BOCĀO Basque Izakaya - Basque restaurant in Thao Dien, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

The best meal I’ve had in Vietnam and I’ve lived here for almost 2 years. Great quality and the service was equally good - Linh is excellent. Couldn’t recommend highly enough.

Had a wonderful time here. Interesting food concept, nice ambient and perfect vibe for any ocassion. Excellent service, very attentive. Great to see another great restaurant by chef Julien and team.

BOCĀO Basque Izakaya is a stylish spot with clear appeal for those who enjoy drinks with a view. The restaurant is well located near the river, and the sight of Landmark 81 adds to the atmosphere. The décor is simple yet elegant, making it an easy place to imagine lingering over wine or cocktails. I can especially see this being a good place for my friends, who enjoys drinking and taking in city views. When it comes to the food, the quality itself was good. The flavors were enjoyable, particularly the finger foods, which I found to be the most satisfying part of the meal. However, portion sizes were noticeably small for the price. Some of the larger dishes were interesting to try, but they weren’t as memorable as I had hoped. For our mains, the three of us shared the lamb, cod fish, and beef tartare. I really enjoyed both the beef tartare and the cod fish, but the lamb was disappointing—it arrived as just a single skewer, which felt underwhelming. In total, the bill came to around 1.4 million VND for three people, which felt expensive given the portion sizes and overall experience. Service was another area that could use improvement. The food took a long time to arrive, and there was no explanation, apology, or even acknowledgment that the kitchen might be busy. The staff also didn’t check in to see how we were enjoying the food, ask for feedback, or offer recommendations—especially for first-time diners, which would have been helpful. Would I visit BOCĀO Basque Izakaya again? Probably not for the price I paid. I was hoping it would be a place I could casually stop by after exercising, relax, and enjoy a meal, but it didn’t quite fit that expectation. That said, I would recommend it for couples on a date or groups of friends who mainly want to enjoy wine, drinks, and the ambiance rather than focus heavily on the food.

Spectacular flavors and so many dishes, with such variety. We let Julien curate the dishes for us for dinner, catered to gluten free dietary for me perfectly. Highlights are the tomato dish, wagyu steak, mushrooms. Great wine list with offerings of by the glass, jug or bottle. The basque cheesecake is not to be missed at the end! Of course, a beautiful spot by the river with fantastic views. We will most definitely come back and try to catch sunset.

Amazing view to Landmark and very delicious food. 🤤