Ho Chi Minh has a fantastic food scene and in my opinion, is one of the underrated cities in Vietnam. It’s home to some incredible restaurants and a street food culture that’s just as good as anything you’ll find in Hanoi.
What makes Saigon stand out for me is the variety. You’ve got classic Vietnamese dishes done properly, but also a growing number of modern spots that bring something a bit different. It feels less traditional than other cities in Vietnam, but in a good way.
There’s a bit more creativity and things move quickly here compared to the North of the country. It’s also a very easy city to eat well in. You don’t need to spend much to have a great meal, but if you do want something more refined, there are some genuinely excellent options.
Where to Eat Well in Ho Chi Minh City
I recently spent a couple of days eating my way around Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon) and here are my favorite spots. Restaurants are listed in no particular order.
Thúy 94 Cũ
Thúy 94 Cũ is up there as one of my favorite food memories from my last visit to Vietnam. It’s a genuine gem of a restaurant that specialises in crab and oh boy if you go anywhere in Saigon, come here.
Enter and you’ll go past the open kitchen with the chefs hustling the woks and the enormous fryers. It’s great fun watching them pump out the food.
It was my first lunch spot and I arrived when it was already scorching hot. There’s an array of huge fans inside the restaurant area keeping you cool as you eat.
We started with their crispy fried crab nems which were absolutely delicious. I think they’re filled with a mixture of brown and white crab meat and a bit of pork – it’s really aromatic and super addictive.
The start of the show here is their crab vermicelli. It’s insane both in flavour and the sheer generosity of the crab meat. Glass vermicelli noodles are tossed with plenty of garlic, scallions and of course an absolute boat load of flaky, moist white crab meat.
We ended up ordering two dishes – one with shrimp and crab and one with just crab. Just note that the portions are huge and given the pricing, they’re really for two.
For me, Thúy 94 Cũ is an absolute must-visit if you’re in Ho Chi Minh.
What to know before you visit
- Open every day 9am-9pm
- There’s no AC (but they have a lot of fans!)
Address: 84 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Cục Gạch Quán
Cục Gạch Quán is a cracking restaurant in the North of the city that we hit up on our first evening in HCM. I’d heard great things on social media and it did not disappoint.
The actual restaurant itself is beautiful with plenty of colonial charm. It feels in some ways rather museum-like with vintage jugs and huge ancient books propped up.
Their menu is huge – even the server said that we’ll most likely need advice because of how it’s written. Unlike many restaurants in Vietnam who specialise in one type of dish, Cục Gạch Quán offers a massive variety of dishes, ingredients and techniques.
We arrived late so unfortunately the BBQ dishes which I wanted to try were off the menu. However the rest of what we ordered did not disappoint at all.
We started with their braised aubergines. These are delicious – sweet, sour, savoury and full of umami from the fish sauce. A bit like hong shao aubergines.
Next up we ordered their boneless oxtail stew (despite the server warning us that it’s oxtail!) – a version of Bò kho. The oxtail meat was so tender and the sauce was thick and unctuous. There was a perfect amount of background heat with a lovely kick of lemongrass. Delicious.
We also had their braised pork mince stew with fish sauce. This was pungent, hot and really addictive. A real rice destroyer.
Finally we had their lemongrass shrimp which was on the saucier side. It almost reminded me of a Vietnamese version of Gambas al Ajillo. The shrimp were tender, juicy and the sauce just coated them with the lovely lemongrass flavour.
I’d definitely recommend Cục Gạch Quán if you’re in a big group and want to try a lot of different Vietnamese dishes in one spot.
What to know before you visit
- Open every day 9am-11:30pm
- You need to call to reserve
Address: 10 Đặng Tất, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: +84 28 3848 0144
Website: https://cucgachquan.com
Phở Phượng
We came to Phở Phượng for a breakfast pho on our second day and it did not disappoint.
Situated right next to the Nhiêu Lộc–Thị Nghè Canal, it’s a genuinely nice spot to relax and take your time and watch the world go by. The large terrace has a lot of space and even after a few large groups arrived, we were still alone at our table.
I went for the lean brisket pho and my girlfriend had the oxtail pho. The latter comes with the meat fully on the bone which unless you’re very skilled with chopsticks, is very difficult to eat. Luckily the staff stripped the meat off the bones for us!
Unlike in the North, the pho broths that you’ll find in the South are heavier in terms of aromatics and spices. That said, I still think the broth at Phở Phượng is quite delicate. There’s also a nice amount of fat which brought a load of beefy flavour.
My lean brisket pho was sublime. The meat is very thinly sliced which melts in the mouth. The noodles have more of a bite than I found in pho restaurants in Hanoi. Finally the garnish is lighter with a sprinkling of scallions and thinly sliced raw white onion.
I’d definitely recommend stopping by for breakfast here – it’s a great spot with a lovely view.
What to know before you visit
- Open every day 5:30am-8:30pm (expect Mondays where they close at 2pm)
- You need to call to reserve
Address: 25 Hoàng Sa, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: +84 28 3910 2422
Bếp Mẹ Ỉn
Right next to the rather touristy Ben Thanh market in central HCM is Bếp Mẹ Ỉn – a great Vietnamese restaurant tucked away down a small alleyway.
Featured in the Michelin guide, it’s certainly popular with tourists (I think there was exclusively only tourists there when I visited). I imagine they got a lot of hype up on social media. Worth it? Yep, it’s another great restaurant if you want to try various dishes rather than just one.
We went for lunch after a morning of walking around the city. We luckily managed to get a table immediately but we saw others arriving after us get turned away so I would definitely recommend reserving ahead of time. Note that there are two separate restaurants – we went to their Le Thanh Ton Street location.
The portions are on the larger side so we only ordered two dishes to share. We kicked off with their bánh xèo – a crispy pancake filled with plenty of shrimp, sautéd pork and beansprouts. Sliced up tableside, it comes with a huge pile of fresh green herbs and rice paper to make your own rolls. Dipped in their nước chấm sauce, it’s absolutely delicious.
Finally we had a classic dish from Hanoi – Chả cá Lã Vọng – grilled turmeric white fish with dill. Sounds simple but it packs a lot of flavour. The fish is flaky and moist and is killer with their house peanut sauce and vermicelli noodles.
What to know before you visit
- Open every day 10:30am-10:30pm
- You need to call to reserve (I’d advise that you do)
Address: 136/9 Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: +84 28 2211 1119
Website: https://www.instagram.com/bepmein
Bom
Bom is a fantastic modern fine-dining Vietnamese restaurant that I’d definitely recommend if you’re after something a bit more refined.
It’s a surprisingly large, minimal restaurant with almost Scandinavian design influences. The food however is distinctly Vietnamese although there are some classical French and global influences.
The menu changes with the seasons and they offer various tasting menus along side their à la carte.
We chose from their menu and kicked off with their ‘bom set’ – a mixture of canapés. I think this is one of the most delicious things I ate during the whole trip. There are 3 different canapés/tartlets – one a shrimp fritter, a ‘snail cake’ and finally a fish cake. These were explosions of flavour with different levels of texture, acidity, sweetness and savoury kicks. If you eat here, you need to order this. It’s fun and utterly delicious.
Next up was their smoked scallop crudo with an apple and fennel dressing. I love the idea but the smoky flavour was very strong and overpowered the delicate scallop flavour. The dressing was delicious however and the trout roe really added a lovely explosion of flavour.
We then had their take on a Vietnamese beef stew – Bò kho – which was served in a pastry bowl, almost like a vol-au-vent. This was incredibly delicious. The sauce is rich, fragrant and has boatloads of delicious lemongrass flavour.
Finally we had their grilled pork collar which was cooked on an indoor BBQ. This has a lovely charred flavour and was really tender and juicy but with a nice bite.
What to know before you visit
- Open every day 11am-11pm (last food order is around 9:30pm however)
- You can reserve online
Address: 148 Võ Thị Sáu, P.VTS, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: +84 823 999 980
Website: https://bomkitchen.com/eng
Phở Hương Bình
Our last restaurant of the trip had to be pho and boy was it good. A few hours before we had to be at the airport for our 16 hour flight back to Paris, we needed something to fuel us for the long trip back.
Phở Hương Bình has a Michelin bib and this rather unassuming little restaurant is definitely deserving of it. Interestingly they offer both chicken and beef pho (which I had not seen before) so it’s a great spot if you have picky eaters in your group.
We went for the lean brisket beef pho and it was superb. Firstly the broth (like in Phở Phượng) was surprisingly light, clear but amped up with beef flavour to the max. The meat had a nice bite but was still very tender.
The garnish is very scallion heavy which I love. Finally we ordered a side of the fried dough sticks which are fantastic to soak up the rest of the broth.
What to know before you visit
- Open every day 6:30am-9pm
Address: 148 Võ Thị Sáu, P.VTS, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: +84 788 897 777
Website: https://www.facebook.com/PhoHuongBinh
