Hanoi Cuisine
Recommended Restaurants in Hanoi.
HIGHWAY 4, (5 Hang Tre, 04 926 0639)
Offering some of the best Vietnamese food in Hanoi, Highway 4's extensive and eclectic menu runs the gamut from locusts and bull's penis soup to less challenging offerings of chicken grilled with lime leaves and their legendary cat fish spring rolls. Table seating on the ground floor or traditional floor seating above. ($)
CHIM SAO (65 Ngo Hue, 04 976 0633)
Another top spot for delicious Vietnamese food. Set in a colonial style terrace house, Chim Sao offers limited table seating on the ground floor and floor seating on the second floor. The restaurant doubles as a gallery, drawing a bohemian crowd of young Vietnamese and foreign aspiring artists. ($)
KOTO (61 Van Mieu, 04 747 0338)
KOTO (Know One, Teach One) provides vocational training and guidance to former street kids so you can salve your conscience while filling your face. Located just opposite the Temple of Literature, it's the perfect spot to refuel after a little sight seeing. The extensive menu offers both Vietnamese and international dishes. ($$)
CHA CA VA LONG (14 Cha Ca St, 04 825 3929)
Cha Caa La Vong is a Hanoi institution, serving one dish and one dish only for five generations. Fish, fried in turmeric oil at your table and finished with handfuls of dill, spring onions and other assorted herbs, is served atop rice vermicelli. ($$)
GREEN TANGERINE (48 Hang Be St, 04 825 1286)
Set in a gorgeous old French Terrace, Green Tangerine offers atmosphere by the bucketful. The dishes on the fusion menu sometimes slip into the territory of confusion due to an over-exuberance of ingredients but it's still worth a visit. ($$)
LA VERTICALE (19 Ngo Van So St, 04 944 6317)
Renowned chef, Didier Corlou, formerly the Executive Chef at the Sofitel Metropole, recently opened a restaurant of his own. Corlou fuses the best of French and Vietnamese culinary traditions into a cuisine all his own. Thoughtful, surprising, exquisitely finished food. ($$$)
BOBBY CHINN (1 Ba Trieu St, 04 934 8577)
Bobby is one of those polarising personalities - people seem to either love him or hate him! His restaurant has a womb-like interior, all red silk drapes and squishy cushions. Vietnamese fusion with a West Coast twist, the menu has flashes of brilliance. ($$$)