Botan Bar & Dine — Restaurant in Hà Nội

You’re tired and too hot after wandering the frantic streets of Hanoi, consuming endless delicious street foods and sweating out liquids as fast as you can consume them.

Which is why you need the perfect sundowner. And Botan delivers. All about the vibe, the view and the perfectly crafted drinks. It has a touch of the old world with a blend of classic and modern in both design of the space - the tiled bar, adorned with plants is the centerpiece - and in the drinks menu. Can’t tails are consistently mixed well. I always feel like a Negroni or a Margarita gets the measure of a place and both were perfect and elevated, every time.

As the sun goes down, and the lights come on, Botan rises to the occasion. Vibe improves exponentially and the relaxed music just adds to the experience.

When they choose to put on the old soul and jazz, it really elevates the space too. Beautiful hospitality. I think if it were my bar, I’d stick to a theme with the music and stay with classic soul and jazz, even French. Music makes it and we found when they went a little more with Pop music, it killed the vibe. Nobody is going to Botan to listen to Tay Tay.

And thanks to the team for the service and hospitality (blink blink @will) we found all the staff to be fun, kind and always impeccably turned out. So fancy.

Pop in for a sundowner, pull up a stool overlooking the hustle of Hanoi and enjoy a perfect drink while you realise this life is actually...

Once upon a time, while staying at a lovely hotel in Hanoi, I found myself craving a cocktail. Usually hotel bars are nothing special, so when I made my way up to Level 9 I had only moderate expectations of what I would find. Especially since I come from Melbourne, where cocktail making is basically a competitive sport.

But instead, I was genuinely blown away by the level of service I received and the quality of drinks delivered. Ryan, An and Harry are clearly experts at their craft and go out of their way to make sure each guest at Botan is well taken care of. They talked me through the cocktail menu and offered brief descriptions of the flavours to help me decide what I was after. And even pointed out landmarks around Hanoi that we could see from the balcony that I was curious about.

I can’t recommend Botan highly enough if you’re cocktail connoisseur or just looking for a basic beer.

The only disappointment was seeing how inappropriate the staff uniforms were for the climate. The weather in Hanoi in winter can get quite cold, and on top of the building at night it can get colder still, and the staff were outfitted in thin shirts and weren’t provided with thermal gloves while handling ice cold drinks. It was the only let down of an otherwise very luxurious establishment - but sadly there’s nothing luxurious about a business that doesn’t prioritise the safety and wellbeing...

We came here rather spontaneously, looking for a warm place in the rainy weather and had one of the best evenings in Vietnam. We had a talk about life, friends and family with An (Anthony), Quan (Ryan) and Tiny Tony (sorry bro;)). Through the talk we have learned more about the people in Vietnam and especially in Hanoi. The drinks were also excellent. Whenever we asked for advice, we got the best help. At the end, we had a really great evening and experience and if you’re looking for a chilled and cozy evening, we’d advise you to come here. P.S. The music and the view of the city were also...