Namesake soup is among highlights at Henderson area’s Pho Saigon 8

Pho Saigon 8’s Henderson-area location offers an extensive menu, but it’s an off-menu item that’s among the restaurant’s biggest selling points: quail eggs.

Well, not quite off-menu. Several dishes contain the tiny, hard-boiled eggs, but Pho Saigon 8 doesn’t advertise that they can be added to any bowl of pho for $2 — a worthwhile investment for a tasty addition of flavor, protein and texture, and one that most other Vietnamese restaurants don’t offer.

Southern Nevada’s peak soup season is arriving as high temperatures dip into the 60s, and Pho Saigon 8’s namesake dish doesn’t disappoint. Seafood and chicken pho are standard fare at the restaurant, but it’s the beef dishes that stand out. Rare eye round steak, flank, brisket and beef meatballs are among the heartiest offerings.

Like so many quality Las Vegas Valley restaurants, Pho Saigon 8 is crowded into a busy strip mall — a minor inconvenience during peak dining hours. Show up at, say, 2:45 p.m., and you might have the restaurant to yourself. Show up at 6 on a Friday, and you might end up being privy to numerous other diners’ conversations.

Seating can be snug, but waits tend to be short regardless of crowd size. Order a bowl of pho and you can expect it to reach your table within seven minutes.

One notable drawback can be the music. Hearing the likes of Phil Collins, Bryan Adams and Celine Dion consecutively could make even easy-listening fans a little uneasy.

This location, just north of the 215 Beltway on Eastern Avenue, is not to be confused with the similarly named Pho Little Saigon, which is just south of the beltway, right off Eastern. That restaurant is larger and serves both Vietnamese and Chinese food.

Pho Saigon 8 has two locations: this one, just north of the Las Vegas-Henderson border, and another in Chinatown. The menus are identical, and items range from $4.35 for fresh or spring rolls to about $10 for several noodle-and-meat dishes.

To reach View Assistant Editor Brian Sandford, email bsandford@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4531.