PAMA Stew & Brew - Vietnamese restaurant in Thao Dien, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

Cute restaurant with amazing food! We came here for lunch while exploring HCMC and wow it was good. The staff were friendly and welcoming. It was also the restaurant's 2nd birthday 😊 and we got lucky with a discount! We ordered their signature bountiful beef stew with knife-cut noodles and their coco brew juice (forgot the actual name of the juice but it had lemon, lime, ginger, and coconut). I highly recommend trying if you're in the area! Edit: We went back and tried their classic bountiful noodles and it was phenomenal!

내돈내산 This place is located near the end of a small, quiet street, the kind you wouldn’t notice unless you were really looking for it. I normally don’t like bò kho because many places make it either too salty or with an overpowering smell. But this one was a pleasant surprise. The seasoning was well balanced, not salty, not sweet, and very easy to eat. The portion size was also just right, especially for a woman, filling but not overwhelming. I would especially recommend having it with bread (bánh mì bò kho). That combination worked really well and was the highlight for me. The only downside was the coffee, which wasn’t good and didn’t match the quality of the food. But honestly, that didn’t affect my overall impression much. Despite that, I will come back.

Hands down the best meal I’ve had in Saigon. You are hit with the aromatics as soon as you walk in. We arrived around 3pm and they were already sold out of or low on some ingredients so they let us know and we happily agreed to order the dishes anyway. Don’t come too late before all dishes sell out.

The minute you open the door to this place, a deliciously smelling cloud of spices is hugging you. Their Bo Kho is probably the best I've ever tasted. The beef is falling apart and is super tender, the knive cut noodles I chose for my bowl are bouncy and delicious, the carrots, herbs, all in perfect harmony. Also the marinated egg - reminiscent of a japanese ramen egg - is a great addition. The broth is bold, has deep flavors and is so satisfying. The women running the place are friendly, the service is nice. Prices are a bit higher in comparison to traditional Bo Kho places, but it's absolutely worth it. Highly recommended!

We had lunch at PAMA Stew & Brew and were seriously impressed. The concept is simple: two types of bò kho—classic and signature—with your choice of noodles or pretzel. That’s it. But they absolutely nail it. I ordered the Signature Stew with hand cut noodles. It’s served as a dry noodle bowl tossed in their house sauce, with the beef stew on the side. Everything about it was spot-on—deep, rich broth, tender chunks of beef, sweet carrots, and a perfectly runny egg. The noodles added a nice chewy contrast to the stew. My partner had the Classic with ramen noodles, where the broth is poured over the noodles—equally flavourful, just a different style. Of the two, the Signature is a bit spicier whilst the Classic was pretty mild in heat. Oh, and don’t miss out on the green chilli salt mixed with cumquat juice to did your beef pieces in - spicy salty goodness 😍 Drinks were also a highlight – we tried the Citrus You Later, which was sharp and refreshing, and the Tangerine Americano, which balanced surprisingly well between citrus and coffee. Service was warm and the whole place has a relaxed but thoughtful design. There’s a hand-written chalkboard explaining the noodle wait times, the food is beautifully plated, and the portions are generous. Everything felt crafted without being fussy. For Thảo Điền, the pricing is excellent—our full meal for two came to just 336k, which is hard to beat in the area for something this well done. Highly recommend if you’re craving something comforting but a bit different. The Vietnamese–Japanese fusion twist gives it a unique edge, and the whole experience was well worth it.