Most people agree, this city does not do Vietnamese cuisine well. And getting noodles for takeout is the worst. But like a perfect storm, I found myself ordering pho to-go during the December 2020 COVID surge. Initially I thought it was going to be just "edible", and nothing more than that. Surprisingly, it was better than expected! My order was packaged neatly, with the sauces in their respective containers and the broth kept separately. All the lids were snug and the bowl was wrapped in a separate plastic bag to ensure the contents did not spill out during travel. Everything was still super hot upon arrival, the rare beef slices cooked in the broth and I didn't need to reheat anything. To the surprise of no one, the noodles did clump up a bit. It took some effort to separate the strands once they were submerged in the broth. But the consistency was great and it still had a chewy texture. The cuts of beef were tasty. I found the broth flavorful, but on the saltier side. Toppings are also minimal compared to dine in. Can't compare to pho restaurants in San Jose or Orange County, but it'll save you a trip up the 101 and you don't have to go through LA traffic. And for Santa Barbara standards, at least it's not Pho Bistro.
Thomas A.
Good food, but they never follow special requests on door dash. Or even consistently include ingredients such as basil and cilantro with the chicken curry. Eating there is okay because you can correct the kitchens mistakes, but I'd highly advise against ordering delivery from here.
Marta M.
The spring rolls were exceptionally fresh and tasty. Turmeric soup was delish too. I'd opt for no raw onions next time but amazing.
Rick W.
Rude. Stood at the door for 15 minutes without eye contact. Self service water. Regret paying tips at order that I can't get back. Food tasted authentic.
Juliet P.
While waiting for my food, I went to the bathroom and noticed that they were out of toilet paper. I walked out and politely asked the lady to replace it so I can go. She demanded that I leave and go use a bathroom somewhere else. She stated, "too busy here now, you go somewhere else." And rolled her eyes at me. Hence, she said this in front of another customer. It was so f****** mean and I really had to pee. The staff there clearly hate their job and should not be working.
Kenny Park
Good locationSpacious dining roomAuthentic interiorHowever the food and service was a bit less than expected.
Barry Prescott
I keep trying, their food is good, getting the food is so difficult, the last 3 times have been painful.I ordered on line again and get there and they are just confused and then said they are out of duck which I paid $3.00 more than chicken
Shannon M.
I never write reviews but after leaving this restaurant, I was so depressed. The food isn't great and it's definitely too pricey for the quality. If you want Asian food, go to another town. Or just eat a different cuisine. (We got chicken fried rice and chicken hot pot).
Shane W.
Saigon is one my wife's favorite places in Santa Barbara, her tofu vermicelli is perfect every time. My duck curry had some great flavors but was just a little short for me. Some of the duck and rice were slightly under and asking for extra spicy didn't seem to add anything to the dish.
K K.
I love coming Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant at this location for lunch, dinner, or takeout. The turmeric soup is a personal favorite. I highly recommend it! Selena, who works there is great. She is super attentive, helpful, and kind. This is a great local spot overall.
I am not mad at this place at all!!! We stuck to the vegetarian menu only this visit and everything SLAPPED! Everything was a HIT! Salt and Pepper Tofu (I'm hooked) Bok Choy and Mushrooms Soy Chicken w/ Vegetables Soy Chicken Pho Fresh Spring Rolls w/ Tofu Fresh Spring Rolls w/ Soy Chicken And my friend got a Rare Beef Pho. I'm telling you I put that food DOWN TO REST. The salt and pepper tofu used a good semi-firm tofu that softened a little when fried. It was a bit salty and a bit oily, but trust me...everything balanced perfectly, creating a savory/soft...yet crispy/crunchy dish. I'm going to look for this dish everywhere. The soy chicken in the pho, vegetables and spring rolls had a plump juiciness to it more like a SEITAN. Excellent!!! This made the meat substitute more flavorful than it would have been choosing plain tofu. The Bok Choy and Mushrooms gave us a healthy option. The savory vegetable broth with this dish made it a hit, too! The spring rolls were light, crunchy with veggies, bouncy with noodles and vibrant. Good mix of textures. I can't wait to eat here again. I don't think I'll stray away from the vegetarian menu anytime soon.
Carolina C.
Their pho is tasty but their service is one of the worst there is in Santa Barbara. The woman who was at the cashier was incredibly dismissive and rude. I got a notification from postmates saying that my order was ready so I asked her if it was ready and her response was "it will be ready when it's ready. not my problem". She also asked me a question and as I was responding she picked up the phone and walked away. Seriously, no wonder this place is always empty
Autumn
The chicken egg rolls were good. More like a spring roll. The sauce it came with was also good. The sweet snd sour shrimp was not what I expected. I guess I was expecting a Chinese type version and this was very spicy with a lot of peppers and onions. Also had the tails on the shrimp still even though they were deep fried. Overall, I’d try it again but I’d try something different.
Hai T.
Pho is decent, springs rolls are too, I just don't like they have spinach in my springs rolls. Staffs are friendly, restroom need more clean.
Lynna C.
Ignore the white lady who posted about getting diarrhea. Vietnamese food uses lots of lettuce and I got diarrhea from Tender Greens (white restaurant) recently so it isn't the restaurant staff being unhygienic as not washing their hands. It is just a risk of eating lettuce in salad form. Sometimes you get fecal oral issues even if produce is washed. Take your Imodium and move on, Karen This is Santa Barbara (Mecca of whiteness), so don't expect anything ridiculously amazing in the Asian food department. This is a decent Vietnamese restaurant located right on State Street. The prices are fine for the food they serve. It isn't the best Vietnamese restaurant I've been to, but it isn't the worst either. You can easily get a meal here for under $20 and that is saying a lot, especially during the pandemic. The spring rolls I ordered were fine. The chicken Phó my fiancé ordered was pretty tasty. The only complaint I have about the pho was that the chicken was all breast meat. I don't blame them though, it is mostly white people who are patronizing this place so they have to do what they have to do to keep their clientele coming. An asian restaurant that serves predominantly Asians would use dark meat for sure.
Most people agree, this city does not do Vietnamese cuisine well. And getting noodles for takeout is the worst. But like a perfect storm, I found myself ordering pho to-go during the December 2020 COVID surge. Initially I thought it was going to be just "edible", and nothing more than that. Surprisingly, it was better than expected! My order was packaged neatly, with the sauces in their respective containers and the broth kept separately. All the lids were snug and the bowl was wrapped in a separate plastic bag to ensure the contents did not spill out during travel. Everything was still super hot upon arrival, the rare beef slices cooked in the broth and I didn't need to reheat anything. To the surprise of no one, the noodles did clump up a bit. It took some effort to separate the strands once they were submerged in the broth. But the consistency was great and it still had a chewy texture. The cuts of beef were tasty. I found the broth flavorful, but on the saltier side. Toppings are also minimal compared to dine in. Can't compare to pho restaurants in San Jose or Orange County, but it'll save you a trip up the 101 and you don't have to go through LA traffic. And for Santa Barbara standards, at least it's not Pho Bistro.
Good food, but they never follow special requests on door dash. Or even consistently include ingredients such as basil and cilantro with the chicken curry. Eating there is okay because you can correct the kitchens mistakes, but I'd highly advise against ordering delivery from here.
The spring rolls were exceptionally fresh and tasty. Turmeric soup was delish too. I'd opt for no raw onions next time but amazing.
Rude. Stood at the door for 15 minutes without eye contact. Self service water. Regret paying tips at order that I can't get back. Food tasted authentic.
While waiting for my food, I went to the bathroom and noticed that they were out of toilet paper. I walked out and politely asked the lady to replace it so I can go. She demanded that I leave and go use a bathroom somewhere else. She stated, "too busy here now, you go somewhere else." And rolled her eyes at me. Hence, she said this in front of another customer. It was so f****** mean and I really had to pee. The staff there clearly hate their job and should not be working.
Good locationSpacious dining roomAuthentic interiorHowever the food and service was a bit less than expected.
I keep trying, their food is good, getting the food is so difficult, the last 3 times have been painful.I ordered on line again and get there and they are just confused and then said they are out of duck which I paid $3.00 more than chicken
I never write reviews but after leaving this restaurant, I was so depressed. The food isn't great and it's definitely too pricey for the quality. If you want Asian food, go to another town. Or just eat a different cuisine. (We got chicken fried rice and chicken hot pot).
Saigon is one my wife's favorite places in Santa Barbara, her tofu vermicelli is perfect every time. My duck curry had some great flavors but was just a little short for me. Some of the duck and rice were slightly under and asking for extra spicy didn't seem to add anything to the dish.
I love coming Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant at this location for lunch, dinner, or takeout. The turmeric soup is a personal favorite. I highly recommend it! Selena, who works there is great. She is super attentive, helpful, and kind. This is a great local spot overall.
Restaurantji Recommends
I am not mad at this place at all!!! We stuck to the vegetarian menu only this visit and everything SLAPPED! Everything was a HIT! Salt and Pepper Tofu (I'm hooked) Bok Choy and Mushrooms Soy Chicken w/ Vegetables Soy Chicken Pho Fresh Spring Rolls w/ Tofu Fresh Spring Rolls w/ Soy Chicken And my friend got a Rare Beef Pho. I'm telling you I put that food DOWN TO REST. The salt and pepper tofu used a good semi-firm tofu that softened a little when fried. It was a bit salty and a bit oily, but trust me...everything balanced perfectly, creating a savory/soft...yet crispy/crunchy dish. I'm going to look for this dish everywhere. The soy chicken in the pho, vegetables and spring rolls had a plump juiciness to it more like a SEITAN. Excellent!!! This made the meat substitute more flavorful than it would have been choosing plain tofu. The Bok Choy and Mushrooms gave us a healthy option. The savory vegetable broth with this dish made it a hit, too! The spring rolls were light, crunchy with veggies, bouncy with noodles and vibrant. Good mix of textures. I can't wait to eat here again. I don't think I'll stray away from the vegetarian menu anytime soon.
Their pho is tasty but their service is one of the worst there is in Santa Barbara. The woman who was at the cashier was incredibly dismissive and rude. I got a notification from postmates saying that my order was ready so I asked her if it was ready and her response was "it will be ready when it's ready. not my problem". She also asked me a question and as I was responding she picked up the phone and walked away. Seriously, no wonder this place is always empty
The chicken egg rolls were good. More like a spring roll. The sauce it came with was also good. The sweet snd sour shrimp was not what I expected. I guess I was expecting a Chinese type version and this was very spicy with a lot of peppers and onions. Also had the tails on the shrimp still even though they were deep fried. Overall, I’d try it again but I’d try something different.
Pho is decent, springs rolls are too, I just don't like they have spinach in my springs rolls. Staffs are friendly, restroom need more clean.
Ignore the white lady who posted about getting diarrhea. Vietnamese food uses lots of lettuce and I got diarrhea from Tender Greens (white restaurant) recently so it isn't the restaurant staff being unhygienic as not washing their hands. It is just a risk of eating lettuce in salad form. Sometimes you get fecal oral issues even if produce is washed. Take your Imodium and move on, Karen This is Santa Barbara (Mecca of whiteness), so don't expect anything ridiculously amazing in the Asian food department. This is a decent Vietnamese restaurant located right on State Street. The prices are fine for the food they serve. It isn't the best Vietnamese restaurant I've been to, but it isn't the worst either. You can easily get a meal here for under $20 and that is saying a lot, especially during the pandemic. The spring rolls I ordered were fine. The chicken Phó my fiancé ordered was pretty tasty. The only complaint I have about the pho was that the chicken was all breast meat. I don't blame them though, it is mostly white people who are patronizing this place so they have to do what they have to do to keep their clientele coming. An asian restaurant that serves predominantly Asians would use dark meat for sure.