5 veggie places to get your teeth into in Hanoi, Vietnam
Finding a veggie place to eat in Hanoi can be rather daunting - but lucky for you, we found some!
All of these places you'll find in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where you'll find all the trendy restaurants, bars, cool coffee spots and historical buildings.
We went here 5 times in a week - says it all really!
This dish is usually made with meat, such as grilled pork, but this one comes with spring rolls as an alternative. You get rice noodles with fresh herbs such as mint and coriander together with 10 or so crunchy spring rolls that are filled with vermicelli noodles, a mixture of vegetables and spices. This is all served with a classic bun cha dressing.
I'd recommend putting a douse of soya sauce on your noodles to give them a bit more flavour.
We were expecting the broth to be rather bland as usually it's made with bone, which is simmered for hours to make a hearty and meaty flavour. But we were wrong! They used dried mushroom with fragrant spices together with lemongrass and coriander that combined made an exquisitely tasty broth. The fried tofu gave the dish an added texture and also acted as a sponge as it soaked up the lovely flavours from the broth.
I don't think this is a usual Vietnamese dish, but it uses all the beautiful ingredients of Vietnam.
You get shredded morning glory greens on a bed of ginger and soya sauce, which is slightly sweet and sour. This is topped with fried tofu, peanuts and a hint of chilli. Everything worked in harmony, it was delicious.
Price range: 5,000 to 23,000 dong
Hidden down an alleyway off a main street is the little restaurant called Banh Mi Chay.
You really feel like you're experiencing real deal Vietnamese food as you sit on a little stool in what appears to be someone's house. As we sat there, other travellers would walk straight past and then back again when realising that this was the vegan place they were looking for.
I cannot even put into words how delicious their vegan banh mi was. The bread is so crunchy and fresh packed with the most delicious combination of flavours. In it you had: stewed seitan, tofu and veggie pate with the option to have vegan mayonnaise or pumpkin sauce too. For just 66p as well, you best get a few in.
Good for: flat whites, brunch and live music
Price range for coffee: 50,000 to 70,000 dong
Price range for food: 110,000 to 150,000 dong
Hanoi Social Club will probably be the first place you'd find if you googled 'Brunch in Hanoi'.
The ambiance is really chill and trendy inside the 3 tier cafe/music venue. Some parts of the cafe are rather dark, but it goes with the sombre, chill vibe of the place.
Their menu boosts a wide range of typical things you'd see in an East London joint, like avocado, poached eggs and smoothie bowls.
I had a very fibrous bowl of sweet black rice pudding topped with fruit and coconut shavings, which was all beautifully presented in a clay pot.
All of these places you'll find in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where you'll find all the trendy restaurants, bars, cool coffee spots and historical buildings.
1) Noodle and Roll
Where it is: 39C Ly Quoc Su, Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi
Good for: veggie alternatives to Vietnamese classic dishes at street market prices
Price range: 35,000 to 70,000 dong
Veggie bun cha
Price: 45,000 dong
I'd recommend putting a douse of soya sauce on your noodles to give them a bit more flavour.
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| We had this 4 times in total |
Veggie pho
Price: 50,000 dong
We were expecting the broth to be rather bland as usually it's made with bone, which is simmered for hours to make a hearty and meaty flavour. But we were wrong! They used dried mushroom with fragrant spices together with lemongrass and coriander that combined made an exquisitely tasty broth. The fried tofu gave the dish an added texture and also acted as a sponge as it soaked up the lovely flavours from the broth.
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| Tastes better than it looks |
Morning glory salad with tofu
Price: 55,000
You get shredded morning glory greens on a bed of ginger and soya sauce, which is slightly sweet and sour. This is topped with fried tofu, peanuts and a hint of chilli. Everything worked in harmony, it was delicious.
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| Healthy greens don't have to be boring |
2) Banh Mi Chay (aka Vegan Banh Mi)
Where it is: 66B Tran Hurng Dao, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi - you'll need Google maps
Good for: an absolutely delicious and cheap banh miPrice range: 5,000 to 23,000 dong
Hidden down an alleyway off a main street is the little restaurant called Banh Mi Chay.
 |
| You could easily miss this place if you blinked |
You really feel like you're experiencing real deal Vietnamese food as you sit on a little stool in what appears to be someone's house. As we sat there, other travellers would walk straight past and then back again when realising that this was the vegan place they were looking for.
 |
| Inside Banh Mi Chay |
Vegan Banh Mi
Price: 20,000 dongI cannot even put into words how delicious their vegan banh mi was. The bread is so crunchy and fresh packed with the most delicious combination of flavours. In it you had: stewed seitan, tofu and veggie pate with the option to have vegan mayonnaise or pumpkin sauce too. For just 66p as well, you best get a few in.
 |
| Doesn't even do it justice! |
Pillow donut
Price: 10,000 dong
We also had a 'pillow donut' aka a vietnamese samosa. This was made with wheat flour that was deep fried and filled with seitan, vermicelli noodle, mushroom, vegetables, fresh herbs and vegetable oil. A great little snack and an alternative to spring rolls. |
| The menu - simple and delicious |
3) Banh Mi Pho
Where one is: 97 Hang Bong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi
Good for: a quick, delicious and cheap banh mi
Price range: 28,000 to 41,000 dong
This place is the equivalent of the fast food sandwich shop Subway, but a whole lot better.
You'll see a Banh Mi Pho on most corners of Hanoi - usually with a large group of people around it.
Despite there only being one veggie option (the egg pate), it's something you can grab quickly and rely on to be good. The crunchy baguette is packed full of flavoursome herbs, pate and salad.
From 28,000 to 30,000 dong you get a medium banh mi, or go large (which just means more filling) for an extra 5,000 to 10,000 dong.
Good for: a quick, delicious and cheap banh mi
Price range: 28,000 to 41,000 dong
This place is the equivalent of the fast food sandwich shop Subway, but a whole lot better.
You'll see a Banh Mi Pho on most corners of Hanoi - usually with a large group of people around it.
Despite there only being one veggie option (the egg pate), it's something you can grab quickly and rely on to be good. The crunchy baguette is packed full of flavoursome herbs, pate and salad.
From 28,000 to 30,000 dong you get a medium banh mi, or go large (which just means more filling) for an extra 5,000 to 10,000 dong.
3) Hanoi Social Club
Where it is: 6 Ngo Hoi Vu, Hang Bong, Hoan Kiem, Ha NoiGood for: flat whites, brunch and live music
Price range for coffee: 50,000 to 70,000 dong
Price range for food: 110,000 to 150,000 dong
Hanoi Social Club will probably be the first place you'd find if you googled 'Brunch in Hanoi'.
The ambiance is really chill and trendy inside the 3 tier cafe/music venue. Some parts of the cafe are rather dark, but it goes with the sombre, chill vibe of the place.
Their menu boosts a wide range of typical things you'd see in an East London joint, like avocado, poached eggs and smoothie bowls.
Black rice bowl
Price: 110,000 dongI had a very fibrous bowl of sweet black rice pudding topped with fruit and coconut shavings, which was all beautifully presented in a clay pot.
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| I wanted to take the bowl home |
4) Pizza 4ps (you'll find one of these in any major Vietnamese city)
Where it is: 24 Ly Quoc Su, Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi 100000
There's another one here: 43 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi
Good for: quality pizza and pasta with a touch of class
Price range: 150,000 to 250,000 dong
See the menu
There's another one here: 43 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi
Good for: quality pizza and pasta with a touch of class
Price range: 150,000 to 250,000 dong
See the menu
Pizza 4ps would rival any good pizza place in London, for sure. Yes it's not Vietnamese, but who cares, when you need a pizza - you need a pizza - and a good one at that!
This wasn't just any margarita pizza, it was a thing of beauty. The thick sourdough crust together with the rich tomato sauce with thick mozzarella cheese topped with basil was perfection. They cook the pizzas in massive wood fired oven that you can see in the open plan kitchen.
Margarita pizza
Price: 150,000 dong
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| Tucking in to pure cheesy goodness |
Tomato Spaghetti with Mascarpone Cheese
Price: 140,000 dong
You could tell the tomato sauce was freshly made as it was rich and juicy. This coupled with the creaminess of the mascarpone cheese really made it a tasty and hearty dish.
Pizza 4Ps source their cheese from Da Lat, which is a city in South Vietnam that is renowned for it's amazing dairy produce, wine and coffee.
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