Saigon Pho & Cafe

The food suck big time....they don't serve fresh stuff, so beware!....

This place is near my house, and I've been a few times. I've had a few variants of the beef pho, the Mango smoothie, and the fried spring rolls. Most of the food has been very good. The pho portion size is good too. The fried spring rolls are a little too fried for my taste. The service is no frills, but good. The waiter refills my water efficiently without being asked. I think it's probably improved since some of the older reviews.

I live a few blocks from Pho Saigon, and I eat there at least once a week (almost always takeout). I LOVE the pho -- all the soups I've tried are delicious, and large portions. The broth is also very intensely flavored, so I usually water it down a little to make it go farther, and that gives me 3 decent meals out of one order. My husband almost always gets the broken rice with beef and lemongrass, which is also delicious. I've had their fried noodles a couple of times and really like those as well. Their fruit shakes with tapioca pearls are incredible -- especially the coconut and the watermelon. I would get one every day if I could. The shrimp is sometimes not very fresh -- I've thrown it away (from my pho) a couple of times because it looked or smelled weird. And the atmosphere is pretty bad -- it's a small place, a lot of the tables aren't leveled so they rock back and forth and spill your soup, and most of the servers don't seem to speak English so if you have a problem with something, it's difficult to get it resolved. The owner also seems a little surly. But I think the food is worth it, and if you do takeout then none of that really matters. They prepare the food for take-out very quickly -- if I leave my apartment right after I hang up the phone, it's ready by the time I've walked there. I recommend them!

This place got pretty decent reviews over on Yelp, so I thought I would give it a try. When it comes to Vietnamese food, I am pretty boring. Order the same thing all the time. The charbroiled beef over rice. Bo Nuong, or whatever it is called. Anyway, I ordered it and it arrived, no kidding, in less than two minutes. Quicker than any fast food place. If good things come to those who wait, what about this place? The food had no flavor. I have ordered this dish a many times from at least a half dozen places in Philly and beyond.

Huge bowls of filling soup! Definitely a great value!

The food is here is almost always tasty, and you get a lot for your money. Once in a (rare) while, I've gotten takeout where they've mixed up the orders. In general, though, it's really pretty solid. If nothing else, go in the summer for the addictively good fruit shakes (especially mango and watermelon).

I usually eat anything that is put in front of me, and I am a very big fan of trying new things. This restaurant's is by far the most disappointing and unappetizing thing I have ever tasted. My dining buddy agreed. We gave a huge tip the waiter who didn't speak English... we couldn't stay there any longer and didn't want to wait for our change.