Cafe 55

I’ve only been here for lunch once, but must admit I was rather disappointed. I was craving fresh Asian food in the style of Vietnamese and Thai, so was looking forward and had high hopes for Café 55. I ordered the pad thai noodle salad, dug in, and found it utterly lacking in flavor. Perhaps I should give it another go and try one of the curries or soups, but I found the noddles so bland that I am completely uninspired to go back.

Came here for a quick coffee and something small to eat before a shift so I was in a rush. The lady was flat out busy but still acknowledged I was there when I came in and very friendly. I asked her to make my coffee not hot so I could drink it straight away and she delivered the perfect drinking temperature. Although the spinach and ricotta roll was a little dry it still tasted great. Very impressed with the coffee and will be back!

This is a great little place to eat a casual lunch.
My dad and I come here for our catch up lunches and it never disappoints.
At first it just looks like a regular lunch bar, then you look up at the menu and see a huge variety of Vietnamese dishes and asian catering options.
I always get the Bun Bi Cha Gio which is a bowl of vermicelli noodles, herbs and veggies finely sliced, and pork & taro crispy spring rolls with a sweet chili sauce.
My dad usually gets his vegetarian laksa lemak which is rich in coconut milk and packed with veggies and tofu.
The rest of the menu looks just as good and I’m pretty certain it won’t disappoint.
Price is fair enough, but I love this place for it clean delicious meals and humble atmosphere.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be reviewing this place, but you can decide for yourself:
To my credit in terms of reviewer credentials, I’ve been here on quite a number of occasions over an extended period of time (I’m talking years here). So that’s a good thing, right?
On the negative side, on one of my early visits I had an experience that has come to define and limit my thinking of Café 55, and preconceptions are probably not what you want in a well-​rounded review.
The fact is that one day I ordered laksa. It was awesome. So the next time I had it again and, well, it was awesome. Are you seeing where this is headed?
Embodying the ‘if you are on a good thing stick to it’ adage, Café 55 is all about laksa for me; it is what I always have, and it is always very, very good: great flavour, really generous serving = amazing value.
As a result I can’t comment on any other dishes — for all I know they may be rubbish (I doubt it) — so you can consider this a review of the laksa, nothing more, nothing less.
Love the laksa, like the place!

Great Vietnamese/​Asian spot. I really enjoyed lunch here. I tried the nyungya curry, which was excellent, had great flavor. Wish I could have tried more! Was here during lunch when there is a bit of a crowd but turnover is fast so easy to get a table.

Really can’t fault this place. The noodles, the soups, the sandwiches, the pies. It’s all great.

Though Café 55 also serves a variety of sandwiches and lunchtime treats, I’m always drawn to the warmer at the front of their store. It hypnotises me with visions of unusual fried goods and pies; vegetarian-​friendly options abound alongside meat eater friendly food. This place packs out at lunchtime as the local student population swoop in for cheap eats; I’d avoid it between 12 – 2, but if you get in before or after this, it can be a nice place to sit and enjoy a fatty snack.

Café 55 is a great find! Breakfast and lunch all under $ 12! The service is quick and the place spotless too.
The name would lead you to assume it’s standard café fare, but it’s actually mainly Vietnamese cuisine.
Buns (Vermiciili dry soup), Phos (noodle soup) and other Vietnamese soups are the mainstay as well as some super-​stuffed rice paper rolls.
The traditional soups are greatly tasty and one of the best value lunches I’ve stumbled upon in this area.

I can be quite forgetful at times, and forgetting my lunch for my days out at uni became a regular occurance, generally meaning I’d end up spending my dollars on expensive café food, which would come in fairly stingy portions. But Café 55 was a good stop off to order a decent amount of tasty Vietnamese food for a very reasonable price.
It’s good to either dine in and enjoy their quality service and sit amongst the hustle and bustle and generally bump into somebody you’d know as it is a regular spot for most in Freo. Or take a big tub to takeaway and sit on the Esplanade park perhaps. It is a busy, fast paced place, but you’ll never wait long, there is a large variety of food, so even if you’re feeling like a curry but you’re mate isn’t vibing it, they can grab a cheap and tasty toastie! The coffee here is fairtrade, which is always the biggest seller for myself and it’s encouraging to see them stick to it. Can’t go wrong with Café 55!