Saigon Gourmet

Great satay phở. Friendly staff. They do not take American Express! I would eat here again and again.

I’ve been here a few times over the last 4 years.
I got the rare beef and rare beef brisket phở today it was lovely. I often get the rice vermicelli with the chicken /​beef and spring rolls (H) and it’s really nice too.
I went a bit early for the dinner crowd, but no one else came in so I’m worried they’re losing business due to the economy.
The thing that really needs work here is the ambiance. The décor is left over from the steak house that was here many years ago. I’d guess it was there sometime in the 90’s. They have a flat screen TV which is turned to a random channel. Today it was on CBC — The National, which wasn’t horrible for me eating alone. I can’t imagine people going for a dining experience wanting to have some random channel on. A little music might be nice and not that costly I imagine as they have a sound system which they used to use.
I just go there once in awhile for a bite to eat and the ambiance isn’t as important.

I have traveled all over Calgary in search of the best Satay Beef Noodle Soup. This is by far, the best I have found. The broth is rich and delicious. We were talking with our server and she says sometimes people come in and just order the broth!
It’s clean, and the service is excellent. Kind of in a weird location, but well worth the trip.

Very nice service. Food was good. Not the best I have had but for a little place in Lynwood it has my vote.

Recently this place changed ownership and we were worried it wouldn’t be as good as before. Fear not! It’s still fantastic! This place is a hidden gem.

this place is great! The spicy noodles and regular phở taste good!

So, we recently moved close by, and one of the first things we worried about was that there wouldn’t be a good Vietnamese place nearby. After trying Saigon Gourmet, our fears have definitely been laid to rest.
First thing we noticed is that everything is completely spotless. The décor was very unique — think wood panelling with oddly shaped mirrors peeping out here and there — but I liked it. I don’t really understand how or why, but I did.
The service was excellent. We were greeted right away with a smile, green tea (loose leaf) and water arrived immediately without us even having to ask, which is a major plus in my book, and the waitress checked up on us once or twice to make sure everything was good and refill water.
We’ve both eaten at quite a few Vietnamese places throughout the city, and we confidently agreed that Saigon Gourmet was right up there with the best. I had prawns, lemongrass chicken and beef on vermicelli, and my fiancé had rare beef and brisket phở, which is his go-​to. I usually don’t get prawns because I don’t like fiddling around with the tails, but to my surprise and everlasting delight, they arrived at the table cleaned, de-​tailed and flayed open. So. Good. The lemongrass chicken and beef were good too, they had a good kick of real lemongrass taste.
The phở got big points — hot, properly done broth with that rich, meaty taste, lots of rare beef and brisket, and they offer it in two sizes. If I could give any criticism, it would be that the lemongrass beef was tougher than I expected, though not so much so that it prevented me from scarfing down two salad rolls full of it (they have shrimp, beef and chicken as options). That’s another thing, they give you four salad rolls instead of the typical three, and who doesn’t like an extra salad roll?
The prices were in keeping with most Vietnamese places, around the $ 8 – 12 range and well worth it. I expect we’ll quickly become regulars.

In our quest to find a new Vietnamese restaurant near our new home in Lynnwood my girlfriend and I went to Saigon Gourmet last night.
The first thing I noticed, unlike most Vietnamese restaurants, this place was really clean. The tables and condiments weren’t sticky at all. The second thing I noticed was the service, the girls working the front were quick and excellent, and they visit your table to ensure the food is good as well as to remove dishes you’re finished with while you’re still eating or chatting with your company, just as you’d expect from a western restaurant. The third thing I noticed is that the place has a really dated look and kind of looks like you’re inside a sauna because of the all the wood on the walls, the photos of the dishes on each of the tables was a bit tacky but I imagine it helps for newcomers.
The pork spring rolls were unique to any other vietnamese restaurant I’ve tried in town and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I liked them but they definitely weren’t my favourite.
The beef satay soup was good, the broth had a little bit of a powdery texture to it though. I liked that they have hot oil at the table to increase the spiciness of your dishes to taste as I tend to like mine a little more spicy than most.
My girlfriend had the vegetables with crispy rice and she was a little disappointed, the sauce that came with the vegetables and in the dish in general was bland, unfortunately this seems to be a recurring theme in a lot of asian vegetarian dishes. She has high hopes in some of the other many (which is not typical of Viet restaurants) vegetarian options on the menu.
All in all it looks like a promising restaurant. We were blown away by the service and cleanliness of the place and look forward to trying more dishes in the future
Edit:
Went back again a couple times since this review. Had their Satay Vermicelli and it was very good. I have to also highly recommend the Spring in Rolls (or something like that), spring rolls wrapped in salad rolls, they are quite good.

The location of this restaurant leaves a lot to be desired, but the same can’t be said for the food.
If you’re willing to make the trip to this obscure, little plaza in Lynnwood, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve had lunch and supper here on numerous occasions and I’m always impressed with the food and service. The servers are friendly and really get to know their regulars – even going so far as to remember what you ordered last time! We’ve had fantastic spring rolls, phở bowls, and vermicelli dishes here.
The décor definitely needs some updating, but the food more than makes up for it. Lunch seems to be their busy time, but seating is never a problem. Give this place a try if you’re ever in the area.

This little Vietnamese place offers good food a good prices. It seems to be family run and the service is friendly and fast. Food is always fresh and they are quick to offer good suggestions if you are looking to try something new.
Their soup is really tasty and the portions are big! Noodle bowls are also good as are most of their appetizers.
The décor is dated and a bit hokey but it works for them and the place is clean. It’s too bad this place is a little off the beaten path-​I think its a lot better than some of its competition in well established plazas nearby.