ca phe saigon

standout dishes for me include: their phở (which is generously provided with fresh beansprouts, basil, and delectable meat balls) beside the standard slicedbeef& rice noodles, gỏi cuốn/fresh spring rolls (that are packed with flavor but not too overwhelming), & bún chả giò/vietnamese dry noodles with fried rolls (which is tasty but not too sour, even when you add the special vinegar). i highly recommend capping your meal off with a refreshing cà phê đá/iced vietnamese coffee.

we discovered ca phe saigon a few years back and i am glad to know that they've expanded their dining area to accommodate more guests. as expected, the dishes did not disappoint and the friendly ambience is relaxing. never miss the fresh spring rolls and thebeefnoodle soup. the banh mi left us a bit wanting on the meat but overall, a great place to satisfy your vietnamese craving!

i love their food. the taste of fresh herbs excites my taste buds. their pho is great! it tastes authentic although thebeefis a bit tough for my liking.
the spring rolls are my favorite especially with the peanut sauce. heaven! the only thing i hate is that they're really big! the vermicelli were stuffed more than how they should've been. i hope they were cut into bite size pieces.
the pomelo salad is good. the vinaigrette was just a little sweet for me. i'd also love it more if it has lettuce for additional crunch.
wasn't able to taste the banh mi because my campanion ate very little, i was the one who gobbled up 80% of the three dishes. will definitely eat on our next visit.
my nanay loves vietnamese food so i'll go with her if we have time 😊

i am a canadian who was formerly filipino, i am in manila contemplating retirement here. one of my considerations is finding a source for my cravings should i decide to stay permanently.
i was broiling in the summer heat in marikina when i developed a craving for pho and luckily ca phe saigon is less than 5 minutes away. so off i go.
at first i was disappointed when the menu only have 4 or 5 pho variants. i am used to seeing menus with at least a page sometimes more, just for pho. but as any previously pregnant lady knows, once a craving hits, it has to be satiated.
i settled for the special variety of thebeefpho and i was floored. the broth was exquisite with layers of flavor on it. surprised is a mild descriptor, i mean this broth can compete with the best pho restaurants in the gta. if i had any complaints it was with the fillings. the noodles were correctly prepared though a bit on the overdone side. the filling is closer tobeeftendon and is sliced too thickly. sirloin cut almost paper thin would be a better choice. the meat should have been raw when placed in the bowl and poached by the broth. so in a way the thickness of the slice matters as a paper thin slice ofbeefis poached to a perfect medium well by the piping hot pho broth. the beansprouts were small and slightly discolored but still tasted very good.
i didn´t try anything else but my nephews enjoyed the fried rolls and the tamarind wings.
all in all my critique is more presentation and execution rather than substantive. the heart of a good bowl of pho is the broth. once you get that right, everything else is window dressing. and this place got the broth right.

i always leave delighted and satisfied whenever i visit ca phe saigon.
i always order pho bo (available in regular or special bowls, special is in a bigger bowl with morebeefand may include tripe) and banh mi pork with extra liver pate. these bring me to gastronomic heaven.
the broth is clear, light and very flavorful. the hints of star anise cinnamon onion bring a hearty sweetness to your dining experience. the noodles are wonderfully cooked and the slicedbeefjust offer the right amount of umami that compliments the whole bowl. not to mention the fresh greens and sprouts that they grow themselves. you can't get any fresher.
banh mi completes my hearty experience. bread is perfectly crusted and chewy. this combines with the pickled vegetables, pulled pork, and pate. i add more pickled chili and sriracha for added heat. truly wonderful!
there are other vietnamese dishes available. so far i haven't been disappointed.
and have i mentioned that a regular bowl with banh mi and pate is only 280 pesos?
saan ka pa?

comfort food for my migraine and dry cough. i'm not too familiar with vietnamese food but me and my husband enjoyed the pho. thebeefis tasty and soup is not too salty, the spices are not too strong, you can just add more condiments which are on the side of the table. i am satisfied with the amount of thai basil and bean sprouts, hindi bitin. we also liked the spring roll and pomelo salad. perfect food for two. the waitress is accommodating and serves us well. will definitely go back or try their antipolo branch.

its picturesque becs i have an rni app but truth be told, the pho was just more soup and lessbeefas well as noodles. the taste was okay but the neighboring hole in the wall, big moe’s also in san roque beat this with a more aromatic and brothy taste.

the price advertised here is a stark difference from the one currently presented. the pho’s big bowl starts at ₱380 (the competitor just ₱240).

they tend to be quite cunningly deceiving especially when we ordered the shrimp fresh roll. we asked first hand what was the price and the staff directly pointed with his hands at the ₱150 pesos price marked. when we got the receipt, the rolls which was barely 6 pieces (note that the shrimp was cut in half- not the usual generous pieces given) was hiked up to ₱270. if i had not firmly told them that i will go straight to marikina city hall on the consumer desk regarding this, they will not be able to reduce this to the original price.

this is a house turned restaurant. so, dine if you dare. we’re first timers and we are definitely not coming back.

i think it's safe to say that this is my favorite vietnamese restaurant in the metro. simple, delicious, and will not blow a hole in my wallet. i consider it one of my and my boyfriend's happy places.

whenever we eat here, we only order three dishes: a vietnamesebeefnoodle soup for each of us and then vietnamese fried rolls and fresh rolls to share. he's more partial to the fresh rolls while i'm more partial to the fried rolls. those are all that we need, really. they're all delicious. i love how i can actually finish the broth of the pho without the umay feeling at the end.

pomelo salad is the best! i also love their tamarind chicken wings - reminds me of the yummiest fried chicken i had as a kid, phò (bothbeefand meat balls are really good), fried rolls, and of course their iced coffee that all coffee lovers would surely get obsessed with - cà phê süa dá!!! we go back to their marikina branch almost every week. i met the owner once and she is sooo sweet and nice, like your own grandma serving your food. she even gave us halloween treats! her presence makes the atmosphere more homey. the place is not that big but is extremely clean. not exaggerating, but ca phe saigon is so far the best viet restaurant in the metro.

the resto was owned by a vietnamese madam who's hands-on with her dishes. the spot was actually a house converted into a resto. very homey. it was sunday night and place was packed. they have limited servers so ordering was kinda hard. but once ordered dishes were served within 15mins.
we got the fresh spring roll, dry noddles with prawn, pomelo salad,beefpho (no pic), and drip coffee. using our zomato gold.
i really enjoyed their springroll and pomelo salad. the sauce is just perfect. as for the pho, it was okay. the dry noodle was disappointing, no salad slaw included, noodles was too much.
overall, this is still a good vietnamese restaurant that you will probably love to go back to.

new to the marikina food scene and we tried our first resto at ca phe saigon.

nestled in a residential area, it was a house turned restaurant. it wasn't a busy early evening so we were able to park easily. they only have street parking.

we ordered the spring rolls, thebeefpho and i had the seafood pho.

price wise i think it was ok but i think they could have added more noodles. flavor wise i liked my seafood pho. it had a really refreshing taste with a generous serving of cilantro. i also tried their viet coffee which i liked. not too strong or too sweet.

i guess you could say ca phe saigon satisfied our viet craving but the place could use some work as well as some cleaning or we could just visit their podium branch :)

this little vietnamese shop is inside of what seems to be a residential area so at first glance you might feel that it has gone out of business- the entrance is on the sides.

ambiance is just ok, it is a garage converted resto so you get the feeling. around 7 to 10 table sitting. i guess what's missing is the lack of vn songs that runs in the background. but hey, authentic pho shops have motorbike mufflers as their background music. so it's not really necessary.

we ordered:
pho bo-beefnoodle soup that's for me the soup base was quite strong. it does not resemble the clean taste of an authentic vn pho. don't get me wrong, it's still good, it's not salty. it's just not what i'm expecting.

fresh spring roll- a little twist that instead of local vn herbs, they put cabbage (not sure) but still got the feeling since they nailed the peanut butter dip.

ca phe sua da- vn iced coffee, for me is lacking of that famous kick. not as strong as the original. nevertheless the ratio of condense milk was just right, not lacking not sweet.

nuoc mia- sugarcane juice. didn't got the chance to try it but my wife and kid did. they say it is pure extract and no sugar was added, so i attest.

value and food quality was achieved. we will visit again.

fresh herbs! while walking towards its unassuming entrance, you can already smell the good food that is yet to come. another one of marikinas hidden gem, this place serves authentic vietnamese flavor. bun ćha obama, fresh spring rolls andbeefphô noodles were what we ordered, flavors were on point and the servings are big enough to feed and extra you.

🐽 food: ordered the fresh shrimp rolls and phobeef— special. both meals were appetizing! the broth of the pho was light yet flavorful.

🍴ambiance: the place is part of a house that’s been converted into a mini restaurant. tables are too small, but i think they were trying to make their customers feel like they’re actually in vietnam. not the fanciest looking one, but you’ll feel comfortable.

👫 service: quick and severs were friendly.

💸 price: most affordable vietnamese food i have encountered in manila!

ca phe saigon is truly a hidden gem in marikina city (good news, they have opened a branch in podium! but it's better to be in marikina to experience the accommodating service of the crew and owners). rare are the times that i fall in love with food and services the first time i visit the place. authentic. 💯

how to get there: from marcos highway, across sta. lucia mall or tropical, just walk -- yes you can walk -- or drive along mayor gil fernando avenue (where you can also find tapsi ni vivian) then turn right to chestnut street, and left to red cedar street.

food
⭐ viatnamese coffee 5/5
it's not too sweet and not too bitter, and it is presented in a way that the customer can experience its wonder. i had to wait for the coffee to drip and drain on a thick sort of cream or sweetener at the bottom of the mug. once it's drained, you may pour it on the glass with ice and voila, serve yourself with a delicious iced coffee. what i want to try next: their tea.

⭐pomelo salad 5/5
unexpectedly scrumptious. as someone new to vietnamese cuisine, i cannot believe how pomelo can blend perfectly with vegetables, onion, shrimp, meat, and garlic (with optional nuts) and a special kind of vinegar. i would come back for this.

⭐sauteed tenderloinbeef5/5
well done beef, then squeeze in the lemon, then a pinch of salt and pepper... woahhhh!

⭐vietnamesebeefnoodle soup 5/5
it has a generous amount of vegetables, and it is rich in flavor! i couldn't ask for more.

service 5/5
they have friendly and accommodating staff and crew, and they have cute uniform. they are wearing salakot and this green and black vest/apron. they will serve you with a smile.

ambience 4/5
although it is small, i appreciate how they kept their place simple and neat, and it adds to the authenticity of the dining. i know this is their first and original restaurant, it is a house turned dining place so no one should expect anything more, it is enough. you really have to find this one because it is within the barangay but it is worth finding, a rare gem. 💎