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Pacharan
This colourful Spanish tapas restaurant and wine bar is one of Saigon's trendiest spots to meet up over a drink. Tasty bites, excellent wines and a rooftop terrace have earned many expat fans. For heartier meals, try the paella which serves two.
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Paris Deli
This airy café serves excellent pastries in a cosy setting. Fresh flowers adorn the tables, and there's outdoor seating. Heartier European cuisine also served.
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Pat à Chou
Popular with locals and expats, this tiny bakery sells delightfully fresh baguettes, pain au chocolat and other Francophile morsels.
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Pau Hanna
This pleasant Hawaiian-owned bistro and bar features eclectic daily specials (pork ribs, quesadillas, bean soup), as well as burgers and vegetarian fare. Head upstairs for a comfier lounge setting - a good place for an evening cocktail.
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Pho 2000
Near the Ben Thanh Market, Pho 2000 is a good place to sample your first bowl of pho - former US president Bill Clinton stopped in for a bowl.
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Pho 24
Yeah, it's part of a chain, but this polished noodle shop serves fantastic bowls of high-quality pho - along with fresh juices and spring rolls. Visit www.pho24.com.vn for other Pho 24 locations.
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Pho Oso
This tiny noodle shop serves delectable bowls of pho amid a cosy setting packed with wooden carvings and antique curios. And remember the Oso mantra: 'no delicious, no pay'.
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Pomodoro
This small Italian restaurant has an arched ceiling and an all brick interior, a cosy setting for good pizzas, pastas, spinach tart (along with other veggie options) and tiramisu. Delivery available.
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Quan An Ngon
For next to nix, two people can sample a spread of regional Vietnamese treats here. Poke around the outside edge first, where cooks at individual stations make their specialities, and see if anything flirts with your appetite.
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Restaurant 31
This popular outdoor eatery in the city centre serves tasty Vietnamese barbecue. The house speciality is tender marinated beef that you grill over charcoal right at your table. It's served with salad. There are also good seafood dishes on the menu and the cheerful staff speak English.
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Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia dishes up some of the best authentic Italian food in town.
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Serenata
Down an alley, Serenata is a beautiful setting for coffee. Tables are scattered around a lush, pond-filled courtyard and inside a charming villa. It's a popular drinking spot for couples at night with live music some nights. Other inviting cafés are nearby.
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Sésame
A hospitality training school for disadvantaged children, Sésame was set up by the French NGO Triangle Génération Humanitaire. Outside on the flagstone patio, bamboo-strip tables await, adorned with candles and fresh flowers. The butter-yellow walls in the dining room are brightly inviting as well. French-Vietnamese dishes made with fresh local ingredients are delicious and beautifully presented, and the sweet staff are eager to please.
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Sinh Cafe
Sinh has tasty fresh croissants and pain au chocolat as well as sandwiches, juices and Vietnamese fare.
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Skewers
Skewers specialises in Mediterranean cuisine from Greece to Algeria, notably barbecued skewered meat. There's a nice atmosphere and an open kitchen so you can watch the cooks at work.
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Sozo
This lovely, inviting café serves coffees, cinnamon rolls, homemade cookies and sandwiches; it has wi-fi access, and more importantly, trains and employs poor, disadvantaged Vietnamese.
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Stella
A newcomer to backpacker land, Stella serves delectable risotto, lasagne and gnocchi in a stylish, Zenlike trattoria. Zippy cappuccinos and espressos on hand.
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Sushi Bar
Bristling with life, this sushi bar is usually packed with Japanese and has a fun view of a frenzied intersection. The restaurant delivers around HCMC until .
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Tandoor
Tandoor serves outstanding North Indian food, and the set lunch is particularly good value. Delivery available.
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Temple Club
On the second floor of a beautifully restored colonial villa, Temple Club serves delectable Vietnamese plates (like fish with tamarind or shrimp in coconut milk) and an assortment of fresh salads. Handsome tile floors and elaborate woodwork set the scene. A comfy lounge for drinks adjoins the space.
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Tib Restaurant
Housed in a Sino-French villa down a quiet alleyway, Tib does impressive Hué-style dishes and a mean jackfruit salad with grilled sesame. It offers a tasty variety of vegetarian specialities as well.
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Tiem An Nam Long
Near the Binh Tay Market, Tiem An Nam Long has earned many fans for its tasty wok-fried dishes. There's open-air seating and an English menu with no prices, but everything is cheap.
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Tin Nghia
Although you may feel like you're eating in a garage, the owners are strict Buddhists who turn out delicious traditional Vietnamese food, prepared with tofu, mushrooms and other vegetables.
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Urvashi
Serving some of the best Indian food in District 1, Urvashi prepares a variety of Indian cooking styles and the thali lunch is a guaranteed filler.
