Bites & Insights

Looking for the best Cơm Tấm in Saigon? This guide covers must-try Cơm Tấm restaurants, hidden gems, and expert tips on ordering Vietnam’s iconic broken rice dish like a local.

Your next late-night feast is sorted. If you’re in Saigon and craving something fun, messy, and downright addictive, there’s only one answer: ốc (snails). And if you ask me where to experience this in Saigon, I’ll point you straight to Ốc Đào. Ốc Đào is the kind of place that feels alive right at the moment you first walk in, with air thick with the scent of grilled seafood, sizzling butter and garlic, fresh scallions and sharp kick of lemongrass and chilies. The kind of spot where tables are packed shoulder-to-shoulder, plates of all kinds of seafood arriving faster than you can clear them. And every so often, a group of strangers somewhere in the crowd break out into spontaneous toasts of “Một, hai, ba, dzô!” (One, two, three, cheers!). It’s loud, a little messy, and exactly where you want to be.

Four years ago, when I moved back to Vietnam, I asked around, “What’s good in Saigon?” The answer was unanimous: Pizza 4P’s. I expected just another Western spot - until that first bite. Smoky, blistered crust. Burrata so fresh it oozed. And Suddenly, I got it. Italian craft, Japanese finesse, Vietnamese soul. Unexpected? Yeah. But trust me, it works.

Some meals are just meals. And others? They’re full-blown experiences. Yazawa Saigon falls into the latter category - so good that even a street food lover like me couldn’t resist feeling a little fancy for the night.