Hanoi Restaurants
By Catherine ColemanFood is arguably the very best experience of a trip to Vietnam. Vietnamese cuisine is light, not overly greasy, emphasizes fresh vegetables and herbs, and uses sauces and flavorings that are tangy but not heavily spicy.
Following
are restaurants which should not be missed in Hanoi, in the admittedly biased
view of one avid consumer of Vietnamese food. On weekends, reservations are
recommended.
Au Lac Cafe
57 Ly Thai To
Tel.: 825-7807
Just behind the Metropole hotel, outdoor cafe with wonderful ambience, mixed
menu offering western and Vietnamese food as well as drinks and snacks.
Brothers Cafe
26 Nguyen Thai Hoc
Tel.: 733-3866
Indoor and outdoor sections; a lunch-time buffet including specialities served
street-vendor style that should not be missed.
Cha Ca La Vong
14 Cha Ca
Tel.: 825-3929
"Cha ca" is a specialty dish, fish cooked in a hot pot with dill
and eaten with noodles. If you are a seafood lover it is worth a try.
Hoa Sua
81 Tho Nhuom
Tel.: 825-8167
Training school for disadvantaged youth. Good French and Vietnamese cuisine
at rock-bottom prices. Bakery next-door has French pastries.
Indochine
16 Nam Ngu
Tel.: 824-6097
If you go nowhere else, go here. A beautiful old villa-style house with an
interior courtyard, converted for indoor and outdoor dining. Beautifully cooked
and presented dishes representing the best of local cuisine. Be sure to order
the banana flower salad!
Nam Phuong
19 Phan Chu Trinh
Another example of lovely ambience and fine Vietnamese food.
Seasons of Hanoi
95B Quan Thanh
Tel.: 843-5444
Probably one of the most expensive up-scale Vietnamese restaurants in town,
although still reasonable by western standards. A very enjoyable and refined
dining experience.
Van Xuan
15 Hang Cot
Another don't-miss. Walk up to the second floor of a small commercial building
to reach this popular restaurant. Beautiful decor and musical entertainment
on classical Vietnamese instruments. Menu includes specialities from Hue and
overall the food is excellent. Have the Hue pancakes.
For those who aren't Asian food fans or just need a break, try the following
for decent western fare:
Al Fresco's
23 Hai Ba Trung
Tel.: 826-7782
Australian proprietor. Good ribs, pizza, mexican dishes. A nice get-away.
Hot Rock Cafe
11A1 Giang Vo
tel.: 844-5661
Eye-boggling menu. Decent pizza.
Moca Cafe
14-16 Nha Tho
Tel.: 825-6334
Near Hanoi's old cathedral. Trendy atmosphere and mixed western-Vietnamese
menu. Reportedly serves a mean blueberry pancake for breakfast. Very popular
spot for expats and Vietnamese.
Press Club Deli
59A Ly Thai To, ground floor
Tel.: 934-0888
The place to be at lunch time to see who's who in Hanoi. Good menu, great
deli/bakery counter.
Red Onion Bistro
49 Hai Ba Trung
Tel.: 934-2342
In the Hanoi Towers apartment building. Huge burgers and other dishes done
nicely by an expat chef. Spacious booths, great atmosphere, good views of
the city.
Catherine Coleman is a Foreign Service Officer who has served with the U.S. Department of State for 15 years. She recently worked in the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. Catherine has three children: Christopher, born in 1990; and Susannah, born in 1995 and adopted in 1997 in Guangxi, China through Holt International. She recently adopted a third child from Vietnam, also through Holt.
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