Sab Cafe — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

Stumbled on a gem in plain sight: Sab Café. You have my heart! The staff was so sweet with the best recommendations, I really couldn’t go wrong. The menu leans rich, fragrant, and deeply satisfying. Every dish was like home: pure comfort. The tom kha with chicken was 11/10, nothing short of extraordinary: silky coconut broth layered with lemongrass, sweetness, and savory depth. The oxtail pho was a showstopper: two generous bones, tender flank steak, and rice noodles, accompanied by a spice rack and all the right garnishes. My server’s excitement told me I’d chosen well. The crispy duck impressed with its thick, golden crust and tender meat, paired with jasmine rice and steamed vegetables. Even the wings—simple and crisp—spoke to care in the kitchen. Drinks shone too: The moon light saketini was so! good! And the Lady Apple Saketini struck a lovely balance of mild sweetness and polish. With quick, kind service and outdoor seating, Sab Café delivers both warmth and flavor. I loved that I could people watch while eating an absolutely divine meal. One to remember for sure. On the pricier side but absolutely worth it. Also, be warned: you can pay less by...

Maybe 5 years ago this was the first restaurant I ever tried pho and I was amazed. After moving back to st Pete and seeing the transformation of the pier I was hoping this gem stayed in tact. But after my last experience I could not be more disappointed. I order my food to go because they are only doing outside eating. I firstly had to wait 15 mins after my wait time. I ordered a glass of wine which was 8 dollars and one of the cheap miniature bottles from Publix when I can get a whole decent bottle for less than a 2 oz pour. Now on to the food. First of all My boyfriend ordered pad Thai which was greasy and mediocre. And my pho! What can i say, the place that made me love this dish just delivered the worst version of it I’ve ever had. Firstly the pieces of steak looked like discards from a bad steak house, and would’ve maybe been worse if they hadn’t put the steak in the soup mix which was just hot brown water with pieces of garlic in it. Even after inquiring why they put the steak in the soup instead of on the side like every other place I’ve ever been they simply said “we don’t do it that way” a once great little local gem has gone completely downhill....

My husband and I stopped in for a drink and saw the sign for duck tacos. We ordered the tacos to have with our drinks as well as an order of pineapple fried rice with chicken to go. The tacos came completely covered in mayonnaise slaw we dissected down to the shells and discovered some dried and unpalatable pieces of (duck?). We left them mostly uneaten and we were going to cancel the fried rice fearing that it may not fare any better than the tacos. Tne waitress quickly informed us that the order was "almost ready" We waited s further 20 mins. When we got back to our hotel room we decided to have the fried rice.

We were shocked to disciver an unpalatable mound of wet gelatinous rice saturated with fish sauce, soggy vegetables including broccoli and no chicken. It looked as if leftovers from diners were scraped onto a pineapple shell and absolutely nothing like the picture given for the dish on the website. Please do your own comparison.

We would have driven back and demanded a refund but we were exhausted and planning for an early...