Saigon Cuisine

I came here with my parents for lunch on the way back to the Bay Area, and we were excited for all the good food (and crawfish!) that was on Yelp. We ended up leaving horribly disappointed.

First of all, the menus didn't have crawfish despite the prominent "Crawfish Alley" sign outside. In fact, there were basically none of the special dishes that the other reviews raved about. We asked the lone waitress there, and she said they got a new cook. Though disappointed, we ordered the special filet mignon pho, one special combo vermicelli with pork, and one special combo rice with chicken.

Then, we waited. In about 10 minutes, the pho came. The other two, however, came out about 30 minutes after we ordered. Mind you, there was only another couple in the restaurant who had already gotten their food. But maybe that one cook back there was just making some amazing food that took a little longer, so we were fine.

Finally, the food came. The pho was alright, pretty average. The soup had enough flavor, and the ingredients weren't super fresh, but weren't inedible either. However, both the specials came with shrimp, which were so obviously overcooked and just drenched with oil. Both the chicken and the pork were also overcooked-- all the meats and shrimp just generally tasted like they were old and recooked leftovers. Same with both of our eggrolls-- they were definitely a bit stale but refried. The cucumbers seemed pretty old, and the splat (yes, splat) of green onions sitting on top seemed to have been sitting in some liquid for quite a while. According to my mom, the fish sauce was probably the best thing on the table (lol). By the way, the other couple had ordered a fried calamari, and they barely touched it, if that says anything.

Overall, it was a pretty sad experience. Probably never going to come back anyway, but hopefully others will know what to expect here now.

Kudos to the server though, she made sure we had everything we needed.

First I must tell you I'm Vietnamese and do recognize authentic food. This place is spacious and very friendly staff. They do aim to please. Unfortunately I was not too thrilled with the Pho. I felt the broth needed more flavor. It was a generous portion though. Also ordered a pork Banh Mi. So much fat on the meat. Disgusting. I'm torn because I have eaten here before and it wasn't bad but this trip I really was not impresses

This particular restaurant building just can't find a niche, it really needs to be on restaurant impossible and a major remodel.

Walked in 245-3 pm and it was empty. We were seated and the table was dirty, the paper place mats were dirty, i glanced around and it's just run down. I ordered based on a friends post and when they food came it was just meh. The shrimp was over cooked and probably old. My husbands food was bland and we had to add tons of sauces and chili to give it flavor. Just overall blah and not that great. Won't be going back.

The waitress sat watching tv or on her phone. She should be cleaning or keeping busy. And with the looks of the condiments, they probably only clean them once a month.

We first visited this location when it was Tommy's and we weren't super impressed after that visit. So we decided to wait a few months and try it again. Well, a few months became today, and the restaurant also changed names. Saigon Cuisine is definitely a step above, and we left lunch today satisfied and happy. Because it was late lunch, we were super ravenous and ordered a lot of food...

- Chicken wings with tamarind sauce: ooohh that sauce was so good! The wings were nicely sized and it was delicious.
- Spring rolls with bbq pork: solid, and the peanut sauce was tasty.
- Stir-fried soft flat noodles with beef: a very mild dish that reminded me of a Thai dish called Rad Nah. Lots of tender beef and veggies. My husband wished for some vinegar on the table to jazz it up.
- Rice noodles with BBQ pork, shrimp, and spring roll: one of my favorite dishes during the summer, and this place did not disappoint. Things I would change might be just to cut the spring roll into smaller pieces so it can be mixed in with everything else.

The restaurant is huge, and I'm glad to see the changes in the last few months. I know another reviewer said banh mi isn't on the menu, but you can order it. But... if it could be on the menu, that'd be even more awesome. I look forward to trying the pho and other dishes in the future!

Used to be Toms now under new ownership
I ordered the mustard chicken salad for lunch

Absolutely delicious and plenty of chicken
The new staff was nice and attentive which makes a whole lot of difference in any restaurant now days.

Will definitely be back

Spreading my wings a little bit today and trying a new place here in Santa Maria, Saigon Cuisine. So far it's incredible!

Gonna eat and then update!

Okay, just finished and let me tell you what; this place is legit! You really need to try it!

Calamari to start, then noodles and steak,

I will explain the 2-star rating below.
Gotta say I was REALLY disappointed after reading other's reviews.
Sorry to say this, but my hope is that there will be some measure of improvement.

First star off for flavor.
My chicken pho was large chunks of chicken, a one-inch piece of green onion, rice noodles and all sitting in what tasted to be highly diluted chicken broth out of a can with a hint- Just a hint of coriander. Our soups were served with a plate of fresh basil leaves, four slices of jalapeño and sprouts. There was just no flavor to be found.

Second star off for "vegetarian".
We asked and were told that the "vegetarian" soup base is made of chicken or beef broth.

Third star off for overall satisfaction with the location (SM strip mall), ambiance (pop music) and a menu devoid of photos. I had to search thru yelp images to find photos of whatever the hell I was trying to order as I'm not familiar with Vietnamese food (other than pho, and this was not pho).
Nothing to see outside except parking lot.

Bon apetit.

Updated when different name but same food and service. (Updates at bottom).

Are you looking for good Pho? We found your place to go on the Central Coast.

Pho is one of those things either you like or don't. I personally love it and a great meal that fills you up & fairly healthy.

Living on the Central Coast traditional Pho is very hard to find. Either it has been changed and made "fancy" or just off.

When I heard of a new Vietnamese restaurant in Santa Maria that had Pho I packed up the family and we headed down to taste it for ourselves.

Was it what we wanted, needed? Pho' sure! We finally have traditional pho within a fairly short drive.

The Pho had all the right measures which included the soup base to blend into your own mix of goodness (Sriracha is essential here), the proper noodles, and thin sliced meat the cooks in the broth. All done well here.

We also had the combo noodle bowl. The first time we ordered the bowl it was picked high overflowing with fresh ingredients. It was delicious and pretty large. It was so good I ordered a Togo for next day at work.

The next time I came in to order the combo noodle bowl again. However, this time is was much smaller and below the brim. It just seemed messy and was a disappointment. I may have had too high of an expectation and for sure will give it another go (or pho).

Updated notes: menu has not changed much since when Tommy's. We do like the food and keep coming back. Have heard they are expanding menu but really enjoy the noodle bowl and pho so hard to change.

All in all this is a great bet and encourage you to try it for yourselves. Whether it is the almighty Pho or another choice be sure to share with me and the rest of our Yelp crew how it was!?

I love this place because it is authentic, sometimes they are busy but staff is always accommodating. So far Bea authentic Vietnamese restaurant that I like in central Coast. Alexia was the best server ever, always made you feel appreciated as a customer! Will always go back!

Food was delicious. I hope they stay here for good, the location is a spot that always ends up shutting down. My favorite spot for Vietnamese food was al pho also in town but I loved their vermicelli bowl better! Minus the roll (was too greasy) my husband got the jumbo shrimp he had it with the tamarind sauce so good! Try it out it was yummy wish they had a free drink for yelp reviews the place is very spacious so it's perfect for big groups.