Saigon Cuisine

Saigon Cuisine is one of my favorite restaurants. I go there at least once a month. The food is really tasty and inexpensive. Above all, there are just as many vegan dishes as there are non-vegan ones. But first things first. Have fun getting to know this great restaurant.

Location and facilities of Saigon Cuisine

The restaurant is located on the corner of Kantstrasse and Krumme Strasse, in what is known as the Little Asia of Berlin. Saigon Cuisine is in a corner building which makes the interior L-shaped. The entrance is exactly on the corner of the house and practically separates the guest room into two areas. Although it is actually quite large, it still feels cozy. The bar is on the right-hand side and behind it is the kitchen, which is open and can be seen from the dining room.

A very interesting design element is the ceiling paneling. It consists of countless arched panels, which give the ceiling an organic look (see photo).

The outdoor area is also laid out in an L-shape along the house fronts and offers numerous spaces in the warm season. The area along Kanststraße is in the shade at noon, which is very pleasant on hot summer days. Nevertheless the part in Krumme Strasse is also shaded by a large awning. But if you would like to sit in the sun, you will also find suitable places.

The furniture and the walls in the interior are rather dark. Outdoor stools and tables are made of light wood.

The food at Saigon Cuisine

As the name suggests, Saigon Cuisine is a Vietnamese restaurant. Unfortunately, I have never been to Vietnam before, so I cannot judge how authentic the cuisine is. All I can say is that the food is delicious. And I have the comparison to other Vietnamese restaurants, not just on Kantstrasse.

The dishes can be roughly divided into main courses and small dishes and in these two categories again into dishes with meat or seafood and into vegetarian dishes. The latter are called vegetarian on the menu, but in my opinion almost all these dishes are vegan. If you are in doubt, just ask the staff or take a look at the allergen list.

Main courses

The main courses in both cases are really decent portions that are pretty sure to fill you up. You will find a good selection of dishes with different sauces and either rice or udon noodles as well as large soups. The prices here are between 8 and 12 euros. By the way, at lunchtime (from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.) you get all main courses € 2 cheaper.

Small dishes

The small dishes are like tapas and suit everyone who wants to try as many dishes as possible at once. They usually come on the table in small bowls and are wonderful to share with others. I recommend ordering 2-3 small dishes per person. In terms of price, we are just below or slightly above 4 euros.

Here you will find, for example, differently filled summer and spring rolls, wonton dumplings, papaya salad and much, much more. The small dishes take up a total of seven pages in the menu. So there is a lot to try.

Dessert

The desserts are not the focus and I have to admit, I only tried one of the four desserts so far. It was very, very tasty and I can only recommend it. That was the Vietnamese version of mango with sticky rice. The black sticky rice used for this is also available with vanilla ice cream. The sweet rice balls filled with bean paste and ginger coconut syrup sound interesting. Last but not least, there is vanilla ice cream with mango sauce.

Saigon Cuisine Take Away and Delivery

Not least because of the pandemic, the delivery and takeaway business has increased significantly. At Saigon Cuisine, you can take away meals or have them delivered.

With take away you have the option to use reusable dishes from Vytal. It’s free for you, all you have to do is download the app. Just let the restaurant staff know when you place your order. You can see an example of this in the photo – there is of course a lid coming with it.

If you want to have food delivered, you can either use Lieferando. Or if you are in the vicinity of the restaurant (up to 1.5 km) and order for at least 30 euros directly from the restaurant. For the latter option the best thing to do is call and ask.

The beverages at Saigon Cuisine

In addition to the well-known common non-alcoholic drinks such as cola and mineral water, there are juices from pineapple to passion fruit and homemade lemonades. In summer I can highly recommend the iced teas and shakes. The latter are mostly made with coconut milk and range from mango (see photo) – similar to a lassi – to pineapple with mint. At lunchtime (12pm – 4pm) you can get them 1 euro cheaper. In the cold season you are welcome to order one of the teas. For example the one made from fresh ginger, orange and honey.

For the alcoholic drinks there is Tiger and Saigon beer as well as Warsteiner on tap. You also get wine at Saigon Cuisine, but I would not necessarily recommend it. A selection of popular drinks such as Aperol Spritz, Hugo or Mojito are also on the menu.

I almost forgot. There is also coffee in Saigon Cuisine and I have to say, I really liked it. There is of course Vietnamese coffee. This is served in a glass and with a filter attachment (see photo). The coffee is allowed to slowly drip into the glass and mix with the milk. The vegan variant is with coconut milk, which gives the coffee a nice exotic aroma.

Just try it out yourself!

Conclusion

As I said, Saigon Cuisine is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is always delicious and freshly prepared. The service is a bit sloppy at times, but makes up for it with friendliness. And the kitchen is all the faster for that.

At lunchtime it is with a 2 euro discount on main courses and 1 euro on shakes cheaply and quickly. Still very inexpensive in the evening and wonderfully suitable for both individuals and groups.