here once a month). Nice flavor, not too fatty, and the meat is tender and soft. They also serve other Vietnamese delicacies like Banh Xeo and Banh Cuon. Will try those next time but I do see it coming out of the kitchen for other tables as well. The prices are reasonable, and the pho noodle itself is cooked just perfectly (Not too well done, and not too raw where you have to really chew). I'm assuming this is more Pho Bac (Northern style) pho because the pho noodles are wider, no hoisin sauce as a side dip... but a cross culture into Pho Saigon with the healthy amounts of greens for garnishes (sufficient sprouts, & rau hue - basil leaves). Fast and expeditious service, but definitely out of the way. Who can say no to some good, authentic, hot pho on a 3 degree night in London?! Holy bajeezus, there's actually something called good Pho in London!. Oh, and catchy name too - sounds like I'm going home to my mama's pho! And then it feels like I'll be washing the dishes afterwards (as the dishes and bowls used here feels like your using your own typical porcelain ware from a Vietnamese home). I'll be back!

Minnie M.

Yelp

Mama Pho is in a totally random location and it looks unassuming and small from the outside, but inside it serves comfort food to warm you completely on a cold winter day. It serves about the same menu as its sister restaurant Cafe East but is 1/4 of Cafe East's size. I ordered the combination pho (consisting of a protein medley of chicken, raw beef that cooks as it's dunked in hot broth, prawn). I enjoyed the meat and rice noodles, but found the broth a bit too salty. However I did enjoy the pork with vermicelli noodles. The pork was crispy with that perfectly barbequed taste and tasted delicious with the julienned carrots and lettuce. The Banh Cuon is my favorite dish at both Mama Pho and Cafe East. The BC here seems to be larger, while Cafe East's is smaller and has better meat to rice noodle proportion. Don't leave here without trying one of their tapioca drinks! It's especially refreshing after all the savories.

Kay S.

Yelp

Finally, I was excited to head to Mama Pho which used to be the old site of Cafe East. Within days of being told this, I was too excited to wait and so I roped in Ms. Black to come with me on a random evening. We arrived to a small unassuming corner eatery and was greeted by a really friendly waitress. She gave us the menu and we started the discussing what we were going to order. We both decided to get the pho £6.50 and the Banh Xeo £7. The Banh Xeo is delicious. The batter is light, crispy and crunchy, I think easily the best that I've had in London. We were so enamoured that we ate it by itself and forgot about the lettuce wrapping till halfway through. With happy smiles on our faces, the two friendly waitresses who works there came with our pho next. I was salivating and couldn't wait to dig in. The broth was good with the version from Cafe East only edging it to be better as this one lacked that slight depth to round out the flavour and balance. We left paying £10 each for our meal, excellent value I say.

Leah M.

Yelp

Great food. Looks fairly unimpressive from the outside, but it's a casual place to get some food on a weekday night. The pho was nice but as I live a couple of minutes away it was a little cold by the time I got home so probably better to eat in and get it piping hot. The menu isn't huge but a good selection of pho and starters to chose from so I'd definitely eat here again!

Rachel B.

Yelp

Went here for dinner, I would recommend getting there earlyish as it tends to get busy and be prepared to share your table with other customers! To start we had the Vietnamese prawn spring rolls with the peanut dipping sauce which was sooo tasty. There were only 3 spring rolls cut into halves but they were pretty big so by the time our main arrived we were quite full. For the main I had chicken pho and the portions were absolutely huge which was great because it tasted so good! Will definitely be coming back here soon.

Jie L.

Yelp

What is the point giving numbering cards while letting people to jump queue. Please can the staff ask for numbering cards before offering seating to people. I have been waiting in such cold winter for 30 minutes, very disappointed, will not visit again. Worst management.

Rona L.

Yelp

Mixed thoughts about this place, Pho was good, I chose rare beef only pho, could have done with more noodles, beef was tasty though and a good portion size. The all-important soup base was good and had a pleasant amount of flavour. This place really fell down on the extras which weren't pho.... Crispy springs were dull and not with the nice bubbly traditional roll pastry.....the steamed rolls tasted like a poor meat replacement, though the pastry itself was good. Their version of dipping sauce was neither vinegary enough or fish saucey enough. Service is sketchy, one of the starters wasn't available which we weren't told they bought the starters out. The teapot leaked from the get go and my cold tapioca drink, though delicious and a great cold-coconut compliment to my soup, took forever to arrive. The place was busy throughout our visit and I think that I would return, but only for pho, perhaps the name of the place is representable of the best thing about this cafe.

Rosie A.

Yelp

My housemate and I live locally to this well known and popular Pho spot, but had never been. So when we fancied a treat last week, we knew where to head to. The cafe is busy (but not so busy you can't get in) and the staff are friendly. It's quite basic but has a nice feel to it overall. We ordered "pho to go" as we live just up the road. Not sure about having pho available to take away, it was luke warm by the time we got home (1 minute walk), and when you've spent a few minutes putting it all together it's a bit lacklustre and slightly disappointing. The broth was delicious though. Good spring rolls as well. In a nutshell, if I was going to come again, I'd try and eat in at the restaurant.

Crescent C.

Yelp

Just checked it out on our stay in London. The food is solid quality and the service is great! Food: Ban Cuon (rice noodles wrapped around minced pork with sausage and fish sauce) was great to share as an appetizer and very delicious. Pho: Overall tasty but the broth was slightly different from pho we have had in other cities. There was a nice aroma but less flavor of star anise. The broth was also a bit oily but the beef was good. SPECIAL NOTE FOR GREAT SERVICE: The waitress spilled some broth on my boyfriend (which is not typical and has never happened before, according to the manager). She apologized and very generously offered to pay for our ENTIRE meal. But even if there were no spills, the value would have been very good relative to other dinner places (£6.90 for most dishes) and the experience was quick and convenient.

Yui K.

Yelp

Excellent-- authentic and tasty. Reasonably priced. The grilled pork with rice was fantastic. Very casual ambience with many locals and Vietnamese natives. Highly recommended for a casual and authentic, tasty meal.

CJ K.

Yelp

I really liked my meal here. The food was fresh and tasted home-cooked. My friend and I were pleased we visited as an alternative to Cafe East because we wanted to try somewhere new. When we were there, a whole multi-generational family were dining together, including grandparents and aunties and kiddies. Pretty good sign, right? There's nothing fancy at all about the ambience and the service. Per its name, it is a cafe not a restaurant - it is also really quite small. If you're going to go with a large group, call ahead.

Innocenzo L.

Yelp

Really a nice surprise. I eat asian food quite often and this cafe didn't disappoint me at all. The bar is like a typical diner, few tables, no frills, but really authentic Vietnamese dishes for cheap. Perfect stop if you're around in the area. Friendly staff.

Daisy-may B.

Yelp

Mama Pho looks like a greasy spoon cafe. It's really not. On the original site of the old Cafe East and run by the same family, you just know you're in for a good meal. Far smaller and more basic than Cafe East, the pho is still stellar and the service is very friendly. We started with the Banh Cuon. Beautiful slippery, textural rice roll goodness. The pho came soon after, I had the rare beef, an oily (in a good way!), complex broth with lot's of herbs to add in. They don't have any tripe or other funny options which is a real shame, when are London Vietnamese restos gonna start offering offal?! I will be back to try more (mainly Bun Bo Hue, Com Ga Nuong and Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong) although maybe not for a while, it really is SO FAR AWAY. I also think Cafe East just beats it as my choice of Vietnamese in the area. But only by a little!

Brenda J.

Yelp

Best Vietnamese restaurant by far near London and I'm a Vietnamese Californian so that should says a lot there. The service, the price are just right on. What a great surprise from this trip

Ibnu Kunto A.

Yelp

My favourite is pho tai chin. Hopefully, I spelled that correctly. It the mix of raw and cooked beef slices on a very rich and spicy broth. My favourite appetiser is the bahn cuon. They are just perfect. When I'm really hungry, I go for the grilled pork rice. Really nice dipping sauce, sweet sour and spicy.

Maya R.

Yelp

Excellent food and great service, but won't be going back until summertime. Freezing in there. Keep your coat on! Detracted from the food.. Door opens into the tiny restaurant so it does get quite cold. Portion size.. Large!! Yum.

Andy L.

Yelp

Love mama pho since 2011. This is the place to go if you need simple, tasty, no nonsense bowl of pho. I just wish I live nearby so I get to go more often!

Minh C.

Yelp

This is the first Vietnamese restaurant I've been to in London and was completely underwhelmed. The pho was very oily and one dimensional. The meat that came with rice dishes was good but to be authentic it should have come with broken rice. The fish sauce provided was also sparse, barely enough to call it a drizzle - I want more!

Riza R.

Yelp

I came here during the temporary closure of nearby Cafe East. Its difficult not to compare as they serve the same food and from what I gathered from previous reviews, these two Vietnamese Cafe are under the same owner. The Banh Cuon here at CMP seems more soggy and wet thus making them stick together and fall apart easily. I also noticed that the meat is as tasteful in comparison to CE. My other gripe is their Goi Cuon. It is exact replica of the ones from CE but once again it is not as good. I must say that the Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong was really good. It made up for the let down but I cant wait till CE opens up again.

K K.

Yelp

You know this place is the real deal by the number of Vietnamese locals eating here! While the restaurant is pretty small and tables are quite close to each other, the food is great! Big portions at very reasonable prices! They do deliveries too. One of my local favourites!

Qype User (chopst…)

Yelp

Pics@Chopstix2Steaknives http://chopstix2steaknives.blogspot.com/2011/12/vietnamese-eateries-in-london-keu.html Finally, I was excited to head to Mama Pho which used to be the old site of Cafe East. Within days of being told this, I was too excited to wait and so I roped in Ms. Black to come with me on a random evening. We arrived to a small unassuming corner eatery and was greeted by a really friendly waitress. She gave us the menu and we started the discussing what we were going to order. We both decided to get the pho £6.50 and the Banh Xeo £7. The Banh Xeo is delicious. The batter is light, crispy and crunchy, I think easily the best that I've had in London. We were so enamoured that we ate it by itself and forgot about the lettuce wrapping till halfway through. With happy smiles on our faces, the two friendly waitresses who works there came with our pho next. I was salivating and couldn't wait to dig in. The broth was good with the version from Cafe East only edging it to be better as this one lacked that slight depth to round out the flavour and balance. We left paying £10 each for our meal, excellent value I say.

Chris C.

Yelp

Came here when Cafe East was inexplicably closed for an entire month in December/January. It's much smaller (only 10 tables or so) but service is friendly and efficient so doesn't feel cramped. Food is excellent. Perhaps the pho is slightly less flavoursome than at Cafe East but there's hardly anything in it. Highly recommended.

Samantha K.

Yelp

I love this place. It's always busy and full of Vietnamese customers- good sign. They do fantastic pho and the spring rolls are excellent. I am a regular and a big fan

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