This is my second time eating at El Sol and I am very impressed with the consistency in flavour. I attended with a friend who is a vegetarian and it was great to see that even though El Sol is known for its steaks, there wasn’t a shortage of vegetarian options. Although we didn’t order the cheese platter, I was excited to see it on the menu as I do find it hard to find good cheese in Vietnam. Further to my friend’s dietary requirements, we ordered the pesto gnocchi. The gnocchi was fluffy and well-cooked, and the pest sauce was absolutely delicious. I find some pests at restaurants to be a little too sweet and that the freshness of herbs difficult to find (such as basil) are often compromised, but this wasn’t the case at El Sol – the pasta was delicious. Additionally, the open salad bar was well equipped both for vegetarians and meat lovers. There was an array of clean salads to choose from (even radicchio!) and freshly sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and onions. Other toppings included boiled egg, croutons, corn and carrot sticks. There were 6 salad dressings to choose from and I was delighted to see that chilli oil was an option as I love spice!

The Tobiko pasta is always my favourite at El Sol – it’s creamy but also lite and flavourful. The miso-base of the spaghetti sauce offered a delightful umami flavour that I really enjoy, and I particularly love the contrast of the softness of the spaghetti with the popping crunch of the caviar eggs. Although it seems like a simple dish, it’s very unique and I don’t believe that I’ve seen in anywhere else outside of Japan so it’s great that El Sol serves it.

Aside from the above dishes, I also ordered the 4-steak platter. Ordered at medium-rare and cooked to perfection, the cuts were a decent size and perfect for a solo eater that has ordered other dishes. Something that I don’t often seen at steak restaurants is a proper display of information regarding the actual meat-cut for patrons. I’ve noticed that other restaurants may be display a wagyu marble score but that’s generally about it. As someone who likes my steaks quite tender and fatty, I like the way that on the El Sol menu, eat steak dish shows a score of how lean/fatty or tough/tender the cut of the steak is on a scale from 1 to 10. This was really helpful. My steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and perfectly paired with El Sol’s local in-house BBQ sauce. Service 5/5:

Comparable to my first visit to El Sol, the service is perfection. The staff there are really, lovely and attentive without being too overbearing. Floor staff were quick to notice when our drinks needed to be topped up and didn’t fail to notice when we were looking service. It’s hard to find good service in Saigon and I was happy with the staff at El Sol.

Furthermore, the food was delivered hot and in a timely manner, well presented to our table laid out for a comfortable eating experience.

Recommendation: Yes The prices at El Sol are INCREDIBLY reasonable for both locals and expats. The service and servings are quite generous and there weren’t any moments whereby I didn’t feel that I was getting my money’s worth for the experience. Unlike many steak restaurants in Vietnam that serve the steak on its own and patrons pay additional for sides/salad, the food at El Sol is generally already served with grilled vegetables as well as the unlimited salad bar – so it’s great!

The wine was very, very good and I love the selection. It was a great girl’s lunch and I would recommend El Sol to others – perfect for a date or intimate gathering. I also saw that they offer a variety of set lunch menus, so it’s worth checking out before going. Big thanks to the team at El Sol for such a relaxing lunch – I really loved it.