5 Must Try Vietnamese Restaurants, Cafes and Food Stalls in Cairns
Being both a massive foodie and having a Vietnamese background, Minh has kept a keen eye for a quality Vietnamese Restaurant in Cairns.
There’s just something about a big bowl of hot, delicious beef pho that leaves you feeling full and satisfied, without feeling heavy and regretting it.
This is a common trait of Vietnamese food, and I believe that it’s just one reason that Vietnamese food has become one of the most popular cuisines around Australia.
In this blog, we wanted to share with you our top recommendations for Vietnamese Restaurants in Cairns, and our top recommendation for each restaurant.
1. Pho Viet Vietnamese Noodle Bar
We really love Pho Viet. It’s 100% our go-to for a big bowl of yummy beef pho.
The restaurant itself reminds me of visiting a restaurant Vietnam, and the familiar smell of pho stock is irresistable.
It’s not fancy. It’s just a casual, and often bustling little place to grab dinner as a family.
The quality of the food keeps people coming back and the restaurant busy, which is evident as you walk past.
We recommend trying the beef pho if going to Pho Viet. It never disappoints!
Pho Viet Vietnamese Noodle Bar is located just down from the Cairns Night Markets at 5/78 Abbott Street, Cairns City.
2. Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam
Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam is found at 5/1 Aplin Street, (just around the corner from Pho Viet), and is a much larger restaurant.
The extra space and the higher quality furnishings make it a really nice place to dine (a bit more than just your quick casual meal).
The owner of Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam Marche, Phuong and his brother opened the restaurant to celebrate and share their love of Vietnamese food and culture.
Phuong’s brother trained in Vietnamese cooking in Vietnam, and brings the authentic techniques and flavours to Cairns, Australia.
We really love both the Bun Cha and the Com Tam at Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam and recommend giving both of these a go if you visit the restaurant.
Bun Cha is a cool rice noodle and vegetable salad with a vinegarette dressing. It is the perfect combination of filling and light, and is a great choice if the weather is warm and you don’t feel like a hot meal.
Com Tam is a meal with a delicious marinated grilled pork on top of broken rice and served with a fried egg. This dish is extremely popular in Vietnam and is a great choice for a hearty meal.
I also recommend getting a lemon iced tea if you visit. It’s not on the menu but rather a treat they introduced me to when I first visited.
3. Thi Thi’s Cafe at Rusty’s Markets
Okay… So Thi Thi’s is not technically a Vietnamese Restaurant in Cairns, but rather a food stall.
You’ll find Thi Thi’s located inside of Rusty’s Markets.
It’s a small sandwich bar roughly in the centre sitting beside a Turkish Kebab stand.
We discovered Thi Thi’s while we were doing our weekly fruit and vegetable shopping at Rusty’s and it’s become a regular occurance ever since.
Thi Thi is the owner’s name, and she always greets us with a smile.
If you’re at Rusty’s and you’re looking for some lunch while you’re there, I recommend grabbing a Banh Mi at Thi Thi’s for an inexpensive, but super satisfying bite.
A Banh Mi is a bread roll with meat, Vietnamese herbs and salad vegetables inside (often pickled). Traditionally a banh mi will also have a pate for extra flavour.
Thi Thi chooses a really light, crisp baguette, and uses sliced beef in her rolls, matching it with the perfect combination of salads.
Because Thi Thi’s is located inside of Rusty’s Markets, it’s only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the days while the rest of the markets are open.
4. Tia’s Cafe & Vietnamese Restaurant
Tia’s Cafe is a slightly out of the CBD, located at 227 Sheridan Street (the main highway), in Cairns North.
Tias Cafe offers a range of Vietnamese and Thai food, and is another of our favourites for banh mi.
The cafe/restaurant is large enough to be able to sit and have a meal with family and friends, and is very much a casual setting.
The banh mi at Tias’ Cafe is different to the banh mi at Thi Thi in Rusty’s Markets in the fillings that they use.
Rather than the sliced beef, Tia’s Cafe prefers to use thinly cut beef that’s then been braised.
It gives a very different flavour to Thi Thi’s and is a lot ‘saucier’.
It’s hard to have a preference between Thi Thi and Tia’s Cafe for their banh mi because it’s difficult to compare them. It comes down to personal preference as to whether you prefer a braised texture or a sliced meat texture.
5. Annee’s Caphe Sua Da
Caphe Sua Da directly translates to Coffee/Milk/Ice – which is the vastly popular and incredibly delicious Vietnamese Iced Coffee.
Annee’s Caphe is located at Rusty’s Markets on the Grafton Street Entrance and is impossible to miss.
You’ll usually find people lining up for their iced coffee.
Annee’s Caphe Sua Da also sells delicous, chewy bagels made by Baked on Redhill then prepared at Annee’s.
Traditionally, ordering a Vietnamese Iced Coffee means that you’ll be brought a special little coffee filter that sits over a glass of condensed milk, beside a glass of ice which is added after the coffee filter has finished.
At Annee’s Caphe Sua Da, your iced coffee is served in a takeaway cup. However, the process of drip coffee, condensed milk and ice is still used.
You can watch the staff whip up your yummy treat right in front of you.
In Conclusion
There are quite a number of different Vietnamese restaurants in Cairns and cafes that serve Vietnamese food,
We’ve given you 5 of our favourites and top recommendations for Vietnamese food in Cairns.
Have you ever visited Vietnam? What’s your favourite Vietnamese Food? Let me know in the comments below!