Saigon Noodle House

Saigon Noodle House has been serving authentic Vietnamese food in Kailua since 1994. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team who cook all the dishes and take care of the front of the house. Customers enjoy a wide range of menu items, including appetizers like summer/spring rolls, calamari, papaya salad, and tossed salad. The pho offerings are extensive, featuring beef, beef ball, tripe, brisket, chicken, vegetarian, seafood, and oxtail. Noodles and jook include saimin, udon, look funn, long rice, Thai spicy soup, and jook. Rice plates with seafood, vegetarian, fried rice, chicken, pork, and beef are served with jasmine rice, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, with options to substitute brown rice, tossed salad, or vermicelli. Combo plates with eggroll, chicken, short ribs, seafood, beef, or vegetarian options come with similar sides. Vermicelli noodle bowls are topped with cold rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrots, beansprouts, mint leaves, crushed peanuts, and fried shallots, served with fish sauce. Stir-fried noodles like chow funn, chow mein, pad Thai, and Vietnamese noodle are also popular. Sandwiches come with pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber, cilantro, mayo, soy sauce, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber mayo. Beverages include Vietnamese iced coffee, Thai iced tea, fresh lemonade, canned soft drinks, and coconut juice.

Recent customers praise the fresh, clean, and flavorful food, especially the pho which is served piping hot with lots of bean sprouts and fresh basil, and is very generous in portion. The vermicelli bowl with short ribs and eggroll has crunchy, flavorful eggrolls and juicy, tender short ribs, with a house-made chili oil that adds a spicy kick. The food is often described as delicious and satisfying, with huge portions that can last for several meals. Customer service is highly praised for being friendly, efficient, and attentive. The owners enjoy talking with customers and remember regulars by name, making everyone feel like family. Despite being a small, modest eatery with about 8 tables and a simple wall menu, the place is clean and bright. It operates daily from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with free parking available nearby. The restaurant is located in the Enchanted Lake Shopping Center near Safeway.

The owners have several related restaurants on Oahu, including Saigon Noodle Kailua, Saigon Noodle Kaneohe, Pho King Vietnamese Restaurant in Wahiawa, and Ba-Le Sandwich Shop in HI Kai. Although Ba-Le in HI Kai closed for renovations after a kitchen fire, the high quality and generous portions at Saigon Noodle House keep customers coming back. Many regulars, especially locals, find it to be their go-to spot for quick, delicious Vietnamese food at reasonable prices.