Food and Restaurants

Cuisine: Italian Villa Romaine offers the city’s highest quality Italian food and is part of the famous Thao Dien Complex. The restaurant is just a 15 minute drive from District 1 and can also be reached by boat. It is definitely worth visiting if you want to enjoy a nice quiet meal on the peaceful banks of the river.

Cuisine: Italian Pomodoro’s is a fancy Italian restaurant that gives you a true sense of being in Italy. Their specialty is lasagna and their pizzas are absolutely delicious. The restaurant not only serves fine entrees, but also offers an array of appetizers if you’d just like to snack. Desserts here are also a treat.

Cuisine: Brazilian This restaurant is known as a Brazilian churrascaria – an all-you-can-eat restaurant featuring a wide variety of barbecued meats. Live Latin music and dancing provide the main attraction from Tuesdays to Saturdays. For authentically Brazilian cuisine and fine service, visit any of the Au Lac Do Brazil outlets in Ho Chi Minh City.

Cuisine: Spanish & Cuban With its colorful Mediterranean décor, La Habana offers outstanding Spanish and Cuban food. There are over 50 different types of tapas on the menu, as well as paella specialties. La Habana hosts free salsa lessons on Tuesdays and live music on Fridays, but show up any night of the week for a fun and relaxing atmosphere and great food.

Cuisine: Chinese Huy Long Vien offers the best Peking duck as well as fantastic all-you-can-eat dim sum. Location: 99 Nguyễn Du, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823 7799

Cuisine: French A stylish French bistro, L’En Tete serves classic French cooking along with its live jazz piano performances. Every two months, the restaurant also organizes an art show and hosts an opening with the artists. With its fine food and great atmosphere, L’En Tete, which is open until midnight, offers a magnificent dining experience.

Cuisine: Vietnamese The Temple Club is an elegant restaurant housed in a turn of the century former Chinese temple. The décor is classic and much of it- from the rugs to the tapestries- is available for purchase. The Vietnamese standards are cooked wonderfully and the atmosphere is romantic and reminiscent of the 1930s Saigon.

Cuisine: Vietnamese and International delicacies The restaurant specializes in the city’s best barbecues, with both Vietnamese and international delicacies. At night the restaurant is beautifully decorated and lit, the air is thick with the odor of fresh meat being grilled and music sets the atmosphere for a fine dining experience.

Cuisine: Vietnamese Popular among tourists, locals and expats alike, this cozy restaurant by the opera house serves quality Vietnamese food and excellent seafood.

Cuisine: Thai This is the largest and most popular Thai restaurant in all of Ho Chi Minh City. Authentic Thai food is cooked by two Thai chefs and the food- both traditional and fusion- is always fresh and is served within minutes. This venue seats over 200 people and is air conditioned.

Cuisine: Vietnamese Southern Country-Style Huong Dong literally means ‘scent of the fields’ and is a popular gathering location for large groups of people who like to eat. The restaurant is widely acclaimed for its exotic dishes. Brave diners can sample its specialties, including whole frogs, pigeon porridge, coconut worm, pythons and field mice. A wide variety of meats and seafood is also available to the less-daring. Make sure to try a traditional dish – char-grilled ga ta (local style chicken with head and feet).

Cuisine: Vietnamese / International Started by owner Nguyen Van Lam and popular with artists in the 1950s, this is an excellent restaurant to visit for huge meals at cheap price- “big tiger” and “chicken curry with rice”- as well as for an excellent cup of coffee. It’s convenient for people on the move and is situated in the backpackers’ area.

Cuisine: South Indian Café India offers the best South Indian food in all of Ho Chi Minh City. It is also situated in the backpackers’ area and is one of the best budget options. Their ‘happy menus’ consist of thalis – which are available all day – containing 5 portions of food. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian (chicken) options are available.

Cuisine: Vietnamese The restaurant is very new and serves traditional Vietnamese eats such as spring rolls, Vietnamese hot pot and pho at very reasonable prices. There is a live Vietnamese Instrumental Shows on Fridays and Saturdays.

Cuisine: Vietnamese Pho 2000 is in an ideal location for people who are busy shopping in the Ben Thanh Market. A quick Vietnamese meal – excellent pho, some Vietnamese rice dishes and excellent vegetable curry – and you’ll be ready to get back into Ben Thanh Market again for another round of bargaining.

Cuisine: Arabic When you’re on the move, this place is great for a quick bite to eat. Homemade falafels, tahini and hummus are packed into soft bread pockets. It is only open in the evening from 6:30 to 9:30 on Mondays to Thursdays.

Cuisine: Vietnamese This restaurant is ideal for a family meal and a great opportunity to try authentic Vietnamese dishes at modest prices. However, it’s very popular and can get crowded at peak times, so it may be difficult finding a table.

For a festive and authentically Vietnamese dining experience, head over to Quan An Ngon Restaurant in District 1. The prices are low and the regional specialties and dressed up street foods are incredible.

This is one of the few Halal restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City and it serves Vietnamese and Malaysian cuisine. The food is a little more expensive than in non-Halal restaurants, but the Malay food is very delicious. The ambience is very pleasant with air conditioning and friendly English speaking staff.

This is a very quaint Turkish place serving real doner kebabs. The place is clean and well-maintained and the service is very good.

The Hotel@Saigon Restaurant offers high-end halal food at reasonable prices. Many popular Vietnamese and Malaysian dishes are served here.