Saigon Restaurant
Vietnamese · Santa Barbara
Saigon Restaurant Opening Hours
About Saigon Restaurant
Saigon Restaurant, located in Santa Barbara, brings authentic Vietnamese flavors to the heart of the community. We are dedicated to providing fresh, high-quality ingredients in all of our dishes. Our menu showcases a range of traditional Vietnamese cuisine, prepared with care and attention to detail...
Saigon Restaurant, located in Santa Barbara, brings authentic Vietnamese flavors to the heart of the community. We are dedicated to providing fresh, high-quality ingredients in all of our dishes. Our menu showcases a range of traditional Vietnamese cuisine, prepared with care and attention to detail. We strive to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere where guests can enjoy delicious food and connect with friends and family. We are passionate about sharing the rich culinary heritage of Vietnam with our customers and are committed to providing a memorable dining experience.
What Customers Say About Saigon Restaurant
Saigon Restaurant is a local favorite known for its authentic Vietnamese cuisine, especially the pho. Customers praise the flavorful broth and generous noodle portions. Some reviewers mention inconsistent service and occasional issues with food quality or temperature.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Happy hour is from 12 to 5 everyday. Be aware that you need to order at the counter.
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Saigon Restaurant
Saigon Restaurant is located in Santa Barbara, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- Casa de la Guerra (A 268m) — place in California listed on National Register of Historic Places Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- St. Vincent Orphanage and School Building (A 380m) — historic building in Santa Barbara, California, United States Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Museums
- Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (A 79m)
- Santa Barbara Historical Museum (A 425m) — non-profit organization in the USA
- Casa Dolores (A 548m) — art museum in Santa Barbara, California
Parks & Gardens
- Storke Plaza (A 211m) — park in Santa Barbara County, California, United States of America
- De La Guerra Plaza (A 215m) — park in California, United States of America, United States of America
- City Hall Plaza (A 261m) — park in Santa Barbara County, California, United States of America
- Plaza Vera Cruz (A 577m) — park in the United States of America
Other Points of Interest
- Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, Santa Barbara (A 671m) — California branch of the Karpeles Museum
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Saigon Restaurant
Saigon Restaurant Santa Barbara Reviews
Yum! The service is great, the restaurant is super clean and the food is soooo good! I got veggie broth with a side of rice noodles which usually confuses most restaurants, but they didn’t hesitate with my off-menu request. The broth was super flavorful and the noodles were cooked perfectly so that when I got back home(to Carp), they weren’t mushy or overcooked. My partner got the rare beef pho and loved it. He said the broth was really good and the meat and noodles were perfect. It was ready quick and everything was packaged well for a to-go order. Had a great experience and will be going back when I’m in the area.
Their chicken pho tastes like how my mom would make it! When I feel homesick, I love to come here. The atmosphere is very charming, and the food is authentic. I always ask for a second serving of noodles to finish up my broth!
One of our family’s fav restaurants in SB. Been coming here for over 20 years. Small and unassuming from the outside, but the food is literal fire. The owner, Hugh, went to UCSB with my daughter and is the nicest guy and we love supporting small locally owned businesses. Tonight we had 5 people and every item was DESTROYED, literally nothing left on our plates except for a little wasabi. We shared the vegan sushi rolls (not on the menu) and the curry udon noodles with vegan beef, the spring and golden roll combos, and then separate plates of fried rice, salmon bowl, teriyaki chicken plate. Everything was fresh, delicious and gone. Sorry there are no pix of the food, devoured it before we thought of it. Thank you Hugh, for another wonderful meal and allowing me to introduce more family and friends to your magical kitchen 🙏
It's santa barbara, so it's gonna cost a lot. i spent almost 15 dollars for a simple pho and soft drink combo meal, perhaps it wasn't priced together. the service is tight, they look at your table every fifteen minutes or so asking if you want something. which is... well.... alright. whatever. try it for yourself, maybe they just had an off night.
Actually very good food. Be warned that the heating seems to be always off so bring a winter coat and maybe a hat. Of the few times I’ve been there they usually forget to bring something out, luckily they are very fast so they can bring it quick. It may honestly just be better to order takeout instead of eating at the restaurant, though the wait staff are very nice.
Very yummy rice vernacelli noodles salad dish, pleasant outdoor seating. The downside is that both times I've come, there seemed to be no one behind the counter to get people or to take my order. Had to give up and seat myself, then come back again later. I think they operate on 2 staff members only maybe? One to cook, & one counter/wait staff? But the food is delicious.
They could at least get another star if the service there improves! Always wonder why this place seems empty comparing with Fresco and Mandarin Palace in the same shopping area. I always thought Vietnamese people are friendly but our experience this time was the worst. Might try their other 2 locations next time! Last weekend we met with a girlfriend and her girls there-- the food was good as usual, salmon curry, pho, and egg rolls. One of our girls spilled water after sitting down, and as we were trying to clean up after ourselves and apologizing to the waiter-- he didn't seem to care to respond. Later the water glass wasn't filled up so we brought the empty glass over and it never came back with water until we asked another server. The check came at the end and was set on one side of the table, I guess we were too late to pay because he came by to pick up the check and toss it in the middle of the table so we could see it and pay?? Still left a decent tip but might not next time!!! Really dampened our fun time with friends!
I have eaten here several times. I will go back again. I have only ordered the Chicken Curry Rice and Egg rolls. The rice portion was more than enough. The flavor excellent. Food is good. Price is great. The ambiance is also good. I find the service average at best. I ask for water at room temp, no ice. The wait staff seem flustered. I get warm tap water or ice cold water with no ice. What I want is water at room temp or tepid. Don't understand why that is so hard. I will go back and just bring my own water.
We stopped by here for a bite to eat, and tbh it was pretty mid. I got the pork vermicelli and my husband got their spicy tonkotsu ramen (it’s a shared restaurant with Sachi next door). Service was quick and friendly, but as an Asian American, I would say the ravings of this restaurant are overhyped. It wasn’t bad, but not amazing either - just alright 🤷🏻♀️
Mediocre and and underwhelming. My friend and I were feeling peckish for a quick bite and ordered the spring rolls and papaya salad. The papaya had obviously been sitting in the fridge for too long, contributing to a flaccid and sad salad by its eponymous fruit. About the spring rolls: perhaps it's unfair to compare them to the ones I've had in SE Asia, but they were lacking in filling, and the sauce was too sweet. Furthermore, this was all bit too expensive for the quality of food we received. Perhaps their main dishes are better, but I won't be visiting again anytime soon.
Unfortunately, both of my recent take-out experiences with this restaurant were unacceptable. I will do my best to describe. Visit 1: Called ahead, was told food would be ready in 15 minutes. Showed up 20 minutes later and food was not ready. Sat and waited over half an hour before our food was ready. Not great. Visit 2: Called ahead, and placed an order for a couple of entrees and some dumplings. We arrive at the restaurant and the woman confirms the order with us twice. We pay and leave. Once we got home we realized that the dumplings were not included in our order, but we were still charged for them. We call the restaurant and they insisted we drive back to pick them up, which we didn't want to do. Instead, I requested a refund for the amount of the dumplings and the woman refused to honor my request. She would not issue a refund for such a small amount and insisted the we come back again. The employee of the restaurant assured us that if we let her know that she made a mistake previously that she would make it up to us by giving us extra food on our next visit. Unfortunately, she didnt ask for our name, or take down any of our information. Not the slightest bit reassuring... This is beyond poor customer service. This restaurant made a mistake, and all it would have taken to smooth it over was a small refund. Instead, they made their point.
I ordered chicken noodle soup through door dash and they sent me with uncooked meat. I called, the old lady said that I ordered incorrectly. I looked at receipt and it was correct. I told her i ordered correctly and she just argued with me. I went in, instead of apologizing after I showed her she was incorrect, she seemed unapologetic. I told her that she just losta customer for life and she said thats fine like she didn't care. During this time we need to support restaurants that try and care about their customers. This is not the first time they got my order incorrect. No customer service whatsoever. One time I was picking up my lunch and someone complaned about having hair in their food. Today was last day I will be going there. Door dash is refusing to refund me my delivery fee despite it being saigons fault and I had to drive all the way out there to prove they were wrong. Saigon also refusing to refund me because they say it's door dashes responsibilty. Please don't patron this restaurant anymore. They don't deserve your loyalty.
If this is how you sell Phở filet then you should rethink how you do your business this is inedible, chewy, burned. What a shame, will never return. If you like Vietnamese food, as a Vietnamese I don’t recommend this place. Also wash the freaking green onion, why is there still dirt in the chopped green onion?????
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About Saigon Restaurant
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721 Chapala St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
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721 Chapala St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
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