Saigon Cafe

Wow. Great Vietnamese food in Buffalo. I was on business in downtown, and so glad they delivered. Wish I was staying longer so I could try more dishes. I had the Banh Xeo and crispy noodle stir fry. They were authentic Vietnamese style and flavor.

Since moving to Buffalo from Toronto just before Christmas 2015, I have eaten quite a bit of Thai food (my wife and I are big fans), all of it consistently fresh, tasty and satisfying. Saigon Café continues that trend, no doubt.
We discovered Saigon Café by accident, actually. My wife remembers it being further north on Elmwood, near the Co-​Op (we went looking for it one chilly February night and found Taste of Siam instead). It was there for a very long time, but they moved to this new location about a year ago (according to our waitress). The restaurant has two personalities — the neighbourhood bar with a loud TV at the front of the restaurant and the zen dining area at the back. There is a patio with a few tables, not many, but they were in the sun on a late Thursday evening.
Our go-​to at Thai restaurants lately has been curry, because it is usually the most consistently good item on a restaurant’s menu, is relatively healthy and it almost always has coconut milk in it (mmm, so good!). Saigon’s curries hit the mark on all of the above.
We ordered two curries — red with chicken and green with steamed tofu. We were ecstatic to learn that we could order brown rice (white rice’s healthier, yummier cousin) at no extra charge with our curries. We had only ever been charged extra for brown rice at other Thai places, which our waitress thought was totally insane.
The curries were delicious. Both were brimming with fresh vegetables, the red with large chunks of bamboo, the green with seasonal vegetables. The chicken in the red curry was tender and the tofu in the green was nicely steamed, firm and luxurious on the tongue. On a spice scale of mild to wild, the «medium» spicy that we ordered was a little spicier than we have had at other Thai restaurants, but very flavourful and memorable.
The big windows that look out onto Elmwood Avenue provide some fun people watching, if you fancy yourself a people watcher (hey, who doesn’t?). Definitely check out Saigon Café if you find yourself on the outer reaches of Elmwood Village, you will not be disappointed!

Had my first experience at Saigon Café on a Friday night and had the ease and luxury of being seated immediately which was definitely a plus. The ambiance and interior is very relaxing, and there are even small tables outside if you want more an elmwood view.
We shared pot stickers and I had my all time favorite, chicken pad thai (on the spicy side) and everything was superb. The portions are great, as they are at many thai restaurants, and everything was filled with flavor and brought out very quickly. I plan on making this one of my go-​to places for thai when I am downtown. Highly recommend!

A few months ago I would have given two, maybe three stars, but I have given them a third, fourth… and fifth chance, and the quality of the food has gotten way better.
I live only four blocks away, so this is a very convenient place to grab a quick, inexpensive lunch/​dinner and now that they use EatStreet to place online orders, it has become even easier. A few months ago I ordered take out and upon returning home I realized my dish didn’t have the amazing nuac mam sauce it was supposed to (which is heavenly). Boy was I disappointed! It was already dark and I didn’t feel like walking back, so I begrudgingly tried to make my own sauce and lets just say, that didn’t work out too well.
Another time I had ordered takeout not only was the sauce missing again, but I had found something hard and foreign in my spring roll. After I took it out of my mouth and examined it, I determined it was a piece of metal, probably from a meat weight… right? Those are my two star experiences. I gave my relationship with Saigon a break and stayed away for a few months.
Then I needed a quick dinner one night and decided to give them another chance. I’m not sure if their kitchen staff changed, or if they just got it together, but their food has been amazing every time since then. I am GF and they have a clearly marked menu and knowledgeable servers. I highly recommend the HU TIEU XAO and the COM SUON TOM NUONG TRUNG OP LA. They are my go-to’s and never disappoint.

Great food, drinks and prices. I used to visit them at their old location and always ordered the sizzling duck, an octopus dish they may have 86’d, green curry with a couple summer rolls. I recommend it all, especially the summer rolls which go with everything on the menu or just drinks. I now branch out whenever I stop by and have been satisfied every time so far. My favourite is the Banh Xeo which can be eaten any time of the day and goes great with their delicious Bloody Mary. The location is perfect for eating in, with local shops and people watching on the large outdoor patio. It was renovated since Mode Urban Bistro, and looks great. The décor is highlighted by the colour scheme with attention to detail. Service is always friendly but not the most informed. The kitchen can be a little spotty sometimes but mostly very skilled. Very vegetarian friendly and also have extensive selection that you can keep vegetarian or add chicken, beef, pork or seafood. I like the creativity of the menu and always recommend anything with «tom yum» before it.

Restaurant has great ambience. It’s convenient. It’s Elmwood. It’s … a disappointment. The food is average. The service slow. I wished it were better. I wanted to have a five star experience. I went in knowing I wanted to order Phở. They had two Phở choices. That is like 10 too few! The Phở was okay, not great. It was far short of what many other Vietnamese/​Thai restaurants offer. The menu appears to be full of options. My Phở experience turns me off. Not going back.

I contemplated giving this place three stars but then I thought back to how mind blowing the food of their competitors is and realized how badly they need to step their game up. I’ve heard so much hype about this place so I had to check it out.
The service was mediocre. I liked the ambiance at first but for the beginning half of our visit there was no music and I think it’s awkward when it’s silent inside a restaurant.
Before I ordered my dish I asked what type of noodles they put in it, and the waiter told me crunchy noodles. «Okay» I thought to myself, he must just mean slightly undercooked noodles. What he actually meant was that the noodles were completely uncooked with some vegetables thrown on top. An adequate knowledge of the menu would’ve been appreciated because I ended up greatly disliking that dish, it was definitely not what I was looking to order when I went to try this place out.
The flavor was unbalanced in the green curry I had. The spice was also not spicy at all. We ordered «Asian spicy» and the waiter asked if we were sure, we told him very much so, and yet we still needed to ask for additional spicy sauce/​chili peppers. It was medium spice at best. I should mention that none of the three of us that attended lunch together enjoyed our food so I know I’m not being crazy. The rice we were served was hard, both brown and white, so I’m not sure how long it was just sitting back there for.
All in all, I’m not pleased with how this place presented itself. I didn’t have a very good experience at all, but as always, I will probably return to give it a second chance some day in the future. Hopefully they will make improvements.

I went here for restaurant week and they had a pretty good deal. It was an appetizer, entrée, desert, and glass of wine for $ 20.16. The appetizer I had was the potstickers, they weren’t my favorite pot stickers but they came with 5 so that was a good deal. I had the pad Thai which I believe this pad Thai is the best in the buffalo area, so check it out! Dessert was small and cold. We had Congo bars which had chocolate and coconut on a crust. It was so cold we could barely get our fork through it. I took mine home and it was much better at room temperature. I would give this restaurant 3 stars but their Pad Thai is too good!

We headed to Saigon Café after a long drive from Michigan and a weekend of overindulgence. We were looking for something that had a little bit of green to it and a whole lot of taste. Saigon Café delivered.
Setting: The restaurant comprised of both a «bar» dining section and a traditional restaurant section. The bar side of things was well decorated with intimate lighting and featured high-​top modern tables for two in addition to the bar seating. The traditional side was made up of larger tables and better lighting which proved to be functional but lacked the intimacy of its cozier counterpart. The two of us chose to eat at the bar side.
Menu: The menu was loaded with various options for both Thai and Vietnamese food. Our favorite dishes were there (pad thai, phở, vermicelli) as well as an abundance of new meals. Prices ranged from a few dollars to $ 20 for entrees.
Food: We got the works. We started with an appetizer of a Thai stuffed pancake (Bahn Xeo) which was loaded with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, bamboo, and scallions topped with basil and their homemade chili garlic sauce. The appetizer was phenomenal– the best part of the plate was the homemade chili garlic sauce and use of basil. We ordered two bowls of Tom Khar Gai soup (chicken breasts in a coconut milk base with lemongrass, lime, and basil leaves) to accompany the appetizer. The soup delivered as much as the Bahn Xeo. For the entrée we split grilled Pataya Salmon which was topped with a delicious curry sauce, more chili garlic sauce, and a handful of vegetables. Very very good stuff. We loved the grilled taste imparted in the salmon.
Overall: This place is fantastic for a date night or for two people just looking to grab a bite to eat. The bar side of the restaurant provided an excellent atmosphere to talk and appreciate the food. The staff was remarkable– knowledgeable about the plates and attentive to the table. The food could not have been done better. Overall: A.

I had a vegetarian red curry and summer rolls. The food was great and they don’t use fish sauce in the curries so they can actually be made vegetarian!
Our waiter was really friendly and helpful and the restaurant is very nice. It feels fancy, but not the kind of place that would turn you away for not being dressed up.

Last summer I gave Saigon Café’s new location a try. It was an ‘interesting’ experience and thus I wasn’t inspired to hurry back. Browsing Unilocal tonight I remembered that they delivered and decided to give that a try.
Saigon Café uses
for an online ordering option and this is extremely convenient. The site is easy to use, the menu items are clearly described, and you can either use credit or pay with cash. When I placed my order I was given an ETA of 1 hour and 15 to 30 minutes. But the delivery arrived at the hour point, earlier than promised. The food was hot, the order correct; no complaints. We ordered an assortment of dishes and appetizers. The chicken satay in particular was excellent although the peanut sauce was served on the side. The potstickers were a bit chewy and the coconut shrimp a lil mushy but those are probably not the best choices for delivery and better served fresh. The Pad Thai with chicken was good and the Ginger Scallion with beef was flavorful with plenty of fresh veggies.
So the first story: I walked in for an early dinner. I was by myself. There were few customers in the restaurant. When I approached the hostess stand I was asked if I had a reservation. When I said no, the girl looked flustered, glanced around at the near-​open dining room and said she would put me on a wait list. Alright. A few minutes later a couple walked in, also without a reservation — I heard the conversation, and a different hostess seated them promptly. I went up to the stand and brought this to her attention. She apologized and promised that the next table was mine. I told her never mind, that I would just eat at the bar. She offered me a free dessert. I declined. A few minutes later she came over and offered me an available table. I assured her I was fine at the bar and she again suggested a dessert. I agreed to look over the dessert menu. She came back again to see which dessert I wanted but I really didn’t want anything. She suggested an appetizer. So I finally agreed. I mean, I appreciated the offer but she was so insistent!
That was little awkward but she was just trying to make things right. The food came and was good. However, the music was like, techno/​club music and a bit loud. Also, there were a lot of employees working and nearly everyone appeared to be experiencing some chaos. It was just a loud, hectic environment — a very, very different atmosphere from their old location which I had really enjoyed. Then some dude sat at the bar next to me and decided to pretend we were on a date, talking to me through-​out my entire meal despite my absolutely ignoring him. Now, that wasn’t the restaurant’s fault, except perhaps that I ended up at the bar; I just wish the bartender could have intervened. So all of these things accumulated to a not-​so pleasant experience.
But the delivery tonight was good. I’ll have to go in and try them again.

Visited this place on a Sunday for brunch. We had a party of 5 and had actually tried to go to a aouple od other places butbwas turned away due to not having reservations.
We were drawn to this place because they had a banner saying $ 2 mimosas (we were sold!). The place was not busy at all and we were able to get seated right away!
Granted this was not what we were looking originally looking forward as itbwas vietnamese/​thai food for brunch, however, it would have to do.
Service: was great! Granted the place was not packed but our waitress was very attentive and our food came out very fast. She kept our mimosas glasses full!
Food: i ordered a pork chop meal (i want even try to spell the name), it was good and the pork chop was big. The only complaint was the pork chop was a little stuff. The portion size of the dish was very large, i had to take most home for left overs.
Husband ordered the phở and it was so delicious! We actually have only had phở 99 phở and we both thought that Saigon’s was better. The quality of beef tasted better.
Overall, it was a great brunch experience and if you find yourself without reservations on a Sunday visit Saigons it will be worth it. I cant wait to go back to try the thai food!

Saigon Café is my go to for delivery. The food is fresh and tasty when it gets here and it always takes less time than expected. Pad See Ew and Nem Cuon are my favorite dishes.

Food was delicious! Very authentic. Service was a little slow but Julie was very nice! Desserts were SO good! Would definitely come again! Good prices

The service is what gives this restaurant the fourth star. I was pretty blown away by her attentiveness, knowledge not only about the menu but also the breakdown of ingredients and her willingness to accommodate to our dietary needs. She went above and beyond to ensure we had a great dining experience; probably one of the best servers we have ever had. We chose to have a seat in the dining area, completely separated from the bar, fairly spacious with large windows looking onto Elmwood Avenue which was nice. The menu is large, very large. After placing our order, the server suggested we move to a bigger table because the two top we were at was not going to be big enough to comfortably put down every plate and still have room to move things around. We appreciated this and ended up pushing another two top over to ours allowing for a more comfortable eating environment. I voiced my concerns to our server about salt. I explained that I don’t like salt but I know sometimes it’s avoidable with dishes that have been already prepped ahead of time. She had no problem making sure she let the kitchen know not to add any additional salt. She also made it clear to us that the people in the kitchen don’t typically add to much salt to their foods to begin with and that they like to leave it up to the guests whether or not they would like to add more to their food. I thought this was awesome and she was right, nothing I ordered was salty at all.
We started with the summer rolls, came with two, steamed in rice paper filled with bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, cucumber, basil leaves and chicken with a hoison sauce on the side. They were very tasty and the hoison sauce was delicious and had bits of peanuts which added a nice crunch since there were any carrots in the roll and it wasn’t fried, it needed that crunch element. Shortly after finishing the summer rolls, our entrees came out. Everything came out very very quickly and our server remained attentive throughout our entire meal, checking to see how we were doing and clearing plates when needed. We weren’t sure how spicy to go when ordering our entrees so the server suggested we go a level down and that she would bring over a side dish of spicier sauce in case we wanted it. Again, these little touches really went a long way with us. I usually order a spiciness level of 3 or 4. Here, I went medium and it was HOT. HOT HOT. We probably drank a liter and half each of water to tone it done. We ordered three entrees for the two of us, and while we did manage to eat all three, we left unbelievably full. I ordered the Broccoli and Asparagus with chicken. It came in a brown garlic sauce and I asked for gluten free soy. I wasn’t a big fan of the brown sauce, it had a strange taste to it so I ate around the sauce and the vegetables and chicken were tasty, just wish there was a little bit more chicken. It came with a massive side of rice, I chose brown and the brown rice definitely made the dish a bit more filling. Next time I would go with a different dish but it was ok. We got an order of vegetable fried rice which I enjoyed. Wasn’t the best fried rice I’ve ever had but it was a very large portion and was satisfying. The Phở Ga was UNREAL and the medium size is PLENTY big for one person. I am not a big soup person but I could eat this everyday. It was so flavorful, noodles cooked perfectly, everything seasoned well, so much flavor and the hot sauce combination she brought on the side was a great addition.
I would definitely come back here to try something different and it’s nice to know that they deliver!

With the mixed reviews, my fiancé and I ordered takeout from here with the online program from their website.
I ordered the panang curry with the special instructions section filled with the words «extra spicy,» and spring rolls. The pickup time was emailed to me from the program. Honestly, I was wary of the time because it was within 20 – 30 minutes of order. I know it was just around lunch time, but it seemed so fast. I got there right when it suggested, and my food was ready for me. On a funny note, when I read my receipt for my request for extra spicy, they rewrote «Asian spicy!» on the receipt. I thought it was kinda funny.
The food itself was pretty good. My spicy curry was pretty good, and I haven’t had curry that spicy in a long time. It was just what I wanted. My only complaint was that the rice was plain white rice that you’d get at any chinese restaurant. I guess I’m used to southeast Asian restaurants using jasmine rice.
I think I’m going to have them deliver to me at work, now that I know they deliver as well!

Pad thai, Pad Es Ew, and the meatball stew my husband had were so excellently prepared and flavorful. A lot of meals had the option of duck, scallops, chicken, or shrimp which makes every dish as fancy or as simple as you want. The bar is fully stocked and they make some wonderful cocktails. Fantastic Vietnamese option in Buffalo!

This is horrible! Never order again! The shrimps were over cooked and turned black, look at the color of the shrimp, can you eat this?! I can’t believe they serve their consumer this kind of food.

Saigon Café took over a space that had been vacant for several years. Most recently, it was Mode, a restaurant that seemed to do pretty well. It’s is probably outrageously expensive for Buffalo property, but I have to say: I do love the space. The big windows make you feel like you’re in THE place to be when you’re inside. When you’re driving or passing by, it appears like you’re missing out on something.
I am a curry fan and the green curry here is excellent. I ordered it spicy and boyyy was it spicy. I was happy that the server offered brown or white rice as soon as I ordered my dish. Offering that choice is a nice touch since I think most similar places automatically provide white. Others I dined with ordered egg rolls (they raved about them), Thai fried rice, and, of course, pad Thai. The service was a little odd– our server complained about other customers in the restaurant and just seemed altogether chaotic. However, we were one of like two parties in the restaurant. It was a Sunday evening and the Sabres game was blaring at the bar. That seemed a little out of place.
Still, it was a good experience, mostly due to the food. I’d be interested in trying Saigon for brunch as it seems to be particularly busy. I often drive by longingly on Sunday mornings/​afternoons.

Tonight was my first time visiting the new location. It is far more spacious than their previous location — so that’s a bonus.
So, tonight was just very disappointing. To start, we had potstickers and I had a Tom Yum Soup. The Tom Yum was great, but sweeter than usual, and the potstickers were yummy. The potstickers is where the happiness began and then quickly ended.
Unfortunately our server never checked on us, so come to find out when we received our dinner (after asking the hostess who was passing by) we were missing 3 potstickers from our order that were never replaced. I knew that 3 for $ 7 seemed a bit much, but again, no one even offered to rectify that. Just odd.
For the entrée I had Pad See Ew, and my friend had Panang Curry. Both were just ok, but mine was bland, overly, overly sweet, and not the spicy temperature I asked for. I had to flag down another server for chili paste to mask the blandness and spice it up. Again, had our server checked on us or asked, it would have been different. So, I ended up taking most of mine home (actually gave it to my friend actually who has a huge sweet tooth).
Then, we weren’t asked if we wanted dessert or anything, just given the check when he asked if I wanted a box. What if I wasn’t done eating? My friend wasn’t?! Really?! There were 6 tables seated including ours and, I counted, 4 servers, a waitress, and a bartender. There was no reason for the service to be so poor.
The quality of service, and the change in their quality of food means I’m never going back. Just ridiculous. I’ll stick with Saigon Bangkok or Jasmine’s for great food and great service.
Ridiculous. It was a waste of $ 50.

Saigon Café is a fusion of Vietnamese and Thai menu options located on Elmwood ave off of W. Utica near Toro. I love the location but parking comes with the typical issues in this area during peak times.
I met friends there for a quick dinner and we were seated right in front of the live entertainment singer who was actually very talented but made it hard to have a consistent conversation due to the volume. As I was running late, my friends had already ordered Phở as they are obsessed about trying it in every place that we eat at. I did try the phở broth prior to her adding any condiments and it was good but holy SWEET! I will add sugar to my phở but this broth came out already incredibly sweet, it made it easy for me to decide not to order it.
I went with the Tom Yum soup and Calamari instead. I’m hoping it was just a heavy hand of the cook that night because my Tom Yum soup was bitten by the sugar fairy as well. It was just too sweet to the point of me just eating my shrimp, squid and clams and pushing the remaining leftovers aside. Now what saved the night was the calamari! I love getting calamari at asian restaurants because I enjoy the chili lime dipping sauce that seems to be the typical sauce that comes with it. Let me start with the calamari which was cooked perfectly, but what I LOVED was the spicy peanut style dipping sauce that was provided. I love spicy flavors and this sauce had just enough bit to it that I could just have kept eating it all night long. Long live this calamari dish on the menu! I would come back just for that dish alone.
Get the sugar portion under control and this could become a great new phở place for my friends and I.

This place is great. This location is super cute, on the corner of the street. We sat outside and it was nice :) Phở was delish… you def need to try phở at least once in your life. The coconut shrimp i heard was good and lived up to the raves and reviews. Really crunchy yet chewy and sweet with a really good sweet sauce on the side. Spring roll with shrimp was good as well. A really good meal– not too heavy. We left the resturant very happy with the price and service. Will be back.

This is my go to Spicy Food Thai Restaurant in Buffalo. Get Natalia as your waitress and she will hook you up with the best service and recommendations, Shout out!
I usually have either the Saigon Special Fried Rice or one of the Phở bowls. The food will taste great and if it is not quite spicy enough they will bring out extra spices. As for the individual dishes the Saigon Special Fried Rice is like Southern BBQ meets Thai Food, really tasty, I like mine hot. When I’m feeling healthy I go with a Phở Bowl, it’s a type of rice noodle salad thing with ginger sauce and a grilled meat, really good. As for appetizers I always go with Nem Cuon, it’s almost like a healthy egg. roll with the right amount of marinated meat. I would recommend this place for the atmosphere and food. I will be back.

I am usually not a particularly picky eater when it comes to food, I will eat and enjoy just about anything you put in front of me. But, after my first lackluster experience at Saigon Café, I was quite disappointed. I came on a Friday night with a group of 5 friends, so it’s expected the service might be slightly slower. We had a calamari appetizer that was completely bland and had to be dunked in the sauce to be edible. For my entrée, I had the Bun Xao Curry with calamari. When I received the dish, the curry looked yellow and tasty, but when I ate it, no flavor at all! I decided to take a few more bites to see if I could find any flavor in the dish, and was unable to, it was just completely bland. I just couldn’t take another bite of what tasted like raw noodles from a box. I had to ask for chili paste to dump on the dish and I’m usually not one to have to spice up my dish.
Service was one of the worst I have experienced in recent memory, the place wasn’t even full and it took forever to get things rolling and we continuously had to flag down our server. The band playing hillbilly country music in the tiny room ended up ruining our dinner during the last hour because we had to scream to hear each other talk. I’m sticking with other Thai places that have more flavor in their dishes and a less headache-​inducing environment.

This place was nice! The drinks were fairly priced, and the food was tasty and hot. Everything came out quickly and correctly. I won’t lie, I forgot what I ate there, but only because I was torn among four different things on the menu and picked one at random. I remember that it was delicious.
Our server was the highlight of the evening (I feel terrible that I don’t remember her name). She could see that we were a group of friends catching up for the first time in a while, and she was careful to let us take our time with ordering, eating, etc. She struck the perfect balance of being attentive without hovering or being pushy.
This place is nice for an evening out with your S.O. or for a small group of people. Come hungry and order whatever – you’ll like it!

Pad-​see-​YUM! The first time I tried Thai food was at Saigon’s former location next to Cole’s. I was so disappointed when I heard it was closing down for a Hots place. I am thrilled to see Saigon is back with a new look. Since moving to Rochester, the Thai I have had simply doesn’t cut it. The new location of Saigon has beautiful gold décor and delicious food. My go to dish is the «pad see ew» which is wide rice noodles cooked with veggies and protein in a sweet brown sauce. My friends ordered the phở and it was excellent. The location is great, service is fine, and food is delicious. You won’t be sorry!

It is now my Friday tradition to come here with Brad for «Pad Thai Friday».
The service is always great and so is the food. I think one of the best Pad Thai in Buffalo.
But I must say my favorite thing is the coconut shrimp! So tasty!
When you come, check out the happy hour specials!
If you come on Friday, say hi! :-)

Yes! A restaurant that is neither Chinese nor pizzeria that delivers food to my doorsteps!
For a small fee of $ 2 – 3, residents of the Elmwood Village area can have a hot, delicious Thai meal without leaving the house.
Since I love Thai food and hate leaving the house, this was an automatic home run.
We decided to order panang curry with chicken and shrimp pad thai to reach the $ 20 delivery minimum. Within an hour, the food arrived via friendly delivery person. The bill came to around $ 29 after tip which felt a bit steep for takeout… But, it was the best takeout we’ve had in quite a while!
The panang curry was absolutely delicious and bursting with heat. While I wished there was more chicken, I didn’t mind too much because of how much I enjoyed the flavors of the entrée. The shrimp pad thai was equally as good– everything you’d want and expect from this popular Thai noodle dish.
We gobbled up our meals quite happily, enjoying every bite. Although the portions felt a little small compared to other takeout options, we reminded ourselves that the same meal wouldn’t have felt small if it was served to us in the actual restaurant.
Next time we’ll have to dine in. I saw pictures of the restaurant on Saigon Café’s website and it looks beautiful. I’m happy that this place has joined the neighborhood!

I was really looking forward to trying out Saigon Café’s new location at the old Mode bar on Elmwood.
The interior is great and the moment I walked in the bar tenders hollered out a greeting. The hostess found a table for two and sat us by the window. It was the first of February and snowy outside, so I get that it’s going to be cold, but it was REALLY freakin’ cold by that window. So much that just about everyone who wasn’t wearing an actual pull over sweater kept their coats on.
The reason we were here was because I was really in the mood for Pad Thai and I’ve been wanting to branch out to other Asian places, but as I looked over the menu, Pad Thai or Pud Thai was no where to be seen. Even though the one thing that brought me here wasn’t on the menu, the Hu Tieu Xao was really catching my eye.
Our server finally came over and took our order. We each ordered a different glass of wine, calamari, and since I didn’t see Pad Thai on the menu, I said we wanted to split the Hu Tieu Xao with chicken (I’m fine just picking around it). Our server then looked at me with a panic stricken expression like she had to diffuse a bomb and I kept changing my mind as to whether she should cut the blue wire or the red wire. So then I preemptively asked: «How big are the entrees?»
She hummed and hawwed for an unnecessarily long time before answering, «I mean, they’re an average entrée size.» Ok, we’re in America, so I automatically can expect it to be twice the size it needs to, «I suppose it depends on how hungry you are.»
«Well, we’re splitting an appetizer and I’m not that hungry.» I shrugged, looking at my husband. He shrugged to. «I’m not that hungry.» I looked back at the server and smiled, «Plus, we’re in a bit of a hurry, we need to be out of here in about 45 minutes.»
«Are you sure? I mean,…uhhh…you might not be happy with…»
At this point, I have well recognized that she’s just trying to ‘up’ her sale and she’s not doing it well. So I might have become a little irritated when I waved her mumbling answer away and asked «Do you have Pad Thai?»
«Yes! We do.» She said with a pleased smile.
«I’ll take that with vegetables only.»
«Would you like tofu?»
«No, just vegetables please.» I handed over the menus, somewhat annoyed that 2 glasses of wine, the second most expensive appetizer, and an $ 11 entrée still caused her to get greedy. I know your game, woman, don’t patronize me.
The server came back to deliver our wine, and instead of telling us which wine was which, she placed them in front of us and asked my husband to clarify which protein he wanted.
Then we got our calamari, which was fine. We both enjoyed it, my husband going for the rings and I snatched the tentacles with my chopsticks and dipped the slightly chewy yet still slightly tender morsels in a delicious thai tamarind sauce.
A while later we got our entrees. My husbands Hu Tieu Xao looked amazing. The noodles looked perfect, the egg was scrambled just right, his veggies were gorgeous and the sweet Nuoc Mam sauce was even pooling mouthwateringly in the bottom his plate. My Pad Thai was certainly on the dry side and certain portions of noodle, egg, and veggies had burn scores on them which made a few bites bitter. I ate maybe half and eyed his Hu Tieu Xao. «Yours was better.» I told him as he also left half his entrée untouched. «And that would have been plenty for both of us. Now I suppose we have lunch for tomorrow.»
During this entire time, I’d been watching the other servers as well as our own. Our server acted much the same at other tables as she did at ours; she was very much indecisive, and took a long time to get from table to table. I even heard another table ask about Pad Thai and she at least explained to them «Yes, we have it! The menus didn’t print out right so it got cut off.» Really? Pad Thai got cut off and Saigon Café went with them anyways?
The other servers, on the other hand, were very attentive to their tables, offering advice, making certain their customers meals where OK, and refilling drinks. It really felt like we just got the odd server out.
When she finally came to check on us again, 47 minutes later, we asked us our ticket. Once we got that, my husband and I combined cash so we wouldn’t have to wait for her to return our card (we saw how long the table next to us had to wait). We left her a 15% tip and I don’t feel the least bit bad about it. Had she not stuttered and prolonged our ordering into getting another entrée and actually gotten our food and bill to us in maybe 35 minutes time, I have no doubt we would have tipped her more than what we left her for the bigger check. It was just bad luck we didn’t get one of the other servers who smilingly wished us a good evening as we passed them on our way out… and the hostesses… and the bartenders. Basically, every other staff member in that place was great except the person who was supposed to ensure we have a great experience.

Came in because some friends recommended this place. I took a look at the menu and majority of the dishes are ones that you would find at a legit Vietnamese restaurant, however the dishes leave a lot to be desired. I ordered what was advertised as a broken rice dish, the only thing legitimate about it was the title of the dish. The rice was just regular rice, not broken rice. The pork chop, while tasty, was dry and overcooked. The steamed pork egg custard was hard and cold.
I guess in their defense, the menu only says «rice dish». However, if they plan on serving regular rice, they should not use the Vietnamese name for broken rice dish.
If you want legit Vietnamese cuisine, go to Phở Dollar or Phở 99, the restaurants may not be as trendy as Saigon café, but the food is a million times better.

Awesome Service, Food & WARM Ambience! Saigon Café’s new location was wonderful! It was plenty warm in there and we even sat next to a back door and a window! The waiter greeted us promptly and was very helpful to us with deciding on our orders.
My husband ordered the V1 BUN XAO –a noodle bowl –with veggies and I ordered the D9 XAO CHUA NGOT-​pineapple chicken and cucumber –dish that came with rice. Both dishes were fresh & hot! So much flavor too! I I was a little hesitant to eat here after reading the other reviews but so happy I decided to give it a try! You won’t be disappointed!

Preliminary review:
The new location does delivery! Perfect for when I have a cold and want some chicken phở to try to clear my sinuses up and some comfort. I’ve peaked inside and they have a beautiful interior and bar area. Haven’t yet dined in.
For delivery, I ordered summer rolls, chicken phở and seafood tom yum soup along with «N8» crazy noodle dish with flat noodles, vegetables and ginger.
The summer rolls were delicious and came with shrimp and chicken along with peanut sauce. The shrimp was fresh and the roll was well presented even in delivery format. I was a little confused that it contained chicken because I thought the roll was an option of shrimp, chicken or veggies where I chose shrimp, but nope! You get everything the menu says. My wife had to pick out the chicken, but she enjoyed them too.
My chicken phở was decent, although the broth could have used a bit more flavor. The chicken was just white strips of chicken with no apparent seasoning. It was decent after I mixed it with the accompanying sauces, but otherwise I felt it needed a deeper flavor tone to it, although it’s challenging to accomplish this with phở without boiling the broth for days (and without using too much salt, spices, etc). Nonetheless, it was hearty.
My wife enjoyed her seafood tom yum soup, but be aware the portion of the soup is quite small.
The N8 Crazy Noodle Dish — I would not order again. It was very watery and the noodles were alright. The vegetables were nice and fresh, but the ginger didn’t infuse the dish — instead you would get bites and heavy flavors of it and it just didn’t dance well together. My wife and I both didn’t find the dish to be our style.
I’m looking forward to trying more of their menu and dining in. As of now, the phở is decent and they didn’t have any delivery fees which was awesome. Summer rolls are a definite yes. I need to explore the menu a bit more before I can make better recommendations. All the while, welcome to the block and new space!