Reviews Urban Saigon

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Needajp
+5
Great little place, a hidden gem that I now frequent on a weekly basis. They're currently back open doing takeaways only, cheap and cheerful, definitely give them a go!
4 months ago
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Dean Benjamin
+5
Big bowl. Lots of broth. Fresh chewy noodles. Better price than other places. The broth was clean, clear and peppery, yum!! Very impressed. Extra point for the price! Very satisfied. Well come back :)
Sep 03, 2019
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Jman White
+5
Had a great meal here today. Vermicelli salad was fresh, tasty and well proportioned. Friendly smiling staff always good to see. Will be back to try the pho😀
Jul 13, 2019
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Ellasyn
+5
Best priced Vietnamese restaurant in the area. The food was tops - fresh, tasty, excellent serving size! This will now be a regular for take away nights.
Jul 01, 2019
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Atreyu
+4
TL;DR: Vietnamese street food yet again - one of my favourite bites to get. Always wholesome, the portion sizes might vary but it is never the case that you leave with an empty stomach, and something about it tastes just so fresh. I furthermore can rest my case that these little eateries can do effective business on any side of town.

Outside of the basic aspects for why someone would recommend a place to eat, the unusual aspects that sometimes pop up are really what can drive traffic towards a place. One of them is an odd locale, and whether it is rain or shine a general sense of being cosy also contributes heaps. Those two aspects are right present in Urban Saigon, hidden in the suburban streets and right across the road from the nearby state school. A small, slightly intimate square of an eatery houses budget bites that won't leave you starving - something which proves good enough in my book.

A different turn of events had occurred one week. Out of the blue, on a Wednesday of all times, my house mate felt in the mood for going out to get a bite to eat for lunch. Recently it had been mostly breakfasts and rarely anything else unless a special occasion had occurred. Guess cravings do hit out of the blue at the odd times, and this was the case.

It took a bit of thinking back and forth, going for different ideas before he rested upon getting a banh mi. At first he thought of going just up the road to one that he relied upon, yet in the back of my mind I was still persistent. Staying within the southern area, a few different approaches to search terms brought right here up - and it hit a few agreeable notes. Showed it to the house mate, and off it was for a rare kind of lunch.

The whole place is really compact, and they manage to fit a table for around a dozen people inside without it feeling to cramped. They additionally have a couple of tables outside for al fresco dining, which is great when all the elements are right.

Service is about as simple and streamlined as it could get. What happens here is that you go in, place your order at the counter, then pay. After that, they will find you. This time, it is no need for a table number - there aren't too many tables, and these guys work at highly efficient speeds. There is not really any rhyme, reasons, or structure with what is brought out when - when it is ready, it appears on the table. Through and through, the service maintains a friendly aura which will certainly attract customers back - particularly school kids during those particular hours.

They keep it so simple with the menu here, that even the design becomes simple. Think of something much lower key, with the bright pictures being the guide on the menu. That is what they are like here, even having the eclectic selection to boot. The small selection gives you a couple of noodle soups, numerous dishes consisting of meat and rice, the beloved sandwiches, a few salads, plus some sides. Getting something to drink consists of the selection from the fridge, they have a small range of ready-to-make cold beverages that include iced tea and coffee.

As per the norm, I went to get the usual combination I seek from these places. The old sandwich and coffee. Let's say the first one was able to be fulfilled, but they were out of the needed ingredient for the second one (so ein Mist!). Never the less, to replace that I went with a taro milk tea. The banh mi this time was a pork patty one, and the requested was done to get it with heaps of chilli. For my housemate, the banh mi of choice was lemongrass chicken.

With the meats, the pork patty is delicious as always in finding a way to seal in the juices and get the spices into the flesh. It has a texture a bit like a sausage, which allows it to be pretty robust. The chicken was tender, and juicy. With the choice of lemongrass, it combined some sour notes with a spicy flavour that creates a distinct taste. These go well with the combinations of the sandwiches, which is aided but baguettes which are both buttery and crusty. It all becomes possible after that from the rich sauce poured within, a little like mayonnaise, and the dark sauce as well. Why these often are affordable with pocket money, something has to be going on somewhere ensuring it - and I would be okay with that.

Each of us got an extra on the side to spruce the meal up. Whomever ordered what doesn't matter now, as enough was present to be shared around. There was the prawn rice paper rolls, and some chicken spring rolls. Both of these were tasty unto themselves - the rice paper rolls having that unique freshness that gives them their character. The prawns inside were chunky and sweet, which was aided by a handful of fresh vegetables - coriander, carrot and such. They came with a rich dipping sauce that was based on hoisin. For a few dollar a pop, these suckers were fairly thick (think of a cigar, something about that breadth) and fill you up effectively.

Now we get onto the classical spring rolls, which more often than not are fairly forgettable. Bite into them, and what is supposedly there is hard to detect if it is present. This was an exception to that rule, since I definitely detected and tasted the chicken mince inside the hot pasty. They were served with sweet chilli sauce on the side.

Getting onto the beverage, when put into a milk tea taro has this really bizarre flavor that is not like anything else to compare. Relatively sweet, yet the notes tend to be on the astringent side. The texture is often pretty smooth, and the beverage is a rare purple colour. When the weather is hot and humid outside, this is a good drink to have. It might not be the flavour that I will initially go for above others, and in saying that there is not anything against it that I have. This is merely all about having preferences.

Once upon a time, Vietnamese to me was the elusive sort of cuisine that I'd only occasionally manage to get to and thus have not much understanding or knowledge of it. Since then, I have frequented so many of them - the brunt admittedly being banh mis. As a result, it has created a bar standard that really has become similarly high to the Japanese counterpart where everything is pretty much as it should be.

That was the case with Urban Saigon. It is a small, cute little square of a shop that is fairly random where it is situated and that adds to its charm. You are very much eating at something which is no frills and aims to deliver purely based on getting as high quality food as they can. In an ironic twist of the words, these end up being more recommendable than some of the finest eateries in the said cuisine. This is exactly the way to describe Urban Saigon.

Final rating: 4.0 - it is solid enough to be given a go, having nothing that will exactly detract it from being a good eat though nothing that really elevates it so much. In the end, merely some filling grub for a decent buck.
Feb 08, 2019
Zomato
Carl Licastro
+5
This is a great little cafe with a wonderful authentic feel. The food is nice esp the banh mi. Service is good and prices sharp. I go for lunch at least once a week with friends and everybody raves.
Jan 03, 2019
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Spice Dad
+5
No need to go to Vietnam 🇻🇳 this is nearly as cheap as eating in actual Saigon haha 😂 very fresh bread and recommend the lemongrass chicken bread roll 👌the pho could be better but definitely recommend the Bahn mi with a Vietnamese coffee.
Aug 31, 2018
Zomato
Wrayfour
+5
We use for takeaway rolls and and salads ‘excellent’ great when I want to take a shared lunch as a visitor or we are doing a picnic...everybody loves! We buy as we head off to Coast or around Brisbane for a long day out ... or a meet picnic with friends 🎈🎈🎈🎈better than what you can buy on arrival...
Aug 21, 2018
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Isabel P
+4
It may not be the best Viet food you will ever have, but for sleepy suburban Yeronga, it's a little gem of a cafe.  The food is dependably good, the staff always friendly and the leafy suburban atmosphere across from the Yeronga School and near the pool are also great. 

The beef pho and the lemongrass chicken banh mi are yum, as is the coconut drink.
May 24, 2018
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Louise W
+5
Great neighbourhood restaurant. Casual atmosphere but great food and great value for money.  We come here often and have never had a bad meal or bad service, takeaway or dining in.
May 04, 2018
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Tu P
+4
Today we decided to try some local vietnamese, this little gem we always forget is here. We have been here a few times. Plenty of street parking and there are a few tables inside and out.

I got the beef pho, while the wife got the vermicelli noodle salad with grilled pork. Staff were friendly and service was good.

Our meals came out in a reasonable time, no complaints there. Surprising what they can do with 1 wok bench. The counter was clean and the banh mi station was tidy. Might have to try their banh mi next time

Back to the food, the pho was warmish hot not too hot, a little small on size but well balanced. Soup was clean and clear, don't have to travel so far to sunnybank or inala. The wife enjoyed her salad, maybe a little more grilled pork.

Nice little place, worth the trip..
Oct 31, 2017
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Matt C
+4
A Friday off work called for a sneaky lunch in this neighbourhood gem tucked away in Yeronga. I had the Beef Noodle Soup (Pho for traditionalists). The broth was divine, as were all the ingredients. My only gripe was the broth could have been hotter but otherwise it was top-notch.
Jul 21, 2017
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Jane Bennett
+5
Amazing food with great service!! Couldn't ask for a better neighbourhood restaurant. If you haven't gotten dinner here before I strongly urge you to give it a go!
Jul 20, 2017
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Sarah_Eats
+5
A little gem of a place. My sisters go here at least once a week and have taken me numerous time now. The food is always delicious and served promptly. For such bargain prices, it really is a winner. Usually get take away but have also dined in, which has been pleasant enough. Friendly service and good location with lots of street parking.
Jul 07, 2017
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Tom Leo
+5
Simple, yet delicious food, friendly staff, with quick service and a clean environment.
Definitely worth your time and perfect for a cheap meal.
Jun 09, 2017
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Graham Blair
+4.5
I have been to this restaurant many times, once with a friend who is a top chef and very picky, she had no issue with the food, for myself, with a close acquaintance with Asian street food I find  it extraordinary that the city council has only given 3 stars.
Mar 04, 2017
4
Suzie Lee
+4
Suburban gem This is a great local option for good fresh Vietnamese street food. The service is friendly, the portions are generous and the prices are reasonable.
4
Schnapsidee
+4
Good food, fast service. Offer takeaways. Unfortunately not 5 stars as there were some plates sitting around on the outside tables which attracted flies. Otherwise the food was great.
5
Natahlia Buitendyk
+5
This little gem is one of Brisbane’s best kept secrets! Very humble on the outside because they clearly have their priorities straight - a focus on food! My favourite dish is the beef pho: hearty, healthy and banging! A must for any cuisine chaser.
5
Yap venture
+5
We ordered the beef pho and Number 14 rice vermicelli salad. The noodle was quite thick but the soup is very authentic and hot. Highly recommend and plenty of parking during weekend.
5
Allan Bleau
+5
Way better than rivals in the area. Consistently good soup and noodles. Small suburban place, really good ice coffee super strong with condensed milk yum !!
5
Park YOUNG HEE
+5
I just moved to Annerley yesterday, had a first meal at Urban Saigon. Oh my, it was the best Vietnamese in Brisbane. So fresh, so tasty, friendly staffs and so cheap! Especially pork taste reminds of my hometown(Korea)'s famous marinated pork BBQ! I almost cried. Strongly recommend this beautiful restaurant!
5
Jessica Farrell
+5
Highly recommend. Always delicious, well priced, fresh, and friendly service. Have been back and back again countless times and will continue
5
cathy chiem
+5
Our local gem ! We love coming here regularly for banh mi and salad bowls. Service is Fast and friendly and the food is authentic and fresh.
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