Saigon Far East

Went on a whim with my fiancé, and have been back several times. Every dish I’ve tried has been very good. Really a wonderful hidden gem!

Had the combo soup… I always get combo everytime I go phở… I think the chef is Vietnamese. .no proof, just my guessing, because everytime Vietnamese owner or chef I can smell or taste the herb… which I love it… because I’m use to the Korean style phở which is full of msg… but I love that too. lol

Came in on Friday night with the hubby and we both wanted some Vietnamese food. The restaurant is located in a shopping center however it looked a bit empty when we arrived as there weren’t a lot of people and a bit rundown. We ordered the chicken wings as an appetizer and bun bo hue (small size) for our entrees. The owner (I assumed) took our orders and was very friendly. The wings we ordered were crispy and flavorful marinated in what we think a combination of fish sauce & soy sauce. We both enjoyed the wings very much. The bun bo hue was very good as well however a bit spicy for our taste. They had everything in the bowl such as beef brisket, vietnamese ham (cha), and condensed pig blood. We ordered the size small bun bo hue and it was a small bowl. There is option for bigger bowl for an additional charge. Overall, we enjoyed the meal.

The restaurant was a little small and dark, also a little hard to find from the street, but the food was good. The honey roasted quail was a tasty new experience.

So good! Came for dinner tonight based on Unilocal reviews after too many days of Mexican food. Vermicelli noodle bowl with grilled pork? Best I’ve ever had at any Vietnamese restaurant anywhere, and I’ve eaten at my fair share. The little pile of spicy red peppers is what makes the bowl.
Beware though: they are kick-​you-​in-​the-​face spicy. A little goes a long way.

Food awesome. Service awesome. We’re from CA so we’re Asian food snobs. This place is bomb!

Went here for the first time and will definitely be going back again! Highly recommend this place! Great service, plenty of menu options, and amazing food! We ordered the spring rolls and wow, great blend of flavors with the peanut sauce. We also had the papaya spicy salad! Words can’t explain the goodness of the salad! Excellent taste! Nice and spicy and sweet! Last thing we had was the rare beef phó! I’ve had a lot of phó in ABQ and this has been the best! Not greasy, plenty of meat, and so good! I can’t wait to go back and try more!

The food was good but the owner/​server was rude then got even more rude when we told her we were going to share a plate
We asked if we could see the size of the plate and she said no
Then when we asked her if we could make the plate big she said it was to late even though she hadn’t put in the order.

Ridiculous. We came for lunch and we seated ourselves and the lady brought over the menus. We waited 10 minutes and she never bothered coming back to take our drink orders or to take our actual orders. We got fed up and left. The place was half full at best and the tables were all waiting for their food. In the Bay Area, we would have gotten our food within 5 minutes of sitting down. This is unacceptable.

Since moving from Atlanta, which has a hustling ethnic scene, I have searched for a good Vietnamese place. Tried two other places, both of which were Unilocal reviewed as having the best phó. They sucked and I, being Vietnamese, was about to give up on finding good phó here. Then Saigon Far East happened to me and I need to hang with the Unilocalers who say this is the best phó here.
Veggie summer rolls and the peanut sauce were outstanding but, good golly, the vegetarian phó, has been the most delightful thing I have put in my mouth since my crazy ass Vietnamese mom cooked for me.
The flavorful broth, the yummy fried tofu, and the abundant veggies formed a holy trinity of sublime, healthy comfort food (for me).
Don’t quite understand folks mention of it’s appearance. A lot of ABQ places (and restaurants) look sketchy from the outside. But inside is neat and tidy and the service quick and attentive.
Added bonus of serving beer (so many places don’t) makes me a commited diner.

I have been all over the United States and have tried many different phở’s and I have to admit this place has one of the best tasting phở’s ever. I can’t speak for the other things on the menu but if you’re looking for good phở, look no further.

They have real quail eggs in their hu tieu. That’s so hard to do in a little town like Albuquerque that doesn’t have many ethnic food stores. Major kudos to this restaurant for going out of their way to make Vietnamese dishes the way they should be made.
Prices are very good considering that it’s pretty hard to find Vietnamese herbs/​seasoning in a town that does not cater to this population.
I had the hu tieu and it was so flavorful and the restaurant did not skimp on the veggies nor the shrimp/​pork/​seafood. In addition, the owner is super friendly and sweet. She will go out of her way to make sure your dietary needs are met.

3 stars because the fried egg roll stuffing had a gross powdery texture and the portion of the soups is pretty small especially with the price they charge you. If I drove by this place, my initial thought is that I would not step foot into this restaurant. There are no windows, it’s just a square shaped one story building that is not attractive to me.
I came here because of the great Unilocal reviews so since I was flying back home, I need to end my trip with having Vietnamese.
I ordered the fried egg rolls, stuffing was powdery so I won’t get it again. I just took one bite and was done with it.
I ordered the Bun Bo Hue and it was very good, the broth was flavorful and delicious but the portion was very small. I would like to come here again and try their other noodle soups but I’m not ready to shell out that kind of money for Vietnamese food.

Being the phở-​obsessives that we are, my wife and I developed a rubrik of sorts for grading phở. Here is our thoughts for Saigon Far East:
TL/​DR: Salt! Lots and lots of salt! Honestly, the flavors were pretty good and the meat, while sparing, was well trimmed and flavorful. But this bowl was just too salty! I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that this salt level was an off night and will therefore try it again… eventually. Borderline ²⁄₅ and ³⁄₅ but I rounded up.
— — — — — — — — — — — — -
Broth:
## Clarity (note that traditionally, a clear broth is good): Is there oil on the broth?
Broth was only partially clear and very brown. Not too oily
## Flavor? What are the dominant flavors/​spices? How sweet is the broth? Discuss salt levels.
Dominant flavor was salt, salt, and more salt! I get that phở (and soup in general) is salty but this took it to a new level. Behind the salt is more salt. But behind that was some nice flavor. Very strong notes of black pepper.
## Note other factor such as mouthfeel, richness, and aroma:
Rich mouthfeel. Not to much oil which was nice
— — — — — — — — — — — — -
Other Ingredients:
## Discuss proportions of meat, noodles, broth, onions, etc.
The «Large» bowl seemed normal and their regular seemed small to me (though my wife disagrees). Nice amount of noodles but could have used more meat.
## Noodles: Are they loose or in a big clump? Are they well cooked?
A bit of a clump but they dispersed easily.
## Meat: Was the Tai served rare? Texture and thickness? Fattiness of the other meat (relative to tradition and personal preference)?
Tai was already cooked in the broth but not too bad. I got the bowl with all the meats (including tripe which I had asked to be excluded… oh well). I was very happy with the lack of fattiness of the meat. I know that some like the fat but I don’t so I found this to be agreeable.
## Garnish: Are they fresh? Was there enough? Did they serve cilantro?
Garnishes were fresh and, they not only served cilantro but had a good bit in the soup already. Preferable in my mind but take note in case you do not like cilantro.
— — — — — — — — — — — — -
Other Details:
## Menu Selection: Was there a good selection of non-​Phở meals? Interesting appetizers? Any different or interesting add-​ons (e.g. fried egg)? Was the option for extra meat and/​or broth listed on the menu?
Large menu with a variety of non-​phở and non-​soup options. We didn’t see any interesting add-​ons but extra meat and broth were listed. Good variety of South and Central Vietnamese fare
##Utensils: Were forks already at the table (neither good nor bad)? Did the spoons have the hooks to prevent them from falling into the soup?
They had forks at the table already. The spoons did not have hooks and kept falling into the bowl. :-(
## Service:
The server was friendly and good about water (needed given all of the salt!) but was very slow to take our initial order.
## Ambiance
Mediocre. I felt like it was a converted classroom. It is clear they made some attempts to spruce it up but it still felt a bit cold and hole-​in-​the-​wall.
## Price:
Fairly reasonable. Phở was ~$ 8 for the regular (which I thought was small). The all-​types-​of-​meat large bowl was ~$ 10
## Hours:
Sufficient.

It’s always a fun experience dining here! The owner is a pleasure to meet as well! Great food! I’d recommend the Phở for sure! It’s such a clean little place too. The beers are always ice cold and our dumpling appetizers were fantastic! Very affordable as well! Don’t pass this little place up if you’re looking for great Thai food in the Q folks! Oh ya, and their veggies are always SO crispy! This is also the only Thai restaurant in Albuquerque that most of the Thai community swears by!

The phở here will blow your mind with its flavor and heat. Far East serves some of the best phở I had ever ordered at a restaurant. And the spring rolls are pretty darn good also. Don’t mind the austere looking building (especially at night). This place is a true gem.
And the feisty owner only adds to the experience. While waiting for our food to cook, she let us play a version of «pocketless» pool. When we were not very good, she jokingly saved us from further embarrassment by hurrying up our dishes. Nothing could help me save face, however, when my wife secretly added all of her chili powder to my soup bowl. Five empty water glasses later and I was still the poor white guy with an unstoppable runny nose. (Yes, I know water isn’t the best thing to kill the heat) Alas, the extremely spicy finish to my meal was not the restaurants fault… I’ll have to get even with my better half later. Bottom line, Far East is a must for any ethnic foodie passing through or residing in ABQ.
Who would have thought central New Mexico had a little slice of Vietnam?

Best Vietnamese in town, and I’ve pretty much tried it all at this point! This place is probably my favorite restaurant in all of ABQ.
Their bun bo Hue tastes exactly like what I got in Saigon. They’ve got the broth down perfectly! If you like phở and want to try something new and authentic, I definitely recommend this dish, and this is the place to try it (although their phở is pretty spectacular too.)
They’re very cool about substitutions for dietary restrictions. I routinely get tofu and/​or vegetables in any dish, and I’ve also asked for fish instead of the regular meat in soups. They’re totally accommodating to any request.

Saigon Far East is good phở your soul!
I have now tried 90% of the Vietnamese restaurants in Abq, and hands down, this is my favorite.
Everything about this place is amazing. My mouth is literally watering as I type. Spring rolls. Happy rolls. Hot wings — yes, hot wings. They serve some
Of the best wings I’ve ever tasted.
Obviously their beef soup is phở real. Also H8. I have no idea what it is, but I do know it’s amazing.
The service is great. Try Saigon Far East. You won’t be disappointed.
Phở sho.

It’s really kitch in here, you wouldn’t even know that this place is even opened for business by the look of how everything being so dead near by. I went to Saigon Far East after a quick business trip into ABQ and wanted something light and warm.
The lady who works there was very friendly and attentive. I tried their Phở and it tasted fine but the broth was a bit on the oily side. This would be much better if they do take some time to skim off the grease before serving it. The spring rolls were good and fresh.
Being in ABQ, this might be as good as it gets for a Vietnamese place but really hope they do take time to improve the state of their phở broth though.

Devoured!!!
That’s how I’m starting this review. I, like most, have come to embrace the dish that is Phở, and in ABQ it is no better than at Saigon Far East.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was lunch, and my buddy Jordan M. suggested we make it happen.
With him playing bard and entertaining us with tales of its awesome, we ventured on.
We pulled up to the rear side of the establishment and it looked incredibly shady, but don’t be fooled by the exterior.
My other friends delved into the Vermicelli bowls, but the only thing that was on my mind was their phở and it’s savory flavor.
I usually add a few extras more than the usual fixings (Basil, Bean Sprouts, Lime, and Jalapeño). Sriracha is usually in order, but not this time. The broth was that GREAT… I was in «Phở Heaven» and I ate every single bit of it. I have never cleaned a bowl like that before in my life, and I feel it is a testament to how delicious the phở is at Saigon.
I have to thank Jordan M. For hyping this place up, because it is worth every bit of it. Devoured. That’s the only word I have for how I took down that bowl of phở, and I’ll definitely be back to devour some more.