Best Bars In Hanoi – Budget Travel In Vietnam

Hanoi has literally hundreds of bars in the lively ‘pub street’ area. It also has some fantastic coffee shops for that morning lift.

If you want to experience the best of Hanoi nightlife, you need to head towards the Pub Street area (map). Here you will find hundreds of bars all competing with each other to offer the lowest prices.

You will also find Bia Hoi in this area. This is a drinking culture only found in northern Vietnam. Locals and travellers sit together on small plastic stools drinking beer that was locally produced that day. Expect to pay no more than 30p per beer (often cheaper).

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Best Bars In Hanoi

1984 Restaurant

A good spot to sit and watch the busy streets below as this bar has two upper levels. There wasn’t anything happening on floor 2 apart from a tattoo parlour. Maybe it was busier upstairs. It had well-priced beer though so was a decent spot for some late night people-watching. Map.

Beer 2KU

On our first and only visit to ‘Beer 2KU’ (map),  we found it to be surprisingly quiet for a bar that is so close to pub street. The beer wasn’t great and we only stayed for the one drink. I’m sure that this place must have livelier nights as it is right next door to a hostel and it seemed like it was targetting the younger backpackers.

Binh Minh Jazz Club

A very nice jazz club providing live jazz located in the Hanoi French quarter. Unfortunately, the band were great apart from the trumpet player who just was not ready to play with such accomplished musicians. He was out of tune and it was painful to listen to at times. The beer is very expensive when the band is playing. Because of this, we watched the first set then went elsewhere. (Map).

C-Brewmaster Craft Beer

There are literally hundreds of bars in this area and the beer is very cheap. I was sat drinking a cheap beer whenI spotted C-Brewmaster Craft Beer. I fancied a change from ‘Ha Noi’ beer but I was also aware that craft beer had been very expensive on our travels so far. Thankfully, this place stocked nothing but local craft beer, meaning the prices were more than reasonable.  The beer was VERY GOOD! I sampled teh blonde, the dark porter, the coffee stout and even a Pho beer (based on the famous noodle dish)! All were delicious and reasonably priced. (Map).

Danger Zone Beer

I would have walked past this bar until I noticed they were selling ‘Fuzzy Logic’ beer. I had tried this beer in Ho Chi Minh and found it to be very tasty. The board outside said the happy hour price was 60,000 Dong but when we paid it was 90,000. The woman said it was another Fuzzy Logic beer that was on offer. So we felt a bit ripped off but the beer was still delicious.

Hanoi Social Club

I visited Hanoi Social Club (map) for a night of ‘folkadelia’ performed by local musicians. The venue is a very hip place and the concert took place on the open rooftop area. It was a beautiful setting for a concert and fitted the soft, acoustic musicians perfectly. We also had food which was decent. They offer vegan and gluten-free options.

Lua Craft Beer

Lua Craft Beer (map) is situated on the second floor on the street where the night market is held, it gives a great opportunity for some people-watching and serves well-priced craft beer with complimentary chips.

Nha Hang Legend Beer

This was the first bar we visited in Hanoi. It overlooks the area at the north of Ho Hoan Kiem lake. We visited here to watch Thailand in the Asian Football. We also met up with one of Joanna’s old friends who we would spend more time with over our Hanoi stay. The beer was good but it was the most expensive bar we visited in Hanoi. (Map).

Puku Cafe & Bar

Puku Cafe & Bar (map) is a dangerous place to discover as it’s one of those places where you find it hard to leave. The bar is open 24 hours a day and shows live sports on a big screen. They sell decent pub grub which can be a nice change if you fancy a taste of home.

Rockstore Hanoi

I visited this place twice. On the first occasion, they had a live guitarist playing with loop pedals and playing classic rock. He was very good. The second time, there was no live entertainment but it was busy and seems a popular spot for tourists. (Map).

Spy Bar

Spy Bar is my favourite bar in Hanoi. They have a happy hour where groups of 3 get a free beer for every beer bought. Groups of 6 get a free bottle of spirits. It stays open until 6 AM, sometimes later. We met a colourful English character who sat and told us stories of his past whilst smoking weed. It was a friendly place and I could definitely spend more time there! Definitely one of the best bars in Hanoi (Map).

Best Coffee Shops In Hanoi

The coffee culture in Vietnam is also thriving. The Vietnamese love their coffee and prepare it in a number of different ways. The coffee is VERY strong and is usually mixed with condensed milk.

Coffee Station

Another hidden treat. A coffee here comes with a presentation, scales, filters and precision to make the perfect coffee. They really are serious about their coffee here! They are also very appreciative of your custom and they make delicious cakes! (Map).

Circle Coffee – Bar

This was the first place we went for coffee and the last place we had a beer. It’s not easy to find; if you don’t know it’s there, you will definitely miss it. This is a shame as it was a wonderful bar that served great coffee with a cinnamon tea chaser, and a lovely dark porter ale in the evening. The staff were lovely too. It felt like a backstreet bar in Krakow. It was one of our favourite places and wasn’t anywhere near as busy as it should be. Maybe that adds to its charm. This is definitely one of the best quirky bars in Hanoi. (Map).

Giang Cafe (Egg Coffee)

Famous for being the cafe that invented the famous ‘egg coffee’ that is now available in most coffee shops in Hanoi. It sounds bad but is actually delicious. Egg yolk is mixed with condensed milk and mixed into a froth and placed on top of a hot espresso. You have to try this in Hanoi and this is probably the place to go. Egg beer is not so yummy! (Map).

Hanoi House

Another of Hanoi’s hidden delights. You might think you are walking into someone’s house but keep going and you will find a lovely coffee shop. If you’re lucky, you will get a seat on the balcony that overlooks the Cathedral. (Map).

Old Town Garden Cafe

Also known as Cafe Pho Co, this place isn’t easy to find. From the street, it is a silk shirt shop. Walk through the shop and exit at the back and you will climb 2 flights of stairs to a rooftop cafe overlooking the lake. It’s a lovely place and serves great egg coffee and chocolate coffee. Highly recommended. (Map).

 Third Wave Roastery

Third Wave Roastery (map) is a coffee shop located to the west of Hanoi Old Quarter. They take their coffee seriously here and you can have it brewed a number of different ways. They also sell craft beers and there is a guitar, a ukulele and a piano for customers to jam on. They have a number of different coffees available.