Saigon Boat Cafe

First impression… nice outside seat g across from the beach. Order inside a d get a bucket of 4 beers (bud, heini, or corona) for ten bones.
Order and pay for your grub inside and then sit. An apitiser, sandwich, and a bucket of suds $ 20. Good price considering 1 bud at most other Alki joints is $ 5. If you are alone be sure to tell the blockhead inside to not open ALL 4 beers at once… dipshit.
Spring rolls were servided with peanut sauce for dipping and were ok. The pork sandwich was served with shaved carrots? The flavor was good although they could have served it on a bun that was half the size for all the meat that they put on it. The sandwich was kind of skimpy and over breaded butt worth the price I guess. There is nothing remotely remarkable about the food nor the service but the atmosphere is good and the prices a right on target.

Got sick after both recent visits. Had mango fresh rolls & THAI ice tea both times. Will not be a third attempt

Today is 82*f on 4÷7÷16 and this place doesn’t have any stock at 1:32pm. No tapioca for the bubble tea, and ppl smoke inside.

I know there are better places in the seattle area, but I have enjoyed my food and service here. In the summer, it is a great place to sit outside and eat. Nothing to complain about from me.

Came here for bubble tea. I ordered the fresh mango– it was all condensed milk and didn’t taste like mango. So sugary and it was over $ 7. Not a great deal. My fiancée got the fresh avacado which was better than the mango but there’s way better out there. Oh well.

Returning for a second visit on a breezier day we opted for warmer fare, phở for me and a noodle salad bowl for R. The latter was essentially dry soup ingredients with a sauce to pour over. Again the flavors were sweet and delicious. Nice, clean, space, efficiently laid out.

All I had was the chicken phở, and I am not a fan. It was pretty bland and the broth was VERY oily/​greasy. I’d much rather just go to Than Brothers.

Just went in for bubble tea and they charged $ 5 for about 2 oz of milk tea in a 20 oz cup of ice … :-///

Really bad service. We ordered sandwiches and those came in in a timely manner but for the soup and drinks, my cousin had to wait another 20 minutes. The waiter never came back to check on us if we needed anything else. We even had to go up and ask if they were even making the soup/​drinks. When the soup finally came in, we had to ask for the utensils and sauces to eat it with. I don’t think I’ll be coming back here any time soon. To end this in a positive way, the bread for the sandwiches were really good.

Really good seafood phở. Broth was really flavorful and spicy. Decent amount of seafood and I liked the cabbage they added. We also ordered a bucket of beer (4 Bud Light for $ 10).
Cute little spot on Alki Beach. Inside seating is limited, but we sat outside on a sunny spring day. I asked staff to order when seated outside, but I was told I had to order inside. But another table outside was able to order there??? Outside of that, experience was pleasant and food enjoyable. Would definitely return if in the area.

My partner and I ate a quick snack here and really enjoyed it. The chicken sandwich was fresh and tasty as were the mango fresh rolls. Friendly service too. This is not fine dining and the place would definitely fall under the ‘rustic beach charm’ category but nice food so would certainly recommend.

Bahn mi sandwiches are amazing and well priced. Good selection too. Service was fast. Also like their selection of bubble teas!

Should have checked Unilocal before ordering. The Pork Bah Mi looks so unappetizing I didn’t even bother and tossed it out. The bread appeared to be fresh and crisp however when you open the sandwich there is a dabble of house mayo & the meet looked old, also didn’t smell delish. The Iced coffee is pretty good though.

Really love this little place. It’s a great, tucked away treat. Love their phở. Has a great broth. Their ginger tea is amazing. Best Ive had. Friendly service and fantastic views of Puget Sound along Alki beach. Free wifi is nice so I can pack up my laptop and come get some yummy food and watch the ferries go by while I get some work done. Highly recommend.

I like that we can eat phở outside here it reminds me of how it would be in Vietnam. I had the chicken phở and a regular bowl was huuge and they were very generous with the chicken my friend had brisket and meatballs and they weren’t stingy on the meat on her bowl either. Food was good and I liked that’s its on the beach. Service was hot and cold some were nice some looked like they want to go home and forgot that I asked for lime and no water refills cause they never checked on our table so when it when we were done and thirsty we had to go inside and find them.

I would have to say I have had better Phở. I came here on a Saturday afternoon and we sat outside. The location is nice it is right on the water. Some of the tables outside were wobbly and we had to play with a few before we could find one we liked. When sat down it took a pretty long time for them to come get our order and the place wasn’t even busy. Also i was pretty annoyed that they never refilled my water, I actually waited around for a waiter to come outside for more than 15 minutes and I had to ask her to refill it. I ordered a large Phở with everything on it. When the food came out i noticed that there wasn’t as much food in it and ordering «large» really just meant you got extra soup. Other places that I have been too would fill my bowl up with a bunch of meat and noodles. I would say the price is a little bit more than most Phở restaurants but it makes sense since it is on Alki. Overall the location is nice, food tasted decent, but I’m not a big fan.

This place made our vacation and we ate their at least 3 times in only a week. It is a hole in the wall and we almost did not go based solely on appearance, I am worried that it is being taken down for construction of some condos and hope that this place is included in that construction because they had fantastic food and loved the bubble tea as well. The phở was fantastic and real affordable. We had 3 different entrees and all were fantastic! Service was so so but worth overlooking based on the flavors that came out of the kitchen. REcommend this place highly as apparently most folks do.

[ 3.5 ]
Inconsistent phở with hit or miss service.
I tend to order to go from here primarily, but every time something from the order is missing. The people who work here are always nice and the beef phở broth quite delicious when they get it right and the perfect thing for a hangover cure. Sometimes its not flavored enough, sometimes its too oily and sometimes it comes missing all the herbs. And worse, sometimes its cold. But, hey! When they get it right, they get it right. Its just a matter of when…
Saigon Boat Café is (like all the restaurants on Alki) successful not necessarily because they are fantastic. Rather, they are all solidly average but have a monopoly because of their location.
But! That grilled pork banh mi … now that’s something quick and easy to grab and you simply can’t go wrong with that and a delicious iced Vietnamese coffee.

Saigon Boat Café is just one of those places you sometimes pass by. It’s tiny, next to a marijuana dispensary, maybe looks a little shabby. But give it a chance and you will have a great time.
They have some of the best and most reasonably priced food on the block, as well as the cheapest beer. You can et a bucket of four long necks on ice for $ 10. During Seafair or Fourth of July this is a Godsend.
The food runs the gamut from Ban Mi sandwiches that are hearty and delicious and cheap at $ 3.99, but not out of this world. But the sides and other Vietnamese fare and fusion food is out of this world. The eggplant side is like a main dish! At $ 7.95, it’s huge and saucy with garlic and onions… So great! I can’t say enough about it. And the fresh rolls are the definition of fresh, stuffed with two bonus shrimp!
They also have Vietnamese coffee, bubble tea, more classy seafood…
I don’t think you will be disappointed if you check this out. Sit inside on a gray day and sip the egg and asparagus soup (sounds weird, is actually awesome and cures WHATEVER ails you… Especially with some sriracha thrown in!), or lounge in be patio and people-​watch.
Honestly, this place surprised me with its upbeat variety of music that made lunch feel like a rave. Plus, I got a tan just sitting in the sun.

This hole in the wall was perfect for warm vietnamese noodles and a sandwich on this windy day at the beach. The food was decent but the space is tight.

Didn’t know how a beach atmosphere and Vietnamese food would work together, and the quality of food and service leave me saying «ehhh» about this place.
We got BBQ pork banh mi, mixed special phở, and the mango shrimp fresh spring roll. No complaints about the quality of the food, but we weren’t particularly impressed either — it tasted like it should and filled our stomachs.
(Oh I gotta give props to that banh mi bread though. Crackly crust and light interior! Though I doubt they bake their own bread…)
Service — no frills and courteous, but even a little cold
Décor — kitschy beach/​surf-​y feel, top 40s music. The outdoor seating is nice, but the slightly dingy interior leaves more than a little to be desired.
Not bad if you’re looking for an alternative to standard fare on Alki, but I’d try out other places before this one.

Can’t say it is the best but it’s far from anything negative. The phở is rich and satisfying. The menu has many things to pick from so everyone can eat. It’s a hole in the wall kind of place and not the prettiest place. However it is great on a sunny day with outdoor tables looking out over Alki Beach.