Old Saigon style has always been a trend that is never outdated, extremely “artistic” with aesthetic values, both luxurious and close. Let’s take a look at the old style Saigon restaurants to choose for yourself a destination in a rainy afternoon of Saigon!
1. Cuc Gach Quan (Brick )
Address: 10 Dang Tat, Tan Dinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Phone: 028 3848 0144
If you are a person who is always looking for ancient beauty, then the name of Cuc Gach Quan is no longer strange. Located on a road not too big, no hustle and bustle, Cuc Gach Quan with quiet space has the old part “take heart” of customers in the nostalgic, slightly simple but extremely close.
The principle of this old Saigon style restaurant owner is to preserve the ways in which to eat the way of life of the people before, “eat clean green and live” so from chopsticks, bowl to taste the food are all “classic”. Cuc Gach Quan mainly uses gourmet bowls with raw glaze color, chopsticks reminiscent of sugar jars and salt jars, which were used by the houses very often. Even a few dishes that have chipped out are reminiscent of the extremely beautiful ancient features.
The menu of the Cuc Gach Quan is also mainly for dishes prepared from familiar ingredients, easy to find: copper fish, tofu, chao, pork … and especially a lot of vegetables: water spinach, squash, beans dragons, natural cotton … Most wedges are very flavorful, do not use marinated chemicals and very little MSG – suitable for those who are sensitive or allergic to this spice.
Some items that the writer thinks you should try when coming to this old-style Saigon restaurant: brown rice with seafood, dried papaya with papaya, and fireworks of Ms. Bay (very crispy, soaked in plastic so no longer plastic , do not use borax should eat the right coffee but not bitter), toad chicken salad, squash or dragon beans are also very young and frugal …
Especially, when customers come to this Vietnamese restaurant, they are very impressed, even expressed their interest in the water contained in the bottle with banana leaf cap, and sucked with spinach stalks, very rustic and sure environmental protection too.
Or if you are a coffee addict, a hot black film with the words of fake Saigon is sure to make you feel so sweet for this 300-year-old city without any sugar.
Some drinks you should try: black coffee, rice water, roasted black bean juice …
Today, people do not have to go to the restaurant just to eat and fill hunger, but we also seek harmony and beauty with ourselves. Therefore, a number of people like to go to the old style Saigon restaurants to search for the disappeared beauty.
2. Secret Garden Restaurant
Address: Terrace, 158 Pasteur, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Phone: 090 990 46 21
Secret Garden is considered as a check-in place, so when we have foreign friends to visit in Ho Chi Minh City, it is not because this is a typical Saigon style restaurant, not because of its prime location. The location is located on the rooftop in the center, easily accessible to the night view of this city of light, but by the taste of the dish is extremely clinging to it. The difference in Asian and European tastes in particular and between Vietnamese and foreign friends is sometimes quite large, so sometimes “disagreement of taste”. But in Secret Garden the dishes are frugal and still retain the original character of the dish, balancing the taste for the most difficult people. So this “luxury” restaurant is a great choice when you want to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to your friends.
The restaurant has indoor and outdoor spaces, if you like the night air and can see Saigon from above, the open space outside will be the right choice for you.
Secret Garden not only focuses on dishes, but also pays great attention to the decoration of space, and takes care of every piece of furniture, chopsticks, bowls … in order to re-create the perfect space in the middle of Modern Saigon.
The menu here is quite rich, with more than 20 appetizers, including: grilled lemongrass rolls, meat lotus tubers, salad with prawns and shrimps … The main dish is a lot and ensures full stomach, if you like You can order white rice and “3 dishes 1 soup” to find the feeling of your home. Drinks in Secret Garden are diverse, I recommend that you order a tea pot (quite large, enough for groups of about 3-4 people)
Secret Garden is a “luxurious” restaurant, but the quality, taste and space are highly appreciated, totally worthy of the money you spend.
And this old Saigon style restaurant, perhaps because of wanting to “mix and match” 100% with the old style, is also located on the top floor of an old French apartment building. But once upon a time … without an elevator, you would have to climb to the Secret Garden. However, exercising a bit will eat better, right?
3. Mountain Retreat Restaurant
Address: 36 Le Loi, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Phone: 090 719 45 57
I think Mountain Retreat will be extremely suitable for those who not only demand quality flavor, but also must be eye-catching and always look for “art”-filled shop spaces.
Plus for Mountain Retreat is very quiet space, even if there is no form of private room, then your meal will not be interrupted by noise, or hustle, cramped. If you are looking for a meal on a wooden table, a bit of bananas with a simple tray of “Vietnam” style, perhaps Mountain Retreat is the place for you.
The dishes in the menu are varied, but they bring extremely simple names: fried chicken with garlic, beef with mixed beef, and spring rolls. True to the simple, frugal but extremely unforgettable nature of Vietnamese cuisine.
Vietnamese Restaurant Mountain Retreat always understands the desire to cling to customers, they must match their taste, so here the quality of the dishes is very focused, the dishes meet the taste, but not lose quality ancient, integrated to fit international friends but did not lose the identity of Vietnamese cuisine.
The dishes you should try when coming to Mountain Retreat: Grilled roasted pork ribs, baked rice paper, gourd quail eggs, fried chicken fried with fish sauce, miserable salad with cotton balls …
4. Com Nha Quan
Address: 151/6 Dong Khoi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Phone: 0909.148.223
True to its name, Com Nha Quan feels like you are waiting for the rice tray after a tiring working day. The phrase most mentioned by the customers here is “as mother cooks” – because the owner of this place always advocates cooking delicious and friendly and familiar dishes.
The space is very beautiful, with the familiar typing chairs as in the movies about old Saigon, the bright, light yellow walls of the old houses, the tiled floors bring an ancient feeling but full of nobility mix a bit of classical French.
The menu of Com Nha Quan is not as big as other old-style Saigon restaurants, but because of the owner of the kitchen, the dishes and spices are very different and simple but not boring and moderate. but not. A set (lunch or dinner) is very much, only for those who have the “more than people” eating power will not feel full.
5.Quan Bui
Address: 17A Ngo Van Nam, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
Phone: 08 3829 1515
Quan Bui has 3 branches: 17A Ngo Van Nam (district 1), Quan Bui Garden (55A – 55B Ngo Quang Huy, Thao Dien area, District 2), and Quan Bui Bistro (1st floor, 39 Ly Tu Trong , Q.1). The shop is designed in the old Indochina style, so you can easily find the images of old Saigon here, with baked pottery, wooden tables or variations from the classic Seiko sewing machine table. …
This ancient style Saigon restaurant is the first choice of quite a number of guests when thinking of Vietnamese cuisine, because of the bold taste of Vietnamese identity, diverse and full-fledged dishes of all three northern regions. – Central – South. The space is cared for, brought a little old, a little rustic and a bit of elegance intertwined, and harmonized on the background of Ngo Thuy Mien’s music, Trinh’s …
The space is wide, the menu is rich in dishes from the three regions, so it is suitable for family gatherings, or follow your group – especially if you want to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to foreign friends. The dishes in Dust are generally wedge-shaped, using less oil so eating is not strangled and makes you feel sick.
The items here look a little outward but actually quite a lot, especially the rice parts – if you eat less you probably won’t be able to eat it all. Some dishes that I suggest when you come to this Vietnamese restaurant: salted egg tofu with crispy tofu wrapped in a strange, delicious, salty egg; Cashew brown rice with soft brown rice, cashew nuts and fat. If you want to be frugal, you can order boiled vegetables to eat together with stall or stewed fish sauce. If you are a believer in fried dishes, you should try crab soup – crunchy with a lot of fillings, or a very tasty fish dish.
6. Ngoc Chau Garden
Address: 116 Ho Tung Mau, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Phone: 028 6687 3838
Ngoc Chau Garden is a Vietnamese restaurant with a golden brown color in design, bringing a warm and nostalgic feeling. Furniture (tables, chairs, stairs …) are all wood, with rattan decorations, bamboo creates a very pure Vietnamese space and is particularly quiet, ensuring you will enjoy a comfortable meal. His side with friends and family.
The price in this old style Saigon restaurant is in my pocket, ranging from about 50.000 -85.000VND / dish, the seafood dishes or the big meals will be a little bit more, 15.000VND / part of rice. The dish is just enough so you can try many dishes without fear of boredom, the menu is varied of dishes from North – Central – South. The seasoning tastes just right, the dishes are eye-catching; Although there are dishes of the three regions, it seems that spices are much more southerly (but not too sweet!).
The dishes that you can try if you choose Ngoc Chau Garden for the first time: Roll salad, Ngoc Chau fried rice, stir fried beef (very soft and cool, suitable to the hot weather of this season of Saigon) , boiled meat served with Hue prawn shrimp – extremely bold and “good”.
You can choose individual dishes, or set by set, for example set lunch with pork roasted sour mustard, pepper store frog, Braised snakehead fish, sour shrimp soup … The menu also has dishes Homemade drinks (including alcohol!), snacks such as burnt rice and onion fat to “eat lightly”. The menu is presented in Vietnamese, English and Japanese, making it easy for international guests to choose.
The service staff, especially the guard uncle in Ngoc Chau Garden, were extremely lovely, enthusiastic and very friendly. If you come to Ngoc Chau Garden, you will always come across the smiles of the staff here, and many foreign guests are delighted with the “delicious home made” flavor of the food here.