Cafe East

Cafe East has traded from a spot near Surrey Quays station since 2008, a no frills Vietnamese canteen that built its name on word of mouth rather than any effort to look the part from outside, and it has kept a loyal following through nearly two decades with barely any change to the format.

Pho is the reason people travel here from other parts of London: a broth simmered for more than ten hours, served with beef cooked rare enough that the heat of the soup finishes it at the table rather than in the kitchen. Banh cuon, the steamed rice pastry rolls, and a coconut based dessert called che ba mau round out a short menu that does not try to cover every regional dish, favouring depth on a handful of items over a long, unfocused list.

The room itself is basic, closer to a cafe than a restaurant in decor, with simple tables, functional lighting and fast turnover rather than any attempt at atmosphere or presentation beyond the food itself.

Location is the honest drawback: it sits away from the main Vietnamese restaurant cluster people associate with Shoreditch and Hackney, closer to a retail park and residential streets than a food destination, so it takes a deliberate trip rather than a passing visit on the way to somewhere else.

For the quality and price of the pho alone, that trip has been worth it to a loyal following for close to two decades, and it remains one of the better value bowls of pho in south east London.

Anyone visiting should check current opening days before travelling, since a small, family run operation like this can vary its hours more than a chain restaurant would, and phoning ahead is a sensible precaution given the distance involved for most visitors coming from central London. There is little in the way of atmosphere or presentation to justify the trip beyond the food itself, so this is a restaurant to visit specifically for the cooking rather than for a rounded night out. Cash is generally accepted alongside cards, and portions are generous enough that sharing a couple of dishes between two people, rather than ordering individually, is often the more sensible approach on a first visit.