A Day in Greenwich, London with Lunch at Pho Street Vietnamese Kitchen

I love Greenwich in London. Whether you get there on a river boat trip up from the Embankment, ride across using the cable car near the O2 arena or do as we did and drive there, it makes a great day out for all ages. 

From great playgrounds and museums to sophisticated eateries and unique independent retailers it's a beautiful corner of the capital which shouldn't be overlooked. We had a lovely day and a tasty lunch at a great price this week at one of the town's restaurants, Pho Street. Here's the low-down on Greenwich Town.

What to See in Greenwich, London

There's the Cutty Sark and a host of museums, some amazing architecture and the famous Royal Observatory where you can see the Greenwich Meridian line which marks the starting point of every time zone across the globe.

Enjoy the novelty of being able to walk through a tunnel under the Thames, hire a pedalo on the boating lake in the enormous park or just sit awhile under the trees or by the river and watch the world go by.

We spent some time in the park, went to admire the towering masts of the Cutty Sark and enjoyed the coolness of the foot tunnel.  Check out the section that was bombed during the very first day of the Blitz! (don't worry - it was securely repaired.)

We headed for the market area and although there were no stalls open there were some cute shops around the edge including The Fudge Patch where delicious vegan, dairy free slab fudge is handmade. 

We *may* have sampled quite a few of the many flavours on offer before buying three to take home, chocolate, lemon sherbert and salted caramel. Full review to follow.

Where To Eat in Greenwich

Despite our fudge sampling we were getting hungry. There are lots of great food options in Greenwich from pubs to a traditional pie and mash shop as well as the usual chain offerings, so it was always going to be difficult to make a choice.

I love bubble tea and on our walk to the Royal Observatory we'd spotted a Vietnamese kitchen with an impressive menu of bubble tea choices including some alcoholic options, refreshing fruity choices and some dairy-free "milk" choices.

Pho Street in King William Walk, Greenwich is not just a bubble tea place though. You can eat in (or takeaway or get food delivered locally) choosing from a variety of options from Banh Mi baguettes to  Bho Kho, a Vietnamese beef stew. There are salads, spring rolls, summer rolls and sweet potato fries listed too - so many delicious sounding dishes to choose from.

Pho Street Vietnamese Restaurant

With the extra incentive of the realisation that Pho Street was taking part in the August 2020 Eat Out to Help Out offer giving 50% off food and soft drinks up to £10 per head, we decided to eat in. 

Entering the restaurant we were asked to sanitise our hands before entering the restaurant. We were walked to our table and given laminated (easy clean) menus and told to order at the counter which had protective screens erected.

After perusing the menu with my eldest son and two daughters (aged 19 and 14) I headed to the counter to queue to order for us only to find the bao buns we fancied were not available. It would have been very helpful if our server had told us this fact when giving us our menus. I had to leave the queue, head back to our table and ask everyone to choose again.

I opted for the meat special with duck, bbq pork and crispy pork served with steamed vegetables and a choice of brown or white rice. I also ordered two portions of Teriyaki chicken with rice and veg and a BBQ pork version.

All our meals were delicious and I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I was so keen not to waste a single grain of sauce-soaked rice that I abandoned my chopsticks and resorted to using a fork. I briefly debated licking the plate too.

I had ordered a side of salt and pepper King Prawns which sadly didn't get to us until we had almost finished our meal, but staff did keep chasing it without prompting and were apologetic about the delay. If I'm honest, although the prawns were tasty and had a great texture, the coating was rather bland only saved by the chopped chillies dressing the dish.

Four meals, plus a side, plus three bubble teas and a bottled Coke would normally have cost around £60 but our bill came to just under £30 thanks to the Government scheme. 

Greenwich is of course a bit of a tourism hotspot so prices for food tends to be higher than even other areas of London. You can get food even on a tight budget in the town (McDonald's, M&S, Nandos, Wetherspoons and independent cafes and street food stalls etc) but for us eating out somewhere lovely is often a big part of the fun of the day out. 

It was very nice to rest our weary legs sitting in a gently air-conditioned, spotlessly clean restaurant for a relaxed meal. We weren't rushed out despite it being a popular venue for young people, couples and families gathering to chat and drink tea and/or eat. Guest toilets were clean too with plentiful soap and a waterfall tap I envied greatly. There was free Wi-Fi too.

All in all we were pleased with our experience and would recommend Pho Street to anyone visiting this lovely area of London.

Disclaimer: We did not receive any incentive to mention the businesses in this post.