5 Best Places to Eat Snail in Saigon

5 Best Places to Eat Snail in Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City is considered as the paradise of street foods in Asia. If you are a street food lover, you shouldn’t miss a wide range of exotic street foods on your Ho Chi Minh trip.  In many countries around the world, people don’t eat snails. So that snail dishes could be something strange to international tourists coming to Vietnam. However, snail is one of the most popular and favorite foods on Saigon streets. Men or women, officers or workers in the city love to gather at snail restaurants to eat delicious snail dishes while drinking some beers and chat about everything around the world. It’s the moment when they forget sadness, stress, busy life and hard work in Saigon – the biggest and most crowded city in Vietnam.

Snail restaurants and snail stalls are everywhere in Vietnam. They serve a wide range of snails such as horned nerite snail, sweet snail, gun snail, coconut snail, starfruit snail, apple snail, mud creeper which are cooked in different ways. In addition, at snail restaurant, ocean crab leg and shellfish dishes are also served. Reference to my blog Seafood & Snail Dishes In Ho Chi Minh city to learn more about delicious foods from snails and seafood to eat in the city. If you really would like to see Saigon to its fullest, do not miss eating and having fun at snail restaurants. It’s not easy for tourists to find out places to eat safe and delicious snail in a city where there are hundreds of eateries serving snail. The followings are 5 Best Places to Eat Snail in Saigon and I hope you will enjoy the foods there.

1. Ốc Đào (Dao Snail Restaurant)

Address:

• Dao Snail Restaurant, 212/C79 Nguyen Trai Street, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; Open time: 10:00 AM – 10:30 PM.
• Dao Snail Restaurant, 132 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; Open time: 4:00 PM – 11:30 PM.

Prices: 50,000 – 100,000 VND.

Located in the heart of Saigon, these Dao Snail Restaurants is one of the most famous places to eat the best snail dishes in the city. The reasons why Dao Snail Restaurants is always crowded are fresh, tough, delicious snails and tasty sauce. It has been said the snails and sauce are so delicious that dinners eat until plates are empty.

Menu at Oc Dao

Grilled scallop (So mai) with green onion oil

Grilled geoduck with green onion oil

Grilled oyster with cheese

Stir-fried squid teeth with sautee

2. Ốc Tô (To Snail & Seafood Restaurant)

Address: C218 Xom Chieu Street, Ward 15, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City; Open time: 12:00 AM – 11:00 PM.

Prices: 50,000 VND.

Located in Xom Chieu food market, Ốc Tô is known as one of the top places to eat snail and seafood dishes in Saigon. At other snail restaurants, they serve foods on plates. At Ốc Tô, they serve snail and seafood dishes in bowls which means “tô” in Vietnamese. That is why the owner named the restaurant Ốc Tô – Bowl of Snails. It has been said that the prices at this eating place are cheap and the foods are great. So that it’s always crowded and busy, especially at night.

Oc To Snail Restaurant

3. Ốc Loan (Loan Snail Restaurant)

Address: 12 Block C, Nguyen Thien Thuat Apartment Buildings, To Hien Thanh Street, Ward 1, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City;

Open time: 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM.

Prices: 50,000 – 150,000 VND.

Located in the old Nguyen Thien Thuat buildings, the 60-year-old Loan Snail Restaurant couldn’t be missed in the list of 5 Best Places to Eat Snail in Saigon. Highlights of this restaurant include fresh ingredients, great taste, and a diverse menu. You can choose from various snails, clams, scallops and cooking methods such as grilling, stir-frying, steaming, etc.

Grill Giac snails and scallops, and steam clams at Oc Loan snail restaurant in Saigon – Video by Scooter Saigon Tour

In the kitchen of Oc Loan snail restaurant in Saigon

Fresh snails and shellfishes at Oc Loan snail restaurant in Saigon

Oc Loan snail restaurant

Customers were sitting on plastic chairs and eating at Oc Loan snail restaurant in Saigon

The parking area at Oc Loan snail restaurant

Grilled garlic with green onion oil

4. Ốc Oanh (Oanh Snail Restaurant)

Address: 534 Vinh Khanh Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City; Open time: 4:00 PM – 11:00 PM.

Prices: 60,000 – 150,000 VND.

Vinh Khanh Street in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City is well-known for dozens of snail restaurants and snail stalls on it. Most of the eateries open in the evening because locals usually go out and eat after work. Oanh Snail Restaurant which is always crowded with people is one of the most popular snail restaurants on Vinh Khanh Street. A note for you is that most of the dishes at Oanh restaurant is very hot and this is also the reason why many foodies love to eat there. Hot snail dishes are the best to Saigon people. I would like to recommend you to not miss Dry Stir-fried Ocean Crab Leg with Salt and Chili.

Oc Oanh Snail Restaurant

Dipping sauces

Grilled shrimp and grilled octopus

Stir-fried nail snail, roasted ocean crab leg, roasted sweet snail with chili and salt

5. Ốc Khánh (Khanh Snail Restaurant)

Address: 25/5 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; Open time: 12:00 AM – 10:00 PM.

Prices: 35,000 – 100,000 VND.

Although Khanh Snail Restaurant is located in an alley, this restaurant is always crowded because of tasty snail dishes. Because the restaurant’s space is small, customers also eat at plastic tables and chairs outside the restaurant. But all of them are happy to sit there and enjoy their favorite snails. The owner is a Saigon famous comedy actress with a funny slogan: “Don’t hope 1000 customers come at the same time, but hope a customer comes 1000 times”.

Grilled scallop, Grilled oyster with cheese, Roasted ocean crab leg, Stir-fried sweet snail with sautee, Stir-fried blood cockle

Because some of 5 Best Places to Eat Snail in Saigon is about 6 km far from District 1 – the city center, you can take a taxi or motorbike taxi there. A great choice is joining a Saigon food tour on which local tour guide will drive you from district to district and enjoy delicious snail dishes as well as other street foods on the way.