Xeoms are Vietnam’s ubiquitous motorcycle taxis, and the drivers know where to find the best food. Before work they’ll be scoffing a steaming bowl of pho. For lunch, they grab a fresh crunchy pork-filled roll. At dinner relaxing with their families, they share plates of noodles, broken rice dishes and salads. And of course, downing beers with their mates and playing bau cua ca cop, a Vietnamese dice game. If we had Xeoms in Melbourne, the drivers would be whisking you here. Loud, brave and edgy, this place not only looks good, it tastes even better.

The menu at Xeom is not big but what it does, it does right. All the regular dishes are here with the emphasis on authentic flavour, freshness and integrity of ingredients as well as some modern twists options. As for our pho the base stock is based on grandma’s recipe according to Khoa, Xeom’s ebullient owner. It’s fragrant odour is redolent of old Vietnam. When playing the Vietnamese dice game, bau cua ca cop, Xeom drivers like a sure bet. At Xeom, you can bet on the pho – you will never lose.

Soak in the ambience of industrial chic, watch your meal being lovingly prepared in the open kitchen, check out the motorcycle hand washing basin, viral on instagram. The authentic street food is not just authentic and cheap, it’s great. Service is fast and friendly. Grab takeaway or better still, sit enjoy the bold décor over a cheery nutritious meal. You never know, someone may ask you to join in a game of bau cua ca cop.

Xeom drivers say, “We’re all work and no break but when we break we make it count and we booze up, Vietnamese way!” Sure, the Vietnamese way means conviviality, friendship and fun. At Xeom, Vietnamese beer is well represented and reasonably priced and our food is designed for sharing, so come gather with a bunch of mates, down a few, and relax into the evening. We’re open till late – see you at Xeom!

Vietnamese love their rolls, light and crisp and so delicious when filled with juicy pork, crunchy soft shell crabs or tofu coleslaw, glistening white and slippery. Add the freshest vegetables, optional chilli and you have a no fuss meal fit for a king or better still, a Vietnamese Xeom motorcycle cab driver. These guys know where to find the best food and they’ll find it at this edgy Smith Street Vietnamese street food joint.

Watching his grandma cook back in Vietnam, Khoa dreamed of bringing real home-style Vietnamese food to Australia. Xeom is his dream come true. Serving authentic Vietnamese food in an Australian context, a place of which his grandma would be proud. Whether it be a sexy roll, a noodle soup based on an authentic home-made stock or something green, Xeom will deliver you a memorable meal.