Margherí pizza Phú Mỹ Hưng — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

This is truly a hidden gem as I don’t often find an authentic italian restaurant in D7.

Atmosphere - really cosy with low lighting, outdoor seatings are quite nice. I love the little lamps on every table.

Location - easy to find in central area of Phu My Hung. However, parking can be tricky especially with cars as the road is fairly narrow so you might have to park a bit further away. But scooters should not be a problem.

Food quality - I can tell they use very fresh high quality ingredients here with authentic taste.

-Chicken Caesar salad: the hugee chicken breast surprised me but oh my it was one of the most juicy chicken breast I ever tried. Salad dressing was nice and not too overpowering. This could easily be shared between 3-4 people as a starter. 5/5 -Mushroom Bruschetta: bread is tiny bit too hard for my liking but sautéed mushroom was really nice. 4/5 -Spaghetti pesto with clams: the nicest pesto sauce I ever tasted. So cheesy, nutty and sooo green. Spaghetti is perfectly al dente and clams are so fresh. I was gutted that the portion is quite small but I remember pastas are meant to be Primi so that portion is perfect for 1-2 people. 6/5 (I will try the seafood pasta next time) -Pizza (half 6 cheese and half beef brisket): authentic napolitan pizza. The dough is baked perfectly with nice fragrant I can’t explain. Tomato sauce on beef brisket side is so fresh and the 6-cheese is so cheesy lol. I wish there were a bit more honey on the side as dipping sauce. 5/5 -Affogato: this was unplanned but I decided to try it anyway as affogato has a special place in my heart. I have tried quite a few versions from a few places including in Italy. I would say it’s not the best I have tried but definitely not bad at all. I find the vanilla scent in vanilla ice cream is somewhat a tad overpowering. Also I wish the hot espresso was served in a separate cup for customer to pour on to ice cream themselves to make it the most fresh. This is probably the most underwhelming dish out of all but I will try other dessert options next time (I love tiramisu!). 3/5

Service - staff were lovely and polite. It was initially 2 young men at the front but then they got busy taking customers to their tables. So the owner/chef (I think his name is Ciro?) took our orders. Food arrived quickly too.

Pricing - I would say pricing is on a higher side but given the quality of the food and the prime location in D7, you get what you pay for.

Overall - we had a very pleasant experience with great authentic italian food. We were treated very nicely. It was a Wednesday evening so we had no problem getting a table for 2 without reservation. But with bigger group and on weekends, I think it would be best to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

—- Please do give this place a visit if you’re a pizza/pasta fan and want an authentic italian flavour ✅

Side note - I found Magherí randomly via Google Map and didnt notice the bad reviews at all prior to coming here (I was craving some real italian food and when I saw the menu photo, I was like, let’s go now!!). I would say I did not experience any of those negativity and I am unsure how many of those 1 star reviews are real. Maybe I was lucky or maybe those reviews aren’t really true. And oh my the replies (by the owner) to those reviews crack me up. I love the sassiness, the perfect italian...

Amazing Italian cusine place you should try

Food - 1.8 Star 8/10 Carbonara Pizza, amazing taste with a + surprise sprinkled on top. The egg is a bit over the top since the rest of the pizza already tatses amazing without it. 9/10 Margherita Pizza, the easy, classic choice for pizza when you don't know what to order. Balance layer of tomato sauce and cheese. I personally prefer thin crust, but the pizza crust here has a common standard thickness, so no complaint. 100/10 Bolognese Pasta, my go-to comfort food dish when I don't know what else to eat. It's absolutely worth it, and I will come back here for this every time 🤤 Juicy and flavorful bolognese sauce, thick and perfectly cooked pasta. 7/10 Spinach (if I remember correctly) Ravioli was okay. Since I had other flavorful choices of food, this became a healthy-choice dish 😅 The ravioli is still cooked nicely. 6/10 Calamari, tried it. I was hoping for a less breaded, crunchy, feel fresh fried Calamari 🫤 9/10 Tiramisu, serve in a very cool way (great for your social media's feed 😂). Soft texture and well-balanced taste of sweet (not too sweet) 8/10 Lava cake (I can't remember the name). Sweet oozing hot chocolate cake served in a small bowl. You can have an add-on choice of ice cream.

Price 1.0-Star The price is standard across Italian places in the area. For the super well-done dishes, it is absolutely worth the price for the quality.

Service 1.0-Star Friendly and attentive staff (even when very few of them during certain hours). Also very welcoming owner when he's at the store.

Atmosphere 0.9-Star Both indoor and outdoor are available for small, medium, and big parties. Bring your 🦟 repellent if you're prone to be eaten alive...

Awarded Top 50 pizza in Asia Pacific... it's hard to argue that. The guy knows how to make pizza.

I saw a clip of a calzone from here on Google Maps and needed to try it. I found out it's not on the menu, but the worker asked the (presumed) owner if I could order one. He said the clip is actually "from his restaurant in Italy," but he would make one for me. I believe the reason it's not on the menu and the caveat for ordering one is he said he didn't have any ricotta cheese, which would keep it from being overly moist. He offered to use another cheese; I asked for mozzarella. The fact he was nice enough to make one for me was great.

On the menu, it was considered a "fried pizza," but he labeled my order as a carbonara (280K/$11.10). Although the calzone didn't spew cheese like the clip I saw, it was good. I would absolutely order another one.

I also tried a Sophia Loren (290K/$11.45). Equally good. Artisanal pizza, comparable to one or two other Neapolitan pizzas I've had in Vietnam. The combination of everything likely makes it the best I've had here (I have not had a ton of pizza here, though).

The quality of the ingredients is high. The dough, sauce, and flavor were great for both items.

I ordered just before a group of 6 and 2 tables of 2, so I received my order relatively quickly - much faster than some other places I've been to recently.

There's limited indoor seating (unless there's more in the back or another floor), but there is covered outdoor seating. This seems like a nice place to take/have a date.

There is a 5% service fee (even take-out) & 8% VAT, so I paid a little more than I had anticipated.

*I took photos before I left and after my 20-25 minute ride...