Namaste Hanoi — Restaurant in Hà Nội

OMG, where can l start, it's like an Aladdin's cave of food delights. I was lucky enough to have been taken here by a friend who said it was awesome, but I never thought it would be this awesome. Everything l tried is totally lush. I cannot really do justice in finding words good enough to praise it. This is for many reasons. I will go through my experiences one by one for you. I use the plural here as l went today for the second time.

It looks quite lovely as l arrived in a taxi, modest even, but clean and tidy. First impressions count a lot, and l put a lot of stock in that! It speaks volumes about what l can expect on the inside. A man at the door was there to meet and greet us. He was very polite, respectful, and opened the door for the girls to go in first. I must thank my dear friend Aemin for recommending this little gem. It is like an oasis, nestling in the vast curry desert that is Vietnam. It may look small from the outside, but inside, it is so big and spacious. The staff at the reception counter gave us a friendly welcome. You have a choice of luxury here, as there is a lift to the second floor, or a curved staircase if you prefer. There are a lot of staff on the second floor, ready to greet you. They are very caring, offering us attentive and personalised service to meet all our needs.

Once you have chosen your table, they will allow you time to get sorted and settled. The restaurant looks lovely, it has a nice feel to it, relaxing and friendly. Many other restaurants l have been to, hurry you to make your order. None of that at Namaste! The lady who served us was a walking encyclopaedia of knowledge of every dish on the menu. There were some dishes I didn't quite understand, so she went through the ingredients, describing the dish, the colour, the flavour, everything. Amazing service! My friend Aemin, is, l discovered, quite the curry expert bless her. She has been there a lot since discovering it, and never goes anywhere else now. Neither will my wife and l.

l asked Aemin to choose for me. And she then asked a lot more questions to the same lady who was kindly guiding us through our choices from the very extensive menu. The food arrived very quickly, and to be honest, it was stunning. It looked too good to eat! I was like a child in a sweetshop. We like to order separately, but then put all the dishes in the middle of the table, so we can enjoy a taste of everything. A lovely way to dine l feel. l just didn’t know what to eat first.

Being a foreigner in a warm country, l am always hot, so l looked at the choice of drinks. There is something for everyone. I love to try new things all the time, so l tried a Lassi and it was delicious. Aemin ordered some side dishes as well, in many ways, it was better than what l would get in England. Whether you are local or from another country, you have just got to come here and try everything!

For me, like many customers, cleanliness is very important. Namaste is always kept to a high standard of cleanliness. and hygiene. A lot of thought and effort has gone into every bit of the design and build for customer’s benefits. The toilet is so big, and clean. There are several hand basins to wash your hands, the taps actually work (many restaurants l went to didn’t!) There were two electric hand dryers, paper towels, and even a cloth towel if you preferred. The actual toilets were through yet another door, this is important for hygiene. l really respect the owner's foresight in doing this. Everything was very clean and tidy.

The owner of the restaurant is at the level of what l would call “legend”, and the encyclopaedic lady who served us was Huyen. So thank you both for making our experience so memorable.

All l can say to you is go there, and you will never go anywhere else! It has everything a curry lover could wish...

Once in a while, you come across a place that you can walk up to anytime and feel at home, even though it is thousands of miles away from home. Namaste Hanoi is one such place!

I visited this restaurant with my family (wife and 2 kids) a week ago when we were vacationing in Vietnam. We were expecting the regular stuff like any Indian restaurant in a foreign country and didn't want to experiment. So, we just went with a standard thali for ourselves for lunch.

Just then the owner, Mr. Gopi walked up to us. His first comment was: 'If you are alone, please order a thali so you can get variety; but if you are with family, be open to experimentation!'. It was as though he read our mind.

We got a little comfortable with his way of talking and listened to his philosophy of food. It was quite amazing to see how passionate he was about food and his unrequited love for serving Indian food in a foreign location. He considers the restaurant as a service more than a business and thats what keeps him here in Hanoi. His dedication to the work and the care he shows to his staff is commendable. He has been able to retain his chef and team for more than 20 years thanks to his ability to take care of the entire team (even during covid times).

While the first meal was what we ordered (thali), we went back again for dinner. This time, we let Mr. Gopi choose what we should eat since he seemed to have understood the tastes of me and my family. His understanding of the tastes of my finicky daughters was stunning. He picked the right items for them and my daughters ended their meal stating, 'this is finger-licking goood!' Such a satisfying moment to see a reaction like that from my daughters.

The choice of food that he prepared for us was just unbelievable. You wouldn't eat those dishes in any restaurant, not even in India. Because these were dishes that are usually made only in South Indian homes. A taste of some of the dishes that he presented and the improvisations he had made to standard dishes reminded us of our childhood food and made it even more delicious. We loved every item that was served to us and never questioned any of Mr. Gopi's choices. It was such a blissful experience when it felt like we were at home and not at a restaurant. Mr. Gopi eventually became Gopi Maama (uncle) for me and my wife and Gopi Thatha (grand dad) for my daughters.

Our travel agency had also booked a lunch meal at the same place for us the next day. We again let Mr. Gopi give us whatever his choice was and it was truly amazing. We never felt truly satisfied the way were at Namaste Hanoi, thanks to Gopi Maama and his amazing team. I will recommend this place to anybody any day. Just walk in and let Mr. Gopi choose your pick. You will also come back saying, 'it was...

Pretty bad experience to be completely honest. When I entered the restaurant there was no one to greet me or ask me or show me where to sit . After waiting for 4-5 mins I asked a waiter to tell me where to sit because by this time i was completely clueless. She told me to wait and sit on the sofa and she will let me know when they have an empty table. There were a lot of empty tables according to me but not according to them . After waiting for 20mins on the sofa I asked the same person again as to what should i do and to provide me a table for 1 person and then she talk ok sir sorry I forgot about you we have an empty table here . After sitting down it took around 5-8 mins for the menu to arrive. And more 10-12 mins for the order to be taken after trying to seek attention from the person taking orders who to my knowledge was also the owner of the place or was acting like one im not sure . I asked about a dish named Chicken Kolhapuri and if it had vegetables in it and was told to read the menu myself in a very sternly manner by the owner himself. Then I ordered Chicken kadai after reading the whole menu and no one to suggest anything i was by myself here . Food arrived after 10-12 mins after that . Food was mediocre or sub par to be honest. The naan looked more a tandoori roti trying to be a naan 🫓 . I also ordered Saffron rice which was rice with yellow colour and no signs of saffron not even a strand of saffron in it . I completed the meal anyhow and asked for the bill which took 10 mins more . While i was waiting I noticed an Indian couple who ordered Dosa before and tried to order 1 more after they has finished the first one . The owner refused to serve them and told them they cannot serve them because they are too busy and Dosa takes alot of time to make . They straight up refused to serve them . I guess If they ordered something more expensive they might serve them . There are far better places nearby to go . Not recommended at all 👎👎👎 meal cost about 300000vnd...