Cha Kim Phung

Why am I giving this place the max? Best Cha Siu Bao (baked roast pork bun) ever! Bread is sooo soft, even days after purchase. Filling is sweet & savory. Come here every week for it.
SELECTION: Nice selection of standard Vietnamese bakery/​deli fare of bubble tea and smoothies, champagne mangos, Banh Cuon, Cha Lua, Goi Cuon (summer rolls), Chinese pastries (pork bun, pineapple bun, coconut cream cheese bun, hot dog in a bun, etc.), pâté chaud, egg rolls, etc to name a few. They even offer pork liver pâté in 4 and 2 oz cans, which comes in handy if you’re making pâté chaud from scratch! They also make great looking cakes, but honestly haven’t tried them yet. Will have to provide an update once I do.
PRICE: The pastries average around $ 1.85, mangos come in a case for like $ 16.00, summer rolls are $ 4.50 for 3 and come with peanut hoisin sauce, egg rolls are $ 0.85 each, and pâté chaud is under $ 3. Reasonable prices.
STAFF: Courteous and will ask if you need help. I often come in on Monday mornings so it’s not too busy.
Am and will be a loyal customer as long as they keep making those great buns!

Love this place! Everthing is fresh and delicious. I come here when I need my Vietnamnese pastry fix, and I live 90 minutes from it. I do wish they expand to include a café.

The worst customer service I ever had. I think the lady took our order was the owner. No smile & seemed like she does not need customers. I prefer Thanh Son Tofu more than this place, even their customers are crowd and they been waiting in a long line, but the owner still appreciate customers. Unlike this place, I feel that I am not appreciated.

Three words: Vietnamese baked goodies! Kim Phung has the yummiest authentic Viet pastries, baked goodies and treats! The staff is beyond friendly and the selection is delish and reasonably priced. Kim Phung can literally do no wrong in my eyes. As long as they keep it up, I will faithfully be a loyal customer.

So I take it back. The banh bao was not as good as Song Long or Ban Ta Deli. Yes, it was cheaper ($ 2) but there was barely any filling and the dough was not sweet enough for me. Song Long was a bit more expensive and a bit bigger. Taste wise, Song Long was a bit better. I’ve also tried their char siu bao (bbq pork bun) and thought it needed more flavor. I’d rather buy them from Good Fortune. They are a little better and also cheaper there. Just have to get there earlier in the day before they run out.
*edit* Went back for their pandan slice cake. Flavor was there and did not disappoint. Price was decent for what I got. There were a tiny tiny tiny bit of coconut chunks in it. Wish it had more. I’d pay $ 2 extra if they loaded up on the coconut. Wish other places made pandan flavor as I’ve only found it here.

Ive been a loyal customer here with my husband for the past two years. We come here everyday as part of our daily routine. We always get the iced coffee and thai tea. The people here are very nice and when we bring our 3 year old with us, they are very pleasant with him as well.
The store is set up with the baked goods on the right hand side of the store, along with some chips that they sell and the summer rolls that they make.
The left hand side before the registers are the hot food items that they make and sell like different sorts of bread, egg rolls, shimp paste, meat balls, etc.
They are also a bakery for cakes as well! Though I’ve never tried them but everytime I go there, someone is always picking up a cake that they ordered. They always show the client to make sure the writing is good and thay5its to their liking. That is good customer service when you constantly double check with the client prior to taking care of the next client in line.
I would continue coming here. Their iced coffee is AMAZING and I dont think my day would be the same without it.

Sugar can drink is bad. Don’t even know what is that. Just like water and sugar. No machine in front.

Where else can you find a croissant that cradles a hot dog, a bright green coconut popover and a muffin garnished with a whole shrimp? It was the first time I had ever seen any of these confections, but curiosity got the better of me and I bought one of each. My husband wolfed down the hot dog (it was basically like a gourmet pig-​in-​a-​blanket, he remarked with his mouth full) and my brother-​in-​law raved about the humongous, fluffy popover. The shrimp muffin was. .. interesting. I’m sure it tasted exactly how it was supposed to taste, if you like that kind of thing; I just kept telling myself it was basically shrimp and grits in a more condensed form.
The real problem is that I want to go back and buy three more previously unknown pastries here. The atmosphere is warm, bustling and noisy, just like the rest of Eden Center, but this was one of the more spacious and modern establishments. And come on, live a little — this kind of experience is priceless. It’s like a free trip to Southeast Asia, except that at the end you can hop right back into your comfortable American car!

I’ve been remiss in not leaving a good review for Cha Kim Phung. Sometimes Bambu next door and the other Eden Center delis seem a little overcrowded, and that’s when I remember, there’s always the calm-​er vibe at Cha Kim Phung.
Their counter food is delicious. I usually get Pâté Chaud, the meat pastry, the sesame balls, and some pandan jelly sweet or mung bean cookie. I haven’t had the fried stuff, not knowing what it is. Many people pick up the spring rolls ‘packaged to go’.
I am not a fan of their bahn mi sandwiches. I ate it once but didn’t feel that it was put together with care.
I’ve also picked up cut fruit (like raw mango with salt/​chilli powder), and other items for sale on their shelves. They sell the Bahn Bao, which are the fluffy white buns stuffed with filling.
I’ve got to comment on their bubble teas and Bubble Smoothies. Their boba are quite tasty. I’ve had avocado and coffee smothies. I was really pleased to find they were not overly sweet. I think they are slightly smaller than Thanh Son (down the corridor at Eden Center) but certainly on par with the other Delis.
I really judge this place by the calm vibe I get here and I like it. The food is definitely just as good (barring the bahn mi – because the competition here is too high for me to go back after a ‘miss’). Give this pleasant Deli a try, it beats the craziness at BAMBU next door!

Pretty good banh mi. I thought there was way too much bread for the amount of meat and toppings we got in the sandwich. I ended up taking half of the breading out. I loved their pickled vegetables, and their meat was flavorful and tender.
They had bubble teas, fruits, desserts, pastries, and many more options at this place. A good place to visit if you want to try a lot of stuff without walking all around Eden.

The food is pretty good, and my family had been going here for years…
But what the hell happened to the owners here? I just bought 4 chè at $ 3.50 apiece (inferior to and more expensive than Thanh Son) and a $ 0.75 sesame ball and paid at the register. Just as I finished signing the credit slip, one of the owners came up to the register, grabbed my bag of goods from the counter, and asked if I paid for the sesame ball, to which I, my mom, and AND THE CASHIER WHO HELPED ME said yes. The owner looked at me skeptically, tore the receipt off the register, and snatched the credit slip that I insisted she examine because surely the owner would recognize that the $ 15.71 listed was more than what the chè at 4 x $ 3.50 = $ 14 + tax would cost, but NOPE, apparently I have too much faith in other people.
After a prolonged inspection of the receipt and credit slip, she finally let my mom and me go. No apologies offered, no remorse at unjustly accusing honest customers.
I know people are grumpy sometimes and that there are probably shoplifters every now and then because times are tough, but COME ON.
To add insult to injury (or injury to insult), one of the flimsy cups they package the chè in broke and spilled all over my coat and pants. D; Next time I want chè, I’ll just brave the line at Thanh Son or head over to Huong Binh.
Two stars instead of one because the food is still better than anything I can get in St. Louis. :’(

If you’re looking for a Vietnamese (birthday) cake aka pandan-​flavored cake, this is about the only place in the DMV to get a good one. What’s pandan-​flavor? It’s a green tropical leaf and the taste is always light, refreshing and no, I can’t describe the taste because there really isn’t a good selection of words to end up describing pandan. Soft, fluffy, and completely unconventionally Not American-​like cake. Get it plain or with shredded coconut or fruit inside (this one totally has to be pre-​ordered). Icing is always light, fluffy and not über-​sweet.
In regards to cakes only, I always have to get my aunts to order for me though because no one there speak English and everyone there is rude, on a good day. And don’t order anything in advance, more than the evening before or the morning of the day you want the cake, otherwise, they tend to make the cake Wayy in advance and it’ll taste like it.
Grab some bubble tea or other (fresh) baked goodies, like fresh baked breads, while you’re at it!

GREAT BOBA!!! If you’re a boba fan then you must come here. If you’re a viet coffee fan (super strong coffee/​sweet) then this place is a must!!!
Plus…who doesn’t like boba?

Only had their bubble tea on a week night. The staff was friendly and we found out that they speak Cantonese as well, which is an advantage for us since my wife is fluent in it. We had their yogurt smoothie bubble tea, a flavor we haven’t seen in other places in Eden Center. Their bubbles were chewy. May try their baked goods some other time.

Of all the places at Eden, this is one of my favorites because the workers also speak Cantonese. On top of that, there is a little more variety than some of the similar looking places because they have bakery items (I purchased an almond/​cream cheese looking croissant for $ 1.75 yesterday) and they make some of the best cha gios at Eden for $ 0.75/each. It’s more expensive than a neighboring place and slightly better because of the meatier content.
My sister ordered a mango bubble tea and was super excited and happy because they use real mango and not powder.
They sell egg tarts, Chinese cruellers, banh mis, desserts, etc. There are usually a few people working behind the counter so service is pretty reasonable.

Of the plethora of Vietnamese bakery /​Deli shops in Eden Center, I usually hit up Cha Kim Phung for two items:
* Goi cuon (Vietnamese Summer Roll)
* The house made Cha Lua (Vietnamese Ham or Pork Roll,
)
As a bakery, I’ve had many of their items and I agree that the coconut, taro, and various savory meat buns are just average. However, their Cha Lua IMHO is the best in Eden Center. It comes fried or steamed, and while I like the fried version better, the steamed is healthier so that’s what I get. Wrapped in banana leaf, a combination of lean pork, fish sauce, and spices, is steamed until it comes out in a sliceable roll. I cut it up and make sandwiches with it, or top it with rice or noodle dishes. Many other places in Eden also house make Cha Lua, but I just find the Cha Kim recipe to be the most consistent and flavorful.
The daily made Goi cuon is one of the best deals going. For $ 4 (as of this review), you get three humongous stuffed summer rolls with your choice of filling — I usually opt for the classic shrimp and pork — and a side of dipping sauce. There is no indoor seating, so look for the picnic tables and chairs to the left of the store and enjoy. Since these are daily made, the best time to get them is around 10:30am until 1pm. After that, the rice paper wrapper tends to dry out so if you happen to find on the shelf after 3pm, I’d recommend just waiting until the next day.
Sadly, the banh mi are on the small side and not nearly as good as some of the purveyors of this classic sandwich. And the bubble tea is about on par with the other places, but I like Cha Kim because they also offer jelly (
) in addition to tapioca pearls (the aforementioned «bubble» in bubble tea). So lately, I’ve been ordering the Thai Tea with Jelly which is quite a refreshing accompaniment as I enjoy my Goi cuon on a summer day.

I totally agry agree with Mary. I also try there items. I was almost eating bread. I try some of there drink an it was ok. I had better and looking forward in checking out more of Eden Center myself.

My intention was to simply get a bubble tea because I had already eaten at Song Que, but the nice lady convinced me to get the combination banh mi (which I’ll save for later), she said next time I should try the soursop bubble tea.
I bought a watermelon bubble tea… so perfect for a beautiful day like today;)
I appreciate the service (even the compliments) and she was accommodating to answer my questions about the various selections.

I have never been to a Vietnamese bakery… It’s quite interesting… I like the fact they have different product that I have never seen before… It was like a new bakery experience to me… there is certain bun that I recognized from a typical Asian bakery… but was sell extremely high. two bucks high… One more reason why NYC is the best… no crazy over priced food… but I couldn’t resists and bought a green mung bean pudding dessert… did not taste as good as I aspected… I’m not side if the product was old or if its just harden and that’s how they made it … it wasn’t what i aspected… The place is nice and big… no seating area… beside buns they sell multiple flavor of bubble teas, smoothes with desserts and sticks foods… the stick foods I wanna try next time… I never seen that kind before… looks interesting… place is really busy… lot of people walk in and out… Parking lot is right outside… many locals come here for there lunch and desserts!

This is my go-​to, probably top 3 places at Eden to get eggrolls! They are crispy and the filling is tasty and full of flavor. They aren’t warm when you get them but they are so good you don’t even need to warm them up. I will sit there and eat 10… by myself. I don’t get my banh mi or bubble tea here just because I prefer other places. I have tried them in the past but they aren’t the «go-​tos». The bakery items and meat they have at the counter are pretty amazing. They have these special «waffles», I wish I knew the name, I guess I could ask my mom the translation in english. The smell of these waffles are delightful, it takes you onto cloud 9 and you’re floating out the store in sweet heaven. They are green coloring, its puffy, soft on the inside and a little crispy on the outside. But you have to ask for it, specially made for you. YUM!