27A Old Town with POOL

Now with a two-storey expansion and lush courtyard, English-speaking staff and a photo menu, this vintage tea house is more tourist-friendly. It retains its North Vietnamese charm with antique decor, artwork and a rustic elegance, and continues to impart the essence of Vietnamese cuisine. Highlights include chả ốc (ham with periwinkle snails) served with herbs, vegetables, vermicelli and fish sauce, and the subtle crab soup with malabar spinach in a clear broth.

Popular with tourists, Bun Cha Ta offers various bún chả and fried spring rolls. The classic bún chả features tender, smoky grilled pork, well-seasoned meat patties and smooth rice noodles with a balanced soup base. Among the crispy spring rolls, the seafood crab version delivers a consummate umami flavour, while the chicken is rich and meaty. They also offer rice noodles with fried tofu and tomato sauce and fried spring rolls for vegetarians.

Located near Hàng Hòm Street, this no-frills chicken phở eatery has earned loyal fans with its rich, satisfying bowls. Native fowl is gently simmered to retain a chewy tenderness, and paired with rice noodles, herbs and steaming hot broth. Xôi gà – sticky rice with chicken and extras like egg or gizzards – is also popular and often sells out early. Always buzzing, from morning to midnight, this is one of Hanoi's long-standing specialists in chicken phở.

One of three branches in Hanoi, this small phở eatery enjoys a fine reputation, but beware of imitations in the city. The menu offers 10 impressive phở options, including tái and chin (brisket), nạm (flank beef) and bắp trần (beef fillet). A competent team operates the compact corner kitchen, which is visible through a glazed partition. The phở itself is hearty and supremely refreshing with tender pieces of beef that melt in the mouth.

At nearly 40 years old, this gem in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is popular for its array of eel dishes — cold or stir-fried, served with vermicelli in soup, as well as in congee and spring rolls. In winter, a steaming bowl of vermicelli with crisp, shredded eel is hard to beat; in summer, a refreshing salad is a must-try.

For over a decade, this small shop has been known for its crispy bánh xèo pancake with various fillings. For first-timers, English-speaking servers helpfully explain how the pancake is wrapped in rice paper with veggies and herbs, and dunked in the tangy fish sauce before being consumed. In addition to the signature pancake, hot pot, spring roll, rice noodles and barbecues are their strong suits.

Many restaurants in Vietnam focus on a concise menu starring one key ingredient. In this 40-plus-year-old shop, the menu revolves around eel as in eel noodles, eel congee and eel soup. For the noodles, they use rice vermicelli which is made into noodle soup, or tossed with deep-fried shredded eel, herbs, toasted peanuts and shallots. Shredded pork sausage and shiitake mushrooms are added to the soup and congee to further boost the umami.