51 Best Restaurants in The Central Coast, Vietnam

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.

There’s nothing fancy about this charity-run diner, just good Western food at cheap prices and heartwarming service. Repurposed from an English center, this café employs minority and deaf workers, and is a favorite among expats and visitors. Most come for the cause, but return for the vegetarian chili, English breakfast, or burgers and pizzas.

As one of Vietnam's leading fine-dining experiences, this restaurant resembles an old French mansion with elaborately decorated themed rooms. The aesthetics have earned La Maison acclaim from the likes of Architectural Digest, and the cuisine of three-Michelin-star chef Pierre Gagnaire only adds to the illustrious status. Special mention to the venue's wine collection, a cellar that is home to one-of-a-kind and prestigious bottles.

This exemplary French bistro with welcoming owners is a popular spot for visitors and expats in Hoi An. Don't expect much in the way of culinary bells and whistles, but the daily-changing menu of classics and other dishes like pizza as well as the fine selection of wine make this a reliably convivial option. 

Neighboring the historic Imperial City, this French-Vietnamese restaurant is fashioned after a colonial villa with green shutters, arched doorways, tile floors, antiques dating back to 1915, and artwork depicting pastoral scenes. Slightly pricey by local standards, the enormous menu features green mango salad, fresh spring rolls, beef in banana leaves, and grilled sea bass with a Mediterranean sauce, as well as sandwiches, pasta, and pizza. The goat cheese and prosciutto platter is superb, as is the roasted chicken in a white wine sauce. The Chinese emblem embroidered on staff uniforms and napkins is a wish for prosperity and longevity. The restaurant has a second location renowned for its French-Vietnamese menu in the backpackers' district at 18 Vo Thi Sau Street.

Fusing art, music, history, and cuisine, this 19th-century house in Hoi An's Old Quarter has been beautifully restored and offers silver service at remarkable prices. Slightly overshadowed by the setting, the menu is Vietnamese-meets-modern cuisine with such dishes as bean sprout dumplings, mango and lotus salad, caramelized pork, and wok-fried noodles.

One of Danang's hippest hangouts, this industrial-style, open-fronted warehouse pub-restaurant wouldn't look out of place in New York City. The ever-changing menu of authentic Italian fare includes specials such as risotto alla Milanese, pizza, pasta, and steaks. Come evening, the rustic brick walls and buzzing bar make for a different experience altogether.

The best spot in town for an Ionian-style banquet, it pays to arrive hungry at Mix. The venue, a stone's throw from the Japanese Covered Bridge, is reliably rambunctious, and with good reason. Friendly staff do the rounds delivering giant platters of delicious starters and fresh bread or grilled meats and other Greek dishes like lamb souvlaki or moussaka. The house wine is reasonably priced, making this a great place to linger with friends. 

Well established as one of the town’s preeminent dining venues is Morning Glory, where menu highlights include roast duck leg served with a five-spice dressing and crunchy tofu coated in young sticky rice. This is where local food celebrity Miss Vy originally made her name, and standards have barely slipped over the years with tourists and visiting gourmands flocking to the venue for authentic local dishes prepared with passion and skill.

At the midway point of one of the most incredible (and strenuous) 22-km (13½-mile) bicycle loops in the Bong Lai Valley, with views over rice fields and the river, the Pub With Cold Beer has hammocks, a pool table, and, in season, tubes for floating down the river. It’s a beautiful spot to unwind and regain energy for a few hours, which is how long your chicken lunch is going to take to prepare once you've chosen your live bird.

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.

For tasty, sophisticated cuisine, there's no better place in Phong Nha than The Villas, the main restaurant at Victory Road Villas. An immaculate setting close to the Son River is an important string to the venue's bow. But equally enchanting is a small but perfectly formed menu that encompasses international and Vietnamese cuisine with highlights including duck confit and a salmon filet with caper mash potatoes, asparagus, and orange sauce. 

As the first fully interactive street food experience in Vietnam, this buzzy, upscale food hall, owned by local-celebrity chef Ms. Vy, attracts a steady stream of enthusiastic foodies keen to take a culinary tour of Hoi An’s gastronomic classics. The menu here is visual, and diners are invited to wander among the various food stations where traditional dishes like cau lao noodles, banh mi, and savory country pancakes are made to order, to be devoured on simple bench seating arranged in the central courtyard.

Local families who come in droves to this popular no-frills diner make out-of-town visitors feel warmly welcome, even if you don't master the art of rolling the perfect banh xeo. There’s no menu; just pull up a stool and within minutes you’ll be presented with pork skewers, crispy pancakes stuffed with bean sprouts, deep-fried shrimp spring rolls, rice paper, various greens, a satay-style dip, and an array of condiments. Go hungry; portions are large.

Hai, from Hai’s Eco Conservation Tour, runs this bamboo restaurant with his family and serves delicious dishes every day from 7 am until 10:30 pm. Try the fresh fruit smoothies. You can also take part in a morning cooking class that includes a visit to the local market.

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.

One of Central Vietnam's culinary gifts to the world is its banh xeo (savory crepe). Made from a basic blend of rice flour, turmeric, and coconut milk and stuffed with other ingredients such as shrimp, pork, mung beans, and diced green onions, these delicious treats are best torn off and wrapped in a lettuce leaf and dunked in a nuoc cham dipping sauce made with fish sauce and chili. One of the best places in Danang to sample the delicacy is at alleyway eatery Ba Duong.

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).

The sign outside says "The best spitroast pork and noodle shop in the world (probably)," and if the pork belly they serve is anything to go by, the claim is justified. This local joint with plastic chairs and an enormous grill out front is easy to find if you follow your nose from the small boat station in town.

For many purists, Neapolitan-style pizza—a simple combination of fresh ingredients and a dough made from wheat flour, yeast, salt, and water—offers the ultimate in wood-fired wonderment. And this segment is ably served in Danang by Cardi, which enjoys a plum position by the banks of the Han River. The formula is very simple. Combine a base sauce made with the freshest tomatoes with your dough to produce pies that have a pillow-soft crust with judicious charring and offer the perfect marriage of acidity and sweetness.

From your table in this tiny family restaurant hidden in an alley of a backpackers’ area, you can smell the mouth-watering fragrance from the open kitchen where Mr. Hung is preparing your fresh meal. His amiable wife Hue, and sister Ha (who is a French tour guide) serve delicious plates with a warm smile, adding a homely touch to the experience. All meals are finished with abundant complimentary seasonal fresh fruits. Their beautiful cooking and exceptional service compensates for their tasteless interior and narrow space.

Com ga (chicken with aromatic rice) is a true specialty of Hoi An, and one of the best places to try the dish is down an alley off Phan Chu Trinh. They start you off with some crispy shredded papaya and thin slices of onion and lime juice on the side before giving you a juicy half chicken with fluffy golden turmeric rice. Just add the cold beer for perfection.

A popular rainy-day hangout for expats and families, this homey Western bakery, restaurant, and delicatessen midway between Cua Dai beach and the Old Town offers a large adventure playground and a menu packed with huge portions of home favorites, including delicious Aussie meat pie, home-baked cakes, and a great kids' menu.

At Duyen Anh Restaurant you can pick up your own live fish, shrimp, or lobsters from the tanks, and vegetables are homegrown in the 4-acre garden viewable from your dining table. All dishes are designed to share. Crab salad is a delicate combination of crabmeat, crab roe, and baked rice paper with fresh banana blossom, bean sprouts, and herbs. The best seats are on the second floor or in the private pavilions on a waterlily pond. Although it has a beautiful setting and a playground for kids, it's far from the city's center.

Another standout in Danang is the innovative fusion cuisine at Fat Fish—a marriage of culinary sensibilities engendered by local restaurateur Duc Tran, whose empire of venues in Hoi An has made him one of Vietnam's most recognizable figures. In a smart venue with seats overlooking the Han River, diners can sample signature dishes like five-spice, pan-fried duck breast with soba noodles, and seabass with ginger jam with glasses of Pasteur Street Jasmine IPA, a tasty Vietnamese brew. 

Ganesh is a well known stamp of quality for lovers of Indian cuisine in Vietnam. The chain has branches throughout the nation, and is now imparting its brand of spicy alchemy on Quang Binh courtesy of its Phong Nha outlet. Expect a delicious array of North and South Indian curries, piping hot naan and roti fresh from the tandoor, and friendly, gracious service. 

This traditional Italian restaurant is a popular spot in the Old Town center for those looking for a break from the standard Vietnamese fare. During the day, the welcoming, homely environs make for a quiet rest stop, where you can enjoy a good Italian coffee or a light bite from the second-floor balcony overlooking the streets.

It might be overcrowded during lunch and dinner, but this open restaurant's wide range of Hue specialties such as nem lui (grilled pork sausage on lemongrass stick), banh khoai (savory pancake), tapas like beo, nam, loc, and noodles with grilled pork and salad are all worth the wait.

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.