Saigon Cafe
20921 Davenport Dr, Sterling, VA, 20165
Saigon Cafe Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Sterling for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
20921 Davenport Dr
Sterling, VA, 20165 - Phone (703) 404-2424
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Neal E.
It's been over a week since I've been dosed with Pho Ga. I've been feeling the tendrils of withdrawal symptoms, wreaking havoc on my body and mind - as it cried out for relief and more Pho Ga! So who am I to let my addiction go unfulfilled? So I caved in, I listened to the demons of my Pho addiction, and continued the cycle of addiction - once again dosing with Pho. I'd seen the reviews for the Saigon Cafe and Taste of Vietnam on Yelp - and was vaguely aware that they were pretty close together. I almost went to Taste of Vietnam - but another day. I went in about 2:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon, there were 3 other tables of folks eating. I realized I had no cash, and although the front door had all of the requisite stickers indicating they accept plastic - I wanted to check to see if there was a minimum limit. Indeed there was. $10.00. I only wanted a bowl of Pho - but because of this limit, I had to thrown in an order of Spring Rolls to get my order to $10.00. So I ordered both. The rolls of course came out first. I added Sriracha sauce to the peanut sauce and devoured. Very fresh tasting and they had that crisp quality to them. The Pho was then brought out. Unlike some other places - they only offer Pho in one size. All of the accompaniments looked nice and fresh: Basil, jalapenos, bean sprouts - with one difference than every other Pho place I've been to date: no wedge of lime - instead I got a lemon wedge. I don't know if this is the norm for them, or if it was a mistake, or if they had just run out of limes. I did not ask. I thought it would be an interesting change of pace - so I squeezed that lemon right into the soup! The soup was very good. The noodles were not clumped together, the chicken was the right consistency and not overcooked. The broth was good as well. I ate a good bit of the soup, then started adding Sriracha sauce to both the broth and to individual bites. Definitely worth eating here again!
(4)Tom L.
My favorite Resturant. We've been going there for almost 20 years. My kids insist on going there when they come home to visit.
(5)Lina T.
I've never really liked this place. I am a huge pho snob and I know good pho when I eat it. This isn't it! It lacks flavor. One of my friends loves this place and will only come here to eat pho so I just go for her sake. I've desperately tried to get her to try other pho places and she refuses (she's missing out). I was actually here with another friend last week and I got the rare beef and meatball pho. It wasn't even hot when it came out. It was warm and I knew it wouldn't be all that great. Also, I like to put limes in my pho and they gave lemons instead. Every pho restaurant I go to provides limes instead of lemons so I thought that was kind of weird. I've been here at least 5+ times and it's never been anything special. However, the spring rolls are pretty good. I haven't tried the rice or vermicelli dishes but it's on my list if I ever come here again.
(2)Jesse C.
This review is only based on their pho. When I looked over the menu I realized that pho is not their specialty. I actually thought that before I went in, but I was still curious, so I went in. I was greeted nicely at the door and seated down. As I glanced over the menu I realized the same things as Patrick K noticed only a few pho options. I got the same as him, rare meat with meatballs. I also got an order of crispy spring rolls. My water was brought to me. A few minutes later my spring rolls came out. The spring rolls were piping hot, but didn't have that nice brown color I'm use it. It was sort of pale and the wrapper was a little bubbly. Hard to explain. I didn't have my camera, so no pics for you =) Taste wise it was pretty bland, nothing too exciting. Sort of mushy inside. The dipping sauce had way too much fish sauce in it. Now on to the pho. The broth was piping hot and had a light color to it. I smelled it and I really couldn't smell anything. I took a sip and it was bland. I added the lime, sprouts, basil, hoisen sauce and it was a little better. I did have lots of meat in mine, which is a good thing =) The noodles were cooked just right. No clumps at all. Overall this was just an o.k. bowl of pho. I've had much worse. The décor isn't bad either. This is more of a restaurant that serves traditional foods so the décor is more suited for a nice dinner instead of a Pho House. I will come back here and their other dishes and then hopefully I'll give a higher rating.
(3)Mike C.
This place is about as vietnamese as I am. The food is bland, chinese or thai. Hard preseed to find dishes with the vietnamese equivalent of trinity lemongrass, red chili and ginger. I have eaten at probably 20 different vietnamese restaurants in various little vietnam areas of east and west coast. The dishes I ordered had fresh vegetables but that was about it. Also it was freezing in the place. Oh and a fortune cookie at the end, laughing my ass off.
(1)Tom T.
Loving all the food they have here, they are family owned and have other branches under different names around nova. Same serving staff all the times I come in and they give decent service for a Asian resturant
(5)Matt C.
This place gets the 3rd star for the lunch specials on the menu. For $8.95 I got a small bowl of pho, 1 roll, either fresh or fried, and a can of coke. The pho itself was just OK. The roll was very good though.
(3)april w.
Excellent pho restaurant..fried spring rolls were delish.. Coming from a person who lives in SoCal...one of the most ethnically diverse areas.. Unfortunately did not have time to try other items - was only in Ashburn VA for training...
(4)Brian W.
Fresh and fried rolls are excellent. Their Pho is one of better noodle soups in my area and will serve me my meat rare on the side, which I prefer. I'd prefer refills on soda but not a big deal at lunch which is when I eat here. The head server likes to crack jokes every time he serves me.
(4)Patrick K.
The first place I ever had pho and fell in love with Vietnamese food. Delicious spring rolls, summer rolls and my old stand by rice vermicelli. Service is always adequate and parking can always be found. I always grab this when I visit my mom out that way.
(5)Conifers J.
There is no reason not to stop into such a nondescript strip mall for a midday bite of really excellent other-than-pho Vietnamese en route to/from the Leesburg Outlets. We'd wandered all day and really wanted somewhere cool and sans glare. It's an amazing little spot. I would have to describe the host/ proprietor as Gracious; with his clipped accent he should be in tails in a cavernous lobby directing guests to rooms while sprinkling stories about brushes with fame. Anyhoo, from their specialties, you MUST have the Vietnamese pancake. I just realized that all the accompaniments - sprouts, cucumbers, pickled vegs, herbs - are meant to be wrapped up WITH the pancake IN the romaine upon which they are all served. Does it make the banh xeo that much more delicious? YES YES and YES. Is deliciousness falling everywhere as you chomp? It is without a doubt one of the most unweildy wraps in my culinary universe. I am not sure about recommending anything else. But they seem to know how to do one thing right, and that's fine by me.
(4)Theo P.
I like the spring rolls (cha-gio) and all the dishes here. I have been here a number of times and never had a bad meal. The decor could use an upgrade but as long as the food is good-who cares. right? PHO !
(4)S. Z.
My never ending search for delicious pho continued here.... My brother and I arrived here last Saturday afternoon. After quickly being seated, I looked around and realized there was only one other table occupied. This pace of patrons quickly changed as many tables were occupied when we left. In review of the menu, I realized pho is not their specialty but I still had a hankering for pho and did not let this deter my choice. I ordered the pho with meatballs and my bro got the pho with rare beef and meatballs. First thing I like to do when eating pho is try the broth before adding anything into it. I have said this before about another pho restaurant but want to retract it since the broth here is so SPECTACULAR! I could have eaten the whole bowl of pho without adding siracha and hoisin. I want to come here from now on to eat pho! It's that good. My bro had no complaints about his bowl of pho as well. Sorry, but didn't try any other dishes. Also, the sprouts, jalapenos, and basil were fresh. My only complaint here would be that there were lemon (not lime) wedges to squeeze into my pho. The lemon did not ruin the taste of my pho so I will not knock off a star for that. The service is the kind of service you would expect to receive at a typical Vietnamese restaurant. Not stellar but not horrific. Same with decor and furniture, typical table and chairs with authentic Vietnamese decor. I can't wait for my next visit here! The other reviews rave about the spring rolls so I know I'll order those next time. Plus, while there a family ordered three orders of spring rolls (six total) so I know they must be yummy. Though this will not keep me from coming back, I do wish that they had real chopsticks rather than the wooden, disposible ones.
(5)Yan W.
Another random Vietnamese place in a random strip mall. I expected little to nothing of the food here as I stopped by at the suggestion of a friend. The decor was great. I mean, where else can you see "jade" statues bigger than you are? Their Thai style soup was spectacular; really spicy and tart. Their Banh Xeo was also very well prepared. A definite recommend!
(4)Charlie C.
A three overall, but probably a four as far as Loudoun County Vietnamese restaurants go. The great: Rolls. Their fresh rolls are simple--lettuce, rice noodle, pork, shrimp--but they are consistently delicious. The dipping sauce for the fresh rolls is tasty as well, and is a nice accompaniment to the simple rolls. The fried rolls are where Saigon Cafe really shines, though. They're very meaty inside and fried in rice paper as any good Vietnamese roll should be. They're served with lettuce, cucumber, and pickled carrots and daikon. Place the roll in the lettuce, throw in some veggies, dip in the fish sauce, and enjoy. The bun. These bun dishes are definitely smaller than most other restaurants', but the contents are GREAT quality. In a bowl of their bun, you get tons of meat (or spring roll if you go with that one), a nice balance of veggies and rice noodle, peanuts, and sauteed scallions. With a lot of Vietnamese joints, extra rice noodle is put in as filler, and I find myself wanting more meat. Not here. Instead, there have been times when I felt like I could use a little more rice noodle. Which is not a bad thing, generally speaking. The sour fish soup. This is a soup that a lot of people haven't eaten, but really should. The sour comes from tamarind, and is a pretty unique flavor that is freakin' delicious. The soup has catfish, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and okra. They serve rice noodle on the side and give you a little bowl so that you can put some noodle in the bowl, pour on some soup, and eat! Try it. You won't be disappointed. The good: The banh xeo (I think it is Vietnamese pancake on the menu; back page). It isn't as big as other places' and the herb accompaniments are not as much as others', but it is certainly tasty. It's filled with a good amount of pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts. I really wish they'd give you more lettuce to wrap it with, though. The meatball wraps. This is a pretty unique dish. You get the rare meatballs (not the meatballs used in Pho), rice noodle, herbs and veggies, rice paper, and a bowl of water. You soak the rice paper, put in as much filling as you want, wrap it up, then eat. A lot of work, but it is pretty tasty. The bad: The pho. Don't go here for the pho. Just don't. It is not horrible, but the bowls are small, the broth is weak, and you don't get the good cuts of meat like tendon, tripe, etc. Just the basic meatball, tai, or chicken. If you want pho in Sterling, go out to Pho Royal--they have GREAT pho. The service. Okay, so this is not ALWAYS bad. When my fiancee and I generally go, it is actually very good (but we usually go right after work when they are not busy). On weekends or busy nights, forget about fast service. It is slow. Slow. Long time to get the check, long time to get the food. Otherwise, the servers are really nice and cool, though, and we get along well with them. But on busy days, they just can't handle the load. The prices. The food is quality, but the sizes are a bit small and, compared to some of the other local places and somewhere like the Eden Center, their prices are high. Not high enough for me to not go here--I go here a lot--but enough for me to think it over sometimes and go instead to Pho Royal or Taste of Vietnam. Overall, I think this is a good place to eat, with some really great choices, some mediocre ones, and prices that are just a bit too high. If you want non-pho Vietnamese in Sterling, though, I think this is your best bet.
(3)S A.
This place has the best vegetarian pho around! I am a vegetarian so that is the only thing I can speak to but my roommate loves their beef pho as well. I am not Vietnamese but my best friend is so I grew up eating pho with her family (before I was a vegetarian) and I know from that experience that the flavor is all in the broth which actually takes a very long time to make. It is CLEAR that Saigon Cafe takes the time to make their broth....when I have leftover broth at the end of my meal I sip it from the bowl like leftover milk from cereal. They don't skimp on the vegetables like some other places do and their prices are very reasonable. I order takeout from Saigon Cafe once a week and the lady at the front desk is SUPER nice and suggested their vegetarian curry as well which is equally delicious. Finally, you will see many Vietnamese people eating here which is a pretty reliable sign that the food is very tasty.
(5)Andrea H.
The food is still awesome after all these years. One of the few Vietnamese restaurants where the non-Pho food is actually the star!
(5)Patrick K.
If you've read my previous reviews, you know that my current obsession is Pho. I'm trying as many as I can near work and home and this is my fourth local place. Today's meal, while filling, was not one of my favorites despite the rave review I got from a colleague. First off, Pho doesn't appear to be there main dish. I should have guessed that since the word isn't in the name. There were only five Pho options on the menu and that was surprising to me. I guess I'll find that more and more often as I check out Vietnamese restaurants. Once I found the Pho, I ordered the 'Rare Beef with Meatballs'. Meatballs is a stretch since there were four halves (two whole, cut in half) so that just barely gives them the ability to pluralize it. It didn't really matter to me though since I thought the 'meatballs' were really gross. Maybe that's how all Vietnamese meatballs are and if that is the case, I'm not going to be eating any more of them. As for the 'rare beef', that consisted of four pieces of beef that reminded me of Steak-Ums. It wasn't particularly flavorful and unlike other Pho places, they don't ask you which cuts of beef you would like in your soup. On a bright note, the Thai basil was super fresh. It was almost as though they were growing it in the restaurant. They also have chili sauce on the table, not just the standard Sirachi. Back to the bad though, the jalapenos and 'lime' were old and looked disgusting. I don't put lime in my soup so I don't care but I'm sure most other Pho-heads would be pissed. The only saving grace to this whole thing was the broth. It was DELICIOUS. I wish I could take my favorite things about various places and just combine them in to one perfect bowl. If I could, I would chose the broth from here or Pho 99 in Herndon. I just don't have a lot of good to say here. It was average and I probably won't go back. I'm planning on trying 'Taste of Vietnam' next week and I'm hoping that they will have something better.
(2)Tuan N.
Clean and cute establishment, service was good, prices were normal and the Pho was average.
(3)Erick V.
We always stop by Saigon Cafe on our way into DC and when leaving via Dulles. Simply the best lemongrass chilli sauce *anywhere* (I get it with tofu and broccoli). Also, they offer soups that are truly vegetarian, including with dumplings. Highly recommended but note that the waiters can be somewhat flip.
(5)J H.
One of those restaurants that you continue-ly go to with your family because A. You live in the suburbs and the extend of restaurant diversity is the how oily your fries will be and how tall your burger is. (OK, it's gotten better in 2012) B. It's 5 minutes away C. It's hard to ruin pho. Hopefully. Yes, there is better pho that you can get at those places where Pho is in the restaurant name and it's the only thing on the menu. But this place is good for all the reasons above PLUS there are additional choices to to menu so when I go with my friends we can order other things. I've been going here probably 10+ years (am I that old? :( damn) I think the tastes have somewhat changed but still delicious everytime. Everything is not the best I've ever had but I'm always relatively satisfied. My favorites would be the curry soft shell crab.
(4)Gina T.
The Spicy Beef Noodle soup (SBNs). Order it. With meatballs and load up the soup with lime and jalapenos. And thank me later... But seriously. I LOVE their spicy beef noodle soup. I find that it's usually best in the morning -- 11-12ish. I've had it around 7PMish for dinner and it wasn't as tasty as it usually is. But yeah. Only negative side is that I always ask for the SBNs with meatballs and they only add TWO whole meatballs; yes, people -- 4 halves. And they charge me $2.75. For 2 meatballs... But whatever, I don't complain for them to stick in some more meatballs. I just half the halves and slurp away... (Although, I'm taking a star away because that's just weird to me. I've ordered extra meatballs and gotten nearly a whole package at other places. Is it just me who thinks 2 meatballs for $2.75 is a little steep? I could probably buy an entire package for $2.75... ha ha ha.) Eggrolls are good -- the fried and the summer rolls are delicious. Also, order the chicken wings. mmMmm. A lot of things on the menu to try; Saigon Cafe also specializes in vegetarian cuisine, as well. A lot of the items on the menu are popular Chinese food options which semi-weirded me out since they claim to be an authentic Vietnamese restaurant but I digress. The service is wonderful, for the most part. There's only been 1 instance where they messed up our bill but it was fixed rather quickly. No biggie. One of the servers is a character -- my coworkers and I go here so often, he makes a big production out of us walking in and he hugs (read: squeezes) us and pulls out our chairs... he has memorized our orders but usually asks, "Octopus pho today, my lady?" And I just smile and nod. This place is always packed, day or night. Go and order the SBNs! :)
(4)Nick W.
Food is very good, staff is friendly and attentive. Our family eats there about once a week.
(5)Marcia M.
Still excellent. Decided to venture outside my usuals to try the chicken curry. It was, of course, quite good. It's yellow curry with coconut milk base, slightly creamy with just the right blend with hint of spiciness. They are also willing to add/omit veggies as you like. I like!
(4)Chad H.
My 1st ever experience with Pho was at Saigon Cafe where I had the Beef Noodle Soup. I was fairly skeptical, seeing as how I'd never had Vietnamese. Interestingly, a co-worker of mine who had once been in the Navy and had spent time docked in Vietnam introduced me to this place. He told me he always got the same thing, the Beef Noodle Soup. It was my 1st time, and I've never been a soup fan, so I tried something else instead. I opted for Lobster Fried Rice. The dishes came out fairly quickly, and I doused my rice in fish sauce, which is not what it sounds like. It's an orange liquid with carrot slices in it. The lobster was diced into bite size pieces, which was okay because it was mixed very well into the rice. All in all, very delicious. This hit the spot. Ever since then, I've been to this place at least 10 times, and each time I get the Beef Noodle Soup. It is on the spot every single time. The wait staff is friendly, attentive, and a couple of them tend to recognize me now and know exactly what I want. One of the guys is hilarious. The soup here is PHENOMENAL!!
(5)Rebecca T.
Plenty of good vegetarian options. Not particularly warm, but adequate matter-of-fact service. Good value.
(4)Taylor M.
Ate at Saigon Cafe in Sterling last night with my bf and there were 3 bad things, reasons to never go back. 1) There was a hair in my meal. 2) I had to order off the menu, as I was informed that all their stir-fry dishes include sugar, and they get complaints of things being too sweet. Their propensity to use too much sugar was quickly confirmed when we tried the peanut sauce with our spring rolls and it was indeed so sweet that I took only one bite and then pushed it away. 3) My bf got his drink a good ten minutes before I got mine. (All I wanted was a 33, he had a Sprite.) I wanted a few minutes to enjoy my 33 before the meal arrived, instead they brought it with the meal (which had a hair in it.) Stay away.
(1)Alexandra M.
my sister and i are always on the lookout for pho. ive passed this place many many times on my way home and i even think that we ate here -- eons ago. i remember my sister and i hated our meal because we wanted to go to chengs...oh how times change. (did that rhyme? i think so...) we went to the saigon cafe after we got our hair cut so we were lookin, well, top notch. i dont know how you all think the servers are nice. they are CREEPERS! okay they were sort of nice. honestly. i have never felt so uncomfortable in my life. i actually put my jacket back on and zipped it up to my neck. i was wearing a t-shirt for goodness sake. we had about 3 different servers, for whatever reason. our last server seemed finally normal, but, i was fiddling with my iphone and the server actually took my iphone and started playing with it i dont remember which server -- 1, 2, or 3 did it but... wtf, mate? i was about to walk out after paying my bill and the waiter flagged me down and was like "wait! wait! i have a present for you." oh boy, are you goign to give me your number you one-toothed man? no, just a fortune cookie. ive had better spring rolls. pho was okay. my sisters vermicelli was okay. a HUGE star off for no limes. i love the flavor of lime in my pho and they only had lemons. the guy even looked confused when i asked for extra limes -- "we only have lemons." he said.
(2)T M.
The only ever Vietnamese restaurant that doesn't actually serve traditional "Pho". They will give you "beef noodle soup" with only 2 cuts of meat for $8.95 which is about 1-2 dollars more than what other restaurants charge. If you want all the cuts you can pay $9.95. Other better places with quite a bit less MSG will charge you only $8 for an all inclusive bowl instead of $10. If you want to get the everything in it bowl for lunch you can pay extra... but they won't offer it to you with the lunch special, so basically pay more for what you normally would get at other places... but we'll take away the spring/fresh roll. Which I suppose is not that bad after you've actually tried the fresh roll. They cheap out during lunch and wrap a slimmer and looser roll. Did I also mention the MSG? It's like the Sahara is in your mouth after a bowl of their "beef noodle soup". It's too bad all Vietnamese places around Sterling are pretty much like this now. Some other ones such as Taste of Vietnam will do thing like list 6 kinds of meats in their Pho but leave out 2 such as tripe and one of the cuts of beef. It's shameful when Vietnamese is associated with the concepts of Cut-Corner, Fraudulent, and Greedy. Oh and by the way, the fortune cookie they gave me (fortune cookie in a vietnamese place??), the wrap was covered in grease/oil like someone with dirty hands was handling it or came in contact with food items or filth. That along with the curt and foul mannered waitress... Just nasty, dirty way to end the meal.
(1)N D.
Food: 4 Service: 3 ________ Come here for food other than Pho. I was delighted to see a Vietnamese place offering a long list of authentic dishes outside the all so familiar menu's found in so many pho places. I have been trying out new dishes each time I go there. It's great to know that there actually are great Vietnamese food other than pho!! For starters, try the pancake and the wonton soup with egg noodles. As much as trying out new Vietnamese dishes is fun, I'd have to admit their pho is just average (more on the bland side).
(4)Cyrus S.
I've only been here one time. But I thought it was great. The food was good, the service was solid (they seemed a little disorganized, but were attentive and quick), and they had us in and out for lunch relatively quickly. Its not your standard Pho place. They had a lot of options and choices and I tried something different than the usual Pho place. They had some good viet spring rolls too. A little out of my way, but if you're nearby, its a good place to try out.
(4)G S.
I like coming here because they serve other Vietnamese cuisine that you normally don't find at other Viet restaurants. The servers are nice. You gotta try the roasted quail.
(4)Alpy P.
I love this place...it's great for vegetarians too. So, whether you prefer veg or non-veg, it's simply yummers. The food is consistently delicious for eating-in or take-out. My hubby introduced me to this about 3 years ago and it's our favorite hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant. Favorite veggie dishes are: *Tofu with Lemon Grass Chilli *Vegetables with Cashews *Rice Noodles with Wonton Soup Favorite non-veg dishes are: *Chicken over Rice in a Clay Pot *Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables
(4)Sorina T.
I must admit the people that work there are decently nice. Their food was okay. It's edible, but not a recommendation. Majority of the time after I eat here, I get sick to my stomach.
(1)Jay R.
My wife and I started off going to Cheng's next door. The wait for a table was longer than we wanted, so we went here instead. While the total tab for two appetizers, two mains, and two beers was reasonable enough (a little over $40), we thought the food was just so-so. We couldn't understand why all the other Yelpers gave it 4 stars or more. Most of the food was pretty weakly seasoned, the cellophane spring rolls just tasted like the doughy wrapper (and not much more), and I had to liberally use the squirt bottles of chili/hot sauce to zip up the taste a little. So next time, we'll stick it out, and wait the wait at Cheng's, to give that a try. For Vietnamese, a better bet would be Xuan Saigon, on Ft Evans Rd (right off Market St, around the corner from Anita's), in Leesburg. It's a little cheaper, and a lot fresher/tastier.
(2)Vinnie P.
Awesome, awesome place. From the exterior, it looks like probably a hundred different Vietnamese restaurants in the Northern Virginia area (down to the generic name), but wow, is the food good. I'd recommend the noodle bowls, the pan-fried noodle, the summer rolls, or the noodle soup, but there's very little I've had there that I haven't liked. Prices are reasonable, and there are a lot of good vegetarian options, for those inclined. Service is usually alright, but a couple of times I've had problems. I'm willing to call this 4.5 stars for that reason. The food is the reason to go.
(5)Albert B.
This is an awesome little spot at Countryside in Sterling. Believe it or not, there was a two-year period during which my fiancee and I ate at this place on average more than twice a week. It's not the most adventurous Vietnamese menu - or even close - in the metro area, and the presence of so many standard Chinese dishes (Chicken w/ cashews, etc.) on the menu is a bit disappointing, but everything I've ever ordered has been tasty, reasonably priced, and served quickly and professionally. The staff at Saigon take clear and evident pride in what they do, from handling your order to recommending a good Vietnamese beer, and they're always friendly. If you're looking for a wide variety of frightening cow parts to order with your pho, this probably isn't the place for you. But if you're looking for delicious, fresh-tasting Vietnamese food at a good price, served by warm and friendly people in a casual atmosphere, give Saigon Cafe a whirl before you brave the hordes of giggling acne-faced twits over at the Regal Cinemas.
(5)I. P.
this used the be our regular joint for vietnamese food. love their bunh, pho, iced coffee, rolls (all kinds)...but the service progressively got to an insulting point. the staff is completely self-absorbed and indisposed to you unless you are pretty group of single ladies or something of the sort. the waiters tend to always let out a sigh of irritation when you ask for something while they're busy chatting away with their favorite customer of the moment. We had dined there at least 20 times and although the food is good...having to spend 30-45 min. waiting for our check, water, or additional orders is a bit too much.
(2)Megan L.
This is my second time taking food out from here and BOTH times I have been blown away! I ordered the vermicelli with grilled pork both times and it is the best I have ever had! (And I have been to many Vietnamese places before in the DC/metropolitan area) They give a generous amount of meat, perfect portion of noodles, and they give vegetables that you actually want to eat! Oh and their fish sauce -- indescribably delicious! Highly recommend this place! Try it out :)
(5)Seung K.
I used to visit this place a lot for lunch but I will never visit again. Food is good. I really like their food. Clean, fresh compared to other Vietnam restaurants in that area. Last time they charged 1 dollar more for tip and I thought it was my mistake due to my bad handwriting. It could happen. I visited this restaurant couple days ago again and they charged 2 dollar more for tip. Make sure your bill is correctly charged after transaction is cleared.
(1)Paco H.
I used to live and work very close to here, and I ate here regularly. Even now, when I'm in the area, I make a point to have at least one lunch here. The vegetarian offerings are all very good. The portions are generous. My friends often get the pho and like it. I always get exactly the same thing every time, and it's awesome. I love the Tofu with Lemongrass Chili. I think, in all the years I've been coming here (about 13), I have ordered something else once. I simply love the tofu and that's what I get every time. The vegetarian spring rolls are really nice, too. Hefty with a nice peanut sauce. It's not expensive, and the food is good.
(4)Dee C.
We love this place. We've been going here for about 8 years now. They always have the best pho ever! They don't use MSG and the soup is always fresh! Try the summer rolls, vermicelli with spring rolls, spiced salted tofu is the best, and of course the beef pho.
(5)Cream Cheese C.
We enjoyed our meal at this low-key, down to earth restaurant. We got the roasted quail, spring rolls, and seaweed soup as appetizers. All were great. For main courses we got the shrimp salad, catfish, red snapper special, and pork broken rice (#42). The salad and pork were fantastic while the fish dishes were bland. Overall we were happy with our experience.
(3)Evan H.
My first visit here was a success. The restaurant is a decent size and clean. The menu itself is pretty large, with a number of offerings outside of just Pho. I opted for the Bun Bo Hue, which a lot of places don't have. The broth was superb with just the right amount of sweet, sour and and saltiness. I can't comment on any of the other dishes here, but I've heard they do the banh xeo well too.
(4)Annie S.
Yum! I'm a pho 75 girl but Herndon is too far from me. So glad I found this place because their pho is just as great and more! Their spring rolls are delicious!
(5)Air R.
We came here pretty often. Every Time we came! Aways waled out with full belly and big smile. Yummy food!!
(5)Sivilay T.
The fact that I need to be at the airport at 4 PM limits my choices of nearby eateries, but pho is quick and simple enough to just eat & run. Probably not the best bowl of pho I've had in my life, but it was good enough to satisfy my hunger. They are, however, very accommodating & provide good service. I give them credit for doing their best to make sure that their customers are happy with their food.
(3)Mike R.
Saigon Cafe first timer here, so take my words with a grain of salt... Thought I'd try something different, and get the Vietnamese Pancake.... it was under the Specialties menu so I thought it had to be good. It was advertised as being full of shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. The thing came out, and I'll admit, it was huge. Maybe almost a foot long. I thought to myself, "wow!" well, to my dismay, i opened it up and looked inside and that's when the party ended. it should have been described as, "bean sprouts, bean sprouts, BeAn SpRouTs, BEAN SPROUTS, BEAN SPROUTS!!!! and 2 shrimp and 2 pitiful quarter-sized flat wads of pork. One of the pieces of pork (~50% of the total pork) had a weird crunch to it, like it was pork cartilage or something. For the ~$10 bucks it cost (after tax), I think the kitchen could of slid a few extra pieces of pork in there, please. Just to give myself a reality check I Googled "Vietnamese Pancake".... and saw some pictures of some good looking pancakes full of meat/veggies/sprouts, but none of the pictures I saw came close to the amount of bean sprouts I received. After looking at Google Images, I seriously felt like the cook was playing a bean sprout inspired joke on me. I thought, oh well, at least it will be healthy, right? Unfortunately, it was also very greasy.... so, maybe not. I'm not sure how healthy bean sprouts are, but my lips were completely coated in grease after about the second bite. You win some/lose some when trying new things I guess. It's a shame, because the guy working there was nice... but I can't see myself going back anytime soon after such a disappointing first visit. :( Sorry Saigon Cafe.
(1)Rolando R.
Used to love this restaurant, but ever since it changed ownership things have been going downhill. The food is still ok, but nowhere near as good as before, but was has totally sunk is the service. The waiters used to be welcoming, smiling, and funny, too. Now, it's as if I'm keeping them from their nap or something else they'd rather be doing.
(2)Chris K.
Best. Pho. Happy to help you customize your dish. Amazing fresh summer rolls. Super friendly staff. Clean restaurant. Easy takeaway. Good variety on the menu. Loss of really tasty vegetarian options. Ample parking. Did I miss anything???
(5)Mark R.
Great fresh dishes. Served by friendly staff. Very clean and nice dinning room. This was my Wife and my first time here. Very impressed with the place and will be back soon.
(4)Chi N.
One of the best vietnamese restaurant in Sterling VA, i've tried almost every item on the menu already and none seem to be disappointed. I highly recommend the grilled item especially pork and chicken. Their vegeterian menu are the best, i love their fried tofu. Great service and reasonable price.
(5)Jermoil A.
I've been coming here for years and the taste of the food has went down a little, but some items like the egg rolls(fresh and fried) has continued to be good every time I am not the person that you can take clues from on Pho because I just love it no matter what, the prices are reasonable and they have good lunch specials They are a few places like Pho 2000 and Pho Royal that some may say are better but for me this is where I was introduced to Vietnamese food so I've been loyal so far Overall the food is ok
(3)Les D.
I've been married long enough that I can say that when it comes to pho, my wife is pretty particular. She even gets some sort of weird vibe from Vietnamese restaurants and can tell even before entering whether to order pho there, or not. I have no idea what the vibe is, but invariably, I'll order pho at a new place, she'll ask me what I think I'm doing, I'll respond that I'm ordering pho, and she'll tell me I'm crazy cause we're not in a pho joint. I've given up pointing out to her that pho is on the menu when I order it. Nevertheless, she was excited to get some pho at Saigon Cafe. And, once again, she was right. It's the real stuff. Flavors of star annis, all spice, cinnamon, etc is in there. Not the instant stuff. We were served quickly and courteously. Also, looks like they are expanding their seating area, so plenty of space for all. I was mesmerized by the painting of the lady with the wash basin (see photos). Simple yet nice decor which should have no place for a tv. How about some nice music instead? Minus a star. Good eats, nice service. Go there.
(4)Juicy G.
Saigon doesn't have bad food, but it definitely needs to get with the 21st Century. No website, and no online menu means that if you don't know what you want to order in advance, you're not making a call for a takeout order. It's kind of inconvenient. I even asked the guy to fax me a menu and was told, "We don't have a fax machine." The food is okay, the service is hit or miss, and it's fairly cheap. So, I don't know...Maybe that combination works for you, maybe it doesn't. I don't honestly go here often enough to make a stink about it one way or the other beyond what I've already said. Yesterday was my first time in about two years. It's just not exciting or good enough to recommend or come back to repeatedly.
(2)Natasha S.
Impressed. Everything in the area was super busy this Saturday night before Mother's Day and we had a group of 10 that we needed to feed ASAP. We ended up coming here and calling the table in 5 minutes before arrival and it was ready immediately. The service was good. They were attentive the entire time. Our table ordered garden rolls, fried spring rolls, fried squid with spicy salt, pho, combination fried rice, grilled chicken bun, grilled jumbo prawn bun, pad thai and pan-fried noodle combination. I have to say everything was good. The pad thai was standard, and the pho was just meh okay. For pho, I would go elsewhere but their other food was on point. I really enjoyed the pan-fried noodle combination which was actually a generous amount of meat, seafood and vegetables sauteed in a delicious sauce and placed on top of large and wide fried flat noodles that were used like chips. Great idea, we had two kids in the group and it was perfect for them. Fun and yet had everything you needed from your food groups. The bun bowls were good. Chicken was juicy and the jumbo prawns were huge and delicious. Appetizers were good. I would definitely come back. I thought pricing was decent. Parking was easy.
(4)Larry M.
Just went here for lunch. I had their lunch special, Pork with lemon grass chili and fried spring roll for $9.95. The spring roll was delicious. The pork was very good, but extremely spicy. Ask for mild if you get anything with lemon grass chili. I think the management has changed. I haven't seen the previous owner, Kathy, in a while. The new waiter we got was great though.
(4)Jess N.
I ordered the lunch portion grilled pork and (fried) egg roll over vermicelli noodles. My Vietnamese coworker talked the server into serving a little less pork and adding an additional egg roll (as well as a third egg role for +$2). The egg rolls are fried differently than a typical egg roll at a Chinese takeout restaurant. They've got a thick/flakey outer layer and are almost a bit too fried, but still tasty. I stopped myself at 2 egg rolls (I struggled to finish the second, given the hearty size of the dish itself). Overall, the dish tasted just average... will probably try their pho on the next go around. Service was not great.. restaurant had a fair amount of lunch traffic and it was difficult to get the wait staff's attention.
(3)Laura K.
Best. Egg. Rolls. I. Have. Ever. Had. Seriously, my boyfriend and I ordered the Cha Gio appetizer, which came with two, and loved them so much that we order a second round with our entrée. I am already planning on picking up some Pho from here for my lunch today.
(5)Krisse J.
I'm no pho expert, but for my standards, this place was good. My husband and I have tried several places, and, so far, this place serves pho with meat that isn't full of fat. The service was also great. The fried spring rolls were awesome. My only complaint would be the lemonade. Most pho places make a delicious, homemade limeade that apparently Saigon Cafe does not compete with. Overall, this is a place to try at least once, and make your own decision.
(4)Joshua D.
Probably the worst orange chicken I've ever had. It tasted more like sesame chicken and had a TON of sesame seeds dumped in the sauce. There was a very distant hint of orange that I think must've been put in with some kind of flavoring because there were no orange peels present in the dish to indicate it was in any way authentic. The batter was too thick, and there was ZERO spice to the dish at all. I've never been anywhere that didn't use at least one cayenne pepper in orange chicken. The rice was OK, very standard. Probably the best part of the meal was the vegetarian roll appetizer, but it's a good thing I'm not a vegetarian because it ended up having veggies but also random meats in it! One of them had chicken and another had beef hidden in between the vegetables. Weird. The service was very friendly and attentive, but just doesn't seem like this place has much to offer. Might go back and try the pho sometimes, as that seems to be the specialty. Definitely don't try anything else.
(2)SM R.
I have been going to Saigon Cafe for over 6 years now. Finally decided to post a review. It's my go to restaurant for comfort food. I love the food, it's consistently excellent. My husband also likes it. Over the past several months, it has revamped its look, with new chairs, new decor, new table utensils. This takes it up a notch. I am vegetarian and I love the fact that they make the pho noodle soup for me in water, instead of chicken or beef broth. The only negative I can think of is it's in a strip mall where people drive like maniacs, but you can't blame the restaurant for that.
(4)Meg S.
New owner and the food isn't as good as before and the staff isn't as friendly. They were changing the decor while we were there, so I didn't feel it was as clean as I would prefer. Disappointing. I will change Saigon Cafe as my go-to Vietnamese place to Phorever in Sterling.
(2)Sean P.
I've been here three times, will be back again. Saigon Cafe offers a small variety of traditional pho, but make up for it with a fairly extensive list of Vietnamese soups. As far as pho goes it's hard to go wrong. It's served piping hot and with good flavor that's not overbearing. I can't speak towards their standard dishes (as my rating is biased towards their pho), though my cohorts always seem to be satisfied with their choices. They serve a fairly good Thai iced tea, too. Always a bonus in my book. The only downside is service isn't the most attentive. Refills sometimes take a lil' on the long side, and on two of the three trips we had to hunt down our server for the our bill. That said, it's a small restaurant and they tend to get overwhelmed when business picks up, so I can forgive them on that. Service may be lacking, but the food has always been excellent.
(3)Jane O.
My mom and I have been coming here for a few years now and we've never left disappointed. My mom brought a friend of our to try this place out last week and he left very satisfied as well. We started off with the fried spring rolls..mmm...my favorite!! For the entrees we ordered grilled beef with steamed rice, ginger chicken and chicken pho. Everything was so flavorful!! The grilled beef was simple beef slices on a bed of steamed white rice with their side of lettuce, tomato and cucumber mix. The ginger chicken was also very good. It had onions and came in a ginger sauce. Our server was very nice I wish I could have remembered his name. I definitely will come back to this place!!
(4)Shane B.
I got the Lunch special of pho ga and it was great. Came out piping hot and the veggies were fresh. The do give a lemon other than a lime which is fine with me. Kinda slow on the refills but it was ok. But that is why they only got 4 stars vs 5. Spring roll was fresh as well and would come back for sure.
(4)Lillian K.
Love Vietnamese and Chinese menu. Been going there for 10 years and sometimes food does take longer but overall can't complain.
(4)Sandy M.
I have been going to Saigon for at least 14 years now. They have changed ownership in the past few years. Quality of food hasn't changed, taste is still the same. I totally agree with Laura K that the egg rolls are the absolutely best egg rolls ever !!! I love Asian foods and considers myself as a foodie appreciating not just Asian but all worldly cuisines. Everyone that I take to Saigon including my family (4) boys just can't get enough of those crispy egg rolls. The rice paper wrapper is so much tastier then traditional egg roll wrapper. The filling is just heavenly. Wrap the sections of rolls in lettuce and shredded daikons and carrots with a dip in the fish sauce... I assure you. You will be sold. As for entrees, we typically get grilled pork with rice, Vietnamese fried rice is also really good, crispy noodles topped with chicken and vegetables is real delicious ! I always order pho with everything,I don't think they have the best pho ( go to pho royal ) but it's not bad. Service is fast, and food comes our pretty quick too.
(3)Van T.
This is where I go for Banh Hoi Chao Tom (shrimp paste on sugarcane with fine rice vermicelli) outside of Eden Center. Their banh hoi is just how I like it - steamed well, delicately thin yet perfectly held together, not too thick or thinly layered, and the oil/green onion mixture that is brushed on top is not overpowering but still present. The shrimp paste is seasoned well and is yummy with the peanut sauce instead of the fish sauce! I also love the fact that when I ask for rice paper (to wrap everything in...which is the best way to eat this dish), they give you a hot bowl of water to do it yourself. It can get complicated and wasteful when they soak the rice paper for you, since they tend to stick together and get too gummy after some time. The only other thing I've gotten are the egg rolls which are better than average.
(4)Kelly H.
It was the first time that I received decent service at a Vietnamese restaurant. They have lots of items on the menu, and they offer lots of vegetarian options. I ordered a pho and fresh vegetarian spring roll. The spring rolls were made fresh with still warm wrap and filled with fresh veggies. Peanut sauce came with it, and it went well with the spring roll. Pho came, and the broth was clear (with very little fat floating around) with lots of lean meat. I am so used to Pho 75, so it did taste a bit different that what I expected - but still very very tasty!! The portion was very big - big enough for a big guy. And, I didn't get to finish. This place is very clean, the sauces all come in labeled bottles (not like the mystery bottles you don't know where they came from), and the service is excellent. Definitely check this place out when you are in the area and craving good vietnamese food.
(4)Sakita D.
My favorite pho spot! I always get a small pho ga (chicken noodle) and its the perfect size!
(5)Michelle D.
I have never written a review before but had to it was so bad. The resturant was very dirty. All the food we ordered needed spices/ seasoning. Our chicken was microwaved, the rice was under cooked and no soy sauce was added to fried rice. But the hostess was nice.
(1)Judy R.
My husband and here tonight with some friends who raved about it. I have to say, I'm not impressed. We ordered the fried spring rolls to start, which were good, but greasy. I had the grilled pork over noodles. The pork was overcooked and chewy but had decent flavor and the vegetables on the side were fresh and had good flavor as well. The noodles were bland with no sauce so I poured the thin dipping sauce over and that made it a bit better. About half way thru my meal, my husband grabbed a pile of my noodles and pork to taste and pulled up a hair with it. Needless to say, I didn't eat the rest. While the rest of my group was finishing their meals, I was looking around, taking in my surroundings. The decor is cliche and outdated and the ceiling tiles are billowing with filth. The waiter finally came back to check on us and when I pointed out my hairy meal, he shrugged in defeat and said "really?". He offered me a new meal, so I had them pack it to go. I won't be back, that's for sure.
(1)Tino D.
I was was going to write this review after my first meal here. However, the food was so great I wanted to eat here a second time, just to make sure my first experience wasn't an anomaly. I'm happy to report that it was no accident -- The food is very good and the service even better. Their menu comprises a bevy of authentic vietnamese dishes which are not typically found in your generic vietnamese restaurant. If you come here, I would advise you stay away from the typical pho and vermicelli options and try something new! And definitely do not order a Chinese style dish (e.g 'orange chicken') while in a vietnamese restaurant. You wouldn't go to a steak house and order fish would you? We had the: a) Chan Chua, a sour and spicy soup; b) Bánh xèo, a vietnamese crispy crepe with shrimp and pork; c) Bún bò Hu, a spicy beef noodle soup; d) Thit Kho, a caramelized peppered pork dish; and of course e) spring roll. The Chan Chua was excellent. Plenty of shrimp, pineapple and my favourite Okra. The Banh xeo, was good but in my opinion could have used more meat. The Bun bo hue had delicious broth and noodles, but to make it truly authentic I would recommend the chef serve a bit more variety of meat in the soup. The Thit Kho was by far my favourite. This isn't technically on the menu because it's listed as a fish dish, but we spoke to the waiter and he made a special order for us. The spring roll is very authentic because they use rice paper, not the egg paper that you're probably used to seeing. The service here is excellent. If you're not familiar with the dishes on the menu, I would recommend you ask them for their recommendation. They were more than happy to let us make orders with slight modifications - i.e, pork in lieu of fish.
(4)Kim H.
Clean, nice service, good selection of food. Unfortunately, my dish didn't hit the mark. I ordered the Spare Ribs and Rice and the ribs were very bland. I wanted to douse them in soy sauce. The fried spring rolls were excellent. I won't give up on Saigon Cafe, I'll be back to try some other dishes.
(3)Michelle H.
My trip here started with my cold that my coworker gave me. I desperately needed pho today and it came to my rescue!! I was debating with a few other pho places around but stuck with this cause it was closer to where I was. It's in a shopping center and during the day it's hard to see the "open" and "pho" light signs they have. Nevertheless I found it!! Decor is just like your average Asian place. But good thing it wasn't too nice, cause I looked like crap today. The host put me at a table right infront of a tv so that got my attention til my pho arrived. I originally wanted to get the spring rolls and pho but my nice waitress showed me to the back of the menu where it had lunch specials of a bowl of pho and 1 egg roll or summer roll. I wish I tried bun bo hue but I opted for my typical pho ga. It was just alright. Nothing to fancy. Honestly, it lacked flavor. I had to add siracha and hoisin religiously to give it some flavor. The chicken was clean, but their peanut sauce could use some work. The egg roll was yummy! But very Greasy!! I still wanted more of it though :)) Overall.. Just alright.. If I came back it would be because it's open until 10 on weekdays unlike most places.
(3)Alison S.
Try their veggie pho. One of the only places that is actually generous with the veggies. Pho broth is mild. My husband orders veggie pho with chicken on the side just so he can get more veggies than the typical pho.
(4)Bryce W.
Vietnamese food not good here. We ordered several different dishes and they were all not so good. I will not be coming back. Service was ok...
(1)Chris D.
Ever have a meal that just made you angry you wasted your time? I should have figured we were in trouble when the first place we went to was permanently closed and the second place had no power. I don't generally slide down to a third option, but I was really craving some pho so I let it happen. I regret it now. 10 minutes and one reminder to get a soda. 15 minutes and one reminder to get our summer rolls. 25 minutes to get our overcooked and relatively flavorless meals. The beef was tough, the noodles were mushy and the basil had clearly been a nice dinner for some sort of bugs before we got it. Hell, even the Sriracha was brown and the consistency of tomato soup. I don't like to give one star to places that don't poison me, but if I dock a star for the crap service and crap food that's where we end up. Considering it was probably the worst bowl of pho I've had, I think I'm okay with that. When's the last time you got a fortune cookie with your pho?
(1)Bruce F.
Not sure what happened, but somehow they got rid of the lunch specials. I stopped by Monday for lunch and was surprised that lunch specials are no more, so I ordered a bowl of pho with meatballs for 8.75, it came in this big bowl, lots of broth but not enough noodles or meatballs. By comparison, when I went the nearby Pho Royal and ordered the pho(with meatballs), it was $7.75 for the "small" but it had much more noodles and meatballs.
(2)Bernadette S.
Tucked away in a shopping plaza near the Dulles Town Center Mall. This has been a favorite for almost 10 years and they are always consistent with their food and service. Fried and Fresh spring rolls, wonton soup, any beef noodle soup, squid with spiced salt, lemon grass tofu, vermicelli bowls are all our favorites. Everytime we go, it is always on point. if you have room for dessert, try their fried ice cream. They do a nice presentation where they set it on fire. its good enough to feed about 4 people. If you are not a fan of alcohol, then ask for it to be plain without the fire show.
(4)Nicole H.
Went once and wouldn't bother going back. The garden rolls were rubbery and the peanut sauce didn't seem fresh. Vegetable soup was OK but not outstanding. Plus I got a full on lecture from the owner saying there is no such thing as vegetarian pho because pho means meat I guess. Well all I wanted was a bowl of soup so finally I asked for that and got it but placing an order shouldn't be an argument. Lots of other places that are better and I will drive past this one to get to the better food and service. Xuan Saigon in leesburg is my favorite heading west. Heading east there are lots of options in herndon.
(2)Dani T.
This place deserves negative stars! Very dirty!! and Poor Business! My take out order was missing and when I came back to pick up the missing items - they made me pay for it again!! Are you crazy?!! I'm ashamed to have introduced this place to my coworkers! Each one of them had horrible experience!! Watch out for the cockroaches crawling up your legs!!
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