Delicious and Affordable Seafood Spots in Saigon

Simply referred to as 'snails,' these establishments actually offer a wide array of seafood dishes, creatively prepared and, most importantly, fresh and reasonably priced. Mytour has compiled a list of the best and most budget-friendly seafood spots in Saigon.

Delicious and Affordable Seafood Spots in Saigon

1. Happy Snail - Gò Vấp

With prices starting from 20k/plate and meticulous care given to each shellfish by the restaurant's owner, Happy Snail has become a favorite among many diners. The menu boasts a variety of exotic shellfish dishes: Danang-style stir-fried snails (served with papaya salad), spicy grilled snails with chili sauce, garlic blood cockles... Especially noteworthy is the finger snail dish, incredibly fresh with sweet meat and not a grain of sand thanks to thorough cleaning (according to the restaurant staff, each shell has been carefully cleaned by slicing open to remove any sand).

Address: Located in an alley next to Làng Hoa Park (Le Van Tho Street), at the alley entrance near the supermarket. Open from 3:00 PM until late at night, with peak hours around 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM.

2. Snail Spot 20k – Bình Thạnh

This snail spot might be a bit tricky to find, but it's always packed because of its incredibly cheap and delicious snails. The place doesn't have a name board, often referred to as '20k snails' because the prices range from 20-30,000 VND/plate. One of the 'specialties' here is the garlic corn snails, especially the garlic corn blood cockles. However, due to the low prices, the amount of snails on the plate will be quite modest. A dish you might want to avoid is the salt and chili razor clams, as they're quite small and the meat isn't very firm.

Address: 5/99 Nơ Trang Long, Ward 7. Enter alley number 5, inquire about the entrance to the 7A preschool, the spot is located beside the school. Open from 2:00 PM until the snails run out, with peak hours around 5:00 PM-6:00 PM.

3. Salted Fish Snail – Bình Thạnh

The dish that made this spot famous is the scallops with quail eggs, dipped in a very special milkfish sauce. The scallops and quail eggs are grilled in a tray similar to Vũng Tàu's pancake grill, giving them a crispy, fragrant texture, perfectly complemented by the delicious milkfish sauce. However, this spot is often crowded, with slightly subpar service, small seating, and noisy ambiance.

Address: Salted Fish Snail spot in alley 282 (282/42) Bùi Hữu Nghĩa Street, Ward 2. Open from around 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM, closed on Sundays.

4. Oyster Connect – District 11

All shellfish dishes are priced from 30,000 VND. The spot prepares food that looks very clean, with comfortable seating. Here, you should try the stir-fried razor clams with salt and chili, steamed clams, stir-fried balut with tamarind…

Address: Number 7 Nguyễn Thị Nhỏ, next to Coop Mark supermarket, District 11, opposite Lâm Ký goat hotpot. Passing the intersection of Lê Đại Hành, Âu Cơ, Bình Thới, Nguyễn Thị Nhỏ, turn onto Nguyễn Thị Nhỏ street about 50 meters, look to the left to see Lâm Ký, and to the right you will see this shellfish spot.

5. 20k Shellfish Spot – District 1

This is a rare inexpensive shellfish spot in District 1. Dishes are priced from 25,000 to 30,000 VND, generally tasting quite good. The Impressive Cheese Scallop dish uses square pieces of cheese, very delicious. Additionally, most of the shellfish dishes here are stir-fried in 4 ways: with butter, with garlic, with morning glory, with tamarind. Grilled options include grilled squid, grilled with fat and onion, grilled with cheese.

Location: Alley 122 Trần Đình Xu – there are 2 alleys 122 Trần Đình Xu, one dead-end and one connects to Nguyễn Cư Trinh, the shellfish spot is in the alley connecting to Nguyễn Cư Trinh. Selling time: from 11:00 AM (sometimes 12:00 PM) to 6:00 PM from Monday to Friday. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays.

6. Thảo's Shellfish – District 4

As a morning shellfish spot in the famous shellfish selling area in District 4, Thảo's Shellfish leaves a mark on shellfish enthusiasts with its delicious fresh shellfish. Within the price range of dishes ranging from 25,000 – 35,000 VND, you will enjoy many delicious seafood dishes.

Address: Alley 273 Hoàng Diệu (at the beginning of the alley is the Hỷ Lâm Môn cake shop). Alternatively, Thảo's Shellfish at 229 – 231 Hoàng Diệu (opposite the Thai furniture supermarket), this location is only open for evening sales after 4:00 PM.

7. Lovely Shellfish – District 4

Although born late to the scene, choosing a different line of shellfish from the Saigon shellfish market has helped Lovely Shellfish gain recognition. At Lovely Shellfish, you will enjoy unique and rare types of shellfish, such as thuỳ snails, lady nipple snails, moon snails, palm snails, fairy wing snails, bird snails, pig snails… The spot also earns points for offering rare items at prices that suit many customers (starting from 30,000 VND).

Address: 002 Block B5, Apartment Building Ward 3, Internal Road 12B, Khánh Hội

8. Aunt Tuyết's Shellfish Spot

This small shellfish spot is tucked away in the alleys of Hoàng Hoa Thám – Bình Thạnh district, only open from about 2 – 3 PM until 11, 12 PM, specializing in selling various creatively prepared shellfish dishes at a very comfortable price starting from 20,000 VND/portion. Some dishes you must try here include: salt and chili razor clams, grilled garlic mayonnaise snails, cheese scallops – cheese razor clams, quail egg grilled scallops, crispy fried scallops, hairy snails – flat razor clams grilled with fat and onion, fragrant snails stir-fried with garlic, finger snails stir-fried with morning glory, Thai clams, stuffed snails – chili lemongrass stir-fried, snail salad – garlic snails…

Address: 10/17 Hoàng Hoa Thám. If coming from Nơ Trang Long direction, enter the alley next to the Cancer Hospital, turn right, just past the Ward 7 police station, then turn left, go straight to the end of the road, then turn left again (you can ask locals for Aunt Tuyết's Shellfish spot in alley number 10). If coming from Hoàng Hoa Thám direction, just go straight into alley number 10 and ask for further directions.

9. 25k Shellfish at Bà Chiểu Market – Bình Thạnh district

This shellfish spot used to be a mobile shellfish cart before renting a stall in Bà Chiểu Market, it's been around for over ten years. Although priced from only 25,000VND/plate, each dish is quite hearty, fresh, flavorful, and offers a wide selection of shellfish for you to choose from. The highlight dish here is coconut stir-fried sea snails, various tamarind stir-fried dishes, garlic stir-fried dishes, and lemongrass stir-fried finger snails.

Address: Bà Chiểu Market, Bình Thạnh district. At the end of the fruit alley, in the culinary area of the market. Open from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, closed on the 15th and 1st of the lunar month.

Note: Prices are recorded before Tet, so they may increase slightly as certain types of shellfish and seafood become scarce.

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Source: Mytour Travel Guide

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