Cafe Hanoi

If I could give a restaurant more than 5 stars, this is the one that truly deserves it. The food was sublime. Every bite felt like a mouthful of heaven! I just stopped by for lunch because it’s close to where I work. I’ve read that it’s difficult to find the place (just go on the corner of Galway and Commerce, it’s the big red door at the back of the Excelsior building) but definitely worth looking for.
I picked one of their simplest dishes on the menu: the sweet soy & black pepper tofu with steamed bok choy and ginger. I love tofu and this is one dish that is so well-​executed, I just have to give it the perfect score. There were elements of sweetness, spice and saltiness that went together really well. The flavours were robust and exciting.
For dessert, I tried their hot soy milk doughnut with cinnamon sugar and caramel sauce. The doughnut was amazing — it was so soft and had a delicate milky flavour. Every bite was a delight. The caramel was on the bitter side, I’d dare say it was overdone. I’m glad the doughnut offset the bitterness. Should be served with a dessert fork as it tends to be a bit messy to eat — but I didn’t care, I had to use my hands with this one just so I could savour every bite.
This was one of the best lunches I’ve had –anywhere in the world. Café Hanoi is a testament that Auckland’s foodie scene is alive and well.

Took an express journey to Vietnam for lunch today at Auckland’s very own Café Hanoi. Nestled into the corner of the forever-​crowded Commerce St/​Britomart Junction, the restaurant lends a darkly oriental escape, with mood lighting and Vietnamese accents all around. The food itself is simply drool-​worthy with a menu boasting both modern interpretations of Vietnamese classics and a few classics themselves. Featured below are their Pork and Prawn Summer Rolls, Salt and Pepper Softshell Prawns, Chicken Thigh with Kaffir Lime, Lemongrass and Okra and, last but not least, their Confit Eggplant. We absolutely loved the Softshell Prawns and the Chicken, and the Summer Roll dipping sauce, but the summer rolls themselves were relatively ordinary (given their portion size and price tag). All in all though, definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for great Vietnamese food in the city.

If you haven’t tried Café Hanoi get there now! It’s best to go in a group and try a lot of dishes. You can’t make a booking, so pop and give them your number and head over to XuXu for a drink while you wait and they’ll call you when your tables free.

Café Hanoi is one of my all-​time favourite restaurants in Auckland (along with Depot and The Federal Delicatessen). And why you may ask?
Because the atmosphere is buzzing, the service great and of course, their south-​east Asian and Vietnamsese food is always full of flavour and presented well, no matter what you order!
I have dined at Café Hanoi on several occasions — dinners with friends, family birthdays and work functions. It is definitely the perfect place to celebrate something special. And if you are feeling fancy, they also have a private dining room as well.
I love that there is something for everyone on the menu, whether you are into spice, are vegetarian or like to share dishes with your dining companions. My favourite dishes at Café Hanoi include:
— Summer Rolls of roasted pork, shrimp, fresh herbs and peanuts
— Confit Eggplant with soy, garlic and coriander
— Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp with garlic mayo
— Fried Lemongrass Tofu, with cinnamon smoked mushroom and wilted spinach
— Bún Cha (Hanoi-​style grilled pork w nuoc cham, rice noodles and fragrant herbs)
— Pork Wontons with chilled spanner crab and bisque
— Pork Spare Ribs, twice cooked with five spice, ginger sesame and grilled lime
— And for dessert, I love their Sago Pudding, with white chocolate, yoghurt cream and palm sugar caramel — melt in your mouth!
The service has also always been fantastic as well — very friendly and welcoming, water glasses are consistently topped up and I have never had to wait long for the food.
They don’t take bookings, so I recommended having an early dinner here, because the restaurant fills up so quick. Or you could put your name on their waiting list, take a seat at the bar and enjoy a few cocktails. Highly recommend Café Hanoi!

Finally got in here to try the recommended good Vietnamese food. Hard to get in for a meal without being based in city, due to difficult parking and lack of possible reservations. Food didn’t disappoint but not cheap.

This was a gem recommended by a local and my tourist recommendation is have a reservation or patience! They are packed and for good reason. We came on our last night at 20h and needed to be gone by 21.45h.
We did not have a reservation and sat at a small bar watching the bartenders. They work hard and they’re good at what they do. Tall blonde woman and an Asian man — charismatic and engaging even though I’m sure they just wanted to work and not have to entertain us
We had a mix-​up with our order since we were potentially moving to a table, but it all ended up well-​handled as they acknowledged, apologized, and rectified with food and drink. We are a pretty relaxed couple so it didn’t bother us, but they wanted to ensure we were happy.
Given our timeframe to catch a plane they were quick and respectful when we asked for the check.
Our cocktails were perfect, my Vietnamese coffee delicious, and our food once it arrived was scrumptious. When we are back, we will definitely stop back in… But with a reservation!

If I could give this restaurant more stars I would just for the service. My fiancé and I came here while on holiday from the states. There was a 45min wait upon arrival but the hostess kindly saw that it was pouring outside and suggested we wait a moment while she set a table. She LITERALLY made a table appear out of thin air for us. We were seated in a matter of minutes and had the most amazing meal. Outstanding service, intensely flavorful food and beautiful presentation. Order anything and everything! Highly suggested!

More hype than flavour!
Came here with a part of 4 for a business supper. We didn’t choose well… Should have gone someplace else after lovely drinks at the Hilton.
We got a few things to share, here’s the summary:
Summer rolls were not freshly made, the rice paper felt dry in the corners because they pre make them. Not impressed!
Tiger prawns — not great. Sauce was nice but the actual mega tempura fried shrimps were not so good. Standard at best.
Pan seared squid, not bad. The squid was very tender and spicing was delicate. Still, this place does not live up to its supposed reputation.
Ginger tofu: ordinary. It’s basic fried tofu in batter, and big chucks of it, stuffed with minced ginger. It’s tasty if you like tofu, just not that amazing. Felt like I could do that at home sort of dish.
Chicken salad: dry minced chicken that was pretty terrible, with very unbalanced vinaigrette that has too much vinegar in it.
Pork skewers — this was, finally, tasty!
Desserts: we had the sago, the dumplings, and the mango mousse. They were ALL really good!!! That was the better part of this meal, aside from the good company, I’m glad we ended the meal with them.
Bottom line: just okay. Good desserts. Overall, I don’t think this place is worth the hype or the prices.

One of the best places I have ever eaten. All good, nothing bad. This is one of my favourite places in the whole world. Do yourself a favour and eat here.

The food here is seriously to die for. I’ve been twice and both times I was blown away. The plates are quite small (think tapa-​style) so get a few to share. I highly, highly recommend the smoked mushrooms and the chicken noodle soup. I’m not a vegetarian but most of the stuff I order here ended up being vegetarian since it sounded so good on the menu and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve also tried a few of the seafood items and they were top notch.
As you have to buy a fair amount of small dishes to get a good meal in it can get pricey, but worth it in my opinion. Be aware they don’t take bookings for small groups and you might have a long wait. I have been sat at the chef’s table which was an interesting experience but I think I preferred sitting at the normal tables.

Came on a slow Tuesday afternoon, where we were the only table in the whole restaurant. Ordered phở, chicken, pork belly, a salad, spring rolls, and we got the spring rolls within a few minutes, however the rest of the food took a good 25 minutes. We ordered our food at 2:45pm and it is now 3:12pm where we finally just got our food. Disappointing, overpriced and underwhelming. Avoid if possible!

Good but a bit pricey. Try the peppered pork belly in a pot. Nice environment and friendly staff. Open kitchen is fun to watch from long table in front of the kitchen. The ambience and music evoke a pleasantly comfortable memory. The soundtrack is quite nice and at a comfortable volume. The wok seared beef skirt has vegetables that are quite sour and difficult to eat without beef. Unique flavour though.

A quick Unilocal scan highlighted this place as a good spot for vegetarians. One vegetarian and two meat eaters, and we were all pleased. It was so delicious! The staff was really friendly — seated us quickly right before a rush (Tues night at 6:30pm), kept our waters full and helped us order a variety of dishes.
We got the vegetarian summer rolls, fried tofu with lemongrass, wok fried morning glory, tiger prawns, and two (very) small bowls of the chicken noodle soup. We were all huge fans of the morning glory and the prawns — like we were raving about them. I’d skip the soup, even though my friend really enjoyed his. Also would skip on the fried tofu but that’s prob just because I’m not a big tofu fan. All of this for $ 75 total, which we thought was totally reasonable as we walked away from dinner satisfied.
The ambiance is warm and inviting, with funky lighting and the kitchen looking out over the restaurant. I’m ready to go back here immediately.

This is one of the more interesting restaurants I’ve ever been to. First of all, the entrance is almost hidden. Just a red door, completely unassuming. It’s like a secret entrance! It was really fortunate that a hotel concierge told me about this place, as I would never have known otherwise.
The atmosphere is not your usual phở restaurant. It has dim lighting, a full bar, and big paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It’s not very big, with a lot of tables packed into small space, but it seems like a really fun place. It’s a little loud for a romantic date, but a perfect choice for family, friends, or anyone you’re comfortable with.
I loved the floral design of the menu. There was a page of specialty cocktails, and I ordered «So Fresh, So Clean». Made with Belvedere vodka, lime juice, lemongrass syrup, and fresh lemongrass, it was sweet, light, and easy to drink.
Most of the menu consisted of «Modern Vietnamese» seafood and meat dishes, made to share, and a little more expensive. The server told me that some dishes can be broken down into smaller portions for single diners, which is nice. Unfortunately, I really wanted to try the squid, but they couldn’t do a smaller portion of that. Oh well.
«Old Quarter Favorites» listed more traditional items, including the only type of phở: phở ga, which was $ 6 NZD. I ordered that as well as a half portion of the «spicy salad of master stock poached chicken with green papaya, garlic, chili, and crushed peanuts,» which was a traditional Vietnamese salad, or «goi.»
First to arrive was an amuse bouche, a gift from the chef to every diner. It was a steak tartare, a simple bite presented in a spoon. It had a nice, smooth texture, with a little spiciness and a light crunch from the garnish.
The phở ga was tiny! It was the smallest portion of phở I’ve ever had, served in a little rice bowl. With the first sip of broth, the taste of fish sauce was very prevalent, which surprised me. As I had a little more, I enjoyed it. I could also taste the spices that make phở what it is, and a hint of spiciness. Onions, basil, and cilantro topped it off, with lime on the side as the only garnish. The chicken was moist but not juicy, chewy with just a hint of dryness. The weak part of this dish was the noodles, with that slightly stiff, packaged taste. When I finished the broth, I found freshly cracked pepper had sank to the bottom. I enjoyed it overall, as it was a great balance of flavors. I definitely could have eaten a bigger bowl, though I would have enjoyed fresher, more tender noodles.
Next, the goi was as expected. The level of spiciness was nice, a good punch of heat. It seemed like a popular dish, since I could see a lot of it coming out of the kitchen.
I was still hungry, so I ordered dessert — the lime curd with soft meringue, with cinnamon tuille and meringue ice cream. It was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had! The meringue was perfectly light, and the tartness of the lime curd was perfect match. The meringue ice cream might have changed my life, because it was like eating a cloud from heaven.
All in all, it was an excellent meal. The atmosphere, service, and food are all top-​notch, and Café Hanoi is definitely a place I want to visit again. I’ll be dreaming about that dessert for years to come.
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Great food and excellent drinks. Friendly staff. Energetic atmosphere but not too loud.
Cocktails were good in general. The Bloody Mary was delicious with a nice spicy kick! The port royal was great, especially if you like something sweet. The Khong Sao was basically a mojito.
The lemongrass tofu was interesting and tasty, great appetizer. The Vietnamese chicken noodle soup was a nice small bowl of thin noodles with a nice coconut broth and chicken. The pork belly hot pot was the special was a good portion size (I split with my husband) and definitely flavorful and tasty but not the best pork belly I’ve ever had. The Vietnamese dessert was unique and if you are looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth this is probably not it but if you want something more authentic I would go for it.
I would definitely go here again!

It’s been a while since we’ve visited Café Hanoi. It’s always been great in the past and this visit proved no exception.
We rocked up around 7:30 on a Thursday night and got a table straight away, which was surprising. Admittedly it was the only table available so serendipity was at work.
The food is Vietnamese and designed to share. We unintentionally selected a seafood theme: scallops, squid and Moreton Bay bugs, along with choy sum and rice. The squid is an old fav but the bugs were the highlight, sweet and succulent.
Service was fantastic. Our waiter was knowledgeable, professional, there at the right times and also convivial.
The décor is distressed chic and it works well.
Recommended for date night or a bite before a concert (Vector is just down the road) or a catch up with friends. Any occasion really.

Mehhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Meh. Meh. MEH.
So basically I dragged my friend to dine with me here mostly because i had been greatly intrigued by the macroscopic lanterns hanging inside, as I am a neanderthal. We ordered two shared plates, one with chicken and the other with squid, and some vegetarian spring rolls to start. The reason why we chose the vegetarian spring rolls was because the meat version contained peanuts which I am INTENSELY allergic to, which I also articulated to the waitress.
The spring rolls arrived swiftly but upon taking my first bite, that awfully distinct nutty flavor spread throughout my mouth and with a sinking feeling, I spotted a generous sprinkling of peanuts all throughout the roll. Like the classy broad I am I spat out the contents of my mouth in front of about ten strangers and called a (different) waitress over to explain. She apologized and quickly hurried to the original waitress who took our order who I then saw mouth the words (to my complete reassurance) «OH SHIT.» She then came over to apologize profusely, followed by the manager who also apologized. They genuinely seemed bummed out and I didn’t die so, I let it go.
Potential fatalities aside, our shared plates arrived shortly after which were good in a boring way and we finished with some weird desserts and café vietnamien which was entertaining for about five seconds but tasted like Starbucks. Not even Starbucks, more like ESQUIRES. What was really the cherry on top was when my friend and I went to use the bathroom after our meal, we got slightly lost in their downstairs labyrinth (there are doors leading to other restaurant basements/​universes). as we returned upstairs we ran into some (self-)important-looking manager-​owner type who upon seeing us, said with an accusing tone ‘oh, I thought you two had run off.’ Ummm rude. Big fat ugly NOPE for Café Hanoi.

I rarely think a place is perfect and was originally going to give Café Hanoi 4 stars until my partner asked what could’ve been better. When I couldn’t think of anything, I decided I had to Unilocal it @ 5 stars. We had really competent wait staff, delicious food, drink and dessert. I liked that the menus (food & drink) weren’t overwhelming but everything on the menu had purpose. Great atmosphere exuding quality without any air of pretentiousness. Quite a popular joint with no dinner reservations, so recommend going for an early dinner (6.30).

If you’re strolling around the Auckland waterfront looking for a place for dinner — STOP. You’ve found it.
Café Hanoi does fusion south-​east Asian and Vietnamese food and it’s delicious. Went for dinner on a busy Friday night and were almost seated immediately by the bar with a choice of cocktails to distract ourselves with — mine was a delicious combo of chilli and gin #swoon
As per our previous party trick, we asked the super-​helpful waitress to choose some dishes for us as a kinder surprise, so we got to feast on rice paper rolls, beef, salmon and noodle dish and most awesome of all marinated pork ribs ever. Ever.
YOU MUST HAVE THESE IF YOU COME HERE. DROP EVERYTHING AND GO GET THEM NOW. Best pork ribs ever.
We finished off with a sago dessert and vietnamese donuts before stumbling back to the hotel. Awesome food, drink and night overall.

It’s always a problem when everything on a menu looks delicious. I’ll get the ribs. No, the seared squid. No, the caramelised pork belly. No, the confit eggplant. This went on and on until we finally asked the staff to suggest five dishes we shouldn’t miss, of which we decided on two. And then ordered four.
When the food arrived (at the speed of light, no less) my mind was blown with the beautiful and varied flavour profiles of each dish. The grilled pork with nuoc cham, was that perfect balance of sweet and tangy, while the seared market fish marinated in turmeric was gingery with a bit of spice. And don’t miss the red cabbage salad as it was super light and refreshing. I could have easily ordered and sampled dishes all day, and as I sat at the bar watching dish after dish go out, I was caught in a continual trance of food envy. I guess that means I’ll just have to go back. Often.
A perfect place to come with a large group and order a bunch of dishes to share, or come solo and sit at the kitchen bar to watch the magic happen.