Phở Sàigòn — Restaurant in Springfield

September 1, 2024 I took my family into Springfield for church and we were going to meet friends for an afternoon discussion and it was too long and too much hassle to go home to Chicopee first, eat then go back to see our friends in Springfield, so we decided we would have lunch at one of our old favorite restaurants in Springfield, Pho Saigon. We had been there many years ago and I had been there in High School on a trip to try "authentic Asian food." Well, memories came flooding back as we saw the VESPA in the window like old times. We went in and the waitstaff was very kind, the floors (especially in the back) were uneven and warped as ever. The menu was pretty normal and I suddenly had a hankering for a big bowl of noodles. The kids wanted a drink in addition and normally I would say no, the water is fine but I knew I would write a review so I decided I would order a few. I was concerned they would deliver the drink in the middle of the meal but they were smart, they made the drink later and gave it to us as I almost finished my noodles. I got the classic bowl of noodles with sliced beef and some veggies too. They bring out a plate filled with stuff and there was no explanation about what to do. That would have been helpful at least for my kids who didn't know. But the assumption is that you've eaten there before. But the stuff they brought was a mix of many things like a vegetable and even some leaves and slices of jalapeno. I ate and ate. It was so good. The waitstaff was very attentive and constantly came to fill our waters and my mother-in-law's hot water. The bowls were so big I ate a little bit of everyone's. It was good yummy food. Finally the drinks came out and we were going to have to run. We got a mango bubble tea and a limeade drink too. I got the Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk that came really well done. The milk was thick on the bottom. The coffee had already gone through the coffee maker thing which was resting on the coffee cup itself. I'm a coffee drinker and I didn't know what to do to do it the right way. Thankfully I spoke up. Just a simple: "Have you had our coffee before sir?" would suffice and the customer would admit, No I don't know what to do. The spoon nearby was a great idea to swirl the milk and coffee drink together. Nice colors and then I poured it into the cup of ice. Yum. It was really good. Well done, Pho Saigon. You did it again. Not much seems to have changed over the years which is a good thing. The restaurant was still packed and people coming in and out. Our three kids all ate well and one of our kids has a peanut allergy, the waitstaff told me we don't add that at all! Though the price was hefty, the food was delicious and the bathrooms somewhat clean, Pho Saigon is a much more authentic Asian choice in the X in downtown Springfield.

Also special note: careful of your HOISON sauce, my photo looks like it...

Service: 4/5, Quality: 3/5, Value: 4/5 Vegan Options: 3/5

Overall: Accommodating staff and good food.

Further: Service- Staff was friendly and attentive. When asked about whether a particular item was vegan or not, the waitress was knowledgeable and double checked with the kitchen to accommodate us.

Quality- We ordered 62 crispy tofu, 69 caramelized tofu, and 71 stir fry tofu. I believe 62 was made without modification, 69 I forget if modification was needed to make it vegan, and 71 needed to replace the oyster sauce with soy sauce. Overall the food was good. I really liked their crispy tofu, though I would recommend cutting the tofu in half in order to get the sauce to absorb into it better. The caramelized tofu was pretty good when my wife let me try it. I had the stir fry tofu and it wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad either. It just tasted a bit bland but the ingredients themselves were fresh and I was just happy to get a meal in while traveling.

Value- Portion sizes were fairly large, but adequate for the price. I didn't finish my plate, and my wife had enough to take home.

Vegan Options: There are 3 menu sections labelled vegetarian and you can ask about making the options vegan with the staff being knowledgeable and accommodating. I would have liked to have seen the menu clearly labelled for vegans to get a 4/5. Particularly it would be helpful to see substitutions listed that could be made to vegetarian dishes to make them vegan.

Pros: accommodating staff, generous staff

Cons: street parking with...

My hairdresser at BRUSH salon mentioned that she was hungry and was going to ask her boyfriend if he could bring her some pho soup and chicken fried rice from Pho Saigon at 400 Dickinson Street. When I got home I looked it up and decided to order the pho tai Nam soup she’d mentioned. It was probably the most delicious, beautiful soup with the ingredients being the freshest they could be. The bean sprouts were fat and juicy, the basil was still standing up beautifully fresh still on the stalk, the chicken was so lean and sliced so thin like I like it. The broth for me at least was too salty but I just cut it with unsalted beef or chicken broth and it made all the difference. The owner was so kind and helpful as this was my first time ordering and he’d called to make sure they got my online order right. He even called back to go over a refund that was necessary because I’d inadvertently made a mistake when ordering snd there was an $8.00 adjustment Thst needed to be refunded. He asked me how I liked the soup which was thoughtful. It shows the pride they have in their offerings. I will keep coming back for more. I just ordered for my second time and added on chicken fried rice snd lemon chicken as well as lemon grass soup, so for the next few nights I’m all set! Keep up the good work, I’m spreading the word and hope you deliver to Southampton Mass for my son who’d be delighted to become your second...