Vietnamese Restaurant For East Side
Saigon Baguette brings quick-service pho, banh mi and more to Farwell Avenue.
Saigon Baguette, 2338 N. Farwell Ave. Photo taken April 21, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
Customers filled the dining room on a recent weeknight at Pho Ever in Hales Corners, spooning chili oil over lemongrass pork skewers and slurping bowls of steaming noodles — the kinds of comforting Vietnamese dishes owner Hai Le has been serving for years.
Soon, Le plans to introduce his recipes to a wider audience with Saigon Baguette, a fast-casual restaurant planned to open this spring on Milwaukee’s East Side.
Le plans to offer a similar menu at the new location, 2338 N. Farwell Ave., with specialties including banh mi, pho and vermicelli noodles. Due to its limited capacity, Saigon Baguette will operate as a counter-service restaurant, serving meals in to-go containers, he said.
The 1,138-square-foot space was previously occupied by Erbert and Gerbert’s, a fast-casual chain.
In addition to sandwiches and more than a dozen varieties of pho, Saigon Baguette’s proposed menu features clay pot rice and fried rice — each with a selection of proteins and toppings — as well as Vietnamese salads and appetizers like summer rolls, crab rangoon and crispy quail.
Beverages including Vietnamese coffee, Thai tea, smoothies, bubble tea and slushies would also be available. Le has no immediate plans to serve alcohol at the Milwaukee location.
Cooking is a family affair for Le, who’s been at it so long he can’t quite pinpoint when—or how—he learned. “I just cook,” he said with a small laugh, adding that he’s excited to share his food with new diners.
A license application for Saigon Baguette is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council. If approved, the restaurant is expected to open in May, with service beginning daily at 11 a.m. Final operating hours will be determined during an upcoming license hearing.
Saigon Baguette’s yellow and green signage is now visible at the East Side strip mall, which also houses Pizza Hut, chiropractic offices, a pet food store, a vape shop and The Seafood Shack, which opened in September.
Hui Feng Mo, registered agent for MOH223WI, LLC, purchased the 15,400-square-foot building in October 2024, according to city assessment records.
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