Notable vegetarian restaurants in Thao Dien

Thảo Điền (Thao Dien), District 2, is one of Ho Chi Minh City's notable hubs for ex-pat and tourist communities, easily accessible from the city's central point.

Recently, the food and lifestyle service scenes in this area developed restlessly to quickly catch up with the rising diverse needs of multi-national customers, especially vegetarians. Whether you have a thing for traditional dishes or fusion fare, Thao Dien has something to treat your appetite.

HUM Garden Thao Dien

HUM Garden lies within a beautiful villa in Thao Dien, with plenty of open space and a tranquil garden. HUM belongs to a premier chain of vegetarian restaurants in Saigon with a gastronomic concept, exquisite setup, and decorations.

The restaurant offers healthy veggie delights made from certified ingredients, non-MSG. The chefs create a wide array of flavors from natural sources, blending them beautifully to make unique and refreshing fusion cuisines.

My tip: If planning your next culinary experience at HUM, don't forget to order a pot of hot tea served with sugar-coated fruits. It enhances the taste in unexpected ways. You'll also need to book tables in advance for the best experience.

HUM is also among our favorite spots for vegans in Saigon.

10 best vegan restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

Being vegan can be challenging, especially when you’re on the road. That’s how this 10 vegan restaurants will ensure you a great trip to Ho Chi Minh city.

Local InsiderHao Le

Zeroism Café

Implying in the name, Zeroism aims to create an eco-friendly café and eatery. The café always strives to minimize the negative impact on the environment. They use non-plastic or single-use eating utensils. The ingredients are always fresh, and carefully handpicked daily to ensure the finest quality.

If you bring your own takeaway food or drink f containers to the café, a 5% discount is applied to your orders. Zeroism promotes a sustainable living style for nature lovers, vegetarians, and conscious travelers.

In my opinion, Zeroism is one of the must-try vegetarian experiences in Saigon. They serve an extensive menu with a long list of drinks (coffee, slow-pressed juice, milk, smoothies, etc.), from Vietnamese banh mi to burgers. Not to mention their dessert is totally on point.  

Every dish is equally fresh and healthy,  with qualified ingredients, non-MSG, GMO, or preservatives. Even their beverages, bakery, and pastries are made of 100% vegan milk and sourdough.

Shelley's - Vegetarian Comfort Food

Shelley's is a sub-brand of Eddie's - a classic 1950s-style New York diner at the same address. The eatery builds up an American vibe in its setup and serves authentic American meals. You can find Shelley's vegetarian options on Eddie's menu. All-day meals can be found at Shelley's, made from scratch food, quality ingredients, and no artificial colors or flavors.

You will love this place if you love burgers and are a vegetarian. The buns are crispy outside, with juicy and firm layers inside; served with side dish choices of fries, sweet potato fries, or coleslaw; a nice touch of melted cheese, chili-cheese, Swiss-Mushroom & Onion, or Ragin Cajun even makes your burger more superb.

Kashew Cheese

Kashew is a vegetarian restaurant where you can not only enjoy tasty food but also relieve stress. The spot is settled in Saigon Concept complex, where you can find many shops and café. The mutual courtyard is spacious, nicely decorated with wooden tables and chairs, and a small pond in the center, surrounded by greenery. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available, but Kashew has a limited number of seats inside.

Kashew is renowned for its vegan homemade cheese collection, made of locally sourced, high-quality, plant-based ingredients. The owner desires to develop a healthy and delicious vegetarian culinary style while minimizing the harmful impacts on our planet. Cashew milk is another option you should consider. The cool milk is served without sugar and ice to taste the most authentic cashew flavor.

Mozza Pesto sandwich is highly recommended by patrons. The creamy pesto sauce is also made of cashews, combined with vegan mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, rucola, and extra virgin olive oil, all stuffed into a crispy baguette or a sourdough loaf.

Fresh ingredients' umami flavors will explode in your mouth with the first bite. If you come in a group and would like to share the sandwich, it's better to ask the staff to cut it before serving. Their salad and pasta are also worth a try at reasonable prices.  

KVegetarian Restaurant & Café

KVegetarian is a small Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant on Nguyen Dang Giai street in Thao Dien, with wooden tables and chairs, lanterns, and greenery. As an old-fashioned diner, the restaurant creates a cozy atmosphere for customers.

The principle of KVegetarian is to create clean, fresh, elegant, and delicious veggie dishes for anyone who wants to try them, not just vegetarians. You'll be greeted by a wholehearted owner and attentive, friendly staff when you come here.

KVegetarian offers a diverse Asian and Vietnamese-style menu, ranging from appetizers, soups, and salads to vermicelli, rice, stir-fries, and hotpot, all for a reasonable price. Golden armor tofu, soft, thin vermicelli noodles with roasted vegan pork, Mongolia salad, Pad Thai, and grilled mushrooms with special sauce wrapped in silver foil are among the top recommendations.

Steamed buns are also worth a try. The buns are soft while the filling is moist and well-seasoned. They often make a bit spicy to some words, such as Pad Thai; feel free to order your preferred spicy level in advance.

L'Herbanyste

L'Herbanyste (lur-ban-ist) was established in 2017 by four foreigners. They come from different backgrounds and have significant personalities while sharing a mutual goal of a sustainable lifestyle and well-being. The founders desire to bring the same concept to L'Herbanyste in Vietnam after experiencing Balinese creative vegetarian gastronomy and eco-friendly projects.

L'Herbanyste, found in a spacious bohemian-inspired villa in Thao Dien, is a perfect getaway for everyone to enjoy superb vegetarian food, moments by the pool under the trees, and replenish. On special occasions, they also open yoga experience day, breathing class, office therapy sessions, etc.

The owners thoughtfully select every dish, which must be vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, while remaining delicious. Suppose you come as a big group of friends. In that case, it's recommended to reserve a cabana by the swimming pool, order Buddha bowls, Vegan Tofu Benedict with crunchy asparagus, and some big order dishes to share, then enjoy handcrafted cocktails or refreshing vegan wine.

A small note for this place, since L'Herbanyste is an eco-friendly and zero-waste vegetarian restaurant, you can be charged an environmental fee if you leave the leftovers.