Saigon Street Eats Review
What is better than experiencing the city with a local guiding you around the best places? We sampled some of the most delicious street dishes with Saigon Street Eats, and here is our review.
What to expect in Saigon Street Eats tour?
The pickup
After greetings and introductions, our drivers, Lam and Lily, explained the tour’s safety rules and general plan.
We then headed to District 3.
The gathering
The whole group gathered at Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment, one of the oldest apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh city.
There were three other people in our group, so we broke the ice and got to know each other.
Our first stop was Banh xeo!
We followed our guide to the first stop – sizzling Vietnamese pancake.
This street vendor is located neatly in the corner of Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment, and the owner has been making Banh xeo for 30 years!
As the kitchen was outside the shop, we could see all the ingredients and how he made the pancakes.
Next stop Banh mi
After delicious Banh Xeo, we followed Lam to a Banh Mi store. This store’s been in business for 60 years!
Here, Lam gave us a superb description of everything about this type of sandwich, from what is a good Banh Mi store to tips on knowing which stores are good.
Seafood time
We walked back to the Nguyen Thien Thuat apartments to a famous seafood restaurant in the neighborhood.
The owner used to live in District 4, famous for its seafood, but he moved to the apartments after the Vietnam war and opened this place.
We had many dishes there! Shrimp, scallops, including an especially unusual shellfish.
Mouth-watering scallops Steamed clams with lemongrass and other dishes.
Com Tam
After the seafood, we went to a nearby Com Tam shop.
Like other stops, this place has been in the business for many years.
It is well-known for its delicious grilled pork with broken rice.
Chicken with glass noodles
After finishing our Com Tam, we got on the back of the bikes and headed to a famous chicken noodles shop.
The shop was very popular with the locals and specialized in chicken dishes.
Lam suggested trying out the chicken salad and chicken with glass noodles and mung beans. Both dishes were yummy!
Time for a sweet tooth
Our last stop was for dessert!
We visited the market in District 3 and stopped at a dessert stand. There were plenty of choices, from avocado smoothies to flan cakes and Che – a Vietnamese special bean dessert.
Our thoughts on Saigon Street Eats
Overall, we enjoyed the night. Our tour guide explained carefully about the dishes, and the food was delicious.
Lam made the trip very enjoyable. He answered all our questions in great detail and gave us great cultural insight. He knew his stuff.
Wandering around the backstreets and alleys and eating at local spots gave us a great experience.
Also, we love meeting people, so joining a group tour was perfect!
Pros
- Unlimited food and drinks
- Informative guide with excellent English skills
- Most restaurants within the same area – no long-distance biking!
- Seafood was not the last stop – unusual compared to most other tours.
Cons
- No insurance is provided. However, you can purchase travel insurance easily here.
How to book Saigon Street Eats?
The booking process is very easy.
You can book directly here. After selecting the date and time, you can fill in your details and submit an order.
- Starting time: 5:30 pm
- Price: $49 per person
