Saigon on Fifth

This place has always been a default go-to spot during the late night hours. Even though the menu is entirely Americanized, they had a legit handwritten Vietnamese menu for those who don’t want to order off their main menu. We ordered their “Mi” soup, which is practically Hu Tieu noodles at other Viet joints. At $13/bowl, it’s a bit steep. But I ordered it anyway. Wow....there was carrots, mushrooms, broccoli and chicken in it! Seriously, this is worse than any so-called American-fare Asian joint. I’d be happy having a soup at Hong Kong around the corner or even Panda Express with such mediocre quality. They used a very bland chicken broth soup and it was obvious they had just tossed all these crappy ingredients into the bowl with no thought effort put into whether one would find it palatable or not. We also opted for their “Fish of Hue” dish. There’s no such dish that exists in Hue but what the heck, we tried it anyway. They claimed it was sea bass. But the moment they brought over the plate, you can tell right away it was frozen cod/pollock fillets. And at $18.99, I would have been happy with a tiny cut of well cooked real sea bass. But a few pieces of frozen white fish fillets with a nasty freezer aroma and taste? Who are they trying to fool? We told our server that the bowl of soup was beyond unpalatable. He said, “I know....the chicken broth soup base is supposed to be light....” he didn’t seem too proud of this and you can tell from his demeanor that he knew this wasn’t something to order (why have it on the menu though?). Despite all of this, they still didn’t remove the item off our check. We literally took a couple bites and gave up... I really do not think this place will survive if they continue with these crappy dishes at these high prices. Come on, it’s premium prices for crappy food. I’d be happy with crappy so-called Chinese food down the block at Hong Kong and even that was the last resort spot I would go to. New management = drop in quality of food + price increase + unpalatable dishes = unhappy belly.

This is our go to place especially if we have late night cravings for pho. Today was one of those days that didnt turn out great. We came around past 11, no one was there to seat us. Waited for a little bit til someone came to accommodate us. Took forever to get our orders,but its ok i understand its late night, we do get tired. I was super thirsty, was about to drink but then noticed a crack on the glass. Ok how did someone miss it? I just let it go and had a drink from my brothers glass instead. Orders came, soup wasnt hot enough to cook the meat 🤦‍♀️. I didnt complain coz i was already too tired. I just ate it instead. We didnt get refills for our water until we were all done eating. Then finally the guy who gave us water noticed the crack 🤦‍♀️ (its really broken like you'd probably drink broken glassess). Didnt apologize, turned his back and talked to his coworker about it 🤦‍♀️ i guess? since we dont speak their language, but the way he reacted you can tell somethings wrong. Anyway food here's always great. Maybe its just tonight that we call it a bad day..

Found this location on yelp and stopped by for dinner. Typical American restaurant ambience: bit local decoration paired with the sterile touch of a diner. The food was good (mind the jalapeños, they gave a reealllllly good burn) and the price is arguably fair for the location and the staff friendly.

The bgm is nice, the environment is okay with AC not on (waiter's swearing). Food wise, the dessert of fried banana spring roll is delicious, worth trying, but the lamb chomp and the clay pot sea bass is a bit salty. Overall it is good place to experience southern Asian cuisine in Hillcrest.

Very classy yet comfortable atmosphere. The food and service has upscale touch to it. Very reasonable price for the food and service. Only negative factor would be the parking, however you can always find one or two meter parking spot few blocks down. Recommend Filet Mignon Pho and Spring Rolls.

Sitting in a booth by the kitchen gets you a show with your dinner. The staff had many arguments, yelling matches and a lot of finger pointing. We waited 20min for someone to come take our drink order. After an hour of waiting for our food and seeing other tables be served before us, we asked how much longer for our food. Which resulted in more screaming from the kitchen. When the food came out, mine was bland, there was NO mango flavor whatsoever. The owner came to our table giving us a 20% discount and a free dessert. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

My "go-to" spot for Pho. It's sooo yummy and open super late. It can sometimes be a challenge finding a parking spot. They used to outdoor seating. There is a full menu to choose from. The setting is very relaxing, chill vibes. The staff is friendly. Everyone just wants to make sure you're taken care of at this restaurant. My waiter was busy with someone else, so a different waiter even helped and tended to my friend and I. Loved not having to wait to be waited on. Best Pho in San Diego.

Great place to eat. Loved the food. Drinks all if it was fantastic.