Excellent Vietnamese food with great flavor. Service was excellent and the restaurant is a small place with a warm and inviting feel. It's definitely a must goto! read more

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First of all I find it interesting that they are still take out only. I have been here a few times before and had enjoyed a sit down meal in a crowded restaurant. I guess they are doing enough business with takeout that they don't need to deal with the hassle of waitstaff employment. I do find that a shame though. So I haven't had the food here since winter of 2020, right before the shut down. Dinner back then was enjoyable. I remember being pleasantly surprised that the dishes tasted as good as the NY Metro area. Fast forward to this weekend. We took out the House Special Beef Pho, Tai Nam Bo Beef Pho, Honey Lemongrass Vermicelli with Chicken, Summer Rolls, Crispy Squid, Fried Pork Potstickers and Lemongrass Marinated Chicken Skewers. I forgot to take pictures as I spent a lot of time opening packaging and preparing the food for everyone to eat before the food got colder than it was. For the most part, the dishes tasted pretty good. The flavors were there. My daughter complained about an alcoholic taste to the broth but the rest of us didn't taste it. My biggest complaint will be that the skewered chicken was raw. Thankfully we were at a hotel with a microwave so I cooked it in there but then the chicken tasted dry. All in all, if you are craving Vietnamese in Ithaca and have a place to spread out for takeout then I would recommend this place. The 3 stars is because when I am in Ithaca, I am visiting so do not want to have to takeout and eat at my hotel. If we were eating at the restaurant, I would not have been busy unwrapping food, the crispy squid and potstickers would not have gotten soggy and the raw chicken would have been sent back. read more

An Ithaca institution! I'm a big fan of their Subgum Vermicelli, but their pho is also delicious with deep flavors and fresh herbs. read more

Saigon Kitchen - a plate of noodles with meat and sauce - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

It seems hard to find a restaurant that has Golden Crispy Noodles but this place does. Very good!! BF had fried tofu with white rice (I felt the tofu tasted freeze burnt a bit) and vegan tofu pho (he's a vegan) and he also enjoyed his. We each had mango juice but it didn't taste very fresh read more

Haven't been to Saigon Kitchen in a while but I was in the neighborhood and figured I would check them out. Oh, what a good decision! I had the home made pot stickers, steamed, and then a bowl of "beef stew" (really oxtail, I think) pho. The pho was sensational, just so flavorful! I have no idea how they concentrate so much umami and flavor but wow... just spicy enough for a slight tingle, with a very aromatic, almost heady perfume, and packed with végétales ahd noodles plus a generous amount of beef. Just great! Fast service in a nice but not fancy room. Five stars for the food, three for ambience, four for service... read more

Best Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese food in Ithaca! Service is fast and accurate. Lots of staff. Even for a large group of 12 people, the food came out so fast. AND it still tastes very fresh - incredible! Restaurant is clean. Sometimes busy. read more

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Went to pick up a to go order- the man working told me I should dye my hair because my skin looks younger than I do... and I was just picking up food. Yes, I'm younger and have grey hair- but why is that an acceptable thing to say to a complete stranger, a customer, no less. Honestly will not be coming back because of his rude comment about my appearance. read more

Excellent food and lots of great choices! Manager accommodating and service was ok. Gets very crowded go early!

So long as you're aware going in that this is a place where the waiters wear sweatpants -- and for that matter tend to be, shall we say, "indifferent at best" in manner ... The food is consistently quite good though ... My personal favorites being the beef volcano -- and the flounder, which I've had at least 3 or 4 times now & has always been quite excellent ... On one recent visit I was accompanied by vegetarians, who were quite pleased with the tofu offerings read more

Pre covid this one of best restaurants I visited every year. Since it has fallen. Their spicy wings were amazing. Now they are just wings. Pass unless just looking for basic stuff read more

Long before I had stepped in, I already knew of the legend that is Saigon Kitchen. It isn't just the most Yelped restaurant in all of Ithaca, it might be just be the city's most popular establishment overall. The hype seems warranted as this place has a wait almost every night of the week. Things were no different when I arrived recently, I ended up waiting close to 35 minutes as I waited for my party to arrive. The summers are brutal. Somehow the restaurant was still stuffy, despite having two air conditioners in the wall so they decided to bust out a massive fan to help circulate some air into the shoddy ventilation. Strangely, it didn't help much. Winter suddenly sounds a lot more appealing. (#1) Service was a little spotty but generally pretty decent. I didn't really appreciate the rushing to order or the rushing of the bill, but I understand they need to turn tables to get new blood in the door constantly. I don't know if I would consider this a place to kill time by any stretch, but certainly the food can't be bad right? The food falls on the spectrum of somewhere in the middle of most of my Vietnamese cuisine experiences. Far from the worst bowl of pho I've ever had but certainly not remotely close to the best. Is it the best in Ithaca? My sneaking suspicion would be yes. Should be the bar be as high as it is in other cities? Definitely not. (#2) I semi-already knew what I was in for when I told a couple of waitresses in Vietnamese the number of people in my party and their reaction was to get the owner. Once we all sat down, I had politely asked about the menu's items since nothing was in Vietnamese and needed to confirm if certain choices were what I thought they were (#3) and got puzzled looks in return. I ignored the sections that mentioned things like "kang pao" chicken or the "spicy szechuan" or the "general chicken." We eventually settled for a couple bowls of their "House Special" an order of imperial rolls and some Viet iced coffee. Pho broth is usually the cornerstone to a good soup. This was a bit on the murky side and the cuts of meat were not as generous as I would have assumed. It was somewhat noodle heavy, which I never complain about but I know some that would. The imperial rolls were somewhat dry, but very tasty otherwise with a little helping of the sauce. The iced coffee tasted a bit watered down and was lacking on the condensed milk. All in all, I can't say I was disappointed completely. The other Vietnamese restaurants in Ithaca are borderline horrendous (#5) next to what Saigon Kitchen has to offer. I would easily come back here and probably order a few other things, such as their "Vietnamese steak" (I'm guessing bo luc lac?), the "grilled pork plate" (Maybe the com thit nuong?) and the banh hoi noodles. ____________ (#1) Can you imagine? Cold weather + warm bowl of pho = winning. (#2) There's a lot of reasons for this, but let's just say that expectations will always play a role. (#3) For example: Is the "Spicy Saigon Soup" the same thing as "Canh Chua?" I'm guessing "Imperial Roll Vermicelli" is "Bun Cha Gio" but I never want to assume. (#4) I swear, I didn't make these names up. (#5) I'm talking like the WORST I've ever had bad. I can't even begin to describe how much better Saigon Kitchen is in that regard. read more

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Extremely disappointed. This place used to be fantastic and it was nice to know there was good Pho in Ithaca and now there isn't. I don't know if the management changed or what happened but the pho broth is now a flavorless salty water. And if you don't have a good broth there's no point. Also there was no basil or sriracha included (there is a sriracha shortage so that part is understandable). But perhaps another brand of the same popular sauce could have been used. They were very nice and the service was great. Iced coffee was good. Pho was subpar. And the unfortunate thing is I know how good it used to be and it's currently a far cry from that. read more

Pho is super good here! Service is great and if you go during a less busy time, ambiance is good as well. Some of the tables are super close together so you can feel like you're sitting on top of another party, but if you go during less busy of a time then it's much more comfortable. read more

they are open for in-person dining now. come over here and get the good eats. let that pho heal your life. read more

Saigon Kitchen - Pho Ga (Chicken Pho) - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Hot pho on a very cold night was a must, especially after a very long day of skiing. Saigon Kitchen was a great little gem I was so happy we got to try while on our trip in Ithaca!! My group of 5 all ordered a few different things, but my entree was simply just their House Special Pho (around $12). They weren't delivering that night, or maybe just not to the area we were staying in, so we opted for easy pick up. It came disassembled and perfectly neat! I was able to quickly heat the broth up in the microwave so it was piping hot and added all of the fixings for the perfect soup at home. It was incredibly tasty. It was exactly what I was craving! Everyone really seemed to enjoy the dishes they chose as well. We ordered a few appetizers, crab rangoon and pot stickers, but they unfortunately forgot the pot stickers. It happens, but of course we only realized once we got back home. The Crab rangoon had deliciously crispy shells and piping hot filling. They were great! All 5 of us were able to get one and I am sure we all fought over the left over pieces. This was a great spot and, if you are craving Vietnamese food while in the are, I definitely recommend you give them a try. read more

The grilled chicken wasn't grilled and portion was way too small for the price. Beef stew noodles was yummy but extremely salty. I like that they had a chicken broth option. read more

Saigon Kitchen - Grilled chicken on rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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We loved our meal so much, we went back the next day for lunch. The first meal, which I did remember to take a photo was incredible. We ordered the grilled pork chops. They were fantastic! So good, we had to order a second round of pork chops. Everything we ordered was bursting with flavor and fresh. We also had the caramelized eggplant. It was perfection. We ordered the pan fried pork dumplings and they were super fresh tasting. And lastly, I got the wonton soup and it hit the spot on a cold rainy day. Yumm yumm yumm! If my review was based off that one time, I would have give them 5 stars. However the next day, I tried a couple of different items and unfortunately it didn't hit the spot. The crystal shrimp dumplings were pretty awful. Didn't taste fresh at all. Also tried the lunch menu, Kung Pao tofu, again another disappointment. Small portions. I wish I had remembered to take photos. It really bothers me when they give me an enormous amount of onion and pepper ratio to actual protein and real veggies. It's such a shame. I feel as though the restaurant owners are being super cheap by loading up on fillers. Also tried tofu and veggies with brown sauce, again hardly any real veggies, like one piece of broccoli and again loaded with onions and peppers. Yuck!!!! Oh well, live and learn I suppose. I would definitely go back and order the first meal and hope it will be as delicious as it was the first time. I would never order a lunch special ever. Small portions, not worth the price. read more

Saigon Kitchen - Grilled pork chops, pork dumplings, wonton soup, caramelized eggplant. Everything was absolutely delicious - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

My friend who attends Cornell recommended this Vietnamese spot to me. A lot of people in the area grab food from this spot. When we got there, we were looking at the menu to see what they offered. I guess we appeared like students who frequent the area so one of the ladies asked us "if we were ordering or not". We only looked at the menu for about a minute or two. It honestly sounded like they had a lot of business and didn't care if we gave them business or not. After checking out the other reviews, I was excited to order their Sriracha fried chicken and House Special Pho. We also ordered the Basil fried rice, Tai Gau pho, and Saigon Kitchen fried rice. To my dismay, the house special pho had very few pieces of meat. They only provided roughly 1 fourth of a beef ball. The broth was flavorful but the meat portion was rather small. The Sriracha chicken was also pretty good. The fried rice was decent too but also lacked in protein. I don't know if covid has affected the portions for takeout but I guess it would be worth returning if the protein portions are more reasonable... read more

Amazing! Had fantastic pho here on a cold night last week. Service is quick and staff is polite. Delicious. read more

Saigon Kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Authentic food at a reasonable price. Service is good and the restaurant is pleasant. Parking can be difficult. read more

Saigon Kitchen - Tai Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I have kept quiet about this for a while but honestly, I can't anymore. I've been eating at Saigon Kitchen for over 5 years and after the new owners took over 2 years ago, everything has gone downhill. The service is worse, the portions are stingy, and the staff are dismissive and won't do as asked. The food quality is decent, average for vietnamese, but overall, I won't keep returning if this continues. I get takeout at least twice a month and every single time I have to ask for sauce cups to be filled because they always come half full. Not a single time have they ever been filled all the way despite being asked, and I've even had staff return with 3/4 full cups refusing to fill them all the way. It's gotten to the point that every time I go in, I have to physically pull the sauces all out and ask AGAIN to get the fair portion. They also charge an extra DOLLAR for every single extra half full sauce cup. If they were full to begin with, I wouldn't need to buy extras. This scamminess is exhausting. There is less meat in the pho, less meatballs (a single halved meatball instead of multiple as there used to be and as the menu advertises), the summer rolls are smaller portions, almost all the food is smaller portions, the Thai tea now suddenly comes in a shrunken 12oz cup instead of the regular 16oz cup it has always come in, and the cheapness can't be overlooked anymore. Anything to squeeze a few more undeserved pennies out by giving stingy portions, right? It's shameful. Owner should be embarrassed scamming loyal customers out of the generous portions we have always gotten so they can line their fat pockets more. read more

The food here is good with a large menu to choose from. The lunch menu is good and affordable, and the service is fast. Ate lunch with friends here and got our food in under 10 minutes. My friend said it was the best pho she'd ever had. Would recommend. read more

Here's a short review to say BEST WONTON SOUP IN ITHACA! My husband wasn't feeling well and I thought wonton soup might help what was ailing him. I thought about who might make the best wonton soup and tried Saigon Kitchen. WOW, so good!! The broth is flavorful and has some lemongrass, chives, and greens added to boost the flavor. The wontons are homemade with tasty filling, generously sized, and flavorful. read more

We came up to Ithaca yesterday and we will ONLY eat at Saigon!! Took out the Vietnamese steak, sriracha wings, lo me in, and pot stickers... heaven on earth!! read more

Saigon Kitchen - Yummmmmmmmyyyy!!!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Saigon Kitchen is fantastic! Everyone in town knows it, too! We had a little bit of a wait on a Sunday around 1pm, but it wasn't crazy, maybe 20 minutes. The restaurant was packed, but our meals still came quickly. Our table of four shared pork pot stickers to start, which were mouth-wateringly good, as well as warm and comforting on the cold day. Two people in our party got pho, and raved about it- portions so big they couldn't finish! Me and the fourth person both got the Honey Lemongrass Vermicelli, mine with chicken. This chicken was marinated so masterfully and was the best thing I can remember tasting in a long time. The sprouts, lime, and sauce made the meal fresh and tangy, while the noodles left me fully satisfied. I wish I lived in Ithaca just so I could eat at Saigon Kitchen on a regular basis! read more

Saigon Kitchen - Honey lemongrass noodles with grilled chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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great food, good service. wide variety of food including authentic vietnamese dishes and chinese fusion. highly recommend the beef stew. read more

Saigon Kitchen - Beef Stew - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Our favorite order after much trial and error: Appetizers: -Pan fried pork pot stickers Main course: -Basil fried rice w chicken -Pho something (starts with ch, w/ chicken -volcano (has tamarind sauce) This was a draft and I never finished it so I'm finishing it now :P enjoy read more

Reviews live up to the hype. This meal was fantastic and well worth the wait. Best to order many dishes and share. Sorry for only the one pic was too busy eating! read more

Saigon Kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Food was great, tasted very authentic :) I got the summer rolls, the fried rice and the house pho. Wonderful choices, broth was great!!

Had an early game in Ithaca and this was located right by the Commons. Service isn't fussy here. If this is something that bothers you, go somewhere else. I'm Asian so I'm used to the service offered at more authentic spots. They take your order, drop off the food, come back with the check. I don't need to be babied. If there's a problem, you flag them down. No big deal. Place was still bustling, even 90 minutes within closing time! Very simple decor and seating arrangement. Everything is done fast here - food, tables cleared, etc. Our food came within 10 minutes of ordering. I mean, EVERYTHING came at once. I was so excited because I was STARVING. We started with the sriracha wings as an appetizer. They are slightly breaded and fried. Reminded me of Korean fried chicken style, it was so crunchy. The sauce is just hot enough and no, it doesn't just taste like straight up sriracha. Definitely mixed with another base. Reminds me of these wings my dad made as a kid. Very good. I got the Tai Gau pho which includes steak and brisket. My boyfriend got the grilled pork chop plate. I received the house special pho instead. My waitress didn't feel the need to write anything down, so that was probably the mix up. But I wasn't complaining because the pho was delicious. The broth was clear and tasted very well seasoned. I love star anise and I could really taste it here. I asked for more limes, never got any but it was okay. Basil was fresh and I got a handful of cilantro that came with my broth. I LOOOOOOVE cilantro, but if you hate it: be aware it is included! Grilled pork chop had great caramelization. They definitely marinade it overnight because the pork is juicy, instead of dry like I've had at some places. We also both got boba smoothies. Made with fresh fruit and so delicious. Definitely worth the splurge. It was a little too late in the afternoon for their famous Vietnamese iced coffee so I'll try that out next time! Pro-tip: pay or at least tip in cash! read more

Saigon Kitchen - Sriracha wings - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Phenomenal experience. We visited Labor Day weekend of 2023, had the shrimp fried rice and the sautéed Chinese eggplant. So good!

Family owned and operated by the Lam family, Saigon Kitchen has become a destination for fresh and delicious Vietnamese food in a clean and modern setting in Ithaca. Culture, family and great food is what they aim to share with their community with this wonderfully authentic little Vietnamese restaurant in Ithaca's West End. Saigon Kitchen serves eight different versions of pho - traditional Vietnamese beef soup - and as many bun, or vermicelli dishes. The offerings aren't a menu as much as an excavation of authentic cuisine. Almost overwhelming in its selection, the restaurant distinguishes itself with both breadth and depth. The wife and I were in town for a concert at the State Theatre, so we decided to get some dinner here. It's a tiny place, packed full of as many tables and chairs as they could possibly fit in the place. It was also packed full of people when we arrived around 530 on a Saturday, but luckily there was one table left and we were sat immediately. Now, I love me some pho. It's one of my favorite foods, ever. But upon looking at the menu, I wanted to try something new, something I hadn't seen at other restaurants. We decided to try some Imperial Meat Rolls and a bowl of Spicy Saigon Soup as appetizers. Both were brought quickly and were pretty tasty. The rolls were pieces of pork rolled with veggies and jicama and fried in rice paper with a sweet dipping sauce. The soup was delicious as well, a spicy broth cooled off by the sweetness of chunks of pineapple. For our main dishes, The wife chose twice cooked pork, while I went with Bahn Hoi Noodles, vermicelli noodles woven into intricate bundles, topped with saigon pork patties, crushed peanuts, onion oil and fresh basil with a house tamarind sauce. Our main dishes were also brought quickly. Mine was pretty good, but the portion was small and it was honestly not as amazing as I'd worked it up in my head to be. My wife's was a large portion and pretty tasty, with a spicy brown sauce. I ordered a pineapple/coconut bubble smoothie on the way out while the wife went with a Thai bubble tea. Both were very tasty. Staff was friendly and attentive. The restaurant was bright and nicely decorated, but very warm, as it's a small place packing a lot of people closely together, and they only have a small fan in the front of the restaurant blowing. Plenty of close street parking and easy to walk to. The food didn't blow me away like I thought it would, but it was good, and I'd go again if I were in the area. read more

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Currently open for takeout orders only (you have to call ahead to place the order). About a 25-30 minute wait for me. Got the honey lemongrass chicken vermicelli which was so refreshing on a blazing hot day. Their mango juice boba is also really tasty and fresh. Come here if you're in Ithaca and want Vietnamese food!!!! read more

Saigon Kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Good for groups. The waiter set the table for our family of 12 fairly quickly. He insisted that he get all the ice waters for us before we sat down. We arrived around 1 and the lunch special is $10 each and lasts until 2pm. Lunch special is available from Tuesday through Friday. I got the volcano stir fry with chicken and white rice and sweet and sour soup. Other options include stir fry brown sauce, saigon kitchen curry (which was really good!), ground chilli and black bean, stir fry and mixed vegetables, kang pao, spicy Szechuan, and lemon basil stir fry. Each lunch special comes with a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu all at the same price. There's a choice between white rice and fried rice and also either sweet & sour soup or an egg roll. I got a Vietnamese iced coffee. Super strong, super sweet, super icy. It came with a bendy straw though! I got the fried squid dish. It wasn't BAD, but i've had better. It was a bit too crunchy and under-seasoned. (7/10). My volcano stir fry chicken was my biggest mistake. I should've known from the very unauthentic name that it would be a huge disappointment. The dish came with specially cut carrots, stir-fried onions, mushrooms, greens, and dry chicken and a standard serving of white rice. The sweet and sour soup was s o thick. The white pepper flavoring was strong. The people that got pho really enjoyed their meals. It came with the standard Vietnamese herbs, only a tiny wedge of lime per person, and a pile of sprouts. The soup base was very flavorful. There is a choice between brisket, tendon, and more fatty meats, so there was a variation between what each person got and how well done they wanted their meats. Two people got their grilled pork chop over rice which comes with a bowl of sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, rice, and sunny side up eggs. The 2 people that got that gobbled up their food completely, but are usually not people that eat much. That dish was great. Order it!!! My personal favorite was the beef fried noodles. It looks like a bird's nest and has beef, broccoli, onion, carrots inside. The noodles are super crispy and there was just the right amount of sauce. The noodles tasted like very well seasoned fried...mystery noodles. They didn't taste like regular noodles I find in Queens. But I was hangry at that point, so it was very good. I'm happy with the speed at which everything was served and the service. The restaurant began to have more and more customers, but we were not neglected. The one bad thing is that there is only one bathroom for males and one bathroom for females. There was actually a line for the male bathroom. Whoa! The female bathroom was pretty tiny and not well lit. My grandma couldn't see well when we went inside and she had to clean her dentures. When I was on the bathroom, my knees were practically touching the wall. I'm not even that tall! Pretty good food here. Good for a meal, but not something i'd go out of my way to come back for. read more

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Can't go wrong here. . Best pho. Prices are good. . No alcohol served, but BYOB is encouraged. read more

The food wasn't tasty and the service has a lot to improve. The restaurant was full and the only narrow door to the restaurant was blocked with many customers that arrived and waited to get in. read more

This is a solid Vietnamese restaurant in Ithaca. The service is pretty curt and to-the-point, but the food is great. I came with a group of 7 on a Thursday night, and the place was packed that we had to wait for ~10 minutes. We ordered some appetizers to share: spring rolls, pot stickers, crispy squid. My favorite out of these was the crispy squid, but I was pretty disappointed that they were out of summer rolls on this night, as they are my go-to appetizer at any Vietnamese restaurant. I got the House Special pho. The noodles were slightly stuck together when it first came out, but that resolved itself after I gave it some good stirs. The pho was delicious, and the broth was flavorful and comforting. Also, my group included a vegan and a vegetarian, and there were plenty of accommodating things they could choose from. read more

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Amazing! I've been to Saigon Kitchen often and it never disappoints. It's usually quite crowded for good reason but I've never waited more than a few minutes for a table. Please don't expect ambiance as the environment is basic but don't let appearances fool you. The food is spectacular and it arrives quickly. I order the spicy black bean and ginger flounder as well as the grilled pork with rice every time I dine and it's savory, never over cooked, and absolutely delicious. Just be mindful that if you wish to drink, BYOB, as they do not serve alcohol. From start to finish, an authentic experience that doesn't break the bank. Highly recommend. read more

This is a great place for lunch. I had the chicken satay to start and then the lemongrass vermicelli with pork. The satay is very good, chicken cooked perfectly and their peanut dipping sauce is great. The vermicelli and pork was definitely on the small side. Glad I had an appetizer. But it was very good and would order again. read more

Saigon Kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Food was good but portions are small. I prefer they raise their prices than make the portions small. I took pictures of their updated menu with the new prices. They don't do indoor dining right now, only take out. read more

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