Izakaya MATSUKI 18A Thai Van Lung - Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

Finding a good izakaya in Ho Chi Minh City is not easy—there are simply so many options to choose from. Today, I decided to try Izakaya Matsuki 18A after seeing its good reviews. We ordered quite a few different dishes to try. My favorite was definitely the yakitori—the grilled chicken skewers were the highlight of the meal. The other dishes were more average and didn’t particularly stand out to me. That said, one of the biggest advantages of this place is the very reasonable pricing. Overall, it’s a decent, casual izakaya if you’re looking for somewhere affordable to have a few drinks and some grilled skewers without spending too much. The yakitori is definitely worth trying, but the rest was just okay for me.

Best Japanese food in District 1 found here. You can see that the chef takes a lot of effort to ensure that every plate that comes out the kitchen is presented perfectly and served hot/cold accordingly. I loved the cold dishes, especially the sashimi. It can be a little noisy when it gets crowded as it is an enclosed restaurant. Smoking is allowed indoors.

The food is gorgeous, and most dishes are very tasty. The portions aren’t very large, but the prices are reasonable, so a group can order many dishes to explore the menu. The staff are very friendly and enthusiastic. Although the restaurant was crowded, they served us quickly with every order. Highly recommended!

Amazing, if not one of the best Izakaya experiences... Been to many izakayas in Tokyo and lived in NYC for 15+ years... Crisp sapporo served in cold mugs, not too expansive but good enough sake, shochu, plum wine options... Fantastic food quality we did not expect! Namely the Shime Saba that felt so freshly cured and pickled that they probably produce in house vs. buying the overly vinegared packaged type...! Skewers were filled with charcoaly goodness and cooked very well. Service was prompt and everyone could understand english. Special shout out to a server named Kiki who couldnt access our contact via whatsapp so she used her personal instagram to connect to me to tell me that our table was ready. Cant wait to visit again when we are back in HCMC!

📍VIRAL izayaka with MATCHING expectation! Last year, I had a chance to dine out at Matsuki Hanoi & was satisfied with the experience so this year we came to Matsuki HCM. Overall, the concept remains the same - basement izayaka within a building. Seatings in HCMC were relatively straightforward; I prefer something more private and hidden like the one in Hanoi. Menu runs on $ price as usual. We opted for several choices, including sashimi, meat, and soup. Fuji beef was an absolute FLAVOR BOMB 🤤. We enjoyed every bite of this tongue-melting, umami slice of beef. Their teriyaki rice balls were equally impressive - very savory & rich in flavor. These two dishes are highly recommended. ⭐️ suggestion: staffs were very supportive but a better way is to take a quick glance to judge whether guests are finished with the dish before taking away the plate.