Xage

Great service but I must say the flavors of the food was missing. The fried squid was almost cold when it hit our table and the slow roast pig was mostly fat.

A good ambience, tasty food, good service. I had the fish which was delicious but there were also good vegetarian options.

Yet again, Andrew O has sealed his place as a very solid foodie in Syd — had organised to come here post Kahuna massage and when AO mentioned this place as a «must try» — I knew we would not be disappointed — OH BOY and we weren’t.
My SIL and I were still floating from our massage so we just wanted something light to snack on for dinner — we ordered some chicken/​beef/​prawn rice paper rolls — light as feathers and a perfect starter. The grilled chicken herb salad had us oohing and ahhhing and perhaps even some «ohhgawd yessing» … I cannot confirm nor can I deny. All I have to say is the lemongrass dressing was to die for!!!
This place reminds me of Phamish, its loud, its chaotic and its delorean fast! The layout is well thought out considering the size of it and is a superb spot for those that love a bit of Crown St action. It packs out and the kitchen closes fairly early, so if you want a feed, make sure to head in before 930pm otherwise they will shut you down without batting an eyelid.
I’ll be sure to return with a group of 4 or more next time to check out their set menus — another cheap and cheerful place for those school night catch-​ups.

From Order To Table: Faster then a good episode of House of Cards but slower than a bad episode of Home and Away.
Service-​ometer: Cookie Cutter friendly.
Stomachability: Not authentic Thai but not French-​Columbian-​Ethiopian-​Thai fusion either.
Overall I’m always happy with Xage. Often you can find a lot of people here later during the night as they generally will stay open if people are around. I’ve always been moderately disappointed with their service as they often have refused to push tables together or let us wait outside.
BYO is always a nice addition but don’t expect them to want you stick around. Traffic seems like it’s very important here and they don’t want you staying around to chat.
Always happy to come here but have never been amazed.

While traveling in Sydney I needed to order take away for the evening. I found Xage and the reviews sounded great. I took the recommendations and tried the prawn rolls and slow cooked beef curry dish. Not only was the food ready 15 minutes after calling it in, but it was far better than I was expecting. I’m looking forward to returning for more.

We loved the bright, clean and focused flavors of our dishes. The mint in the prawn rolls was a nice touch. The grilled prawns with green papaya had a wonderful balance of heat and acidity. Finally, the fried tofu with vegetables was amazing! The tofu center had a melty flavorful bite, and the vegetables were not over cooked. There were lots of different textures. Business for this place speaks for itself. Would definitely return for more!!!

Overall tasty food — although it’s not so much Vietnamese as it seems to cross lines with Thai and certainly Chinese cuisine. Chilled atmosphere. Would come back!
I like that you’re sitting inside but the restaurant is open enough to feel like you’re outside. This place has a casual atmosphere.
Came here without a booking but it was easy enough to get a table for 4. We ordered: the slow cooked beef, tiger prawns & okra, chicken & veg stir-​fry, salt/​pepper squid & prawn rice rolls.
My friends really like the beef, it was full of flavour and was really tender however too salty in my opinion. I preferred the prawn and okra because it had enough spice (I like spicy!) but the cool thing is that the menu had something for everyone.

The food is always ridiculously bang on for flavour. Only thing is, I don’t know a lot about Vietnamese food and the waiters/​waitresses are terrible at helping me out. Luckily the tables are super close together so I can listen in on what they are considering, or just ask them. Which, on the one hand is handy, but in other ways it is annoying — I don’t have the best hearing and having so many people crammed in there makes it hard for me to hear who I’m with. Right and it’s BYO, they don’t sell alcohol.
So 5 for food, 3 for ambiance.

The Good:
The food was solid, somewhat unanticipated Vietnamese fare. I’ll admit I thought I’d find phở on the menu and there was none. Enjoyed my chicken spring rolls very much, and it’s pretty hard to mess up fried rice, but theirs was pleasantly packed with veggies. My partner’s trout was also tasty, and I’m not much for seafood.
The not so good:
Service, service, service. Sorry, the American in me again… but this «communal dining» thing a reviewer below listed is not commonplace ’round my parts. I’ve gotten used to it but it has not grown on me and it never will. I want to be able to hear my date and I don’t want anyone else breathing on my food or kicking my leg under the table accidentally. Not that this happened here, because we were in the middle of a bench with buffer zone around… but they refused to seat us in the first table we requested, then the second table we requested, and finally, they refused us the spot at the bench we moved towards. I think the tables may have been reserved, which is fine, and maybe the spot at the bench was too, but no one showed up for it. Saving spots for imaginary customers at the expense of real ones is no way to run a business. I will not be back, no matter the quality of food. Shout out to the water lady though, she was on the ball and our pitcher was never less than half full. Wish you could selectively tip part of the wait staff… alas.

I have been to Xage three times in the last 4 months and it is disappointing. The staff seem to have a general attitude that all customers are the opposition.
The food is OK. I really like the Chicken Spring Rolls. However everything else has a dark green leaf in it that tastes like licorice. It seems that all of the salad used in the fresh rolls, salads and sides is exactly the same mix cut in bulk at the beginning of the day. The Chicken Salad had pre cooked chicken coated in a thick syrupy marinade I didn’t appreciate.
Please check out my review of Phamish and head across to Phamish for really awesome Vietanmese food.

Very good Vietnamese. Love their rice paper rolls & the cashew chicken salad. BYO too, and in a good location on Crown St (but very reasonably priced).

The fare here, is simple and uncomplicated. Good, old fashioned traditional flavours served in a modern way. A great mid-​week Vietnamese fix, although the communal dining makes it really hard to hear.
Try the fresh rice paper rolls, they’re the highlight.

The first thing you need to know is that Xage has BYO ($ 3 per person).
The second thing is that the food is undeniably delicious.
Xage is my staple restaurant for good quality Vietnamese with reasonable prices. Sesame Beef Rice Paper Rolls ($ 8.90) are a perfect starter. The Black Tiger Prawns ($ 18.90) is so fresh, spicy and enjoyable that I would eat this every day of the week if I had the choice. The Beef Rump Salad ($ 16.90) is another favourite. Ginger Soy Chicken ($ 16.90) is ok, but the flavours are too subtle for my taste buds.
You will also find squid, Asian greens, fried rice, pork, curry and trout on the menu, all on my list of things to try when I return.
Did I mention it was BYO? And that the food was delicious?

There is a range of dishes on the dinner menu at Xage, but I must stress that future visitors ensure they order some of the deliciously cheap, fresh rice paper rolls. For just $ 8.90, you get three of them stuffed fat with fillings — my vote goes to the lemongrass chicken with ginger sauce, and the duck with hoisin sauce sprinkled with peanuts — cut in half, so it’s kind of like getting six. The stir fried Asian greens were also a good choice, but everything we ate was high quality and inexpensive.
Nestled on Crown Street between two sections of more expensive restaurants — Bentley and The Winery on one side, Billy Kwong and Marque on the other — this funky, unpretentious diner is always packed, probably also due in large part to their BYO policy. They also run Summer Rolls in the CBD, which specialises in takeaway Vietnamese rice paper rolls with fresh and tasty fillings — perfect for a picnic in Hyde Park over the road.

Xage is an experience restaurant, the vibe is sensational, the staff friendly, and the patrons are happy as they’re finally enjoying some amazing food in Surry Hills.
This cosy establishment feels authentic and unstoppable, it’s a Vietnamese restaurant that rivals the conglomerations of Thai restaurants that spot Sydney like South East Asia tunnel vision.
The sharing meals remind me of digging into a family feast in Vietnam, street food with wildly good presentation, true spices, and inventive combinations of flavours.
Jump over to the Dolphin and grab a few bottle of wine for you and your new friends, the restaurant get’s busy, so don’t forget to book, and when you’re there try the amazing rice paper rolls with a tangy dipping sauce.

Unpretentious, uncomplicated and AH-​MAZING food. Xage is an unassuming little restaurant that could rival the best.
This small site might not be the prettiest but what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for with its menu. Xage is always busy and the minute you taste the food here can see why.
The summer rolls are fresh and light, the stir fries tasty and my mouth is watering at the thought of two of the signature dishes; Salt and pepper squid with shallot and chilli and slow-​cooked beef curry with lotus root … I could wax lyrical about the food for hours it really is that good.
This flavour-​packed menu is full of hits and I have not yet found a miss on that menu. Even better are the prices!
It’s BYO which is fine with me and well located with both The Winery and The Dolphin in close walking distance if you want to grab a couple of bottles or a drink after. This restaurant is a hit. Prepare to love it.

I went to a Vietnamese restaurant once. It was in Marrickville and it felt authentic and it was half-​tasty and very homely but it wasn’t Xage. In fact, there is no restaurant that holds that distinction for me. Xage is my favourite place to eat in Sydney. The space is beautiful, the staff are incredibly courteous and just delightful and the food should be given its proper due and be recognized as the reason we’re no longer hunter and gatherers anymore. The ginger soy chicken is fresh, healthy, plentiful, uncomplicated and over-​the-​top tasty. The fried rice with diced chicken is no different. The spring rolls and rice paper rolls are perfect. More perfect, I bet, than even Peter Gilmore’s Snow Egg. There is nothing I can fault about this restaurant. I hate to sound so one-​key but I’ve put my heart out there. Love you, Xage.