Review District 1 - Brisbane

District 1 is a low-key Vietnamese Cafe offering traditional pho and banh mi. I tried their crispy chicken noodle soup and it was quite good. The chicken was nice and crispy. The noodles were soft and the broth had a mild sweet and savory flavour. A big shout out to their Vietnamese iced coffee. The coffee was strong and had a delicious flavour of condensed milk. It is a must try if you're looking for a quick and easy meal!

Loved our Beef Pho and Spring Rolls. Spring Rolls were some of the best I'd had in a long time!!! Beef Pho was also amazing! Service was super fast and meals were well presented. Affordable meals options with Pho $17 and Spring rolls $9. Decor isn't that fancy so if you want more ambiance, maybe go somewhere else but if you are after great food on a budget I highly recommend you give this place a go. Thanks for a lovely meal.

Very nice food. The service was fast and friendly. The menu great. Great value. A little gem.

This restaurant may not look like much, but the food does not disappoint at all! The service is so friendly and they do it with a smile. Food was ready really quickly and I could tell all the ingredients were fresh. The prices are hard to beat, so much value for money.

Fabulous Pho. So flavorful, and the flavors are in perfect balance. Very large bowl so go hungry and plan some time to enjoy.

Pho is full of flavour, a warm and delicious treat for a winter meal. Filling and well priced with lots of other yummy things on the menu

The best beef noodle soup in Brisbane. Really like papaya salad as well. Highly recommended!

Absolutely delicious Beef Pho’, it took me back to Vietnam. I will definitely be back to try other menu items.

The owners are an absolute gem but this place does serve the best beef and chicken (plain or crispy) pho in the valley! Their salt and pepper squid is to die for and pineapple fried is definitely worth a try. Don’t forget to get the lychee or pineapple slushie too!

I had the beef pho and the squid pawpaw salad. The beef pho was average. I could understand the soup base it just was right and the beef was too well done. It wasn't the best nor the worst but I couldn't finish it. As for the friend squid in pawpaw salad, I was a bit dispointed. The salad was excellent but the squid was battered and the fried which didn't go well with the salad. So I only had 1 piece of the squid. Overall average experience

My all time favorite spot to dine in the valley. Seriously good Vietnamese duck curry (get it with the baguette and it will blow your mind). Been going here for years and always exceptionally good!

Good chicken pho.i love it I love it I love it and I love it, if they can change the noodle to a thin rice noodles I will even love it more ...but it's still pretty tasty chicken pho!!! Really really loves it!

It doesn't look like much but this little restaurant serves great Vietnamese food. The slushy style coconut mint drink is really tasty and refreshing. I had one of the vermicelli noodle dishes which came in a large serving and was very satisfying.

TL;DR: We have another decent Vietnamese place that offers all that you would want. As far as a bahn mi goes, few that I have seen have been as big and rich as this one so that is more power to them.<br/><br/>Much like a lot of the outlets in Brisbane's Chinatown, District 1 does not look like that much from the outside but then it does have an allure only to not have it - kind of a thing with downtown areas there. When it comes to that aspect, it is about the appearance where the worst ones end up possessing the best and most authentic foods, particularly regarding the value to portion size. From the try-out I had here, it might not completely meet that description but it was not without a fair amount of merit.<br/><br/>Going for a second time around, I felt on a roll and wanted to give it another burl as well, it was back to the UberEats right before the lunch-time hour began. There was a hankering that I was having the day before, but I saw from a couple of new places that had it but something was unavailable that made the order not feel complete to me. This day though, while it was not the initial location that had it, there was an ace up the sleeve which meant success. So typing in that order into UberEats, it was all a matter of waiting for it to arrive.<br/><br/>It may have been a bit late on my part, so no fault is at the efforts of UberEats. What I am trying to say is that it took a small while to get here with a long route being taken, presumably having several people on the way that also ordered some grub. Regardless, when it did finally arrive, all was good and the delivery was effective enough as it was. This time around, it was just meeting in an agreed upon location, collecting the order, and then sauntering back to the table to eat some food. So I still am keeping the shining opinion on UberEats, especially knowing where they are.<br/><br/>We are looking at some Vietnamese right here, and from a simple scour of the menu and some of the photos online - and only by presumption of it - it is street food along with something of a fusion edge to it. They start the menu off with some basic snacks, the appetisers and all that, then next are the rice paper rolls, the salads including the vermicelli noodle varieties, noodle soups, bahn mis, several kinds of rice dishes which include many classics, and several types of cold drink.<br/><br/>It was the old "burger and fries" again that took my hankering, and that meant another bahn mi and coffee. I could eat those nearly every day, and rarely ever get sick of them - they are that good. Looking at the different bahn mis, the one that took my fancy was a pork meatball one and after typing in to "load it up with chilli" it was on its way. That, and an iced coffee - the two make the perfect snack, and always reliable. Though some are obviously better than others, there has yet to be one that is truly bad in my opinion.<br/><br/>One of the biggest reasons why I have taken a liking to them in recent years is how cheap they often are, but this one is a tad pricier than the norm. Upon thinking about it, I reckon that I can see why it might have something of an upscale in price. The baguette that it was in was big, crusty and had a good deal of butter seeped into it and when they had pate on this roll - they really had a good deal of pate which would have contributed to it. Steve Brimblecombe himself says that this is what maketh a bahn mi.<br/><br/>Getting to the point of the matter, as always the bahn mi was tasty, filling and really substantial. All of it comes down to the unusual mixture of taste profiles and textures. It all starts with a good quality baguette, and it ought to be a baguette and nothing else. This gives it the right crusty texture, the slight bit of an inherent buttery taste, and the soft interior to complete it all. The meats will vary, however I reckon the best kinds are ones with either a good bit of crispy fat on them, or something that is marinated very well. For the one that I ordered, there was a fancy name for it but regardless the meat that was used was minced pork done into a meatball. The generous amount of it was one of the best things, especially due to how flavoursome it was using a good cut of meat, plus the herbs and spices put into the mixture really made it flavoursome. By the time it got to me, it more or less was like a spicy mince. Although it is not generally my sort of filling, this time around I will make an exception - the salad items of cucumber, and carrot contrast to the greasiness by adding a cooling crunch to it all, followed up by the unique flavour of coriander. If chilli is involved - and I make sure to request it - that then adds another contrast, with a spicy bite that melds into the meat, contrasts with the vegetables, and just completes the all-round taste profile of the sandwich. When the cook here read out "load it up with chilli", he must have taken that to heart because there was a good bed of it on there, fresh and everything, which could more or less clear out a cold. All of those were right on with this sandwich, and the rich pate that was seeping out of the reams really was just some icing on the cake.<br/><br/>Of course, we got to talk about the accompanying drink - the iced coffee. As per usual, fantastic. Whatever roast, whatever bean, or whatever the blend that they used was, I know for sure that it would be a high quality one. The depth of flavour, the sheer richness of the bean, plus just how damn strong it was as well, all made for it to be good as it was - all that was a stark contrast to the smooth, sweetened bed of condensed milk that is smooth and creamy. Add this on top of some ice, and it becomes possibly the pinnacle of coffee beverages that can be found.<br/><br/>Regarding this 4.0-score, I am keeping in mind I only really had a bahn mi and coffee from there, and as tasty as they can be, I don't believe they are the sole aspect for the quality of a Vietnamese eatery - even more so if they offer a large or solid range of items. That being said, if the quality of the sandwich and coffee is anything to go by, then I definitely would hedge a bet that the food is of a consistent level of quality that is quite high. Vietnamese street food has definitely established itself as one of the most reliable choices that is around, and District 1 is one more example to go by that statement. Word also has it that they know customer service as well, which would definitely be some more brownie points for them.

The owner is very friendly and we love the Vietnamese themed decor at this clean, fresh cafe on the edge of Fortitude Valley.  At $10, this is the most we've ever paid for a bahn mi - but the District 1 version with roasted crispy skin pork belly is delicious.  The pho ga - classic Vietnamese chicken noodle soup was very nice and full of great quality ingredients but not remarkable.  It's a little bit more expensive than Inala, Darra or Sunnybank but this is reflected in the quality of the ingredients and the more central Brisbane location.

Tasty food, but they don't handle much of a crowd. We arrived as a group of 10, there was a good half hour from when food started coming out and when everyone had their meal. Was probably 20 mins before the first dish came out so some people were waiting 50 mins for lunch in total.<br/><br/>When it came out, it was very good. Approval all round.

Ordered the chicken pho at the eat street markets and usually I'm a bit of a fussy puss when it comes to soups. It's either I like it or I hate it on the first impression and this soup base was actually pretty tasty. It carried all the flavours and wasn't a split bland. Happy with that.

The bahn mi is incredible! I forgot to take a picture because I just dug right in. We ordered 1 first to share, and one pho, but we had to buy another bahn mi because it was really that good. It was really fresh and tasty.<br/><br/>The pho was alright but I personally thought it didn't taste very genuine (?) - as in, it tasted less like meat broth but more like sauces and additives? So I ate all the noodles and the meat, but didn't really think I could drink up the soup. <br/><br/>I also had the pineapple fried rice another time and it was alright. I think that it could be better if the rice was drier, instead of being like a sticky rice?<br/><br/>The customer service is great! I'll be back again especially for the bahn mi!

Average Vietnamese food, <br/>Lemon grass beef bun was lack lustre and just didn't have that pop of freshness of herbs which I expect from Vietnamese salad, lucky I had nuoc cham in the fridge to give it a boost.<br/>Spring rolls were ok, not a great deal of flavour and we're oily.<br/>Bahn mi had nice crisp baguette and the slow roasted pork was tasty, a little too much butter and not enough pickled vegetables. <br/>I doubt we would eat here again

Loved the banh mi here! Not the traditional three meats and creamy pate, instead a crispy pork dowsed in Vietnamese fish sauce which is flavoursome and delicious, particularly with the added chilli seeds. The bread was crispy and fresh!

I picked up just the roast Peking duck rice paper rolls to take away, to accompany a meal at home. The duck was done very well and the flavours complimented nicely with the cabbage and cucumber. They were very filling with all the rice vermicelli inside! And the hoisin dip was delicious - not too overpowering or sickly. I was annoyed that I didn't order more items!<br/><br/>The interior of this small restaurant is simple and clean, like good quality street dining. A nice place for a casual dinner with friends. I will definitely be back in the near future to sample more of the food!

I wouldn't go back for the Pho. But the flavours overall were good, service was quick and it was more than filling. The papaya salad had just the right level of spice.

Best Vietnamese in the Valley. The beef pho is incredibly tasty and the staff are always friendly and professional. District 1 is our go-to for delicious, fresh, and great value food!

Had a great dining experience here although parking was quite a struggle. It took my friend's and I ages to find a park. Anyways we tried several dishes here including the classic bmt, pho, rice vermicelli noodle salad, combination pork chop with rice and rice paper rolls! All the dishes were very pleasing. I generally never eat pho in restaurants because they never seem to capture the true essence of real pho and lack  the rich soupy flavour of the broth. However, this pho when it came out it had the very strong fresh pho aroma. I tried the pho soup and it was actually very good, the flavour were all there and you could tell it wasn't full of msg. It had this genuine taste so I definitely recommend the beef pho! Probably the main highlight, but all the dishes in general were great, still remaining authentic but had a healthier touch to it.

I remember seeing so many District 1 food photos on my Insta feed that I had to hop on the band wagon and try it myself.<br/><br/>Presentation was nice and the flavour was there in the soup. Probably the best thing about this place unfortunately. Beef in the pho was overcooked leaving it tough. The pork in the rice paper rolls was dry and the spring rolls in the salad were soggy on the inside.<br/><br/>Overall, it's mediocre. Would I come back? Maybe - definitely not as bad as other Vietnamese restaurants in the Valley.

BEST PHUCKING PHO FO SHO in Brisbane. <br/>Walked past a few times and noticed people eating Pho ... big massive bowls of it! Chilled 25 seater in the heart of the valley and it could very well be the heart with its vibrant pink walls. The Pho is next level, beautiful aromatic stock severed to the brim with beef, noodles, fresh herbs and veg. I will be visiting at least once a week through winter, good soup on a cold night .... Yaaaas

Sitting on the outskirts of China Town, District 1 serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine in an unassuming and handy location. Based on our travels to Vietnam, the restaurant’s name first caught our attention as we believed it to be a nod to the district in Ho Chi Minh City where we had eaten mountains of incredible street food. Needless to say, we were more than excited to recapture those culinary delights.

After reading all of the positive reviews for District 1, I decided to go with a work colleague to try the food out for myself. I really wanted to like my crispy skin chicken with rice, but I was let down by the lack of flavour. The chicken was definitely crispy, but the fish sauce lacked flavour and was too watered down for my liking. The accompanying slaw (cabbage) had no dressing and I got one tiny piece of tomato. All for $13 I was pretty disappointed. There was a group who had ordered before our arrival that had food coming out of the kitchen at different times. At one stage some of the people had already eaten their meals and the rest of the group were still there waiting for theirs.

Best beef pho I've ever had. So much flavor. This will be my go to place for pho from here now. Staff was helpful with my requests. The setting is simple but ok.

Fantastic Vietnamese food, the pho is beautiful! Nice fragrant flavour, authentic as it comes. Really enjoyed my meal here ( I got a beef pho, rice paper rolls and the potato prawn ). Great value for money as well

Brilliant. I absolutely loved this place.<br/>I eat a LOT of Vietnamese food. I enjoy the variety of flavours, & the 'clean' taste lots of herbs & Vege always adds.<br/>District 1 ranks #1 for me after this afternoon's meal.<br/>The chicken pho was unbelievably delicious, the broth was the most complex & tasty i've had in years. Plenty of chicken, noodles & all the 'add your own adventure' extras on the side.<br/>I washed it all down with a Vietnamese iced coffee which hit the spot.<br/>I've already organised a friend & I to go back again next week.<br/>Top marks for the friendly service as well, they were lovely & actually asked if I'd had a nice day when I walked in & feedback requested politely upon exiting.<br/>Tiny downside.... There was a price tag floating in my pho, it was kind of funny. Something cost $2.99 haha, it didn't bother me in the slightest.<br/>On a side note... I've eaten some pretty decent food in Brisbane recently. Hopefully this is a continuing trend.

Had rice paper rolls and sweet potato chips. Good food (though still westernised Vietnamese food), great coffee (pretty close to proper Vietnamese coffee) nicely done up cafe. Will go back and sample the menu again soon.

Really gorgeous Banh Mi. Lovely place for a BYO meal in the valley, super authentic flavours too! The traditional Vietnamese butter and all the trimmings were fantastic 👌<br/><br/>Check out more meals I've enjoyed on Instagram: @insatiableappetiteforlife

I really enjoyed my dining experience at District 1. The food has great flavours and the atmosphere really takes you back to Vietnam. <br/>Pricing is definitely mid-tier. And whilst the pork belly Bahn mi was absolutely delicious, I can see how the $10 price tag might deter people. <br/>I'd definitely want to go back and try the clay pot and the curry though.

District 1 is my new favorite restaurant in the Valley! Fantastic Vietnamese food, friendly service and reasonably priced. The pho is super tasty but my favorite dishes are the caramelized fish hot pot and the roast duck soup. Oh and the lychee and mint frappes are delicious and super refreshing.

Fantastic Authentic Viet without having to make the massive trek out to Sunnybank! Highly recommend their Pork Belly Banh Mi's as well as their Rice paper rolls. Always consistent and delicious.

I went here quite a while ago, just after the Storey Bridge event in fact! I want with Manda to the event thanks to some leftover passes from Dandelion. We walked there from the CBD and were late for our midday session, we barely got through 1/3rd of the Storey Bridge before we had to wrap it up and head home! As a result, we were pretty hungry and I was in maximum seek out mode for the best feed possible. Something that was near impossible considering the sheer size of the crowds that day.

Small menu, Viet Core with 2 or 3 specials on the Blackboard each time we have visited. BYO and happy owners/staff. Had the Pippi's recently as a special. Very very good

I've gotta admit. I'm drunk. BUT. If that is anything to go by. Drunk Henry knows a good bowl of tasty food when he sees one. The pippies, duck curry and crispy duck were GOD DAMNED TASTY. Love this place I'll be back :)

This is one fantastic little Vietnamese restaurant in the valley. Whilst it's small, it certainly makes up for in big flavours. The Pho is excellent, but if you don't like tripe ask for it to be taken out as it's a standard ingredient. The pork belly banh mi are a must try, crispy skin and they aren't skimpy on the fillings. This place would make a great late night feed, or an inexpensive lunch if you work in the area. Of all the Vietnamese in Brisbane, this is definitely one of the best. Probably the best in the City area, so if you're not willing to head out to Inala/Darra/Sunnybank, this is the place for you.

Great local restaurant that serves AMAAAAZziinngg Vietnamese street food! I love their Roast Pork Belly Banh Mi and their curries are (in my opinion) the best in Brisbane. Definitely a must-visit.

Tried the beef Phở and a lemongrass beef Bánh mì and an iced coffee to drink. (It's also BYO)<br/>Both dishes were good, the bread was the most authentic we've had in Brisbane so far, flavours in both dishes were great; the beef and broth in the Phở were good. We'd both would have preferred fresh chilli on the side rather than sauce. The iced coffee was nice but probably not quite as good as the ones I've had elsewhere recently (too much slushy ice)<br/>Would go back to try more tasty dishes.

Went to district 1 on monday night! The restaurant was clean and spacious with counter service. I love my pho so couldn't go past the Chicken Pho which I added extra chilli too. Great affordable price ($13) and super tasty! Unfortunately, we ordered three meals and they all arrived at different times but apart from that my experience was great.

It’s not from the Hunger Games, but from the central area of Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam, which is where the owner is from. I’d been seeing pictures of food flash across the social media feed, and wondered if it was just hype. There tends to be a bit of built-up buzz around new places, and there is a degree of orchestration now that didn’t use to exist. Brisbane too, is becoming subject to waves of popular food. For a while it was Mexican, then American, and then Vietnamese and Malaysian too (Malaysian may be more a rising thing in Sydney and Melbourne currently, but it will eventually drift here, I’m sure.).

A new Vietnamese restaurant has opened in Fortitude Valley and their Pork Belly Banh Mi Roll is out of control! . The new restaurant is owned by Phillip Pham and inspired by District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh is known to be a fun, lively, and hip place - much like Fortitude Valley! It also happens to be one of the THE BEST places in the world to find Asian street food. Owner, Pham says he wanted to bring that quality food experience to Brisbane, with a modern twist.

Awesome for Lunch. I was advised to go to this place by a Vietnamese lady. My expectations were easily met. They maintain a small menu so after a couple of visits I have tasted most of their offerings. I keep going back to the Pork Belly Banh Mi. They do great Pho as well, and if you're a Vietnamese restaurant that can't pull this dish off, I think you're playing the wrong game. This place is nearly a once-a-weeker for me.

Yum!!. The spring rolls were like nothing I've tasted before. Hated sharing them with friends. They were our of the betal leave beef so I tried the sugar cane prawns. Amazing. Will be back.

Best Vietnamese street food restaurant in Brisbane. I stumbled across this little restaurant across from cloudland on a night out & loved it. District 1 serves authentic , fresh Vietnamese street food. I had the pork belly banh mi & the pork belly was melt in your mouth & the bread roll crispy & crunchy! I would also highly recommend the sweet potato chips with cinnamon & syrup.... Delicious!

Cheap & cheerful with a simple menu. Delicious pho - will be back.

Fresh food, authentic Vietnamese iced coffee. Great service, fresh tasty food and the best Saigon-style iced coffee I've had in Brisbane. They had a country music on the radio though, not sure what that's about.

Really wish I could love this place as I work around the Valley and it's the only place near that sells Vietnamese banh mi. I had the slow roasted pork belly roll but the meat was really dry and made my jaw sore from the chewing. The fillings are not your traditional vegetables that you usually get in your banh mi, they put lettuce in which IMO didn't complement the pork. The baguette wasn't crispy and warm as I would've liked. And at $10 a roll it is quite expensive, especially when the taste wasn't there for me.<br/>But I did give it another try by coming back to try their rare beef pho but I was left a bit disappointed. Broth wasn't as flavoursome and lacked depth. The homemade lemonade was too sweet for my liking. However service is lovely and for some reason I will like to come back to try the other menu items. Reading other reviews everyone seems to love the banh mi, perhaps I just got the bad bits of the meat.