Le Cercle Hue — Restaurant in Hue City

Very high end restaurant in Hue. Semi-cheap prices (by western standards) and a beautiful location with 'active wildlife' on the patio. I felt like I was in Paris. Impeccable service and very, very fancy. Staff was very helpful (if not overly attentive). Wife and I got the fixed menu for $500k VND. However, this is where our experience diverged:

My meal was not great and I'm being polite. The sweet corn soup was flavorless and I couldn't tell the difference between the vegetables in it. My main course was the margherita pizza. It was cold, lifeless, overpoweringly sweet and hard to cut/chew. Like rubber. My wife even said the wait staff asked her "too much sugar?" I got the tiramisu. Worst ever. The mascarpone was watery and no taste. No lady fingers and the coffee was bitter and overpowering and no chocolate. Very disappointing. However....

My wifes meal was memorable and fantastic. She had the steak and potatoes and churros for dessert. She said it was great and I was very jealous.

I was in hot water with my wife from earlier in the day and this place saved my but. So with that said, it was a FANTASTIC experience I would never go...

Visited here whilst walking along to river to get out of the heavy rain and admire the views whilst having a drink.

We found the staff to be initially very welcoming, however this did not last. As we advised we did not want food, the attitude abruptly changed and we were made to sit in another corner of the restaurant (the place was empty, apart from a single table of Chinese tourists playing music loudly from their phones).

We were given a drinks menu which had (for Vietnam) extortionate prices (60k dong for the local Huda beer), with small print at the bottom that there would be an additional 10% tax and 5% service - again this is a first for me in Vietnam!

After waiting 10 minutes to be served and no sign of staff to come and take our order (they were all talking behind the bar), we simply got up and left. This place offered the complete opposite of the hospitality experienced so far in Vietnam, and I couldn't reccomend anyone to visit as a result.

As we were leaving it looked like a coach of tourists were arriving, so maybe that is the market...

Le Cercle Café & Bistrot is a cozy and stylish spot right in the center of Hue, perfect for a relaxed dinner—especially if you’re with your partner. The atmosphere is calm and welcoming, with nice background music and a lovely riverside setting that makes everything feel more special, especially at sunset.

The staff is professional, friendly, and speaks English fluently, which is definitely a plus. The service is fast and attentive, and the restaurant has both air conditioning and fans, keeping the temperature comfortable throughout your meal.

As for the food, everything we tried was tasty. I highly recommend the rice with seafood—it was flavorful and well-cooked. The noodles, while good, are more like stir-fried noodles rather than the traditional soup-style ones you might expect. For dessert, don’t skip the mango sticky rice—it was fresh, sweet, and the perfect ending to the meal.

All in all, a lovely place with great service, good food, and a beautiful view...