Pho Saigon Basil at Belmar, Lakewood

The rare steak and brisket pho and veggie pho were delicious. The broths were very balanced and clean tasting. I did not rate 5 stars due to the many missed opportunities for gluten free options. I was so excited to try their beef stew, but I was told it is not gluten free due to them using flour to thicken it. WHY?! They can use cornstarch, arrowroot powder, potato starch, tapioca starch, rice flour, or a gluten free flour to thicken instead!!! AND they put hoisin in their peanut sauce making it not gluten free…. the sauce would be just as flavorful without the hoisin. AND the marinade in the meats contain soy sauce…they can simply use tamari instead. The menu says their tofu has gluten. I have no idea why their tofu would have gluten. I really hope they read this review and make changes to appeal to those who are gluten intolerant considering it would give them much more business.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

I ordered grilled chicken for pickup. When I was about to eat, it looked strange—I thought maybe I was seeing things, so I decided to try it anyway. The chicken was extremely dry. It felt like they had cooked it on September 1st and just reheated it on the 17th to sell it. This was my first time ordering from this place, and honestly, it was disappointing. Don’t eat there!

Food: 1

Service: 5

I am only loyal to this pho location

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fantastic food, worth the stop in!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We order from here all the time and the food is always great. The employees are also very kind and accommodating!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Legit. Wonderful service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Conveniently located in the Belmar Mall area but a little out of the main shopping area, Pho Saigon can be easy to miss. There is a parking lot not too far from it but also street parking is usually easy to find right outside too.

Overall, the food was pretty good. I would personally recommend going to Federal for the real deal but if you’re in the area and don’t want to drive, this is a good choice. The broth of the pho was actually really good and had tons of flavor. My main complaint was the size of the “large” pho. It was closer to a medium or even a small of other restaurants I’ve been to but priced the same… I would’ve also liked to have chili sauce but they just had hoisin and sriracha.

Service wasn’t bad but we did have to call them over a few times even though it wasn’t very busy that day.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

I am so disappointed. I had ordered their vegetable and tofu pho with veggie broth to go in the past and it was great. However, I got it this evening and it was horrible. I couldn’t even eat it and ended up throwing it away. It tasted like they dumped 1/2 cup of salt into the broth. I’m really bummed I wasted my money.

Food: 1

Great pho base, good portions, lots of options.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing pho

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent broth

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Everything is so fresh and delicious 🤤
Boba is yummy

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I always order the same thing- Lemongrass Tofu w/ Rice Noodle. everything is consistently very fresh and cooked perfectly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food friendly staff clean building great prices

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We loved our experience here! I honestly don’t understand how this place doesn’t have a higher rating. Feels like a hidden gem. We stopped in for a late lunch and shared the grilled chicken salad, shrimp spring rolls, steamed pork dumplings, and the pork banh mi, plus a Thai iced tea with boba. Every single dish was incredibly fresh, and flavorful.

The service was friendly and attentive, and the space was clean and welcoming. It’s obvious this is a family-owned spot and you can feel the pride they put into the food and experience. Prices were very fair, and we left feeling like we got real value for what we paid.

We eat a lot of Asian and this place stood out. I’ll definitely be back. Whether you’re dining in or grabbing takeout, it’s a spot worth supporting.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5