Viet Deli — Restaurant in Saratoga Springs

TL;DR – Found a bug in the soup, but the chef refused to admit it was a bug without any clear reason.

This place used to be my go-to pho spot until today. I went there for lunch with my wife. She found something unusual in her soup that looked like a bug. It was tiny and wet, so at first, I wasn’t sure, but my wife has sharp eyes and felt certain about it.

I informed the chef that we thought we found a bug and showed it to him. He immediately insisted it wasn’t a bug but a piece of seasoning. My wife pointed out that she saw its legs move while it was in the soup, but the chef didn’t look at it carefully. He simply repeated that it was too small to identify and insisted it was just black pepper or seasoning. He did refund my wife’s soup, but it felt more like he wanted to end the conversation quickly rather than genuinely acknowledge the issue.

As we continued talking, the object dried out and became more obviously a bug. Despite this, the chef stood firm that it wasn’t a bug. It was frustrating that he could dismiss it so quickly without a closer inspection but still speak with certainty.

We weren’t trying to cause trouble or get free food — we simply wanted honesty and an apology for the misunderstanding. Although he later said "sorry," he still insisted it didn’t look like a bug to him. It was a very upsetting experience, and we left without finishing our lunch. My wife didn’t want to continue eating, understandably.

He did offer a full refund for everything, but we declined because we didn’t want it to seem like we were complaining for money. I later examined the object more carefully under a microscope at work, and it clearly showed that it was a bug, complete with visible legs.

As someone who was a chef in the military, I understand that accidents happen — sometimes bugs do fall into food unnoticed. What made this situation so bad was not the accident itself, but the refusal to acknowledge the possibility and the way we were made to feel like liars. I hope the chef can learn to listen to customers more carefully in the future, and that no other customer has to go through what we...

I’ve been visiting Viet Deli often enough over the past 5 years that they recognize me as I walk through the door. This place always provides great service and a variety of food options to please just about everyone I’ve taken there.

Unfortunately, some sort of change has occurred with the flavor of the pho and I’ve found it to be an inconsistent experience when compared to visits from previous years. It’s changed so much that after visiting yesterday for lunch, I’ve determined that I won’t continue returning.

I recognize that taste is completely subjective and that my history with this place is unique, so my rating is not based on my experience with one particular dish.

Instead, it’s based on some other things that are part of the regular experience everyone will encounter. After paying for your food, you are often given a glass of water, poured from an open top pitcher that sits near the drinking fountain. While this would be fine at my own dinner table, it’s not something I like to see at a restaurant, as the potential for it to become contaminated by other people is high. My recommendation would be to provide patrons with a way to self serve at the fountain drink machine, as that option would be more sanitary.

Another common part of the experience is to find a stack of soup spoons at each table, nestled in a divided container that also holds chopsticks, napkins, and other dinings items. The container these spoons rest in can’t easily be cleaned and concerns me about whether they ever have been.

I also find myself wondering if these spoons have been touched or sneezed on by people who have previously sat where I might be sitting. A recommendation to address that would be to include those spoons only when the appropriate menu items are served, which would allow them to be kept off the tables and in a cleaner location, such as the kitchen.

While I won’t be returning to see if any of these changes are implemented, I felt I owed this place an honest review in order to help them improve. I wish them continued success for many...

On the rare occasions that I decide to go out, much of the time I find myself going somewhere I already know is good. This place has to be one of my top picks when it comes to somewhere that I know is consistently enjoyable, and because of that it’s one the only places I recommend people to go because I know their experience will be that of quality. Where do I even start? Their price to portion ratio is great, especially when it comes to there phở which I’ve never once not felt like was enough. On average though it’s about 13$ a bowl, which could be considered somewhat pricey but once you taste it you’ll know it was worth it, especially if you only go out on special occasions and you want to treat yourself. The service is also quite good, although it can sometimes take a moment to get seated. The staff are very pleasant and work hard to give you a good experience. The interior is also very simplistic in a charming, welcoming way, they have a few paintings on the wall and a few miscellaneous decorations that add to the atmosphere. Even though I’ve only talked about the Phở, they also have some tasty appetizers, some good sandwiches, and my personal favorite, there boba milkshakes. They aren’t to be mixed up with boba teas and their kind of their own thing but they're a great treat, my favorite flavor I’d recommend would be the Honeydew. Overall this place has great food, it’s a good price in my opinion, they have great portion sizes, the taste is fantastic, the service is good, and the atmosphere is very pleasant. I would highly recommend giving this place a...