Chả Cá Lã Vọng

Chả Cá Lã Vọng is a historic restaurant at 14 Chả Cá in Hanoi's Old Quarter, in northern Vietnam, credited with originating chả cá, the turmeric-marinated fish dish that has become one of the capital's emblematic foods. The street that houses it, Chả Cá, is named after the dish. The signature is cooked at the table: pieces of marinated fish are fried in a pan over a small burner, together with generous mounds of dill and spring onions, until fragrant. Diners then pick the fish and herbs from the pan and eat them with rice vermicelli, roasted peanuts, shrimp paste (mắm tôm) and fresh chilli, adjusting the seasoning to taste. Nem rán, fried spring rolls, and plain bún are also on the menu. The dining room is traditional and tourist-heavy, with the tableside cooking giving it a lively, interactive character. There is no strict dress code, and the atmosphere is old-fashioned rather than modern or upscale. Noise is moderate to high at peak hours because of the number of visiting groups. The restaurant is more expensive than a street stall but still moderate, with a typical meal costing about 200,000 to 300,000 VND per person. Beverages include beer, soft drinks and tea, and there is no distinctive wine programme. Opening hours are daily 10AM to 2PM and 5PM to 9PM, with a break in the afternoon. Reservations are recommended for groups at dinner, as the tables are set up around the shared cooking pans. Individuals and couples can often be seated without booking outside peak hours. Because the dish is cooked at the table and involves shrimp paste, first-time visitors sometimes ask the staff to explain the order of eating. Visitors can combine a meal here with a walk around the surrounding Old Quarter streets and Hoàn Kiếm Lake, which are both close by.