Best cafes in Ho Chi Minh City: from old apartment blocks to specialty coffee (2026)

Every place was checked in November 2026: Google Maps lists it as open, it has reviews from the last six months, and a second source backs it up: the cafe's own site or social page, or the press. Several cafes that older Saigon guides still recommend did not make the cut: some have closed for good, others show no recent reviews. Prices appear only where we have a dated source.

Venues and hours checked on 4 November 2026 against Google Maps. Saigon cafes close and move fast, so open the listing before you go.

Ho Chi Minh City cafes on a map and in one table

Most cafes on this list, all but five, are within walking distance of Nguyễn Huệ in what everyone still calls District 1. Officially, districts were abolished in the July 2025 reform and addresses now use wards (phường), so we give street names and wards. The five further out are Every Half, Oromia and The Vintage Emporium (about 2 km), Cheo Leo (about 3 km) and the garden cafe Du Miên (about 7 km as the crow flies). Each is a Grab ride. If you are still working out the city's layout, the Ho Chi Minh City travel guide covers it.

• The Cafe Apartments (42 Nguyễn Huệ): 9 floors of cafes, 8am–11pm — Drinks 60–150k VND
• Mockingbird Cafe (14 Tôn Thất Đạm): 4th floor of an old block, balcony — 8am–10pm
• The Workshop Coffee (27 Ngô Đức Kế): Specialty bar in a loft — 8am–8:30pm
• XLIII Specialty Coffee (178A Pasteur): Choose your beans, V60 — 6:30am–10:30pm
• Every Half (232/23 Võ Thị Sáu): Robusta, courtyard under trees — 7am–9:30pm
• Lacàph (220 Nguyễn Công Trứ): Salt coffee, workshops — 7:30am–7:30pm
• Maison Marou (167–169 Calmette): Chocolate drinks — 9am–10pm
• OKKIO (120–122 Lê Lợi): Windows on Ben Thanh Market — 7:30am–8pm
• Oromia Coffee & Lounge (85 Phan Kế Bính): Plants and a pond — 7am–11pm
• Du Miên Garden Cafe (7 Phan Văn Trị, Gò Vấp): Huge garden with fountains — 7am–10:45pm
• The Running Bean (33 Mạc Thị Bưởi): 4 levels, quieter upstairs — 7:30am–10pm
• L'Usine (19 Lê Thánh Tôn): Breakfast ~300k VND — 7:30am–6pm
• The Vintage Emporium (95B Nguyễn Văn Thủ): Weekday brunch set 125k VND — from 7am
• Cheo Leo (109/36 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật): Cà phê vợt since 1938 — 6am–6pm

Hours come from the Google listings and shift on holidays, especially around Tết.

Cafes in old apartment blocks

Cafes hidden in old apartment blocks are a Saigon genre of their own: a peeling facade and motorbikes at the door outside, a different cafe on every floor inside. The famous address is 42 Nguyễn Huệ, but there are quieter ones too.

The Cafe Apartments, 42 Nguyễn Huệ

The nine-storey block went up in the mid-1960s as a dormitory for government staff and military personnel. Today its floors hold independent cafes, dessert spots, boutiques, a salon and a spa, and National Geographic UK has featured the building. The entrance is to the left of the Fahasa bookstore on the ground floor. On the map ↗

You can take the stairs or the lift, and the lift costs 3,000 VND (about $0.10) per person, cash only; reviewers mention it in both June and August 2026. The smart move is to ride to the top and walk down, looking into each cafe. Many have balconies over the Nguyễn Huệ pedestrian street, and at night, with the building lit up, that is the best view of the street.

What to order depends on the floor, because every cafe runs its own menu. A July 2026 review puts most drinks at 60,000–150,000 VND (~$2.30–5.80) and desserts and meals at 80,000–250,000 VND (~$3–9.60). That is above an ordinary cafe, some places have a minimum spend per person, and weekends get crowded. The building is open 8am–11pm.

How the building fits into Saigon's wider food and coffee scene is covered in our Ho Chi Minh City food guide.

Mockingbird Cafe, 14 Tôn Thất Đạm

Mockingbird is on the fourth floor of an old block opposite the State Bank building, the former Banque de l'Indochine. There is no lift and the right staircase is easy to miss; reviewers describe walking past the first flight into a dead end. On the map ↗

Inside are several small rooms, vinyl, board games and a shelf of plaster figurines you can paint. The balcony looks out at the old bank. The coconut coffee topped with coconut flakes gets most of the praise (an April 2026 reviewer called it the best in Vietnam), and there are pastries. The room is small, so at busy times you share a table. Open 8am–10pm.

A May 2026 reviewer says the place has been renamed "Make Room by Mocking Bird" and lightly refreshed, with the same feel as before. Google still lists it as Mockingbird Cafe, so go by the address and the fourth floor.

The Workshop Coffee, 27 Ngô Đức Kế

The Workshop is a specialty coffee bar on the second floor of an old building: a loft with high ceilings, big windows and a huge bar in the middle. People come for pour-overs and alternative brewing, and a July 2026 review singles out the clarified espresso. There is brunch, too. Sit at the bar and you can watch your cup being made; the barista lets you smell the beans before brewing. On the map ↗

The same complaints come up in 2026 reviews: the entrance is hard to find, there is no lift, and prices are above the neighbours'. Reviews split on laptop work: some praise it for a work session, while a July reviewer says it is not a place to work. Open 8am–8:30pm.

Ho Chi Minh City food · Ho Chi Minh City guide · Ho Chi Minh City prices

Specialty coffee: pick your beans, or take robusta seriously

Specialty coffee in Ho Chi Minh City splits into two camps. One imports the best beans from around the world; the other argues that Vietnamese robusta can be more than instant coffee.

XLIII Specialty Coffee, 178A Pasteur

XLIII is the cafe of 43 Factory, a roaster based in Da Nang. The beans come from Peru, Panama and Brazil, and there is no Vietnamese specialty on the menu: in June 2026 a barista told a guest that Vietnam still grows mostly robusta for the mass market. You choose the beans and the method (V60, or espresso on a La Marzocco) and get a detailed walk-through of the flavours. You may be offered cascara, a tea made from coffee cherry husks. On the map ↗

The price depends on the beans. We found no current price list for the Saigon branch, so we do not quote figures; ask the barista before you order. There are several floors, and it is open 6:30am–10:30pm, early enough for a pre-sightseeing coffee and late enough for after dinner.

Every Half, 232/23 Võ Thị Sáu

Every Half is a Vietnamese chain founded in 2021: 36 cafes nationwide and an $8 million funding round in July 2026. Its bet is Vietnamese beans, robusta included. The Võ Thị Sáu branch is the first one, hidden down an alley, with an open courtyard under big trees between navy-blue buildings. On the map ↗

💬 The setting is lovely, but the beans are the real highlight: "incredible". Both the espresso and the pour-over were good, and the way the coffee is served got a compliment too. — Google review on Wanderlog, July 2026

Order cà phê sữa đá made with medium-roast robusta: a November 2025 reviewer tried it and left with four bags of beans. A bag of honey-processed Đắk Lắk robusta is 150,000 VND (~$5.80) on the chain's website. The average item across the chain is about $2.50, roughly half what international chains charge in Vietnam. Open 7am–9:30pm, about 2 km from Nguyễn Huệ, so take a Grab.

Vietnamese coffee with a twist

If you want to understand what makes Vietnamese coffee different rather than just drink it, these two are a short walk from Ben Thanh Market. Bean varieties and brewing methods are explained in our Vietnamese coffee deep dive.

Lacàph, 220 Nguyễn Công Trứ

Lacàph calls itself a coffee experience space, and reviews back that up. Order a tasting set, salt coffee (cà phê muối) and the honeycomb cake, and there is often a free taste of cascara on the side. Staff speak good English, which reviewers point out. On the map ↗

💬 The tasting set was great, with flavours that felt like they told their own story. Staff were happy to answer every question about the coffee, the banana cake was delicious, and the visit stretched to more than three hours because leaving felt too soon. — Google review on Wanderlog, March 2026

The real draw is the workshop. In about 90 minutes you make three drinks yourself: bạc xỉu, salt coffee in the style of Huế, and Phin Con Panna, phin coffee topped with cream, yogurt and honey, plus a sweet bánh mì. Lacàph's own site lists it from 714,000 VND (~$27). Reviews of the classes from July and August 2026 are good; one wished the theory part were longer. There are also coffee cocktail and egg coffee classes. Open 7:30am–7:30pm.

Maison Marou, 167–169 Calmette

Maison Marou is the flagship of a Vietnamese chocolate maker: a roasting machine stands right in the room and the whole place smells of cocoa. People come for chocolate drinks (the iced one gets the most praise), brownies and ice cream, and reviewers call the coffee perfectly decent. You can taste the bars for free. A bonbon is 40,000 VND (~$1.50) and a bar 150,000–210,000 VND (~$5.80–8), per a February 2026 review. On the map ↗

💬 The chocolate drinks are creamy and very chocolatey. A late-evening visit found comfortable seating, and the smell of chocolate hits you as soon as you walk in. — Google review on Wanderlog, July 2026

On the minus side, one reviewer called the prices "almost Singapore", and a July visitor complained about other guests filming dance videos with the volume up. Open 9am–10pm, a few minutes' walk from Ben Thanh Market. If you are after egg coffee, OKKIO (next section) makes it, and the drink's story is in our guide to Vietnamese egg coffee.

Vietnamese coffee · Coffee deep dive · Egg coffee

Cafes with a street view

There are no skyscraper panoramas on this list. We dropped the cafe on the 50th floor of Bitexco Tower that older guides still mention: some directories list it as open, others as permanently closed, and there are no recent reviews. In Saigon, the city view from a cafe usually means a balcony three to five floors up.

OKKIO, 120–122 Lê Lợi

OKKIO is on the second floor of a building by Ben Thanh Market, up a red spiral staircase. Inside it is all vintage, and the window seats look over the street and the market. Not every window is clear, though: an April 2026 reviewer complained that part of the room gets almost no daylight. On the map ↗

All of Vietnam's sweet coffees are here: egg coffee (rich and on the sweet side), coconut coffee, and coffee with almond flakes, which they will make less sweet if you ask. The Citrus Garden cold brew gets good reviews. Wi-Fi is fast, the air conditioning works, and they sell beans to take away. Open 7:30am–8pm.

💬 A chill, peaceful atmosphere with excellent coffee and tea. Staff are friendly and happy to tell you about what they sell, bags of coffee included, and it's perfectly placed for a stop after the market. — Google review on Wanderlog, January 2026

Two more street views are covered above: the balconies of the Cafe Apartments on Nguyễn Huệ, and Mockingbird's balcony facing the old bank.

Garden cafes

Garden cafes in Ho Chi Minh City come in two sizes: a courtyard down an alley, or a whole park with fountains on the edge of town. The Every Half courtyard above is the quietest. Two more options:

Oromia Coffee & Lounge, 85 Phan Kế Bính

Oromia is full of plants, with a small pond, warm lighting and a rooftop terrace with greenery that looks out over the city lights at night. People come for the setting and the tea: reviewers like the plum-honey and prune-maple teas. The coffee is called ordinary, and one February 2026 review flatly calls it bad. The upper floors also get hot. Open until 11pm, so it works for an evening too. On the map ↗

Du Miên Garden Cafe, 7 Phan Văn Trị

Du Miên is a huge garden cafe in Gò Vấp, about 7 km north of downtown as the crow flies: fountains, several levels, air-conditioned rooms and almost 12,000 Google ratings. Reviewers say it looks even better at night. Open 7am–10:45pm. On the map ↗

Go for the setting, not the food, which reviews call "okay, nothing more".

Cafes for laptop work

Whether a cafe or a coworking space works out cheaper for a full day is worth checking first, and our Ho Chi Minh City coworking guide runs the numbers. If it is a cafe, three on this list work best.

The Running Bean, 33 Mạc Thị Bưởi

The Running Bean is a minute from Nguyễn Huệ and spread over four levels. The ground floor is busy with the brunch crowd; the upper floors are quieter, and reviewers recommend them for working. The coconut matcha, kombucha and brunch get good reviews, and prices are described as "slightly higher than other cafes". Open 7:30am–10pm. On the map ↗

The Every Half courtyard is also recommended for remote work, and OKKIO has fast Wi-Fi and cold air. Reviews disagree about The Workshop: some work there on a laptop, others see it as a place for coffee rather than work.

Breakfast and brunch

If you have had enough phở for breakfast, Saigon has plenty of cafes with Western menus. Both of these close early, so think mornings and lunch.

L'Usine, 19 Lê Thánh Tôn

L'Usine is a European-style cafe chain that opened in 2010. The Lê Thánh Tôn branch fills a two-storey corner building with a clothing shop attached. Breakfast means eggs florentine, avocado toast with a poached egg or chili prawn rice, with a pistachio or salted caramel latte or a kombucha. One guest spent about 300,000 VND (~$11.50) on breakfast and a drink in January 2026. Open 7:30am–6pm. On the map ↗

Do not confuse it with L'Usine at 34 Lê Lợi: Google lists that branch as permanently closed, though it still turns up in older guides.

The Vintage Emporium, 95B Nguyễn Văn Thủ

The Vintage Emporium is a brunch cafe on a quiet street in Tân Định ward. On weekdays there is a good-value set: a dish from the menu plus a coffee for 125,000 VND (~$4.80), per a February 2026 review. Without the set it adds up: the "hearty breakfast" cost 375,900 VND (~$14.50) in August, which that reviewer thought was too much for Vietnam. The caffeine-free pink latte gets good reviews. Opens at 7am and closes at 6pm or 9pm depending on the day. On the map ↗

Late-night cafes: open until 10–11pm

Many Ho Chi Minh City cafes stay open until 10 or 11pm, which helps when the afternoon is too hot to walk around. These close latest:

Early closers: L'Usine and Cheo Leo (6pm), Lacàph (7:30pm), OKKIO (8pm) and The Workshop (8:30pm). If the night goes on, bars and rooftops are in our Ho Chi Minh City nightlife guide.

Nightlife · Prices · Coworking

Local classics: sidewalk coffee and the chains

The most Saigon coffee of all is not in any guide but on the sidewalk: low plastic stools, a phin filter and a glass of ice with condensed milk. Where to find it and how southern coffee differs from northern is covered in our Vietnamese coffee guide. Here are two places where the classics became an address.

Cheo Leo, 109/36 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật

Cheo Leo is considered Saigon's oldest cafe: the current owner's father started brewing here in 1938. It serves cà phê vợt, coffee strained through a cloth "sock" filter. The robusta is kept hot over charcoal, and the sữa đá comes out lighter and less syrupy than the street version. The room is blue and white with a peeling ceiling, tucked down an alley in Bàn Cờ ward. On the map ↗

Open 6am–6pm, so come in the morning. Google lists it as open, and in June 2025 the newspaper Thanh Niên reported regulars coming in every day. We could not find dated 2026 reviews, so check the map listing before you make the trip.

Chains: Cộng, Highlands, Phúc Long

Chain cafes are on every downtown street. Cộng Cà Phê is worth one visit for its signature coconut coffee. We found no current dated prices for it. Highlands Coffee and Phúc Long are the two biggest Vietnamese chains; Phúc Long had 205 standalone stores as of March 2026. The coffee there is predictable: a fallback when nothing better is nearby. We found no current price lists for Highlands or Phúc Long, so we do not quote prices.

How not to get it wrong

Ho Chi Minh City cafes change faster than guidebooks, and most mistakes come from that.

• Heading to a cafe from an old list that has closed. In a catalogue of 50 popular Ho Chi Minh City coffee shops we checked, Google marks seven as permanently closed, including two in the Nguyễn Huệ building and L'Usine on Lê Lợi. Before you set off, open the Google Maps listing and look at the date of the latest reviews.
• Looking for a street-level entrance. The Workshop, Mockingbird, Every Half and Cheo Leo are down alleys or upstairs. Look for motorbikes parked at the doorway and signs on the stairs.
• Being surprised by a paid lift or a minimum spend. The lift at 42 Nguyễn Huệ costs 3,000 VND, and some cafes there have a minimum order. Carry small notes.
• Turning up in the evening at a morning place. L'Usine and Cheo Leo close at 6pm, Lacàph at 7:30pm.
• Crossing the city for photos. Du Miên and Oromia are about atmosphere; reviews do not rate their coffee or food.

For what everything else costs in the city, see Ho Chi Minh City prices.

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Read next: Ho Chi Minh City food · Vietnamese coffee · Coworking · Nightlife

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