14 Best Restaurants in Hanoi, Vietnam

Bancong means "balcony" in Vietnamese (from the French balcon), and this multistory 1940s Art Deco mansion has plenty of them. The outdoor spaces overflow with flowers and pot plants, and make good spots to watch scenes of the Old Quarter unfold below. The menu is rather muddled, but the Vietnamese dishes, including bun cha, are reliably good. So is the ca phe cot dua (iced coconut coffee), a Hanoi specialty.

This simple eatery compensates for its lack of sophistication with hearty portions of delicate banh cuon, steamed rice rolls stuffed with meat or seafood. Watch the resident cooks painstakingly roll out their sheets of rice noodle and spoon on the filling and feel your mouth start to water. There are three options: chicken, pork, or shrimp. Come with an appetite as all three are worth trying.

This venue is spotlessly clean, and despite its popularity with tourists and the airbrushed makeover, it is still very much the real deal. Like all the best restaurants purveying local favorites, this place specializes in one dish only: bun bo nam bo (a southern-style beef and noodle salad). Translated as "southern style rice noodles with beef," this mixture of vermicelli noodles, beef, lettuce, cucumber, shallots, bean sprouts, cilantro, and chopped peanuts is more commonly found in Ho Chi Minh City. Be sure to mix the concoction thoroughly with your chopsticks to experience the broth-drenched greens at the base of the bowl.

Bun Cha Huong Lien has wholeheartedly embraced the alias Bun Cha Obama since 2016, when the erstwhile president visited Hanoi and dined here with the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. The bun cha (grilled pork and rice vermicelli noodles) and nem hai san (seafood spring rolls) are decent, but it's worth visiting just for the photography documenting the occasion. It's plastered all over the eatery.

The outdoor area of this French-influenced venue is an ideal place for some very romantic dining and expat gatherings. The interior is equally convivial with stripped pine tables and wooden furniture. The food is a mixed bag of European dishes prepared and served with flare.

Serving creamy cappuccinos and delicious lattes in calm and quiet surroundings, Habakuk might be the best spot in the city for withdrawing from Hanoi's chaos with a book. Though best known for its excellent coffee, Habakuk morphs into a bistro serving delicious lasagna in the evenings.

More of a restaurant than a bar but still good for evening drinks, this stylish spot specializes in Vietnamese rice wine, which is sometimes used in traditional medicines. Bring your game face and try the insect dishes and creative rice wine cocktails. The liquor, sold under the restaurant's own Son Tinh brand, is quite strong, so avoid drinking it on an empty stomach. 

Now back at the Temple of Literature (it moved during the pandemic), this place can get packed with tour groups. The flavors here—from baked fish in banana leaf to bamboo beef—are bold and brilliant, and the menu is a mix of creative dishes. The fact that Koto (an acronym for "know one, teach one") is a charity restaurant that benefits street youth, is just the icing on the lemon cheesecake.

Loading T won fame in 2017 when CNN featured their egg coffee, a unique cinnamon-infused take on the Hanoi specialty drink. The cafe is notable for its extraordinary architecture; it sits within a grand colonial-era house that was appropriated and partitioned by the government in the 1950s.

Serving countryside dishes with a refreshing modern twist, Luk Lak is a welcome addition to Hanoi's dining scene. Many of the dishes are head chef Madame Binh's take on recipes from a particular part of the country, such as the ga nuong Tu Le (grilled chicken with sticky rice from Yen Bai Province). The minimalist design with flashes of Hanoi's colonial heritage serves to enhance an already exceptional dining experience.

Little sister to Hanoi institution The Hanoi Social Club, Ma Xo is the place to go for coffee, cocktails, and quick bites. The menu features home brunch comforts and innovative creations, such as fresh spring rolls with roast pork, a modern take on the neighborhood's favorite dish. A pretty lakeside location only enhances the experience.

When it comes to street food, Hanoians don't go in for much ostentation and the eating area here is decidedly prosaic; just a few communal tables under a couple of bare lightbulbs. What matters is the expertly judged broth, the light rice noodles, and the delicious meat, which is peeled in strips from hulking slabs of brisket. Don't worry about identifying the restaurant: you'll recognize it from the long lines of people waiting outside.

Probably worthy of a Michelin star of its own, T.U.N.G Dining offers an astonishing fine-dining experience. Head chef and co-owner Hoang Tung worked in various Michelin star restaurants in Scandinavia before returning to his home city of Hanoi, and his experience is reflected in both the cuisine and the minimalist decor. There is only one set menu that consists of 15 to 20 courses, each one illustrating Tung's culinary wizardry. The menu changes with the season and the restaurant can make adjustments if you have dietary requirements. Let them know when you make your booking, which is essential.

Vegans and vegetarians descend on this hole-in-the-wall ramen joint for their tofu, tempeh, and other meat alternatives, but the rich broth will likely tickle omnivores' taste buds, too. The new location is bigger than before, but you can still watch the Japanese ramen chef meticulously prepare your meal before slurping it up.