Sai’s Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in San Francisco

First time going to Sai's and definitely not the last. The location is pretty good, still in FiDi, fairly close to Embarcadero Bart station (.5 mile).

I got the 5 spice roasted chicken over rice and that was delicious. Just the right amount of food as well. My friend got the chicken curry and liked it as well.

They are short staffed, but we didn't have to wait long at all. Overall, very good experience for a unassuming little restaurant.

Edit:

Visited the new location and it's so much better than it was. More spacious, modern looking, cool looking bar, etc. They did a great job upgrading.

As for the food, well, what can I say? it's flippin' awesome, that's what.

I had the Lamb curry, which is marinated over night to remove whatever gaminess there could be, it's super tender and the curry is great.

Also had the new on the menu chicken wings, and those are heavenly. Not hot, not too sweet, just right. You can add some of the homemade hot sauce if you wish, although that thing has a pretty decent kick.

Lastly, I had the (also new) garlic noodles, with spare ribs and lemongrass chicken. The noodles are fresh daily from a provider and if you like garlic (i.e you're not a vampire), you'll really enjoy this dish. It's really, really good.

I added an outside picture of the new location since, unfortunately the one that comes up on Google maps is the previous location. It's easy to find and there is parking nearby (Hilton parking, and street parking).

If you happen to be in the area and want to enjoy some delicious Vietnamese food, you gotta give them a try. The owners are super friendly too, really...

Unfortunately this place is below average. This is restaurant now owned by Chinese. I am Chinese and have nothing against my peepos, but I find the accuracy of the flavor goes out the door when a Vietnamese restaurant is not owned by a Vietnamese family. I ordered the typical (with difficulty) Pho Beef add Beef Ball (Pho Tai Bo Vien), Spring Rolls, Iced Coffee. Total $41 USD. Everything was not that great. I had trouble with the waitress adding either Beef to the Beef Ball Pho or Beef Balls to the Beef Pho. Instead I had to switch to Cantonese to clarify my order. Then as I ate the noodles, a huge fly appeared to surface in the bowl. I stopped eating and told a passing waiter who seemed to be of a manager status (different from the first). After telling him, he wasn't sure what to do, was disappointed, started turning away. I had to call him back, can I get another please, I'm still eating. He said ok. He went away, came back said sorry a whole bunch of times. The first waitress came by later and joked "oh did a fly fly into your noodles? Haha?" It wasn't that funny to me. I'm not even sure why I asked for a new bowl. A new one came, I ate the meat, a bit of the noodles and that was it. The soup was not beefy flavorful enough. There was quite a bit of oil in the soup that didn't add to the flavor. Only the beef balls were good. The noodles were meh both times. Spring rolls were small and ok. Iced Coffee was ok. The decor was old and felt dirty (also because of the fly). Old and dirty is fine but your food better be hella good. I wouldn't recommend this...

After 14 years coming to Sai's (next to the Transamerica building in SF) It's remarkable it has survived 35 years in such a coveted piece of realestate. The food is outstanding. Portions are generous. Taste and quality are consistent no matter how busy they are: Texture, flavors, spiciness, and most importantly CRUNCHINES! Oh man ... My favorite orders: Combination #3 grilled beef, deep fried battered shrip, crispy imperial rolls, rice and cabage salad. Umph* - Virmachelli bowl with grilled pork, and a side of imperial rolls. You must dunk your bites in the little fish sauce provided, in which you add a splash of hot chili paste for an additional kick. They are super super super busy during lunch time, please be mindful and respectful to cultural differences. You can have the place to yourself from 4pm to 9pm during the week. If you made it this far in reading my review, you've deserve the...