This restaurant has been reported as permanently closed. Click here if it has reopened.
Monday:Closed
Tuesday:Closed
Wednesday:Closed
Thursday:Closed
Friday:Closed
Saturday:Closed
Sunday:Closed
Delivery
No
Payment
Accepts Credit Cards
Parking
Good for Kids
Attire
Casual
Alcohol
Reservations
Cuisines:
Vietnamese
Price Point
$
$ - Cheap Eats (Under $10)
$$ - Moderate ($11-$25)
$$$ - Expensive ($25-$50)
$$$$ - Very Pricey (Over $50)
WiFi
No
Outdoor Seats
*This restaurant has closed. If this restaurant is open or has reopened, just let us know.
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08/16/2011 - bennyb0352
I arrived at Saigon at 8:30PM on Tuesday night, looking for a decent Asian meal. I heard that this place served authentic, Vietnamese Pho. When I walked through the doors, there was no-one at the hostess stand and absolutely zero customers in the dining area. At first, I was a little confused and thought the place might have closed early, or was not open at all. After 3 minutes of waiting at the hostess stand, a short, Asian girl walked out from the kitchen and greeted me. She sat me at the closest table to the hostess station. She was nice and I wish she would have waited on me the entire experience. Too bad, I never saw her again. Keep in mind, I was the ONLY customer in the entire place. I waited for about 5 minutes before a waitress (white, blond, 5'6") eventually walked over to my table and asked me what I wanted. I told her, "Pho Tai," but she looked at me confused. She nodded and walked back to the hostess station where she looked at the menu and called a male server over to confirm my order. They stood there for about 10 minutes, both of them checking their I-Phones. It looked to me like they were texting. I found the whole experience weird and felt like I was the butt of a joke. The male server walked over to my table, stared and grinned at me for a few moments without saying anything and then walked away. 17 minutes after placed my order with the blond waitress, my food arrived with "Asian guy". The guy who delivered my food was a mid-20s, 5'7" male with glasses ( I'll tell you why I remember his profile in a moment). At this point, I was very hungry and looking forward to diving in to my Pho. The dish and portions were decent, not earth-shattering, but tasty. Asian guy who served me sat at the hostess stand where he remained for the rest of my meal. He got on his phone, texting and calling, and when he wasn't looking at his phone, he was staring at me and my table. The whole thing was weird. Moving on... I was only drinking water, but Pho is a little spicy, so I needed a refill about halfway in. Even though Asian guy was staring at me and my table from the hostess stand, just a few feet away, I got he impression the only thing he was waiting on was his I-Phone . No one came back to my table after my meal was delivered. At the end of my meal, I actually got out of my chair, walked over to the hostess stand where the water pitcher was at, and I refilled my own glass. The whole time Asian guy was on his phone and it seemed like he could not care less. That was it for me. After I finished my water, I walked back up to the hostess stand, paid credit for my soup, left a $0.00 tip, and walked out. The whole experience would have been forgettable had it not been for this:
Here is where I remember a description of Asian guy: After I paid for my meal, I walked out to my car and got about halfway in, when I saw the door of the restaurant fly open. It was Asian guy. As soon as he slammed the door open, he was screaming at me in broken English.."Never come back! ... You not welcome!". I put this in quotes for a reason. I made a effort to remember his face and build... just in case i ever saw him in my restaurant. Against my instincts, I did not say a word to him, then got in my car, and drove away.
Recap:
Food: 3 out of 5.
Service: -1 out of 5:
Overall: 1out of 5:
The Pho was tasty and well worth the $8.00 I paid for it. I would have come back to Saigon had it not been for the awful staff and service... oh, and the crazy Asian who practically chased me out of his restaurant to yell at me about the tip.
If you are going for Pho in Louisville, try Vietnam Kitchen, Pho Bihn Mihn, or Cafe Annie. The Pho is better at these 3 places anyway. Almost as important: the service at these 3 places is what you would expect from such a wonderful culture and something you won't mind putting up 25% on the tip line.
Thanks for reading
Pho Ben Man.
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