Viet Shack Ancoats

Arrived around 5:50 pm on a Saturday evening — busy enough with most tables filled, but still comfortable. We sat down and ordered a Pho and Summer Rolls. Barely five minutes later, our food was on the table. Having tried a lot of decent Vietnamese spots around Manchester since Viet Shack moved from the Arndale, I hadn’t visited this location until now. I have to say, it’s very impressive — the Pho was full of rich, aromatic flavours, and the Summer Rolls were fresh and beautifully presented. Service was friendly and efficient despite the busy atmosphere, making the whole experience even better. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in Ancoats and craving authentic Vietnamese food.

Viet Shack in Ancoats is a decent spot for Vietnamese food. The atmosphere is casual, and the menu offers a good variety of dishes. The summer rolls, which were great, and they do have a good selection of vegetarian options. It's worth noting that they don't take reservations, so there can be a wait, and the space is somewhat limited. If you're looking for a low-key meal and don't mind a potential wait, it's a great option.

Visited for the first time after hearing great things and had high hopes. The dumplings were tasty, but unfortunately both the summer rolls and beef bún were really bland. The noodles were completely plain, served with just beef (which was okay) and salad. They gave us a bottle of chilli and lime dressing with the mains, but no matter how much we added, it just didn’t seem to bring any real flavour. What’s disappointing is that I’ve since seen reviews from a year ago saying the same thing — so it doesn’t seem like feedback is being taken on board (in hindsight, we should’ve checked that before going!) We were tempted by the shack fries but didn’t want to order an extra main on top of those we’d already ordered, so we asked if we could order the mini shack fries from the kids menu to have as a side just so we could try them. We’d already ordered a starter and a main each, so it seemed a bit silly to be told no because apparently they’re strict that only under-11s can order from the kids menu. While I get the rule if adults are trying to order kids meals instead of an adults main, in this context it didn’t really make sense as we’d already ordered a main each. The waitress was lovely and polite, and I get that it’s a small venue with quick turnaround, but putting the bill down before we asked for it (with a “no rush”) and then coming over with the card machine a few minutes later, unprompted, while we were still mid-drink made us feel rushed. Based on this experience, unfortunately, I wouldn’t return or recommend.