The best cheap eats when after big tasty comfort food portions in a casual food hall kinda vibe. Been a regular for years and my go to is always the kung pao beef, spicy salt chicken, and the fried rice. Service is always pretty fast and food is always tasty.
First time visit this place, ordered their spring rolls and Special beef rice noodle. They both are really delicious! They put a very decent amount of beef in the soup. The best beef pho I’ve tried so far! Yum
We decided to deviate from our fav pho place and try Sam's place. We ordered deep fried spring rolls, chefs special which is the rice dish and we also got the special beef pho. The pho was delicious, the broth was on point. Noodles were bouncy and lots of beef meat given, my favorite dish of the night. We had spring rolls to start, the filling was delicious but the outer layer was a bit hard for my liking, but dipping sauce was yum. The chef's special was packed with rice, an egg, a vietnamese meat loaf, and a salted prawn, and a comparatively smaller piece of pork chop drizzled in a delicious spring onion oil sauce. This dish was delicious as a whole and we definitely struggled to finish it. Overall, this place is a great alternative to try it out and good portions and taste is authentic. Service was really good too.
First time dining in Otahuhu, the place wasn’t too busy and it was very spacious. A decent and clean place for lunch. Menu was intense lots to choose from mixture of Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. The order came out super fast and the staff were very friendly. Food wise we were very surprised and satisfied! Really generous portion for what you pay ($14-$17) range. Quality was very good too and yummy! We paid $50 in total which was decent as we had two entrees, two mains and 1 smoothie. Will be back for sure!
It's our local so we come here often and are always happy with food and service. A number of times we've turned up in a small group with no prior booking and they've happily accommodated us . Very good pricing and a good variety of Vietnamese food. Yum
Best beef pho I’ve had, the broth was good and had lots of flavour & the food came out quick & the springrolls was cheap which was 3 for $5.
Lovely place to dine in with a large group or by yourself. thoroughly enjoyed the spring rolls and well done meat soup. Great prices and awesome service. Definitely would go back!
I have been coming here for years & the food is always consistent and yum. Most times unless it's very busy (e.g. mothers day) the food is brought out quickly. I especially love their beef pho and fried rice!!
Best Vietnamese place around - there are a few other Vietnamese places around Otahuhu but this is probably the best in terms of price $. Most mains around $11-12
Our favourite is shredded pork on rice, the beef pho and spring rolls.
Food was great and has a decent size per serving. The restaurant is spacious but it's hard to find parking esp during busy hours. We ordered pho, fried chili chicken and spring rolls. I highly recommend this restaurant, surely we'll come back and eat again. Food 5/5 service 4/5 place 4/5
We had a large group of people having dinner here for the first time. The setting appeared average but the food and service made up for it. The portions were large and filling definitely worth your money. The taste was authentic especially the noodle soups. The spring rolls are also a must have, large in sizes with great fillings. They don’t skimp on meat here.
Awesome service and a popular place with really good food. Food was fresh and tasty and delicious. Very reasonably priced with generous amounts of food. Worth a visit, go for the food not the appearances.
One word.... Daymmmm! I cannot fault this restaurants food if i tried. Not just the fact of big portions but taste authentic and delicious! Price is very reasonable compared to other places, Sameoo on average is $2-$3 cheaper for the same items on the menu compared to others and you get a lot more! Well done Sam!
They are always busy, especially during weekends lunch time. You will hardly to find a space unless wait. But you can taste ‘real’ Vietnamese food and not costly (compare with other Vietnam restaurants). I guess that’s why lots of people love this place.
Been here a few times.. really enjoy the food.. don’t like being seated in the big window area.. gets too hot on sunny days! Service is average.. will be back many times!
Ive seen too many posts of people enjoying their big feeds here so I went in with my friends to enjoy the same experience lol. Overall what I enjoyed most was the genuine, kind and attentive customer service, the owner and staff take their time to sit down and have a chat and make sure the customer is happy, also manage to have a few laughs. I noticed it with other customers also. The food, taste-wise it was good, it is what I expected, the typical flavours. My least fave was the deep fried squid unfortunately, but I still ate it haha. The amount was more than we imagined, so we each took a doggy bag home lol. As for parking, well you got to get in there early, otherwise you got to park outside the gate. If you dont want to dine in, you can order for a take-away at the entrance. I will come back again, it was a good experience. Thanks Samwoo😊
Relatively generous portions and taste good too. We three have to share one pork on rice as portion is so big and one person couldn't wash it down. Service is ok and service is fast. Very good cheap eatery.
Hearty place to have a good feed. Frequently come out of this place with a full belly.Usually we have the spicy squid.Coating is thin enough to make the squid the hero of the dish and the texture is soft, enjoyable to eat.The chilli makes the dish stand out more. The kung pao pork or chicken is flavourful with the combination of crunch from the nuts and vegetables. If you want something warm and hearty the noodle soups are good for sharing.Deep fried ice cream- is firm when served which is nice to eat considering its deep fried and the breading heightens the flavour of an average vanilla flavoured store bought ice cream.Good end of a meal. The vietnamese spring roll could be a bit more crispier- missing a bit of crunch.
Ambience could be loud and could have a “food court” feel when its full and busy. Parking could be a bit difficult during busy periods.Tight parking space, some customers end up double parking.
Food: 4/5
Service:4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Been dining here for years and you get the same taste every time. Thanks Boss for always looking out for me and my family each time I come through. Now that retirement has kicked in, I’m sure your daughter and son inlaw will take care of the business for you.
Thanks for your service over the years.
Cheap and cheerful and everything comes in HUGE portions! I love their vermicelli noodle salad and have tried the grilled chicken, pork and pork spring rolls one. The noodle soup was also full of flavour and their summer rolls are amazing too! This place is super value for money and great for big groups with big tummies!
Tried this place for the first time. Had the spring rolls which were tasty and crisp. BBQ pork on rice was yum (tad dry). Rare beef pho was tasty and a good portion. The plum sauce spare ribs were very tasty. Staff were lovely and it was very clean.
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OMG! Love this place.
Came here after seeing reviews on zomato and wasn't disappointed.
We ordered crispy squid which is fried in a super light batter and really tender - was DELISH! Also pretty good price for decent sized plate.
We ordered a special beef soup...OMG was a knockout. Have had lots of beef pho around Auckland but this one was really nice and rich. A deep colour but still quite clear and it had a thin layer of fatty oil on top of it like it had been made from some intense stewing of bones and goodness lol.
Also got a chicken on rice which was nice but nothing to super rave about. Because it was quite basic with no lemon grass toppings etc. Just grilled marinated chicken on rice.
The spring rolls were delish and came with heaps of lettuce to wrap and dip in the sauce. Yum and such a good price compared to other places.
Ice cream ball was huge and it was yum. It's french vanilla ice cream coated in a thick cake like crumb then deep fried. Id get that again if i could fit it in.
The pickled veges were a bit average....not pickled long enough so we thought at first they were just regular veges. Still nice though.
Will be coming back here on the regular even though i live all the way out west lol worth the drive.
I am startled and stoked about the size of dishes (home-cooked size only get to see during Chinese new year, if you come from southeast lol) in current dynamic of skyrocket living cost, thnx to labour government.
Anyway, my first time here with colleagues, spacious premise however quite packed, few of us had to park miles away albeit plenty of front yard parking.
With the amount of patrons they serve and dishes churned out, the flavour and taste is no way compromised, nor the service.
I especially enjoy the plum sauce prok ribs, deep fried spicy squid and wonton soup. The wonton broth tastes like being properly slow cooked for hours out of bones or seafood shells, not last minute resort of chucking salt & msg in boiling water. Should it be the case then they definitely have special customized salt or msg.
Will definitely drag family across harbour bridge over to try Sam Woo!
Took my parents here for the first time, Customer service was slow waiting Up to 30 mins then our order was taken but other than that, the food was amazing👌🏽 nice and casual place to have dinner. Will definitely be coming back for the food.
This is a great Vietnamese restaurant that I know in Auckland. The taste is exactly same with typical Vietnamese taste. I tried Bun bo in lots of places in Auckland, but only this restaurant made me satisfied about the taste. The soup is very good. Goi cuon is huge and has a lot topping in side with a fabulous sauce. About the atmosphere, it clearly, friendly and commodious! I recommend you should come and try the food here.
Regular dining spot when looking at getting a good quick dinner fix. Service is fairly quick, staff are very attentive. Dining area spacious whether you are dining with your partner or family - they cater to all. Food is really good & enjoyable. I would recommend the Plum sauce Spare Ribs & Fried Squid which are personal favourites of mine at this place. The Spring Rolls also go down a nice treat. Parking can be quite difficult if the place is busy with a few off street car park spaces available. The Hours of operation are quite flexible so we usually go after work for a bite or on our days off to grab some lunch.
DeejandDarnell-James Ransfield
+5
OMG heard about this place from a family member and i must say Samwoo Vietnamese Cafe is the best Vietnamese food i have had here in New Zealand since being back from Australia and definitely lives up to it reputation. Its a awesome kick back place where you dont have to get all dressed up just to go have a decent meal I have been on the hunt for 3months looking for a decent PHO soup and Samwoo has definitely got that awesome staff fast service nice portions and the most delicious Vietnamese food definitely worth checking it out!!
Legendary stir fry beef and noodles with side order of spring rolls never disappoints. One of if not the best Vietnamese restaurants out there. Speaks volumes when restaurants like Sam Woo gets more customers coming through the door than the junk food outlets that litter Otahuhu
Absolutely love Sam Woo! Visited Auckland and went back 2 nights in a row. Food is affordable, portions are large and the food is tasty! Only downside is that it is always busy and loud inside the Cafe. Food is pretty authentic and you get bang for your buck. Large bowl of noodles for under $10
Great place to eat Vietnamese looks a bit old and run down but the food is A+ Vietnamese spring rolls,Deep fried squid,Bbq pork fried rice,chicken chow mein and plum spare ribs.
Samwoos is definitely a go to. Nice taste of vietnamese food from the entrees to the soups and salads. My favourite thing to get is definitely the spring rolls and deep fried squid accompanied with their complimentary sauces 👌 I swear last time I went their prices had actually gone right down im sure it was about $6-$7 for the spring rolls now theyre only about $4.
WOW ! Best Vietnamese restaurant by farrrrrrr. It's not set out like a flash place, which is just my avenue as I love to go out and eat rather than having to dress up to go out. IT GETS PACKED ON SATURDAYS so would recommend to book especially have a large group of people. I ordered the summer fresh rolls, fried spring rolls and wonton egg noodle soup ! All of them were 10/10 I drank and ate everything in the noodle soup and ate all the rolls! Fast service which is a bonus ! The portion size is perfect, the quality of the food was amazing, and Everything is super cheap! Normally at other Vietnamese places it's about $5 for 2 fried spring rolls at Samwoo it's $4.50 for 3 spring rolls, exactly the same as the other places and to be honest it's better. We had 7 of us and we ordered 34 pieces, came in 10minutes! I stay out in west Auckland and the drive to eat here is so worth it. WILL BE BACK SOON AND WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
🆗 - Good eatery place. Book before hand!! Place is busy. Good food. Reccomend the spicy salt chicken & Spicy salt Ribs - Must have & try!!
Enjoy your Sam Woo experience!! 😉
One of the tried and true places Kai Mai & I will always return to if I can be bothered to drive out to otahuhu.
Parking can be a little hard sometimes as there is not that much parking space on premises or on the street.
Friendly staff.
My ultimate fav:
Fried squid & Fried spring roll 👌
So good that every time I go some where else and order it I cry if it taste nothing like or anywhere close to samwoos lol so if you wanted to know what you should try if it's your first time at Sam woo? Get this!
Other dishes I enjoy:
Plum sauce spare ribs
Combination fried rice
Awesome service top notch food. Every thing we ordered had incredible flavours an just melted in your mouth. Has to be the best Vietnamese we have ever had. Will be going back often.
I do like the food here but not the best Asian food in Auckland. Nice cheap food and large portions! Also very accommodating as I like my food spicy, if requested they are happy to add chilli to your food.
Have been told about this place, often, so decided to take my parents there and it definitely lived up to its reputation. The food was amazing, people were friendly, and excellent value for money. Have been here again since and will definitely make it a regular.
We love this place.. our favorite dishes on the menu are..
1/2 Roast duck
Prawn fried rice
Fresh pork n shrimp rolls
Jackfruit smoothy
Very nice and great value and is always fresh!
The menu is huge. Everything I've tried has been good and big portions. I like the plum sauce spare ribs. Try the smoothies, jackfruit is the best. And of course the deep fried French vanilla ice cream. The place is nothing fancy, but it's clean. You can be waiting a while, but the place is popular. Good service.
The restaurant serves one of the best & cheapest Vietnamese food in Auckland. And their portions are very generous too.
My most favourite dish here is the sweet & sour prawn .. the prawns used here are huge!! Even bigger than those used in some of 5 stars restaurants.
The downside of this restaurant is the staff & service .. not quite friendly and very little service provided.
Whilst most people come here to have lunch/dinner, I come here just to have the deep fried ice-cream. I love that they use French Vanilla Ice cream. The portion is the size of a softball. If you're not hungry then don't order it. The cake batter isn't too sweet and they consistently fry it to perfection. I also recommend their smoothies. Simple but so satisfying! 👌🏾🙌🏾💋
in love with the spring rolls my fave every time i come here have to have them with the sauce! love all the food including the deep fried ice cream, i never can finish the whole thing so big! very family orientated. always a family fave!
Its well known for its affordable prices and a crowd favorite in south auckland. Food there is good but can be better. Overall good friendly restaurant for a cheeky cheap take out.
Ps. Make more parking spots,
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As this place was highly recommended by friends, we decided to give it a shot.
Good flavourful pho, not to heavily spiced, with a generous serving of lean sliced beef. The noodles were slippery and tasted really fresh. Generous portion of the bun bo hue.
Service - excellent resolution by the team as 1 of our group got a pho instead of bun bo hue due to a confusion when ordering, they went to make the correct order after clarifying the issue. Unsure if it was fault of the person ordering or the person taking the order, could just have been the noise levels, but we all got what we wanted in the end with no fuss at all.
We had to ask for tea though. Apart from this, we were well looked after. We were given generous portions of beansprouts and sliced cabbage, lemon for dressing our soups, the usual seasonings were all there.
Good value for money too. It was $43 for 2 pho and 2 bun bo hue, Would come back for an easy meal.
For parking, the small parking lot right in front of the shop was double or triple parked when we were there, so we ended up parking just a few steps away down the street. Easy peasy.
Unfortunately no photos from tonight as we were famished and too happily catching up with our friends!
Our favourite dishes atm are spicy salty spare rib and spicy salty chicken. Both are deep fried and come on shredded cabbage chilli salad with a yum tangy dressing). Fried banana (+3 scoop ice cream) is a generous treat ($6). The jasmine tea is good and strong and its great when places make condiments freely available on tables. Samwoo is our local good value Otahuhu family favourite.
LoveFoodWithApassion🥗🍸 (Ngata)
+4
This place is awesome, not too flash but the food is great in proportion and price. Pics next time I go again. Vietnamese spring rolls are me fave.
I have dined here a few times as its in the metro top 50 cheap eats. It can be a very busy place but still you don't really have to wait that long before you revive some food. So tonight I had the fried spring rolls that come out nice and hot a pho beef soup and salt and pepper calamari. The soup reminded me of when I lived in Sydney Australia and there was a Vietnamese restaurant on every corner just about. Nice big bowl of broth with a nice shuttle amount of chilli and with the addition of been sprouts and lemon made it that much better. Thin rice noodles and a mix of rare beef, beef balls and vegetables made this dish a bit for me. The calamari was nice but I actually enjoyed the garnish slaw better. If you want good one on one friendly service you've come to the wrong place but if you want quick cheap big portion food yep go there.
Sam woo is my go to restaurant. I am always craving the spring rolls from here and I have recommended this place to so many people. I love that the staff are onto it. As soon as customers leave someone goes straight to the table and cleans up. There is not one dish I've tried that I haven't liked. Sam woo is very affordable as well which makes it even better.
We went in for a late lunch on a Sunday afternoon. The place is really simple and basic but very clean. They have a huge place so should be able to hold quite a lot of people.
We ordered wonton noodles with rice noodles in soup and spicy beef noodles soup. The flavours in those two soup were amazing! They are not overly bland and although they look light, they are packed with flavours.
The only complain I have is that they gave too much shredded pork instead of wonton in my wonton dish - only 4 wontons. It felt like a shredded pork soup dish rather than a wonton soup. I'll definitely request for less pork and more wonton if I go back again. Would recommend everyone to request that if that's do-able by the chef.
The spicy beef slices were tender and have great texture. The whole dish is very wholesome.
Best place in Otahuhu - Affordable & delicious.
Must try their deep fried ice cream :) *caution: has walnut topping*
However, parking is slightly annoying though. Best option is usually to park on the side of the road.
If you've lived around otahuhu clearly you will well in doubt know this place. Samwoo's been around for ages and well it doesnt get old. Still feels like same old recipe same good old price. What you pay is what you get and you will not be disappointed with proportion or taste.
Recommended if your looking for a cheap viet meal
Good cheap yummy food, decor is a bit dated but I don't mind at all parking can be a problem but that's because it is so popular :) food is delicious and quick to the table.
Love this place so cheap but the service is not great we waited an hour for a table and when we were finally seated it took a further 30 minutes to order and 45 minutes.for our food to come we saw people who arrived after us being served had there food and had finished before we even had our food on the table but it food was delicious and cheap
Nothing fancy about Sam Woo, just affordable good food every time. I think most of us can agree the squid and the spring rolls are just a staple for every visit here lol.
Been coming here since I cant remember when with my family. Lovely staff, fantastic food, open space, modest. It's extremely cheap and very high quality, very filling and the dishes are generous. Great place.
We like this place the only reason we don't come more often is the problem getting a carpark when it's busy. Today we came for pho and once again weren't disappointed.
The decor is basic, the prices are budget but the food is really good. Service is friendly.
Authentic, delicious and affordable!
The pho here is the best I have had all over Auckland with its slightly chewy noodles, flavourful soup base and a lot of meat!
This place is not pretentious unlike a few of the Vietnamese places popping up everywhere now. The food are incredibly cheap for the quality and quantity you get served.
The food is definitely 5/5! If they just renovated the interior a bit and make it feel a bit more welcoming then this place is no doubt an overall 5/5.
Will not happily pay for another bowl of pho elsewhere after the visit here!
We went here for a family catch up. Food was delicious but the dish that stood out he most definitely the spicy squid. I don't know what all the hype was about for there spring rolls though. I thought they were pretty average. Definitely will be going back again. We live in West Auckland and drive is definitely worth it 👍👌👌
Great Vietnamese restaurant in Otahuhu. Prices are very affordable. The building and decor is a bit dated. Definitely the place to go if you're looking for cheap filling Vietnamese food.
Ordered a large selection of dishes when I went. Best to try everything. Ordered the:
Prawn and Vegetable on Rice
Combination Egg Fu Yong
Savoury Prawns
Beef Brisket Egg Noodle Soup
Wonton Egg Noodle Soup
Deep fried Chicken Wings
Pork Spare Ribs with Plum Sauce
Tempura Prawns
The standout dishes were the Savoury Prawns and Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. The Savoury prawns didn't have a description on the menu, but believe me, just order it. It's marinaded and cooked in a red sauce which tastes amazing! The sock in the Beef Brisket soup is also amazing! I don't know what they put in it, but amazing.
Check this place out. Not a restaurant you go to for celebrations or special occasions, but somewhere to go if you want cheap, filling good tasting Vietnamese food.
Food here is super affordable, place looks really dated and food did not ml have much flavour for my taste. Would recommend coming here if your in the area and looking for a cheap and filling meal.
This joint aint too bad. First time dining here yesterday. I was warned not to order too much incase i cant finish it... but they do have doggy bags. Meals are quite large, i ordered the fried rice and pork. Very generous with the pork, service wasnt too bad. Will probably be back👍
One of the big three Otahu Vietnam restaurants i like after Try it Out, this one has the best of both Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines. Their dishes are really quite huge and colorful and u will ask for a take out carton and carry bag at end of feed.
Unsure if the brooding host is Sam Woo himself who doesn't need to market the place as he knows the goodwill of this business will always be well patronized by regulars and locals from all ethnics who come here. Another little birdy told me place use to be a car showroom i hear and had a service station next door b4 and is now a Burger king.
The place has upgraded since our last visit years ago. Major improvement. Last time we were here we weren't too stoked with the food we had. The interior is Clean and airy. The prices for our food are really really good. I had the shredded chicken vermicelli soup and spring rolls. Portion sizes...
Affordable price and the food was amazing!!! We didn't have to wait long for the food that we ordered and we had them hot and the food kept coming. Very Friendly customer service. Took a whole group of 10 there and we all paid within $35 each. I recommend this place to anyone and would definitely go there again.
Samwoo Vietnamese restaurant provides an extensive range of food as listed on the menu.
Prise wise, dishes are very affordable. I would definitely recommend the deep fried squid and pork chops on rice- Superb. The chicken on thin noodles is also good but the pork is definitely tastier.
Always come here for the spring rolls that never EVER dissapoint!! Service is super fast as. Always order a lychee smoothie as well which is only $3.50! So much cheaper than any other place ive ever been to lol. The workers there arent so bubbly but that was okay with me cause their spring rolls are BOMB! and they get the food out super quick! I loooooove Samwoo Cafe lol xx
Dishes taste authentic with fast and friendly service. Ive heard a lot of good recommendations about this place and it certainly has lived up to its standards. Good place for vietnamese food! Very big portions and good for a family lunch out
Not the fanciest of places, but Samwoo offer a very large menu with great options.
Food is priced between $10-15 a plate which are all generous proportions.
I got a plate of sweet and sour pork which was sub-par along with some fried squid and spring rolls. The spring rolls were amazing but the squid wasn't anything special.
They offer smoothies for only $3.50 so tried the strawberry, then mango flavours. Both were great.
Food came out fast and ended up only costing $30 for the entire meal including drinks.
Food came out fast and waiters/ waitresses were daily attentive. Venue and location were a small let down
Good cheap eats! It's not a fancy place but it has a very big space and is clean.
Food wise, it wasn't the best pho - beef was overcooked. The vermicelli dish had little flavour. However the fried peppered spare ribs was delicious!!! Also must try is their smoothies as they have south East Asian fruits such as longan, lychee, jackfruit, mango!! All for only $3.50-4!!! Also the fresh lime juice is amazing!
Overall, good cheap eats for decent food! Will come back again if I'm in the area - mainly love their drinks and dessert menu looked good with fried ice cream etc.
Had been passing this place for 17 years so finally this year I decided to give it a try. Best homemade fresh cheap eats in Auckland. Sam Woo opened in 1992 and many more years to come
Again, it's not so pretty, but the food here @ SWVC is worth seeing past the fact that it's not the trendiest pl by far to be eating in. All the dishes are tasty and they're pretty fast w. service @ SWVC. You want to try really tasty, authentic Vietnamese? Then SW's the pl to go.
Food is great, Decor is average and the staff are slightly less than friendly but the food is cheap, tasty and quick. Soups are all around $10 and come in giant portions so it's a great way to feed a big group. I've been coming here since I was a toddler and my parents have been regulars going further back and apparently the place never changes. My Personal favourites include the BBQ pork egg noodle soup, the spring rolls, spicy squid, plum spare ribs, mayonnaise spare ribs, the 1/2 duck. They also do a good deep fried icecream if you have any space leftover 🍨
One of my all time favourite restaurants and you can justify going there often cause the prices are so low! 🍜🍜🍗
Great cheap place to go to catch up with friends. Always a busy environment and parking is sometimes hard to come by. But the food always comes out quickly and is pretty good pricing for the portion size you get.
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My partner and I decided out of the blue to try Sam Woos cafe. We have been living in this area for approx 10 years and have always drove past this place. I guess we judged it by the funny looking exterior and the dodgy car parks. Well we finally tried it tonight and boy, we have been blown away not only by the food but also the service.
We arrived exactly at 7.30 and the place was already bustling and packed. Despite the amount of hungry diners, we received our food in less than 10 minutes. Pretty impressive if you ask me. We ordered wontons, spicy chicken kung pao, plum sauce pork ribs, a jack fruit smoothie, a rambutan smoothie and 2 deep fried ice cream. At first, we kinda got put off by the proportions because they were huge but alas, these dishes were so scrumptious we cleaned them plates out. The chicken dish (served with a bowl of rice) was spicy enough with fresh veges (baby corn, celery, onions, mushrooms and courgettes) and sprinkling of whole peanuts. The pork ribs had been cut into bite size pieces, very succulent and sticky with plum sauce. Both smoothies were refreshing and sweet enough to wash down the food. The only let down was the wontons (served with sweet chilli sauce). They were a tad oily and the meat was a bit tough for our liking. We ended up taking them home. The fried ice cream was a surprise to me. The pastry was nice and crisp and the ice cream itself was super delicious with a hint of coconut. In total we spent $58 which was quite decent.
Overall experience is a solid 4.5 as first timers. We will be back to try more of what Sam Woo has to offer !!!
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I had the beef pho ($9), spring rolls ($4), and longan milkshake ($3.50). Service was very quick as I was there at the end of the 2pm lunch rush. First to arrive was my shake, soon after I placed my order. The pho also came quickly 5 minutes or so later. I liked the pressed rice noodles (thicker than vermicelli), however the soup had a strong aniseed flavour and I think the waitress ordered me the well-done need rather than rare so it was a little tough. Oddly, the spring rolls took the longest and arrived last, towards the end of my meal. Since I was on my 30 minute lunch break, I didn't mind my food arriving as it was made, however if I was dining, I would have preferred an order to the service. Inside the spring rolls, the meat was denser than those from Try It Out (the other Vietnamese place down the road, who sells 2 for $5) containing less vermicelli/mushroom/vege in the filling, which could be a good/bad thing depending on what youre after. The pastry was surprisingly chewy and had a tendency to stick to back teeth after eating. I think this would have been okay if I had eaten it as a starter though. The interior was clean with a surprising amount of tables inside. Overall, a really great experience - food was great, the options are plentiful, serving sizes are generous, there are many tables available and service is quick. That with the added factor of really low prices compared to competitors makes this a strong 4.5 rating from me.
Chicken rice noodle soup was watery and flavourless . I did however enjoy the deep fried spring rolls, they tasted great and were served hot with an abundant supply of lettuce and sauce. Nice rescue with the deep fried spring rolls!!
First off, don't come here if you want a 5 star dining environment. It's an old car yard that hasn't changed it's decor since it opened 30 odd years ago.. also the car park situation is a bit dodgy, and the staff are always rushing around as this place is always packed, you will have to flag them down, don't expect silver service. However, what you can expect is hands down, honest, AMAZING food for cheap. The spring rolls and won ton noodle soup are favourites. Absolutely HUGE portions, and food arrives very quickly, I don't think I've ever waited longer than ten minutes for a meal here. Absolutely recommend this place, I no longer live in Auckland and I miss this place dearly.
Samwoo is an amazing place to get pho on a cold day.
You can actually taste their deep fried springroll fillings ! And their pho broth is
amazing. And I'm all about that broth.
I love their coconut shakes and I don't even like coconut!
I highly recommend their deep fried ice cream. The batter is actually sponge cake! Two desserts in one whatsuppppp!!
It's hard to come by a family owned restaurant with delicious fast and cheap food these days!!
Delicious, my mother, best friend and myself very much enjoyed everything we ate. From spring rolls, fried rice, prawns and a whole bunch of other radom food we decided to try between the three of us..definitely will make another stop here soon.
Tasty and quick meals. Between two of us, we ordered Spring Rolls, Combo Fried Rice, Combo vermicelli, Salt and Pepper prawns.
All were good and served in generous portions. Combo rice had lots of egg, highlight were the prawns.
Food was on point - big servings and hot food 😃😃 loved the spring rolls as usual worth revisiting and affordable food monies worth alryt. Highly recommended
Despite its dodgy decor and lack of car parks, this place serves some pretty amazing food. Large portions, full of flavour and reasonable prices.
My bf and I went a bit wild here the other day when we ordered the spring rolls, wonton noodle soup, spicy squid, jackfruit shake and the plum sauce spare ribs for just the two of us. Needless to say we had some leftovers to take home. But not as much as you would expect as we demolished most of the food hungrily.
My favourites were the spring rolls and the spicy squid. Definitely a must try!
I'd be happy to have those spring rolls everyday. So yummy
Price 4/5
Food 4/5
Service 3.5/5
Atmosphere 3.5/5
Popular Vietnam restaurant in otahuhu
Recommend grilled chicken
Awesome.
Sam Woos never fails me. I love there food. We always order alot when we go there and is fairly priced. Spring rolls, fried rice, steak chowmein, egg foo yong, crispy chicken and plum spare ribs is what we usually get. Those are our favourite dishses. Service is usually good here and the food is always of a good quality. I also LOVE there Jackfruit smoothies they are the buisness lol. I'l tell you now you either love Sam Woos or you dont lol.
The best Chinese , fast service and yummy food . Recommend the BBQ pork fried rice , fried squid , and the spicy salt chicken is amazinggggg!
Love how fast this place is and love the fact that you can BYO very ideal for bigger family's, first time I went was with just my boyf and I, second time round with his family about 7 of us. The dishes are all very well priced lots of big dishes under $20. Big thumbs up! My new Viet spot I reckon
Great food, great service. Meals were always hot and received in a reasonable time. Comfortable space but the flashes decor. Parking could be a lot better. @iriha.edmonds
I Love Sam Woo's Spring Rolls and Fried wontons are so yum, Duck on rice is one of the best and at prices are great. I will deffinately be sharing the love with my experience.
My Dad has been taking me here for 20 years now and it's such a yummy place to eat at and very cheap. Always order the spring rolls and wonton egg noodle.
It's one of those places where you can just casually walk in and expect delicious food. The staff here are quick and friendly as well.
For those of you complaining of the decor, I think the reason why their menu is so reasonable prized is because it's not a fancy place and I would like to to remain this way.
Yummy have dined here for last 3 years & love the food. Spring rolls are delicious, spicy squid yum, love the deep fried ice cream, my children love the food too. We like to go in a group and all order a different dish. Highly recommend
Yummy cheap food that the whole family enjoyed, food came really quickly, drinks are great too. Will definitely go back.
I'm soo in love with the blumsauce spare ribs!!! yumyumyumi :) Spring rolls as well, and spicy pawns. Love it :D Keep up the good work..
The size of the Samwoo dishes are amazingly large, the portions are great and the flavours are above average. I ordered 4-6 tall large glasses of Rambutan (Jack Fruit) drinks and 2 more to takeaway. The Rambutan drinks are absolutely divine and addictive. The service was average, it wasn't busy when I went and I had to wait 20 mins to place my order. It's a good place to go if you're looking for quantity in your meals.
I've been going to sam woos for almost 3 years now. The food is cheap and tastes great. The service isn't too bad either. Definitely recommend it.
Amazing food, in love with the spring rolls!
Staff were reasonably good too
We have been going to Samwoos for over 20 years and still go back for more. Sure the decor is pretty basic but its clean and the food excellent. Sammy knows as soon as we walk in what we want for starters, always the spring rolls, they don't come any better. Then its normally followed up with Singapore Noodles, spicy squid (to die for!) and spicy spare ribs (yummy!!). It doesn't matter what night you go it is always busy, that speaks for itself in my books. For cheap and cheerful it doesn't come any better than Samwoos. We have introduced so many people to this place and without exception everyone has loved it and are now regular patrons.
yummy spring rolls are the best.
I was introduced to this place by a friend they do need to upgrade but apart from that their food and quick service is superb I didn't like their roll wrapped with rice paper wasn't for me but I loved their spring ros wrapped with lettuce and dipped with the sauce also spare ribs was nice and it's pretty cheap aswell as free water what more can you ask for..;)
LOVE THIS PLACE, food is fresh, spring rolls are a must.. Try to go here once a week as it is very affordable for the whole family..
Although decore is the greatest more then make up for it on their food
TOP NOTCH!!
On special occasions or group bookings, Sam Woo knows how to please a lot of people with fresh and tasty Vietnamese food. Mini spring rolls are a must with the trimmings and special sauce dip. The sizzling duck doesn't have the commercialized taste.....it is unique, not to forget prawn egg omelet or garlic prawns. opppss and the succulent spare ribs. You will be pleasantly pleased. Don't expect silver service or expensive surroundings but hay, the food cuisine is a thumbs up.
Am a regular here for the last 2years. The food is lovely and reasonably priced. If you don't mind the not-too-flash surroundings but want yummy Vietnamese food, then this is a place definitely worth trying. My favourite thing to eat is the spring rolls accompanied with pieces of carrot & Dijon that you wrap in lettuce leaves and dip into the dipping sauce. YUM!
Been eating here since I was a little girl and my old man would order whole ducks and king garlic prawns for my birthday! They're primo, very friendly staff and wickedly awesome portions of tasty food at an affordable price.
Decor needs to be revamped perhaps but as another reviewer stated, doesn't matter when the food is just divine!!
EAT THERE!!!
This is one of the best restaurants around!
The food is amazing!! I was intoduced to this place 4 years ago and am a regular there!...decor isnt so fab but who cares when every dish they make makes your mouth jump for joy!!!
Highly recommended!
First time here. Came from West to check this place out. Very nice food. No complaints, good service. Awesome enviroment. Will be back to dine again..
When you order food enough to feed a family of 5 and you manage to punish this with 2 adults, leaving nothing on the plate goes to show the quality of each dish.
I haven't been here for years and was able to come by since I was in the area. They do have a parking area but I ended up just parking on the street. The entrance is where the takeaway area is, under the red cover. I ended up entering through the side door and had to walk to the counter to get seated. The menu is decently sized and has a range of Vietnamese and Chinese style food.
I had the raw beef salad as well as the bon bu hue, the spicy beef noodle soup. The salad was really fresh even though it was packed with meat. The dressing was really nice and it had a nice balance of flavour and textures. The bun bo hue had a tasty broth but it wasn't very spicy. I quite liked the spaghetti like noodles and they had cabbage along with beansprouts to add into the soup.
The dishes here were quite tasty and had a nice flavour. The portions were also decent and the meals were packed with meat. It is a really nice place for some tasty dishes and unsurprising that it was quite busy.
Been here a few times & always loving the authentic pho noodle soup we order from Samwoo Vietnamese Cafe! They cater for large groups or a table for two. Service is super quick, lovely customer service. Hubby loves to taste all kinds of soup from your Cambodian rice noodle soup to the Hue spicy beef rice noodle soup & various seafood soup. We also recommend to try the fried pork with green vegetables & rice as well as their delicious smoothies!
Great food, fast efficient service. The staff are very very friendly and the guy that was walking around (maybe the boss/manager?) was awesome! He made sure we were well looked after and was very welcoming. I also see great vibes and team morale amongst the staff/workers. Will visit again soon.
Not the most modern place but certainly one of the best in Auckland.
Amazing food, high quality service. Will definitely visit again. Thank you so much Samwoo staff for the wonderful food. The spring rolls never fail to impress.
First time here. Great range, very tasty. No frills quality food - dine in or takeout.
Parking is a little strange, customer service is average but is better then try it out for sure, pricing is very good and affordable for its portion, the venue is also huge and gets busy quite fast. However the flavour is not that great but they have improved. But I would not hesitate to come back anymore since the improvements have been made etc.
Good service. Tasty dishes. Quick dish preparation. Not enough parking. Menu needs to be updated with more pictures please.
Love Sam Woos. Our family have been frequent visitors for over 20years. Our go to's are Spicy squid, Satay chicken, spring rolls, salted steam chicken, pork ribs with plum sauce....tbh the list is endless 😋
Nice family friendly and comfortable Vietnamese restaurant.
Decent flavours and decent portions.
Wonton rice noodle soup + Beef chow mein/chow fun crispy egg noodles.
Another one of our go to’s! For amount of food & price, definitely worth it for groups!! Recommend the fried squid, spicy squid, raw beef salad and fried rice!! No photos because we were so hungry!!
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Experience a different kind of eating, this place has you cooking your own food at your table, you will be supplied a oven with a hotpot with an amazing broth to cook your food in. Wether you're vegetarian or meat lover you will be spoilt with choices, high quality greens with a vast selection of meat from beef, pork,chicken, lamb, all sorts i can't name them all. If you're wanting to try something different try this place out you can't wrong. This is by far the BEST steamboat in NZ wide. Yes we've been around to many many places but we always come back to good ol mama's soups. This place has been running before i was born and still going strong. They have done yet another reno with brand new wooden flooring, brand new food warmers and food stands, including the metal chairs Re a greaat addition to this setting. The variety of food covers all meats and all kinds of seafood, variety of tofus and different types of dumplings. All sorts of drink from Coke and all fizzies to a nice warm tea or a cold licorice bubble drink. Lovely selection of cooked food as well from savoury to cheesy bread, fried rice, spring rolls, calamari, praws, steamed rice, chicken nuggets, yummy fried chicken wings and nibbles and all sorts. Love the new look. Homefeel, delicious soups and awesome owners. Just love this place. Weekly customers. They bave it all buffer all you can eat.
They don't proclaim to be a fancy restaurant and it's not by far, but the food and drinks are damn good
Been a few years since we last came. Service was amazingly fast. Food was still excellent and cost effective.
Solid place.
Heaps of food portions, quick, spacious.
Parking can be a bit tricky.
Thank you staff
🤌
Very casual but delicious and big portions.
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