District Saigon
Jeremy's rating: ★★★★★
I would live here. And between fun guy mushroom tinctured scotch drinks and bowls of pho that you can drown in, I could also die here. Be sure to order a drink from the bar — they are legitimately some of the best cocktails I've had in New York City.
Jen's rating: ★★★★★
Top 5 Restaurants in Astoria of all time. #1 Vietnamese restaurant in the USA (according to me). I couldn't love District Saigon more; among the friendly service, the incredible woodwork, the savory dishes, and some of the best cocktails I've had to date...I'm just visually, emotionally, and gastronomically overwhelmed in the best way possible.
I don't even know where to start with this review because it seems like a million incredible things are jumping out at me and all I can do shout.
During our first two years in Astoria, I constantly stared out of our window longing for a delicious Vietnamese restaurant to open up in the area. The craving I had was pho-nomenal and it seems like Chef Lam, his son Michael, and their family friend Louis felt my hunger vibes and answered my stomach's prayers. And so District Saigon, named after Lam's hometown, was born in 2016.
The first two times Jeremy and I ventured out to District Saigon, we had the pleasure of trying their dinner menu which consists of drowning yourself in bowls of pho that will leave you asking, "Is this shit pho real?" and consuming some of the best chicken satay you can find. One of the biggest +1's is the number of pho options (round steak, angus brisket, chicken, vegetable, oxtail, bone marrow, and on and on). But wait, hold up. Pho for dinner? That's pho basics; been there done that.
THEN YOU'RE IN LUCK BECAUSE DISTRICT SAIGON SLAYS BRUNCH.
Imagine, it's the weekend and the sun has been up for hours while your tired, lazy butt is still lounging in bed. You're excited for brunch but you're tired of the same old omelettes, pancakes, eggs benedicts....Zzz. And then a little voice (that sounds strangely like mine) whispers ..."Vietnameeeeeese."
That's exactly what happened on my end. District Saigon offers a $13.50 double trouble special (1/2 a bowl of pho and 1/2 a bahn mi sandwich, which is still more than enough food), and their Vietnamese spiced fries satisfied a craving I never knew I had. My only disappointment was not having enough stomach space to also shove down their Bao Chicka Bow Wow pork belly buns and their fried rice omelette. (Full menu here.)
Luckily, we were able to drown our sorrows in literally some of the best cocktails we've had to date. Hats off to mixologists Ivy Phan and Erich Hehn, because never have I throughly enjoyed a scotch cocktail...until now. Introducing Jeremy's favorite cocktail of all time, and he's not kidding around, the Mawashi, curiously described as a shroomy surprise. It consists of shiitake mushroom-infused blended scotch, sake, aperol, blackcurrant, smoked syrup, cardamom bitters, and just good feels all around. I treated myself to their Bangkok Backpacker, which is essentially a spiked Thai iced tea with absinthe, egg white, and bitters, amoung other things.
Have I written enough to convince you? JUST GO ALREADY.
