The Lunch Lady (Nguyen Thi Thanh)

The Thai Noodle soup was great, you can just refuse the side dish as it’s not free and kills the overall experience for us, the omelette like shrimp, and the spring rolls were cold and not crispy, lacks flavor. One of their staff will also offer their beverage menu. Just be careful with their final bill, as they quoted as 240k, for 2 noodles( in their menu it is was just 40k plus), plus one drink, and ate some of the side dishes. We felt like they overcharged us, but since we were in a hurry for our next destination, and felt like it’s not worth our time arguing as they don’t speak english, we just let it pass.

If it wasn't for Anthony Bourdain, I wouldn't step in this place once I saw it. The place is filthy. No menu. The guy just asked "one bowl"? Yes, another guy from the drinks cart (separate apparently) gave me an uninspired drink menu. Quickly received the bowl of noodles with the various parts of animals and seafood (?). Tasted fine and authentic but as I watch them prepare the food, it was just unsanitary. More than usual I mean. Another guy joined me and same treatment. They are just buying their time and living off the Bourdain fame.

Delicious! Here are the tips: Every day there is a different soup. So there may be a flavor you don’t like. Check the days and come when it is something you like. We came in on a Wednesday and had Vietnamese chicken noodle and OMGosh it was fantastic!! Tip number 2: Yes, they charge if you eat the things they bring to your table; egg rolls and other things. If you eat them - of course they add it to the bill. Our bowls of soup were plentiful so when they brought the extras to the table we just said no thank you. Tip 3: As in most Vietnamese food - it is YOU that have to add the spices, mints, garlics, etc.. to the bowl or plate.. so how delicious yours is depends on whether or not you used any condiments. John likes less spicy so I think his is boring. I like a lot of spice so he thinks mine is too spicy. Tip is - rate your food based on what YOU like and put in it. Tip 4: Go early. She does get full fast after 12. Also, when her broth gigantic pot goes dry lunch is over. We had the best time here. We had great food. Our total bill was 170VND which included 2 Saigon beers and 2 bowls of soup. That is a great value! We ate every bite and left so full we did not eat again until late in the evening. Anthony Bourdaine - so easy to see why this was one of your favorite restaurants in Saigon! A very short walk to the end of the street takes you to a Pho shop that is Michelin star rated - in all honesty, The lunch lady was better!! For more adventures follow us on @ eyecool

The Lunch Lady serves a rotating daily noodle soup special that comes with Anthony Bourdain's tick of approval. I loved it here from the outdoor setting to the small tables and chairs to the minimal English spoken - I mean what else is there to say other than one special of the day and whether you want it small (half size), medium (regular size) or large (extra meat size)? Serving bánh canh cua only on Saturdays, this rich soup with its thick Udon-like gooey noodles and generous amounts of crab meat tasted as good as it looked. There is so much going on in this bowl that it’s an explosion of both colour and taste and an absolute must eat! But be warned - snacks and sides will be put on your table, it's not free - but at 40,000-60,000 dong for a bowl depending on size, don't overthink that eating a shrimp cake or adding Vietnamese donuts will break the bank!

I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and it’s one of the reason I came here to try it. I’m short, it was a disappointment. They only have one dish of the day and I got the crab noodle. It came out like warm and when it’s a thick soup, it tasted extra thick. The area was filthy. You can see shrimp tail and napkins discarded on the floor. I can handle street food but these ladies and just sitting around. It’s not pact or anything. In fact when I got there at 1 pm, I was the only person there. They also brought me a dish with deep fried spring rolls and shrimp crackers. I didn’t k ow of it was part of the meal or not so I ate some. It was gross. The oil and soaked and it tasted like it’s been passed around all day. I wonder if that was a dish they offer and if you eat it, you pay otherwise it gets passed on to another. I was that sucker. Don’t eat it. The ladies there were just sitting around. Traffic here is purely from a positive feedback from Anthony years and years ago. I was really looking forward to this place but was disappointed. I couldn’t even finish my food which is rare. Also ordered a Pepsi. All of this for 120k. A bit overpriced in my opinion.

Honestly, I was really impressed with the meal we had. It was a lovely bowl of Shrimp soup of sorts. Amazing flavour. Got served as soon as we sat down. Very nice.

She serves different noodle or menu daily. I had Vietnamese and Thai fusion noodle on Monday. I love the tangerine spicy soup. The pork spring rolls and fried prawn cakes are yummy too. Worth trying local food stall. I’ll definitely want to come again to try her other menu.

Rest In Peace, beloved founder of The Lunch Lady. In 2008, Ms. Thanh appeared on the show No Reservations and was praised by Anthony Bourdain for her delicious Hue beef noodle soup. Later then her food stall at a corner of an alley became well known and famous for foreigners as well as local people. Recently, she went to Canada to prepare to open a new Lunch Lady restaurant in June. However, on May 19th 2025, she passed away due to cardiac arrest after arriving at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My deepest condolences to her family at this difficult time 🙏 (Pictures were taken in June 2017)