Review Glenda Cafe - Melbourne

Good authentic Vietnamese food. Service was great and there is a large selection of dishes. The crispy skin chicken was good but the tomato rice was either undercooked or old. It was very hard.

Really friendly owners and delicious affordable food. Loved the salad and smoothies :)

I find the Tofu & Vegetable Pho at Glenda Pho delicious, flavoursome and packed with plenty of vegetables, tofu and herbs. The pho is one of my favourites that I have ever tried! I would recommend Glenda Pho to those who admire or wish to try Vietnamese cuisine, those who wish to eat healthy and also to those with specific dietary preferences (gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian ect.)

Really good, affordable and quick! If you are around Port Melbourne and craving Vietnamese food.. definitely need to try this place

Love this place. The staff are excellent and the food is outstanding. They are very generous with their portion sizes and it’s not easy to find authentic Vietnamese Pho. The seafood laksa soup is incredible.

This restaurant is without doubt the best Vietnamese Cuisine in the Port of Melbourne! Always friendly staff the owners are absolutely wonderful people. Warm and friendly. Food is fresh and tasty.

Simply amazing! Amazing service, amazing atmosphere, amazing food. We received our entrees and drink less than 5 minutes after ordering, and our mains 5inutes after that. The Mongolian beef was the best I've ever had (and it is my go-to dish). The dumplings were Perfect, the chicken and corn soup is the definition of comfort, and the pho was the best we've had in Melb. Would definitely recommend. It is our new favorite place in Port Melbourne.

Update: the stir fried beef steak special (W/ Chinese broccoli) is to die for! One of the best of its type... Great food and nice and friendly staff. The pho is great but make sure you try the "sizzling" section of the menu. We always get fried and steamed dumplings as starters as well...

Nothing beats a pho after a hangover. The quantity was good and the chilli sauce was amazing! The soup was very buttery but tasty. The noodles were a bit bland for my taste, however that is how pho generally is. It was good but I have had better.

Went to Port Melbourne enjoy some sunshine few days ago. Walked along Bay Street and found this place. I ordered the Fried Wontons and Pho with sliced beef as I really love Pho!!!! The wonton was good and crispy I like it. The Pho was delicious too. Everytime when I have noodle soup somewhere, the first thing I do is to taste the soup. And the soup base in Glenda was good and I kept on drinking. Will definitely come back if I visit Port Melbourne next time.

Food is really good , and staff is really nice , food presentation is great . I love this place ❤️ you have varieties of food to choose and it’s cheaper than anywhere else.

One of my regular Uber orders for work. Vermicelli salads are on point from here always fresh and the meats always well cooked. Prices are not as cheap as some but the food quality is up there and makes up for it. If your looking for a viet lunch in bay st this is a great choice.

My friend and I ordered take away today for lunch and ate it back in the office, we felt like good Vietnamese and my friend suggested Glenda Pho.<br/><br/>We both ordered the beef lemongrass vermicelli which was a very decent serve, it had a lot of beef and noodles which was nice.  The beef was tender and the sauce which came on the side had a nice zing to it and added to the flavours.<br/><br/>A nice lunch that hit the spot.

New local favourite. Tried this place on a whim and now I’m hooked on their Pho. Wow, just Wow! Such a great feeling to have something delish and local.

Hands down the best pho I’ve ever eaten. So delicious! The chicken satay skewers and salt and pepper calamari are also some of the best I’ve eaten. Absolutely a must go to

Super yummy food with fast, friendly service! And cheap! What more could you want?! Lots of vege options too. This is added to the favourites list.

Glenda Pho Cafe. Wow. Yum yum and yummier. Perhaps the best fried rice I have had. Big call. Beef in the stir fry was nice and tender. Spring rolls were delicious wrapped in the lettuce and dipped into fish sauce. The only criticism I have was the chicken and sweet corn soup. Much too thick and salty. Give that one a miss.

We eat here very regularly (fortnightly at least) and are never disappointed! Even better now that have a liquor license and offer BYO!<br/>The beef Pho and spring rolls can not be beaten!! <br/>Service is great, food is quality and cheap! <br/>We love Glenda’s!!

Very yummy vegetarian tofu curry laksa! All kinds of soups and noodles are good, always friendly staff and always leaving with a full tummy and wallet!

Points for: value<br/>Dine Time: Weekday lunch<br/><br/>Catering to the um.."anglo" community predominant in the area, Glenda Pho is one of those places you can get a stir fry 300 different ways. <br/><br/>As for the namesake, it's decent pho for the area, but they don't have the "special" version - just options with sliced meat and beef balls. The broth is clear and fragrant, but the flavour isn't as "deep" as other pho restaurants. <br/><br/>The vermicelli salad is fresh, with a good amount of mint and lettuce, hard to get this one wrong no matter what type of protein you choose.<br/><br/>It's a bustling restaurant, and they get along with the locals.

Was once a bakery which served banh mi and is now a full In house restaurant, after the explosion in the popularity of Vietnamese cuisine. They do a damn good pho here and spring rolls, it's nice and clean inside and the staff care about their jobs !!

Go to for Pho in Port Melbourne. Quick service. Tastes good. The coconut water is nice. Recommended. I haven't tried the Pho places as yet in PM

Pho is pretty tasty and their rice dishes are simple and make for a satisfyingly cheap feed. One of the better vietnamese restaurants in the area that gets quite busy and overwhelming at night but the service is always quite prompt and attentive.

Above average food, quick and helpful service. Had the mixed spring rolls , calamari, and beef pho. Very pleasant and satisfying but have to say Footscray is still solid, but this place is very good, and clean and bright.

I was initially perturbed when a friend suggested Glenda Pho for dinner as pho is pretty much the only food I don't like in the entire world but upon perusing the menu I realised it offered a wide variety of Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine at relatively decent prices too. You do have to order and pay at the counter which struck me as a bit strange but I was pleasantly surprised by the dishes. Flavours were well balanced and the meat was tender with quite generous portions. A little bit of Victoria St in Port Melbourne!

Had lunch here place was busy but still got a table. Service was good and the food came out fairly quickly. We had the Glenda beef pho, Thai duck salad which was good and the lunch time special of sweet and sour with seafood which was a let down due to the lack of seafood.<br/>

Bustling and popular with good reason. Fast service and good cooking across the board despite a long menu. Some dishes can be a bit on the plain side, but the classics are nicely done.

Quick fix of pho around port Melbourne area. Nothing fancy, plenty of meat but the noodles does seems less and broth is not as flavourful as places in Springvale or Footscray. Prawn spring rolls were pretty good.

Summary:<br/><br/>Food - 3<br/>Drink- N/A<br/>Service- N/A<br/>Would I come back- yes<br/><br/>I've been here many times. This time I ordered takeaway chicken pho. It is quite consistent in terms of flavour. The flavour is ok. Definitely worth a try. What I like about this pho is, it is quite an all rounder. Even though the soup is not as fragrant with the star anise and cassia bark taste, but the amount of coriander and onions makes the soup more tasty. A must for the coming winter weather.

What friendly and welcoming staff they have here. I have been coming to Glenda for nearly 3 years and have enjoyed the consistent cuisine. <br/><br/>The new refurbishment is a nice fresh touch!

Food is good (not overwhelming, just good).  Definitely consider what you order, as some dishes can be overly oily.  Staff can only be described as horrendous at best.

I could go on about many of the dishes at Glenda Pho but the one that I always return for is the Hainanese Chicken rice.<br/>This is by far the stand out dish and I have returned for it many times.<br/>They have a really good balance of lemon grass in it and the broth is to die for<br/><br/>Love it glenda Pho!

I often order from Glenda Pho (usually through Menulog) and am always impressed - it comes very quickly, the delivery man is very lovely, and the food is always DELICIOUS. Favourites are all the rice paper rolls (sssssooooo yummy!) and definitely the rice vermicelli noodles. Pho is also fantastic. Thanks so much Glenda Pho - your food is amazing and the Menulog ordering system is SO helpful when getting home late from work or on a tight schedule!

Food was not great, but the service was even worse. Staff was not happy when asked for a couple of minutes to place the order. Never going back to this place.

I have been here four times, usually in the afternoon for a quick bowl of pho and some vietnamese spring rolls. Usually, I'm content with their service and quality of food. However, the last time I came, with a friend on a weeknight around 8.45pm, before ordering, i asked if they were still open, and they said yes. After ordering and paying, they started to get ready to close the cafe, putting the chairs on the tables! Once our pho arrived, we felt like we had to rush it as our table was the only one they hadn't packed up! Was meaning to have a long chat with my friend, but in the end, we were out of there by 9.10pm! One staff was very friendly which is a good point, and the other one (the older one) doesn't smile or say a word. So feeling is mixed about this one due to my last visit here. There are only two Pho places in Port Melbourne, and the other is some franchise, more expensive, smaller servings, and broth of pho was like water, so am in a pickle as to where to grab my pho from now on!

I had the Pho, found there to be too much soup, not enough noodle or beef. <br/>My friend had the crispy chicken and asked for the standard vietnamese chili sauce to accompany, and was provided sweet chilli sauce. Took a long time for the food to come. Not great..

Been to this place no less than 20 times, during the week and for lunch I'd recommend the specials. For dinner we've had rice paper rolls, stir fried beef with lemongrass, and anytime we get a flu we go for the Tom Yum spicy soup (works like the holy grail). Glenda pho deliver good food consistently. Some of the staff is friendly some are rude (due to lack of training). Duck rice paper rolls are nice and their pho is quite good, considering the area is not in the high stakes of pho.

I admit......I'm really fussy when it comes to Pho. I wasn't expecting to get quality Pho in Port Melbourne. Wow this was excellent Pho and for just eleven buck!

If you're a local, this is your perfect go to for Viet food. <br/>Prawn rice paper rolls were just ok, but the duck ones made up for it. <br/>Pho was on point, just as good as any you will find in Richmond. <br/>Sizzling Mongolian beef was ok, a little to heavy on the sweetness. <br/>Overall I'll be back for a pho for sure. <br/>

Fantastic rare Beef Pho! Definitely becoming a regular here. Cheap & cheerful. Service is pleasant. Roast duck rice paper rolls and Tom Yum is great too

I have been here about four times now and am underwhelmed even more on each occasion. I am speaking strictly about the food. It is without a doubt the worst tasting vietnamese I have had. Rice has been undercooked or clearly been overcooked and sitting there for hours and the flavour of the pho is so average you might as well buy canned chicken soup. Do not go here for good vietnamese food.

Definitely coming back here. Super yummy fresh food. Quick service and well priced. Great atmosphere where you can actually hold a conversation as well

Nice good good prices. Didn't have chicken base pho though which was surprising. Staff where friendly and heaps of space inside. Would like to check out who else does pho in the area.

Good idea to open a Pho place in Port Melbourne as Asian food is very limited in the area. Not the best Pho but still they same price you pay everywhere else.

Terrible food (although it looks good in the photo - look can be deceiving! 😜), bad service , $15 minimum on card... Not happy .... 😤.

One of my favourite spots in Port Melbourne. Food is consistent. Some of the best prawn springs rolls in Melbourne rivalling the big boys on Victoria St. Personal favourites are the chicken and pork vermicelli dishes.

Get with the times Glenda Pho. $15 min Eftpos spend when probably half of your lunch meals cost less than $15. Today I had to leave my lunch order on the counter cause they refused to take my card. Despite me regularly going there for lunch and dinner orders over the last 4 years.  Didn't get any real response from the staff who rarely smile as it is.<br/><br/>Just tonight had dinner at the new Pho Street and it was great! I hope Glenda Pho lifts its game with new competition on the street.

A cheap and cheerful Vietnamese place on Bay Street. Super quick and easy. I generally have the pho bo which is always good. They also do nice veggie spring rolls.

Horrible food. We decided to go there on Sunday for some lunch. We ordered grilled chicken with fried egg on rice and it was terrible. It was obvious that it was pre-cooked, it came out all steamy from being heated up in the microwave, the skin on the chicken was like rubber and the meat was overcooked. Won't ever go back there.

Good place for cheap and quick dining. The menu is huge but as the name suggests, pho is their specialty. They want you in and out quickly so keep that in mind.

I order from here quiet regularly. I have tried numerous dishes and they are all of a good quality. I recommend the tofu dishes, and the vegetarian spring rolls are also great!

Unfriendly and uninviting as a venue. Ignoring attitude but cheap and quite yummy. Not a great combination but no expectations as you walk in!

Unfriendly service &attitude. How hard is it to prepare a vegetable stir fry? Asked for no sauce just fresh lemongrass & olive oil. Upon picking it up I notice lots of liquid in my pack & really sad veggies soaking in sauce. Not happy with this, I returned it &the owner in a rude manner said that's what I ordered. As well as this, it was loaded with chili which I didn't ask for. Blamed me for that too. They are so rude and quality of vegetables are disgusting. Not one piece of <br/>broccoli in a veggie stir fry but loaded with cheap quality veggies

I've eaten here two nights in a row since I first tasted the deliciousness that is Glenda Pho Cafe. Their salads are so tasty. Fresh, full of flavour and absolutely scrumptious. Everything is ready super quick. I couldn't recommend this place more. So yummy.

It's my favourite restaurant in Melbourne, quick, delicious a little over priced. Best rice paper rolls around! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Busy, bustling and brilliant. What a find, such a busy little cafe serving gorgeous Thai food. Recommend. Unfortunately the lady taking the orders on my visit could not have been more unhelpful if she tried.

Best (only) in Port Melbourne. It's OK. If you want great Pho, then go to Richmond or Footscray. If you want OK Pho and can't be bothered driving, this will do. It's popular, but only because it's the only Pho place in town. Average quality, dear price, but not bad either.

Very average. Pretty sure that glowing review at the top of the page was written by Glenda herself. The only other review given by that user is a negative one of a competitor. Food was pretty awful and the place was smelly, noisy and unpleasant. The staff were nice though. And the food was cheap. But probably not cheap enough.

Delicious food which is always fresh, cosy ambience, lovely owners, immaculately clean, low prices ... i can't fault it!<br/><br/>I love Glenda Pho's. Often I'll eat here every night for weeks on end. With food as tasty and fresh, at such low prices, why bother cooking? <br/><br/>Unlike my other two regular Vietnamese places (Wat Da Pho and the new Mr Cylo's, both in Clarendon St), Glenda Pho Cafe has a much wider menu. Of course it has the usual Vietnamese dishes such as pho and rice paper rolls. However, it also has lots of other dishes including tom yum soup, salt & pepper fish, Singapore noodles, etc. <br/><br/>It even has Hainanese chicken (a piece of tender steamed chicken served with broken rice, steamed bok choy, a bowl of fragrant broth and a tiny bowl of really delicious salty lemongrassy sauce. To eat, break off pieces of chicken, dip them in the broth and then in the sauce .. . The mixture of flavours is fabulous! As far as I know, it's the only place in the Port Melbourne / South Melbourne area where it's possible to buy Hainanese chicken. <br/><br/>The pho is excellent (and is made in the authentic way: cooked from bones for 24 hours!).<br/><br/>The beef stew is especially yummy: huge chunks of juicy beef that are so tender they fall away in your chopsticks, served in a deeply fragrant broth with large chunks of sweet carrot. If you're really hungry and need a meat hit, this is the dish to pick (especially in winter, as this soupy-stew is definitely comfort food on a cold night).<br/><br/>Glenda's always has lots of customers, especially at lunchtime, and it's a fun and friendly place. If you're lucky, you can make new friends there too, as often at busy times you'll be sharing a table. <br/><br/>Glenda herself knows her regular customers by name, and always makes her regular customers feel welcome.<br/><br/>Totally recommended!

Easy, cheap, no frills Port Melbourne dining. Meals are quick and delicious. Perfect for dinner during the week. My only fault is there's no BYO.

No good for vegos. All of the broths are made with meat, even the veggie/noodle soup that doesn't mention anything meat related in the description. Ordered delivery - and the stocks to mix in with the noodles and other parts were unidentifiable. Had to ring up as we couldn't work out which was for the veggie and which for the beef, got told none of them were suitable for vegetarians. They should definitely advertise that. Massive waste of my money...

Good food, soup only has chicken or beef stock no vegetarian so bad for veggie heads. But other options. Not the best but not the worst.

Average food but terrible ambiance inside.

Best Pho in Melbourne!. We visit Glenda Pho every single week, sometimes twice! We love the combination Pho and have recently been ordering the newly added Laksa to their menu. Again, I am a big Laksa fan and have eaten alot of it in my time and this is the best I hve ever had. It has some 'kick' to it but in a yum and satisfying way. Very generous serves too.

On 2 occasions I've been here and each time, the attitudes of 2 particular female staff have been appalling as has the politeness, which is non existent.<br/>Vietnamese cuisine is one in a kind and this cafe if far from traditional. If you want to taste Vietnamese that's remotely close to its traditional flavours, take a trip down to Victoria St in Richmond.<br/>They probably won't rudely decline you when you simply ask for extra chilli sauce either.

The cashier ( also the person who took my order) is plain rude!

Love the Pho - pity about the service. This would have to be the best Pho i've had... Always a regular but the service never seems to get better which is disappointing.

Food great, service, average, ventilation- poor. The food at Glenda is great. Beef pho never let's me down. Don't come here for the service. Non existent. No back ground music, so you can easily eaves drop on your neighbours. As for the ventilation, tonight, my clothes, skin, hair all stink of oil. Won't be dining in again. Would sit outside if they had heating.<br/><br/><br/>-----22 Apr, 2014-----<br/><br/>Great food, baddddd ventilation!!. I get take out from Glenda every second week. Pho is great. Last night tried the prawn dumplings, also great. Ate in last night. The ventilation in the restaurant is appalling. Came home smelling like oil! 24 hrs later despite hanging up my clothes, they still stink. Glenda, you might need to do something about this.

This is delicious food! Had the veggie and tofu pho and it was fresh and tasty. Good staff and service too. Glad we stopped here!

Tasty food and good price, used to be a regular customer, but recently I found bad prawn spring rolls, not fresh and tasted sour! Probably they used old prawns. Very disappointed!

Best Rice Paper Rolls. Cheap, fresh, quick food. Perfect when your after a casual, fast, healthy meal.

Lovely service, fresh food and value for money!

Weavel in Wonton Soup. I ordered the wonton soup this evening and was horrified to find a weavel floating on top of the broth. Very off putting and definitely won't be returning.

She knows what she is doing. The best value in Port Melbourne.

Terrible service, very average food, pho is tasteless and the chicken seems like its fake. Very over priced meals.

Best Pho going around.... I live in Richmond and travel to Port Melbourne for Glenda's pho... now that's saying something. It's fresh,clean and you know what you're eating. It's that good! <br/><br/>Yes, it does get very busy at lunchtime and some evenings but if you can cope with a five minute wait for the most soul comforting bowl of warmth going around, you won't be disappointed.

After recently returning from Vietnam and had a craving for a bowl of Pho. This place has some of the most genuine tasting Vietnamese food I've ever tasted in Melbourne. The favours take me back to many of the traditional Vietnamese kitchens I've eaten in along the Mekong. So amazing. So glad you are bringing the traditional tastes of Saigon to Melbourne. Brilliant food.

Don't bother coming here. The food is average. Have had better Pho, that's for sure! What makes matters worse the service is way below average, some would say atrocious! A seafood soup was ordered by one of our party, but a tofu one was delivered instead. All ok if owners were kind enough to replace with desired item. Their first response was 'your mistake!'. And next, 'pay the $3 difference and we will bring you the soup'. Ok, here's the $3. Problem apparently not solved. There is a lot of going back and forth from the kitchen and then we are told that perhaps we won't get our desired soup. Oh! We do get our desired soup in the end with a stern warning, 'you were wrong and next time you'll not get a replacement!'. Oh again! I'm thinking there won't be a next time dear 'Glenda Pho'!

Went in last night and specifically asked 2-3 staff members if the dish I was ordering had any nuts or was cooked in an oil that contains nuts as i am allergic. The first lady didn't understand me and the second just shook her head and said 'no, no nuts, no nuts' <br/>After waiting 15-20 for my take away to be ready I took it home and within 2 mouthfuls my tongue and throat swelled up!! I couldn't be bothered going back down to the shop as I knew they didn't understand too much English and would have been like talking to a brick wall. <br/>Fortunately my but allergy isn't as bad as some others, but disgusted, especially after paying $50 for a few dishes and some rice paper rolls!

No good. I had dinner here tonight and my wallet dropped out of my pocket. Me and my friend were the last customers. We left and they closed up the shop. I came back 10 minutes later and asked if they had found my wallet. One of them said yes and went to get it but it was no longer where she put it. After a frustrating conversation, with all of the employees talking to each other in Vietnamese, the owner told me that the last take away customers must have stolen the wallet. So I asked for the number from which the said customers had placed their order. No, he said they had ordered in person. Strange seeing as we were the last customers in the shop and they closed the doors after we left. <br/>They pho was edible.

I go to work in Port Melbourne and Mondays are often the hardest. Sometimes you're hangover or sleepy the whole day. Glenda's beef and beef balls pho has always been my saviour. Flavoursome and fresh at the same time, I'm really glad that this joint is close by to where i work! Loved it!

Absolutely horrible. Sat down and was moved by the owner because some men it suits wanted my table. Wrong order came out.<br/>The "grilled" chicken and rice I received was bought from a BBQ chicken shop and was old- it tasted boiled and all skin/fat. Would not recommend!

Good prices... Good food, but the service is terrible! We waited nearly an hour for our food and had to go in and enquire about it, and when we did they obviously didn't recognize us as customers as they asked what we would like to order! No apology for the wait. Don't go there if you are in a hurry.... Oh also is not licensed nor do they do byo so soft drinks it is.

Average food, Poor service. Considering where it is, this place needs a major upgrade. It looks like a cheap cafe and the displays are unappealing.

They got the sizzling part right. I have always enjoyed this cafe and we are regulars. Tonight I ordered Sizzling prawn and scallop but got sizzling fried bread with one scallop that had been fashioned into a loaf and sliced. I sent it back. The excuse was that the other customers had eaten all the scallops! This just in, there is a Coles next door, go and get more.<br/>Then when I used the toilet, one of the kitchen hands came out of the loo, didn't wash her hands and went right back to slicing vegetables. Sorry Glenda but I won't be back. Don't take customers for fools. And clean that toilet.

Fantastic food at a great price. <br/>Many thanks Glenda

It's above average. Their pho is good enough to cease the pho craving if you can't be bothered going to Richmond. The food in general is good, but every time I go there their prices just keep increasing, given I know how much they used to charge 1 year ago, the increase is just too much, cashing in on the Albert Park/Port Melbourne clientele.

Ok, not wow. Has been accustomed to the Western palate so if you are after traditional Vietnamese food, you won't find it here. Needs to fix the ventilation as the inside dining area infuses you with the scent of cooking oil.

Viet Cusine. I eat at Glenda Cafe most work days. Their Pho soup's are beautiful, their staff are extremely friendly and fun. I have tried just about everything on their menu and it is alway great. I especially love the wonton soups, pork chop and rice and crispy chicken and rice. I have never had a bad coffee their either, always a nice strength and good temperature. Keep up the good work guys, you have a winning formula.<br/>Mick

Delicious every time. We dine here once a week and its great every time. We usually get the spring rolls, wonton noodle soup and singapore noodles - all dleish. We frequent Vic St in Richmond for viet so when we cant be bothered jumping in the car we walk a few hundred metres to Glenda Cafe instead. Only thing that's missing is the BYO licence. They have just recently extended their menu also. Love it :)

Bacon and egg roll , what value and a real nice roll :) something u would get in the uk very well done and keep it up

Authentic Viet. Ok so you're cruising down Bay St and feel like something a little more Asian for lunch, as opposed to your standard selection of burgers, fish and chips or sandwiches on offer.<br/><br/>You could do a lot worse than step into the unassuming Glenda Bakery and order one of their grilled chicken rolls in the window (with added coriander, and birds-eye chilli). Better still, stump up for their spring rolls, pork sausage or grilled chicken on rice or vermicelli noodle dishes. <br/><br/>Just like being in Vietnam......or at least Victoria St Richmond.