Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl

Most tender beef I ever had in my phở tai. Great service, imperial rolls are imperial. Support this small business. Yummy and speedy.

I had P2 Phở
It had an amazing broth. The service was excellent and the staff was very friendly

I’d give them 5 stars because I do love the P1. Admittedly, I have only had Phở at a couple of other places and can’t really say that I’m a Phở connoisseur. There is something so homey about the soup. I don’t know how they make it but I know that I have recently eaten most of my meals here.
The wait is at times a little long but I imagine it’s because they do it right and magically.
My bean sprouts, herbs, and lime are always very quite crisp add ins and I haven’t had any complaints. The chicken fried rice is also on point, in my opinion.

Really excellent family owned restaurant that deserves your business. Staff is always friendly and food is all house-​made. Some of the best Vietnamese food in the valley ;)

Saigon Bowl is not in my top hundred of Vietnamese restaurants. I’m no stranger to dives, so it’s not that. It is the wait, the service and the food.
Even for call in orders, there is an exorbitant wait time. For phở, this is ridiculous. Normal phở broth is simmering all day, no? Well, the first thing that weirded me out was the fact that they asked if I wanted chicken or beef broth. Um… neither! I want the fermented fish broth that is the staple of phở! Blasphemers! I was not happy with the noodle quality either. They were clearly dry noodles of a lesser quality.
The counter service is curt and unfriendly. As I watched each patron come in or order, it was clear to me that customer service is not the strong suit here. I think they may have been annoyed with people in general… Asian or not. I also am suspicious of Vietnamese restaurants that try to supplement their menu with crappy Chinese-​American food. If you do something well, you wouldn’t have to cater to the apartments around you for cheap Chinese take-​out.

Over 25 years I dined in and except for the final two visits was satisfied with the food and enjoyed the lemonade or Vietnamese coffee. Always clean, average wait and barely possible service. On my next to last visit the lemonade which had always been very good was poor. Food very good. My final visit the lemonade was again poor. The place is normally close to empty. This time it was noon and there a few customers seated at tables. The owner ran around and practically tossing my food on the table did not hear my question. I had attempted to ask what had changed with their lemonade? Mine was barely touched. In her insane rush she said, oh you want a refill? I said, no, just the bill. I paid and left.

Been going to «the B4 place» forever!
Some of my customers introduced me to Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl about 15 years ago — everybody at GD seems to call it the B4 place — because what you want to order is the B4 combo.
It’s a Bun bowl — grilled pork, eggroll and grilled shrimp on vermicelli noodles.
Tasty and filling. Top that off with a café sua da (iced coffee) and you are good to go!

So I came here because I was in the area studying. I got the phở tai chin. The broth was very bland. I had to «doctor» it a lot. It did come with a lot of meat and the price was decent. I also got an imperial roll (Vietnamese egg roll). It was also pretty bland. I am not super picky about my phở, but I definitely would not come back. There are far better places than this one!

I’ve tried this place over 5 times in the last 5 years. Every time, I hoped it might have gotten better. The food is decent at best for Chinese/​Vietnamese food. The problem isn’t the food though. The place is almost divey but I’m used to that.
The problem is that the food takes sooooo long to be served. Even if you order over the phone, they will tell you it should be 20 – 30 minutes. 20 – 30 minutes for a bowl of phở and a couple spring rolls at a non rush hour time?
When you go to pick it up, you wait another 10 – 15 minutes. This has happened every time I ordered.
For Vietnamese food, and I’ve eaten at over 50 Vietnamese spots, this place is VERY slow. Especially for the quality.
I would only recommend if time and quality aren’t an issue for you

I love this restaurant, I have being going for six years now. Friendly smiles, the staff work hard. Good food, cooked perfecly. :-) definitely best kept secret for sure. They take care of their customers, even if it means staying open a little bit longer for you. They cook the food as soon as you order it. So if u want quick food this isnt the place. The take pride in their food. Take care of it and them.

A friend of mine mentioned this restaurant to me since it’s close to her place, so I thought I’d try it out. The Phở noodle soup was overall just okay, broth could have been more flavorful even after adding some sauces to the soup which didn’t help too much unfortunately. I also tried the Lemongrass Chicken rice plate on another visit which was decent but nothing out of the ordinary. The portions for that were pretty good and I wouldn’t mind trying another rice dish at this restaurant.
I could tell that the owners are really caring people with how they handle their food and service. It might be better to order takeout at this restaurant since the interior is nothing much to look at. I’d come back here to try some of their other dishes but may pass up on their noodle soup next time.

Local mom and pop place we go to often. It’s close by. Since we usually order the same thing the lady that runs it always knows what we re ordering. I went in once and she told me I needed soup.
She brought me the largest bowl of chicken soup I have ever had. IT was wonderful! She remembers we have a teenaged daughter and always checks to see if we are taking some home for here.
It is very reasonable. Sometime in the evening they get really busy. Since it is just her and her husband, some people who came it were very ugly. Chill people these are good folks. Cut them some slack.

The Saigon Bowl is the best kept secret in the valley. It’s a little hole-​in-​the-​wall with the basic four walls. The owners are so gracious and make everything from scratch.
If you’re in a rush, do not go! They take pride in serving you and are humbled by those who appreciate their cultural food offerings.
I’m afraid that if they ever became really successful, all the intimate service and raw quality would be lost.
Regardless, I’m writing this because they deserve to increase their customer base and do what they do best… serve authentic vietnamese food …

This review was based on the PHO noodle soup.
By far the worst phở I’ve ever had. The noodles used were not the usual noodles. They used the dried type of noodles, big difference in taste. Overall, this place doesn’t have good phở. I wouldn’t come back even if they offered free phở.

The quality of the food and the portions are good. I normally order the Phở Special or Bun cha gio there. I’ve come here a several times now. The lady that serves us here is nice, but sometimes their service can be pretty slow since they don’t have enough servers here. It’s the closest Vietnamese place near work so I’ll probably keep going.

I love love love «hole in the wall» spots, or more positively «hidden gems»… as you read the reviews, you will hear that description a lot for this place! It truly is a neighborhood family restaurant, ran by a sweet older couple. So the décor is outdated and the service is slow (he cooks, she is often the only server). Don’t expect overly friendly service, or super quick food. But you can expect awesome phở! If that is what you are looking for, this is perfect for take out… Food is great, price is fantastic and even the décor has its own charm…

Very good service. Big portions. Reasonable prices. Caring owners. With that said, the restaurant needs a thorough cleaning and needs to maintain a sanitary image at all times. The appearance of the dining room needs attention. However, good Phở.

Saigon Bowl is an unexpected gem. Hidden in a quiet strip mall, it serves wonderful Vietnamese food. The restaurant is typically busy for lunch but quieter at night. I’ve been the only customer in the restaurant on more than one occasion.
I have been coming here for years for the phở and bun. The fresh spring rolls made with rice paper are delicious! The owners are always on site keeping an eye on things and running the kitchen.
I recommend ordering bun — a cold vermicelli noodle salad. Add your choice of meat and maybe a cut-​up egg roll, and enjoy! Another favorite is the classic phở, a savory beef soup, featuring thinly sliced beef, noodles, bean spouts, jalapeños, mint, basil, and more.

I love this place! Seriously, I grew up with a best friend whose Mom is Vietnamese (, came to the states with her American husband) and the little old lady who owns/​runs this place reminds me of her. Growing up I was always given advice like, «you drink lots of milk and you wont be fat.» She always had food cooking, and the smells of her house were so unique. My favorite thing about Vietnamese mothers is that they dote on their children while complaining. I was always spending the night at her house, and when I would wake up, my clothes from the night before would be washed, starched, ironed (including my undies,) and everything would be folded in individual ziplock baggies. Meanwhile we would get yelled at that she was always having to work hard to take care of us, and lord help her husband if he made her mad. I swear Vietnamese mothers are awesome!
Any who, this lady is just as cool. My first visit here was with a friend who lives down the street and recommended it. We ordered it to go and were told it would take about 20 minutes. So, we went and had a beer (or 3) at the dive bar in the same shopping complex and we went back minutes before the closing time. As we walked it, it felt like a blast from the past. The little old lady was complaining «you order too much soup! I had to make more soup because you order too much soup!» «Oh, I so tired!» «I make SO much soup today!» I knew right there that I was going to love this place.
The Chicken Phở comes in separate containers to keep the herbs fresh. The chicken is separate from the broth and you get to mix it all together according to your like. I usually can not eat all of it in 1 sitting. The Goi Cuon, pork and shrimp salad rolls are delicious (I order an extra peanut sauce to dip.) The fried spring rolls are good too (although the sauce that comes with them I don’t like,) and I have had the fried rice and it is delicious and moist.
The crab puffs aren’t very good, I wont ever order those again, but everything else I have ventured to try has been delicious.
Phở ranges in price from around $ 6.50−7.50, most Chinese meal combos are $ 8.50, and I think the salad rolls are around $ 6.
The little old lady doesn’t always complain at her customers, and when she does she isn’t mean. One time I went in, and she was complaining about her new waitress. Telling me how hard it is to train «new help.» She will get over it fast and she will give you a genuine smile as you leave. This is a locally owned Mom and Pop restaurant in a strip mall. No frills, but they have been here for a while and seem to genuinely appreciate your business, even if they do complain a little. We really did order too much soup. Ate it for every meal for 2 days.

Best Phó for miles! I crave this it’s so good… you feel welcome as soon as you walk in. We always get the soup to go, and it’s always delicious!