Pop Up Café

Rarely leave reviews but this place really deserves it. I just got back from Vietnam and was craving some Vietnamese food. This place may have been better than 80% of the actual meals I had in Vietnam. The food was so fresh and tasty. All the ingredients were delicious and so clean with generous portions. I got the beef pho and the meat fell right off the bone. I also got the salmon salad and it was amazing. 10/10 will definitely be returning. Side note the Vietnamese salt coffee was also so so so good!!!!

I got ginger chicken vermicelli. The portion is big and it is so yummy!!! All the veggie is fresh and the chicken is well marinated. The owner is very nice !!

Excellent! Nice portions of delicious, fresh, fast and clean food. We had the pop up tofu rice and the bbq pork vermicelli platter. Both were excellent. We’ll definitely return…can’t wait. Only wish I had discovered them sooner.

Such great quality and affordable! Friendly staff too. Great for pickup, they are quick. Highly recommend the lemongrass tofu in any form or the poke bowl

Ordered lemongrass tofu with rice and it was fire 👌it came with a cup of soup at a reasonable price. Visiting from an area with a plethora of authentic Vietnamese restaurants and I’d say this place is on par with them, highly recommended!

I ordered chicken pho here a month ago, and came back to review it because it had THE tastiest broth! Good portions, lots of noodles and fresh vegetables. A perfect bowl of soup. Thank you!!!

Best bahn mi in Philly. Lovely staff. Try the kiwi smoothie - delish!

Such a good spot, would definitely recommend! There were quite a few great vegetarian/vegan options, and the chili tofu banh mi was SO good. Can't wait to come back and try some more of their menu!

Pop Up Café is truly a hidden gem in Philly! At first, I thought they served the usual types of Vietnamese bánh mì, but when I stopped by, I discovered they specialize in unique variations with different kinds of meats. I ordered the pork lemongrass bánh mì and the birria pho bánh mì, and oh my--both were absolutely delicious! I highly recommend eating them right away while the baguette is still warm and crusty. The café is pretty small and mainly caters to pick-up or takeout orders. There are a few chairs available for you to sit and wait while your food is being prepared. It only took about 10 minutes to get my order. I'll definitely be back for more!

Have passed by this place a couple of times and figured I'd give it a try on my run today. Food: I ordered their crackling pork banh mi. My favorite part of the banh mi was definitely the bread. It was so light and crispy. Probably the favorite bread for a banh mi in Philly. The pieces of crackling pork were fatty and succulent. I think i just wish the pickled vegetables were a bit more pickled as the crackling pork needed something bright to balance out its saltiness. Service: The service was quick and the owner Danny was very nice. The shop only does takeout. Cash only or venmo. Ambience: The shop is very mom and pop shop. It's quaint and tucked away from the main streets. The food speaks for itself here. Overall: This place deserves another 1/2 star. Its a bit spendy for a banh mi but the portion is relatively value. I would come back to try their pho's

This was my first experience with Pop Up and I was very pleasantly surprised! I ordered the pho through DoorDash since I had some credits to use. The chicken pho was $13 which is pretty standard these days ( even pho 75 on Washington Ave is now $11 for small or $12 for large ) The food came well packaged, and I was happy to see the bowl was compostable ! Although maybe it's not too traditional, I actually loved the tofu, carrots, and other veggies inside the pho. The broth was great, no complaints. The chicken - is also some of the best quality chicken I've had in pho in a very long time. I'll definitely be ordering from this restaurant again in the future and hope to visit in person at some point ! Great first impression

I love pop up cafe and have been back a number of times now. The food is delicious every time. Of the banh mi, I've only had the tofu ones since I'm vegetarian, and they are soooo good. Owner is a cool dude who is friendly, quick, and reliable too. Will keep coming back.

Best steak sandwich in Philly is their lemongrass beef banh mi. It is fantastic! So good.

I missed the Bahn mi shop from years ago when it was only $2.50 for a Vietnamese hoagie! Long gone are those days. But this is a fantastic spot and I have tried about 6 of their various sandwich variations. I recommend it all. Their soups are great too. I haven't tried their poke. Decent price and good size and great taste. Favorite local Vietnamese hoagie spot again!'

Get the Crackling Roast Pig Banh Mi! This is one of the best things I've eaten this year! I've never seen this Crackling Roast Pig Banh Mi on any menu before so I don't know about the authenticity but this sandwich is seriously amazing! Everything you expect out of a great Banh Mi is here, great crusty bread, fresh pickled and crunchy veggies, and just great contrasting textures/flavors. The kicker is the tender morsels of Roast Pig and the Avocado creama of some sort which ties everything together. I didn't really get the crackling part but it didn't matter, this sandwich has a lot of great things going on! I tried one bite of this sandwich while driving and needed to pull over to finish the sandwich, I couldn't put it down! This mom and pop totally cares and made sure I felt welcome on this visit and future visits. I'll definitely be back again for sure! The only challenge is that there's no place to sit and even worse, finding parking in this area of town is downright insane. Order ahead on your phone and make a beeline to a safe place for a quick bite!

Ordered delivery and wasn't disappointed. Tried the char siu and crackling bahn mi. Both were great. Preferred the crackling slightly more since the fat added a little more flavor in my opinion. Phò was on point. Can't tell you how many stores skimp on the broth. Flavorful with a touch of fat. Veges were steamed perfectly so adding hot broth warmed dish (but didn't need to cook). Enjoyed the variation of carrots, bok choy, mushroom and cake crouton thingy. New and enjoyable. Variation of beef cuts were enjoyable as well. Bone in short rib was tender and delicious. Packaging was environmentally friendly which I truly appreciate. Could tell immediately that love was not only put into their food but also their business plan. Looking forward to future meals from Pop Up Café.

This is my first review for any restaurant, and it's because I love this place so much! This family-run restaurant was able to make a catering order for our event, and do it fresh day-of. The banh mi and papaya salad from Pop Up Cafe are *delicious*, among the best in town, and the price is affordable. They have so many banh mi options - from vegetarian to pork to chicken. I really recommend them for a bite to eat or a catered event like mine. Lastly, the family that owns and runs this restaurant is warm, sweet, and generous. It's rarer to find nowadays, but this is a restaurant and family that actually cares about sharing quality food with the people who come in

Stopped here for a $6 (yes, $6!!!) banh mi sandwich. It was yummy and served fresh. Menus attached!

This place is the best, I'm so happy that they are doing so well in such a competitive area for Vietnamese food. The owner is super friendly and takes the time to make the food fresh and right. I've ordered Pho, Vermicelli, poke salad and Banh Mi and all items are superb. Reasonable prices and many items are large enough to have leftovers, depending on how hungry you are.

This place is such a gem! Ordering out has been so expensive because of inflation so I have no idea how this place is able to keep their prices so reasonable. My husband and I stopped by today for a crackling pig banh mi and tuna poke salad and both were so incredibly satisfying and delicious. AND only $14 for both! They did not skimp on the quality or quantity either. I also had a chicken banh mi here before and it was great as well. The baguette here is pretty light and crusty like how a banh mi should be. The tuna poke salad was super fresh and exceeded my expectations. Please support this small, little shop! You won't be disappointed.

Stopped by today for the two for $15 banh mi special and it did not disappoint!!! I got two lemongrass tofu banh mis and they were delicious and balanced, served on a giant fluffy baguette. Will definitely be making this a usual spot!!!!

Pure deliciousness!! Didn't know there could be so many options of Banh Mi but I am very happy to see it, especially as a vegetarian! Each Banh Mi was reasonably priced and totally worth the amount of food given. Super small shop, no place to sit inside, but that doesn't take away from the experience of an amazing meal; plus the service there is great. I got Lemongrass Tofu Banh Mi ($9) and Chili Tofu Banh Mi ($9)... wish I got two more, it was that good!! Also, do NOT miss out on the fresh fruit smoothies (it's made out of fresh fruit... not frozen). I got a Mango smoothie ($7) and it was so refreshing on a very hot day. I will 100% be back soon!

LOVED the rice platters (grilled pork, lemongrass pork), which came with lots of fresh veggies too. The fruit smoothies were absolutely delicious -- nothing frozen here, we saw them cut the fruit and make the smoothie. Avocado smoothie was my favorite but mango smoothie was really really good too!

Stopped by and got the BBQ pork banh mi and a mango/strawberry smoothie. Soooo good! The roll was so fresh and everything else was amazing too. Oh and the person working was really nice!! 10/10

Guys, dropped my dad in law at a really sketch haircut place next door and was hungry soooo had to give this a try! I was sooo impressed! Guy was super friendly and recommended the crackling pork Banh mi but once I heard it was just the Chinese roast pork, I said I'd try something else and got the Banh mi thit nuong. I learned after I made that decision that this shop makes that Chinese roast pork themselves soooo that's the next one I will try! Guys for $6!!! Yes you read that right $6! This was a helluva good Banh mi ! The bread was to die for! The meat was pretty darn good! Not too sweet like most Asian places make their grilled pork. Only thing is their pickled veggies could be better. Other than that there was even avocado in the Banh mi?! A first for me but oh so delicious and rich ! A viet coffee that was also just the right amount of sweetness for $4?! Stop by and give this a try guys!!

I've been here three times so far, and everything I've had was great. The char siu and crackling pork banh mi were both nice, but the birria banh mi was next level. I should try something off the sandwich menu but they're so good! As far as drinks I've only had the iced coffee. It was VERY strong. :D

Great Bahn Mi! My friend had the chicken lemongrass and I had the crackling pork (roasted skin the way this Cantonese-American loves it). Tasty healthy size portions, nice baguette buns, crisp crusty outside but soft inside. Nice amount of pickled veg and very personable service. Danny answered my questions about the type of milks he could use in the smoothies too. Condensed as needed. Tasty choices of fruit; jackfruit and mango were goood. Will be back to try other things in the menu. My first ever review in Yelp. Yes, that good.

This is right across the intersection from my boyfriend's place. It's the best deal in town for Pho. I get the Pho Ga and it's so good, and $10. Most other places are twice that. I do doctor it up a bit with whatever I have in the kitchen but it's excellent.

Ordered a crackling pork banh mi and it was the best banh mi I have ever had the ingredients were so fresh and the pork was cooked to perfection definitely a must try

This place has incredible bahn mi. We got the crackling pork banh mi and it is maybe the best bahn mi I've ever had. Soft luscious pork, avocado, crunchy-soft bread. BRB, going to go back there immediately.

I had the best bahn mi of my life here yesterday! I got the lemongrass tofu and it was incredible. I find that bahn mi can often be dry, but not at Pop Up Cafe! The texture of the tofu was amazing, the flavor of the lemongrass was strong, and the veggies were very fresh. The prices are very good as well. A great take out option! Also, if you're looking for some food to take to nearby Hale and True Cider co (they are BYOF), this is the perfect option! Highly recommend this new business.

LEGIT bahn mi! Very unassuming hole in the wall place. Got the char sui bahn mi and it was insanely good. Very authentic

the food is absolutely amazing, they have great prices, and a huge selection. The service is exemplary and I love that they're open late (8pm) for post-date munchies. 11/10 I recommend this place to everyone I know.

Tiny and efficient. They serve a variety of Vietnamese style snacks and also phô. I've never tried the phô but the salads and sandwiches are delightfully done and worth every penny. Friendly staff and pleasant stoop-landscaping make it a must if in the neighborhood

This little shop can be a little hard to find but it's too too far from all the popular thrift stores on south street. Their banh mi includes all the things that come with a traditional banh mi with the addition of avocado which I'm actually liked. It added another layer of flavor and texture along with the cilantro, cucumber, jalapeño, pickled carrots, and char siu. There was plenty of filling and the bread was toasted to a beautiful crispy. Additionally, their prices are average if not lower than a lot of other banh mi places in Philly. I will definitely be going back! Also friendly staff!

Can't beat the price for a huge Banh mi! Also recommend the tuna poke bowl - it was fresh and tasty!

Café that knows what it is trying to do, as the name itself indicates. An assuming reprieve near the Italian Market. The Banh Mi bbq pork I ordered was sublime. Every ingredient fresh and competently coexisting to form a perfect palate. And for only $8? Needless to say, I will be returning frequently.

Stopped at this place for a bahn mi after finding out a other local restaurant was closed at the time and .... WOW. It was amazing. Such a nice small hole in the wall place with amazing prices and great foo. I got a chicken bahn mi and my girlfriend get a pork bahn mi and both were great. Definitely coming back here.

Just got a chicken pho. Very fresh, good ingredients, friendly staff, will get again for sure.

We enjoyed the meal very much and loved the quality of ingredients and the nice toasted bread! Will be back!

Terrific food, reasonably priced, lovely service. Char Siu vermicelli bowl was generous and delicious.

Finally stoped in to get banh mi. Hubs got the lemongrass chicken, and I got the lemongrass tofu. Both were really really really good!! Amazing flavor and good rolls. Great value and we will definitely put these banh mi into our usual rotation.

The best pho anywhere, including NYC. The broth is liquid heaven. Great crackling pork, and beautiful Vietnamese coffee. I would order anything on the menu.

Although there are many choices for good Vietnamese food in the Bella Vista area, this one is the best bargain we have found. These guys are open all day and provide great walk-up service. The food is a creative spin on Vietnamese soups, banh mi, and other dishes, as well as some healthy drinks. And for the price, nothing is better in this area. Their location is an unassuming store front on Christian Street near the Italian Market, but nothing unassuming about the food. Try it!

Great Banh Mi and Poke Salad at an unbeatable price. True hidden gem for a great cheesesteak.

super affordable, delicious, and ingredients tasted very fresh. i'll be returning soon!