Lion City Cafe & Restaurant Ho Chi Minh Review: Singaporean Flavors Near Ben Thanh Market

Right in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1, close to the bustling Ben Thanh Market,

you'll find a famous Singaporean restaurant.

I recently stopped by Lion City Cafe & Restaurant!

Lion City Cafe & Restaurant

Lion City Cafe & Restaurant

>>> Discover the full menu details further down in this post!

Since they had Tiger draft beer,

I immediately ordered a pint before even thinking about the food!

Can you believe it? After calling Ho Chi Minh City home for over six months,

this was actually my very first time trying Tiger draft beer!

(Quick tip: Personally, I found Huda draft beer to be even tastier... just saying!)

Many people mistakenly believe Tiger Beer is a Vietnamese creation,

but here's a fun fact: it's actually from Singapore!!!!

They just happen to have a factory in Vietnam.

Here are the four amazing dishes we ordered!

Just look at this fantastic view from the second floor!

After three consecutive nights of heavy rain,

the weather was absolutely perfect, as if celebrating our 'Fire Friday' (a truly awesome Friday night)! (^^)

Flaky pastry bread and spicy Sambal cockles!

Though they might look like a set, these two delightful dishes were actually ordered separately!

That bread on the left? Imagine a pastry version of a Korean hotteok – absolutely divine!

While banh mi is always a delight, if this pastry bread is on the menu,

you absolutely, positively have to give it a try!!!

It was so unbelievably delicious that

I'm actually still searching for a way to get my hands on it back in Korea!

These succulent cockles are drenched in a rich Sambal sauce.

Having explored Malaysia, I'm already quite familiar with

I've had my fair share of Sambal sauce,

and even brought home jars of it, so I know this flavor profile well.

But finding a spot in Ho Chi Minh City that serves it up this well? That's a real treat!

If you're even a little curious about Sambal sauce, do yourself a favor and order this dish!

The Sambal cockles and that pastry bread? A match made in culinary heaven!

While it's absolutely delicious on its own,

spooning those spicy Sambal cockles onto the bread takes it to a whole new level of amazing!

As we savored our appetizers,

the banh mi and crab soup also arrived at our table.

A comforting blend of tender crab meat, plump shrimp, and silky egg,

this Crab and Shrimp Soup was pure delight.

And look at this banh mi, fresh out of the oven, perfectly browned and crusty!

Still piping hot, just the way it should be.

A perfect bite: a piece of shrimp atop that fresh banh mi.

Next up, the flavorful Seafood Stir-fried Noodles!

Packed with generous amounts of plump shrimp and tender squid.

As avid lovers of Tom Yum Goong,

we couldn't resist ordering their Thai-style Tom Yum Goong.

Interestingly, their Tom Yum Goong had a wonderfully creamy texture.

This creamy broth struck a perfect balance of spicy and sour flavors.

The portion was much bigger than I expected,

so I just had a taste of the creamy Tom Yum and packed the rest to go.

It was absolutely delicious when I added noodles to it later, haha!

The packaging was also very neat, which I appreciated.

My culinary genius husband, who put seafood fried noodles into his banh mi.

It totally tasted like soba bread or UFO bread sold in Japan — so incredibly good!!

Feeling great after a satisfying meal!

The sophisticated interior of Lion City Restaurant.

There are four large tables for four people and one table for two.

Even when we went around 8 PM, there were about three groups dining, including us,

so only one table was left.

The tables are spacious,

making it comfortable to order and enjoy a variety of dishes.

Chili salt and pepper salt,

soy sauce, and hot sauce are also available.

Just ask for them if you'd like!

Although it's a Singaporean restaurant,

you can savor Southeast Asian dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and more.

This is Lion City Cafe & Restaurant, located near Ben Thanh Market in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

I wish I could get rich and go back to eat chili crab again,,

Lion City Cafe & Restaurant Menu