Review Sen Vietnamese Kitchen & Bar - Auckland Central

A wonderful restaurant where, for the first time in my group of 15 friends, we all left happy with the food, service, and restaurant atmosphere. 100% recommended. The prices are reasonable, the food is fantastic, and the service is excellent. Parking is available on the street with meter.

Lovely quiet place to have lunch with delicious food. I got the combination lunch set with a crispy pork bahn mi and a fresh spring roll and they were both amazing. The bahn mi was warm, crunchy and delicious and the spring roll was lovely and fresh. For 18 bucks it was absolutely worthwhile. Both great value for money and quick. The staff that served me were cheerful and attentive and seemed like they were having a good day. Highly recommend either for lunch or dinner. I will be back

Everything is great from service to food but the round table and the fixed seats is a little uncomfortable. Overall it still a great place to eat and enjoy

Worth your money and price is pretty good. Ordered for Takeaway and it tasted as good as it does when you dine in. I’ve dined in this place a very long while ago and since I was in the area I thought to pick up some dinner. I was not disappointed!! So delicious 👌🏽 Flavours were superb and just mouth watering. I ordered for two, Beef Pho $11. Deep fried spring rolls (3 piece) $9.90 , Chicken Bao buns $9.50 and rice for $3. Highly recommend you check this place out! Staff was great and greeted us straight away when we walked in the door.

We work within walking distance so had a leaving lunch here. We did pre-book since we had a fairly large table. It did look like they had an upper area but it was closed off during lunch. The place looked quite nice and rustic. The wood and stone interior was quite nice. The menu wasn't very large but did have interesting items on it. I tried the banh xeo, the savoury pancake. The pancake itself had a nice crispness to it and it was filled with pork and prawns. It was quite tasty. The other items also did look quite nice like the claypot pork belly. I thought it was a nice place for decent Vietnamese food. The dishes had nice flavour and the interior was quite interesting.

Have been to Sen 3 times in the last month for lunch and dinner, with a small.and large group. Thoroughly enjoyed the food and the service each time. We were there when it was both busy and not busy and received the same quality of food and service. The food is fresh and tasty, served within a reasonable time after ordering. Nice environment and can cater for small to large groups. I recommend this place if you like Vietnamese

In all the times we have been to Mount Eden for work, how have we not discovered this little neighbourhood gem? So good we went two nights in a row? Great cocktails, yummy food and very good service. We worked out way through the menu and whilst the mains are great, we love their small plates are a good option for nibbles and a drink after work.

This was a nice place to stop in before going to the Project. The food and prices were pretty good. Great service too!

I think this is now our go to for Authentic vietnamese restaurant. Great service, very friendly and always caters to the needs of my family. The food is also as presentable as it gets. Lovely atmosphere once inside and always feel welcoming. The food was amazing!! The Bun Cha was spot on And chicken lemongrass was unique. Would definitely come back here for dinner one time as we only did lunch. The pork belly was perfection as well as the spring rolls. Don't hesitate your decision to eat here. Shout out to the chefs here! Update: we came back here for dinner and it was as great!

Nice Vietnamese restaurant located in central Auckland. Came here for lunch and loved the atmosphere so much. Compared to most other Vietnamese restaurant it's got an upbeat, funky feeling. Food is nice, ordered a rare Beef noodle soup, medium price range, will come back and try something else next time. Only meter street parking available, so a bit inconvenient. Staffs are friendly and shows the happy face, which is great. Highly recommended 😉👍

Not your usual Vietnamese restaurant. With rustic and industrial decor, this place is simply cool, a perfect place to hang out with friends for a drink. The food is good, pho was as expected but the lemongrass chicken was made with fried chicken and a syrupy sauce, which is different to the more traditional pan-fried salty lemongrass flavour. I prefer the more traditional preparation but it’s still tasty.

It is such a good and peaceful environment to have dinner. I loved the food. It is good to come back again.

Sen is a really great place for a date night. All their cocktails were delicious, I would recommend the mango one and the espresso one. We got a bunch of their small plates which were alright but their mains were delicious. We got the beef cheek and curry which were the standout dishes.

Pho is always a delight. The desserts are yum too (try the pandan dessert) Thank you chefs 🤌

I visited the place with my school mates. Overall, this restaurant provides excellent quality of foods & services. All staff are friendly, the interior is beautiful, floor is clean & tidy, and more than anything, foods are very awesome. I ordered beef curry and my friends had pho, spring rolls, summer rolls, etc., and we were so satisfied with all of them! Big thanks to Sen for the great experience, and I will definitely come back with accompany soon again:)

I often come here. They have good food, fresh, rich taste, good service. Don't miss the drink menu that is worth a try. The restaurant has a unique design, warm tones. Free parking opposite after 6pm.

The restaurant exudes a fantastic atmosphere that we thoroughly enjoyed. The pho, in particular, was outstanding and left a lasting impression on us!

Came here for quick lunch, three of us so seating on the wrong side of the restaurant where there is less decorations (next to the kitchen). Dishes were okay, chicken a bit too sweet, beef noodle soup was good, spring rolls were awesome. Took a while for waiter to come, have to go and grab him to order which needs improvement, other than that, all good. Can visit once in a while, nice place, better come in the evening time.

Very friendly and accommodating staff, great food. We will be back for sure!

Excellent food and friendly service. Cant believe i have not been back in a few years. Will definitely make it a regular place!

Food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. A little bit on the pricey side and quite difficult to park on the weekend. But definitely will return for their food and friendly service.

WHY? I personally love Vietnamese food because of its simple yet complex flavours. The tangy lemons, fish sauce & coriander is a favourite for me. I randomly stumbled upon this place a few years back & now I’m recommending it to everyone 😂. It’s fairly affordable & the dishes taste authentic & full of flavours (the pho is served in a small bowl). What I love so much about Sen is the ambiance & the interior design. I especially love being seated upstairs in the dimly lit room, pretending I’m somewhere in Asia. This place is quite large & could accomodate for big groups of people (I actually found this place when I was looking for a place to host a bday party for a friend - they do parties with set menus). <br/>-> BE BACK OR BACK AWAY? Be back, back, back! This place is a must try 😍😍.

Nice and cosy restaurant. Good food quality. Recommend to come on weekdays as weekends can be very crowded.

When I think of banh mi, I think of Sen.<br/>Fresh bread, deliciously fragrant lemongrass chicken. I haven't come across a better banh mi yet. <br/>The shaking beef has a delicious smokey flavour and tender beef. The mango salad is fresh, light and you can add beef for a more substantial meal. <br/>Sen also does a very tasty beef pho.<br/>My only complaints are parking at times is difficult and I wish it was closer to my house!<br/>Sen is well worth going out of your way for though. <br/>Great for takeaways too!

Ordered the spring rolls and squid for entrees.spring rolls were amazing the sauce ThT came with it could have been a little more flavourful but the siracha on the table helped. The shaking beef was tender and cooked to perfection. Probably one of the best I’ve ever eaten. The beef curry was another winner. The chicken was probably my least favourite out of those 3 but still really nice. The Creme brûlée was set well and definitely had a pandan flavour

This place is amazing - mezzanine seating, perfect food and excellent service <br/>We stumbled across this place and we’ll definitely return if we’re back in Auckland any time soon!

Great and friendly staff, amazing place fast food and sooooo tasty and the presentation mouth watering.

First time trying pho in Mt Eden. The area was divided into two separate areas which was quite unique. The service was amazing with the owners greeting us and asking us about the food. We ordered a pho, fried rice and spring rolls. The food was overall really good and nothing much to complain about. There aren't many parking spaces and it is a slight walk from the bus stop (not much) but otherwise it was a really good experience!

I was craving for beef pho for lunch and have fortunately discovered this little gem in Mt Eden.<br/><br/>Despite the rough look on the outer, inside there is a spacious dining areas with a relaxing ambience. The area is divided into 2 spaces; the tables on the left surround to an open bar and the tables on the right surround to an open kitchen.<br/><br/>I loved the restaurant’s interior design and the unique decorations. I utterly regret for not taking any photos of the interior design.<br/><br/>The Beef Pho was one of the best I’ve had. The broth was rich with flavors were well absorbed into the beef and noodles. The meat was fresh and tend, they used 2 different parts of the cow which made the texture very interesting.<br/><br/>The Duck Fried Rice was excellent flavored, a good mix of salt, sweet and spiciness. The duck however could have been more tender.<br/>I’m a big fan of Prawn Summer Rolls. The menu was for one prawn and one chicken but the owner kindly made an exception and made both rolls with prawn fillings. The rolls were very fresh with a decent amount of filling. The only grief was that the wrap was a little loose and could have been more firm.<br/>All food were excellent portioned, served to our table within 5 minutes.<br/><br/>Excellent customer service. The owner and staff were very welcoming and helpful.<br/><br/>I am definitely keen to try their dinner menu next time.<br/><br/>Taste: 8.5/10Presentation: 7.5/10Service: 10/10Ambience: 9/10Value for money: 10/10<br/><br/>Price $18 per person (excl alcohol)

I come here quite often with friends and family. Buncha is my all time fav and ive never had it better anywhere else in auckland. Mango salad is also very nice. When I first heard of mango salad I was quite hesitant to try it but its so full of flavour plus its really fresh as well so its got a nice balance. Im so sad that mango salad is a seasonal thing as Im keen to have it all year round but thier papaya salad (which is theier seasonal substitute menu for mango salad) is great as well so everything about them is great.<br/>Nice service, nice food, nice atmosphere<br/>Def all time favourite!

Sen is definitely a hidden gem that I only found out about because my boyfriend wanted Vietnamese and I searched on Zomato for the right restaurant to go to. When it said it was in Mt Eden, I expected it to be on the main strip of Mt Eden but it's hidden away from the main area and in a quieter area. The atmosphere was romantic and dark, we were seated on the 2nd floor and the decorations blew us away. The service was great and we were well looked after. I got the Vit Om Nam (duck with egg noodles) and he got the beef pho, which is usually a smaller meal but they were able to make it a main for him ($16). <br/><br/>The Vit Om Nam was absolutely delicious and flavourful. The sauce was a bit salty in my opinion, but the sauce complemented with the egg noodles really well. The duck was cooked perfectly and was a pretty big portion. The cilantro added an extra crunch and a fragrant taste to the dish. My Boyfriend's beef pho was also really tasty, seasoned well and authentic according to him and he's been to Vietnam.<br/><br/>I highly recommend Sen and we both agreed that we will be back to try new dishes. The restaurant is authentic and all of the food tasted great! It's also super busy so definitely book to ensure a spot :)

Nice meal.

Environment was good

I'm not the one to diss a restaurant ever because I understand the hard work that goes into every dish. I went to Sen because of its drooling menu and great reviews but didn't have the best experience. I booked the table through zomato, which was confirmed. However, when I got there, I got told I hadn't booked any table.<br/><br/>When I was seated at a table with my friends, we got glasses but no one served us water or asked us whether we wanted drinks or food for 20 mins. <br/><br/>I ordered the fresh vegetarian spring rolls, tasted far from Vietnamese. Really enjoyed the crispy tofu with duck salt and spring onion. It was very moreish and I kept going for more. My friend ordered the lamb dish, and he swore that was the best ever!<br/><br/>After our table was cleared, we were not asked whether we wanted dessert. So we decided to ask the chef in the kitchen whether we could order some dessert. He sent the waitress to ask us but she seemed really pissed. <br/><br/>We ordered the panda creme brulee. It could have been better if the sugar was torched more to get a better brulee.<br/><br/>Overall, I think they were short staff and tired. The staff didn't seem to care. There was one guy who seemed to juggle all tables with his great service and smile but he was really stretching himself. Kudos to this guy for holding the fort. <br/><br/>I know that staff don't like to be spoken to rudely, however, customers don't like to be treated as if they are wasting your time. <br/><br/>I liked the food but won't be going back again due to the experience. <br/>

Came here for a family dinner. Everyone loved the food. Bit slow on the service hence the 4 stars. Otherwise great menu lots of tasty food and some nice veg options.

I really like the atmosphere of Sen.<br/>The food is delicious and well priced.<br/>We shared the chargrilled chicken, which had a lovely satay sauce. Beef and mango salad which was absolutely delicious! And the duck summer rolls. I will definitely be back!

A really nice place with good ambience and tasty food! Would highly recommend the beef pho and the summer rolls, which were both really delicious.<br/><br/>Staff members were friendly and were very attentive. Enjoyable experience overall!!

Had the Sichuan lamb with paprika, caramelized pork belly, char grilled chicken with peanut sauce, beef cheek curry for mains, fried squid entree, bao bun entree, spring roll entree, pho entree and black rice desert with 5 spices fruit, pandan creme brûlée desert and the frozen orange/almond parfait. Thought the lamb and pork belly were the winners for the mains. The pho was really tasty. Wasn’t a massive fan of the pandan desert as the brûlée itself had a slightly savory taste to it, but really loved the black rice. Tried a great deal of the menu. May be back to try the lunch items that weren’t available over dinner! Portions were substantial! You could easily share one main between two people especially if you have a starter. Really lovely, sweet, fresh flavors. Whether it’s traditional Vietnamese, I’m not entirely sure. Had a bit of a fusion aspect.

I’ve been here serveral times and absolutely worthwhile.I am fond of its Pho and bun cha which are very authentic as the same as I had in Vietnam.Thumbs up🥰

Suggested for a group gathering dinner here. Their food quality and service never fails. We literally tried out almost everything from the menu. I like the deep fried spring roll, summer roll, salted egg fried squid, Vietnamese coffee, the stir fried beef dish, the caramelised pork belly, the bon Chu. Dessert wise I like the pandan flavour pudding and the black rice dessert.

I knew already their cafe at Mt. Eden and finally made it to their vietnamese restaurant. I‘m sure I will come back as the food was awesome. We had three dishes and all three are highly recommended, personally I loved the fish fillets most, which they had on their lunch menu but the deep fried spring rolls and the mango salad were both great too. Next time I will check their dinner menu!

I went here last night with family and couldn’t fault anything. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. The atmosphere and service was great. Ange especially was attentive, funny and gave great recommendations. Definitely recommend this place and will be back for sure! The best Vietnamese food I’ve had in Auckland in a long time.

Beautiful venue with equally beautiful food. Such great value for money too. Pork belly was rated #1 by the whole table. Everything else though was fresh, fragrant, tasty and cooked so well. Can’t wait to return and would happily order the exact same again. <br/><br/>Side note - Would not recommend the Duck on egg noodles (had on a previous visit). The duck and noodles did not go well together at all in our opinion and just tasted bland.

Kid-friendly restaurant. Food is good and service is relatively fast except for the chargrilled chicken which took awhile to be served. Highly recommend!

Was very excited to try this restaurant as saw good rating in Zomato. However walked out feeling very disappointed with the quality of food. I usually do not write review however feel the need to share my experience. The food on average was very salty and to be honest quite un-authentic. It is more of Asian fusion rather than Vietnamese. Not sure of the high ratings here. The portion was relatively small too particularly the rice. I was given a bowl of rice and felt was needing more after which was very surprising as usually I eat a very small amount of rice and always get rice to take home.

Great menu with so many goodies to choose from! The staff are great and they make awesome coffee too! This is one of our favorite restaurants we have been to!

Great atmosphere and decor. If you come here, make sure to get a seat upstairs! Reasonable prices and great tasting. The cheek dish is 👌 but be careful as the curries can sometime get too creamy depending on your liking.

We went there for a family lunch, ordered bun cha, pho, fish, and ban xeo. Everything was so delicious and quite authentic (a bit sweet taste than real food in Hanoi) the restaurant had a nice atmosphere and all servers were friendly. We also paid reasonable price because we went for lunch. <br/>However when we placed the order the server asked us if coriander is okay (some people hate it) and we said we love coriander, but I hardly saw coriander in our plates. If there are more coriander and less sweet I guess it would be quite close to real taste from Hanoi. <br/><br/>Overall it was a good experience and I will visit again.

All my friends and family love here. Pretty cool Vietnamese cafe with fashion decor and delicious food. Owner is really nice and friendly. If you ever wanna try traditional Vietnamese ice coffee, must come here

Love this place. The food is delicious. Check out the prawns with passionfruit. I was a bit sceptical as that is not my type of mix...I was wrong. It was to die for. I rate their fried spring rolls too. Service is excellent, the waitress remembered my partner and.i from a month previous. Food arrives promptly. Will be back...again and again and again.

Super awesome atmosphere. A place you would take family and friends. Wicked good menu, lots of variety. Backed up by being super delish. We went on Valentines so it got rather busy, which could have knocked the quality of service a tad, but it didn't bother us. Overall... wonderful 🤙

We went for Valentines’s day. Although very busy and we had to wait for the food, very understandable for the conditions. The food was amazing. We had the spring and summer rolls (awesome), the shaking beef and the grilled pork. We enjoyed the night. Great service and good prices. Definitely returning.

Whenever I want to have authentic vietnamese food, I'll come here! Food are delicious and same goes for service. Recommend for those who love vietnamese food!<br/>Food 4/5<br/>Ambience 4/5<br/>Service 4/5

With a high expectation,end up with disappointment. Totally over rated. Foods came out fast, but not authentic and not tasty. Friendly staffs.

Food: 3.3/5<br/>Service: 4/5<br/>Overall: 3/5<br/><br/>Came here for work lunch but I forgot what exactly we ordered sorry (but I took pictures!) the food was good but a bit salty for my point of view. Staff were super nice. We all left the restaurant with a happy belly.

Nice food portion for sharing and tasting different food.<br/>The lady who served us was very nice<br/>Booking essential as it was fully booked the day we went

Amazing vegetarian food - crispy tofu is probably the best I’ve ever had! We hadn’t booked but were given a great table upstairs overlooking the entrance. The staff were friendly and the food came out very quickly. My cocktail was a little too strong, with the rum overpowering the other flavours. We would have loved to try dessert but after trying a couple of times to get staff attention to ask for the dessert menu we gave up. Will be back another time to try dessert.

I’ve tried multiples Vietnamese restaurants in Auckland but so far Sen has brought me the most satisfying experience. I had a staff party at Sen and we were looked after pretty well. Food was well presented and the flavours brought me home with every single taste. While other Vietnamese restaurants serve a quite mixture of northern and southern food, Sen hits me with the exact southern Vietnamese flavour I’ve been longing for. I felt like home. Plus, big portion with decent price and nicely decorated space. Definitely add this to my go-to list whenever I crave for Vietnamese food. Highly recommend Sen!

Did a last min booking on a Wednesday night and still managed to get a nice table upstairs. <br/><br/>We ordered indivual dishes which are definitely substantial enough for one person. We ordered the salmon Main, red curry, satay chicken Main, grilled pork Main and the vege vermicelli main. All hitting around the $20 price point. <br/><br/>All the dishes were very flavoursome, and delicious to eat. The satay and red curry were quite heavy dishes whereas the grilled pork and vermicelli were on the lighter side. Portion sizes were very large and easy to share the meals. <br/><br/>The service was really good, checking up on us and even came out to sing happy birthday for one of the guests with us. They do have a cakeage fee of $10. the only downside was they only had one till to pay for food, and there being lots of larger groups that night you can imagine how long the lines were to pay. Parking is a little harder as well as the area is always quite busy. <br/><br/>

Sen for late work dinner - i ordered caramelized pork belly which is the portion is quite big for me, the belly is nice and delicious. The duck noodle also nice, my friend ordered this.. and they have different set of menu for lunch with great price..

Not really into fusion food but this place is alright! Friendly staff, good presentation of food but most importantly taste a lot better than i thought

Love Sen, especially the seating areas upstairs. It’s the perfect place for a first date, dinner with friends or for a group gathering) if you can snag the big wooden table). <br/><br/>I’m always a fan of the changing menu, and cocktails but most of all it’s the staff that make the place. They are all so friendly and knowledgeable and even helped makes a vegan dessert for last time I was in. <br/><br/>Basically, the give a sh*t.

I really love the environment here.  Our group didn't share food so I can mainly comment on my food.  I had the duck salad as an entree and it was far larger than I was lead to believe so I did not finish it.  I assumed the price was because there was tons of duck in it - but I think it was because of the size.  It was tasty but lacked duck.  My husband commented that his spring rolls lacked flavour.  However the mains were fabulous and the non alcoholic cocktails inventive and joyful and the wine list had a nice variety.  The in house brûlée was incredible and I really enjoyed my first taste of Vietnamese coffee.  Charlie our waitress was a gem!  We will be back but not ordering duck salad or spring rolls.  I am feeling bad as I write this as I didn't give them that feedback as I normally do when I am unhappy with something.

There are a heap of Vietnamese cuisine in Auckland, but this restaurant ticks all the boxes.<br/><br/>The ambience is set with dim lights and wooden interior with a hint of classiness that can almost make it a fine dining Vietnamese restaurant. Most of the Vietnamese restaurants ive been too are really casual so hence why i like this place!<br/>The food portion is decent.. not too small or too big so makes it perfect for sharing too. Their stirfry beef is a must try..melts in your mouth!<br/>Service is pretty good. Slightly pricey in comparison to other Vietnamese cuisine.

Fantastic setting for a street food inspires restaurant. I remember coming here when it was called CAC! It was pretty full when we came for lunch. The sound of belly pork and pho took our fancy with rice rolls. We admired how they managed to have tightly rolled rolls. Anyway, the presentation was lovely if we ate with our eyes as the flavours were not as inspiring as we hoped. There was not enough punch to make it memorable as was the atmosphere.

Just been here for dinner. It was very nice, I am very impressed a bout it. All the food is very tasty, love the slow cook pork belly and mango salad Would like to come back again 😍😍😍

This place is a little gem. Interior design is gorgeous as the outside looking in seems old & dated. We booked a table for 2 & were given the option of being seated upstairs or downstairs. We chose upstairs. Staff were awesome & very attentive.<br/>Food was good. Id say the deep fried squid is very salty & high in price ($15.5) but ok. Spring rolls were delicious. I had beef pho as a main ($16.5) It was scrumptious & full of flavour. We tried the passionfruit creme brulee & passionfruit parfait. Parfait was ok. Creme brulee was deliciously good. Portion size for dessert was pretty small for $12 but then again if you're almost full from entree & main then i guess the size would be appropriate.<br/>We spent $93 for the 2 of us. Bit steep but the food & dining experience was worth it.<br/>Would consider coming again for date night 😁

I’m disappointed that we took so long to get Sen! I knew from the photos online that it was going to be a pretty special dinner & I guessed right. We were a group of 8, celebrating joint family birthdays and from the moment we walked in. We were well looked after. Angela oversaw our dining adventure & she made us all feel so comfortable & we laughing w. her, when we weren’t slurping yummy drinks or devouring our moreish feast.<br/><br/>We opted for the $45 banquet & unfortunately, AND fortunately. We were all so busy enjoying our meals, that we failed to capture any photos. I did take one, of the coffee I ordered afterwards.<br/><br/>The food was fresh & vibrant, staff friendly & patient, Angela leading the way was awesome! You’ll be very lucky if she looks after you when you dine @ Sen. Every dish was as advertised, tasty & delicious. We can’t wait to return. 6pm in a Sat night was perfect, as we beat the dinner crowd & got to pick where we sat.<br/><br/>Thanks Sen & Angela espesh, for an incredibly comfortable, laid back, yet moreish night. Parking’s right out front & do yourself a favour & check it out if you haven’t already. Sorry for the lack of photos!

Loved it ! Had the spring rolls here, banh bao kep thit and crab meat with rice vermicelli noodles and dried mushrooms. They were all fantastic ! I just hoped the noodles were less oily but by saying that I feel they were still beautiful and everyone’s preference is different. I would definitely visit this place again to try out the rest of the stuff 🙂

After driving past this place for basically years I finally went in for a work lunch and was so impressed.<br/><br/>Super delicious Vietnamese food full of flavour and generous portions. I ordered the egg noodles with beef which was yummo! <br/><br/>Thumbs up all round

Came here on a Tuesday night with 6 people urging to try some Vietnamese. When we came in, we waited around 10mins just for someone to greet us and seat us as I made a booking already. The waitress looked at us, but looking away and continued to serve food. There wasn’t really much service going on, the portions were reasonable other than the pork belly, and the price came to around $165 with 8 additional bowls of rice. The ambience was nice set with dim lighting and a sense of privacy with the table layouts.<br/><br/>Between 7, we ordered:<br/>Entrees - Pho, fried chicken wings.<br/>Mains - beef cheeks w/ red curry, pork belly, chargrilled chicken, 5 spice roasted duck, papaya salad, roasted eggplants.<br/><br/>The entrees, although tasted delicious especially the chicken wings as it was sweet, crispy, and tender, were a bit overpriced for its portion size. The Pho’s broth was a bit salty but the noodles had good chewy texture.<br/><br/>Starting w/ the Papaya salad, it was delicious and refreshing! The sweet and sour taste and the crunchiness from the strands of vegetables reminds me of the taste back in Vietnam. <br/>The Roasted Eggplants w/ Tofu was a surprise as I thought it was going to be half half eggplants that’s oven roasted. It turned out to be small chunks of eggplants stir fried w/ tofu. The taste however, was also exciting as the saltiness goes really well with rice.<br/>The Beef cheeks curry was my favorite as the beef actually melted in your mouth (probably slow cooked beforehand) and the curry paste tasted amazing with rice! The kumara added the extra sweetness that was needed for the flavor. <br/>The Chargrilled Chicken was so tender as well and has the same curry paste as the beef cheeks.<br/>The Pork Belly, braised in red wine and Chinese cooking wine and soy sauce, had the authentic Chinese taste to it. The top was fatty yet chewy and the meaty part was also very nice, but the meat was just a bit hard. <br/>The Roasted duck was alright, not as good as the other dishes. The duck meat cake off pretty easily, but the taste just wasn’t as good as the others as the orange sauce didn’t go quite well with the meat. <br/><br/>Taste - 9/10<br/>Size - 8/10<br/>Price - 8/10<br/>Service - 7/10<br/>Ambience - 9/10

This is a nice vietnamese place. Staffs are friendly, food is yum, nice decoration too. Would come back when we are in town. Quite a busy place

First time coming in for lunch.<br/>Ordered a chicken and beef pho.<br/>Rice noodles were nice and thin.<br/>Chicken meat was bland and a bit dry although broth was real good. In my opinion, beef tasted better. Environment was comfortable and staff were friendly.<br/>

Wonderful dinner with family. we had the beef cheek and fried vermicelli noodles. beef was really tender and we both enjoyed it very much. the vermicelli was a bit more oily than what we prefered but that being said, everyones opinion on food are different.<br/><br/>Overall we enjoyed our time here, great decor and environment for chatting away with a glass of wine. looking forward to return and trying out their cocktails!

We came to this restaurant countless times. We like Vietnamese food. My favourite one is deep fried tofu with duck egg yolk and papaya salad. We ordered every times when we came here. They fresh spring roll also good too. Good restaurant good food and great service. Recommended!

Lovely setting in the cac building. The straw lights and ambience are  wonderful.  Entrees we had a selection and they were well received. Two of us had the lamb and one of us said he would give it 10/10. The pork belly was nice  but the duck my friend thought it was in a lot of liquid although we knew it had been braised. But you could talk comfortably and would want to return again.

I have been invited here for a dinner with friends. I would give 4/5 for the decoration and location. Great Viet style atmosphere. The spring rolls are very crunchy. We had a really good impression with the beef, soft and tasty. I also liked the open kitchen where you can see the chefs cooking in front. Just a bit pricey compared to other normal vietnamese food.

Very amenable to our requests, the manager explained the difference between North & South Vietnamese serving styles, and facilitated the conversion of the pork Bun Cha into a one dish bowl of deliciousness. My array of small dishes was delightful, the bun of my Banh Bao Kep Thit was soft and delicate, the lemongrass chicken stunningly flavourful. My fried chicken wings were actually finger licking good, the salty-sweet syrup on the crispy coating was too good to waste on a napkin and the lovely wait person provided a warm finger bowl as soon as I was served. The Nem Lui was lovely, I’m not usually a fan of pork, but these little skewers were flavourful and barely needed the sweet chilli sauce they came with. The old ammunition factory building has such a great atmosphere too. Definitely going again.

I've been here for almost year and always looking for a vietnamese authentic restaurant in Auckland. Come here for the first and surely come back many times again. <br/>The food is excellent, especially Beef Pho, the rolls are awesome and bun cha is very tasty. Moreover, staffs are friendly and give us good services.

We ordered fried spring rolls, salted egg yolk calamari, pork belly and pho for lunch. Oh dear they are all so yum! We sat outside and nice cool breeze in a hot day. Loved it and will be back

Was an escape dinner out with my 2nd half. The place is great. Warm atmosphere and friendly staff. Upstairs is probably the best location for dining. Comfortable sitting. Service was very fast and staff were always attentive and also good with suggestions from the menu. Portions is large as well and food is delicious as well.

A characteristic building with modern asian fusion design. It says Vietnamese restaurant and it's actually mix with some other Asian meals in the menu. We had 2x cocktails, 3x meals and 2x desserts, total cost under $120. The meals arrived reasonably fast; if you want a quick meal I think they could also satisfy you.

Great place for a authentic Vietnamese meal. I was told about this restaurant by my sister. Interior fit out is very nice but and the staff are brilliant. Me and my wife were seated upstairs and staff are engaging and help with choices. Really loved the food. I have added pictures of what I recommend. Enjoy:)

My friends and I came here on a Wednesday for dinner. We felt very welcome and were seated immediately. Staff are friendly and quite helpful. Love the coziness and the marble tables but the restaurant could use a bit more light and consistency in deco. Price is reasonable (100$ for 3 people).<br/><br/>The food arrived quickly. We ordered Banh Xeo (Savoury pancakes), Nom Du Du (green papaya salad), Bun Cha (Hanoi Grilled Pork in Fish sauce served with noodles) and Goi Cuon (summer rolls). The summer rolls are excellent, fresh, fragrant and tasty. The pancakes have the right stuffing but the coat is too crispy. The green papaya salad could use a bit more herbs and less nuts. Also if they include beef jerky instead of roasted beef, it would be more authentic. The highlight is the Bun Cha, a famous dish from Hanoi, my hometown. First impression is too many carrots pieces when they should add some green papaya in it. The portion is very generous, in fact i've never had that much meat in a meal. With that much meat in a bowl of salty fish sauce, you need a stability which is the rice noodles. However, both my friend and I finished the noddles before we can finish that bowl of meat. In term of taste, it is very delicious and authentic, just need the adjustment in portions and ingredients above. <br/><br/>When it comes to Vietnamese food i'm quite picky. But Sen gave me and my friends such a lovely dinner. I'll be coming back for more 💕

Went with family for a birthday and the service was excellent, the waitress looking after was really accommodating and helpful, she was like a long lost member of our family as chatted with her throughout the dinner. Ambience is nice, slightly dim and quaint.<br/><br/>We had summer rolls, spring rolls, chicken wings, pork belly, chicken yellow curry and the duck. There were also some other dishes which I lost track of as there was so many of us but from what I tried, it was delicious. Would come back again.

Was expecting more from this place-so was a little disappointed.<br/>Atmosphere is nice but service was a little odd on our occasion.<br/>We shared a few starters and mains and sizes are small to medium so do order more if your hungry!<br/><br/>We tried the chicken bao, fried spring rolls, shaking beef and chicken curry. The shaking beef was definitely tender and the fried spring rolls were tasty!<br/><br/>We followed with desserts to share as we were still hungry-trying the creme brûlée and coconut pancakes! The pancakes were definitely interesting and tasty but the creme brûlée wasn't a hit!<br/><br/>

Our meal at Sen was alright, although I've definitely had better Vietnamese in Auckland. It was on father's day, a day which they are not usually open (Sunday). I don't know if this is why the service was a little off but the staff seemed a bit ambivalent and like they didn't really want to be there. The restaurant was mostly empty too (although that may have been because it was a Sunday). The food was alright, nothing amazing. I was disappointed with the papaya salad. The bun cha was definitely the highlight, very similar in flavour to bun cha I have eaten in Hanoi. I think I would go to other Vietnamese restaurants in AKL before returning to Sen.

Delicious food and lovely dining place. I was very impressed with the bowl of Pho, the broth was so so good and authentic(my opinion)😝 that really brings me back to Saigon where we visited 2 years ago!! The four of us had an awesome night in Sen ... We will be back!✌

The food was delicious. We ordered banh xeo and tiger prawns but the service was not that great. We were given no water or were offered any drinks of any kind. If you guys would like to boost sales, then waitress/waiter need to talk a little bit more, and give a bit of introduction. Ratings are split.

This was our first experience and we will be back.<br/>The venue has been tastefully remodelled since the previous owners.<br/><br/>The service was friendly and efficient.<br/><br/>However the food was absolutely delightful. Authentic tastes, fresh ingredients and well presented. We want to come back and work out way through the menu.<br/><br/>The Pho was great, the summer fresh spring rolls excellent. The man of the house even had a Chicken salad and was raving about it - normally he just eats steak.

Food was pretty good and the restaurant itself is really nice but it was let down by service... They didn't check on their tables, were inattentive, brought the wrong dishes out and forgot to bring out others. We left before they'd served everything because we'd long eaten everything else and were waiting on our entrees as the last dishes to arrive. And not everything on the menu was available. I'm not normally a service snob and have never complained about service before in my life but this was actually a frustrating experience so I'm split in my rating for this place.

Really enjoyed my dinner tonight at Sen. Such a beautiful restaurant and ambience, lots of space and food came quickly and was absolutely delicious and fresh. Loved every minute of it, staff were friendly and just good well rounded service really. We got a variety of dishes mainly vegetarian/seafood but they were absolutely delicious ! Thank you Sen you guys made our night!

Went in for a quick lunch and ordered the Vietnamese Ham banh mi and the clay pot caramelized pork belly. Service was quick as we went late afternoon. The Vietnamese ham banh mi was delicious, crispy bun with a generous amount of filling. J had the caramelized pork belly and found it was soft and tender. It had a sweet and salty taste which complimented the pork. We will definitely be back to try out the other dishes. <br/>

We went to this restaurant based on the 4.2 star review and could not believe when we ate the food as it was one of the worst meals I have ever eaten! What is wrong with auckland diners? How can anyone rate this over 1 star? The vegetable curry was tasteless and underseasoned and tasted <br/>as if it was made days before. They charge extra for rice to go with the dish making something you would find in a South auckland food court at $19.50. The fish was barely identifiable at 24.50 accompanied by overcooked vermicelli that resembled mush. The mango salad was virtually Bean sprouts with a few unidentifiable bits and pieces. I am so annoyed at being out of pocket after eating here. How anyone can run a restaurant like this is anyone's guess. Clearly there are enough undiscerning diners to keep it afloat! <br/><br/><br/><br/>

I loved the ambience, and low light setting. Felt very relaxing and welcoming. The mango salad was a tad too sweet for my liking as I was expecting it to be a bit tart because it stated in the menu it would be green mango. But never the less, it was still nice. :) great presentation

Excuse my language but this place is bloody good!<br/>Nice place to sip on coffee or beer and smack talk the afternoon away with your mates.<br/>Nice setting with both indoor and a small outdoor seating area for the smokers. <br/>Open kitchens are always nice.<br/>The Vietnamese food at this place is more fusion over traditional but very delicious.<br/><br/>Tried dishes:<br/>Coffee was on point 10/10<br/>Spring roll 10/10 (try it and you'll know why it's 10/10)<br/>Pork skewers 9/10 (could do with more portion because it was so delicious)<br/>The lemon grass chicken banh-mi 9/10 (crunchy roll, flavourful filling)<br/>Beef pho 8.5/10 (standard Vietnam rice noodles, very nice soup. Add in all the bean sprouts and chillies, shuffle them under the hot noodles and sit a few minutes for better flavour)<br/>Mango salad with beef 8/10<br/>Summer roll 7.5/10 (interesting use of Chinese sauce - tian mian jiang)<br/><br/>Friendly owner, good setting, good location, great coffee. <br/>Parking is scarce at busy times and during working hours.

we ordered shaking beef from ubereats which cost $27+$6delivery. Food come in a nondegradable polystyrene foam container which looks like a cheap fastfood takeway and sauce spilt out a lot as it's not sealed container. The polystyrene container now is calling to be banned because its not biodegradable and not safe in using on hot food. <br/>the presentation and taste is also like the black pepper beef from a cheap chinese takeaway which would only cost about $14-$15. And its not the flavour of shaking beef at all.<br/>This place was in my wish list that one day I really want to go. For now I think I won't try it again

I've ordered my food from here a couple of times through ubereats!. Very delicious Vietnamese food, I really enjoyed their summer rolls and noodle soup. Pho is very clean and very fulfilling. I also recommend their ice coffee very sweet and tasty.  I can't wait to try their other dishes.

Gorgeous food, super fresh ingredients, delecious and creative. Great cocktails. Such a gorgeous resturant. Lovely for an intimate dinner 😆

I've been meaning to add my review for Sen but I can't find my pictures now! <br/><br/>Our booking was for lunch for a group of 15. <br/><br/>Parking: None specific to the restaurant. You may be lucky to find a spot along the road outside of it, but our group were all running late due to no parking. <br/><br/>Atmosphere: We had a lovely big table in a private space. Perfect for our size. Lovely decor.<br/><br/>Service: Our waitress was very attentive and perhaps a little too outspoken. Our group seemed to enjoy her sense of humour so it was fine. Manager even came around our table to check in. <br/><br/>Food and drinks: This could be a novel. All I can say is it was absolutely refreshing, delicious and beautifully presented. Stand out to me was the braised pork and black rice and yoghurt dessert. <br/><br/>Vietnamese isn't my usually flavour but I would highly recommend Sen.

Went in and tried it out for lunch yesterday. Place was very cool and we loved the decor and atmosphere. Food was delicious too. Lots of fresh flavours and spot on with street food in Vietnam. We will be back!

Came over here with a friend. The place had such a wonderful atmosphere. Food was actually quite reasonably priced. Presentation of the food was great too!

I went out for dinner with friends and one recommended Sen.  I am very glad she did.  We shared a variety of dishes which I was most impressed by.  The crab meat square spring roll was a star, tasty meat surrounded by a fried skin that was impossibly soft and light yet crisp that popped in your mouth on eating, the squid coated in salted egg yolk was so yummy and the vietnamese seasoned pork mince on a lemongrass skewer was delicious.  We followed these with a lotus stem salad which hit lots of notes of spicy sweet sour and salty, bun cha minced pork with rice noodles, market fish and noodles, crispy tofu and a suitably luscious melt in the mouth pork belly hotpot dish.  The dishes served with noodles needed lots of the sauce and other accompaniments added to give them flavour, the finished product was very tasty.  The coconut pudding with passionfruit capped off a highly enjoyable meal in relaxed but cool surroundings.  I already know I'm going back

Lovely character and simple tasty food. Service was pleasant. The mango cocktails here are fantastic too! It seems like very authentic Vietnamese food.

Really good, fresh food and generous size meals. I had the summer rolls followed by lemongrass chicken. The rolls were very good while the chicken was exceptional. Perfectly cooked chicken with complex flavours. A little spicy but in a good way. I also enjoyed an interesting coffee and coconut cream mocktail. My partner loved the sea crab square. He also had the clay pot pork belly, which was delicious, but didn't come with anything other than the pork itself so it got pretty rich after a while. Some veges would have helped to balance it. I'll definitely be back.

This place is amazing!! Beautiful intimate setting. Under a soft light, marble like tables, beautiful plates having your delicious food. Food was amazing, loved the crisp caramelised pork belly and tiger prawns in tamarind sauce. Cocktails were amazing, very different taste and lots of liquor. Definitely a gem in Mount Eden.

Food was amazing- well balanced and delicious! The chicken curry was a stunner, so was the shaking beef and caramelized pork belly; with ample space for the customers, ambience was okay, could use more lighting. Wait staff were great

This place bursts with freshness, food was soooo good. We ordered the prawn and chicken summer rolls and the lemongrass skewers to start with- yumm. Followed by the fabulous mango salad and squid (my fav). We also ordered the ha no style pork in chilli fish sauce...the flavours were there but some of the pork was like chopped up pork patties. Didn't enjoy that dish. To finish we had the Cream caramel, choc tart and the coconut pudding-all beautiful. Great atmosphere and service too.

Very cosy ambience, especially as were seated upstairs. We ordered spring rolls-massive entree, to share among 3-4. Also had squid with salted egg yolk coating-an interesting mix of flavours! We had caramelised pork belly, it was flavourful although I expected less broth. Also loved the soft shell crabs! Would love to come back for more small platters and drinks.

Visited Sen today with my family for my birthday dinner and I was overjoyed to get a reservation last minute. Our waitress was super friendly and attentive, she came by frequently to check on our water, cutlery and changed plates. The service was impeccable and it made our experience a lot more enjoyable!<br/><br/>The food was also divine. We ordered the pho (must try!), fried Vietnamese rolls, summer rolls, tiger prawns, duck curry, beef (so good) and the fish. Everything was full of flavour and seasoned perfectly! My whole family loved this place and we will definitely be back :)

The owner looks like a Vietnamese Gangster. The most friendliest gangster you will ever meet. One that talks about property prices, takes care of you, makes magnificent coffee. It's amazing. Very friendly and peaceful environment. Great place for coffee and the food does not disappoint either.<br/><br/>Environment: 4.5/5<br/>Food Quality: 5/5<br/>Food Quantity: 4.5/5<br/>Service: 5/5<br/>Price: $20-$40pp<br/>

Since Husk lunches began, the Huskies have somewhat become self-appointed Vietnamese cuisine critics, having tasted offerings from many of the top Vietnamese food establishments that have emerged recently in Auckland. Thus, it was going to take something pretty special for Sen to impress the wolf-pack. And fortunately, Sen served up just that. Visiting the kitchen for Mel's birthday, we found out the anniversary wasn't the only thing that we'd be celebrating that day. Sen is a huge, 2-level space and it's clear the team behind the eatery have put the work in to try and position the space at the top of the Vietnamese food chain. <br/><br/>The use of formal table settings, dark wood, dim lighting and creative light fittings all worked together to create the appearance of something more than a conventional Vietnamese restaurant. The Sen lunch menu offered all of the typical options – Bahn Mi rolls, Pho soups, vermicelli and several Vietnamese salad options. While somewhat typical fare, the standard was strong throughout. The crowd favourite amongst the Huskies was arguably the Vietnamese coffee – a hot, albeit slowly-filtered elixir – perfect sustenance for the cold April day. The Huskies left Sen in a celebratory mood – tummies full and hearts warmed and ready to embrace the cold.<br/><br/>Check out our individual comments here: husk.co.nz/lunches/sen-vietnamese-kitchen-amp-bar-april-2016

On a Saturday night about a month ago eight of us dined here for a birthday dinner celebration. I booked earlier in the week and the man that took my booking was super helpful and friendly so I had high hopes for a great night. We were seated at a table upstairs where they had pushed two tables together, unfortunately the area wasn't setup for this and one of the tables had no light above it so it was pretty dark, definitely mood lighting. In saying that, the area upstairs is really nice and has a great vibe. To keep this review short and sweet, the food was pretty good, the cocktails were yummy but the service was absolutely terrible! Probably the worst I've ever experienced. They took ages to take our food orders and when our food came out they never asked us if we wanted anything more to drink, when someone did order a drink they didn't ask the other guests if they would like to order more drinks. Do you want us to spend money in your restaurant or not?! We didn't end up eating our mains till pretty late which didn't sit very well with my guests. All in all we had a good night but the service was a definite let down. If they up their game I would probably dine here again.

Came here in a group of nine people for lunch, arrived at around 1:30pm. The food here was okay, nothing special, just typical fusion Vietnamese food. Price is on the higher end for Vietnamese food, and service was average. The waitress was very impatient and had such a rude attitude, which made us all felt uncomfortable (it was supposed to be a Christmas company lunch/catch up with co-workers session). I can understand that staff can get impatient if the restaurant was busy, but we were the only ones there at the time, so there was no reason for being rude and impatient, probably would not return again.

Would you still come here if you had to wait 1.5 hrs for food? We were here for a function which started at 7pm, and was informed that food would start at 8pm. We didn't see a glimpse of it until 9.30pm!! By this time, everyone was HANGRY (including the guys) OMG. This is not cool. Prob wouldn't recommend people coming here unless you like feeling famished.

Yay!! This places was amazing. I went here a week ago for a birthday celebration for twins that I know. <br/>The ambience was just 🙌🏻! The interior was beautiful. <br/><br/>Noisy which means the place was pack! But we still could hear each other speak. The service there was beautiful, the waiter/waitress will always check with us if we were alright and would recommend us items from the menu. <br/><br/>Appetisers we had was so delish, the salad might I say had so much Vietnamese in it. The mango and flavours just reminded me of Vietnam. <br/><br/>Damn! The pork we ordered was so juicy and yum. I cannot remember any of the names but I'll upload pictures of it. The food there was amazing. The fish was really good as well, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Tofu was so crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, even though it had been sitting out in the open for quite a while, it still held its crispiness. <br/>The duck curry was a favourite as well, with kumara (I would like to call them high quality potatoes, haha) oh it was yummy alright. <br/><br/>I would definitely recommend friends to come visit this place and it would not be the last time I'm going to that place. <br/><br/>7 of us went and it came out to about $200 ++, mind you that we ordered drinks and had like 3 bowls of rice (we like our rice) haha. Pretty decent price. :) <br/><br/>Oh dear, I didn't take a photo of the duck curry because I was too busy eating it... Haha

I don't know how biased I'm being here because I'm a sucker for some ambience, but this place is one of my favourites in Auckland I have to say. <br/><br/>We came here a wee while ago (it's taken me this long to write a review - don't judge me) and we were directed straight upstairs to a beautiful little table, offered drinks within the first minutes of sitting down and the food rolled out effortlessly. <br/><br/>We got the Pho and the Spring Rolls to start if my memories correct and the pork belly and a coconut curry that I can't quite remember the name of. Curry was beauuuutiful would recommend that to anyone, however the pork belly was a little overwhelming. <br/><br/>Our waitress was lovely too, some friendly chat and a keen eye for low drinks 😏<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

Great little fusion restaurant tucked away in Mt Eden. Great service and atmosphere with two level dining. The food was great, filled with fresh flavours. It is just below par with its numerous competitors, but I would recommend Sen for a nice meal out.

I love this place! I love the decor, the service and most importantly i love the food! I have been to sen a few times and tried quite a few things on their menu.. and i like them all so far! <br/><br/>My personal favourites are: the mango salad, the squid with salted egg yolk, the sen plater, the pork belly, and their bhan mi (lunch menu). They also do awesome Vietnamese coffee ! <br/><br/>

We went there for lunch on a Saturday. We were able to get a table without any booking which was great as we decided at the very last minute. Right at the first impression I loved it. Everything about Sen just reminded of my hometown (I'm Vietnamese:). They make sure to keep the design, the food are very authentic still which what I loved the most as a person who live far away from home I'm always looking for a place to eat taste and feel like I'm still back home. Highly recommended. Definitely come back.

My bf and I decided on some viet food last minute on a saturday. Sen is spacious and have heaps of seats so we were able to walk with a table available. We ordered the fried spring roll, viet pancake, spicy chicken and shaking beef. Everything was amazing! Especially the shaking beef, it was flavourful, juicy, yummy in general. We will defitnately come back next time!

Ordered their sen's starter plate, pork buncha, chicken rice noodles and their pho when we came here last night. Everything was so delicious, especially their pho soup which tasted like it was homemade! Just beware that the pho isn't one of their mains so the portion is very small. Overall, great experience; dim, intimate interior and delicious modern Vietnamese food!

I explored this place out of no where. Located towards the end of Mt eden village right behind the domain.<br/><br/>I was quite elated with the find when I happened to visit on my friends birthday. We were warmly welcomed and seated on a nice corner booth.<br/><br/>I truely loved every bit of my time during my dinner with my good friend last weekend.<br/><br/>They had a good choice in cocktails and mocktails...<br/>They had nice options of small or big or sharing plates... to choose from.<br/><br/>I ought to go back just for food and ambience... if not the service

The old bluestone building they are in is now Sen Vietnamese just had the beef pho there and broth very nice n  hearty for a cold day, a bit on the salty side, noodles a bit soft and use smaller bowl than their Otahuhu rivals<br/>Site has a interesting history and use to be CAC bar and restaurant and been there before as them, just look for the Shot Tower if going there. Still a popular venue for drinks too i see.

Sen has a great atmosphere with friendly staff plenty of on street parking, we had a set menu for 13 people, great variety of dishes and all felt fully satisfied at the end <br/>Many great Vietnamese dishes to try, would highly recommend Sen

I love this place. The squid is the best squid I've ever had. Everything else is pretty good to, mango salad = deliciousness. Well worth trying out. Do it.

This place has a really nice vibe and ambiance  going on.  It's dark, it's moody and just a little bit romantic.  We'd been across the road at Sobato night markets to grab some cheap eats for dinner, nothing really floated our boat so we whipped over the road to Sen for some Sth East Asian treats!<br/><br/>We ordered Bun Cha (my fave Vietnamese dish), it 's BBQ'd pork swimming in a crystal clear pork broth, served with noodles and usually a big bunch of fresh herbs (Coriander, Mint, Basil), at Sen they serve it with some Mesclun lettuce, a tad disappointing, however the Pork and Broth were delish and rich with flavour.<br/><br/>The other main we ordered was the Red Duck Curry, there was nothing really wrong with the dish, it was nice but I've had much better standout curries at Moo Chow Chow and Meekong Baby.<br/><br/>Service was friendly and attentive.<br/>All in all, Sen is a lovely place to dine with a really great atmosphere, if the quality of food went up a few notches I would defo put this on my list of regular places to dine.  Probably a bit harsh of a judgement only after trying 2 dishes.  <br/><br/>The lunch menu does look intriguing so will likely try a few dishes on that menu upon our return.

Good food, great cosy atmosphere for a relaxing dinner with friends on a week night. The mango salad and bun chà was our favourite. Only small complaint was the table upstairs are too small for us to order more food without knocking everything over.

I came here for my dad's birthday. He has recently come back from Vietnam and we had a very nice dinner. Our waitress was very abrupt and had a strange sense of humour which was not ideal however we didn't let it de-rail our night. All the food was great except the soft shell crab. The menu doesn't say anything about it being deep fried- if it did, it would not have been ordered. My mum had to pick off the batter and was left with very little crab at all. In fact some pieces were only deep fried batter with no actual crab inside at all. Disappointing. We then noticed a loop hole in the service as we were not asked how our meals were- instead we were asked if we were done. This left us with no room to mention the dissatisfaction with the crab meal. Other than this the food was great. As a group we tried almost everything on the menu. Favourites were the duck curry and the pork belly and the chocolate tart desert. Mostly happy customers. Just be wary of the crab (more like batter balls).

Lovely restaurant with a nice casual atmosphere. Loved the cosy booth upstairs. We ordered spring rolls and summer rolls to start with. Fresh and full of flavors. Those spring rolls reminded me of my grandma's. Then I got Bun Cha (grilled pork with rice noodles) and my partner got the chicken curry. Both were absolutely delicious. Then to finish I got the coconut and passion fruit pudding which was the perfect ending of this dinner : very light, smooth and refreshing. Very happy with this experience and I sure will come back to taste more !

Beautifully decorated restaurant. We went for a Saturday lunch and ordered a variety of dishes. I loved the Vietnamese baguette with chicken ans beef. The bread was crunchy and the pickled cucumber gave it a nice balance. Spring rolls were yummy too. Great customer service too. Would love to go back to try their dinner menue.

At first we were upset about the demise of C.A.C, it was where we had our first date lucky we are stubborn and were determined to visit out of nostalgia.<br/>Sen is a Vietnamese restaurant serving fresh tasty (I'd like to say authentic but I'm still waiting on mr lid taking me there so I can compare)<br/>When asking about lotus root we were promptly bought out a sample to try which was a great way to 'explain' as words just don't do it justice.<br/>We had a mixed entree platter to start which was a nice mix of four of the entrees- it was tasty and fresh but the fried items all kinda tasted the same with various textures/shapes.<br/>We followed this with a spicy salad of prawns, lotus root and crushed peanuts with a gorgeous chilli hit and a melt in your mouth pork belly which was tasty but lacked the flavourful broth which was promised.<br/>The staff were friendly, the drinks list large, the food tasty, the price reasonable, all rolled into a neat building which will always hold sentimental value to us.

Phenomenal Vietnamese. Fresh produce and elegantly served and put together. Really happy with the meal. Had summer rolls and a mango salad, also chicken salad. Amazing. Thoroughly recommend this place for lunches and dinners!

The food was BRILLIANT. The pork belly was amazing but could have been a tiny bit warmer. Staff very very friendly. Would be great if they did a cheaper side veggie dish for those of us who are forced to eat some kind of greens. Didn't finish my drink and without asking the manager took it off the bill. You better believe I was impressed.

Love the ambiance of the place. Def a nice place to do a quite catch up with a few mates. The food was good on some aspect and some not so great. Had the deep fry spring roll and salted duck egg coated squid for entree. The spring roll was lovely and freshly deep fried and good flavours. But the squid was average, as the batter was rather dry and crunch was not flaky but a bit hard. My partners main was nice and refreshing but my pork belly was a bit of a let down. I don't understand how they have cooked it as the top fat part was nice and soft and juicy but the meat was so dry I had a hard time even digesting it.

Have been treated to Sen for dinner before - but went to lunch today. DELICIOUS! They have a special lunch menu in which everything sound great. Our very attentive waiter recommended the chicken bang mi (spicy lemon grass chicken in a Vietnamese baguette) - and we were not disappointed- it was excellent. Also tried the summer rolls that were very fresh and light. <br/>Great decor , excellent service, deliciously different food - and very very good value for money. Perfect.

Xin Chao - Welcome to a slice of Vietnam.<br/>Located in the once infamous bar CAC - Mount Eden.<br/><br/>Recently coming back from Vietnam I was craving its traditional food, so I booked my 10th wedding anniversary dinner here.<br/><br/>As soon as I got there - I ordered a Caphesuda - which is sweetened condensed milk with drip filter coffee! Its so addictive I ended up ordering 3 while I was there! Be warned this isnt for the faint hearted. <br/><br/>We started off with fried spring rolls & fried squid which took me straight back to Nam and wishing I was back there!!!! Mains were the market grilled fish, pork belly, bun cha, soft shelled crab, tiger prawns and mango salad. Im going to say only the bad things here next as the rest was amazing. The tiger pawns had a little too much tamarind sauce, which made it very sour. The bun cha was delish, however they missed the one herb (mint) which is traditionally eaten with this dish. <br/><br/>I wasnt fussed on the cocktails as they were super strong. I couldnt taste anything but straight alcohol and lemongrass. I believe a new cocktail maker/creator is needed in this department because this place could be something special if the drinks were amazing.<br/><br/>After gorging ourselves we ordered the caramel custard & chocolate tart. The custard was nice, but nothing to rave about. The tart was rich & super sweet so I suggest sharing it with someone. I feel this review is slightly jaded for the fact, by the time I ate desert I was so full, hence why I wont let that course judge the rating. <br/><br/>The waiter was abrupt, but had a dry sense of humour (Thou I got her) which made me laugh alot! Like alot, alot haha. She was quite entertaining in a good way. <br/><br/>We spoke with the owner and he offered to order a bag of coffee directly from his families coffee farm in Nam. It was a lovely offer, one of which I make take advantage of soon. <br/><br/>All in all, I enjoyed my visit and I may be back!

Came here for my birthday with a small group, okay first of all the food is amazing. The deep fried squid and shaking beef are a must try. And the cocktails. Wow. And the desserts. Wow. The food was spot on. Our waitress was quite scary, female, in her 40s-50s? Seemed like she hated us/the world but did her job fine. Maybe that's just her personality. If it wasn't for her this would be one of the best places I've ever eaten at. And even though she is scary I will def be back.

Went there for Sunday lunch. My partner and I were quite satisfied as we left, fared a little on the expensive side for the amount of pho we ordered but was surprisingly quite filling. The beef was nice and tender and the soup was delicious! The staff were very friendly and welcoming, will definitely be back to try some of their other dishes and maybe a cocktail or two.

After visiting Sen it's easy to see why this place is rated 4+. The restaurants decor is pretty simple but well done. It has really nice ambience and would be perfect for a date night (request to sit upstairs if you can!). Saying that it would also be suitable for groups, they have quite a few large tables and booths.<br/><br/>The menu features a lot of options to suit most and although there is not a huge selection of vegetarian dishes, the ones we ordered were great. We had three tonight and we'd order them again! Service was really good and the waiting staff checked up on us constantly. The food was served promptly. <br/><br/>We ordered the Summer rolls, Fried duck egg tofu and the Stir fried vermicelli. The summer rolls were really fresh, Iight and refreshing! A great starter. The tofu was tasty and well done. The Stir fried vermicelli was also very refreshing and had a good kick to it. The meals were reasonably portioned and enough to serve the two of us. <br/><br/>Overall we would definitely return and were very satisfied with our meals and the service here. Looking forward to trying more dishes.

The atmosphere of this place is so warm and welcoming, the staff really do make you feel welcome.<br/>As for the food the clay pot caramelized pork belly was heaven along with the fried vermicelli noodles.<br/>Words do not describe the tastes of there food.<br/>As for the cocktails amazing I suggest everyone to try the southern lotus.<br/>I'm 100% sure that I'll be returning to try more.

Let me start by saying that I could live on the mango salad from Sen. The food is so fresh and yummy there and the service is really welcoming and friendly. Glad we accidentally found this place as I never realized it was there until spotting it when on foot one day (the outside of the building says C.A.C. must be a previous business?). It's soooooooo good. I'll be back for sure.

It doesn't look like a traditional Vietnamese restaurant when u walk into it, it looks like a kiwi or European style restaurant-Although they hang lots of old Asian star photos and pictures on the wall. But I like it since the first step into the restaurant. <br/>We tried fried squid and spring roll as entrees which are delightful. And for the mains, I ordered beef soup noodle, the beef is OK and the soup is good. MSG they use (maybe they don't use it) is much less than any other Vietnamese restaurant here. I drink half the soup and don't feel any thirsty. My friend tried grilled market fish and it comes with rice noodle and good taste. <br/>One advice, there r some flies flying around the restaurant, I understand that it's summer and the door opens and closes all the time. But it's not a pleasant experience when eating. <br/>Anyway, I will come back here some time.

What a cool restaurant in Mt Eden!!! It's quite a big restaurant with 2 floors, and has a very modern look & feel. <br/>The food was amazing. My friend and I ordered a few dishes to share - spring rolls, mango salad with beef, claypot pork belly, crispy tofu, and finished with cream caramel for dessert. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. What I really liked was the generous portions of high quality food. The other "hot" Asian fusion restaurants are so overpriced for small portions, but I felt the price we paid here was well worth it.

There are so many Vietnamese restaurants serving NZ but only very few of them actually offer authentic style food. We have been trying loads of Vietnamese restaurants recently on our quest to have that authentic experience.<br/><br/>Well.... I think we found one!<br/><br/>We had the fried spring rolls - Nem Ran (Yummy!) , lemon grass skewers - Nem Lui , slow cooked pork belly - Bun Cha (melts in your mouth) and beef stir fry - Shaking beef (bursting with flavor). <br/><br/>Everything was mouth watering good, loaded with authentic flavors, fresh ingredients and well presented ...all nestled in a fantastic historic building that is inviting and comfortable.<br/><br/>If you haven't been here already we highly recommend you try! <br/><br/>p.s the shaking beef is a must!

Food was fine, nice flavours, very mild overall in flavour. Shaking beef was ok, but didn't melt in my mouth. Nothing to rave about, nothing original. Parking and location great. Cost was actually over priced for the quality and the casual environment.<br/><br/>Service was interesting, by no means was it bad they were quick and efficient. But on the other hand maybe inappropriate or over familiar, we weren't sure if it was a joke,!they were spending a lot of time at our table trying to converse with us without us initiating or wanting a discussion. Quite a different experience never experienced before.

<br/>Fusion Vietnamese food is a hotly contested market here in Auckland, with notable restaurants like Cafe Hanoi and Le Vietnamese already having a strong foothold. Despite it being a new premise, the owners are well experienced in serving up Vietnamese goodies as I heard they had/have a cafe which sells amazing phos. With such mindset my friend and I entered Sen with high expectations...<br/><br/>What we ordered<br/>Pho soup to start, Sen's platter, clay pot pork belly, rice.<br/><br/>The food<br/>The pho soup was really good - rich in flavour, perfectly hot for the cold night although we did wish the portion was a tad bigger.<br/><br/>Sen's platter looked good when presented but each item were nothing extraordinary. The fresh rolls lacked the fresh herbs you'll get if it was from le Vietnamese, the pork bits and fried spring rolls were okay and apparently there were squid cakes. We eagerly anticipated the clay pot pork belly and were quite underwhelmed. Whilst the pork from the middle of the pot were almost melt in your mouth the ones lining the outside were a little tough. It did go well with the rice though so that's a small redeeming feature. The taste were similar to most of the braised pork you get from Chinese eateries.<br/><br/>The Drink<br/><br/>according to my alcohol loving friend their cocktails are pretty good, tad better than Madam Woo's. My milky mocktail were tasty.<br/><br/>The place and people<br/>The restaurant is beautiful in an east meet west way. We loved the raised platform for the dining area and the ambiance is indeed perfect for a date night (well listed Zomato!). The service was varied and rushed, from really good to a bit rude. It's not often you get such a high variance in staff attitude, the barman were good and there was a jolly bloke who were very friendly. But there also were a lady that muttered a few swear words (to her colleague mind you) and threw the bill on the table when asked if we could check our items having changed tables.<br/><br/>Final verdict<br/>A place with so much potential but fell a bit short. As a Vietnamese restaurant with a high focus on dining experience, the customer service was a bit of a let down. The food were a tad average although the pho is worth returning for. In the future we will probably just have pho and drinks when we come to Sen.<br/><br/>Food 3*/ Drinks 4*/ Service 2*/ Ambiance 3* = overall 3 stars<br/><br/>

Came here with friend on Thursday night, absolutely amazing experience.<br/><br/>The service was very friendly, fast and professional. A guy served us with soft voice which made us really feel like home. <br/><br/>The food was above our expectation as well. The clay pot caramelised pork belly is highly recommended, it had better taste than traditional Chinese pork belly. It doesn't taste oily, the flavour was fully absorbed by each piece of pork belly, amazing. <br/><br/>Their menu was not like cheap Vietnam place which only serves pho and spring roll. It has an modern menu that suitable for a formal dinner for white collars. Fully range of alcohol was served, as well as cleared entree, mains and desserts. <br/><br/>Highly recommended for everyone, but personally I don't like the red duck curry I ordered, too much potatoes and the curry gravy was not good. <br/><br/>

Absolutely one of the best Vetnamise places I have ever been too. The customer service is excellent, they really know their food. The food was delicious and totally on point. If your looking for fantastic service and food this is the place to go!!! If I could I would say 200% in everything for people looking for great food

I had the poached chicken salad which was fresh and tasty, my friend had the fish which looked even better. Great atmosphere and easy location for parking. I will be back!

Came here on a Friday night, it was bustling. <br/><br/>Given how busy it was, the service was very quick. It was also friendly, but not particularly polished. <br/><br/>The food was fine, nothing wrong with it...but for Vietnamese this place is at the pricier end of the spectrum...so I had high expectations. It was good, but not great like some of the other Vietnamese places around. <br/><br/>The cocktails however were delicious.

Had come here off the back of a friend's recommendation and some seriously good reviews. The star of the night was by far the clay pot pork belly. The pork was tenderised and soft and really soaked up the sweet flavours of the sauce. 5/5 dish.

We came here with the recommendation from my friend who said their mango salad was amazing. Unfortunately it was sold out. <br/><br/>We ordered:<br/><br/>Summer rolls - crunchy, fresh and rolled different from other restaurants. The rice wrapper on my summer roll was a little hard and dry but it still tasted good though. <br/><br/>Clay pot pork belly - really amazing. The pork belly had like 3 layers of meat and fat and fell apart in my mouth. The skin was so soft and soaked up the sauces. <br/><br/>Papaya salad - we ordered this instead of the mango which sold out. It was a tad too spicy for me but everything was crunchy and fresh. It was topped with beef jerk which was a nice twist and worked together well with the sauce. <br/><br/>Tiger prawns - generous amount of prawns with onions and capsicum. The sauce was almost like a sweet and sour sauce but not too sweet <br/><br/>Would come back again!!

The spring rolls and savoury pancakes were crisp and very tasty followed by chicken curry and shaking beef, both excellent. We finished our meal with black rice, best ever tasted and lotus pudding which was light and delicious.  We will definitely be coming back. The staff were welcoming and efficient. We enjoyed a pleasant evening. Anne Rickett

Had a beautiful meal here, great service and awesome location. Summer rolls were delicious as was the thick dip that went with it - other Vietnamese places often serve rolls with watery and clear dressing but I prefer whatever Sen put in it! Papaya salad and Pork Belly were great choices and keen to go back for the rest of the menu

We never write reviews but this place was exceptional. <br/><br/>We were looking for somewhere new to try on the way to a gig at the powerstation.<br/><br/>When we spotted Sen on Zomato we thought we would book and try it.<br/><br/>Great impression at first and greeted very well. Staff, service and food were fantastic. great menu.<br/><br/>Pricing was very reasonable as well ...great bang for buck.<br/><br/>Try it

Just went for dinner. So good!!! Fresh and full of flavour. <br/>Will be returning soon to try everything we didn't order tonight. Both the mango beef and papaya salads are amazing. Also the 'shaking' beef is a must.<br/>looking forward to tasting the lunch options as well.

Lunch on a Friday suddenly became effortless and cool.Noticing that the CAC Eatery had 'morphed' into a Vietnamese restaurant, my taste buds started planning a visit. Getting a group together, easy. Choosing something from their varied menu, not so easy. My choice of the Mango (and Beef) Salad coupled with a cold Saigon Export proved to be a good one. The fresh mango was a nice contrast to the beef, nothing overpowering and just the right amount of sweet & sour going on. Their Summer rolls, Fried spring rolls and Hue lemongrass skewers (not tasted by this reviewer) all looked wonderfully fresh and arrived in a timely fashion. My dining pleasure was further enhanced by their lovely blue & white crockery. The service and attention paid to us was also very pleasant.All in all a great lunch time escape and I look forward to seeing (and tasting) what they bring to their dinner service.

The restaurant catered well to us on a Tuesday night. From the outside its a bit deceiving, the restaurant is much bigger than it looks from the outside. There are 2 floors, and the decor makes one feel comfortable - lighting just perfect with the candles, and the round tables on the 2nd floor make it extra accommodating for groups who want a more intimate feel.<br/><br/>We ordered one of each meat: beef pho, lemongrass chicken, and a claypot caramelised pork belly dish between my girlfriend and I. We had the pho to start with and it was flavourful without being too salty. The lemongrass chicken had a nice spicy kick (tolerable for me as I don't do well with spicy) and was well complimented with the rice noodles- I quite enjoyed that combination but wish the chicken was served a bit warmer.<br/><br/>Waitresses were really friendly and patient with our indecisiveness and questions about the dishes. Overall happy with the experience.<br/><br/>Environment: 8/10 - great decor and friendly, knowledgeable staff<br/><br/>Taste: 7/10<br/><br/>Peanut-Nut Friendliness: Yes - will accommodate to change if they know there are nuts; waitress also knew which ones had/didn't have nuts/peanuts.

I recently travelled to Vietnam and tasted the great food over there. To be honest I was quite disappointes with the vietnamese restaurants offers in New Zealand. SORTED! Sen Vietnamese restaurant bring you very authentic taste of Vietnam and an unique atmosphere. You will feel like you are travelling. I fully recommend, the best! The service was really fast, good and the owner has a great sense of humour as well. I normally never post on Zomato but this time I couldn't missed sharing this place.

Went to Sen last Friday for lunch. Best Vietnamese restaurant I've been to. We had beef mango salad, market fish and lemon grass chicken salad. Everything the superb. Can't wait to go back.

As per usual, beautiful meal and a great environment, I recommend Sen very much. Everything about this place is superb, great service and great waiters.

My now favourite Vietnamese place to dine in. Great location with easy road parking. Food is very delicious and full of flavour! Great range to choose from as well as great range on the beverage list. Service was very welcoming too. Will be returning regularly!

Finally a great lunch and dinner venue close to work. Great flavours and fresh ingredients. Will be back again for sure. Great range of tap beers too. 😀<br/><br/>Best Vietnamese in Auckland