If you are a regular seeker of midday "recharging stations" or a place sophisticated enough for evening client meetings, you will surely agree: Finding good food in District 1 is easy, but finding a place that is tasty, beautiful, and has a great story to tell is not.
JW Café has just officially unveiled its new look on the 1st floor of JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon. And trust me, this isn’t just your typical All-day dining restaurant. It is a multi-sensory culinary performance.
First Look: A Green Oasis & The Culinary Stage
From the moment you step onto the 1st floor, the first visual impression is luxury, but with "taste." The space is an improvised mix of cool marble, warm high-end wood, and encaustic tiles bearing a distinct mark of local culture. The main dining hall is wrapped in large glass windows looking straight out onto the bustling Hai Ba Trung street, creating an open space where you can leisurely dine while watching the city's rhythm.
The experience begins right at the entrance with a separate bar, like a small oasis for exciting welcome drinks. A few steps further, believers in the green lifestyle will undoubtedly be drawn to the Garden to Table glasshouse. This is a hydroponic system where green sprouts are nurtured right in the heart of the restaurant, combined with organic vegetables from the JW Garden within the hotel grounds, delivered straight to the kitchen. Seeing green sprouts growing right in the dining space makes your meal feel instantly fresher and more "wholesome."
The next visual highlight is the spacious open kitchen stretching along one side of the restaurant, where fire, water, the sounds of chopping, and the chefs' techniques become part of the backdrop.
Most impressive is perhaps the live seafood tank displaying prawns, crabs, and seasonal specialties, sitting next to a mesmerizing dry-aged cabinet. Premium cuts of Tomahawk, T-bone, or duck breast from around the world are treated with specialized technology, waiting for their moment of perfection in the Parrilla oven to achieve bold flavor and perfect juiciness.
With a total capacity of 260 guests and 4 private rooms, this interesting balance helps JW Café easily please many different purposes: from quick, polished office lunches to luxurious evening parties requiring privacy for guests or family.
A Culinary "World Tour" On The Table
The menu at JW Café is designed like a "World Tour" on a banquet table, where each kitchen station has its own "conductor" instead of a generic mix.
At the Nikkei cuisine corner, Chef Ivan Casusol from Peru brings an improvised combination of standard Japanese techniques and passionate South American spices, creating multi-layered fresh seafood dishes. Right next to it, the Indian cuisine counter under the hands of Chef Khan Sahadat opens up a world of warm aromatics with rich curry, long-grain basmati rice, and hot fluffy naan fresh from the glowing red Tandoor.
If you love familiar Asian flavors, you will find comfort in steamer baskets of dim sum, pleated meticulously and handmade every day at the Chinese kitchen, or beside a steaming pot of Pho capturing the Vietnamese soul. Meanwhile, the Western cuisine area is the stage for Chef Francesco Leone with Italian specialties. From pasta, premium steaks to lamb legs grilled on the Parrilla oven,... everything carries a smoky allure and the perfect char.
The journey concludes sweetly at the dessert station, where Pastry Chef Chaiyasit Ainaeam from Thailand showcases his talent. The fresh-out-of-the-oven pastries are not only balanced in flavor but also presented like small artistic masterpieces, making it hard to refuse even if you are already full.
Choosing Your Experience: Which Time Slot Suits Your "Vibe"?
The subtle thing about JW Café is how cleverly they designed the menu, as if reading the minds of each customer group. Depending on your budget or company, you can choose one of these three "scenarios":
- Lunch Buffet (Mon - Sat): If you want a "change of scenery" from office lunches or need a space polished enough for work discussions, the lunch slot (12:00 – 14:30) is a perfect fit. At 780,000++ VND/person (Mon - Fri) and 1,580,000++ VND/person (Sat), the menu retains the necessary variety but is more concise. An ideal stop to recharge midday without being too fussy.
- Dinner Buffet (Daily): When the city lights up, the space here becomes significantly more romantic and relaxed.
- Weekdays (Sun - Wed): A cozy atmosphere, suitable for family meals or gentle dates. Price is approximately 1,580,000++ VND/person.
- Weekends (Thu - Sat): This is the time to treat yourself after a busy week. The menu is significantly upgraded with expensive ingredients like snow crab legs, pan-seared foie gras, and premium grilled beef ribs. At 1,880,000++ VND/person, this is a reasonable choice for a carefully curated culinary experience.
- Sunday Brunch Buffet (Sunday): Considered the "star" of JW Café, Sunday Brunch (12:00 - 15:00) is reserved for those who want to enjoy the weekend in the fullest and "laziest" way. It is hard to deny the allure of the caviar station, a bit of melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu beef, fragrant Truffles, or the elaborate Lobster Egg Benedict. At 1,880,000++ VND/person, this is the best way to "recharge" and pamper yourself before the new week begins.
Is It Worth It?
Overall, the 2025 version of JW Café has transcended the framework of a typical hotel buffet. It bears the resemblance of a destination with taste and depth – a place where talented culinary techniques meet a kind, sustainable mindset.
Whether your goal is a tidy lunch, a polished dinner to host guests, or simply a "lazy" Sunday with family, JW Café knows how to please with the most well-rounded experiences.
To choose your favorite spot at the 1st floor of JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon, you can reserve a table via the channels below:Hotline: +84 914 296 754Email: jwsaigon.jwcafe@marriott.comWebsite & Fanpage: jwmarriottsaigon.com