The Lunch Lady (Nguyen Thi Thanh)

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.

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!

Very delicious food, we sat down, said 1 to share and then the food came with all that’s in the pic. Not sure what it was all but had beef brisket and some beef balls. The soup was heavenly delicious (having had a few last few days, this one tops it all). The sides are additional so if you don’t tell them(refuse when it’s being laid out), it will be charged automatically. But those crispy crakes with prawns in them were out of this world delicious. So I really don’t care if they were charged. A must visit for those in Ho Chi Minh.

The experience is not so hype but worth the try for tourists, the food is quite decent but the place maybe too Vietnamese street style, a bit wild. The price is reasonable, the staffs are old but not slow at all, and the orders come quite fast.

The ladies working there were friendly. Able to communicate with me with basic English. The noodles were very filling and the soup was delicious. The menu is based on the day of the week.

Please, please do not come here if you're a foreigner as they will try to extract as much money as they can. I didn't want to believe the most recent reviews but we experienced the exact same thing here. We got brought side dishes we never ordered but we told them to send it back. Here's the kicker though, the person next to us had the exact same bowl we had and when he went to pay he paid 50k, when we were done I gave them 100k but they said it was 60k each whilst pointing to a sign saying we got the special bowl. Nothing special about it. Sad that this has happened and Anthony Bourdain will be turning in his grave if he found out what this place has become. Service aside, the food was crap as well, noodles were uncooked and broth was weak. Never again, do not come here if you're a tourist looking to eat where the late great AB ate. It's not the same place...

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.