Hanoi eating guide

Greens - Hanoi Photo: Mark Bowyer

Hanoi spring rolls - known as "nem" Photo: Mark Bowyer

Hanoi Photo: Mark Bowyer

Canh - the essential soup accompaniment to any meal. Photo: Mark Bowyer

The exquisite but pungent mam tom sauce. Photo: Mark Bowyer

Cha Ca Photo: Mark Bowyer

Last updated 04 October 2012

By Mark Bowyer

For the Vietnamese palate, the differences between northern and southern cuisines are pronounced. For travellers, those differences are far more subtle. One thing you can be sure, is that food will be a highlight of your Hanoi travels as it will be throughout Vietnam.

Hanoians prefer their food saltier with more fermented sauces than their southern counterparts. This is in part a legacy of the harsher climatic and agricultural conditions of the north and the relative scarcity of fresh and high quality ingredients. Northerners have had to make do with less throughout history and exotic sauces were one way of creating a tasty meal from basic elements.

These days the quality of the produce is much better but the culinary legacy remains. And while soups are big throughout the country, the Hanoian obsession with canh - at the centre of every family meal is a habit well worth cultivating during your stay.

Photo: Mark Bowyer, Mark BowyerBun Cha, Hanoi

Bun cha, and cha ca are tasty, accessible local dishes that shouldn’t be missed during a visit to the capital. Try and push yourself beyond the stench and sample the exquisite mam tom (fermented crab) sauce with your cha ca. You won’t forget it. You may become a fan for life.

As the home of Vietnam’s most well known dish, Hanoians are very protective of their pho offerings and will be displeased with unfavourable comparisons to the different version from the south. Detractors attribute MSG to be an excessive feature of Hanoian dishes and some say it defines the pho. Check if you react badly to it.

While dog and snake are eaten throughout the country, Hanoi is the city where their consumption is most common. If you want to explore these exotic flavours, Hanoi’s a good place to do so. Bear in mind though that even for Vietnamese, eating dog and snake is usually a rarity. These are not staple dishes and plenty of Vietnamese across the country would never touch either.

Photo: Mark BowyerA streetside eatery packing them in.

Hanoi may well be the best place in Vietnam to sample street food. You can barely walk a block in the Old Quarter without stumbling across a run down opening packed with tiny plastic stools, low tables and enthusiastic diners. These places are so abundant that it would be ridiculous to list favourites. We’re not going to presume to know more than the locals. Follow them and you won’t go wrong.

And if you want something a little more comfortable than street dining, there are also plenty of choices from good quality, inexpensive Vietnamese eateries through to some impressive upscale spots. Several of Hanoi’s more upmarket restaurants are located in spectacular colonial era villas that have been lovingly restored.

Photo: Mark BowyerMadame Hien's, Hanoi

We’re big fans of Madame Hien’s for a slightly upmarket Vietnamese meal. From the same owner, Frenchman Didier Corlou, the fusion cuisine at La Verticale is also very special. La Badiane is memorable for French cuisine in a stylish but relaxed villa setting. Bobby Chinn is certainly Hanoi’s most flamboyant restaurateur and his modern space near the West Lake is a mix of California with touches of Asia, Egypt and anywhere else that’s inspired him.

There are literally dozens of other options both local and Western to savour. Whether you’re eating on the street of going high-end, be sure to plan your eating time in Hanoi.

1911 Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$$

Hanoi's best restaurant location continues to disappoint. 1911 isn't bad, it's just less than what you'd expect from a restaurant in the city's most famous colonial building. Still worth a look though - even for a drink.

A: Opera House Basement - 1A Trang Tien, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
T: +84 4 39334801

Bar Betta, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$

Hanoi's nostalgia fest is celebrated in earnest at Bar Betta, a wonderfully quirky cafe not far from the Fine Arts Museum.

A: 34C Cao Ba Quat, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
T: +844 3734 9134

Bobby Chinn's Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$$ Around $40 - $60USD per person food only.

Bobby Chinn got his breaks on the road to celebrity chefdom right here in Hanoi and these days he’s one of Asia’s most popular foodies. While he had to pull up stumps from his original downtown location a few years ago, he’s made a success of a newish location in ...

A: 77 Xuan Dieu Street, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, Viet Nam
T: (+84-4) 3 719 2460
W: http://www.bobbychinn.com/

Bun Cha Dac Kim, Hang Manh Map

Bun Cha is another Hanoi specialty not to be missed. BBQ minced pork served with white noodles (bun) and loads of fresh greenery, Bun Cha is tasty and filling - if a touch on the oily side. Many a newly arrived foreigner has developed an addiction to this simple dish ...

A: 1 Hang Manh St, Hanoi
T: 043 8285022

Cafe de Paris, Hanoi Map

A Hanoi take on the Parisian Bistro. The large number of devotees in the city's French community suggests the French owner and his Vietnamese wife are getting it right. The menu of simple bistro favourites is well priced and dependable as is the wine list. Salads are good too. A ...

A: 12 Luong Ngoc Quyen St, Hanoi
T: +844 3926 1327
W: http://www.cafedeparis-hanoi.com

Cafe Des Arts, Hanoi Map

An old Hanoi stalwart and still very popular with the French community, French owned Cafe Des Arts serves up bistro cuisine upstairs and a mix of western and Asian dishes downstairs in a cafe style space. Good location nearby Hoan Kiem Lake that's also popular with travellers.

A: 11B Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
T: (84-4) 3852 9106

Cha Ca La Vong, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$

Hanoi’s original cha ca eatery. Cha Ca is a northern specialty consisting of river fish, turmeric, dill, peanuts, noodles and a fair load of oil. It’s all that’s served in this busy and occasional abrupt Ol Quarter eatery that dates back more than one hundred years. Not to be missed ...

A: 14 Cha Ca St, Old Quarter, Hanoi

Chim Sao Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: Most mains under 100,000vnd

Chim Sao is slightly away from Hanoi's main traveller area but it's well worth the 10 minute cab ride. It's the real thing in terms of Hanoi cuisine and the arty, family atmosphere is fantastic. It's an old Hanoi home and family members are usually around enjoying the fare. If ...

A: 65 Ngo Hue, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi

Chuon Chuon Cafe, Hanoi Map

CHUON CHUON CAFE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS.High points for atmosphere even if service and food are a little less than they could be. Chuon Chuon - which means dragonfly (there are several places around town with the same name so check the address), is a great little cafe in ...

A: 5 Hoi Vu St, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
T: +844 22487888

Club Opera Novel, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$$

This is the newest offering from a family behind many of Hanoi and Saigon’s upscale restaurants. The decor and general haughtiness might be a little overdone but this is an impressive creation - good for a dressed up evening of Vietnamese cuisine. Food presentation is also impressive - the flavours ...

A: 17 Trang Tien Street, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
T: +844 3972 8001

Com Pho Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$

Not far off the southern end of Hanoi’s French Quarter, Com Pho is another busy Hanoi local eatery - a great place for an authentic no frills meal of northern Vietnamese dishes.

A: 29 Le Van Huu St, Hanoi

Cong Caphe, Hanoi Map

Cong Caphe is a popular, funky little cafe perfectly placed between Hanoi's War Museum and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

A: 32 Dien Bien Phu St, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

Don's a Chef Bistro, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$ Mains from around 300,00VND

Hanoi's West Lake area has become a highly competitive restaurant enclave and Don's a Chef may well be the pick of a quality selection that includes Vine and Bobby Chinn's. Contemporary western cuisine is lovingly served by Don and his team across 4 floors. There’s an outdoor rooftop space with ...

A: 16/27 Xuan Dieu st, Tay Ho, Hanoi
T: +8443719 2828
W: http://www.dons-bistro.com

Food Street - Tong Duy Tan St, Hanoi Map

Tong Duy Tan St, aka. Food Street, is slightly away from the traveller area of the city. It’s a stretch of simple, tasty, outdoor stalls with plastic stools and low tables serving street specialties. Clientele is mainly local with a small number of devoted travellers. There are loads of different ...

A: Tong Duy Tan St, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Green Tangerine Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$

Located bang in the heart of Hanoi’s traveller ghetto on Hang Be St. Green Tangerine’s inviting open courtyard is a welcome oasis from the bustling Old Quarter and a magnet for weary travellers. This is one of the most appealing spaces in the whole city. The French cuisine (with some ...

A: 48 Hang Be Street Hoan Kiem District Hanoi
T: +84 4 3825 1286

Hanoi Garden Restaurant, Hanoi Map

A solid Old Quarter choice for Hanoi cuisine with indoor and outdoor seating. There's no fine dining pretense here and don't get excited about the garden. Staff can be unmotivated but the local cuisine is tasty and the setting, back off the busy streets of the Old Quarter, is a ...

A: 36 Hang Manh St, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
T: +84 4 38243402

Hanoi Hanoi Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$

The location and the decor would suggest an expensive, upscale Vietnamese eatery - the kind of place you rarely find Vietnamese eating in. Instead, Hanoi Hanoi churns out great Vietnamese food to a highly appreciative local crowd at very reasonable prices. A great option if you’re feeling peckish and you’re ...

A: 43 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
T: +8449367688

Hanoi House Cafe, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$

One of three delightful cafes that overlook Hanoi’s St Joseph’s Cathedral. Good for a light meal, Hanoi House is more a wonderful cafe space than a restaurant. Atmospheric rustic interiors with original French era tiles and exposed beams. Take a seat outside in the late afternoon for a superb Hanoi ...

A: Upstairs, 47A Ly Quoc Su St, Hanoi

Hanoi Social Club, Hanoi Map

One of Hanoi's newest cafes is also one of its best. The stunning 1920s French colonial villa is Hanoi Social Club's strongest link to Vietnam's capital. The food, the music and the vibe are inspired by Australia's cafe capital, Melbourne, according to co-owner and Melbourne refugee, John Kis. The decor ...

A: 6 Hoi Vu St, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
T: +844 39382117

Hoi An Chicken Rice Restaurant, Hanoi Map

The simple delights of Hoi An's unique take on Chicken Rice (com ga), is served up with commendable authenticity at this Hanoi eatery. The menu also includes other favourites from central Vietnam. The outdoor balcony's a good place to watch the Old Quarter rush by over a beer.

A: 1 Cua Dong St, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

KOTO Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$

Koto is a great place for a meal or a drink close by Hanoi’s Temple of Literature. And this is no ordinary restaurant. Founded in the mid 1990s by Jimmy Pham, an Australian of Vietnamese origin, KOTO (Know One Teach One) operates as a hospitality training school for some of ...

A: 59 Van Mieu St, Dong Da District, Hanoi - across from the Temple of Literature
T: +84 4 3747 0337
W: http://www.koto.com.au

La Badiane Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$

French owned, in a delightful colonial era villa - of course the menu is French inspired but there are touches of Asia as well. La Badiane is a favourite with Hanoi expats and travellers alike. A great experience with friendly staff, a cosy upmarket vibe, an exciting and delicious menu, ...

A: 10 Nam Ngu street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
T: +84 (4) 39 42 45 09
W: http://www.labadiane.hanoi.sitew.com

La Place Cafe, Hanoi Map

Overlooking St Joseph’s cathedral in a classic colonial era space with original tiles and a great vibe. Good cafe food and coffee too. Perfect atmospheric spot for a bite or a break. Free wifi.

A: 4 Au Trieu St, Hanoi - near Cathedral
T: +(844)9285859
W: http://www.laplacehanoi.com/

La Verticale Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$$

This is French Chef Didier Corlou’s signature restaurant and it lives up to all the hype. Set in a narrow 1930s villa, the cuisine is Corlou’s take on the best fusion combinations of his native French cuisine and that of Vietnam, his adopted home. This is a uniquely Vietnam fine ...

A: 19 Ngo Van So , Hoan Kiem District , Hanoi
T: +84 4 944 6317
W: http://www.verticale-hanoi.com

Le Beaulieu Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$$

Set in the historic Metropole Hotel, Le Beaulieu is amongst the city’s best French fine dining experiences - at fine dining prices. The food is very good and the staff are friendly and efficient. If you only have time for a single French dinner in Hanoi, also consider one of ...

A: Metropole Hotel, 15 Ngo Quyen St, Hanoi
T: +84 4 3826 6919 – Ext. 8500
W: http://www.sofitel-legend.com/hanoi/en/bars-restaurants/le-beaulieu.shtml

Madame Hien Restaurant, Hanoi Map

It’s often the case in Vietnam that setting and food quality don’t align - grubby street restaurants serve up exquisite cuisine while stunning spaces get everything right but the food. Madame Hien’s is the happy exception where setting and cuisine are in wonderful harmony. The focus here is on traditional ...

A: 15 Chan Cam, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
T: +84 4 3938 1588
W: http://verticale-hanoi.com/en/madame-hien

Marilyn Cafe Map

Price Guide: $$$

Another cool cafe overlooking St Joseph’s Cathedral in downtown Hanoi, Marilyn’s springs from a clothing boutique on the lower floor. Both the cafe and the boutique below are owned by a young Hanoian designer. Great for chilling, chatting and western cafe standards as well as juices, coffees and more. Great ...

A: Upstairs 4a Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Mau Dich 37, Hanoi Map

Mau Dich 37's quirky nostalgia for the impoverished days of Hanoi in the 1970s and 1980s makes for an intriguing and surprisingly tasty dining experience.

A: 37 Nam Trang, Ngu Xa, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
T: +84437154336

Moca Cafe, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$

Moca Cafe has been attracting big crowds of locals and travellers since its opening in the 90s. Located in a colonial era building on Nha Tho St - one of Hanoi’s most picturesque streets with St Joseph’s Cathedral at one end and Ba Da Pagoda across the road - Moca ...

A: 14-16 Nha Tho Street, Hanoi - neaby the Cathedral
T: +84 4 3825 6334

New Day Restaurant, Hanoi Map

A great little local eatery on Ma May. Packed for lunch and dinner with locals and travellers serving solid northern Vietnamese cuisine. A great lunch stop during your Old Quarter wanderings with seating inside and out.

A: 72 Ma May St Hanoi in the Old Quarter

Ngon Restaurant (Quan An Ngon), Hanoi Map

The runaway success of Ngon (delicious) Restaurant in Saigon was bound to be duplicated in the capital and they’ve got the formula right once again. Packed with locals and travellers in a huge old French villa, the setting and the food are great. A vast menu of local favourites is ...

A: 18 Phan Boi Chau St, Hanoi
T: +84 4 3942 8162

Old Hanoi Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$

The owners of Old Hanoi might be slightly overplaying the Gordon Ramsay connection - he attended the restaurant opening in 2010. Still, this place produces very solid Hanoian cuisine in a very nice colonial villa setting with in and outdoor tables. OId Hanoi also offers cooking classes. Located on the ...

A: 4 Ton That Thiep St, Hanoi
T: +84 4 3747 8337
W: http://www.oldhanoi.com

Pho Nam Ngu, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $

A classic “hole in the wall” pho stall in a small lane not far from the train station. Surly owner and a loyal following - a classic Hanoi pho experience.

A: 7 Nam Ngu St, Hanoi - not far from Ngon Hanoi

Pots 'n Pans, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: Mains from around US$15

The newest of Hanoi's fine dining restaurants, Pots 'n Pans is a social enterprise affiliated with KOTO serving original, modern cuisine with Vietnamese roots.

A: 57 Bui Thi Xuan Street Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
T: +84 (0) 439 4402 04
W: http://www.potsnpans.vn

Puku Cafe, Hanoi Map

This is an old Hanoi favourite reincarnated in a larger spot on Tong Duy Tan St - aka. food street. While “food street” is famous for local street fare, Puku is filling a culinary void for expats and travellers longing for something familiar. Comfy couches, friendly staff, free wifi and ...

A: 16/18 Tong Duy Tan Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi
T: +844 3938 1745

Southgate Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$

One of the newest restaurants in town, Southgate’s villa setting and funky decor make it one of the coolest spaces in the city . Stuffy fine dining is not the objective here - the quality’s fine alright but the vibe is more relaxed and the pricing is sharp. Both the ...

A: 28 Tong Duy Tan,Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
T: +8443938197

Spices Garden Restaurant, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$$$

Spices Garden at the stunning Metropole Hotel is the street food experience for those wanting to gently ease into local cuisine off the street in a 5 star space. The flavours are right and you get to see a good range of local street style food - all in Hanoi’s ...

A: Metropole Hotel, 15 Ngo Quyen St, Hanoi
T: +84 4 3826 6919 – Ext. 8500
W: http://www.sofitel-legend.com/hanoi/en/bars-restaurants/le-spices-garden.shtml

Street Food - Hanoi

The view of Hanoi from the low tables and plastic stools of a street vendor is an essential city experience. And the food’s delicious and cheap too. The Old Quarter’s teeming with street food options. Aficionados will persuade you that one packed little street food spot is better than another, ...

Tadioto Cafe, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$

Tadioto is a cool cafe, bar, art space owned by Vietnamese American author Nguyen Qui Duc.

A: 12 Truong Han Sieu, Hanoi
T: +844 668 09124

Tamarind Cafe, Hanoi Map

Price Guide: $$$

Tamarind Cafe has been serving up quality vegetarian cuisine since back in the 90s when Ma May St was first becoming the centre of backpacker life in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. You don’t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy the mixed veg menu and it’s also a great place for ...

A: 80 Ma May St, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
T: +8443926-0580

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