If you’re into food, Vietnam is heaven. We’re into food and there was no stopping us. From the minute we landed in Hanoi, our mission was clear. Eat the food. Eat all the food. This is where we ate and drank and then ate some more.
Giang Cafe
For weird, but delicious egg coffee. Giang Café is tucked away unassumingly down an alley way in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. You’ll need to type the address into google, ‘coz chances are you’ll miss it otherwise. The café is basic with little stools and tables, the type that you become accustomed to quickly in Vietnam and the décor basic. We’d originally heard about the wonders of the egg coffee in Hanoi from some travelers we met in Thailand, and so by the time we had the chance to sample the delights, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on a cup of it. It’s hard to describe really, which is why you should probably taste the stuff yourself. While there’s a few places that do the egg coffee, Giang are supposedly the ones that have got the recipe spot on. After our morning coffee here, I wouldn’t argue.
www.giangcafehanoi.com No.39 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Trang Tien Ice cream
If there’s a Vietnamese word you need to learn to recognize in Hanoi, it’s ‘Kem’ and it changed our lives. Kem is vietnamese for ice cream and we found it in both the most convenient and out of the way places during our stay. When we discovered there was an arcade dedicated to the stuff, we marched ourselves down towards the Trang Tien Plaza and hung a left onto Trang Tien Road, like we were heading towards the Opera House. We may have had ourselves a false start and bought ice cream from not the place we were headed, but it worked out to be an entrée to our main of cheap, tasty, cold and delicious ice cream.
5 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Teeny tiny pineapples
So not exactly a fixed location with an address, but something to keep your eyes open for while you explore Hanoi. You’ll come across ladies (often of the elderly persuasion) pushing or riding bikes covered in tiny pineapples. You must chase one down and pay the small exchange rate for one of the succulent, juicy pineapples they’re selling. She’ll prepare it perfectly for you. Then stop, sit and enjoy said pineapple on the side of the road (hopefully out of the way of the scooters tearing past).
Pateta
Still unsure if it was the tasty banh mi (filled roll of deliciousness), the amazing hot chips, the cold beer, the free WiFi, the location or all of the above which made this one of our favourite places to stop for lunch. Place your order and head upstairs to the balcony. If it’s anything like our experience, the Banh Mi with a side of a well-earned banana will be delivered very quickly. Your chips will come a slow but steady second but that’s to be forgiven… Mike rated these the best chips in Asia. That’s a good chip. Sit awhile and watch the craziness of the city play out around you. It’s a type of oasis within the hectic and chaotic city that is Hanoi.
23 Đào Duy Từ, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Beer Corner
Tourists flock here on a nightly basis for the Bia Hoi (fresh beer) and when you arrive, it’s no surprise why. The busy intersection of the day turns into a tourist and local hang out when the sky goes dark, transforming it into an open bar on every street corner. The beer is flowing and at as little as 30c a cup, it’s a backpacker’s dream come true. There’s food to be ordered and all the beer types to be bought. The fresh beer is local, brewed daily and I’m told has no preservatives. It’s not that strong, but because it’s cheap it doesn’t need to be.
ng Buồm Hoàn Kiếm Hà Vietnam, 13 Hàng Giấy, Hàng Buồm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Pho Gia Truyen
We turned up and there was a line, as the Pho was excellent and after all that’s why we came. The menu is simple, uncomplicated and your biggest decision is whether you’ll have the cooked beef or the raw beef, the options are as simple as the list below. I went for well-done, Mike went for rare and we both thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous, tasty bowl of broth, noodles, meet and herbs.
Tai Nam – Rare steak and flank
Tai – Rare steak
Chin – Well done steak
49 Bát Đàn, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
