51 Best Restaurants in Vietnam

This hip café would compete with the best in Ho Chi Minh City for both their passion for coffee and quality of arabica beans, which they roast in house—they even have a menu of beans from around the world. Though they do still offer Vietnamese phin filter robusta, this is the place to get your European-style coffee fix.

When famed foodie Anthony Bourdain visited, he declared the banh mi served here to be quite possibly the best in Vietnam; and he might just have been right. What you get here is a symphony in a sandwich, and though both her menu and popularity have grown, Madam Phuong is still serving up the same secret family recipes and silence-inducing sandwiches. Bourdain's favorite banh mi deluxe is a pork feast consisting of a mouth-melting slow-roasted five-spiced fillet, a rich peppery pate, a handful of herbs, pickled vegetables, and finished off with a generous scoop of mayonnaise, smoked chili sauce, and messy fried egg. Phuong also has vegetarian alternatives; ask for banh mi chay.

More of a café than a bar, this tiny place serves great, healthy breakfasts as well as Western sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, all by the beach. Bar200 makes their own pizza dough, sandwich bread, and burger buns in house. There's covered seating as well as outdoor tables on the deck.

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.

The flagship location of this well-loved café chain offers a chic Old Saigon vibe to go along with reliably good, contemporary café fusion fare including salads, sandwiches, pastas, and other Western and Asian favorites. The all-day breakfast menu is also popular as are the gorgeous desserts. Head upstairs for a trendy retail space featuring Vietnam-inspired clothing and gifts from local designers and more seating.

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.

This clean, cheap, cheerful joint serves a delicious bun cha Hanoi, rice vermicelli and fresh herbs you plunge into a brothy dipping sauce with little pork meatballs. Be sure to get bun cha nem truyen thong, which comes with a fried spring roll and charcoal grilled pork.

True to its motto of “Eat, drink, relax, be happy,” this is the place to eat and hang out in Mui Ne. Order from any of the eateries, from seafood hotpot and sausage platters, to Hungarian goulash and fish tacos, underneath swaying palms with sweeping views of the water. The open-air space is family-friendly during the day, before the on-site Nirvana Beach Club cranks up the tunes at night.

The most social spot on the beach, Soul Kitchen attracts a year-round mix of expats and local visitors, with frequent live music and open mike events. During the day the shady grass frontage, pool table, and board games keep kids entertained, leaving parents free to relax in raised cabanas with a Vietnamese-French menu, wine list, and cold draft beer. Friday through Sunday, rain or shine, Soul Kitchen hosts live music events.

No visit to Dong Ha is complete without a visit to this cheerful spot in the heart of town. It's both a charity café (Mr Tam employs and supports deaf people in the area) and a one-stop information shop, without the hard sell. The menu is a wholesome mix of excellent Vietnamese and Western staples, including pizza, banh mi, and half-decent espresso. Tam also employs local war veterans and offers excellent tours of the DMZ and surrounding area.

If you are staying overnight in Dong Ha, Tam's also offers decent accommodations at very cheap prices (starting at 160,000d) as well as guided tours to the DMZ.

This intricately designed café is a feast for the eyes. Its sharp angles, giant staircases, and glowing skylights make it feel more like an architectural display than a place to eat, but the coffee and sandwiches are worth the visit. The coffee is good and there is ample seating.

A centrally located café-restaurant, Alpaca's quirky, creative atmosphere pairs nicely with its versatile menu of coffee, alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, brunch bites, pastas, and burritos, all prepared with great care.

Midway between the Reunification Palace and Notre Dame cathedral, overlooking the tall trees of April 30 Park, this is a great place to linger, whether for a meal or just a smoothie or coffee. The flavors are Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, the staff is attentive, and the location is prime. The appeal of Au Parc, in a restored colonial-era shopfront, is further enhanced by the children's playroom upstairs, which is supervised by a nanny on weekends from 11 am to 4 pm while brunch is served.

Don't be put off by the grungy interior of this restaurant. The quality of the decor is in inverse proportion to the quality of the food. This favorite among locals serves only six dishes, all specialties of the region. The price of 40,000d per dish should allow you to try them all—if you're hungry enough.

This inspired little beach club 15 km (10 miles) from Hue has shady beach cabanas, hammocks, and a large cobalt-blue fishing boat that serves as the bar. It's a laid-back place, with a simple Vietnamese seafood menu, where you feel a world away from the annoyances of the city. They make it easy to stay with a few huts housing dorm-style accommodations. Its sister accommodation Villa Louise with tastefully designed ocean view villas and a swimming pool is a gem in the crown of this stretch of pristine beach. The Beach Bar is on private land, and you pay 100,000d on weekdays and 150,000d during weekends and on holidays to enter (which is refundable against food and drink orders).

Full of bricks, books, and artistic locals, Bluebird's Nest is a quiet oasis where you can work, study, or kick back and get some leisure reading done. This café often hosts intimate events, like film nights or acoustic music shows, and you might overhear a private English or Vietnamese lesson if you stay the afternoon. They don't serve a full menu, but their coffee and cakes are enough for a light breakfast or snack.

Located across from Vinh Trang Pagoda, the setting of this charming vegan restaurant is basic but pleasant, and while the service is not the fastest, the food is truly delicious. Note that the English menu lists meat dishes, but they use imitation, soy-based "meats." The house specialty is the vegan Thai-style sour-and-spicy hotpot (lau Thai Lan); the braised vegetables in claypot (rau cu kho) is also a stand-out dish.

A baguette and home-cooked bo kho, a slow-cooked beef stew with obvious French influences, is the perfect breakfast for Dalat’s spring-like morning temperatures, and this shop of only four tables serves delicious bowls fragrant with cinnamon, star anise, and lemongrass. The shop is open until she sells out.

Across the road from the marina, this small, neat, and cozy café is a good place to stop for a coffee, ice cream, milk shake, or smoothie, as well as light meals such as sandwiches, burgers, and Vietnamese dishes.

Located across from An Hai Beach in the center of town, this simple café consists of a few tables and umbrellas set under big shady trees in front of the former French Maison des Passagers (Customs House). The outdoor-only setup gives customers a great view of the beach, making it an ideal spot for sunset drinks, except when the staff turns up the V-pop volume or when it rains. The basic menu includes coffee, tea, soft drinks, and juices as well as a very popular coconut ice cream.

Dalat's night market is famous within Vietnam, and evenings here soaking up the energy of all the happy tourists is a must. The market sprawls down an enormous staircase to the roundabout and down Nguyen Thi Minh Khai to the lake. Try Dalat "pizza," banh trang nuong, rice paper mounted with toppings and grilled over hot coals. Look for mobile vendors selling hot silky tofu in sweet ginger syrup, grilled corn, and kem bo (avocado mousse ice cream), 

This restaurant is squarely aimed at tourists who want to try a range of Vietnamese cuisine, including dishes that traditionally are street food, in a clean, relatively upmarket atmosphere. It's a safe option for those who are wary of real street food, or for families or groups who all want something different.

A central location on Long Beach's main strip, an eclectic assortment of recycled furniture and antiques, friendly owners, and terrific Arabica coffee beans from Dalat are more than enough reasons to choose this creatively decorated nook. Look for their mobile cart on the beach behind the café, where they do sunset pop-ups.

This wine bar and delicatessen pays homage to the French colonial era, which left an indelible mark on Vietnamese cuisine. Indeed, the cheese and charcuterie at the lively venue would earn the approval of even the most discerning Gallic customer. Beyond delectable food and drinks (one of Hoi An’s best value drinks happy hours can be enjoyed here), guests can immerse themselves in various events and exhibitions by local and visiting artists and photographers.

Just a few doors from the War Remnants Museum, this vegetarian restaurant is a calm oasis that starts to restore flagging spirits from the first step past the pond and lush greenery into the stylish interior with Indochine vibes. The fresh and healthy pan-Asian menu celebrates rather than disguises fruits and vegetables with emphasis on beautiful presentation. Try the square spring rolls, the visually appealing rainbow salad with sesame dressing, and the wild vegetable soup.

Simple and delicious dishes are served shortly after you sit down on a plastic chair in this restaurant in the fabled neighborhood of Kim Long. Their menu is limited to only a few barbecue pork dishes. The recipes that were passed down to Mrs. Hai, the owner, from her grandmother have not changed since the 1960s. Huyen Anh has been so popular that its neighboring restaurants even fake their name and menu. There are only three authentic Huyen Anh, which are this one, Huyen Anh at 50 Kim Long Street, and Huyen Anh 2 at 126 Kim Long Street. The last two are owned and run by Hai’s brothers.

This artsy little café fits right into the vibe of the street art alley it inhabits, and the owner-barista Huy crafts each cup of specialty egg coffee (hot coffee whipped with egg yolks, sugar, and condensed milk) with care.

At this hip lakeside spot serving Greek and other Mediterranean food in crisp surroundings. there's a lot of choice for vegetarians and vegans. DJ events draw crowds of young local and foreigners on the weekend. The wraps and pitas make for a tasty light lunch while exploring West Lake.

Located a few steps from the beach, this Japanese-inspired café is a great place to refresh with a coffee, matcha, or a drink with house-made rice milk, joined by youth who use the space as a backdrop for kawaii photos. The café rents yukata robes to dress up in.

This busy little café is one of the oldest in Hue. On a busy corner by the side of the river, it mainly specializes in banh khoai, crispy pancakes stuffed with bean sprouts, shrimp, and little mounds of pork, served up with herbaceous side salads and a spicy peanut sauce. To eat, cut them in half, wrap them in herbs and rice paper, and dip. The shady seats on the sidewalk are perfectly positioned for watching life go by.