Saigon Cafe

This little hole in the wall was recommended to us. At first glance, I was not impressed at all, but my wondrous excitement persisted as I looked around at the impressive grime. I am quite aware that you cannot judge a book by its cover, but man, the place was filthy! The Sriracha bottle on the table expired in 2004 and EVERYTHING was coated with a sticky oily dusty feel that’s hard to ignore. There was an older couple eating, looking as if all was fine, so my enthusiasm remained. We made our order and after about an hour of hearing the owner running around and many microwave beeps, the food was served. The bowls and plates were unclean, you could literally scrape the old grime off the edge of the plates and the food was just not good at all. The only person working in this restaurant was the owner himself, an older Vietnamese man, extremely sweet with a gentle yet desperate temper. I feel terrible giving him a low star rating, but beside all of Saigon Cafe’s flaws, the food was almost inedible.

The worst dining experience I ever had. A tiny shop located in Vassar College's little town community, Saigon Cafe fails to appeal to people who are expecting authentic Vietnamese cuisine, let alone the quintessential dish that speaks for all of Vietnam, pho. I ordered some spring rolls, which was barely edible with the fish sauce. Previously deep fried, then frozen, then microwaved. It was like biting into stale chips. In fact, you can even hear the microwave beeping from the owner punching its buttons. Next, I ordered a bowl of pho. Noodle was hard, definitely not freshly made. Broth was actually flavorful, but that is the only highlight of this restaurant. Then I discovered a dead bug in my pho that I immediately reported to the owner. His response was disgusting. He said there is nothing he can do to stop the bugs and he had a serious attotude towards my patron and me before offering to remake the food. We declined and proceeded to paying for the check. I noticed on the check, he charged me an extra $1.35 because according to him, the order for spring rolls is usually 3 pieces but he gave us 4 (for the two of us). We never agreed to the extra charge or the extra roll. When I disputed the spring rolls charge, the owner got defensive and said he was trying to be considerate. Maybe ask us if we wanted 3 pieces next time? That is not all, the condiments on every table look like they have been sitting around for years. Every sauce bottle - the Sriracha and Hoison bottles - is super sticky to the touch. The Sriracha is extremely watery, I have never seen anything like this in all the Vietnamese restaurants I have visited. This is the worst dining experience in my life and I highly recommend people to seriously think about their health, sanity, and taste buds before visiting this place.

went to Saigon Cafe in Poughkeepsie and ordered some spicy food. The owner took my order and said ok. Once he saw my appetizers covered in hot sauce he mentioned, "uhhh thats a lot of hot sauce my friend. I will need to change your order". Once my food came out, his wife the cook came to make sure its spicy enough.. it was good but not spicy enough. The owner brings out his "private stash" of hot peppers for me. Gives me a small table spoon full, I try it and ask for more. He goes: You need to try it first!! I took a 2nd dip with the chop sticks in them and ate the sauce straight... He gave me one more table spoon of his sauce. We finished eating and when we left the owner walked with us and told me: You know son, this is an american restaurant. Next time you need to bring your own hot sauce!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this place. Been here dozens of times and never tired of the food. Service isn't top notch, but always attentive and personal. The decor....well, who cares when the food is so great??!! The owner is fabulous and he's always quick to recognize you and give you his best service. Since I moved north, I haven't been back as often as I like but Saigon Cafe will always have a special place in my heart.

Food were frozen. A small bug came out from pho's soup and the owner said, "I don't know...it is just small bug... I don't know....you can not eat then?" I was shocked from his attitude! He just showed me that is not a big deal. And all bottels of sauce were sticky and dirty. Sriracha sauce was so watery and looked like it's been several years. Noodle was cut because he used not fresh, but frozen... meat was so chewy.... Eeven if I ordered spring rolls which costs $5, he asked me $6.35. This is not because I asked but just he thought four pieces are good for two people lol. (The menu didnt say how many pieces, so we didnt know when we ate the rolls.) If you want to experience the worst pho place, I can recommend you..... :(! Oh and also i cant believe it rates 3.9! LOL

So everything is made and served by the owner, which means you'll be waiting a few minutes for your food. But, it's totally worth it. Everything is super authentic and delicious. The place isn't too fancy, so go in with an open mind and some patience, and you won't be disappointed. He recognizes regulars too, which is always nice.

Small, affordable, family-owned restaurant. Short on veggie cuisine offerings, but otherwise long on variegated vegetable content. Four things make this a hit: Location, location, location, atmosphere. A place of refuge for hungry Buddhists and/or academics. Vietnamese coffee available for the caffeine-deprived. May the Saigon Cafe live long and prosper for the benefit of sentient PhD.'s and students.