Old Hanoi — Restaurant in Prague

We came to Old Hanoi after seeing the 4.6-star reviews and beautiful pictures online. The place itself is really nicely decorated, and the vibe felt promising. Prices were totally fair for how stylish it looked — we were actually excited to try a few things.

But unfortunately, the food didn’t live up to the expectations at all.

We ordered four different starters, including one that mentioned “filet mignon.” What we got didn’t taste like filet mignon (or much of anything, to be honest). Everything — tofu, meat, salad — had the same kind of bland, flavorless vibe. No fresh herbs, no lime, no mint, no spice… just lettuce and soft textures with zero contrast.

Also, all the food came literally two minutes after ordering, which made it feel like it had been sitting in the kitchen, just waiting to be plated.

It wasn’t awful in a “we need to complain” way — just really underwhelming. Not what you expect when a place has such glowing reviews. The service was okay, but not very warm. We waited over 10 minutes to pay and ended up walking to the counter ourselves.

Overall, the place looks like it should be amazing — and maybe we just caught it on an off day — but for us, it really...

We had a lunch experience here under the recommendation of a friend. We came back the next day because the food was nice and the location very convenient. We had the Beef Pho in a stone bowl, a little bland compared to the traditional Beef Pho but a little fish sauce can make a nice difference. The traditional Beef Pho was with good flavors. We also had dishes like Vietnamese clam soup, jelly fish salad, shaking beef, stir fried squid with vegetables, roasted duck, Hanoi Beef Pho. All were done with the flavors we were expecting. For dessert, we had lovely fermented black sticky rice with yoghurt. Portions are reasonable.

The restaurant is designed in a way that recreates Hanoi's atmosphere. Inside the restaurant, there are details such as electric poles and wires, as well as familiar street names like Hàng Bông, Lý Nam Đế, and Tràng Tiền, etc. The whole space truly evokes the spirit of Hanoi, offering Vietnamese people abroad a nostalgic taste of home, while also giving customers a glimpse into the charm of Hanoi...

As a lover of Vietnamese cuisine, I alwayed wanted to visit this restaurant.The food was delicious and the atmosphere pleasant, I was deeply disappointed with the staff’s handling of a serious issue. I have a peanut allergy and specifically requested my meal to be prepared without peanuts. Unfortunately, after starting to eat, I discovered the dish did contain peanuts. When I asked the server to confirm, she laughed and admitted she had forgotten to inform the chef of my request.

Thankfully, my allergy isn’t severe, but I did experience discomfort later in the evening due to the peanuts. What’s more, there was no offer to replace the meal. I had it packed as a takeaway and gave it to my friend instead. This experience highlighted a significant lack of attentiveness to dietary restrictions, which is unacceptable. I urge the staff to be far more careful with such matters...