Come early in the morning

Morning only, and usually sold out before 11 — the earlier you come, the hotter the skillet and the crispier the baguette.

The dish that made Hòa Mã's name: skillet eggs on the iron pan. Order, take a plastic stool in the alley, and wait for the sizzle to arrive.

Plastic tables and stools spill out into the Bàn Cờ alley — eat it hot, right there, the old-Saigon breakfast way. No phone for reservations; just show up and eat.