Must-see restaurants in Vietnam

  • Cyclo Resto

    Ho Chi Minh City

    This place offers some of the best-value food in town. For US$6 you get five fabulous Vietnamese dishes. The popular cooking course – incorporating five…

  • Tin Nghia

    Ho Chi Minh City

    This compact Cao Dai vegetarian restaurant turns out delicious traditional treats without resorting to fake meat. The simple eatery's been here since the…

  • Bo Ke

    Mui Ne

    This group of seafood shacks on the shore features little more than plastic furniture and neon strip lights, but the fish and seafood are super-fresh…

  • Xoi Yen

    Hanoi

    Equally good for breakfast or as a stodgy hangover cure, Xoi Yen specialises in sticky rice topped with goodies, including sweet Asian sausage, gooey…

  • Le Jardin

    Ho Chi Minh City

    This place is consistently popular with French expats seeking an escape from the busier boulevards. It has a wholesome bistro-style menu with a shaded…

  • Fanny Ice Cream

    Hanoi

    The place for French-style ice cream and sorbet in Hanoi. During the right season try the com, a delightful local flavour extracted from young sticky rice…

  • Phono Box

    Haiphong

    With its brick-wall interior displaying old music paraphernalia and a jazzy soundtrack, Phono Box is a hip hang-out for coffee and beer lovers that also…

  • Pizza 4P's

    Ho Chi Minh City

    Close to Ben Thanh Market, Pizza 4P's has an interesting mix of pasta and Japanese-influenced pizza – trust us, the combinations work – and is partnered…

  • Rita

    Kon Tum

    Tucked up a small street off Ð Tran Hung Dao, this friendly, unpretentious place is your best bet if you are craving Western comfort food. There's a few…

  • Quan Nga Tue

    Northeast Vietnam

    P Minh Khai, a couple blocks north of Lang Son's market, is home to several com (point-and-choose dishes served over rice) restaurants. Quan Nga Tue is…

  • Skewers

    Ho Chi Minh City

    With a winning line in perfectly done skewered meats, the Mediterranean menu here takes in all stops from the Maghreb to Marseilles. It's strong on…

  • Tommy’s 3

    Vung Tau

    A popular pub worth trying for Western grub (including big portions of Aussie steaks and burgers) as well as local classics. The front terrace offers a…

  • Tuan Huong

    Halong City

    A simple local place with an English menu that specialises in fresh seafood. You can also pick your fish, squid or crab from the tanks outside, but make…

  • Miss Ly Cafeteria 22

    Hoi An

    A refined little restaurant run by a Vietnamese–North American team with mellow music and antique wall prints. Dishes include tasty cao lau, and other…

  • Yummy

    Cat Ba Island

    Second branch of this backpacker-oriented family restaurant serving an identically vast menu of pan-Asian dishes – think Indian curries, pad thai and…

  • Chi Thanh

    My Tho

    This small but extremely popular restaurant does a steady trade in tasty Chinese and Vietnamese fare (beef, pork, squid, crab, noodles, hotpots),…

  • Ferry Cafe

    Vung Tau

    Located somewhat incongruously inside the ferry terminal building, this bustling open-sided place catches the sea breeze and serves up tasty noodles and…

  • Bun Bo Nam Bo

    Hanoi

    Bun bo nam bo (dry noodles with beef) is a dish from southern Vietnam, but it’s certainly travelled north well. Mix in bean sprouts, garlic, lemongrass…

  • Ha Tien Night Market

    Ha Tien

    Some of Ha Tien's cheapest and best eats are available at the night market, which has recently relocated to the new area of the city to the west. The…

  • Refuge

    Nha Trang

    This revamped restaurant look like a gaudy souvenir shop from the street, but enter and you'll find good French bistro-style food and a fine selection of…

  • Kem Bach Dang

    Ho Chi Minh City

    Take the temperature down with a freshly made coconut ice cream (served in a coconut) or a cooling banana split at this long-standing local ice-cream…

  • Snail Restaurants

    Ninh Binh

    The lanes north of Ð Luong Van Tuy, close to the stadium, have snail restaurants serving oc luoc xa (snails cooked with lemongrass and chilli). You'll…

  • Nhu Bao

    Mui Ne

    No-nonsense Vietnamese seafood place: step past the bubbling tanks and there's a huge covered terrace that stretches down to the ocean. Crab or squid,…

  • Chi’s Cafe

    Ho Chi Minh City

    Hung with eye-catching oils, this relaxing spot is one of the better budget cafes in the area. Look forward to big breakfasts, Western favourites like…

  • Yellow Bamboo

    Cat Tien National Park

    This breezy, thatched riverside restaurant is part of the Cat Tien National Park HQ. It serves up breakfasts, OK noodle and rice standards and more…

  • La Plage

    An Bang Beach

    This beachfront place offers snacks, Gallic-style salads and other French-accented main dishes. Seafood is very good, and when you've finished dining,…

  • Da Quy

    Dalat

    Run by Loc, a friendly English speaker, this place has a sophisticated ambience, yet accessible prices. The traditional clay-pot dishes and hotpots are…

  • Ganesh

    Mui Ne

    Excellent, authentic Indian restaurant with a wide selection of curries and nan, including plenty of choice for vegetarians. The thalis (165,000d) are so…

  • Minh Hang

    Lang Co Beach

    The best seafood restaurant on the north side of Lang Co; it has a lagoon view (instead of the highway and rumbling trucks). Try the lemon pepper squid or…

  • Che

    Hanoi

    In winter try che banh troi tau, sweet mung beans with sesame and ginger, or in summer che thap nam with coconut milk, crushed peanuts, lotus seeds and…

  • Quan Hung

    Mekong Delta

    Down a lane off the main road into town, this large, open-sided restaurant is perpetually popular, serving up delicious grilled meat and fish. If there…

  • Jumong Quan

    Northwest Vietnam

    At the southern end of Sin Ho, by the edge of the lake, is this large, friendly com (made-to-order dishes served with rice), one of the few places in town…

  • Quan Com Hue Ngon

    Danang

    Fab barbecue place, all charcoal smoke and sizzling meats, where you grill your own. There's a street terrace, and the welcoming English-speaking owner…

  • Ho Tram BBQ Restaurant

    Southeast Coast

    This large, bustling place specialises in delicious barbecued meat and fish dishes. Wash them down with a cold Saigon or 333 beer. It's around 2km inland…

  • Shack Vietnam

    Nha Trang

    At the northern tip of Bai Dai, Shack Vietnam offers ice-cold beer, fish tacos (40,000d each), burgers, burritos and fish ’n’ chips. Service can be pretty…

  • Long Hoa

    Dalat

    A cosy bistro run by a Francophile owner. Westerners come here for the Vietnamese food; Vietnamese come here to try the steaks. Top off your meal with a…

  • Phuong Nhung

    Cat Ba Island

    Bustling breakfast spot that’s a popular place for a hearty bowl of pho bo (beef noodle soup) – just the thing you need before a day of climbing or…

  • Pho Quynh

    Ho Chi Minh City

    Occupying a bustling corner on Ð Pham Ngu Lao, this place is often packed out. As well as regular pho, it specialises in pho bo kho, a stewlike broth.

  • Family Bakery

    Cat Ba Island

    Friendly spot that opens early for almost-passable Western-style pastries. Pop in for a coffee, crème caramel or croissant before the bus-ferry-bus combo…