Daily rant (Not really tho)_Places I adore in Saigon (mostly cafes)
Hello there, I few days back I asked on my instagram if anyone would like to see my list of favorite places in saigon and you guys said yes so here it is. These are mostly around district 1 because I live there. Also, a lot of them are on the lowkey side because I can't afford anything else. This list in randomly placed, in no particular order of favoritism.
Also this takes me quite a while to write so I think I can excuse myself for not posting on the daily rant series as frequent as I promised. This post doesn't seem like a rant at all but hey we're doing it my way so...
Hope you'll get something out of it.
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#1. Caztus ice blended NTMK
Now this place is like 2 steps from my house so I go there very often. You can probably see me there pretty much every afternoon. I think it's a lovely cafe. The staffs are nice, the space is very vintage and well designed. Don't come on weekdays at round 11 to 2 because students from high schools near by often come there and rest so it's very loud and chaotic. It's not the owner's fault of course. I really do appreciate their effort of promoting the eco-friendly lifestyle but I don't think that quite understand what it means to be eco-friendly or whether their intention comes from a genuine place. They still use plastic cups and straws whether you'd like to have you're drink there or take away. I think the first step they should have done is switching to use glasses and ask their customers whether they want to the straw or not because they just automatically put a straw in your cup unless you tell them before hand. Their reason behind the fact why they're still using plastic cups is not very convincing to me. It feels like they just want to sell eco-friendly merchandise instead of actually care of the environment. That's why I stopped going to caztus often. I only go there when I have a friend gathering.
Ad: 153/11A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1
#2. An xanh veggie cafe
It's a quite odd cafe. They open at the most random hours. They have a fix opening schedule but they slack off from it every now and then. They are a vegan cafe. The menu isn't very extensive but I come there for the space. It's in a small alley in the middle of centre Saigon. It's very quiet and often aren't packed with people. It has a cozy and vintage feel which I love and also quite a lot of plants near the stairs under the light well. I would recommend their hot vegan latte with cashew milk. Also , what is the most interesting about them is that they don't have a fixed price on their menu. You can pay them as much as you want, just put your money in a box next to the cashier. I often pay 30k-35k vnd for my latte.
Ad: 58/9 Truong Dinh, District 1
#3. Xưởng xàm
If you listened to one of my podcast episode with my friend Gabriel you'd know that we have an obsession with Japan ceramics. This place is also in a small alley at the middle of centre Saigon. It located in a old small building and you have to call them for them to open the door for you can take you to the top floor of the building where they have their showroom. It has a minimalist design with white and light wood color as the main point. They have quite plenty of stuff but it's now a lot, just about enough. The price isn't cheap but very reasonable. The ceramics there are also very well chosen, not a single one isn't pretty. They also sell online so I reckon that's a good option for you.
Ad: 7/5B Phung Khac Hoan, District 1. Call 0938005340 for them to open the fate for you.
#4. The Organik house
The organik house is near by Xuong Xam so maybe you can visit both on the same trip. This is probably the only vegan cafe with an extensive menu in Saigon. Their food and drinks are more on the western side. They have pancakes, superfood salads, sourdough bread, lattes, kombucha etc. They are definitely on the expensive price of the spectrum so I've only been there twice but I'd love to comeback when I have time (and money). The space is very nice and the staffs are lovely. They gave us so jackfruit on the house when we went there. However, they sell non vegan stuff as well despite being a vegan cafe. I have a rather bittersweet experience there with the non vegan stuff. When first came I saw they have croissants and since it's a vegan cafe I thought the croissants were vegan. I was very excited because I have never had vegan croissants before. Just to make sure I asked the staffs whether their croissants were vegan and specifically mentioned if they have milk, butter or eggs. The staff said the croissants were vegan. So I got one and enjoyed it. It tasted like the real deal to me. Turned out, it's the real deal, those were not vegan. I had a bad stomache that day because I haven't had dairy in so long and I am lactose intolerant. I contacted them again to make sure and the owner apologized for the untrained staff and made it clear that the croissants are not vegan. I believe their banana bread aren't vegan as well and one of their sourdough bread hs honey in it. Anyway they have a bulk store upstair and very nice eco friendly goods so I would comeback for that. They also sell vegan specialty like vegan cheese, vegan pesto, vegan chocolate, tempeh, etc which are hard to find in Saigon. I payed 40k vnd for black coffee and 80k for 2 slices of sourdough bread with a tiny bit of vegan cheese which I think is incredibly overpriced.
Ad: 7F Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1
#5. Nha co hai nguoi store
It's a ceramic store like xuong xam. But it has more stuff and the price is not expensive but their stuff aren't as well chosen so if you want your money well spent you have to invest in some time to find the cute ones. They have a massive collection of ceramic, it's quite overwhelming actually. But the place is very pretty and the staffs are nice. It's actually the first ceramic store I found in Saigon a few years back. Pay a visit when you have time.
Ad: 19/2A Nguyen Van Nguyen, District 1 (1st floor)
#6. Every half bean_Ca eei teo eei plant shop
I often come here for coffee after visiting nha co hai nguoi since its like 100m away. It's a plant shop. It's filled with lots and lots of plants. But they also have coffee there. The space is very nice and cute. It feels very fresh. Their are on the pricey side but their coffee is very good so I think it's worth it. The staff is also very nice and it's not packed at all so it's nice to have a chat with your friend or have your work done there.
Ad: 212/315 Nguyen Van Nguyen, District 1
#7. Kafka Cafe
There was a time I had a few errands to run at this place. A friend of mine live in an apartment upstair so I was quite confused when I arrived at the address and I saw a cafe. The ground floor is Kafka cafe but the 1st floor is Prem vegetarian bistro. The cafe is very vegan friendly. I believe all of their smoothies and juices are vegan. They even have vegan cake and energy balls. However, they don't label any of their vegan cakes vegan so I first thought they weren't. I test my luck and ask if any of their cakes are vegan and they told me their carrot cake, banana cake, apple cake and chocolate oatmeal cake are vegan. I was so happy I found some real good vegan cake in Saigon near where I live. I've tried the apple cake, carrot cake and chocolate oatmeal cake. They were all delicious and the slice they gave me was quite big. All of their vegan cakes range at 65k vnd except for the oatmeal cake which ranges at 75k. Their black coffee is quite good priced very decently at 30k. If being eco-friendly is one of your concern, ask them to use metal straw instead of the plastic one. They have a bunch of metal straws but I don't know why they serve their drink with a plastic straw. Also they have bagels and open face toast. The only vegan option is peanut butter and banana which priced at 65k. I only tried the bagel and it's really good. The vegetarian bistro on the 1st floor seems too overpriced for me so I've only been there once. I tried the Thai wholewheat pizza and asked them to replace the cheese with avocado to make it vegan. It's surprisingly good. I would personally recommend the cafe more.
Ad: 204 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, District 3
#8. Afternoon workshop
This is a really cute cafe. It's in a small alley near my house. Since I digged Caztus, this has become my go-to cafe. The menu only have a few drinks like coffee and tea. But they have cookies, banana bread and croissants which aren't vegan but the price is very reasonable. Their black coffee is 30k and it's actually pretty good coffee. They sell eco-friendly merchandise as well which are very cute but a little pricey. The space is very well design. They don't have tables and chairs but rather a concrete block for you to sit on which I think is a quite smart way of utilizing the space they have. It's small and cozy, the sunlight shines through the windows very nicely so going there in the after or the morning seems like a great time for some nice photos. The staffs are so nice as well and it's very quite which I love. I think they live up to the eco-friendly lifestyle they're promoting (unlike caztus *wink*). They serve everything there in really lovely mugs and if you want to have your drink to go, you can either bring your own bottle or but their glass bottle and have your drink in it. You can of course reuse the bottle.
Ad: 65/27 Cach Mang Thang 8, District 1 (1st floor)
#9. An Nam gourmet
This isn't a cafe. It's more like a super expensive health food store. They have a lot of organic produce and goodies. They also have harder-to-find superfoods like maca powder, acai powder, vegan protein powder, etc. I think they're the only shop that hs a good vegan packaged cheese. They have violife creamcheese, cheedar both in slices and in block, a greek cheese that you can put on a grill for a BBQ (I've heard great things about it) and mozarella both in slice and in block. The price seem just about the same with other dairy cheese they carry so that's a win. They have a small restaurant area by the bakery on the 1st floor. Their bakery is amazing. They have artisanal breads, most of them are vegan. They carry healthier wholegrain breads, superseed breads, bagels, flatbreads, etc. My favorite is the sourdough barguette. You can ask them to cut it up, toast it in the oven and have it at their restaurant area. It cost 20k for a quite long barguette. I haven't had their coffee yet but their black coffee priced at 30k which is very decent for such an expensive place. It's in the center of Saigon too so you do get the most bang for your buck.
Ad: 16 Hai Ba Trung, District 1
#10. Haibacon
I recently found this cafe on instagram. It's quite odd actually. It's like xuong xam, you have to call them to open the door to the cafe for you. It's on the 7th floor of the building so you'll have a nice view from their balcony. The price is incredibly reasonable. They have food and 2 cakes served there. Their concept is centered around the dynamic of the owner, who is the dad and his child. On the day we came, the child came back from school and said hello to us. He was exceptionally adorable. Since it's on the 7th floor and there is no big sign that shows there is a cafe there, this place is very lowkey. There aren't many people so it's nice to come for a chat or get your work done there. Just keep in mind that you can easily pass by this place. It looks like an empty building and it's always closed but they have a rather small board of the cafe logo and the number to call for the staff to open the door for you in the right front of the building. Highly highly recommend.
Ad: 232 Ly Chinh Thang, District 3. Call 0792233919 for them to open the gate for you.
Also this takes me quite a while to write so I think I can excuse myself for not posting on the daily rant series as frequent as I promised. This post doesn't seem like a rant at all but hey we're doing it my way so...
Hope you'll get something out of it.
______________
#1. Caztus ice blended NTMK
Ad: 153/11A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1
#2. An xanh veggie cafe
It's a quite odd cafe. They open at the most random hours. They have a fix opening schedule but they slack off from it every now and then. They are a vegan cafe. The menu isn't very extensive but I come there for the space. It's in a small alley in the middle of centre Saigon. It's very quiet and often aren't packed with people. It has a cozy and vintage feel which I love and also quite a lot of plants near the stairs under the light well. I would recommend their hot vegan latte with cashew milk. Also , what is the most interesting about them is that they don't have a fixed price on their menu. You can pay them as much as you want, just put your money in a box next to the cashier. I often pay 30k-35k vnd for my latte.
Ad: 58/9 Truong Dinh, District 1
#3. Xưởng xàm
If you listened to one of my podcast episode with my friend Gabriel you'd know that we have an obsession with Japan ceramics. This place is also in a small alley at the middle of centre Saigon. It located in a old small building and you have to call them for them to open the door for you can take you to the top floor of the building where they have their showroom. It has a minimalist design with white and light wood color as the main point. They have quite plenty of stuff but it's now a lot, just about enough. The price isn't cheap but very reasonable. The ceramics there are also very well chosen, not a single one isn't pretty. They also sell online so I reckon that's a good option for you.
Ad: 7/5B Phung Khac Hoan, District 1. Call 0938005340 for them to open the fate for you.
#4. The Organik house
The organik house is near by Xuong Xam so maybe you can visit both on the same trip. This is probably the only vegan cafe with an extensive menu in Saigon. Their food and drinks are more on the western side. They have pancakes, superfood salads, sourdough bread, lattes, kombucha etc. They are definitely on the expensive price of the spectrum so I've only been there twice but I'd love to comeback when I have time (and money). The space is very nice and the staffs are lovely. They gave us so jackfruit on the house when we went there. However, they sell non vegan stuff as well despite being a vegan cafe. I have a rather bittersweet experience there with the non vegan stuff. When first came I saw they have croissants and since it's a vegan cafe I thought the croissants were vegan. I was very excited because I have never had vegan croissants before. Just to make sure I asked the staffs whether their croissants were vegan and specifically mentioned if they have milk, butter or eggs. The staff said the croissants were vegan. So I got one and enjoyed it. It tasted like the real deal to me. Turned out, it's the real deal, those were not vegan. I had a bad stomache that day because I haven't had dairy in so long and I am lactose intolerant. I contacted them again to make sure and the owner apologized for the untrained staff and made it clear that the croissants are not vegan. I believe their banana bread aren't vegan as well and one of their sourdough bread hs honey in it. Anyway they have a bulk store upstair and very nice eco friendly goods so I would comeback for that. They also sell vegan specialty like vegan cheese, vegan pesto, vegan chocolate, tempeh, etc which are hard to find in Saigon. I payed 40k vnd for black coffee and 80k for 2 slices of sourdough bread with a tiny bit of vegan cheese which I think is incredibly overpriced.
Ad: 7F Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1
#5. Nha co hai nguoi store
Ad: 19/2A Nguyen Van Nguyen, District 1 (1st floor)
#6. Every half bean_Ca eei teo eei plant shop
Ad: 212/315 Nguyen Van Nguyen, District 1
#7. Kafka Cafe
There was a time I had a few errands to run at this place. A friend of mine live in an apartment upstair so I was quite confused when I arrived at the address and I saw a cafe. The ground floor is Kafka cafe but the 1st floor is Prem vegetarian bistro. The cafe is very vegan friendly. I believe all of their smoothies and juices are vegan. They even have vegan cake and energy balls. However, they don't label any of their vegan cakes vegan so I first thought they weren't. I test my luck and ask if any of their cakes are vegan and they told me their carrot cake, banana cake, apple cake and chocolate oatmeal cake are vegan. I was so happy I found some real good vegan cake in Saigon near where I live. I've tried the apple cake, carrot cake and chocolate oatmeal cake. They were all delicious and the slice they gave me was quite big. All of their vegan cakes range at 65k vnd except for the oatmeal cake which ranges at 75k. Their black coffee is quite good priced very decently at 30k. If being eco-friendly is one of your concern, ask them to use metal straw instead of the plastic one. They have a bunch of metal straws but I don't know why they serve their drink with a plastic straw. Also they have bagels and open face toast. The only vegan option is peanut butter and banana which priced at 65k. I only tried the bagel and it's really good. The vegetarian bistro on the 1st floor seems too overpriced for me so I've only been there once. I tried the Thai wholewheat pizza and asked them to replace the cheese with avocado to make it vegan. It's surprisingly good. I would personally recommend the cafe more.
Ad: 204 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, District 3
#8. Afternoon workshop
Ad: 65/27 Cach Mang Thang 8, District 1 (1st floor)
#9. An Nam gourmet
This isn't a cafe. It's more like a super expensive health food store. They have a lot of organic produce and goodies. They also have harder-to-find superfoods like maca powder, acai powder, vegan protein powder, etc. I think they're the only shop that hs a good vegan packaged cheese. They have violife creamcheese, cheedar both in slices and in block, a greek cheese that you can put on a grill for a BBQ (I've heard great things about it) and mozarella both in slice and in block. The price seem just about the same with other dairy cheese they carry so that's a win. They have a small restaurant area by the bakery on the 1st floor. Their bakery is amazing. They have artisanal breads, most of them are vegan. They carry healthier wholegrain breads, superseed breads, bagels, flatbreads, etc. My favorite is the sourdough barguette. You can ask them to cut it up, toast it in the oven and have it at their restaurant area. It cost 20k for a quite long barguette. I haven't had their coffee yet but their black coffee priced at 30k which is very decent for such an expensive place. It's in the center of Saigon too so you do get the most bang for your buck.
Ad: 16 Hai Ba Trung, District 1
#10. Haibacon
Ad: 232 Ly Chinh Thang, District 3. Call 0792233919 for them to open the gate for you.
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