Cay Tre Soho was one of the food highlights of our London trip. We visited for dinner on May 25, and overall, the food was excellent. We arrived about 30 minutes early for our reservation, and the staff kindly allowed us to wait inside, which we really appreciated since London was experiencing record-high temperatures during our trip. The only small issue was that one of our appetizers was mixed up, but it did not take away much from the overall experience. The meal itself was fantastic. I had the Bò Kho, and it was rich, flavorful, and exactly the kind of comforting Vietnamese dish I was hoping for. Everything we tried was fresh, well-prepared, and full of flavor. Overall, Cay Tre delivered an excellent dinner experience. Aside from the minor appetizer mix-up, the food was amazing, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for great Vietnamese food in London. read more

Wow -- now I've been to both locations. The SoHo location is even more expensive. There will be a long queue for walk-ins so make sure you make a reservation in advance. Delicious broth, good sized portion, and I am glad at least they are not stingy with offering a carafe of tap water. Vibey atmosphere and authentic dishes. Cute corner in front of the window for solo diners. Also cute cocktail list! While the pho is really expensive (22.5£), it still hits the spot after a long night out. read more

Happy happenstance! We were wandering the area later in the evening and didn't want to wait in line for any restaurant. Saw this restaurant in the area and we decided to give it a try. We were happily surprised. The place was filled, but they were really fast in taking our orders and bringing out the dishes. Everything we ordered was yummy and tasty... So I was surprised that this place doesn't have higher of a rating on yelp. It does fall on the more pricey side of dining given the fact that most of the dishes are tapas/small sizes. But we enjoyed it and would come back any the day. read more

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Huge and authentic portions, awesome interior, but it takes forever for the meal to come out. I think we spent at least 40 minutes waiting for our dishes, that's a bit too slow if you ask me. read more

I had ordered a beef bun. beef, onion and other herbs ingredients were stir-fried. It was oily and the fish sauce （sweet & sour fish dressing) was too sweet, not well balance taste. I thought it was not worth... read more

Grading a bit easily due to the Soho location, food was generally good but with a couple of misses. We're a couple from the San Francisco area who eat Vietnamese food often; my husband is Vietnamese after all. The dishes are less refined than in SF but pretty decent for London. Two of us ordered: - Crab Farci special: the big miss of the night, this dish was dry and heavy and tasteless. 1/5 - Tapioca Hue dumplings: Quite a bit larger than Uk used to, with thicker skin. Flavor of the dumplings was good and could have given us more sauce, but these were ok. 3.5/5 - Mixed seafood platter: hard to mess up salt and pepper seafood , and this delivered : light crispy batter with good balance of spices. Would definitely order again. 4.5/5 - Betel leaf wrap: extremely skimpy with just one lettuce leaf to wrap, and the sauce was a bit one dimensional and heavy. Meat rolls were ok but definitely not as good as the streets of Saigon. 3.5/5 Service was spotty but we would come back and give this place another try. read more

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We stopped by on a Wednesday night and did not expect it to be so busy! The restaurant is definitely a hot spot, but we were able to squeeze ourselves in there for the 20 minutes quoted wait. What I noticed, however, was the lack of a waiting system. The server asked how many we had in our party and then just left. After waiting for around 20 minutes, the server took people who came in AFTER us and seated them first. I was pretty annoyed, but he came back and told us we would have to wait one more minute...but it was more than that (shame on me for being fooled!) When we finally got seated and ordered, the server came back from the kitchen told me that they were out of their special (the satay pho) which I thought was strange because it is labeled on their menu as the "Cay Tre Special". It wasn't a problem though because they have a lot of different options on their menu so I opted for the garlic pho, even though I was pretty bummed because I spent 20 minutes and some extra minutes imagining myself eating some satay pho special. Service was extremely quick, however when I got my pho it had absolutely no garlic taste in it--and I wouldn't say my taste buds are burnt out or anything! Luckily, they had some garlic and peppers at the table to spice up my meal which really saved the dish. I can't really say, because I haven't had other Vietnamese places in London, and especially since I am from the states, but I was really bummed out about the restaurant. Overall, terrible service for the night we visited (I do forgive them a little because it seemed like they were a little understaffed) and average food. read more

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Visited here after hearing a lot of reviews about this restaurant. The vibes and variety of menu items was great, but personally I didn't find the pho or the appetizers I ordered (fried spring roll and summer rolls) to be that special. I did really enjoy the rice rolls - these were definitely the highlight of the foods I tried here. read more

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My wife and I went here the first time we visited London in 2019. No exaggeration this place has the best Pho we have ever tasted. We thought San Francisco had the best spots but this place in London not only had the best food but the service was impeccable. Vibe in the restaurant felt alive and well organized. Food came out hot and quick. On our second London trip we set some time to take our two daughters to try this delicious food! They too had the same impression we had. Very happy to have shared this place with them, so much so that our daughters begged us to have dinner here on our last dinner in the UK. Excited to try this place again when make our third visit to the UK. read more

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As a Vietnamese, I definitely think the food here is somewhat authentic. They also carry wide variety of vegetarian options. The price is basically the same compared to other Chinese restaurants nearby. The atmosphere is nice and cozy. Love the bathroom, very clean lol, i hate when a fancy restaurant that dont have a proper toilets read more

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The worst restaurant I have ever been, I would say manager does not have a manner and any respect towards his customers. I would never ever recommend to anyone be away better eat in street. I been with my friend to have a catch up after longtime. Since we sat waitress was pushing us to place the order, we did starter and main they brought both together with 8 minutes of sitting and it past only 15 minutes and they came 4 times to ask me if I had finished and at one point they took my bowl with food, when I told them I haven't finished yet they put back my bowl and then Manager came with bill saying if I leave within 15 minutes they will scrap my service charge. I felt humiliation and felt being forced to get out of restaurants just because they had long waiting queue and they wanted more money from more people. I'm am sorry to say I paid £68 for 2 people I wanted to enjoy my time and food, I don't want to be disturbed it is not fast food and you are charging heavy price and not cheap as fastfood street food. I was with my friend so I didn't wanted to make a scene and I paid and left, then we moved to next door cafe to have our catch up. If I wasn't with my friend, I wouldn't have paid a single penny and I would have made a scene there to all the customers to watch to see what bad manners manager is there. I will keep posting until I don't hear an apology from the manager. read more

Amazing big bowl of pho with traditional toppings. Nice service. Only Complaint is the father was not served with traditional jalapeños, Thai basil and real Sriracha read more

Cây Tre - Pho with all the toppings - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

Great Service! Great value for money. just the right amount of portions. the restaurant itself has a really nice vibe, simple but classic.

This visit was due to a failed attempt to have dinner at Burger & Lobster a couple of doors down. We walked down the street and saw this as a viable alternative, and they got us in on a Sunday night without reservations or a wait. I had the £10.50 Saigon Pho (with steak, fatty flank, skirt flank for a hearty, rich taste) & £3.30 Coconut & Lychee drink. Delicious, meaty, tasty, and filled me up. A great option for dinner! read more

Cây Tre - £10.50 Saigon Pho (with steak, fatty flank, skirt flank for a hearty, rich taste) & £3.30 Coconut & Lychee drink - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

Instead of giving this restaurant 1 star I'm going to give it two because they took me at 5:30 but it's mediocre at best. I've had better Pho and Banh. I asked for salt and I guess they were appalled by my request. If your food is under seasoned. It's under seasoned. I shouldn't be given alternatives to SALT (soy sauce/fish sauce) when I know your kitchen has salt. I was told by the server "I cannot give you salt". Chef, buck up. It's Pho I shouldn't have to add 95 other things to your broth to season it. It's a no for me. read more

This restaurant has been on our list for a long time, and we managed to visit there for lunch twice. We ordered Camp Fire Steak with Rice (2.5 star) and Saigon Hawker Rice (5 star). The latter was simply flawless, flavoursome and very tasty. The char-grilled pork chop in Hawker Rice was lean, tender, smoky and super tasty, and I can eat it every day. The rice was well cooked and the salad was refreshing. Camp Fire Steak had too much onion and the meat was like a stew rather than a steak. The service was friendly and polite, and the setting was clean, modern and relaxing. On our second visit, we tried Beef Pho (3.5 star), which had delicate flavour and had nice amount of beef, Green Papaya Salad (3.5 star) - very refreshing and tasty but small portion was very small, and Imperial Spring Roll (2 star) which was mushy and lacked crunchiness and the salad which came with it was limp and had brown edge. We were disappointed with our second visit as the service wasn't as friendly and the food was mediocre. I'm afraid their price did not justify the quality. read more

The wind was cutting on this day and I needed a soup noodle to warm me from the inside. Pho always works wonders for this job. The version here reminds me of the Pho in the north or the Hanoi (original) version. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was surprised how clear but tasteful the broth was. Even the noodles were soft and fresh. Made me wish I was back in Vietnam but this will do in London. read more

Cây Tre - Pho Original with fresh chilis. - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

Bigger portion than most pho places I've been! Usually I'm not full after a bowl of pho but this one did it for me. I got the Saigon pho and it had huge pieces of brisket which was good. Service was also very fast! Broth was good, not too oily or salty. They had lemons instead of limes which I thought was unusual/untraditional, and no cilantro. Would go again! read more

Cây Tre - Saigon pho - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

I had dinner here with my brother and cousin, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We thought we would be adventurous and order a range of dishes from the menu to share, and everything was delicious. My favourites were the braised ox cheeks, the catfish stew, and sweet ribs. The restaurant is in a convenient location, and usually has a good crowd. We went in at around 7.30pm and the place was packed with a very good atmosphere. The pho soups also looked very good. Prices are decent as are portions. As far as Vietnamese food goes, this was authentic and very good. read more

Cây Tre - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

I haven't been to the parent Cay Tre in east London but I was excited to see an outpost of this famous Vietnamese restaurant open on Dean Street. It's a challening location for a restaurant with several restaurants having met their demise on this location in recent years. I'm not sure why Dean Street in general does struggle to attract dining custom in comparison to neighbouring Frith Street, which thrives with Arbutus, Koya and Barrafina all doing good business. However, with Ducksoup, Tonkotsu and now the trendy Burger & Lobster opening on this street, perhaps, things will start to look up The publication of Time Out's list of the best 100 dishes in London 2012 gave me another reason to visit when it listed the beef pho at Cay Tre on that list. Like a lot of my friends in San Francisco who have been trying to eat all 100 dishes on the 7x7 best 100 dishes in San Francisco, I may now have another excuse to eat out more! Yelp buddy Kevin L joined me to experience the pho at Cay Tre. I pigged out with the large combination pho, which had everything from all cuts of beef to beefballs to tendon. I love noodles and the essence of noodle soups likes in the broth. On this count, Cay Tre's is the best I've experienced in the UK - deep rich notes of beef which comes from long simmering. I kept slurping away at the broth even when my noodles and beef was all gone The beef was nice and tender. I think my favourite was the brisket and I love that you can get tendon in London. The English tend to be a little squeamish! I've since been back to eat here again. The summer roll and Chinatown pho weren't quite as good as the beef pho. However, I'm letting Cay Tre keep their 5 stars for having the best beef pho I've tasted in the UK read more

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Fair warning: if you love this place, don't continue reading this and I feel bad that you haven't had really good authentic Vietnamese food yet, lol. Remember: ONLY eat at Vietnamese restaurants where the majority of patrons are actually Vietnamese if you want authentic and delicious food. Let's start off with the pho. They had about 15 options for different types of pho. AREYOUFCKNKIDDINGME. Anyway, I couldn't find anything redeeming about the pho even though I really wanted to! I swear! My sister wrote it off so quickly that I didn't believe her. Then I tried it. The meat was tough that night, they don't even use the right herbs (they use mint, wtf? The waitress said they don't grow basil on this side of the pond. Seriously? Might as well give me a hotdog with tofu on it), and the broth (which is the most important part of pho) was tasteless and had no depth. We also got the Banh Cuon which is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes. The one thing they messed up on with this dish was the sauce that goes with the banh cuon -- nuoc mam Cham. Instead of that, they gave me some type of sauce with black pepper in it. I can't eeeeeven. So by now I was crying inside about the fact that there are horrible Vietnamese restaurants out there and that I was eating at one of them. In London. On vacation. The only two redeeming things (why I'm giving it 2 stars) about this restaurant was the CHA GIO (egg rolls-you can't mess up something that's fried) and our waitress who was extremely patient with my snooty butt. I had a moment where I was sticking my nose in the air asking "where's this, where's that, why is it like that, who eats that, blah blah blah." Sorry. I was just Hangry. I'm human. Anyway, if you want real authentic Vietnamese...well, GTFO of London. read more

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Was referred by a tour guide to check out this place and it was a pretty hip and young crowd over the weekend. My Vietnamese friend was able to chat with the wait service in her native tongue and they were all very friendly people here. The Em Yue Anh baby drink with Absolute vodka, passion fruit liquor lime and grenadine was light and refreshing and it wasn't too strong and that was perfect for me. We next enjoyed the green papaya salad but I am accustomed to shrimp and the beef served was brisket and dry and it should have been served with a beef jerky in the traditional Vietnamese way. The flavoring was good though. Next we tried the Cay Tre platter for two called the wrap & roll which was done very well. The Vietnamese style egg roll was done perfectly with rice wrapping which my friend says is much harder to do but is traditionally done this way so kudos to the chef for that. The spring roll was okay but the rice wrap was a little too firm however I really enjoyed the fresh basil and mint that stood out in the wrap. The beef roll (Bo lo lat) was tender and wonderfully seasoned. Lastly we finished off dinner with the Hanoi Garliky pho which is different from traditional pho because the beef is sautéed rather than served raw and then cooked in the broth. The beef was good but they didn't have enough mint basil complement and they gave lemon instead of lime to season the broth. The broth was also kind of bland. I didn't taste any fish sauce and it wasn't with any salt. There was a large clove of garlic in the soup but I didn't taste any garlickiness in the broth either. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. All in all I would come back and try other foods on the menu mainly because the service was so nice. read more

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Came here for lunch and decided to try the bun bo hue instead of pho. Traditional pho Restos have a distinct anise scent. The broth should permeate the restaurant. Unfortunately this place did not so I decided to skip on the pho. I ordered bun bo hue ( hue spicy beef soup) and was highly disappointed. The broth lacked depth of flavor and lemongrass. The meats were mostly small chunks and overall flavorless. The shrimp spring rolls were good. I wouldn't come back. For westerners, this may be acceptable but for anyone with any type of traditional Vietnamese palate, I'd skip this place. read more

Cây Tre - Bun bo hue. Flavorless. Notice the lack of rau ram. Barely any meat and little lemongrass. - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

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As I've said in other reviews, pho is all about the soup so here's my view on that soup: Beef base - excellent. Chicken base - have had better elsewhere but not terrible. I know there are other people out there who only consider hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant with no non-Vietnamese customers as measure of quality pho. Oh and the menu must also look like a dog chewed it out with stains all over. If a restaurant needs to fancy up certain cuisine and up the quality to charge more and have the "stuff" to support the higher price, I say all the power to them. For me, paying a bit more to eat in a clean, well-appointed space and wait staff that are friendly (and not throw food at me) is well worth it. Yes the menu is a bit over the top and the dishes are a bit more expensive. But this is soho in London! I say if you are in the neighbourhood give it a try! read more

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For central London, this place is pretty delicious. I've only had the Saigon pho, but it was everything I could've asked for in a bowl of pho. It was warm, aromatic, and flavorful. They have a decent selection of different foods from their menu so I definitely plan on coming back to try something else. We came here on a Saturday night and it was very busy, so I would recommend coming early or booking. I thought the service was good as well. Our server was Vietnamese too which is always a plus when you're eating at a Vietnamese restaurant! read more

TLDR: Add my name to the list of people giving one star reviews because service here is horrible and food is subpar. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go to any other Vietnamese restaurant in the city (there are tons in chinatown) unless you enjoy leaving a restaurant angry and annoyed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ read more

When a Vietnamese tells you this Pho is good, then take her word for it! I have to say the beef pho in Cay Tre Soho was the best beef pho I have tasted in London. I have tried many Vietnamese restaurant in London including the popular ones near old street station, but cat tre soho got it best. And the big pho combo was BIG, humongous in fact. It used to be 12 quids but they pushed the price up to 14 now, slightly disappointed. We tried other dishes too, like the "steam pancake?" (Bánh cuon) was also nice, my boyfriend loved the Hanoi mixed pork vermicelli (bún cha Hà Noi), so much he couldn't stop talking about it on the way home. If you're in the mood, try their Lemongrass ice tea. I know it sounds weird I thought so too. But the first time we tried it it was sooo good and refreshing, it came in a big jar you can share between 2-3 people. But the second time we came back, maybe because it was very late (10.30pm), the tea was just like normal tea...with ice. A bit of a hit and miss actually. But over all great Viet restaurant, we enjoyed the food there and it's in soho so better location (IMO) than east end as you can go somewhere else (movies, clubbing etc) within a few mins walk. read more

Cây Tre - Hanoi mixed pork vermicelli. - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

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Great vietnamese from east landed in west - interior is contemporary, service is unprofessional but food and location are great! It has fresh rice rolls and pho noodles so nice and fresh... Indeed the best in central... Try for lunch combo for £10... Great value once again.... I normally come here for bowl if pho or quick dinner with rice rolls with chicken followed by grilled something with rice paper on the side. Must try if you do not feel like going east for real vietnamese... read more

Cây Tre - Chicken wing appetiser - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

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We were on our way to Duck Soup but were side tracked by Cây Tre which was surprisingly packed for 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. Our first impression on arrival was hardly positive, and in hindsight we should have trusted our instincts and walked out after having to wait over five minutes before anyone took notice of us. Finally allocated a table, we were guided to the back of the 'steaming' restaurant (more reek than aroma),and before we've ordered I'm thinking about my next visit to the dry cleaners. Odours aside, the interior is snazzy, modern contemporary, unfortunately the food is not as impressive, nor was the service on our visit. As it transpired, the crowds were here more for the prices than the food. As soon as we've placed our order, the waiter asks if we're using a Groupon voucher. What a way to cheer you up before you start eating, he might as well have asked us if we had a 50% discount voucher or if instead we would be paying Silly Prices.. 'Silly Prices Please!'.... That's not to say we didn't whip out our iPhones and see if we could bag a deal list minute on Groupon, alas the deal had expired, and the reduction was actually 60%! Oh well... we were here now, so we decided to carry on... It quickly dawns on us, perhaps due to the Groupon deal, the restaurant is understaffed and waiters overstretched. Service goes from bad to worse when our neighbours start to loudly complain how they have waited over an hour for one starter. The Manager comes over to try and calm the situation, and for the rest of our meal Mr and Mrs Complaints seem to have all the staff in the restaurant waiting on them hand and foot. On the other side a table of two get up to walk to the bar to pay (after waiting over twenty minutes for the bill). To be fair, our wait is not so bad, half an hour and our starter arrives, but they forget our drinks which really should have arrived long before. Our deep fried tempura shrimp is burnt on the edges; but worse, fried with its shell on, almost impossible to eat. We're left with napkins full of shell...smooth.. When they do bring the drinks, the bottle of tap water is missing. The mains finally arrive, but they forget the rice. By the time it arrives, our food is verging on cold. Unfortunately the mains did not manage to save the day, my okra and aubergine curry was literally swimming in oil, a sludgy and unbearably spicy affair. This despite there being no spice indicator on the menu or a forewarning from the waiter. My partners Calamari dish was better, but nothing special. The house lemonade was akin to watered down squash. We ask for the bill and they make no attempt to offer us dessert or ask us how our meal was. Perhaps they are fed up of the truth. a 12.5% service charge is added to our bill, for the first time in living memory we decide not to pay this, get up and leave. read more

Cây Tre - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

Hangover + 4-week hiatus without pho + eating here = A VERY HAPPY ME Tried the Saigon Pho because it was the closest thing to what we have in the States. The "24-hour" beef broth was flavorful and wasn't overly fatty. I liked the flat rice noodles and the medium rare beef slices were perfect after drowning them in my soup. Although the pho wasn't served in the massive bowls I was accustomed to, I was surprisingly satisfied. That didn't stop me from scavenging for the last floating bits though. For £10 a bowl, I wouldn't mind some more steak but perhaps I'm just being greedy. However, if you are a big eater, go for the £14 super bowl (ahah, American pun) and you'll have to get your stomach pumped. Otherwise, food is authentic. Service was adequate. Modern interior design. AND they have Sriracha!! All brownie points in my book. read more

Cây Tre - Saigon beef pho - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

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Nice Vietnamese cafe in Soho. Fresh and clean food. Just popped in for a veggie pancake. Very good for £4. Will make a point to visit again in the evening for dinner. read more

Cây Tre - Vietnamese Near Me - London, XGL

Let's just say that I am a very picky eater when it comes to Vietnamese food. But I was absolutely amazed at the food quality at Cay Tre. We ordered Banh Cuon (the rice pancake with pork and beef filling) as appetizer and it was fantastic. And as a Vietnamese I find it very authentic. For the main dish we had Braised Catfish in a Claypot and Bun Bo Hue. Bun Bo Hue is a childhood dish for me, and I can understand how hard it is to perfect it. But Cay Tre was definitely that close to perfection. I would certainly go here again, and this time for newer dishes. read more

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Phenomenal Pho, the spring rolls we had were fresh and obviously made to order (but can't guarantee all the time). The special pho was great though, the noodles, the meat (so much meat) and all of the fresh veggies. I was trying to be careful not to splash, but in the end, the taste got the better of me and I slurped away, shirt be damned. Even better was the ability to come in as a walkin and them trying hard to find us a table. read more

Disclaimer: I've never been to Vietnam and don't know what 'real' pho tastes like. ALL I WANT IS TASTY, SATISFYING FOOD AT A GOOD PRICE! And on my list of such places, Cay Tre is right up there. I only ever pop in for Pho and can't comment on anything else but OOOOOH THE BROTH - hearty, rich and beefy (and maybe a little sweeter than I'd like) but still so so good. Halfway through the meal you look at your bowl and notice how the soup's surface glistens, and you smile, thinking oh yessssss, fat is flavour. We decided to try the 'add-ons' this time round. The option to add Chinese 'you tiao' (fried dough) threw me off a little (that doesn't seem very 'authentic' but I wouldn't know..) And for £2 you only get two extra meatballs :( They're good - firm with little spots of melt in your mouth goodness but idk if they're worth a pound each :(((( Their tendons were a real surprise though! I'm not usually a fan - so often they're crunchy and bitty and unpleasant overall but ahhhh these had that magical QQ quality! Soft, gelatinous, not so much chewy but has good 'bite', a little tasteless, but boy has it made a tendon convert out of me! The restaurant's quite loud and service definitely could be better (it sometimes takes a while to get their attention) but the long and short of it is that I've been to Cay Tre many many times now and I'll keep coming back! I've also heard good things about the other dishes, maybe next time we'll give them a try. read more

Dropped in here for a pre-theater dinner and judging by the reviews on Yelp, I thought that it wasn't too bad price wise or taste wise. As there was a few of us, we opted for the set menu which was £23 pp and included a sharing platter for starters and for the main course 1 dish and a side per person. The sharing platter consisted of Pork Spring rolls, Chilli Salt and Pepper Squid and Wild Shrimp Fresh Rolls & Cha La Lot. When we enquired if there was any beef in the starters, we were told that the Cha La Lot had beef in it, however the restaurant were very accommodating and changed it to Vegetarian Spring rolls instead. For mains, the waiter recommended 2 rices and a veg so we opted for one Jasmine Rice and one Egg Fried Rice as well as Chouchou - a fruit we were told. I had the Sizzling seafood which consisted of prawns, squid and mussels, one of my companions the Saigon Stewed Pork Belly and the other Duck with Green Peppercorn. All dishes were nice however the size of the rice portions were MASSIVE!! We definitely did not need 2 portions of rice between 3 of us! Only half of the Egg Fried Rice got eaten and the Jasmine rice was picked at. They were tasty and Chouchou is.... interesting. Overall the place was okay. It took ages for the waiter to actually come and take our order and then when we tried to get the waiter to come over again to ask for more water, he said sorry someone else will come, to which someone else did but then they referred us over to someone else and this was just frustrating after a while - especially when we had to go to the theatre after! I'm not sure I would come back but I did enjoy it. In hindsight, I should have maybe tried the Pho instead. read more

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Vietnamese. In Soho! What's not to like? Well... Though a good effort I think I will still be going to Kingsland Road when I crave Vietnamese. That said, Cay Tre is not bad, it's just that I expected more. The BBQ pork with rice vermicelli was the highlight for me. It's a dish I really enjoy which probably brought the score up a bit for me. It is very nice but it lacked the strong BBQ flavour I'm used to when ordering this dish. Apart from that it was well made. I definitely recommend this. The cat fish with caramelised fish sauce was OK, nothing spectacular. The fish flavour was very strong and sometimes almost overpowered any other flavour. Com Saigon (grilled pork chop with a fried duck egg) was nicely cooked with an interesting flavour but was quite dry and slightly bland. Trying to even out all the meat with a vegetable dish wasn't the best idea. The string beans were merely beans with garlic at a price far above what it was worth. Overall, a good place to visit if nearby but otherwise I'd stick with Kingsland Road. read more

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Visited Cây Tre for the first time and ordered the following: - Saigon pho with added beef meatball The broth has all of the meaty, umami goodness you'd come to expect and was surprisingly enjoyable in the middle of a July "heatwave". I could imagine my enjoyment of this going up a notch if eating this on a bitter February evening. The meat is wonderfully tender, being easily torn with chopsticks and these work well when mixed with hoi sin and chilli sauce. The meatballs were worth adding and have a pleasant pepperiness. They do not feel too processed either which is an added bonus. One thing that disappointed a little was that there was some confusion as to whether the dish comes with additional beansprouts and herbs on the side. We were given a small plate with these but it wasn't clear if it was for one specific pho dish (we ordered different types of pho) or if it was meant to be shared (in which case there wasn't anywhere near enough). This small but important detail could have elevated the meal a level at least for me because I value the subtle savouriness and juice that beansprouts offer between heavy mouthfuls of beef fat and sauce. I would highly recommend Cây Tre for the quality of its food at its price point and for the atmosphere inside the restaurant. It has a quiet elegance and helpful staff fitting of a west end eatery. read more

Decided to get some pho on a wet rainy day. Seen this place a few times so decided to try it out. Tried a few of their veggie dishes The tofu summer roll waa good and tasted fresh. The organic crispy was also very good, just the right amount of crispness and flavourful The noodles though were the weakest dishes. The pho broth was slightly bland and the rice noodles Barbeque pork vermicelli had too much mint and fried onions. And the accompanying spring rolls were too greasy. The portions are a good size though. Something that could definitely improve is the service as they forgot to bring our water and were not thw friendliest. Overall an average vietnamese restaurant with nice interiors in a good location read more

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The food is outstanding. Great cocktails. Good service. Why do I have to write more than this when all my expectations are fulfilled?

After living in Vietnam for over a year I was happy to try this place out to see if it could help my yearning to go back sickness. Having lived there I can't help comparing the food to actual Vietnamese rather than western restaurants which, without wanting to sound like a know it all, haven't been up to scratch in my experience. Cay Tre is a busy spot and most groups will have to queue to get a seat. My friend and I must have got lucky as we got a seat straight away by the window (a great spot to people watch). Its loud and busy in here, so don't expect a quiet meal. The staff do there best to keep up but you can see its a bit of a struggle. That being said, they are friendly and as responsive as they can be. My suggestion would be to keep the front door area as a bar / waiting area that I have a feeling it was originally intended as. I'm glad I could sit and eat there, but those standing in a queue out the door could of been better accommodated with a cocktail at the bar and possibly a seat. Now the food. Quick disclaimer, I'm a vegetarian which most non vegetarian vietnamese restaurants will struggle to cater for taste wise (all too often have I had tasteless broth with soggy tofu). Cay Tre didn't let me down. I had spicy Bun Hue Chay, with both soft and crispy tofu. Would I of raved about it in Vietnam? Probably not, but I also wouldn't of been disappointed. My friend had Pho with chicken and enjoyed his portion too. And a note to other reviews I see below - Vietnamese cooking is very regional. To criticise a place for using mint in their Pho is just plain wrong and I saw it used in many, many regions. I imagine its hard to nail down a particular style in a Western restaurant when trying to cater for everyone. Price was good. Yes, I would of been shocked if the price had been one tenth of what it was if I were back in Vietnam, but I have to accept that I'm not anymore! But less than £30 for two with beer and service in Soho seems pretty good to me. read more