Saigon Cafe

I drove by and went to get some viet food and when i cam on a friday night the place was empty other than another couple there. the waitress didn’t even speak Vietnamese. she requested that we ordered by the number and was very confused my friend changed his mind about what he was ordering and she didn’t pick up on it and put the order in for both dishes.
some dishes where cheaper than others but over all it was an alright place to eat if you need your fix but im not going to go back.

Just returned from a business trip to Newport and absolutely loved Saigon Café. The phở was nice and beefy, with high quality meat and delicious broth. I though it a little odd that there were no sprouts in the phở, but maybe that is just a DC thing. The summer rolls were out of this world and the house fried rice was tasty. I wanted to try some bubble tea, but it wasn’t on the menu and I didn’t see the leaflet on the wall for it until I was on the way out. (The waitress had a heavy accent and I had a hard time understanding her answers to questions about the menu, so I didn’t bother to ask about bubble tea.)
Bottom Line: Highly Recommended.

Having moved from Asia, I was craving noodles… Phở. Though my nail stylist (a Vietnamese gentleman) warned me that it’s no-​good, I went to get my fix of Phở and though it wasn’t anything extraordinary I got my fix! Since there aren’t that many great Asian restaurants around here, I figured I can’t be picky so I give it 3 stars. After all, it sufficed my craving =)

Craving some good Phở I ventured over to Saigon Café for dinner on a Sunday night. It was pretty empty… only other table besides me was another couple. That should say something in itself. I have enjoyed my fair share of down home rare beef phở living in Chinatown for the past 4 years. I ordered the summer rolls just to see what this place was all about. The shrimp was miniscule and the beef in it was a little old. They used iceberg lettuce instead of thai basil and cilantro. Strike 1. I ordered a small bowl of rare beef phở. The broth was pretty good, but disappointed that there were only two… repeat TWO pieces of beef in my soup. Normally you usually get a mound of bean sprouts, basil, limes but this place was pretty stingy on that. Service was good– young high school kid probably held hostage for the summer working for his parents. I think I had flashbacks on my days of being enslaved in our family restaurant. At least their broth was good. Next time hope they add more meat to the dish or I’ll have to shell out extra cash for some. Guess beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to asian cousine in Newport.

2.75 stars
This is a family run restaurant and we met 4 members on our visit, two teenage boys and an older couple. It was 11:37 AM on the Fourth of July and I suppose they were not exactly expecting us. Customers they may have expected, an Amerasian family of 5 who are Vietnamese food hounds? It was pretty clear no, they were not expecting us. We are bi-​coastal Phở-​fans, somehow we have never made it to the Saigon Café even though we noticed as soon as it opened. We are in Newport 2 or 3 times a year. So is it authentic? Not really. Is it good? Yes it’s a decent facsimile, but it does not stand up to NY, CA, and MA Vietnamese restaurants. Two of us had Bun Bo Hue, I asked for extra spicy, and then had to add Sriracha to get it there. There was lettuce in the soup, might be a regional thing but I’m not used to that and I like bean sprouts and Thai basil in my soup, none were offered. We ordered Spring and Summer rolls, neither was up to snuff. A nice surprise was the grilled squid, it was perfectly cooked and delicious. Another menu stand out was the Pork Chop Vermicelli lunch special my 9 year old son ordered. I ate what he didn’t and I finished the rolls, squid and my soup.
Again the meat was expertly cooked and very flavorful. Will we be back? Probably because, as someone noted it is a nice break for all the meh-​ness. I just wish it had a tad more Dorchester-​ness, ya know?
* No mint, Thai Basil, no Thai peppers
* Weak soup base.
* Cheap for Newport but slightly expensive for a Vietnamese place.
* Grilled marinated squid was quite good.
* Pork Chop Vermicelli was the best dish.
* 33 Export Beer!

Great cheap eats! And very authentic also — flavorful and light. This is a great summer option when the Newport restaurants are packed w/​touriste! It’s family run — friendly — prompt service — and a nice menu selection too.
No dogs… in the area whatsoever… just joking! :)

Great Place! Nice break from the tourist traps of Newport.
The place should really get 4 stars (cheap décor) but I’m giving it the fifth one because it was such an oasis on that island. After restaurant after restaurant of over-​priced commercialized pseudo seafood and new-​American cuisine at Newport, I had had it. Average food, small portions, major hit in the wallet… then…nirvana. Googled Vietnamese food and came up with one hit – Saigon Café. No other references anywhere, not even on Unilocal!!!I was skeptical but desperate.
I knew the food was going to be good once I walked up to the door because the decoration was cheesy and the staff consisted of one family. Nothing better than family run Vietnamese restaurants. Pops in the back, mom running the front, son helping out in the front and the youngest sister doing her homework in the corner. I was right. The food was DELICIOUS!!!
I had the largest size Phở (the soup noodle). Others had the vermicelli with spring rolls and the grilled pork. Everyone loved it. YUM! The service was friendly. We all left stuffed, happy and eager to return.