Avelino C.

This restaurant was voted one of the best restaurants in Auckland and many people had mentioned it to me so I decided to try and get a table to try out the different dishes. And I was lucky that I was only one person because I only had to wait a little bit in order for them to find me a table. I ordered that beef skewers and I was so incredibly and pleasantly surprised because the meat was so tender and the marinade was very very delicious. It is served with little semi spicy green pepper and a little bit of green onion. It was exceptional. The chef has studied Vietnamese cuisine for 12 years in Hanoi and Saigon. It is obvious that he learned to master this cuisine. The sesame cracker was amazing and served with jackfruit and carrots and oyster mushrooms. The soy lime dressing was so perfectly combined with the whole plate. What a pleasant and refreshing experience. The Pho was very good but not the best. It must be difficult to get ingredients in New Zealand to make it authentic. And I learned how to make it a few years ago with one of the most Famous pho chefs in the world, so I guess I'm a little bit of a pho snob. I learned how to make it in Vietnam with Chef Tran.

Tiffany D.

Gourmet Vietnamese food. Tiger prawns, soft shell crab, lemongrass beef and eggplant entree, was all delicious. They have amazing sauce that came with each tasty dish. Good proportions, but I couldn't get enough of each dish. It was savory with every exotic ingredient mouthful bite! Airy ambiance with open walls. It's quite breezy and care free to be here. Service was attentive and wooden table seatings.

Betty C.

Amazingly tasty food in a very quaint setting. You walk up stairs right into the dining room. The bar runs across the back of the restaurant in front of you, the bathrooms are to the right down the hallway. To the left there's a little porch like room that is openly connected to the main dining room. We sat there. There are those big crêpe paper round lights hanging from the ceiling. Wood tables and chairs with a very colonial feel. The prices are sky high. Nothing here is a value but the food was totally amazing. We ordered shrimp dumplings which were crispy and aromatic. We then had the beef rolls and they were highly flavored with a very savory hoisin like sauce and crushed peanuts. So delicious we ordered another! Next we had cellophane noodles with mushrooms - lighter but still really tasty. Lastly we had the eggplant dish with a light fish sauce. Very, very tasty. With an unlimited budget I would come here every week!

Laura N.

It's always a problem when everything on a menu looks delicious. I'll get the ribs. No, the seared squid. No, the caramelised pork belly. No, the confit eggplant. This went on and on until we finally asked the staff to suggest five dishes we shouldn't miss, of which we decided on two. And then ordered four. When the food arrived (at the speed of light, no less) my mind was blown with the beautiful and varied flavour profiles of each dish. The grilled pork with nuoc cham, was that perfect balance of sweet and tangy, while the seared market fish marinated in turmeric was gingery with a bit of spice. And don't miss the red cabbage salad as it was super light and refreshing. I could have easily ordered and sampled dishes all day, and as I sat at the bar watching dish after dish go out, I was caught in a continual trance of food envy. I guess that means I'll just have to go back. Often. A perfect place to come with a large group and order a bunch of dishes to share, or come solo and sit at the kitchen bar to watch the magic happen.

Georgie B.

Cafe Hanoi is one of my all-time favourite restaurants in Auckland (along with Depot and The Federal Delicatessen). And why you may ask? Because the atmosphere is buzzing, the service great and of course, their south-east Asian and Vietnamsese food is always full of flavour and presented well, no matter what you order! I have dined at Cafe Hanoi on several occasions - dinners with friends, family birthdays and work functions. It is definitely the perfect place to celebrate something special. And if you are feeling fancy, they also have a private dining room as well. I love that there is something for everyone on the menu, whether you are into spice, are vegetarian or like to share dishes with your dining companions. My favourite dishes at Cafe Hanoi include: - Summer Rolls of roasted pork, shrimp, fresh herbs and peanuts - Confit Eggplant with soy, garlic and coriander - Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp with garlic mayo - Fried Lemongrass Tofu, with cinnamon smoked mushroom and wilted spinach - Bún Cha (Hanoi-style grilled pork w nuoc cham, rice noodles and fragrant herbs) - Pork Wontons with chilled spanner crab and bisque - Pork Spare Ribs, twice cooked with five spice, ginger sesame and grilled lime - And for dessert, I love their Sago Pudding, with white chocolate, yoghurt cream and palm sugar caramel - melt in your mouth! The service has also always been fantastic as well - very friendly and welcoming, water glasses are consistently topped up and I have never had to wait long for the food. They don't take bookings, so I recommended having an early dinner here, because the restaurant fills up so quick. Or you could put your name on their waiting list, take a seat at the bar and enjoy a few cocktails. Highly recommend Cafe Hanoi!

Chiana S.

Food inspired by Vietnamese street stalls is what you will find at Café Hanoi in a large open bustling space. You can't book but turn up early for a drink and you are sure to get a table. This place is certainly one of the most trendy places to go if you're a person in the know. It hasn't ceased to be busy for the months it has been around and I hazard a guess that it will be around for long to come. The style is the sharing approach which I swear has you ordering more than you need as you never know when to stop ordering another dish. It felt like everyone went here before the Madonna concert, although I was the only one dining dressed in pearls, a cross, lace and cleavage a plenty. Of course we started with the obligatory Summer rolls which were fresh and tasty. Tofu and squid were some of the other dishes, both cooked perfectly. The chicken noodle salad is always a great side. My fav was the pork in pancakes and grilled pork with herbs. For dessert the lemon curd with meringue was nice be it very sweet, but would have been better with some crunch to give it texture and to balance out all the sticky smooth sweetness smeared on the plate. The other desserts were average too. Not quite as good as the savoury dishes and a bit heavy on the sugar. We had really enjoyed our meal though and the mood was hyped from the beginning with the knowledge we would soon be dancing to Madonna live. The decor and furnishing are simple and comfortable, the atmosphere relaxed and lively and the service helpful and friendly. The waitress was great and knew just how to please my friend with her fussy dietary requirements. We'll be back.

Tracey C.

Cafe Hanoi is a a very cool place to dine. The first time I came was after it had just opened, myself and a couple of my girlfriends had been wanting to try it out after reading about it in The Denizen. We never reserved a table, the place was packed. When you step into Cafe Hanoi, mostly you smell lemongrass, it is beautiful and so are the interiors. Thankfully we did not have to wait for a table, as we were seated at what they call the chefs table. It is right by the kitchen prep area, you're sort of in the middle of everything and it was quite cool to be honest. The food was incredible. I had a salad adapted from the menu, he knew what a vegan was and went out of his way for me. My friends had a variety of shared plates, of which went down well. So atmosphere, service and food all spectacular. Even the toilets were nice actually. You go downstairs to get to them through a concrete hall and even though this is a Vietnamese restaurant, they seem Moroccan, awesome tile work and lit candles and oil diffusers. Good toilets are important. I highly recommend dining here.

Jade D.

If I could give a restaurant more than 5 stars, this is the one that truly deserves it. The food was sublime. Every bite felt like a mouthful of heaven! I just stopped by for lunch because it's close to where I work. I've read that it's difficult to find the place (just go on the corner of Galway and Commerce, it's the big red door at the back of the Excelsior building) but definitely worth looking for. I picked one of their simplest dishes on the menu: the sweet soy & black pepper tofu with steamed bok choy and ginger. I love tofu and this is one dish that is so well-executed, I just have to give it the perfect score. There were elements of sweetness, spice and saltiness that went together really well. The flavours were robust and exciting. For dessert, I tried their hot soy milk doughnut with cinnamon sugar and caramel sauce. The doughnut was amazing - it was so soft and had a delicate milky flavour. Every bite was a delight. The caramel was on the bitter side, I'd dare say it was overdone. I'm glad the doughnut offset the bitterness. Should be served with a dessert fork as it tends to be a bit messy to eat -- but I didn't care, I had to use my hands with this one just so I could savour every bite. This was one of the best lunches I've had --anywhere in the world. Cafe Hanoi is a testament that Auckland's foodie scene is alive and well.

Victoria T.

This is one of the more interesting restaurants I've ever been to. First of all, the entrance is almost hidden. Just a red door, completely unassuming. It's like a secret entrance! It was really fortunate that a hotel concierge told me about this place, as I would never have known otherwise. The atmosphere is not your usual pho restaurant. It has dim lighting, a full bar, and big paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It's not very big, with a lot of tables packed into small space, but it seems like a really fun place. It's a little loud for a romantic date, but a perfect choice for family, friends, or anyone you're comfortable with. I loved the floral design of the menu. There was a page of specialty cocktails, and I ordered "So Fresh, So Clean". Made with Belvedere vodka, lime juice, lemongrass syrup, and fresh lemongrass, it was sweet, light, and easy to drink. Most of the menu consisted of "Modern Vietnamese" seafood and meat dishes, made to share, and a little more expensive. The server told me that some dishes can be broken down into smaller portions for single diners, which is nice. Unfortunately, I really wanted to try the squid, but they couldn't do a smaller portion of that. Oh well. "Old Quarter Favorites" listed more traditional items, including the only type of pho: pho ga, which was $6 NZD. I ordered that as well as a half portion of the "spicy salad of master stock poached chicken with green papaya, garlic, chili, and crushed peanuts," which was a traditional Vietnamese salad, or "goi." First to arrive was an amuse bouche, a gift from the chef to every diner. It was a steak tartare, a simple bite presented in a spoon. It had a nice, smooth texture, with a little spiciness and a light crunch from the garnish. The pho ga was tiny! It was the smallest portion of pho I've ever had, served in a little rice bowl. With the first sip of broth, the taste of fish sauce was very prevalent, which surprised me. As I had a little more, I enjoyed it. I could also taste the spices that make pho what it is, and a hint of spiciness. Onions, basil, and cilantro topped it off, with lime on the side as the only garnish. The chicken was moist but not juicy, chewy with just a hint of dryness. The weak part of this dish was the noodles, with that slightly stiff, packaged taste. When I finished the broth, I found freshly cracked pepper had sank to the bottom. I enjoyed it overall, as it was a great balance of flavors. I definitely could have eaten a bigger bowl, though I would have enjoyed fresher, more tender noodles. Next, the goi was as expected. The level of spiciness was nice, a good punch of heat. It seemed like a popular dish, since I could see a lot of it coming out of the kitchen. I was still hungry, so I ordered dessert - the lime curd with soft meringue, with cinnamon tuille and meringue ice cream. It was one of the best desserts I've ever had! The meringue was perfectly light, and the tartness of the lime curd was perfect match. The meringue ice cream might have changed my life, because it was like eating a cloud from heaven. All in all, it was an excellent meal. The atmosphere, service, and food are all top-notch, and Cafe Hanoi is definitely a place I want to visit again. I'll be dreaming about that dessert for years to come. Like pho? Join the phoventure at www.phoacrossamerica.com