9 Best Restaurants in Hanoi Old Quarter for 2025

Share This Article

Whether it’s your first or fifth time in Vietnam’s colorful capital, there never seems to be quite enough time to eat your way through the best restaurants in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. I lived in Hanoi for six years and didn’t even cover a quarter of the restaurants in this district. 

The Old Quarter is where the bulk of tourists stay in the city when traveling through, and every single road has some sort of food-centric offering. It’s an amalgamation of street food, restaurants, and shops – including many of Hanoi’s best cafes. I find the Old Quarter can often feel a little overwhelming when deciding where to eat. 

I’ve compiled a list of incredible restaurants around the Old Quarter, Hanoi, and they go far beyond just Vietnamese cuisine. (If you’ve been in Vietnam for a while, you might not feel like eating Vietnamese food every day.)

Dining at these restaurants is the best way to discover the city’s trendy food scene, fine-dining establishments, and restaurants highlighting the best of local flavors. There are even some contenders that do the whole international fare or fusion-style; tried and tested. Enjoy!  

1. T.U.N.G Dining – Nearly 20 courses of creativity 

Ladies and gents, T.U.N.G Dining just happens to be one of my favorite restaurants anywhere in the world — and that’s saying something. 

First word of advice: arrive extremely hungry for this extravagance. It’s an 18-course set tasting menu of pure culinary bliss, but by the end of it, I was stuffed to the brim and could just manage to scoff down dessert. 

Like any restaurant of this calibre, the tasting plates are small in size (for good reason). However, the dishes, ingredients, and thought process behind each plate are intriguing and incredibly creative. The interior isfull of ambiance, the service is impeccable and these kitchen masters have won plenty of awards. 

When I dined at T.U.N.G, one of my favorite courses was actually the palette cleanser. It was a yogurt skin encasing a drop of gin, almost like an explosion in your mouth. I’ve yet to taste anything like this since. They update their menu regularly so you may or may not get to try the gin drop.  

2. Minh Ky Dimsum and Noodles – Chinese dim sum, wontons, and noodles 

This unassuming dim sum restaurant holds a special place in my heart. In my humble opinion, this small restaurant offers the best dim sum, wontons, and Chinese-inspired noodle soups in all of Hanoi. 

Minh Ky is always busy — if you’re here around lunch or dinner rush hour, you might wait a while to get a table inside. The restaurant is small, and you often share the long main table with other patrons. My favorite spot is the one and only table outside.  

Every single dish is as delicious as the next, but I highly recommend the scallop and ginger “soup” dumplings. But be warned: it’s not a soup. Rather, the dumpling is filled with a bit of this yummy ginger broth, so when you bite into it, it bursts in your mouth.

They also do traditional bao buns shaped as cute characters, like little piggies. And if we are talking soups (which I always order), my go-to is the ‘mi hoanh thanh tom tuoi,’ being the wonton with fresh egg noodles and prawns.   

3. Pizza 4P’s – Japanese-Italian fusion and trendy interiors 

Another one of my best restaurants in Hanoi Old Quarter, I regularly frequented Pizza 4P’s from the moment they opened their doors circa 2015 (though I’ll admit their first branch was over in Saigon). They’ve enjoyed raging success ever since with the founder’s concept of Japanese-Italian fusion-style food, using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients, a core part of their vision.

The restaurant is famous for its parma ham pizza topped with burrata (produced here in Vietnam in Da Lat). But the dish I order time and time again is the crab tomato cream spaghetti with ricotta. It arrives with the crab shell masking the sweet crab meat below, and the sauce is a crab bisque. For starters, I go with the assorted house-made cheese platter or the cold cuts and cheese platter if I’m not doing a pizza.

Travel tip: They have two locations in the Old Quarter. I prefer the first 4P’s (a five-minute walk from the Cathedral). 

4. Duong’s Restaurant – Refined Vietnamese 

Listed by the Michelin Guide, Duong’s Restaurant is a culinary celebration of Vietnamese cuisine with an elevated take when it comes to food presentation. It’s headed up by Chef Hoang Duong (who has participated in Iron Chef Vietnam as well as Top Chef Vietnam), and the restaurant is named after him. 

If you’re in the mood for local plates that aren’t the typical street food or casual streetside eateries, this is an excellent choice. The à la carte menu includes quintessential Hanoian staples, like pho, bun cha, banana leaf salad, nem (spring rolls), and steamed catfish wrapped in banana leaf. But Duong’s does pay homage to some international classics, such as duck breast (served with orange, truffle, and herbed risotto). 

There’s also the option of going with a four-course set menu. If you’re impressed with the food, you can always join one of the restaurant’s professional cooking classes on another day, too.   

5. Chapter Dining – A foodie’s dream  

With indigenous and seasonal ingredients at the forefront of Chapter Dining, this is the epitome of Northern Vietnamese cuisine elevated – somehow – to new heights and unchartered territory. Consider yourself a serious foodie? Find yourself in seventh heaven, where innovation shines out of this kitchen.

This is the perfect example of a restaurant showcasing its local heritage but in such a way where you forget the original dish and find yourself submersed in the flavors before you. 

The thought process behind each plate is actually mind-boggling and offers a deep cultural experience. For example, you’ll find a course called “shrimp trapping” which tells the story of how shrimp are caught in northern Vietnam. A fresh red shrimp is encased in a sweet and sour fish sauce gel (creating a trap) resting on a shell case and finished with delicate herbs. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chapter Dining (@chapter.hanoi)

The 10-course set menu transports you for every course, with names like ‘stream fishing,’ ‘fish market,’ and ‘campfire.’ Just as if reading a book and its chapters. Listed by the Michelin Guide, I’m surprised Chapter hasn’t earned a star; though it’s probably just a matter of time because the food here is simply sublime.

6. The East – Diverse Asian cuisine 

Lotus seeds, banana blossoms, lolot leaves, and lemongrass. Presenting the flavors of Indochine, The East explores localities from across East Asia, from humble markets to bustling city streets. 

The food isn’t overly fussy but still full of finesse, and the restaurant employs top-grade ingredients. Think crab spring rolls instead of the typical pork variation, or phở that’s brewed up using premium Australian beef instead of the wandering buffalo in the northern hills of Vietnam. 

The menu is pretty extensive and diverse (if you’re a fussy eater), and offers plenty of vegetarian options, too. This is another restaurant in Hanoi’s Old Quarter listed by the Michelin Guide.

7. Maazi Old Quarter – If you’re in the mood for curry 

I’m a hardcore judge of Indian food — the city I grew up in South Africa (Durban) had the second highest population of Indians outside of India about a decade or so ago, and so the Indian food I’m accustomed to eating is as authentic (and spicy) as it gets. 

Maazi is up there for me as one of the best restaurants in Hanoi Old Quarter if you’re craving Indian and certainly packs a punch. The menu includes an array of staples, such as roti, naan rolls (go for the crispy prawn), tandoori, chapati, tikka, butter and chicken masala dishes, biryani and loads of veggie options. 

I always order a side of dahi puri — and yup, they are served in mini-puri shells (not unlike poochka in South Africa). They also have a great drinks selection, including premium bottles. 

8. LABRI – Trendy French bistro vibes with an Asian spin  

Blue cheese ice cream anyone? NOT to be confused with a fine-dining establishment (as LABRI makes very clear), this is an “oriental neo bistro.” 

Serving dishes such as bottarga radish (with miso aioli, siso flower, and chili pearl) or scallops with Atlantic shrimp, mushroom, and foam, the flavors are bold and plates aren’t overly busy. Inspired by French cooking techniques and incorporating oriental flare, choose between the à la carte menu or go with the daily course menu. You’ll also have the option to double it up with wine pairing (because why not?).  

If you’ve ever been to Bali and visited SKOOL restaurant (Canggu side), LABRI reminds me of this spot down to the food presentation and excellent wine selection. It’s also listed by the Michelin guide for 2024. 

9. Etēsia – Contemporary Mediterranean vibes  

Etēsia feels warm yet upmarket at the same time, perhaps thanks to its intimate 18-seater-only set-up. If you’re traveling as a pair or group and can’t decide what you feel like, the mixed menu of Mediterranean and Asian options will please everyone at the dinner party table. 

Think along the lines of Peruvian causa; French scallops and blue crab meat hidden beneath a handmade lasagne sheet; fresh oysters and bubbly, even a sake-tasting menu.  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Etēsia kitchen + wines (@etesia_hanoi)

Plus, it’s an open kitchen, so you get to witness the chefs in full action doing their thang. I love that the menu is regularly updated and takes inspiration from countries each time. Sometimes it’s a tiny little village in Italy; other times it’s the flavors of Spain. It’s a no-brainer that Etēsia is recommended by the Michelin Guide as well. 

---

Read more of our best insights from around the world

• 
  4 Best Day Trips from Auckland: North Island Quick Escapes
• 
  The 4 Best Wineries in Mudgee, New South Wales for 2025
• 
  11 Traditional Foods in Hanoi You Have to Try
• 
  The Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Bangkok, Thailand for 2025
• 
  5 Swiss Desserts to Find in Basel Over the Holidays
• 
  Dramatic Landscapes and Rugged Coastlines: 10 Things to Do on the Isle of Lewis