A tasty and nutritious lunch at a street café in Hanoi costs a ridiculous 45,000 VND. An upscale establishment will run you 300,000-400,000 VND. Banh mi, toasted buns with toppings, are sold everywhere and cost 15-20,000 VND.
Many Hanoi restaurant reviews point to The Gourmet Corner Restaurant as the place to go for delicious local cuisine.
Located at 32 Lo Su Str., Old Quarter. European cuisine is served at El Gaucho Argentinian Steakhouse at 99 Xuan Dieu St., Quang An Ward, and for steaks, head to French Grill at 8 Do Duc Duc Street.
There are also restaurants with Slavic cuisine in Hanoi. First and foremost is Budmo on the shores of West Lake. Since the cuisine is considered exotic and the products are brought from far away, the price of lunch in these restaurants can be two to three times the price in Hanoi restaurants with local cuisine. At another Slavic restaurant, Berezka at 239 Trần Đăng Ninh, the food is cheaper than at Budmo.
Hanoi's restaurants are inexpensive: a good lunch costs around VND500,000. If you're aiming for the most expensive meals at the best restaurants in Hanoi, lunch can cost 3-4 million VND. Stopping by Sen Tay Ho restaurant on the West Lake, you'll pay 300 thousand VND for entry and get access to a local version of a buffet with a huge variety of dishes. Drinks are charged separately.
Hanoi's best cafes include Joma Bakery Cafe (#22 Ly Quoc Su) and Fanny (51 Ly Thuong Kiet). And exoticists must visit Pet Cafe at 2 Ngọc Khánh, Giảng Võ, Ba Dinh District, a jungle-themed cafe where lizards, snakes, and spiders live in terrariums. Almost all of the animals can be held in your hands.
