Ho Chi Minh City Restaurant Tips by NeverGrowOld

There are thousands of restaurants in HCMC, from luxurious ones like Au Manoir De Khai, Mandarine, Nam Phan or those located in 5 star hotels to small-and-no-name food shops lying along streets. Most of them serve Vietnamese cuisines (of course), but you also can easily find other types such as Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Italian, French and so forth. In my restaurant tips, I just give you hints about some Vietnamese restaurants I LIKE and name & address of restaurants from outsiders. However, if you want to know more, ask!


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Theme: Local

Restaurant Name: Quan An Ngon

Lying right in the heart of HCMC, close to Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Church and 30-4 Park, Quan An Ngon (Delicious Restaurant) is an ideal place for you to have a snack after your short city tour or to full your stomach with a wide selection of Vietnamese delicious dishes cooked by skilled chefs. I call it 3 in 1 cause they serve 3 regions' specialities in 1 restaurant.
The restaurant is an old French-style village, decorated with banana trees, wooden tables & chairs and some red lanterns. Do not forget to “wash your eyes” by watching how the food is cooked and let good smells spreading out from big pots at open-air kitchens stimulate your gastric juice before eating.
People like this restaurant not only because of nice place and nice food but also the way you are served. Cause restaurant owner used to work in a travel agent, he knows what to do to attract fellow dinners. If you are foreigners and do not have a Vietnamese friend to show you how to choose and eat Vietnamese food, waiters/waitresses here will help you with smiles.
A place you should not miss.

Favorite Dish: I like every dishes in this restaurant

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average

Address: 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia

Restaurant Name: Cay Tre (Bamboo)

This restaurant may not be famous with foreigners due to location, but many locals do like it. It also serves specialities from 3 regions (North, Center, South) of Vietnam although dishes here are not as many as in Quan An Ngon. I myself often got there to have lunch or dinner with my friends or colleagues.

Favorite Dish: Banh Khot (Dragon Eggs) is my favourite. It's shrimp cup cakes to be wrapped with many kinds of herbs and eaten with fish source. Banh Khot from this restaurant is the best cause its' crust is crispy & greasy and a shrimp putting onto is big & fresh.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average

Address: 37 Le Quy Don Street, District 3
Directions: Just jump into a taxi and ask driver to bring you there. 10-15 minutes from HCMC center (District 1). Cost about US$2

Restaurant Name: Com Nieu Saigon

People choose this restaurant because of it's special Com (rice): Com Nieu & Com Dap. Com Nieu is fragrant rice cooked in small clay pot. Com Dap is rice which is cooked in a special clay pot. Waiters will smash the pot and throw the rice as an entertainment show before serving guests. This rice is always very crispy.
Besides, you can find some typical foods from Mekong Delta like thit kho nuoc dua (long simmering pork with coconut milk) and ca kho to (fish cooked in a clay pot)...


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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average

Phone: +84-8-9326388
Directions: 6C Tu Xuong, District 3 (10-15 minute cab from downtown District 1)

Restaurant Name: Huong Dong (Countryside Taste)

Specializing in Vietnamese countryside food, this restaurant is decorated by a thatched ceiling with hanging cucumbers and eggplants. The menu of this restaurant offers many animals for consumption: cow, chicken, pig, sheep, python, worm, snail, field mouse and … you name it. Specialties include ca loc nuong dat set (wrapped mudfish in clay) and ga nuong moi (chicken grilled in ethnical style) and so many more


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Theme: Local

Address: 236 Pasteur St, Ho Chi Minh City

Restaurant Name: Pho 24

The first place I think of when my friends ask for a special local food restaurant is Pho 24. I strongly believe that this one can help me much in introducing a traditional-but-modern Vietnamese gastronomy.


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Theme: Local

Website: www.pho24.com.vn

Restaurant Name: Chan Ga Nuong Nguyen Du (I named it)

Wanna eat chicken foot, wing, tongue, tripe…? Disgusting, you may say. I bet you never tried, didn’t you?
There is a small restaurant specializing in this type of food, which is located on Nguyen Du street, close to Central Post Office and Notre Dame Church. Of course they serve not only grilled chicken foot, wing, tongue, tripe but also chicken meat together with sticky rice, noodle, fine noodle and soft noodle. But we usually come here for the “disgusting” dishes as the later can be easily found in any restaurants. It is mixed with special spices at least 6 hours and just grilled after waiters receive order from eaters. Take a hot and delicious chicken foot, dip into bowl of spicy soup and enjoy. Miam miam…Great!


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Theme: Local

Restaurant Name: Ngoc Suong (Le Marina)



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Theme: Seafood

Address: 19C Le Qui Don Street, District 3, HCMC