Saigon is a nice addition to campus, and it's definitely on my list of places to consider for lunch. The menu seems to suffer from a little bit of an identity crisis (they purport to be Vietnamese, but the menu is a kind of hybrid of Americanized Chinese dishes [General Tso] and Vietnamese dishes, like spring rolls and Pho). I recommend going with one of the noodle dishes. I got the BBQ beef with ho fun and found it to be delicious. The noodles with gigantic, flat rice noodles and had an awesome airy texture to them. At $12, it was not a bad price. My friend got the general tso, which I tasted and found to be just OK. It was nicely crispy, but the sauce committed the cardinal sin of general tso: you could taste the ketchup. I will now do something outrageous and dedicate an entire (albeit short) paragraph to the chicken spring rolls. These were really, really good, and I think they might be homemade. Highly recommend. End of paragraph. Service was very pleasant and efficient, and the space is nice, if austere. Would come back. End of transmission.
(4)
Sara N.
Don't eat here unless you prefer unauthentic Vietnamese food poorly received and prepared by Chinese staff who speak neither English nor Vietnamese.
(1)
Milk W.
Excellent Pho, Excellent Tofu Summer Rolls, Excellent Fantastic Snow Pea Leaves in Garlic Never had a bad dish here. Vegetarian and Vegan friendly and willing to change dishes to meet your needs! Have been many times, it is always crowded. The food is fresh prepared, authentic and comes out quickly. Usually lots of large groups with boxes of Franzia, and take-out orders coming and going all night long.
(5)
Naomi N.
I came here last week because the Vietnamese restaurant that I usually go to was closed and I needed to satisfy my pho craving REALLY bad, so I figured why not try Saigon Cuisine? I've walked by this place numerous times and had always wanted to try their food. I ordered spring rolls, a bowl of pho (beef eye round slightly cooked), and fried ice cream, and I can now say that I will probably never come here again, at least not to get pho. I don't know how their other food items are, but I sure hope to god that they are better than the pho because I have honestly never tasted any pho worst than the one that I had here. The broth was watered down and the flavor was completely off (I couldn't even tell you what it tasted like). I had to down the bowl in Siracha just so that I couldn't taste the broth anymore, then it wasn't as unbearable to eat. The price is also on the more expensive end, considering you can get cheaper pho for $5 or so on Washington Ave, Chinatown, or other Vietnamese Restaurants in West Philly, that will have larger portions and actually be edible and taste authentic. I wish I could say nicer things about this place, but it was such a disappointing experience. They should really take their pho off the menu or make changes to it because they honestly can't call themselves a Vietnamese Restaurant and not even be able to get the pho remotely right. The spring rolls were mediocre and the fried ice cream was...not even fried. It was literally a ball of ice cream rolled around in crunch. If you want fried ice cream, go down the street to Ramen Bar. I'm giving this place 2 stars because the service was decent and I did like the interior of the restaurant. Otherwise, I don't see myself coming back and I definitely would not recommend the pho from here to anyone unless they don't have any tastebuds.
(2)
Sarah T.
I walk by this hole in the wall every morning on my way to work and have never thought twice about it, but today I was in the mood for Thai or Vietnamese food. As usual, I consulted Yelp (since I know there aren't many decent Asian places nearby, despite the high Asian population here) and figured that I would give it a try. Positive thing #1- You can pre-order takeout right from the Yelp app. I chose to do this and eat outside in the park (one block away). Positive thing #2- My order was ready when I arrived, and I showed up a few minutes early. I took note of the students in the restaurant (usually a good sign), the clean, relaxed atmosphere, and a foreign news program on TV (also a good sign), and left to enjoy the outdoors. I ordered veggie bun (rice vermicelli) with spring rolls. The sauce for the bun was on the side to prevent the spring rolls from getting soggy- nice touch. The top of the meal was covered with finely-chopped nuts with good flavor. The spring rolls were fried but not heavy or greasy (yay!). The bun itself was light and flavorful (though it could have had more veggies). I would have rated this place 4 stars if it weren't for the signature headache that I get after eating MSG that is currently developing.
(3)
Jana P.
It's good to see some affordable authentic Asian food in the University City area. All the other Asian restaurants in the area either have subpar food or are on the pricier side. This place is a good medium. The service is quick and the bathrooms are clean. I am disappointed that the menu seems to have shrunk. There are big gaps in the numbers for the dishes in the menu. The most noticeable of these gaps is the fried rice, which has been taken off the menu completely. That's pretty sad, considering that they actually had pretty good fried rice.
(3)
Christine V.
3.5 stars for this little hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant in University City! I come from a city that has a large Vietnamese population (San Jose, CA), so when I came to Philadelphia, I didn't expect there to be a many good Vietnamese restaurants around to choose from, especially in University City. Granted, there are good Viet places around Chinatown and the little Viet area in Philly but that's a bit out of the way for me. Saigon cuisine is the closest restaurant where I could get my Vietnamese food fix. I've been in Philly for almost a year now, and I've always been so hesitant to try this place. I finally got around to trying it this past week, and I'm glad I did! It was definitely a pleasant surprise. I ordered the house special noodles (bun). It came with grilled pork slices, grilled shrimp, an eggroll, and veggies along with their fish sauce. I was very happy with the way it tasted. The pork slices were tender and full of flavor, and I very much enjoyed their grilled shrimp. Often, grilled shrimps can get dry, but they do a good job here! Fish sauce is very important for Vietnamese dishes, and for me, it makes or breaks a vietnamese dish. This place had good fish sauce that went well with what I ordered. My boyfriend ordered a rice plate, and it looked appetizing to me! I'll definitely come back here for Vietnamese food. I must try their noodle soups next time! A gem of a restaurant in UC.
(3)
Lizi C.
I tried a bun with pork. Im pleasantly surprised by how delicious the noodle bowl turns turned out. My husband ordered a clay pot with chicken which was disappointing in flavor. It was however fairly healthy and came with a generous serving of steam vegetables. We also tried a summer roll and grilled pork rolls. Both rolls were made fresh and were delicious. We'll definitely be back however it wont be for the clay pot. Service was fine and the interior of the restaurant was clean and quiet.
(4)
Vidushi B.
First off, you should know that if you come here on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, Saigon will be filled with Penn students having BYO dinners, so you should be prepared to experiences Franzia boxes and loud groups. The food here is extraordinarily average. I've had the pho multiple times, and each time it was really lackluster; it doesn't have much flavor, and I have to add a pile of sriracha every time to eat it. The other food is similarly mediocre - I've tried the fried rice, some of the vegetable, as well as the buns. The only reason I would choose to come here is that it's one of the only BYOs on Penn's campus, and I'm a Penn student. Otherwise, I'd choose something better in the area.
(3)
Curtis L.
I go to Saigon pretty frequently, so I think I have a pretty good feel for how each of my dining experiences will be. Depending on the size of your group, you can either expect a short or long wait time for food (I've never really experienced an in-between). I've gone in a pretty large group before and it took a really really really long time to get food. What's worse is that they served different people in the group at extremely different times. On one occasion, at least a couple people had already finished eating before the majority of the others had been served. Even when I go in a smaller group, the service can be a little meh. But the food is where I feel that Saigon is simply just "aight". The pho is nothing that will blow you away. It's not particularly flavorful with a very average tasting broth. Trust me, if you want really good pho that will hit the spot, you have to make the trek to South Philly. I think a personal favorite of mine is the grilled pork chop with rice, which is pretty popular. It is good, but paying $10 for two pieces of pork chop, rice, and some veggies is kinda much. I keep coming back to Saigon simply because it's the only place on campus that can really fulfill a craving for pho and Vietnamese-style cuisine. I've spent many meals at Saigon to escape the cold weather and it has hit the spot. But the fact is that the food is nothing special and the service is okay. You gotta manage your expectations. Those looking for exceptionally good pho should look elsewhere, but if you are really wanting pho and have nowhere else to go, Saigon will suffice. On the plus side, it is a BYO so college students can rejoice.
(3)
Tiffany Y.
Was in town for a conference and a friend recommended a few places in the area. Pho is my favorite, plus on a cold day in the teens, this hit the spot. I ordered the small beef pho and it was still a pretty large size. Food came out relatively quickly and the service was good and there were multiple people around to help if you needed anything. At $8.50, I did think this was on the pricier side but I'm also not local (you can get pho in NYC for less).
(4)
Nicey J.
My fresh tofu roll was decent. It did satisfy my craving for one when I didn't feel like making my way to china town. Note to self: always make your way. I always feel underwhelmed when I don't get what I want from the place that I love it from. If that makes sense. The order was quickly prepared, it seemed to be lacking some of the stuff that is listed on the menu? But whatever. The peanut sauce was extremely underwhelming, it lacked every ounce of flavor which is absurd since it's peanut sauce? I'll go back though and check out something beyond an appetizer.
(3)
Michael F.
On one of those "let's just walk around and see what we find to eat" kind of night, we ended up at Saigon Cuisine. I spotted the Pho on the menu and figured I had to give it a try. Now I normally take down a large Pho without hesitation, so a large Xe Lua (everything) pho it was for me. Like me, you may have noticed the pho prices were slightly higher than you might expect. Back to that large Xe Lua... well, it was larger than I expected, matching the slightly higher price. Yes, I was still able to take it down, but with a bit more of a struggle than normal. And while I struggled to finish, it was not due to quality or taste. I returned a few days later to grab some pho to go for a sick JJ. Even wrapped to go didn't impact their delicious pho. I've been back since and will be back again I am sure!
(4)
Ashleigh S.
So this used to be a great BYO but the entire menu changed. They carded us, which is a first. The pho was yummy bit I'm sad that the menu completely changed. Also, my friend ordered her pho with shrimp and they brought her veggie pho... we had to flag down the waiter whenever we wanted to order.
(2)
Vanessa T.
I came here for lunch and ordered grilled pork rice and Vietnamese coffee. First of all, they didn't use the right rice for the dish and the pork was on the salty side. The Vietnamese coffee was probably the worse I've tasted ever. There were black coffee grounds in it and all I tasted was sugar and milk. I didn't try their pho yet but that's enough for me to not come back.
(2)
Victoria L.
Saigon Cuisine is pretty good and conveniently located in UCity! My favorite go-to dishes are the bun and rice plates with the sliced pork options. The pork chops and house special combinations are also good! The pork is always full of flavor and perfectly tender. If you're looking for a convenient place to satisfy your pho cravings, Saigon doesn't disappoint. The broth is good, but it doesn't really stand out. Yet, still a decent place to get your pho fix in! The service here is also very friendly and quick! The food brought out in less than 10 minutes upon ordering. I definitely frequent this place a lot whenever I'm missing some good Viet food!
(3)
Emily X.
Terrible, there is no flavor except....... This is also not real pho, it's noodle. What freaked me out is that I ate some weird thing in my soup, it looks like gray hair but with sticky black stuff on it, and I found it in my soup. And I only discovered this in my soup after I finished almost all of my noodles.......... And the restaurant owner quickly got all the dishes back to the kitchen and said give me a free one. When I ask what is the thing in the noodle I just ate , the owner start to mumbling and got very angry, almost to the level of threatening. When I finally realized I could leave message on yelp, they suddenly trying to communicate....for sympathy and empathy.......I am pretty wordless .......
(1)
Vanna T.
2.5 stars: summer rolls were fresh. Clay tofu pot could use some work...it was very bland. Not as authentic as I'd hope it to be :(
(2)
Grace L.
This restaurant is generally just a safe place to get a bowl of pho that is very convenient for people who live near University City. I used to come here often for BYOs, but now the environment is generally more quiet as there are not as many college BYOs here anymore. The space is very conducive to groups though, so if you just want to grab dinner with 10+ friends this is an easy place to go. I came here on a holiday evening for dinner with a friend, and was reminded of how nice the servers are. I ordered my usual beef brisket pho, and it came out almost immediately--with a lot of condiments as well. As I hadn't eaten all day, it was the perfect meal to warm me up, and the pho was simply a decent meal (I'm not sure how else to explain it). There was a lot of noodle and a fine amount of meat, but nothing really stood out about the flavor or anything. Overall, good service, a bit of awkward ambiance since the restaurant is relatively empty now, and fine food.
(3)
Sole V.
Doesn't even deserve a star! Service sucks, the waiters were 2 Spanish girls that didn't even know how to speak English all they did was stand there and stared at us the whole time. My cousin had to tell them how to do their job, they brought the food out and acted like they didn't know where to place the food. There's a table there for a reason. Summer rolls weren't even fresh! The worst part was when I asked for the check, they tried to charge me for a $20 gratuity. $20 for what? Crappy service? Never coming here again.
(1)
Jon L.
Had the large xe lua pho noodle soup that was warm and good on a cold day. I called at 10pm and was told they were only doing take out until closing on Friday. Wasn't as good as take out and microwaved pho is not as great. Otherwise had a mix of meat and was mostly noodles. Overall not bad and warm on a cold night.
(3)
Aerin S.
The guy is not too friendly but it's a good cure for super hangover. Would recommend.
(4)
David C.
I recently ordered a number of dishes from Saigon because Vietnam Cafe was closed. The food is on par with Vietnam Cafe but a few dollars cheaper. I really like Vietnam Cafe so Saigon is now my go to Vietnamese Restaurant in University City. I ordered a large chicken pho but noticed the host keyed it in as a small after I paid. He adjusted the order and when I attempted to pay the difference he smiled and said it was on the house. While waiting, a waiter brought me a glass of water. These small details plus good food attract a loyal following. The pho was very good. I also got the house special rice vermicelli which was loaded with meat. I really enjoyed the meal and will return.
(4)
Sang B.
They allowed us to have a party of 30 for our friend's birthday party and the service was excellent, the food was excellent, and the waiters and manager was extremely kind and cooperative. We messed up some orders for our vegetarian friends, and the manager kindly brought them several dishes. If you are looking for a great place to dine, I highly recommend Saigon.
(5)
Deb A.
I went here with 3 co workers for lunch. I got the lemon grass chicken and others at the table got pho. We were all pleased with the food in terms of taste and portion sizes. Our waiter was attentive without being overbearing- he also made us laugh which is always a plus. I will definitely be getting food from here in the future as I work right around the corner.
(5)
I L.
Middle of the road vietnamese place. Vietnam Cafe a bit more west is much better in my opinion. This one has the benefit of being right next to the school and much easier to get to. Fish cakes were great, pho was good but nothing mind blowing. Prices were reasonable, but I've seen better at other Vietnamese places. I'd come here again.
(3)
Joshua J.
Thank god for this place, finally, a decent Viet spot in West Philadelphia. I've had their pho a few times and it's great. Not too salty like the joints on Washington Ave. Service is fantastic here, really quick, in and out the door, no BS. Food is affordable, albeit a bit more expensive than the more ghetto places on Washington. This place takes credit cards which is fantastic, because I'm really tired of lugging cash when I feel like getting some soup. I like that they have other options, Chinese and Thai dishes included. I hope this place does well because I'm a big fan.
(5)
Selah L.
I got lemongrass pork on rice noodles. Wished for a tad higher meat to noodle ratio, but it was extremely delicious. Very nice staff. Decent price. Fast (I got it to go). Attractive interior. I was a little sad to see it rather empty 1pm... I'll be rooting for business to pick up! PS. I wish they had Banh mi sandwiches!
(4)
James F.
The PHO noodles with extra beef is all that! The staff is very helpful if you are not sure what to order. The cooks are top notch!
(5)
Kimberly Y.
More like 3.5 stars, but I'll round down for the service. It's still probably the most convenient place to get Vietnamese food for most Penn students though! And perhaps also one of the most convenient BYOs. Like everyone else, I'm just here to get my filling of Vietnamese food. I no longer crave pho since there aren't great places on campus for it (Saigon's doesn't have enough meat -- just a lot of water), but I really like their pork chops and always come here for them! The complementary sauce is also great, so I pour it all over my rice. Saigon is definitely on the pricey side for most things besides pho. For instance, you get a couple pork chops and everything rings up to over double-digits. However, no matter how many people are there, it seems like my food always takes longer than expected. Takeout can also take quite a while, but it's nice to have the option to take pho out. I don't think I've ever had a server stop by and check up on my table until 5 minutes after I've been waving someone down. I think there are a few decorations in the entire place, but it's decently spacious and wooden. I always find myself singing along to their 90s/early 2000s music, so at least they know their crowd! There have been a few awkward times where the place gets noticeably quiet even though multiple tables are eating; I have no idea where the sound here goes.
(3)
Yang X.
I ordered Pho combo and spring rolls. The Pho combo was great. I expected to see traditional Vietnamese spring rolls but they were Chinese fried rolls. Price and service were very good.
(4)
Anna Y.
Came in here with a friend for dinner . The restaurant itself is just right size . Its not big but you are not overhearing the conversation from the table next to you either . I ordered a pad thai, my all time favorite . It was pretty good , not overly sweet like some other places . My friend ordered a pork chop rice platter and she enjoyed it. With many mediocre asian restaurants in the area , the is actually the place I would recommend first .
(3)
Nataly N.
I've been here twice. The service got better the second time around, which shows that the establishment is working diligently (hopefully) on the kinks of running a new business. Aside from the service, however, I wasn't a huge fan of the food. I had started off with the fried chicken dumplings. I couldn't tell whether they were house-made, but the filling was questionable because it tasted like a mystery substance (as opposed to chicken) and the dough around it was very thick and chewy. I think I've had better dumplings from the frozen section of the Asian supermarket. The pho was also not very well-made. The noodles weren't fresh and they were a bit stingy on the toppings. In Pho dishes, the broth usually either makes it or breaks it. In this case, it definitely did not make it. Other than maybe the location, nothing really compels me to return, when there are better options on Washington Ave and even in West Philly.
(2)
Vichet O.
I just found out this place is a BYO. Cheapest BYO ever. Woo! Now you just have to get some padding or something on the walls so it's not so echo-ey, and you're prime-time, Saigon!
(4)
Cherish H.
The food was good but I felt it was overpriced for the amount. Also, be sure to keep your receipt and check how much they charge you afterwards. I was charged more on my card than I signed for on my receipt and when I called they said they couldn't find my card in the system or said that it must've been tip even though I told them it wasn't. It wasn't until I found my receipt and gave him the table and check # that he finally found it in the system and saw they overcharged me.
(2)
Meg S.
My computer now has about 10 tabs open for "how to make pho"...purely because I don't want to be the awkward person showing up at Saigon Cuisine for every meal. Seriously, it's that good. After reading Ben W.'s review, and realizing how stupidly close it was to my apartment, I headed over for an early dinner on Sunday. The beef brisket pho was so delicious-the broth is perfect for a cold winter day and the noodles were cooked to perfection. I just went back for lunch today and the beef eye is even better; I highly recommend it. With any pho, you get a 1 qt container of soup, and a takeout box full of noodles, sprouts, hot sauce, peppers, and lime. I'm not the biggest fan of the sprouts, but try putting some of the lime in! Service for takeout was quick and friendly-I was in and out in under 5 minutes. The first time I went, there was no one in the store but today there were at least a few tables. As soon as the Penn community hears about it, I think this place will be packed. Between here and Ramen Bar, there's no contest.
(5)
Fei S.
Pho is nice. I've had it for many times, I've even ordered the take out once, i thought I can't take them our because of the soup, but the owner will pack everything for you to take it home. And it's very easy to make it feel like you are eating in the store. I'll highly recommend the pork chop, I ordered them a few time as entree, and I had them a few times while I had Pho as well with my friend who's always eating. If I'm not the wrong, the owner used to waitressing in Sang kee noodle house.
(4)
Victoria C.
I have been to Saigon too many times recently, and the food has not gotten old. This is a good sign. Still obsessed with the summer rolls - they're so fresh, and the vegetables inside are so crisp that I could eat these until I die. Okay, maybe not, but they're excellent. The papaya salad is fresh too! The service is always good.
(4)
Tim M.
I used to love this place when they first opened - warning, I'm a vegetarian - and they arbitrarily removed about half the pages of the original menu! You can literally look at the numbers on the menu and see huge gaps. They had some wonderful vegetarian options originally, but no more, unless you want something that tastes like ham water from Arrested Development. If you're a meat lover who wants so pho, I've heard they're decent from friends... but for anything else? Go to Han Dynasty or Sang Kee.
(2)
Kiki L.
Definitely one of my favorite Pho places in UCity. Great consistency in the food throughout the years and reasonable price. Fried ice-cream is a dessert which the vanilla ice cream is wrapped by fried, crisps. Worth a try if you have NOT yet had Vietnamese food.
(4)
Samantha Y.
Loveeee their pork cutlet with rice!!! But it's $9 where other places are usually a little cheaper. So... get it sparingly!
(4)
Mark S.
Mediocre. Mediocre. Mediocre. Modestly priced - appetizers range from $3 - $5 and main courses range from $8.50 - $14. Service was pretty good. Very limited menu for a Vietnamese restaurant. Philly has scores of Vietnamese places and a large Vietnamese immigrant population, but this place is not up local standards. They seem to cater to college students. I say: skip it.
(2)
Joan V.
Love the beef pho! I think I taste cinnamon in it which is cool. BYOB. I always get the fresh fruit for desert. Great Value.
(4)
Julie C.
This is how I would describe Saigon: its one of those places where you and your friends are trying to figure out where to go for dinner and someone suggests it and you just look at your phone sideways and say "Eh............" but you can't really come up with a better option so you end up there. Mediocre. Helpful if you are for some reason in a pinch and need to have a BYO on campus, otherwise I'd suggest skipping it. It was better back when it had Chinese food on its menu but for some reason they decided to focus on all Vietnamese now.
(2)
Sheila D.
Love this place! It's BYO which is great since it's so close to a college campus. That does mean that if you do go during prime dinner hours on a weekend that it'll typically be pretty loud, but honestly, it's never bothered me since I pretty much only go there for the purpose of BYO's. The pho is pretty good and most of the people who I go with get it. I like the bun as well. Summer rolls for me are a necessity at a Vietnamese restaurant, and the ones at Saigon, along with the sauce, are amazing! The servers are very nice and accommodating, and all of my experiences there have been very enjoyable.
(4)
Ben W.
I was super excited when I came back to campus to find that a new restaurant was on campus. Although I never had a chance to eat at Nan, Penn was really lacking in Vietnamese cuisine and a new place is always welcome. I went with three other friends for an early evening Saturday dinner and the place was relatively empty. We were quickly seated and given glasses of water. The menu itself is pretty expansive, with a wide range of Vietnamese dished. I skipped right to the pho menu because I was really in the mood for a hot bowl of noodles. I ended up getting the large beef brisket pho. The dishes took about 10 minutes to come out, but they were all piping hot. Accompanied with the pho were portions of limes, jalapeños, bean sprouts, and basil sprigs. The broth was very tasty and was as salty as other places I've been. I also really appreciated the strong onion undertones. Just fyi, the large is LARGE. Although there wasn't as much meat as I would've liked, close to half the bowl was full of noodles. I ended up needing to take some of it home. My friends also got the pho, the summer roll, as well as bun, which reminded me of a Vietnamese style bim bim bop but with rice noodles. I didn't get to try them, but they seemed to enjoy their entrees and appetizers. The ambiance was a interesting. It was a relatively quiet venue and the playlist was almost strictly 90's pop and R&B. Throughout dinner, conversation was constantly interrupted with, "oh wow, haven't heard this one in a while," and "this was my jam in middle school." It's not a good or bad thing, it was just... interesting. Overall, a great dining experience and I would definitely go again with some friends. It's about time we've gotten some decent pho on campus and this place fits the bill! Pros: price, LARGE portions, authentic flavors Cons: very quiet ambiance Dishes to try: Pho
(4)
Roopa S.
Average Asian food at average prices. I ordered the sauteed veggies dish, which included water chestnuts, snap peas, mushroom, spinach, and baby corn. I requested that fresh tofu be added.The brown sauce was tasty. I payed about $9.50 for the meal, which was extremely pricey for what I received but I knew that when choosing to order it. Overall, it was a predictable and standard meal. I'd be curious to try some of the other dishes at the restaurant to see what the overall quality is. For now though, it is extremely average in my books!
The only reason they are getting one star is because Yelp doesn't have zero. I was in a super good mood when I walked in, because I just got a new fish and I can't wait to put in my bowl. Well, I guess I really shouldn't have waited. Here's the reason why I walked out with super bad mood: Food: TERRIBLE! I ordered "seafood lemon grass soup", and I couldn't taste any lemon grass at all. The veg and seafood are obviously from the FROZEN bags, and the pho is sticking to each other. If I use this $11 dollars to buy frozen seafood and veg, pho and tom yum paste, I can easily feed six people. Service: EVEN WORSE! THEY THREW AWAY MY FOOD!!!!! Ok, to be fair, the tall guy is very attentive so I like him, but I seriously don't know what other people are doing. This one girl, has been talking on the phone the whole time when I was there. I asked her to pack my remaining soup up, and she THREW MY FOOD AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She did only one thing, and she messed it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Other: Although their menu is in Chinese, I don't know if they are Chinese or not. I'm a native speaker of Cantonese and Mandarin, and understand a lot of other languages and dialogues, but I just couldn't understand what they were speaking. I sincerely recommend AGAINST this place! They are NOT worth any of your money or time!
(1)
Najah M.
Was not the best pho I tasted but definitely not the worst. It's priced just right and great portion sizes. I would recommend it to people who need a pho fix but I do not see myself as a regular for pho that is. They do have other items on their menu but I'm not tempted to try it. If you love pho they way I do this isn't the place for you.
(3)
Xing D.
Well, first of all, this place is more like a Chinese restaurant than a Vietnamese one. The menu has a lots of categories, which is usually uncommon in Vietnamese restaurant. If you want to have pho, this is not a good choice. There're only 5 items under the pho category, and these will be served within 5 mins after you place the order. The brooth is so-so, not as tasty as I experienced in other Vietnamese restaurant. Consider its price, it's totally not worth it. A huge bow with a large amount of pho but with only few beef, selling at price $8.50. I give 3.5 out of 5 for its taste, but consider its price, I give 3 stars in the end.
(3)
Yuqi Z.
Loved the summer rolls.
(4)
Brian T.
My girlfriend and I have been here many times. Their Vietnamese noodle soup taste exactly a good noodle soup in Vietnam. The pork chop rice is nicely grilled, not spicy. Other Asian dishes are OK, best just go for Vietnamese soup.
(4)
Alex P.
The vegetable pho is delicious. It comes with a variety of vegetables and tofu, and everything tastes super fresh. Huge portion for under $10. My food came out quickly and the staff was very friendly.
(5)
Kevin Y.
It's so great that Penn campus got such an affordable and quality Vietnamese restaurant! The pho here is pretty good, and for the price, it's a fantastic deal for a hungry student. The broth is incredibly rich, and the noodles will definitely fill you up. I generally always get the large special pho that includes portions of all their meats, and I'm always very satisfied at the end of my meal. Compared to the affordability, quantity, and quality of the pho here, the other dishes are pretty average. The spring and summer roll appetizers are quite large and crammed with vegetables and meat, but the taste isn't anything particularly amazing. The rice platters are a good alternative if you're not in the mood for noodles, but they're definitely not as filling as the pho bowls. If you do want to give one of the rice platters a try, I suggest the lemon grass chicken. The meat is sliced pretty thin, but the chicken is pretty juicy and flavorful. The rice and side vegetables are bland and tasteless, but you can fix that with some generous helpings of fish sauce. At the end of the day, Saigon's shining specialty is their affordable pho. That's what Saigon excels at, and that's what you should get.
(4)
Josh P.
Pho is okay, but you can definitely get cheaper and better ones at Chinatown in Philly. The scallion pancakes are pretty good and I recommend them for appetizers, instead of your normal spring rolls. The other dishes are decent, but I would say my favorite is surprisingly their vegetarian dish with eggplants. The sauce tastes great with the rice and is overall a very satisfying dish. Pho is a pretty good place for a BYO, but I don't recommend going there on weekends as it gets extremely busy and crowded (as a popular BYO place), and during those times service isn't the best. In general, however, food comes out really quickly compared to other restaurants.
(3)
May A.
This used to be my go to place for some quick and relatively healthy meals than slices of pizza or burgers (plus I am vegan, and there are only countably few places to provide vegan options). I had been quite satisfied with their take-out meals until recently, when they probably changed their staff and chefs, and since then they have screwed up my order twice, despite giving specific instructions about certain foods that I do NOT want in my meal. I think I am going to give them one more chance, and if they screw up, I am going to look elsewhere! Sorry Saigon Cuisine, you were my favorite go to place for quick vegan meals, but I will have to rethink if this shoddy business continues.
(2)
Alex Z.
I was eager to try this place out. I ate here with my girlfriend. I give two stars instead of one because many aspects of the food were good, but my experience here was bad enough that I do not want to come back. I ordered Pho (with tendon and tripe) and she ordered Bun (with chicken), as these were both typical Vietnamese dishes that we were familiar with. Both of the dishes were pleasant, if slightly bland. The broth of the pho had noticeably high-quality cinnamon used in it, and had just the right amount of salt, but was a little on the bland side. The vegetables in the bun dish were fresh, and had some subtle spicing, but that dish overall was a little bland too. What ruined the experience for me was that the sides of vegetables brought out for the pho were not fresh. The bean sprouts were particularly spoiled, with a mild but noticeable rotting aroma, of garbage. It was so bad that the first I caught a whiff of it, I wondered if someone was taking garbage out in the kitchen...but upon smelling items on the table, I realized that it was the bean sprouts. The lime was also not fresh--it was quite dried out, a little brown around the edges, and smelled off as well. The hot pepper and basil weren't the freshest I've had, but they both were edible. I complained about the bean sprouts being fresh, and they said that was all they could do. They brought a new plate but they still weren't fresh. I would have appreciated that if they didn't have fresh bean sprouts, that they told me that they didn't have all the ingredients for Pho, and offered for me to order some other dish. They also did not offer any refund or anything. No one came later to check on us and ask if the food was okay. The atmosphere here was pleasant, but it got very loud (with conversation). The walls, floors, and ceilings are all unpadded hard surfaces, making this place seem extremely rowdy when it's even half full. I found that unpleasant...it was a little too loud for me. I am not coming back. I am loyal to the Vietnamese restaurant at 43rd and Spruce. It is simpler, but it's been consistently good--I've eaten there dozens of times and I've never had anything as bad tasting or smelling as the plate of bean sprouts here. It's also considerably quieter, and a little cheaper per item.
(2)
Baye K.
This place rocks. I've there like 10 times since they've opened up, and I have yet to receive a service below par nor served food that lacked flavor. I return on many occasions because of the genuity of the establishment and urge you to experience it for yourself, if you have not yet!!
(4)
Keo N.
Super good food. I had the slice pork over rice and Slice roll beef over rice and it was delicious. Tons of meat and rice for your bucks. I can't wait to try the pho and other dishes
(5)
B. P.
The food here is very solid. The prices are very reasonable. I had the "small" pho and it seemed fairly large. The broth was light and flavorful and everything seemed very fresh. The service is really efficient. What more could you ask for?
(4)
T K.
I've been here three times so far and every time I left the place as a happy customer. Their prices are very reasonable, the atmosphere inside is nice and quiet, and it only took them 5 - 10 minutes to cook their food each time I was there. I'm definitely going to be coming back there on a regular basis and not just because the place is right around the corner from where I live either.
(4)
Leeann M.
I've had pretty good experiences at Saigon before, and decided that despite their over pricedness for subpar dishes, their proximity to my apartment made it the choice for dinner on the way back to said apartment. I ordered through grubhub and when I got there, they claimed not to have my order. But instead of telling me that succinctly, I stood there for about ten minutes, having three people ask me about what I was there for. All three gave me confused looks, and it wasn't until I finally talked to the manager that he said he hadn't put it the order in. I told them I wanted a refund then, but he said I had to call grubhub for that. He refused to give me a refund and was being completely uncooperative; I decided to then just wait, defeating the purpose of waiting in the first place. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded as much, but once the manager began blaming me and telling me that I was wrong, despite it being the restaurants mistake, as well as the fact that the dish I got was incredibly bland, I do not plan on returning back to this restaurant.
(1)
Ula C.
I am always excited when a new restaurant opens around University city as the food selection is so limited. The Good: House special bun - this is my favorite dish here. It has everything - crispy spring roll, grilled meat ball, chicken, and pork. The pork in particular is so tasty. Be forewarned, it is also huge!!!! My friend and I can't finish one together. Not bad for $8.50. The rolls - I've tried the vietnam spring roll, crispy chicken roll, summer roll, grilled pork roll, and I liked all of them. The summer rolls and grilled pork rolls taste so fresh, light and delicious. They are also gigantic. Sauted snow pea leaves with garlic sauce - basic stir-fried vegetable that you can get a typical chinese restaurant. Did not disappoint. Avocado smoothie - I love avocado smoothies everywhere, here included Rainbow ice - this is pretty yummy dessert! The Meh: Xe Lua Pho - Wasn't too impressed with the pho here. The broth wasn't as flavorful as I like it. I usually love drinking soup of pho, but this does not make me want to finish it. House fried rice - ordered this for takeout once. Was a little bland and oily. Pan fried noodle - didn't like both the house speical and the seafood. The house special was flavored in this sweet sauce that I did not like. Seafood pan fried noodle was bland. Service here is kind of inconsistent. Most of the time it's okay. There's this waitress who is kind of strange. When I come here with my friend who's korean, she always think my friend can speak Chinese somehow. When my friend speaks English back to her, she looks confused and has to reconfirm. Once we asked for more "shaved ice" in the rainbow ice dessert, she came back with cubed iced in the now ruined dessert. Sometimes there are nice suprises here. Once they were doing a promotion, and every table got a free papaya salad. There are dishes that I love here, but there are also dishes I would definitely avoid. Love this new addition on campus though. Will be back to get more house special bun or try other dishes!
(4)
Phuoc P.
I'd call this Chinese Cuisine not Vietnamese Cuisine. A lot more expensive than other Vietanmese restaurant ( but I take it that it's the only in the district ) The food is just average, but I won't call this authentic
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Chris M.
Saigon is a nice addition to campus, and it's definitely on my list of places to consider for lunch. The menu seems to suffer from a little bit of an identity crisis (they purport to be Vietnamese, but the menu is a kind of hybrid of Americanized Chinese dishes [General Tso] and Vietnamese dishes, like spring rolls and Pho). I recommend going with one of the noodle dishes. I got the BBQ beef with ho fun and found it to be delicious. The noodles with gigantic, flat rice noodles and had an awesome airy texture to them. At $12, it was not a bad price. My friend got the general tso, which I tasted and found to be just OK. It was nicely crispy, but the sauce committed the cardinal sin of general tso: you could taste the ketchup. I will now do something outrageous and dedicate an entire (albeit short) paragraph to the chicken spring rolls. These were really, really good, and I think they might be homemade. Highly recommend. End of paragraph. Service was very pleasant and efficient, and the space is nice, if austere. Would come back. End of transmission.
(4)Sara N.
Don't eat here unless you prefer unauthentic Vietnamese food poorly received and prepared by Chinese staff who speak neither English nor Vietnamese.
(1)Milk W.
Excellent Pho, Excellent Tofu Summer Rolls, Excellent Fantastic Snow Pea Leaves in Garlic Never had a bad dish here. Vegetarian and Vegan friendly and willing to change dishes to meet your needs! Have been many times, it is always crowded. The food is fresh prepared, authentic and comes out quickly. Usually lots of large groups with boxes of Franzia, and take-out orders coming and going all night long.
(5)Naomi N.
I came here last week because the Vietnamese restaurant that I usually go to was closed and I needed to satisfy my pho craving REALLY bad, so I figured why not try Saigon Cuisine? I've walked by this place numerous times and had always wanted to try their food. I ordered spring rolls, a bowl of pho (beef eye round slightly cooked), and fried ice cream, and I can now say that I will probably never come here again, at least not to get pho. I don't know how their other food items are, but I sure hope to god that they are better than the pho because I have honestly never tasted any pho worst than the one that I had here. The broth was watered down and the flavor was completely off (I couldn't even tell you what it tasted like). I had to down the bowl in Siracha just so that I couldn't taste the broth anymore, then it wasn't as unbearable to eat. The price is also on the more expensive end, considering you can get cheaper pho for $5 or so on Washington Ave, Chinatown, or other Vietnamese Restaurants in West Philly, that will have larger portions and actually be edible and taste authentic. I wish I could say nicer things about this place, but it was such a disappointing experience. They should really take their pho off the menu or make changes to it because they honestly can't call themselves a Vietnamese Restaurant and not even be able to get the pho remotely right. The spring rolls were mediocre and the fried ice cream was...not even fried. It was literally a ball of ice cream rolled around in crunch. If you want fried ice cream, go down the street to Ramen Bar. I'm giving this place 2 stars because the service was decent and I did like the interior of the restaurant. Otherwise, I don't see myself coming back and I definitely would not recommend the pho from here to anyone unless they don't have any tastebuds.
(2)Sarah T.
I walk by this hole in the wall every morning on my way to work and have never thought twice about it, but today I was in the mood for Thai or Vietnamese food. As usual, I consulted Yelp (since I know there aren't many decent Asian places nearby, despite the high Asian population here) and figured that I would give it a try. Positive thing #1- You can pre-order takeout right from the Yelp app. I chose to do this and eat outside in the park (one block away). Positive thing #2- My order was ready when I arrived, and I showed up a few minutes early. I took note of the students in the restaurant (usually a good sign), the clean, relaxed atmosphere, and a foreign news program on TV (also a good sign), and left to enjoy the outdoors. I ordered veggie bun (rice vermicelli) with spring rolls. The sauce for the bun was on the side to prevent the spring rolls from getting soggy- nice touch. The top of the meal was covered with finely-chopped nuts with good flavor. The spring rolls were fried but not heavy or greasy (yay!). The bun itself was light and flavorful (though it could have had more veggies). I would have rated this place 4 stars if it weren't for the signature headache that I get after eating MSG that is currently developing.
(3)Jana P.
It's good to see some affordable authentic Asian food in the University City area. All the other Asian restaurants in the area either have subpar food or are on the pricier side. This place is a good medium. The service is quick and the bathrooms are clean. I am disappointed that the menu seems to have shrunk. There are big gaps in the numbers for the dishes in the menu. The most noticeable of these gaps is the fried rice, which has been taken off the menu completely. That's pretty sad, considering that they actually had pretty good fried rice.
(3)Christine V.
3.5 stars for this little hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant in University City! I come from a city that has a large Vietnamese population (San Jose, CA), so when I came to Philadelphia, I didn't expect there to be a many good Vietnamese restaurants around to choose from, especially in University City. Granted, there are good Viet places around Chinatown and the little Viet area in Philly but that's a bit out of the way for me. Saigon cuisine is the closest restaurant where I could get my Vietnamese food fix. I've been in Philly for almost a year now, and I've always been so hesitant to try this place. I finally got around to trying it this past week, and I'm glad I did! It was definitely a pleasant surprise. I ordered the house special noodles (bun). It came with grilled pork slices, grilled shrimp, an eggroll, and veggies along with their fish sauce. I was very happy with the way it tasted. The pork slices were tender and full of flavor, and I very much enjoyed their grilled shrimp. Often, grilled shrimps can get dry, but they do a good job here! Fish sauce is very important for Vietnamese dishes, and for me, it makes or breaks a vietnamese dish. This place had good fish sauce that went well with what I ordered. My boyfriend ordered a rice plate, and it looked appetizing to me! I'll definitely come back here for Vietnamese food. I must try their noodle soups next time! A gem of a restaurant in UC.
(3)Lizi C.
I tried a bun with pork. Im pleasantly surprised by how delicious the noodle bowl turns turned out. My husband ordered a clay pot with chicken which was disappointing in flavor. It was however fairly healthy and came with a generous serving of steam vegetables. We also tried a summer roll and grilled pork rolls. Both rolls were made fresh and were delicious. We'll definitely be back however it wont be for the clay pot. Service was fine and the interior of the restaurant was clean and quiet.
(4)Vidushi B.
First off, you should know that if you come here on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, Saigon will be filled with Penn students having BYO dinners, so you should be prepared to experiences Franzia boxes and loud groups. The food here is extraordinarily average. I've had the pho multiple times, and each time it was really lackluster; it doesn't have much flavor, and I have to add a pile of sriracha every time to eat it. The other food is similarly mediocre - I've tried the fried rice, some of the vegetable, as well as the buns. The only reason I would choose to come here is that it's one of the only BYOs on Penn's campus, and I'm a Penn student. Otherwise, I'd choose something better in the area.
(3)Curtis L.
I go to Saigon pretty frequently, so I think I have a pretty good feel for how each of my dining experiences will be. Depending on the size of your group, you can either expect a short or long wait time for food (I've never really experienced an in-between). I've gone in a pretty large group before and it took a really really really long time to get food. What's worse is that they served different people in the group at extremely different times. On one occasion, at least a couple people had already finished eating before the majority of the others had been served. Even when I go in a smaller group, the service can be a little meh. But the food is where I feel that Saigon is simply just "aight". The pho is nothing that will blow you away. It's not particularly flavorful with a very average tasting broth. Trust me, if you want really good pho that will hit the spot, you have to make the trek to South Philly. I think a personal favorite of mine is the grilled pork chop with rice, which is pretty popular. It is good, but paying $10 for two pieces of pork chop, rice, and some veggies is kinda much. I keep coming back to Saigon simply because it's the only place on campus that can really fulfill a craving for pho and Vietnamese-style cuisine. I've spent many meals at Saigon to escape the cold weather and it has hit the spot. But the fact is that the food is nothing special and the service is okay. You gotta manage your expectations. Those looking for exceptionally good pho should look elsewhere, but if you are really wanting pho and have nowhere else to go, Saigon will suffice. On the plus side, it is a BYO so college students can rejoice.
(3)Tiffany Y.
Was in town for a conference and a friend recommended a few places in the area. Pho is my favorite, plus on a cold day in the teens, this hit the spot. I ordered the small beef pho and it was still a pretty large size. Food came out relatively quickly and the service was good and there were multiple people around to help if you needed anything. At $8.50, I did think this was on the pricier side but I'm also not local (you can get pho in NYC for less).
(4)Nicey J.
My fresh tofu roll was decent. It did satisfy my craving for one when I didn't feel like making my way to china town. Note to self: always make your way. I always feel underwhelmed when I don't get what I want from the place that I love it from. If that makes sense. The order was quickly prepared, it seemed to be lacking some of the stuff that is listed on the menu? But whatever. The peanut sauce was extremely underwhelming, it lacked every ounce of flavor which is absurd since it's peanut sauce? I'll go back though and check out something beyond an appetizer.
(3)Michael F.
On one of those "let's just walk around and see what we find to eat" kind of night, we ended up at Saigon Cuisine. I spotted the Pho on the menu and figured I had to give it a try. Now I normally take down a large Pho without hesitation, so a large Xe Lua (everything) pho it was for me. Like me, you may have noticed the pho prices were slightly higher than you might expect. Back to that large Xe Lua... well, it was larger than I expected, matching the slightly higher price. Yes, I was still able to take it down, but with a bit more of a struggle than normal. And while I struggled to finish, it was not due to quality or taste. I returned a few days later to grab some pho to go for a sick JJ. Even wrapped to go didn't impact their delicious pho. I've been back since and will be back again I am sure!
(4)Ashleigh S.
So this used to be a great BYO but the entire menu changed. They carded us, which is a first. The pho was yummy bit I'm sad that the menu completely changed. Also, my friend ordered her pho with shrimp and they brought her veggie pho... we had to flag down the waiter whenever we wanted to order.
(2)Vanessa T.
I came here for lunch and ordered grilled pork rice and Vietnamese coffee. First of all, they didn't use the right rice for the dish and the pork was on the salty side. The Vietnamese coffee was probably the worse I've tasted ever. There were black coffee grounds in it and all I tasted was sugar and milk. I didn't try their pho yet but that's enough for me to not come back.
(2)Victoria L.
Saigon Cuisine is pretty good and conveniently located in UCity! My favorite go-to dishes are the bun and rice plates with the sliced pork options. The pork chops and house special combinations are also good! The pork is always full of flavor and perfectly tender. If you're looking for a convenient place to satisfy your pho cravings, Saigon doesn't disappoint. The broth is good, but it doesn't really stand out. Yet, still a decent place to get your pho fix in! The service here is also very friendly and quick! The food brought out in less than 10 minutes upon ordering. I definitely frequent this place a lot whenever I'm missing some good Viet food!
(3)Emily X.
Terrible, there is no flavor except....... This is also not real pho, it's noodle. What freaked me out is that I ate some weird thing in my soup, it looks like gray hair but with sticky black stuff on it, and I found it in my soup. And I only discovered this in my soup after I finished almost all of my noodles.......... And the restaurant owner quickly got all the dishes back to the kitchen and said give me a free one. When I ask what is the thing in the noodle I just ate , the owner start to mumbling and got very angry, almost to the level of threatening. When I finally realized I could leave message on yelp, they suddenly trying to communicate....for sympathy and empathy.......I am pretty wordless .......
(1)Vanna T.
2.5 stars: summer rolls were fresh. Clay tofu pot could use some work...it was very bland. Not as authentic as I'd hope it to be :(
(2)Grace L.
This restaurant is generally just a safe place to get a bowl of pho that is very convenient for people who live near University City. I used to come here often for BYOs, but now the environment is generally more quiet as there are not as many college BYOs here anymore. The space is very conducive to groups though, so if you just want to grab dinner with 10+ friends this is an easy place to go. I came here on a holiday evening for dinner with a friend, and was reminded of how nice the servers are. I ordered my usual beef brisket pho, and it came out almost immediately--with a lot of condiments as well. As I hadn't eaten all day, it was the perfect meal to warm me up, and the pho was simply a decent meal (I'm not sure how else to explain it). There was a lot of noodle and a fine amount of meat, but nothing really stood out about the flavor or anything. Overall, good service, a bit of awkward ambiance since the restaurant is relatively empty now, and fine food.
(3)Sole V.
Doesn't even deserve a star! Service sucks, the waiters were 2 Spanish girls that didn't even know how to speak English all they did was stand there and stared at us the whole time. My cousin had to tell them how to do their job, they brought the food out and acted like they didn't know where to place the food. There's a table there for a reason. Summer rolls weren't even fresh! The worst part was when I asked for the check, they tried to charge me for a $20 gratuity. $20 for what? Crappy service? Never coming here again.
(1)Jon L.
Had the large xe lua pho noodle soup that was warm and good on a cold day. I called at 10pm and was told they were only doing take out until closing on Friday. Wasn't as good as take out and microwaved pho is not as great. Otherwise had a mix of meat and was mostly noodles. Overall not bad and warm on a cold night.
(3)Aerin S.
The guy is not too friendly but it's a good cure for super hangover. Would recommend.
(4)David C.
I recently ordered a number of dishes from Saigon because Vietnam Cafe was closed. The food is on par with Vietnam Cafe but a few dollars cheaper. I really like Vietnam Cafe so Saigon is now my go to Vietnamese Restaurant in University City. I ordered a large chicken pho but noticed the host keyed it in as a small after I paid. He adjusted the order and when I attempted to pay the difference he smiled and said it was on the house. While waiting, a waiter brought me a glass of water. These small details plus good food attract a loyal following. The pho was very good. I also got the house special rice vermicelli which was loaded with meat. I really enjoyed the meal and will return.
(4)Sang B.
They allowed us to have a party of 30 for our friend's birthday party and the service was excellent, the food was excellent, and the waiters and manager was extremely kind and cooperative. We messed up some orders for our vegetarian friends, and the manager kindly brought them several dishes. If you are looking for a great place to dine, I highly recommend Saigon.
(5)Deb A.
I went here with 3 co workers for lunch. I got the lemon grass chicken and others at the table got pho. We were all pleased with the food in terms of taste and portion sizes. Our waiter was attentive without being overbearing- he also made us laugh which is always a plus. I will definitely be getting food from here in the future as I work right around the corner.
(5)I L.
Middle of the road vietnamese place. Vietnam Cafe a bit more west is much better in my opinion. This one has the benefit of being right next to the school and much easier to get to. Fish cakes were great, pho was good but nothing mind blowing. Prices were reasonable, but I've seen better at other Vietnamese places. I'd come here again.
(3)Joshua J.
Thank god for this place, finally, a decent Viet spot in West Philadelphia. I've had their pho a few times and it's great. Not too salty like the joints on Washington Ave. Service is fantastic here, really quick, in and out the door, no BS. Food is affordable, albeit a bit more expensive than the more ghetto places on Washington. This place takes credit cards which is fantastic, because I'm really tired of lugging cash when I feel like getting some soup. I like that they have other options, Chinese and Thai dishes included. I hope this place does well because I'm a big fan.
(5)Selah L.
I got lemongrass pork on rice noodles. Wished for a tad higher meat to noodle ratio, but it was extremely delicious. Very nice staff. Decent price. Fast (I got it to go). Attractive interior. I was a little sad to see it rather empty 1pm... I'll be rooting for business to pick up! PS. I wish they had Banh mi sandwiches!
(4)James F.
The PHO noodles with extra beef is all that! The staff is very helpful if you are not sure what to order. The cooks are top notch!
(5)Kimberly Y.
More like 3.5 stars, but I'll round down for the service. It's still probably the most convenient place to get Vietnamese food for most Penn students though! And perhaps also one of the most convenient BYOs. Like everyone else, I'm just here to get my filling of Vietnamese food. I no longer crave pho since there aren't great places on campus for it (Saigon's doesn't have enough meat -- just a lot of water), but I really like their pork chops and always come here for them! The complementary sauce is also great, so I pour it all over my rice. Saigon is definitely on the pricey side for most things besides pho. For instance, you get a couple pork chops and everything rings up to over double-digits. However, no matter how many people are there, it seems like my food always takes longer than expected. Takeout can also take quite a while, but it's nice to have the option to take pho out. I don't think I've ever had a server stop by and check up on my table until 5 minutes after I've been waving someone down. I think there are a few decorations in the entire place, but it's decently spacious and wooden. I always find myself singing along to their 90s/early 2000s music, so at least they know their crowd! There have been a few awkward times where the place gets noticeably quiet even though multiple tables are eating; I have no idea where the sound here goes.
(3)Yang X.
I ordered Pho combo and spring rolls. The Pho combo was great. I expected to see traditional Vietnamese spring rolls but they were Chinese fried rolls. Price and service were very good.
(4)Anna Y.
Came in here with a friend for dinner . The restaurant itself is just right size . Its not big but you are not overhearing the conversation from the table next to you either . I ordered a pad thai, my all time favorite . It was pretty good , not overly sweet like some other places . My friend ordered a pork chop rice platter and she enjoyed it. With many mediocre asian restaurants in the area , the is actually the place I would recommend first .
(3)Nataly N.
I've been here twice. The service got better the second time around, which shows that the establishment is working diligently (hopefully) on the kinks of running a new business. Aside from the service, however, I wasn't a huge fan of the food. I had started off with the fried chicken dumplings. I couldn't tell whether they were house-made, but the filling was questionable because it tasted like a mystery substance (as opposed to chicken) and the dough around it was very thick and chewy. I think I've had better dumplings from the frozen section of the Asian supermarket. The pho was also not very well-made. The noodles weren't fresh and they were a bit stingy on the toppings. In Pho dishes, the broth usually either makes it or breaks it. In this case, it definitely did not make it. Other than maybe the location, nothing really compels me to return, when there are better options on Washington Ave and even in West Philly.
(2)Vichet O.
I just found out this place is a BYO. Cheapest BYO ever. Woo! Now you just have to get some padding or something on the walls so it's not so echo-ey, and you're prime-time, Saigon!
(4)Cherish H.
The food was good but I felt it was overpriced for the amount. Also, be sure to keep your receipt and check how much they charge you afterwards. I was charged more on my card than I signed for on my receipt and when I called they said they couldn't find my card in the system or said that it must've been tip even though I told them it wasn't. It wasn't until I found my receipt and gave him the table and check # that he finally found it in the system and saw they overcharged me.
(2)Meg S.
My computer now has about 10 tabs open for "how to make pho"...purely because I don't want to be the awkward person showing up at Saigon Cuisine for every meal. Seriously, it's that good. After reading Ben W.'s review, and realizing how stupidly close it was to my apartment, I headed over for an early dinner on Sunday. The beef brisket pho was so delicious-the broth is perfect for a cold winter day and the noodles were cooked to perfection. I just went back for lunch today and the beef eye is even better; I highly recommend it. With any pho, you get a 1 qt container of soup, and a takeout box full of noodles, sprouts, hot sauce, peppers, and lime. I'm not the biggest fan of the sprouts, but try putting some of the lime in! Service for takeout was quick and friendly-I was in and out in under 5 minutes. The first time I went, there was no one in the store but today there were at least a few tables. As soon as the Penn community hears about it, I think this place will be packed. Between here and Ramen Bar, there's no contest.
(5)Fei S.
Pho is nice. I've had it for many times, I've even ordered the take out once, i thought I can't take them our because of the soup, but the owner will pack everything for you to take it home. And it's very easy to make it feel like you are eating in the store. I'll highly recommend the pork chop, I ordered them a few time as entree, and I had them a few times while I had Pho as well with my friend who's always eating. If I'm not the wrong, the owner used to waitressing in Sang kee noodle house.
(4)Victoria C.
I have been to Saigon too many times recently, and the food has not gotten old. This is a good sign. Still obsessed with the summer rolls - they're so fresh, and the vegetables inside are so crisp that I could eat these until I die. Okay, maybe not, but they're excellent. The papaya salad is fresh too! The service is always good.
(4)Tim M.
I used to love this place when they first opened - warning, I'm a vegetarian - and they arbitrarily removed about half the pages of the original menu! You can literally look at the numbers on the menu and see huge gaps. They had some wonderful vegetarian options originally, but no more, unless you want something that tastes like ham water from Arrested Development. If you're a meat lover who wants so pho, I've heard they're decent from friends... but for anything else? Go to Han Dynasty or Sang Kee.
(2)Kiki L.
Definitely one of my favorite Pho places in UCity. Great consistency in the food throughout the years and reasonable price. Fried ice-cream is a dessert which the vanilla ice cream is wrapped by fried, crisps. Worth a try if you have NOT yet had Vietnamese food.
(4)Samantha Y.
Loveeee their pork cutlet with rice!!! But it's $9 where other places are usually a little cheaper. So... get it sparingly!
(4)Mark S.
Mediocre. Mediocre. Mediocre. Modestly priced - appetizers range from $3 - $5 and main courses range from $8.50 - $14. Service was pretty good. Very limited menu for a Vietnamese restaurant. Philly has scores of Vietnamese places and a large Vietnamese immigrant population, but this place is not up local standards. They seem to cater to college students. I say: skip it.
(2)Joan V.
Love the beef pho! I think I taste cinnamon in it which is cool. BYOB. I always get the fresh fruit for desert. Great Value.
(4)Julie C.
This is how I would describe Saigon: its one of those places where you and your friends are trying to figure out where to go for dinner and someone suggests it and you just look at your phone sideways and say "Eh............" but you can't really come up with a better option so you end up there. Mediocre. Helpful if you are for some reason in a pinch and need to have a BYO on campus, otherwise I'd suggest skipping it. It was better back when it had Chinese food on its menu but for some reason they decided to focus on all Vietnamese now.
(2)Sheila D.
Love this place! It's BYO which is great since it's so close to a college campus. That does mean that if you do go during prime dinner hours on a weekend that it'll typically be pretty loud, but honestly, it's never bothered me since I pretty much only go there for the purpose of BYO's. The pho is pretty good and most of the people who I go with get it. I like the bun as well. Summer rolls for me are a necessity at a Vietnamese restaurant, and the ones at Saigon, along with the sauce, are amazing! The servers are very nice and accommodating, and all of my experiences there have been very enjoyable.
(4)Ben W.
I was super excited when I came back to campus to find that a new restaurant was on campus. Although I never had a chance to eat at Nan, Penn was really lacking in Vietnamese cuisine and a new place is always welcome. I went with three other friends for an early evening Saturday dinner and the place was relatively empty. We were quickly seated and given glasses of water. The menu itself is pretty expansive, with a wide range of Vietnamese dished. I skipped right to the pho menu because I was really in the mood for a hot bowl of noodles. I ended up getting the large beef brisket pho. The dishes took about 10 minutes to come out, but they were all piping hot. Accompanied with the pho were portions of limes, jalapeños, bean sprouts, and basil sprigs. The broth was very tasty and was as salty as other places I've been. I also really appreciated the strong onion undertones. Just fyi, the large is LARGE. Although there wasn't as much meat as I would've liked, close to half the bowl was full of noodles. I ended up needing to take some of it home. My friends also got the pho, the summer roll, as well as bun, which reminded me of a Vietnamese style bim bim bop but with rice noodles. I didn't get to try them, but they seemed to enjoy their entrees and appetizers. The ambiance was a interesting. It was a relatively quiet venue and the playlist was almost strictly 90's pop and R&B. Throughout dinner, conversation was constantly interrupted with, "oh wow, haven't heard this one in a while," and "this was my jam in middle school." It's not a good or bad thing, it was just... interesting. Overall, a great dining experience and I would definitely go again with some friends. It's about time we've gotten some decent pho on campus and this place fits the bill! Pros: price, LARGE portions, authentic flavors Cons: very quiet ambiance Dishes to try: Pho
(4)Roopa S.
Average Asian food at average prices. I ordered the sauteed veggies dish, which included water chestnuts, snap peas, mushroom, spinach, and baby corn. I requested that fresh tofu be added.The brown sauce was tasty. I payed about $9.50 for the meal, which was extremely pricey for what I received but I knew that when choosing to order it. Overall, it was a predictable and standard meal. I'd be curious to try some of the other dishes at the restaurant to see what the overall quality is. For now though, it is extremely average in my books!
(3)Justine J.
I got the sautéed beef with lemongrass which was very flavorful. You can definitely taste the lemongrass. I put some of the basil they use for their pho in it and it was amazing. MF had the pho. I tried some of the broth and it was really tasty. I think it may be the best tasting pho broth I have ever had. The pho portion was huge and very reasonably priced. I only wish they delivered for days (like today) where I am absolutely bedridden.
(4)Farrah W.
The only reason they are getting one star is because Yelp doesn't have zero. I was in a super good mood when I walked in, because I just got a new fish and I can't wait to put in my bowl. Well, I guess I really shouldn't have waited. Here's the reason why I walked out with super bad mood: Food: TERRIBLE! I ordered "seafood lemon grass soup", and I couldn't taste any lemon grass at all. The veg and seafood are obviously from the FROZEN bags, and the pho is sticking to each other. If I use this $11 dollars to buy frozen seafood and veg, pho and tom yum paste, I can easily feed six people. Service: EVEN WORSE! THEY THREW AWAY MY FOOD!!!!! Ok, to be fair, the tall guy is very attentive so I like him, but I seriously don't know what other people are doing. This one girl, has been talking on the phone the whole time when I was there. I asked her to pack my remaining soup up, and she THREW MY FOOD AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She did only one thing, and she messed it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Other: Although their menu is in Chinese, I don't know if they are Chinese or not. I'm a native speaker of Cantonese and Mandarin, and understand a lot of other languages and dialogues, but I just couldn't understand what they were speaking. I sincerely recommend AGAINST this place! They are NOT worth any of your money or time!
(1)Najah M.
Was not the best pho I tasted but definitely not the worst. It's priced just right and great portion sizes. I would recommend it to people who need a pho fix but I do not see myself as a regular for pho that is. They do have other items on their menu but I'm not tempted to try it. If you love pho they way I do this isn't the place for you.
(3)Xing D.
Well, first of all, this place is more like a Chinese restaurant than a Vietnamese one. The menu has a lots of categories, which is usually uncommon in Vietnamese restaurant. If you want to have pho, this is not a good choice. There're only 5 items under the pho category, and these will be served within 5 mins after you place the order. The brooth is so-so, not as tasty as I experienced in other Vietnamese restaurant. Consider its price, it's totally not worth it. A huge bow with a large amount of pho but with only few beef, selling at price $8.50. I give 3.5 out of 5 for its taste, but consider its price, I give 3 stars in the end.
(3)Yuqi Z.
Loved the summer rolls.
(4)Brian T.
My girlfriend and I have been here many times. Their Vietnamese noodle soup taste exactly a good noodle soup in Vietnam. The pork chop rice is nicely grilled, not spicy. Other Asian dishes are OK, best just go for Vietnamese soup.
(4)Alex P.
The vegetable pho is delicious. It comes with a variety of vegetables and tofu, and everything tastes super fresh. Huge portion for under $10. My food came out quickly and the staff was very friendly.
(5)Kevin Y.
It's so great that Penn campus got such an affordable and quality Vietnamese restaurant! The pho here is pretty good, and for the price, it's a fantastic deal for a hungry student. The broth is incredibly rich, and the noodles will definitely fill you up. I generally always get the large special pho that includes portions of all their meats, and I'm always very satisfied at the end of my meal. Compared to the affordability, quantity, and quality of the pho here, the other dishes are pretty average. The spring and summer roll appetizers are quite large and crammed with vegetables and meat, but the taste isn't anything particularly amazing. The rice platters are a good alternative if you're not in the mood for noodles, but they're definitely not as filling as the pho bowls. If you do want to give one of the rice platters a try, I suggest the lemon grass chicken. The meat is sliced pretty thin, but the chicken is pretty juicy and flavorful. The rice and side vegetables are bland and tasteless, but you can fix that with some generous helpings of fish sauce. At the end of the day, Saigon's shining specialty is their affordable pho. That's what Saigon excels at, and that's what you should get.
(4)Josh P.
Pho is okay, but you can definitely get cheaper and better ones at Chinatown in Philly. The scallion pancakes are pretty good and I recommend them for appetizers, instead of your normal spring rolls. The other dishes are decent, but I would say my favorite is surprisingly their vegetarian dish with eggplants. The sauce tastes great with the rice and is overall a very satisfying dish. Pho is a pretty good place for a BYO, but I don't recommend going there on weekends as it gets extremely busy and crowded (as a popular BYO place), and during those times service isn't the best. In general, however, food comes out really quickly compared to other restaurants.
(3)May A.
This used to be my go to place for some quick and relatively healthy meals than slices of pizza or burgers (plus I am vegan, and there are only countably few places to provide vegan options). I had been quite satisfied with their take-out meals until recently, when they probably changed their staff and chefs, and since then they have screwed up my order twice, despite giving specific instructions about certain foods that I do NOT want in my meal. I think I am going to give them one more chance, and if they screw up, I am going to look elsewhere! Sorry Saigon Cuisine, you were my favorite go to place for quick vegan meals, but I will have to rethink if this shoddy business continues.
(2)Alex Z.
I was eager to try this place out. I ate here with my girlfriend. I give two stars instead of one because many aspects of the food were good, but my experience here was bad enough that I do not want to come back. I ordered Pho (with tendon and tripe) and she ordered Bun (with chicken), as these were both typical Vietnamese dishes that we were familiar with. Both of the dishes were pleasant, if slightly bland. The broth of the pho had noticeably high-quality cinnamon used in it, and had just the right amount of salt, but was a little on the bland side. The vegetables in the bun dish were fresh, and had some subtle spicing, but that dish overall was a little bland too. What ruined the experience for me was that the sides of vegetables brought out for the pho were not fresh. The bean sprouts were particularly spoiled, with a mild but noticeable rotting aroma, of garbage. It was so bad that the first I caught a whiff of it, I wondered if someone was taking garbage out in the kitchen...but upon smelling items on the table, I realized that it was the bean sprouts. The lime was also not fresh--it was quite dried out, a little brown around the edges, and smelled off as well. The hot pepper and basil weren't the freshest I've had, but they both were edible. I complained about the bean sprouts being fresh, and they said that was all they could do. They brought a new plate but they still weren't fresh. I would have appreciated that if they didn't have fresh bean sprouts, that they told me that they didn't have all the ingredients for Pho, and offered for me to order some other dish. They also did not offer any refund or anything. No one came later to check on us and ask if the food was okay. The atmosphere here was pleasant, but it got very loud (with conversation). The walls, floors, and ceilings are all unpadded hard surfaces, making this place seem extremely rowdy when it's even half full. I found that unpleasant...it was a little too loud for me. I am not coming back. I am loyal to the Vietnamese restaurant at 43rd and Spruce. It is simpler, but it's been consistently good--I've eaten there dozens of times and I've never had anything as bad tasting or smelling as the plate of bean sprouts here. It's also considerably quieter, and a little cheaper per item.
(2)Baye K.
This place rocks. I've there like 10 times since they've opened up, and I have yet to receive a service below par nor served food that lacked flavor. I return on many occasions because of the genuity of the establishment and urge you to experience it for yourself, if you have not yet!!
(4)Keo N.
Super good food. I had the slice pork over rice and Slice roll beef over rice and it was delicious. Tons of meat and rice for your bucks. I can't wait to try the pho and other dishes
(5)B. P.
The food here is very solid. The prices are very reasonable. I had the "small" pho and it seemed fairly large. The broth was light and flavorful and everything seemed very fresh. The service is really efficient. What more could you ask for?
(4)T K.
I've been here three times so far and every time I left the place as a happy customer. Their prices are very reasonable, the atmosphere inside is nice and quiet, and it only took them 5 - 10 minutes to cook their food each time I was there. I'm definitely going to be coming back there on a regular basis and not just because the place is right around the corner from where I live either.
(4)Leeann M.
I've had pretty good experiences at Saigon before, and decided that despite their over pricedness for subpar dishes, their proximity to my apartment made it the choice for dinner on the way back to said apartment. I ordered through grubhub and when I got there, they claimed not to have my order. But instead of telling me that succinctly, I stood there for about ten minutes, having three people ask me about what I was there for. All three gave me confused looks, and it wasn't until I finally talked to the manager that he said he hadn't put it the order in. I told them I wanted a refund then, but he said I had to call grubhub for that. He refused to give me a refund and was being completely uncooperative; I decided to then just wait, defeating the purpose of waiting in the first place. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded as much, but once the manager began blaming me and telling me that I was wrong, despite it being the restaurants mistake, as well as the fact that the dish I got was incredibly bland, I do not plan on returning back to this restaurant.
(1)Ula C.
I am always excited when a new restaurant opens around University city as the food selection is so limited. The Good: House special bun - this is my favorite dish here. It has everything - crispy spring roll, grilled meat ball, chicken, and pork. The pork in particular is so tasty. Be forewarned, it is also huge!!!! My friend and I can't finish one together. Not bad for $8.50. The rolls - I've tried the vietnam spring roll, crispy chicken roll, summer roll, grilled pork roll, and I liked all of them. The summer rolls and grilled pork rolls taste so fresh, light and delicious. They are also gigantic. Sauted snow pea leaves with garlic sauce - basic stir-fried vegetable that you can get a typical chinese restaurant. Did not disappoint. Avocado smoothie - I love avocado smoothies everywhere, here included Rainbow ice - this is pretty yummy dessert! The Meh: Xe Lua Pho - Wasn't too impressed with the pho here. The broth wasn't as flavorful as I like it. I usually love drinking soup of pho, but this does not make me want to finish it. House fried rice - ordered this for takeout once. Was a little bland and oily. Pan fried noodle - didn't like both the house speical and the seafood. The house special was flavored in this sweet sauce that I did not like. Seafood pan fried noodle was bland. Service here is kind of inconsistent. Most of the time it's okay. There's this waitress who is kind of strange. When I come here with my friend who's korean, she always think my friend can speak Chinese somehow. When my friend speaks English back to her, she looks confused and has to reconfirm. Once we asked for more "shaved ice" in the rainbow ice dessert, she came back with cubed iced in the now ruined dessert. Sometimes there are nice suprises here. Once they were doing a promotion, and every table got a free papaya salad. There are dishes that I love here, but there are also dishes I would definitely avoid. Love this new addition on campus though. Will be back to get more house special bun or try other dishes!
(4)Phuoc P.
I'd call this Chinese Cuisine not Vietnamese Cuisine. A lot more expensive than other Vietanmese restaurant ( but I take it that it's the only in the district ) The food is just average, but I won't call this authentic
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