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Manly Wharf has welcomed a new Vietnamese canteen with the arrival of Saigon Supper Inn, a relaxed eatery helmed by Australian-Vietnamese chef Bao La. Popping up in the former Chat Thai space, the venue celebrates the fresh, vibrant flavours of Ho Chi Minh City street food with a focus on simple, flavour-packed dishes.
The opening menu includes five variations of banh mi and a traditional Saigon-style beef pho, known for its sweeter, richer beef broth and abundance of fresh herbs, bean sprouts and condiments. Each banh mi is served on bread baked fresh in-house daily with sustainable NSW flour and filled with high-quality local produce, including roast pork and beef from CopperTree Farms.
Chef Bao La brings a unique blend of heritage and experience to the Northern Beaches. Growing up in his family’s restaurant in Australia, Bao initially pursued a career in finance before returning to his culinary roots. He trained with renowned chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu and went on to open acclaimed restaurants in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Paris, including the Saigonese grill house Le Garçon Saigon and banh mi spot Le Petit Saigon. In Vietnam, Bao worked with social enterprise KOTO (Know One Teach One) to establish and open ST25 by KOTO at Sofitel Saigon Plaza, which went on to earn a Michelin Selected Award and a place in Vietnam Tatler’s Top 20 Restaurants. A strong advocate for sustainability and community, Bao has recently returned to Australia and is excited to share his love of Vietnamese flavours while building meaningful connections with the Manly community.
“After returning from Vietnam, I’m thrilled to open Saigon Supper Inn at Manly Wharf. We wanted to create a space where locals and travellers can enjoy fresh, flavour-packed dishes made with high-quality produce, whether grabbing a banh mi on the way to the ferry or settling in for a bowl of pho. It’s been so heartwarming to see people stopping in and enjoying the menu since we quietly opened,” says Bao.
Saigon Supper Inn also offers a small but thoughtful beverage selection, including Vietnamese beers, Vietnamese iced coffee, young coconut juice, soft drinks, and Byron Bay’s Good Happy Kombucha.
Saigon Supper Inn is now open for dine in and take away Wednesday to Sunday, 7am-8pm at Manly Wharf.
