Amazing street food (and restaurant) recommendations for Vietnam and Cambodia

Tuna tartar at Mie Cafe, Siem Reap, Cambodia

One of the smartest things we did during our recent Vietnam trip was to start our adventure in Hanoi with a street food tour from Australian expat expert Mark Lowerson, of Street Eats Hanoi. streetfoodtourshanoi.blogspot.com. We spent a great morning with Mark visiting vendors we never would have found on our own, eating great food and learning about Vietnam’s food, culture and customs. It was a very helpful introduction to the country. Beyond that, Mark gave us recommendations for where to eat during our next stops in Vietnam and in Siem Reap, Cambodia — and we ate at several of them. Not a dud in the bunch. Sharing them below (I’ve put in red the ones we ate at.)

Here’s Mark’s social media:

Blog: stickyrice.typepad.com

Twitter: @stickyinhanoi @streeteatshanoi

Instagram: stickyinhanoi

In HANOI:

Bun cha (grilled pork) – at 34 Hang Than, slightly north of the old quarter just beyond the old water tower. Get there for an early-ish lunch, at 12 but they’ll still be serving at 2.30ish: http://stickyrice.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/10/where-there-is-smoke-there-is-bun-cha.html

Pho Ga – 42 Quan Thanh St –  v good chicken pho, mornings and evenings, also just north of the old quarter, near the old water tower  – right near your hotel!

Pho Suong – Trung Yen Alley – beef noodle soup at the start of the alley – mornings and evenings 

Bun rieu (crab broth noodles) – 11 Hang Bac, 7am-2pm.

A great coffee shop where they do this amazing special, yoghurt coffee (and you can also buy beans/ground coffee) is called Cafe Duy Tri at 43 Pho Yen Phu – a tiny narrow building in West Lake District. They have a menu in English, too. Go in, order from the little yellow menu and then go sit upstairs somewhere – second or third floor. 

Egg Coffee at Cafe Định – 13 Dinh Tien Hoang St. through a little tiled passageway and up a set of dodgy steps to an iconic Hanoi coffee house 

You can buy really good coffee at Oriberry in Au Trieu St near St Joseph’s cathedral in the Old Quarter – in the street which runs along the right of the church.

SomeHanoiEveningOptions: 

Cha ca Thang Long – Hanoi’s grill your own fish dish

State Run Food Shop 37

http://www.rustycompass.com/vietnam-travel-guide-233/hanoi-5/eating-16/mau-dich-37-hanoi-872

Excellent French: La Badiane

Excellent pizza: Pizza 4Ps

Drinks with a view at The Summit, located at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

A cocktail bar – Unicorn Pub 2A, at 

The Pasteur Street Brewery at 1 Au Trieu behind the cathedral is a great Saigon outfit which just opened here…out on West Lake there is a great one called Turtle Tower, too – v nice setting on the water.Glass of wine: Tannin Wine Bar in Hàng Vai – great happy hour 4-7pm

In HUE, one VERY GOOD street food recommendation – go here: Bun thit nuong Huyen Anh (grilled pork with noodles and herbs – lunch only): Address: 52/1 Kim Long – a km or so out of town along the river – VERY worth the taxi ride! ️

Bà Đỏ restaurant – 8 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm St

In HOI  AN:

Nu Eatery, 10 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai is great!!!! (reservation required – don’t be late!)

Com ga (chicken rice) Ba Buoi 22 Phan Chau Trinh

http://stickyrice.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/02/chicken-rice-church.html

Banh beo (Hue style rice flour cake w/pork/prawn) opposite1 Hoang Van Thu

 2.30-6pm

 http://stickyrice.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/12/ceramic-and-spice.html

Banh Mi Khanh (Vietnamese sandwich)

115 Tran Cao Van

Ms Ly Restaurant22 Nguyen Hue (warning: can be crowded with long waits)

A tailor in Hoi An – tell them Mark and Tu sent you:

Sunny  – 9 Tran Phu St

In SIEM REAP:

If you’d like a similar experience in Siem Reap, our friends Lina and Steven run food tours there. All the info is here:

http://www.siemreapfoodtours.com<http://www.siemreapfoodtours.com/>

Our favorite restaurants in Siem Reap: Chanrea Dom Makara, Cuisine Wat Damnak (v special  –  must make a reservation – very difficult to get in at short notice!) and Mie Cafe.

In SAIGON/HCM City:

Great noodles near the Ben Thanh market: http://stickyrice.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/11/a-saigon-noodle.html

Grilled pork and clams at Quan Loan, HCM City

– Quan Loan – cooked to order local food, really delicious – Cnr Hai Ba Trung St and Ly Tu Trong St

– a couple of good local restaurants:

The Secret Garden – in a little lane at 158 Duong Pasteur – great home-style cooking in a very cool setting on the rooftop of an old apartment building. I love this place! ️

Secret Cottage – through a bag/basket shop and upstairs at 12 Nguyen Thiep St

Also great cafe/shop called L’usine – 1st fl 151 Dong Khoi – but hidden in the back through a painting shop.

Great speakeasy bars:

Drinking and Healing – 25 Ho Tung Mau St

Snuffbox – 14 Tom That Dam St

And don’t forget the great craft beer place Pasteur St Brewing Company

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