#1. District 4, Local Restaurant COM TAM MAI Review
Local restaurant COM TAM MAI is located at the entrance of Cho Doan Van Bo, a traditional market in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. It is a popular local restaurant among locals, but not well known to foreigners. When you visit during meal times, it is always crowded with delivery drivers and people eating. As it is a popular restaurant, the prices are a bit higher than other com tam restaurants.
It is located at the entrance of the traditional market Cho Doan Van Bo, so there are a lot of problems with the road being congested and the exhaust fumes from the huge number of motorbikes coming and going during meal times and rush hour. However, it is still a popular restaurant among many locals because of its reasonable prices, generous portions, and, above all, delicious taste.
In front of the restaurant, there is a stall where various toppings for com tam are neatly arranged by type. If you order what you want to eat here, they will serve it on a plate with rice to your table. Since there is no menu, if you don't speak Vietnamese, you can point to the items you want to eat one by one at the stall and order them.
Tables are placed close together in a small indoor space next to the stall, but when there are many customers, they also set up tables in the alley to the right of the restaurant. I visited alone on a late Sunday afternoon, so there were many empty seats.
At the stall, I chose Lap Xuong(Chinese Sausage), Suon(Pork Rib), Thit Xong Khoi(Grilled Pork Belly), Bi(Pork Skin), Cha Trung(Steamed Egg with Meat), and Op La(Fried Egg). Since I chose so many different toppings, they split it into two plates.
The first dish was rice topped with Lap Xuong(Chinese Sausage), Cha Trung(Steamed Egg with Meat), Op La(Fried Egg), and Bi(Pork Skin), served with Nuoc Mam sauce. It was very delicious when you mixed some chopped chili peppers into the Nuoc Mam sauce and sprinkled them evenly.
The second dish was Suon(Pork Rib) and Thit Xong Khoi(Grilled Pork Belly) cut into bite-size pieces. The sweet and tender pork rib was good, and the grilled pork belly with a crispy exterior was also really delicious.
When you eat com tam in a hurry, your throat will get blocked, so ordering Tra Da(Iced Tea) is a must. Usually, local restaurants sell Iced Tea for about 2,000VND, but on that day, they didn't charge extra. I don't know if it's really free or if they forgot to charge.
COM TAM MAI's com tam may not be that cheap, but it is a restaurant that is definitely attractive because you can choose from a variety of toppings such as Suon(pork rib) and Thit Xong Khoi(grilled pork belly) at a reasonable price and everything is delicious.
#2. Local Restaurant COM TAM MAI Menu
There is no menu at the local restaurant COM TAM MAI. There is a set price for each topping, and when you select and order, the staff will calculate the bill for you. The staff may make a mistake or play a little trick on foreigners, but it is difficult to play a big trick on the price, so don't worry too much. I visited for lunch on Sunday and ordered as follows.
Lap Xuong(Chinese Sausage): 40,000VND
Suon(Pork Rib): 35,000VND
Thit Xong Khoi(Grilled Pork Belly): 45,000VND
Bi(Pork Skin): 15,000VND
Cha Trung(Steamed Egg with Meat): 15,000VND
Op La(Fried Egg): 5,000VND
Com(Rice): 5,000VND
The total cost was 160,000VND, which was higher than I thought because I chose so many different toppings, but you can usually eat for around 70,000~100,0000VND. COM TAM MAI is a popular local restaurant and is definitely worth a visit if you want to try some authentic gum tam.
#3. Local Restaurant COM TAM MAI Hours and Location
Local restaurant COM TAM MAI is located at the entrance of Cho Doan Van Bo, a traditional market in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. It is a neighborhood where almost only locals live and few foreigners visit, and it is close to District 1, so it is a good place to visit if you want to feel the real local atmosphere. For the detailed location, click the Check Location button below to check it on Google Maps.
Address: 129 Đoàn Văn Bơ, Phường 12, Quận 4, Hồ Chí Minh
Website: ...
Phone: ...
Hours: 09:00 ~ 21:00
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