Saigon House — Restaurant in Texas

This is a 2.5 star review for the crawfish crawler, but I rounded up because I was feeling generous.

The place has great ambience, friendly staff, convenient location for downtowners and midtowners especially if you're looking to dodge traffic during rush hour. They even advertise themselves as a chill spot to hangout to avoid traffic.

So the crawfish... $8.99/ lb There is a two pound minimum and there are multiple flavors (see pics for details). I got the Third Coast Sand Cajun seasoning, medium spicy. The crawfish were a decent size as it's still early in the season. There were a few lookers here and there, but they were mostly small to medium. The crawfish were prepared well but lacked flavor. I asked for a side of extra seasoning and that kicked things up, but it still didn't not give me that flavor boost I was looking for.

My friend got one pound of the Saigon Heat shrimp. She said they were just DECENT. They were not hot (temp wise) and the seasoning was blah. She asked for a side of the hotter seasoning and it was just pure cayenne. She wouldn't come back.

The corn and potatoes were just okay. Don't order the sausage. They weren't good at all. Whatever brand of sausage they use needs to be switched out.

We asked for bags, but was warned by the wait staff that the chef frowns upon it as they believe it will over cook the crawfish. They weren't over cooked.

My other friend got a vegetarian ramen stir fry. It was cool. Meh...

A plus: we came on Valentine's Day and they offered complimentary champagne to all guests, so that was nice.

Another plus: They accept most major forms of payment in addition to Apple Pay and Samsung pay. They also let you split checks.

UPDATE: (This is just for crawfish)

So I went back... I was really craving crawfish (I may be an addict lol) and I was leaving the Zoo and this is the only place in the area that I know that had okay crawfish and not a long wait time on a SATURDAY. I felt the odds were against me. Well I must say, I was absolutely wrong.

Sometimes it takes a second chance and I was not disappointed. I got 3 lbs of crawfish (I told you I was an addict) with an order of potatoes. I chose Third Coast Cajun Sand and was allowed to mix the flavor with their Citrus Garlic spice (I forget the name). This was new, as last time I came I was told the flavors could not be combined. I also got them medium spicy as I like them with a kick. I requested for them to be placed in a bag and did not get a rebuttal this time.

These have had to be the best crawfish I’ve eaten this season!!! They were seasoned to perfection, they were hot (temp) and spicy, but not too overbearing where they were difficult to eat. All of the crawfish were medium to large size (maybe due to it being later in the season). The wait staff was super attentive and half way through they came and grabbed my shells so that I did not have to have a mountain of food on my table as I continued my meal. I am not sure if they read my review or if it was just a stroke of luck, but I’m HOOKED!!! Well done Saigon House Midtown. I tip my hat to you. I am thrilled as I will be frequenting this spot as I work in the downtown area and may need to drop in for crawfish instead of battle the 5 o’clock traffic to get home.

I will be spreading...

After yesterday’s let down, decided to hit up midtown again and try out Saigon House.

My original order was soft-shell crab spring roll and some Oregon crawfish that they’ve been flying in according to their IG page. Unfortunately they were out of the crab and the crawfish had just arrived and were being purged for dinner service.

I then decided on the viet coffee, house rolls and a bahn mi. The cashier apologized and stated they just sold that last sandwich to the lady in front of me, but while I was deciding what to get, he took the initiative to check with the prep staff to ensure there weren’t any more. Luckily for me, they had one left!

While watching the guys construct my spring rolls and bahn mi, the chef brought out a few crawfish to show me their size and colors coming from river waters of Oregon. I’ve never seen crawfish with a blue/dark green shaded under body before! They were huge and super active! He also explained that they order soft-shell crab in small batches to ensure they are using the freshest of ingredients as they do in all their meals.

Order arrived and out the door I go. As I left the parking lot, I started with the viet iced coffee quickly noticing the thickness of the liquid compared to the one I had yesterday which was watered down at first sip. Before getting a mere mile from the building, I found myself sucking out of an empty cup like a lil kid trying to get any and every last drop

House rolls were an interesting combo of a fried egg roll inside of a spring roll! The two combine surprisingly well, but I still thought about the soft shell crab spring roll…soon! The peanut sauce here is not to be skipped. There is a dollop of yellow sauce in the middle of the peanut sauce which tasted like a Dijon mustard/mayo mix on its own but I am not sure what it was…mixed it in with the peanut sauce really well and damn was I surprised…I couldn’t get enough. I ended up finishing the cup with my finger when I ran out of house rolls.

The highlight of the meal was the banh mi. First I was told there wasn’t any left but the cashier checked with the prep staff and they had one last bread ready to fix up. Returned to the office and as I slowly unwrapped the sandwich, an aroma fill my nostrils, pleasing my senses. Before I even opened the bread to inspect the inside, I could see meat sticking out on both ends. Saigon House definitely does not skimp on the meat. While the sandwich itself is a few inches shorter than the surrounding shops, it more than makes up for its length with its filling, freshness and flavor. Opening the sandwich to further inspect, I was shocked at the amount of tender, juicy, trimmed rib-eye that was inside. Took a couple of bites without adding sriracha and a party of flavors started dancing around in my mouth. I only added sriracha half way thru just for a lil heat. In the end, there were only tiny lil pools of sriracha and rib-eye drippings left on the wax paper.

I am already looking forward to my next visit!

P.S. I am sure it will be 5 stars once I dig into the full menu! The counter staff was attentive and friendly and the other patrons at the counter waiting for their orders could not stop raving about the food and how I must come back and try...

Saigon House is a Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Midtown specializing in pho and Viet-Cajun crawfish. My girlfriend and I checked them out on a Saturday evening. Parking in Midtown is always difficult, so it’s nice they have a private parking lot out back. The lot can be quite full and narrow, so definitely be careful when parking here on a busy night.

The restaurant was mostly full when we walked in. Luckily, we were able to be seated at a booth near the front door. As the weather was kind of chilly outside, the front door kept blowing cold air at us whenever it opened up. We had to leave our coats on! We met with our waitress, Stephanie, and we started with a hot pot of Jasmine Green Tea with cut-up ginger. She told us they were out of crawfish for the night and that we wouldn’t be able to try the Banh Xeo Tacos since they were out of pork belly. No worries, we still wanted to order a feast! To start, we went with the Exxxtremely Spicy Dumplings (steamed pork dumplings and death oil ponzu) for $6.99 and the Tiger Ribs (tender pork ribs BBQ’d Asian-style) for $7.99.

The dumplings were crazy hot! I can honestly say I have never had dumplings so spicy in my life. Even after eating them, our mouths were on fire, we started to sweat, our noses became runny, and we were no longer cold from sitting near the front door blowing freezing air at us! I would give these a 5/5. The Tiger Ribs were hard to judge at first since our tongues were on fire, but after we got accustomed to them, they were DELICIOUS. The flavors were so tasty and the meat was easily able to fall off the bone. This was also a 5/5.

For our entrees, we went with the Wagyu Pho Rice Noodle Soup (grilled buttery wagyu) for $17.99 and the Sizzling Shaken Beef (filet cube, onions, mushroom, and peppers) for $12 plus upgraded side fried rice/fried egg for extra $3. The pho tasted super fresh. The broth was great, and the wagyu beef slices in the pho made it next-level. I wouldn’t typically order a $17.99 bowl of pho on the regular, but this was a nice experience. I’d again give this a 5/5. The Sizzling Shaken Beef, on the other hand, was not good at all. I thought it was because of the meat quality because I literally couldn’t chew through it. They may as well call it beef-flavored chewing gum because I ended up having to spit it out on the side of my plate. I would give this a 2/5. I wish they would change the meat they use for this plate because it seems it tends to get completely overcooked.

Overall, I really enjoyed our dinner at Saigon House. Even though we didn’t get to experience the crawfish or the Banh Xeo Tacos yet, they have other incredible items on their menu from the Exxxtremely Spicy Dumplings, the Tiger Ribs, and the Wagyu Pho Rice Noodle Soup. These are all must-haves for sure. I would avoid the Sizzling Shaken Beef until they either change the meat they use for it or learn how to cook it properly because it felt rubbery in my teeth. We will definitely be back to try out more items...