9 Best Restaurants in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Pizza, burgers, pastas, salads, and fish-and-chips are just some of the tasty bar food available day and night at this chilled-out, cheerful restaurant on the east coast—worth the drive if you want to hangout and enjoy the breezy space that includes a large deck, minigolf, swimming pool, petanque court, and pool table. Hosts Rory and Yoon preside over the café/bar, which has a genuinely welcoming atmosphere and fabulous vantage over the ocean.

Across the road from the marina, this small, neat, and cozy café is a good place to stop for a coffee, ice cream, milk shake, or smoothie, as well as light meals such as sandwiches, burgers, and Vietnamese dishes.

The newest restaurant on Can Tho's tourist strip has an intimate set up, comfortable furniture, and a coveted terrace on the ground and upper floor with views of bustling Ninh Kieu Pier. The menu is divided between European and Asian and both sections offer plenty of variety (try the chicken braised in coconut). There's also La Baguette, their grab-and-go on the side for quick sandwiches, drinks, coffee, or cake, which are baked on-site.

This modern café has an eclectic menu of Korean and Japanese-influenced dishes, including ramen and bi bim bap, as well as pizza and Thai food.

One of several ancient houses in the neighborhood, the house of district chief Tran Tuan Kiet was built in 1838, its 108 poles made from the wood of xylia xylocarpa trees. Beautiful carved furniture, some with mother-of-pearl inlays, doors carved with flowers and trees, ceramic pieces, and other antiques fill the house, which was restored in 2003 with financial and technical assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Its on-site restaurant is a popular stop for small group tours and serves a seven-course set menu of Mekong Delta cuisine, including deep-fried elephant ear fish.

In contrast to the same-owned L'Escale French restaurant on the rooftop, this all-day café-restaurant serves a variety of traditional Mekong specialties in a casual bistro setting. The dishes highlight typical Mekong Delta flavors, ingredients, and preparations, including sweet-and-sour soups and braised-in-claypot dishes; the adventurous can try the snake set, while the less adventurous still have a Western menu available. Part of the tourist-targeted empire that also owns Sao Hom and The Lighthouse Restaurants, this one offers the most traditional fare. Reservations are recommended at peak times, as large tour groups can arrive en masse.

Funky wall art, exposed brick, and black metal gives character to this tucked-away vegetarian cafe where you can find healthy fare such as salads, sourdough toasts, and smoothie bowls.

In a superb riverside setting inside Can Tho's beautiful old market hall, Sao Hom is one of the only restaurants on the water's edge (or on the water, if you manage to get a table on their dock). The menu seems stretched trying to please everyone with its range of made-for-tourist Vietnamese dishes, including the local version of cha gio (spring rolls), as well as Western favorites. But with friendly, polite staff and an interesting location beside busy Ninh Kieu boat pier, Sao Hom is a great place to pause and watch the river with drinks or snacks.

There are several chain-type dining outlets inside Vincom Xuan Khanh, a multilevel shopping mall and cinema adjacent to Sheraton Can Tho. Level 4 is where most of the eateries are, as well as an indoor kids' play center. Choices include Thai BBQ Buffet, GoGi House (Korean), Kichi-Kichi (Japanese), and dim sum/Chinese restaurant chain Crystal Jade Kitchen.