A new Vietnamese street-food chain is in the making, with two outlets so far. Buffet-style Vin Vin Express already gained a lot of fans in District XIII, and now, recently opened Vin Vin City in Andrássy út takes it to a new level. It is in a perfect, central location, with a spacious and trendy interior, and offers delicious food at reasonable prices. Everything is prepared fresh: spring rolls, phô variations, tasty fried duck, rice pudding – just to name a few favourites. Its Vietnamese owner and kitchen staff guarantee authenticity in every little detail.

Nguyen Tien Sy (Simi) came to Miskolc, Hungary, in 1986 to study to become a metallurgical engineer. He used to cook a lot for his friends and classmates, who quickly fell in love with the new, fresh flavours.

He opened his first eatery, Vin Vin Express in 2016, in District XIII, in Dunavirág utca. It’s a simple, self-service place, very popular with the people working in the nearby offices, thanks to the great food and affordable prices - a lunch menu costs less than 1,500 forints.

His guests kept telling Simi that they loved Vin Vin, but would like to come back at weekends, too, with a bigger crowd, for a leisurely dinner or lunch. He hesitated to do so because of the fast-food buffet feel of the place. Simi liked the idea, though, and opened his bistro-style eatery, Vin Vin City, on prestigious Andrássy út in April 2018.

The food selection is the same, it is only the interior design that is different: thanks to New Age Interior and DekoRatio Design Studió, the place has a fresh, modern, cosmopolitan look.

The owner likes to tend to his guests, making sure that they’re satisfied, and also serves food occasionally. He is very glad that people like Vietnamese cuisine here, and is planning to open more outlets in Budapest.

Vin Vin City offers a lunch menu at 1,190 and 1,690 forints, available between 11am and 3pm. It features a soup, a main course and a salad, and the 1,690-forint option includes a starter, too. Food is prepared fresh by a Vietnamese kitchen staff.

One of the best things about Vin Vin City is its reasonable prices. You can get a spring roll for just 290 forints, with vegetarian options, too. Phô comes in three sizes: mini for 490-550 forints, small for 990-1,390 forints, and a big portion with prawns at 1,890 forints. The beef and prawn variations are lighter dishes with fresh green herbs, not the rich, heavy taste you’d expect when ordering phô.

Our personal favourite is the crispy fried duck (1,690 HUF plus side dish at 490 HUF) with veggies and cabbage salad. The meat is full of flavour, covered in a thin, crispy coating. They have dessert options, too, you can choose fried bananas or rice pudding (590-690 HUF).

Vin Vin City serves delicious food very fast at an affordable price. And it might just do this at more venues in Budapest real soon.