Traditional cuisines through the top local restaurants in Saigon

About this tour

Eat your way through Saigon's neighbourhood restaurants, tasting the dishes locals actually crave. This three-to-four-hour guided tour takes you to Michelin-recommended pho joints and celebrated banh mi vendors, skipping the tourist queues to sit where regulars do. You'll taste chicken broth simmered for hours and baguettes that shatter at first bite, learning how each dish reflects the city's culinary identity.

Highlights

• Michelin-recommended chicken pho with slow-cooked broth
• Top 10 Vietnamese banh mi with crisp baguette and fresh herbs
• Eat where locals queue, not where tour groups gather
• Skip-the-line access to beloved neighbourhood spots
• Silky glass noodles and pickled vegetable combinations
• Walking tour through Saigon's food-focused streets

What to expect

Expect to walk between intimate, unadorned shopfronts that have earned their reputations through decades of consistency. At the first stop, you'll watch cooks tend broths that have been building flavour since dawn, then sit elbow-to-elbow with office workers and retirees slurping bowls of pho. The second venue feels more casual—a sandwich counter where speed and precision matter. There's no English menu or polished presentation; what you get is honest food made without fuss. You'll move at a local's pace, stopping to chat with vendors and absorb how these meals fit into daily life.

Good to know

Wear comfortable walking shoes for navigating between venues. Moderate fitness helps with pacing. Bring an appetite and arrive hungry. Bottled water included. All meals and taxes covered. Tours run during peak eating hours when the restaurants are busiest.