The food is great (tasty and delicious) and the service is very good. Ambiance is nice too. I have been coming here more than 5 times, this is my spot for Vietnamese food. I highly recommend. You won't be disappointed. read more

$75+ for the tiniest portions we have ever gotten. Called for takeout and picked up ourselves - not doordash or uber eats. Left a $10 cash tip which we regret after opening the food. Stuffed calamari ($25) - there were literally 3 in the dish. 3. I ate one and you're seeing everything else we got. Beef rendang ($24) - 4 pieces of beef. Not wagyu... Pork w spring rolls on vermicelli ($24) - reasonable enough portion but very overcooked. Should be a staple of any Viet spot so idk what they're doing here Would call them right now but they close at 9.... on a Saturday.... I will update this review if I'm able to reach them during biz hours for a resolution but this is easily the most disappointing meal I've had all year. Save your hard earned money and go to Ela's greek or literally anywhere else on this block, even Dominos. EDIT: Went in next day and spoke to a manager, only mentioned portion size and showed the picture, didn't get a chance to say anything about everything being overcooked. He had clearly heard these complaints about portion size before, because he immediately launched into saying the cut of beef + tendon they use for the rendang yields that as their standard portion size. He refunded the calamari. I still won't be going back and would never recommend this place, but wanted to acknowledge the resolution. Also my husband unfortunately wasn't there to speak to them, but he's been in restaurants for 25 years and knows they served chuck, not a fancy cut... read more

Saigon Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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Saigon Cafe - A Vegetarian's Cautionary Tale We did our homework before visiting Saigon Cafe. A call ahead confirmed they could accommodate vegetarian diets -- so we arrived at 8:00 p.m. feeling optimistic. The restaurant was comfortably uncrowded, and the staff greeted us warmly. Unfortunately, the goodwill ended there. We ordered two dishes: the Dau Hu Xao Sa Ot (sautéed tofu with spicy lemongrass sauce, bell peppers, and onions) and the Bun tofu. The lemongrass tofu had genuine flavor -- bright, aromatic, and well-seasoned -- though the portion felt modest for the price. That dish, at least, showed promise. The Bun tofu was another story entirely. The rice noodles arrived clumped together, topped with a thick, gluey peanut sauce that made the dish nearly impossible to eat. We flagged the issue with our server, who offered fish sauce or soy sauce as remedies -- neither of which addressed the problem, and both of which, we later learned, were chicken-based. When we requested the sauce from the lemongrass dish instead, the kitchen's solution was to heat the same gloppy peanut sauce and serve it on the side. The cook came to the table to inform us -- somewhat pointedly -- that re-firing food was not standard practice and that he was making a special exception. Despite the dish being genuinely inedible, no offer to replace it or adjust the bill was made. The farewell was the final blow. Upon learning we were leaving to find food elsewhere, one staff member loudly and sarcastically called out, "Have a WONDERFUL evening." It was a jarring, unprofessional send-off that left a lasting impression -- and not the kind any restaurant should want. The takeaway: Saigon Cafe may work well for omnivores ordering standard menu items, but if you have dietary restrictions, don't expect the kitchen or staff to navigate them gracefully. And if something goes wrong, don't expect it to be made right. Skip this one. Update: Tried calling and speaking to the manager. The staff member was exceptionally rude suggesting that customers with dietary restrictions should consider cooking at home and not be "lazy". Thereafter attempted to call to speak with the manager. However, the staff have claimed for the past several days that he is out with a knee injury or he is outside. No one is willing to take a message or transfer the call. read more

They are a Jersey City mainstay...their food is always good! The 3 of us shared crispy spring rolls, a mango salad, and chicken satay as appetizers. Quite a start to our dinner! For my main, I ordered a spicy lemongrass dish (Ga Xao Sa Ot) that was really too good to share. They have a good beer selection, including HoD (Heart of Darkness) Saigon. Atmosphere, pricing, and service were all on point... read more

Saigon Cafe - HoD beer - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Vibe: 6/10 Value: 8/10 Service: 7/10 Chicken pho: 7/10 Beef pho: 8/10 Overall: 7.2/10 (3.6/5) [To clarify our review system: 10 = we'll never have anything else as good as this in our lives (we use 10 very sparingly!) 9 = extraordinary 8 = great 7 = above average 6 = average Anything below 6 is being critical] read more

Super chill Vietnamese restaurant in JC! We ordered 2 dishes to share: - Clay pot curry: 9/10 (this is my first time trying Vietnamese style curry and it was pretty good! It wasn't as thick as other styles of curry, but I liked how warm it was) - Beef pho: 9/10 (pretty good pho! Definitely will come here when I'm craving some pho in the area.) Service was fast and super friendly and ambiance was very chill. read more

Saigon Cafe - Beef pho, clay pot curry - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Tried this place for weeknight dinner. We tried fried tofu with lemongrass sauce and Bun Ga Nuong (Noodle Entree with Chicken) -- both were fresh and tasty, my tofu dish was portion-wise on the smaller side. I think this place is pricey at $20 a entree dish. Ambience is good, service is decent. Definitely worth a try. But nothing that will make me go back to this place. read more

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Holy!!!! Most flavorful pho ever!!"pho house specialty noodle" So so yummy. Def have to order Also I ordered the viet- style chicken wings they were so crunchy, the meat fell off bones and there was mint leaf on them also insane flavor. Have to order read more

The lunch menu has something for everyone. The food is fantastic. The staff exhibited genuine niceness, plenty of smiles, and authentic friendliness. The serving size is good, the preparation thoughtful, and flavor delightful. Weekly dining here would be a pleasure! read more

I rarely leave a review but this one has been a slow burn. Put up with their lack of customer service because their claypot was good, but my most recent experience was really bad, and the claypot was spoilt, which made me and my friend sick. I ordered takeout.. tried to call them like 8 times and kept cutting me off. So went to the restaurant to order it.. turns out I was blocked for reasons they couldn't tell me but "it must've been something I did or said"!!! I got my order (the claypot used to be really good).. and my friends curry was lumpy and slit.. almost like spoilt and mine tasted meh.. but ultimately made us both sick. I'm done with completely rudeness and bad food read more

WOW GO HERE! Was recommended by a friend who went and finally decided to come. HOLLY COW, this place will blow you out of the water with its flavor. The inside isn't super flashy but you don't need that. Tucked away at a side table provided a perfect date night atmosphere. Not to mention the service was amazing very understandable when I took forever to decide on what to get. The price is a little expensive but worth it for the flavor. Getting a little deeper. Food was amazing. So flavorful and the tomato stew had rice noodles under all of the flavorful sweet potato and chicken! The curry puffs were so good. GET THEM! The pastry was flakey and the indies had the perfect balance of curry. The clay pot curry was so good and really warmed your belly in the best way. Could not recommend this enough!! Please go you won't be disappointed !! read more

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Love the noodles soup here. My wife really like the Clay pot curry and summer rolls. The curry has nice flavor and well-balanced of spices. The chicken was tender too. Its perfectly good to warm her stomach. I just had beef pho with good noodles texture and pleasant flavor of broth. The spices were great too. The prices were just right and we really like the place. read more

Very good bun vermicelli noodles and Thai green curry. Great spot in downtown grove street. Lots of options on the menu too and lots of people at the restaurant but not so many we had to wait in line. Highly recommend! read more

Saigon Cafe - a plate of food on a table - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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Although the staff were extremely kind, I was disappointed by the service and food we received. Staff were extremely kind but because they were short-staffed and we visited on a busy week night (Friday night). The waitress was very apologetic which I appreciated but forgot to bring us the lime slices and jalapeno peppers we ordered. It also took a very long time (about 15 to 20 minutes after being seated) to get our Diet Coke. (Pho Bo) It was alright, but the broth seemed to be watered down and not that flavorful (Seafood Rice Noodle Soup) The broth was very odd tasting and for the price we paid, wished it had more actual seafood than the imitation crab sticks. The only thing I liked was the shrimp cracker (which I've never had anywhere else). read more

Saigon Cafe - Seafood rice noodle soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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Great Vietnamese spot in downtown JC. The soup was delicious (and huge). I thought the summer rolls were also especially fresh! read more

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Great food, friendly neighborhood staff. Wonderful selection of choices on the menu. Porridge is good for feeling under the weather. The limited-item Jersey Tomato special is very tasty. Recommend curry dishes, sticky rice with pork and acorn squash. Small but good selection of spirits too. read more

Hmm... based on my most recent experiences, I might sadly have to dock my rating for this place. I haven't seen the really good server from my last review in a while, and the most recent staff serving me has been less than warm (with my most recent visit being served by the owner himself). The food quality has also slid quite a bit. During one recent visit, I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I came in specifically excited for a piping hot bowl pho to comfort my soul. My server soon showed up with a bowl of tangled noodles, few lukewarm toppings, and nearly no broth... This was a $15 small bowl, and I could not see the broth unless I tilted the bowl 45 degrees and pressed down the noodles with my spoon. If anyone has had pho before, I am confident they know that pho broth is a key ingredients in pho. When I asked my server about it, the conversation went as follows: Me: "Hi, excuse me Miss, there seems to be a lot less broth than usual in my pho. Can you guys please fill it in a little bit more?" Server: "Sure, let me check with the kitchen." Server comes back: "I can give you a little bit more, but that will be $2 extra." Me: "Oh... that's kind of unusual. There's supposed to be more broth. Currently, almost none of the ingredients are submerged and they are cold. I don't want extra broth - just the normal amount." Server: "Let me check again." She comes back: "So... we're giving you less broth because most people end up throwing it out." Bizarre... as a way of background, I deeply understand that it takes a lot of work to create a good broth and it's heart-breaking to see customers waste it... WHICH IS A BIG REASON WHY I always drink all of my broth, and if I am paying full-price for a not-so-cheap bowl of pho, they should be giving me the appropriate amount of broth regardless of what other customers do with it. It was very odd and disappointing, as I have spent a lot of money at this place as a frequent customer. On another recent visit, I came in for lunch and while the pricing of lunch specials went up by $2, the portion size decreased (or at least, the amount of filling in the lunch banh mi decreased compared to previously). The service was also off, where the owner was really warm toward a couple sitting near me, then suddenly cold whenever he turned to me, for no reason that I can think of. It was very noticeable in a nearly empty restaurant, a bit unsettling, and not a great way to retain regular customers. read more

Place is overpriced. if you want good vietnamese food go to Corner Pho or kung fu pho. Staff can also be incredibly rude, especially during lunch. Lastly, don't ever order the banh mi for takeout. For some reason it is so much worse versus dining in. This place gets most of its business cause of its central location next to the path. Don't be fooled ! read more

I came here as a party of 4 on a Saturday evening. The restaurant doesn't take reservations, but there was no wait, so we were seated immediately. My boyfriend ordered the old fashioned - it was good, but watered down. I ordered the spiked guava lemonade, it was very good, but didn't taste the guava that much. For appetizer, we ordered the pork spring rolls, vegetarian summer roles, and chicken wings. I ordered the lemongrass tofu for dinner. It was very flavorful and had a nice spice to it, but the portion size was a bit on the smaller size. Overall, we had a nice experience and enjoyed the food. read more

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Food delicious and service is great. The price is reasonable. Nice decoration and quiet atmosphere for a family dinner read more

Really good food but the ambience is just okay due to the pandemic. We really enjoyed the food :) read more

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Excellent! Sauces so good you should ask for extra white rice to sop them up. Big menu full of tasty choices and creative cocktails to boot! Friendly attentive service. Interesting uncommon (at least to me) options, eg Living Buddha beer, a good one. Great place in a fun location (downtown JC). read more

We ordered summer rolls, the traditional beef pho and the spicy pho special. All were tasty and good portions. Prices are a bit steeper than another Vietnamese restaurant in the area. I'm not sure if the servers that night were new, but the service seemed disorganized. After our entrees the waiter forgot about us, and we sat for a while with our finished entrees. Another server took our dessert order and got us the bill. read more

Great Vietnamese food in downtown Jersey City! So glad to see this business survive with to go orders through COVID and now coming back with inside dining AND to go orders. The food is authentic and there are usually specials that are worth checking out. Great place for a date night or groups. Full bar stocked with several rare items. Eating here is a must! read more

I picked up the grilled pork bahn mi. So can't say much about the place but it decent. The bread seemed burnt but didn't taste burnt at all so that's good. A bit too much bread for me though. I would come back to try anything else. read more

Saigon Cafe - Zoomed in grilled pork bahn mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Portions smaller but food is good. Porkchop OK. Shaken beef was overcooked but tasted like it could've been great had they not. I hope that was a fluke? Viet coffee decent. Bun grilled shrimps were big and not too over cooked. Will try them again for sure. read more

Decent Viet food in JC! I came here a little shy before they closed the kitchen on a weekend. We were practically the only ones in the restaurant so service was very speedy! We quickly ordered the "Pho Bo" and less than five minutes later, our hot bowls came out. The broth was delicious and flavorful. The Pho Bo ($14) comes with beef brisket and eye of beef round. You also have an option to add beef balls for an additional $2. Prices seemed a bit high for the portion size. Overall, a good place to grab a warm bowl of pho (or to come steam your cold face, whichever you prefer...) read more

Saigon Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Definitely good food. Service ok. Don't know about drinks, but the bartender is working too hard. Overall boring place. Try to order in or carry out. read more

Great place. Excellent whiskey options especially for a Vietnamese restaurant. Go here

I've walked past this Mom and Pop style Vietnamese restaurant many times but only recently eaten here and I'm kind of mad at myself that I didn't do so sooner! The decor is really nice with lots of dark wood and the focal point is a small bar with an impressive array of whiskey and sake. The waitstaff was friendly, attentive, professional and well organised. The menu is pretty big and offers all manner of Vietnamese and SE Asian specialities. Prices are reasonable and the dishes are carefully prepared with well-balanced flavours. There's also an extensive drinks list with house cocktails. We ordered a variety of dishes and loved them all. The Summer Rolls were the best I have ever had (and I have had quite a few!) as was the accompanying peanut sauce, salads were refreshing, and the squid was extremely tender. All in all, it was a wonderful meal and we will be back soon. Note: it's not a big restaurant so you may want to call ahead if you are a large party and strollers are not allowed inside the restaurant (there is an enclosed porch area for them and high chairs are provided). read more

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I love their Phô! It's so die for, i definitely recommend this place if you're looking for some good noodle soup

Walked by and decided to try this place. Quick tip: its not true Vietnamese restaurant, it has Malaysian and Thai as well. The owner is pretty cool and came and talked to us about his and other restaurants in the area. We ordered the Banh mi and Randang Curry, both were pretty solid. The prices are affordable and we are definitely going to try other items on their menu. The owner had some good recommendations for sure. They have kept it very safe, only outdoor dining and you give your order through their entrance. read more

#SaigonCafe was the choice for our Yelp ladies dinner date. Vicky L. recommended it for a few reasons ---nice ambiance, great food, and full bar --she was right on point. the Kentucky Mule ($10) was a great cocktail choice. There are several items to choose from as the menu is extensive (signature entrees, seafood, noodles, soups, chicken, pork etc). I decided to try the Com Chien Cua ($18)--Blue Crab Meat Fried Rice: crab meat, eggs, peas, carrots, onions, fish sauce, & soy sauce. It was delicious! We all agreed that it was nice to hear ourselves chat with one another, as a lot of the restaurants now are always playing the music really loud (hehe). The service was good from start to finish. They were kind to split the bill with the five of us and even smiled when we asked our waiter take a picture of the group :) . I'll be back to Saigon! read more

Saigon Cafe - Crab meat fried rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Best Vietnamese we have been to! Our family comes here every week and we love eating here. We recommend getting the fried spring rolls, shrimp chips, and pretty much everything. The owner is very friendly along with the staff. It's a good place if you have allergies such as gluten, dairy, egg and nuts (my son can eat spring rolls, shrimp chips and pho with no problems). They also give large portions of food too. The atmosphere is very cozy. read more

Amazing restaurants - we came just before kitchen closed. Never did we feel we should not have come or made the staff stay late. Food of out of the world as always please thank your staff for serving us dinner when we came just before kitchen closed. Your waitress was always smiling and never asked us to hurry or leave. No wonder I love your restaurant so much (food and service ) read more

Saigon is the best! Literally the best food in Jersey City and Steve is an amazing host! I was just sitting here at the bar, a customer came is asking for a Bahn Mi which is a lunch item and since they were out of bread the waitress said it was unavailable.. Steve jumped from behind the bar ran to the bakery and got a baguette! Customer service to the max! read more

I can't imagine anyone rating this any less than 5 stars ! The food quality is 10/10. I have been coming here for years and have never tried anything that wasn't great. Consistency, Quality and good food - always ! read more

Great range of selection. Mainly Vietnamese dishes, but you can find some Malaysian and Thai dishes here as well. Good food. Nice dessert. The most exciting thing here would be the "steamed sticky rice and banana inside" and banana cake. read more

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Everything I've had here is really flavorful and delicious. The pho's are great, dumplings and spring rolls also great as was the banh Mi. Prices also are very reasonable. read more

Food is good, however, the quantity for the price is too small. I get that the food prices have gone up everywhere, but please don't cheat us by giving only half the mixed seafood curry in a large box and replacing seafood with potatoes. Curry taste is great, but not worth $27. read more