This is a delightful small restaurant specializing in Vietnamese food and drinks. We discovered it several years ago, and have patronized it ever since. I'm partial to their rice vermicelli bowl, and I like their pho soups, while my wife loves their sizzling crepes and their banh mi sandwiches. We have lived in Asia, and in many US states, and think these folks have a nice place with very good food. Try it - you'll like it. read more

THE WORST PLACE TO EAT. Ever. The food was horrible. So horrible that my friend and I both took a bite or two, threw the rest of it in the trash, and ordered from our usual place. The Banh Mi? The worst I've ever had. The vermicelli bowl had less flavor than air. The food inedible, and both of us got severe food poisoning which lasted for a few days. I would rather eat at Panda Express than eat here. In fact, save your money and go to the frozen food aisle at HEB and buy literally any frozen Asian food and it'll taste way better than this. Guaranteed. The manager was also extremely dismissive and rude when we called back and told him that his food made us seriously ill (the first time it's happened to either of us ever, by the way, so that should tell you something). He didn't even apologize. We weren't looking for freebies, but thought that maybe he would at least look into how his food is being served so that no one else would get sick. He didn't seem to care. I will eat almost anything, and I'm not picky at all. But I can easily say that a 10 year old could make food that tastes better than this. Stay away if you don't want your tastebuds (or stomach) to suffer. read more

The food here is always fresh and consistent, your order comes quickly, and you will experience warm and friendly service in the meantime. I count Yaya as an essential asset not just to the regrettably shrinking culinary landscape of our local neighborhood, but also to its social fabric, since the fellow who runs the front of the shop seems to make such a genuine connection with everyone who walks through the door. Don't miss the chargrill vermicelli. read more

I can't say much about YaYa as I think I have always ordereed the same thing. Chargrilled pork and egg roll vermicelli (Bun). It's tasty. Crisp fresh carrot, cucumber, and bean sprouts. Tasty pork and chopped peanuts. Super crispy egg roll. All on noodles with a vinegary sauce. What's not to like. read more

I had a banh mi for the first time (chicken). They prepared it really fast but it was not very delicious.

Best pho in Austin! They have great vegan options. I always get the tofu and veggie pho + spring rolls w tofu. Sooo good and pretty cheap. Great service and convenient location. If you are looking for delicious pho with big portions for good price come here! read more

Stopped in for lunch. We were greeted right away and served quickly! I had the lemongrass tofu banh mi. The tofu was hot and flavorful and the veggies were fresh! My friend had the banh I'm with pork and said it was very good. I'll be back! read more

Not a whole lot of decent Vietnamese places around this area. I was pretty excited to see this place opening up on the north side of the drag. When my co-worker suggested we try this place, I was all about it. Sadly, Texadelphia has disappeared. But this place has taken over the space quite nicely. We took a seat and someone brought us menus promptly. We already knew what we wanted: She is an avid pho lover I am an avid banh mi lover Her pho had brisket, some sort of meatyballs in it, served with bean sprouts and other oddities. She kept calling the "meatyballs" little scrotum sacks. I didn't care too much for the taste. She let me try the soup since I've never had pho before. The soup, to me, was flavorful. However, I am pho ignorant. It seemed like a lot of prep work for her before she allowed herself to eat it. I ordered the combination special, which was the most expensive banh mi on the menu at a whopping $4.25. I was very pleased with the combination of meats inside it with pate, pork, & some version of pork belly. I found it interesting that they offered the sandwiches with a side of french fries for a little bit more $$. Quite an Americanized place I suppose. Well, it IS next to a Starbucks. A major surprise for me was how delicious the spring rolls were. They contained pork & shrimp, served with my favorite peanut sauce that I have tried to date. I don't know what was so different about their dipping sauce but it was simply amazing. Or maybe I was just starving. According to my avid pho lover friend, she gave their pho a B- in her professional, humble opinion. I liked my banh mi and will return because I am a sandwich addict. The guy who helped us explained that they only make 50 baguettes a day, and usually sell out of their baguettes for banh mi around 4 or 5PM. So basically, don't come here for dinner expecting to eat a banh mi. read more

Yaya Cafe - You want fries with that? - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Shaved ice with fresh fruit is the food of champions. When I used to live in Taipei, I ate shaved ice with fresh fruit every day for lunch. It was tasty, mildly healthy, and so, so refreshing in crazy hot weather. You think a sno-cone's going to make you feel better about this heat, you're wrong! It's all about coned ice with fresh fruit! Enter Yaya's. Pretty standard strip mall restaurant interior, currently BYOB till they get their liquor license, and boasting some good shaved ice. Seven of us were up to the shaved ice challenge. And since we were raised well ( well, not me) we ordered dinner before dessert. Yaya's pho was pretty unimpressive. I was told by 2 of my Vietnamese friends that it was "bad." I'm guessing that means it's bad. Plus, one of our party got the boba tea only to take one sip of it and leave it untouched for the rest of the meal, also probably not a good sign. I got the vermicelli bowl w/ spring roll and pork. It came out with a spring roll and beef instead. The beef was very tasty and the fish sauce for it was super sweet. I thought it tasted fine, but I really know nothing about vermicelli bowls. We all really wanted the Banh Mi, but they sold out of baguettes earlier that day. Apparently they make them all in house, very cool...but cooler if I could have had one. Anyway, for shaved ice we ordered the Texan. It says it can feed 5-6 people, but what I think they mean is 5-6 people to the third power, cause the thing is ridiculously huge. I think there's a 5lb bag of ice somewhere in there. The towering monstrosity sat about a foot high, had about 9 scoops of ice cream (green tea, strawberry, and vanilla), and was littered with blueberries, strawberries, and mango. For an ice block that big, there should have been more fruit cause after you take a couple of spoonfuls of fruit you still have about 4.5 lbs of ice to eat through or just waste by throwing away. So while the presentation is impressive, it could have used more fruit or less ice. The taste of course is awesome. I dare anyone to try and eat without smiling, it's freaking impossible too. Plus the servers are super friendly and very tolerant of loud groups (us). So I very much thank them for being awesome! So, shaved ice yay + meh food + very excellent service = Yaya (3 stars) read more

If you're like me and you prefer to be left alone while dining, you'll love this place. When I went, I was the only person in the restaurant. Amazing. It was quiet and the service was efficient, but not overdone. I'd probably come back for that alone - most other pho restaurants are bustling with crowds and energy and that proves to be very overwhelming for me these days. Give me peace and quiet any day of the week with extra quiet, please. The quiet atmosphere does nothing for the food, though. I went with my standard of a small bowl of chicken pho. While the small here is still plenty enough food, it is not as large as most other places. Hardly an issue, because you probably don't need all that food, anyway. There is no white meat/dark meat option, and it seemed that all of my meat was white. Most people love this, but I prefer dark meat. There was not very much chicken in my bowl, though; I'm not eating the soup for the meat, and I'd much prefer less meat if my only option is white, but it was still odd to get so little. I didn't care too much because there were still plenty of noodles and lots of broth, so I happily ate my soup because it was freezing outside and ain't nobody got time for that. I also got a Thai tea with bubbles and it was delicious. much bubbles. such yummy. very tea. wow. The bubbles were a good consistency and the tea was sweet without being cloying. I pretty much love all bubble tea, though. BUBBLES. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles - MY BUBBLES. For those not in the know, that was a Finding Nemo reference. I promise I'm not that weird. On second thought, I'm pretty weird. It's up to you to decide whether or not you trust this weirdo's opinion. (You should trust it. It's a pretty good opinion.) read more

I've gone back and forth for months on whether to write this review. I understand how a bad rating based on a single incident could be detrimental to a local business, and so I take this one star rating very seriously, and it's the first one I've ever left. My boyfriend and I were finding ourselves at YaYa's about twice a month since it was close to our house. Not the best Vietnamese in the world, but pretty good. Quick and easy. The owner was always friendly. There was never a wait for to-go orders... but... never again. I have to let it be known that we spotted a RAT the size of a small chihuahua scaling the wall at YaYa's, not threatened at all by the presence of people. This thing was big, brave, and appeared to be very well-fed. The night we spotted the rat, it had caught my eye from easily 25+ feet away, as we were paying for our order. I wasn't 100% sure what I'd just seen so I didn't want to react right away. But as we were walking out with our to-go order in hand, my boyfriend and I watched in absolute shock as this tubby rat left his perch behind the TV, slowly scuttled down some wires, and dove into the dark refuge under the HIGH CHAIRS that YaYa's provides for little patrons. Ugh. From the darkness, I swear the rodent made direct and sustained eye contact with me. We bolted out the door, and in the parking lot, we proceeded to quietly freak out. Then the owner appeared, who had followed us out. He rushed up to us and handed us some money. He said nothing about the rat, but insisted over and over again that we had overpaid (we definitely hadn't). Again, super friendly guy, but I have to think this action was rat-related. Now, I have to add that I've worked in kitchens in Austin before and have seen a rat, or evidence of one, something like one or two times. It's pretty much unavoidable, even in the nicest establishments, I'm sorry to say. Those who work in hospitality or food service know this. But when it does happen, swift, effective action is taken to remedy the problem. The issue disappears, business goes on as usual. The difference here with YaYa's is that this rat had obviously been a guest in the restaurant for a LONG time. Not exaggerating, he was about as big around the middle as a pet guinea pig. And where there's one super-comfortable rat, there's bound to be a thriving family of them happily hanging out as well. An apparent lack of action on the part of the restaurant makes this a big problem. read more

This is a brief synopsis of my absolutely horrible no good relationship with YaYa that came to a bitter end. We walk in... I am SO excited about trying this place and ending a yummy meal with what I hear is amazing shaved ice. We sit. We get menus. We wait... Oh, there's our waiter. We order. YUM! Our food looks awesome. Wait... didn't I order meat in my dish? I know I did... oh.... there it is... that minuscule amount of pork. Hmmmmm... Well, the egg roll is definitely super yummy and everything tastes really good. I sure could use a refill on my drink. I feel like our waiter has abandoned us. I feel so neglected. He sure is showing the rest of the staff here mad love with jokes and laughter and chattin it up. Well, we've finished our meal, I've had no refill and we've yet to see our waiter. This isn't a big place and there are only 4 other tables between the two wait staff... I wonder what the deal is? OH! Look, here comes the other waiter... huh? Our check? I was pretty pissed at this point. We didn't have a soul come to our table for a total of 28 minutes. Nobody asked if our order was right, nobody asked if everything tasted good, never a drink refill... and then you bring me the check? I'll be damned if I'll order shaved ice from ya'll. I talked with the other waiter, telling him that this would have been a place we'd have come often, but the service was just awful and that nobody had even come to check on us or ask us how the meal was or give a refill on drinks. His response: "We're busy." and then he walked away. Yeah, those 4 tables are TOTALLY kicking your asses, douche bag. read more

Friggin' OK. So this place, I'm told (by the manager/owner, I think) has been up for 5 weeks by about mid-Sept 2011. And some of the horrid reviews, I can't speak to, but I will say my visit was like eating at an old family friend's. Fresh, fresh, fresh. Good prices. Very very warm reception by her staff. I came in around 9:30pm on a Saturday, apprehensive I'd get the "crap, man, we're about to close" vibe (which I gave fully when I was a waiter...hint: I was not a good waiter). In return, I received a very warm greeting with a smile. I ordered the banh mi, combo, which was fresh, warm, and tasty. The nice gentleman told me it was the last banh mi bread they had that day, and that it's much better at the start of the day. I told him if this is "bad", then I wanted to know the "good", cause the bread was crispy on the outside, light, and soft on the inside. I got the small shaved ice with green tea ice cream and berries. Fresh as Will Smith circa 1992. It was gigantic. I was cold and stuffed afterwards, but it was so pleasant. The berries were obscenely fresh (like Whole Foods fresh) and gorgeous, the ice cream was vivid and its consistency was reinforced by the shaved ice. The condensed milk was tangy and yummers. Damage: about $11, and an urgent need to pee about an hour later. I was happy with that. Another big ups to service: their staff was really receptive and warm and likeable. It seems there's a core Vietnamese staff, and local hires. All awesome. We chatted delightfully, they were attentive but not on top of me. I'd very much like to return to see them again. read more

The pho was pretty bad , meet did not taste fresh at all, small portions, price is high , not a good experience, go to UTeapho much better

Place perked my interest because it is near UT campus and it serves pho and shaved ice. The regular size bowl of pho is $6 which is bait pricey considering you can get a bowl twice the size down on Lamar, the noodles were a bit soggy and I was disappointed to see that that they don't have fatty brisket. The upside was the side of veggies which were super fresh unlike some other vegetarian restaurants. The banh mi was a huge disappointment. It's $4, which is pretty cheap but almost all banh mi's go for that price. The bread was not toasted and a bit stale. There was hardly any meat at all in the sandwich. The shaved ice was good though! For $5 you get your choice of fresh fruit, shaved ice, condensed milk and a pints worth of scooped ice cream. Not bad for a place that just opened. Kudos for a place that is run by UT graduates but hopefully they'll fix all the kinks in the near future. I'd love to come back for the Texas size shaved ice. read more

This place is absolutely ridiculous. I am not planning on going back again. I went to simply get shaved ice with my flag football team tonight around 8pm. We seated ourselves at tables scattered around the restaurant because they hadn't cleaned up tables of patrons that had already left. Granted, there were a good number of us, but the number of other customers in the restaurant were very small. About half an hour after we sat down, they came and asked us for our order. This was the FIRST time they had come to our table. We ordered three Texas size shaved ices, and what we got didn't even matter... They didn't even ask us what we wanted to drink! After about 45 minutes, we went to ask for our own water, but they said they weren't going to give us any more glasses of water? WHAT?! So, by 9:15, I was done. I talked to the people in my car and said forget it. Out of the three shaved ices we ordered, ONE had arrived. I was tired, hungry, and had too many things to do to sit in this restaurant aimlessly for an hour. I got up, told the owner that I was tired of waiting and that it was unreasonable to wait for an hour, and left. I can't honestly say that i'll recommend this place to anyone. read more

The sign says Chinese & Vietnamese but I'd say it's mostly Vietnamese food... except for the Chicken Wings, which were SO GOOD. My date and I started with chicken wings with a sauce that was slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and slightly spicy. Came with 5 wings topped with lovely veggies: bell peppers. sauteed onions, and jalapenos. The veggies were perfectly cooked! ( I love when that happens, which happens less often than you'd think). I'm drooling just thinking about it again... My boyfriend had Pho with Seafood. It was really good! Better than most of the pho joints in Austin. I had the Mi Xa Xiu or Egg Noodles w/ wonton and BBQ pork. I was very surprised at how good it was! I've never had a bowl better than my mom's, but this place was comparable to my mommy's :) It was $8 but the proportion was pretty generous. My favorite part of the meal was the very nice server and owner, who came by to check on us several times. My favorite thing post-meal was that I didn't get super thirsty like I do after I eat at certain Asian restaurants that use MSG. The Boyfriend and I will definitely be back to try the other stuff on the menu. Next up we'll try the shaved ice and banh mi. Until then... read more

Disclaimer: I'm not a douchey, elitist, foodie--Vietnamese or otherwise Let's be honest, this isn't the best food in the world, but for being open only about a month, they're doing pretty damn good. Prices are rock solid. The soups are good, the sandwiches are tasty, the vermicelli bowls are better than your average Joe (or Tom, but not Pete--I hear Petes are generally very tasty). Not a ton of, "holy crap this is awesome" stuff, but it's a good selection of straight-up, well-priced Vietnamese food. And for sure, there's nothing at all that's this good at this price-point within walking distance of YaYa. Overall, I'm super-psyched the restaurant moved in to the neighborhood. To the owner: If you happen to read this, I'd love to see a little more Chinese food on the menu. The Vietnamese is great, but you do advertise Vietnamese and Chine after-all. Also, please, for the love of all that is good and holy, open on Sundays. I like to drink on Saturdays and Pho makes Sundays much more tolerable! read more

I had reservations about trying this place as its sign reads 'Chinese and Vietnamese' which usually means a long menu full of mediocrity. But YaYa is really a hodgepodge of a Vietnamese pho/vermicelli bowl joint, a pan-Asian noodle shop, and a shaved ice spot. My wife's vermicelli bowl with char-grilled pork was just okay. I've had better on the drag and on North Burnet (i like Kim Phung and Pho Saigon best). 3 stars. Rather than go with pho, I tried the Mi Noodle soup with pork. It's a pork-based broth with egg noodles. The broth reminded me favorably of pork ramen that I've had in NYC. The pork slices felt Chinese to me (had that reddish hue) and were tasty. Everything else in the soup - including the noodles - were just so-so. 4 stars. One other note - the iced tea doesn't come with a free refill. Odd choice. Can't remember the last time before this that I've experienced that at an Austin restaurant. Boo. 1 star. Not going to rush back here for Vietnamese food based on the vermicelli bowl or the bottomful iced tea but will likely come back for the yummy pork broth. read more

Clean environment, nice presentation, and fresh food. Not authentic Vietnamese, but tasty nonetheless. Seal the deal with shaved ice (a small is enough to share). Note: Rice dishes - they don't use broken rice; Vermicelli is thicker than usual; Fish sauce is on the sweet side. read more

I don't understand the positive reviews for this place. I've only been there once, so maybe bad luck managed to align the one bad meal out of ten that they put out and my first visit, but the first impression was bad enough to seem indicative of future meals to come. For me, they brought out some bland coconut-covered fried shrimp balls and eggrolls with noodles - "bun cha gio" to all my Asiatics - which I will charitably describe as an insult to my culture. I actually turned to my friends and stated, verbatim, "these egg rolls are an insult to my culture." At any Vietnamese restaurant, I use their egg rolls as a representative measure of "how real they gon' bring it". Clear noodles, unseasoned vegetables, and no freaking meat/fish is not "bringin' it real". In fact, it's me bringing it straight to the trash. Of course, I'm kind of exaggerating as internet critics are wont to do, but bad egg rolls offend me deeply and those were genuinely bad. Don't let me forget to mention the non-existent service on a slow Saturday. Never AGAAAIN!!!!! read more

Woman2: "Banh mi with pork. Make it a combo, please." Woman1: "Same thing." Woman2: "Copy cat." You youngsters might not know what I'm talking about, but do you remember the "where's the beef?" commercial for Wendy's with the little old ladies? I had to pull that line out of my pocket for the the banh mi. It was tasty, but very little meat. Veggies were nice, though, and I did have cilantro on mine (previous reviewer said there was none). But, despite the timid appearance of meat, the sandwich was cheap ($6.50 with fries and a drink) so I'd get it again. Service was friendly and quick. I hope to try them again soon and stick to my true calling - noodles. If their noodles are impressive, they'll get a star bump. read more

Just not much to say about this place. At 7 one evening I walk in and there are two-three tables of customers - my first sign that something is wrong. Fast? Yes - my to-go order was ready in ~10 minutes. Good price? No; too expensive for the value. Good food? No, not really. Pretty bland, even with hot sauce throw in, and mostly noodles in my relatively small take-home box. Try at your own peril: I won't be back. read more

For you avid shaved ice lovers, if you try to compare YaYa to Juicebox in Houston, you will probably be disappointed, but i believe it's the closest thing you will get in Austin. The portions are HUGE and they heap generous amounts of fresh fruit which was received well by my group. I wish they would put more condensed milk on the ice, but this was a non-issue once we asked for more. Would like to give this place 4 stars, but 1 star removed for the poor service. The staff/owner told our group that we had to sit in the back at the booth tables because the tables in front were "reserved for hot-food eating customers". that's understandable if the place was packed, but we were pretty much the only people there on a Saturday afternoon. The other annoying thing was that as we found our seats and started looking over the menu, the owner made it a point to inform us that "service will be given priority to food customers over dessert customers, so you should order soon before people come in." Again, though that policy seems ridiculous to me in and of itself, the fact that no one was there rubbed us the wrong way. I don't think he was trying to be rude...probably just ignorant of what good customer service should look like. The fact that the shaved ice was good on a hot day made the poor service somewhat bearable. Taking off another star for the fact that they spiked the price of the Texan to $20. read more

Finally! A Vietnamese place near the Rosedale/Hyde Park 'hood! I'm really excited I don't have to drive up north for Vietnamese anymore. (I don't count the places in the UT area where there is zero parking - a huge disincentive when hauling two kids under 10.) Pho was excellent - lots of meat, lovely broth, good sized helping of onions. I could have used more bean sprouts, but that was a minor issue. Egg noodle soup was good too - we got the wontons & seafood mix. The amount of wontons and seafood bits was pretty good - two big shrimp, squid, fake crab, and fish (I think). Lots of green onions - yum. We also got the fried shrimp balls. They were not what I expected - basically they were Asian grocery store-bought shrimp balls coated with what looked like shredded potatoes and deep fried. They weren't bad - but they were a cheaper substitute than house-made shrimp balls. Plus, at 3 for $4.50, they were too expensive for what you got. Service was very friendly and helpful, and the restaurant was clean and bright. I could have done without the wide-screen TVs, but at least the sound was turned down. Overall - a solid food experience. And as such, it is definitely going to become my go-to Vietnamese place, because as the realtors say, location, location, location. read more

My inaugural Austin review! I moved here from Boston at the beginning of August, and am quickly discovering the rather fabulous food scene. The Boston area has some delicious Vietnamese food--and I have experienced some major Bun fails in other cities--so I was tentatively excited to discover YaYa right down the street, right after it opened. The verdict: yum! I've tried both the lemongrass chicken and the lemongrass pork, and the meats are well seasoned and perfectly cooked, charred just a little. For me, the pork edges out the chicken flavor-wise (and all my Kosher relatives in Boston just shuddered). I'm a creature of habit, so I can only vouch for two things on the menu: Bahn Mi and Bun. The Bahn Mi was a little bready on the bread to filling ratio, but the veggies were fresh, clearly homemade, and delicious. And at $4 for a huge sandwich, I give it a thumbs-up. My Bun was $7 for a generous portion, and it was DELICIOUS. Again, super fresh and flavorful, and solid fish sauce. Service is slow but gracious. The first time I went, my sandwich took a few minutes longer than it should have. I was hungry but visibly content, leafing through Vogue. The server came over, apologized profusely, and brought me a gigantic free iced tea. A quirky, but notable, attribute of this place is that between the free wi-fi and the comfy booths, it's equally comfortable to eat here alone or with friends/family/dates. This is important to me because I have exactly three friends in Austin. I also like that they stay open all day, so I can have an awkward linner (or is it dunch?) at 4pm when I've forgotten to eat since breakfast. It happens. read more

I live in this neighborhood and was thrilled to see Texadelphia replaced by a Chinese/Vietnamese place. My anticipation grew when I saw the menu had milk tea, shaved ice, and banh mi--three foods for which I regularly make long pilgrimages to Chinatown. The guy working was really friendly, and our order came quickly. And the prices are low-- $3 for a giant banhi mi sandwich: awesome. So all those things (location, service, price) are fantastic. And granted, the day of my visit was only their third day in business. But...the food just was not good. When I took the first bite of my banh mi, a giant glob of butter sqooshed out. I adore butter, but there was far too much of it slathered all over my sandwich. And the tofu was limp and soggy, not crispy at all. Worst of all, no cilantro. Banh mi without cilantro is heresy! My boyfriend had the lemongrass tofu noodle bowl and was similarly disappointed. The spring rolls were OK, but the peanut sauce had an odd, non-peanutty taste. I may be back to try the shaved ice and boba tea. But not a great first impression. read more

Places that make avocado smoothies using real avocado and not the powder are already aiming to be on my good side. MMmmm. The pearls also had a good consistency, making my boba experience for today a check-plus! I actually wouldn't mind having an option to get less, cuz the smoothies come in giant servings. Pho is not the best bowl in town, but it's tasty, definitely above average. The vegetables were all very fresh, and my noodles were a really nice consistency. But I'm kind of 'meh' about the broth... though light and tasty, it seemed to lack the intricacy that a really awesome pho broth has. Not knowing exactly how pho broth is made, I have no idea what exactly is missing, but I do agree with the previous reviewer who noted that pho broth is not supposed to be Swanson-chicken clear. I think I would actually call this one a 3.5; food is enjoyably above average, but not "amazing," and the prices *are* higher than one would expect to pay for the size of the bowl. But since Yelp doesn't do halves, and since the service was super friendly, I'm going to give it the bump for the purposes of the star rating. I'll be back to try some of the other things on the menu and see if I can solidify my opinion. For now, I'd say it's probably the best pho you'll find in the '05. read more

Had the veggie pho both times I went, and it was great both times. They veganized it for me with veggie broth and no fish sauce, and the vegetables in the soup were very fresh. They also included basil, mint, and bean sprouts for the pho, which is exactly how mom makes it. The broth was not oily at all, very fragrant and filling. I do wish the noodles weren't sitting in a clump at the bottom of the bowl, but it is a small sacrifice for the only vegan pho I've found in Austin. The second time I went, I brought my son, who is a very picky eater. He also loved the vegan pho, especially since they made it to his exacting specifications: just veggie broth and noodles, and nothing else -- not even cilantro or onion. I appreciate this flexibility to make the dish just as you want it. My husband had the beef pho (pho tai) the first time we went, and he said some of the subtleties that mark my mother's excellent pho weren't there (Yaya's beef was thick and clumsy, for instance), the favors were clean and preferable to every bowl he's had at other restaurants. I could see that the broth was minimally oily. Second time, he had a vermicelli bowl with chicken and claimed it was the very best he'd had. Bubble tea was pretty good. Not best, not worst, good to pass the time while waiting for the food. The place is clean, service is friendly and fast, and I can't say it enough: VEGAN PHO!!!! read more

My husband and I were really disappointed with pho and ban xeo. Pho tai chin was salty, no flavor and expensive. Ban xeo was doughy and the filling was lacking in flavor and taste. Ban xeo should have been light and crispy but all we got was a thick outer layer with lots of steam bean sprouts and maybe 6 small shrimp (meaning 3 whole shrimp cut in have). Customer service is lacking. I had asked for and extra spoon and chop sticks but the waiter totally forgot within 2 secs . He left my table and went directly cleaning tables. I waited and waited and finally had to get up and ask someone from kitchen. Overall, bleh food & over priced. We didn't finish our food. I left upset because the food wasn't even in the category of descent to finish which made me grumpy and picking up another meal elsewhere. I SHOULD have told the cashier about my experience but we were pressed for time to get back to the hospital. This is an Asian point of view so please note that I had my fair share of good pho and ban xeo. Hope this helps! read more

We 'liked' it but not enough to gush on about what we had for lunch. We ordered spring rolls as an appetizer, which were 'ok', but not nearly as tasty as we've had at other places. We also ordered the pho and a pork vermicelli bowl. Both were nice and tasty but I was very disappointed in my vermicelli bowl because the amount of pork was embarrassingly small. Also, the sliced cucumbers where sliced in very thin 'spears' with most of the outside of the cucumber as what you are tasting, not the yummy inside. HOWEVER, the noodles in the vermicelli bowl were the soft noodles, which I love and have a difficult time finding at other Vietnamese restaurants. Too bad there wasn't more meat in the offering, it would have made a difference to me. The Pho was tasty and the aroma of the broth was very good. The Pho broth had that 'flowery' subtle taste, and it was good. In summary, the food here was good but for the price you pay (item by item) on the menu, there are far better choices in North Central Austin which are cheaper and you get more food for the same (or less) price. The only possible exception is the ban-mi sandwiches. The price is about 75% more than what I've seen around Austin, but when one came out, it looked twice the size you'd see around town. So, if it tastes as good, then that would be a good value. We may come back and try out the sandwich and will report on that if we do. read more

I like Yaya's for their shrimp and pork spring rolls with peanut sauce, shrimp fried rice and jasmine bubble green tea. My fiancé loves their seafood pho. The seafood pho is a lot for me so I don't get it as often but when I do, I personally enjoy it. The restaurant is clean, staff is friendly and they are fairly quick. read more

YaYa Cafe is a neighborhood gem and the owner is very warm and always down to chat. The food is hot and delicious (and lots of options for vegetarian folks as well). My go-to order is tofu spring rolls, tofu banh mi, and tofu pho... and leftovers make a great lunch the next day! I know that times have been tough recently due to the pandemic and the labor shortage, so would highly encourage anyone to dine-in or do take-out and support this local business. read more

I don't care what ANYONE says... They have THE BEST Rice noodle + BBQ Pork Soup in Austin HANDS DOWN! I love soups. pretty much eat soup once a week. Your mouth will hug you for eating this delicious bowl unconditional love. Go there, eat it and just enjoy your life.... read more

Girlfriend and I walked in here based off the awesome pictures on Yelp. Apparently a lot has changed since their last 5 star review. We walked in and were easily sat since there was only one other table taken. The girl gave us our menus and walked away. I am not kidding when I say about 15 seconds later she comes back with a heavy Chinese accent and asks us if we are ready to order... What?! Ready?! How about you ask us what we want to drink first?! I literally had to say "No we aren't ready, but we will have waters if that is okay." She brought us waters and walked away only for some black guy with NO and I mean NO communication skills comes up to us 20 seconds after we get our water! How can some people walk in to a place they have never been before and know what they want in less than a minute?! When we told him to come back he say "a'ight" and didn't move but waited over us. When we finally felt pressured we both ordered that 103 (Vegetable Wontons in broth) this is the quick conversation that ensued. Him: "We a'int have that." Me: "Oh." Him: "We got the ones with the pig in it." Me: "Well we didn't really want meat right now." Him: "A'ight" So we took our leave disgusted. Sad to say that I should have expected it being on Guadalupe. I wish someone would make a TV show about people in job interviews that just suck or lie so much that they hire them then add cartoon sounds to their work performances! read more

This review is difficult to write. I came here for the first time today and ordered Vermicelli with Pork to go. The owner was very friendly and courteous, so I tipped $1 on the to go order. I got home with the order and noticed there wasn't much pork. In fact, there was almost no pork. I got out my digital scale and weighed all of the pork, and it was a whopping 1.875 ounces of pork. I understand that meat loses some weight during cooking, but this is ridiculous. I've had this same dish in at least a dozen Vietnamese restaurants in Austin... this is not normal. Before writing a negative review, I called to speak to the owner. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and an opportunity to correct this. I explained the situation and asked him if this was normal for his restaurant, or if maybe a mistake had been made... because if that's normal, I will not be going back to his restaurant. He insisted that they put the same amount of meat in every order. So I told him that's too bad and that I would not be returning to his restaurant. He then told me to bring the order back and he would take a look at it. That would have been fine if (1) I was not already eating it and (2) I had not just driven 30 minutes home and had been able to drive back into town and waste two hours of my day to let this guy correct an error that his kitchen made. The saddest part is, that it was some of the best tasting lemongrass charbroiled pork I've had anywhere. Thus, the two stars instead of one. What a shame... read more

Very good shaved ice dessert. I've never had their regular food but their shaved ice is great. I usually share a small since they give you a lot. I like Green Tea or Vanilla ice cream with strawberry/blackberries fruits. The ice hardens fast so make sure you frequently crush/stir the ice. read more

Heard this place had some good pho so went to try it out with a couple of friends. Nice looking and clean interior. However, the pho was pretty small and on the pricier side. The taste was alright to me, and the noodles were kind of sticky for some reason so didnt really like the consistency. Also my friend had a broth that was super oily for some reason compared to everyone elses. Personally i would prefer to drive a little bit further to Pho Dan to eat pho, but this place is probably the best tasting and closet to UT campus cause i heard the pho place on the drag is garbage. tl;dr: OK pho and close to UT campus, a little on the pricey side and food amount wasnt huge read more

I had the Pho. It was pretty good. Nothing spectacular but decent. But for $6.95, that's pretty pricey when considering the size of the bowl. I was expecting a little more. I would have much rather gone to my original Vietnamese joint. I could have had the extra large bowl for the same cost and just as good. We also had the shaved ice. Very disappointed. Shaved ice that was coated with condensed milk, fruit slices and a scoop of ice cream all for $5.25? I sure was expecting a lot more. I could make much, much better shaved ice which got me thinking... maybe I should start selling mine? Hmmm.... read more

So good. Pho ga was amazing. Dessert was the bestest. read more

Yaya Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas