Ho Chi Minh City’s evolution into one of Asia’s most thriving fine dining destinations has been nothing short of sprawling in scope and breakneck in speed, the latter quite the opposite of the ponderous pace of traffic on basically every road and thoroughfare in the city.
Not to worry; at both street level and 81 stories skyward, there are exciting things happening in the wok, across the grill and on the plate that mean you don’t have to go far – stuck in sludgy traffic or mercifully mobile – to have a seriously good meal in Saigon.
As the evening humidity settles and the motorbikes thin out, Vietnam’s second city reveals its sophisticated side. Behind historic facades and up discrete staircases, chefs both local and international are cooking with something approaching a singular narrative: one that celebrates Vietnam’s heritage, sure, but also boldly maps a vision forward.
Long overshadowed by nearby Bangkok and Singapore on the world listicle stage, Saigon has truly started swaggering, and the city that once dazzled primarily with street food brilliance could well now be regarded as Southeast Asia’s new restaurant capital.
The arrival of Michelin in 2023 merely confirmed what diners here already knew – this former ‘Pearl of the Orient’ is on song where fine dining is concerned, even if the chefs doing the cooking wouldn’t want you to call it that. Here, then, are Ho Chi Minh City’s best fine dining restaurants, ideal for a special occasion when you want to linger a little longer, drink a little deeper, and really savour just where Saigon is at in 2025.
Anan Saigon
Ideal for the story of Vietnamese street food told through a contemporary lens…
In a striking multi-storey tube house (a traditional Vietnamese architectural style that’s narrow but extends deeply inward, originally designed to minimise street frontage taxes) looking out over one of Saigon’s oldest wet markets, chef Peter Cuong Franklin aimed for the stars and got them: by turning traditional street food dishes into a thoughtful, intricate tasting menu, earning Saigon its first Michelin star in the process.
His is a story of courage in the face of adversity. The Yale-educated former banker fled Vietnam as a child refugee during the Fall of Saigon before returning decades later – via Nahm in Bangkok, Hong Kong’s Caprice and Alinea in Chicago, only three of the world’s best restaurants – to offer a fresh, contemporary take on the cuisine of his homeland.
The tasting menu showcases Franklin’s self-styled ‘Cuisine Moi’ (New Vietnamese) philosophy, with a kind of high-low strut that has seen dishes like the caviar banh nhung (street waffle topped with salmon roe and mousse, dill creme fraiche and gold leaf), banh xeo tacos (crispy Vietnamese crepes reimagined in handheld form), and the conversation-starting fish sauce ice cream all turn skeptics into converts. Because, above all else, this is food you want to eat. And eat. Hence the restaurant’s encouragement to ‘ăn, ăn’.
You could look at the price of the menu in two ways. The Saigon Tasting Menu (£75-ish), which takes diners on a journey through modern interpretations of Vietnamese classics, and the pricier Chef’s Tasting Menu (around £100), an expanded culinary tour from North to South Vietnam, certainly aren’t cheap. And some will be tempted to say that they could eat on the road for a fraction of the price. But those folk are bores. Isn’t there room in this city for both? Instead, consider it as a Michelin-starred tasting menu for under £100, which is a rare find globally.
The restaurant spans multiple floors, with each level offering different experiences – from the main restaurant and the Nhau Nhau cocktail bar with its 1960s vibe, upwards to the more recently opened Pot Au Pho noodle bar and a rooftop bar with cracking views. Take in the vista as you get across the clever cocktail menu, which incorporates Vietnamese ingredients in fine creations like the Black Tea Tra Da (tequila with rice wine, lychee and lime) and the Phojito (gin infused with pho herbs). It’s the kind of place I imagine getting lost in, spending several days imbibing, before emerging blinking back into the light with a fresh perspective on the South’s food. One can only dream…
Address: 89 Ton That Dam, District 1 (inside Chợ Cũ wet market)
Website: anansaigon.com
Esta Saigon
Ideal for immersing yourself in the primal appeal of over-flames cooking…
With its motto ‘A celebration of Vietnam’s terroir, plants and seasons, through dishes cooked with fire’ (guys, mottos are meant to be short!), Esta has earned its seat at the table by doing something more primal – the kind of red-hot ember cooking that’s so bloody ubiquitous in the UK right now.
Set in a brooding 35-seat space with flaming grill as centrepiece – we’d call it a ‘hearth’ if we were feeling pretentious -, the restaurant envelopes you in a kind of suave wood aroma, seasoning you with smoke throughout your meal. Dark and moodily lit, the fire licking the ceiling casts attractive glows and shadows across the place. Our favourite place to sit is at the counter – a coveted eight seats where you can watch the chefs in action and whisper seductive (or silly) things into your partner’s ear. It’s all rather sensual as you watch the pyrotechnics up close. Just mind your eyebrows.
Chef Francis Thuan, who worked his way up from food delivery driver to acclaimed chef, opened Esta after finding inspiration from fire cooking techniques he discovered in a YouTube video about Ekstedt in Sweden. Now, chef Long Cuong has taken the reins, and his menu blends Vietnamese ingredients and traditions with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese influences. A dish of grilled foie gras is an absolute highlight. Bar-marked and perfect, it’s been glazed with kombu honey as it caramelises. It’s diced, then served in the shell of a smoked onion, bedding down in its allium cocoon over slow-cooked onions and polenta. Somehow, surprisingly, the smoke actually lightens the decadence of it all.
That same flame works more delicately with seafood. Hokkaido scallops are paired with Ha Giang’s hardy mac cop pears, which start sharp and bitter before the grill mellows them to subtle sweetness. The pear’s floral notes lift the scallops’ oceanic richness, creating an unexpectedly harmonious pairing.
Even dishes that skip the grill carry Esta’s smoky signature. Paper-thin carpaccio of milk-fed veal arrives draped over fermented taro tonnato, the smoke-kissed meat playing against umami depth, sarsi leaf, Vietnamese basil, and lemongrass satay oil. Crispy taro shards and pickled shallots add necessary crunch and acidity.
Not purely seasonal, menus at Esta honour different occasions, too. Last year, ‘Her Flame‘, a celebration of Women’s Day, saw dishes like Nha Trang lobster sliced and draped over a kimchi bisque. It’s all garnished with dien dien flowers. Forget bouquets of roses – this is how flowers should be delivered.
Trung khanh chestnuts from Cao Bang become the star of a sophisticated dessert – roasted until fragrant, then churned into earthy-sweet ice cream. Earl Grey tea infused with Calabrian bergamot adds aromatic bitterness, while fresh mandarin segments provide bright contrast. It’s all so beautifully realised, a seemingly random roll call of disparate ingredients united by the power of the grill.
Such skilful composition deserves equally considered wine pairings. The restaurant’s wine selection is thoughtful not throwaway, very deliberately positioned to go with the fire-kissed cuisine. Look for volcanic wines like Etna Rosso – those almost ashy, mineral-driven Sicilian reds whose own volcanic terroir echoes the cooking method beautifully – or perhaps a skin-contact orange wine whose tannic grip can stand up to all that char.
The tasting menu here is priced at 2.5 million VND a head (£72 or so), but there’s an a la carte too, for those looking to take things in at their own pace and choosing. Either way, the theatrical experience and free smoked perfume you leave wearing more than justifies the splurge.
Address: 27 Tran Quy Khoach Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1
Website: estasaigon.com
La Villa French Restaurant
Ideal for marauding French cuisine in old-world elegant surroundings…
In a quiet corner of Thao Dien, set back from where equally frenetic Quoc Huong and Xuan Thuy cross swords, chef Thierry Mounon and his Vietnamese wife Tina have created what many consider to be the finest French dining experience in Ho Chi Minh City.
It’s certainly the most transportative. Set in an elegant French heritage villa surrounding a swimming pool (ignore the whispering angel telling you to jump on in), La Villa has been open since 2010 – an absolute stalwart in terms of modern Saigon dining – and brings a carefully curated take on southern French living to the heart of Saigon’s expat enclave.
Chef Mounon earnt his chops in Avignon working under Michelin-starred chef Christian Etienne, and his menu reflects his Provençal roots, as well as a broader appreciation for the French classics from further north, with impeccably executed dishes that don’t stray too far from tradition (phew). Signature dishes include the duck foie gras terrine with figs, Ajnou pigeon with black truffle, and a pitch perfect bouillabaisse that showcases his technical precision and would have folk on The Go To Food Podcast purring that this was ‘proper cooking’.
The dining room, cosy and cosseted, exudes an old-world elegance that could smell a bit fusty in the wrong hands, the heavy velvet curtains, brown diamond-quilted leather chairs and Southern Vietnamese humidity perhaps not the most harmonious of bedfellows. A chandelier, starched white tablecloths, and crystal stemware further reinforce the old-school vibe. No amount of AC can rewrite this.
A wooden staircase curves gracefully in the background, the whole domestic aesthetic so fully realised you think about asking if you can stay the night. You half expect a cheese trolley to roll into view, and…there it is! Featuring a good 20 different cheeses from across France, served with freshly baked bread and chutneys, it’s a proper treat for fromage fanatics, and reason alone to pitch up at the villa.
The terracotta terrace outside feels better if you can stand the heat. A few tables sit in the shadow of the villa’s white columns, surrounded by lush tropical greenery and overlooking the pool. With one of those massive, jet propeller fans blowing on you, it’s perfect for a languorous lunch or dinner under the stars, just about scooter fume free. Just mind the wantaway serviettes!
For the broadest taste of what chef Mounon is doing here, the seasonal tasting menu is the move. Clocking in north of 5,000,000 (£150), it’s one of Saigon’s most expensive, expansive dining experiences, but it does hit the spot if you’re in the mood.
Wine pairings feature predominantly French selections, naturally.
Address: 14 Ngo Quang Huy, Thao Dien, District 2
Website: lavilla-restaurant.com.vn
Towa
Ideal for all-day Japanese dining with wide lens city skyline views…
As a rule in Vietnam, the higher up a building you go, the less straightforwardly enjoyable the eating experience becomes.
Up here on the 28th floor of the Sedona Suites building, there’s a worry Towa (meaning ‘eternal life’ in Japanese) is going to be all style, no substance. The incredible, 180-degree half-panorama of bustling Ho Chi Minh City below only threatens to confirm this, the twinkling tapestry of lights taunting us: “We’re down here, on a plastic stool, eating the best damn food of our lives”, they seem to say. We consider jumping off the tower, our own eternal life cut short.
We’ve lost it here, but fortunately a classic Ginza-style martini snaps me back into the room, into the present. The menu meanders and sprawls in such a way that it’s hard to digest in all its pomp. Fortunately, there are pictures (keep getting distracted by that view), and an omakase experience to focus the mind once again. You’ll have to pitch up at the sushi bar for that, but the stools here look out across the city from Towa’s best vantage point. Result!
Premium ingredients are sourced directly from prestigious Japanese markets, including Tokyo’s famous Toyosu Market, Hokkaido, and Nagasaki Bay, and are best when served with minimal fanfare. There’s a keenly priced set lunch available daily from 11:30am to 2pm, starting at just 149,000 VND.
Sure, it’s not the finest Japanese food you’ll eat in Vietnam (that is found up in Hanoi), but the view is irresistible here, the convivial, chattering, casually sophisticated vibe feeling just right as the sun’s setting. Sometimes, that’s all you want when the food back at ground level is as good as it is.
Address: Level 28, Sedona Suites, 92-94 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
Website: towavn.com
Long Trieu at The Royal Pavilion
Ideal for opulent Cantonese fine dining with unparalleled attention to detail…
The only Chinese restaurant in Vietnam to hold a Michelin star, Long Trieu presents Cantonese fine dining in a setting of extraordinary opulence. Upon arrival, guests are greeted (not literally; that would be pretty wild) by a specially commissioned Swarovski crystal dragon installation suspended dramatically above the entrance – subtle it is not, striking it is.
That sense of an interior designer having taken things too far continues in the lavish, imperial palace-channeling dining room, a riot of jade stonework and lacquered red walls, traditional gold-leaf painted Chinese scenes, bold expressions of vermilion and gold, and exquisite wood carvings. Nine private dining rooms provide something more discrete, while the main dining area – with its gleaming black marble floors dramatically reflecting white-clothed circular tables – offers views of picturesque Nguyen Hue Boulevard.
Executive chef Wong Fu Keung – a Hong Kong veteran – brings a menu that is refreshingly free from theatrics, instead celebrating Cantonese cooking traditions at their most pure, with a keen focus on abalone specialties (the three-headed abalone in ‘unique sauce’ is a showstopper), bird’s nest dishes, and a Peking duck that lives up to its reputation as the best in town, and then some. The dim sum selection features over 50 varieties, with standouts including steamed shark’s fin shrimp dumpling and baked whole abalone tart. Yes, it’s opulent, yes it’s expensive, but god it’s good.
This is not a casual drop-in spot, and there are too many different set menus to list individually, ranging from around 3 million to more than 7 million VND (£85 to £200) per guest, but it is without doubt one of Saigon’s best restaurants for a special occasion. For those wanting to experience this grand room without dropping a fortune, the dim sum menu is a la carte, with single portions generally priced between 150,000 and 250,000 VND (£5 to £7).
Address: 4th Floor, Times Square Building, The Reverie Saigon, 22-36 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, District 1
Website: thereveriesaigon.com
AKUNA
Ideal for boundary-pushing Australian-Vietnamese fusion…
One of Ho Chi Minh City’s most genuinely cutting-edge special occasion dining destinations, AKUNA is Australian-born chef Sam Aisbett’s most personal expression yet. After an accolade-bestowed run in Singapore, earning a Michelin star at Whitegrass and a coveted spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list back in 2018, Aisbett could have gone anywhere.
He chose Vietnam in 2023, recognising the rising star status of Saigon and earning the city one of its own soon after. His philosophy? “I make it up as I go; I just cook what I think is tasty. It’s my most authentic cooking yet.”
The name AKUNA, meaning ‘flowing water’ in an Australian Aboriginal language, is a neat little distillation of Aisbett’s career thus far, and the restaurant’s evolving ‘no-rules’ formula. The contemporary, elegant space is low-key and low-lit, with seats at a counter bordering the open kitchen, all set against a backdrop of sparkling city skyscrapers piercing a blue night sky.
The design up above, it should be said, is anything but muted. The striking central feature is an installation of 1,200 Murano glass light rods dubbed ‘Waves’, suspended above the open kitchen and creating a glistening stream effect that embodies the restaurant’s name. This breathtaking piece is part of a broader lighting concept representing the three states of water, crafted with recycled glass.
At this point, you half suspect you’ll simply be served a glass of water, so keen is AKUNA to drive the theme home. Fortunately, there’s food. Aisbett’s 6-course tasting menu (around 3,900,000 VND, or £112) weaves together Australian and Vietnamese influences with intentional Japanese touches. Expect the unexpected with combinations like shaved saltwater crocodile (using both tongue and tail) served with steamed garlic custard, agretti, and Japanese Tonburi (land caviar). Or, the two-way wagyu from David Blackmore’s Victorian high country – tenderloin crusted in sprouted spelt alongside a cheeky wagyu rissole (Aisbett’s wink to the Aussie classic), finished with a Binh Duong wild long pepper sauce.
Even the amuse-bouche, a fresh milk curd with snap peas and buffalo tail consommé, seemingly reinterprets pho bo in a pitch-perfect way. These are dishes that are as intoxicating as they sound, and could easily tip over into just plain weird in the wrong hands, but in Aisbett’s they’re precisely balanced and blessed with real clarity. No ingredient feels out of place, none superfluous.
He explicitly states that he “want(s) the world to see the culinary possibilities amidst the beautiful chaos of Saigon”, and it’s mission very much accomplished, a bit like that serene, ear-piercingly still nano-second between scooter horn honking that sometimes randomly falls as you dissociate at the traffic lights.
Such pinpoint, judicious flavour needs a carefully considered winelist to complement it, and here it’s curated by head sommelier Huyen Ha with a rundown that champions natural and organic wines alongside iconic labels, with glasses starting at a keen 350,000 (£10) for a light, bright Australian Riesling, and going up to an absurd 215 million VND (£6200), for a vintage Petrus.
Address: 9th Floor, Le Méridien Saigon, 3C Ton Duc Thang Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
Website: akunarestaurant.com
Quince Eatery Saigon
Ideal for Mediterranean-inspired wood-fired cooking with an eclectic spirit…
Housed in a beautifully preserved belle époque-era French mansion with a distinctive charcoal-grey exterior, Quince Eatery Saigon (the city determiner necessary as there was a sibling over in Bangkok until August of last year) brings a smoky, polished but ultimately laid back take on Mediterranean cuisine with modern international influences to Ho Chi Minh City’s fine dining scene.
Chef Julien Perraudin, whose formative years took him from a Michelin-starred apprenticeship in France to London, Australia (where his eclectic style blossomed), and eventually Bangkok, launched Quince Saigon in early 2018. He describes his wood-fired techniques – the heart of Quince – as “much more intuitive than traditional cooking”. This approach, using two blazing wood-fired ovens, results in dishes with distinctive, complex ember-anointed profiles.
Inside, the open kitchen is the focal point, featuring a gleaming copper counter with just six seats, offering front-row views of the chefs rattling pans and prodding protein on the grill slats. The adjacent dining room, all industrial barebrick walls, high ceilings, and canteen-like rackety, ricocheting volume, is lively and perfumed by charcoal. You find yourself shouting over the din and, for some reason, the haze to be heard.
Standout dishes consistently include the spicy salmon nori tacos (cured salmon, shiso, avocado, and ikura – an absolute must-try appetiser); wild Hokkaido scallops, perhaps paired with smoked marrow cappelletti or Iberico pork tortellini; and the perfectly aged Barbary duck breast with mostarda di frutta. Even the sides, like the intriguingly named ‘Not So Mashed Potatoes’ (stickier, runnier and more indulgent – must be all that truffle butter) or roasted cauliflower with aged Comté cream, are well worth your roving eye. And don’t miss the much-Instagrammed palate cleanser of home-made gummy bears.
If you can physically move after the butter-laden main event, ascend to the second-floor cocktail bar, Madam Kew. This stylish spot, with its retro Hong Kong vibes, is inspired by 1940s Asian entrepreneur Margaret Choo and the Hong Kong bar Maggie Choo’s, boasts a long counter, plush booths, and sofas you’ll want to sink well into after your meal on the ground floor. Let the effervescent bartenders lift you up with their formidable cocktails like the Rock Me Up (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Appleton, Fernet Branca, Campari, honey, ginger, and lemon), alongside fun, flavourful Chinese snacks – their eggplant mapo tofu is right revered on the Saigon socialite circuit.
With regular DJ sets and live music, it’s the perfect complement to the dining experience below. Recognised by Michelin, 50Best Discovery, and Tatler, Quince delivers a truly memorable, fire-kissed feast. Or, perhaps, a memorable, fire-feasted kiss.
Address: 37bis Ky Con Street, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1
Website: quincesaigon.com
The Albion by Kirk Westaway
Ideal for refined modern British cuisine with skyline views and a live jazz soundtrack…
Named after an ancient (and Libertines-loved) term for Britain, The Albion marks the expansion of two-Michelin-starred chef Kirk Westaway (of JAAN fame in Singapore) into Ho Chi Minh City. And it’s quite the statement. Perched on the 23rd floor of the Hôtel des Arts Saigon, this is where Westaway’s ‘Reinventing British’ philosophy comes to life, all with a backdrop of shimmering city views through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Devon-born Westaway aims to transform traditional British flavours into modern, beautifully crafted dishes (a noble aim in a country whose food is famously light and colourful, from one whose food has the antithetical reputation), all while embracing Vietnamese influences and local ingredients. A remarkable 90% of the restaurant’s vegetables hail from Da Lat, the fertile plains in Central Vietnam that Westaway calls an “organic mecca”. He’s right, you know; we’d call it the same if we had a voice and somewhere to print it.
Albion’s design, a collaboration with Japanese designer Maeda Shinya of Super Potato, is a journey in itself, merging traditional and modern British aesthetics with the artistic flair of Hôtel des Arts. Guests arrive into the Author’s Lounge, a swanky space dominated by an impressive 8-metre oak wood bar shipped from London, flanked by statues reminiscent of ship figureheads.
Deeper in, distinct zones unfold: the Kitchen Observatory offers glimpses into the culinary process; the Blue Parlour exudes luxury with deep royal blue hues and ornate damask wallpaper; and the intimate Chef’s Study features fabrics inspired by Japan’s Edo period. Visually striking, yes, but geographically a little confusing, perhaps…
Anyway, the overall effect is cohesive enough, a blend of old and new, East and West, that admittedly has this British diner braced for a jarring take on fish and chips with coconut milk in the batter and mushy peas seasoned with makrut lime.
Those fears are quickly assuaged. Leading the day-to-day kitchen operations is head chef Christopher Clarke, a longtime friend of Westaway with whom he shares a deep respect for quality produce. Together, they’ve curated a menu (structured as Let’s Begin, Main Courses, To Share, Something Sweet) that celebrates the essence of British culinary culture through a contemporary lens.
Signature dishes include The Albion Tomato, an ode to the farming culture of Da Lat as much as to Blighty, featuring heritage tomatoes, house-made ketchup, fragrant Thai basil, an orange and sweet basil sorbet, and creamy burrata. On the hottest of hot days in Saigon, it was more refreshing than a Truc Bach beer over ice.
The fish and chips isn’t exactly traditional, but the refinements make sense: toothfish in a crisp local ale batter, a beautifully seasoned pea purée, house-made tartare with all the gherkin and caper dice exactly the same size, and ‘chips’ that are actually something closer to the famous Quality Chop confit potato terrine. Superb stuff, and quite comfortably the best fish and chips in the country.
For sharing, the whole roasted chicken crown – tender meat basted with its own jus, crispy stuffed wings, buttery mash, and charred sweetcorn – is a showstopper. And for a light, zesty finish (you’ll want one after this many carbs), the calamansi sorbet, gin-infused citrus, and Earl Grey tea jelly is a delight, the nods to the UK playful but also, most importantly, delicious. Suddenly, we find ourselves missing our mum, both because she roasts a mean chicken and because she loves gin.
The restaurant hosts regular jazz performances (check for monthly jazz nights, often the last Friday). It’s no surprise The Albion was crowned Restaurant of the Year 2025 by Tatler Best Vietnam. It’s an experience that’s as refined as its setting, offering clean, fresh, and vibrant modern British dishes that feel both nostalgic and new.
Address: 23rd Floor, Hôtel des Arts Saigon, 76-78 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 3
Website: hoteldesartssaigon.com
