10 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.

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.

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).

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.

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 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.

In a tastefully restored former teahouse, this café-restaurant is the perfect place to unwind over a coffee and French pastry or a cold beer during a busy day of sightseeing. For people-watching grab a balcony table; for shady seclusion there's a quiet courtyard garden; and for rainy days there's a pool table and games room. Despite a promising dinner menu offering both French and Vietnamese delights, meals can be a bit disappointing.

This vegetarian food stall is located right on the edge of Hue's Night Pedestrian Zone. This is the cheapest food stall in town with tasty plant-based dishes starting from 10,000d. It's overcrowded during full moon and new moon days (on the 14th, the 15th, the last and first day of each lunar month) when most of the Buddhist local people have vegetarian meals for religious purpose.