Saigon Deli Restaurant Pho Cong Ly

Two stars only because their Bun Bo Hu is good. Yesterday I ordered a large Bun Bo Hue and Goi Cuon (2pc) and it came out to be 16.50. Today I came back to order another large Bun Bo Hue and the total was 9.75. It was a different person that took my money so I asked her how much Goi Cuon was and she told me it’s 5.50… so the total was SUPPOSED to be 15.25 but the guy from yesterday decided to overcharge me $ 1.25. I guess that’s how they keep their business alive.

BUN BO HUE. I’m a big fan of bun bo hue and this is the best. But only if you can handle the spiciness. Yes, this is way better than Ngu Binh. My Vietnamese parents have been going here for a long time & this is always our go-​to spot. It isn’t the cleanest and doesn’t have the best service, but if you like spicy food and want bun bo hue, then come here! Don’t get anything else though.

Yes it’s pricey. Yes not so great customer service here. But hands down best bun bo hue in town!!!

OK, this is hands down the BEST Bun Bo Hue in Little Saigon. And since it’s my favorite Viet dish, I’ve eaten it at pretty much every location you can imagine, from Chinatown in San Francisco to the back corners and alleyways in Vietnam/​Hue itself. It never disappoints.
Yes it is better than Ngu Binh (wayyyyyyy better). Yes, the older man at the cash register is usually super grumpy. Yes, they are chintzy with their bean sprouts & herbs — and depending on the day, you may or may not be charged for asking for extra (while almost all other BBH and Phở places do not charge for extra veggies). Yes, sometimes the noodles are a bit hard… but just like the soup nazi in Seinfeld, they all kept coming back because it’s just so darn good!!! The broth has layers of flavor and depth, which is the starter for all good BBHs. On top of that, the beef is so tender and flavorful, and the pork blood is infused with that rich and deeply intense porky goodness. I am not sure how they get it to taste like that since some pork blood can taste gamey, while theirs is just lip smackin’ yummy. The satay is the bomb… be careful however, as I agree with another Unilocaled that it’s spicier than most.
Tips: 1) unlike phở, this BBH is pretty darn good to go and assemble in the comfort of your own home. 2) if you ask nicely & ensure they understand you, they will make your noodles softer. Happy Eating!

K the hieu noi…9,25 $ đe doi lay bao nhiêu đây thôi ah… Đúng là mieng thiên ha.Đon len cho du. Nhân viên thi k biet giai quyet van de… ban thi mac ma k co k trg do

Every time my husband and I come here, we always say we would never come back, but we always do. The service is horrible and it’s little over price, but the bun bo hue is soo good. Bun bo hue is my thing so I’ve tried many restaurants and nothing ever compare to this place.

The bun bo hue here is deelcious! The broth is spicy but not a spicy where you can only taste the spicyness on your tongue – it’s a good spicy that makes the whole bowl come together (I always add chile paste to mine for that extra kick) I took off one star because sometimes my noodles are still hard so I would have to wait about 5 mins after the bowl is brought out. I also make a side dipping sauce for my meat –mix together fish sauce, lime & chile paste, mmmm. They also have banh bot loc here too which is also deelcious!
Quick service
Friendly
To go order was also quick

It has phở in the name but that’s not what you should be coming for. If you’re looking for bun bo hue that tastes great and burns like it should this is the place. This is my family’s favorite spot and I’m surprised my cousins and friends I came with have never heard of the place. The plaza seems small but parking isn’t as bad as some of the other places around here so a great thing in my book. The bun bo hue is always on point but I made the mistake of adding extra satay right away so I paid for it dearly so make sure you take a few bites and realize what you’re dealing with! The large bowl is packed so not necessary unless you’re really hungry. Oh and the service is eh but maybe I’m numb to how you’re treated when I walk into a Vietnamese joint so check out the other reviews on that I guess I was lucky the owner just took our orders and set the food down.

My absolute favorite place for bun bo hue! The best quality IMO in all of Orange County! The broth is flavorful and already spicy. I made the mistake of over-​sataying my bowl and I paid for it, but still so delish! Their sate/​satay (?) is pretty freaking spicy so add with caution, and this is coming from someone that has has a high threshold for spice, which makes me love this place even more! Bowls are served in generous portions and they give you more meat then you can handle ;) A large bowl and a tra da will run you about 10 bucks, which is a little pricier than most places, but I promise you, you are paying for quality!
Service is amazing! Food comes out quickly! Oh, and their soda chanh is top notch!

My absolute favorite spot for spicy beef noodle (bun bo hue) the safe chili is very spicy so be careful! I have to have this weekly and it was great to eat after a rainy day.

I used to like coming here, but after today’s lunch, I really can’t remember why. I ordered bun bo hue, like usual, and it just wasn’t good. The meats were so hard and chewy, the vegetable plate wasn’t fresh, the service nonexistent, and my ca phe sua da… goodness, I could probably write a whole review just about that!
I ordered a ca phe sua da and my brother ordered an iced tea. Our food comes out and while eating, I realized that my drinks never came. I saw other tables seated after us had already gotten their drinks, and really… iced tea, how hard is that? After asking for our drinks, they finally come. My coffee was still «dripping.» We finish our meal and my coffee was still «dripping.» We sat for another five minutes and my coffee was still «dripping.» Anyone who knows me knows that I love my coffee! But I can’t sit there forever AFTER I finish eating waiting for it to drip.
By this point, my brother and I were seriously just sitting there waiting for my coffee to finish dripping. I was so frustrated that I left my coffee and went to pay the bill then left.
Thinking about it now, we forgot to tip. Whoops, sorry not sorry!

For Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue, this is the best place in OC in my opinion. The broth is rich in flavor. The broth is clear. The meat is soft. Where most other Bun Bo Hue fails, Saigon Deli succeeds in being consistent every single time I come here. For lovers of Bun Bo Hue, you have to give this place a try.
Comments: The décor is very outdated and the service isn’t great. However, the food was good enough to earn a strong 4 stars in my books.

Bad service.
Overpriced.
Probably the worst bun bo hue I’ve ever had.
Service: the guy who took our orders was so unfriendly and intimidating… As if we’re eating for free or something.
Bun Bo Hue: I ordered the small bowl ($ 7.50) and couldn’t finish it. And I always finish my food. Came in hungry, came out hangry. What in the world was I eating? The broth was bland, the noodles were extremely hard, and the meat chewy. They didn’t have all the vegetables I like (missing banana leaf). It was just alot of bean sprouts and cabbages. It was so bad that I wasn’t sure what condiments to add in to make it better.
Will never come back.

The bf introduced me to the place since they have good bun bo hue. No guys, it isn’t good… It’s AMAZING. The best bun bo I’ve ever tasted! (Sorry mom) We come here like once or twice a week for it. I get the large bowl and finish it every time.
The broth is so flavorful and has the perfect amount of spice. You can request for less spicy or more spicy, however you like it. Comes with a big plate of veggies and lime and that’s all you need! This is the very first place that I get bun bo at and don’t have to add any extra spice or flavoring to it cause it’s just perfect as is.
They seem to have a wide menu and other specialty items but we’ve never tried anything else. If you guys haven’t tried their bun bo, do give it a go! Most def recommend.

This place is really hard to review because Bun Bo Hue was really really good! Yet, I find myself not coming back ever again. Check out the pros and cons:
PROS:
* Like everyone said, this place has the best Bun Bo Hue. The best Bun Bo Hue ONLY. The flavor was great! Very spicy and right amount of distinct flavor with the pork blood cubes that I craved. Totally satisfied my BBH craving. Only problem I had was that most of the tendon in my soup was still hard and couldn’t be chewed.
CONS:
* Only thing good is the BBH; I ordered a Thit Nuong Com Tam to-​go for my lunch the next day. I got home to open the box and it was was just a sad box a little bit of rice, barely any meat, barely any vegetables.
* I came here because it was the only BBH place that takes credit cards, and I didn’t feel like going to an ATM yesterday. BUT there is a $ 20 minimum.
* The menu said it was $ 8.95 for a large BBH. But I got charged $ 9.95. I remember from reading the reviews that price was not consistent here and how the owner has a bad attitude. I didn’t fight it, only left $ 1 tip.
* Overpriced: Large BBH + Thit Nuong Com Tam + Nem Nuong Coi Cuon (2 ct) = $ 24.95.
I just felt jipped. And since I don’t speak Vietnamese, I was not in the mood to argue about the bill. Such a shame, I’ll just have to go to Ngo Binh next time I want BBH!
I’ll just add one more star because the place was quiet and calm for me to able a bowl of BBH by myself, like some other people who walked in solo yesterday. I just needed peace and quiet after a long work day, while running on 3 hours of sleep the night before.

Saigon Deli has been here for a VERY long time. When I say long time, I mean since the mid-​80s when I used to attend Anderson Elementary, which is the elementary behind it. Please forgive the run on sentence. It’s been there when the Banh Mi Saigon used to be a Pioneer Chicken. It’s been there when My Thuan Supermarket used to be Lucky’s. It’s been there when the KFC used to be Wienerschnitzel. You get the point and now I feel old…
I used to come here when I was younger with my parents and my parents stop coming here because my pop’s and the owner got into it one day. Let’s just say they got into an argument because of my mischievous ways when I was knee high. Also, it won’t be the last time I get into trouble. LOL
Anyway, Saigon Deli is known for their Bun Bo Hue. It’s probably the best in Little Saigon and there’s been a lot of talk about Ngu Binh’s Bun Bo Hue being better. I will try and let you know or you could find out yourself. Sorry for going off a tangent but blame the ADHD.
Back to Saigon Deli, the Bun Bo Hue packs a lot of flavor. It’s spicy and it’s authentic as you can get. The bowl has a good mix of noodles, meats, and soup. I also have tried the Bun Thit Nuong and Phở. Both were decent to good but there are other spots in Little Saigon that are better.
Overall, I only come here when I’m craving Bun Bo Hue and I only hope the owner doesn’t recognize me as the mischievous little sh*t back when I was 10.

Updating my review.
The Bad service does not include the owners son (guy in glasses) or the hired worker. They have been very great especially the worker.

I won’t eat bun bo hue anywhere else.
The broth is good. The meat is thick (I hate the thin tasteless meat they give you everywhere else). Sure I don’t mind paying for a bowl despite the improper serving etiquette.
Should I leave tip? Depends. Normally the service is nothing to talk about. They take your order, bring out your food, refill your tiny water cup and you pay. That constitutes the standard $ 1 tip per bowl, like at any Bolsa restaurant.
When should I not leave tip? When I order two bowls and my plate of veggies does not have its usual amount of cabbage. I asked for a little more this time because I literally got less than half a hand full. The rest was bean sprouts, and as you all know… I HATE BEAN SPROUTS. Maybe if I sat there and picked out all the tiny cabbage pieces intertwined with the bean sprouts, I may have a full half of a hand full, but why even bother? I asked for more, stating that this isn’t the usual amount. The conversation goes as follows:
Waitress: if you want more it’s $ 2
Me: I’m not going to pay $ 2 when I asked for the normal amount. This plate isn’t enough for two people.
Waitress: it’s always been like that. If you don’t want it fine!!!
Me: I always come here, this is not the same amount I always get. This is the left over of someone else’s plate.
Waiter brings out $ 2 cabbage plate
Waitress shouts «they don’t wait it!» And takes it away.
Bf looks at me and asks: do you want to leave?
Me: it’s ok I just won’t tip.
Da fuq? Someone hates life. Normally I would get up and leave ANYWHERE ELSE, but I don’t want anyone to commit suicide. I’ll pay for my food and go.

DOWNGRADING my 4 Stars to 2! I TRY not to come here because of the SNOOTY, ARROGANT & RUDE owner! What good is a great bowl of Bun Bo when my appetite’s ruined by his charm??? AND believe me, if you frequent the place, «Prince Charming» is well known for his delightfulness.
Takes orders, repeats it, when we correct the error in the order, BAM! This is when his charm explodes!
Becomes combative with his condescending tone. Ugggg!
I always keep my cool and remain to be respectful just bc he’s so old but dang!!!
He’s a piece of work!

Family owned so workers here are always rude as fck. The old man is like the soup nazi and treats their (cheaply paid) worker bee like sht. Not to mention his customers like sht as well.
This same incident happened more than once, I shouldnt had tolerate it the previous times. All I want is for my dam noodles to be mufreaken soft! I do NOT want hard brittle noodles that they serve which breaks apart while being picked up. I want my noodles soft!!! I have requested this many times and whenever they feel like it… It will be accommodated. Whenever they feel like being nazis they will let me know how their noodles doesnt come soft at all.
Today, the old man even told me I should cancel my order. We were just here 1 or 2 days ago eating the dam soft noodles. Dont tell me theres no «soft» noodles right before you bring me out another bowl with noodles that were «soft».
The owner’s daugther came out and yells (yet again… We had a déjà vu) at me that’s already «soft» noodles. NO, i just want my freaken noodles cooked longer. I eat here at least once a week for the past half a year, why are you making it hard for the both of us. Oh right, they are lazy as fck.
After all that yelling back and forth between us and their own family… Lo and behold, soft noodles that they claim they do not have, more than once already. So upsetting.
Theres no need to raise any voice at your customer because they are used to eating it a certain way THAT YOU PROVIDED THEM WITH. Who runs an establishment and yell at their customers over a simple request that has been processed with numerous times.
Found a hair in my goi cuong. Disgusting. That was basically my meal since the bun bo hue bowl gave me such a dizzy feeling. I think they wanted to poison me with MSG.
Our meal came out to be 42 $ for 2 bowls, a goi cuong and i think a tea. Over priced. Whatever, I do not need this kind of treatment if we are PAYING ridiculous amount of cash.
Edit: I have been getting bbh withdrawals because no other place makes it like here. I love spicy food so i love their soup base. I have given up eating bbh after this incident because no where else comes as close to here in the flavor department. I really hope the owner (retires &) lets the daughter or son run the establishment because it could be something so much more than what it is now. Food is good. BUT the old man’s attitude sucks more than the good food. I can’t justify paying for their Mercedes with that attitude of «prince charming».