Saigon Kitchen

Saigon Kitchen is on South Blount Street in downtown Raleigh, cooking authentic Vietnamese home food. The founders grew up in Vietnamese households and built the restaurant around the dishes that came out of their parents’ kitchens. Food, for them, is family, memory and tradition as much as it is a business.

That means slow-simmered pho broth and caramelized clay pot dishes, recipes passed down and then refined over years. The family spent more than twenty years in the restaurant industry before opening here. Every recipe on the menu carries a story of its own.

What to know

• Tamarind, lime and spice go into the restaurant’s signature drink.
• The Ume Margarita balances salted apricot, tequila and citrus.
• A Pandan Old Fashioned is also on the cocktail list.
• Reservations can be made ahead of a visit.
• Gift cards can be bought for the restaurant.