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The capital of Vietnam’s food culture includes everything from decades-old streetside eateries to exclusive fine dining that pushes the boundaries of modern Vietnamese cooking. Tiny houses of teppanyaki, vintage teahouses and high-concept fusion pizzerias: read on to discover the best places to eat in Hanoi.
Best Restaurants in Hanoi for Fine Dining
Hibana by Koki, Hoan Kiem
A 14-seat counter sets the scene for spectacular teppanyaki theatre. Nestled in the basement of the exceptional Capella Hotel in the city’s French Quarter, this Michelin-starred marvel sees chef Hiroshi Yamaguchi prepare complex yet decadent dishes using premium ingredients flown in from Japan.
Gia, Dong Da
Just across the road from the Temple of Literature, Gia pays tribute to Vietnam’s culinary heritage through a 12-course degustation menu. Chef Sam Tran oversees each stunning dish, triumphantly balancing acidity, texture and flavour.
T.U.N.G Dining, Hoan Kiem
It may be T.U.N.G by name, but this fine dining restaurant is ‘twisted, unique, natural, gastronomic’ by nature. Chef Hoang Tung’s seasonally driven, 20-course menu celebrates local ingredients through complex culinary techniques, delivering faultless flavours and outstanding service.
Chapter Dining, Hoan Kiem
It’s dinner and a show at Chapter, where the open kitchen provides all culinary entertainment. Watch chefs expertly work with flame and smoke over a charcoal grill, presenting 10+ courses that combine Vietnamese flavours with classic ingredients like pheasant, caviar, scallop and venison.
Best Restaurants in Hanoi for Street Food
Miến Lươn Đông Thịnh, Hoan Kiem
The owners of this hole-in-the-wall eatery have perfected their recipe for miến lươn trộn (glass noodles with eel, greens, crushed peanuts and deep-fried shallots) over four decades. Feeling noodled out? Try the rice porridge version instead.
Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân, Ba Dinh
Sample some of the city’s best bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls) at this street food canteen, run by the same expert chef for over 30 years. Watch as she precisely prepares her signature dish, served with minced pork and wood-ear mushroom. They make for an excellent breakfast, slathered in fresh herbs, chilli, lime and garlic.
Tuyết Bún Chả 34, Ba Dinh
Take a seat among locals, spilling out from this stall over huge bowls of bún chả, a traditional dish of rice vermicelli noodles topped with grilled pork and fresh herbs, and served with a delicious dipping broth. Add a spring roll on top for extra crunch.
Chả Cá Lã Vọng, Nam Tu Liem
There’s just one dish on offer at this locals-only restaurant – chả cá lã vọng. Once a frying pan of fresh river fish and a charcoal cooker arrive at your table, it’s up to you to cook it as you please, adding fresh herbs and peanuts. Pair it with rice noodles, fish sauce and chillies for a flavourful kick.
Bún Chả Đắc Kim, Hoan Kiem
This unassuming restaurant is considered one of the best for bún chả (rice noodles) and nem cua bể (crab spring rolls). Each bowl of rice vermicelli comes with grilled pork patties and pork belly, herbs and nước chấm – a delicious Vietnamese dipping sauce.
Best Restaurants in Hanoi for Pho
Pho Thin, Hoan Kiem
The family-run restaurant has been serving just one dish since 1979 – phở tái lăn (stir-fried beef and garlic noodle soup). Find a seat in the functional dining space for a bowl of potent clear broth, topped with a helping of sizzling beef in ginger, garlic and plenty of spring onions.
Phở Gia Truyền Bát Đàn, Hoan Kiem
There’s no pretence at this shophouse, where locals stop by for incredible bowls of beef pho. Join the queue, choose your preferred cut of meat and soon enough, you’ll have a steaming bowl of noodle soup to devour. Finding a seat will be the hardest part!
Phở Bò Ấu Triệu, Hoan Kiem
There may not be a sign to mark this one-room eatery, but the consistent throng of locals at its doors does the job. Join the crowd for a big bowl of pho, made with beef bone stock cooked for 10 hours and topped with flank steak and tendon.
Best Restaurants in Hanoi for Casual Dining
Tầm Vị Ba Dinh
This vintage tea house, adorned with handwritten signs and antique furniture, specialises in classic North Vietnamese dishes, including crab soup with malabar spinach and escargot on fresh herbs and rice vermicelli noodles. With one Michelin star, Tầm Vị Ba Dinh is an approachable place to taste Hanoi’s best.
Ốc Di Tú, Ba Dinh
Molluscs make up the menu at this simple canteen, named after the Vietnamese word for snail. They’re the star of the show, with multiple species cooked using various techniques. Slugs with shells aren’t your thing? Lucky for you, prawns, squid and Venus clams are also on offer.
Luk Lak, Hoan Kiem
Feast on an eclectic mix of traditional and modern Vietnamese flavours, inspired by the country’s highland cuisine, at this concept restaurant from Chef Madame Binh. The Indochine-inspired dining room is the perfect setting for dishes like spring rolls with snails or stuffed pigeons with sticky rice.
Pizza 4Ps, multiple locations
Pizza might not be the first thing you think of Hanoian cuisine, but Pizza 4Ps is working to change that. Freshly-made burrata cheese comes from local dairy cows, while all other ingredients are locally sourced to create pizzas that expertly blend Italian and Vietnamese flavours.
Habakuk, Hoan Kiem
Artisan cafe by day and moody bistro by night, Habakuk serves a modern European menu of Italian-leaning favourites, hidden down an alleyway in the French Quarter. Effortlessly cool and consistently tasty, it’s easy to see why it’s been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in both 2023 and 2024.
