Ngõ Nooks: Xóm Hạ Hồi's 30-Year-Old Bún Thang Stands the Test of Time
If you peel through the peaceful residential areas around the Quang Trung and Trần Hưng Đạo crossroads, you might just chance upon Bún Thang 11 Hạ Hồi, a humble, household noodle spot.
Ngõ Nooks: Căng Tin Cafe, a Gateway to the Past for the City's New Youth
Hanoi’s café scene is saturated with cafés selling a vision of the past.
Ngõ Nooks: Blue Crab and Beer for a Bodacious Snack on the Hanoi Sidewalk
Of all seafood in Vietnam, ghẹ (blue crab) is among the most expensive. Even at wholesale markets, these crustaceans can fetch from VND300,000 to 400,000 a kilogram and any buffet deal that boasts the...
Ngõ Nooks: A Blissful Fish Feast at Bún Cá Sâm Cây Si
As hot as it gets, Hanoi’s scorching summer is no match for delightful fish rolls and refreshing sour soup.
Ngõ Nooks: Cozy up at Ẩn Cà Phê With Morning Coffees and Night Cocktails
In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai’s elegantly restrained movie about married lovers resisting adultery, offers up a delicious cocktail of emotions. At least, that is the concept behind the drinks men...
Ngõ Nooks: Okachan Shokudo, a Comforting Japanese ‘Cơm Bình Dân’ in Hanoi
If there is a restaurant that is the antithesis of the biting cold of Hanoi, it is Okachan Shokudo.
Ngõ Nooks: The 'Tiny' Cafe That Contains Multitudes
Hidden down a quiet alley opposite the B-52 Victory Museum on Đội Cấn in Ba Đình District is the gateway to Tiny Cafe. Make sure you look carefully, as the sign is easily missed, and this isn’t somewh...
Ngõ Nooks: Bud'mo, a Ukrainian Welcome as Warm as a Shot of Nastoyka
“O sultan, Turkish devil and damned devil’s kith and kin, secretary to Lucifer himself…You will not, you son of a bitch, make subjects of Christian sons; we've no fear of your army, by land and by sea...
Ngõ Nooks: From Nam Định, a Piquant Bánh Đa With Golden Fried Fish
On Quán Thánh Street, a lovely couple enhances their hometown’s specialty, bánh đa cua, with a fishy touch. Adding fried fish to bánh đa cua is a rather uncommon combination, but it helps their r...
Ngõ Nooks: The Peculiarity of a Coffee Sanctuary With No Menu and No Address
"SOLitude" — At first glance, the word conjures a sense of melancholic privateness in my ever-anxious soul. But not in a pessimistic way, fortunately.
Ngõ Nooks: A Spicy Bún Lòng Cá From Hải Phòng That Takes Guts to Try
Út Hà Quán looks nothing like the kind of traditional Hanoi street food eatery that makes it to glossy magazines and world-famous food channels. There’s no grumpy grandma, no mold on the walls an...
Ngõ Nooks: Cafe Yên, Where the Line Between Coffee Shop and Alley Blurs
Yên (adj): quiet, unmoved.
Ngõ Nooks: A Classic Thanh Trì-Style Bánh Cuốn That Took a Century to Perfect
Bánh Cuốn Bà Hoành is nearly a century old, and both the eatery’s name and the authenticity of the food they serve stem from the same source: the culinary wisdom of Grandma Hồng.
Ngõ Nooks: Three Generations of Noodles on the Pavement at Bún Riêu Hồng Phúc
Connecting Hòe Nhai and Hàng Đậu, Hồng Phúc is one of the shortest alleys in Hanoi. However, this small alley is a paradise for people who love bún, especially if one is craving a meticulously prepare...
Linh Pham in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: At Ốc Cô Nhung, an Affordable Five-Course Banquet of Snails and Snacks
If there is a restaurant in Hanoi that embodies the proverb “good wine needs no bush,” it’s Ốc cô Nhung. Though in this case, instead of wine, it is snails.
Ngõ Nooks: A Salted Coffee in Gạt Tàn Is Not What It Sounds Like
Is it not just the weirdest combination ever, coffee and salt?
Ngõ Nooks: Kosmos Serves Carefully Made Drinks With a Side of Human Connection
“Do you know the difference between ‘Universe’ and ‘Cosmos’?” Linh, Kosmos' owner and barista, asks me.
Ngõ Nooks: At Đống Đa's Gác Miên Cafe, a Midsummer's Dream
“Gác" means attic, but “Miên,” on the other hand, is something almost untranslatable, simply because there is no word in English that can fully encapsulate its essence.
Ngõ Nooks: Sample Creative Coffee and Hide From Life at Chốn Hạ Hồi
Definitely not an easy-to-stumble-upon coffee shop, Chốn is located in a small, deep alley.
Ngõ Nooks: Board Game Café Minipolo Bonds Friends Over Snakes and Lattes
Hanoi is no stranger to the board game café niche, but something about Minipolo has groups of friends flocking here day and night to fill the atmosphere with chatter, laughter and the occasional, inev...
