TLDR: good, fresh food…read more Not the hugest menu but you essentially get to pick amongst a noodle, rice, or banh mi style meal with different proteins. The proteins were incredibly tasty and tender. I didn't get to try the cocktails but they looked pretty fun. They also had child seats available.

Each dish was packed with fresh ingredients and tender chicken. Sometimes a wait due to small…read moreamount of tables.

went here for the third time last night! the menu changes up a bit but i know the food is always…read moreamazing and balanced. lunchtime torched salmon was like poké where the outside was torched and crispy and the inside was juicy. at dinnertime the torched cured salmon was served in a clay pot and seemed to be fully baked through. amazing pesto sauce. my friends and i like the black rice more than the noodles (both are good, the black rice is deliciously fulfilling). Tried the (newly added?) dinnertime blue crab with noodles and was delighted by the texture and portion. sea salt shaker and cortada are very good coffees and great mouthfeel. Amazing ambiance and very nice staff. hope to try the banh mi some day! also, if planning to come late at night -- they stop seating at 9:30 pm!

Delicious coffee, super cute space, and refreshing food…read more It's a bus yourself restaurant with an unassuming outdoor space in the back for additional seating. They generally require you to order before sitting given the small space so keep that in mind when you arrive. Service is friendly and very quick. Their food is delicious and refreshing, however I'd say the star of the show is their coffee. I really enjoyed the Saigon latte especially paired with the DELICIOUS pastry. Definitely want to come back to try their dinner menu!

It's a limited menu, compared to their Assembly location (not sure if it's limited on weekdays or…read morenot). Ordered the grilled pork rice plate and it was ok. Pork was a little dry. Portion size was a bit small for the price. It's a small location, so the space echoes easily.

Tasty Vietnamese food!!…read more My friend and I got the shrimp paste vermicelli bowl and the pork vermicelli bowl. They definitely don't skimp on the shrimp paste. It's pure shrimp no filler!! Pork was tender and juicy. I love that it was perfectly seasoned. Service was fast and efficient. A great addition to Harvard square!!

Super happy to have a banh mi spot that isn't so far into Boston!…read more Super yummy flavor in the banh mis, my boyfriend loves the grilled pork and I love the cold cuts. The grilled beef skewers are also super good. I love the thai tea here as well. Would definitely keep coming back!!!

I have friends who tell me, "You could just make those spring rolls yourself, you know..."…read more Lies. (I've tried. They tasted like sadness.) The ones from Banh Mi Cafe are enormous, sooo fresh, and exactly what I wish mine tasted like. Both the fish sauce and the peanut sauce are excellent, and when I need to bring something to a summer potluck but don't have time to cook, I just order six orders of spring rolls and suddenly everyone at the potluck is happy. Their Vietnamese iced coffee is also absolute jet fuel. It's my go-to whenever I need to work a late night. But the reason I'll always be loyal to Banh Mi Café has nothing to do with the food. ::IT'S STORYTIME:: One evening I developed an absolutely irrational craving for their avocado smoothie with boba. I spent the whole day thinking about it, finally placed an online order, and then got a phone call saying they had just run out. They apologized and offered a replacement or a refund. Instead, I asked them a weird question: "I know this is kind of crazy...but if you'll have avocado again on Saturday, could you just make this exact order then instead, and I'll come pick it up?" To my surprise, they said yes. A couple of days later, I picked up my avocado smoothie, my fresh spring rolls, and went home happy. Maybe it was more work than it was worth for the employee, maybe it wasn't; either way, they took an odd request seriously, and that's the kind of customer service that sticks with you. Beyond the spring rolls, I've also really enjoyed the nem chua, the cold cut banh mi (I wish the bread were a little softer, but the condiments and veggies are excellent), and the grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves, which I hadn't tried before and now LOVE. I still have a growing list of desserts to work through, including the flan. One thing to know before you go, regarding ambiance: this is more of a grab-and-go spot, not somewhere to settle in for lunch. There are only a few bar seats, so I almost always take my food with me, sometimes to the nearby park. There are plenty of Vietnamese restaurants around Boston, and while I'll always happily try new ones, Banh Mi Cafe has earned my loyalty, one avocado smoothie at a time.

I wish I have a picture to show but we ate it way too fast!!!…read more Pho Viet is an absolute go to. I might get some angry comments for saying this but pho Viet has the best cold cut banh mi in all of Massachusetts!! I will post again when I go next time and get some pictures. As someone who was born and raised in Dorchester, And ba Le was the only spot we would go. With inflation and increase in cost, I felt like the quality just kept lacking. The cold cuts are extremely thin and lack amounts of butter and pate. Pho Viet banh mi are so filling the ham was the right about of thickness that it gives a good texture when you bite into it, the veggies are extremely fresh and not does look like it's been sitting out all day. Even my parents ask me to grab them some every time I visit them in Dorchester!! Must try!!!

My true rating would be a 3.5/3.75. Great option if you're looking for a quick, casual meal in…read moreBoston. Ordering was easy. You order at the counter, find a seat, and the food comes out pretty quickly. We had the summer rolls and the vegan ramen. The summer rolls were fresh and flavorful, and the peanut sauce was especially good. The vegan ramen was also enjoyable, with good-quality ingredients and a satisfying broth. My only real critique is that I wish there were more options to add heat. I tend to like my noodle soups on the spicier side, and I would have loved more chili oil, hot sauce, or other spicy condiments to customize the flavor. There was also SO much broccoli and that really took over the soup, I wish there was a bit more variability or balance in the veggies. Overall, the food was tasty, the quality was solid, and the service was fast.

Loved the vibes! It was still popping at 8pm so we had to wait a bit. It was small and intimate…read moreinside, but vibrant in a romantic essence. The menu is limited so there's not a lot of options. I did enjoy Mushroom Noodles and my friend liked the Seafood Festival Noodles. The dishes itself were large, vibrantly colored, with lots of flavor profiles and ingredients. The two entrees were good and had potential but ultimately not authentic enough. Service was fantastic and the hostess/waitress took great care of us! I would definitely give this place another try and order more of their popular items. To note, the two tables outside the dining area are also dog friendly!

Another excellent experience from the Cicada family of restaurants. Overall I really enjoyed the…read morefood and thought that the majority of the dishes were excellent and unique. Similar to Saigon BabyIon, I thought they did a great job at selecting the right dishes for the season. There were a mix of lighter more refreshing dishes as well as heartier ones which felt right for the end of summer/start of fall. The hot dishes (esp the soup) came out piping hot, while the cold dishes came out cold which I thought was a nice contrast and made everything seem very fresh. I look forward to returning soon!

The name of this place is a bit misleading, as the food definitely leans more Thai, which…read moreinfluences their pho offering. I had the pho sate, and while it was huge spicy bowl of soup and noodles, it did not really taste like pho to me. It was lacking the beefy depth of flavor and it was heavy handed on the cinnamon / clove aromatics. All of the beef was quite chewy and the noodles broke apart easily, so unfortunately I didn't finish the bowl. Service was nice and very prompt, and the space is a cozy no frills home, but I wouldn't come back here for pho.

A lovely hidden gem with great food! Came on a weekday and were seated immediately. I got a thai…read moretea to start and shared scallion pancake. I loved my drink- not too sweet with a strong tea flavor. The green curry sauce with the pancakes was amazing. My tom yum soup with the prawn was delicious! Hot and sour with juicy prawns and the nice flair of coming with a flame! I loved my meal, and have been raving about this place to others

Amazing food and even better service! Love everything Viet Citron :)…read more Just devoured the soft shell crab bánh mi Chef Tran made for the AAPI event at Pagu... sooooo good!

Probably the best pho in Massachusetts, delicious broth, a lot a flavor. Also, vietnamese iced…read morecoffee is really good. It's good to have this place in Burlington.