Saigon Royal Restaurant — Restaurant in Calgary

Firstly, I do need to say how ashamed I am that a fellow reviewer would give this place a single star for closing so the staff could go on vacation. That's not a fair review of this establishment if you haven't even been able to try their food.

First the good. This place could very well be the best Vietnamese cuisine I've ever had in Calgary, along with some of the best service I have seen in Alberta for a long while. The servers are quick to refill a drink or take an order, and do it with a smile and demeanor that shows that they really care (which is pretty rare these days).

The food preparation is also some of the fastest I've ever seen. From ordering, it was a matter of minutes until we had our appetizers and entrées in front of us.

Like some of the other reviewers have mentioned, the deep fried spring rolls are by far the best I have ever had. We had to get another order after our meal because they were so tasty. I ordered the #30 as it was reccomended by another reviewer and it was one of the best vermicelli bowls I have had in a long time. The table hot sauce also wasn't the typical stock and had same actual bite with great flavour.

It seemed quite busy when we went which was a good sign and it was a great place to bring family members of all ages. We had a newborn and a three year old and the staff made them feel quite welcome with kids plates and cutlery. My three year old also loved the food. I was blown away by how much this usually picky eater had put away.

Now the bad. We had someone with us who was allergic to MSG and the MSG options were quite minimal. As well, she claimed that the steamed noodle dish with shrimp that she was able to eat was bland. I'm hoping that the flavours of the other dishes at this location aren't completely reliant on MSG.

The only other think that I would have liked to see was fresh bubble tea with tapioca pearls. They had they syrup/powder types offered with jelly, which weren't too bad, but the syrup tastes quite sweet and needed watering down.

A change table in one of the bathrooms would also be great addition for families with little ones (had to use the toilet lid).

If it weren't for the MSG, instant bubble tea, and change table, this place would have gotten five stars easy. There is a place in Deer Run (Pho Vy if I'm not mistaken) that offers MSG free options and fresh bubble tea, and it was at the top of my list for best Vietnamese in Calgary, but now I'm thinking it might just fall shy of the service and taste (depending on dish of course) of Saigon Royal. So I guess it just depends on what your dietary requirements...

We arrived on a week night when there was a playoff hockey game, so it was quiet. The service was impecable. Restaurant owners should require their staff to intern at this restaurant. We received cordial, polite, and efficient service; the way service is supposed to be.

The menu is varied, and the food was tasty. The place is owned and run by people who know a things or two about hospitality and the dining experience. We enjoyed it very much.

Highly recommended.

February 2025 Update. Went back today, and the service continues to be good. But the food was average. I ordered a hot meal that came in a cold plate, with cold utensils. I'm not sure what the utility of that is. Besides the weird experience of a hot meal on a cold plate, the food arrived lukewarm and halfway through eating it, the rice and grilled chicken were cold as the cold plate drew all the heat away. The bizarre feel turned into unpleasant.

My best guess is that the plate was in refrigeration with the salad portion on it before serving. That might seem practical in the kitchen, but it makes for a horrid table experience. There is a reason for restaurants to place their plates under a heat lamp. Most restaurants want the meal to stay hot longer, right? Whether it is February or July, a hot meal should be a hot meal.

Bottom line, it was a...

Came in around 5:15 pm and was seated promptly after someone finally greeted us. Only one other table was there and they were leaving. This is probably the cleanest Vietnamese restaurant I’ve been to. At first I thought it was because of all the take out orders, because numerous food delivery service providers were coming in and out. I also wondered whether that was the cause of our food being super slow.

We ordered a salad roll, the chicken wings, a vermicelli dish, a rice dish, a beef pho, and a bun bo hue. The salad roll came out after about 20 minutes and the chicken wings shortly after. Then everything except the bun Bo hue came, and I waited an extra 5-10 minutes while others were eating to finally get it. Most other pho restaurants, the soup noodles come out in about 5-10 minutes.

The salad rolls were very bland. The chicken wings were very overcooked-to the point that some of the bones were brittle enough to chew.

I was told the vermicelli was very dry. The chicken satay on rice was under seasoned. The pho was fine, but also under seasoned. I thought the bun Bo hue had good flavour, but the beef was clumped together and there were no pork hocks.

Overall, I’m surprised that the restaurant has 4.8 stars and will not recommend or return, as I have better...