Top 7 Must-Try Dishes at Tan Dinh Market, Saigon

Mytour brings you another delicious dish from Tan Dinh Market—this time, it's not porridge but broken rice. As you pass by Tan Dinh Market, the irresistible aroma of grilled pork ribs will surely catch your attention, and it's a missed opportunity if you don't stop by to try the delicious broken rice here. Many people, especially those working late or young folks out for a late-night stroll, often visit Dì Tám's Broken Rice for a satisfying meal of this savory dish. The menu at Dì Tám's Broken Rice offers a variety of choices, but the real star is their broken rice. The owner carefully selects the freshest pork ribs, marinated with a secret sauce recipe and grilled to perfection over a charcoal stove. The sizzling sound of the ribs cooking is enough to make anyone's mouth water. In addition to the pork ribs, the dish is made even more special with accompaniments like shredded pork, Vietnamese sausage, fried egg, or braised egg. Each plate of broken rice is carefully prepared with shiny grains of rice, topped with aromatic green onions. The dish is both visually appealing and aromatic, making it a hearty and nutritious meal, complete with tender grilled pork ribs, sausage slices, and a satisfying portion of rice.

If Mytour previously highlighted savory dishes, now we’re shifting to some sweet treats at Tan Dinh Market. After enjoying hearty dishes like noodles, rice, and porridge, it’s time to satisfy your sweet tooth with a refreshing dessert. Ba Muoi's Sweet Soup is a popular spot known for its layered sweet soups, smoothies, herbal drinks, and flan, drawing attention from everyone passing by. You can enjoy classic desserts like mung bean soup, jelly noodles, pomegranate seeds, mixed sweet soup, and khuc bach (a sweet dessert). The sweet soups at Ba Muoi's stall are light and refreshing, with each serving generously filled. On hot nights, nothing beats a cold, chilled dessert. The shop opens in the afternoon and stays open until around 11 PM. While the desserts may not be extraordinary, with prices ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 VND, it’s quite a reasonable treat for dessert lovers.

If you've already tried frog porridge, be sure to check out the savory flavor of Vietnamese-style pork rib porridge at Tan Dinh Market. Porridge lovers will find many options here, and one popular spot is 295 Pork Rib Porridge, which is beloved by locals. The shop opens in the late afternoon and serves until they run out of porridge, usually late into the night. This street-side eatery is simple—just a cart with a large pot of porridge and other ingredients. Around the cart are small plastic chairs for customers to sit and enjoy their meal while watching the busy streets. When you order a bowl of pork rib porridge, the fragrant aroma of rice and meat fills the air. The porridge is smooth and creamy, topped with tender, flavorful pork ribs, sprinkled with green onions and fresh chili for extra flavor. Add some crispy dough sticks and black pepper to complete the perfect bowl of porridge.

When visiting Tan Dinh Market, you shouldn't miss Ms. Liên's Crab Soup, famous for its hearty soup with a variety of toppings, full of flavor and appeal. Located at stall 867 in the market, the shop is easy to find. The crab soup here is made from the finest ingredients, ensuring both quality and food safety. The recipe combines several flavors to deliver a delicious and satisfying experience. The soup is thickened with cornstarch and tapioca flour, giving it a hearty texture unlike other places where the soup is watery. Topping the soup, you'll find not just crab but also shredded chicken, shiitake mushrooms, quail eggs, and crispy fried onions. The soup is well-seasoned, but if you like, the owner is happy to adjust the seasoning to your preference. The portions are generous, with many saying one bowl here is equivalent to two or even three bowls from other places. For those looking for a more nourishing or flavorful bowl, you can try the pig brain crab soup or the century egg crab soup. In addition to crab soup, Ms. Liên's Crab Soup also offers other tasty dishes like chicken salad and spring rolls, all at reasonable prices, perfect for students. Quality is the top priority for Ms. Liên, which is why the shop has so many loyal customers returning for more!

If you're looking for a place that serves delicious, affordable, and satisfying frog porridge, head to the frog porridge stall at Tan Dinh Market. It's a simple street-side eatery with basic seating, but the place is always bustling with people. The attraction lies in the perfectly cooked porridge and the irresistible aroma that wafts from each bowl. This stall operates in the evenings, with the owner setting up a charcoal stove at 7 PM to prepare fresh pots of porridge for passing customers. The porridge is made to order, so it's always served piping hot. The specialty here is the traditional Singaporean-style frog porridge, with smooth, flavorful porridge topped with sesame for added fragrance and taste. The highlight is the tender, freshly cooked frog meat, which adds a sweet, chewy texture and absorbs all the spices. The thick sauce, flavored with chili, is poured over the porridge, perfectly complementing the frog meat. As you eat, the green onions help balance the natural taste of the frog, making it more enjoyable. The frog porridge here costs about 60,000 VND per pot, with enough meat for two people to share. Considering the price and quality, it's definitely worth it. Compared to many other places in Saigon, this porridge is quite affordable and tasty.

6. Mì Giang Lâm Kí - Mì Chú Cẩu Located at Tan Dinh Market, anyone selling goods there can direct you to this noodle stall. The first thing you'll notice is its beautifully decorated cart, featuring Chinese motifs and a large chicken wing where a few customers can sit and enjoy their meal. This noodle cart has been around for years and is now in its third generation, with locals referring to it as 'Mì Chú Cẩu.' The cart is small, seating only 5-6 people, but it is always clean and well-kept. They serve various noodle dishes, rice noodles, and wontons with fillings like shrimp, liver, heart, meat, and eggs, accompanied by crispy fried shrimp cakes. The broth is subtly sweet, extracted from slow-boiled bones, not overly sweetened with monosodium glutamate or sugar. The vegetables and bean sprouts served with the dish are blanched thoroughly, and the broth is slightly bland, allowing customers to season it to their taste. The noodles are fresh and chewy, and despite being located in a small spot in District 1, it feels like you're eating authentic Chinese noodle soup.

To find Mì Giang Lâm Kí, simply ask anyone at Tan Dinh Market for directions. You'll immediately notice its cart with Chinese-style decorations, where a few lucky customers can enjoy their meal right on top of a large chicken wing. The small noodle cart, operating for over three generations, is now famously known as 'Mì Chú Cẩu.' This cozy stall serves a variety of noodles, rice noodles, and wontons filled with shrimp, liver, heart, meat, and eggs, complemented by crispy fried shrimp cakes. The broth is naturally sweet, thanks to a long process of boiling bones to extract flavor, rather than relying on heavy seasonings. The vegetables and bean sprouts are always properly blanched, and the broth may taste a little mild, so feel free to season it according to your preference. Despite its small size, it offers a taste of authentic Chinese noodle soup in the heart of District 1.

7. Xôi Gà 310 A serving of Xôi at Xôi Gà 310 is generous and visually appealing. Beneath the hot, soft, and aromatic glutinous rice is a drizzle of scallion oil, filling the air with a fragrant scent. The dish comes with an abundant mix of meat, Chinese sausage, and shredded chicken, but the highlight is the quail egg braised sauce, which adds a rich, savory flavor and perfectly complements the rice. You should also try the chicken gizzards and eggs. The gizzards, including the heart and stomach, are sliced into bite-sized pieces, while the fresh, golden eggs bring a rich, satisfying flavor. To balance the dish, the vendor adds crispy fried onions and pickled vegetables, making it a perfect meal. The stall usually sets up in the afternoon and operates until around 11 PM, or until the food runs out.

At Xôi Gà 310, the portion sizes are large and eye-catching. Beneath the soft, fragrant rice, a savory scallion oil adds aroma. The dish includes a hearty mix of meats, Chinese sausage, and shredded chicken, but the true highlight is the rich quail egg sauce that perfectly binds the flavors together. For an extra treat, try the chicken gizzards and fresh eggs. The gizzards, including the heart and intestines, are cut into small, easy-to-eat pieces, while the golden eggs add a delightful creaminess. The dish is topped with crispy fried onions and tangy pickled vegetables to round off the experience. The stall opens around mid-afternoon and stays open until about 11 PM, selling out as it goes.