Best Restaurants in Hoi An

By Trang Le

A street in Hoi An

As a travel lover, I would like to go and see the world. Despite visiting many other countries and regions in Vietnam, Hoi An is still on my wish list which I definitely plan to approach as soon as possible.

Apart from Halong Bay, Hoi An city is one of the hottest-must-visit place in the S-line country because of its peaceful vintage ambience that you are hardly able to find elsewhere around the world or even in Vietnam. So how to get to Hoi An is my concern as well as many independent travelers’, here we go.

Hoi An city is about 30 km away from Da Nang. From here, there are two directions to reach Hoi An.

The first one is to go along Highway 1 about 27 km to Vinh Dien road then turn left for 10 km. Reach Hoi An by Huynh Thuc Khang Street, we can visit Bang Anh Cham Tower in Vinh Dien.

The second route is closer & less traffic that is going from Da Nang center via Han River bridge, to Da Nang - Hoi An provincial road, we can visit Ngu Hanh Son mountain, from here Hoi An is about 30km.

Besides, if you come from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, you can choose the high quality car to Hoi An or take a flight to Da Nang. From Da Nang, you can rent a motorbike to Hoi An or rent a private taxi to get there (You may not need to use the clock meter if you deal the price when you get on).

By any means of transport above, we can arrive in Hoi An – the great serene city of the Middle Vietnam safe and sound.

Tao pho - Sweeten Tofu Pudding

Tao Pho (Sweeten Tofu Pudding) is also known as Soybean Pudding or Doufuhua, a lighten-lovely treat from the Hoi An!

First made by the Northern Chinese during Western Han Dynasty, they were originally served with soy-sauce, eggs and Chinese breadsticks for breakfast. By travelling to different countries, Tofu Pudding is then cooked in different forms; such as serving it with sugar syrup in Indonesia or with milk and fruit salad in Thai style.

Coming to Hoi An Vietnam, Tofu pudding, in another word - Tao pho, is so ordinary and simple; mixed in a bowl of sugar syrup with cold iced water; to bring out the best taste of natural white beans. Depending on different seasons, street sellers cook the sugar sauce with jasmine flower of grapefruit blossoms for different flavours and to highlight the natural sweet in every tofu slide.

It costs not much, around 10,000-20,000VND per bowl for street-buy and 20,000-30,000VND for restaurant-serve. This is certainly the most significant street-dish that everyone should try when you spend time in Hoi An!

01. Traditional Hoi An noodles with pork char-siu
Vietnamese name: Cao Lầu
Price: 105.000VND (~ 4.65 USD)

Cao Lau Hoi An

02. Quang Noodles (with Prawn and Chicken Char-Siu)
Vietnamese name: Mì Quảng
Price: 105.000VND (~ 4.65 USD)

Mi Quang Hoi An

03. Crispy sesame cracker and char-grilled pork cake
Vietnamese name: Bánh đập thịt nướng
Price: 105.000VND (~ 4.65 USD)

Banh dap thit nuong Hoi An

04. Hoi An shredded chicken and local herb salad
Vietnamese name: Gỏi gà xé phay
Price: 105.000VND (~ 4.65 USD)

Goi ga xe phay Hoi An

05. Hoi An roasted duck with five spices
Vietnamese name: Vịt quay phố Hội
Price: 245.000VND (~ 10.80 USD)
Price and photo source: HOME Hoi An Restaurant

“Home” is a place where you always feel love, warm and comfortable. Step into the HOME Hoi An restaurant, you will feel like at your own house. The restaurant is located on the prime road in Hoi An, only within two minutes walking distance from the Japanese bridge, taking a few steps that able to reach the river. In this ancient building, you can dine on the second floor and overlook the old streets from the window. Though the established history, the building goes through the various countries come to Vietnam, leaving far-reaching influence her as the food and the culture.

HOME Hoi An Interior

Standing in the heart of Hoi An Ancient Town, the restaurant will be the first-rate choice when you want to enjoy the traditional ancient cuisine. HOME prepares Hoi An signature dishes including Mi Quang (Quang-styled noodle); Cao Lau; Com Ga (Chicken Rice); Banh Vac (Whire rose); Banh Dap (Cracked/ smashed rice pancakes); Fried Wonton and much more. Fine and sanitary dining place, in addition to the intimate service, the experience in Home Hoi An restaurant will let you can't tear yourself away.

Like at your own house

The same as staying cosy at home, in this restaurant, you can indulge yourself in the most comfortable time, which is why HOME Hoi An restaurant can always attract many diners in Hoi An.

Visiting Hoi An, travellers are attracted by not only its charm and beauty, but also a distinctive culture here. Just stepping out of your accommodation and explore the town, you can absolutely join the street hawker lives here. Travelers can try any street food or local signature cuisines from these hawkers. However, one of the best spots is the savory ice-cream cart, where you can enjoy a wide variety of colorful delicious ice cream.

Savory Ice-Cream Cart in Hoi An

On the last days of spring, enjoy the ice cream from these carts, from long time ago, has been an inevitable activity and culture of people here. As the sticks of ice cream here, are covered by small aluminum cylinders or tubes, people call it ”tube” ice cream. Its flavor brings eaters the coolest sensation ever, little sweet and salty as the daily life of people living in this area, the sunny and windy land.

Tube Ice-Cream in Hoi An

Some people say that coming Hoi An you have to take a walk around the town with the colorful sticks of ice cream on hands, which contributes a part of perfecting the colorful painting of Hoi An town.

Grilled Banana with Coconut Milk Sweet Soup is one of the richest nutrition Vietnamese Dessert. “Che chuoi nuong” is widely known in the South as sweet and fleshy flavor. This recipe is one of the most common in Vietnam and it is very easy to do.

"Che Chuoi Nuong" in a Hoi An Restaurant

Ingredients
- 10 bananas
- Banana leaves
- 400 ml of coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of corn starch
- Crushed roasted peanuts

Instructions
- Roll each banana with banana leave, put into the oven in 250 °C about 20 minutes. After that, unwrap the leaves and put it back to the oven for 5 more minutes to have the golden brown color. Slice it into smaller pieces to easy to serve.

- Add 400 ml of coconut milk, 100 ml of cold water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Mix 1 teaspoon of corn starch with a little water and put into the mixture and cook over low heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes until it become thicken.

- To serve, add about 3 – 4 banana pieces into a bowl and cover with a few tablespoons of the coconut base and garnish with the crushed roasted peanuts to enhance the flavor. This dessert can be eaten hot, at room temperature or chilled.

There is no doubt that the authentic Vietnamese cuisine is regarded as one of the best culinary arts in the world. However in order to pair a suitable wine to classic Vietnamese meals seems to be not easy. According some studies from Internet and several Vietnamese cuisine restaurants (HOME Hoi An Restaurant, HOME Hanoi restaurant, Ngon Villa restaurant and so on….), some kinds of popular wines are selected as the first alternatives when people enjoy the Vietnamese food.

Charming Corner in HOME Hoi An Restaurant

The first distinction of Vietnamese dishes is the sophisticated mixture of sour, spicy and sweet. Based on these flavor, the wine with some ripe fruits as Sauvignon Blanc should be the one of best selections. Another opinion is that the German Mosel Riesling wines pair with the lively spiciness of so many Vietnamese dishes. However many people think that, the herbal, green pepper character owned by Austria Gruner Veltliner wine is perfectly matched with many classic Vietnamese dishes.

It can be seen that as the diversity of Vietnamese food, there seem to be many ways to match them with different kinds of wines.

Color-bomb in one Hoi An Chicken Dish

It is said that to make the famous Chicken Rice, Hoi An people carefully choose rice and chicken of top quality. Only free-range chickens raised in countryside gardens, not the industrial factory-style birds are selected because poultry raised in the gardens are stronger, with a far richer flavour and more muscular meat than the soggy stuff produced in industrial agriculture facilities. In addition, local cooks season the rice before cooking it with chicken broth and pandan leaves on wood-fired clay ovens. The chicken meat is boiled with some ginger before hand-shredded into small pieces and gently simmered with ginger, crushed onions, Vietnamese coriander and other spices to best absorb their flavours.

The trick to the recipe is to skillfully make the chicken pieces smell fragrant and spicy without losing the meat’s natural flavour. After all, the chicken skin is slippery and the meat is really tender and juicy. The springy chicken pieces and pleasantly yellow fragrant rice is then topped with pickled carrots, peppermint, papaya, and salted onions.

The dish is served with a small bowl of soup containing some chicken giblets like heart and liver as well as dipping fish sauce or very spicy chilli sauce to enhance the flavour depending on the preference.

Just 3km north from Hoi An, An Bang is recently one of the most happening and pristine beaches in Vietnam. Unlike the crowded and intense atmosphere of the neighbor Cua Dai Beach, An Bang excites travel-lovers by its original, peaceful and laid-back scenery. Stepping the very first footstep on the foam layers of white sand stretching endlessly from sides to sides, you can easily meet the pure desire to cry. The beach here holds the look of a tamed beauty, wherein the sky and ocean blends in an ethereal blue color, that makes your heart skip a beat.

An Bang Beach, a perfect place to hide

In the dry season which falls between March and September, An Bang seems more gentle and lovely to its visitors. During this peak time, people come to An Bang yet, just in small groups to share the little joy of hiding under the blistering sunlight, refreshing wind breeze, soaring temperatures and calm waters. After swamping yourself in the sea of An Bang day, just order beer from a random mini bar and watch the sunset dye all creatures in the shadowy shades of night. The breath-taking landscapes might cheer up any stressful souls.

We all know Hoi An and its wonderful heritage. The impressive old town, full of ancient monuments such as the famous Japanese bridge, as well all its delicious street food. So many things to discover, to experiment and to taste.

However, there is a “not-to-be-missed” activity which is located only 3km far from Hoi An’s old town. It is called the Vegetable village of Tra Que. It is a heaven place for any Vietnamese farmer. The soil is rich and clean, the temperature is perfect to grow any kind of vegetables and the air is clean and not polluted at all.

Tra Que village - Hoi An

This small village actually provides organic greens for most of the restaurants and markets in Hoi An as well as for all the nearby areas. This is not seen as being a normal farming place, where to garden or grow vegetables. The way people farm here is pretty different from usual Vietnamese practices. No chemical products are used, only some seaweed that grow in surrounding lakes are planted in order to make the other greens grow faster.

Glad to the delicious food products it provides, this village has fast built a name in the tourism industry. It is now possible to go and visit this peaceful village and eat those juicy and fresh vegetables.

Happy hours in Tra Que - Hoi An