Top 10 Places to Have the Best Banh Mi Saigon

In every corner of Vietnam, Banh Mi appears as a daily breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and is preferred by most locals. Though found everywhere, the food in a particular place has its own features. In Saigon, Banh Mi is flavorful with sweetness, saltiness, spiciness, and sourness. To enjoy such a flavour explosion, places like Huynh Hoa, Hoa Ma, Nhu Lan, etc. are always available for you travel lovers.

1. Banh Mi Huynh Hoa

• Address: no.26, Le Thi Rieng St., Ben Thanh Ward, District 1
• Open hour: 3 pm - 10 pm
• Price range: $2.04 - $2.48 (47,000 VND - 57,000 VND) 

As the first to come to mind when the locals are asked about a place to find Banh Mi in Saigon,  Banh Mi Huynh Hoa has long gained a reputation for its food quality and price. A basic Banh mi here is filled with pate, vegetables, and about 5 kinds of pork, which makes it, on the outside, incredibly big. Such a portion can make you full for all day, so sharing with your friend is suggested. For the taste, the bread is crispy, and the filling inside is like a flavour explosion. Some may not like the taste as it is combined with a lot of ingredients.

However, that's how a typical Banh Mi in Saigon tastes, and with the pretty high price, it totally makes sense. The place is right in the city center, quite easy to find. There is the only takeaway, so you can buy one and sit in a random coffee shop to enjoy it. Also, eating Banh Mi and drinking coffee while seeing vehicles moving on the street is a striking aspect of Saigonese culture. 

 

2. Banh Mi Hoa Ma

• Address: no.53, Cao Thang St., Ward 3, District 3
• Open hour: 6 am - 11 am 
• Price range: $2.17 - $2.61 (50,000 ND - 60,000 VND) 

If you are looking for a delicious breakfast, the bread pan in Banh Mi Hoa Ma will not let you down. Instead of stuffing inside, the Banh Mi here is eaten with a pan of hot foods and drinks like coffee and tea, thus giving you enough energy for all day. If coming here for the first time, you can order the basic option which includes hot crispy bread and a pan of 2 sunny-side-up eggs (Op La),  2 or 3 slices of pork bologna (Cha Lua), roasted cinnamon pork (Cha Que), sausage, jambon, as well as onions.

Besides, a cup of iced coffee will significantly enhance the taste. In fact, this is one of the oldest Banh Mi restaurants in Sai Gon, which started its business in 1958 and has been famous since then. Therefore, the quality is undoubtedly excellent. You can come, buy and eat right in the place as there are tables. The eating space is open, which is easy for you to watch the street while eating. Besides, one thing to take note of is that when the place gets crowded, serving can be a bit slow. To avoid this, try to come there early. 

Banh Mi Hoa Ma

 

3. Banh Mi Bay Ho

• Address: no.23, Huynh Khuong Ninh St. Dakao Ward, District 1
• Open hour: 1.30 pm - 7 pm 
• Price range: from $0.74 (17,000 VND) 

For those budget travellers, Bay Ho is definitely the best idea to enjoy Banh Mi in Saigon. A basic option here, like in Huynh Hoa, is a hot bread stuffed with pork, vegetable, and pate, but is smaller and much cheaper. If you are not into the big and fully stuffed Banh Mi, the Banh Mi Saigon in Bay Ho will be enough to satisfy you.

Besides, the brand has existed for a very long time, about 90 years. Therefore, there is no doubt that its quality is rated 5 out of 5 on Tripadvisor. Also, the place was once mentioned in the Netflix series Street Food: Asia. Why don’t you come and enjoy the taste of Banh Mi here? The store only serves takeaway so you can buy one during your trip around the city. 

Banh Mi Bay Ho

 

4. Banh Mi Nhu Lan

• Address: No.50 - 64 - 68, Ham Nghi St., Ben Nghe Ward, District 1 / No. 363 - 365 - 367, Hai Ba Trung St., Ward 8, District 3
• Open hour: 4 am - 11 pm 
• Price range: from $1.31 (30,000 VND) 

Located right in the city centre, Banh Mi Nhu Lan is easy for tourists to find and get the takeaway during their trip. Coming here, you will not have a wide range of choices but only two are bread with meat and Vietnamese pork bologna with bread. However, both of them are really delicious, crusty on the outside, and chewy on the inside with the combination of meat, flavorful homemade pate, and fresh veggies, enough to satisfy your taste.

Each will cost you only $1.31, which is quite reasonable. Besides Banh Mi Saigon, sandwiches, baguettes, and Vietnamese traditional noodles like pho are offered at the same price for your lunch or dinner. At night, you can also come here to find some smoothies or sweet gruels for dessert. All are quite good and cheap. 

 

5. Banh Mi Van (Nguyen Trai)

• Address: Alley 150, Nguyen Trai St., Ben Thanh Ward, District 1
• Open hour: 6 am - 10.20 am 
• Price range: $0.66 - $0.87 (15,000 VND - 20,000 VND)

Banh Mi Van is, in fact, a food truck that has existed for over 20 years and earned its reputation for the unique Banh Mi Bi (pork skin Saigon sandwich). This dish is, generally, made from a mixture of pork skin, blade, and powdered grilled rice put into the bread with pickles and slices of cucumber. When eaten, it is combined with the special fish sauce, giving you a very new taste. Though there are now many other restaurants that serve this kind of Saigon sandwich, none has surpassed Banh Mi Van in terms of the dish’s taste as its recipe is the family heirloom, and all ingredients are fresh and clean. The food truck parks right in alley 150, Nguyen Trai street, quite easy to find, so you can come and buy a Banh Mi during your trip around the city.

 

6. Banh Mi Pha Lau Tam Ky

• Address: no.823, Nguyen Trai St., Ward 14, District 5
• Open hour: 11 am - 8.30 pm
• Price range: $0.66 (15,000 VND)

Besides Banh Mi, Pha Lau is a very famous dish of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The dish itself features pig or beef offals stewed with coconut milk and is known as a delicious snack of the Saigonese. When the two appetizing dishes combine, they will create a flavour explosion in your mouth. To try that, you can come to Pha Lau Tam Ky and buy yourself a Bread Pha Lau. With the outside being a hot crusty bread, and flavorful stewed pig offals on the inside, the dish will give you a very interesting taste that makes you want to eat more. If you are eager to try the Pha Lau alone, you can order one for about $1.31 (30,000 VND), which is quite cheap for an enthralling experience. 

Banh Mi Pha Lau Tam Ky

 

7. Chao Restaurant

• Address: no.31, Tran Quang Dieu St., Ward 14, District 3
• Open hour: 10 am - 10 pm
• Price range: $1.09 - $3.06 (25,000 VND - 70,000 VND)

With the cozy indoor space and delicious bread pan, Chao Restaurant can be a great idea for a hangout night with your friends or lover. The Banh Mi here, like in Banh Mi Hoa Ma, is served with a pan of hot foods which includes fried eggs, pate, meat, sausage, and a special sauce. The differences are that you will be offered a wide range of choices, and besides the main dish as Banh Mi, salads, french fries, and drinks are available for you to choose from. Therefore, it is quite convenient to have a meal here.

For the taste, Banh Mi is crispy on the outside, while the inside is quite soft and sweet. The foods are hot and quite easy to eat. Besides, some will not like the sauce as it is sometimes too watery but in general, it is acceptable. One good point of Chao Restaurant is the cozy space with wooden furniture and lights, so if you come here in the evening, it will be an ideal place to check-in. 

Banh Mi Chao Restaurant Saigon

 

8. Banh Mi Chao Co 3 Hau

• Address: no.36, Street 18, Ward 8, Go Vap Dist.
• Open hour: 7 am - 10 pm
• Price range: $1.09 - $3.06 (25,000 VND - 70,000 VND) 

Another place to find the best Banh Mi Saigon is Banh Mi Chao Co 3 Hau, located in the Go Vap District. Though quite far from the city center, the restaurant is still crowded with tourists and local people, which can be explained by its delicious char siu. Besides popular foods like eggs, meat, and sausage, Banh Mi is eaten with Vietnamese barbecue pork (char siu) that is sweet, soft, and juicy. If you have time during your vacation, you can get to Banh Mi Chao Co 3 Hau to enjoy this delicious dish. 

 

9. Bami Co Bong

• Address: no.443/18A, Le Van Sy St., Ward 12, District 3.
• Open hour: 8 am - 1 pm; 3 pm - 10 pm
• Price range: $1.09 - $2.40 (25,000 VND - 55,000 VND)

Coming to Bami Co Bong, you will be served with hot crusty bread and especially delicious fried pate. As the pate here is all homemade with clean and fresh ingredients, it is aromatic, soft, juicy, and not too greasy but tastes really good. When eaten with some slices of beef and sunny-rise-up eggs, the pate will leave a distinctively delicious taste in your mouth. Besides, the price here is a bit lower than that in other bread pan restaurants. Therefore, it will be the best place for budget travellers to enjoy Banh Mi Saigon. 

 

10. Doner Kebab Nguyen Thuong Hien

• Address: no.9, Nguyen Thuong Hien St., Ward 5, District 3
• Open hour: 7 am - 10.30 pm 
• Price range: $1.09 - $1.97 (25,000 VND - 45,000 VND)

Though Doner Kebab is a German dish, it is quite popular in Vietnam and now becoming so familiar to the locals. If you want to eat this kind of bread, you can go to Donner Kebab Nguyen Thuong Hien, which is quite close to the city centre. Here, a basic Doner Kebab includes slices of grilled pork, pickles, and veggies put into a special triangle slide of bread. As it is made for the locals, the taste doesn’t remain original but changes a bit to suit the Vietnamese. Therefore, if you have a chance to try Donner in Germany before, you can eat one in Nguyen Thuong Hien to find out the differences.

Above is our recommendation for the Top 10 Places to Have the Best Banh Mi Saigon. If you have any questions or want to try Banh Mi, do not hesitate to sign up for our Ho Chi Minh food tours, or contact us through our website. We are always available to help you with the best experience. 

Duc Anh 

Image Source: Internet