11 Best Coffee Shops in Hanoi, Vietnam and 4 top restaurants

Introduction

In April 2023, we travelled 3 weeks in Vietnam. Our original plan was to visit all of Vietnam but as we were planning it, we decided to focus on the north and center of Vietnam. Therefor allowing more time in both those regions.

Our trip started and ended in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. And we also spent an overnight in Hanoi as we travelled back from Sapa to Halong Bay.

While we spent almost 4 days in Hanoi, we visited lots of coffee shops and restaurants.  If you are wondering where to eat in Hanoi and where to have a good coffee, then this guide it for you as we will tell all about the best coffee shops in Hanoi as well as the best restaurants in Hanoi.

Where to Stay

It is definitely important to have a good accommodation in Hanoi, as the weather can be a bit tricky and wet. That’s why we handpicked those ones:

• (€) Bella Rosa Hotel & Travel – A cozy spot right in the heart of the Old Quarter, perfect for budget travelers who still want comfort and friendly service.
• (€€) MAY DE VILLE Corner Hotel – Spacious rooms, modern facilities, and just a short stroll from Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Train Street.
• (€€€) Peridot Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel – Stylish, elegant, and offering top-notch service with a rooftop pool and bar for those who want to treat themselves.

Here are all your accommodation options in Hanoi

What to Eat

The best things to eat in Vietnam are:

• Pho: A Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat or tofu.
• Banh mi: A French-Vietnamese baguette sandwich filled with vegetables, meat/tofu/tempeh, and sauce…
• Banh Xeo: A rice flour pancake filled with various toppings and herbs.

Plus, lots of many other dishes made of spring rolls, fried noodle, or rice. We personally always found vegetarian or vegan option in Vietnam but also noticed that their kitchen is quite heavy and used lots of fried and deep-fried ingredients.
They are also lots of drinks to try:

• Egg coffee: Hot or cold coffee prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and strong coffee.
• Iced coffee: Made using Medium/Dark coffee passing through hot water into a cup that already contains condensed milk.
• Coconut Coffee: Where coconut milk is added.

Plus, they are also lots of fresh juices, fresh coconuts and beers to try.

Tip: Book the Guided Food Tour with Train Street to enjoy all the best food in town.

Best Coffee Shops in Hanoi

The Hanoi Social Club

When we arrived in Hanoi, it was already middle of the afternoon. After checking in, we left for the old quarter of Hanoi. We walked a bit around and headed straight for the Hanoi Social Club.

There we ordered tofu sandwiches, a Saigon beer and a ginger beer. It cost 375 000 and was quite good.

The Hanoi social club is one the best coffee shops in Hanoi and is a hip cafe with a chill vibe offering health-conscious light fare & vegan options. In the evening you can enjoy some live show and performance.

The Note Coffee

On our first full day in Hanoi, we went to the Note coffee where we had an Americano and a Banana milkshake (vegan). The coffee was nice, the milkshake didn’t taste too much banana but was good. We also wrote some notes and stickied them on the wall. It cost 85 000.

The Note Coffee is a must-to-visit in Hanoi and is most probably one of the best coffee shop in Hanoi as you don’t often see that many notes 😊

Tip: Book the Guided Food Tour with Train Street to enjoy all the best food in town.

Café Giang

In the afternoon, we decided to chill and dry our first egg coffee. For that we went to what is claimed to be the original place Café Giang. There you seat on small chairs around small tables. It isn’t the most original place but worth a visit.

There I tried the regular egg coffee hot and Tina a hot mint tea. It was nice trying such coffee. It is actually super strong and super sweet. And you need to mix it a lot otherwise it is like having 2 layers. It cost 65 000.

Hidden Gem Coffee

Next to Café Giang, is the Hidden Gem Coffee. A super cosy coffee shop with an amazing atmosphere where you can get drinks and some food as well. We loved the vibes of this coffee shop and that’s the reason it is amongst the best coffee shops in Hanoi.

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Cong café

In our second day, we made a break at Cong café, one of the biggest coffee franchises in Vietnam. We had a coconut coffee and a fruit yogurt. It wasn’t that great and with way too much ice. Plus, the service was terrible. However, the ambiance there is great. It cost 120 000.

Tip: Book the Guided Food Tour with Train Street to enjoy all the best food in town.

Loading T coffee

Loading T coffee was one of our favourite coffee shops in Hanoi. We had a rose and jasmine tea. It was super nice and full of herbs that we could ate. Plus, the coffee shop is super cosy and it cost 120 000 Dong. Ambiance, style and good price make Loading T Coffee one the best coffee shops in Hanoi.

Here are all your accommodation options in Hanoi

Railway Coffee

On our last day, we walked back to the train Street. There we called the owner of Railway coffee who picked us up and brought us in.  Once in the coffee we met a family of 3 living in Singapore made of An Australian father, a German mother and their little girl.

As it was Sunday, there were train during the afternoon.  As we waited a good hour for the train, another couple from Seychelles living in Dubai arrived.  We really had a good time talking with them. And we got to see 2 trains passing.  There we had 2 beers and a mango juice for 110 000. 

It is a must to visit the train streets and to be honest Railway coffee is maybe not one of the best Coffee shop in Hanoi but its location is amazing.

Tip: Book the Guided Food Tour with Train Street to be sure to enter the street

Best Restaurants in Hanoi

Hoang’s Restaurant

Our first restaurant in Hanoi was Hoang’s, a traditional Vietnamese restaurant with vegetarian options. We had the vegetable spring rolls and the mushroom tofu dish plus a Hanoi beer. The food was delicious and cost 223 000.

Not only that we loved it there, but you can also take some cooking class. All of this making it one of the best restaurants in Hanoi.

Tip: Book the Guided Food Tour with Train Street to enjoy all the best food in town.

Tung’s Kitchen

One of our dinners and later on lunch was at Tung’s’ kitchen where we ate vegetables fried noodles and sauté Bok Choi with rice and a beer for 263 000.

Both time we ate there it was really yummy, and we loved to sit on the second floor on the terrace as you can eat and see the bustling Hanoi going by in front of you. For the best experience, we recommend eating on the terrace. That’s what makes Tung’s Kitchen, one of the best restaurants in Hanoi.

Here are all your accommodation options in Hanoi

Veggies Castle

During our second day we had lunch at “veggies castle” a vegan buffet that cost us 180 000. It was super yummy and the restaurant amazing. There were many options and we loved everything we tried. After trying many restaurants in Hanoi, Veggies Castle is one of the best we’ve tried.

Read: Complete North and Central 3-week Vietnam Itinerary 

4P’s Pizza Bao Khanh

We went twice for dinner at 4P’s Pizza Bao Khanh. It is better to make a reservation as it is one of the most famous restaurants in Hanoi.

Our first time we didn’t reserve but as we were there around 6pm we waited 5min and got a table on the rooftop. We ordered an IPA beer, a caramelized nuts kale salad, and a half zucchini half kale pizza for 387 200. It was super yummy. On top of our best pizzas’ list. The waiting time was really good. Between the order and the pizza, 30min and we got the salad in between. But people after us already got 1h to wait and when we went out, they were rejecting customers. So better book directly from their website. Today we also paid by card. It was the first time.

For our last dinner, we made a reservation online at Pizza 4P’s Bao Khanh.  But as we talked too much in railway coffee, we arrived 30min late, but it was fine, and we got our table. We ordered a kale salad, a half mushrooms half zucchini pizza, and a beer for 432 000 dong. It was once again super yummy. As we were sitting over the kitchen, we were trying to spot our pizza and we think we did! At the end, we even got some free icecream.

Somewhere, this should maybe not be there, but after eating some much asian food, we carved some international one. 4P’s Pizza had so yummy pizza that it has to be one of the best restaurants in Hanoi.

Tip: Book the Guided Food Tour with Train Street to enjoy all the best food in town.