Bún Chả Số 1 Hàng Mành — Restaurant in Hà Nội

I made the mistake of not checking the google reviews before coming here. It seems that my experience was unfortunately pretty common. Not only do they overcharge for tourists, but they also give you the wrong change and are aggressive if you try to stand your ground.

I came here as a party of 1 and got their bun cha set. After I was finished with the meal, I prepared to pay. The restaurant staff told me the cost was 240k—this seemed a bit steep, but I figured it was because of the large portion sizes and markup for the Tet holiday. I pulled out my wallet to look for cash. The first three bills I pulled out were a 500k, 50k, and 20k. I handed over the 500k, but the restaurant staff immediately snatched the other two bills out of my hand. He then handed me back 40k in change, meaning I paid 530k. I told him that I had paid 570k and should have gotten 330k back. He didn’t understand English and started shouting very loudly and angrily at me in Vietnamese, even after I pulled up google translate and typed in the numbers into my calculator app.

At this point, all the other restaurant patrons were hearing this exchange. Luckily, there as a kind local who stepped in. She asked how much her meal cost, which was 120k (half of mine). The restaurant staff then shoved 500k in my hand then shooed me away. While I’d like to think this situation was due to miscommunication and math mistakes, it seems like this type of incident happens quite regularly. My gut feeling is that the resolution only happened because of the attention from onlookers.

I normally don’t leave google reviews, but just wanted to give others a heads up and avoid a...

My girlfriend and I arrived at the Silk Queen Hotel around 3pm on March 22nd. We were a little hungry and wanted something light, authentic, and local before dinner. The female receptionist suggested we try this place and said it was famous. Therefore, we gave it a go! This business has tables and chairs setup on both sides of the street. Unfortunately as we approached the business, we were confronted by two of their pushy female employees, who literally tried to drag us off the street and sat us down at their tables. Believe me I have traveled the world and I understand enticing customers to frequent your business, but this was rude, aggressive, and unprofessional. Next the waitress literally ordered our meal for us, 2 big bowls of Bún Cha with 2 Spring Rolls, Vermicelli noodles, and a bunch of vegetables. (For your information, both my girlfriend and I are ethnic Vietnamese and fluent in Vietnamese.)

Throughout our dining, at no point did we see an actual menu or pricing of any item verbally or visually. The waitress returned to our table with all that food and we attempted to return it, but she said it is too late because she already ordered it. My assumption is this business and its employees are very aggressive towards customers and selling of its food. To make it fair, the actual food was edible and average.

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. Therefore, I suggest trying the two Met Restaurants nearby, which had excellent food...

Disclaimer: This restaurant is not affiliated with the Michelin star guide.

This establishment closely resembles a Michelin-starred restaurant located across the street, which may confuse unsuspecting foreigners as they intentionally designed to look the identical.The restaurant’s layout includes multiple levels of seating with approximately 20 seats per level. The menu is concise, featuring three main dishes and a selection of beverages.

We opted for the first dish, which included two deep-fried spring rolls stuffed with vermicelli and ground meat, accompanied by a bowl of pork submerged in broth. Each dish is served with vermicelli and a plate of lettuce and herbs. While the presentation was standard, the flavors were quite average and didn’t leave a lasting impression.

One standout item was the pickled dragon plum drink, which I highly recommend. It strikes a perfect balance between slight sourness and sweetness, making it a refreshing choice.

Unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. The servers were somewhat rude, insisting on one dish per person and discouraging sharing. Additionally, they seemed eager to rush guests out the door by presenting the bill when diners were nearly finished with their meals. Overall, while the experience was underwhelming, the pickled dragon plum drink was a...