Review Saigon Cafe Restaurant

Taylar W

I my absolute favourite salad, Vietnamese mango salad is served at Saigon in Kingsland. The restaurant is absolutely stunning in interior fit out with a Vietnamese street food style in decor. The staff is excellent and highly attentive. The fresh rolls are also delicious, fresh and herbaceous and I’m keen to try more of the menu. Highly recommended!

Bonnie Wong

Dinner for five people we ordered three entrée, one salad and five mains to share. The portion is just enough for a bite eat plate but great for sharing. Cost about $35-40 per person just for food. Service was good and food was decent. Surprised at how quiet it was on a Saturday night though. Have to say the hectic Kingsland parking does not help.

Susan Williams

Absolutely outstanding food. We've been here twice now and will come back again. Byo wine at $5 per head and great service.

Rebeccah Curtis

Wow fantastic food, authentic and varied flavours. Really enjoyed the fresh rolls, great dipping sauce with a kick. Also the crispy beef cheeks and the lamb was fabulous. Highly recommend, we'll come again

Nicole

We had a fantastic dinner here. Our group of 8 including 2 children all enjoyed the meal. Fabulous service and food. It was a birthday celebration so they even gave us a bottle of wine.

Geoff Wilson

When there's an All Blacks game and everywhere else is booked, it works! But seriously, at least from the spring roll entrees they're good ... Really good. Will try again for more of a proper meal someday

Bùi Quốc Hưng

A lovely cozy place, friendly staff and chef. Highly recommended place for anyone who would like to try Vietnamese cuisine with a touch of European flavour.

lisa taouma

Great cheap vietnamese! summer rolls a cut above the usual and Goat curry is fantastic as are the stirfried tuatuas definately recommend.

Julianne Olson

Great owner, many vegetarian options, and very tasty food.. will definitely be back!

Kirsten Immers

My partner and I went there for dinner last night and we both enjoyed the food and the friendly service.

Mike Holding

Lovely eatery, cozy with a modern take on Asian food, not just Vietnamese.

Deborah Prideaux

Fresh tasty food, good service and nice environment

Sunjay Malik

Good spot for a pre game dinner. Some good food on thw menu. That goat curry is smashing. The stir fry beef on the specials menu is so juicy and tender. Shame we couldn't try the pork ribs. 4/5 cause In my opinion the food is a bit overpriced. The portion size is small and the $2 rice bowl could certainly have more rice. That tiny rice bowl of rice was 50cents. Not $2 for sure.

Amanda Parish

Service was fantastic and the food was great. When they found out one of the diners was gluten free they proactively changed the items on the platter for us. Cool place we will definitely be back.

Lisa Michelle

Ordered over $90 worth of food and found a clump of hair in one of the meals! After complaining to the restaurant they only offered to refund $16 worth. Absolutely disgusted by the lack of hygiene and disappointed the whole lot wasn't refunded as it ended up in the bin after finding the hair!

Richard Neame

It was a busy night but we were treated like roayalty by the owner, he ordered for us and we had the most wonderful food. He asked us what we liked and didn't like and went from there. We thoroughly recconend Saigon to anyone wanting a great night without the pretension of a Ponsonby eatery. We had family who have teavelled to Vietnam 6 times and thought the food and service was spot on. 5 stars without a doubt.

Helen Stuart

Beautiful food and amazing staff - highly recommend this place

Emily Carey

Perfect balance of flavors & my new favorite place to come & eat! The food is amazing & am impressed with the cuisine...yum! Great service & the staff were lovely and helpful

Wendy Green

Absolutely amazing service not to mention the presentation of the food and the tastes to die for. I recommend the pork belly scallops entrée and the ham hock wrapped in pork fillet. I'm definitely going to come back again. Thanks loop

Lea Worth

The food and ambience are so authentic I traveled back to a Saigon. Highly recommend a visit as priced so well for what can only be called quality and beautiful food. I would give them a 10 if I could and the outstanding friendly service added to the experience. We will be back

Tetauru Emile

Great food beautifully presented and top service. These folks put the high brow eateries in the cbd to shame. I can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu. We had the lamb and steak mains which were absolutely delicious. Perfectly cooked with flavours that made me want to lick the plate clean. Good food and good for you. Loop has me in a spin

Lisa Schmidt

A birthday treat with good friends was planned for last Saturday night. Excited to be dining at the restaurant of co author of the book 'what the fat' our excitement turned to concern when we found out the restaurant had recently been sold. The menu had changed but not updated online, the kitchen was not organised and some of our meals did not show up. What we did have was amazing and our waitress was fantastic although a little embarrassed by what we went through. Customer service could have been better but the food was faultless. Let's hope it improves

Heather Tran

The food here is amazing! Great staff and a lovely ambiance. Highly recommend a visit to this little gem.

Amanda Chan-Borell

Had a wee date night with the hubby last night and chose this awesome little restaurant. We were super impressed by their friendly service, simple but exciting menu, and were over the moon with the quality of the food. We will definitely be back ��

Brandy Jenkins

Went in to try the Kingsland Flavours. First waiter had no idea what I was talking about. Second waitress when I asked what meat was in the meatballs said she didn't know and then walked off never to be seen again. Third waiter took the order and then promptly told us that we had to sit outside. 10 minutes late got a cold asian noodle salad which was basically cold noodles with boiled chicken and some chilli sauce. If this is a display of their menu then I am sad to say I will not be trying any more of it.

Thaïs Lawrie

Came here with my Partner last night and I can't stop thinking about the food! Have to say I had one of the best meals of my life last night! I had the eye fillet for my main & shared the twice cooked chips and the bacon & eggs for entrée with my partner, he had the Lamb Shank and that was also divine. I could not fault any of the food, nor the service. Our waitress was very lovely and diligent. I was so impressed that I bought the What the Fat? Book and I Cannot wait to try the recipes! As Arnie says "I will be back" :)

Shanelle Sanson

Great staff and service, but terrible food. What you order is not what you get. I was expecting a Paleo friendly restaurant but it seems it's recently been sold and the menu inhouse is very different to what you see/read of online. My meal was missing pretty much everything it was supposed to have in it. Disappointing waste of money. Won't ever return.

Như Quỳnh

Great night with yummy crispy springrolls accompanied by a nice cocktail �

Julianne Olson

Great food and lots of vegetarian options! Lovely staff as well :)

Bianca Te Akaraanga

Loved the flavours and freshness, great resto, friendly staff, GF and DF options we'll be back

Nicole Bright

LOOP have a fantastic Gluten Free menu and beautifully presented and tasty meals. Lovely service too. I have Coeliac disease and felt very confident eating there. They also have a GF fryer and their Agria twice cooked chips are a must to try! Thanks so much for making my birthday dinner a fantastic night LOOP.

Kevin Bredeveldt

We were 3 couples, who all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Staff were friendly, a great ambiance, and meals great value for money. Will definitely be back.

Sam Lloyd Griffin

Great food! Great service! Definitely on my list of favourite restaurants!

Hang Pham

Very good food .I will come back to eat with my friends

Chrissy Senior

Awesome!! Food was delicious, service was spot on. Such a relief to be able to eat food without having to think about hidden ingredients

Kai Nguyen

Excellent food and services! Friendly staff. Definitely go back soon!

Gloria Wu-Anderson

Lovely food with great service! Love the interior too! Definitely a returner!

Angela Connor

Awesome place, very friendly staff and lovely food. Amazing decor and great selection of food and a good price. I will be back for sure.

Barbara Wright

The food was amazing, we will definitely be going back!!

Ari Omipi

I had initially had a bad first impression of this restaurant but after revisiting I am in awe of how delicious your food is! The lamb is DEFINITELY a favourite. The service was great, the staff are so friendly and I can't wait to come back and enjoy more!

Nigel Karl

We went to loop for brunch yesterday , we both had eggs benny, dammmmm. We will be back, loved it all and having the eggs on smashed spuds!! What a treat!!! Keep up the great service and food 10/10 Cheers niggles

Laurie Wilson

Absolutely wonderful meal this evening with outstanding service from the lovely Olivia. It was awesome to go somewhere that catered for our gf and lchf. Can't wait to return!

Sally Vandal

Food was excellent, friendly staff, spacious surroundings, classy décor - thank you for a delicious dinner. We'll be back.

Sara Kourkgy

Amazing! Food was absolutely delicious! Going LCHF does not mean you have to sacrifice flavour what so ever and this restaurant is proof of that. It was really nice of the head chef to even come out and speak to my friend and I. Beautiful food, beautiful atmosphere, beautiful staff. Will be coming back soon!

Jewel

Very nice and quality Vietnamese food here. Lamb was beautiful cooked I would like to recommend everyone come to try they food here. They using good quality ingredients and taste is amazing.

Tishmcdermott

This is our go-to for Vietnamese every time. The food is exquisite. Full of flavour, generous portions, fairly priced. Love it. The pho is especially good, as are the spring rolls and duck legs. Staff are friendly and attentive.

Zestyfoodlover

Wow! The food here was OUTSTANDING! My partner and I consider ourselves to have high food standards 😉 and this place did not disappoint! The flavours in every dish were unique and flavoursome. We shared the popcorn chicken, and the beef cheek, then had the grilled orange zest chicken breast and beef Pho. The meat in every dish was tender and melted in our mouths. We will definitely be returning! Highly recommended!! The atmosphere could be improved by dimming the lights a little and having a few barrier plants between rows of seating ☺️

David Poole

Amazing food. International quality at local prices. This is a real find and I have rarely tasted better food anywhere in the world. Great service and very gluten free friendly.

Debbie

Excellent service and excellent food. A perfect place for a book group night out. My favourite dishes were the Aromatic Chicken and the scallops. All the dishes we shared had their own unique Vietnamese flavours or sauces. The salads balanced the meal with a fresh crisp element and the additional vegetables were cooked to perfection.

Tarana Hanif Munmun

I simply loved the food.The food is just like what I prefer. Perfect taste. Balanced flavours. The restaurant decoration is unique as well. Loved the environment. Besides, the staffs are friendly and very welcoming. ✌️

Husk Creative

It was a crisp autumn day when we headed into Kingsland, our neighbourhood's neighbour, to try out Saigon which has replaced its predecessor Loop in the main strip. Our strongest recollection of the building was how cold it was on the inside, so we were nicely surprised to find it a bit more temperate but... still not mega-comfortable. A dramatic flower display met us on entry, along with some intriguingly angled chairs... designed to welcome to the visitor into the space perhaps? Our food took a while to arrive which was unusual given that there were only two parties in the restaurant - perhaps it was because we were a group of 7, perhaps it is because they put a seeming impressive amount of effort into the meal presentation, along with the Vietnamese coffee both of which were reasonably tasty. It was lovely to have Julie and Rhys join us for lunch from CAP - this may have distracted us from our waiter's laggy service as he looked like he would rather be elsewhere. A mixed bag on the day but we are keen to give it another go, even just to get bums on their seats and support local.Check out our individual food reviews here: husk.co.nz/lunches/saigon

HelenMeng2000

Really nice restaurant, I recommend the chicken skewers :) the chicken salad was tasty but a little small. The pork ribs were delicious and so was the roti!

Coz I Can

Very happy with the food and customer service. Everything tasted yummy but needs more on the plate as it was a cold night and everyone was looking for something hearty to eat. Im Vegan so I got the Tofu Salad and the Summer Rolls and was happy with my meal. Thank you so much though for taking our table of 16 on short notice. Cheers.

Aimee.

Five stars for the duty manager- Jayden. He has super great customer service and was helpful with explaining the menu and different drinks. My cocktail was amazing and not overly sweet like a lot I've had. The food was also great and seasoned. I loved the vegetarian curry and the roti is flaky and buttery. Very authentic and the portions are decent and nicely presented. the atmosphere is cosy and has Asian elements and decorations. Helen M loved the pork ribs.

Shannon Em

Lovely authentic Vietnamese food. There was a very quick wait time for food even after 9pm, and the staff were so pleasant. Saigon and Hanoi beers were a bonus!!

Caitlin O'Brien

Loved the summer rolls absolutely delicious especially the sauce but a little disappointed in the fried rice it looks/tastes plain and doesn't have any Vietnamese flavours.

KSP

Had the chicken platter- rice was uncooked and offcuts of chicken with chicken stock for seasoning. Terrible service too. We won't be coming back unfortunately. Uber eats food was sitting there the whole time we were there too.

You're Yuck

Average. Got Uber eats, everything was fine temperature wise so no problem there. Spring rolls weren't bad but fried rice was boring and bland, asked for it spicy and had no spice at all. Pho was pretty boring as well with no flavour. We asked for extra coriander with it, came with none. Also didn't come with bean sprouts, chili, lemon.

Dee

We had a really lovely dinner at Cafe Saigon. Decor was nice and trendy. Nice ambience. The staff were very friendly and had great knowledge of the food. Gave us lots of suggestions and explained a bit about the menu. Had a doubt about the beef noodle soup at first because I have never found a vietnamese restaurant that makes a real nice tasty broth! And boy was I lucky to have found this place! The broth was sooooooo nice, it has nice flavour, and just pleasant to eat. I enjoyed it till the last drop! We will definitely be back and sooo happy to have found a place that has something that I love and look forward to our next visit. Thanks guys.

Ronnie Nath

What a rubbish place. Service was absolutely non existent. Went there in the weekend and there was absolutely no parking anywhere. A game could have been on. Called to ask if there were seats as we were nearly there and there was no parking. On the phone the guy said. "Dude that's not our problem" . I don't care if it the best food in Auckland, I am not going there ever.

Rakin Chowdhury

I got the green mango salad and I thoroughly enjoyed it except just wish it had more prawn. Most of it was the delicious green mango which is what you order it for so can't really complain but more than 5 pieces of prawn would be ideal. The only downside was the atmosphere of the restaurant did not seem very Vietnamese to me. The music was just general Western pop music and the wall decor did not give the Vietnamese vibe. The staff were very friendly and approachable and catered to our needs so no complaints there. Food was also delivered quickly.

Good Food, Good Mood

Average Vietnamese food. Broth was good on a cold Auckland night. Spring rolls aren't with your traditional pastry which was a great surprise.

Steph

There was a reason for so many empty seats at this place. When you think Vietnamese you think fragrant, fresh flavours bursting with excitement. Saigon did not have that. The food was incredibly bland but by the worst dish by far was the tomato tofu dish which tasted like they had put a tin of tomatoes in with the tofu. Watery and disgusting. Will not be going back.

Simon Chadwick

Dont know the math with this site's ratings. All the reviews rate this restaurant over 4, like me. Yet its stuck below 4? Went with my son who visited Vietnam recently. He was glad to see some favs from his visit and rated the food as great, like I do. Platter among 4 was a great starter then we each chose dishes of beef, prawns, and spices. Wonderful, light fusion of asian tastes. Good service. Highly recommended.

Curtis

Just wanted a bite to eat for lunch. Liked the authenticity of the menu. The Banh Mi rolls are excellent along with the summer rice rolls. Service was very good. Highly recommended. Will certainly return for dinner soon. Bathrooms were of high clean standard also.

Duyen-Kim Nguyen

Short & simple: 5/5! 10/10! Great service, Great atmosphere, obviously great FOOD to top it off 🐽 For a Vietnamese like myself, I find going to eat at other Vietnamese restaurants a challenge as they never meet my expectations! But am I wrong! Recommended for a must visit if you are ever out Kingsland ways! #Duck steamed Bun #Bun Cha (Vermicelli Rice noodles with a tone of meat & done the Authentic North (Hanoi) Vietnamese traditional way) #Crispy Spring Rolls (I'm never having Vietnamese Springs anywhere else apart from here now onawards) #Platter to Share for 2 or 4 #Aloboni Cakes; my Mum's favourite! (Pls mind my spelling) & much more, but I enjoyed every dish that was served today :)

Ben M

After getting back from Vietnam I went here for dinner. The food was great and the service was excellent. Food came out quickly. The restaurant has a nice relaxed vibe. Will be going back to try more of the menu.

LEE Lauren

I went there for dinner with my Vietnamese friend last night. I was really impressed with the food and loved the vibe. I definitely would like to come back !

Review Saigon Cafe Restaurant - Auckland Central