Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant

My wife is crushed to hear Saigon is closed. If given a chance, she would fly down weekly for a bowl of Phở.

Looking for some place different to eat and stumbled upon this gem. Family owned and operated gives it a very personal touch. The food is extremely fresh and the flavors are delicious. While I would not normally order tofu or curry dishes, the lemongrass tofu and the coconut/​curry shrimp were to die for! Brought my sisters and nieces on the second visit and the meal was enjoyed by all, plenty of variety and something for everyone. The ambiance was relaxing and the owner and his staff are so kind, accommodating and very interesting to visit with, making the evening a lovely experience!

Cool little modern trendy place. Food was good, tho I think it went through me a little fast if you know what I mean…
Service was fine. Place was clean, it’s not a huge restaurant, but it isn’t tiny. I feel like it’s pretty americanized, which is probably good for the area.
It’s pricier than other vietnamese places.

For overpriced Vietnamese food, I’d still say this place is pretty decent. You won’t find anything like what you would in the south bay, but this restaurant is clean, the service is attentive and friendly, and the food is decent. I’d probably still prefer driving to the south bay for Vietnamese food though.

Came here after doing some research on Unilocal,since we were looking for some quality phở for Sunday brunch, right before hitting Ranch 99. I have mixed feelings about this place and think overall it’s worth 3.5 stars rounding up to four.
First the negatives:
1. Location is in downtown Pleasanton so parking can be a challenge.
2. They don’t seem coordinated — it wasn’t that busy but a few tables had large groups. The server warned us it could take 20 mins for food, since the larger parties were ahead of us. It indeed took 10 min to get water and maybe 15 min to get napkins. We saw a party of three come in and then ducked out — since they probably saw an overwhelmed wait staff.
Now the positives:
1. The food when it did come out was excellent. I had the spicy beef noodle soup with flank, brisket, and tripe and the flavors really popped. Wife got the basic beef phở and I thought it had a nice clean taste — not overwhelming salty nor oily. We also split a fried tofu appetizer with lemongrass and chilli flakes — firm seasoned texture and soft interior. I could of swore they added some sugar to give you a hint of sweet before the heat from the chili and lemongrass flavors take over.
2. The restaurant and restrooms were both clean and well lit, so it’s not a traditional phở joint in a strip mall.
I recommend this place if you’re willing to wait a bit for food and are willing to go for quality and variety. If it’s a quick bite to eat then it’s probably not the best since parking is tough and they seem understaffed.

The broth is very full of flavor and hits the spot on cold nights and when you have been shopping for too long. The service is friendly and the dining area is clean and spacious. The tea there was ok. I think we were getting the last couple of tea leaves left behind bc the leaves were a bit small and scatter. The meat portion is a bit small. Not a lot of meats. The small size for the phở is just right for me.
I think the rice dish looks good but too bad all of us were interested only in phở.

Beware of the long wait and very slow service!!!
But I’m giving 4 stars to this place because their phở was one of the best phở I ever had in Pleasanton. The soup base was very clean unlike other phở places where you can see grease floating around the soup. Also, the noodles were very fresh. It didn’t seem like they had it out for a long time and instead they had made it on the spot. We got the eggrolls here as well and it was pretty good as well. Very crunchy and fresh. Like I said in the beginning, the wait is very long. We were there when it wasn’t even busy but it took them about 40 minutes to give us the food. But because their phở was good, it was worth the wait.

Recently I spent 3 weeks in Vietnam and I have been craving real Vietnamese food ever since my return… this, HIT THE SPOT!!!
A huge variety of real Vietnamese dishes that you really don’t see at other Vietnamese restaurants in the States. All the rolls were fabulous, the lemongrass chicken tasted just like it did in Vietnam, and the vermicelli bowls and clay pots were YUMMY!
From now on when I want real Vietnamese I will drive all the way to Pleasanton to come here!

My wife and I stumbled across this lovely place earlier this year and have become great fans. The phở is particularly good– not too much MSG with a thick, rich flavor. The shrimp and beef noodle soup is also particularly exemplary. The folks who own and run the place are all pleasant and kind and it’s always been quiet.
This is the best phở place I’ve found in Silicon Valley.

Funny to find that the only Asians you see on Main Street somehow ended up into this restaurant. It’s your typical phở + bun restaurant with decent prices (regular phở is $ 8).
I would say the small size phở is very generous here because the bowl is closer to a regular size and they pack it with noodles. A downside is that they skimp on the meat but the quality of the meat does not suffer.
The best thing is that the service is TERRIFIC. The people are just so incredibly nice here and make you feel at home. I would come back just because of that.

I think they’ve mastered the art of using lemongrass. The Lemongrass Tofu and Lemongrass Chicken are unquestionably scrumptious that they should have more lemongrass dish available. They have that lemongrass seasoning in oil bottled in a glass container so feel free to ask for more if you’re really into it.
Their phở is just about average; nothing fancy about the broth. I’ve tried the Special Phở Saigon and the Hot Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and they were just typical. I think I could have the same stuff a couple of blocks away at a more sensible price.
Having said those, the Lemongrass Tofu is worth coming back.

Back again to our favorite Vietnamese place. My boyfriend and I both ordered the Fresh Lemonade with Club Soda. Freshly squeezed lemon and real sugar with club soda. Perfect combination, it really hit the spot.
This time I went I had the same as before only under a different name. The Vegetable Tofu Soup, I think it was called. Just as wonderful as before :)
My boyfriend had the Grilled Beef Rolls. They were grilled with onions, on top of a salad with a light vinegarette served with a side of white rice. The rice had a great flavor of its own. It tasted like it was cooked with butter or onions or something, it had a great depth of flavor.

The food here is mediocre at best, and not worth the time and money. We came in at around 5 PM on a weekday, and though there was only one other table there, the service was extremely slow!
I got to try a few different kinds of dishes:
— Shrimp and Grilled Beef w/​Onion: they ran out of noodles and gave us rice instead… and the portion was tiny! I thought it would be jumbo shrimp, but it was actually just four regular shrimp (on the smaller side)
— Combo Crispy Egg Noodle ‘Nest’: the noodles were fried well, but again, the three shrimp were quite small, and there was WAY TOO MUCH goopy sauce! Ugh.
— Grilled Pork & Egg Rolls with Rice Noodles: meh. The egg rolls were really thin, so it was mostly fried egg roll skin with very little filling.
Also, don’t order the Young Coconut Juice! I thought it’d be served directly from the coconut, or at least FRESHLY made (like it has been every time I’ve ordered it from a Vietnamese restaurant!) But, nope, it was quite obviously from a can. I guess I shouldn’t known when they didn’t put «Fresh» in the description. So not worth the price. I still feel disappointed…
The restaurant itself is very clean, server was polite (but oh so slow!) I think they cater more to people who don’t eat this kind of food often and don’t know what authentic Vietnamese food is like.

Right when my group was seated, the waitress immediately informed us that there would be at least a 30min wait for the food. The restaurant was nowhere near full capacity; in fact, only one other large group and a few couples were there! Nonetheless, it was a chilly night, and we all wanted phở, so we decided to stay.
The food was alright, not the best. Improvements: phở could have had more meat, and more mint leaves should have been provided. Ordered Rare Steak with Brisket, Small (size) for $ 6.95. Eggrolls (appetizer) were long and thin, not too special in taste. Accompanying sauce was alright. Pickled radishes and carrots were good, but very few pieces given. None of us ate the included lettuce.

I am crushing hard on their Phở! I have had the chicken and rare beef and brisket. While all share the delicious broth, the brisket is far superior so I opt to order the Phở with only brisket.
Peet’s coffee is my main squeeze but, I will happily cheat and have a cup of thier Vietnamese coffee because it is delicious.
Price is right, the people who work there are great, and the food is crave worthy.

YUM! I love phở! Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant has a convenient downtown location and a diverse menu. The menu features a number of noodle and rice dishes.
The restaurant was mostly empty on a Sunday during lunchtime, so we were a little skeptical about the food. The positive Unilocal reviews made us stay.
I ordered a small bowl of phở with rare beef. It was served with a plate of beansprouts, basil, peppers, and limes. The Siracha was already waiting on the table, so I could customize my phở to the perfect level of spiciness. I also ordered a pot of the jasmine green tea, which was hot and delicious. My dining partner ordered the chicken curry, which was also very tasty.
The service was great! Both of the women working (I think one was an owner) were so sweet and attentive. We will definitely be back!

When we stepped into this restaurant, one word came to mind… CLEAN! This is one of the cleanest Vietnamese restaurant that I have ever been to.
The owner came up to us and greeted us and attempted to have a conversation about how the food was. It was okay for them to talk to us but it should be minimal and not while we are still eating. It makes them seem like they are trying too hard to «keep customers» and get «approval» of their dishes.
Food was just okay and I’ve actually had better. I ordered the grilled chicken plate. Although the meat had flavor, there was only 1 small piece of chicken that probably was tenderized because it was so THIN! Most Vietnamese restaurants have 3 times the amount of meat!!!
I also ordered the fried tofu. They had high remarks on this appetizer and the server told us that it’s a popular dish. When the dish came out, it looked and smelled very good, however, it was dry and not that flavorful. I requested for a dipping sauce such as sweet chili sauce. At first, the server was wondering why i was requesting for sauce and she made it seem like we haven’t eaten Vietnamese food before. Anyway, the sauce made the tofu a lot better as it balanced out the dryness of the tofu.
Overall, the food was just okay. I gave them an «extra» star just for the cleanliness of the restaurant.

I can’t really give a consistent review because this place JUST changed owners, but the last few times I was here I really loved it! This place has changed so so much since it was last an Indian restaurant. No more booths, but tables. The service is pretty quick and consistent. I’ve had the beef roll rice noodle bowl numerous times because I can’t get my hands off of it!
The one thing that makes this Vietnamese restaurant stand out is the cleanliness of the restaurant. I haven’t had a disappointing experience here yet!

Yummy vermicelli bowl!
Service was a bit lacking… the server forgot to put in our Thai Iced Tea orders as well as the Spring Rolls.
The food that we ordered and actually received made up for it :)
Prices are reasonable and the portions are generous.

It was not close to where we live, but it was worth the long drive. Love the Phở, lotsa meat on it! The medium size bowl is still ginormous and will really fill you. We ordered calamari for appetizer and if I was not thinking of my main course, I would have finished it all. Of course, I had to make some room so I left 3 pieces of calamari.
Come before 7 Pm for dinner to beat the crowd.