Eating Spots You Must Try in Cabramatta! (UPDATED!)

Cabramatta, a suburb in Southwestern Sydney that should be visited if you are looking for some of Sydney's best food spots.. It's quite far from where I live but the thoughts of going there always light the spark in me! 

As soon as you step into the main food street (John St).. You'll find a vast array of restaurants and cafes offering many choices of mouthwatering authentic Vietnamese cuisine, be it in the form of Pho, Bahn Mi and others.. 

With each places specialising in a particular type of dish.. Here are some eating spots we recommend you to visit!

For Bahn Mi fix:
1. Kim Thanh

Located conveniently across the station, their Chicken and/or Pork Roll always becomes a temporary cure to my hunger fix (especially before queueing for Vinh Phat). Generous fillings, crusty roll, and tasty sauce - they are my go to place for bahn mi every time I visit Cabramatta.

Address:11/215 Railway Parade, Cabramatta
Opening Hours: 5am - 6pm on weekdays and 5am - 8pm on weekend

2. Vinata's Hot Bread

I heard that Vinata has been standing strong since 25 years ago and they have been nominated as one of the best pork rolls in town! Finding this shop is easy as you can simply tell from all the media coverage and signs they put throughout their shops.. LOL!

We chose their Chicken Roll to start with this time.. We love how the chicken, veggies and pickles were stacked neatly inside the crusty bread roll.. What makes it special and distinctive from others are Vinata's homemade chicken liver pate and their own delicious soy sauce! 

Address: Shop 13-14, Cabramatta Plaza,1 Hughes Street, Cabramatta

Opening Hours: 5am - 7pm daily

For Yumcha Fix: Vinh Phat

Always crowded and busy (be prepared to queue for at least 45 mins if you come on the weekend), Vinh Phat still humbly serves appetizing yum cha at a low price! Service is quick and you get all your orders in no time. Don't forget to try their Chicken and Jelly Fish Salad for something different with its crunchy texture and tangy flavour or the crowd's favorite, Deep Fried Seafood Roll with Plum Sauce. 

Address: 12/10 Hughes St, Cabramatta

Opening Hours: 9am - 3pm, 5pm - 10pm daily

For DIY Rice Paper Roll Wrap:Bau Truong

One can't simply miss Bau Truong whenever they walk along John St.. It sparks my interest to find out why this place always has people patiently queueing for their seats..

Their menu is the most extensive I could ever see in Vietnamese restaurant! It gives you the feeling of hearty home-style dishes and has all the range from the char-grilled meats, salads to the street food snacks.. 

We finally managed to order their DIY Rice Paper Roll Wraps and one of their must-try Beef Salad..

The first one to arrive on our table was their Goi Bo Bop Thau aka Beef Salad with Shredded Green Mango, Apple and Starfruit.. It's a perfect combination of sweet and sour flavour from the shredded fruits, moist and tender beef slice and the crunchy peanut on top.. One bite has put this superb combination at the top of my list!

The idea of eating it together with prawn crackers tickles my inner child and makes me smile inside-out! LOL! Tell me.. Who doesn't love prawn crackers? 

Unfortunately.. We couldn't order too much here although I wanted it as we still had some places to try after this.. We went for the lighter version..Their DIY Rice Paper Roll Wraps with Special Mixed Plate.. Their Chao Tom (Sugar Cane Prawn Cake) caught my eyes as soon as it arrived on our table.. 

Submerge the rice paper for about 4-5 seconds in hot water (it won't stick if you soak it too long).. One thing that I like the most is how you can do the experiment with the meat, veggie and vermicelli noodle.. Then.. Roll it fast so the rice paper won't dry out and as nicely as you can! LOL!

Also.. Don't forget to eat it with the dipping sauce to get all the sweet, salty and sour flavour out in one..

Address: 42 John Street, Cabramatta

Opening Hours: 10am - 11pm daily

For Pho Fix: Pho Tau Bay

Hail to the best un-pho-getable pho in Sydney! 

I bet Pho is considered everyone's comfort food especially during cold weather. It comes usually in a large bowl filled with clean sweet but aromatic beef bones broth and slippery smooth rice noodle. As delicious as it looks, their broth has all the qualities to be a total winner without having to add other condiments.

Address: 12/117 John Street, Cabramatta

Opening Hours: 8am - 7pm, closed on Tuesday

For Mi Quang Fix: Pho Viet

On top of their Pho, you can't simply miss their signature dish, Mi Quang! It's actually Prawn, Crab Meat and Pork with Handmade Noodle Soup.. Their handmade noodle is thicker and much chewier compared to the flat rice noodle.. Then.. It's served with little amount of soup, some crushed nuts on top and the crispy crackers on the side..  

I think they might simmer fish bones and/or prawns together with the pork bones as it gives you slightly fishy but intense broth flavour.. 

Address: 11-15 John Street, Cabramatta

Opening Hours: 8am - 9pm daily

For Vietnamese Crispy Chicken: Tan Viet

Tan Viet is widely known as one of the best crispy chicken in Sydney! If you come during lunch or dinner time, be prepared to wait for a little bit (the turnover is quite quick tho!)..  

As for me now.. I usually go to their Eastwood branch (209 Rowe St,Eastwood) since it's closer and I can get a seat without having to queue most of the time.. =D

Yes! This Crispy Chicken came in its glorious golden brown colour.. It's moist, succulent, juicy and ultimately delicious! You can choose to have it with tomato rice or noodle.. In dry form or noodle soup style.. I chose the dry egg noodle and it came with fresh iceberg lettuce, some been sprouts and garnished with coriander and fried garlic..

I often think that they may poach the chicken first before deep-frying it to get this crispy yet juicy results! But! Since I'm not a gifted cook.. I'll just enjoy this dish without having to risk them by spilling their secret.. LOL!

Address: 2/100 John St, Cabramatta

Opening Hours: 10.30am - 9pm daily

For Dessert and Snacks:

1. What The Fudge?!

Head over to What The Fudge after your meal at Tan Viet if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.. It's located just next to Tan Viet and don't forget to try one of their best seller, Deep Fried Golden Gaytime!

For those who have no idea what Golden Gaytime is.. It's a popular toffee and vanilla ice cream on a stick dipped in chocolate and coated in honeycomb biscuits.. "WTF?!" took this humble ice cream you often find in convenience store to the next level by deep-frying it and you'll have to pay a pretty steep price ($13) to indulge yourself with its new appearance.. LOL!

Address: 1/100 John St, Cabramatta

Opening Hours: 8am - 11pm daily

2. Kaysone Sweets

Kaysone Sweets is definitely a must-visit no matter how full we are!! We usually go for their fritters.. You can choose either banana, taro, sweet potato or have them all.. They are coated nicely in the sesame seeds and coconut cream batter and deep fried until golden and crunchy.. Besides their fritters, you can also buy banana or sweet potato chips and even beef jerky by weight.. 

Address: 59/53-61 Park Rd, Cabramatta
Opening Hours: 8am to 5pm daily

For Drinks:
1. Giai Khat 

The drinks menu has many options to choose from shakes, smoothies, fruit juices and Halo-Halo.. Of course, we can't resist their thick yet creamy Avocado and Durian Shakes and their one and only Sugarcane with Passionfruits!

Address:
Shop 18/101-103 John St

2. For Vietnamese Coffee: Cafe 86

A trip to Cabramatta is not complete without sipping a cup of Vietnamese coffee and Cafe 86 is a favourite spot to grab a cuppa!

A glass of refreshing Jasmine ice tea will be given to you as a complementary as soon as you are seated..

Talking about Vietnamese coffee.. It's basically talking about a drip-filter process of dark roasted coffee bean onto a generous serving of sweetened condensed milk.. The strong flavour and bitterness is balanced out with the sweetness of condensed milk and for me, it really does taste better with some ice on it!

Address: 4/29 John Street, Cabramatta

3. Thu Phung N and Tan Hoan Cao
Sugar Cane Juice from Thu Phung N and Pandan Waffle from Tan Hoan Cao are two things you also can't miss out whenever you are visit Cabramatta.. You can request them to make your pandan waffle cripsy and while waiting you can eat their Nem Nuong Pork Ball Skewers..

Tan Hoan Cao's address:
Shop 3/73-79 John Street, Cabramatta

Our food list in Cabramatta is still long and we can't wait to plan another food trip there soon!! So for now.. Do you mind to tell me what's your must-eat in Cabramatta?