15 Unique Dining Experiences in Ho Chi Minh City

While delicious street food stalls and fine dining eateries seem to be the norm in Ho Chi Minh City, sometimes it’s worth venturing off the beaten path for that one-of-a-kind culinary experience. Here’s a list of 15 unique dining experiences in Saigon to satisfy even the most adventurous eater.

A first-of-its-kind Vietnamese craft spirit tasting

Experience a one-of-a-kind Vietnamese craft spirit tasting in an intimate, tucked-away café by day, and a private space only accessible to those in the know by night, right in the heart of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Led by a renowned Vietnamese food writer and blogger, this exclusive event offers a unique glimpse into Vietnam’s emerging craft spirit scene. Taste and discover a range of rare and local spirits—from award-winning rums to gin, vodka, sake, and even fermented fruit-infused liqueurs like Dalat strawberry, passionfruit, and apricot, ending off with a cocktail using your very own Vietnamese craft spirit, mixer and garnish.

  • District 1, 60 mins, 850,000 VND per person (35 USD)

Saigon Supper Club

Founded in 2023, Saigon Supper Club is an experience unlike any other in Vietnam. There’s no permanent location, chef or menu so you never know what to expect. In the past, off-the-beaten-path locations like an organic farm grocery store, building rooftop, wine cellar and vintage record store alongside menus have debuted alongside menus curated by talented chefs like MasterChef Vietnam runner-up Chef Tri paired with made-in-Vietnam artisanal spirits.

Guests comprise a mix of expats, tourists and locals who all share a love for food and unique experiences so if you’re looking for dinner with a side of social - this is it. There’s no fixed theme and different dinners feature throughout the month so don’t get too upset if you don’t manage to snag one. Dinners typically range from 1,5 to 2 mil vnd (60 to 85 usd) per person including drinks.

Credit: adau kitchen

Enjoy a modern Vietnamese dinner inside an old school residential apartment

Tucked away on the 4th floor of a 50-year-old residential apartment, a.dau's kitchen has been dishing out heartbreak and healing, one bite at a time. With just 25-30 seats and an open kitchen, this must-try spot feels like you’re crashing your cool friend’s dinner party, this spot is all about vibes and feels. Inspired by those old-school black-and-white films where the world loses its color after a breakup, a.dau serves up playfully-creative modern Vietnamese dishes inspired by beloved street food classics like cơm tấm that take you from gut-wrenching sorrow to pure joy—no therapy required.

Highlights? ngẩn ngơ, a zingy beef salad with "Điên Điển" flower, starfruit, and "Chẩm Chéo" chimichurri (160,000₫); rung rinh, smoked Hokkaido scallops with jackfruit, orange, and ambarella leaf in a cilantro dressing (200,000₫); and thổn thức, a shrimp-studded pía tart with a cheeky fish sauce jelly (120,000₫).

First-of-its-kind Vietnamese Coffee Omakase

A first-of-its-kind coffee-tasting experience led by our Vietnamese-Australian guide. After honing his craft in Australia, Ryan returned to Vietnam to enrich the country’s vibrant coffee culture. In just 90 minutes, you'll savour and learn to make Vietnam’s most iconic coffee brews —from robust Cà Phê Đen to creamy Cà Phê Sữa Đá, creamy Bac Siu to indulgent Egg Coffee.

As you sip, Ryan will share the history and culture of Vietnamese coffee, sprinkled with fun hacks for you to make Vietnamese coffee in the comforts of your own home using simple kitchen tools. Finally, you’ll dive into a hands-on workshop where you'll learn to craft the quintessential Egg Coffee and create your Vietnamese coffee masterpiece, all set in a homey setting.

  • District 1, 90 minutes, 495,000 VND per person

Photo courtesy of Noir - Dining In The Dark

Noir - Dining In The Dark

Perhaps one of the more well known dining experiences in Saigon, some might consider Noir a staple in the city’s culinary scene and as such, not an altogether unique location for a meal. However, putting aside its reputation, it’s hard to argue with the playful concept which is why it kicks off this list. On paper, the idea’s deceptively simple: how is dining affected in a setting where sight is removed? Using this as their starting off point, Noir crafts an experience that allows customers to transfer their trust to their four other senses.

Upon arrival, guests will be guided to a pitch-black dining room by a trained staff of blind and visually impaired peoples. From there, a three-course menu of 11 tasting dishes (690k/person) or a four-course menu of 14 tasting dishes (980k/person) will be brought to your table. The meal is framed around the concept of When The East Meets The West, with a combination of Vietnamese, Asian, and Western ingredients for you to feast on. How will something taste when you can’t actually see what you’re tasting?

  • Address: Lane 178 - 180D Hai Ba Trung . Da Kao . District 1 . Ho Chi Minh City . Vietnam

  • Opening Hours: Dinner: 530 pm to 11pm (last seating at 930pm)

Photo courtesy of Blanc

Blanc: Dine and wine while learning sign

Located right next to Noir, Blanc takes a step away from the idea of dining in the dark to instead focus on a communication-centric culinary experience. Employing a team of deaf and hearing-impaired staff, the focus here is to see how dining can be altered when noise is kept to a minimum. Does this mean guests aren’t allowed to talk and laugh while eating? Of course not! However, visitors are encouraged to use Ho Chi Minh City Sign Language (one of three Vietnamese sign languages) to communicate with the service team.

The menu, which comes with visual aids for how to sign each dish, features starters like Octopus Confit with a mango dressing (180k) to mains like Sea Bass with a truffle anchovy sauce (320k).

  • Address: Lane 178 - 180D Hai Ba Trung . Da Kao . District 1 . Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

  • Opening hours: Dinner: 530 pm to 11 pm (last seating at 10pm)

Photo courtesy of Nén Light Restaurant

Nén Light: Where food meets storytelling

Run by executive chef, Summer Le, Nén Light Restaurant weaves storytelling into their dining experience by delivering what they call Conscious Vietnamese Cuisine (Ẩm Thực Nhìn). Stories are at the heart of what the restaurant brings to diners, with their changing menu, known as, “Sto:ry Menu”, the flagship product that allows them to share Vietnamese cuisine, culture, and history to diners.

Currently on offer is Sto:ry Menu #4: Origins – Về nhà. The primary theme on this 7 course (1990k+) or 9 course meal (2570k+) is the notion of home (namely, Danang, where most of the team hails, but also, Vietnam, where all of them were born). Using this idea as a driving point, diners are taken on a storytelling experience that features dishes like K’nia: a K’nia seed curry chicken and The Paper: edible “giay do” paper with a peanut pate. Wine and sake alcohol pairings are also available (7 course: 1400k, 9 course: 1600k), as well as an a la carte or vegetarian menu.

  • Address: 122/2 Tran Dinh Xu, District 1, HCMC

  • Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday: 18:00 – 23:00

Photo courtesy of Glam Saigon

Glam Saigon: Family-style glamping by the river

Located along the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City’s expat enclave, Thao Dien, Glam Saigon brings an outdoorsy camping experience to Vietnam’s bustling metropolis.

The restaurant gives you the opportunity to partake in what’s known as glamping, a term which merges “glamorous” with “camping”. Abiding by these guidelines, Glam Saigon serves Korean-style dishes such as their Fishcake Stew (200k) and Korean Assorted Pancake (240K), on top of Western-style dishes like their whole-roasted Beer-can Chicken (480k) and we can’t forget the show-stopping Don-mahawk, a massive charcoal-grilled Tomahawk steak (560k). Of course, drinks are also available with Korean staples like Soju (130k) and Mak-geoli (160k), a milky rice wine popular in Korea, good options to get the night started.

Bungalow-esque tents allow for family style camping all in the privacy of your own space so you and your friends can really enjoy the views of the city across the water. For those who are fine with outdoor seating, comfortable camping chairs are set up on the deck and turf grass so you can really immerse yourself in that glamping experience!

  • Address: 30 Nguyễn Văn Hưởng Thao Dien, District 2, Thành phố Thủ Đức, Vietnam

  • Opening Hours: Everyday: 16:00 - 23:30; Hours may differ on national holidays

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Jovel

A serial food eater, marketer and writer, Jovel has lived in some of the world’s best culinary destinations including Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok working in the F&B industry. On the weekends, Jovel enjoys indoor cycling classes and practising yoga.

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