Co Giang Street and its neighboring streets in District 1 is famous for lots of street foods stalls which were established tens of years ago and serve very exotic Vietnamese street foods. Saigon foodies call this area Co Giang street food area. Because this street food street is located in the center of Saigon, you do not need to go far to taste Saigon street food. What and where to eat there? Let’s do a Saigon food tour in Co Giang street. I will show you all of the great dishes and the best street food stalls.
Table of Contents
1. Rice noodles with grilled pork
Rice noodles with grilled pork at Mrs. Tuyen street food stall is one of the most delicious ones in the city. White, slippery, tender, a little chewy rice noodles are topped with crispy outside, tender inside, sweet-tasty grilled pork, extremely crispy fried roll, crunchy crush peanuts, oily green onion oil, sweet-sour pickled carrot and daikon radish. Bean sprouts, cucumber slices, herbs are in the bottom of the bowl of Rice noodles with grilled pork. To eat this food, sweet and sour dipping fish sauce could not be miss. Pour the dip onto noodles and toppings, then eat with chopsticks. When you come to the stall, you will be attracted by the great smell of grilled pork on charcoal.
Where to eat? Bun Thit Nuong Chi Tuyen
Address: 175 Co Giang Street, District 1
Open time: 7:00 – 20:00
Price: 30,000 – 50,000 VND
Bun Thit Nuong Chi Tuyen is always crowded with foreigners and locals
Bowls of noodles, disposable bamboo chopsticks, plastic bags of dipping fish sauce, pickles are arranged in and hung on the glass cabinet at Bun Thit Nuong Chi Tuyen
A portion of Rice noodles at Bun Thit Nuong Chi Tuyen
Mrs. Tuyen restaurant also serves Steamed bread (Bánh mì hấp) which includes steamed bread pieces, stir-fried beef with onion, crushed peanuts, scallion oil, vegetables (lettuce, bean sprout, cucumber), herbs (Vietnamese mint, heartleaf, Shiso, etc.), dipping fish sauce. To eat, use lettuce to wrap the tender steamed bread, beef and onion stir-fry, other vegetables and herbs, then dip in the sauce and eat.
Another food I would like to introduce is Rice vermicelli sheet with Grilled pork (Bánh hỏi thịt nướng). Rice vermicelli sheet is a traditional Vietnamese cake which is usually served on important occasions such as wedding, death anniversary, etc. It is also a very popular street food. The vermicelli sheets which are tender and airy go well with the grilled pork, dipping fish sauce, vegetables and herbs.
2. Grilled beef in wild betel (Bò lát lốt)
Although beef recipes are abundant in the world, Grilled beef in wild betel in Vietnam is worth your try thanks to the creative mix of beef and wild betel. Pork is ground, mix with peanuts, pork fat or pork belly (optional), spices, wrapped in wild betel into rolls and grilled on charcoal until crispy outside, tender and well-done inside. The green wild betel turns into dark green to black. To eat, use sticky rice paper to wrap Grilled beef in wild betel, rice vermicelli sheets (Bánh hỏi), vegetables (green banana slices, cucumber, salad) and herbs (basil, shiso, heartleaf). The roll should be dipped in a special dipping sauce made from fermented fish, garlic, sugar, pineapple, ground pepper chili, chili pepper. Besides Grilled beef in wild betel, they also serve Grilled beef in caul fat which is also very delicious.
Where to eat? – Hoa – Bo La Lot & Mo Chai Co Giang
Address: 92 Co Giang Street, District 1
Open time: 16:00 – 22:00
Price: 25,000 – 35,000 VND
3. Chinese sweet soup (Chè)
On Co Giang street, there is a long-standing Chinese sweet soup which could not be missed by any foodie. There are various tasty sweet soups at the stall so that we could not taste all of them. I would like to recommend to eat Egg and tea sweet soup (Chè trà hột gà), Ching Bo Leung (Sâm bổ lượng), Water chestnut and lotus seed sweet soup (Củ năng hạt sen, Dried grape sweet soup (Chè nho khô).
Where to eat? – Che Co Giang (Sam Bo Luong Co Giang)
Address: 85 Co Giang Street, District 1
Open time: 17:00 – 22:30
Price: 10,000 – 15,000 VND
Various types of sweet soups at Che Co Giang Stall
Che Co Giang Stall is always crowded with customers eating outdoor or indoor
4. Da Lat crab tomato noodle soup (Bún riêu Đà Lạt)
Crab noodle soup originated in Mekong Delta where freshwater crabs are abundant. Da Lat people have changed a little the Mekong Delta crab noodle soup recipe to meet their taste. The broth of Da Lat crab noodle soup is lighter than that made by Mekong Delta people. White, tender and chewy rice noodles are covered with the rich broth, which is cooked from pork bone, crab, tomato and other spices, topped with tomato, fried tofu, crab, pork ball, blood pudding, pork leg, chopped green onion and herbs. Bean sprouts, shredded morning glory, julienne lettuce, Plectranthus amboinicus. You can add some fermented shrimp paste, chili pepper to enhance the flavor of the noodle soup. I promise you will love this comfort dish.
Where to eat? Bun Rieu Da Lat
Address: 67 Co Giang Street, District 1
Open time: 16:30 – 22:30
Price: 27,000 VND
5. Pork organs porridge at Mrs. Ut street food stall (Cháo lòng Bà Út)
Mrs. Ut street food stall has been open for over 80 years and a familiar place of Saigon people for the best Pork organs porridge. Main ingredients for this food is pork organs (stomach, intestine, lung, liver, heart, etc.), blood pudding, pork bone. The porridge is in brown color, not too thick not too runny, and very rich. The porridge is served with youtiao, bean sprouts, lime wedges, chili pepper, and a special dipping fish sauce.
Address: 87 Co Giang Street, District 1
Open time: 7:00 – 20:00
Price: 30,000 – 66,0o0 VND
6. Dim sum (Há cảo xíu mại)
Similar to many dim sum restaurants in Saigon, the restaurant at 57A De Tham Street in Co Giang street food area serves Har gow (Há cảo), Siu mai (Xíu mại), Chive dumpling (Bánh hẹ), Steamed jiao zi (Bánh xếp), Steamed sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf (Xôi lá sen), Cha siu bao (Bánh bao xá xíu), Custard bun (Bánh bao ca dé), etc. Highlights of this restaurant are the chewy crust of Har gow, Siu mai, Chive dumpling and the hoisin sauce and satay which are served with these dim sum.
Where to eat? – Ha Cao Xiu Mai De Tham
Address: 57A De Tham Street, District 1 (Co Giang street food area)
Open time: 15:30 – 22:30
Price: 5,000 – 20,0o0 VND
Customers bought dim sum at Ha Cao Xiu Mai De Tham
7. Crab noodle with snail and crab pie (Bún riêu cua ốc chả)
Similar to other kinds of Vietnamese noodles, Crab noodle with snail and crab pie consists of rice noodles, the broth, toppings, dipping sauce and vegetables. The soul of this food is the clear, rich, and flavorful broth. Toppings are full of the bowl of Crab noodle with snail and crab pie. They are tomato wedges, snail meat, freshwater crab, ground pork, crab pie, blood pudding, fried tofu, minced herbs. The dipping sauce is made from fish sauce and lemongrass. You can add lime juice, chili, fermented shrimp paste (Mắm ruốc) to enhance the flavor of the broth.
Where to eat? Bun Rieu Cua Oc Cha
Address: 176 Co Giang Street, District 1 (Co Giang street food area)
Open time: 5:30 – 11:00
Price: 25,000 – 30,0o0 VND
8. Mixed clear rice noodle (Hủ tiếu khô)
Chewy clear rice noodles are topped with vegetables, shrimp, fish, lean pork, pork kidney, pork heart, beef ball, fish ball, ground pork, etc. The special sauce which is salty and sweet is the soul of the food. To eat, mix the noodles and toppings with the sauce. A bowl of clear and rich soup topped with chopped green onion is served with the noodles. Instead of ordering the clear rice noodle, you can order the egg noodles.
Where to eat? – Hu Tieu Mi Co Giang
Address: 176Bis Co Giang Street, District 1 (Co Giang street food area)
Open time: 15:00 – 23:00
Price: 30,000 – 55,0o0 VND
9. Grilled banana and Thung sweet soup
Saigon people love to eat banana grilled on charcoal until crispy outside, then topped with coconut milk sauce with tapioca pearls and crushed peanuts. Thung sweet soup is a Vietnamese traditional dessert consisting of sweet potatoes, seaweeds, tapioca strips, peanuts, mung beans, tapioca pearls, and coconut milk. You can find these amazing desserts in Co Giang food street.
Where to eat? Chuoi Nuong Nuoc Dua & Che Thung
Address: 67 Co Giang Street, District 1
Open time: 15:30 – 22:00
Price: 10,000 – 20,000 VND
An old woman grilled banana at Chuoi Nuong Nuoc Dua & Che Thung
After a Saigon street food tour in Co Giang street food area, you will be full. Most of the street foods are excellent and they are worth trying. Eating at hidden places and local street food areas is the best ways to learn more about Saigon real life and brilliant parts of Vietnamese cuisine.
