Independent reviews and recommendations by Rusty Compass. No advertorial, no paid placements and no sponsored content.

Coffee - the best of Saigon's cafes

By Mark Bowyer | 23 Aug 2019

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Okkio Coffee, Saigon
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Bang Khuang Cafe, Saigon
Photo: Mark Bowyer
The Old Compass Cafe, Saigon
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Chat Coffee Roasters, Saigon
Photo: Mark Bowyer
The Workshop Coffee, Saigon
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Bosgaurus Cafe, Saigon
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Shin Specialty Coffee, Saigon
Photo: Mark Bowyer

Coffee - the best of Saigon's cafes

By Mark Bowyer 23 Aug 2019

Saigon's cafe scene is blossoming. Not only is the coffee world-class, the city is home to some very cool cafe spaces - many of them hidden away in old apartment buildings. This is our guide to best coffee in the city - independently owned cafes with loads of Saigon soul. Enjoy!

Note: The information provided in this review was correct at time of publishing but may change. For final clarification please check with the relevant service

The Old Compass Cafe

The Old Compass is Rusty Compass’s little hidden home in Saigon. Our coffee gets plenty of compliments - as does our breakfast. We do everything from espressos and flat whites to Vietnamese cafe sua da. The Old Compass is upstairs in a classic 1960s apartment down an alley off Pasteur St right in the heart of the city. It takes some effort to find us. But it's worth it. Come by and say hi.

3rd Floor 63/11 Pasteur St, District 1 Ho Chi Minh City - down the alley right by Liberty Citypoint Hotel

Photo: Mark Bowyer Old Compass Cafe. Coffee and calm.

Photo: Mark Bowyer Old Compass Cafe, Saigon

Bang Khuang Cafe

A long time sentimental favourite - we love the space here and have been coming here for nearly 10 years. These guys were among the first to open a cool cafe in an old apartment block. The owner, Doan, hails from the coffee producing region around Ban Me Thuot in Vietnam's central highlands. Her coffee comes from the family farm. The flavour is closer to that of traditional Vietnamese coffee rather than the more international flavours of other specialty coffee houses.

Address: Upstairs - 9 Thai Van Lung, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Photo: Mark Bowyer Bang Khuang Cafe, Saigon

Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters

Some of Saigon's most acclaimed baristas are on the team at Bosgaurus. And Hung the owner is viewed by many as one of the city's most knowledgeable coffee devotees. He roasts on site with two enormous roasters, and has all the toys for satisfying exacting coffee needs.

His space is a mellow retreat on the Saigon River around 10 minutes from downtown by cab in the Saigon Pearl Apartment complex.

Address: By the river - Saigon Pearl Apartments, Nguyen Huu Canh St, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City

Photo: Mark Bowyer Bosgaurus Cafe, Saigon

Les Monts Cafe, Saigon

Owned by one of Saigon’s major coffee exporters and importers, Les Monts is coming up with some outstanding brews from around the world. These guys supply many of the coffee houses around town. They know what they’re doing. It’s a friendly spot too - but it’s almost only coffee. They’re very focused. Located in the centre of town opposite Bitexco Tower.

Address: 51 Ham Nghi St, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City - opposite Bitexco Tower.

Photo: Mark Bowyer Les Monts Coffee, Saigon

Ru Nam d'Or

If you like your coffee served in fancy surrounds by smartly dressed staff, Ru Nam d’Or will be your place. Even for those of more humble tastes, this place is an interesting stop, right by Saigon landmarks, the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.

It’s Saigon's most expensive coffee (as far as we can work out) in a seriously fitted out colonial villa - an experience well beyond coffee.

The decor is a little over the top, but well done. The city's rich and famous gather here. And the bill at the end of it all would shock in any city. Expect to pay more than 100,000VND. But we reckon it's worth a look anyway.

Address: 3 Cong Xa Paris, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City - right by Notre Dame Cathedral

Photo: Mark Bowyer Ru Nam d'Or Cafe. Saigon

Shin Specialty Coffee

These guys get the award for investing the most effort in coffee hardware and theatrics. Many view Shin as the city's best practitioners of the specialty coffee thing, with a variety of international blends right in the heart of the city.

Address: 13 Nguyen Thiep St, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Photo: Mark Bowyer Shin Specialty Coffee, Saigon

The Workshop

These guys were among the first to get serious about coffee in Saigon and they’re still a standout. Great coffee in a cool heritage space drenched in natural light. The Workshop is located up a rickety staircase just off Dong Khoi St one block up from the river.

27 Ngo Duc Ke, (upstairs, just off Dong Khoi), Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Photo: Mark Bowyer The Workshop Coffee, Saigon

Chat Coffee Roasters

Chat is a streetside specialty cafe - a good spot for watching Saigon’s ever-interesting street life. The coffee’s good, roasted on site, and there’s a selection of bites available too. Chat has a loyal fanbase and it’s better connected to urban, street-level Saigon than some of our other recommendations. You’ll know you’re in Saigon.

Address: 55/1 Le Thi Hong Gam, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh City - not far from Ben Thanh Market and the Fine Arts Museum.

Photo: Mark Bowyer Chat Coffee Roasters, Saigon

Vietnam Coffee Republic

In an alley not far from the centre of town, Coffee Republic has a stable of loyal customers in the local and expat community. The coffee’s good and Phong's a great host. A good spot to get some work done too.

Address: Down the lanes, 8A 7B2 Thai Van Lung St, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Photo: Mark Bowyer Phong - the man behind Coffee Republic, Saigon

Photo: Mark Bowyer Coffee Republic, Saigon

For a full list of our favourite Saigon cafes, click here.

Specialty Coffee in Saigon - background

Most of Saigon’s specialty coffee houses are owned by people in the coffee business. For them, the cafe is more a labour of love than a commercial enterprise. They’re importers, exporters, roasters, wholesalers and distributors. It’s cool that they’re pouring their coffee expertise into little cafes - literally.

Vietnam’s coffee obsession dates back to French times. And Vietnam is now the world's second biggest coffee producer after Brazil. In recent years, local specialty cafes are taking the city's coffee habits in new directions. The places we've listed above are leading the way. You could easily take a tour of all of them and get a good look at Saigon as you go.

Check out our independent guide to Hanoi's best cafes here.

Disclosure

Rusty Compass listings are always independent. We recommend the places we think you should know about. That's it. We paid our way at all the places listed here - except The Old Compass Cafe - which is our place. No inducement of any kind was received for a place on this list.

Mark Bowyer is the founder and publisher of Rusty Compass. read more
Twitter: @rustycompass

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Rusty Compass is an independent travel guide. We’re focused on providing you with quality, unbiased, travel information. That means we don't receive payments in exchange for listings and mostly pay our own way. We’d like tourism to be a positive economic, environmental and cultural force and we believe travellers deserve disclosure from publishers. Spread the word about Rusty Compass, and if you're in Saigon, pop in to The Old Compass Cafe and say hi. It’s our home right downtown on Pasteur St. You can also check out our unique tours of Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney at www.oldcompasstravel.com Make a financial contribution using the link below. Even small amounts make a difference. Thanks and travel well!