Restaurants

Living in Melbourne for 15 years and travelling Vietnam end to end twice probably qualifies to say this place is quite unmemorable and evidently way overrated. Green Papaya in Hackney is loads better.

Great value for fantastic food! A good place before a night out in Hoxton, or if you're just out for a tasty meal!

You don't go to Song Que for the service, Paulina. The bad service is actually part of the experience! You go there for the large variety of authentic dishes, fresh produce and cheap prices - a rare combination in London.

Following Time Out's rave review, we went to check this place out on Easter Sunday. Well, for starters, they didn't remember my reservation (even though I had called them twice). The service was, shall we say, disinterested. No effort was made to serve all six of us in a way that would have allowed us to eat at the same time. Bits and pieces were put on the table whenever they happened to be ready. Some of us had ordered rice or vegetables, which arrived well ahead of the actual main course, by which time they were cold. Despite all that, we would have ordered coffee had we been given the chance. Alas, bothered to ask if we wanted desert, so we waived frantically for the bill and went elsewhere. The food was ok for the price, but not particularly impressive.

Been at least 5 times over the last 2 years and will be going again tonight. The soft shell crab is to die for and the spicy broth that accompanies most of the pho is refreshingly clean and vibrant. So the service isn't 5* - do you go for the service or the food/atmosphere/social aspects of the restaurant?? One of the best cheap-eats in London and we will keep going there till it closes...

Food on the whole was good. Especially the bo la lot (the beef starter) My boyfriend ordered the rice with shredded pork and grilled pork. I am disappointed because this dish is traditionally served with broken rice and an egg. The pork was good so that made up for the rice. Pho was mediocre as the broth lacked the punch that its supposed to have. On a whole its a good meal and good value but to say it is the best Vietnamese restaurant in london is a bit far fetched especially when the che ba mau (3 colour desert) wasn't served with a layer of red beans, mung beans then green jelly. Its supposed to be three colours not including the coconut milk which is white and with crushed ice.

It's great place for pho. You cannot go wrong for this price and quality. I have been to very renowned one nearby too but thought Song Que was better. I will come back again for a next pho.

Fantastic value and great food, the menu is huge so still lots left to try although the soft shell crab is superb and needs to be ordered every visit! The delightful beef and noodle soup is fresh and light - and the beef is rare and soft - always a good choice.

A disappointment. The soft-shell crab recommended in the review was ok, but nothing special. The beef and pork spicy pho that my husband ordered was mediocre at best, with very poor quality-hard-to-chew-meet and processed pork that looked and tasted like wet mortadella. The sweet and sour shrimp was too sweet, the accompanying onions and peppers were raw. The best thing about this place, without a doubt, is the price. 24 pounds for three dishes, a bowl of rice and a beer. Try Namo, closer to Victoria Park. The menu is a tenth of the length but the deco and the service are far superior and the food is delicious. Booking necessary.

I just had a phó tai (rice noodles with rare beef) at Song Que. The noodles were really overcooked, the beef was scarce, not tasty and not even rare at all, and the brown sauce that normally gets served (to dip your meat into) wasn't available either.
Service was rather poor too, and the restaurant doesn't even recycle beer bottles.
For me, a vietnamese restaurant that doesn't know how to cook a good phó is a bit like a pizzeria that can't deliver a good Margherita...
I definitely expected something much better from a 5* time-out rating.