Summer in the city. Stifling. Prone to slashing rain. But scattered with as many new openings as spontaneous downpours. So, step gingerly from the taxi’s back seat, over the impromptu river of rain that’s formed beside the curb, and enter one of these new bars and restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.
Summer in the city. Stifling. Prone to slashing rain. But scattered with as many new openings as spontaneous downpours. So, step gingerly from the taxi’s back seat, over the impromptu river of rain that’s formed beside the curb, and enter one of these new bars and restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. We’re already glancing ahead, with the imminent openings of the hip downtown pizzeria Pubblico and Fortune Ivy, the Chinese snack bar serving punchy Chinese dishes and cheeky cocktails. Plus, Anaïs’ Yeshi has found a new home. More on those in the next edition.
Focusing On The Best New Bars And Restaurants In Ho Chi Minh City Right Now
But let’s re-center and focus on right now.
There’s plenty to keep us occupied. We last met Jimmy Nguyen, of the bawdily brilliant downtown cocktail bar Drinking & Healing, when he was holding aloft the Mathieu Teisseire Flavour Masters Vietnam 2024 trophy. Now, the cocktail enthusiast and art lover has founded RAW + Atelier Saigon. One of the most exciting new openings of the year for the Saigon bar scene.
Featuring Oculus Bar, RAW + Atelier, Bon Asian Soul Kitchen, The Palm – Restaurant & Bar, Tà Tà Kitchen And Chị Mơ
Another is the return of Pham Hong Toan, the hero of our The Bartender, The Martini And The Wardrobe piece back in 2023. At some point after that, he upped and disappeared into the sunset, on a journey of self-discovery. Enlightenment achieved, he’s back behind a bar called Oculus.
Then there’s Saigon’s skyline being populated by more classy perches, this time with The Palm – Restaurant & Bar, “a laid-back, elegant setting perfect for unwinding above the city.”
Taste-addict Huynh Chí Khang – who you may recognize from crowd-pleasers Chico’s Pizza and Roast and Smoke – has turned his hand to pho, banh mi, and soulful com rang, each “crafted from scratch using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.”
Then there’s Bon Asian Soul Kitchen, “a cozy, upbeat little restaurant with an open kitchen and a real family feel.” And, soulmates across town Tà Tà Kitchen, which the founders describe as “an honest, cozy kitchen.” Improbably, it’s located in Tân Bình — close to Etown and the airport but worlds away from the rush. And that’s the breadth of our list of new bars and restaurants in Saigon, from Etown and the airport to Thao Dien.
Ooh, baby, we like it raw.
These Are The New Bars And Restaurants In Ho Chi Minh City On Our Radar
Oculus
It’s understandable that a journey of self-discovery would lead to soul-searching insights. Rarer that it would lead to running a bar designed like an eye. But so it is at Oculus, with the long-awaited comeback (it wasn’t actually that long, it just felt that long) of mixologist Pham Hong Toan.
There’s the glass lookout at the front like a curved cornea, and an irascible automatic sliding door like a dilating pupil. The circular bar in the center, like a lens, is where Oculus comes into focus. Toan, spotlit, creates forgotten classics (or ‘Classics In Disguise’ as he describes them) with the precise movements of a performer. Behind him, like a retina, the shelves of spirits glow once the curtains are drawn to reveal them.
But the drinks are just one element. Anh Khoa, from the whispered-about private kitchen Project Arrow, serves equally precise bites – daikon loaded with caviar, his take on uni toast, and more humble waffles with butter. They’re served as a pairing experience or a la carte.
One to keep your eye on.
Where: 54 Vo Van Tan, District 3
When: Monday to Thursday from 6:00pm to 1:00am | Friday and Saturday 6:00pm to 2:00am
Why: Two young Vietnamese talents team up on this exceptional insight-inspired cocktails and cuisine concept.
Connect: +84 0928 993 993 | Instagram
RAW + Atelier
Dashingly handsome, unashamedly introverted, Jimmy Nguyen already blazes Byronesque across the country’s constellation of cocktail bars. Now, he’s hung up his ‘Healers’ jacket – the pharmacist-style uniform he wore at his beloved former home Drinking & Healing – and opened his own atelier.
He’s been consciously stacking life lessons up to this moment. “Nearly every bartender I’ve spoken with, every bar I’ve visited — each of them has played a role in shaping RAW + Atelier into what it is today,” he explains.
Ambitiously, RAW + Atelier is a three-in-one concept, including a space called Room No.5, with three different menus, and three contrasting experiences spread across its floors.
Adding to that, Jimmy and the RAW + Atelier team have embraced the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, the embrace of imperfection and the impermanence of earthly things, creating cocktails that prioritize experience over expectation. “What you receive in the glass may not always match what you expected from reading the menu — and that’s intentional,” he says. “Each drink is uniquely crafted, its character shaped by where you sit and how you experience it.”
The opening menu, ‘Off The Script,’ delivers on that promise with twisted classics like their Fizzy Manhattan and Shaken Old Fashioned that sound heretical but taste revelatory. Making them, they’ve eschewed high-tech gadgetry and replaced it with obsessive attention to local Vietnamese ingredients and the fundamentals executed flawlessly.
“Start with an Espresso Martini downstairs, migrate to the balcony for a Dirty Martini Sour while watching the city wind down, then finish at the intimate Room No.5 with a Vintage Manhattan and a neat whisky,” Jimmy recommends.
Where: 97B Ly Tu Trong, District 1
When: Standby, RAW + Atelier opens any day now when the hours will be announced
Why: A three-in-one concept cocktail bar infused with the spirit of wabi-sabi.
Connect: +84 098 914 99 76 | Instagram
Chị Mơ
Fearless Chef Huynh Chi Khang already has two beloved Thao Dien concepts, Chico’s Pizza and Roast & Smoke. Improbably, for his next act, he has taken on Vietnam’s most sacred culinary creation: pho.
Is there anything he can’t cook, we wonder aloud. “Actually, traditional Vietnamese was one of those cuisines that I wouldn’t think of cooking at a restaurant, because of its sophistication,” he explains. “The more I grew as a chef, the more I opened myself to the vibrant diversity of global culinary traditions, and, at the same time, my own heritage.”
All of that was on show recently, when he threw down at Iberico – Tapas & Vino’s all-star paella cooking competition with his Spanish rice meets cơm rang dưa bò dish. It’s a creation, like the ones at Chị Mơ, that’s both audacious and reverent — elevating the nation’s beloved street food into what he calls “national delicacy” status.
He’s walking the tightrope between tradition and innovation with the precision of a cultural diplomat. Inspired by months exploring Hanoi and the birthplace of pho in Van Cu village, Khang roasts bones for 24 hours to achieve consommé-like clarity, then creates three distinct broth profiles: Bắc Trong (clear Northern-style), Bắc Đậm (rich Northern-style), and Nam (Southern-style). It’s pho crafted with sous-vide techniques and modern equipment, but anchored in time-honored methods.
The restaurant itself feels like a tranquil 1940s Vietnamese village home, complete with a serene garden that offers respite from the city’s chaos.
Beyond the signature pho, the menu features more Vietnamese comfort food – banh mi with house-made pâté, that cơm rang dưa bò with sun-dried mustard greens from Khang’s own garden, and cocktails inspired by Vietnamese desserts like Tào Phớ and Café Trứng.
“Sit on the kitchen-facing veranda,” he recommends. “And order the rich Bắc Đậm pho, and finish with that silken Tào Phớ cocktail. It’s Vietnamese cuisine with a modern soul, minus the cultural appropriation anxiety.”
Where: 23C Le Van Mien, Thao Dien
When: Daily 6:30am – 10:00pm
Why: Pho elevated without the politics.
Connect: Instagram
Bon Asian Soul Kitchen
An Nguyen and Alex Halbers know how to create and navigate great brands – An worked at OBJoff, a concept store and creative space in Thao Dien, and the fashion brand Libé; Alex co-founded Marcel, the food and beverage group known for casual concepts centered around burgers and brunch.
Their Bon Asian Soul Kitchen started with the idea for healthy bowls of good food, but somehow things still felt a little soulless. Together, they pivoted from a delivery-focused health food concept to something more heartfelt: comfort classics remixed with Asian flavors.
Their philosophy centers on cooking for where they are. “We’re in Asia, and people’s cravings are different here,” they explain. The approach isn’t about mastering traditional techniques — it’s about intentional fusion that respects both origins and local palates.
The signature Phở Beef Short-Rib exemplifies this perfectly: slow-cooked beef that mirrors Boeuf Bourguignon but braised in homemade chicken pho broth for five hours. Their Bò Kho Bolo takes Vietnamese beef stew flavors and marries them with housemade pappardelle, creating something familiar yet surprising. It’s fusion done with purpose, not just for novelty.
The space itself mirrors their philosophy — cozy, upbeat, with an open kitchen and genuine family energy. Counter seating offers kitchen theater, while window tables accommodate groups ready to settle in with board games and wine bottles. It’s the kind of place where Sunday sessions naturally evolve into lingering evenings.
“We wanted to create a space with real energy — where people could gather, connect, and feel at home,” they say. Mission accomplished.
Where: 20 Tong Huu Dinh, Thao Dien
When: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00am-5:00pm
Why: Bold flavors with an Asian twist as comfort food gets remixed.
Connect: +84 90 966 72 36 | Instagram
The Palm – Restaurant & Bar
Le Bach Duong returned from the U.S. with hospitality in her DNA. She was raised around her mother’s restaurant and hotel. That instilled in her a mission to come back and elevate Saigon’s rooftop bar and restaurant game. Her 10th-floor perch atop a District 3 boutique hotel offers what she calls “a hidden discovery,” complete with Turtle Lake views and a serene poolside setting that feels worlds away from the street-level chaos.
The Palm – Restaurant & Bar, then, reflects Saigon’s evolving sophistication without losing its soul. “There’s a rising appreciation for spaces that blend style with substance,” Duong explains, and her menu delivers exactly that — international favorites executed with flair and designed for sharing over sunset views.
The showstoppers tell the story: signature Beef Wellington arrives rich and tender, while Foie Gras nods to classic French elegance. For tableside theater, the Steak Flambé gets fired up right in front of you, and dessert continues the drama with Banana Suzette Flambé — warm, boozy, and unforgettable.
You might find her comfy in the corner sofa enjoying the panoramic restaurant views, or at the intimate two-top overlooking Turtle Lake at golden hour. Her order never varies, she says. “Get the Squid Stuffed with Sausage. It’s smoky, rich, with an aftertaste that lingers — and pair it with chilled Prosecco.”
It’s sophisticated dining that speaks to Saigon’s cosmopolitan evolution while keeping the city’s signature warmth intact.
Where: 10th floor, 10A Pham Ngoc Thach, District 3
When: Daily 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Why: Elevated dining with Turtle Lake views and tableside drama
Connect: +84 90 975 34 56 | Instagram
Tà Tà Kitchen
Tà Tà Kitchen sees three friends who survived the restaurant apocalypse of the pandemic giving the dream a second shot.
Long, Phuong, and Thanh have rebuilt from scratch in Tan Binh — deliberately as far away from Thao Dien’s expat bubble and District 1’s tourist traps as they could get, repeating their mantra of, “Staying grounded, staying local, and staying true” as they did so.
Chef Long trained right here in Vietnam, not abroad, and his cooking reflects that rootedness. The menu doesn’t overwhelm — it seduces slowly. His grilled seasonal mushroom skewers arrive marinated deep and kissed by real flame, crowned with crispy shallots and a dark soy glaze.
The MB4 Black Angus hanger steak lands unashamedly heavy on the plate, seared perfectly, accompanied by baby potatoes that absorb every drop of the peppery jus.
The space itself feels like an honest neighborhood kitchen — warm lighting, lo-fi playlist, regulars mixing with quiet first dates and post-shift friends.
The small terrace under fairy-lit trees becomes the heart of the operation, where ice-cold beers transition into shared wine bottles and the night stretches comfortably.
“We’re not trying to be trendy — we’re just trying to be true,” they remind us. It’s wine bar culture for working Saigon — office workers, airport crews, young families, freelancers. Real people, a real neighborhood, real flavors. “And lots of honest cooking that makes you forget what time it is.”
Where: 1073/96a Cach Mang Thang Tam, Tan Binh
Why: Slow sips and good bites in Tan Binh.
Connect: +84 098 943 33 76 | Website | Facebook
Wink Hotels' is a new kind of Vietnamese hotel made for the modern traveler and ready to take on the world.