Ho Chi Minh City Restaurant Tips by Aidy_p

Restaurant Name: Pho 2000

I felt honoured lunching at THE place where former President Bill Clinton had his Pho (Pronounced as "Fur"). Located just a stone's throw from Ben Thanh Market, Pho 2000 is tucked at the corner facing the market. The place was surprisingly quiet even though it was facing the streets.

The pho was stupendous! Delicious to the core. The beef was tender and the soup was great, though quite a bit of salt was used.

Jac took the smaller bowl (23,000VND) while being the greedy ol me, the bigger bowl (27,000VND). All in all, a totally satisfying lunch!

Favorite Dish: You must definitely try the Pho. What else when the name of the shop is called Pho 2000.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 1-3 Phan Chu Trinh

Restaurant Name: Oriental Star (Sao Dong)@ Ben Thanh Night Market

This was the first place Jac and I had our dinner at. It reminded me of Singapore during the 70s where there were many roadside restaurants. The restaurant itself was kept pretty clean and the food were pretty tasty.

Favorite Dish: I pretty much enjoy any type of fried rice. So when I ordered seafood fried rice (20,000VND), I was more than contented. But what really pleased me was the fact that beer was as cheap (10,000VND) as their mineral water (80,000VND).

Since it's about the same price, and with the extremely humid weather, it's by natural elimination that I chose beer above any other drinks.

You must also try their seafood when you're there. A simple skewered squids and prawns cost 30,000VND only!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: Just beside the Ben Thanh Market

Restaurant Name: Nam Thanh Restaurant

If you've stopped by the Cao Dai Holy See Temple and would like to have some food within that vicinity, this restaurant provides you with simple local delights. No fanciful dishes, nor is it air-conditioned, but the no-frills dishes should provide your stomach with some comfort.

Favorite Dish: 20,000VND for Fried Rice
18,000VND for Pho
20,000VND for Fried Eggs

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: Cross junction of Cao Dai Temple in the Province of Tay Ninh. You might like to ask the local to direct you if you're lost.

Restaurant Name: Allez Boo

Though located along the backpackers' alley of Pham Ngu Lao, the ambience of this award-winning restaurant is one of the best around the city, though prices of food ain't.

Jac and I felt that though it was slightly more expensive than the normal fare around Ho Chi Minh city, it was still of good quality.

Favorite Dish: I had the vietnamese chicken curry while Jac had the egg noodle with seafood. To round it off, we even had a glass of red wine while watching the people and vehicles along the busy street go by.

Vietnamese chicken curry (Curry ga) - 55,000VND
Egg noodle with seafood (Mi Xiao) - 45,000VND

Leave a Comment

Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 187 Pham Ngu Lao St.

Restaurant Name: Kentucky Fried Chicken

As far as possible, never have a meal at a fastfood restaurant in a foreign country. not that the food in these fastfood restaurants are bad (Actually to ta certain extent, they are), but in vietnam, eat what the Vietnamese eat.

Jac and I stepped into KFC just because we were superly hot and needed a place that was air-conditioned. Also, as we were just opposite Bin Tay market, we had wanted to escape the maddening crowd.

Favorite Dish: Two-piece chicken goes for 40,000VND and it was superbly oily. At that price, you can get yourself a super big bowl of Pho!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter

Restaurant Name: Lion Tea

Walking back from Pham Ngu Lao to our hotel in District 3, we chanced upon this bubble tea shop that seemed like a popular hangout for the young Vietnamese adults. The manager of the shop seemed to know that I'm a Chinese and started speaking to me in Mandarin. Wow! I did not know that Vietnamese could speak such good Mandarin. The manager said that his ancestors were from China and had settled in Saigon a couple of generations ago.

Favorite Dish: Prices for the nice, cold bubble tea starts from 7,000VND onwards (Less than USD 1)!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Other
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 08 - 2932700
Address: 89A, Cach Mang Thang

Restaurant Name: Bung Tat Village Restaurant

I was already hungry when I reached our lunch destination. Food was not too impressive but at least we get to feed on a Vienamese meal - Rice with a measly two pieces of grilled pork, crispy spring roll, macaroni soup and vegetable.

This meal was on the house if you travel with Sincafe.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Local

Restaurant Name: Restaurant 13

I've heard of this place and I went searching for it. One thing though, I was lost and hungry. Jac and I nearly gave up. But through persistent search, we managed to find the place. It's a simple restaurant but no regrets. We literally ate up the entire restaurant.

Favorite Dish: Here're the wonderful food that we tried out.

Beef Noodle - 18,000VND
Beef with Rice - 37,000VND
Chicken with Sweet Pea - 35,000VND
Squid on Hotplate - 50,000VND
Can drink - 12,000VND

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 15, Ngo Duc Ke
Directions: Opposite Duxton Hotel

Restaurant Name: Kem Bach Dang

My wifey and I were tired out with all the walking. So when we came across this ice-cream place, we thought "Why not sit here and watch the crowd go by". The place sees a mixture of locals and foreigners. But I was just wondering, "What an expensive ice cream restaurant in the heart of Ho Chi minh City".

Favorite Dish: We got ourselves a coconut drink at 12,000VND. Ice cream starts from 30,000.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Ice Cream
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 8292707
Address: 26-28 Le Loi, District 1
Directions: Kem Bach Dang is located on the Le Loi street. Since it is famous both with the locals & tourists, every cab driver knows it. It is opposite the Russian Market. See the card below for more details.

Restaurant Name: Quan Cua Tay

Since it was our last day in Ho Chi Minh City, we don't mind trying out anything. We scouted around for a nice place to have our dinner. I guess the motto of the day was if it's good enough for the locals, it'll be good enough for me, and boy was this roadside restaurant packed with both locals and foreigners.

A trick in getting a place is to be there slightly earlier. We were there before 7pm, and by the time we got our seats at about 7.15pm, the diners have grown to quite a sizeable crowd.

Favorite Dish: Seafood is a must-try here.

Seafood Steamboat - 100,000VND
Hotplate Beef - 30,000VND
Tiger Beer - 10,000VND

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Ben Thanh Night Market