Hôi An is a small city in central Vietnam and a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site. It’s know for its well preserved Old Town dating back to the 15th-18th centuries. It’s also full of amazing restaurants!
I visited Hôi An for a week in February 2023 with my husband during our “Year Long Honeymoon.” During our week long stay we had some of the best food in all of our travels. Here’s a list of the best restaurants in Hôi An, Vietnam!
Best Banh Mi in Hôi An
A banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich served on freshly baked bread that is soft on the inside and light but crunchy on the outside. The most traditional filling is roasted pork, pork lunch meat, pate, cucumber, cilantro, and picked carrots and daikon. Most places will also ask if you want it spicy or not and add chili sauce accordingly.
The French introduced the baguette to Vietnam during their occupation of the country in the 18th century, but it wasn’t until the mid 20th century that the banh mi we know today was widely consumed in Vietnam.
Banh Mi Phuong
This is the banh mi restaurant that Anthony Bourdain made famous when he was filming his show “No Reservations.” It used to be a small stall at the market but has since moved into a larger location. They serve people really quickly so even thought it’s popular, it’s worth checking out.
I tried the standard “mixed” sandwich and my husband tried the tofu avocado one. We both thoroughly enjoyed them but I wouldn’t really say they’re that much better than the other banh mis we tried in Hôi An.
Each sandwich cost 35,000 VDN which is slightly higher than usual for a banh mi in Hôi An, but it’s still under $2 USD so it doesn’t really matter!
Location: Google Maps
Phi Banh Mi
This banh mi stand isn’t as famous as the other two on the list but I thought it was just as good and it’s cheaper! When we came for lunch there were only a few other people eating. The service was quick and friendly.
On our first visit, I had the “Traditional Vietnamese” banh mi and my husband had the vegetarian option. My sandwich was only 20,000 VDN (less than $1 USD) and it was the cheapest banh mi I had in Hôi An.
This was the only banh mi place we came back a second time and I tried the pork and cheese and my husband had the chicken and cheese. They were 30,000 VDN each.
Location: Google Maps
Madam Khanh - The Banh Mi Queen
Madam Khanh’s shop is the main rivalry to Banh Mi Phuong. These two shops are often considered the best banh mis in Hôi An.
I paid 30,000 VND for the “mixed” sandwich. Some people prefer this to Phuong, but I think Phuong was slightly better. Madam Khanh also has a full menu of coffees, juices and smoothies. The drinks are actually more expensive than the banh mis which I find hilarious but my coconut coffee was really good!
Location: Google Maps
Best Street Food/ Casual
Cao Lau Liên
Cao lau is a pork and noodle dish that is only served in Hôi An. It consists of thick chewy noodles in a light brothy sauce topped with crunchy fried noodle pieces and roasted pork. You can then add your own herbs and veggies and mix in lime juice and chili sauce.
A bowl of cao lau here only cost 35,000 VND ($1.50) but it’s not a big portion. I would say it’s enough for lunch but I was still a little hungry after eating it for dinner.
Location: Google Maps
Mrs. Tam - Nem lui, Thit nuong, Bun Thit
I was staying in a hotel near this restaurant and I saw it on Google maps when I was looking for nearby restaurants. It had great reviews so I thought I’d check it out and I’m so glad I did!
There are only three things on the menu here: pork skewers, grilled pork, or bun thit. The skewers and grilled pork come with fixings to made your own spring rolls. My husband and I both ordered the bun thit and absolutely devoured it; it was so freaking tasty!
Bun thit is a bowl of fresh rice noodles topped with the grilled pork, fresh lettuce, picked carrots and daikon, cucumber, peanuts and crunchy fried onions. You can add as much chili jam as you want then mix it all up. Everything just tasted so fresh and well seasoned here. The bun thit was 30,000 VND each.
We came back another night to try the grilled pork and made our own spring rolls. It was 100,000 VND for all the food. It came with freshly grilled pork, homemade peanut sauce, dry rice paper, wet rice paper, lettuce, herbs, cucumbers, and pickled veggies.
Location: Google Maps
Quán Vân
We stumbled upon this restaurant when we were walking through the ancient town one evening. The menu is small; they offer cao lau which is what we ordered plus mi quang, bun thit and grilled meats.
It wasn’t my favorite cao lau in Hôi An but it was still tasty and probably the cheapest meal you’ll get along the busy Ancient Town riverfront area. We paid 30,000 VDN for a bowl of cao lau.
This restaurant is located on the main street along the river. I cannot find the restaurant on Google maps but it is located in this general area.
Best Sit Down Restaurants in Hôi An
Nu Eatery
Nu Eatery is the nicest and most expensive restaurant on this list. It’s also the only restaurant we went to serving Vietnamese-Western fusion instead of traditional Vietnamese food. “Most expensive” is relative though as my husband and I only spent 600,000 VDN ($25) to have a delicious feast.
We started the meal each ordering a bao bun; I got the pork belly and he ordered sesame chicken. We split the tempura shrimp spring rolls which I highly recommend! I had two glasses of wine and Andrew had a beer. The restaurant does not have a full bar.
For our mains I got the spicy ragu rice noodle fettuccine and my husband ordered the fried chicken rice dish. My dish was good but the fried chicken and rice was a lot better. We finished the meal with the brown butter cinnamon roll.
Location: Google Maps
Com Linh - Vietnamese Restaurant
Com Linh is a sit down restaurant serving traditional Vietnamese food. It definitely caters to tourists but I thought the prices were very reasonable. It can get rather busy at dinner time; we didn’t have to wait but all the tables were full. They serve juice, smoothies, and beer but don’t have a full bar.
The duck spring rolls were so good and definitely the highlight of our dinner. For the mains, I had the roasted duck noodle soup and my husband had the com tam (grilled pork chop and rice.) We both had a beer and our total was 305,000 VDN or about $13 USD.
Location: Google Maps
Purple Lantern Restaurant
Purple Lantern is located in the An Bang beach area. They serve traditional Vietnamese food in an upscale patio setting. Despite its fancy setting close to the beach, prices are still reasonable. My husband and I each had a drink, and entree and shared an appetizer and we spent 321,000 VDN or $14 USD.
I ordered the crispy pork with fresh noodles and it was excellent. The pork belly was perfectly cooked; crispy out the outside and incredibly tender on the inside. This is another version of the bun thit that I had from Mrs. Tam in the section above.
Our appetizer was Hôi An style fried pork spring rolls. In Hôi An they use a latticed rice paper wrapper instead of the typical solid rice paper wrap. This makes them sooooo much crispier when fried and they’re delicious!
Location: Google Maps
Sua Cafe and Restaurant
My husband and I went to Sua Cafe because we booked a coffee making and tasting class through Airbnb Experiences. Sua Cafe roasts their own coffee beans and we got to learn about that process too.
During our class we made iced coffee with condensed milk, egg coffee, and coconut coffee. All of them were delicious so I’m sure if you ordered them from the cafe they were be amazing too.
The restaurant portion of Sua serves vegan Vietnamese dishes. We had lunch before our coffee class and Andrew had veggie fried rice and I had bun thit served with mushrooms instead of meat on top.
The restaurant employs locals with hearing and speech impairment. It’s a great fit for them because they can communicate with Western tourists very well; it’s not like we know Vietnamese anyway!
Location: Google Maps
For more restaurant guides, click one of the posts below!
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