Saigon — Restaurant in Mount Airy

We came late on a Friday. This place was winding down. We were the only ones in the place for the last hour of business. It was a very romantic experience. My partner had General Chicken and I the tofu and vegetable plate. We also tried the wonton and egg drop soups. Everything was very good. Many dishes were AMAZING! We live a half hour away, but we'll be back!

Tofu is my litmus test for all asian cuisine. You gotta know how to crisp it up and cut it such that it catches as much flavor as it can from the sauce. I am often disappointed, but not here. The combination of all of the flavors and textures in my dish were absolutely perfect!

I am an egg drop soup girl, but so is my partner, so I let her have the egg drop while I had the wonton. Both were served extremely hot (good!) and we're very good. My partner has an allergy to all shellfish and sometimes wonton soup has shellfish, but not this one. We both got half way through our soups and traded. I thought the wonton soup was good, but the egg drop was better!

We ate all we could, and we don't eat a "lot," but we are healthy gals and couldn't quite finish the plates. The soups were destroyed. We left satisfied. Perfect.

If I could, I'd leave 6 stars! This is truly worth all five points on this 4-pt scale. There are places where I wish I'd given zero stars, but I couldn't. Let this place have...

Tucked away in the unassuming corner of shopping plaza 52 Thruway is an older building, with a sign that sort of blends into the roof - so if you aren't looking, you might just miss it. Once you step inside, though, you travel forward to the present again, as the interior design is very modern. Well-lit, with carefully selected minimalist design, it welcomes you, while reminding you that it is a business, not a home. I was greeted in a friendly manner by a man that I assume is the owner, and told to sit wherever I liked. Upon seeing me awkwardly fumbling with a highchair, though, he came over, assisted me, and set me up at a table. Just in general, his demeanor was very friendly and polite. Enough about that, though, because chances are that you are interested in the same thing I am - food! I came there with one goal in mind, acquiring my favorite, magic soup. While the flavor profile of the pho ga is a tad different from the other pho restaurants I enjoy, it is in no way a step down. Though I did miss the basil that I'm used to putting in my pho... It wasn't suffering for lack of it. I can't say with any confidence that I would have anything else on the menu, but I can certainly say I would come back here for this. I'm grateful to have a local place to come for magic soup here...

I've been coming to Saigon for almost two years. They were closed for a bit during the pandemic, but since they've reopened, I have been a faithful patron, with good reason. This is the hidden restaurant gem of Mt. Airy. The owner/operator/chef here is a wizard, and his most powerful spell is his Pho. The more traditional Pho tai bo Vien and the revelatory Pho with shrimp are the highlights of the menu with an excellent broth, and either wonderful cuts of eye-round steak and sliced meatballs, or a generous portion of large, delicately fried butterflied shrimp. Mouthwatering, and I'm here nearly every week. There is always space in the no-frills dining room. The service is always friendly, kind and personable....