5 Restaurants to Celebrate Lunar New Year Like a Local in Hanoi

When the weather turns colder, Hanoi is covered in peach blossoms for the Lunar New Year. Tet foods are the most distinctive and diverse Vietnamese foods, best representing and reflecting traditional cuisine.

Here are five restaurants serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine that you should try during Tet, Vietnam's most important holiday.

1. Tam Vi

Tam Vi is a restaurant dedicated to the home-cooked style of Northern Vietnam, especially old Hanoi.

The menu, which is not very large, features most of the dishes that Vietnamese people have at their home.

On its Facebook page, Tam Vi suggests any guest visiting the restaurant those days should try their set menu featuring most of the indispensable dishes for the Tet celebration in the North of Vietnam. It includes banh chung, bamboo shoot soup, fried spring rolls, etc. Visitors can get a sense of the Tet atmosphere by simply enjoying the food.

Photo: Tam Vi/ Facebook

Tam Vi has a space imbued with the soul of Hanoi, which is suitable for creating gentle and profound photos. The second floor bears a passing resemblance to colonial décor, with electric brass fans and glass ceiling lamps, but retains typical Vietnamese elements. All guests are impressed by the small ceramic murals and the vase of peach blossoms in a corner.

Photo: Tam Vi/ Facebook

"The concept of the Tam Vi makes me feel comfortable and cozy. Fried eggs, sweet and sour ribs, braised pork, and hot soups are among the dishes I recommend", food influencer @yourtastemate (14.6k followers) shared on her Instagram.

Due to the restaurant's popularity, reservations must be made at least a day in advance. A minor disadvantage is that the restaurant is quite small, so large groups should avoid going.

2. Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant

Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant is located in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem District, one of the most picturesque areas. This restaurant has a fantastic view of Hoan Kiem Lake. It's on the fifth and sixth floors of a building.

Photo: Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine/ Facebook

Traditional dishes at the restaurant are elaborately prepared and decorated. Tofu with lemon grass and chili, pork and shrimp spring rolls, clams with chili, and, best of all, excellent soft shell crabs, according to TripAdvisor reviewers. Beer and red wine are also available.

Cau Go Restaurant not only brings you the best of Hanoi cuisine but also flavors from all over the country to create a menu that combines the best of all regions in Vietnam. Vietnamese traditional dishes that you can try in Cau Go are fresh shrimp and pork spring rolls, chicken with ginger, and bun cha.

Photo: Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine/ Facebook

The price is not cheap, but it is also not outrageous. A meal for two, including two sodas, costs around $25.

When asked for recommendations, the wait staff is extremely helpful and pleasant.

According to TripAdvisor reviews, Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant ranks 132 out of 2,457 restaurants in Hanoi and has a rating of 4.5 out of over 2000 reviews.

3. Xoi Com

Xoi Com is located in a small alley on Lang Ha Street, but the interior is quite spacious. The most unique aspect of this restaurant is that the menu changes daily, and you must check the menu on their Facebook page before visiting.

Vietnamese traditional rice trays with boiled vegetables, roasted meat, and braised fish will be served to diners. Fried spring rolls, Vietnamese braised pork with eggs, and pickles are some of the traditional and rustic dishes on the Hanoi rice tray that you can enjoy when you visit Xoi Com on those days.

Moreover, on Tet days, Xoi Com serves Chung cake to diners, which cost VND80,000 (US$3.14).

Photo: Xoi Com/ Facebook

If you plan on going at noon, arrive early or make a reservation to avoid running out of seats. The eatery will become increasingly crowded around noon.

The room is simply decorated in a rustic, bold countryside style. The tables and chairs in the restaurant are made of wood.

Photo: Xoi Com/ Facebook

The disadvantage is that the eatery is difficult to find because it is located in an alley. If you arrive by car, you must park it outside the building for a fee.

4. Cua hang mau dich so 37

The phrase "Cua hang mau dich" in the restaurant's name refers to a place where locals can buy and sell goods during Vietnam's subsidy period (1975-1986). At the time, goods were distributed by the state through a stamp system and were not freely traded in the market. It is not permitted for people to transport goods from one location to another.

The eatery is also designed and inspired by the subsidy period. Here, diners can relive the old Hanoi years.

To provide diners with the most authentic experience possible, the owner has painstakingly collected 40-50-year-old items for display. The restaurant uses items from the subsidy period such as soup ladles made from bullet casings, earthen pots, and porcelain bowls in the past.

Photo: Cua hang mau dich so 37/ Facebook

Dishes here also carry the same direction of the 1940s in Vietnam as burnt rice, molded rice cakes, stuffed rice, tubers, and pickled cucumbers, which are contained in enameled iron bowls and plates. Foreign guests have no trouble making their selections because the menus are also in English, which has colored pictures to help them.

Photo: Cua hang mau dich so 37/ Facebook

The restaurant's interior is designed in an ancient style, with a private area for everyone to eat. However, the space is somewhat limited, making it only suitable for small groups.

Guests can have a local Tet experience during wartime in Vietnam by visiting this restaurant.

5. To Uyen Claypot rice

To Uyen Claypot Rice, founded in the 2000s, has witnessed the history of Hanoi Capital for more than ten years.

Claypot rice with Vietnamese family dishes is served at the restaurant. Popular dishes include braised fish, ram ribs, fried shrimp, spring rolls, and so on, but gourmets always appreciate the quality. If you have the opportunity to gather with friends and family, this is the address that you should not miss.

Photo: Do Thu/ Riviu

To Uyen Claypot rice, located on the crowded Pham Ngoc Thach street, is now a favorite destination of many diners. The spacious space can accommodate more than 200 people to enjoy delicious family dishes and culinary quintessence on any day of the week.

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