Saigon Bay

For those commuters stuck on campus, faculty that needs a hot meal or a visitor of Sacramento State University, there is an on-campus restaurant that offers a Vietnamese specialty soup called Pho.

Saigon Bay, located on the south side of campus west of the library, serves traditional Vietnamese dishes, namely their delicious Pho soup but also sandwiches and spring rolls.

Although a fourth year student, it was my first experience at Saigon Bay- and eating Pho as well. It is a beef broth based soup served with a unique type of rice noodles, a variety of greens such as basil, bean sprouts and mint leaves. It also typically includes a variation of slim cuts of boiled beef or chicken.

As a newcomer to the Pho experience, I naturally wanted a taste of every flavor and ordered the Saigon Special- which included a mixture of well-done flank and beef balls in the soup.

Although a deliciously hot meal for a cool fall or winter day, the service and price is where Saigon Bay loses the most points in comparison to other restaurants around.

Despite walking into what I felt was a cafeteria, the staff was surprisingly very welcoming to our group of four that entered in the restaurant. After watching the other members of the group order, all of whom had been there before, I stepped up to the register.

Purposely wearing a confused look and asking about the menu, I was hoping to hear the staff explain the different variations of Pho and items on their menu. I did not- rather, I was merely responded by curt answers and an expectant look that had ruined a positive first-impression which read ‘have you made up your mind yet?’

The serving size was quite large, but cost about $7.00. This is not typically too steep of a cost to pay for an meal but considering this was a soup, with not a whole lot of meat, and no sides or drinks – it could have easily been more economically friendly, especially on a college campus.

With that being said- I doubt that there is a better spot for soup on campus. Although typically a burger, fries and beer type of guy, the tastes and texture of the meats, noodles and various greens blended together made this Vietnamese dish a pleasantly surprising worthwhile experience.