Saigon

DISCLAIMER: I visited in May 2013
Being from SoCal, I’m not going to expect much from a phở place in South Dakota but I had to try this place based on principle and because I was urged by my Vietnamese mother. The bean sprouts were tucked underneath the soup which I found very odd. Overall, it was decent and the service was friendly.

It has been awhile since I have had such an excellent dining experience. The staff was extremely friendly and went above and beyond.
Now on to the negative… well the only negative I can think of is I hadn’t tried this place sooner since I moved to Rapid City in 2012.
Food was great, place was clean, staff was outstanding!!!

This is the kind of place that makes me upset that I can’t give it zero stars. I’ve never been treated so poorly that my health was at risk.
I placed an order to go. The guy was very nice on the phone, saying that they only had one cook and so it would take a while longer. He asked twice if I was willing to wait 25 minutes and I happily said yes both times. When I arrived 25 min later I was told they were wrapping it up and it would be just a minute. It was actually 15 more minutes — I had now waited 40 min. When they finally brought it to me I was frustrated but polite and told them about the wait time difference. The rude server said «there’s nothing we can do». I said sure there is, you could give me a discount. The owner/​manager walked over and said «we only had one cook, deal with it». I said I know you only had one cook which is why I was told 25 min. She gave me an evil stare and said «things happen» and again told me to deal with it. So I said fine just let me pay. At that point she turned around threw my food behind the counter and walked away.
I have diabetes and had taken my shot based upon the time they told me. She then refused to give me my food. I could have had a seizure because of her rudeness.

Listen to the other honest Unilocalers! My mistake for not reading before coming. If you’re looking for traditional Vietnamese food then don’t come here! Very American-​ize Asian food. We ordered 2 lunch specials and 2 regular specials, took about an hour for our food. Wasn’t even busy. Very disappointed, won’t come back. …ever!

I had a great experience at his restaurant! Our server was very kind and knowledgeable (I’m vegan) about the menu. The food came out delicious and there were so many thing that I’d like to try! Also, they make their pad Thai without egg and fish sauce, which is awesome coming from a vegan perspective!

Waited over 1.5 hours for food. Space is limited.
I order shrimp fried rice. It doesn’t taste like fried rice instead tasted more like white rice mixed with soy sauce. It was really salty.
Second dish was Phở. Lack of veggies that come with the Phở dish. The only veggie was bean sprouts. Again, it was extremely salty.
Other dishes was not good either. For the long waited time, these food were a great disappointment. Although the service was nice, I will not recommend this place.

I don’t give a phock about phở, so I’m not going to whine about how a restaurant in South Dakota doesn’t make it the way they do in San Francisco. Expectations: learn to manage them.
This isn’t to say that the Saigon’s food isn’t good. It’s great; this place is an institution for the vegetably-​inclined. RIP, Veggies. :(There is a mix of options: there’s some Thai, there’s some Vietnamese, there’s some Chinese. About 15 years ago, I found my soul mate in something called Curry Tofu. Curry Tofu is a place on earth. Curry Tofu is for real. Curry Tofu is what I always order when I go to the Saigon, but I get something else as a to-​go order for the sake of trying something new.
The service is friendly, which I value over speed. Plus slow food here means good food.
If you don’t like the Saigon, I don’t like you. Get out.

I’ve never waited over an hour for phở before, but I did here. We saw them serve phở to another customer and still waited for an hour which is puzzling because you would think they already had a pot going. Wil not be returning

This a great place to get freshly made to order Chinese. The quality of this food is better than the average chinese restaurant in Rapid City. When our out of town friends are visiting, we always take them here and it’s sure to become a favorite when visiting. A+++

Excellent Phở and spring rolls! The Phở wasn’t served traditionally with garnishes on the side… they were added in before the soup was served. Was not a deal breaker for me because the broth, noodles and shrimp were spot on. I just wish I lived here so I could come more often!

Right when I got off the plane in Rapid City, I met Curtis, a business traveler reminiscent of Ryan Gosling. With gentlemanly manners and a sleek look, when he asked me if I wanted to grab dinner, I said sure! I dragged him over to Saigon, a Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant. It’s been around for 29 years, though they moved to their current location in 2000.
Despite the fact that the owners are Vietnamese, the menu is dominated by all sorts of Chinese dishes typically eaten with rice. Traditional Vietnamese food is relegated to a corner of the menu, with Vietnamese style salad, vermicelli, noodle soups, and four choices of phở. All one size, phở tai (rare steak) and phở ga (chicken) are $ 9.99, and phở tom (shrimp) and phở tai bo vien (rare steak and beef meatballs) are $ 10.99. There are even Thai options, like pad Thai and Thai curry. I was just relieved that sushi wasn’t on the menu too.
I kept it simple with phở tai, while Curtis ordered pad Thai and spring rolls. While we waited for our food, I surveyed the restaurant. It was not very big, with a cozy, family restaurant feel. It had a dark color scheme with Vietnamese decorations on the walls, and was quiet, with only a few couples dining.
When the phở came out, there were absolutely no garnishes whatsoever. When I asked about it, the server seemed confused. «You know, a plate with bean sprouts… basil…» I said.
«Bean sprouts are on the bottom,» he said. «But let me see if I can find you some basil.»
Oh…okay.
While I must award points for excellent service (and our waters were constantly refilled, which I appreciated), I had to wonder what kind of Vietnamese restaurant this was. Surely this wasn’t Northern style phở bac, in which no garnishes are given or needed. In that case, it’s expected that the restaurant would explicitly state so.
Garnishes are important to me, but everything else was mostly mediocre too. The broth was just passable, and the meat was tough. However, the noodles were good, and I was happy with the portion size. The spring rolls were good, a healthy size with fresh ingredients, though the dipping sauce was a little watery. But the failed dish of the night was the pad Thai, which looked unappetizing, with thin rice noodles instead of the thicker fettuccine shaped ones you’d expect– but looks aside, Curtis did not enjoy it. I felt a little bad about taking him to Saigon, but we had a really fun time at Mount Rushmore afterward, so no harm done, right?
I will say it again though– the service here is excellent. Portion sizes are generous, so you feel better about the prices. I think they could benefit from shrinking their menu a bit (removing the Thai items is an idea) and focusing more on their best dishes.
Rating Breakdown
Taste (⁷⁄₁₄):
Broth flavor– ²⁄₅
Noodle & meat quality– ³⁄₅
Garnish selection– ⁰⁄₂
Portion size– ²⁄₂
Restaurant (¹⁴⁄₁₆):
Service– ⁵⁄₅
Cleanliness– ⁵⁄₅
Atmosphere– ¾
Speed of arrival– ½
Total: ²¹⁄₃₀
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I’m from California and did not expect to find good Vietnamese restaurants in Rapid City, but this place has great Phở! The broth was delicious. I look forward to going back to try more things on their menu.

Spotlessly clean, great menu, delicious food, friendly service and reasonable prices. Come on, what more do you want?

I couldn’t believe that this restaurant wasn’t on Unilocal yet. The atmosphere is very pleasant when coming in. You can tell that it’s a family owned business as there were really no waitrons or waitresses — just the owners family working. The prices are low for the quantity of food you get. I ordered the fragrant chicken (out of this world) and my bill was less than $ 15 after tip! Fast, friendly and DELICIOUS. A MUST HIT if you like Asian cuisine!

I finally made it here for the first time after being in town a few months. I had one of the Vietnamese dishes, a cold rice noodle bowl. It’s one of the benchmarks by which I judge a Vietnamese restaurant. Theirs was pretty good, although it could have use a bit more veggies. It seemed to be missing the usual cucumber and fried onions found in the dish. But it was still fresh and tasty.
I’ve only been there once and it was for lunch but I found the service pretty quick. My food came out 10 – 15 minutes after placing my order. I was in and out in less than an hour at lunch.
It was a bit pricey at $ 11 but it’s the only game in town.

Excellent food, but don’t go there if you’re starving because there will be a wait because everything’s made to order. However, it’s very much worth the wait. I’ve declared them to have the best General Tso’s chicken in town, bar none.
Since they are vietnamese, you do owe it to yourself to try the dishes on that menu. Sooo good!

It’s not Anglo-​Chinese food, so if you want some strip mall General Tso’s, keep going, my friend, because you don’t want this.
For those looking for amazing Vietnamese food, also be aware that this isn’t San Francisco, but instead, this is more like going into this woman’s home and having what she grew up with, and serving you with love. Just like no American family makes chocolate chip cookies the same way, there are subtle or clear differences between what you might get here and what you think of, so beware of that as well.
Now then, as the naysayers have been addressed, this is a great place!!! The chicken with lemongrass is particularly amazing (not lemongrass chicken, but the chicken with lemongrass noodle dish… I’d move in if I could eat that every day), and really, we have never had anything bad. The service albeit can be quite slow at times, so if you’ve got a time crunch, opt for take-​out. Fantastic though, made to order, and made fresh. Love it!

Very average.

I was surprised to find a Vietnamese restaurant in Rapid city, South Dakota so this made it a must do for me seeing as phở has to be one of my favorite dishes. After 13 hours of driving this really hit the spot. It’s not like the phở I love so much in Portland but it did the job. The service was fairly quick and attentive. My mom and I shared the tofu salad rolls which were yummy, I got the vegetable phở and my mom had the vermicelli and pork dish. Both of us felt it was a great success.

According to Unilocal,Saigon restaurant is the only Vietnamese restaurant in all of Rapid City. With that being said, I was craving Phở yet again and I wanted to have lunch after arriving in Rapid City after a crazy morning of delays out of BTV and NY LaGuardia. Finding this place through my Unilocal mobile app is a godsend in many ways. Although I have since found a restaurant of North Avenue that offers Chinese and Vietnamese, there is no Unilocal Business entry for them.
I stepped into Saigon without no real expectations. Just wanted to get my Phở on. I always like to patronize Vietnamese restaurants, due to my love for Phở and it helps small businesses too, most if not all are family run shows. I was greeted by the host, which directed me to the booth. The tv was on and it was tuned into a Chinese mandarin program. Soon, the waitress came out and took my order. I got the shrimp roll along with the Phở with the beef balls. I expected the basil and the bean sprouts, but unfortunately, I did not ask. I wondered of they eat their Phở thus way in this part of the country.
The Phở itself could have used the additional garnishes and vegetables, but it was decent for what it was. The broth was clear and the taste was decently good. The shrimp rolls seem to fall apart when I dipped them into the peanut sauce and bit into them. Poor preparation? Maybe. The ambiance of the restaurant was quiet, since it was a work day. I had to wait longer than normal for the check, but I am glad that they took credit cards. Sometimes, they don’t take and assume they do. When that happens, that can be quite an awkward situation.
Overall, I think that the Phở could have been better with the garnishes. The prices are higher, as in Hawaii, so it’s comparable in that sense. Service could have been better, but I guess they were preparing majority for the dinner rush. Not a big deal, but just my observations. Had a good late lunch here, although the prices will have me think twice about coming back. I still yearn for $ 6.99 bowls of Phở. This place has their Phở for $ 10.99.
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