Bun Cha in Islington

I love Pho and have eaten it for years, both in Asia and other places in the World - this is a poor substandard version - No herbs and vegetables on the side, had to ask for chilli and vinegar. Really don't reccomend it.

I came here a couple of weeks ago for a quick lunch during my lunch hour. I love pho and have tried many different and wonderful pho's in many countries so I was looking forward to trying this restaurant. First off, the young woman behind the counter was very unfriendly and the restaurant wasn't even busy, only 3 other customers were in there. The chicken pho I got was very disappointing and had very similar flavours to tangy, packaged stock with far too much salt. It is a pity as the Exmouth Market and Clerkenwell area are great little spots of the city. Cash only as well, which for a central London restaurant is just asking for less business.

We recently visited Bun Cha and we were surprised by how good the value for money was. This is probably the cheapest Vietnamese restaurant we have seen. It’s not too busy, we didn’t really like the decor but the food and the staff was amazing. Worth trying out!

I went here with my mum and 6 month old baby. It was midday on Friday and there were no customers - so being busy is not an excuse for the terrible service we received from the young lady taking orders behind the counter. First of all she was not friendly at all, no smiles or welcoming atmosphere. She pointed out that the menu is up on the wall, so I was looking at it while I fed my baby. My mum went up to the counter and asked if there was a menu she could look at closely - the lady just pointed and said it's up on the wall. My mum explained that she has bad eyesight but she was completely ignored - I thought this was extremely rude. Anyone in the restaurant business should at least try and be helpful to its customers! Mum had to come back and I was reading out the choices to her. I was still feeding my baby at this point, and I also needed to change his nappy so I told mum to get herself something first, and I'll order later. She went up to the counter again and asked if there are any nappy changing facilities - answer was no. I had had enough at this point so I decided to leave. Mum was being nice but there was no way I was going to let her pay good money for some food with awful service. At this point there was only one customer in the restaurant. This place obviously only caters to young professionals who want to come and get takeaway quickly - they don't need to use the bathroom or change a baby's nappy, and they have great eyesight and won't care much about friendly service, just a speedy one. Never coming here again as they didn't even try to be helpful or civil even though we were the wrong type of customer.

Recently visited this Restaurant and just had the Banh Mi which was exceptional, The meat and the Salad ingredients were Lovely fresh and flavoursome , with just the right balance of Mayo and Chilli Sauce, The lady at the counter is really friendly and efficient, highly recommended.

I took two colleagues from Asia here for lunch. The service was friendly and helpful and the food — even judged by the exacting standards of my Singaporean colleague — was fantastic. Try the eponymous bun cha, it's great!

Really lovely Vietnamese café! Highly recommend the chicken dumpling Pho. Friendly staff but cash only!

A little effort could make this small venue a hit but sadly it fails to satisfy. It's been surviving for a while now fulfilling a gap as one of the rare Asian venues in the area. Why not take advantage of lack of competition? Too bad the effort is not put in to make it shine.

I was a bit disappointed. What I was expecting when I ordered Bun Cha was a large bowl of warm/hot dipping sauce with BBQ pork and pickled carrot floating in it with noodles and mint salad on the side and chopped chilli and garlic as condiments. That's how it is served in Hanoi. At Bun Cha I got a large bowl of noodles and pickled carrot with a dash of mint and a few slices of BBQ pork. On the side was a very small bowl of cold dipping sauce. This cost about £10. There was no chopped garlic and chilli. In terms of taste, the pork was lovely and the rest was OK. The Pho looked much better and I wish I'd had that. Apart from that the service was quick and friendly. I'd probably go back to try the Pho.

Great little stop for my first Vietnamese experience. We also found a fantastically located and great valued car park ideal for Exmouth Market at Amwell St, EC1R 1UL!

Busy for a reason. Pho and summer rolls are exceptional and reasonably priced given the high quality

One of the best banh mi I've ever had, owners are really nice and the place is lovely definitely coming back

Never had a disappointing meal here, be it Pho, or Bun Cha. The food is reassuring similar to food I had in Vietname, with a limited menu of pho (soup), bun cha (cold noodle salad) or filled baguette. Just pick the main ingredient, and that's it. A regular haunt at lunchtime, and always busy.

This is my favourite road in London, with so many amazing places to eat, and all cuisines catered for. This was a pleasant little cafe that seems to only be open until early afternoon. But the food was very fresh and authentic, and the dumplings, buns and noodles and duck was all very tasty and also filling.

What a fantastic lunch we had here. Pho with roast pork and veg noodle salad. Both were plentiful and overflowing with flavour. The lychee smoothie was a show stopper. All that for £18. Clean bathrooms and efficient service. A real find.

I got some bbq chicken and rice to take away. The first disappointment was when I opened the box. It was barely half filled with food. Second disappointment was the lack of flavour specially from the salad. The pickled carrots were absolutely bland. No Vietnamese flavours.

The broth had no flavour what so ever, and the herbs on top were scarce. Around 8 pieces of duck and a whole lot of water & noodles. Very disappointing.

Great value for money Vietnamese eatery. As a huge fan and regular visitor to Vietnamese restaurants, this place rates highly. It has a small, unfussy interior. Food is cheap, high quality and the staff are helpful. Combined with a BYOB policy this represents a very prudent dining option!

Best Vietnamese place in London. Hands down. Fantastic food, great Tom Yum, great spring roles. Everything on the menu is great. I would suggest eating outside as the interior is a bit sparse.

Love this place. Always quick to serve and quality homemade Vietnamese food reminds me of my travels

I just had the roast chicken pho at this restaurant for lunch. The broth was completely flavourless, it was essentially just a bowl of water, noodles, and bits of chicken with slimy skin still attached that looked as though they had just picked it off a pre-roasted chicken from Tesco's and chucked it in. Seriously never going back. AVOID.

Delicious food with fab vegetarian options. Lovely outdoor seating, attentive and friendly staff and bring your own booze!!!! Amazing

I mostly visit Bun Cha if I'm walking through Exmouth Market at anything approximating lunch time-- their tofu banh mi is hard to resist. They have great bread, which they heat up and crisp when you order, so it's nice and hot. Fresh toppings and under £5, so feels like a great value. I usually get it takeaway, but they have a cute, clean dining area, and they also have tables and chairs outside in nice weather. Exmouth Market is a great spot for sitting outside and watching people, so I would recommend staying if you have the time. We've also had the bun cha and the pho, and can recommend basically all the food. It's more of a cafe than a fancy restaurant, but it's independent and family owned, with friendly staff, great value food and a nice atmosphere. Plus it's BYO, which is always nice! Definitely recommend.

Came here for lunch and was pleasantly surprised at both the excellent value and tastiness of the food. the Pho is around £6 and the portion is very generous. Lots of choice available and all can be eaten in or taken away. Only downside is that it gets quite busy so can be difficult to get a table - luckily I went for a rather early lunch but there was a queue out the door for most of the lunch hour while all the other tables were constantly taken.

As a devout follower and great admirer of the wonders of Pho I was reluctant to take a walk on the wild side and try some where selling similar parcels of joy but alas, yesterday the dice were rolled. Firstly, it's no fuss, no thrills, you order the food off the chalk board menu behind the counter and pay up front. This means there's no messing around or waiting time and the food comes out double fast which is all pretty good news. The chicken noodle soup was pretty good I have to say although it wasn't presented with the same level of swarve and style as some of the chain Vietnamese restaurants, it was just a bowl of the goods with no additional garnish but a solid 8 out of 10 performance never the less.My one gripe? It was beyond freezing yesterday so the restaurant was chosen as much to warm the cockles as it was for the tasty treats inside but sadly, this didn't quite turn out as planned. The extractor fan is a large pipe that runs through the ceiling of the restaurant and goes out a large window above the front door. Problem being, it's not a large window, it's a hole with no glass in what so ever so with it also being a small place, where ever you sit you're not more than 10 feet from the front door and a result it was a lot like sitting in a fridge. Brrrrrrr.

I was in the area for one night only waiting to fly out to Prague the next day. It was about 5 pm on a Saturday evening and I was cold, tired, and hungry after my flight from Miami. Vietnamese food always hits the spot. This is a very nice little restaurant that seems to serve the locals. I ordered beef pho and some amazing tofu spring rolls. Service was great, the spring rolls were incredible and the pho was pretty good.

Incredible food, lovely place, can bring your own booze from Rimas shop across the road, reasonable prices. Fantastic!!! Must go!

We booked a table for 10 about 10 minutes before we got there,. The staff were lovely and the food was fantastic. I want to work my way through the menu!! It's BYOB and the food is very cheap.

I recently visited for a quick lunch and had an amazing chicken pho and fresh apple and ginger juice.Generous portion size and great taste so will definitely be going back and would recommend to all!Liked the look of their beef rice paper rolls too!

I walked in hoping to have the freshest rice paper rolls I could find and that I got. I was served by a lovely girl who made me 3 fresh prawn rice paper rolls while I sat and waited. They had so much flavour and were truly authentic. An older lady was sitting doing some food prep next to her. It felt like a really caring business with great fresh food. I'll be back for more.

I have been to Bun Cha about 7 times, even though I only come to London once a month. I love the food here. It's really delicious, healthy and generous. Yesterday I had the aubergine and tofu curry and it was a tasty, large portion which I couldn't finish in the end. The staff are very friendly and there's a relaxed atmosphere. I have eaten at lots of Vietnamese restaurants and cafes, and this is my fave. Good value for money too. My favourite dish is Bun Cha. Will definitely be back!!!

I get my Banh Mi fix from this café every time I go through clerkenwell. Banh Mi special is the ultimate one, it contains everything you could want - pork and more pork. And they really do overload it with lots of meaty goodness, pickled veg coriander hot sriracha and a delicious mayonnaise. awesome!

I had the Bun Cha for mains and it was heavenly, succulent pork and so tasty, my husbands seafood soup was really great too. Definitely will be visiting again.