AJ Vietnamese Noodle House

Rude staff. When i arrived they did not greet me, and threw the menu on the table. I sat down to where they threw the menu and quickly assessed the situation and simply stood up and walked out

Ordered to go. Got the eggroll vermicelli noodle salad and the lemon grass beef vermicelli noodle salad for both the husband and I. We were not fans and we’ve had these dishes before in different restaurants. I also make my own eggroll vermicelli noodle salad and the salads at AJ’s were stuffed with lots of herbs only. With each bite, all I could taste was herbs… mint, thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts (lots of it), and carrots. I also didn’t like the noodles and the meat/​eggrolls were the best. We didn’t finish our bowls and threw the rest away. Honestly, I prefer Ms Chi Qi at the food court. Their eggrolls stayed nice and crispy even though we ordered the food to take away. AJ’s eggrolls weren’t fried long enough… still pale. I wouldn’t recommended the noodle salads, but I didn’t order anything else so can’t really recommend or not.

Very good. This is my go-​to Vietnamese place in the CBD. I highly recommend the BBQ pork and wonton soup, but pretty much all their soups are great. It’s a small place: today there was only one person in the kitchen and one server, but the service was still pretty quick. Meals around $ 10-​$ 11 — cheap!

Small and crowded dine-​in area. Maybe overcrowded?
I was looking for a West End Garden’s alternative in the CBD now that our office has relocated. The beauty of WEG is you have a kitschy and large dining area for then you want to escape the office or you can just take-​away when you so desire. AJs however has a really small dining area so take-​away seems to be the only comfortable option.
I found this place on Charlotte Street and it looks like it has been there for a while. Squeezing past the cramped diners I made my way to the counter to order a Vermicelli salad with pork and some spring rolls thrown in for good luck.
I had to wait on the footpath for my order as there is just no room to do so in the restaurant itself… not a big deal on a fine day but I can imagine this would be an issue in inclement weather.
The food was fresh and tasty but it didn’t hit the same notes as WEG. So the search for an alternative continues…

My cousin brought me once to this place when I first moved to Brisbane and now I am hook.
First of all, It is not a fancy restaurant and it’s very small. You don’t go there to have a nice chat and stay for a good conversation. You go there for Foods! This is not the best VN foods that I’ve ever had outside if Vietnam but it’s might be the best I could find in Brisbane. Having to live in Vancouver for a number of years and as an Asian person, I find I have a very high standard when it come to authentic foods.
I usually order the house special noodle soup or the BBQ pork wonton noodle soup. They are about 10 $ each. The soup is very good and big portion. if you don’t know what to order, you will be save between one of these two.
Convenience location, right in CBD. Check it out next time you are in town!

be warned, this place is always busy so is best suited for take away, not a bad selection, i found the servings to be a bit big for my taste, i get the spring roll salad, the serve could be half the size, it can be confusing if the waitress takes your order outside and you have to navigate your way through the crammed tables inside to pay. But otherwise not bad.

I have been eating at AJ’s for many years. They are not the best Vietnamese noodle place in Brisbane, but it is ok in the city. For convenience, I go there. Believe or not. It is operating by Chinese, not Vietnamese, so the taste is different to real Vietnamese noodle places I have been.
I haven’t been there for a little while, just went there for lunch today. It was very disappointed. Forgot about the services (never been good, apart for being quick), What disappointing me was the prices gone up (not bothering me), and the size is a lot smaller than usual to be (almost half). I ordered a pork chop noodle salad, the pork chop was cut very small pieces and it was dry, they only served very small portion of noodle. they made it looked big by putting lettuce. I finished my lunch after 1:15pm, by 3:30pm I was ready hungry. I don’t eat huge amount. I paid $ 10.9 for lunch for noodle, I expect it can fill me up until dinner time.

I think I enjoyed El Hub’s dinner selection a bit more than mine. I ordered the pork wonton and noodle soup, and he, the vermicelli salad with teriyaki chicken. My soup, although flavorful, was a bit lacking in ingredients other than noodles. I really would have liked to see some textural surprises or bites of freshness, but unfortunately it was very one dimensional. El Hub’s salad on the other hand had the above-​mentioned qualities via little nuggets of fried onion, charred bits of chicken, and a flourish of cilantro. The service and cleanliness were fine, no complaints there.

Oh my goodness I’m almost ashamed how often I eat here! I don’t think I’m going to provide a whole lot more input on the flavor of the food since it’s been touched on by most of the other reviews so I’ll just hit you with a couple of the major points.
I always get the Phở Dac Biet or the AJ Special Noodle Soup. It has everything that you could want in a bowl of phở (tripe, tendon, beef balls, beef slices). The broth is very different from what I’m used to. It’s a bit sweeter and saltier which is a bit odd since the phở I used to eat was more mild and typically needed additional seasoning. The portion size is ample and at $ 10.90 it’s one of the most economical places to grab lunch in the CBD. On a whim once or maybe it was twice, I tried the wonton noodle soup and it actually wasn’t too bad. However, should I be forced to choose, I’d still go with the phở.
The waitstaff is not the warmest but they’re not rude either. They are very straightforward and will let you know if there is a wait for a table. However, everything else is pretty much self serve. I’ve ordered out and called in numerous times and the service has always been very easy and efficient.
Overall, AJ’s is a very solid Asian food place in the CBD where you can grab a hefty bowl of noodles at a very reasonable price.

Finally getting some of my roots food, I finally get my share of some yummy Vietnamese food! It was a cold day in Brisbane, so the only thing I was thinking was just some hot soup, but specifically Phở Dac Biet!
I’ve had some good Viet food here in the states, so I was hesitant on eating here, but the cravings took over and I just needed it. I ordered Phở as well as Banh Uoc. I missed these flavors so much and am so glad I came here. The portion size for the Phở is definitely large, and I underestimated the size, so at the end of the dinner, I was so stuffed.
The restaurant is a small place maybe only 15 tables, but when my friend and I got there, almost every table was taken, so it seemed to be a popular place.

I first heard about this place on The Nutrition Guru and the Chef’s blog last year and couldn’t believe it was just up the road from work and I’d never noticed it. I hightailed it up Charlotte St and was lucky enough to get a table. I got the Beef Noodle Soup and was hooked.
I’ve been back loads of times and have tried the Special Noodle Soup (be prepared for some less than common ingredients in this one!), Spring Rolls, Hainam Chicken Rice, Rice Vermicelli Salad with Grilled Chicken (delicious) and today I had the Combination Noodle Soup. Every dish has been excellent and great value for money.
There are about 10 tables inside and it’s often full but tables turn over pretty quickly and they also do takeaway. There are often throngs of people waiting on the street for a table or takeaway because it is definitely worth the wait.
It’s cash only so make sure you have cold hard cash and a healthy appetite.
On my next visit I’m going to try the BBQ Pork Wonton Noodle Soup, is two visits in two days an addiction?

Growing up in a Vietnamese household, I was blessed with my Mom’s amazing homemade phở on many, many occasions. I have never forgotten the flavorful taste and all the fixings that come with it.
AJ doesn’t come close to my Mom’s but it will due when you’re 8500 miles away. The place is small so don’t bring too much with you. Tables are for either two or four. My sister and I tried to order in Vietnamese and we realized the waitress didn’t understand us. At first I was worried that it was because my Vietnamese was so bad but then I heard her speak Chinese to other customers when they were trying to sort seating.
We both ordered Phở Dac Biet (phở with all the meat fixings) and it came out very quickly. They are ready to serve you from the minute you sit down. They brought out a small plate of bean sprouts, one stem of basil, and lime. She was kind when I asked for more basil. A huge part of phở is all the veggie toppings.
You also must have red chili sauce and hoisin sauce. When I asked about the hoisin sauce and chili sauce, the waitress told me that I could go and get it myself at the front of the restaurant. I tasted the broth first which is the big tester of how good the phở is. It was decent but what was horrifying was how watered down the hoisin sauce was! It was practically squirting out when it should be a lot thicker. They must be trying to «save» on cost but it’s not acceptable if you’re trying to be a place that serve authentic phở.
They are also cash only so be sure to bring some bills with you.

Noodle NaZi! …Table? How many? Ready to order… ok you next! Then Kapow! Amazing, Freak’n fresh and awesome, cheap meal made quick, you won’t find better unless you want things other than good food. Pay cash! or No Noodle for you ~ d:-/

A Brisbane icon whose standard has been consistently high. Great noodles — refreshing. Hits that spot every single time!

Thank goodness for AJs.
When a friend remarked to me on a Saturday that we couldn’t have sushi for lunch because it was weekday food, I didn’t quite understand what she meant.
But six weeks after returning to work in Brisbane, the penny finally dropped when I realised I had eaten sushi for an average of 3 out of 5 weekday lunches. The other two were the days I actually had my stuff together enough to bring my lunch in. I didn’t think it was possible to be sushied out, but here I was contemplating another sushi lunch, and feeling slightly nauseous.
Enter AJs. While it doesn’t look like much from the outside (or the inside come to think of it), we all know from our travels around the world where we’ve discovered the most delicious food in the most unexpected places, that looks can be deceiving.
The noodle salads are my current lunch go-​to. The beef, the pork or the spring roll — each one of them offering a tasty, semi-​healthy and filling lunch option.
While there’s always a crowd outside the door during the lunch rush, the kitchen usually delivers in less than 5 mins for a takeaway order. And the revolving door lunch crowd usually means you can be seated without too long a wait. Perfect for when you’re on a time limit.
Here’s hoping I don’t get overdose on AJs the way I did on sushi.

Around lunch time on a weekday this place will often be packed to capacity with office workers waiting outside for a takeaway order. While it isn’t a large space, this is nonetheless a valid indicator of the great value and quality you’ll find here.
My pick of the menu is the ‘Bun Bo Hue’ — a spicy noodle soup with pork & beef. The meat is generously portioned and the broth nice and flavoursome They also give you the traditional side dish with Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts, lemon etc.
The interior is pretty drab and functional, but the food makes up for it. You might also want to get your food takeaway and enjoy it picnic-​style in the nearby Botanic Gardens. Just a thought…

This is the best Vietnamese you’ll get in the CBD and at prices you would normally see in the Burbs. Their popularity is evident around lunchtime when their small space is packed to the max and people are queuing outside for a table. I always try to come here a little earlier around 11am or delay my lunch until 2pm to avoid the lunch time crowd.
My usually dish is the mixed beef phở noodle soup. This contains the beef slices but also tripe, tendon and beef balls. Oh how I love some gelatinous tendon and I’m pretty sure it’s good for you as well. Surely all that gelatine is just seeping with glucosamine and I’ll be spared arthritis in my old age.
Seriously, their phở soup is the bees’ knees. It is rich and flavoursome with some fresh Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts and fresh chillies. I only wish they would be more generous with the tendons…
Service is fast too so I always try to reciprocate and eat quickly then get out so someone else can snag my table. Food this good deserves to be enjoyed by everyone.

I have been coming here for ages for the noodle soup and vietnamese spring roll and grilled pork salad.
They seem to have gotten the mix right of the peanuts, sauce, chilli and flavour so it’s not an MSG overkill after you drink all the soup with the traditional Phở! Big highlight is the lemon soda for me, and the spring rolls which you can order on the side for a mere $ 5.50.
Don’t let the appearance fool you, whilst the actual restaurant isn’t looking like a high class one, with the tables really close together. There is a reason people pack into this place by the droves so much so that they start lining up outside just to get in for lunch or dinner.
The waitstaff are very efficient, the food comes out quickly and it’s the only place you can get damn good phở for under $ 10 which is basically unheard of! Try this place out, you won’t regret it.
I recommend the beef ball and beef noodle soup with the vietnamese noodles (clear and chewy).

I had never heard of this restaurant before until just the other day when a few friends and I discovered it. We were having drinks at a pub in the city and began craving Vietnamese, so we googled «cheap Brisbane city Vietnamese restaurant «on our phones and AJ Vietnamese Noodle House and where we landed. The restaurant did a good job at satisfying our cravings and was definitely good value for money but to be honest, it did not blow me away.
The first thing I noticed about this place is the size, it is tiny and could probably only sit 20 people. Thankfully, on a Wednesday night this was not a concern for our party of three yet I can imagine it could get very cramped during a busy lunch time period or on weekends.
As we were fairly hungry, we ordered rice paper rolls to share and separate main dishes. I ordered the Lemongrass Beef vermicelli noodle salad whilst my friends ordered the Special Beef Noodle soup and the Seafood Noodle soup. The overall consensus from the table was that this was not the best Vietnamese food we had ever had but a pleasant feed nonetheless. The rice paper rolls lacked minty flavour and my salad was not as tangy as other lemongrass beef salads I have had in the past. The broth in the soups were fairly good but there was something lacking in the flavour. For the price ($ 9.90-$ 12.90) though, these were very generous serves and really good value.
The place is BYO and there is a bottle shop right across the road so feel free to come here with a six-​pack or a bottle of wine. Another important thing to remember– it only accepts cash so make sure to pop by an ATM on the way.
AJ Vietnamese Noodle house is the only Vietnamese restaurant that I know about in the Brisbane CBD. It offers cheap food and should satisfy anyone’s Vietnamese food cravings.

This is, by far, the best Vietnamese you’ll find in the city. Forget the Asian Fusion restaurants that claim they can ‘do’ Vietnamese, AJ’s is your one-​stop-​shop for noodle soups and rice paper rolls if you’re unwilling to make the trip to Fortitude Valley. This place is tucked away along Charlotte Street, right at the end of Elizabeth St Arcade if you’re coming from the Myer Centre direction. It took me some time to muster up the courage to enter AJ’s because from the exterior, it looks slightly rundown and unfrequented.
But I must have been coming the wrong days, or other people must have made the same discovery, because whenever I stop by AJ’s now it’s completely packed. I’d advise against going during lunch hours because you’ll be waiting for twenty minutes. When you do make it in though, be sure to sit in for a quick noodle soup or snag some take away rice paper rolls; it’s the perfect place to stop by if you need to fill up before drinks in the city.