Saigon Citi

The portion size has changed at Saigon Citi… the phở which used to be generous in its meat and vegetables is now reduced to a bit less then medium. Noodles were indeed oily. In addition, watch out for the carryout .50 cent charge for the soup container… what used to cost $ 5.95 now is $ 6.50 for a small phở plus this .50 cents if you don’t eat in.
I am changing restaurants.

Reasons why I wasn’t impressed with this place:
1. I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands and I saw one of the cooks taking a HUGE dump. I mean when nature calls. nature calls but I just felt uncomfortable after experiencing this.
2. The regular sized phở bowl is a baby sized bowl compared to most other phở restaurants.
3. Noodles were hard and broth was oily.
4. Chicken wings had some none wing parts in it (and the flavor was MEH).
5. Chopsticks seemed dirty and cracked. I could just imagine all of the previous users slurping away and sucking on their chopsticks (a Viet thing to do) and it grossed me out.
6. Phở broth was flavorless. All I could taste was cilantro but no cinnamon or star anise. Lame-​o.
7. I totally felt like I needed to go get a decent bowl of Phở the next day to satisfy (see my review of Phở Sate) which breaks my self imposed phở once a week limitation.
I have been to the Saigon Citi location for non-​phở items and it was pretty good. That is why I am giving this place two stars instead of one.

Delicious! I personally prefer the non-​phở items on their menu, but everything has been very tasty (I love phở, it’s just better at other places). Spicy Hue style and beef stew with egg noodles are probably my favorites here.
I completely agree with the reviewer that said come for the food and ignore everything else. Look, if you want to have attentive, friendly, English-​fluent servers waiting tableside, go somewhere else with much higher prices and worse food that has most likely been Americanized (heavily salted, covered in cheese, battered, and/​or deep-​fried in portions that can feed a small village).

I love phở. A Lot! Since i was running errands nearby, i thought I’d pop in here and try their beef phở. I had been here before over a year and a half ago for their veggie phở and enjoyed it. Prices seems to have gone up. A small bowl was over $ 6, but the portion was generous. The beef phở broth was a bit oily, the noodles were clumpy, and the meat was just ok.
Service is a bit subpar, but I was expecting it to be that way.

Place is a total dive, service sub-​par but oh… the food.
Vermicelli is to die for.
Go for the food and ignore everything else. You won’t be disappointed.

I visited here in Oct 2009 on a Sunday night. Stellar phở, nonexistent ambiance.
The phở really is great. I got phở with everything except the tripe, and it was delicious. The meat was tender. The large bowl was way too much. I’ll get the ‘small bowl’ next time, which is about a quart of broth. We also had some beer, which was ok.
Even though the restaurant is a tile-​floor big room with cheap tables and neon lights, the phở quality more than makes up for it. I’d definitely go again when I’m craving phở.

After staring at the re-​purposed Pizza Hut for so long and going «I really should check that place out», I recently added Saigon Citi to my list of local spots to grab some dinner when I’m too lazy or tired to cook based on the positive reviews here on Unilocal.
FOOD
I haven’t come close to making a dent in their menu, but in a couple of trips I’ve already found a few things that I know I’m going to be back here over and over to get.
Rice Vermicelli noodles with pork and crispy rolls — This is one of my absolutely favorite dishes and I was not disappointed. Generous portion of pork with a nice sweet sauce, a few slices of crispy spring rolls, and heaping pile of noodles with shredded lettuce, sprouts, basil leaves, and sauce/​broth. Hands down this is enough for me to have twice.
Crispy Shrimp rolls — Not really a spring roll, as they are actually huge fried triangles, but the filling is similar to that I’ve had in shrimp purses which I love, so I’m totally into these.
Phở Ga — Rich broth, tender slices of chicken, plenty of fresh aromatics. The «regular» size is about a quart of broth, which is perfect for me if I’m starving and plenty for 2 smaller bowls if I want to have it and some rolls and have some leftovers for another meal the next day.
Summer rolls — The only disappointment so far that I’ve found. I love summer rolls (fresh spring rolls) but these had way too much basil leaf in them and it was simply over powering the shrimp and other ingredients.
DECOR and SERVICE
Décor? Let’s face it, there is no décor. Just a bunch of tables and chairs filling a huge empty space. That’s OK for me though — I always get carry out.
You would think with carry out order I’d have little to say about service at a place, but I’m always really impressed here. The folks have been really nice and my to-​go order is packaged up very well — even the Phở which comes with a container of broth and a large Styrofoam clam shell with the noodles, meat and all the aromatics (including a cute little container of Sriracha). Plus there was everything else you would need to eat your meal — chopsticks, napkins, forks, etc…
Probably 3.5 stars, but food too good and too reasonably priced (2 people can eat here easily for less than $ 30) not to round up. Nice to find a little place close by that I can just dart in and get a good meal quick.

Ate there today. The food was good. I got Chicken Curry and the sauce had a slight tang and I enjoyed it. My compatriots got Phở. I additionally had the crispy roles which were also very good.
The atmosphere is what you would expect in a converted Pizza Hut building. Had a cafeteria feel, but everyone was very pleasant.
My only knock is that they forgot my food and served everyone elses about 15+ minutes before me. They applogized and I accepted, but it should be noted.

The bottom line: Cafeteria-​like atmosphere, great service, tasty phở and spring rolls.
I used to work down the road from Saigon City and it became a frequent lunch outing for me. So much so that I had a couple of «usual» dishes and my usual waitress (a well quaffed friendly Vietnamese lady) started my order as soon as I walked in.
The three things I ordered most were:
The mixed spring roll-​freshly wrapped with veggies, egg, bun (vermicelli) and Vietnamese sausage. They provide a peanut dipping sauce but I preferred hot sauce.
The vegetarian phở (Chay)-a big steaming bowl of delicious broth phở (with usual accoutrements) supplemented with a big plate of fried tofu and quick blanched veggies (broccoli, carrots, bok choy, etc.)
#54 on menu??-A big bowl of cold vermicelli with thin sliced and savory (panfried) pork and crispy spring roll. It also comes with some pickled veggies, bean sprouts, and a fish-​sauce mixture for mixing. This was mmm mmm good.
I have to say that I also like their lemonade (both the salty and regular). If you’re a Vietnamese food fan and happen to be near. Check it out!

This was my first phở experience and I have to say, I wasn’t too impressed. Perhaps I am just not a fan of phở (which I will not discover until trying out many other places), but this just seemed too bland for me.
I started off the meal with an egg roll, which was delicious, but the meat in the phở was nothing to rave about and not something I would order again if I came here. My friend got the pork vermicelli, I believe and really enjoyed it… even though she had to take most of the heaping portion back home with her.
The service was spotty. The waitress seemed very distracted, which made things more difficult when we needed something.
The parking lot had plenty of spaces, but was difficult to drive into and out of, depending on the direction you are headed. Coming from the landmark area, I had to cross 2 lanes of traffic to enter and exit, which is never fun.
Overall, you get what you pay for here. I think I will have to try another place though to truly appreciate the phở.

This is one of my favorite phở places in NoVa. It’s easy to get to, has abundant parking, there is always seating, the staff is attentive, and it’s not expensive. It is very casual — in fact, you have to go up to the counter to pay. But when I’m going out for an inexpensive meal on a haggard weeknight or a lazy weekend, I like to be able to relax. Saigon Citi works on my schedule.
Sadly, we haven’t strayed from the phở here, as it is pretty stellar. But there are many other intriguing dishes on the menu, including vermicelli bowls. The phở isn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it doesn’t disappoint. The bowls are pretty large, and come with the standard heaping plate of bean sprouts, lime wedges, and basil.
We also usually get some type of spring roll, as they have three varieties. The last time we came here we got the mixed roll, which came with some Vietnamese sausage. The rolls were large and very fresh tasting due to the abundance of mint. The peanut sauce that accompanies the rolls adds a nice depth of flavor.
They also have an excellent drink menu, including red bean and rainbow drinks along with salty lemonade (haven’t tried it) and bubble tea. Their taro bubble tea is amazing! It is sort of small and tastes just like a vanilla milkshake, but better. Get one and you won’t want to share.
Overall, a great option if you’re looking for a bite en route to something fun, even if it’s just a visit to Total Wine & More across the street.

I went to the Saigon City off of Little River Turnpike — 2^nd time here. First time did Phở carry out and it was good. They do charge a bit extra for carry out (sturdy containers cost to hold that phở). Ate in the restaurant last weekend. The food is really good. Papaya salad excellent. Marinated porkchops also very good. Not sure about the shrimp cake that came on the plate, or the chopped up spring roll that topped my vermicelli — definitely had better elsewhere.
Overall the food is really good but the ambiance is terrible. The waitstaff is not the friendliest either. And the bathrooms are not clean. The prices are reasonable though, so if you are in the area you might want to check it out — but take out is the better way to go, even with the surcharge.