The 5 Best Brunch Spots in Saigon

Ahh brunch. A term that elicits memories of rounding up your house fully of mid-twenty somethings after a big Saturday night out, boozy brunches, and the best damn avocado toast you’ve ever had. I can’t think of many better cities than Saigon for not only great tasting and high quality brunches, but an affordable ones as well. Buckle in. 

In this article, I’m walking you several of the best brunch spots in Saigon. But first, for the Vietnamese readers, what’s the meaning of brunch? Brunch là gì?

Brunch là gì? Brunch Meaning

Simply put, ‘brunch’ is the combination of “breakfast” and “brunch” and refers to a late-morning meal – somewhere in the middle and typically on Saturday or Sunday. Brunch typically covers all traditional breakfast foods you’ve grown to love over the years (eggs benedict, avocado toast, omelettes), along with lunch options and often, creative specials. 

Brunch also regularly has an alcohol component, such as a Bloody Mary or champagne, which is generally why brunch specials and deals are offered on Saturday and Sunday. For me, the meaning of brunch is up to interpretation, and refers to a Saturday or Sunday outing with friends or family where we post up at a restaurant, enjoy a few beverages, and put off the thought of Monday (and work) just a little longer. 

Now, let’s get to it and start with my favorite brunch restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Au Parc (District 1)

Credit to Au Parc’s Facebook page.

Literally meaning “At the park” in French,  Au Parc Saigon is well…right next to a park and situated between Ho Chi Minh’s Reunification Palace and Notre-Dame. It is my favorite of all brunch spots in Ho Chi Minh, and by far my most frequented. Au Parc specializes in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, Italian coffee, and wines that won’t break your budget. 

Don’t worry! They do have all the staples of a classic brunch that you might be craving while abroad in Vietnam – french toast, English Breakfast, and muesli. Au Parc stays true to their Mediterranean and Middle Eastern hereditament with their Turkish breakfast and brunch, where brunchers won’t be disappointed at the amount of accompanying feta cheese, olives, and hummus.

Au Parc sports two floors of bare brick walls, old window frames, and colorful floor tiling, with two floors to choose from – along with a small, outdoor terrace overlooking the park. It’s also connected to the restaurant ‘Propaganda’, a Vietnamese bistro, which diners can order from (and vice versa). 

Maybe I’m easily pleased, but Au Parc provides free bread and assorted spreads (jams, nutella, butter, etc…), which automatically puts them in my good graces. I’m a pretty standard English Breakfast guy across the board, so that’s my go to at Au Parc. I think it’s worth mentioning that while the quality is great, if you’re hungry, I recommend adding extra orders of eggs, potatoes, and sausages. 

I have several buddies who are big Sunday morning drinkers and very pro-Bloody Mary, so I’ve sampled my fair share of their ‘Crazy Mary’s’ (VND $85,000) – Au Parc’s take on a Bloody Mary, but with ginger. Mimosas are also on the docket ($115,000), for diners looking for that quintessential Sunday champagne brunch.  

Website, Address, & Details: https://auparcsaigon.com/ 

• When: 11AM to 4PM Saturdays and Sundays
• Location: 23 Hàn Thuyên, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh

Park Hyatt Saigon Brunch at Opera (District 1)

Credit to the Park Hyatt Saigon’s Facebook page.

For travelers with a higher budget and looking for free flow champagne, this is the Sunday champagne brunch you’ve been waiting for. The Sunday Brunch at Opera (12PM to 3PM) was my first brunch experience in Saigon, oddly for a baby shower – where I only knew one person and ended up doing about 5 oyster vodka shots by 2PM. It also became a regular Sunday brunch spot for my buddy and I, who worked extremely odd hours and designated Sundays as his prime drinking days. 

This is a spot where it’s best to dress up and make a day of it. For me, that’s a button down, blazer, and six year old Sperries that smell like a football dipped in vinegar. 

Coffee lovers will not be disappointed here. Opera’s trattoria-style restaurant also boasts their ‘Opera Bar’, with an array of signature coffee drinks – go with the choco-cookie iced macchiato if you want a caffeinated chocolate milk. 

So, what’s the damage (price) on one of Saigon’s best (and most up-scale) brunches? Depending on whether you’re in the drinking mood, brunch will run you anywhere from VND $1,380,000 (USD $60) for the non-drinkers, to $1,580,000 ($68) for your standard cocktails and Prosecco, all the way to $2,090,000 ($90) for my champagne crowd.   

Monica over at The Yum List has a great breakdown of the exact spread at the Hyatt, along with some mouth-watering pictures.  

Looking for a Saturday brunch spot instead? Consider checking out the Hyatt’s Saturday Brunch at Square One from 12PM to 3PM.

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.saigon.park.hyattrestaurants.com/opera-sunday-brunch.html 

• When: 12PM to 3PM every Sunday
• Location: 2 Công Trường Lam Sơn, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh (District 1)

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’re looking to carry a Sunday brunch drinking session into the late afternoon and night, I’ve got you covered. Make sure to check out my complete guide to craft beer in Saigon!

Restaurant Social Club Saigon (District 3)

Credit to Social Club’s Facebook page.

If you’re looking for a rooftop restaurant for brunch in Saigon, look no further. Social Club is just one of Hotel Des Arts Saigon’s restaurants to check out. Located on the 23rd floor of Hotel Des Arts, Social Club is one hip spot. There’s always a healthy mix of young professionals and hotel  guests at this one, as they have a DJ spinning every brunch and it sits next to one of the best rooftop pools in Saigon.

Like the Park Hyatt, Social Club Saigon also offers free flow champagne, wine, and cocktails. This is definitely the place that things can turn up real fast at, due to the palpable energy pulsating across the rooftop. It’s a type of place that I probably should do a few crunches or situps before going, in case I pop a few buttons on my shirt (voluntarily or involuntarily). 

One of my favorite sights of the brunch is the countless cured meats hanging above various cheeses, as if the meats had just finished singing a wheel of brie or gouda a lullaby to put them to sleep. 

Free flow brunch will run you just under VND $2 million per guest. 

I strongly recommend coming here any night of the week for a drink, as it boasts one of the best views in the city, is somewhat intimate, and has one of the best happy hours in Saigon (50% off all drinks from 5:30PM to 8PM). I also like the placement of the DJ, who you can see spinning tunes and cranking cigarettes in a hollowed out hot-tub next to the pool. 

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.hoteldesartssaigon.com/offers/sunday-brunch/ 

• When: 12PM to 3PM
• Location: MGallery Saigon, 76-78 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Phường 6, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh (District 3)

Pro Tip: Social Club has a killer rooftop bar, which I break down in my blog post on 9 of the best rooftop bars in Saigon.

The Deck Saigon (District 2)

Credit to The Deck Saigon’s Facebook page.

Sometimes it can feel like a chore getting out to District 2, just because you become used to the convenience Asia offers. It’s crazy, isn’t it? After all, driving 45 minutes to an hour back home is nothing. Well, I assure you the trek out to The Deck Saigon is well worth your while.  

For starters, The Deck is the first restaurant I’ve ever been to where you have an option to arrive by boat, as it’s situated right on the banks of the Saigon river. Throw on some shades, post-up at an outside table, and choose from one of their numerous small plates (crispy duck pancakes, sesame encrusted tofu, fish cakes) or classic brunch staples (crab benedict, eggs benedict, smashed avocado toast), and call it a Sunday right there. 

They also boast a burrata corner – need I say more? C.R.E.A.M. “Cheese Rules Everything Around Me. ” -Wu-Tang Clan

Booze-wise, The Deck is definitely more Western in their pricing. However, I have no problem paying for a great view, so if you’re in the same boat (zing!), you’ll have a great time. For reference, a glass of their Laurent-Perrier champagne will run you VND $450,000 (USD $19), while their cheapest white wine comes in at VND $190,000 (USD $8.20) per glass. In a spot like this, I think it’s most economical to snag a 375ml bottle of LP for VND $1,250,000 (USD $53), and then take it from there.  

Finally, if you’re looking for a hell of a sunset and your oyster-fix, The Deck has (in the past) offered $1 oysters on Wednesdays, so make sure to keep an eye out for that. 

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.thedecksaigon.com/ 

• When: 8AM – 10PM (Kitchen)
• Location: 38 Nguyễn Ư Dĩ, St, Quận 2, Hồ Chí Minh (District 2)

L’Usine (All Locations)

Picture of L’Usine’s District 2 ( Thảo Điền) location. Credit to L’Usine’s Facebook page.

’ve written about L’Usine in my article on 5 best cafes for freelancers in Ho Chi Minh City, and can’t recommend this cafe (every single location) enough. L’Usine is the brunch spot you want to head to in Saigon if you’re planning on kicking back, not breaking the bank, getting a few drinks in you, and enjoying favorite brunch staples with a twist. L’Usine’s communal style tables (at all locations) make for just an overall great and interactive atmosphere.

L’Usine also sports an all-day breakfast, so breakfast or brunch technically starts whenever you want it to. It includes everything from their English Breakfast (my go-to), to salmon toast and eggs Benedict, all the way to Avocado Toast with a twist (edamame and quinoa sprinkled on top). If you’re feeling something more Vietnamese, I recommend trying their ‘Bánh mì’, which has pork floss and surprisingly works really well. 

As I noted in my article on best cafes in Ho Chi Minh for digital nomads, L’Usine also boasts a plethora of incredible cakes and sweets. Come for the brunch, stay for the booze and carrot cake. 

And, if you’re considering a spontaneous brunch during the week (Monday to Friday), just know that you’ll be rewarded with all-day happy hour, where you can gulp down half price beers, cocktails, and wines. Dishes will typically run you anywhere from VND $110,000 (USD $4.75) to $250,000 ($10.75), while full-priced drinks range from $50,000 ($2.15) for a draught beer to $120,000 for cocktails ($5.15) and wine varying by bottle. 

Website, Address, & Details: http://lusinespace.com/ 

• When: All-day breakfast
• Locations:
  • 19 Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh (Japantown Location). 
  • 151 Đồng Khởi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh (Original Location). 
  • 70B Lê Lợi, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh (District 1).
  • 24 Đường Thảo Điền, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Hồ Chí Minh (District 2). 

Final Thoughts on the Best Brunches in Saigon

You’re probably noticing a theme with most of the brunches I chose – places that have both a great brunch spread and copious amounts of booze. After all, this blog is called Pale Ale Travel. What were you expecting? 

I’ve always told friends and family this – Saigon has by far the best mix of International and local food I’ve ever experienced. With that, comes some of the best brunches you’ll ever experience. Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any of the above and what your favorite brunches in Saigon are. 

I’d love to hear from you, as I’ll be circling back to Saigon in the near future, and will definitely be making it a priority to hit up any brunches you think I missed!

-Big Body