Hanoi is an insane city – in the best possible way. It’s an assault on the senses – the sounds, pollution, smells and of course the incredible food. I absolutely love Hanoi and the food scene is incredible. I spent 4 days eating my way through some of the best restaurants in Hanoi and here’s where I’d go back next time I’m there.
Tuyết Bún Chả 34
This street food restaurant was our first stop in Hanoi and wow was it good. We got there just before closing and luckily we managed to get seated on a pair of tiny stools on a low table.
As well as being the first restaurant in Vietnam, it was also the first Bún Chả of the trip and it was probably the most memorable. This tiny street food restaurant is family-run and it genuinely feels like you’re eating in their front room.
Like most of the good spots in Vietnam, they do one dish and they do it really well. Juicy ground pork cheek patties and pork belly slices are grilled over charcoal and placed in hot broth along with pickled daikon.
The broth? It’s classic Vietnamese – fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Infused with the BBQ meat – it’s insanely addictive.
Served with a pile of rice noodles, a HUGE bunch of different herbs, chillis and citrus, you can customise your bowl exactly how you want.
The herbs add a lovely fragrance and the very aromatic citrus completes the dish. Coming in at €1.8 per bowl – it’s hard to beat. Wash it down with a cold beer and enjoy.
What to know before you visit
- Open every day from 8:30am-5:30pm
- Cash only
Address: 34 Hàng Than, Trúc Bạch, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tầm Vị
Tam Vi is one of a few restaurants in Hanoi to hold a prestigious Michelin star. Located about a 5 minute walk away from the city’s famous train street, it’s immensely popular with tourists thanks to the promise of a $20 Michelin-star meal.
So is it worth the hype? I managed to get a table for a late lunch by messaging them on Instagram a few days before. There were a lot of disappointed, hungry tourists who rocked up expecting to get a seat and were unfortunately turned away.
The restaurant itself is pretty big and is a standalone building (a rarity in Hanoi). It’s light and has a lovely modern take on traditional Vietnamese decor. The two floors have dark wooden panelling throughout and there’s even a very pretty garden section.
Unlike the majority of restaurants in Vietnam who only do one dish, Tam Vi has a very extensive menu (almost too much choice).
We started with their nems – crispy spring rolls served with rice noodles, lettuce leaves, herbs and Nước chấm (the classic dipping sauce). They were very crispy, well seasoned and had lovely flavour.
Next up was sautéd veal with lemongrass and chilli (which I unfortunately forgot to photograph). Our server mentioned that the veal has a bit of a chew but it had more of a bite. This was delicious – there was a real aromatic citrus flavour from the lemongrass and a gentle heat from the chilli.
The only disappointment was their famous braised pork belly and egg dish. Unfortunately the pork was a bit under and didn’t melt in the mouth – the sauce was delicious though. We also had a side of stir-fried bok choy with crispy garlic – this was superb.
Worth the Michelin star? Perhaps not by French standards but honestly it was a lovely lunch and you can’t argue for $15 each. It’s also a solid place (if you’re worried about getting sick) to order a lot of varied dishes.
What to know before you visit
- You can reserve by DMing them on Instagram – they’ll usually reply with in a few days
- You’ll need to reserve a few days before – it’s unlikely you’ll get a table by walking in
- They accept card but have a small transaction fee
Address: 4b P. Yên Thế, Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Website: https://www.instagram.com/nhahang.tamvi
Phở Gà Nguyệt
Phở Gà Nguyệt is a killer chicken pho street food spot in Hanoi and one of the best we tasted in Vietnam. It was so good we went back again a few days later.
Just a few minutes’ walk away from the Hoàn Kiếm Lake, it’s in the heart of the insanely busy Old Quarter. The bright lights are hard to miss and the smell of their chicken broth is incredible. It’s fascinating watching the Chefs at work in the open air kitchen that’s half inside, half in the street.
They pack out the two adjacent rooms inside and they even have tables spilling into the road – it’s that popular. We went two times near the close so we managed to get a table inside on both occasions. It’s typically local Vietnamese with communal bowls of fresh chilli, mixed herbs and citrus on the table.
There’s quite a few options each with every different part of the bird on offer. Each pho has the same broth but depending on what you go for, you’ll have different meat. There’s just one exception to that which is their dry pho which is superb.
I’ll start with the chicken breast pho which, to some might appear as a dish for tourists but alas no, it’s superb. The breast slices are superbly tender – you can see from the fibres that it’s perfectly cooked which is very difficult to achieve when they’re pumping out bowl after bowl of pho.
The broth is delicious. It’s delicate, fragrant and very light – typical for soups in the North of Vietnam.
For our second visit, they only had their thigh and leg meat pho left which was, once again, exceptional. We also ordered a bowl of their ‘dry pho’ with peanuts. It’s essentially the same dish, but served with the broth on the side, and it’s absolutely delicious.
What to know before you visit
- They’re open every day from 6:30am-1pm and 4:30pm-midnight
- Arrive before 11pm in the evening as they sell-out before close
- Cash only
Address: 5b P. Phủ Doãn, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Website: https://www.facebook.com/phoganguyet
Pho 10
Pho 10 is literally just around the corner from Phở Gà Nguyệt in the Old Quarter and is one of the most hyped beef pho spots in the city. You’ll usually see a queue way outside of the door with locals and tourists queuing up for a bowl of deliciousness.
We arrived late so they had run out of the majority of options. Come early and you can choose from a mix of rare flank (cut very thinly), lean or fatty brisket and even have beef fillet. In total I think there’s around 10 options to choose from.
We had two bowls of lean brisket pho which was superb. They slice the meat very thinly against the grain making it extremely tender with a great flavour.
The broth? It’s very light and seasoned to perfection. Beautifully balanced with lots of umami. In the North I found the broths to be consistently like this – there’s not many of the charred onions and ginger or spices coming through. A different style and absolutely delicious. It’s finished with a boatload of spring onions and thinly sliced white onion.
The rice noodles here are flat and wide – similar to what you’d find in the West – and are cooked past al dente. This dish was great and I slurped it up in minutes. A must-do for pho lovers.
What to know before you visit
- They’re open every day from 6am-10pm
- Expect to queue during peak times
- Arrive before 9pm in the evening as they sell-out before close
- Cash only
Address: 10 P. Lý Quốc Sư, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Website: http://www.pho10lyquocsu.com.vn
Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân
One of the most hyped breakfast dishes among foodies in Vietnam is bánh cuốn – a simple staple consisting of stuffed, steamed rice rolls. In Hanoi, Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân, is the spot to get this epic breakfast dish.
About a 20 minute walk from the Old Town, you’ll find this tiny street food restaurant with a queue outside. It moves quickly though – the service is lightning fast. While you wait you can see the Chef cooking the rolls one by one at an amazing pace.
The tiny tables are shared so don’t be surprised to be sat next to strangers. You’ll get your own bowl of dipping sauce along with the usual communal plates of chilli, pickled slices of garlic, citrus and herbs.
As with all good street food restaurants in Vietnam, the choice is small with two options on the menu. The first is a rice roll filled with seasoned minced pork and mushrooms and finished off with lots of fried, crispy shallots. This is delicious and once dipping in the sauce, it comes to life. It’s texturally really interesting, hot, savoury, sweet and full of umami. Surprisingly it works really well for breakfast. Note that the rolls are quite long so you’ll need to break them up into bite-sized pieces.
The second option is a rice roll with a very soft poached egg inside. Damn this is delicious – break the roll and the egg yolk oozes out. This is Vietnamese breakfast heaven.
Come early if you want their add-ons – roasted pork cake, Chinese cured sausage – unfortunately they were sold out when we arrived.
What to know before you visit
- They’re open every day from 6:30am-1pm and 4:30pm-midnight
- Arrive before 11pm in the evening as they sell-out before close
- Cash only
Address: Dốc P. Hoè Nhai, Trúc Bạch, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Bún Chả Đắc Kim
Bun Cha Dac Kim is another great spot to get a bowl of Bun Cha. It’s one of the bigger restaurants compared to some of the other street food stalls but still has plenty of charm and more importantly delivers on flavour.
The bright red facade has plenty of mentions of their Michelin guide spotlight and the atmosphere is equally as loud. The kitchen is hectic with the chefs pumping out bowl after bowl of bun cha. Despite the volume of food they churn out, I genuinely think the quality is very good.
They have a combo offer with crispy spring rolls and bun cha – this made for a perfect dinner. The spring rolls are delicious – well seasoned and very crunchy.
As with all good bun cha spots, you get a huge bowl of fresh herbs, vermicelli noodles, citrus, fresh chilli and sauces. Their dipping sauce is great – super aromatic, sweet with tons of umami. I love that they use thin slices of green mango which add a lovely balance of acidity and sweetness.
The pork is great – pretty thick patties with a killer crust from the BBQ and, I think, thin slices of pork shoulder. Great flavour although the patties weren’t the juiciest I’ve had, they were still really delicious.
What to know before you visit
- They’re open every day from 9am-9pm
- Expect to queue during peak times
- Cash only
Address: 1 P. Hàng Mành, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Website: http://bunchahangmanh.vn
Phở Khôi Hói
Our last stop in Hanoi was a killer beef pho street food spot, Phở Khôi Hói. About a 15 minute walk from the Old Quarter, it’s a genuine where-locals-go kind of spot and luckily isn’t (yet) horribly hyped up on social media.
The tiny little restaurant has a real Hanoi street food vibe. As Anthony Bourdain said, tiny table – check, tiny stool – check, something delicious in a bowl – check. Yep, it’s exactly that kind of vibe – I love it.
I went for the pho nam which is beef broth with well cooked through slices of a cut that’s between the flank and brisket. It’s got a lovely bite but falls apart in the mouth.
Their broth is delightfully clear with a subtle beefy flavour. Typical in the North, there’s no real flavour of spices (no aniseed flavour here) or aromatics (ginger etc.). They put a lot of scallions and coriander/cilantro here which I love. It’s super aromatic. I put a little bit of their house hot sauce in the broth which packs a huge punch and finished it off with their fried rice sticks – a glorious lunch.
What to know before you visit
- They’re open every day from 6am-9pm
- Cash only
