Review Mekong Cafe - Wellington

My partner and I went to Mekong for his birthday, and I was pleasantly surprised! The ambiance isn’t much to write home about and the service was good enough, but the Báhn Tam was amazing! Both myself and my partner ordered this meal and had zero regrets. By itself, the vermicelli noodles are lightly flavorful, but I felt that the dish became perfection after the addition of chili oil and vinegar. The vegan egg rolls are a nice touch. We also ordered some hot jasmine tea, and our total came out to ~$40.

Been coming here for well over 5years and I owe it a review. Hands down the best Vietnamese spot by far don’t let the looks fool you😂!! Huè spicy beef pho soup if the BEST!! The owner thought I had started coming when I was in college and was shocked to find out I was 30 and the girl I had always come with was my partner and not my sister😂😂

Soooo delicious!!!! And so reasonably priced! I love coming here for some yummy comfort food, and you can't go wrong with these noodles. Hot or cold. Very friendly service, chill vibes. Deffs highly recommend 🌟

Decent Pho served in generous sizes, and their other dishes are also really well done - good for a quick and easy meal that'll hit the spot. It's a nice and quiet spot, good for families or those looking for a quiet meal in the middle of a busy day.

Mid price but nice food! We really enjoyed that. The banh tam vermicelli noodle salad and the skewers are really good. My friend ordered a large noodle soup $18 and it was huge!

Wonderful and staff so friendly! Give this little place a go!! Run by Vietnamese family. Everything we ordered was great!

I would recommend Bee Bun, as well as spicy beef noodles for those who love super spicy (there's extra chili on the table for you to enjoy). Value for money

Great place but definitely a dine in spot to me. Have had delivered quite a bit but it's always so much better in the shop. The condiments on the side make every bite better than the last with a killer chilli oil to soak your dumplings in or fancy up your pho. The chicken curry is delicious and so are the spring rolls but you can't go wrong with the pho or the rice paper rolls either.

Food was ok and at a good price range. The place by itself looks like it needs an upgrade in general. They do have vegetarian options and the guy that took my order was really friendly. I will probably get back in some point to try their stir fried dishes. I saw several locals coming in and out for late lunch. My only “complain” is that usually with pho they give you a lot of veggies on the plate, I think they can improve by increasing the portions for the veggies at least 50% more.

Super friendly host, comfort warm asian cuisine. They were about to close but took us anyway, it was raining hard! The beef noodle soup is delicious and perfect for a cold night.

Food is good, price is good, quantity is good. Will be back often if I lived in Wellington.

It was nice soup and nice thin noodle! But i was shame that the rare beef portion was kind so small. But its good to come back again!

The Pho was delicious. Serving size was insane. If anyone can finish the large I’ll be very impressed.

Very tasty inexpensive food. The Huế Spicy Beef Phở is always my choice. Amazing if you like it spicy. My partner's VG Noodle Soup was also tasty.

Delicious food, great broth, friendly service

Authentic rare beef pho! The soup is refreshing and well seasoned. The beef is not rare but somehow much more tender than other places I've been to. The noodles are cooked well - not too firm, not too soft. However, they have a bit of a stale aftertaste. Very friendly service :)

The best unpretentious friendly; wholesome down-to-earth goodness Vietnamese meal... consistently fresh everytime - one of our fav cheap & cheerful spots in Wellington!

Best pho I’ve tasted! I tried the pho ga and the spicy beef pho. They’re both so good and the serving is big. I love their vegetarian summer rolls as well! <br/><br/>I’m giving a 5 star not only to the food but to the service as well. Lovely people. My boyfriend ordered lemon iced tea and they mistakenly thought he wanted iced tea but they exchanged it right away, no fuss.

Value for money. Pho was really delicious! This place is known for one thing- the pho. My friends ordered other stuff like fried rice and combination rice and they felt it was OK. The pho broth was truly unique, sweet and salty. I could really taste the beef bones and marrow that have been boiling for hours and hours. Excellent, bringing a taste of Vietnam to Wellington.

Friendly and welcoming staff and oh the food!! Doesnt matter what you order the flavours explode in your mouth.  The summer rolls is to be recommended.

This cafe established in Wellington quite a while. We used to be eat here where there's not much asian cafe around but now with new owner foods and style quite change a lot. The food bland n not right flavour. We really like previous owner way better especially their home made cake

Great Vietnamese pho and a pretty good Chow Mein on crispy noodles. I've come here for years when I crave Pho. <br/><br/>Tasty food at fair prices. No complaints at all.

Delicious. This place has been around for 20+ years. Not a lot has changed in that time. Not that I'm complaining cos the food was good back then and it's still good. Beef ball pho and avacado shake are my usuals.

Best soups and noodles in town for Vietnamese.We come here on the regular for a quick meal.<br/>Pho is great, Bun is great, Summer Rolls are great, Stir Fried Noodles are great.Hole-in-the-wall goodness.

Really lovely, fresh and interesting food! I had a beef noodle soup-y kind of thing, (Bee Bung) with a fresh lemon flavour to it. Service was great. Super reasonable prices too.

Had some pork summer rolls last night for dinner. They tasted great, but the pork tasted old and weird. Woke up in the early hours spewing my ring out. Now I'm heading to Auckland to celebrate my 30th feeling like crap. Good times. Won't be eating here again.

This is definitely my favourite Vietnamese Restaurant here in Wellington. It's got a quaint atmosphere with friendly staff, and the food is always great. Their pork bun is one of the best I've tasted; add a dash of hoisin sauce and it's perfect! One of my fav meals is Be Bung, with a tasty and generous amount of "toppings" (grated carrots, ground peanuts, a couple of meatballs, stir-fried beef that's really tender and juicy, and spring roll). Finely chopped lettuce and some mung bean sprouts are just under the vermicelli, and the balance between the fish sauce and sugar makes the entire dish a delight to consume. It's reasonably priced at $11.50, although I think the pork bun's a bit expensive at $4.00 considering its size.

Sunday is a difficult day for Asian Soup lovers. My beloved classics like Little Penang, Satay Palace, and Fisherman's Plate were all closed so, alas my group was forced to stretch beyond our comfort zone and try a different joint.<br/><br/>We chose Mekong purely because it was the closest store to us. Settling into our seats, we received our menus in no time and our orders were taken shortly after.<br/><br/>Our order consisted of a beef pho with beef meatballs, and a chicken curry and beef brisket. The orders took around 5-10 minutes and when our meals came out, they came out looking rather ravishing.<br/><br/>Chicken curry was standard, although my friend did say that he was impressed at the amount of chicken in the curry. The beef brisket looked amazing and it also tasted as such. Lastly my pho was GREAT! Although it isn't as good as the one at fisherman's plate ( my reasoning will be below) it did taste fantastic and was exactly what I was after.<br/><br/>I did feel that there wasn't that much beef in my pho and the beef brisket meal still left my friend a bit hungry.<br/><br/>Showstopper: Good pho and beef brisket<br/><br/>Overall Grade: B+

Have done takeaway a number of times from Mekong Cafe. Always impressed with the speed, price and flavors, also they have nice options for juice and dessert. Recommended plus the service is warm and friendly.

Awesome place!! I go with my partner and it's always amazing. I love chicken curry, very tasty, as well as the avocado smoothie. Very cheap and great service

best place for a lazy sunday noodle soup. Can always rely on it to be open even public holidays. Cheap and quick meal. always satisfying. Recommend

This is a great place - it's quick, cheap, fresh and delicious.<br/><br/>The place can be packed, but I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes for service. <br/><br/>My favorites are Beef Pho, and Bun Thit Nuong  (sp?) - but essentially, Vermicelli, Shredded lettuce, carrots, grilled pork and delicious house dipping sauce.<br/>The summer rolls are always fresh, tasty and delightful.<br/><br/>Beef Pho is served with Coriander and Bean sprouts.  The broth has the right balance of warming spices, and beefy savoriness.<br/><br/>I would say however, the Pork Buns from Saigon on Mt Vic, are better.  However, these are tasty as well, just not the best you can find in Welly.

Great Pho! Really good flavours and generous portions. There is a reason this place has been around  a long long time. Great with kids too and allergies were not a problem.

Cheap, cheerful and tasty as! <br/>The restaurant is a bit shabby round the edges but the food is to die for. There are lots of cheap Asian restaurants on Cuba street but hardly any Vietnamese! I had the vege noodle soup (make sure you ask for vege broth) and some spring rolls to start. All Devine :-)

First time visit and I am very happy with the service, they were very friendly and efficient. As a person with a low tolerance for spice they catered to my tolerance very well and the chicken curry was delicious.

Best Vietnamese food in Wellington. It's not upmarket, but if you don't mind the decor, they are much better than any of the other Vietnamese restaurants we have tried, and very inexpensive to boot. Suggestions include the Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Mekong Spring Rolls, and pork on rice.

I ordered "stir fried seafood with rice"but it seemed just vege stir fried with a few prawns and tiny squid....<br/>Price was $15 I will never go there. <br/>They change attitude and service by customer.

Nice location, nice food, affordable price. Would be a great place to hang out at lunch time. Would recommend the "pho". I have dined here several times because it's really fast and convenient. The staff was friendly but sometimes not helpful enough. If you're looking for a place to first try Vietnamese food, Mekong Cafe is your place to go.

Have eaten at Mekong twice now. On both occasions the food was delicious and the service was friendly and prompt. <br/>Great food at an affordable price. Sure the décor probably isn't up to 'wellington' standards so to speak, but I don't go to cafes/restaurants to look at the walls. A++

Eat here often - I go for just the Pho - It's delish!

Mekong Cafe is the first Vietnamese restaurant I have visited in Wellington since relocating from California.<br/><br/>Since we have outstanding Vietnamese cuisine in San Francisco, I wasn't expecting much from this little cafe. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the pho tasted. <br/><br/>For those of you who don't know what "pho" is, it is the beef bouillon broth-based rice noodle soup that is ubiquitous in Vietnam. The locals eat it morning, noon and night, and there are different beef ingredients in it. <br/><br/>For example, my "pho dac biet" (special combo pho) came with beef meatballs and thin slices of rare and well-done beef only. Usually, a "dac biet" also includes tripe, tendon, fatty flank steak and brisket slices. Wish I had these items in my pho. <br/><br/>If you're not adventurous, I'd suggest ordering the "pho tai", which is the steak pho.<br/><br/>The accompanying sprouts and cilantro (um wait, coriander here) were fresh and added zing to the bowl as well as that nice squeeze of lemon juice from a big fresh wedge.<br/><br/>My Kiwi partner had a rice plate with grilled pork seasoned nicely with southeast Asian spices. It came with a bouillon broth side, fresh salad and a tangy, savory dipping sauce based on fermented fish sauce. <br/><br/>Our meal totalled NZ$21.50, and was very satisfying. The decor is cafe-style, nothing to write home about, but I'm glad I finally found a decent, affordable Vietnamese cafe to satiate my pho cravings!

visit the place regularly for lunch. might hv to wait a bit if busy but the food is worth it.

Cheap and cheerful Vietnamese food. The pho is great, as are the various appetizers (e.g. spring, summer rolls). Definitely not in the slightest bit upmarket, but makes a welcome change from the millions of Malaysian noodle joints around this area of town.