Saigon Shack - New York

Saigon is such a classic, quick spot that hits the spotCASH ONLY! Recommend the sweet potato fries, the phos, the banh mi.

Generous portions at an affordable price! I usually get the classic beef pho.

This is the one place I go to consistently for good phoIt helps that it's also decently priced considering the area.

We had a blast. The food was great I think the picture doesn't do it justice. Try it and you will like it. We love oxtail pho at the place. However, do take cash with you because when we tried to order online, it didn't went through. I tried many times perhaps it was my phone. Other than that, if you have cash, you will have a blast. We love the broth it was so amazing especially during this weather. But once our orders were placed, the pho arrived in 5 minutes. It was pretty fast. My girlfriend love it alot and we will come back for more for sure. Thank you.

TL;DR: this feels like banh mi made by a talented white person who only did some cursory research on banh mi. (saying this as a white dude) It's like if someone described banh mi to a talented chef who has never heard of banh mi. The final product isn't necessarily bad or anything, but it feels off if you're craving banh mi. It was served on a baguette, sure, but it was the kind with the thick hard crust that doesn't tear easily, not the thin, ultra crumbly crust a banh mi's baguette should have. The mayo felt wrong, like Hellmann's, not Vietnamese mayo. Then they added an overwhelming amount of some kind of warm chopped bacon to their traditional cold cut banh mi. Not only did that bacon overshadow the milder other meats in the sandwich, but it being warm felt really off-putting while eating the cold cuts as well. Also, I couldn't taste the pate. Perhaps their bacon thing was their pate?