New Saigon Reviews

I was attracted to this place because outside it advertised a vegetarian Vietnamese menu. Vietnamese cooking at its best has to be one of the world’s most delicious cuisines. Unfortunately this place offers the complete opposite, its food lacks the texture, taste and freshness that are the defining characteristics of Vietnamese cooking. The vegetarian portion of the menu is sparse, and mostly un-Vietnamese; offering instead a motley mixture of generic Chinese and Singaporean dishes. I opted for fried wanton as an appetizer, which the menu described as hot and spicy. Instead they were bland and almost burned. For an entree I tried tofu in lemongrass with rice. Lemongrass is the essence of many Vietnamese dishes, but not here, the sauce was flavourless, lacking any hint of lemongrass, the tofu was just edible, the rice as plain as possible, and all served on a bed of boring iceberg lettuce. This place is popular, which for me is incomprehensible as the food is truly terrible and the service slow and surly.

I will not eat Pho anywhere else in Seattle now! The broth is the most amazing and fresh! The Pho and everything else is freaking amazing! Not a fan of the stairs but worth it!!!

I liked this place so much, I dined here twice during my one week business trip. The soups are awesome, and so are the stir fry noodle options too. Some of the best I've had in many years. Excellent comfort food.

Had a delicious bowl of soup before a show at the Paramount Theatre. Really convenient casual place. Vegetable noodle soup was loaded with assorted veggies and fresh sprouts and basil on the side. I didn't ask if the stock was vegetarian, it may have been chicken based. Filled me up for $8.99 Waiters were nice and non intrusive.

I ate here three times during my week long stay in Seattle, one lunch and two dinners. All three meals were equally delicious and enjoyable. The Pho with rare beef was good. The Bún Xa was delicious, full of flavour, texture and aroma. The cold spring rolls were enormous, almost too big but yummy nevertheless. The service was fine. One chap, who might have been the owner, was a bit curt, but it didn't bother us. The waiters who served us were all polite and smiley. There aren't many reasonably priced oriental/East Asian restaurants in the vicinity, so this is a real gem.

The Pat Thai was terrible. I took a couple of bites, and told the waiter that I didn't want it any more, and didn't want to pay for it. They asked me to choose another dish. By that time, I didn't want to be adventurous any more (I didn't trust the chef), and asked them not to charge for the food that was not acceptable. However, they refused my request, and charged for the food that I didn't eat. If you like Thai food, don't go there. You will be disappointed badly!

Went for lunch. Had wonton noodle soup and stir fried noodles with seafood. The food is excellent and Rey good flavour. Great prices and really good menu selection. Highly recommend for lunch.

Was feeling hungry but didn't want a meal. We ordered the veggie spring rolls and an order of broccoli. Both orders were on the table in minutes. Both were tasty. Place has extensive menu, wished I could have tried more.

My daughter and i went here for lunch. It was cold and we wanted some warm soup. My daughter ordered the vegetarian noodle soup (8.50) and I ordered the chicken curry soup (10.50). There is a lot of soup, more then i should have eaten but it was very good with very good flavor. Total amount for the two soups was $21.30. I would go here again. Service was very fast. You have to walk downstairs to this restaurant. I am not sure there is an elevator. I would eat here again.

Not a very good experience here. The manager (maybe owner) treated us very curtly, nearing rudeness. They forget to take our order for over 20 minutes and when the food finally arrived it was tasteless. Altogether too expensive for Pho that was bland and served without friendliness. I would not recommend it.

Surprised to read some of the bad reviews on this place after we had lunch here. My wife and I both ordered the Pho Saigon - Saigon Special Pho and found it quite authentic and comparable to the Vietnamese places we have eaten. The beef, tripe, tendon and meatball were done well and the soup was hearty. It also came with the usual bean sprouts, basil leaves, lime and jalapeño on the side. The orders came in a timely fashion and service was okay. The fact that it is in the basement should not dissuade you from trying it because we found the place clean and bright.

If you're coming for the veggie pho, this place does it really well. The service is ok, but if you have the mindset that you're solely coming for the food this place won't disappoint (I've only tried the veggie pho)!! Can you tell, I love pho?

Not as many veggie options as I expected, but we enjoyed our pad thai and tofu vermicelli options. The veggie egg rolls were very peppery as though trying to mask something bad. No vegetables in these. Spring rolls looked better.

Saigon Streets had the best tofu banh mi and tofu pho ever had. The sandwich was full of fresh delicious veggies and tofu. Love the cilantro. The bread was perfect with nice crunchy outside and soft inside. The tofu pho was equally excellent. Service was friendly and efficient. Location is inside Uwajimaya Village, and they have parking. Buy a minimum amount and get validated for free parking.

The overall food quality was poor. The rice noodle was not a traditional one; the shrimp meat on a cane's quality was poor; and the beef tendon (in the soup with rice noodle) was really tiny. We are disappointed and won't visit this restaurant again.

3.5 stars out of 5. This restaurant is located below street level (might be an issue for less mobile travellers as I didn't recall seeing an elevator). Service was prompt. Food arrived quickly. In and out with the family within 1/2 hour for lunch. Standard pho's @ $7.95 and rice dishes @ $9.50. Broth was slightly above average, and there are probably better+cheaper places to eat elsewhere, but IMHO great value considering it's location downtown if your interested in a quick bite. 11am-8pm operating hours 7 days a week.

Am in Seattle for a conference. Ordered the basic pho: pho chin and it was great to have a nice bowl of beef soup in a misty March afternoon.

I prefer to get their pho ga (chicken pho) to go. I like constructing it the exact way that I want it. There is just enough plum and sriracha sauces as well as a great portion of noodles, chicken and veggies.

I was staying at a nearby hotel and wanted to get some soup noodles and New Saigon was close by. I ordered a standard Pho with tripe and beef. A good test of good Pho soup noodles is the soup base. That is the key to great Pho noodles. The pho at New Saigon was only ok as the soup base was light and did not have enough flavor. The beef and tripe was standard and the overall mean was still satisfying but not great. Service was good and the restaurant was clean. So overall it was a decent experience with ok food that was not too expensive.

This place is a hidden gem right next to T-Mobil in downtown Seattle. Gone for lunch a few xs and plan to go more often. Portions are very generous, the pho broth is delicious. The service is excellent. Give this place some business! YUM!!!

The pho and phad-thai were real good. They should work on improving service. Still, I'm coming back!

A nice find in the business/shopping district, which did not appear to have many Asian food restaurants. Basement restaurant. Very busy at lunch. Reasonably priced. I enjoyed the grilled chicken over vermicelli. Recommended if you want fast, cheap, Vietnamese food.

New Saigon has bright signs and lights at the street entrance, but one must decend down stairs into the basement to reach the actual restaurant. It was a slight challenge to climb back up after dinner. The dining area is well lit and cheerful. Instead of my usual shrimp summer roles, I tried the tofu ones and was very pleased. The dipping sauce was delicious. Again for a change from Pho, I got a vermicelli bowl with crispy pork and shrimp surrounded by fresh lettuce, bean sprouts, and basil. The pickled carrot sauce was perfect. Service was quite competent and timely. Prices were appropriate for the large, tasty servings.

I had the rare beef pho, fried tofu appetizer and a beer. Food came promptly. Thought the pho broth was better than most. The basil was fragrant and kicked up the dish. The tofu was more than I needed (maybe a pound?). A decent find downtown. Good value. Advertised vegetarian options on sidewalk.

Restaurant was closed when we went at 7:30pm on 8 Dec 2022. Indicated on Trip Advisor that it was opened! Not sure if the restaurant is still in business.

I had a takeout pho from here. I had asked for the well done beef with beef balls, but due to a small mix up I ended up with slices of rare beef as well. I got plenty of rice noodles, lots of veg and herbs -a necessity with pho - spicy and sweet sauce, and a delicious broth. If you're concerned about the rare beef, it cooks as soon as it hits the broth -it's that thin. Or don't order it! All very yummy - in fact it deserves four and a half stars.

On a cold day in Seattle, pho was a great idea 💡. Not far from my hotel I found the New Saigon restaurant. I ordered the spring rolls to start and for the main course I ordered the shrimp noodles pho. The service was excellent and both dishes were great.

The place serves up some average Vietnamese fare. Also sells some Thai stuff too. Was not too thrilled by the ambiance (basement) nor the food. Will only do this if am desperate for Asian food (as I was on the day I tried)

I had a beer, spring rolls and pho (everything in it). The spring rolls were meh, but the pho was quite good at a decent price, especially for the heart of downtown Seattle. Service was great too. I wanted something light and saw this restaurant. I thought it was a little hole in the wall but when you walk downstairs it surprising how expansive it is. I'd go back again if I was in downtown and pho was on my mind.

This is a nice spot to have a quick and filling lunch of pho. I have not tried other dishes, but this is very enjoyable,, nicely flavored with lots of fresh veggies. Good value, quick service.

After a heavy lunch earlier in the day all we wanted was a bowl of soup and the Pho offerings here were exactly what we wanted. My wife's Pho Tom was delicious and my Pho Ga was too. We would definitely do it again.

Good location in downtown Seattle and close to my hotel. Went on a Sunday evening and think they were closing early, which may explain some of the rush I experienced. A sign on the street says vegetarian Vietnamese food, or words to that extent. This equals excitement for me as a vegetarian, but it just meant that they have a veggie section on the menu. Ordered spring rolls and a tofu curry, both of which arrived together. As both were huge portions (for me anyway), I just ate the tofu from the rolls (with a very tasty dipping sauce) before starting the curry. The curry came with a ball of rice, and did really resemble a ball with big clumps of rice stuck together. The curry was piping hot and had nicely cooked tofu and veg, but was very bland tasting, despite having a chilli warning on the menu. Service was ok, just felt too rushed. Final straw was the person behind me slurping their food very loudly and then eating with their mouth wide open (i.e. also very noisily).

There was no crowd at this restaurant, only 2-3 diners inside. Food was cheap and tasted okay. But I didn't like the deep fried pork spring roll.

This is not the place to go for a candle-lit romantic evening out. The food is basic, although authentic and tasty and very reasonably priced. Half of the menu was not available on my visit - all the stir-fried items - probably because it was late.

A friend of mine and I had been to New Saigon once for a quick bowl of pho before we went to a movie. We made a specific plan last night to go here and see a movie at Pacific Place. We got there at 7:40. We were told they were closed. 'But your sign said you are open until 8:30,' I said. 'I checked your hours online before I made this plan with my friend.' The host/manager said, 'We weren't very busy so we closed early.' I said, 'We just want two medium bowls of pho ga. We'll be very quick.' But no. They would not serve us. The moral of this story is: if you post hours on your website and on your front door, you honor those hours. It doesn't matter if it's 2 minutes to closing: if a customer walks in, you serve that customer. That is how it's done. To turn customers away an hour before your posted closing time is sending a very clear message, 'We don't care about you. We don't want your business.' You have your wish, New Saigon. I will never try to eat there again

We were looking for something to takeout near our hotel. We like the pho so much that we had it twice during our stay. The our is very nice, helpful. They are very generous with the veggies. Soup was very tasty and not salty or MSG tasting.

Great variety of pho, served at just the right temperature with crisp, fresh veggies. The yellow curry was spicy without being overdone. Flavorful, attractive and gooooood.

As with many restaurants in the area, this restaurant is nondescript from the kerbside. Located downstairs, it is crowded, warm, and full of contented diners. The waiters try to keep up with the demand and the kitchen does its best under the pressure of orders. What transpires is a decent dining experience and a gentle sufficiency afterwards. Prices are typical for this part of downtown, near the Convention Center and it's a good place for a quick meal. For fine dining, look farther afield.

I used to go to the New Vietnamese Restaurant but it has closed. New Saigon is very similar - cheap and cheerful Pho. Served quickly, on a melamine table. This is not fine dining - and it is not intended to be. Just a very filling and delicious Pho. Nothing more, nothing less. They have many other dishes, but whenever i'm visiting Seattle I need a Pho fix. The location is convenient for me, and I get my fix.

Nice waiter but the food was poor quality. We were wondering if it was because we chose to eat on a Sunday evening and the regular chef is off duty. I can't believe that a regular chef would serve soggy eggrolls, My son complained the meat in his meal tasted funny. He ordered lemon grass chicken but there was another kind of meat on top and he didn't like it. My daughter tried a bite and spat it into her napkin. Afterwards we went to see a movie and my son felt progressively ill during the show and had "the runs" afterwards....I blame it on the mystery meat.

Had the beef pho and it was quite good, along with the standard Vietnamese iced coffee. They have a pretty complete south Vietnamese menu (i.e. no bun bo hue). Service was good and the price was right. Was in town at the convention center two blocks away and this was the only Vietnamese option around - did not have time to get out to Jackson and 12th like I normally do. This was a good alternate, I would eat here again.

Came here at the suggestion of some friends. I ordered the rare beef pho! It was really good. I'm a huge Thai food fan but had never had Vietnamese food before. This was a great place to start it at! The service was just fine, the staff was very polite. All the orders were accurate. I'd enjoy coming back here in the future. The prices are reasonable also.

The restaurant was located in the basement of a building. We came here for lunch and order beef pho, fresh spring roll, and chicken salad. The pho was ok, not excellent. Chicken salad was cold at average quality. Fresh spring roll was the star, really yummy!

I had the Chicken Phô and it was a bit bland. The required condiments were on the table except for the hot oil sauce, which I've found must be asked for just about everywhere.  After seasoning, it was quite good. I was glad I didn't order an appetizer since the portion was fairly large.  The restaurant was clean and bright even though located downstairs from its street entrance. This is a good choice for a light meal that satisfies. 

Conveniently located across the street from the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, New Saigon Vietnames Restaurant II (its whole name) was a good spot to get out of the cold. I forgot to put on a jacket, and hey, I'm from Southern California, where restaurants don't even have coat hooks! The cavernous restaurant is downstairs and the service was super quick. I ordered traditional spring rolls for an appetizer and not-so-traditional shrimp pho because I don't like beef. But you probably already know that. Lickety-split my server brought a table salad (bean sprouts, basil, jalapeno, lime) and dipping sauce. The fat, well stuffed spring rolls were tasty and filling but stuck together. No biggy. The dipping sauce, however, was way too thick and not as flavorful as I am used to. My shrimp pho looked good, with fresh shrimp, broccoli, bok choy, and carrots on top of a mountain of noodles. There were way too many noodles in this pho (maybe I shouldn't have ordered the spring rolls first?). But the real problem was the broth. It was flavorless. I was expecting a shrimp or even anonymous fish taste, but not no taste. I could have been sipping hot water if not for the slight tint. I added lime, jalapenos, basil, soy sauce, and chili sauce, but the broth still had little flavor. Maybe the traditional beef pho is better.

This may well be Seattle’s worst Vietnamese restaurant. The ubiquitous spring roll appetizer was 98% vermicelli, with a lonely shrimp and a leaf of basil. My lemongrass chicken featured overcooked chicken. One dining partner ordered vegetable pho. She said it was watery and flavorless. My wife’s shrimp and pork bun was not good. She fished several pieces of pork fat out of the bowl. Service was quick, but we had to ask three times to get take-out containers. In a city known for great restaurants - many of them Vietnamese - this restaurant falls far short.

Remember was great pho and summer roll place two years ago. Was my last dinner meal before returning home and what a dissaponting one. Order rare beef pho and got dinky, shribbled up beef. Noodles were done in half a bit there was so little and soup was not tasty or hot. Basics all no good. Summer roll so small the rice wrapper was around twice which made very chewy case. Will fine new Viet place.

The grill pork with vermicelli noodles was very good and the portion was generous. The pork.chop with rice dish was also very good. Basically, very good Vietnamese dishes.

Service and Food is great! Good timing! Order fast and get the food fast. Wonderful Vegan Pho and tofu spring rolls. Only think needed is to replace the carpet in the entryway. It is old and worn and is a negative when enter and again when you leave. New flooring options for that space would not be that pricey! Everyone who enters comments on the carpet. With that slight change, you would be a 5 out of 5!

Tried the spicy lemon grass chicken and it was dry and not spicy at all. My friend got the pork chop and he thought it was OK. It wasn't my favorite and I don't think I would go back again. There's plenty of better places for the same price.

Food was great. First time for pho for both of us. One had chicken, the other something with shrimp. Service was quick. Atmosphere is not what would make you come here but for good food that's not too pricy, it was perfect.