Cafe Hanoi
What other Aucklanders are saying about Cafe Hanoi.
Customer : A rare restaurant in Auckland where you can get authentic Vietnamese food. You can’t go wrong with any dish you order, but you should definitely try the Vietnamese coffee with condensed nilk after your meal. You can enjoy the authentic Vietnamese taste.
I also recommend a seat at the counter, where you can watch the food being cooked. Fire and sounds are so good!
Customer : Good place for fine dining.Tiger prawn cutlets are crispy and tasty. Like tofu rice paper rolls. I had aromatic vegan curry with rice and felt so good. Servers were friendly, attentive and provide an excellent service.
Customer : Great vibes excellent service yummy food.
One thing the place can improve on is to change the kettle they use for boiling hot water .. (last time I went I saw them using a kettle that was quite plasticky, so I didn’t order any hot drinks although I’m a big fan of Vietnamese coffee)
Customer : Great atmosphere, friendly and efficient staff, delicious food. Very busy on Saturday night. Book in advance! It’s standard costs for restaurants in the CBD area. We ordered pork belly that was tender and delicious and fish. Food came real quick but fish had lots of undercooked onions which made it not very nice. Apart from that everything was great!
Customer : Food was alright. The atmosphere and drinks were great. Our waiter wasn’t knowledgeable or helpful. He seemed to be in a rush everytime we interacted with him. It seemed like he had no idea what a draft beer was and just told us nothing was on draft. We could see the bar and saw beers on tap. I asked another waitress and she provided the types of draft beers and we ordered with her.
Customer : Quite possibly one of the best meals I have ever had. The food melts in your mouth and the flavors are world class. Portion sizes are just right, not too small and not too big.
Service is great and knowledgeable about the food selection but how to eat the dishes. Eine selection excellent.
Pricey but worth every cent. Would love to go again!!!
Customer : First time to cafe Hanoi with family. Service is good, food is excellent. Tucked in ghost lane, not too hard to find. Love to come back again to try more dishes.
Customer : Returning to an old favourite can be like slipping on your lounging clothes at the end of the workday. Assuming you’re going to work, rather than working from home in those lounging clothes as we all have for many months. You know what to expect and you know how you’re going to feel. Favourite restaurants are great to return to if you’re looking for the reliably good experience that you know well. Sometimes, though, old favourites can be even better than remembered.
This was our first visit to Café Hanoi since they moved into their larger digs, in the space once occupied by 1885 bar. The room has the same design aesthetic as their former location, but the extra space creates a more expansive feeling.
After being enthusiastically welcomed upon arrival, I remembered that Café Hanoi has always had exceptional service. Information appeared to be discreetly passed between maître d, server, and other wait staff so that service is personalised, and you feel like everyone wants you to enjoy yourself.
The menu features modern takes on Vietnamese classics and is designed to share. Dry aged kingfish from the raw section was the star dish, with the perfect blend of tangy sweet and sour flavours, and without overpowering sweetness that is common elsewhere. Crumbed prawn balls had a lovely lightness that played to the fresh flavours wrapped inside a lettuce leaf with pickled veges, fresh herbs and chilli mayo. Café Hanoi have always had beautiful squid and I can confirm that it is still lovely. Delicate, without any chewiness, the dish has a nice chilli bite and lemongrass. Green beans with shiitake mushrooms were the perfect fresh greens to round out the meal. The only dish that disappointed was the Hanoi-style grilled pork, nuoc cham and rice noodles. It wasn’t a bad dish; it just didn’t stand out as much as the others.
Café Hanoi will remain an old favourite and we will return when we’re after fresh, tasty flavours with the most welcoming service.
