Mopho Canteen

As much as I liked Mopho, I kind of got the impression that I was liking it because the food was better than the standard of what I would get for this at home in Glasgow, but there’s probably a good chance that you could get better than this elsewhere in Melbourne.
It fits very well into Carlisle Street in terms of style, with lots of bare concrete walls with chunks missing taking it back to the original brick. There are also loads of old-​school adverts on the walls, which may or not be original. Sounds-​wise, it was all chill-​out house, which while not linked to the food kind of made sense. All in all, it’s a nice place to spend some time, and the staff were pretty friendly.
The menu is fairly small, with only a handful of starters and mains to choose from. The plates are a decent size — probably big enough for one person, but good for sharing. We went for a soft shell crab, which was really nice, with a cracking Sriracha Mayo that went with it. The Pork Spring Rolls were great, and the seared tuna was also good.
My lack of the extra star goes back to the intro — as much as I liked this I get the feeling that there would be better out there. I couldn’t really fault anything, but nothing was 5 star amazing. I could be second guessing myself, and this is one of the best places in Melbourne, but it may take a few more visits here and to other places to reassess.

5 out of 5! The young trendy waiter was Fantastic & looked after us very well. The Chef Nailed the food! Great Job from beginning to end.

We ended up here by accident as the nearby Mexican place was closed. This place actually looked like it was closed too but thankfully we were welcomed in and took a seat at the bench seats. The menu is pretty short — small plates, larger plates and phở.
We ordered:
Pork Spring Rolls, Nuoc Cham, Iceberg, Herbs — these came fried and were light and refreshing with the iceberg lettuce and herbs.
Soft Shell Crab, Sriracha Mayo, Beetle Leaf, Watercress, Spring Onion Salad — I think we got a large portion of this as it had two crabs on the plate. Again, a lovely fresh dish with a good balance of flavours and the mayo was really lovely.
Seared Tuna, Green Papaya, Coriander, Vietnamese Mint, Perilla, Crispy Bits, Sweet Peanut + Lime Dressing — this was my highlight. A generous portion of tuna which was perfectly seared.
We had these plates between two people for lunch and found it was a good amount of food. I really enjoyed the food here, everything was super fresh and a lovely mix of flavours. The waiter asked for our feedback on the dishes at the end too, which was nice. It’s a relaxing kind of place with tasty food — I’d go back if I was in the area.

Amazing place cheap prices great food and staff best phở I’ve tasted yum nice young cool staff

Not bad. A bit on the pricey side ($ 6 for a can of VB? Nope) and the menu is fairly limited but it’s ok for a quick meal if you skip the starters
The tuna salad was delicious. Very fresh and great texture and flavours. The soft shell crab was ok — average I suppose. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to order it again.
The chicken hearts were well received surprisingly and the prawn crisps — yum yum!
If it were more affordable I’d be back again soon but with restaurant prices in a super casual/​street food setting, we will probably try some of the other new options on Carlisle st before we think about heading back here
One pet hate of mine– the menus were FILTHY. Yuck. They are paper menus guys. Just replace them. They were super gross.
Solid 3 stars with loads of room to move. If you’re a local, check it out. If not… Maybe not worth the trip.

Awesome! A hip casual place to come and get your phở fix!
Situated in Balaclava right next to the train station so there is no excuse not to visit.
Minimal rustic interior, great view of the kitchen and communal seating, which to me is fine.
Fair Phở in my opinion! Definitely worth a visit, we didn’t have to wait long and the service was fantastic. We were really looked after. Menu is very reasonable and minimal so you don’t have to sit and scan for too long.
At the time we went their liquor license was not yet available but we were assured it was on its way.
GO TO MOPHO YO!