Best international restaurants in Hanoi
Le Beaulieu boasts an elegant dining room
Hanoi’s cuisine offers plenty of excitement for the adventurous eater. For those looking for a break from Vietnamese dishes, the best place to head is the Hoan Kiem District, where there is a great choice of international restaurants; however, with Hanoi so frequented by tourists, it’s not hard to hunt down an international restaurant in most areas of the city.
Given the country’s history there are, of course, a number of French restaurants to choose from. Green Tangerine, on Hang Be, serves up rich and delicious authentic French cuisine with both a la carte and set menu offered.
Le Beaulieu, on Ngo Quyen, is built in a unique and modern style and has a romantic ambience. This restaurant is particularly elegant and, indeed, pricey but it serves up some fantastic French cuisine, with gastronomic cooking, regional specialties, a mouth-watering cheese board and an excellent wine list.
One of the city’s most popular restaurants is the Vine Wine Boutique Bar & Café, which is located in Xuan Dieu Tay Ho. An ideal choice for those who enjoy fine wine, while the gourmet pizza comes highly recommended. The menu also offers steaks, burgers and even the odd Thai dish.
Another fine eatery which serves up food from all over the world is Al Fresco’s, on Hai Ba Trung. This is a good place to go if you need a real belly-filler as the portions are generous to say the least. The jumbo ribs are a house specialty, while the avocado and chicken is also a highlight. Mexican dishes and T-bone steak are also on the menu, making it one of the most popular restaurants among expats in Hanoi.
Head to Ly Thai To and you’ll find the superb Press Club, which serves up Mediterranean cuisine and fine wines within an elegant setting. Diners have the choice of eating indoors in the finely decorated dining room, or outside on palm tree-surrounded terrace. The calamari appetizer and moussake are among the picks of the menu.
The Press Club offers European chic
If Italian takes your fancy then you’re fairly spoilt for choice in Hanoi. Da Paulo is one of the new restaurants in town and has rapidly established itself as a place to go among expats. The restaurant specialises in pastas and pizzas, as well as a good choice of Italian wines. More on Hanoi bars.
Pane e Vino can be found in two locations, Hang Trong and Nguyen Khac Can, and offers up a wide range of authentic regional Italian dishes. In addition, the wine menu features wine from all over Italy. Other top Italian restaurants include La Primavera, on Pho Hue, and Da Tano, on Hang Hanh.
Hanoi’s most expensive restaurant, but well worth going to if you’re feeling flush, is Edo, inside the Hanoi Daiwoo Hotel. The grilled salmon is a tasty treat, or if you really want to splash out, sample the US$110 Swellfish Course.
Some of the finest sushi in town can be found at Sakura, on Trang Thi. This Japanese restaurant features clean Zen décor and offers a good-value fixed price lunch. Among the recommended dishes are the calamari with vinegar marinade and the risotto with shrimp.
Akari is a beautiful Japanese restaurant in the Ruby Plaza building in Hai Ba Trung District. Found on the 16th floor, the restaurant provides some stunning views of the city, while the traditional Japanese dishes are sure to impress. More on Hanoi restaurants.
La Restaurant & Bar is on Ly Quoc Su in Hanoi’s old quarter and offers a choice of sumptuous Western and Vietnamese dishes. Although limited options for vegetarians and pricey by Hanoi’s standards, this elegant restaurant serves up some excellent food for those who want a break from eating from the street stalls.
If you’re searching for a good hearty rib-eye or fillet, look no further than Galleon Steak House on Tran Quoc Toan. The restaurant imports all its beef from the US and Australia and has been chosen for “Best Steaks in Hanoi” on two occasions. Throw in an ice-cold draft beer and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect evening.
Miro is the city’s most stylish and fashionable restaurants. Located on Nguyen Khac Can in the Hoan Kiem District, this beautifully decorated restaurant serves up delicious contemporary cuisine, with the ginger chicken with sesame seeds and the Fruit-filled filo dessert coming highly recommended.
Possibly Hanoi’s most famous eateries is Restaurant Bobby Chinn. The owner-chef, Bobby Chinn, is part Egyptian and part Chinese, and has built up the reputation so well that it’ll be hard to find a person in the city who hasn’t heard of it. This classy setting blends the best of East and West with a delightfully eclectic menu.
One of the longest standing Chinese restaurants of the city’s culinary scene is The First Restaurant. This large open-seated area, on Trang Li, is ideal for large groups of diners and offers up some of the best Chinese food in town. There are numerous other Chinese restaurants to choose from in Hanoi, with the Beijing King Roast Duck, on Nguyen Chi Thanh, and Ming Palace, in the Sofitel Plaza hotel, being among the best.
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