At first, I was hesitant to try this place, but I'm so glad I did. The owner came out to greet everyone personally and took the time to get to know his customers, which made the experience feel warm and welcoming. The food is unquestionably fresh; there are no mass-produced shortcuts here. I ordered the Shaky Beef with Rice (Bo Luc Lac), and it absolutely melted in my mouth. Every bite was bursting with flavor, and it was so well-seasoned that it didn't even need hoisin sauce. The ambiance is that of a cozy neighborhood café, making it the perfect spot to relax and enjoy an authentic, thoughtfully prepared meal. I'll definitely be back! read more

We went there recently and had their special and egg rolls. Everything was delicious. I love egg rolls, but only when they are crispy and delicious, and these were. I'm posting the special menu so you can see what it is that we ate and the waiters and the chef were so nice. read more

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Best Vietnamese restaurant i've ever been to!! Not even exaggerating, but I seriously came here for two meals (lunch and dinner). I'm from NYC and I've had my fair share of flavors from around the world. This by far is my favorite restaurant in Lancaster. The service was amazing, owner/chef is super down to earth. For drinks, my partner and I got a limeade, coffee, and thai tea. All were amazing! coffee is strong and limeade was refreshing. Hu Tieu in chicken broth was amazing, chicken broth has been cooking for 20+ hours and YOU CAN TELL. Regular Brisket Pho was just as flavorful! Bun Bo Hue was the heartiest and most flavorful bowl of soup noodles I've ever had. ZERO COMMENTS. My partner got the shakey beef over rice, he said it was a 10/10, very tender and flavorful. (the chef came by passing out samples and my partner was immediately sold.) Come check this place out!!!? read more

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Good quick fix for Vietnamese food. Portions are great. Nothing really that stands out in a bad or good way. read more

Sai Gòn Café - Vietnamese Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

I was in the Lancaster area visiting friends and decided to check out Sai Gon Cafe since I was craving pho on a cold winter day. The restaurant is located inside a strip mall so there's plenty of parking. In terms of the look and feel it's a pretty standard Vietnamese restaurant. I ordered their combo pho and thought it was pretty good. The broth tasted authentic and the different beef cuts were solid. The place was pretty packed when we came so the service was a tad slow, but the owner came over to say hi and was very nice, even apologizing for the slow service. read more

Sai Gòn Café - Vietnamese Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

There's always that one person and I guess it's me, that doesn't see/get what everyone else is experiencing. Now, I'm no stranger to pho; I've had my share. The last remarkable pho I've experienced was at Pho Dat Thanh in Columbia MD. Even though it's been years since I've dined there, I recall simply staring at my broth in wonderment, for it actually glistened; the broth was so rich, I could almost chew it. The aroma enticed me with its subtleties of beef, spice, a seemingly bottomless pit of noodle, tender meat, accompanied by a mound of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, sliced lime and jalapenos. I was anticipating a similar experience at Sai Gon, especially after reading all these rave worthy reviews. My experience was different. The broth was a tad salty and the spices used, overwhelmed the beefiness, rather than subtly enhancing it. I couldn't eat it. I felt the service, pleasant and quick. Everyone around me seemed to be enjoying their meal. I noticed the owner walking around, greeting others and inquiring about their meal. When he got to my table, I shared my thoughts, respectfully. True, this wasn't an expected response and the look of disdain was evident, as the owner stated something like; "I'm sorry my soup did not live up to your expectations." This is how I'll end this particular review. read more

Unbelievable service! So kind and the chef came out to ask how the spicy edamame was. Food is delicious. The stir fry and pho, very flavorful and well plated. Nice small restaurant. If there's a better Vietnamese restaurant I have yet to find it! read more

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This place is fab! We made our second visit and it was even BETTER than the first! The chef owner is a gem and he offered some suggestions of things to try based upon what we usually like (we are fairly traditional Vietnamese food eaters-- meaning we just know the popular stuff). I'm SO glad we took his recommendations! The meat preparations here are particularly great which we might not have discovered-- top quality, tender, well seasoned and cooked. SO good! We had fresh rolls with seasoned pork, #57 which comes with a sliced eggroll, seasoned pork, noodles and vegetables and a shakey beef dish which had beef so succulent you'd be sure it was filet mignon! We also had some of their homemade beverages -- a jasmine tea/limeade-- aka the jimeade! But DO go here-- wonderfully authentic and fresh Vietnamese food! You won't be disappointed! The restaurant is clean and fresh inside and service is great. read more

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Tried it for a Sunday Lunch after shopping in Lancaster. I thought it was a good sign that the place was full. However, it was an odd start that we wasn't greeted when the owner/manager saw us. I had to be the one who broke the long awkward silence by lifting my hand, signaling for a party of 2. The wait staff appeared to be new, based on their seeming inexperience. It was minutes after we seated ourselves that we heard the owner/manager told the young staff that table 1 had no menu. I've always ordered Bun Bo Hue with pho instead of round noodles, and today was no exception. I duly told the waitress and she wrote it down and acknowledged "of course." Now as we waited, I noticed the owner/manager was very friendly with everyone. He went from table to table and chatted cordially nonstop. It also appeared that he knew a lot of these apparently repeat-customers. Great sign! The only problem was, he never stopped by our table. Not one single eye contact for the next 25 minutes as we waited for our orders and twiddled our thumbs. I began to feel uneasy, sensing bad vibes. I was even thinking of walking out at one point. At last, our order finally came after nearly 30 minutes per the timestamps on my photos. My mood swung up but almost immediately straight down again -- I didn't get the substitution as I had requested. I tried to flag down our waitress but she didn't see me. And that's when the owner/manager finally noticed us. He couldn't get her either so he came and addressed the miss personally. Granted, there was a big party ahead of us but it's human nature to feel the injustice when we saw the 2 tables that got seated 5 minutes before we got our orders literally received theirs within the next 5 minutes. The long wait combined with feeling ignored made it hard to turn the bad experience around. The quality of the food became secondary. The owner/manager did make back a little ground by placating us with a short chat and a 10% discount near the very end. I want to believe we just had a real bad luck in terms of timing, but for now I have to keep my review honest based on my overall experience. read more

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Delicious authentic Vietnamese food in Lancaster. The owner was super friendly explaining his twist on some of the dishes. We will definitely come back! read more

The pho was exceptional! I love the fried egg rolls and the fresh spring rolls, the peanut sauce for them was really good. Don't forget to ask for the chili oil, it's made in house. 10/10 would recommend read more

Make sure you try out the bahn me brisket hoagie! it's Ken's ( The Chef) special concoction. I thought I would only eat half; but once I tasted it with its special dipping sauce, there was no way I was leaving anything behind. The rest of the family had an assortment of Pho. They too loved their food. So glad we stopped of the expressway to eat. If we come back from Miami we will definitely stop by. A special thank you to the staff! read more

It has been a couple years since we had visited this restaurant, and wow were we surprised! The servers were very friendly and food did not take long. Ordered spring roll and egg rolls to start... these were delicious! So much flavor compared to last time. Ordered Bun vermicelli cold rice noodle bowls. Again this was packed with flavor and freshly cooked to order. Chef/owner visited our table and offered a sample tasting of his marinated tenderloin. This will be on our ordered next visit. Yum! If you are looking for a great meal that's not the ordinary, try. Sai Gon Cafe. It's worth the visit. read more

Sai Gòn Café - Bun vermicelli with egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

came in on a weekend and I was again looking for a meal with rice! haha so I got their Dac Biet and enjoyed the flavor of their pork. It was not the usual vietnamese pork that Ive had in terms of how it looks but it tastes delicious nonetheless. We also got their seafood crispy egg noodle which was flavorful and huge! a good item for sharing indeed. the highlight for me though aside from the pork was the avocado shake! it was very very good - sweet and creamy! perfect pair for my Dac Biet and was satisfying. Staff that day were pleasant too and we also had the opportunity to meet Chef Ken who was quite passionate about Sai Gon Cafe. we had a good time and happy that Lancaster offers so many diverse food. read more

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The food and service were really great.Very accommodating. Love their spring rolls and soups. Food is A+ One thing I noticed, though, was the place is lookig a bit shabby. The Buddha altar needs to be cleaned up, the dirt in the entrance should be cleaned...perhaps some new wallpaper to replace the torn sections and some new blinds and door drapes... should not be too expensive. And would add to the atmosphere. read more

What a great discovery! It was my first time here, and I had the most enjoyable experience. Food flavors and portions were perfect. Service was superb, and the ambiance was fantastic. Plenty and easy strip mall parking and good location. read more

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Saw this place when I was in the area for business and convinced my two friends to drive the 35 minutes to get there on an educated whim. It had good reviews and was in an unassuming shopping center. Decor was minimal but when the school age girl came with the menus, we had a good feeling. Similar dishes and some interesting specials we ordered some bun and spring and summer rolls. EXCELLENT!! Both rolls were. The Bun was also exceptional in that the prep and presentation shown through as the vegetables were super fresh and well cut but the pork was excellent and everything was right. The beef special was also excellent and extremely tender and delicious and the prices were also very reasonable. The chef came out to talk to us and told us his story. Really nice guy and really good Vietnamese food. You may pass by and not take notice but all three of us are eager to return next year when we come back to the area. Highly recommend. read more

Needed a decent meal after two days of fast food recently at my daughter's basketball tournament in south eastern Pennsylvania and Sai Gon Cafe provided just that. Nice atmosphere and the staff was very friendly and helpful, he both had pork Bahn Mi (or Vietnamese Hoagies in PA), shared an order of Vietnamese egg rolls and had a Thai Iced Tea and a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, and everything was delicious! Totally fueled our drive back home to Long Beach. read more

Excellent service and the food is delicious. My beautiful girlfriend and I are definitely coming back!

sai gon cafe on manheiman pike has the best vietnamese food in lancaster, pa, the best ambiance and the best food! the best service! i used to live in fairfax virginia and we have little sai gon in the eaden shopping center, they have good vietnamese food there, my girl friend is vietnamese and she is the best cook! at sai gon cafe i feel rite at home and the service is the best and the food is the best! if you want the best vietnamese food then your at the best place! sai gon cafe! just tell them nicholas says hi! read more

Cute, little spot for Vietnamese food. It's hard to find authentic Asian cuisine in the middle of Pennsylvania. Although the food wasn't great, it satisfied the craving. IG: gaogirlsgrubbin read more

Sai Gòn Café - a plate of food - Vietnamese Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

A true gem. Seriously. We ventured out for some legit Vietnamese food, and that's exactly what we got. The pho broth was amazing, the Bo bun hue was better and the beef stew was the BEST. Each broth had its own flavor and each profile was uniquely delicious. The kids servings were an amazing size for $5, and our kids ate the entire bowl unprompted. We loved the summer rolls and the pork chop platter was amazing. Like it was a wow factor for all of us, completely different from what we are used to in NY -- the pork chop has a real Smokey flavor and the portion was huge. Since we were a party of 8+ gratuity was included. Service was above and beyond-- the owner came out and was super nice, he seems to be the chef too so he is really proud of what he's creating and we're glad to be part of the the delicious journey :) read more

Sai Gòn Café - Vietnamese Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Saigon was my 2nd choice restaurant for Pho when Sprout rice and noodles is closed. I've been here twice now , the first time i was impressed. The 2nd time , not so much. More disgusted, than anything and after this last mishap I will not be returning here. Ever. I really wanted to like this place. Where do I start? As soon as I opened up my container that carried my soup accompaniments , I immediately noticed a long hair wrapped up in my rice noodles. So much so , I had to physically pick up this lukewarm brick of cold noodles to try and get the hair out. That's when I flipped the lukewarm brick over and discovered more tiny hairs on the bottom. Like , did someone drop my noodles on the floor and plop it back into the container? They also stored my raw beef for the soup in a plastic baggie that was open on top of my raw bean sprouts , which left them soaking in a puddle of blood. I'm so irritated , I drove 30 minutes across town for food I had to end up throwing out. They really played in my face with this. Eat here at your own risk. read more

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For Lancaster, PA, this is not a bad Vietnamese restaurant! Portions were a fair size, but prices were on the higher end. But prices are high in general these days in 2023. I was very surprised by the large shrimp size in the Pho Tom Nuong. Sai Gon Cafe has a mom and pop shop feel, and I'm all about that. Only downside is they up charged me for hanh dam, and this is the first time ever I've been charged for that. Overall a decent Vietnamese restaurant in the Lancaster area. read more

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Good food and good service! The owner even came out to greet us and ask us how everything is.

Food was amazing, pork was super flavorful in my vermicelli and the Pho was awesome as well. Service was outstanding as well. Our server gave us recommendations when we told him we were new to Pho. He recommended the edamame which wasn't just your normal edamame. It is way better, made with stir fried garlic on outside not just plain steamed. The chef Ken came out and talked to us multiple times. Gave us recommendations for next time we come in what to try. You can tell he loves to cook and thoroughly enjoys seeing his customers appreciate his craft. We will definitely be back. read more

Who would have thought Lancaster would have one of the better pho places I have ever had? This place reminds me of somewhere between the pho I had at in Philly and in Cambodia. The broth is super unique; it's perfectly balanced between meat taste and the other herbs that make pho broth so great. It's got a stronger ginger taste and leaves a meaty after taste which is what I think is a perfect pho broth. It's not overwhelmingly one or the other; super balanced. The noodles are pretty standard; noodles take the flavor of the broth so it was good. The meat was super good... I got beef brisket and steak and boy oh boy, I loved (I'm pretty sure) that it isn't frozen meat. Frozen meat has a chewy texture but the steak meat was super tender. The brisket had perfect amount of fatty part to it giving it a great taste. I also got spring roll which was made beautifully; perfectly tightly knit so that every bite had maximum flavor. I had to get Thai tea since it's a personal favorite and it just balanced everything out. The staff is very friendly; saw someone on training too so good to see local business doing well enough to hire and go back to "normalcy" read more

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This was first time going to Sai Gon Cafe. When we walked into the restaurant, there was a huge party seated there. I immediately didn't feel positive vibes with this restaurant. We weren't greeted or felt welcomed. The owner seemed more concerned about providing excellent service to the huge party. We were told to sit in the corner empty table. It took a while for them to bring the menu and then take our orders. The staff seems inexperienced since I heard the manager/owner constantly telling them to bring menu, clean table, get table ready. Since we were waiting a long time, I was observing the restaurant. I have noticed customers who had arrived after us got their menus right away as they were getting seated. We had to wait over 25 minutes for the food to arrive. I have ordered the rice vermicelli which had very dried pork, egg roll and sour ham and it had very bland taste. I had to ask for extra sauce since the dish was very dry. I have had much better rice vermicelli at other Vietnamese restaurant and this dish definitely was not worth the wait. We told the owner that we were waiting a long time and he said it was fair that they had to serve all the orders before us so we had to wait our turn. He didn't apologize initially. This comment felt like it was our fault that we had arrived at the wrong time so nothing can be done and we just have to put up with the wait for however long that it will take to get our orders since the priority was the huge party (also they got my husband's order wrong so my husband had to wait even longer to get the order corrected and was missing chopstick several times after we had asked multiple times). All the customers who arrived after us got their appetizers and orders in less 10 minutes. The owner eventually came back later to apologize and gave a 10% discount to make up for the delay and wrong order but the overall experience was not enjoyable. The owner definitely cater to their frequent repeat customers and not to new customers. I have observed that other customers who have arrived before and after us were getting excellent and attentive service than what we got. The owner stopped by to check on us but something still felt off. Restaurant service and food are usually hit or miss and we definitely got a miss here. The service and food were really not that good so this is a try once only restaurant for me. After writing my review, I read other negative reviews and not surprised that my experience was similar to others and the owner attacking all the negative reviews and defending himself. This was my experience so YMMV. read more

This Vietnamese restaurant is tucked in a busy plaza. It's not a large restaurant as you can see but it was fairly busy on a Friday night with a lot of diners and take out orders. Their egg rolls are kind of pricey ($6 for two) but were much bigger than I'd expect. The bo kho (beef stew) had a good amount of meat and flavor. Definitely hit the spot on a cold winter day. read more

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Seriously fantastic and consistently fantastic- however they just upped the ante and outdid themselves today with a ridiculously delicious new CHEESESTEAK BANH MI!! Absolutely fantastic!!! Brand new thing, limited time but I sure hope they keep it on the rotation because you cannot get it anywhere else. Wow!!! read more

The service was fantastic! The cook or owner came out and asked us how our food was and had a super friendly conversation with us. Our food was top notch and delicious. This restaurant is beside Taylor Chip for dessert! read more

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Still a huge fan of Sai Gon, and have been super impressed with how they've adapted to the COVID situation. The tables on the right-hand side of the restaurant have been turned into a pick up spot, each with a unique number. Order online or call and order/pay ahead, they will text you to confirm and give an estimated pickup time, then give your name when you walk in and they'll tell you which number table has your order. You can just grab it and go. The noodles, meat, and pho fixins are packaged separately from the broth so nothing gets soggy in transport. Absolutely delicious, generous portions, and top notch, friendly service as usual. We enjoyed our pho at home, but if you prefer the dine-in experience, the left hand side of the restaurant has limited seating, all behind a screen. read more

I ordered the bun thit nurong and cha gio (vermicelli with pork and spring roll). The food was packed with care and tasted great. I would post a picture, but I ate it too fast. The workers (from answering my call to pickup) were all very friendly and polite. read more

Food was spectacular as usual. Love vermicelli with the light sauce & hoisin. The pho was perfectly hot and filling. All tasted wonderful, no complaints. However, I will say that this visit was a little odd. We came in and were greeted right away by the one Asian guy sitting down and he also gave us menus. He didn't get our drink order because I think he isn't a waiter, just helps out front and serves the food when he can. There was only 1 server, a blonde woman. She was kind. There were a total of 2 tables there before we got there and they had their food. Shortly, she came over and took our drink order asking "did he ask you what you wanted to drink" and we replied no. We told her and within 5 minutes the guy came out with our drinks. Ok so we sat there already knowing what we wanted to order and he came over to us to take our order. He wrote it down and we waited. Two other groups came in (groups of 3 people) after us, sat down and got their drinks ordered. We waited for our appetizer a long time about 15-20 minutes. Weirdly then, we saw the other two tables get their full on meals before us. They ordered similar dishes as us and they BOTH were served before us. It was odd. We still never got our appetizer (spring rolls). You'd think that would come out fairly quickly. Then we finally got our food about 30 mins of waiting and again, AFTER two other groups came in after us. Never had this experience with them before so I am feeling like they forgot about or order or something the food was so good, but the service this time was weird. The blonde lady doing all the service didn't even tell us our food was coming/being worked on. We were about to leave honestly! read more

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The service was pretty good. It was the food that didn't do it for me. I ordered summer rolls. Maybe it was the dried pork in them or something but the rolls were very gritty. No flavor. The sauce that came with them was ok. I ordered a brisket, rare steak, and beef ball. The phó tasted like boiled water with noodles and the meat. I enjoy a bone broth steeped in spices for the broth. This wasn't that at all. The reviews for this place are misconstrued. I see great reviews and expect great food. This place doesn't live up to the hype. The owner of the place hovers over the customers saying it tastes good right. I want to enjoy my food in peace while I eat. It wasn't as much food as I had read. I left hungry. It is what it is. read more

Sai Gòn Café - Rare steak, brisket, and beef ball phó - Vietnamese Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Pho ga is the best chicken pho I have ever head 5/5 would recommend to the public. The service was really good the people are really nice it feels very warm and cozy inside and I would recommend to eat there read more

The food here is very good. I had assorted beef pho and the shrimp/pork spring rolls. You get two fairly large spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce. It was decent but they could add a little bit more pork and or shrimp. The bowl of pho was very tasty. They give you a very generous portion of noodles along with bean sprouts and the standard of accoutrements of lime, jalapeño, and cilantro. The one thing lacking in this place is custom service. The waiter was stonefaced. Didn't even check if I was OK or offer me more than one napkin that comes with the chopsticks. You have to pay at the counter when you're done which is fine & I ask for a to go container for the remainder of the soup as it's a large dish. They hand me a soup take out nothing more. I had to ask them for a plastic bag, chopsticks, and napkins. This is all common sense self-explanatory things for someone in the restaurant business to know. You shouldn't have to pull teeth and ask for any of them, let alone wrap up your own food. If it was strictly a takeout joint OK, but it's a sit down restaurant and the way they expect a tip, a customer also expects basic service. Again, the food is very good. All they need is to take a little Customer Service 101. The service wasn't bad but it def wasn't anything to write home about. They could care less that I was eating there & they made no bones pretending otherwise. read more

Honestly- great Pho! It's my go to take out or delivery when I'm hungover or sick! It always makes me feel better and the owner is always so friendly and kind! Highly recommend! read more

Sai Gon Cafe serves such great Vietnamese food and the portions are large! I ordered the Hu Tieu Bo Kho which is a spicy beef broth soup with different slices of beef and noodles. It'll give you the same warm feeling as pho, but with a bit of spice kicked in. The Mi Xao Thit Bo was large enough for at least three people! They fry egg noodles and and add stir fried veggies & chicken on top of the dish. The noodles will absorb the sauce and cook the dish al dente! Each dish was very flavorful and enjoyable to eat! The staff is very polite as well!! read more

Sai Gòn Café - Hu Tieu Bo Kho - Vietnamese Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Small spot that packs a big punch! The location is small with 5 tables inside. Lots of take-out orders. We ate in and man was it awesome. The Pho was everything. My daughter always liked to find a Pho of Ramen spot when we visit different cities. So glad we trusted the other reviews. I highly recommend and see why so many locals visit this place. read more

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