Saigon Social caught my attention during its pre-pandemic pop-up days with its modern and delicious take on Vietnamese dishes and I’ve been rooting for the restaurant ever since. With a number of interruptions delaying its brick-and-mortar restaurant opening including gas outages and a global pandemic, Saigon Social and its owner Helen Nguyen has proved to be resilient and much loved by the community. I love the bánh bèo (steamed rice cake with shrimp and mung bean), garlic noodles, bánh mì burger and crispy fried fish with pickled vegetables. If you’re lucky, you’ll find phở on the menu. On the day I visited, the beef phở with ribeye and brisket was the soup of the day and had a deep flavorful broth with wide flat noodles and high quality tender meat. Saigon Social is not just a restaurant, it’s a community with warm and friendly staff.
Time Out Tip: Perfect for fun loving people who love food and community. It’s the type of place that will get your mom and aunties dancing in the restaurant to Vietnamese pop songs. Well, mine did anyway.