The best places to eat and drink in Ho Chi Minh City right now

Hands down, Ho Chi Minh City is one of the best food cities on the planet. Since it’s Vietnam’s largest urban center and the country’s commercial capital, you can find the best of everything here: regional dishes from all over the country brought by those who have moved here to work or study, as well as international cuisines to satisfy the city’s large expat community. You could literally eat something different every day for a full year without repeating a dish.

But I usually take things further. As the co-writer of Lonely Planet’s Eat Vietnam, a comprehensive guide to Vietnamese food and eating etiquette, I’m typically already planning my next snack, fruit shake, salted coffee or meal while I’m eating the current one. I was born in Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City) and have delved into the food scene here as an amateur cook, food writer and gluttonous gourmet. And I’m no food snob: I can get equally excited by a US$2 bowl of noodles as by a US$100 fine-dining experience. So whether you’re on a pauper’s budget or a prince’s expense account, here are some of my favorite places to eat and drink in Ho Chi Minh City.

Start with the classics: rice and pho

There’s probably no dish as quintessentially Saigon as com tam, broken rice topped with grilled pork (and usually other goodies, which might include short ribs, pork chops, steamed egg quiche, fried egg, pork skin and more). Indeed, if I had to have one meal for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Every neighborhood will have a com tam place (or five) – but if the one in yours isn’t up to snuff, head to Com Tam Ba Ghien. Bring your appetite, because for more than 30 years this place has boasted some of the city’s heartiest portions. For a more upscale experience, a solid choice is the BBQ honey pork chop with broken rice infused with pandan leaf at Propaganda, down the street from the Notre Dame Cathedral. (The brightly colored wall murals of propaganda art are a bonus feast for the eyes.) My favorite version of elevated com tam is at Anan Saigon: it features chestnut-fed pork from Spain that’s grilled to perfection, then brushed with a caramelized fish sauce glaze. It comes with short ribs, a fried egg and an herb salad.

Vietnam’s de facto national dish is pho, a wonderfully comforting bowl of noodle soup with either beef or chicken, served with a heaping mound of fresh herbs. You’ll find a pho shop on practically every corner – but some are worth traveling for. Pho Hung has been serving up US-sized portions (the owner is Vietnamese-American) since 1990. At Pho Viet Nam, you can assemble your own bowl. Starting with freshly cut pho rice noodles, you’ll add different cuts of beef (including Wagyu, oxtail and beef flank) and herbs into a stone bowl that will keep your broth – which will already have been simmering for 24 hours – boiling hot. To sample variations of pho, including dry (broth on the side), wok-fried and crispy pho puffs topped with meat, head to Mama Pho. For pho in the style of the north (the dish originated there), the cramped but atmospheric Pho Chao offers a traditional version from Nam Dinh, along with “Photine,” a local twist on Canadian poutine, complete with french fries, melted cheese and pho gravy.

New in 2026, Pot au Pho 2.0 takes pho into the realm of fine dining, deconstructing and reinterpreting the dish in a chic 14-seat space. Think molecular pho, a one-bite wonder; bone-marrow pho (the roasted marrow scooped onto a toasted baguette is sheer heaven); and the signature Pot au Pho, with Wagyu and foie gras, all wrapped in puff pastry. They’ve even collaborated with Lady Trieu (more on them later) to create a pho gin with notes of star anise and coriander, which serves as the base for some innovative cocktails. (Pro tip: order a Vietnamese coffee with a spritz of fish sauce for a salted-caramel-ish pop.)

Traditional Vietnamese cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City

For a quick, cheap meal, you’ll find com van phong (literally “office meals”) spots everywhere, with ready-made food in glass cases where you just point to order. Yet when you’re craving well-made Vietnamese food, try Secret Garden, an oasis of green in the heart of downtown HCMC. Its menu includes consistently tasty favorites from all over Vietnam, all beautifully presented in a Zen-like space (for a more rustic setting, try the second rooftop location). A bit out of the way is small and homey Cafe Hoa Giay, which has a surprisingly extensive menu of homestyle Vietnamese dishes meant to share, including some harder-to-find specialities like fig salad and purple yam soup. While the restaurant chain Com Nieu Thien Ly has rather bland interiors, it’s a solid choice for tasty, budget-friendly meals that feature clay-pot rice – as is Laang (multiple locations) which does healthy versions of Vietnam’s best-loved dishes in a stylish, country-chic setting.

For something on the higher end, my top choice is ST25 by KOTO, where elevated versions of Vietnamese dishes include street corn taken to the next level with Hokkaido scallops in garlic butter, and shaken beef made with Australian Wagyu beef cubes tossed in a black pepper butter sauce. I took my visiting aunt here and she declared it the best meal she had had in Vietnam. As a bonus, the staff are alumni of KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a social enterprise that provides free-of-charge hospitality training programs for at-risk and disadvantaged youth.

Restaurants inspired by Vietnam

To me, some of HCMC’s most exciting restaurants are serving cuisine inspired by (rather than just of) Vietnam. The category refers to the work of Vietnamese chefs who grew up abroad and have returned to Vietnam to ply their craft; local Vietnamese chefs who’ve trained or traveled internationally; and foreigners who have established themselves in Vietnam. Born in Vietnam but raised in the US, Chef Peter Cuong Franklin is known as the godfather of new Vietnamese cuisine, taking Vietnamese flavors in an entirely new direction at Anan Saigon. He initially made headlines with US$100 versions of banh mi and pho (which can still be ordered off-menu) – but the banh xeo taco and Da Lat street-style pizza are more-wallet-friendly innovations. Splurge on the tasting menu to experience Chef Peter’s creativity in all its glory. While Anan is only open for dinner, word has it there’ll soon be a stand outside serving takeaway Hanoi-style cha ca La Vong banh mi and coffee for lunch.

A Dutch-Vietnamese duo, Germ Doornbos and Vu Anh Tu are responsible for a few of the most innovative restaurants in Saigon – including Noir, a dining-in-the-dark experience where guests are challenged to identify ingredients from a selection of set menus with the help of blind or visually impaired hosts. Next door, Blanc showcases Asian fusion in a gorgeous 1930s semi-detached villa that feels like the home of a well-heeled friend. Here, the staff are deaf or hearing-impaired, and diners are encouraged to use the provided booklets to communicate in Ho Chi Minh City Sign Language. In addition to the beautifully presented pan-Asian fare served here, it’s inspiring to see what’s normally considered a disability turned into something to celebrate.

Down the same lane is Du Du Xanh, a vegetarian restaurant where the food takes center stage. No Buddha statues, Zen music or proselytizing for vegetarianism here – just gorgeous food like tarts stuffed with Brie, grilled artichokes and truffle, and a bright heart of palm salad with pomelo, orange and pickled quail eggs. If you’re craving something other than Vietnamese, Pizza 4Ps was started by two Japanese entrepreneurs. While you’ll sometimes find Vietnamese-inspired pizza variations like bo kho beef stew or bun dau mam tom tinged with fermented shrimp paste, diners flock here for classic, high-quality wood-fired pizzas made with house-made cheeses.

Ho Chi Minh City’s best seafood

While we don’t leave near the ocean, we Saigonese love our seafood. In the former District 4, there’s a whole street (Vinh Khanh) dedicated to seafood, where you can rock up, pick out what you’d like (some seafood is in tanks, some on ice) and tell them how you’d like it cooked (wok-fried with tamarind or steamed with lemongrass and beer are my go-tos). Oc Thao and Oc Thuyen are solid choices – just be prepared to dine in close quarters on low plastic stools and hoist an icy cold beer with your fellow diners (it’s the Saigon way).

Crab lovers should head to Quan Thuy 94 Cu, a no-frills diner that serves practically every variation of crab you can think of. My faves are deep-fried soft shell crab, crab wok-fried with glass noodles and crispy crab spring rolls.

One of the newest seafood places in town is Muoi, a mashup of an upscale European wine bar and modern Vietnamese seafood joint. I like sitting at the bar and watching the chefs work their magic over an open flame. The grouper, which borrows turmeric-tinged flavors from cha ca La Vong, is a standout, as are the ark clams in lemongrass oil, and the vibrant tomato salad, inspired by the sweet-and-sour notes of Vietnamese canh chua soup. With just 25 seats, reservations are recommended. (Inside tip: the three-course set lunch menu is an absolute steal.) 

And there’s more: while not a seafood-only place, Cuu Van Long (multiple locations) has squid, crab, clams and shrimp in their extensive buffet; Ichihana Sushi offers a superb omakase sushi made-to-order buffet (at various price tiers) that includes nigiri, maki and sashimi. Herb & Spices is an all-you-can-eat dim sum restaurant with a pleasing menu including crab or abalone dumplings, fish maw soup and shrimp-and-tofu-skin cakes – all served in a 25th-floor dining room with fabulous views.

The best places for beer and cocktails in Ho Chi Minh City

Upstairs from Muoi is the Trieu Institute, whose house-made Lady Trieu craft gins are made from botanicals sourced throughout Vietnam. My favorites are the Hoi An Spice Road, with notes of ginger, fennel seed and black cardamom; and the Sapa Citrus Tea, with Buddha’s hand and herbal oolong. You can try them in a flight or as a base for cocktails.

Above Anan Saigon and overlooking Saigon’s oldest wet market, Nhau Nhau also leans on Vietnamese flavors in drinks like the Jackfruit Daiquiri and Xi Muoi Margarita (with salted plum). Telephone Bar, meanwhile, gets high marks for creativity: since there’s no menu here, you’ll tell the bartenders at this hidden speakeasy what flavors you like and they’ll fashion a bespoke drink for you. (The entrance is through what looks to be a London telephone booth; good luck finding it.) When my friends and I want a fun night out without breaking the bank, we head to The Gangs Central, a large outdoor beer garden with DJ music and a (relatively) wholesome vibe. At some point in the night, you’ll probably find yourself dancing on the tables with the staff. The food is surprisingly good and the cocktails come in towers. Enough said.  

The best sweet treats in Ho Chi Minh City

Alas, Vietnam isn’t known for great desserts. Near markets, you’ll spot che carts selling soupy desserts that often feature distinctly un-dessert-like ingredients like potatoes, beans and corn. This is why Ralf’s Artisan Gelato truly stands out, with its amazing small-batch gelato and sorbets in flavors like pink guava, passion fruit and organic chocolate from Dak Lak province. Chocoholics should make a beeline for Maison Marou, where single-origin chocolate from the Mekong Delta is made into bars, pastries and drinks. At the flagship store, there’s an on-site mini workshop as well as a roaster and grinder.

The most exciting dessert venue to come along in years is Spice Canvas, a small atelier that applies fine-dining techniques to the sweetest course. Chef Sinh (formerly a fine-dining chef) was always disappointed that diners would be too full by the end of the meal to appreciate dessert, so he decided to focus solely on sweets (throwing in a bit of savory ingredients). He brings incredible innovation to his exquisite creations, borrowing from Vietnamese flavors in serendipitous ways. While the menu changes with the season, expect the unexpected like scallop panna cotta, palm-fruit compote and fermented rice sorbet. Book the tasting menu: it’s a splurge, but you’ll thank me afterward for a dessert experience that might be the best you’ve ever had.