What to Eat & Best Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City
In Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) of Vietnam, you should eat iconic dishes like: com tam (broken rice), pho (noodle soup), and banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich). Other must-try foods include banh xeo (crispy pancakes), bun bo (beef noodle soup), and various street snacks like fried banana fritters or banh cam (fried sesame balls). See more – List of Best Street Food in Saigon!
Cuc Gach is a restaurant that finds itself in most travel guides as a top 10 place to eat in Ho Chi Minh City. It gained even more popularity after Anjelina Jolie and Brad Pitt dined here during their visit to Vietnam. It’s located in an old French colonial house that has been restored with recycled material. The quirky design, with its low doors, tasteful interior of antiques, mismatched and chipped china, plants and a nice little pond in the middle of the house creates a very friendly and intimate environment.
Nha Hang Ngon is an endearingly popular restaurant serving a complete rundown of Vietnamese dishes in a restored colonial mansion. The menu is as big as a cookbook but all dishes are explained in English. Some might feel the restaurant lacks authenticity, but this is a great option for large groups who want to sample a wide range of Vietnamese food in pleasant surrounds. While this isn’t fine dining, the prices are such good value it is accessible for almost everyone.
Quan An Ngon Restaurant A beautiful design scheme like something out of an exotic fairytale and a range of cooking stations preparing specialities from all over Vietnam keep Quan An Ngon packed out every evening with foreigners and well dressed locals. This is the perfect place to try legendary Vietnamese dishes such as fresh spring rolls, Hue noodles and black pepper crab. Occupying a prime location next door to The Reunification Palace, this restaurant is situated inside a refurbished mansion where guests can dine amid intricately carved teak furniture, lotus ponds and serving staff in classic satin dresses.
The Deck Saigon sits beside the Saigon River in a delightful al fresco setting 15 minutes taxi ride from downtown Ho Chi Minh City. The romance of this restaurant is unparalleled and the pan-Asian fusion type dishes are very well prepared. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this restaurant has excellent set lunch offerings. Come dinnertime, a la carte dishes run from soft shell crab tempura to char grilled shrimp and rib eye steak. Most of the meat is imported meaning it isn’t the cheapest but quality is assured.
The architecture and design of Hum Vegetarian Lounge & Restaurant perfectly complements its eclectic vegetarian menu. You’re surrounded by fresh greenery, wooden décor and small water ponds. That creates a simple yet elegant and calming atmosphere as you dine. Careful on all those stairs!
La Cuisine is unashamedly classic French cuisine. They serve many traditional dishes such as steak tartare, foie gras with Provence figs, and pan seared duck with Béarnaise sauce. Plating and execution is stylish and modern, just like the white-washed, bare brick walls, and chunky wooden tables. The owner and head chef is French and has worked all over the world before settling in Ho Chi Minh to open La Cuisine. Look out for the set lunch menu which offers two or three courses for significantly reduced rates for a taste of something fancy at a great value price.
The Temple Club is a chic bar and restaurant that is on the itineraries of visiting stars and globetrotters. Located in a converted Chinese Temple in a small alleyway off Pasteur Street. It’s easiest to find by using Saigon Centre Shopping Mall as a landmark. And those that do make the effort will be rewarded with a richly decorated dining room serving Vietnamese fusion dishes. And a cocktail lounge with skilled bartenders and tapas style accompaniments. For pure sophistication, The Temple Club is hard to beat.
Lemongrass is a fine dining restaurant located in a narrow shophouse in District 1. Serving delectable Vietnamese dishes presented with French flair and providing guests with diligent service. This three floor restaurant is certainly one of Ho Chi Minh’s top restaurants. Choose from the sizeable range of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes on the a la carte menu. Or trust the chef and choose one of four set menus available at Lemongrass. Soft candlelight adds a touch of romance to proceedings, enhanced by the live music playing in the background.
This Japanese owned and operated pizza and pasta restaurant serves some of the best pizzas east of Napoli. 4Ps Pizza is an institution with Ho Chi Minh’s expat community serving stone-baked pizzas with inventive toppings that run from flower petals to teriyaki chicken. Despite the hard to find location down an alleyway behind The Sushi Bar on Le Thanh Ton Street. It is always on weekends and we highly recommend to make reservations.
Owned by the same owner as Secret Garden, Secret House launched in 2017 and quickly rose up the ranks. It is also somewhat hidden, tucked away down a quiet alley. Although this restaurant has no stairs to climb, unlike the previous one. The whole place is decorated like a comfortable, rural home. And you can choose to sit inside which has two floors, or outside in courtyard which is also a herb garden. Try the homemade yogurt—it’s less than a dollar and delicious!
See More Useful Articles for Ho Chi Minh City Travel:
- Saigon: History, Weather & Best Time to Visit
- Saigon: What to Do, and Best Things to Visit
- Where to Stay and the Best Hotels in Saigon
