20 Best Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The centerpiece of this stylish, immensely popular Japanese-owned restaurant is not a sushi bar but a brick oven, and the focus here is Japanese-Italian fusion, targeted at the Vietnamese palate but equally loved by out-of-towners. You can opt for classic creations such as prosciutto margarita or something a little more experimental, like flower pizza (with edible blooms such as pumpkin, leek, and daylily), teriyaki chicken with seaweed or salmon miso cream. Italian-style appetizers and pasta dishes are also available, as is a cheese platter featuring handmade cheeses from the 4Ps' cheese factory near Dalat. Customers who can't get a seat will stand by the bar just for a slice of the mouthwatering pizza. Reservations for this location should be made in advance. This location is the original, with a growing number of restaurants in some of Vietnam's biggest cities.

Awarded a Bib Gourmand in 2023, this cute little eatery can be found down a small alleyway near Ben Thanh Market, past a row of nail salons. Known for serving cheap and cheerful Vietnamese food at its finest, the restaurant's staff are friendly, the food is tasty, and there's a range of interesting and refreshing drinks and desserts.

The flagship location of this well-loved café chain offers a chic Old Saigon vibe to go along with reliably good, contemporary café fusion fare including salads, sandwiches, pastas, and other Western and Asian favorites. The all-day breakfast menu is also popular as are the gorgeous desserts. Head upstairs for a trendy retail space featuring Vietnam-inspired clothing and gifts from local designers and more seating.

One of the hippest eateries in town, the Racha Room serves up Asian-inspired fusion food with bold flavors as well as artisanal cocktails in a small but groovy space, with graffiti art and funky music. The place has proved a hit with locals, expats, and travelers alike for its bold flavors and overall trendy vibe, so reservations are recommended.

The climb all the way to the rooftop of a residential apartment building is worth the effort for a rustic, home-cooked meal. A Saigon favorite, the extensive menu here features tapas-sized dishes that are great for sharing. The eclectic plates and bowls, faded walls, and heavy wood tables just add to the charming atmosphere. The restaurant is especially pretty at night with lanterns and fairy lights. The space is fan-cooled only, so lunch can be a somewhat sweaty affair. There is a second, slightly less atmospheric location at 131 Calmette.

Midway between the Reunification Palace and Notre Dame cathedral, overlooking the tall trees of April 30 Park, this is a great place to linger, whether for a meal or just a smoothie or coffee. The flavors are Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, the staff is attentive, and the location is prime. The appeal of Au Parc, in a restored colonial-era shopfront, is further enhanced by the children's playroom upstairs, which is supervised by a nanny on weekends from 11 am to 4 pm while brunch is served.

Slap-bang in the heart of the backpacker district, this long-standing and much loved Indian restaurant serves a great selection of curries, tandoori, tikka, vegetarian dishes, breads, and Southern Indian specialties. It's an unassuming, clean, and friendly little place, but if you don't feel like venturing out, they deliver throughout Ho Chi Minh City.

A no-frills, family-run institution, Banh Xeo 46A is the go-to place for one of southern Vietnam's most cherished culinary creations: banh xeo (literally, "sizzling crepe")—a crispy pancake made with rice flour, coconut milk, and a smidgen of turmeric, and filled with bean sprouts, onion, shrimp, and pork. Break off a piece and wrap it up in a giant mustard leaf along with a handful of herbs and greens, and dunk it in a fish sauce-based dip laced with chilies. The menu has been expanded to include a nice range of Vietnamese dishes but the banh xeo is still the star. Popular with tour groups and food tours, there's a room with air-conditioning, but sitting outside and watching the food being made is more fun.

Serving traditional Vietnamese dishes with an emphasis on healthy, environmentally friendly eating, Cuc Gach has succeeded in carving out its own niche in the city's dining scene. Set in an old French home that has received a modern makeover and is furnished with repurposed colonial-era furniture—including a wooden bed that's been converted into a dining table—this is Vietnamese with a green and design-y edge. Reservations are recommended but not essential.

Just a few doors from the War Remnants Museum, this vegetarian restaurant is a calm oasis that starts to restore flagging spirits from the first step past the pond and lush greenery into the stylish interior with Indochine vibes. The fresh and healthy pan-Asian menu celebrates rather than disguises fruits and vegetables with emphasis on beautiful presentation. Try the square spring rolls, the visually appealing rainbow salad with sesame dressing, and the wild vegetable soup.

La Fiesta, run by the effusive American-Vietnamese couple Scott and Duc, will satisfy all your Tex-Mex cravings, whether it's for tacos, chili con carne, enchiladas, sangria, or margaritas. Open since 2014, this place is popular with locals, expats, and tourists for its big portions, big taste, strong drinks, and great service all at reasonable prices. Vegetarian and vegan options are available, although if you're counting calories, this may not be the place for you.

Just down the way from the Jade Emperor Pagoda, this is a bright and clean vegan restaurant catering to local Buddhists, who are full-time or part-time vegetarians—some just forsake meat twice a month, on the full and half moon. An extensive range of fresh and delicious Vietnamese vegan dishes features on the menu, many using mock meat made from tofu, lentils, or beans (meaning there's actually no beef in a dish labeled, for instance, beef with pepper sauce). Not only is the menu in English, but it also includes pictures, and the prepared dishes are as colorful as they appear on the menu.

With its exposed brick, whitewashed walls and artsy bookcases, this photogenic café wouldn't be out of place on a Greek island. It's popular with the young Instagram crowd, but come anyway for its delicious smoothies and blended drinks. The healthy breakfast and lunch offerings are also crowd-pleasers.

Serving what is described as "redesigned" Vietnamese cuisine with a focus on fresh ingredients, the sleek and artsy Propaganda does nontraditional takes on traditional dishes, especially fresh spring rolls and healthy salads. Midway between the Reunification Palace and the Notre Dame Cathedral, Propaganda is the perfect spot to recharge during a long hot day of sightseeing, while admiring the spectacularly colorful murals of wartime propaganda art.

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."

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.

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.