Marcel Gourmet Burger Saigon: Prices and Branches

Marcel Gourmet Burger is a French gourmet burger bar in Ho Chi Minh City with 3 branches: Calmette downtown, Thao Dien and Hai Ba Trung. Frenchman Alexandre (Alex) Halbers founded it in 2017 with his friend Charles Postel. Openasia Group has owned all of it since the end of 2024. On the official menu, which I checked on 5 November 2026, burgers run from 105,000 VND for the Bambino to 210,000 VND for Le Smoky, before VAT. Le Smoky is the burger Vietcetera reported as a 2019 ‘Best Burger in Saigon’ winner.

If you only order one burger here, I would make it Le Phở. I explain why below.

Marcel Gourmet Burger Saigon: key facts

Marcel is an independent French-style gourmet burger brand founded in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017 and owned since late 2024 by Openasia Group.

Who founded Marcel? Alexandre Halbers, a French ad man turned burger founder

Marcel was founded in 2017 by Alexandre Halbers, a Frenchman who came to burgers from advertising, not from a kitchen. He had spent about 4 years in advertising in Vietnam, at Starseed and GroupM. Then came a trip to Paris, where gourmet burgers were booming. In a 2018 interview with Vietcetera, he called himself “an outsider in the culinary field” (Vietcetera, 20 July 2018).

He did not start alone. Vietcetera’s 2022 profile names his friend Charles Postel as co-founder, and Halbers as co-founder and CEO at the time (Vietcetera, October 2022). Oi Vietnam’s 2017 launch story tells it differently: it mentions 2 unnamed French partners who run a bar à manger in Paris (Oi Vietnam, December 2017). I could not confirm Postel’s role today, or Halbers’s since the 2024 takeover. So I call both of them 2017 founders and nothing more.

The French grandfather idea behind the name

Marcel sells itself as a French family table, not an American diner. The official About page says it is “inspired by cherished family gatherings and the comforting flavors of a French grandfather’s kitchen” (marcel.vn). The plate backs that up: Raclette, Comté, Brie and Béarnaise on Australian beef, which no chain in Ho Chi Minh City offers. The room does not. TheSmartLocal described it in 2022 as a retro 1960s Western diner. I don’t see a contradiction there. The burger is American; the cheese is not.

From French chef to Vietnamese kitchen: how the menu evolved

Marcel’s menu was built by a French chef and has since been run by Vietnamese chefs. At launch, a French chef spent 3 months with Halbers designing it (Oi Vietnam, 2017). By 2018, Vietnamese chef Quang Luân, then 28, had replaced him (Vietcetera, 2018). In 2022, Vietcetera named chef Brian Chu, who sourced produce from Da Lat. Marcel’s official pages name no current head chef. Read those names as history, not as today’s kitchen.

2017 launch prices compared with today

Le Signature cost 180,000 VND in 2017. Today it is listed at 175,000 VND, but that price is before VAT. In December 2017, Oi Vietnam listed Le Signature at 180,000 VND, Le Spicy Pork at 140,000 VND and Le Crumbly Fish at 120,000 VND, all on homemade brioche buns with Australian grass-fed beef. The current Thao Dien menu quotes prices before VAT, so the two figures are not a like-for-like comparison. Once tax is added, today’s bill is higher.

Who owns Marcel Gourmet Burger today?

Openasia Group has owned 100% of Marcel Gourmet Burger since the end of 2024. It was not a stranger: the group had invested in Marcel in 2017, the year it opened. It announced the full acquisition on 15 July 2025, together with the coworking brand Toong (Openasia Group). Openasia describes the kitchen as “fresh ingredients prepared daily in-house — never frozen, always made to order”. None of the older Saigon burger listicles I read mention the change of owner.

Marcel Gourmet Burger menu prices: the signature burgers

A burger at Marcel costs 105,000 to 210,000 VND before VAT on the official menu. Those prices come from the official Thao Dien menu PDF, which I checked on 5 November 2026; the PDF itself carries no date (menu PDF). Delivery apps charge more. ShopeeFood listed Le Signature at 194,400 VND at the Calmette branch, so app prices tell you little about the restaurant bill.

Marcel burger prices compared, in thousand VND excluding VAT: Le Smoky 210, Truffle Charcoal and Le Phở 195, Le Signature and Mushy Blue 175, Smash 165, Le Veggie 155, Bambino 105. Source: official Thao Dien menu, checked 5 November 2026. (Chart: Burger Breton, original chart (CC BY 4.0), rendered with QuickChart; data from Marcel’s official Thao Dien menu (https://links.marcel.vn/menus/marcel-thaodien-vn.pdf))

Marcel Gourmet Burger menu prices: the 8 burgers on the official Thao Dien menu, with main ingredients and prices excluding VAT, from 105,000 VND (Bambino) to 210,000 VND (Le Smoky), checked on 5 November 2026. (Table: Burger Breton, original compilation (CC BY 4.0), data from Marcel’s official Thao Dien menu (https://links.marcel.vn/menus/marcel-thaodien-vn.pdf))

Le Smoky: the award-winning burger

Le Smoky is Marcel’s most expensive burger, at 210,000 VND before VAT, and the best documented. It stacks Australian beef, smoked bacon, smoked Comté, Béarnaise and onions sautéed with mushrooms. Vietcetera reported in 2022 that it won a ‘Best Burger in Saigon’ award in 2019. The report does not say who gave the award, which weakens it.

Le Signature: Raclette and pepper sauce

Le Signature is the most French burger on the menu. Australian beef, melted Raclette, a special pepper sauce and caramelized onions, then gherkins, lettuce and tomato. It costs 175,000 VND before VAT. It was already on the menu at the 2017 launch.

Sides: beef-tallow allumettes and Pommes Dauphines

Marcel’s fries are allumettes, the thin French matchstick cut, fried in beef tallow. The menu also lists Pommes Dauphines, the French potato puffs that few burger bars anywhere bother to make (TheSmartLocal, 9 June 2022).

Is there a pho burger in Saigon? Marcel’s Le Phở

Yes: Marcel’s Le Phở is a pho burger built for Saigon, at 195,000 VND before VAT. There is no broth. The phở is in the patty and the toppings: Australian beef mixed with onion, crispy fried phở noodles, spicy mayo, Cheddar, lettuce and tomato. On top go sawtooth herb (ngò gai) and Thai basil, the herbs that come with a bowl of phở.

A bowl of phở bò in Saigon with its fresh herbs, lime and chilli: the flavours Marcel’s Le Phở burger borrows, with fried phở noodles, sawtooth herb and Thai basil. Illustrative photo of the soup, not Marcel’s burger. (Photo: Emilio Labrador, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/35914311@N03/3784409999)

This is the burger I would order first. Paris has plenty of Raclette and Béarnaise; fried phở noodles and ngò gai on a burger are something you only find in Saigon. One caveat: I confirmed it on the Thao Dien menu only, so check before ordering it at Calmette or Hai Ba Trung.

The 2015 pho burger at Relish & Sons

Marcel did not invent the idea. In April 2015, Australian chef and co-owner Andy O’Brien created a pho burger at Relish & Sons (Tribe Hospitality) for the 40th anniversary of the end of the war. Its bun was made of fried phở noodles (Oi Vietnam, 2015). I could not find out whether the burger, or the restaurant, still exists. Treat it as Saigon burger history.

Where is Marcel Gourmet Burger? The 3 branches

Marcel has 3 branches in Ho Chi Minh City, listed on its official outlets page (marcel.vn). The addresses use the ward names of the 2025 reorganization. The former districts are given in brackets so you can match older maps.

Map of the 3 Marcel Gourmet Burger branches in Ho Chi Minh City: 115 Calmette, Ben Thanh Ward (marked, former District 1), 158 Hai Ba Trung, Tan Dinh Ward (former District 1), and 19A Ngo Quang Huy, An Khanh Ward, Thao Dien (former District 2), across the Saigon River. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)

Which Marcel branch should you visit?

Choose the branch for what you want to do, not for the menu. Calmette suits a downtown lunch near Ben Thanh. Hai Ba Trung is the evening option, with all-day dining and cocktails. My choice would be Thao Dien: it is the café-and-burger branch, and the only one whose menu, Le Phở included, I could verify.

Hai Ba Trung Street in the Tan Dinh area of Ho Chi Minh City (former District 1), photographed in 2014, the street of Marcel’s newest branch at number 158, the all-day and cocktail address. Street photo, not taken at Marcel. (Photo: trungydang, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hai\_ba\_trung\_street,district\_01,Ho\_Chi\_Minh\_City\_Vietnam\_-\_panoramio.jpg)

Afternoon over the Saigon River seen from Thao Dien, the expat district (now An Khanh Ward) where Marcel runs its café-and-burger branch at 19A Ngo Quang Huy. Neighbourhood photo, not taken at Marcel. (Photo: Peter Addor (paaddor), CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/109715245@N06/38194651944)

Watch out for the old 132 Calmette address

Older guides still send readers to 132 Calmette, an address that is out of date. Oi Vietnam gave 132 Calmette in December 2017. Every source since 2022 gives 115 Calmette, which suggests the branch moved along the same street. Marcel’s Détour at 202 Pham Thai Buong in District 7, reported in 2022, is not on the official list today.

Opening hours

Marcel’s official outlets page gives no opening hours. TheSmartLocal reported 11am to 10pm daily in 2022. I could not confirm current hours, so check Google Maps or call the branch before you go.

Where Marcel fits in Saigon’s burger scene

Marcel is the French gourmet alternative in a city where the global chains are struggling. Burger King had only 4 restaurants left in Ho Chi Minh City in April 2026, as I noted in my guide to Lotteria and Burger King in Da Nang. For more places to eat, see our guide to the best burgers in Ho Chi Minh City. Or head north for smash burgers at Bikini Bottom Express in Da Nang.

Marcel is one of several founder-led burger bars in the region. For another, read my profile of Josh Boutwood and Savage in Manila. The burger came a long way to reach Saigon, a story told in our history of the hamburger. More city guides are on the Restaurants hub.

Luke Nguyen and Fat Noodle are not in Ho Chi Minh City

Luke Nguyen’s Fat Noodle has no branch in Ho Chi Minh City, despite what some searches suggest. Fat Noodle is his noodle bar in Australia, at The Star Sydney in Pyrmont and at The Star Brisbane, where it moved from Treasury Brisbane in April 2024 (Queen’s Wharf Brisbane). His Saigon restaurant was Vietnam House, a Vietnamese restaurant at 93-97 Dong Khoi that relaunched on 4 July 2017 (Vietnam News Bizhub). Neither one is a burger restaurant.

How I researched this profile

No Burger Breton writer has eaten at Marcel for this article, so it gives no rating and no tasting notes. My sources: Marcel’s official About, Outlets and Thao Dien menu pages; Openasia Group’s acquisition announcement; and reports from Vietcetera (2018 and 2022), Oi Vietnam (2017) and TheSmartLocal (2022). Every price is the official menu price before VAT, checked on 5 November 2026.

FAQ: Marcel Gourmet Burger in Ho Chi Minh City

Is Luke Nguyen’s Fat Noodle in Ho Chi Minh City?

No. Fat Noodle is Luke Nguyen’s noodle bar in Australia, at The Star Sydney and The Star Brisbane. His Saigon restaurant was Vietnam House, a Vietnamese restaurant on Dong Khoi that relaunched in July 2017. Neither serves burgers.

Who owns Marcel Gourmet Burger in Saigon?

Openasia Group has owned 100% of Marcel since the end of 2024, after investing in it in 2017. Alexandre Halbers and Charles Postel founded the brand in 2017.

Where is Marcel Gourmet Burger and which branch should I visit?

Marcel has 3 branches: 115 Calmette (Ben Thanh Ward), 19A Ngo Quang Huy in Thao Dien (An Khanh Ward) and 158 Hai Ba Trung (Tan Dinh Ward). Choose Hai Ba Trung for evening cocktails and Thao Dien for its café setting and confirmed Le Phở.

How much does a burger cost at Marcel in Ho Chi Minh City?

Burgers cost 105,000 to 210,000 VND before VAT on the official menu checked on 5 November 2026. Delivery apps charge more.

What is the best burger at Marcel?

Le Smoky (210,000 VND) is the one with an award: Vietcetera reported that it won a ‘Best Burger in Saigon’ award in 2019. Le Signature (175,000 VND) is the original Raclette burger. My pick for a first visit is Le Phở (195,000 VND), because it is the one burger you cannot find in Paris.

What beef does Marcel use?

Marcel uses Australian beef, according to its official menu. At its 2017 launch, Oi Vietnam described it as Australian grass-fed beef on homemade brioche buns.

Is there a pho burger in Saigon?

Yes. Marcel’s Le Phở mixes onion into the beef and tops it with crispy fried phở noodles, spicy mayo, Cheddar, sawtooth herb and Thai basil, for 195,000 VND before VAT. Relish & Sons created an earlier pho burger in 2015.

Does Marcel have vegetarian burgers?

Yes. Le Veggie is on the official menu at 155,000 VND before VAT.

What are the best burgers in Ho Chi Minh City?

Marcel is one of the independent gourmet options. Our Ho Chi Minh City burger guide gathers every place we cover in the city.