Pho Saigon

This business is not closed.
Under new management and called Saigon Vietnamese Bistro. Food is great, customer service is great! Come on by and give it a try! Love that they now serve Banh Mi… Yay!

Phở Saigon is now under new ownership! They have changed very little to the dining space in the month since they took over, but there is a new menu, new wait staff, and new cooks in the kitchen (now if they would just update that dirty carpet…)
These cooks are turning out fantastic phở, much better then before, and it’s so good it will now give Kevin’s some serious competition. Service was slow, inattentive, and a bit scattered, but friendly. They also skimp on napkins for some reason
The meat portions aren’t as generous as some other places, but the broth is heavenly

Good vegetarian options, good phở, good vermicelli, and friendly service in Walnut Creek. Having grown up in Oakland, I am used to negligent service at phở restaurants, but Phở Saigon gives you good food served by nice people. Of course, it’s not hella legit like Oakland phở because their first item on the menu isn’t the usual combo with everything, but I really appreciate how their broth is not oily and not overwhelmingly salty.
Although there are not that many vegetarian options on the menu, it is veggie friendly, having really delicious vermicelli bowls. The only veggie items I can remember off the top of my head are: vegetarian phở (vegetable broth with carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, and tofu), vermicelli (two eggrolls, stir fried tofu with vegetables w/​noodles), veggie chow mein (haven’t tried), and maybe the pad thai (which I also have not tried).
The vegetarian phở is on the plain side, but it tastes pretty healthy and is a good soup to have if you are sick. My favorite is the vermicelli bowl because the fried eggrolls are delicious along with their fried vegetable & tofu mix on top of the noodles. I’ve tried their beef phở before as well and it is pretty decent (as in, not Chinatown phở but it will do).
Overall, if you’re in the Walnut Creek area and need a fix, Phở Saigon is a good option with vegetarian friendly meals.

They have a variety of food in their menu, and I really favor this restaurant for it. You have your regular Phở noodles, but what they also have are a greater choice of rice plates. My favorite here is the Catfish rice plate. Yumm.
Their Phở is just what I expected, no surprises here. Actually, their broth is more flavorful than the average places, but not too strong and rich, which is perfect for me. Somehow this place stands out because of the quality of meat they food on their phở. I cannot fully testify to this, of course, since I don’t know where they get their meat. However, they are not stingy with their proportions of noodles: meat ratio. It’s not that they give you a lot of food, because they don’t. But it’s adequate, and they don’t give you a huge bowl, with a lot of noodles, and a little bit of meat. Everything is fair here IMO.
This place really excels in cleanliness and ambiance for me. It doesn’t feel like a fast food Phở restaurant where you’re just there to eat and GTFO asap, it feels nice enough to enjoy your time and have a good conversation. Although I don’t know what this space was used for before, it seems to me some kind of mexican bar/​restaurant if you look at the ceiling and rafters with stainless steel exhaust vents. It’s probably expensive to T-​bar the ceiling and cover it all up, but their effort of painting over everything and putting random accessories everywhere works for me.
Otherwise, prices are $ 1-​$ 2 overpriced, portions are just enough, but they excel in the variety of food and quality of each serving of food.

Phở Saigon had all their shades drawn, giving an appearance they were closed. walking by, i saw an «open» sign.
tables arranged for seating 2’s & 4’s, not in rolls but ringing the dining room.
flatscreen: cnn
eats: #13 phở tai gan (6.95, small)
–tai (beef)chewy, tendon mostly tender small pieces
–broth tasted sweet, with star anise and beef tones, sweetness no doubt from rock sugar and msg.
–phở and garnishings not skimpy, typical serving. bean sprouts not many.
–noodles not al dente, needed more cooking.
leftovers:
–msg after sensation.
–typical vietnamese menu
–wondered why fork came with napkin, finally used it to fish out tendon pieces
–wasn’t satisphoed afterwards. decided to skip a sammie.
–found a parking space and slept off the msg. (msg works better than a sleeping pill).

Definite improvement over past visits. They are more generous with the soup garnishes, they are better staffed and the food comes out 3 – 5 minutes faster. Did come a little early this time, maybe a good idea to beat the lunch rush more often!
Only complaint — the fresh spring rolls are smaller than they used to be.

This is the best phở joint in Walnut Creek. I appreciate how they have several different options to choose from for drink specialties. The kiddies really love the shrimp and pork dishes with noodles or rice. They portions are fantastic so the kiddies can share a plate to themselves.
When they first opened, I didn’t want to give this place a bad review because our noodles were overcooked, and we wanted them to get into their groove first. Well, now, after I can say that I truly enjoy their food.

I’m no phở expert, but I am an aficionado for sure.
I came here with my family, and I ordered a phở ga and an order of egg rolls. The egg rolls and phở arrived at the same time. The egg rolls were crisp and delicious. I finished them, and then I eagerly started on the phở.
The broth didn’t taste like phở broth; it tasted really watery. The chicken was super dry and hard to eat; I did not finish the chicken. The noodles, however, were wonderful.
I’m not a huge fan, but my parents love this place, so maybe I just ordered the wrong thing!

It was nipply cold all day and our dinner plans didn’t work out. AKA perfect night for a hot steaming bowl of noodly phở comfort!
Me and the bf both got the #2-​phở with rare steak, brisket, tendon and tripe– because its our favorite (read: full of meat and carbs) in sizes small and large. Here’s my small/​large gripe: they had almost the SAME of stuff in them, but in different sized bowls. I actually had more tripe and brisket in mine, which was the SMALL.
I know it’s not a big deal and it’s only a $ 1 more to upgrade, but I guess I’ve been spoiled by other phở places where a small is the size of my big head and some aquanet and a large is the size of my big head and aquanet and a giant hat.
Otherwise, the phở was pretty good and the place was very very clean (for a phở place).
We’ll probably be back when we’re in the area and phở beckons. We’ll probably order the same thing. A small for me and a large for him, because it makes him feel manly. But inside, we’ll both know– its a small and small.

I was pleasantly surprised that the phở served here was not dumbed down for a bok gwai palate. This restaurant is cleaner than your average phở joint, and your arms will not stick to the tabletops. I was slightly irritated that there is no napkin dispenser on the table as I am in the habit of «cleaning» my utensils and stuff prior to eating at this type of establishment.
P. S. The restroom was on par with a standard Viet restaurant: gross.

A big bowl of noodle soup with all the fixings! This is the good life. I started visiting this establishment because I was sick and they had soup. Now I go because it’s a great way to get a meal that is deliscious, filling and healthier than similar options for the price.
I love the Seafood Noodle Soup. It has shrimp, immitation crab, and something that I swear is squid, but I’m not sure. At this point, I’m so in love with the dish that they could tell me it’s whale semen and I really wouldn’t care. (Never thought I’d put that in a review…)
You will be hard pressed to disappoint yourself with this place. Have at it Unilocalers!

Phở Saigon… often crowded. As such, most of my orders are phoned in to go.
I like a lot of their menu items. Prices are very reasonable. Service is always good. I would recommend you give this place a try.
Although, I’ve never been disappointed with anything that I’ve ordered from here, I pretty much just go for the soup. Portions are GINORMOUS.

When it comes to price and service… A-​OK and pretty average, meaning fast.
When it comes to Taste… A-​OK. I haven’t tried Phở there but I did have the BBQ Chicken and Shrimp plate. I have better BBQ or 5-​spice chicken and it came with 3 pieces of shrimp, not prawns but shrimp so I felt a little cheated. The Thai Iced Tea was pretty good though, tea to cream ratio was on hit.
When it comes to cleanliness and ambiance… I LIKE this spot. It’s not your average whole in the wall type Phở restaurants. They have plenty of booths, modern furniture and nice décor. The sauces and silverware on the table don’t feel and look grungy. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there but I’d definitely return if in the area or recommend it to someone who was craving some good and cheap Phở.

I can’t help but need my fix of Bun Tom Ga. That’s pretty much the only thing I order now. I love the tasty BBQ Chicken and Grilled Shrimp on a bed of Rice Noodles.
The last time I tried something new and ordered a Phở substitute recommended by the owner, I was sorely disappointed and eyed my friend’s Bun Tom Ga jealously: (
I still go here for a cheap eat in the neighborhood.

I bet if you did a search on the west coast for restaurants named Phở Saigon, there would be a lot of them!
This one is in a strip mall in what is called the Newell Promenade. I think that is dressing it up in name only. There is a Subway Sandwich, a Hair/​Nail Salon (what strip mall in California is complete without a Viet Nail salon?), a small liquor store, a pizza place, an empty ice cream shop (it was raining that day), and an Arthur Murray dance studio.
Phở Saigon is closest to the street and is pretty good size, with 17 tables and 8 booths. It has a high A-​frame ceiling and is clean, with a pleasant décor, unlike many a Phở dive I have been in. It was crowded at lunch time, I even had to wait a few minutes for a table, but after 1 pm it was half full.
It had a typical set-​up, that being 2 flat panel TVs (but the twist is, one was showing CNN for all the non-​Viet folk here in WC, whereas in Little Saigon, you would be watching a Viet Variety DVD or maybe a Korean Drama dubbed in Vietnamese), a girl takes your order, and the little latino guy brings your bowl. The tables are numbered, and you go to the cashier to pay. Here was another twist, the Cashier is usually a girl, but it was a man here, who also seated you. They looked Chinese, but were Vietnamese, or perhaps Chinese/​Vietnamese?
It has a full menu, complete with all the usual Viet Diner dishes you expect, including 9 Khai Vi (appetizers), 17 Phở Bo (beef) and 1 Phở Ga (chicken), Hu Tieu (another noodle soup), Mi (yet another noodle soup), Bun (dry rice noodle plates), Mon Xao (stir fry, including Chinese mein, Thai Pad, and Viet garlic noodle), Com Dia (about 20 rice plates) and beverages.
The Phở are all $ 6.95 and $ 7.95 depending on size. I ordered my standard, Phở Tai Nam (rare round, well done flank). The broth was OK, a little too sweet, not complex enough with Star Anise flavors missing, a little too brown. I suspect short cuts in the broth, perhaps boosted with bullion to make the 99% non-​Viet diners happy it tastes more like Campbells Beef and Noodle soup rather than really authentic Phở Bo.
After all, you have to cater to your customers, right? Troi oi!