Pho888 — Restaurant in Saratoga Springs

"Elevated Classics" is the best way I can think to describe this restaurant. I was lucky enough to place an order before closing time on their first day of business. The staff is kind and inviting, and the ambience, still a work in progress on day 1, already implies that this will be somewhere to sit and soak in an elevated restaurant experience with soft classical music - something SS has been desperately missing. The food is all things you'd recognize in a Vietnamese restaurant, but everything has a delicately elevated nuance. They're the subtle upscale enhancements on classic plates you'd expect in a fancy Vegas restaurant by a Michelin star chef. I was surprised how well the textures and flavors worked, and they are pretty subtle so that you feel safe with classics, but they're just different enough to provoke a thoughtful smile. Try the classics first and go from there. I know I'll be going back for more.

Actual location is in front of Costco, across Redwood Road. Online maps have it up near Walgreens for some...

Went here for lunch a couple days after they opened. No decor up when I went but place was clean and neat. Menu seems well put together. I had the fried dumplings, brisket pho, and pork bahn mi.

The dumplings were excellent. Perfectly fried, plump and full of meat, and served with a tasty dipping sauce. The presentation on the plate was also beautiful. Definitely worth it as an app. 6/5

The pho was also excellent. The portion size was great. The broth was good though seemed more on the lighter side of flavor depth for a beef broth. However, once you add the hoisin and chili sauce you can't tell. The brisket was cut a bit thicker than usual so it's a bit more chewy than most pho I've had. Still excellent. 5/5

The bahn mi was ok. Not bad at all, but a bit light on the meat portion. Also a bit dry. It says there is mayo but I couldn't tell it was there. 4/5

All in all a great place. Looking forward to trying other things on the menu. Glad there is more pho options here. Definitely give this...

Dang, I was so excited to have a new Vietnamese food place in SS. Unfortunately, it's not authentic. Owners and cooks are Thai so they throw their own flare onto Vietnamese dishes, which doesn't ruin them per se, but it eliminates traditional Vietnamese taste. The banh mi are very not authentic and not good. The veggies aren't pickled and the "mayo" is very runny. Also, no pate in any of the banh mi. Very little protein too. Pho soup is too sweet, and the noodles were overcooked. I wouldn't be surprised if the Thai dishes here are good, but I can say for certain that the viet food is not so. This restaurant presents itself as a viet pho restaurant but that's not really what it is. It's a viet/thai place, but much more so Thai. Service was okay. Place was messy. They had multiple tables with stacks of dirty dishes on them, as if they sink in the back couldn't...