Saigon City - Vietnamese, San Mateo

418 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo CA 94401
(650) 350-8878
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: November 30, 2014

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 1 to 2 stars
Price: $ to $$

To get right to it, the food is good, but the service is absent.  When they're there, they're friendly, but it's hard to get someone's attention which can translate into long wait times.

I've now visited Saigon City twice - once on a very busy evening, and once during lunch not long after opening.  Both times, the food was good, but it seemed that the restaurant was understaffed - it took a really long time to have anyone come and take our order and while the food came out quickly, trying to get someone's attention at the end of the meal for the check is a big challenge.  Dinner took us more than an hour when the place was packed, but lunch was closer to 40 minutes.

The decor is pretty simple - tv in the back showing whatever game is on during your visit, brown siding from the middle of the wall to the floor, and framed art on the walls. The tables are kept very basic with paper placemats and wooden chopsticks in wrappers.

- Pho - There are the usual combinations of pho.  The special XL combo is offered with all of the fixings, but is only available in XL and priced at $8.25.   The other pho offerings come in the usual varieties in medium, large, and extra large sizes.  These range from in price from almost $7 to just over $8.  The broth comes super hot and the flavor is good.  The noodles were al dente and the quantity was ok for the large size, but I wouldn't have minded a bit more.  The picture shows the XL size.  The rare beef steak definitely comes rare and the basil and bean sprouts are super fresh.  Good stuff.  

- Grilled Pork Chop with Rice - The pork chops were grilled just right - tender, juicy, and slightly sweet from the marinade.  The slightly different thing about this dish, compared to other Vietnamese restaurants I've visited, was that the 'salad' that came with the pork chops were dressed with a big dollop of seasoned mayonnaise that turned out to be a great addition to the dish - that extra creaminess was quite good.  All of the vegetables were really fresh.  $7.50

As long as you can accept that the service will be mediocre but friendly, Saigon City is a place that offers good eats at very reasonable prices.