Cafés, Restos & Bistros in Ho Chi Minh City Where You Should Go After Work, According to My Vietnamese Friends
Friday, July 20, 2018 Cafe - Coffee , Vietnam 0 Comments

Cafés, Restos & Bistros in Ho Chi Minh City Where You Should Go After Work

Is it 6:00 P.M. now – time to go out of the office? Even if the debilitating demands of Saigon’s typical workweek might be crushing at times especially when you find yourself drowning from a truckload of work and suffering from the heat and crazy traffic. If you’re looking for a respite from the demands of this Vietnamese city, you’d be happy to know that you can actually treat yourself to good food, good, company, and even some great view, and you don’t even have to go far and wide! According to my Vietnamese friends, there are a multitude of good options to pick from if you are in Ho Chi Minh City, and surprisingly enough, a lot of expats come to these places too! So, without further delay, here are the notable recommendations where you can watch the horizon’s breathtaking changes, or do some nice people watching while sharing good food and memories with those closest to you.

L’Usine Le Loi

Address: 70B Le Loi, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Phường Bến Thành Quận 1 Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily 7:30 A.M. – 10:30 P.M.
Website: http://lusinespace.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lusinespace/

Before traveling to Vietnam, I read a lot about L’Usine le Loi in Saigon on blogs and in articles. Have you been to L’Usine le Loi? The place was packed at lunchtime and definitely had a hipster/expat/urban-nomad vibe going on. Does it look like your kind of hangout or coffee place? Read more at: http://curlytraveller.com/2017/04/lusine-le-loi-hipster-cafeteria-bistro-shop-saigon.html

Mountain Retreat Vietnamese Restaurant

Address: 36 Lê Lợi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 A.M. – 9:30 P.M.
Website: http://mountainretreat.restaurantsnapshot.com/?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mountainretreatvn/

Vietnamese Countryside Dining With A View. Who would’ve thought that in the middle of downtown Saigon, amongst the high-rises, noise and cars is a little countryside oasis. Located on Le Loi, Mountain Retreat (Rooftop, 36 Le Loi, D1) offers what it says on the tin, “a retreat in the mountains”— the “mountains” being the city in this case, and probably the location as well because you have to climb five flights of stairs to get to the “retreat”—consider it a workout to earn your dinner. Red lanterns along the stairways lead the way so no sherpas are needed. The space is divided into several areas: the main floor with a half indoor, half outdoor dining area, a back patio and the kitchen. Everything is open plan and unless you sit right in front of the air-conditioning unit you’ll have to rely on the occasional breeze that comes by to cool you down. Read more at: http://oivietnam.com/2016/05/retreat-into-food/

Pasteur Street Brewing Co Saigon

Address: 144 Pasteur, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily 11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Website: https://pasteurstreet.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PasteurStreetBrewing/

I was wondering how the long-deceased Louis Pasteur would feel knowing that the Saigon street in which his people played with chemical potions to cure the world’s ills - there's still a Pasteur Insitute at the opposite end of Pasteur St - is now home to a different form of fermentational experimentation. Alex Violette, brewmaster and co-owner of the Pasteur Street Brewing company, quickly relieved me of my curiosity. He told me that the great French chemist and microbiologist, who remains one of a handful of his countrymen to continue to have a presence in Vietnamese street names, also produced one of the world’s first guides to the brewing of beer. This is no joke. Read more at: https://www.rustycompass.com/vietnam-travel-guide-233/ho-chi-minh-city-4/nightlife-17/pasteur-street-brewing-company-saigon-1064#.W1GTndIzaUk

Phuc Long Coffee & Tea Express

Address: 325 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily 7:00 A.M. – 10:30 P.M.
Website: https://www.phuclong.com.vn/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phuclongcoffeeandtea/

If Phuc Long at the corner of Dong Khoi - Mac Thi Buoi is small and focused for retail, Phuc Long Coffee & Tea House at Crescent mall - Phu My Hung has large space, very majestic with modern design. It consists of 2 indoor and outdoor areas. The house has its own merchandise area to sell the tea and coffee products branded Phuc Long. Located in the commercial center with high ceiling advantages, making the space here very cool (I think if you make a mezzanine floor is still full). Read more at: http://withtuna.com/blog/phuc-long-coffee-tea-house-crescent-mall-pmh/

Puro Gusto

Address: Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expy, Phường 2, Tân Bình, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily 24 Hours
Website: http://www.autogrill.com/en/brands/puro-gusto
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Puro-Gusto/1652979008292031

I was there for a quick cappuccino and a mini Danish pastry and the whole lot, including the same order for my pal Ken came to just EUR3.90. Not bad. As we were there for a brief pitstop (I had enjoyed a rather healthy breakfast back at the hotel) the cappuccinos were served in paper cups, Normally I have tea, but I couldn't see it mentioned anywhere on the menu board behind the counter so I opted for a coffee – rare for me, being a creature of habit. Read more at: http://teashopandcaff.blogspot.com/2014/02/puro-gusto-milano-italy.html

Runam Bistro

Address: 42 Phan Bội Châu, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily 7:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Website: http://www.caferunam.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runambistro/

Nice coffee shop direct opposite of the Ben Than market. They roast coffee them selves and sell it too. Nice interior, good food and - of course - good coffee. Present boxes with coffee theme and sweets are also on sale. Perfect for a pause after shopping in Ben Than market. Read more at: https://www.citypassguide.com/en/travel/ho-chi-minh-city/drink/blog/pure-vietnamese-coffee-in-saigon-a-chat-with-cafe-runam

Saigon Café

Address: 2 Đồng Khởi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Opening Hours: Daily 7:30 A.M. – 10:00 P.M.
Website: http://diadiemanuong.com/tp-ho-chi-minh/saigon-cafe-dong-khoi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saigoncafedongkhoi/

Vietnam is the 2nd largest coffee exporter of the world and its coffee culture is remarkable. You will never run out of cafes to visit – I bet you there is one in every block. Yet, people still ask for some recommendations. I totally understand. With so many choices, you can get overwhelmed, so here is a list that has narrowed down the 1000s of cafes in the city of Saigon to just 11. It excludes those well-known brands such as Trung Nguyen, Phuc Long and the Coffee House. Despite their delicious coffee and awesome environment, they can get a bit crowded as they are popular. If you just want to find a place to relax with a book and a cuppa, then this list is definitely for you. Read more at: https://blog.christinas.vn/best-cafes-in-saigon/

Streets of Saigon

Address: In the Middle of Saigon
Opening Hours: Daily 24 Hours

The street food scene in Saigon permeates every district, neighbourhood, and alleyway; the city boasts so many street food outlets that, at times, Saigon feels like one gigantic, open-air restaurant. Every day, thousands of street-side eateries offer up delicious, cheap food in an informal environment on the city’s sidewalks. But street food is about more than food: it’s about atmosphere and ambience. As a friend of mine once pointed out, if you take street food home with you, it doesn’t taste anywhere near as good. Eating street food is without doubt the best thing to do in Saigon. Here are my 7 favourite streets for street food in Saigon. Read more at: http://vietnamcoracle.com/top-5-street-food-streets-in-saigon/