32 Best Restaurants in The Central Coast, Vietnam

Madam Phuong, the shop owner, serves from a simple little take-away counter, next door to a bakery on the edge of Old Town. When famed foodie Anthony Bourdain visited, he declared the banh mi served here to be quite possibly the best in Vietnam; and he might just have been right. What you get here is a symphony in a sandwich, and though both her menu and popularity have grown, Phuong is still serving up the same secret family recipes and silence-inducing sandwiches. Bourdain's favorite banh mi deluxe is a pork feast consisting of a mouth-melting slow-roasted five-spiced fillet, a rich peppery pate, a handful of herbs, pickled vegetables, and finished off with a generous scoop of mayonnaise, smoked chili sauce, and messy fried egg. Phuong also has vegetarian alternatives; ask for banh mi chay.

A great place to stop for a midday drink and refreshing splash in the river, this bar sits between two large bomb craters left during the American war. Run jointly by a Vietnamese couple and Australian couple, the bar is halfway between Phong Nha village and Farmstay Village. In the winter they’ll also keep a fire raging to warm you up on your Bong Lai Valley bike tour.

There’s nothing fancy about this charity-run diner, just good Western food at cheap prices and heartwarming service. Repurposed from an English center, this café employs minority and deaf workers, and is a favorite among expats and visitors. Most come for the cause, but return for the vegetarian chili, English breakfast, or burgers and pizzas.

Don't be shocked when you walk through the door of Kushiyaki Banjiro to find the kimono-clad staff yelling in Japanese; it's the way they do it in Japan. Try the omakase set, a plate piled high with sashimi that includes blue lobster, tuna, and salmon, or authentic chicken or beef yakitori. If the lively atmosphere is too much, reserve a private tatami room in advance.

As one of Vietnam's leading fine-dining experiences, this restaurant resembles an old French mansion with elaborately decorated themed rooms. The aesthetics have earned La Maison a spot among the World's Top Ten Designed Restaurants in Architectural Digest, and the cuisine of three-Michelin-star chef Pierre Gagnaire only adds to the illustrious status.

Fusing art, music, history, and cuisine, this 19th-century house in Hoi An's Old Quarter has been beautifully restored and offers silver service at remarkable prices. Slightly overshadowed by the setting, the menu is Vietnamese-meets-modern cuisine with such dishes as bean sprout dumplings, mango and lotus salad, caramelized pork, and wok-fried ancient noodles.

On the main thoroughfare into the Old Town, this is an unfussy but undoubtedly lovely 19th-century family home, where local artwork hangs from crumbling yellow walls and seating takes second place to a huge open kitchen. The street-facing patio is the place to sit here, with great views across to an ornate community temple.

One of Danang's hippest hangouts, this industrial-style, open-fronted warehouse pub-restaurant wouldn't look out of place in New York City. The ever-changing menu of authentic Italian fare includes specials such as risotto alla Milanese, pizza, pasta, and steaks. Come evening, the rustic brick walls and gas station–themed bar make for a different experience altogether.

The most social spot on the beach, Soul Kitchen attracts a year-round mix of expats and local visitors, with frequent live music and open mic events. During the day the shady grass frontage, pool table, and board games keep kids entertained, leaving parents free to relax in raised cabanas with a Vietnamese-French menu, wine list, and cold draft Tiger beer. Thursday through Sunday, rain or shine, Soul Kitchen hosts a live music event 7–10 pm.

As the first fully interactive street food experience in Vietnam, this buzzy, upscale food hall, owned by local-celebrity chef Ms. Vy, attracts a steady stream of enthusiastic foodies keen to take a culinary tour of Hoi An’s gastronomic classics. The menu here is visual, and diners are invited to wander among the various food stations where traditional dishes like cau lao noodles, banh mi, and savory country pancakes are made to order, to be devoured on simple bench seating arranged in the central courtyard. The fixed-price all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet is well worth shelving your diet for, and don’t forget to take a peek at the Weird and Wonderful stall.

Local families who come in droves to this popular no-frills diner make out-of-town visitors feel warmly welcome, even if you don't master the art of rolling the perfect banh xeo. There’s no menu; just pull up a stool and within minutes you’ll be presented with pork skewers, crispy pancakes stuffed with bean sprouts, deep-fried shrimp spring rolls, rice paper, various greens, a satay-style dip, and an array of condiments. Go hungry; portions are large, but the 175,000d set price is not.

This inspired little beach club 15 km (10 miles) from Hue has shady beach cabanas, hammocks, and a large cobalt-blue fishing boat that serves as the bar. It's a laid-back place, with a simple Vietnamese seafood menu, where you feel a world away from the annoyances of the city. They make it easy to stay with a few huts housing dorm-style accommodations. Its sister accommodation Villa Louise with tastefully designed ocean view villas and three swimming pools is a gem in the crown of this stretch of pristine beach. The Beach Bar is on private land, and you pay 100,000d on weekdays and 150,000d during weekends and on holidays to enter (which is refundable against food and drink orders).

The standard but good Vietnamese food served here—spring rolls and fried rice—may not be spectacular, but the setting is: a beautifully restored colonial villa on the banks of the Thu Bon River. In the evenings you can sit and sip a drink in the lovely garden out back as you watch local fisherfolk ply their trade. The stylish interior has ceiling beams, tile floors, and classic Chinese-style wooden furniture.

A popular rainy-day hangout for expats and families, this homey Western bakery, restaurant, and delicatessen midway between Cua Dai beach and the Old Town offers a large adventure playground and a menu packed with huge portions of home favorites, including delicious Aussie meat pie, home-baked cakes, and a great kids' menu.

At Duyen Anh Restaurant you can pick up your own live fish, shrimp, or lobsters from the tanks, and vegetables are homegrown in the nearly 5,000-square-foot garden viewable from your dining table. All dishes are designed to share. Crab salad is a delicate combination of crab meat, crab roe, and baked rice paper with fresh banana blossom, bean sprouts, and herbs. The best seats are on the second floor or in the private pavilions on a waterlily pond. Although it has a beautiful setting and a playground for kids, it's far from the city's center.

This traditional Italian restaurant is a popular spot in the Old Town center for those looking for a break from the standard Vietnamese fare. During the day, the welcoming, homely environs make for a quiet rest stop, where you can enjoy a good Italian coffee or a light bite from the second-floor balcony overlooking the streets.

Managed by the Vietnam Backpackers Hostel, this beach bar offers a complimentary pool, bocce ball court, and great music, as well as alcoholic slushies for 50,000d. The cheeseburger spring rolls are an interesting fusion, and the buffalo chicken sandwich is definitely worth the money. If you’re trying to stay healthy, try a breakfast smoothie in an edible coconut bowl or order a bean and pepper feta salad.

Clay-oven pizza, pasta, antipasti plates, and fine wines, all sourced from Italy, can be enjoyed on a tropically planted beachfront garden, or, on wintery days, holed up in a cozy corner by the kitchen. The sesame-coated tuna with salad, Pecorino cheese, and olives are to die for, as are the Italian homemade desserts.

In the Japanese Quarter, beside the river, is this classic Vietnamese restaurant resembling an upscale residence with its ornate armoires, wooden chairs, and a lantern-lit courtyard where you can listen to soft jazz. Lighter menu items such as baguettes, spring rolls, and salads are offered alongside duck or prawn curry, tofu, rice platters, and seafood dishes. Take note of the antique bar, once a "rice safe" used by families to protect their harvest.

A spinoff of the original Mango Rooms in Old Town, this Vietnamese fusion restaurant is located along the river directly across from the Japanese Covered Bridge. Owner-chef Duc has created an innovative menu of modern-Asian-meets-the-world, inspired from his 20-plus years of travels abroad. Mango Mango's signature cocktails and mouth-watering delicacies look like works of art.

Pitch-perfect sangria is the best way to start a meal at Merkat. This restaurant, owned by Mamen and Dani from Spain, is the genuine article; and their open kitchen design allows customers to see the masters at work. The menu includes photos, cook time, and ingredients, and the pig thigh in the dining area is meant for consumption. Bookings are highly recommended as this place can fill up in minutes at peak meal times.

Miss Ly was one of the first cooks in town to open her humble, market-edge restaurant to the trickle of travelers astute enough to have put Hoi An on their itinerary almost 20 years ago. Two decades later, Ly is still in the kitchen pouring her heart and soul into each dish served. Her Hoi An wontons, crispy rice-flour shells with a pocket of minced pork and shrimp, dressed with a fruity, Chinese-style sweet-and-sour salsa, are some of the best in town.

This garden restaurant with mostly outdoor seating is an expat favorite. Founded by ambitious Spanish and Italian natives, My Casa blends the two cuisines together to create a unique array of options. Choose from eight types of tostas, six types of pastas, and four different sauces, or stick with the crowd favorite of a big juicy burger. The menu is easy to read and laid out with ingredients and a “How We Do” section to let you in on the process.

This simple contemporary Indian restaurant a five-minute walk from the Old Town serves up and delivers the best northern Indian cuisine in town. The rara mutton and Kashmiri chicken are definitely worth coming back for, along with the Delhi street food breakfasts, served 9–11 am. Bonus: it's very affordable.

American businessman Scott, who hails from Louisiana, decided to get into restaurants with his Vietnamese partner Olivia, and the result is a steak house devoted to Southern-style hospitality. Overlooking Han River, this brick-and-bamboo establishment caters to families and groups and has the best steaks in town, along with killer sides. After dinner, don’t be surprised when you are offered a shot of locally made chocolate vodka. The prices are high for Vietnam, but you get what you pay for.

Hai, from Hai’s Eco Conservation Tour, runs this bamboo restaurant with his family and serves delicious dishes every day from 7 am until 10:30 pm. Try the fresh fruit smoothies. You can also take part in a morning cooking class that includes a visit to the local market.

Street youth are given the opportunity to refine their hospitality skills during an 18-month training program here through the nonprofit organization STREETS International, which employs orphaned and disadvantaged Vietnamese teens, many of whom go on to work at five-star restaurants and hotels. The restaurant café lives up to the highest standards of contemporary Vietnamese and international cuisine.

In a tastefully restored former teahouse, this café-restaurant is the perfect place to unwind over a coffee and French pastry or a cold beer during a busy day of sightseeing. For people-watching grab a balcony table; for shady seclusion there's a quiet courtyard garden; and for rainy days there's a pool table and games room. Despite a promising dinner menu offering both French and Vietnamese delights, meals can be a bit disappointing.