Hue Restaurants

Mr. Lac is amazing. He is the owner of the restaurant and is deaf. However, he communicates quite clearly and I sat down with him for about 15 minutes. It turns out that he has 7 daughters. Most of them work at the restaurant and they speak English. At the end of the "conversation" Mr. Lac gave me one of his coveted bottle openers. Back in the day when bottle openers could not be found this man came up with a solution of putting together a piece of wood with a screw and bolt stuck into one end. The other things that I love about this restaurant is his photo album of all sorts of people that he has given a bottle opener to and written back when they got home. The decor of the restaurant is comments from satisfied customers. The restaurant puts out great food as well. Definitely try the Banh Khoai or any of the other local dishes offered for 15,000 dong.

Favorite Dish: Banh Khoai -- a kind of crispy salty crépe made of eggs and rice flour, filled generously with bean sprouts, pork and shrimp and dipped in a special sauce.

It seems like an odd thing to recommend an Indian restaurant in Vietnam but this place is the best. It is a must eat when you are in Hue.

The atmosphere is busy, it is a bustling place which is a testament to how popular it is. The food has a really authentic flavour as there are not the regulations about the kitchens as there is in the West. It is smoky and robust which makes the eating all the better.

Favorite Dish: It is hard to recommend one dish as there are so many good ones. We ate with 4 others and we shared so got a good range of flavours. The chicken coconut was pretty popular though. Best tip: share with friends and get a big range!

When in Hue, you must have dinner at Lac Thien, which has become a kind of tourist pilgrimage point thanks to it being prominently featured in Lonely Planet. There a few things that make Lac Thien unique. First, several of the family members who run the place are deaf. The elderly mother works the very simple kitchen, which can be seen as you enter to find your table, and she turns out some delicious local cuisine, including their famous savory shrimp crepes that Lonely Planet calls "Happy Crepes".

The father, who is deaf, is famous for his homemade bottle openers, which are nothing more than a piece of wood with a screw and bolt stuck into one end. Apprently, in the old days bottle openers could not be found in Hue, so this resourceful man invented his own. Simply order a Huda beer and he will personally demonstrate his invention for you (see photo). He will also gladly make one for you on the spot to take home as a souvenir. In addition, he showed us a photo album containing pictures that previous visitors had sent him of his bottle opener being used all around the world. He even writes his mailing address directly on the bottle opener to encourage visitors to send in photos of themselves using it in different locations. Quite a character this guy!

Lac Thien has become so successful and well known that many of their neighbors have opened up similar restaurants with similar names in order to trick tourists into thinking their restaurant is the one mentioned in lonely planet. So right next door to Lac Thien you will find the imposter Lac Thanh. They even have signs saying "as mentioned in Lonely Planet". But don't be fooled, make sure you go to the real Lac Thien and ignore any other place with a similar but slightly different name.

Favorite Dish: Most things are undoubtedly good here, but you have to try the shrimp crepes and make sure you don't leave without your bottle opener.

Fried shrimp, noodles and vegetables costs only 15.000 dong.
Very cheap and very good.

As dessert we got some warm beignets with chocolate sauce. In the beignets there's banana, ananas and some other inknown fruiy.
Heavy on the stomach

The owner is mute so everything is done with hand signs. Spectacular

Gorgeous little vegetarian cafe found in the same street as the hotel we were staying in (D De Loi). Nothing more than a covered terrace of a colonnial building - open all 4 sides, but still exudes atmosphere and charm - and the food is good and incredibly cheap!

Favorite Dish: There's only about 6 things to chose from!

Hue is famed for its culinary expertise and this was the best food we ate with the exception of Restaurant Bobby Chinn in Hanoi.

You have the choice of outdoor dining in the garden (a covered, raised terrace where there are about 8 tables or 2-3 secluded tables set in the shrubbery - ideal romantic environment!) or the larger indoor main building. Every evening there is unobtrusive traditional music played live from 7-9pm in the main building.

Favorite Dish: the food is spectacular - from the mini vegetarian spring rolls through to the various main dishes.

Note that the menu can be a little confusing as there is no division between entrees and main - and working on the assumption that the lower prices are entrees is wrong! So its a bit of trial and error - we ordered way too much food on one occasion and only just enough the 2nd!

Had a great meal in cheerful surroundings. Mr Cu seems to know everyone who comes in he is very welcoming. The walls are covered with photographs Mr Cu has taken around Hue and he is more thna happy to explain them to you they are all for sale at $US1 some fantasic shots. I picked the one of the school girls because I think we saw more girls dressed tranditionally here than anywhere else in Vietnam and they all look so beautiful. There is no pressure to buy Mr Cu will allow you to look through his photo albums at your leisure. Lovely atmosphere

Favorite Dish: Fantastic spring rolls

This popular local restaurant (close to another local restaurant called Lac Thanh) is run by deaf waiters.
There is a lively bar in the basement ground, full of locals drinking and playing cards and so...
If you ask for a table, they take you upstairs, to a very simple but charming room with a terrace. On the way up, pay attention to the kitchen, a real antique...
I asked for some typical Hue dishes. First, shrimp pancakes. Then, rolling tortillas made of rice paper with meat, salad and some sauces... a "make it yourself" dish. And a Tiger beer, of course!
Simple and delicious. Price: 2 USD.