Best international restaurants in Saigon
Sushi is very popular with Vietnamese people
Saigon is home the largest expatriate community living and working in Vietnam. This fact, along with a booming tourism industry, has led to the introduction of numerous sophisticated restaurants set in delightful surroundings which offer food from all over the world.
There’s no reason why anyone should need to stray from the Vietnamese food, but if you’re looking to treat yourself to some fine dining or even just enjoy a ‘taste of home’, there’s a fine range of top notch international restaurants for you to choose from in Saigon – although be prepared for it to hit the budget much harder!
Given the country’s strong French influence, it’s hardly surprising that there is a glut of French restaurants to choose from. Among the finest is Le Jardin, on Thai Van Lung, where as the name suggests, most seating is outdoors in a quaint garden setting. The venue is ideal for enjoying a glass of wine during the warm evenings, and the meat and salad dishes are recommended.
French Camargue, located on Cao Ba Quat, is one of the city’s finest dining experiences. Set in a beautiful villa with a picturesque garden courtyard, this romantic location attracts diners looking to splash out or impress. The restaurant’s bar is the perfect place to whet the appetite with a pre-dinner cocktail. More on Saigon restaurants.
Sticking to the Gallic theme, L’en Tete provides an excellent atmosphere with live Jazz on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. It’s on Nguuyen Thai ban, although not the easiest to find so a taxi ride in recommended. The best value French restaurant is probably La Nicoise. Situated on Ngo Duc Ke, this hole-in-the-wall serves up some sumptuous authentic cuisine as well as tender steaks for supreme value.
Pomodoro serve fantastic pepperoni pizzas
Italian restaurants find their way to every major – and not so major – city in the world, and it’s no different in Saigon. Perhaps the best place to enjoy a pizza is at Pomodoro, on Hai Ba Trung. The menu also features a wide range of fish, meat and vegetarian dishes ensuring there’s something for everyone.
Venezia Restaurant is located in the dining rooms of the Continental Hotel on Dong Khoi. The charm, elegance and luster of the French colonial architecture provides a romantic setting, while the extensive menu of pastas and other Mediterranean delicacies, along with an excellent wine list, make for a perfect evening. Also worth checking out is the Vietnam Terrazzo, on Ly Tu Trong, where an enormous buffet is offered.
For something a little different in this part of the world, Cantina Central is a classy Mexican restaurant with a comfortable, yet funky upstairs eating area. Cantina, also suitable for just hanging out with a few beers, offers all the traditional Mexican dishes such as tacos and burritos, along with some Western specialties like steak. The restaurant is on Ton That Thiep and has an upstairs balcony, ideal for small groups of diners.
There are a number of other options when it comes to Western cuisine. Pecharan, on Hai Ba Trung, is a popular tapas bar and the city’s first real Spanish experience. The restaurant consists of four dining levels and three bars, including a lively roof terrace overlooking Lam Son Square – without doubt one of Saigon’s most ‘hip’ restaurants.
For more European flavours, head to Skewers on Thai Van Lung. This Mediterranean eatery focuses on kebabs and falafel, tasty breads and garlic and mint dips. If you’re particularly hungry, Au Lac do Brazil, between Vo Thi Sau and Dien Bien Phu, is a Brazilian-style churrascaria (all-you-can-eat with barbequed meat), with live Latin music from Tuesday to Saturday.
There are numerous Japanese and Korean restaurants located along Le Thanh Ton and Thai Van Lung streets. However, the best place for Korean cuisine is Dae Jang Geum inside the Diamond Plaza Shopping Centre. Here you can sample the Kalbi – marinated barbeque beef prepared cooked at the table – followed by the traditional alcoholic beverage of choice, soju. Another restaurant worth checking out is Bu Ja Jib, on the East Asian strip, which serves up a traditional Korean set menu. More on Saigon bars.
One of the oldest and most popular Japanese restaurants is The Sushi Bar on Le Thanh Ton. If the name sounds plain, the fantastic selection of raw fish certainly is not. This sushi restaurant is complimented by a small upstairs bar which givers diners the feeling they’re sitting in the centre of Tokyo. Other recommended alternatives are K Café, Sakura and Kampachi.
Malee Thai, on Dong Du, offers some of the best Thai foods in Saigon, with tom yam and massaman being the recommended dishes. If Indian cuisine takes your fancy head to Ha Ba Trung, where you will find The Tandoor, on Le Thanh Ton, where you can see if you can deal with Ashoka’s spicy dishes. On the same street is the Nepalese restaurant Chautari where you can sample the fried beef, traditional dumplings and tasty potato dishes.
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