Ratings and reviews

4.0 61 reviews

#20 of 55 Vietnamese in New York City

#2,202 of 6,997 Restaurants in New York City

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

CUISINES

Asian, Vietnamese, Soups

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

View all details

meals, features

Location and contact

203 1st Ave, New York City, NY 10003-2986

Downtown Manhattan (Downtown)

0.9 km from Union Square

Reviews (61)

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StephenCr0ss

5,965 reviews

Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Noodles were cold.

Sao Mai is average. Service is good and prices are reasonable. However the food was relatively pedestrian. Noodles were cold.

Date of visit: March 2023

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Imliooper

393 reviews

Reviewed April 4, 2022 via mobile

The flavour and taste was beyond compare!

It was busy on a Saturday evening. Most tables were taken which is an indicator of how popular the place was. So many people could not be wrong! Indeed, that was proved to us to be true, by the end of our meal! Staff were...welcoming. We are promptly shown a table and a high chair provided for our 1+ year old. Service was excellent and the dishes came out of the kitchen in rapid succession. The crispy pancake rolled in fresh lettuce was an absolute delight. There were printed notices on the door that they accept only cards or cash; specifically not Apple Pay. And there was a hand written sign above the cashier’s desk saying a 5% discount was available for cash payment. We enjoyed the evening most thoroughly. Of course we are biased, being fans of Vietnamese cuisine. Yet the flavour and taste of the dishes we had that day was beyond compare, and far superior to any we’ve had even in Vietnam itself!More

Date of visit: April 2022

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Yolanda C

2 reviews

Reviewed March 20, 2022 via mobile

Wow!

Our son and his girlfriend are forever talking about this restaurant and my husband and I are very picky. We went last night and were blown away. We did not realize traditional Vietnamese food could be so flavorful and diverse. Tammy then came over to...encourage us to put the fresh mint leaves in our lettuce wrapped rolls. Who knew how delicious that combination is? I never like summer rolls but I loved these. Pho heaven!! I ate various foods and was not disappointed. I can’t wait to take friends and our other son. Food, service and atmosphere are unforgettable. Loved Tammy.More

Date of visit: March 2022

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LPHDK

927 reviews

Reviewed November 24, 2019 via mobile

We always enjoy a meal here

We always enjoy a meal here when we visit NYC. This time we just stopped in for lunch and had the fresh summer rolls and the spring rolls. I had forgotten how much I enjoy those when wrapped in salad and dipped in the delicious...sauce. The waiters were a little too busy talking amongst themselves, otherwise it would have been 5* again.More

Date of visit: November 2019

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Adrideo

118 reviews

Reviewed September 4, 2019 via mobile

Very good take away

I really enjoyed the veggie pho I got from this place. The broth was tasty and the vegetables were great and generous.

Date of visit: September 2019

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Yjyj2

575 reviews

Reviewed January 8, 2019

Good value for money Viet food

We dropped by for Pho and summer rolls. Great priced menu, good food, good value for money overall. Would come back.

Date of visit: October 2018

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fernando1008

134 reviews

Reviewed November 14, 2018 via mobile

Good Vietnamese food in Manhattan

The food here is pretty good , and reminded me when I was eating street food in Saigon Vietnam. I did their take on my favorite Vietnamese dish Bun Bo Hue. It’s a beef broth with noodle that will you leave taste buds craving for...more. Good customer service , and good food with excellent music in the back round.More

Date of visit: November 2018

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pollyanywhere

237 reviews

Reviewed August 16, 2018 via mobile

Yum

Such a gem #vietnamesefood in #eastvillage #eastvillagenyc 🥢 The food is #delicious with #reasonableprice 💓 We had such a good meal and plenty #leftovers for later 💓

Date of visit: August 2018

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bluesky2468

1 review

Reviewed April 13, 2018 via mobile

Not reccommended

I came here because of the previous reviews, but nothing like that. Staff was extremely rude, food wasn't that good. Not recommend.

Date of visit: April 2018

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jlicht39

26 reviews

Reviewed February 7, 2018 via mobile

Excellent food and good service

This place is serving incredible authentic vietnamese food. The service is good and the restaurant is very nice and cozy. All in all a great place!

Date of visit: February 2018

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Clint H

790 reviews

Reviewed January 23, 2018 via mobile

Decent cheap Vietnamese food in East Village

I’ve been here a few times and service is good and fast. The food is good quality. The prices can’t be beat. It’s also not usually super crowded.

Date of visit: January 2018

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RoadGuy11

48 reviews

Reviewed December 21, 2017

Super all around choice!

Excellent menu with a variety of options (vegetarian and otherwise), really excellent food, nice friendly service, and a great value! I will be back and I wholeheartedly suggest Sao Mai for anyone looking for casual Vietnamese in NYC!

Date of visit: December 2017

Helpful?1

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LPHDK

927 reviews

Reviewed May 8, 2017

My favorite vietnamese place

We went here first time 2 years ago and had to come back (we live in Denmark). The food and the service was excellent again and we talked at lenght with Billy who said that they again this time gladly would cook us a Banh...Xeo like they did last time even though it is not on the menu. So we ate there twice in the 5 days we had in NYC, and we did not regret it. It is cheap, healthy, tasty and a great service - we will be back :-)More

Date of visit: May 2017

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kateSastro

122 reviews

Reviewed March 3, 2017

ok Pho, ok food, good service

Not the best pho I had. the brought was salty and I missed actual real chillies. Instead, they served green jalapenos of some sort. Had better pho. Good service. Quick.

Date of visit: March 2017

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Redfoot

325 reviews

Reviewed January 2, 2017

Good pho, but try the tamarind soup!

Most people go there for the pho, which is quite good, but the tamarind soup (a bit spicy) is even better. The summer rolls are not bad, either. Service is excellent.