Circle Coffee - Bar — Restaurant in Hà Nội

Such a hidden pearl in the beautiful old quarter of Hanoi. Remember number 49, since it can be a challenge to find. A long mysterious corridor leads the unsuspecting visitor directly into possibly the most relaxed and atmospheric place of Hanoi. In a few steps you are literaly stepping out of the busy old quarter into a small oase filled with a well balanced and uplifting energy, tasteful music and a great assortiment of drinks. The (english speaking)owner/crew are lovely people, with a passion to share the best with you, and up to friend-like conversations. The place is small, scenic and incredibly tasteful decorated, clearly decorated with all love, care, taste and attention for details. In my experience, this place goes – in all it's simplicity kept- beyond the traditional 'bar', 'drinks' and 'service' experience, it is rather 'love made visible' and thus a place you can feel comfortable immediately.

A podium and musical instruments are in place and if lucky there might be a small jamsession or musical event. Unfortunately I discovered this place during my last night in Hanoi, otherwise it would become my favourite...

Came for a quiet drink with my sister to escape from the bustling city. The hostess was really friendly and had a great music playlist on of old school timeless Christmas tracks and other chilled songs. The cafe is tucked up an alleyway, so it really does feel like you are in a bubble of quiet if you need a break from the awesome chaos that is Hanoi. It has nice decor of white and teal colours with muted orange lights and comfy chairs enclosed in little corners; giving you your own space from other customers. We were sad to have missed the live music the evening before (Sunday) as I am sure it would be a great chilled evening. I had the lemon and mint tea which (as described) was a great detox and beautifully presented. My sister had the peach and passionfruit tea which was also very refreshing, we spent 105k in total for these 2 drinks. The highlight was her really adorable dog who came to join us on the sofa for cuddles and a belly rub, so sweet! Would definitely recommend if you want a cosy quiet spot to relax and enjoy a nice drink (coffee, tea or alcohol) and a puppy cuddle! Will be back when I...

1 star is for the effort that they put in to do up the place. Ambience was pleasant but I thought it felt a bit pretentious and confused. They also didn't have air conditioning, making it quite unbearable in the sweltering heat of summer Hanoi.

The coffee was atrocious. I ordered the Circle Special (100,000 VND). For that price, I expected something at least drinkable, but it turned out to be very diluted and watery, with barely any aroma. You're much better off trying Cong Caphe (for delicious Vietnamese coffee at half the price and equally good ambience) or Blackbird Coffee.

When the owner asked for feedback, I told him about the diluted coffee but he was extremely defensive, saying that it's because I asked for the coffee to be cold (what horsecrap! Every other Viet coffee place does cold coffee well).

Save yourself the trouble - this is probably one of the worst and most overpriced coffee...