Saigon Lotus 越南餐廳 — Restaurant in Rochdale

Visited on a quiet Saturday and was warmly welcomed by the owner, which gave a lovely personal touch to the start of our meal. The service began with a prompt pot of jasmine tea, which was a nice gesture, although we had to remind the young server about the Coke Zero we had also ordered.

Starters arrived in good time and were enjoyable. I had the pork stir-fry noodles as my main, which came out shortly after. Unfortunately, my companion had to wait quite a while for their salt and pepper chicken, which meant we didn’t get to enjoy our mains together. While I completely understand that dishes are made fresh to order,which is appreciated,the timing of main courses really should be coordinated so everyone can eat together.

There were a few areas where the atmosphere and service could be improved. The young server was polite and somewhat attentive but seemed to lack confidence and experience, which may come with more training. It was also a little distracting to hear the owner frequently shouting instructions, which added a sense of tension that impacted the dining atmosphere.

Some tables hadn’t been cleared from earlier customers, and we noticed there were no chopsticks offered, which felt like a missed detail.

As for the food, it was okay overall. The summer rolls were fresh but lacked noticeable prawns,if there were any, they were very minimal. The stir-fry was on the salty side and light on pork, with vegetables making up the bulk of the dish.

There’s potential here, especially with the friendly welcome and clear effort to cook everything fresh. With some improvements in service training, dish timing, and attention to customer experience, this place...

I read the reviews and visited tonight, based on everyone else’s reviews. I had the worst experience ever. I ordered vegetarian food-two dishes. I ordered a tofu and avocado salad and a tofu rice dish. There were two ladies serving and doing the cooking. When I arrived, around 5pm, there were four people finishing their drinks. I asked several questions about the food before ordering because I am vegetarian and wanted to get it right. A man arrived well after I had ordered my meal and waited for a large takeaway order. My hot food was served before my salad but I thought this must be a cultural norm. I couldn’t say anything to anyone because the staff were preoccupied with his order. After taking a couple of bites of what should have been tofu, I asked one of the ladies if it was definitely tofu because I hadn’t ever tasted tofu like it. I was told it was and thought it must be some kind of seitan. I continued to eat it. The salad came much later and the restaurant was freezing. I couldn’t have what I ordered because they didn’t have some of the ingredients so they adapted it. I asked for it to be spicy, which it wasn’t, and I had to ask for crushed peanuts and roasted sesame seeds, which were not on it. After hours of hanging around the lady made it clear that she had served me chicken instead of tofu. I felt sick! I have not eaten any kind of meat in 37 years and felt as if I had been poisoned! I...

Absolutely Delicious and Welcoming Experience! We had such a wonderful time at this Vietnamese restaurant. The food was absolutely excellent — everything we ordered was full of flavor and felt so authentic. We tried the Chicken BBQ with lemongrass and herbs, Chicken in lemongrass Hue-style broth, the Mango Salad with chicken, an Island Breeze smoothie, and Aloe Vera juice. Every dish and drink was spot on: fresh, fragrant, and super tasty. The staff were incredibly kind and welcoming. They made us feel like we were guests in their home: warm smiles, helpful suggestions, and just an overall lovely vibe. It’s a very family-friendly place too, they have baby chairs, space for strollers, and a calm atmosphere that made it easy to relax, even with little ones. The interior is beautiful and really transports you to Vietnam. The soft, relaxing Vietnamese music playing in the background added to the whole experience, peaceful and soothing. We’ll 100% be coming back again. I already can’t wait to try more from the menu! Highly recommended if you're looking for authentic Vietnamese flavours in a cozy,...