There are hundreds of restaurants to choose from in Hanoi both Vietnamese and western. These are just a handful of our favourites.
1) Quan An Ngon (Restaurant Eat Delicious - when translated)
Located near Hanoi Towers outside the of the "Old Quarter" this is a local favourite hidden from tourists. They specialise in nothing but traditional Vietnamese and I don't mean tourist Vietnamese like "Pho Ga". You get to enjoy all these mouth watering feast in the out door garden. If your not sure what to eat though you can walk around to the many stalls to see what it is & watch it being made. The best thing about this restaurant is that nearly every thing on the menu is around the 15-20,000 dong.
Some tasty treats from their menu include:
Mango Seafood Salad, Eel & Noodles, Vietnamese Pancake, Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls & a delicious dessert mad of lollies in a kind of baileys mix with crushed ice.
2) Beer Minh
Located in the heart of the "Old Quarter" on Pho Dinh Liet. The place has Vietnamese & western food on its extensive menu. Fantastic value for money with tallies of Halida starting from around 10,000 dong. If you would like to try some delicious "Pho Ga" then this is the place. The chicken is skinless and best of all boneless cooked in very little oil which is hard to find in Vietnam. Main meals start at around 23,000 dong. A meal here with an icy cold beverage will cost you around 40,000 dong
3) Cafe Moca
This has been one of our long standing favourites in Hanoi. Located 2 blocks from Hoan Kiem Lake across from St Joseph's Cathedral, Cafe Moca serves up some tasty meals of the western kind. Highly recommended is any of the pasta dishes especially the Carbonara. We did try their Vietnamese dishes once, but alas they were not of the same calibre. A meal here will cost you about 60-80,000 dong.
4) Papa Joe's
There are actually three of these located in Hanoi but you can find the same goodness on any of their menus. If you would like a view while you eat, try the Papa Joes located at the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake (A great place on a busy night like Xmas or New Years Eve) . There is also another one located in Hanoi Towers and this place possibly serves the best toasted chicken sandwich & strawberry milk shake on earth. You can order all kinds of western food here, ranging from pizza's to toasted sandwiches, wraps, salads, hamburgers and hot dogs. A meal & drink here will lighten you pocket by about 65,000 dong.
5) Kahazzana
While not a western or Vietnamese cuisine this little restaurant is home to our favourite person in Vietnam. Gopi an Indian Restaurateur living in Vietnam. We order stuff from the menu here and if he thinks we have had it to many times he just says "no (wobbling his head) , I'm wont give you that, you will have this" & he has been right on the money every time. This place is our little splurge as meals in this fancy little Indian restaurant cost about 130,000 with a drink.
Map
