Eating and drinking our way through Hanoi
“What are we doing in Vietnam? Do we have an itinerary?”
These were questions I kept hearing days before our trip. And the answer was simple: we were eating and drinking our way through Hanoi.
There were nine of us—a mix of bar partners, bartenders and friends—all ready for a culinary and cocktail adventure.
The eating started as soon as we landed. It was too early to check into our hotel so we dumped our luggage and headed to Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat, a spot that was on our list and was also recommended by the hotel staff. Don’t let the modest entrance put you off—this place is a gem. We walked into the narrow alley past the ladies preparing food and found ourselves in a courtyard covered by a canopy of lanterns, watching a family eat bun cha.
That’s all Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat serves—bun cha, a Hanoi specialty, and people flock here to enjoy it. The lines can get long but we got lucky, our wait was momentary. We were led into a home where our table was waiting. We sat on those iconic low plastic stools, a symbol of Vietnam culture, and soon, our food arrived: bowls of smoky pork patties and grilled pork belly swimming in a sweet and savory fish sauce broth, along with plates of vermicelli and a pile of leafy greens. A platter of fried spring rolls followed.
A smiling man used gestures to tell us how to dig in. We were supposed to dunk everything in the broth—he noodles, the veggies, the herbs, even the spring rolls. It was glorious. We were silenced by the symphony of textures and flavors in our mouths. We all agreed—it was a delicious start to our trip. Each bun cha set with spring rolls just cost around P188, or 80,000 in Vietnamese dong.
Multimillionaires
In Vietnam, we were multimillionaires, spending hundreds of thousands, even millions, on our meals. But converting the bill to pesos always resulted in a happy surprise—delicious food in Vietnam is super affordable.
One thing to remember: cash is necessary, as many places do not accept credit cards.
The Vietnam capital is a dream for food and drink lovers, with delicious local fare, inventive cocktails and crazy cheap fresh beer.
Our next stop was The Hanoi Cafe, a coffee shop in a villa that’s over a hundred years old. It was literally just five steps from our hotel.
We ordered an assortment of drinks including the popular egg coffee (their version had coconut syrup and rum) and the ice blended signatures coconut coffee and peanut butter coffee. My pick was the salt coffee or ca phe muoi, a drink with Robusta coffee, condensed milk and salt cream that originated in Huế, Vietnam in 2010. It was lovely.
Our hotel was in the Old Quarter, the bustling historic core of Vietnam’s capital, and once we had checked in, we went right back out to explore, braving the brutal heat, dodging motorcycles and popping into the many cat-themed souvenir stores.
My first trip to Vietnam was many years ago, and on that visit to Ho Chi Minh, someone said, “How do you cross the street in Vietnam? You close your eyes and just cross. Let the motorcycles avoid you.”
It was a joke but there’s a truth to it, one that also holds true in Hanoi. Do not hesitate. Walk steadily, predictably, and let the motorcycles weave around you.
We crossed the street for some banh mi at Banh My Mama, a little stall near St. Joseph’s Cathedral. The special banh mi, a beautiful toasted baguette stuffed with sausage, pork, egg, pâté and veggies, cost just VND 40,000 or P94. It was so good that Ton went back on our last day and flew home with four banh mis in his carryon.
At Maison Marou, known for its bean-to-bar chocolates, we grabbed some tiramisu. Days later, we went to their flagship store to shop for chocolates (great for pasalubong) and to enjoy their ice cream which was made even better by the freshly made waffle cone and chocolate boba and marshmallow toppings.
Cocktails, shots and oysters
We had an incredible time at The Hudson Rooms, recently ranked No. 46 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026. Found in Capella Hanoi, a luxury hotel in the French Quarter, this rooftop bar evokes 1920s New York and is known for both its drinks and for serving oysters and caviar.
We received a warm welcome from bartender Ngoc Hoai who told us that we were right on time for happy hour, which they call Rush Hour. Select cocktails, wine, and spirits were on a buy-one-get-one deal. The drinks also came with complimentary canapes.
I started with Through the Mango Valley, a creamy and refreshing cocktail that’s a mix of Bushmills Black Bush, coconut rice milk, mango syrup and lemon juice.
The next few hours were a beautiful blur of cocktails, shots and oysters, thanks to head bartender Nguyen “Patrick” Ngoc Khanh, who we'd had the pleasure of partying with in Manila, and beverage manager Sean Halse.
Sean led us through our first oyster luge, a wonderful whisky-and-oyster ritual: sip the oyster brine, sip the whisky, eat the oyster, then use the shell as a shot glass.
They then brought us into Track 61, the invitation-only speakeasy inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secret underground New York train platform, where the fun continued. The whole experience was a masterclass in hospitality—an unforgettable night and one of the highlights of our trip.
The next morning, Fifi and I headed out to Banh Cuon Ba Xuan for some banh cuon—steamed rice rolls stuffed with pork and wood ear mushrooms and topped with fried shallots. One of the ladies taught us to put fresh garlic, chopped red chili and herbs into our dipping sauce— a sweet, warm fish sauce concoction that went perfectly with the banh cuon. I enjoyed mine with plenty of cilantro. It was love at first bite. An order of banh cuon at this Michelin-recognized joint was a steal at just VND 40,000, or about P94.
Fish sauce and shrimp salt
One of the best ways to get to know a new place is by visiting its supermarket. That’s what we did and we ended up shopping for coffee, fish sauce, shrimp salt, noodles, and unique Vietnamese Lay’s flavors including Hanoi Beef Pho.
Eating pizza in Hanoi sounds crazy when you have a wealth of Vietnamese food to choose from but you can make an exception for Pizza 4P’s. Founded in Ho Chi Minh by Japanese expats, this pizza chain has grown into a beloved brand across Vietnam. One meal was enough for us to see why.
We devoured four different kinds of pizza, each one better than the last, plus a salad, lasagna, cold cuts and cheese. Most of us washed it all down with 4P’s craft beer. A satisfying dinner for around P800 each.
Hanoi is paradise for beer lovers—not only does it have the famous Beer Street and an exciting craft beer scene, it’s also known for bia hoi, ultra-cheap fresh draft beer brewed daily that you can enjoy while sitting on those low plastic stools. A pint costs just around P32. In Hanoi’s heat, a cold glass of bia hoi was hard to resist. I couldn’t blame my companions for drinking beer pretty much all day.
Cocktail bars were of course part of our agenda and we visited and enjoyed a lot of them: Workshop 14, No. 34 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026, the highest ranked bar in Vietnam; Bee'Znees 1920s, a speakeasy with a great view of train street; Gallery Bespoke Cocktail Bar, where we had a great time talking to the friendly bartenders.
Many of the bars serve cocktails that are an homage to Vietnam’s rich culture and our favorite was the show-stopping pho-inspired drink served at both Nê Cocktail Bar and Nê Boong-ke (and yes, it’s so good we ordered it twice). I also really liked Nê’s cocktail with chicken fat-washed vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemongrass syrup and lime juice and the garnish that came with it: rice paper covered with pesto and chicken floss.
We all loved The Haflington for the great service, great drinks and beautiful interiors. I love the dinosaur skeleton hanging over the bar.
Egg coffee
I was traveling with coffee lovers, and we were in Vietnam, so of course, coffee was also a big priority. We couldn’t miss going to Cafe Giang, the birthplace of the egg coffee or ca phe trung. In 1946, a wartime shortage inspired Nguyen Van Giang to substitute whipped egg yolks for fresh milk, which was scarce at the time, creating what would become a legendary Vietnamese drink. Decades later, people continue to enjoy his creation which has now spawned many variations.
I had the original iced version and loved the fluffy, meringue-like egg cream. The one with cinnamon that Fifi ordered was also yummy.
At I Do Coffee, I had the tiramisu coffee.
Patrick recommended Chả Cá Thăng Long, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant that specializes in turmeric catfish served with a mountain of fresh dill and spring onions, vermicelli, fresh herbs and roasted peanuts. “Make sure to eat it with shrimp paste,” he said. And we did.
You’d expect to splurge at most restaurants that have a Michelin star but not at Tầm Vị. Our feast for nine people—and it was a feast, we ordered a lot—just cost around P6,400. Our favorites included the fried spring rolls, green mango salad, beef with bamboo shoots, fried pork rinds, five-spice crispy roasted chicken and the fried squid with fish sauce. Our tip: skip the sets and order a la carte.
Between all the eating and drinking, there was shopping. My favorite store in Hanoi has to be the shoe shop Better, which sells pretty and crazy soft flats. I also managed to squeeze in a tattoo appointment with an incredibly talented artist named Rita at Silverant. She tattooed a realistic-looking red chili on my arm. Next time, I think I’ll ask her to tattoo a cilantro leaf on me.
Our last day in Vietnam was spent returning to favorites. I needed to have another dose of banh cuon and so I went back to Banh Cuon Ba Xuan. I had an order and a half and I have no regrets.
We knew we couldn’t leave Hanoi without having bun cha again—that first lunch at Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat remained one of our favorite meals. We ended the trip by going to the popular Michelin-Selected Bun Cha Dac Kim for dinner. The place was so packed we had to trek to the fourth floor to get a table—but it was worth it.
I grabbed one final salt coffee from The Hanoi Cafe before heading off to the airport, already dreaming about when we could eat bun cha, banh cuon and banh mi again.
Best Hanoi bites and drinks
I asked my travel buddies to list the best things they ate and drank in Hanoi. Here’s what they said:
“The fried capelin at one of the beer places and the P32 Bia Ha Noi beer.” — Fifi Cruz
“The turmeric fish at Chả Cá Thăng Long and the white negroni at The Haflington.” — Achi Uy-oco
“Also the turmeric fish and the P32 beer.” — Johann Frejas
“The pho cocktail at Nê Boong-ke and the bun cha from Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat.” — Ton Sallan
“The egg coffee with green bean from Cafe Giang and the spicy garlic shrimp pizza from 4 P’s.” — Vern Peña
“The banh mi from Banh My Mama and the Ramos Gin Fizz that we all helped make in Track 61.” — Ton Gregorio
“Definitely the coffee—any type or variant. Even the instant ones at the grocery are strong. Also love the cocktails at The Hudson Rooms, hard to single out one. For food, Banh My Mama. Also had fried chicken with garlic fish sauce from Cơm Gà 68 - Nguyễn Văn Cừ (delivered via Grab), which had the thinnest and crispiest chicken skin—soo good.” — Jason Doplito
