Chay Village

Always visit this one when on Berlin. The best dumplings, coconut soup, rice noodles dishes. Love the mango lassi. People there are always a bit busy, as it is usually quite full on the lunchtime, but still very friendly. Place is not so big, but in the Summer outside they have more tables. We always book a table by phone upfront!

This cute little restaurant was fantastic. Service was faultless, staff are so friendly, although it says vegetarian, most dishes are vegan or if not everything can be made vegan. The food was delicious and so flavoursome and well presented. And best of all the price! Defiantly recommend this place. We sat outside and took in the vibe of this amazing city whilst enjoying some equally amazing food

We had 2 kinds of vegan pho (basic and spicy/sour.. the first two ones on the menu!), one non-soup rice noodle dish and one red curry. They were both very tasty and the price was also quite cheap (6-7 euros per main dish). They were a bit salty for my taste but I think that is standard in many restaurants in Germany. I will ask for less salt next time. I would like to go back to Berlin and try out all the things on the menu.. with they had a vegan Lassi though (or I just didn't see it). ;o;

Had summer rolls and spring rolls for starters and a noodle dish for mains. The summer rolls were very good, maybe a bit too much noodles compared to the veggies and tofu. The spring rolls were slightly over fried and quite greasy. The main was very good. Very tasty fried tofu and and seitan, plenty vegetables and all very fresh. Great pricing too!
Updated from previous review on Tuesday April 19, 2016

We came on a saturday night and where lucky to have a spot, the place was pretty crowded. The food came quick and was really really nice. The starters arent too big but the main dishes are royal. We had to take a doggy bag. Happy to have found this awesome place!

This is some of the best asian cuisine I've had for a long time!

Servings was perfect size, taste was rich and balanced(the sauce was perfect!!), the service was friendly and the priceis low. I'll recommend this place any day.

Really nice place. Great food and good prices (especially if you're a low budget traveler). My boyfriend and I had fresh spring rolls and breaded silken tofu for appetizers and a soup (can't remember) and a rice-curry-tofu dish for the main curse. I found it really tasty and great portion sizes. Only bad thing was it was very busy. I would definitely recommend it.

Visited Chay Village Schöneberg on a warm Saturday evening in June. Really enjoyed it!

We were worried by the two-star review left by another HappyCow user, but after our visit I think perhaps they've left the review on the wrong page or something. I just don't recognise the restaurant we visited from the description in that review!

We had starters - some summer rolls, and some deep-fried tofu chunks with peanut sauce, both were delicious. For main course we had a roasted noodle dish and a rice dish, can't remember the names but they were both well-presented and rather huge! The noodle dish was delicious, though we were less keen on the tamarind sauce rice dish.

They also sell lassis, all of which can be made vegan, which is great, and a range of home-made juice concoctions (I had mango and mint), and booze too if you want that. The dessert we wanted was running out, so we were given a free sample instead, which was very kind :)

Overall: recommended.
Updated from previous review on Saturday June 07, 2014

I tried the noodle dish Bún Chá (# 24). Grilled vegetarian filets marinated with 5 spices with rice noodles, fresh salad, herbs and soya sauce.

6 €, good portion, spicy and very tasty! Friendly staff. The place is a kind of informal restaurant. Come as you are. I'll definitely return to this place if I am in Schöneberg again.

I was taken here by non-veggie, vegan curious friends of mine and it was a great tip!

We shared a few dishes from the menu and were very impressed with the quality and taste of the food. Most of the menu is vegan and it seems that the only non-vegan items can be made vegan by removing the egg or honey. I'd definitely recommend it.

I keep asking myself, how has this place earned all the praise?? Being a fan of veganised vietnamese cuisine, and having read the raving reviews on happycow, I thought that this was the place to eat on my one-night visit to Berlin. It was a disappointment. This is a very busy, yet mediocre joint (fast-food quality, waiting times notwithstanding). The food was lacking in authenticity, and was made with raw products that seemed of poor quality. Well, it was relatively cheap; I guess you get what you pay for. (I have to admit one thing, though: they are generous with the grease.)

We (a party of three) had a salad, raw (non-fried) spring rolls, and a portion of fried spring rolls for starters. The salad was supposed to contain a variety of mushrooms, which turned out to be just plain white mushrooms. No sign of exotic herbs whatsoever. Disappointing, this being the middle of the summer. Can't say much about the fried spring rolls other than that they were dripping with oil. The raw spring rolls were very nice, though as were all of the dipping sauces.

For the main course we shared three different dishes and a bowl of pho that was labeled "spicy". The famed red curry -- claimed to be a best-kept family secret -- was a very oily sauce made with peanut butter and coconut cream (basically satay), which dominated the flavours; it was also very, very heavy. The other two dishes were fried tofu with green beans and chunks of TVP in plain tomato sauce -- and they were literally that; I couldn't resist the impression that the tomato sauce came straight from a carton. The "spicy pho" broth was bland, had little content (rice noodles + fried chunks of tofu) and was VERY GREASY - the soup was completely sealed off by a layer of oil. I occasionally cook vegan pho at home, and honestly, making a decent one doesn't take all that much!

Worst of all, the original vietnamese coffee we had after the meal was VERY THIN (obviously watered down); far from the real deal.

This place is for the patient only -- waiting times are very long (45+ mins on a Sunday evening). Its also very busy, and if you want to sit outside in the summer you have to queue up. The menu is speckled with inspiring quotations about being thankful for the food, but all that the food leaves you with is regret. Quite a contrast. In Berlin, one is spoiled for choice; if you and looking for authentic, non-westernised vietnamese grub do yourselves a favour and try somewhere ELSE.

You have been warned.

Chay village is one of those veg*n places you can invite your non-veg friends and know they will also enjoy. They use herbs and spices copiously and properly. Try their home-made red curry, obviously without fish sauce (best value dish in the menu). The spring roll dish (not the appetizer) comes with a great salad including very aromatic herbs. They make a wonderful vietnamese version of the Korean bim-bam rice on a hot plate with vegetables, soy and egg (more expensive dish but worth it, yumm).

The staff is very nice and helpful, but bring a lot of patience with you, since they are not the fastest. Drinks are problematic. The white wine I tried was very bad and the draft beer had no fizz. My guess is that these guys drink no alcohol, so they don't know what they're serving. Your best bet are soft drinks or bottled beer.

BUT the food is so good they still get 5 stars form me. Go there for the FOOD!

Great tastes. Great prices. Huge portions. Happy staff. Humble, sweet restaurant. Worth remembering in Berlin...

The food was delicious. The cook told us that everything on the menu could be made vegan (most of it was vegan already). The main dish was a normal sized portion and we (big eaters) got an extra bowl of rice for free.

Starters, mains and drinks for two persons was about 30 euro. Payment with a credit card was not possible!

There are numerous excellent Vietnamese restaurants in Berlin. And what is true for almost all restaurants in Berlin particularly holds for Vietnamese restaurants: You can go to nearly any restaurant in Berlin and get at least a decent range of vegetarian food options.

But Chay Village is really extraordinarily good. That is all I can say. You have to go there and try it on your own. :) It's delicious!

Chay Village is my veggie surprise 2012. (BTW: My veggie surprise 2011 was Veggie Chinese Gourmet Cuisine http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=24276 :))