Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Restaurants
Expensive
Au Manoir de Khai
This very stylish French colonial villa built in the early 1900s now houses an exquisite restaurant serving arguably the finest French cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City. The warm and cosy décor is very French and the service is impeccable. Enjoy a glass of champagne in the sumptuous bar before trying the excellent steaks or fresh seafood, all beautifully presented. Worth every cent.
251 Dien Bien Phu, District 3
Tel: (08) 3930 3394.
Website: www.khaisilkcorp.com/restaurants/aumanoirdekhai
Le Bordeaux
The exquisite gastronomic cuisine of southwest France is recreated in a French colonial mansion and has been a popular choice for several years. The interior is cool and chic and there is a relaxing downstairs lounge for pre-dinner drinks. Sample the lobster grilled in olive oil but save room for the chocolate fondant. Closed Sunday and Monday lunchtime.
72 D2 Street, Binh Thanh District
Tel: (08) 3899 9831.
Website: www.restaurant-lebordeaux.com.vn
Mandarine
A delightful oasis of calm, close to the Saigon River, this elegant, award-winning restaurant serves some of the best Vietnamese food in the city, all exquisitely presented. The interior is tastefully decorated in Vietnamese style. Only the freshest of ingredients are used for the dishes which include fried soft shell crab with pineapple sauce. Reservations are recommended.
11a Ngo Van Nam, District 1
Tel: (08) 3822 9783.
Website: www.orientalsaigon.com.vn
Moderate
Au Lac do Brazil
Only go for a meal here if you have a hearty appetite and are a serious carnivore as this Ho Chi Minh City restaurant is an all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbecue where different cuts of meat (including beef, pork, chicken, sausage and shrimp) are served at your table. Keep going until you indicate you can't eat any more by turning over the token you are given to red to indicate you are full!
238 Pasteur, District 3
Tel: (08) 3820 7157.
Website: www.aulacdobrazil.com
Lemongrass Restaurant
A long-established favorite on the Ho Chi Minh City scene, popular with locals and visitors alike, spread over three floors. The restaurant is small, stylish and relaxed and the service is generally attentive. The Vietnamese food includes the usual spring rolls and spicy soups with excellent seafood and vegetarian dishes. Located down a narrow side street between Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi. Worth making a reservation.
4 Nguyen Thiep, District 1
Tel: (08) 3822 0496.
Pomodoro
A long-established popular Italian restaurant, decorated in warm colors with a tiled terracotta floor, serving hearty pizza and pasta dishes complemented by a good wine selection. Enjoyed by visitors and the resident expats, the daily lunchtime specials are very popular. Try their Torta pasqualina, spinach tart served with beetroot salad.
79 Hai Ba Trung, District 1
Tel: (08) 3823 8998.
Website: www.pomodoro-vietnam.com
Cheap
Al Fresco's
Good old-fashioned American fare (ribs, burgers, sizzling steaks, tex-mex food, pizza, pasta, ice creams, freshly baked cakes and tropical fruits) served Aussie-style in relaxed surroundings. Great for those who have a hearty appetite and missing western food but don't want to break the bank. One of three branches across the city.
27 Dong Du, District 1
Tel: (08) 3822 7318.
Website: www.alfrescosgroup.com
Pho 24
Serves hearty, delicious traditional beef noodle soup or 'pho' in a smart, clean location - one of a chain expanding fast across the city and country. Very popular for visitors who want to try the traditional Vietnamese dish but are reluctant to eat at one of the street stalls. Also popular with the Vietnamese so this is a good recommendation.
5 Nguyen Thiep, District 1
Tel: (08) 3914 2424.
Website: www.pho24.com.vn
Wrap & Roll
A popular small chain exclusively serving wraps and rolls, in bright, modern premises, which are a traditional part of Vietnamese cuisine, but with a modern twist. Some wraps and spring rolls are already made up but others you put together yourself together with lettuce, mint, lemon grass and coriander. There are 11 branches across the city.
62 Hai Ba Trung, District 1
Tel: (08) 3822 2166.
Website: www.wrap-and-roll.com
Nightlife
Ho Chi Minh City is awash with clubs and bars, varying from tiny, gloomy establishments to some very upmarket venues. Most of the nightlife in Ho Chi Minh City s concentrated in District 1.
Imported drinks are considerably more expensive than local ones and alcohol sold in the more upmarket places is even more expensive again. The dress code is generally very relaxed with no restrictions on jeans or trainers.
Information on Ho Chi Minh’s nightlife can be found in The Guide, published monthly by the Vietnam Economic Times (www.vneconomy.com.vn).
Bars
Apocalypse Now
Perhaps one of the most famous bars in Ho Chi Minh City, the legendary Apocalypse Now continues to attract visitors, expats and locals to its small, dark bar complete with dance floor and pool tables. Be warned, it only gets going late in the evening and at the weekend when the volume really gets cranked up.
2C Thi Sach
Tel: (08) 3825 6124.
Sky Bar
For a quiet drink with great views over the Saigon River, try the rooftop Sky Bar in the colonial Majestic Hotel. The open terrace allows you to watch the busy, intriguing river traffic, particularly the ferries crammed full of cyles, motorbikes and people.
1 Dong Khoi, District 1
Tel: (08) 3829 5517.
Website: www.majesticsaigon.com
Q Bar
This long-established venue is a stylish, sophisticated and cool place to be seen in, popular with locals, expats, tourists and celebrities. Open until late, the bar hosts regular international DJs and party nights and serves a huge range of cocktails. Located in the basement of the Opera House, there is a popular outside terrace.
7 Lam Son Square, District 1
Tel: (08) 3823 3479.
Website: www.qbarsaigon.com
Clubs
International Tourist Club
The International Tourist Club is a well established entertainment complex located in the New World Hotel, which embraces the Catwalk disco, smart, hi-tech karaoke rooms and a chill-out lounge for those who just want to listen to music and relax. One of the most popular clubs in the city, it is a perennial favorite with readers of The Guide.
76 Le Lai, District 1
Tel: (08) 3824 3760.
Website: www.itclubsaigon.com
Go2 Bar
Located in the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lau, this neon-lit, split level venue has a downstairs bar with pool tables and an upstairs nightclub with DJs playing dance, pop, hip hop and R & B. At the weekends there is often live music. The club is often jam-packed and is open into the early hours.
187 De Tham, District
Tel: (08) 3836 9575.
America Discotheque
This is the largest discotheques in Vietnam located on the third floor of the Windsor Plaza Hotel building, and it has two clubs with resident and guest DJs. The Pacific plays more progressive music and the New York serves up hip hop and R & B. It has a state-of-the-art
sound and light system and there are also karaoke rooms if you feel you want to sing along.
An Duong Plaza, District 5
Tel: (08) 3833 6688.
Website: www.hotel-windsorplaza.com
Live Music
Metallic Bar
Established bar and cafe which rocks nightly with performances of heavy rock music from iconic bands such as Metallica, Bon Jovi and Santana, performed by well-known local bands and international groups from the Philippines. In between live performances DJs play dance, hip hop and R & B.
41 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, District 3
Tel: (08) 3930 3154.
Website. www.metallicbar.com
Park Lounge
Several of the larger hotels stage regular performances by local and international bands and this includes the Park Lounge in the Park Hyatt which features particularly good jazz bands from 2000 hrs until midnight every night. One of the smarter addresses in Ho Chi Minh City, dress up to enjoy an evening in this ground floor venue, with floor to ceiling windows.
2 Lam Son Square, District 1
Tel: (08) 3824 1234.
Website: www.saigon.park.hyatt.com
Sax n'Art Jazz Club
Nightly performances by local jazz musician and owner of the club, Tran Manh Tuan, are extremely popular because of his blend of contemporary jazz with traditional Vietnamese influences. It is a small club with an intimate, relaxed ambience and boasts regular appearances from international guest artists.
28 Le Loi, District 1
Tel: 3822 8472.
Website: www.saxnart.com
