Saigon Bagel — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

I had such high hopes for this place seeing all the ads for their bagels, but this is sadly another page in my Saigon bagel journey where the supposed bagel shop just did not deliver on the actual bagel.

I ordered the apple & brie with cranberry sauce since it sounded incredible along with a side of chocolate cannoli. There was a bit of a wait, but I didn't really mind since I really enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant. The interior is decorated in the classical Victorian style & there are free board games offered for you to enjoy your time here which I'm a big fan of.

When the food arrived, however, I already had my reservation seeing that the bagel looked a bit burnt at the top & very dry in general. Biting into it... Well, it was like biting into a stale piece of bread that was air-fried for a tad too long that all that was left was a crusty dense shell of a bread. While it was not just a straight up brick, it was still way too crunchy & dense in not the most pleasant way. The bagel could've been good before it was most likely reheated through air frying, but I certainly couldn't tell in the order I had, which is a shame since the filling was quite good. It was creamy but with a bit of fresh crunch from the apple slices. The brie provided a bit of cheesy funk to the mix which contrasted nicely against the sweetness and tartness of the fruits. Would've been a winner on a proper bagel but alas.

The cannoli was downright unpleasant though. The shell was just hard & tasteless. The cream filling might have been split as it was just grainy & tasted incredibly artificial. Couldn't finish the thing & still, that was a waste of calories.

There are so many menu items and flavor options being offered at very reasonable prices here, so it's a shame the quality of the food just doesn't live up to it. As much as I want to give this place another chance, I don't see myself returning since I don't live close enough to this area.

Overall...

I was excited to be going to Saigon Bagel, as I really enjoy bagels. At the same time I was hoping that the bagels were authentic.

As I walked in I wondered if I was in the right place, the ground floor is not welcoming at all. You almost wonder if they are still in the construction phase.

After going up the stairs you start to see a retro style cafe beginning to area as you climb.

The second floor is quite charming and cozy.

The menu is as a comprehensive bagel store as you can imagine in Saigon, rather than New York.

The bagels and fillings are very good, and have a good level of authentic quality & presented well. Juices are very nice too.

The service is very slow, and if you are used to a USA bagel restaurant you will feel its incredibly slow...

Don’t be put off that this place looks non-existent when you arrive - walk to the back of the empty shop unit and go up the stairs. Modern stripped-back decor and a fairly cool atmosphere. There is good quality espresso, fairly broad menu including breakfast options as well as lunch, salads as well as the obvious bagel options. Bagels come as plain, poppy, onion, sesame etc. All round very good service and cleanliness. I would recommend especially if, like us, you are stuck in the tower blocks on the other side of the river without breakfast and not entirely sure how to walk over to the other side. Google maps isn’t very helpful on this one so we got a taxi. Good news is they...