Saigon Restaurant re-opens after latest mysterious closing

Saigon Restaurant: Popular, but flaky.

Fans of the popular Vietnamese eatery noticed it had quietly closed on September 2. A Facebook user took to the restaurant's page and asked, "How come you guys are closed today?" That comment was followed by others in the coming days pointing out Saigon had closed with "no sign or anything." One would-be customer lamented "driving over and seeing that you're closed."

Saigon Restaurant's owners addressed the situation on September 11, noting that "there will be a new owner taking over soon" while promising to keep the same food and staff. The restaurant has made no announcement since, but City Pages can report that Saigon is open again, at least as of this weekend.

This latest closing follows several instances over the past year where Saigon Restaurant didn't open for extended periods of time. In February, it closed to remodel the kitchen for 10 days, frustrating hungry pho lovers. Then it closed again, in May, without announcement, until restaurant owners mentioned they'd had a problem with their gas.

Saigon has made at least some fans angry.

City Pages went down to St Paul Sunday in hopes of learning more about the restaurant's situation. We were surprised to find that it was open despite the lack of an announcement. Staff told us general manager Lysa Bui would be in, then said she wouldn't. We left our card and asked her to get back to us to talk about the restaurant's situation. We'll let you know if she returns a call.

In the meantime, enjoy it while it's open. The restaurant is famous for its "Pho-King Challenge," where eaters attempt to eat a 10-pound bowl of pho noodles within 45 minutes. We named it Best Vietnamese Restaurant in 2010.