“We want to be artists; we want to be free. Now we are free,” says Nguyễn Hoàng Anh, co-founder of A Thăng Eatery.
Hoàng met the restaurant’s other co-founder and head chef Bùi Gia Huy when they were both hospitality students in Saigon. The pair quickly bonded over a shared love of music. Huy is a singer while Hoàng plays guitar. Both in their early twenties, they found the drudgery of working in restaurants after graduation to be harmful to their mental health, so this past December, they decided to free themselves by opening A Thăng. The name, translating to the musical note A sharp, is a nod to their friendship and common interests.
Hoàng (left) and Huy (right) founded A Thăng at the end of 2024.
Established in a humble building down a District 1 hẻm that was most recently a homestay, A Thăng is a testament to youthful ambition, creativity, and friendship. A DIY aesthetic and pride in one’s hometown permeates the space, with a repurposed door serving as the bar counter shelf, behind which rests a jar of Quy Nhơn chili sauce. Knick-knacks, including tiny bears added by core team member Khoa Diệp and adorable bear doodles by Nghi Diệp, further give it a charming personality and establish a warm and welcoming vibe.
Born and raised in Quy Nhơn, Huy credits his father’s cooking with helping put him on a culinary path. He would watch his dad prepare traditional Bình Định family meals and soon did the same, adding western techniques and flavors when he came to Saigon to study. An appreciation for these hometown lessons and ingredients explains why he was quick to recommend the #Q Fish Rice made with sea bass and the aforementioned Quy Nhơn chilli sauce. A stand-out dish, the fish is supple and meaty while the perfectly cooked rice offers complex notes of cinnamon, pepper and chili.
Another favorite item we ordered on our most recent visit was the pumpkin soup with grilled cheese. I’m a sucker for soup, particularly during Saigon’s perpetual soup season and A Thăng’s rendition is fantastically thick and rich. Dipping the crisp sandwich bread filled with gooey cheese is the perfect melody of textures with crunchy meeting melty. But even more than the mouthfeel, the quality of ingredients shines through. Every morning the team travels to nearby Tân Định market to purchase the ingredients. Such a habit might cost a bit more, but its worth it for the resultant fresh and clean dishes. This emphasis on healthy meats and produce reflects the team's own habits and the eatery’s motto: “We sell what we eat.” Thus, other than occasional pop-ups, the menu only features seafood, pork and chicken alongside vegetarian items.
When it first opened, A Thăng Eatery consisted of just the front room and a small interior dining space with a few tables. This quickly changed thanks to a random video that went viral on TikTok. A friend of the co-founders had ordered flowers for the restaurant to celebrate its grand opening. The florist who delivered them was impressed with the spot and returned for dinner. She uploaded a video of her visit to her rather unanimous account and netizens took notice; it amassed hundreds of thousands of views. Perhaps it was the comfy interior that reminded one of the cozy home of close friends. Maybe it was the clips of young people diligently attending to their passion. Or it could be that the colorful dishes simply looked irresistible. But for whatever reason, the video resonated and guests arrived in droves. This early success allowed the restaurant to furnish a large, bright anterior space. Huy and Hoàng had been sleeping in the small room behind the kitchen but they were able to move to a nearby apartment and use the makeshift sleeping quarters as ingredient storage.
In a clear reflection of the restaurant’s grasp on food trends and the particular flavors in vogue with the city’s young diners, the drink menu has a detailed matcha section in addition to a homemade soda that reimagines Hội An viral Mót herbal tea. As Hoàng meticulously whisked the green tea and layered a “Mt. Fuji” of foam on top, he discussed the co-founder’s background. At one point, he gestured with pride to the restaurant’s license hanging on the wall. Hailing from Cần Thơ, Hoàng’s family is involved in the region’s rice trade which has given him familiarity with and appreciation for the legalities of commerce.
While A Thăng Eatery is certainly a business and everyone involved wants to make enough money to continue, getting rich is not the priority. Rather, they want to have a space that allows them to explore their collective creativity and passion. This helps explain the recent pop-up menu with Saigoneer favorite Trần Pizza. In what came as no surprise, the street pizza’s proprietor Hiếu is a long-time friend of the A Thăng crew, and the collaboration seemed obvious when Hiếu found himself in between venues (he has since found a permanent location). But the pop-up was more than simply giving Hiếu space in the kitchen and on the menu; it was an opportunity for everyone involved to have fun while learning from one another. Huy and Hoàng learned about making pizza while Hiếu benefited from having A Thăng craft the toppings. It culminated in Kurty Wurty, a phở-inspired pizza named for an influential Singaporean chef that proved to be the week’s favorite item.
The sense of community fostered at A Thăng goes well beyond the specific Trần Pizza pop-up. The team has plans to host music performances that can give space to themselves and their circle of artist friends, in addition to future culinary collaborations. In the meantime, they have space to promote the undertakings of friends, such as The Hồ Tiêu, a company run by the friend of one of their sisters that sells a remarkably unique and flavorful craft pepper from Phú Quốc. Even during regular meal service and downtime, one understands how the restuarant serves as a source of community connection as evidenced by the Playstation 2 hooked up outside the kitchen. “Go ahead and play,” Hoàng said with a laugh.
Of course, many diners do not select a restaurant just because the team behind it is cool and its mission reflects an admirably earnest embrace of youthful passion. They understandably want great food. A Thăng certainly excels in this regard with a small but exemplary menu of Vietnamese-inspired western dishes. In addition to the #A Rice and pumpkin soup, we had the A# Salad made with kale, hydroponic lettuce and a variety of other vibrant produce;and the A# Pasta featuring pan-seared shrimp and a signature shrimp sauce. This later dish’s perfectly cooked pasta and shrimp underscore how the chefs can deftly execute basic techniques. This talent allows them to proceed according to the adage that only when you know the rules are you free to break them. A mastery of blurring the lines between western and Vietnamese cooking is on display in the Pasta Agilo Olio which features Nduja (an herbal pork sausage) with local spices and chili, as well as the A# Chicken Rice that reimagines the familiar central dish with egg and kimchi.
Fitting to the restaurant’s ethos, Saigoneer became aware of A Thăng because of a mutual friend with the cofounders. That first trip was on a Saturday afternoon and the venue was absolutely packed with mostly young people enjoying relaxed weekend meals. When we made our most recent visit to A Thăng on a Wednesday afternoon, other than a pair of young women snapping careful photos of their food before digging in, we were the only ones there. It’s a bit surprising because the prices (VND90,000–120,000 per dish) make for great casual lunches in the middle of a workday. But regardless of when you come, you’ll be sure to have a great meal in a wonderful atmosphere. You’ll leave inspired by the passion and talent of the team and perhaps even optimism for the future of the city’s entire dining scene.
A Thăng Eatery is opening every day except Monday and Thursday. Check out their Instagram account for opening times and dates.
To sum up:
Taste: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Atmosphere: 6/5
Friendliness: 7/5
Location: 4/5
A Thăng
47/9 Trần Quốc Toản, Ward 8, D3, HCMC
