Yaya Cafe & Shaved Ice

I thought I was the only one addicted to the lemongrass tofu, but I see from the other reviews all of us love it. It is so, so good. Also, I think this weird little joint has the best springrolls in town. Shrimp PLUS barbecued pork? I dream about them. And my veggie friend swears by the bahn mi. I wouldn’t know, b/​c i have to get the lemongrass tofu every time.

I’ve eaten there 3 times now. Before the 3^rd visit, I would have rated as 3. Ok, not bad, you won’t get sick, service OK, and etc…, but today I had the crêpe for the first time! Man… It is good… different from any crêpe I’ve ever had. It’s more of an omelette, I think. Filled with crispy beam sprouts, greens, choice of meats, and served with a nice sauce. It’s something that I can’t duplicate as a cook, and I can’t think of anything else like it in other restaurants. Now in all about the Ya Ya crêpe.

Staff is very Friendly. The place it Clean. The food if Fresh! Atmosphere is Relaxed :)
Lemongrass Tofu is one of my favorites!

Nicest staff. Freshest veggies. Reasonable prices. Best peanut sauce. I’m addicted to the tofu spring rolls because I get a couple servings of healthy vegetables in me without noticing. Plus, so much good soup to fill me up or soothe my throat during all the allergy seasons.
It’s locally owned by SING who is so welcoming.
There aren’t enough places to park so come early or park across the street and walk over.
I’m addicted.
See you there!

Decent place for phở (for Austin) especially near UT, though it wouldn’t be able to compare to places in Houston. They do have good shaved ice here as well, so give that a try.

Lemongrass tofu. It doesn’t sound like it would be all that appetizing to many people, but it’s delicious. Each cube is full of flavor, and it doesn’t taste like grass contrary to what the name might have you think.
Each dish I’ve had here has been good, and the tofu is part of it. The rice noodles are prepared well — good consistency, and they soak up the flavor of whatever sauce or broth they’re served with well. I haven’t really had much Vietnamese food in Austin (aside from banh mi, but I haven’t tried one here yet) so I can’t really compare, but every table does have a bottle of hoisin sauce and sriracha, so they know what they’re doing.
The staff is friendly, and like a true Asian establishment, they don’t really bother you much at all once you get your food. I do think it’s a little more pricey for Vietnamese food than most other places I’ve seen, but it’s worth it every so often for a hot bowl of phở (and it does stay hot for a while) and some Vietnamese coffee.
Miscellaneous tidbits, if it’s helpful: there’s a small parking lot, there are 3 TVs or so, and you go up to the counter to pay after you’re done eating.

20 minutes wait for two measly tofu spring rolls. $ 4.50 for two measly tofu spring rolls. Never again.

Yaya Café is awesome! Maybe nickname should be Yum Yum! Delicious coffee super strong served in a cool glass that brews in front of you… Offered with condensed milk! Phở is excellent… Got shrimp and vegetables! Can’t wait to come back!

The staff is friendly. I would eat the phở any day. I always get it to go, they pack it well and it is good.
The bhan mi sandwiches are poor. The bread is hard and the ingredients tastless. This is bad college kid food.
Stick to the phở! :)

Decent phở for a decent price! The staff was friendly and they brought out our meals pretty quick. Their regular sized Phở bowls are the size of a small at some of the other local Phở places (for reference) but their flavor is spot on! I gotr the vegetarian Phở and it was loaded with veggies and tofu. My only complaint is that we ordered the shrimp/​pork spring rolls and there was almost NO pork and a lot of shrimp? Will try again and see if we have the same issue.

I don’t care what ANYONE says… They have THE BEST Rice noodle + BBQ Pork Soup in Austin HANDS DOWN!
I love soups. pretty much eat soup once a week. Your mouth will hug you for eating this delicious bowl unconditional love.
Go there, eat it and just enjoy your life…

They served me cold egg rolls.
Anything else you need to know?

Asian food that is inexpensive and convenient is hard to find here in Austin. The staff here are incredibly nice and I appreciate that.
They give a lot of vegetables with entrees which is a plus!

In my wife’s quest for some «white girl Chinese food,» I went to Yaya since it was closer to her office. Everything cost about $ 8 – 9 — whether it be phở, banh mi, or a rice dish.
I got the Chargrilled pork with rice for eating in and I was taking her the General Tso’s chicken to go. I figured that I’d try something a little more on the Vietnamese style.
I was pretty disappointed. A spring mix salad that looked definitely more American. Add in the swirls of carrot peel and a light balsamic. Regular rice — no broken rice. Meager amount of meat.
My wife’s to-​go. Pretty bad. It looked like the fried chicken bits you’d see in a buffet. Except we’re talking shrimp size bits of chicken — about 6 – 7 — no real sauce on it either. If you told me that they bought it from a frozen bag at HEB and forgot to add the sauce, I’d believe you. I’ve had a better version of General Tso’s from Trader Joe’s
The Chinatown in Austin isn’t that good, but this just confirmed that I need to drive up to Lamar. For a restaurant with asians working the kitchen, I was disappointed that they couldn’t even appease the «white girl» taste buds. I’d go to Panda Express over this place where I’d get a lot more food for the same price.

Just not much to say about this place.
At 7 one evening I walk in and there are two-​three tables of customers — my first sign that something is wrong.
Fast? Yes — my to-​go order was ready in ~10 minutes.
Good price? No; too expensive for the value.
Good food? No, not really. Pretty bland, even with hot sauce throw in, and mostly noodles in my relatively small take-​home box.
Try at your own peril: I won’t be back.

Second visit here. In area, craving phở and willing to give this place another try. I walked out without trying it last time because beef portion was sooo skimpy.
Second verse same as the first. This time I counted 6 smaller slices of beef which were already well done by the time it came to my table. Echoing that of other reviews the broth is salty.
A large order always fills me up. Not here.
Overpriced and underserved.
For a filling meal look elsewhere folks.

Good spring rolls though i am not used to carrots on it. Asked for fork and just got one but expected two forks. Got silverware woth food. Peanit sauce is too spicy but liked plum sauce instead. Shaved ice looked huge but had to pass on it. Thought they would automaticallt give spring rolls and silverware. Reasonable good quality food.

I like Yaya’s for their shrimp and pork spring rolls with peanut sauce, shrimp fried rice and jasmine bubble green tea. My fiancé loves their seafood phở. The seafood phở is a lot for me so I don’t get it as often but when I do, I personally enjoy it.
The restaurant is clean, staff is friendly and they are fairly quick.

I really enjoyed my lunch here yesterday. In case you have a hard time finding the location, as I did, it’s in a small strip mall right next to the Starbucks at the corner of 38^th and Guadalupe — on the southwest corner.
The owner was there, and very attentive to our needs, even with his waitstaff present. This might have been partially due to their age — they looked like high school kids who were still being trained (although they were conscientious and did their best). Regardless, he was polite without being pushy.
My husband and I split the bo luc lac over rice (shaken beef), the rare steak phở, the tofu spring rolls (because I was craving tofu!), and the mango green tea shaved ice. I was pleasantly impressed with the peanut sauce that accompanied the spring rolls — they had a depth of flavor I haven’t tasted in any other peanut sauce in Austin. Everything was seasoned really nicely — not too heavy on any one flavor (or bland, for that matter). Truly appreciate a place that does simple foods well!

I was craving some Bahn-​Mi late last night, and this was the closest place that was open. I ordered the lemongrass pork. It was a little lacking in meat… seemed a little more like bread with vegetables. But don’t get me wrong, the bread IS really good. It comes out all warm and toasty, but without the meat, I feel like it’s pretty much not a Bahn-​Mi. I don’t think it was really worth the value, since I know another Bahn-​Mi place in Austin that charges $ 3 for a bigger and better sandwich.
I might come back and try their shaved ice and bubble tea, which I actually think is what they’re more known for, but probably will go somewhere else for Bahn-​Mi