39 Best Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

With prints and paintings of old Saigon, this stylish bistro pays homage to its historic location within the former La Manufacture d'Opium (built in 1881), yet the menu and the wine list are decidedly Continental. The Refinery's set lunch is great value, and its outdoor section is a great spot for a few sundowners. The menu often divides diners; some rave about the salads; and others the hearty mains. One of the few places in Ho Chi Minh City that does an authentic French steak frites.

For those craving a taste of the USA, Scott’s Kitchen serves big portions of soul-satisfying, home-cooked comfort food. There are more than 20 variations of mac-and-cheese alone on the menu including fun additions like Korean-style fried chicken, tuna melt, and BBQ pork. While the menu is unabashedly not aimed at the calorie-counting crowd, there are salads (but with ranch and blue cheese dressings) and the Nashville Hot Chicken can be made with tofu.

Serving a mishmash of international, Tex-Mex, and Vietnamese fare, Snap is an open-air family-oriented café-restaurant set in a large thatched hut overlooking a children's playground. Popular with the local expat community, Snap caters to nonfamilies with its quieter library section tucked away on one side beside a manicured tropical garden. The restaurant tries hard to please all comers, with burger nights, quiz nights, live music, and an extensive menu. The staff is friendly, especially to kids. Snap is located in a complex with boutiques and other dining options, so leave some time to wander.

This hidden gem serves gourmet burgers named after the greats of America's soul scene, such as the James Brown (200-gram house-ground U.S. beef glazed with sweet and spicy brown sugar barbecue sauce, topped with pulled smoked pork shoulder, cheddar cheese, crisp beer-battered onion rings, and a creamy coleslaw). Order a side of beer-battered onion rings and wash it all down an ice cold beer. No one will mind if you serenade your meal with that classic James Brown line: "so good, so good, 'cause I got you ... dant-dant-dant-dant."

Sample some of Ho Chi Minh City's best street food from the vendors at the front of Tan Dinh Market (Cho Tan Dinh). The bun rieu (noodle soup with rice paddy crab and tofu) and suon nuong (grilled pork) are especially recommended, as is che, the Vietnamese dessert-in-a-glass that's a popular afternoon snack. The vendors here have limited English but they are familiar with the fine art of point-and-order.

Walk through a boutique shopping arcade and be transported to the streets of Bangkok with Thai Street’s kitschy yet fun decor (think tuk tuks and a pay stand dressed up like a money exchange booth) and its authentic Thai street food dishes. Overseen by a Thai chef from Isaan, the dishes are prepared on the spot, so spice levels can be adjusted as well as made into vegan and vegetarian versions. The presentation is purposefully no frills, but the flavors are bang on. The weekday combos are an especially good value.

Belly-filling fish-and-chips, pork pies, battered black pudding, beef and ale stew, with sides of mushy peas, curry sauce, and Scotch eggs—you can't get much more British than that. Union Jacks's Fish & Chips is a firm favorite with Saigon's expats seeking a taste of home (and curious locals) and some "kettle is always on" hospitality. The Sunday roasts are especially popular.

Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyen has given this longtime tourist-centric restaurant a remake with an innovative "modern Vietnamese" menu and a stylish refit of the interior. The name, the central location, and the beautiful Art Deco building remain the same, but everything else is fresh and exciting.

This restaurant chain does a surprisingly good take on traditional Vietnamese street food, of which many dishes require wrapping or rolling. If actual street food freaks you out with its proximity to traffic, noise, and dirt, this is a quiet, clean, lime green, and air-conditioned alternative. Its menu includes more than 40 items and 9 dipping sauces.