Hanoi like various other South East Asian cities has a vibrant street food scene where visitors can get acquainted with traditional Vietnamese foods like noodle soups,pork sausages (gio lua), spring rolls (nem ran) fish balls (cha ca) and more though the city also has several excellent restaurants that offer a smorgasbord of authentic Vietnamese delights which are enjoyed by both local and visiting gourmands alike. Some these famous Hanoi restaurants include:-

Cha Ca La Vong
14 Cha Ca Street,
tel: +84 4 3825 3929
This renowned restaurant is housed in the rather rickety Doan family home which is located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The restaurant features its own contribution to Vietnamese cuisine which takes the form of fried fish served with various seasonings (Cha Ca). The fish is fried in a saffron tempered grease filled frying pan on a charcoal burner which is placed on your table. Along with the simmering fish, you are also provided bowls of cold vermicelli noodles, unsalted peanuts, chopped chili, herbs like mint and coriander, chopped spring onions, shrimp paste and fish sauce. You are expected to add some of the spring onions and herbs to the fish as while it cooks and then when it is done you are expected to dine family style by combining the superbly seasoned fish with its accompaniments.

Wild Rice (La Lua)
6 Ngo Thi Nham street,
Tel: +84 4 3943 8896

This upscale dining destination is housed in a stunning two storey restored French colonial villa decorated with much local art. The interior of the restaurant is truly striking and features a bamboo bar, a magnificent stone fire place and a bamboo garden. Wild Rice serves contemporary Vietnamese cuisine which displays various other Asian influences.

The Emperor Restaurant
8B Le Thanh Tong Street,
Telephone: + 84 4 8268801
This gorgeous restaurant is also housed in a gorgeous old colonial villa which is located opposite the Hanoi Opera House and the Metropole hotel. The Emperor restaurant has a resident jazz band and offers a menu that features specialties from the Vietnemese city’s of Hue like the delectable fresh Hue spring rolls called nem cuon and the banana-leaf-wrapped fish.

Nam Phuong
19 Pho Phan Chu Trinh Hanoi,
Vietnam
Tel: +84 4 824 0926

The celebrated restaurant Nam Phuong is also located within an old French Villa on Phan Chu Trinh Street in the heart of Hanoi near its Hoan Kiem Lake. The restaurant which has hosted many heads of state serves a menu that features traditional Vietnamese cuisine as well as more exotic offerings like fried frogs legs and the coveted Vietnamese delicacy of steamed snails.

Verticale
19 Ngo Van So Street,
Tel: +84 4 3944 6317

Verticale can be best described as a fusion Vietnamese restaurant which owned by the French chef Didier Corlou who was once the chef at the Sofitel Metropole hotel. This elegant restaurant is also housed in a French Villa and serves a menu which is a mélange of western and eastern flavors. Verticale offers a number of reasonable prix-fix options like the Verticale Set and The Hanoi Journey Set which provide a great insight into the restaurant’s flavorful repertoire.