Though the place seems quite popular, I managed to get a table around lunchtime. The restaurant serves a mix of Vietnamese classic with some Xi'an noodels to add some diversity. Inside, the place looks way better than many of the neighbouring Asian restsurants. Their staff polite and quickly takes care of guests. The menu is not too long. After some thinking I chose stir-fried tofu with aubergine and rice. The serving could be slightly larger, but overall the stir-fry was tasty, quite spicy and had a lot of tofu in it. Definitely a good choice for lunch!
Very good value for money, the food is great and the service was quick. Great spot for an affordable dinner in Mare St. My favourites were the Bo Nam Bo beef and the crispy squid.
Really great Vietnamese!. Green Papaya is fantastic Southern Vietnamese food and it's quite different to your regular generic fare... using lots of lamb and cumin and aubergines, kohlrabi in addition to the regular mix.
We've tried a bunch of places on Mare Street and most of them have been pretty average to not-very-good but I'm happy to say that Green Papaya is our new local.
Very friendly service, reasonably priced great quality Vietnamese food.
The cumin lamb was DELICIOUS.
Haven't had the Pho yet but looking forward to trying it.
One complaint:
The food in general wasn't very spicy and we had to order extra chillis to go on the side, but I suspect that's a matter of tailoring their food to an English market that's largely pretty ignorant of the heat involved in Vietnamese food.
Equally, the Green Tea Ice-Cream was a lot more creamy than it was savoury--and honestly, not that highly recommended--and our waiter said that this was really just catering to demand more than anything else.
I have never really taken to Vietnamese food... as I am now living between those two heartlands of Vietnamese cuisine in London, Kingsland Road and Mare Street, I decided that I really needed to give Vietnamese another shot. Having scoured a few blogs I settled on the Green Papaya on Mare Street.
Green Papaya is a Vietnamese restaurant, it seems very popular with most tables full when we got there around eight... The décor is pretty grim in honesty and the service was quite erratic but my god was the food nice. I went for the Salt, Chilli and Garlic White Fish starter; little nuggets of fish dusted and deep fried in the most amazing savoury, spicy coating. The portion was huge and I don't think I've ever been happier with such a simple starter. Mains was a meat feast of Barbecued Pork Belly from the specia
One of my all-time favourite Hackney restaurants with great food and marvellous staff.
Try the banana flower salad, the squid with spicy basil sauce, the pork and Vietnamese olive hot pot, the braised fish fillets with egg plant (aubergine) or the slow cooked belly of pork with mushrooms and dried winter vegetables.
Great flavours and plenty of Vietnamese staples as well, like the beef salad or herb rolls with prawns, also the Vietnamese equivalent of a pad Thai is worth getting.
The decor is contemporary rustic, with bare wood floors and high ceilings. Cost-wise it is about average, with mains priced around the £7, £8, £9 mark.
I can't count the number of times I've eaten here and never had a single thing to complain about. Always beautifully prepared and tasty dishes.
First class.
Nice restaurant and the best service ever!!! People are so nice and funny!!
Food is so delicious and it’s so traditional and home made.
It was a great experience 🥰
This was probably my favorite meal I had while I was in London. Each item was delicious and I enjoyed trying some new things.
We started off with some prawn chips and I also tried a pork bun, "which some have called the first hamburger", and I thought it was great. As a main dish, I tried the Spicy Dan Dan noodles and was very satisfied. It was the perfect level of spice and a good mix of ingredients.
After we finished our meal, it was around closing time, and the owner came over to chat with us. He told us a bit of the history of his restaurant and what running it has been like. I found him to be a really nice, genuine guy and wish him continued success.
AMAZING FOOD. A group of us practically ordered all the starters. From the soft shell crab to the deep fried Aubergines, everything was delicious. I ordered some extra prawn summer rolls to take home. Fresh flavoured food. Lovely staff. 100% recommended and will be back VERY soon :)
I’ve been coming quite regularly in the last few weeks and food is always SPOT ON. 👌🏻🙌🏻
I tried summer rolls, vermicelli noodles, prawn curry, deep fried squid, deep fried aubergine 💥, stir fried king prawn 10/10
Very fresh and delicious. You can tell they put heart and soul into this. Also very friendly and attentive staff. Always a pleasure to come back! Thank you!☺️
Our group was well taken care of by the staff on the night. Food came out quick and was of good quality. Toilets were below ground level, as many are in London, and are well over due for renovations.
Ordered from UberEats, the food are well packed and nicely presented. Really delicious! A lot of tofu in Bun Xa, fresh and very flavoursome. Good portion of Aubergine. Literately ordered again within a few days because it’s just so tasty!
We walked in with only 5 minutes left to order and they very kindly still seated us and served us quickly. The food was well seasoned (I’m usually prepared to eat an under-seasoned meal in London…it is what it is) and fair portions for decent prices. Perhaps if I was hungrier I would’ve needed more🤷♀️ overall enjoyable and I’m definitely returning if ever in the area!
fabulous Vietnamese food, everything we had was exceptional. fresh, flavoursome, healthy. served in big portions by very friendly staff. the place is cash only, but there's an ATM just across the road
Yummy food. Grilled pork belly was the star of the meal
I loved this restaurant. We only had a few small dishes, but each was simple and good. I especially loved the Thai basil dipping sauce, and the lively banter.
Probably the best Vietnamese restaurant in the street of most Vietnamese restaurants per sqm. Great seating area, you are not close to other people's table. They also have high chairs. Food wise it's amazing how tasty and full of flavours the food is. Summer roll and spicy calamari were delicious, aswell as the beef and pork Belly noodles. They have wine and beer to wash down the food. Not oily dishes, medium spicy and filling with unbeatable price - a winner!
Decent Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant. The food here was alright. Noodles could be springier and tastier, while the grilled chicken was done well. Overall service is fast as well.
Huge portion for the Vietnamese summer roll and the pho was served on a stainless steel bowl. I was bit disappointed with the pho as the condiments like sprouts, mint and basil were not too fresh and came out from the fridge like made yesterday’s. I ordered a rare beef but beef meat somehow cooked so well. It was lovely meal for a cold weather winter. The restaurant also serves some Chinese delicacy too so if you fancy a bit Vietnamese and Chinese this can be the one.
We had a really delicious meal here, highly recommend it. Fresh, delicious ingredients cooked with utmost care, attentive service and the glass of Viognier I had was great too.
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