Vietnamese Snack Food Cafe Restaurant - Karama Branch

Name: Vietnamese Snack Food Cafe Restaurant - Karama Branch
Address: Crystal Building - Shop 1,2,3, Al Karama, Dubai, AE
Telephone: +97142879779

Al Karama

Restaurant Open now 04 287 9779

Vietnamese Snack Food Cafe Restaurant in Al Karama is a small Vietnamese restaurant known in reviews for beef pho and dishes such as Banh Xeo. It is close to ADCB Metro Station, with dine-in and delivery mentioned in the business information; the room is quiet and compact, so expectations around space and service matter.

Reputation Score

4.1

★★★★☆

222 ratings

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The Good Stuff

Showing 2 of 6

Beef pho

Beef pho is the clearest recurring strength, with reviewers describing rich, authentic flavour and a delicious delivery version.

Banh Xeo

Banh Xeo, the Vietnamese crispy pancake, has been praised as excellent and was a favourite for returning diners.

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What to Eat at Vietnamese Snack Food Cafe Restaurant - Karama Branch

Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of Vietnamese Snack Food Cafe Restaurant - Karama Branch, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.

Food 3

Banh xeo Net +4

“Food is great, and they have Bo La Lot (beef in betel leaf skewers) and Banh Xeo (vietnamese crispy pancake with choice of filling).”
Beef pho Net +2

“Beef pho is very delicious.”
Cơm ga hoi an Net +2

“But our favouite dish of the meal was their outstanding Cơm Ga Hoi An or Hoi An Chicken Rice. It’s similar to Hainanese chicken rice with one main difference, the chicken here is grilled rather than poached. VSFC simply has this dish nailed.”

Honorable mentions (17)

Bahn mi Net +1

“Bahn mi also lip smackingly tasty and juicy.”
Banh canh soup Net +1

“We ordered the Banh Xeo and the Banh Canh soup. Support local Viet food vendors here in Dubai yall!”
Beef noodle Net +1

“I tried the beef noodle here, and it was absolutely fantastic. The flavors were rich and authentic, making it a delightful culinary experience.”
Bun mang vit Net +1

“Bun Mang Vit is a rice vermicelli duck noodle soup with bamboo shoot. If you like the taste of bamboo I strongly recommend you try this hugely flavoursome soup. VSFC’s is superb.”
Chicken hirata bun Net +1

“Chicken hirata bun was polished off by our fussy five year old before I could capture a photo.”
Chicken noodle soup Net +1

“The Chicken Noodle Soup was delicious, with just the right tanginess with a touch of spicy flavor.”
Crispy ravioli Net +1

“Tried a few items off their menu over lunch today - I'd recommend them all: Fresh Spring Rolls (came with a moderately spicy home-made sauce/dip), Crispy Ravioli (I'd never thought coconut milk would complement it so well), Stuffed Betel Leaves (still sizzling when it got served and so tasty), and Mango Salad (very enjoyable, seasoned mild to medium spicy).”
Edamame Net +1

“The edamame was good”
Mango salad Net +1

“Tried a few items off their menu over lunch today - I'd recommend them all: Fresh Spring Rolls (came with a moderately spicy home-made sauce/dip), Crispy Ravioli (I'd never thought coconut milk would complement it so well), Stuffed Betel Leaves (still sizzling when it got served and so tasty), and Mango Salad (very enjoyable, seasoned mild to medium spicy).”
Rau muống xào tỏi Net +1

“We also had the delicious stir-fried water spinach with garlic (Rau muống xào tỏi).”
Rice paper rolls Net +1

“I ordered delivery. I ordered the beef pho which was pretty good. The rice paper rolls were ok. Well packaged”
Spicy chicken with lemongrass Net +1

“I ordered spicy chicken with lemongrass, which went so well with the sticky rice. I opted for medium spicy, which was just right and not too spicy. The fresh lemongrass flavour felt so refreshing mixed in with the sizzling chicken, tender, juicy and yum.”
Stirfried beef in oyster chilli sauce Net +1

“Beef combo meal : Stirfried beef in oyster chilli sauce , egg was too oily but beef and steam rice was good .”
Vietnamese pho soup Net +1

“finally a good vietnamese restaurant in Karama. the vietnamese Pho soup was awesome. The vietnamese ice coffee as well. The price was cheap. I will come back again.”
Vietnamese spring roll Net +1

“Vietnamese Spring Roll - was on their healthier side with rice sheet and was light , crisp and accompanied by peanut sauce .”
Chicken curry Net 0

Mixed feedback

“> Vietnamese Chicken Curry - I also ordered it medium spicy. It tasted ok, but I could barely detect any heat (spicy) at all.”
Beef combo meal Net 0

Only neutral feedback

“Beef combo meal : Stirfried beef in oyster chilli sauce , egg was too oily but beef and steam rice was good .”

Drinks 2

Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk Net +1

“I had the fiercely strong Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk and boy it was strong! I had it iced due to the summer heat. I spent quite some time at the restaurant savouring my food and enjoying my coffee.”
Vietnamese ice coffee Net +1

“finally a good vietnamese restaurant in Karama. the vietnamese Pho soup was awesome. The vietnamese ice coffee as well. The price was cheap. I will come back again.”

What to Avoid (17)

Food 15

Beef salad Net −1

“> Beef Salad - I requested medium spicy. The beef salad was virtually tasteless. The beef was definitely not grilled and sauce was watery.”
Ca chien mam gung Net −1

“CA chien mam gung is hard, 3 small slices of sea bass and plain rice for a price of 52!”
Cha gio crispy spring rolls Net −1

“Sadly, the Cha Gio crispy spring rolls were no better, suffering from a stuffing which was tasteless.”
Duck salad Net −1

“Disgusting food, not as pictured and described. This is supposed to be duck salad.”
Gỏi cuốn Net −1

“The Gỏi cuốn, Vietnamese cold rolls, were a disappointment mainly because the opaque rice paper wrappers (bánh tráng) were so sticky.”
Grilled chicken hoi an style Net −1

“Too expensive for the quantity they are serving, the taste of the food was changed no more touch of Vietnam. Food was served too salty( grilled chicken hoi an style.”
Gyoza Net −1

“However, my bf ordered gyoza. The filling is still cold inside. I asked the staff to reheat it again. anyway the taste of gyoza is bland.”
Net spring rolls Net −1

“The net spring rolls tasted bland - i like mild flavours but this was just tasteless.”
Noodle soups Net −1

“There's some other places that do some of the dishes better (such as noodle soups) but overall the menu is good.”
Pad noodles Net −1

“Pad Noodles was ok was too saucy and chicken had some raw smell . Quantity and presentation was good .”
Papaya shrimp salad Net −1

“We ordered the fresh spring rolls and papaya shrimp salad, but both dishes were bland and lacked flavor.”
Sea bass Net −1

“CA chien mam gung is hard, 3 small slices of sea bass and plain rice for a price of 52!”
Spring rolls Net −1

“> Spring Rolls - Though they didn't taste too bad, they were very loosely rolled and contained no fresh mint. All the Vietnamese spring rolls that I've had elsewhere always contained fresh mint.”
Stir fried beef Net −1

“Tried the stir fried beef. It came with a large quantity of sauce. Other beef item was not good also. No taste.”
Tomyum Net −1

“Avoid at all cost! Ordered tomyum for 50 AED and 90% of the tomyum is broth, few pieces of seafood not more than 10.”

Drinks 2

Vietnamese coffee Net −1

“Vietnamese coffee is not that good also.”
Water spinach Net −1

“> Water Spinach - Out of all the dishes, this is the only one that had any flavor, but it was mostly stems. I was hoping it'd be like Morning Glory, but it wasn't.”

Tips for a Better Visit

Showing 2 of 6

Choose noodles. For a first visit, noodles are the safer bet: one reviewer specifically liked them while finding the dumplings bland and cold inside.

Skip dimsum. Avoid the dimsum and dumplings if you are particular about texture; one review said they seemed frozen and reheated.

Plan the visit

Practical details

Crystal Building - Shop 1,2,3

Al Karama, Dubai

04 287 9779

Mon	10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Tue	10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Wed	10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Thu	10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Fri	10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sat	11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sun	10:00 AM – 11:00 PM

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Common Concerns

Showing 2 of 5

Hygiene concerns

Several reviews report cockroaches or insects, including one found on a table and another on glasses.

Small portions

Recent delivery and dine-in reviews describe some dishes as small for their prices, including a 42dh noodle bowl.

Customer-reported prices

These are customer-reported mentions, not a current price list. Prices may have changed.

42dh

bowl of noodles

“with the price of 42dh for such a small bowl of noodles, I feel it is not worth it, I was surprised when I received a meal like for a child”

Google review · October 2025

DXB
LOCAL

The Bottom Line

Vietnamese Snack Food Cafe Restaurant is a compact Vietnamese spot in Al Karama, close to ADCB Metro Station. Beef pho is the strongest recurring recommendation: reviewers have called it delicious, rich and authentic. Banh Xeo, Bo La Lot and Com Ga Hoi An also appear among the more memorable dishes, while delivery is available through the business information and has worked well for some customers.

The setting is small and often quiet, with one review noting only three or four indoor tables. That can suit a relaxed meal, but service may slow down when staffing is thin. Recent customers have also reported small portions for the price, including a 42dh bowl of noodles, and drinks such as water and Vietnamese coffee were considered expensive by one reviewer.

Parking nearby can be difficult, so the metro is practical. There are important quality caveats. Multiple reviews mention cockroaches or insects, alongside damaged flooring and cracked plaster.

Food feedback is mixed too: pho and noodles receive praise, while other diners found spring rolls bland, dishes too salty, or dumplings cold inside. For a first visit, noodles are the lower-risk choice; check whether Banh Xeo is currently on the menu and consider calling ahead for a dine-in table.