Saigon Bistro

Closed.

I was driving to Philadelphia from Atlanta and decided to give this place a try based on nothing but an ad in a Vietnamese paper. We pulled into the parking lot, and noticed the outdoor dining area. I figured this place must be pretty cool since that’s a rarity with Vietnamese places, at least as far as I know.
When we stepped inside and realized we were the only people (on a Sunday), I immediately thought, This place is going to suck. Not to mention the bare look of the interior.
I was proven wrong however. We ordered the appetizer sampler with the stuffed chicken wing (what?!), vegetarian crêpe, and grilled tofu. The tofu was fabulous, as was the stuffed chicken wing. The crêpe was a bit too oily, but it comes in two crepes per order… and logically, two of a not so good thing would be not so good, right? Nah, the value overrode the oiliness in this case. The rest of the appetizer platter was good but nothing memorable.
I’ll most likely never be back here, but that’s more of a geographical thing. I’d recommend it for a cheap satisfying meal.

The food is good. Price is reasonable. Better than the other Vietnamese restaurant in the Charlotte area.

Definitely «cheap prices and great quality» from Saigon Bistro, yay for normally priced phở in Charlotte!
Parking lot is small and location a little out of the way, but service is friendly and quick.
We started with fried tofu, which reminded me of Taiwanese stinky tofu (a very acquired taste, yes it stinks) in texture, but not in flavor or odor. I actually enjoyed it because I hadn’t had tofu made like this in a long time. However, I don’t think I’ve seen this type of appetizer at other Vietnamese restaurants before, of course, though, they did make it themselves, so maybe it’s just a restaurant specialty.
For my entrée, I ordered the Grilled Shrimp Bun. The shrimp were grilled perfectly, but lacked flavor other than the flavor from the grill, however, no biggy, hoisin sauce makes everything better. The noodles could have been cooked a tad longer, but the overall mix of veggies and fish sauce was delicious. Portions were pretty huge (3 skewers of shrimp!) and a rather dramatic Viet soap played in the background. Good times.
I’ll be back Saigon Bistro.

Crispy quail with that salt/​pepper/​lime juice dip… absolutely like crack for me. Could barely stop in order to eat the phở, which lived up to my standards (I think – it was hard to taste it with all that zesty salt/​lime flavor still on my tongue from the quail). :-) Tender meat, perfect noodles, FRESH sprouts bursting with moisture, green basil (not blackened) and large, thinly sliced jalapenos.
AND they’re open in the mornings, earlier than some. Woot!
Don’t judge it by the exterior… not prepossessing. But the interior is pleasant and the service was kind and swift. Also, they have a garden patio off the interior – would probably be lovely on a warm day with the fountains fountaining and all.

This is the other top vietnamese restaurant in clt. The other is Lang Van.
Saigon makes their own tofu so it is always cooked to perfection. Plus all the vegetables are crispy and delicious. I would recommnend ordering something off their chef’s special menu. You can’t go wrong.
Their phở are large and packed with meat. This is the place if you want non-​greasy phở. Plus only 6.95 for a bowl. Its a WIN-​WIN situation

This place has very good thing going for it. It has traditionally cooked food and a great atmosphere. It’s definitely one to check out. It’s a very unassuming place, I drove by it many times and never even noticed it was there. But it’s worth the search.