Hanoi Restaurant Tips by lyrad

Restaurant Name: Cha Ca La Vong

The old establishment is famous for it's fish hot plate dish served on mini charcoal stove. The food was alright - afterall, they only have one dish there! The ambience was much to be desired however, you have to walk up a narrow flight of wooden stairs, but the "old" setting smacks of character. The service was pretty good though - the lady obviously knew we were foreigners and showed us how to cook the food, dumping in a load of vegetables and stirring everything together!

All in all, it certainly was an experience, but dining here is rather pricey. Dinner with drinks cost the two of us 160,000 dong.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 14 Cha Ca

Restaurant Name: Fanny's Ice Cream Parlour

We just grabbed a couple of ice-cream cones to go as we wanted to chill by the lake. The chocolate ice-cream was pretty good and cost just 10,000 dong each.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Dessert
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 48 Pho Le Thai To

Restaurant Name: Buck's Cafe

We decided to stop by this restaurant for lunch on our walk back as Brother's Cafe was closed on Sunday afternoon. There were a number of locals having their coffee and breakfast inside. We ordered a fried noodles and fried rice and the food was pretty good - with loads of vegetables. The price was reasonable too, food and drinks came up to 59,000 dong.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Along P Thrang Thi
Directions: Near the National Library Achives, opposite the New Century Nightclub.

Restaurant Name: Culi Cafe

Culi Cafe is a new establishment located in the old quarter (just a stone throw away from Phan Thai Hotel) serving western food. It also doubles up as a tour operator (wideeyedtours), so don't be surprised to see people discussing tour options with the friendly staff upstairs.

We really liked the place and ended up visiting all three days we were in Hanoi (after my stomach told me I should stop eating at roadside stalls!), having drinks the first time, dinner the second and lunch on our last day. The servings here at quite large, we tried the fish and chips (which was pretty good), the beef burger (which was a little dry) and the hawaiian pizza (the flaky crust was delicious!). You must also try their chocolate milkshake, which was heavenly. Prices here are very reasonable.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Pizza
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 84-4-9.262.241
Address: 40 Luong Ngoc Quyen
Website: www.wideeyedtours.com

Restaurant Name: Bit Tet

This roadside stall is located at the junction of Hang Giay and Hang Buom, near the Bach Ma temple in the old quarter. Sitting on low makeshift plastic chairs and tables was certainly an experience! While the stall has an english menu was a variety of food, most of the locals eating here seem to be ordering only two dishes, the Bit Tet (or beef steak) and the roast pigeon. The two fried beef patties served with french fries was simply delicious! The dish also come with a french loaf and salad. The pigeon was also good, though not very meaty. We also tried the fried beef noodles which was very tasty. The beef steak, fried noodles and pigeon with drinks cost us 63,000 dong.

The usual warnings about roadside eating applies here - the level of hygiene is certainly much to be desired, so you do have to be mentally prepared for this. But the food really makes up for it.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter

Restaurant Name: Banh Cuon Cha Ca

Found this little restaurant on the recommendation of bpacker. The place is located on the same street as the famous Cha Ca La Vong. The banh cuon, which is like a vietnamese version of the chinese chee cheong fun, is a steamed rice roll filled with meat. It made for a very tasty breakfast. Found the dish a little pricey though, as one serving of Banh Cuon cost 20,000 dong, and it barely made a dent in my stomach!


Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 17 Cha Ca

Restaurant Name: Brother?s Cafe

We had lunch at this restaurant and things started off very well. We were seated outdoors in the courtyard and while the weather that afternoon was warm, there were standing fans to keep us cool. The food was also good, particularly the mini stalls on the perimeter of the courtyard serving fresh local food. The buffet indoors was also decent, though the selection of desserts was a little disappointing.

Matters however got a little unpleasant once the main lunch crowd arrived, and we had to put up with rather ungracious patrons attacking the buffet and piling their plates like they were afraid the food would disappear. Things also heated up outdoors and there was a lack of fans to cool all the diners. Perhaps it may be better to have dinner here for a better experience.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 26 Nguyen Thai Hoc
Directions: The restaurant is located a short walk from Ipa Nima, a 15 minute taxi ride away from the old quarter.
Website: http://www.brothercafe.com/index.htm