Ho Chi Minh City is blessed with fantastic restaurants serving a combination of French, Chinese, and, of course, local Vietnamese cuisine. It is this confluence of food cultures that has made Vietnamese food famed around the world, and brings visitors flocking to sample Saigon’s many fabulous restaurants.
While street food and snack stalls are also an inextricable part of a Vietnamese dining experience, sometimes you need a fabulous restaurant that combines expertly prepared dishes with a pleasant ambiance, stunning views and diligent service. Our list of the 10 Best Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City has them all to varying degrees so you can rest assured they will provide a dining experience to remember.
1. Quan An Ngon
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.
Opening Hours: 11:00 – 23:00
Address: 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1
Tel: +84 8 3827 9666
2. The Deck Saigon
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.
Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 – 24:00
Address: 38 Nguyen U Di, District 2.
Tel: +84 8 3744 6632
3. The Refinery Bar and Restaurant
The Refinery Bar and Restaurant brings a touch of French charm to downtown Ho Chi Minh with a menu of French bistro favourites such as steak frites and creative salads. As a former opium factory, The Refinery is replete with genuine colonial fixtures and has a charming garden terrace that offers the perfect spot for soaking up the cosmopolitan ambiance over a couple of wines.
Opening Hours: 11:00 till late
Address: 74 Hai Ba Trung, District 1
Tel: +84 8 3823 0509
4. Tram’s Cookery Restaurant & Bar
Tram’s Cookery Restaurant & Bar is an upscale place, set next to the Saigon River, where you can enjoy traditional Vietnamese and western cuisine in a relaxing atmosphere or just have some drinks in tranquillity.
Opening Hours: Orders until 21:30 and the bar stays open as long as the guests stay
Address: 21/4 Khu Pho Trung, Vinh Phu Ward, Thuan An District, Binh Duong, Saigon River, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: +84 650 378 5555
5. La Cuisine
La Cuisine is unashamedly classic French cuisine, serving 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.
Opening Hours: 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 22:00 (Close on Sunday)
Address: 48 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1.
Tel: +84 8 222 98 882
6. The Temple Club
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.
Opening Hours: Daily 12:00 – 24:00
Address: 29-31 Ton That Thiep St, District 1.
Tel: +84 8 3829 9244
7. Lemongrass
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.
Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 – 22:30
Address: 4 Nguyen Thiep St., District 1.
Tel: +84 8 3822 4005
8. Nha Hang Ngon
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.
Opening Hours: Daily 12:00 – 24:00
Address: 160 Pasteur St, District 1
Tel: +84 8 3827 7131
9. Cục Gạch Quán
Cuc Gach Quan is the place where sincere, peaceful and quiet souvenirs can be created in a warm and cozy place, where the true values of a “countryman” are reigning under the motto “eat green, live healthy”, every action designed to demonstrate respect to our environment.
Opening Hours: Daily 9:00 – 23:00
Address: No. 10 Dang Tat, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1
Tel: +84 8 3848 0144
10. Camargue
Camargue is a refined French restaurant set in the courtyard of an old colonial-era opium factory. While not exactly fine-dining, the ambiance is sophisticated and the cuisine available is clearly French with a slight Vietnamese touch. Highlights include seabass and squid served with sweet chard, roast lamb with polenta enriched with Phu Puoc pepper, and crispy pork leg marinated in a slight spice and caramelised artichoke. An excellent wine list is available with several options by the glass.
Opening Hours: Daily 12:00 – 24:00
Address: 74/7D Hai Ba Trung, District 1.
Tel: +84 8 3520 4888