Hanoi Restaurants

[DavidFL]

Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim
67 Duong Thanh

One of the best lunch time experiences.

What you want
Bun Cha: "Grilled Pork Noodle Soup"
Pork meat grilled over hot coals served in a sauce with bun (vermicelli), + herbs / fresh veges.
The pork is made into patties mixed with garlic and shallots, egg, fish sauce and sugar.
It is an absolutely delicious dish. & is a must to eat in Hanoi.

Friendly staff

What you get

How we did it in March 2010

The 2010 serving

Bun Cha more info.

 

[DavidFL]

Buon Dua Le Cafe
20 Hang Hanh street. Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi.

a new aircon little cozy cafe under Aussie management.
Spotlessly clean. Excellent service (good English), helpful staff, delicious food, good coffee & breakfast.
Indeed this was our brekky spot in Hanoi every day!

Upstairs

spotlessly clean & cool aircon.

The balcony for smokers

and a nice view of the street below.

A very refreshing mango shake

Some food

Highly recommended, & most conveniently straight across the street from the Golden Sun Hotel.

 

[DavidFL]

COFFEE
Coffee was introduced into Vietnam by French colonists in the late 19th century. Vietnam is now a strong exporter of coffee with the bulk of the coffee grown in the central highlands. When coffee was first introduced fresh milk was not widely available, so sweetened condensed milk was used with a dark roast coffee.
Today, drinking coffee on the street side is a very popular pastime in Hanoi; & it was something I enjoyed immensely - people watching whilst having a roadside drink (although not necessarily a coffee.) Hanoi is a truly wonderful city.

The most famous coffee street in Hanoi is Hang Hanh, where the Golden Sun Hotel is located (we lucked out.)
There are several old style coffee shops in Hang Hanh, of which the most famous is the Cafe Nanh. The Cafe Nanh has been in biz since 1946 & is a genuine coffee shop icon in Hanoi.

The Cafe Nanh

famous for it's coffee in Hanoi.

The number of motorcycles coming & going with people popping in & out for a cuppa Hanoi's best was amazing. There must be hundreds in a day, just swinging by for a cup of traditional Vietnamese coffee (or engine sump oil as one disgruntled traveler proclaimed).
A line up of customers bikes outside the Nhan.

sometimes there were so many bikes that they blocked most of the street. Parking valets were in attendance, & you stopped, got off your bike, walked inside for a cuppa & the guys parked your bike nicely in the row. & when it was time to go, they retrieved your bike for you & lined it up ready to go. All part of the service, just for a cuppa thick dark coffee. The Kiwi Cruiser & I were most impressed

Inside the Nhan

old style, with several types of rooms, depending on your mood & companion of the day.

Upstairs with the Kiwi Cruiser

The upstairs spaghetti wire street view

My meal + a hot cuppa dark thick rum coffee

& by this stage the KC had fled the scene in search of a cappuccino!
I enjoyed my meal & the rum coffee; although the rum tasted more like a shot of ya dong whisky (which it probably was.)

 

[DavidFL]

RAINBOW RESTAURANT
37 Hang Hanh, Hoàn Kiếm

a delightful cozy little indoor / outdoor restaurant. Tasty food, good service, friendly staff & owner, & brilliantly located on a street corner / bend in the lane.
The Kiwi Cruiser & I ate most of our evening meals here & it was always good, inexpensive & most enjoyable - watching the Hanoi world go by, plus chatting to the owner & staff.
The double shots of Cointreau at the end of night went down well everytime.

Anyway a few nibbles...

A pasta dish with herbs & spices

Duck with orange sauce

Some kanom - banana pancake "Rainbow style."

A small fruit salad

The Rainbow was a gem of a place for KC & I in Hanoi. Check it out for a meal or two if you're around there.

 

[DavidFL]

LOFT STOP CAFE
11b Ngo Bao Khanh, Hà Nội Hanoi
(Opposite Cafe Nhan)

Newly opened November 2011

a super little smart modern well designed aircon cafe, serving French & Vietnamese food, plus out of the world pastries.

& apologies no pix of the food, but the pies & cakes & tarts were unbelievably good & I often had a double serving.
Dont miss out here.

 

[DavidFL]

The "Vietnamese BBQ"

47 Ma May Street

super popular with the locals

cook 'n eat as much as you like

The happy crew for a Vietnamese "Pig out."

 

[DavidFL]

Noodles - dry - a dry beef noodle salad.
Something different, but voted the best meal we had in Hanoi this trip.

How it comes out - huge servings & incredibly delicious

2 happy customers

We were 2 couple on this trip & everyone voted this the best meal in 8 days.
In fact it was so good, the last day there was a frantic rush to find the shop again for one more beef noodle salad nosh up!