Saigon Secret

Delayed review from October 2023. We had a celebration lunch at the venue for a group of 25. Food was great- really accommodating to some specific requests e.g. Cake etc. If you are looking for group dining this offers great value for money.
Excellent espresso martinis

Has unusually high quality Vietnamese food. Can change many dishes to vegan. Large veges in the stir frys, perfectly cooked, with really nice sauces. High recommended food. Angry Beef done as vegan with tofu and veges, spicy, is a great choice. Restaurant's vibe is also good. Nice inside, and lots of outdoor seating, and a awning heater for winter. Very nice, friendly staff.

Great food, great vibe. Spicy chicken, very good, wok vermicelli very good, complementary Vietnamese soup very very good! The Bill was good.

Absolute best Chicken Pho in Melbourne. Excellent and fast service, amazing food and beautiful location.

Not a secret any more. Such a lovely restaurant. Down to earth food, calm atmosphere and lovely staff. Lovely

This cozy restaurant has left the best impression. I will recommend to my friend. I would like to come back here again and again. Thank you for the dinner.

Beautifully prepared and presented food. Its popularity necessitates booking for a table. Highly recommended.

Yum Yum Yum! Delicious Vietnamese food. Crowded when we went which reminds me of the bustling vibes of Saigon. Highly recommended.

I just done my dinner tonight. Excellent service.
Insane fish is the best, can't wait to try another dishes.

Outstanding Vietnamese street food. Great food and best service for friday dinner. Will be back soon.

Very underwhelming taste, even though it clearly contained MSG. I react to MSG and within 10 mins of eating it my lips are swallen like I've been bitten by a bee: - (!
The food itself was fresh ingredients wisebut every dish was super salty.very bland & completely lacking any traditional Vietnamese herbs/flavour.
Pretty disappointed given it was +$85 for 1 pho, 1 fried rice, 1 stir-fry & a serve (if you can call 2 tiny rolls a serve) of rice paper rolls.
Never again from me sorry!

Best food! So accommodating. Great service for such a large group of people.
I’ll definitely be returning!
Shoutout to Vincent!

Provided me with food 5 minutes before closing with exceptional service. Wonton 10/10, recommend to everyone visiting.

Absolutely loved the vibe and service at this place! The waiters were super nice and thoughtful and really care about their customers. The wine was absolutely gorgeous too!

Had a Crispy Pork Bahn Mi there today, although on the slightly salty side, I could actually taste the spices in the pork which is great, as it’s often not the case with other places that serve crispy pork, and the baguette was fresh and crusty. Will definitely go back for more. And it’s probably the cheapest lunch one can get on Rathdowne St.

Saigon Secret bills itself as the best Vietnamese in North Carlton - and that could well be true. I believe it is the only Vietnamese in North Carlton.
The Facebook advertising was very clever, and we booked to go there on that basis.
The food was very good, if somewhat bland.
We had Peking duck wraps, which were tasty and the house speciality of dumplings, which were meant to be complimentary for booking, but we were charged for them, and pork spring rolls which were fine.
For mains the twice-cooked pork belly was good, as were the garden prawns and the fried rice. All three were just somewhat bland with a lot of just right vegetables and a nice but bland sauce.
The bottle of mineral water wasn't cheap at $8.12 (discounted from $9.00) and the Saigon Beers were a discounted $10.83 each, which was also just a little steep.
The shared dessert of banana fritter was simply one whole deep-fried banana, which was tasty in a sweet (honey?) sauce, with coconut ice-cream, but unimaginative.
I don't know why the restaurant provides prices and then "discounts" them, then adding a weekend surcharge.
The venue - the old Paragon Cafe in Rathdowne Street - is lovely and we might go back, because it is a very nice restaurant with a positive ambience, but you can buy tastier Vietnamese in Richmond and Footscray for about two-thirds the price.

Great food selection at a reasonable price. We were a family group and had the $33 banquet which was enough food for all. OK wine selection but they do allow BYO. Recommend this place for meeting up with family and friends.

Interesting flavours a cut above usual Vietnamese food with attentive friendly and efficient staff at reasonable prices.

At last! For so long this corner was home to over-priced and out-dated Italian restaurants feeding shady-looking boofheads. Now finally a decent Asian place, which is what the block was crying out for. I love you Saigon Secret!

Great atmosphere, very relaxed. Food was super tasty, drinks were excellent as well!

Service was outstanding, friendly and understanding. Would recommend going!