Bún Chả Hương Liên

Bún Chả Hương Liên is a two-storey street-food restaurant at 24 Lê Văn Hưu in the Phạm Đình Hổ ward of Hai Bà Trưng, south of Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. It serves Northern Vietnamese bún chả, the Hanoi lunchtime dish of pork patties and sliced pork belly grilled over charcoal and served in a warm, sweet-sour fish-sauce broth alongside fresh rice vermicelli and a plate of herbs. The restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide Vietnam and became internationally known after a 2016 meal here, which is why the menu still sells a Combo Obama set of bún chả, a crab spring roll and a beer. The signature dishes are the bún chả itself and the nem cua bể, a fried crab spring roll that most tables order alongside it. The cuisine is deliberately simple and single-purpose: there is no tasting menu or chef-driven programme, and the appeal lies in the smoky grill and the balance of the dipping broth. The dining room is casual and busy. Tables are shared across two floors, service is fast, and the atmosphere is closer to a neighbourhood canteen than a formal restaurant, with no dress code and moderate to loud noise at midday. The drinks list is basic, with bottled beer, soft drinks and tea, and there is no wine programme. Reservations are not taken and the restaurant works on a walk-in basis from 8:00 to 20:00 daily, so the practical way to manage demand is to arrive before the noon rush or after the lunch crowd thins in the early afternoon. Prices are low by international standards, around 70,000 to 120,000 VND (USD 2.70 to 4.60) per person, with the combo set at the upper end of that range. Visitors staying in the Old Quarter usually reach the restaurant by a short taxi or ride-hail journey.