Hợp Tác Xã Thịt Xiên is more than just a bánh mì eatery, it’s a place to rekindle your childhood nostalgia and take in the ambiance of the street.

For me, amongst the countless number of bánh mì thịt xiên nướng joints in Hanoi, one really stands out. Lê Hoàng Đức set up Hợp Tác Xã Thịt Xiên — or the meat skewer co-op — in 2011 when he was just 21. After quitting his regular job, Đức pursued his dream of starting his own business and settled on a small, homemade food operation. It began as a humble stall in alley 66 off Chùa Láng Street, with only a few plastic stools.

This skewer place is one of the longest-running snack vendors in Hanoi.

“It was a hard time back then,” he told me. “We didn’t have enough customers to cover our expenses. We had to push through all the obstacles and try to keep the business running. Although one good thing [was] that we didn’t have to pay rent since we were only open on the street.”

Wishing to keep the price reasonable, Đức charged VND7,000 VND for xiên thịt (pork meat skewers) and VND3,000 for bánh mì, while trà đá was free. Not only was the price cheap, but the skewers were also a cut above the rest and, thanks to word-of-mouth reviews, more and more customers found their way to the stall.

Hợp Tác Xã's aesthetics fall in line with youth culture.

“There were times when we sold 1,000 skewers and served more than 400 customers in less than an hour, and there was a line of people waiting for their turn,” Đức said.

After six years of serving 50 kilograms of meat every day, together with the support of food lovers, he finally realized his dream of upgrading his stall from the alley to a proper house.

Cheeky (literally) gimmicks remain a core attribute of the decoration.

“I named it Hợp Tác Xã Thịt Xiên as I remembered my uncle telling me stories about those co-operatives back in the day; how everyone worked together really well to keep the place running. It’s the same here. I’ve had people working with me for years now. We are like a family,” Đức said.

Although it’s now a proper restaurant, the decor remains modest, albeit a little gimmicky. In an attempt to keep the street food experience vibe, the team brought elements of the “pavement” inside the restaurant: plastic and wooden stools, the “Ngõ 66” sign, a rustic brick wall, barbed wire and one of the capital’s famous electricity posts covered in black wires.

Bánh mì thịt xiên is still one of the menu's best-selling item.

Góc Tự Giác is a new addition featuring some all-time favorite childhood snacks. What’s cool about this corner is that there is no staff around, so it’s a self-checkout system if you want to buy something from the baskets.

The most important thing that makes Hợp Tác Xã stand out, however, is the quality of its grilled meat. With crispy bread and succulent meat, their bánh mì thịt xiên is still the best-selling dish on the menu. You can choose to have one, two or three skewers. The recipe might sound simple, and it is, but the real secret is the marinade. The ratio between fish sauce, oyster sauce and honey has to be perfect so the skewers come out juicy, fragrant and scrumptious.

An inviting smokeyness gives the skewers an addicting edge.

On top of that, you get to choose which sauce you want on top: coconut sauce, tamarind sauce, or classic spicy mayo. They’ve also added a few more items to the menu, like nộm thịt xiên (green papaya salad with skewers) and peach tea, kumquat tea or soy milk.

“During eight years in the business, we were on the street for more than five years. I feel blessed because I had that stepping stone and support from people who’ve been coming back,” Đức said. “Being on the street for that long was the main reason why I wanted to bring that atmosphere to the restaurant when I opened it, in the hope of creating that same aesthetic people love.”

You can find Hợp Tác Xã Thịt Xiên at 55 Chùa Láng. They open from 11am to 1pm, and again from 4pm to 7pm.

This article was originally published in 2019 on Urbanist Hanoi. 

To sum up:

Taste: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Friendliness: 5/5
Location: 3/5

At night, Gia Nguyễn is a drag queen. In the day time, all he does is eat noodles.