Quán Ăn Ngon

Quán Ăn Ngon is a restaurant at 18 Phan Bội Châu in Cửa Nam, Hoàn Kiếm district, Hanoi, Vietnam, west of Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Its setting is a colonial villa whose courtyard is ringed with open cooking stations, each turning out a different street-food dish from somewhere in Vietnam. The format is the point: instead of hunting through separate stalls across the city, one table can order bún chả, bánh xèo and crab spring rolls at once, in a setting more comfortable and more orderly than the pavements the dishes come from. Signature dishes include bún chả, the northern grilled pork with rice vermicelli and dipping broth; nem cua bể, crab spring rolls; and bánh xèo, the sizzling rice pancake usually filled with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts and wrapped in herbs and lettuce. The menu extends well beyond these to noodle soups, grilled dishes and regional specialities from the north, centre and south, so it works as an introduction to Vietnamese cuisine for first-time visitors. The dining room is large, busy and noisy, with tables in the villa's rooms and around the courtyard, and the atmosphere is casual and family-friendly. Diners can watch cooks at the stations, which adds to the sense of a covered street market. Prices are moderate, about 70,000 to 180,000 VND (roughly USD 2.70 to 6.90) per person, and the restaurant is popular with tour groups and local families alike. Reservations are recommended for dinner and can be made by phone on +84 24 3942 8162. The daily opening hours of about 7:00 to 22:00 make it usable for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Its position near the Hanoi Opera House and Hoàn Kiếm Lake makes it a convenient midday stop during sightseeing.