Shamballa Vegetarian, Restaurant & Teahouse - Sai Gon — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

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Our dining experience at Shamballa Vegetarian Restaurant & Tea House in Saigon was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment we walked in, we were captivated by the serene ambiance and the warm welcome from the staff.

We started our meal with the Green Salted Crispy Mushrooms (Nấm Rế Muối Xanh), which were perfectly seasoned and had an incredible crunch. These mushrooms are a must-try for anyone who enjoys a flavorful and satisfying appetizer.

Next, we indulged in the Hue Noodles (Bún Huế) — a dish that truly captures the essence of Vietnamese cuisine. The noodles were cooked to perfection, and the broth was rich, aromatic, and deeply comforting. The quality of the food at Shamballa is truly exceptional, and this dish alone would bring us back time and time again.

Another standout was the Vietnamese Crepes (Bánh Xèo). The crepes were light and crispy, filled with fresh and vibrant ingredients. Each bite was a delightful blend of textures and flavors, making it a dish not to be missed.

For something lighter, the Rice Paper Rolls (Phở Cuốn Lá Lụa Quế) were an excellent choice. The rolls were fresh and flavorful, providing a perfect balance to the meal.

To complement our meal, we ordered the Lemongrass & Kumquat Drink (Nước Sả Tắc), which was refreshingly light and full of zesty citrus notes — a perfect way to cleanse the palate.

What truly set our experience apart was not just the exceptional food quality but also the value for money pricing. We found the dishes to be generously portioned and reasonably priced, offering fantastic value for such high-quality vegetarian cuisine.

We must give a special mention to our server, Hai Quang. His attentive service and friendly demeanor added to the overall delightful experience. The warmth and professionalism he displayed made us feel right at home. He was knowledgeable about the menu and provided excellent recommendations that made our dining experience even more enjoyable.

In summary, Shamballa Vegetarian Restaurant & Tea House offers a truly remarkable dining experience with its delicious and exceptionally well-prepared dishes, fantastic value for money, and the most warming service. Whether you're a local or a visitor, this restaurant should be at the top of your list in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thank you, Shamballa, and a big thank you to Hai Quang for making our evening memorable. We will definitely...

We are a group of five people, all adults and full time employed, visiting the Trinh Van Can site at 4pm during the holidays with hopes could avoid the large crowd and enjoy the artistic setups and good foods like what we enjoyed at Ly Tu Trong site. It was a little bit pass 4pm so we decided to take tea sets and light sweet deserts first then we would scroll down for the dinner with the tasteful vegetarian dishes there.

Then everything turned off in a way we think the owner should be looking at the operations and how the staff have been training in a careful way.

We ordered drinks and light foods. No long after that a waitress come to tell us “tea time will be soon over”. I guess we DONT HAVE TO TELL the staff how long we are going to stay and which foods we are going to order? The tea set itself was served only in half. We had to remind the waitress for the rest (some jams and small pieces of home made banana cake…) after waiting for half an hour. Until then did she realize the situation. One of our friend pulled out a tarot set, a new hobby and simple mean of entertainment she found herself after long time being swept away with the duty of house wife and mother of twins. She wanted to have the tarot readings for us and when it was halfway over the reading, a man approaching us and introduced himself as the restaurant manager then asked us to stop because we are “practicing the illegitimate activity” at their place.

I guess the course of what i could describe as incident is clear enough to explain why i give the Shamballa Trinh Van Can 1 star. I still give this experience a 2 star in hope they could find themselves way to improve the way they view and serve their clients. The company where I am working for often use the restaurant for lunch / dinner / expats after work time. Guess I will recommend to them a...

Go to the other location near little Tokyo. We had a much better experience there.

This one takes the "no outside food or drinks" to the extreme. Not allowed to have the bottled water I brought in. I had to put it on the floor. Water. It's 30⁰ out. I get it about outside food or drinks but, come on, let a customer have their own water.

Lemongrass fries were bland. Needed to ask for additional salt to give them some flavor.

Thinking back now I should have also asked that they heat the soup ordered some more but at the time I didn't think of it.

Clay pot for glass noodles was put on the table without warning of the extreme heat. It was placed with the handles facing north and south. I went to turn them to east west and would have burnt my fingers if I had grabbed it any longer. Handles on the pot had no protection. No warning from staff. The dish itself was tasty, but not filling at all.

I motioned to the hostess for the check. Someone came to clean the table a few minutes after. I asked her to bring the check. After waiting again ~5 minutes I signaled to another staff member and asked for the check.

Check was brought and I glanced at it then gave them my card. I thought about it and decided the price on the fries was incorrect. Asked to see the menu and indeed the price was billed as $115,000 when the menu states $105,000. They charged my card the higher price and gave me a $10,000 note to make up the difference. It was only later in the evening after moving across town that it occurred to me that I still payed taxes and "service charge" at the higher rate.

Though the food was tasty, the multiple miscues and issues outweigh the positives. If I were you I'd go eat at their other branch or somewhere...