Saigon Market

Recommends

zenfoodster

Joined 6 years ago

Non-authentic Vietnamese at its best. The biggest & best in decor of the 3, this near-NYU offshoot also boasts a great bar area! As a regular since Day 1 @ the uptown joint which is now temporarily closed, I haven?t currently frequented here as much as usual..due to absurd increases in prices catered to making money off the ?gweilo?-white folk (while we asians know that there?s much cheaper, authentic vietnamese in C-town), long waits, and recent picket lines formed by mistreated staff. However, here are the pros to go...Besides the Spring Roll (?Cha Gio?), a MUST TRY genuine-tasting item, the other non-authentic Vietnamese dishes are packed with flavor - Shrimp Summer Roll, Sugar Cane Shrimp, Fried Calamari, Curry Chicken or Shrimp, *Special faves to note: any of the soups or ?Pho?s? are divine & the Grilled Porkchops & Filet Mignon Cubes (?Bo Luc Lac?) are so perfectly cooked that they alone will keep you going back for more. Don?t forget to savor each bite with a lil? bit of the cuisine?s staple sauce (?Nuoc Cham?) & one of their tasty cocktails to wash it all down.

Recommends

kicsiangelgirl

Joined 6 years ago

best beefcubes and noodles. this place is awesome. the food is just the best you can get.

i recommend you to try the beefcubes or their noodles. it tastes so good.

the service is fast. the prices are low.

best vietnamese place in town

Doesn't Recommend

aeb34

Joined 6 years ago

Slave labor. A big article in the Metro Section of the NY Times said that this place fired their delivery staff when they complained that they were being paid $1.60 hour. This is less than half the minimum for tipped employees & is completely illegal. I went to see and there is a very loud picket line outside the Saigon Grill locations twice a day, every day. The workers don't speak much English, so you can't really talk to them in detail, but the whole story is true & disgusting. Who cares what the food is like, I would never, ever support a business like this one by eating there.

Recommends

callisto

Joined 8 years ago

Decent food, pricy for Viet food. I've gone here on 2 separate occasions. The first time was a Friday night. The place was packed. We waited about 45 minutes for a table for 2. The wait area is definitely cramped. Once seated, we took in the nice decor. It is pretty in there, nothing like the Viet places you find in chinatown. BUT, for the price you are paying for the food, you are mainly paying for the ambiance. I would prefer to go to any of the viet places in chinatown over this place. The food wasn't bad, but it's not as outstanding & authenic as in ctown. And it's at least 2x-3x times cheaper as well.

Recommends

fosterc

Joined 6 years ago

Like PF Chang's. I'm all for the semi-trying to be trendy places that are chain restaurants, and this was no different. It reminded me of PF Chang's; in fact, maybe it's owned by the same company..hmmm.

Anyway, my friend and I ordered the spring rolls, which were good, and I had a grilled eggplant dish while she had some chicken thing, and they were good. I also ordered the mango daquiri (don't ask me why) and, yes, that was good too. My only beef was how the waiters whisked everything away before you had a chance to finish.

Nothing out of the ordinary, not too overpriced, and no suprises. If you want to go to somewhere very trendy and hip or divey and local, don't go here. But if you want a reliable asian food, go here.

Doesn't Recommend

jfong

Joined 6 years ago

Anywhere else is better to eat. I used to order from Saigon Grill all the time, but never again will I go back to eat there. Recently I passed by and saw a picket line in front of the restaurant. I never cross a picket line. But, even if the workers picketing this restaurant go back to work, I will never come back again. This owner is outrageous! He recently fired 36 of his employees for asking for higher wages, when they were being paid $1.60/hr. It's disgusting that this kind of thing is happening in New York City. The food is not bad, but it's the service that makes all the difference. I don't care how good the food is, I can't support this.

Recommends

flipcityboy

Joined 10 years ago

Pho-nomenal value and eats!. Saigon Grill has so far not disappointed the separate 5 times that I've been there - the wait area is cramped and can be crazy - but park yourself at the bar and have their excellent cocktails. My recent visit was Feb. 7 and took out an out of towner for good eats and this came to mind. We had great Grey Goose cocktails, started with the assorted dumplings and the plum sauce roasted ribs (yum!) then we got the salmon dishes - (I usually go for the tasty grilled beef - Boluc Lac) - which was delectable as well. Dessert menu was sparse - wish there was some ice desserts, flan and such that you can find in other Vietnamese places. This is something they can expand on. The review from my out of towner guest - Great and "Pho"nomenal. Plus the treat was the reasonable price - average dishes ran $10 - but the buzzing scene, ambiance and that lighted wall of liquor bottles - it could have easily charged more - Service was clipped but efficient. If you need to have something after dinner - Vietnamese Coffee is your best bet. All in all - a real find in University place!

Recommends

Justin Hartung

Joined 9 years ago

No-frills Vietnamese fare and creative cocktails at this downtown location of a mini-franchise.. In Short
This large, downtown outpost of the Vietnamese restaurant chain is housed in a former health food market and packed with budget-seeking diners and students. Giant tiled columns stretch to the high ceiling, where modern, staggered chandeliers hang. The tome-like menu covers all the basics: sugar cane shrimp, BBQ spareribs, soups, noodle dishes and stir-fries. Vegetarians get an ample section, with choices like curried okra and a veggie medley cooked in a pasta basket with peanut sauce.

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coog78

Joined 7 years ago

Yum!. Ok, the food here is great, but the prices are so cheap I had to look at the menu twice! The bun xao was a generous portion and very tasty. I must comment on the cocktails, pretty good selection. I like the location and the urban decor also. We stumbled upon Saigon after shopping at Union Square and refueled. I'll go back.

Recommends

mreyes1023

Joined 8 years ago

Good food and cheap prices. Went here for the lunch special and the food was great and the price was right. We had the fried calamari for apps and it was done perfectly. We all ordered different lunch specials and everyone said they were yummy.