Pacey Cupcakes – Saigon vintage cupcakery with a diverse menu
Saigon is a constantly rushing city, so chillout cafes and restaurants are common here. They provide locals with calming spaces to escape from the daily hustle.
Pacey Cupcakes is among those tranquil getaways. At this store, you can relax in a nostalgic environment filled with details reminding you of the 1960s in southern Vietnam – and many kinds of delicious cupcakes.
Up to 15 types of cupcakes per day
The menu here is refreshed regularly. Up to now, the cupcakery has introduced around 40 types of cupcakes.
Image credit: Tri Vo
Though probably not the first cupcakery in town, Pacey Cupcakes is among the well-known ones. Here, you can find up to 40 cupcake options.
From just 12 options from the time it was established, Pacey Cupcakes now gives you over 40 options including eye-catching cookie, matcha, and cream cupcakes with well-balanced flavors. Beyond that, the cupcake makers have added more Vietnamese twists, namely durian, passion fruit, and avocado flavors, to the common western sweet. As a result, the options at Pacey Cupcakes are quite diverse.
Apart from cupcakes, you can also order coffee, tea, and juices here.
Image credit: Karla Mans
However, as these options usually come and go depending on the season, ask in advance for the most accurate menu. Typically, there are about 15 options every day. The prices for each cupcake vary from VND40,000 (~USD1.71). Drink-and-cupcake combos are also available.
It is located in a 1970s modernist house
The interior of Pacey Cupcakes.
Image credit: An Nghiem
Sharing the serene Đặng Dung Street with other famous food spots such as Cà phê Đỗ Phủ – Cơm Tấm Đại Hàn and Å by Tung Saigon, Pacey Cupcakes gives you a tranquil space to relax and enjoy the tasty cupcakes. For those who love vintage style, the cupcakery is remarkable for its modernist architecture prevalent in southern Vietnam during the 1970s.
In fact, the appearance looks minimalist with almost no decorations. The entrance and windows are simply rectangular and the walls made of gray washed stones and embellished with teal borders.
You can buy some souvenirs such as postcards or ceramic cups.
Image credit: Harley Pham
Inside the cupcakery, the space is filled with nostalgic objects from the 1960s and 1970s, varying from old books to piggy banks to a wooden cabinet. In a corner, you’ll find a beautiful hanging handmade red carp lantern.
The owner wanted to keep the building’s original look
The distinctively modest look of Pacey Cupcakes.
Image credit: Gi Jo
Pacey Cupcakes was originally opened on another street in downtown Saigon. However, due to financial reasons, the cupcakery was moved to its present location in a more laidback neighbourhood in the Saigon city centre. However, to give Pacey Cupcakes a distinctive look, Trần Quốc Khôi Nguyên, one of the founders, had made a great effort to renovate the building.
Originally, this site was the location of a street restaurant. Therefore, the previous owners had changed both the front and the inside of this building thoroughly. When acquiring it, Khôi Nguyên, as a architect, took measures to restore the building to its original look to the best of his knowledge.
The cupcakery is noticeable for its nostalgic decorations.
Image credit: Cam-Thu Tran
For example, in an interview with Saigoneer, he claimed to have replaced the toilet area with elegant stone blocks and brought old appliances from his parents’ house to decorate the bakery. Also in this interview, he expressed that he created this space as a tribute to Saigon, his beloved hometown.
Pacey Cupcakes
Pacey Cupcakes is a famous cupcakery in downtown Saigon. Here, you will not only have chance to try up to 15 kinds of cupcakes every day but also enjoy a vintage ambience in a 1970s modernist house. Moreover, some cupcakes are made with Vietnamese ingredients and the menu is refreshed regularly to give you more options.
Pacey Cupcakes
Address: 14 Đặng Dung Street, Tân Định Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh City
Opening hours: 9am – 9pm, Daily
Telephone: 028 35 262 696 | 0831 662 696
Pacey Cupcakes’ Facebook page
Also check out:
- L’Herbanyste: Bohemian vegan restaurant in District 2
- Apothecary: vintage clinic-themed bar hidden in a tranquil alley
- Kashew Cheese Deli: cheese made from cashew nuts
Cover image adapted from Cam-Thu Tran, Tri Vo, and Gi Jo
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