Saigon Fresh

Aww man. Place closed down. :(what happened.
Came down for my Saigon fix. Lo and behold. Place is closed and boreded up. What’s the deal.

You would have never guessed but there is an Actually legit phở restaurant right next to the beverly center!!!

cheap, fast, and i’ll be damned, FREE PARKING LOT IN LA OMG OMG OMG (albeit it’s small and cramped AF and has parking spaces sized for a smartcar).
phở broth is tasty, but greasy. phở noodles are sacrilege — flat fettuccine style and overcooked. it makes me want to cry a little. NO FLAT FETTUCCINE STYLE OVERCOOKED NOODLES ALLOWED IN PHO. only al dente chewy vermicelli noodles. please.
banh mi is bad. like so bad. like please don’t serve me 2-​day-​old stale french bread because it ruins the sandwich bad.
saigon pad noodle is good. beware of the spice level.
overall, fine if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to drive to DTLA to go to a real phở place like phở 87. or if you will do anything to avoid to paying for metered parking like me. LA, i have come to accept your potholes as part of your «charm» and have concluded that my payment of meters is equivalent to flushing money down the toilet.

I ordered the Chicken Fried Rice with basil.
The rice was undercooked. The chicken was overcooked. The combination was tasteless. After 4 bites it went into the trash.
I gave 2 stars because I survived the experience without a hospital visit. (Actually I ate it while visiting a loved one at Cedars…)

Wow! Best pad noodles with beef I’ve ever had! Fresh ingredients plentiful portion and cooked perfectly. Loved the fact that it was spicy! Thai tea with boba was excellent as well perfectly soft and not too sweet. Hubby had some work stuff to do at Cedars and brought me these wonderful leftovers. If only this place was closer to where we live. I’d go every day… hope to try the banh mi and shaken beef someday!

I don’t like knuckle sandwiches.
For that matter, I don’t like knuckles in any of my food.
The chicken vermicelli
I liked all of the ingredients and they seemed fresh and tasty except for the chicken. There were a lot of odd bits in it including fat and knuckles and random bits that are totally gross. I will never get chicken here again. I will give them one more try to see if any of their meats are little more «clean» to suit a Los Angeles pallet.
Service was friendly even during their busy lunch rush

Surprisingly delicious especially for its small strip mall location. For fast casual dining they pack a lot of flavor into their quick portable dishes. With seating limited it may be more of a take away spot or quick lunch stop but I for one am happy to have it in the neighborhood.
I tried the phở, egg roles, and pro banh mi — all of which I would return for. Even as a dine-​in guest everything was easily converted to take away since all the containers had lids. As someone who always needs a to go box I found this extremely helpful. The food was quick, easy, and flavorful. I highly suggest stopping by especially if you’re short on time.

So this isn’t the worst phở I’ve ever had. But certainly not close to the best. I’ll start with the good.
Good
Well, you get to choose three items to put into your phở. That’s unique. They forgot the shrimp in mine and when I went to ask for it I got a lame excuse. Wait. This is the good. The rice dishes look like they are huge in portion!
Bad
The phở portion is pretty small. I drank all the soup. I never do that. And in still hungry?! The spring rolls were very plain. The sauce tastes like peanut butter. All the dishes are disposable. I guess that shouldn’t matter but it does to me.
I won’t be coming back unless I’m super desperate for phở. Well, I might come back to try their giant rice dish.

I didn’t have any expectations coming into this place; I knew it was new and close to home, so I was excited to see if it could have the potential to become a go-​to spot. Came here with friends after work to check it out and grab a bite. It’s in a small strip mall across from the Beverly Center that mainly makes its revenue from Cedars’ employees and tourists who don’t know any better; the parking lot is small and cramped, but at least it’s free.
Walked in to dead silence; no customers dining, no greeting or welcome from the employees, who were all huddled in the back. There is literally no ambiance in this place; a handful of stools, a few tables, diner lighting… definitely not the «it» place to dine in. We stare at the menu for several minutes before someone acknowledges that we want to – GASP! – order food. But that’s okay. It happens some nights. Order my food: phở with shrimp and brisket, spring rolls for the group.
We sit down at the bar area for a moment when the tables behind us are cleared, prompting us to migrate there. Kinda wish we hadn’t as that’s when my friend noticed the grasshopper crawling on the wall behind me. Gross, but they’re super common around the area and he could’ve easily slipped in through the front door. Benefit of the doubt bites me in the ass, though.
Get my food. Medium-​size portion of phở, three shrimp floating on top, two slices of brisket, and an obviously pre-​made bag of phở toppings (bean sprouts, jalapeño, lemon, etc) that could have been more fresh; this is nothing remarkable. The broth was just okay. The noodles were just okay. I took a few sips and added a healthy serving of sriracha. The spring rolls were where we went horribly wrong. Improperly cleaned shrimp! Dirty! I had already eaten one when I noticed the problem in the others and was so disgusted I had to stop eating altogether. Definitely left with a bad taste in my mouth and unease in my stomach. Will not return.

I had high expectations for this place when some people at Cedars told me about it. Sure enough, when I came in, nearly every single person in there were in Cedars Sinai scrubs
To be honest, as a Vietnamese person, I was more than slightly disappointed. This place is more of a fast-​food Vietnamese place. You order at the counter and pick up the food when your number is called out.
For most people who are use to bowls of phở that have all the meats already in there, or combos… you won’t get it here. You choose the base (bowl of phở) and then get 3 choices of what meat you want in there. Same goes for the rice and noodle dishes.
From a typical Vietnamese standpoint, this place is pretty expensive, but then again, it is Beverly Hills…
I got the shaken beef rice dish and didn’t eat more than a spoonful of the rice. As an asian, knowing how to make proper rice is a must and the rice was not made properly. The grains were clearly undercooked and dry (did not have enough water). The beef itself wasn’t bad, but again, not traditional. Traditionally, this dish gives you pretty nice chunks/​cubes of beef… these were thin strips. The flavor was there though.
The phở broth was decent but lacked any meat.
I can see how this place is popular with people at Cedars as it is right across the street and offers a quick bite to eat… however, you are looking for good authentic Vietnamese food… I wouldn’t come here.

Fresh, fragrant, tasty, and VERY inexpensive. And unlike most LA eateries, the portions here are very generous.
Other reviews complained about parking but if this enters into your decision on where to eat then stick to home delivery. And complaining that the service was slow at 1030 in the morning at a lunch and dinner place is like complaining that your sports bar is empty at 7:00 am on a Tuesday. And they provide more seating than most take-​out places.
I’ve tried many things but the phở and the barbequed pork sandwich are my favorites. The combination of flavors is unique and satisfying. And everything is very fresh.

There’s GOOD phở, and then there’s GOOD enough phở. This place can really be a hidden gem in the vast sea of boring lunch options in the area – if you’re on a time crunch. or seriously craving phở. When I checked out this establishment on Unilocal,I was extremely happy and decided to have it that same day for lunch.
Literally it was like fast food status: you order, grab a seat and then wait for them to call your number. The service was fast and the food came out faster. But honestly, there is just something wrong about eating phở in a plastic bowl, and using plastic utensils. Am I the only one that feels that way? My vietnamese roots are crying…
The plaza is a nightmare to park at, but for a quick phở fix. I would drop in and order it again. Either that or buy the to-​go phở bowls at the asian supermarkets… relatively same concept.
Perk…no MSG and it was pretty flavorful without it…

Saigon Fresh is just what the doctor ordered for the neighborhood. I’ve been here twice and the food has been really good both times.
Think fast food Vietnamese. It’s not as quick as McD’s, but if you order to-​go then it usually takes about 10 minutes.
The phở noodles are a little thicker & wider than most places, but the broth is flavorful and the meats are tender. I get the flank, brisket, and tendon and haven’t been disappointed. The eggrolls are excellent too. They come in sizes of 2 or 4 and they give you lettuce, marinated daikon, cucumber and the dipping sauce. The crunchiness adds a needed texture when eating the phở.
My husband also had Saigon tiny noodle, which is basically a thin vermicelli with vegetables and your protein pick. It’s mildly seasoned but flavorful enough.
The drawback here is the parking. It’s a small strip mall with a ton of fast food restaurants and only about a dozen spots. Come at odd hours and you will be fine. Otherwise, it may not be worth it!

The meat (poultry and pork) was off.
I ordered the phở with shrimp and chicken. The broth, noodles and shrimp were fine. But the chicken tasted as if it had been sitting in the refrigerator (or maybe not) for over a week.
I also tried the summer rolls. The looked like your average summer rolls. They were filled with shrimp and pork. The shrimp was fine but the pork, same thing as the chicken, tasted really old. I simply couldn’t eat it.

This is a new place just opened opposite Beverly Center. I’d been looking for a new place to eat since they closed down the food court at BC a year ago. I love the food! It’s delicious but just got a vermicelli with shrimp… The portion and delivery is not up to its usual standard. Guess they get busy on weekend and ration their serving to accommodate the growing business.
0 star for the cold and not fresh shrimp! Yuck!

A new phở place opened up near Cedars-​Sinai Medical Center and across from the Beverly Center. Located in a small strip mall next to subway, fat burger, as well as no tomatoes (a tasty Indian restaurant) and other restaurants, Saigon Fresh is a great addition.
A coworker raved about this place after discovering it recently and I was eager to try it out. I do not know of many good phở restaurants in the mid-​wilshire/​westLA area. I usually enjoy going to Golden Deli in the 626 area, if you know what I mean? However, when I need something local, I think I will now turn to Saigon Fresh.
No MSG is used in their dishes and this was a huge plus to me. Healthy eating is key ;) I tried their phở where you can choose up to 3 items to add. For me, I had rare steak, shrimp (this was my first time having shrimp in my phở and it was yummy! It had a nice bbq flavor to it), and beef meatballs. The noodles they use are the thicker ones and I prefer that. The shaking beef dish as well as bbq vermicelli dish are a hit. The vermicelli dish includes a choice of 3 items as well. We had egg rolls which have chicken and pork in it, bbq beef and bbq pork. Their portions were big and good for sharing in my opinion.
This restaurant is a bit snug in size, so I do not recommend it for big groups. The service is excellent and everyone is very friendly. The parking lot sucks here, though. Parking is probably best later in the evening vs. the usual lunch or dinner primetime hours. I recommend calling in your order and getting take out if you had the choice :)

The Phở here is legit Delish! Flavor is bursting at its seams and fresh as claimed! I want to try other menu items but keep coming back for their Phở. The Thai tea is good too! Better than most Vietnamese shops.
Get Togo Phở it comes in a bowl with the broth on the side — which is different from most restaurants.
The girl cashier is really friendly and the place has limited seating but it’s a Great place to grab a quick bite. The wait time is a lot faster now too than when they had their initial grand opening!
Will be back again and again :) so glad there’s a new variety in the area for lunch/​dinner breaks!

Great customer service!
Phở and all the foods are fast service!
Great phở place choose any three choices of meat you want to choose!
Seatings are limited but it’s not too bad!

I was the first customer. Ken the owners brother welcomed with a super nice service. I was exhausted and tired for being up for 24 hours and he’s treatment made me
Feel valued! He just opened that phở place for 5 days! The phở broth is delicious! No MSG! I will definitely come back and try the other food in the menu! Thanks to your grandma for the recipe!

The sign ” We will be open Soon” has been there for a while and they were suppose to open on the 22^nd of december according to the website, but they decided to open today!
YAY phở is straight up my favorite noodle soup in the world… and ive worked in the area for 6 years and was sooo excited to hear they had a vietnamese cusine opening near my work! I get off at 10pm and took the risk of getting a togo and called at 9:50pm.and they were very kind enough to let me order with such great welcoming attitude. and the people at the cashier were super nice boom 3 stars just for that HOSPITALITY people learn to be nice…
Okay so forget all that and lets talk about the food. for FLippin 7.95 they had soo much meat and the quality was beyond excellente! Broth was a little dark. Boom notice the no msg sign. so its gotta be the meat broth right from the scratch. cheeya~ also a free eggroll for the first month! I could tell that was definitely home made.(hopefully)
ANYWAYS they give u a bad ass microwaveable togo bowl. Yes we live in da good world 21^st century baby.
Very professional great price great phở great service hopefully u guys will keep this up! I will be returning alot more than u want :) cuzzz i looove phở.