Don’t Sleep On The Best New Bars And Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

Whether you're chasing four-hour slow-cooked pork cheeks in a Thao Dien garden that "doesn't want to be called a wine bar," hunting down Tokyo-level cocktails hidden above a convenience store, or discovering why truffles are having their democratic moment in District 1, these spots represent Ho Chi Minh City's dining scene at its most creative and confident

By David Kayne - 23 May, 2025 in insider guide

Saigon never truly sleeps, right? Now, our always-on metropolis has a drinking and dining scene waking up to wine (and lots more). From a rooftop wine bar named after ‘a short nap,’ to a hot dog cart bringing Vancouver street cred to Binh Thanh, these are Ho Chi Minh City’s latest wave of bars and restaurants, best experienced with a wine glass in one hand and a hot dog in the other.

These are places with stories - spaces where Spanish boldness crashes into Vietnamese soul, where Japanese mixologists transform tea into liquid art, and where former Tokyo apartment dwellers recreate their cramped-but-perfect dinner parties for a whole new city. Some blur the lines between bar and art gallery, others between kitchen and living room.

The Best New Bars And Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

Whether you’re chasing four-hour slow-cooked pork cheeks in a Thao Dien garden that “doesn’t want to be called a wine bar,” hunting down Tokyo-level cocktails hidden above a convenience store, or discovering why truffles are having their democratic moment in District 1, these spots represent Ho Chi Minh City’s dining scene at its most creative and confident.

So wake up! These places are too good to sleep on.

ÔMM Mixology

There’s two massive bows attached to the wall next to a country cottage cabinet. An ant, projected onto the back bar, shuffles around, as the bartender acquiesces into making us a Martini. He’d much rather be making one of ÔMM’s Tea Cocktails - beverages created by Shuzo Nagumo, who’s been described as “equal parts chef, chemist, and cocktailer.” Nagumo’s approach transforms food flavors into spirits using modern techniques like distillation and cold brewing - creating what he calls cocktails “full of emotions, like stories told through taste.”

Still, the Vesper Martini is enlivening, a hint of grapefruit bitters animating it like that arty ant projection. And the Tea Cocktail that comes next, a Roasted Newton Fizz, is refreshing without losing its complexity. 

Named after a Tien Cookie melody, ÔMM positions itself as cocktail-bar-meets-art-exhibition -a place where “taste buds are tantalized with art and emotions.” 

For a serious cocktail contender, the location might catch guests off guard. The address, the 1st floor at 63 Ho Tung Mau in District 1, is sandwiched between a GS25 and Muscle Bar Saigon. But it’s worth seeking out. Shuzo Nagumo is the Japanese mixologist behind six Tokyo bars and an Asia’s 50 Best Bars alumni.

For their opening event, they also brought in 2-Michelin-starred chef Syrco Bakker (Pure C, Syrco BASE in Bali) for a “crossover between contemporary mixology and culinary art.” The menu was kept secret to let guests “discover their own emotions alone” — because “the best embrace is the wordless one.”

This is a cocktail bar built around connection, creativity, and quality, with serious local talent interpreting drinks that aim to be more than just alcohol in a glass. The focus on storytelling through flavor, combined with Nagumo’s technique-driven approach and the artistic space design, signals ÔMM wants to be Saigon’s answer to Tokyo’s more conceptual cocktail bars. And they might be right. 

In short: Savor some tastebud tantalization downtown at ÔMM.

Where: 1st Floor, 63 Ho Tung Mau, District 1