Hanoi Restaurant Tips by richiecdisc

Restaurant Name: Cha Ca La Vong

This is an extremely busy place to dine if you go in the evening so to avoid crowds go in the afternoon, after the lunch hour rush. Though it is reputed to be 200 years old and is visited by many tourists, there is a decided local flair to it and indeed many Hanoians dine here. It is a narrow and simple place, with too many wooden tables squeezed into its area space. When the tables are full and the waiters are scurrying about with hot sizzling pans of cha ca, you know you are in the right place.

Favorite Dish: Not sure if they even have anything aside from cha ca but this is THE thing to get if you are here anyway. It is a white fish, served in boneless chunks, smothered in greens and saffron-infused oil. It comes out right in the frying pan it is cooked in too. It seems a bit expensive by local standards (142,000d or $9 for two) but you get an unlimited amount of rice noodles on the side and with all the oil and greens, it makes a tasty accompaniment. Wash it all down with one of Vietnam's best bottled beers, Ha Noi. This brew is not as watery as most of the country's concoctions and actually has some hop bitterness that goes well with the spicy fish.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 825 3929
Address: 14 Cha Ca
Directions: This is right in the Old Quarter on its namesake street so easy to find.

Restaurant Name: Bahn Cuon Nonc

I had read about a local dish called banh cuon, a steamed dumpling filled with pork and moc nhi, a type of fungus similar to mushrooms but had had a hard time finding a place that served it. One day, I noticed a woman making the thinnest crepe I had ever seen but on closer inspection, I could not make out just what she was making. It was so fascinating, I had to go in and try whatever it was she so expertly crafted. It was a very simple restaurant and when we asked for whatever it was she was making, a plate of dumplings were brought out and a second waiter came by with some type of sauce that he sparingly offered to top the small morsels. It turned out that this was in fact banh cuon and that this special sauce or nuoc mam contained an extract of insect semen.

Favorite Dish: No one told me I was going to be eating insect semen but that is just what I did in Hanoi. Okay, there probably was not a lot of semen in these home-made dumplings but really how much semen can you shake out of an insect anyway. But I will tell you; it was one of my favorite meals in Vietnam and in all of Asia for that matter. The precious nectar imparted a certain pear-like quality to both the aroma and palate but let us not make it sound like wine tasting. It was semen no matter how you mix it up. It was not a cheap meal by local standards at 76,000 dong ($5) for two plates of the delicacy and a couple beers, but the waiter was very helpful and it was one of the cleanest of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants we ventured into.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 17 Cha Ca
Directions: This place is in the Old Quarter, not all that far from Cha Ca La Vong, the local fish institution.

Restaurant Name: local hole-in-the-wall

Most tourist walk right by these grotty looking places but they miss not only some tasty and cheap food but also much of the local color that you would imagine they’ve traveled so far to experience. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and just jump right in. On our very first day in Vietnam, we did just that. The place was packed and admittedly a tad more than sloppy. We squeezed ourselves into the small plastic chairs and under the even smaller plastic tables. The locals all made room for us and with mutual smiles; we nodded at wanting some of what they had. Even if the food was bad, it would have been worth going in for the good will filling it produced.

Favorite Dish: What was served up almost without asking was bun cha, rice vermicelli accompanied by tasty roast pork and fresh and pickled vegetables. It was a light and refreshing meal that everyone in the place obviously relished, us included! Not only was it a great meal but it was very inexpensive at 14,000 d (about a $1) for the two of us. The atmosphere was priceless.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: on Nguyen Khuyen road
Directions: We just happened across this place on our way to the Literature Temple but there are heaps of them around so keep your eyes peeled and your nose open to the scent of roasted pork.

Restaurant Name: Tiem Com Linh Anh

This was a bit more upscale then our bun cha paradise but still very much bustling locals hangout. Again, we dined at low plastic tables that had us feeling like we were the cast of land of the giants and again, we were treated well by staff and patrons alike.

Favorite Dish: We had a great plate of batter dipped fried frogs legs that dispelled any notion of tasting like chicken. It tastes more like alligator, another thing purported to taste like chicken. Take it from me, it tastes better than chicken. It's well worth a try and at these prices, it's a great place to do it.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 108 Nguyen Huu Huan
Directions: In the Old Quarter, but heading towards the outskirts of it.

Restaurant Name: Pinky Moon

Having an ice coffee in Vietnam is one of the great pleasures in the country. I love the stuff and compared to what I pay for one in the states, it makes any attempted rip-offs elsewhere all worthwhile. You can pay lot of different prices so beware. In the more local places, you pay as little as 30 cents for a coffee but the more upscale ones with a view can get close to a dollar depending on what you order.

Favorite Dish: One particularly expensive brew is made from beans fed to weasels and later collected from their excrement! We had one at upscale chain coffeehouse, Trung Ngyuen and it was quite tasty. Other places are more noted for their views like Pinky’s in the Old Quarter. It is worth it just to sit up above the chaos in the streets and watch the world go by, all the while sipping a nice strong ice coffee, of course.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: about average

Phone: 84.4.8285043
Address: 28 Hang Hanh Street
Directions: In the Old Quarter, just off of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Restaurant Name: Little Hanoi

This place had two things going for it. It was open during TET (Vietnamese New Year cum Christmas/birthday) and it had a nice dining room. It was also mentioned in Lonely Planet as retaining local flavor and types of food. It did have nice window seating with pleasant views.

Favorite Dish: Though the food was not bad, it did not really have a Vietnamese flair but more of in the line of Chinese food. So, if you are sick of the local food and want something different but still Asian, it is worth a try. We found the food a bit on the bland side.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 04/828-8333
Address: 21 Hang Gai Street
Directions: In the Old Quarter.

Restaurant Name: hole-in-the-wall pho stall

If there is one food you must try when in Vietnam, it is pho. This is a beef based broth noodle soup can be eaten any time of day but it is at its best first thing in the morning. You can find it any local restaurant but the best places are very simple affairs, and generally only open for breakfast. They may not look very hygienic but I never got sick from one of them. If the soup is boiling hot, it should ensure that any germs are killed so give it a try. You generally sit at low plastic tables and join right in with locals that slurp down their morning nourishment right along side you.

Favorite Dish: Pho is a clear broth beef south with rice noodles and sliced beef, generally put in the bowl raw. It cooks instantly in the boiling hot broth. It is a nicely spiced broth as well and you are given some things to garnish it with, like mint and coriander leaves, soy bean sprouts, chilies, and salty fish sauce that Vietnamese seem to put in everything. Try it plain first and add things slowly, tasting the whole time. It is a very tasty meal, very filling and incredibly cheap (30 to 50 cents) so by all means, give it a try. Also, look for fried donuts that go great in the broth. They are generally hanging in a plastic bag. Get there early as they go fast. If you ain’t had pho, you ain’t been to Vietnam.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: They are scattered all over the city so head out early and look for a place that is busy. Sit down and put up one finger, you'll get pho by default.