The Green Papaya in Hackney

We were just walking past and decided to pop in for a late dinner. The food was amazing and so filling. I had the pho which had a light but beautiful fragrant flavor. My partner had the xian stewed beef which again was very flavorful with a good level of spice. The service was perfect, we were quickly seated, given a menu, and offered water. The staff were easily able to handle the workload even though the restaurant was absolutely packed. Part off the reason we decided on green papaya was because of the atmosphere. From the outside walking past, it looked warm, friendly, and vibrant. It didn't disappoint and was a lovely end to our evening.

Amazing food and service, highly recommend!

Great foot at a great price. Huge bowl of pho for less than £13. Waiters were very nice too.

Loved this spot! Definitely making it one of my regulars. We had the Cha La Lot, Pho Bo Tai and Pho Ga - definitely in my top 3 pho in London and the Cha La Lot is a must for a sharing dish. Spent a very reasonable £39 for 2 people and the service was very welcoming.

Good price and tasty food, wish it had more veggie options

Me and my friends LOVE it here. Try Dan Dans and the chicken wings. They’re perfect. Friendly staff too although prefer the old refurbish and could do with some music to make the setting nicer but apart from that love this place

Cannot recommend them enough! 😍 10/10 So welcoming, and despite being super busy we were able to wait inside for a table to become available. We waited about 15-20 minutes which is normal for a place as popular as this! I ordered the prawn crackers and crispy squid as a starter, unfortunately I ate it far too quickly to add any pictures. The squid was lightly battered, and served with a mint and lime dip. Truly delicious! The dish pictured was the main dish from the Stir Fry menu. Tofu with onion, peppers and aubergine. I chose to pair it with egg fried rice. Great portion size, enough for two or like me, to take home! Food was definitely 10/10 The service was great, and very personable. Everyone was so nice, friendly and helpful. Se you next time!

Went there on a Tuesday evening a very quiet night. The lady who served us was friendly enough. The food was mediocre, I found it way too oily but I was starving! We got a little surprise at the end from a cockraoch climbing up the curtain next to where I was sitting! 🤮

Don not get spring rolls. They are frozen from market. Such a shame! Not so much "Vietnamese"

Don't believe the hype guys. The place was heaving, all the patrons no doubt having been drawn in by the favourable reviews in Timeout, but the food really doesn't live up to the Vietnamese food I've had in Vietnam and in nearby establishments in London. Vietnamese food is meant to be fresh, fragrant and uplifting, but our meals were incredibly underwhelming, with two of the dishes tasting like they'd been made using the spice sachet from a packet of instant noodles. My pork belly was okay, but a bit greasy, and the dipping sauce for the summer rolls tasted of nothing. The papaya salad was rather good though, as was the soft shell crab. Good service too, our waitress, the Londoner with black hair, was a star. Prices were fair.

Very kind and professional waitresses, the boss or manager much less kind/professional. The Pho was good, but the spring rolls very disappointing, almost the same you get frozen from Iceland. Got nothing to do with Vietnamese fried spring rolls.

Delicious, good value Vietnamese red prawn curry and stir fried tofu in a friendly atmosphere.

Great meal here after show at Hackney Empire. Good options for veggies and omnivores. I loved the salted tofu starter... delicious!

Great service. Manager added personal touch by having conversations with customers. Food beautiful, great veggie options

Nice enough food - didn't think it was anything special but okay for the price (meal for two with a shared starter and two beers was £47). Portions were on the large side which was good! But thought the tofu curry and bun xa were both a bit bland. Service was very pleasant and it had a nice busy atmosphere. Nice meal overall but wouldn't rush back.

Muy buen sitio, la comida buenísima y el personal muy amable

Very welcoming and friendly place with lovely atmosphere even in the back overflow room. Im no Vietnamese expert , but for tasty and very enjoyable and reasonable price. Brilliant friendly efficient service. A great local place for groups or on your own - eat at the kitchen bar was an option - so it's more than just a formica table and strip light place....

Dodgy stomach from eating here… MSG used and frozen, deep fried spring rolls. Dry Tofu bun xao not nice and warm peppers instead of salad. Won’t return.

Food quality has taken a fall. Noodles were very greasy and only 3 pieces of meat. The crab starter was way too salty

The customer service was quite awkward, not too welcome. Food was fresh but very very salty and also sweet which was awful. Also overpriced, too expensive place for what you get.

very bad, absolutely not vietnamese food at all. I ordered pho tai nam through uber eats - they serve the well done "beef" with pork. Im fairly sure that The meat they use are from chinese noodle dish "mì vằn thắn". Please either stop selling vietnamese food or change the decivetive name, make sure you mentioned pork not beef so people dont buy it. I cant believe this got high review but it is my fault since most review are from people who dont know what actual vn food. I read a couple of bad comments and thought that it might be ok since it is not hard to mess pho flavour but they succesfully messed pho up so bad that it taste nothing like it. The food made my day so bad i cant believe it. My wife ordered bun thit nuong and oh my gosh dont make me talk about it. Absolutely horrendous food tasting experiment. P/s: I dont know how to reply to the ow er comment but I dont own any restaurant like they said, check my reviews profile, mostly review for good food. Please read others' bad reviews as well, check who is the reviewer and how they said about the food as well. I trust the reader have critical thinking. Its very funny when you say I must have a business to leave a bad review mate.

Staff was friendly. Food was meh. Quite bland, standard. Nothing to rave about. Had the soft shell crab which was ok. The beef dish which had more greens than meat and egg rice which was tasteless. First and last experience. Not a place I’d recommend.

Nice restaurant and the best service ever!!! People are so nice and funny!! Food is so delicious and it’s so traditional and home made. It was a great experience 🥰

Delicious food, some of the best Vietnamese I've had in London. Friendly service.

Become my favourite vietnamese food place

Great food, great service. We had a lovely meal while catching up with friends.

Amazing customer service, very quick and delicious food

Curious mix between Vietnamese and Xian cuisine. Both are done very well, it's a bustling place

Delicious food - especially the hand pulled noodles

Food was not as good unfortunately. However the staff was really nice and the atmosphere was lively. A little too loud for a restaurant.

Yummy food. Grilled pork belly was the star of the meal

I loved this restaurant. We only had a few small dishes, but each was simple and good. I especially loved the Thai basil dipping sauce, and the lively banter.

This place is convenient and nice, food's good, service is alright. Have been a couple times and would go back.

We had a really delicious meal here, highly recommend it. Fresh, delicious ingredients cooked with utmost care, attentive service and the glass of Viognier I had was great too.

Stopped by Green Papaya for lunch with a friend. The food was great and the service excellent. The guy who served us was friendly and helpful. Can’t wait to go back!

A mix of Vietnamese and Chinese cooking - fresh hand made noodles is the house the specialty. Favourite things to order: the chicken wings & the Dan Dan noodles!

Good food and great staff..never been disappointed here.

Not a real Vietnamite place, at least not the quality of the food.

Terribly disappointing experience. Food was not real Vietnamese, the spring rolls were clearly frozen and fried, the red curry was made from powder and it tasted even chemical. The beef noodles were decent but nothing special. The toilet smelled awful and hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Not a place to come back - ever.

The place the most beautiful girl asked me to be her boyfriend!

Large party so service wasn't especially quick but the food was good

My fav Vietnamese place in East London . Fresh and tasty 😋 I highly recommend trying the cumin beef 🥩 when around !

My dish was absolutely delicious!!!! I had the Mount Qi soya tofu noodles. It was a little spicy but sooooo lovely. The staff were super friendly too. My friend loved his pho

We walked in with only 5 minutes left to order and they very kindly still seated us and served us quickly. The food was well seasoned (I’m usually prepared to eat an under-seasoned meal in London…it is what it is) and fair portions for decent prices. Perhaps if I was hungrier I would’ve needed more🤷‍♀️ overall enjoyable and I’m definitely returning if ever in the area!

Classic Hackney establishment for Vietnamese food Great to eat in or get take away

Underrated gem! Delicious, tasty, and very high quality ingredients (fish and meat exceeded my expectations). A must!

This was probably my favorite meal I had while I was in London. Each item was delicious and I enjoyed trying some new things. We started off with some prawn chips and I also tried a pork bun, "which some have called the first hamburger", and I thought it was great. As a main dish, I tried the Spicy Dan Dan noodles and was very satisfied. It was the perfect level of spice and a good mix of ingredients. After we finished our meal, it was around closing time, and the owner came over to chat with us. He told us a bit of the history of his restaurant and what running it has been like. I found him to be a really nice, genuine guy and wish him continued success.

We enjoyed our 1st visit at Green Papaya for dinner. Good place to experience Vietnamese food.

Hier isst man gut und vergleichsweise günstig. Da die Portionen nicht so riesig sind, empfiehlt es sich, für 3£ noch Jasminreis dazu zu bestellen. Hinten gibt es einen 2. Gastraum, also auch dann fragen, wenn es vorne voll ist.

Great Vietnamese food in Hackney. Large and tasty portions. Recommended!

I love this place! I’ve been multiple times now, and the food and service have been repeatedly brilliant. My favourites off the menu are Pho Tai Nam, Grilled chicken thigh and soft shell crab. Would highly recommend a visit

The food was absolutely amazing, I would highly recommend it. The service was great and the bill was good too. Thank you.

This place has remained awesome for years and years. All the he dishes are very tasty. Highly recommend.

Really friendly service & amazing food. The tofu noodles are the best I've ever tasted 🌟

Most delicious Vietnamese in East London.

I would literally kill myself if this place ever closed

Delicious food and lovely staff - were so helpful and attentive with a group member who had specific dietary requirements.

Went for lunch here with a friend on my way to a gig. The food is absolutely delicious : we had fried squid (with an incredible basil dipping sauce), spring rolls, noodles and pho : every dish was heavenly. Service was very quick and the staff were really nice. Highly recommend.

I’ve been going to green papaya for a number of years, never had a bad experience food is excellent! Little gem! Could not recommend more!

We’re regulars for years Although they never seem to remember And want you to leave asap Quality of food makes up for it all though

Great spot for a casual Vietnamese meal. The Pho is great and generous portion. S

So impressed with menu, food and Service. The only reason for 4 star (Atmosphere)...... It was cold due to draught sitting beside window at the back of resteraunt. Highly recommend.

Popped in on my way home and grabbed a quick takeout. They we super accommodating considering they were about to close, helped to suggest 3 amazing vegetarian dishes and it was ready within minutes. Best food I’ve had in ages!

None of the dishes I tried were particularly standout. The soft shell crab was overwhelmingly salty and the lamb dish was overrun with red & green pepper. I think I need some serious recommendations for a good Vietnamese outside of Hackney

Some of the best asain fast food I have had in london for sure.

Great combination of Xian and Vietnamese Pho

Great Vietnamese eatery, plenty of choice for vegetarians, good flavours, in addition they do a couple of Thai curries. Would definitely return.

This has been my favourite Vietnamese in the area for years so I was really happy when they started to do delivery which is just as good! You can’t go wrong with pho, cumin lamb/beef and also some of the more unusual starters like the soft shell crab and ‘burger’. I’ve bought many friends here over the years and they always enjoy it just as much as me.

Totally in love with the grilled pork. I go back regularly just for that!

First time visiting on a friends recommendation and was blown away with the food, up there with some very well known chains, fresh, healthy, and intuitive. Definitely returning!

Their meat tasted like they used defrosted meat as all their meat dishes had unpleasant flavour, the beef in the pho, chicken in their curry, pork in their bun… did not enjoy it. Perhaps their Xi’an food is good, but their Vietnamese menu options is far from authentic

Great a not expensive at all Vietnamese restaurant. Perfect for a cold winter's day.

Gorgeous food! Lovely staff our favourite and we have it every time is the fried salted aubergine if only I could eat it every day!

Great Xi’an and Great Vietnamese. An idiosyncratic wonderland of flavours. Come for the Dan Dan and stay for the chocolate mint with your bill

Pho have only 5 pieces of meat I swear & I paid £13 for pho tai nam on Uber eat never again on this restaurant

An interesting menu of handmade noodles, meat and bun. Tasty, well priced and served in a pleasant environment with a friendly service. I will come back

My veggie green curry was really bland, the tofu had no texture, and it felt slopped together. The appetizers saved the meal (green papaya and sweet potato shrimp bites), but I would not go back for the mains. Staff was attentive and food was brought out quick!

Fantastic food but we felt rushed to order and eat, even though the restaurant wasn't busy. They also need to work on the back area. Curtains should do it.

Amazing!! Especially the Dan Dan noodles

Great local, independent and authentic Vietnamese restaurant. If you visit try the Vietnamese burger with sriracha. My beef pho tasted amazing. I will definitely visit again.

Fabulous Vietnamese restaurant! You have to try both the squid dishes! Batter to die for and basil dressing to accompany is fabulous!

Food was all soooo good - great price, quick service and really attentive staff!

I’ve been coming quite regularly in the last few weeks and food is always SPOT ON. 👌🏻🙌🏻 I tried summer rolls, vermicelli noodles, prawn curry, deep fried squid, deep fried aubergine 💥, stir fried king prawn 10/10 Very fresh and delicious. You can tell they put heart and soul into this. Also very friendly and attentive staff. Always a pleasure to come back! Thank you!☺️

Really delicious and healthy food. The summer rolls are delicious, and I tried the pho, which was fantastic and had a lot of food inside. The only thing I could say is I wish there was hot sauce for the pho, but the flavour was good regardless. The staff was also really great! They were responsive, helpful and efficient.

Absolutely not a 4.4 star restaurant. You can smell the cheap MSG going in straight away. We had tofu noodles and prawn bun . The tofu was dried and mushy , felt re-fried and didn’t taste fresh at all. The prawn dish was tasting so fishy and gross and not fresh . Vegetables Spring rolls starter would be indistinguishable from the cheap one you buy at Tesco.

Rude staff, food is nothing close to authentic Vietnamese cuisine

Very delicious food at a reasonable price + amazing service. Can only recommend!

it is always exceptional! the peanut sauce is incredible and the only rice paper rolls i’ll order on deliveroo! it’s honestly incredible, love every bite!

Nice find for a refreshing lunch on a hot day!

The food was absolutely amazing great service friendly staff 👍🏾

Cheap, authentic, and TASTY AFFFF. The fusion between xi’an and Vietnamese really works!

Amazing food and amazing service! One of the best restaurants in the area!

Great and consistent flavoursome vietnamese food both eat in and takeaway. Service is also great and efficient; been coming here for years and much better priced and better food than Tre viet down the road. Highly recommend the Bun Thit & nem noung & soft shell crab.

Great Vietnamese food with a twist. Small, curated but different menu options than the usual fare at other local Vietnamese restaurants. Good gluten free options too!

Best food in Hackney, maybe even the world.

Lovely little restaurant. The food was great, it all came very quickly and was amazing. Great prices, friendly staff and great portions, we will definitely be coming back!

Having read the generally positive reviews we decided take a punt and ordered papaya salad, beef (rare and well done beef) pho and the 'Concubine chicken noodles', wheat noodles with chicken thighs. The papaya salad was lacking flavour and was drenched in a odd basil paste which was unusual and to my knowledge not authentic. In addition, the papaya salad was served with a large wedge of lemon instead of lime. Upon requesting the lemon be exchanged for lime we were told that there was no lime available in the restaurant. This was surprising as the pho, which was served later, came with a fresh wedge of lime. Upon questioning the waitress' previous assertion regarding the lime we were told that the papaya salad only comes with lemon and cannot be served with lime. This directly contradicts the menu which clearly states: 'The leading principles of the Vietnamese kitchen are the balancing of flavours and the use of fresh ingredients and, thanks to the highly customizable nature of most dishes, each diner can create their own personal taste experience'. We decided to send the chicken dish back as it was not to our taste, this was duly taken off the bill which we appreciated. We did tell the waitress that we wished to exchange the chicken dish for another and requested that she comes back to our table in 5 minutes whilst we peruse the menu again. She never came back to ask about our decision. It was only when we had finished eating both of the remaining dishes that the waitress came to take our plates away. The pho itself lacked flavour within the broth and smelt slightly stale which was obviously off putting, however the texture and taste of the beef was however quite nice. In any case, I had spent most of the day without food riding my bicycle and hence decided to eat the pho and not give it back to the kitchen. To summarise, we found the experience disappointing, the food was less than average in quality and taste and the service was compromised by a lack of attention to detail and perplexing limitations on the most simple of customer requests.

Ordered from UberEats, the food are well packed and nicely presented. Really delicious! A lot of tofu in Bun Xa, fresh and very flavoursome. Good portion of Aubergine. Literately ordered again within a few days because it’s just so tasty!

The Mount Qi pork noodles are a classic. Best comfort food in the area.

We enjoyed the resuatant. Everything we ordered was tasty, Papaya salad is really special - be sure not to miss it. Loved it, so we went twice in the same trip. this says it all.