All Reviews
I stayed here for a few nights and liked many things about it. The central location and clean and comfortable rooms being the best feature, the breakfast was the worst. It's not the cheapest in the neighborhood but it is a good option.
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Though a dedicated resident of Hanoi, I ventured to HCMC and found a few fun and friendly places to drink without getting accosted by hostesses. Bread & Butter was by far the best for many reasons - a good location, cool folk hanging out, reasonable prices, great Huda beer, and a really friendly and helpful barkeep to cap it all off. They also have a solid food menu and do a Sunday roast which rocked my world.
Keep one cold for me, Dan. And thanks!
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Love this place. Great atmosphere, very nice staff and theres always a friendly face to chat to.The food is really good too,you have to try the fish and chips,mmmmmm yummy.
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Had some fried rice at the Nguyen Hue place, not bad. But the toilets have to be the smelliest in town. Nauseating.
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I went there to see a band one night and the place was packed. The serving staff were a bit out of their depth but the buzz was great and later the dj's were competent and kept the dance floor filled. The mixed drinks might be using dodgy booze however; I drank perhaps 3 (@75,000 a shot you'd expect nice booze) vodka-tonics and the next day had a splitting headache. Stick to beer.
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Well the atmosphere is tacky and fast foody, but I've called them for delivery several times now. I've tried a few different pizza places and up till now the crusts have been close to inedible, always cardboardy and way too chewy and dry. I'll be sticking with Sarpino's from now on.
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No they are not closed, they've moved to Mac Thi Buoi Street, off Dong Khoi, on the south side. It's a bit more cramped but a bit more pleasant too, and the cooking seems to have improved a great deal since they were on Ly Thanh Ton. The lunchtime buffet is a bit dear at 100,000vnd a person, but the food is excellent and there is no waiting around to eat, just dive in at the trough.
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DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL! YOU MAY HAVE YOUR BELONGINGS STOLEN HERE
This low-cost hotel seemed like a good deal at $10/night, until I realized that the staff had been stealing belongings from my bags when I was out of the room.
This hotel is located on the busy Bui Vien street of Pham Ngu Lao, and has affordable rooms. On the positive side, my room was only $10/night and included air conditioning, wireless internet, refrigerator, hot water, motorbike parking, and seemingly friendly staff. On the negative side, my room had no windows, the springs in the mattress poked me in the back, there were some kind of bedbugs that would bite my ankles during the night (I ended up just sleeping in socks), my room was only cleaned every third day, the refrigerator didn't work (only the freezer part worked), and the staff stole my belongings while I was out of the room!
Overall, it seemed like a good deal at $10/night, but when I realized that over $300 worth of my belongings had been stolen from my room (they had even tore a hole in my locked bag to get to my stuff), I immediately talked to the hotel manager about it. He said that it couldn't have happened and even after I showed him my torn bag, he maintained that his staff did not do that.
I'm sure their low cost will attract many naive travelers who are simply looking for a cheap place to crash for the night, but I would strongly recommend that people stay away from this hotel.
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For delicate, buttery pastries, keep on looking. For decent fresh-out-of-the-oven French bread loaves, however, Ngọc Ánh is one of the most popular bakeries in the district. There's a nice balance between crust and crumb. The patina of the crust isn't as golden as it could be, but the chewy interior makes up for it. Also, the fact that Ngọc Ánh is so popular in the area also means that there is a constant flow of fresh bread loaves coming from the ovens - always a good thing.
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Anyone having a craving for the variety of delicacies that the central region of Vietnam is widely known for would probably appreciate a visit to Món Huế, which literally means "Central Vietnam Dishes." There is a good amount of variety on the menu, which is a cute fold-out triangle shape representing a straw hat.
Avoid the most expensive chè, chè đậu xanh dừa bột lọc (mung bean coconut tapioca dessert). An order of very-long-name chè ended up being a clump of mung bean and balls of tapioca encasing bits of fresh coconut floating in the bottom of a tall glass of slightly syrupy liquid. Unfortunately, the flavors of the novelty drink did not compliment each other at all. The liquid that the bits and pieces were floating in tasted of nothing more than water and cane sugar, the clump of mung bean was dry and relatively tasteless, the tapioca flour had no sweetness, and the coconut meat was from older coconuts and was therefore tough and lacking in flavor. Also, the drink selection at Món Huế leaves much to be desired in terms of variety.
Novelty drink and lack of drink selection aside, Món Huế was excellent. The service is amazingly quick. Orders of bánh bèo are served within minutes; it is by far the most popular dish, so the chefs always have a batch of mix ready to go at a moment's notice. Anyone ordering bánh ít ram can expect a bit of a wait! The long-awaited plate of bánh ít ram made its way to the table after both dining partners had not only gotten and finished their dishes but were already waiting on their second orders.
The prize was worth the wait. The glossy, immensely sticky rice cakes, each hiding a piece of shrimp, played beautifully against the crispy-on-the-outside, ooey-gooey-on-the-inside rice cakes, each hiding a piece of thit ram (classic sweet and salty Vietnamese pork made in a caramelized sauce). The contrasts in texture and in sweet and savory flavors were delightful, and the fact that the sticky white cakes sat atop the crispy golden cakes made handling the delicacies *much* easier than it could have been.
Interestingly, all three diners had different opinions on the three popular dishes ordered. Everyone loved the bánh ít ram - score! One dining mate felt that the bánh bèo was too ordinary, and another felt that the bánh bột lọc was a bit tough and lacked a balance in flavors. Best advice: go with a few buddies and have a go at the menu choices!
Món Huế scored extra points for excellent presentation. The restaurant decór was tastefully simple, and the serving presentation was equally pleasant. The square, glossy green plate that displayed the bánh ít ram beautifully contrasted the three stacks of glossy white rice cakes sitting atop their crisp-golden counterparts. The bánh bột lọc was cradled in a cute bamboo steaming basket lined with glossy leaves. A large white square platter showcased the bánh bèo, with each bánh bèo nestled a little white saucer of its own. Trés classy - and fun to eat with the delicate little spoons that come with.
Between the excellent service, delightful fare, elegant presentation, and reasonable prices (about 160000 VND for six dishes - 2 per diner), Món Huế is definitely a good pick for a lovely dining experience.
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I agree with jojosan, this is a great place for a legit massage.
I arrived later in the evening so I didn't have a chance to enjoy the jacuzzi or sauna, but I'm sure they would've been nice.
I kept my belongings with me the whole time (in the little fanny pack they provide), and I thought the layout of the massage rooms was good. They had little standup dividers in one big room so that you have just enough privacy. As a guy, I had my massage in the male room, and I suppose there's a female room somewhere else. My masseuse knew what she was doing and I'd go back in the future.
Also, two things: THE ADDRESS ABOVE IS INCORRECT! (I think the correct address is 31/1 Nguyen Binh Khiem St, Dist 1). The prices have also gone up a little bit, but they're still reasonable for what you get (60'=VND 120,000, 90'=165,000)
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Had a gorgeous meal here the other night.The chicken samosas are so good.Shame the interior is rather bland but still its very clean
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Great place for a haircut, highlights, makeup or nails.
The building is huge (5-6 floors) and everything looks very professional and clean. You give them your name at the front counter, and after draping a smock over you, they escort you up to another floor to have your services done.
I had my hair cut on the fifth floor, where there were internet stations to use while you wait for your perm or highlights to set. I was escorted to a haircutting station where the stylist asked what I wanted done. Another girl washed my hair, and the haircut itself was very thorough. After about 40 minutes of cutting, I was finished and my hair looked just as I wanted it to. Another washing, blowdrying, and a little hair wax and I was done.
Went downstairs to pay, and to my surprise, my bill was 50,000 dong! That's about $3. Apparently, I'd happened to visit during "happy time" and got the discounted rate. It was a great haircut at any price, and at such a low price I recommend this place to all of my friends.
service__________price__________happy time price
-----------------------------------------
shampoo________40,000_______25,000
shampoo+cut____64,000_______40,000
cut+highlight____224,000______140,000
cut+color________320,000______200,000
(happy time is from 8am-11am & 5pm - 8pm)
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One of my favourites so far. Lively and happening.Good food.Happy hour.Nice crowd and friendly staff
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This was my first market in Saigon. In Hanoi, I'm accustomed to wandering markets and being treated with indifference, mild curiosity, perhaps a half-assed motioning towards their wares.
We walked into this market and were immediately seized by girls saying "Hello! What are you looking for!?" and trying to pull us to their stall.
"Ah, must just be the crazy area of the market," we thought, shook them off, and moved on, only to be grabbed my more shop assistants.
So with a final lunge we escaped, never to return.
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This place is very average. We ended up here because a panicked friend was loathe to arrive in the big smoke without having previously engaged an evenings lodgings. The Le Le came recommended by the battered old lonely planet in my bag. I know it’s not uncommon for places to slumber upon their laurels or be sold upon receipt of the recherché listing in that omniscient point of reference, but perhaps more a more apt analogy here would be “comatose upon the palm of victory.”
With the exception of the guard, who was most polite and helpful with the motorbikes, the hotel staff were surly, uninterested and unhelpful - a major failing where I'm concerned. Possibly they took exception to my usage of northern Vietnamese. Possibly I’m a despicable bastard – but they didn’t seem to like anyone else either.
The room was tolerable and had some charm about it. The hot water however, was uncooperative (which despite the oppressive Saigonese heat is a bugger when trying to shave) and the bathroom neither especially functional nor well kept.
In fact the whole place had a downtrodden feeling of grime that so often happens when not scrupulously cleaned in this environment. The dining room was marginally larger than a carton of cigarettes. Again, though not uncommon in this part of the world I found it incongruous at least for a hotel of this stature. The food was filthy. After consuming the eggs here and subsequently presenting with a mild fever to licensed medical practitioner, one might hardly be surprised with a diagnosis of H5N1. Ladies of the night appeared to be quite welcome when accompanied by guests, which may add or detract from your estimation of place depending on your perspective of the matter.
There is a lift which is great for those who love lifts, but terrifying for persons living in mortal fear of dying in a small metal box.
From a practical point of view, the entrance is hidden up some small stairs beside a travel agency who inhabit the frontage. I also never saw nor heard of any free internet, and was advised there was none.
At the end of the day this place probably only gets business and charges what it does (too much, though admittedly not horrendous) because it’s located on PNL and not a nameless alley. There are a myriad of superior establishments literally around the corner offering substantially greater value for one’s dong.
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Large indoor market that sells luggage, clothing, souvenirs, fresh flowers, produce, meat, and prepared foods.
This is a great place to visit if you're a tourist staying in the Pham Ngu Lao area and want to pick up some clothes or knick knacks to take home with you. Just remember to bargain for the price you want to pay.
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Good for a late night drinking place, when all other options have been forgoten. Cannot remember the music that much, but had a alright time.
Been during early evening mostly, just people watching, as it's position is perfect. Not tried the food, so cannot comment, although my wife said some of the dishes she had were, average to good.
Iam not a tight person at all, but 35k for a beer with a head and half on it, was pricey for backpacker area, especially when the cafe/bar next door does the large bottles of Tiger for less.
It's always full anyway, so i pay for the atmosphere, although with Allez Boo re-opening on the other corner, it could have a effect.
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low-key place to get drinks. yes, the price of food is expat/touristy, but the staff are very friendly and it's a nice place to hang out with friends on the weekend.
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One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I’m not a big fan of these kind of themed pubs (Australian by birth I’d never dream of venturing into an “Aussie” pub – or perhaps only in a nightmare), but if you like these sort of places, this is as good as I’ve seen anywhere.
In the spirit of my forefathers I do love a drop of the black stuff, and “Irish” pubs are a generally a good candidate to get one. Here it’s served cold (how I like it though I’m told an abomination to many native drinkers) and reasonably priced – i.e. expensive, but not horrendously so). The staff are friendly and willing to smile, the décor is sufficiently tacky and on my last visit a good collection of folk music came wafting through the din (though somewhat incongruently with some esoteric Australian tracks and a few pieces of country and western twang).
What did it for me here was the food. Yep, pricey – tourist pricey (~110k avg a plate) but it was bloody good. The shepherd’s pie and the beef and pies are top notch – much more authentic than one might imagine. And lord knows how hard it is to get a pie in this country, let alone a good one. The mash – with hints of leek, garlic and almost certainly cream, was to die for and it’s for this that it’ worth coming here if nothing else.
If you like an Irish pub or just some good, real, western food – you could do much worse than give this place a crack.
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