The Best Hanoi Restaurants and Cafes ( Part 5)

30/08/22

Diners can be separated into two groups – those who love snails and those who don’t. We get that some people don’t feel comfortable eating the little mollusks. As for us, we love them.

In Hanoi, adventurous food travelers can eat snails bathed in coconut milk and lemongrass and then wash their hands in lemongrass-infused water. At least that’s what we did at Ốc Lan Béo Hải Phòng. See photo of our snail feast above.

Che (Sweet Dessert Soup)

Che is a Vietnamese dessert that we had not tried prior to our Hanoi visit, and we were unclear what it was until we tasted the sweet dish in Hanoi. Che can be either hot or cold, and it can have a wide range of ingredients like mung beans, red beans, fruit and tapioca beads.

Discover more than 100 of the best desserts around the world.

Visitors can sample different varieties at decades-old Che Ba Thin in the Old Quarter. Our favorite is a hot sugar cane brew with a porridge-like texture and a strong ginger taste.

Hanoi Restaurants Worth a Splurge

Traditional Hanoi food is as cheap as it is good, but sometimes we like to treat ourselves to something different. Plus, we occasionally like to eat in a dining room with proper chairs and air conditioning even when we’re on holiday.

Hanoi restaurant food options range from elevated Vietnamese classics to global food from around the world. If you stay for more than a few days, you should check out one or more of the following Hanoi restaurants:

Angelina

Located in Hanoi’s most historic hotel, Angelina is a modern restaurant and whiskey bar with an international menu that features dishes like Wagyu fillet, Scottish smoked salmon and Canadian lobster. The wine list is similarly global with bottles sourced from France, Australia and the US.

We enjoyed our meal that started with roasted king scallops and a caesar salad and continued with wagyu beef tenderloin and a lamb rack before finishing with an artfully presented pannacotta dessert.

Highway4

Highway4 was double recommended to us, first by a friend of a friend who previously lived in Hanoi and then by a local food fanatic. With two trusted recommendations, we had to check out this relatively fancy Old Quarter spot for a different take on Hanoi cuisine.