Saigon Pho

My stomach was making gurgling noises in the library while I was studying, so I decided to swing by this place and give myself an incentive for busting butt throughout the third week of school! I stumbled upon this place after reading a few Unilocal reviews and drove my h-​angry bum to Saigon Phở!
Location:
It’s right along Elmira Rd. next to the gigantic hill with a lot of gravestones. Parking should be a piece of cake in their small private lot.
Ambiance:
I don’t think I’ve stumbled upon a Vietnamese restaurant in the Solano County that’s genuinely clean. I would have to say Saigon Phở takes the win for cleanest Vietnamese restaurant within the Vacaville-​Fairfield area. I give them mad props for cleanliness. The ambiance is very casual and perfect for the cold weather if you want soup or maybe some tapioca drinks in the warmer time of the year.
Food:
The food is pretty good; well, at least the ones I’ve tried so far! I thought it was rad that they serve Banh Mi since there isn’t a lot of Vietnamese places that serve the infamous Vietnamese sandwich. How does it taste though? Don’t ask me because I didn’t try their version yet. On the other hand, your girl ordered a bowl of pork vermicelli and gyoza with some water. It was reasonably priced and the quality of food compensated for that. I love the crispy gyoza with the sauce on the side. It wasn’t oily but perfectly fried! The pork vermicelli on the other hand also blessed my taste buds with a spicy kick of vinegar sauce and fresh noodles and vegetables. I cant complain about the quality!
Customer Service:
It was a bummer I didn’t catch my waitress’s name. She was a real sweetheart from the time I was welcomed to the time I bid my farewells. My only criticism is to pick up the menu from the table right after I finished ordering so that way I don’t look awkward eating a whole bunch of food with a stinking menu taking up space for me to snap pictures.
Overall:
I like this place. From the warm service to the great vibes from the food to the customers! Just remember you have a minimum of $ 10 if you plan on paying by credit or debit card! Oh yeah, for all my American Express homies, sorry, they don’t accept that brand.

Sorry… phở was only OK and service was awful. I had the meatball phở and the meat was tough and more like sausage. While we were seated and it seemed like a full-​service place, it really wasn’t. There were traditional phở sides and the broth was good, thus the 2 stars.

I started to work nearby of this location when I drove passed it. The service is excellent. Very quick. The environment is very clean. There isn’t a downfall to this place unless you want to eat good food. The price is a little pricy pending on all the other phở places I’ve ate. Just expect excellent service and a clean place and you will never be disappointed.

Very sweet people, but the food was rather bland and somewhat colorless. It was fine because it was very inexpensive, but not worth 4 stars.

I just had a healing experience. I was feeling a little toxic after having a little too much fun with friends last night and I was looking for some phở. After a little Unilocal research I found this spot. I’ve tried others in the past that didn’t quite succeed, but Saigon Phở was everything I wanted. I brought the family. The Phở Tai & Bahn mi were outstanding. Killer broth, killer bread, and full of fresh crunchy veg.
Regarding service, well, let’s just say that I was not there for the service, I was there for phở. And when you need a phở fix, you don’t really care about anything else. It appears to be a family business, and it was packed. People were waiting for tables and the staff was movin’ & groovin’. But everyone got water, menus, etc. there wasn’t a lot of small talk, but my food was delicious.
The atmosphere is strip mall, basic dining room, paper napkins, casual. But everything was very clean. I saw a take out menu on the counter & grabbed it. I foresee myself becoming a regular customer.
P. S. The prices were very reasonable. Like $ 6 a person average.

2.5 star review on ¹⁄₁₆
I wish I could give this place a higher rating but there was a lot of things I had to deduct from…
Cleanliness: Very much a hole in the wall phở restaurant. It was rainy today so the floor was wet — extremely wet. The whole entire place (bathroom included) was soaked and difficult to walk in; it was kind of funny to see the employees slip and slid while walking to and from the kitchen to the lobby.
Phở: I could tell the broth was about a day old judging from the dark color and the saltiness. When it came out it smelled like a cake with all of the star anise they put in it. More broth than noodles/​meat but it was definitely filling. Price was cheap (6.50 for a regular phở dac biet)
Bun: I’m used to having loads of different veggies like mint and basil but I guess they don’t do that here. Skimped out on the pickled carrots. The grilled pork was nothing special. The shrimp however was really good; it was fried, not grilled like most restaurants and the glaciers were perfect. It took a reaaaaally long time for it to come out though :(
Thai tea with pearls: waaaaay too sweet. I asked for more ice so that it could melt out. Pearls were hard and not soft and chewy; understandable considering it was an hour before closing. Huge plus for them making the tea themselves though!
Overall: you could probably find a better place but for the price (our bill for 2 reg phở, bun with pork and shrimp, Thai tea = $ 26) it’s pretty cheap.
(If I’m overly critical it’s because I eat good phở in SJ or Oakland lol I’m not an asshole)

Amazing phở! Large portions with tons of noodles and intense broth flavor! Loved it!

We were road tripping on a a cold day and I was craving something warm to heat me up. Found Saigon Phở on Unilocal and hussled over at lunch time. The restaurant was crowded when we walked in, but my fiancé and I were able to find a table pretty quickly.
While they have a fairly large menu (with vermicelli bowls, rice dishes and bahn mi), we went straight for the phở and an order of steamed dumplings. The dumplings were great, but sneaky (one fell out of my chopsticks into the dipping sauce).
The regular sized phở was more than enough. I only saw one person attempting the large, and I highly doubt he was able to get through it all… I really enjoyed the broth and didn’t add any of the sauces. Somehow we managed to scarf down both of our bowls and were thoroughly satiated.
Our meal came to less than $ 20 and was served very quickly. Definitely a great find.

My honest opinion about this place… I was at the Vacaville outlets and felt hungry. It was raining and cold so I decided to eat some phở. I saw it had great reviews but late did I know it this is not the standard of the better Vietnamese resturants I’ve been too. Portions are way below average. Customer service was mediocre. I don’t give such a low rating for phở but this place did not fill me up. Excited at 1^st but left totally disappointed… will I come here again. Probably not.

I’m from Sacramento and frequent the Vietnamese area by 65^th. I guess I’m used to the best, because the spring rolls and phở I got here were barely edible. I got grilled pork spring rolls, and seemed like they grill their pork in the freezer, because it was cold as fuk when I ate it. The scary thing is, this place is the best rated in Vacaville??? I guess that means the rest are worse??? I just moved here, and Vietnamese is my favorite, so this is super depressing.

This place is awesome! I went there with my daughter. She is a very picky eater (14yrs old lol) She is now in love with this place and is asking to go everyday! The service was fast and the food most delicious! This spot is a true gem!

Oh my gosh, how have I driven by this place every day for a half a year not stopped in until now? This was one of the best dinners I’ve had so far, since moving to Vacaville.
The hubs, Wee One and I came into Saigon Phở for dinner tonight, and I am delighted to say, dear Unilocalers, that our experience was fantastic. Our service was fast and friendly, and our GIANT, HUGE, ENORMOUS bowls of phở soup were amaze-​ballz!!!
We ordered a batch of egg rolls, I had chicken phở, the Wee One had shrimp phở, and the hubs had steak and meatball phở. The hubs and I had large bowls, and my kid had a small bowl. When our soup arrived I was shocked at the size of the bowls. The small bowl placed in from of my kid was huge, and the hubs and my bowls were enormous!
Everything was delicious. The egg rolls were crispy and fresh, and served with a fish sauce based dip. They served a platter of bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, sliced jalapeños, and lemon wedges with the phở. Our soups were amazing without enhancements, but I was craving something spicy so I added the jalapeño slices and cilantro to my bowl. It was SO. GOOD!!!
If you are a fan of phở I can definitely recommend Saigon Phở. I will be returning soon, and often!

Service is fast and attentive. Food is great. I always order #31 on their Phở menu. Their Bun is pretty tasty too. They also serve Vietnamese Coffee, Thai tea and other Boba drinks. Love this place!

The combo phở was not that good, barely any meat for a large bowl.
However fast service and reasonable price.

«Okay, who’s the jerk that came to this party & gave me the Ho Chi Minh Sh*ts… Menu item, V13 — Bun bo hue.» (I’ve got my eye on you, bastard!)
Bun Bo Hue ($ 7.95) —
It was a brisk, chilly day… A stark contrast to the weather just a couple of months ago with the sweltering temperatures. I was in the mood for soup and have been meaning to try Saigon Phở’s bun bo hue… (Insert buzzer sound) WRONG ANSWER!
*Sigh
I should’ve stuck with the phở or banh mi. The bun bo hue had good flavor but there was something in the soup that must’ve been bad, the proof is in the «pot.» (‘Not to mention the splatter art along the rim.) Bun bo hue — FAIL.
I also had an order of spring rolls ($ 3.50), which could also possibly be the culprit of my aftermath but my money’s on the former, «BOOM bo hue.» I like to use the term I came up with a couple of years ago, «Crap’nel.» (i.e. — Explosive diarrhea and/​or listening to someone that’s full o’ shit yammer on.) The spring rolls are atypical that you can find at most Vietnamese restaurants, 2 shrimps per roll, cut in half to look as if you have four whole pieces… They were okay.
Spring rolls (Photo) —
Café Sua Da ($ 3.50) — Premade… ‘Since when AND more importantly, why? (Sigh) One of the things that separated Saigon Phở from the rest of the McCafé Sua Da crowd was the authentic way it is prepared and made. If you’re going to do it, do it right and not take short cuts otherwise you’re just like everyone else… ‘Disappointing. FAIL.
Photo —
Two of my biggest peeves, lazy @ss, pre-​made Vietnamese Ice Coffee and diarrhea! (I’m only joking, I’m used to the latter, I frequent a lot of Asian restaurants… ‘And Indian.)
Thuy was off that day but Danny was great as usual. Of the number of times that I’ve been here, I have never had bad customer service. Now, the food on the other hand after this last visit… «See, we shall.» (Add Yoda impression here)
— Big Aloha!
Food: 1 («Crap’nel» — Fire in the hole… ‘Accompanied w/​debris.)
Ambiance: 3
Service: 4 (I’ve never had a bad experience w/​the service.)
Value: 1 (See «Food» rating above)

Saigon Phở was ok. The portion size was on the small side. I had a vermicelli bowl, and was a bit underwhelmed. Not a ton of veggies. Fair amount of pork, which was pretty good. The shrimp wasn’t bad, and the egg roll was pretty tasty.
My wife thought her phở was just OK.
The prices are very good at least. Very affordable restaurant.

Fast service like most phở places. Really friendly, family run business. The servings are generous– in fact, I believe the «regular» size bowl they use would be a «large» at most other places. They have boba here which is awesome. I haven’t tried the sandwiches yet– that’s next :)

I’m visiting Vacaville from Anaheim, and was craving some pork egg rolls. I had gone next door to Shanghai Express, but they only had veggie egg rolls in stock. :(
I went into Saigon Phở and they had pork egg rolls! I got 4 egg rolls for $ 5, and a large bowl of beef phở and a large bowl of chicken phở for my cousin. Everything came to $ 20, which is pretty average. I got everything to go, and they made sure everything was sealed tightly for the trip home, so none of the broth escaped the containers!
The reason I came: The egg rolls were nice and crispy and had a great flavor. There seemed to be a fairly strong mushroom flavor, which was fine for me, but I normally wouldn’t think there would be mushroom in a pork egg roll. They came with a portion of what seemed to be a fish or shrimp sauce which I tasted, but did not like.
Since I got my phở to go, they put the broth in styrofoam containers, the noodles were in the paper takeout containers, and there were the sprouts, leaves, and sauce in small plastic containers. The sauce is a mixture of plum sauce and Sriracha, so beware if you shy from hot sauce.
The chicken was precooked, but the beef was raw (as it traditionally is). I suggest you put the beef by itself into the broth for a few minutes to let it cook, otherwise if you add all the components at once, the noodles tend to take too much heat from the broth and the beef won’t properly cook. If you dine in at the restaurant, I assume they add everything together for you, so no need to worry in that case.
There were a couple flies I saw inside, but the tables and most of the interior seemed pretty clean, so it didn’t bother me. Maybe they were a couple rogues that snuck in: P
All in all, a pleasant experience and I would probably come here again if I lived in the area :)

3.5
Scanned Unilocal for phở joints in the Vacaville area. what did I see? 4 stars? I need comfort food asap after 2 days camping. If a Vietnamese place has 4 stars it’s a must try in my book. My love affair with Banh Xeo (Vietnamese sizzling crêpe) is due for a mouth to mouth action packed slurpy sultry rendezvous. Please God let them have it.(looking at the menu)…ah snap, they don’t have it! Crapsicles! Guess I will settle for the phở with rare beef with tendon.
It wasn’t bad. but it wasn’t great. I like this little small, pretty slow Viet joint in my lil town that serves Phở that with each eye-​rolled-​back sip delivers a taste with strong evidence of clove, cinnamon, star anise, onion & beef bone with tastingly hours upon midnight hours that aimed for slow, deep, yummy, satisfying gulps of brown soup & tender noodle perfection. It’s all in the broth, my fellow Unilocalers. For me, a great tasting phở needs to taste great even when butt naked & free of the additions of sriracha, lime, basil, hoisin or whatever that dark sauce is. I’ve said this in other phở restaurant reviews, it has to be good all by itself or else it ain’t good to me. I don’t feel like cooking when I get to a restaurant, I wanna taste a good dish made by them, not by me. In other words, i ain’t seasoning anything. That’s what I go to restaurants for. To speak on their behalf, it was salt /​seasoning tasty. Yes, it was tasty & yes the kids did like it. But, I doubt it was slow cooked & boiled for hours. I don’t claim to be a phở pro, although I been eating this stuff since I had that Vietnamese boyfriend in High school that took me to eat phở often in the ghetto boulevard where the section of town is called «Little Saigon» & hookers prowled. I’m not a spring chicken anymore, so I have been eating this stuff for many sunrises.
It just wasn’t as I expected for a 4 star joint.
Hubby & kids did like it however, Hubby had the #13.
Service was good & quick even though the dude left my onion, & greenery in my soup, which kinda irked me & I asked him to leave it out. I had to spoon it all out annoyingly, but that’s okay.
I wouldn’t go back simply cuz they had no Bahn Xeo or a herby slow tasting phở to my liking. But, I would go back if the Fam wanted to. But I won’t get phở there.

Best phở, hands down, in Vacaville. Unless you’re in the Bay or in Sacramento, there are not that many options in between. I like this place for its phở, but the other place in Vacaville for their spring rolls.
Parking lot is sort of cramped, but free and accessible.
$ 0.05 charge on credit/​debit cards for any amount under $ 10.
My usual is the beef balls phở (I don’t like the other stuff except tendons). They give you a good amount of meat! The soup is pretty good too. They serve the food relatively fast. The customer service is good too, they’re very nice. Bun bo hue is decent too! That’s my friend’s usual with the phở noodles instead of the round ones.