A Sign-less Gem

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Most restaurants have a sign. The only place I've really seen the "signless" phenomenon flourish is NYC (Freeman's comes to mind, not only without a sign but also at the end of an alley).

Imagine my surprise when we found a sans sign sensation on the island of Maui. A Saigon Cafe (yes...A Saigon Cafe) is a wonderful little spot nestled in the back streets of Wailuku. If you're coming at night just look for the neon shooting stars mounted on the top of building.

Sitting in the shadow of Kaahumanu Avenue, A Saigon Cafe is not much to look at on the outside (or the inside for that matter), but was full of locals when we walked in.

The inside consists of two aisles of booths running the length of the building. Servers tell corny jokes in broken English as they take your order.

As an appetizer we went with the Fresh Summer Rolls with mint, rice noodles, sprouts, shrimp, & peanut sauce.

We ordered the Clay Pot Pork. This is an absolute must when you go. Served boiling hot, the CPP is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes of all time. The last time we were here I ordered this and Regina became insanely jealous when she had a taste.

The Fried Opakapaka with black bean sauce, broccoli, and carrots was surprisingly tasty. I didn't think that I was going to be down with fried opakapaka but it was a pretty hearty dish.

As a rule we generally don't order dessert at Vietnamese restaurants. This night was no different. We chalked it up as a great and inexpensive dinner went on our way. I wish I could post a menu but they didn't have any for us to take with us.

This is a fantastic little spot to have some spicy food at a very reasonable price. The fish was actually a little expensive, but I'd say the total bill was no more than $50 with tip.

A Saigon Cafe
1792 Main Street
Wailuku, HI 96793
(808) 243-9560