Hanoi food guide5 places

Coffee and dessert

There was no milk, so he whipped an egg — and that became egg coffee

Hanoi, 1946: Nguyễn Văn Giảng, a bartender at the Metropole, could not get hold of milk. He whipped egg yolk with sugar until it foamed and floated it on strong coffee instead. That is cà phê trứng, egg coffee, and it is why a drink now sold all over Vietnam has its starting point here.

Hanoi's cafés never went in the direction of big and pretty. The good ones are still narrow, still upstairs, and their signs are still hard to see. You sit on a low wooden stool with your knees close, and in exchange there is a lake outside the window, or ninety-year-old tiles under your feet. A cup runs 30,000–70,000₫, 40 to 90 baht.

For dessert the measure is chè — mung bean, lotus seed, red bean or taro simmered sweet, under coconut milk and ice. Same family as Thai nam wan and considerably less sweet. Add an ice lolly from a shop that has been on the same corner since 1958 and the Hanoi afternoon is complete.

In this guideWhere egg coffee beganLake-view balcony1930s villaIce cream since 1958ChèCoconut coffee

Food map

Coffee and dessert

1Cà phê GiảngCoffee and dessert

The shop of the man who invented egg coffee, still here

Cà phê Giảng

Approximate locations — see each card for the exact address

01Coffee and dessert

Cà phê Giảng

Cà Phê Giảng

The shop of the man who invented egg coffee, still here

In 1946 Nguyễn Văn Giảng, then a bartender at the Metropole, could not get milk and used whipped egg yolk instead. That was the beginning of egg coffee, and his family still runs the shop under the same name. You go in through a narrow passage off the street and past an inner courtyard into a room of low wooden stools. The glass arrives sitting in a bowl of hot water, because once the egg cream on top cools the drink falls apart. Take the first few sips from the cream alone without stirring, then use the spoon to fold it into the coffee below. Do it in the other order and it becomes a different drink.

Long-runningLocal favouriteVegetarian optionsCash only

What to order

Cà phê trứngCà phê trứng (egg coffee)35,000–70,000₫ depending on the drink35,000₫≈ ฿45

Hours: 07:00–22:00
Price: 35,000–70,000₫

39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm

Before you goDon't stir for the first few sips — cream first, then mix, is the order here. There is a hot version (nóng) and an iced one (đá); the hot one is better the first time because the cream keeps its texture. The entrance is an easily-missed passage off the street, and in the afternoon you may be standing while you wait. Cash only.

#cafegiang #eggcoffee #caphetrung #hanoicoffee #since1946 #oldquarter

02Coffee and dessert

Cà phê Đinh

Cà Phê Đinh

An unsigned second-floor balcony looking down on the lake

Open since 1987 and run by the daughter of Mr Giảng, who invented egg coffee — so the egg coffee here comes from the same line. The location is odd: the ground floor of 13 Đinh Tiên Hoàng is a different shop, and you have to climb the narrow wooden staircase beside it before you see the small sign reading "Cafe Dinh Tang 2". From the second-floor balcony, Hoàn Kiếm Lake opens up whole between the trees. Inside there are only low wooden tables and old bits and pieces, so it feels less like a destination than like someone's living room. Hot egg coffee is 30,000₫ and iced 35,000₫, which is hard to square with the view.

Great viewLong-runningLocal favouriteCash only

What to order

Cà phê trứng nóngHot egg coffee30,000₫≈ ฿38
Cà phê trứng đáIced egg coffee35,000₫≈ ฿45

Hours: 07:00–21:30
Price: 30,000–60,000₫

13 Đinh Tiên Hoàng (tầng 2), Hàng Bạc, Hoàn Kiếm

Before you goYou won't find it on the ground floor — take the narrow wooden stairs to the second. There are only four or five balcony seats, mostly taken by the afternoon, and on rainy days only the inside room is used. The staircase is steep and tight, so large bags are awkward. On weekend evenings the walking street below is loud; come in the morning if you want it quiet.

#cafedinh #eggcoffee #hoankiemlake #hiddencafe #balconyview #hanoicoffee

03Coffee and dessert

Loading T Café

The 1930s villa still has its original floor tiles

A small café on the first floor up of a 1930s French colonial villa. The patterned floor tiles and the exposed red brick are original, and there are only five or six tables, which means once you have one you stay. What it is known for is cà phê cốt dừa, coconut coffee, and egg coffee served with a dusting of cinnamon, which is this house's version. There is also cacao trứng, egg cacao, worth knowing about if coffee is not for you. It is hard to find down its lane, and once found it is upstairs, which costs you another minute.

Local favouriteVegetarian optionsCash only

What to order

Cà phê cốt dừaCà phê cốt dừa (coconut coffee)60,000₫≈ ฿77
Cà phê trứngCà phê trứng (egg coffee)50,000₫≈ ฿64
Cacao trứngCacao trứng (egg cacao)70,000₫≈ ฿89

Hours: 09:00–16:00
Price: 50,000–90,000₫

8 Chân Cầm (tầng 2), Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm

Before you goOpening hours differ between sources — some list 09:00–16:00 and others say it runs into the evening, so call ahead if you plan to arrive after 4pm. With five or six tables there is rarely a free one on a weekend afternoon. It is upstairs in a lane, so walk past the ground-floor entrance and look for the staircase.

#loadingt #coconutcoffee #eggcoffee #frenchvilla #hanoicafe #chancam

04Coffee and dessert

Kem Tràng Tiền

Since 1958, and you eat it standing up

It began at 35 Tràng Tiền in 1958 and is still at the same address. Any Hanoian has a childhood memory of eating ice cream here. The bestseller is the kem que, the ice lolly — mung bean, coconut, chocolate, sticky rice. Under ten thousand đồng each, and since there is nowhere to sit everyone eats standing in front of the shop. That sight is itself a Hanoi summer. Go late in the afternoon and the forecourt is packed. There are cones, cups and mochi too, and the 450g tubs travel well back to your room.

Long-runningLocal favouriteFamily friendlyCash only

What to order

Kem queKem que (ice lolly)8,000–10,000₫ depending on flavour10,000₫≈ ฿13
Kem ốc quếKem ốc quế (cone)15,000₫≈ ฿19

Hours: 08:00–22:00
Price: 10,000–50,000₫

35 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm

Before you goThere is no seating — eat standing or walking. You pay on the way in and collect after, which makes it look like two queues. Copycat shops trade on the name along the same street, so check you are at number 35. It is a five-minute walk from the Opera House and Tràng Tiền Plaza, so attach it to that part of the day.

#kemtrangtien #hanoiicecream #since1958 #streetdessert #mungbeanicecream #hoankiem

05Coffee and dessert

Chè 4 Mùa (Chè Bốn Mùa)

Chè 4 Mùa

The oldest chè shop in the Old Quarter

Open since before 1975 and among the oldest chè shops in the Old Quarter. Chè is a dessert of sweetened mung bean, lotus seed, red bean or taro under coconut milk and ice — the same family as Thai nam wan, but a good deal less sweet. The shop is called Four Seasons because the menu turns with them: iced lotus-seed chè and yoghurt in summer, and in winter hot bánh trôi, glutinous rice balls floating in a gingery syrup that is Hanoi's cold-weather dessert. If you can't decide, order chè thập cẩm, the mixed bowl, and several of them arrive together.

Local favouriteLong-runningVegetarian optionsFamily friendlyCash only

What to order

Chè sen đáChè sen đá (iced lotus seed chè)30,000₫≈ ฿38
Sữa chua trân châuYoghurt with tapioca pearls25,000₫≈ ฿32

Hours: 09:00–23:00
Price: 20,000–35,000₫

4 Hàng Cân, Hàng Đào, Hoàn Kiếm

Before you goThe menu follows the season — in winter (November to February) take the hot bánh trôi over the iced chè. The shop is small and there are no seats in the evening; when that happens, take it away and walk down to the lake. A bowl looks small but is sweet enough that two is a lot, so if you want variety order the mixed one (thập cẩm).

#chehanoi #vietnamesedessert #hangcan #banhtroi #lotusseed #oldquarter

Illustrative image of the style and atmosphere — not a photo of the venue itself · As of Aug 2026

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