L' Etoile Restaurant — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

Excellent service. The waiter was magically there when we needed him and he was unexpectedly fast at bringing our drinks despite the place being quite crowded.

The atmosphere is practical, but clean, nicely cold, and with a western level of space between tables. This place probably will never get featured on Instagram. It looks how you'd expect a traditional French restaurant to look like. A bit heritage ornamentation, but nothing too intensive or too visually dominant. Judging by the newspapers on the walls, it's been around as a family business for a looooong time.

The food was great. I had steak with green pepper, pate chaud, and the pancakes. In case you don't know - I didn't - the pate is a croissant filled with minced meat and some herbs. I cut it and attached a picture. It was very tasty and to me seemed typically French and at about $1.5 per piece it was also quite affordable. My ca phe sua da was nicely strong and had a smooth finish. I'd guess local Arabica beans. The pancakes were just normal pancakes, nothing unexpected there. But the steak sauce with the green pepper balls was outstanding. It was spicy, but not painful like chili but more like mustard seeds. And it had a very intense pepper and beef taste that also went into the bread when I soaked little pieces in the sauce.

The bill for our dinner was about...

Our family recently celebrated a birthday at this restaurant, and it turned out to be such a beautiful and heartwarming experience. From the moment we stepped inside, the atmosphere brought us back to the feeling of a small French countryside restaurant — warm, intimate, and full of charm. It almost felt like being transported elsewhere, only without the crisp, cool air of Europe.

The food was prepared with care, adapted slightly for Vietnamese tastes, yet it still carried the soul of timeless European flavors. Every dish evoked a sense of nostalgia, reminding us of old memories and the essence of Western cuisine that once flourished in old Saigon. It wasn’t just about eating — it was about reliving moments of childhood, of family gatherings, of stories passed down through generations.

What touched us most was not only the flavors on the plate, but also the way the whole experience brought us together as a family. It felt meaningful, almost poetic, and made the birthday celebration truly unforgettable.

If you are looking for a place that combines delicious food, heartfelt ambiance, and a touch of nostalgia, this restaurant is definitely...

It’s a fun place. You feel like walking in a set of a sitcom show. Everything looks like in the 80s. The food, however, is below average, and served in ridiculous portions. I ordered a chicken with wine sauce with excitement, and I was so disappointed to get a poorly cooked drumstick, with bones. The presentation is so poor. When it came to dessert, the crepe was served with cheap whipping cream and some artificial orange jam that tastes like those cheap chemical candies from the post-war time - the era when this place was founded I guess. How this restaurant gets a 4+ stars here is a huge mystery to me. I have been to way better 'Frenchy' restos in town at the same price range and was more happy in those places. It’s sad to see that people (mostly locals) still pouring in here and find this place somehow decent, which shows that the bar for quality Western food is still very...