The downtown core: colonial boulevards, Ben Thanh Market, rooftop bars and the widest span of eating, from banh mi queues to Michelin tables.
Secret Garden hides on the rooftop of an old apartment block off Pasteur, serving home-style Southern Vietnamese cooking on a breezy open-air terrace.
Signature: Banh xeo, Fresh spring rolls, Grilled pork
Order: Banh xeo and the fresh spring rolls with boiled pork.
Tip: It is up several flights inside an old building; look for the small sign and keep climbing.
Quan Ngon 138 gathers dozens of regional Vietnamese street dishes near the Independence Palace, cooked at open stalls inside a colonial-era house.
Signature: Banh xeo, Bun bo Hue, Goi cuon
Order: Work through several small dishes; the banh xeo and grilled meats are reliable.
Tip: It is busy and touristy but a painless way to sample many regional dishes in one sitting.
Home Saigon tucks into a quiet alley off Pham Ngu Lao, plating polished versions of family Southern Vietnamese recipes in a set of restored old-house rooms.
Signature: Grilled pork, Clay-pot fish, Vietnamese salads
Order: The caramelised clay-pot fish and the pomelo salad.
Tip: It sits down a narrow hem; the street entrance is easy to miss, so follow the house numbers.
Hoi An Sense is a Michelin Selected restaurant bringing central Vietnamese cooking to a garden villa in Da Kao, from cao lau to white rose dumplings.
Signature: Cao lau, White rose dumplings, Central Vietnamese dishes
Order: Cao lau noodles and the white rose shrimp dumplings.
Tip: The garden courtyard is the seat to request; there is often live traditional music at dinner.
ST25 by KOTO is a Michelin Selected farm-to-table Vietnamese restaurant on Le Duan, run by the KOTO social enterprise that trains at-risk youth.
Signature: ST25 rice dishes, Farm-to-table Vietnamese
Order: Dishes built around Vietnam's award-winning ST25 rice.
Tip: Eating here supports KOTO's hospitality training programme; the set lunch is good value.
Pizza 4P's is the Vietnam-born chain that makes its own cheese and fires Japanese-Italian pizzas; the Saigon Centre branch is its polished downtown flagship.
Signature: Burrata pizza, House-made cheese, Wood-fired pizzas
Order: The half-and-half burrata pizza with house-made mozzarella.
Tip: Book ahead; the chain is hugely popular and the mall branch fills at lunch and dinner.
Bep Me In is a Michelin Bib Gourmand room dressing up Southern Vietnamese home cooking in a nostalgic old-Saigon setting just off Le Thanh Ton in District 1.
Signature: Southern home cooking, Clay pots, Grilled dishes
Order: The clay-pot braises and grilled river fish.
Tip: The retro decor draws a young local crowd; it is down a lane, so watch the house numbers.
Lang Nuong Nam Bo is a rowdy Southern barbecue institution where whole suckling pig and skewers come off open grills across a sprawling District 10 compound.
Signature: Grilled suckling pig, Southern barbecue, Grilled river fish
Order: The grilled suckling pig and a spread of Southern-style skewers.
Tip: Come with a group and plenty of beer; the grilled meats are meant for sharing.
Quan Bui is a polished mini-chain of Vietnamese restaurants, and its Le Duan branch is a reliable, air-conditioned room for Southern home cooking.
Signature: Grilled pork, Clay-pot fish, Vietnamese salads
Order: The grilled pork ribs and the morning-glory with garlic.
Tip: It is a comfortable introduction to Vietnamese food for first-timers, with an English menu and cocktails.
Baba's Kitchen is Saigon's best-known Indian restaurant, a Bui Vien mainstay for North and South Indian curries, tandoor grills and thali plates.
Signature: Butter chicken, Biryani, Thali
Order: The butter chicken with garlic naan, or a South Indian thali.
Tip: It is on the backpacker strip; the thali is the value order and the kitchen does mild-to-fiery on request.
The Racha Room is a stylish Thai fusion restaurant and bar on Mac Thi Buoi, plating punchy modern Thai plates and cocktails in a dim, design-led District 1.
Signature: Massaman curry, Pad Thai, Thai fusion plates
Order: The massaman curry and a lemongrass cocktail.
Tip: It turns into a lively bar later; book for dinner if you want a quieter table.
Nha Hang Ngon is a bustling institution in a colonial villa on Pasteur, gathering open stalls of regional Vietnamese street dishes under one roof.
Signature: Banh xeo, Goi cuon, Regional street dishes
Order: A spread of small dishes; the banh xeo and cha gio are reliable.
Tip: It is touristy and busy but a painless one-stop sampler of dozens of Vietnamese dishes.
Sorae is a high-end Japanese restaurant and lounge in the AB Tower, serving sushi, sashimi and wagyu across a dramatic space with skyline views.
Signature: Sushi, Sashimi, Wagyu
Order: The omakase sushi selection or the wagyu.
Tip: It sits at the base of the AB Tower; dress smart and book a window table for the view.
Ngoc Suong is a long-running upscale seafood restaurant in a classic villa on Suong Nguyet Anh, plating fresh fish, prawns and crab in a formal room.
Signature: Steamed fish, Grilled prawns, Crab
Order: Steamed reef fish and salt-and-pepper prawns.
Tip: It suits a group seafood banquet; fish is priced by weight from the tanks.
Anan Saigon holds one Michelin star for Peter Cuong Franklin's new Vietnamese cooking, turning street classics like banh mi and pho into tasting courses.
Order: The tasting menu, with its caviar-topped banh mi and reimagined pho.
Tip: Book ahead for the counter; the rooftop Nhau Nhau bar upstairs is worth a nightcap.
Akuna holds one Michelin star under Australian chef Sam Aisbett, pairing modern Australian technique with Japanese ideas and Vietnamese produce.
Order: The seasonal degustation on the ninth floor of Le Meridien.
Tip: It sits on the 9th floor of Le Meridien; dinner only, closed Sunday and Monday.
Long Trieu at The Reverie holds one Michelin star for refined Cantonese cooking: abalone, sea cucumber, Peking duck and honey-glazed barbecue pork.
Order: Suckling pig and Peking duck, carved tableside.
Tip: It is on the 4th floor of the Times Square building; go for a long lunch of dim sum.
Esta is a District 1 tasting room where a modern kitchen plates Asian fusion; it has featured in the Michelin Guide and Robb Report Vietnam's top 25.
Order: The chef's tasting menu, which crosses Asian influences.
Tip: Reservations are strongly recommended; email or call ahead, as the room is small and books out.
Quince is a Michelin Selected wood-fire kitchen open since 2018, where an open hearth of glowing embers drives bold, smoke-kissed modern cooking.
Order: Anything off the wood fire; the menu changes with the market.
Tip: The open kitchen counter is the seat to book for the full show.
Stoker is a Michelin-listed three-floor steakhouse in District 1 built around an open wood fire and grass-fed and grain-fed beef dry-aged over 21 days.
Order: A dry-aged steak from the wood fire, plus the bone marrow.
Tip: The ground-floor counter around the open kitchen is the liveliest seat.
Le Corto is a polished French room off Dong Khoi, open since 2016, plating foie gras, duck, pigeon and souffle from a long list of French classics.
Order: The Grand Marnier souffle to finish.
Tip: The bar pours a deep French wine list; smart-casual dress suits the room.
Noir serves a set tasting menu in complete darkness, guided by blind and visually impaired waiters, a District 1 dinner about taste, smell and touch.
Order: The surprise set menu; choose meat, seafood, vegetarian or mixed.
Tip: Lock your phone away and let the waiters lead; book online in advance.
Vietnam House sits in a colonial building on Dong Khoi, where a team under chef Luke Nguyen elevates traditional Vietnamese dishes with a modern twist.
Order: The clay-pot fish and the shaking beef.
Tip: The upstairs dining room is grander; lunch is a quieter time to visit.
Hoa Tuc plates refined modern Vietnamese cooking in a former opium-refinery courtyard off Hai Ba Trung, and runs the well-known Saigon Cooking Class upstairs.
Order: The betel-leaf beef and the pomelo salad.
Tip: The courtyard is a calm escape from the traffic; book for dinner outdoors.
Banh Xeo 46A is the sizzling-pancake specialist off Tan Dinh, where turmeric-yellow rice crepes stuffed with shrimp and pork come wrapped in herbs and greens.
Signature: Banh xeo, Sizzling rice pancake, Nem nuong
Order: A whole banh xeo, torn into lettuce with herbs and fish sauce.
Tip: One pancake is bigger than it looks; order one to start and share before adding more.
Bun Bo Nam Giao has cooked Hue-style spicy beef noodle soup since 1991, its lemongrass-and-chili broth a backpacker-district fixture near Bui Vien.
Signature: Bun bo Hue, Spicy beef noodle soup
Order: The full bun bo Hue with beef shank and cha.
Tip: The broth is fiery by Southern standards; add the shrimp paste on the side to taste.
Com Ga Hai Nam plates Hainanese-style chicken over rice cooked in the poaching broth, a tidy District 10 counter for steamed or roasted chicken.
Signature: Com ga, Hainanese chicken rice, Roast chicken rice
Order: Steamed chicken over the broth-cooked rice with ginger sauce.
Tip: Ask for a mix of steamed and roasted chicken if you cannot choose; both are strong.
This District 10 counter is known for banh canh ghe, a thick tapioca noodle soup piled with sea crab and served with tangy green-chili salt.
Signature: Banh canh ghe, Crab tapioca noodle soup, Green chili salt
Order: Banh canh ghe with a whole sea crab and the green-chili salt.
Tip: Crack the crab into the soup and dip the meat in the green-chili salt on the side.
Pho Quynh sits on the backpacker strip of Pham Ngu Lao and runs nearly around the clock, a reliable late bowl of pho and beef stew for the Bui Vien crowd.
Signature: Pho bo kho, Beef stew pho, Late-night pho
Order: The pho bo kho, a beef-stew twist on the classic bowl.
Tip: It is one of the few kitchens serving proper pho well after midnight in the backpacker area.
Ha Ton Quyen is Saigon's sui cao street, and this corner is a favourite for hand-pulled egg noodles and plump pork-and-shrimp dumplings in clear broth.
Signature: Sui cao, Hand-pulled noodles, Wonton noodles
Order: A bowl of sui cao dumplings with hand-pulled mi.
Tip: The whole block is dumpling shops with pavement tables; it is busiest and best in the evening.
Pho Hung is a big, busy pho hall on Nguyen Trai near the backpacker area, a convenient all-day bowl of Southern beef pho with the full raft of herbs.
Signature: Pho bo, Pho ga, Beef pho
Order: Pho bo with a side plate of herbs and lime.
Tip: It is roomy and central, an easy pho stop between District 1 and Cho Lon.
Thanh Dat is a busy hu tieu Nam Vang specialist on Ly Thai To, serving the Phnom Penh-style noodle in a clear, sweet pork broth topped with pork and shrimp.
Signature: Hu tieu Nam Vang, Dry noodles, Pork and shrimp noodles
Order: Hu tieu Nam Vang kho, dry with the broth alongside.
Tip: Order it dry to appreciate the springy noodles; the broth comes in a separate bowl.
Hoang Lan is a District 10 favourite for banh canh cua, a thick tapioca noodle soup heavy with crab meat, pork and quail eggs in a glossy, peppery broth.
Signature: Banh canh cua, Crab tapioca noodle soup
Order: The loaded banh canh cua with extra crab.
Tip: It runs late morning to evening; the broth is deliberately thick, so eat it while piping hot.
Ut Le is an evening banh canh cua stall on To Hien Thanh, ladling a rich crab-and-pork tapioca noodle soup to a loyal District 10 crowd from mid-afternoon.
Signature: Banh canh cua, Crab noodle soup
Order: Banh canh cua with crab, cha and a quail egg.
Tip: It opens mid-afternoon and runs late; a good stop on a District 10 evening food crawl.
The Workshop was among the first cafes to take specialty coffee seriously in Saigon, a light-filled heritage loft up a staircase off Dong Khoi.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: A single-origin pour-over from the brew bar.
Tip: It is up a rickety staircase off Dong Khoi; the big windows make it a fine spot to work.
Okkio is a design-led Saigon coffee brand whose Dong Khoi flagship, up an alley and a flight of stairs, is a local favourite for coconut coffee.
Signature drink: Coconut coffee
Order: The coconut coffee, blended thick over ice.
Tip: The entrance is up an alley off Dong Khoi; look for the small sign and climb the stairs.
L'Usine is a cafe, all-day kitchen and concept store rolled into one, its Le Thanh Ton branch a bright colonial-loft spot for Western brunch.
Signature drink: Flat white
Order: A flat white with the eggs benedict from the all-day menu.
Tip: The cafe hides behind the boutique; walk through the shop to reach the tables.
Runam is a lavish multi-storey cafe in a French-style mansion facing the cathedral, pouring Vietnamese egg coffee and hot drip alongside a full breakfast.
Signature drink: Egg coffee
Order: Egg coffee, Saigon style, with a banh mi to follow.
Tip: It faces Notre Dame Cathedral; the upstairs rooms are quieter for a slow breakfast.
Cong Caphe is Vietnam's most recognisable cafe brand, styling its rooms in nostalgic wartime bao cap decor, famous here for its coconut coffee.
Signature drink: Coconut coffee
Order: The coconut coffee smoothie, thick and cold.
Tip: It is inside the Cafe Apartment on Nguyen Hue; take the lift or the stairs to find it.
Partea is an English tearoom inside the Cafe Apartment on Nguyen Hue, serving a long list of loose-leaf teas in vintage porcelain in a chintzy room.
Signature drink: Afternoon tea
Order: A pot of loose-leaf tea with the scones.
Tip: It is one of dozens of cafes stacked in the Cafe Apartment; the tea list is the reason to climb up.
The Japanese specialty brand % Arabica occupies the fourth floor of the Cafe Apartment, a minimalist white counter pouring precise espresso downtown.
Signature drink: Kyoto latte
Order: The signature Kyoto latte or a clean espresso.
Tip: It sits on the 4th floor of the Cafe Apartment; go early to beat the queue for a window seat.
Trung Nguyen Legend is the flagship cafe of Vietnam's biggest coffee company, a grand Le Loi space serving the brand's phin-brewed robusta blends.
Signature drink: Vietnamese phin coffee
Order: A phin of the Legend blend, black or with condensed milk.
Tip: It is a polished chain flagship, handy for a downtown coffee break with reliable air conditioning.
Old Compass is a bohemian third-floor cafe and cultural space hidden down a Pasteur alley, a bookish, old-world room for drip coffee, tea and events.
Signature drink: Vietnamese drip coffee
Order: A Vietnamese drip coffee with a slice of cake.
Tip: It is up three flights down an alley by Liberty Citypoint; the entrance is easy to miss, so watch for the sign.
The Vagabond is a patisserie and cafe set in a restored old villa in Da Kao, pairing carefully made French pastries and cakes with coffee in a calm room.
Signature drink: Coffee and French pastries
Order: A French pastry from the counter with a flat white.
Tip: The old-house setting is the draw; the pastry case is best stocked earlier in the day.
The Coffee House is a homegrown Vietnamese chain popular with students and remote workers, its Nguyen Trai branch a bright, reliable spot for iced coffee.
Signature drink: Vietnamese iced coffee
Order: A ca phe sua da or the peach tea.
Tip: It is a work-friendly chain, not a specialty roaster; the upstairs seating is quietest for laptops.
Highlands is Vietnam's biggest home-grown coffee chain, and its Ham Nghi branch is a dependable downtown stop for phin-brewed sua da and freeze drinks.
Signature drink: Phin sua da
Order: A phin sua da and a Vietnamese-style banh mi.
Tip: It is a nationwide chain rather than a specialty spot, but handy and air-conditioned in the centre.
Maison Marou is the cafe and patisserie arm of Marou, the Saigon bean-to-bar chocolate maker, turning its single-origin Vietnamese chocolate into tarts.
Order: The dark chocolate tart and a cup of hot chocolate.
Tip: You can watch pastry work through the glass; the boxed bars make the best edible souvenir.
Worth the queue: Chocolate tart
Tous Les Jours is the ubiquitous Korean-French bakery chain whose Le Loi branch stacks its cases with cream buns, cheese breads and sponge cakes.
Order: A cream-filled bun or the cheese bread, straight from the case.
Tip: It is a reliable chain, not artisan; the appeal is cheap cakes and air conditioning downtown.
Worth the queue: Cream-filled pastries
PAUL is the French boulangerie chain whose Saigon Centre branch bakes proper laminated croissants, baguettes and tarts, a reliable Western pastry stop.
Order: A butter croissant and a pain au chocolat.
Tip: It sits on the ground floor of Saigon Centre; the croissants are freshest in the morning.
Worth the queue: Butter croissant
Bosgaurus is one of Saigon's most serious roasters, working Vietnamese highland beans alongside imported single origins in a striking multi-storey cafe.
Order: A pour-over of the roaster's Vietnamese Cau Dat lot.
Tip: The riverside Ton Duc Thang space is the flagship; ask the baristas what they just roasted.
Sources from: Vietnam, Ethiopia, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Lacaph is a coffee experience space and roaster devoted to Vietnamese beans, its exposed-brick District 1 room built for tastings of phin-brewed coffee.
Order: A guided tasting flight of Vietnamese single origins.
Tip: Book the tasting flight to compare phin, filter and espresso brews of the same Vietnamese bean.
Sources from: Vietnam
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Phin, Whole bean retail
The Refinery is a French brasserie and wine bar in a heritage former opium refinery, a Saigon institution since 2006 with a leafy courtyard.
Signature pour: A French white with the oysters
Wine focus: French and old-world wines
Food: French brasserie plates
Order: A glass of French white with the moules or oysters.
Tip: The courtyard is a calm escape from the traffic; it doubles as a full brasserie for lunch.
Drinking and Healing is one of Saigon's most sought-after cocktail bars, a dim speakeasy where the drinks lean on Vietnamese herbs and spirits.
Signature drink: Vietnamese-ingredient cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A cocktail built on local ingredients from the seasonal list.
Tip: It is up a narrow staircase with no obvious sign; book ahead as the room is tiny.
Snuffbox is a hidden speakeasy off Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, an intimate low-lit room turning out precise classics and house cocktails for Saigon.
Signature drink: Classic and signature cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A well-made classic or the bartender's choice off menu.
Tip: The entrance is deliberately discreet; call ahead and the staff will point you to the door.
Stir is a hidden cocktail bar tucked inside a District 1 residential block, a warm room of seasonal signature drinks that rewards anyone who finds it.
Signature drink: Seasonal signature cocktails
Food: Small plates
Order: One of the seasonal signatures built around local produce.
Tip: It hides inside a residential building; look for the unmarked stairwell off Le Thanh Ton.
Chill Skybar was Vietnam's first rooftop bar, a sprawling open-air deck on the 26th floor of the AB Tower with 360-degree city views and pricey drinks.
Signature drink: Cocktails with a skyline view
Food: Dining menu
Order: A signature cocktail at sunset over the skyline.
Tip: There is a smart dress code; arrive before dark for a table on the open-air rail.
Broma is a laid-back rooftop overlooking the Nguyen Hue walking street, a low-key early-evening drink that builds into an eclectic music party at night.
Signature drink: Cocktails over Nguyen Hue
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A cocktail on the terrace above the Nguyen Hue crowds.
Tip: Head up early for a rail seat over the walking street before the DJ turns it into a club.
Rehab Station is a moody cocktail bar set in a restored old building off Nguyen Binh Khiem, a favourite of Saigon's late crowd for well-made drinks.
Signature drink: House cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A house cocktail from the rotating list.
Tip: It sits down a lane near the Botanical Gardens; it hits its stride late in the evening.
Malt is a relaxed downtown bar known for two things, a deep craft-beer list and a shuffleboard table, a low-key alternative to Saigon's speakeasies.
Signature drink: Craft beer and cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A local craft beer and a round on the shuffleboard.
Tip: It is more pub than speakeasy; go for craft beer and the shuffleboard, not a dress code.
Layla is a buzzy cocktail bar and eatery in a colonial apartment block off Dong Du, with one of the city's longest bars, floor-to-ceiling windows.
Signature drink: Signature cocktails
Food: Small plates
Order: A signature cocktail with a plate from the kitchen.
Tip: It is the bigger sister of Summer Experiment; the eleven-metre bar is the seat to grab.
Nhau Nhau is the rooftop bar atop Anan Saigon, a narrow perch over the Ton That Dam wet market that riffs on Vietnam's nhau drinking culture with cocktails.
Signature drink: Nhau-culture cocktails
Food: Vietnamese small plates
Order: A cocktail built on local herbs and rice spirit.
Tip: It shares a building with the one-star Anan; head to the roof for the wet-market view.
Summer Experiment is a sustainability-minded cocktail bar on Ly Tu Trong, growing herbs on its rooftop for a low-waste drinks list served in a warm room.
Signature drink: Sustainable garden cocktails
Food: Small plates
Order: A garden cocktail made with the rooftop herbs.
Tip: It sits above street level on Ly Tu Trong; the rooftop herb garden supplies the bar.
Firkin is a Mad Men-style cocktail bar up an unassuming staircase on Mac Thi Buoi, all vintage posters, dim light and well-made classic cocktails.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A properly made classic like an Old Fashioned.
Tip: The entrance is easy to miss; head upstairs for the dimly lit, speakeasy-style room.
Banh Mi Huynh Hoa is Saigon's most famous banh mi, a pricey but overstuffed baguette of house pate, cold cuts and butter with a queue near Ben Thanh.
Try: Cold-cut and pate banh mi
Order: The full banh mi thit, loaded with pate, cold cuts and pickles.
Tip: It costs more than most stalls but is packed with meat; expect a queue at peak hours.
Banh Mi Bay Ho is a decades-old Da Kao stall known for its homemade pate, a tiny operation featured on Netflix's Street Food that sells out most afternoons.
Try: Homemade pate banh mi
Order: The classic pate banh mi, made to the family's old recipe.
Tip: It closes when the day's bread runs out, so come well before evening.
Banh Mi Hong Hoa is a busy bakery-and-stall near Ben Thanh turning out generously filled cold-cut baguettes, a rival to the nearby Huynh Hoa queue.
Try: Cold-cut banh mi
Order: The mixed cold-cut banh mi with extra pickles.
Tip: The bread is baked on site through the day, so it is nearly always warm and crisp.
Chi Tuyen is a Co Giang sidewalk stall known for bun thit nuong, cold rice vermicelli piled with charcoal-grilled pork, herbs and a crisp fried spring roll.
Try: Bun thit nuong
Order: Bun thit nuong with an extra grilled spring roll.
Tip: Pour the whole cup of fish-sauce dressing over the noodles and toss before eating.
Chu Se is one of District 1's premier hu tieu spots, ladling the clear pork-bone broth of hu tieu Nam Vang over chewy noodles with pork and shrimp.
Try: Hu tieu
Order: Hu tieu Nam Vang, the dry version with broth on the side.
Tip: Order it kho, dry, with the broth alongside, to taste the noodles the way regulars do.
This Le Thanh Ton cart is a downtown fixture for bo bia, soft rice-paper rolls of jicama, dried shrimp and Chinese sausage, alongside silky tau hu da tofu.
Try: Bo bia and tofu pudding
Order: A handful of bo bia rolls with the sweet-savoury dip.
Tip: Bo bia comes sweet or savoury; the savoury rolls with dried shrimp are the classic snack.
Chi Thong is a Co Giang stall widely rated for some of the best goi cuon in town, fresh rice-paper rolls of poached pork, prawn, vermicelli and herbs.
Try: Goi cuon
Order: Fresh goi cuon with the peanut-hoisin sauce.
Tip: It is part of the Co Giang evening food strip; the rolls are made to order, so they arrive cool and fresh.
On the Co Giang evening food strip, this stall grills bo la lot, minced beef wrapped in fragrant betel leaves, served with rice paper, herbs and a dip.
Try: Bo la lot
Order: Skewers of bo la lot to roll in rice paper with herbs.
Tip: Roll the grilled betel-leaf beef in rice paper with herbs and dip; the strip is busiest around 19:00.
Pasteur Street opened in 2014 and helped start Saigon's craft-beer boom, brewing American styles laced with Vietnamese ingredients like passion fruit.
Order: The Jasmine IPA or the Cyclo Imperial Chocolate Stout.
Tip: The original taproom is up an alley off Pasteur; the tasting flight is the way to sample widely.
Heart of Darkness is one of Saigon's most ambitious breweries, its Ly Tu Trong taproom pouring 20-plus taps of experimental beers under Conrad-inspired names.
Order: A flight across the rotating experimental taps.
Tip: The 20-plus taps rotate fast; the shaded patio is the seat to grab on a hot afternoon.
East West is a large modern brewpub on Ly Tu Trong with an on-site brewery and a broad kitchen, the most polished of Saigon's craft-beer halls.
Order: A pint of the Far East IPA with a plate from the kitchen.
Tip: It doubles as a full restaurant; the industrial upstairs bar is quieter than the ground floor.
Winking Seal is a craft brewery whose District 1 taproom on Dang Thi Nhu pours its own hop-forward and easy-drinking cans and drafts, a relaxed spot.
Order: A flight across the core range of Winking Seal cans.
Tip: The beer is brewed south of the city but the Dang Thi Nhu taproom pours the full range fresh.
Ben Thanh is Saigon's landmark market, a 1914 hall of produce, dry goods and a busy food court by day that spills into an open-air night market.
Order: A bowl of bun mam or che from the covered food court.
Tip: Prices are marked up for tourists; the food-court stalls at the back are the real reason to come.
Ben Thanh Street Food Market is a covered food hall a block from Ben Thanh, gathering stalls of Vietnamese and Asian street dishes around shared tables.
Order: Grilled seafood and a plate of banh xeo from adjacent stalls.
Tip: It is more polished and pricier than the street, but a comfortable air-conditioned sampler.
Ho Thi Ky is Saigon's best-loved night food street, a maze of alleys behind the flower market crammed with stalls of banh trang, snails, grilled skewers.
Order: Banh trang tron and a plate of grilled snails.
Tip: Come hungry after dark and graze from stall to stall; it is busiest and best from 19:00.
Cho Cu, the Old Market, is a one-block street market on Ton That Dam in the shadow of downtown towers, a fast-vanishing pocket of old Saigon selling produce.
Order: A grab-and-go banh mi or fruit from the street vendors.
Tip: It is steadily being demolished for development; go soon to see this slice of old downtown.
Thai Binh Market sits on the edge of the backpacker district, a workaday produce market whose corner stalls turn out cheap noodle salads, che and snacks.
Order: A cheap noodle salad or a cup of che from the corner stalls.
Tip: It is a two-minute walk from Bui Vien; the food stalls at the entrances are the reason to stop.
Run by the team behind Hoa Tuc restaurant, the Saigon Cooking Class teaches a hands-on menu of Southern Vietnamese classics in a studio above the courtyard, with an optional market trip.
Cyclo Resto pairs a cyclo ride and a Ben Thanh market visit with a hands-on Vietnamese home-cooking class, teaching a few Southern dishes from scratch in its District 1 kitchen.
Tu Hai is a cheap banh mi counter near the Da Kao end of Dinh Tien Hoang, known for the thin banh mi que pate sticks that locals snack on all day.
Try: Banh mi que
Order: A bag of banh mi que, the slim pate baguette sticks.
Tip: The pate sticks are made for snacking; buy several, they cost next to nothing.
Banh Mi Hong Hoa is a bakery-and-stall near Ben Thanh where warm baguettes come stuffed with cold cuts and pate for a fraction of a sit-down meal.
Try: Cold-cut banh mi
Order: The mixed cold-cut banh mi with extra pickles.
Tip: Bread is baked through the day, so the baguette is almost always warm and crisp.
This Co Giang stall serves a bargain bowl of bun rieu, the tomato-and-crab-paste noodle soup, for around 28,000 dong, one of the cheapest sit-down meals.
Try: Bun rieu
Order: A bowl of bun rieu cua with tofu and tomato.
Tip: At under thirty thousand dong it is a genuine bargain in the centre; go for an early lunch.
Down an alley off Ho Hao Hon, this old Chinese-Vietnamese counter serves cheap egg-noodle and wonton soups for breakfast, a longtime local favourite.
Try: Mi hoanh thanh
Order: Mi hoanh thanh, egg noodles with wontons in clear broth.
Tip: It is a morning spot down a hem; go for an early, filling and very cheap breakfast bowl.
Au Parc faces the park behind the Reunification Palace, a long-running District 1 brunch spot for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern plates, shakshuka.
Order: Shakshuka with the house-baked bread
Tip: Grab a table on the pavement facing the park; weekend brunch is busy, so come early.
Oc Dao is a perpetually packed snail house where Saigon comes to eat oc, working through plates of shellfish over cheap beer late into the night.
Try: Snails and shellfish
Order: A spread of snails, scallops and clams cooked to order.
Tip: Order several small plates to share; the tamarind and coconut snails are the ones to start the night.
Vua Cua, the Crab King, is a lively evening seafood joint on Vo Van Kiet where the draw is crab cooked every way, from tamarind to salted-egg, with cold beer.
Try: Crab and shellfish
Order: Salted-egg crab and a plate of butter-fried snails.
Tip: Come hungry with a group; crab is priced by weight and meant to be shared.
Nong Thon Dai Viet is a 24-hour seafood kitchen on the Bui Vien walking street, built for the after-party crowd with grilled and steamed seafood.
Try: Late-night seafood
Order: Grilled prawns and a hotpot to share after midnight.
Tip: It runs around the clock; the busiest, most fun hours are well after the bars close.
Pho Ha is a 24-hour institution near the Bitexco tower, a dependable bowl of Southern beef pho at any hour for night workers and post-bar crowds.
Try: Pho bo
Order: A bowl of pho tai nam in the small hours.
Tip: It never closes, making it the safe fallback for a 3am bowl of pho downtown.