By Zach Brown, Berks County Eats
Berks County may not have an abundance of Vietnamese restaurants, but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. We’ve enjoyed delicious meals at Lang Restaurant in Reading and Vietnamese Delight at the Fairgrounds Farmers Market.
And we can now add Saigon Banh Mi to that list.
Saigon Banh Mi opened in late fall of 2025 in the Shelbourne Square Shopping Center in Exeter Township. Giovanna’s Pizzeria is two doors down, while Best China Chef sits at the opposite end of the strip.
Julie and I made our first visit in early February 2026, arriving around 5 for an early dinner on a Saturday. We had our choice of tables from the surprisingly spacious dining room.
The strip mall space has been given plenty of decorative touches. On one side of the front door, small red decorations hang from a pink tree. On the opposite side, a human-sized cup of boba tea is the perfect selfie stand.
The long wall lined with booths features black and white images of Vietnam, while the back wall features the Saigon Banh Mi logo surrounded by three LED streaming lights on either side.
While we dined in, others came in and out for takeout and DoorDash deliveries at the counter in front of the partially open kitchen.
The menu features banh mi, Vietnamese hoagies, along with a variety of traditional Vietnamese dishes like broken rice, pho, and vermicelli.
On a frigid evening, Julie decided to warm herself from the inside with the filet mignon pho.
The bowl came filled with broth, rice noodles, and beef — also scallions, cilantro, and onion — with a side plate of bean sprouts, basil, and jalapeno. (Julie skipped the jalapeno.)
It was a hearty dish with plenty of noodles and beef. Julie alternated between chopsticks and a spoon as she worked through the dish, enjoying both the meat and the veggies. The broth itself had a nice flavor. Everything hit the spot.
I was in the mood for a rice dinner, so I ordered a broken rice platter with grilled honey chicken.
The chicken was simple, but good. It had the right amount of sweetness to it without being drenched in a sauce. The broken rice — with its tiny, broken pieces — helped to soak up the flavor.
The scallions were a cute touch, but didn’t add much in terms of flavor.
I wasn’t expecting much from the pickled carrots and daikon on the plate. But while the cucumber and tomato were basically just garnish, there was actually a nice sweet and sour play happening with the pickled veggies that I enjoyed.
Along with my meal, I couldn’t help myself from indulging in milk tea. I got the taro, which has the distinct purple color of the sweet root vegetable. I love my boba, and this did not disappoint.
Not only was the food good, but it was fast. We were done with our meals 30 minutes after we sat down. Because they weren’t in a rush to turn our table around, we hung out a little longer before paying our $41 bill and heading back out into the cold, warm, full, and satisfied after a very good meal at Saigon Banh Mi.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Service: Good
Price: $$
Saigon Banh Mi
5464 Perkiomen Ave.
Reading, PA 19606
This story was contributed courtesy of Berks County Eats, a local resource for food and dining information. Berks County Eats is dedicated to promoting the dining scene in Reading and Berks County, PA, offering restaurant reviews, news, and events, and a comprehensive Berks County restaurant directory. You can read more at berkscountyeats.com.
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