Sai's Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar

If you're looking for real, authentic Vietnamese food, this is the place to go! From the moment I walked in, I felt so welcomed--the staff here are unbelievably kind, attentive, and genuinely care about your experience.The food? Absolutely comforting and full of flavor. Every dish tasted like it was made with love, just like a home-cooked meal. The balance of fresh herbs, rich broths, and perfectly seasoned ingredients was spot on. You can really tell they take pride in serving authentic Vietnamese flavors.On top of the amazing food, the service was exceptional. The staff went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect, and their warmth made the whole experience even better.This is definitely one of the best Vietnamese restaurants around, and I'll be coming back again and again. Highly recommend!

Cute spot for delicious Vietnamese food and good vibes! Came here with a girlfriend and we ordered an appetizer and two entrees between the both of us. The restaurant was very spacious with lots of seating, although some of our plates/utensils had some food debris from previous customers. I ordered the banh xeo with came as a generous portion. The crepe itself was crispy but soft on the inside and the filling had a good amount of shrimp. We also tried the pork spring rolls which was majority lettuce. Wouldn't recommend ordering these since you don't get much protein. Waiters were friendly but could have been more proactive about filling waters, bringing our check, etc. food came out relatively quickly, maybe ~20 min

I had lunch at Sai's on a busy weekday, and the restaurant was bustling. Service was very friendly, albeit on the slower side. We were immediately served hot tea. I ordered the beef pho, which was just okay. The brisket was quite chewy, with some stringy pieces, and the broth lacked depth of flavor. Sai's is fine as a quick lunch spot in a convenient location.

There's something quintessentially San Francisco that Sai's Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar represents. Could it be their old school Vietnamese cuisine that at one point was served for lunch hours only as their primary crowd was for the working people in San Francisco's Financial District? Or could it be because after four plus decades in their borderline shack of a building on the corner of Washington and Sansome Streets at the foot of the TransAmerica pyramid, they somehow managed to beat the odds and move to another venerable location to the corner of Columbus Avenue and Jackson Street where so many legendary restaurants in San Francisco lore once stood. It is common belief that it is a combination of both points plus a lot of good luck as things fell into place as Sai's Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar for them to find a new home and a new lease on life. Everything old is new again at Sai's Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar, as with a fully remodeled interior complete with a tiled backsplash that highlights their new bar and the fact that they now serve dinner and on Saturdays when in the past they previously had limited hours on weekdays. This has been a whole new rebirth and it's all thanks to the temerity of owner Charles Vong who now owns Sai's new home thanks to the previous corporate owner of their old property who agreed to help them find a new home after they were forced out of their old one, and even assisted financially with their new space. What brought a group of diners and I here on a weeknight was the fact that we were looking to enjoy a nice evening of libations and food and it never crossed our minds to even venture into Sai's Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar because for decades it was primarily known as a lunch place. So when many of their neighbors in the area were lively with customers, we happened upon Sai's Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar and only found one table having customers and took a quick glance at their bar menu and found the drinks appealing and the prices reasonable. Being placed at a table for four people facing the activities of Columbus Avenue while perusing the menu, we saw that they not only had cocktails both unique to Sai's and Classic Cocktails and Sours on their bar menu, they also had beer and cider in addition to wines. Since we were already here many at our table also opted to dine on their dinner menu, with categories that includes Appetizers, Salads, their signature Pho or Vietnamese Noodle Soup, Vermicelli Bowls, Banh Mis or Vietnamese Sandwiches, Combination Rice Plates, Grilled Rice Plates, Stew, Clay Pot, Crispy Noodles, Wok Stir Fry, Fried Rice and Chow Mein. Not being super hungry, but wanting to try one item off of their food menu I ordered their Imperial Rolls, which were deep fried pork rice rolls made with taro, mushrooms and carrots and served with nước mắm sauce. Others in my party ordered their Phở Bò, which is their USDA Choice Beef Noodle Soup which has sliced Top Angus prime grade sliced rare brisket as well as local beef balls and sliced onions; and their Garlic Noodles of which they added beef short ribs and was served with a sunny side up egg and sliced lettuce and tomatoes. Of course, we came for the cocktails and so I ordered their cocktail named Saigon on Fire which contained their house whiskey, lime juice, peach puree, rose water, sriracha and basil. It didn't take too long for our food to be brought out as everyone's dishes were both authentically Vietnamese with a modern flair and heartily plated. My Imperial Rolls were a hair over deep-fried as the texture became a bit on the tougher side, but they were tasty nonetheless. My dining mates really loved their garlic noodles and pho dishes and my other dining mate loved the cocktail they ordered, as I did mine with my Saigon on Fire the fiery flavor of sriracha was felt with every sip. With a bill that came to roughly twenty-five dollars a person with gratuity included, it was an easy night of libations and classic Vietnamese comfort food. What better way to celebrate a San Francisco institution than take part in their newest side to their business. Here's to hoping that Sai's Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar continues to thrive in their new home for another four decades, as this city could use more family owned and operated businesses that want to stay and adhere to tradition.

WOW! Talk about a punch of flavor! I absolutely LOVED what I ordered which was the "C3" combo which had sliced beef, cut up pieces of 5-spice chicken, Imperial rolls? and fried prawns w/ rice and salad. I read someone's review earlier saying that their prices are a little on the high side and not as affordablely priced like the Vietnamese places in San Jose. While this is true...you have to remember that you're in SF. :-/ But aside from the above-average prices, I wouldn't mind trying this place again whenever I'm around the area. The salad was fair but everything else was pretty much *chef's kiss*, ESPECIALLY when you dip the protein in the fish sauce. Suuuuper good! :-) And shoutout to the very friendly staff who served my food quickly since I had somewhere to be within 45 minutes.

Not a huge standout, but not bad either. The Imperial Rolls were nice and crispy, made with the correct filling wrapped in rice paper. They were a bit on the smaller side, but a pleasant snack to start with. The Bun Rieu (crab and pork noodle soup) was an interesting take on the traditional Vietnamese dish - not exact in the way it was made, but the broth was good and the portion was generous. I was looking for something broth-y and warm on a windy day, and this did the trick. It wasn't too crowded when I came in, so it was a pretty comfortable and smooth experience.

Came here around 11:40am on a Tuesday. It is a bright, sunny space -- beautiful white tiled back wall and big lovely windows. I love pho! I got the beef pho and my friend got the curry beef stew. Both had good flavor! The beef cuts in the pho had some tendon on it. Overall, tasty. 3* as the beef (which they called brisket? Had the connective pieces / not what I'm used to for brisket in pho). The place filled up by 12:30. The seat next to the window got a bit hot as it was a sunny day. I'd come back for a casual lunch. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat or pick up take out here.

Clown Alley...This location will always remind me of that SF institution for anyone who grew up in the '70's and '80's or prior. A late night destination when the neighborhood was full of life after dark. Fast forward to the 2000's, when this odd shaped space pivoted to become Bask, a popular low-key locals spot for Fidi workers for lunch then chill diners in the evening.2020 marked the change when the lights went out and remained so until now. Sai's was a staple in itself, thriving in the shadows of the Transamerica Pyramid until a new owner took over that landmark and most of the surrounding buildings. The city brokered their recent move here.I decided to come here for an early midweek lunch, entering from the corner entrance. With only two other diners here, I was offered my choice of tables and sat at a window side one facing the bar in the main dining room. The one page menu has a variety of food and beverages. I started with a plate of imperial rolls (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=b8SpR6MeFmJxWNoKFZGp_Q); these came with large slices of pickled carrots and one pad of daikon with the requisite fish sauce for dipping. If you are filling forward, you may not enjoy these as they are like taquitos. I appreciate they use rice paper skin vs egg roll wrappers. My main meal was the Pho Bo X (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=TlwN-jjKyjtuRonVrx-zjQ); it's described as having sliced beef and local meat balls; X adds top Angus prime beef grade rare beef brisket for $1.40 more. I enjoyed my bowl though I wished the brisket was more rare. The broth was clean tasting with a slight bite in the aftertaste. When I got to the bottom of my bowl, I found ginger pieces. I thought it was white pepper but this is the probable reason. It came with a generous portion of Thai basil, bean sprouts, and a lime wedge. The noodles and meats were standard as enhanced by the sriracha and hoisin sauce mix that I made (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=6xx44gSoMVRmbe4cl2dTaA). My food came promptly so I was in and out of here within 45 minutes. By the time I left, the restaurant was a little more than half full with diners who likely work in the area.I enjoyed my meal and have another potential spot for lunch when in the area. It is just a step below my rotation spot in Chinatown but pretty solid. The atmosphere is definitely nicer than their original location which always gave me pause in dining there. Thanks to Bo for providing me my lunch and being friendly and helpful. You've been working here for how long?!

I came to Sais because i saw great reviews on yelp. I went on a weekday for lunch time and the place was packed! The ambiance is a fast paced, whole in the wall lunch spot with nicer decor! I was seated quickly and ordered right away since i was on a little bit of a time constraint.The imperial rolls came out fast and were delicious! I ate all of them really fast and finished the carrots and daikon too! Almost burned my tongue because they were too good not to eat right away. The pho took really long to come out and i almost wondered if maybe they forgot to put my order in. When the pho finally came out it was hot and tasty! But i did notice it was a little more oily than other pho broths i have had. It didnt effect the taste - but at the end of the bowl the soup consistency was a little weird. I saw a ton of other customers order a variety of menu items. I will definitely be back here to try more dishes/the pho again!

What happened? Tuesday evening to go order. $17 for vermicelli, 1/2 chicken thigh and 3 egg rolls. Small portions.