Hoi An was awarded the ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’ badge in 1999 and is known as one of the most picturesque towns in Vietnam.
Night view in Hoi An’s Old Town
A trading port since the 2nd century BC, Hoi An reached its peak between the 16th and 18th centuries and has a rich architectural and culinary heritage. From luxurious villas with complex menus (and flavour combinations) to street food in the hectic day markets, Hoi An has a lot to offer to a foodie. Here are some of our favourites:
Miss Ly Cafe 22 Nguyen Hue St
Delicious Wontons at Miss Ly
Unfortunately we only discovered Miss Ly on our last evening in Hoi An. Known for serving the freshest food, thanks to the restaurant’s proximity to the market. Miss Ly serves Hoi An specialities alongside some of the tastiest Vietnamese cuisine you will sample. We chose to share the famous Won-Tons with shrimp, pork, vegetables and home-made sweet and sour chilli sauce, followed by two chicken and vegetable noodle soups. The soup was unbelievably fresh and full of flavour and the Won-Tons, well, we loved them so much that we ordered another plate after finishing our soup – that says it all. Great price and superb flavours. A must visit for authentic Hoi An and Vietnamese cuisine.
Number 19 Restaurant 19 Hoang Van Thu St
Glass of Bia Hoi (Fresh Beer) for 5,000VND (20c) at 19 Restaurant
A small ‘hole-in-the-wall’ style restaurant, this Vietnamese restaurant serves fresh Hoi An cuisine such as Fried Won-Tons with duck and vegetables and White Rose with home-made chilli dipping sauce. We dined here three times and found our favourites to be the Won-Tons and the Crispy Squid or Shrimp. Wash it all down with a glass of Bia Hoi for 5,000 VND. For the price, you can’t beat it in Hoi An.
Shri Ganesh Indian Restaurant 24 Tran Hung Dao St
Butter Chicken at Ganesh, Hoi An
Having eaten at the Ganesh in Nha Trang, we knew we could expect a great Indian meal and this one didn’t disappoint. We chose Vegetable Samosa and Papadam with dips to start and Butter Chicken (our favourite) and Mango Chicken Curry for mains along with Peshwari and Garlic Naan. Serving consistently good Indian Cuisine, Ganesh is always a good choice in Vietnam, with Hoi An being no exception.
Morning Glory 106 Nguyen Thai Hoc St
Shrimp on Sugarcane Skewer at Morning Glory Restaurant – superb!
Consistently receiving high praise in The Lonely Planet Guides and on Trip Advisor, Morning Glory Vietnamese Restaurant always seems to be busy. Located not far from the Japanese bridge, the large restaurant is set inside a well restored historic building. We thoroughly enjoyed our shrimp on sugar-cane skewer starter (which you rolled at the table with rice paper and a deliciously fruity and spicy dip, not to mention the mountain of fresh herbs and white noodles). Our main courses of Pork Belly in five spice and Duck Salad were also full of flavour. Morning Glory’s food was very enjoyable, however we chose not to return, as we didn’t feel that it warranted another visit due to the price.
The Cargo Club Restaurant and Hoi An Patisserie 107-109 Nguyen Thai Hoc St
Stunning Chocolate Truffle Mousse at Cargo Cafe
Serving home-made quiche, pies, fresh green and bean salads, bistro-style dinners and exquisite-looking desserts, Cargo is one of the busiest cafe-restaurants in Hoi An. We popped in to sample the mouthwatering selection of cakes and pastries. Total gluttony took over and we decided to treat ourselves to one cake in-house and to take two back to our hotel (forgetting about our waistline at this point). We opted for the Chocolate Truffle Mouse to share, A rich Chocolate Layered Sponge and a Mango and Chocolate Mousse; none disappointed. Given many of the cakes we had tried in Vietnam looked better than they tasted, these were a real treat, even if they were quite expensive.
We stayed at the Hai Au hotel during our time in Hoi An, please click here for our review of the hotel.