Coffee in Hanoi is a genre of its own — egg coffee, salted coffee, coconut coffee — drunk in old houses around Hoàn Kiếm. Three of these cafés are from my list of saved places, with a short note of mine on the Lifted brunch spot. I added the two old cafés on Nguyễn Hữu Huân from 34travel's Hanoi guide, and Cafe Dinh, The Note Coffee and Bancông on the advice of other travel guides; I checked them all on Google: still open, rated 4.2 or higher. The rest of the descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews.
Prices are Google's average spend per person; prices of single dishes and tickets come from reviews. Valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 100,000 ₫ ≈ $3.85.
In short
- One street, two old cafés: Nguyễn Hữu Huân in Phố Cổ: egg coffee at Café Giảng and salted coffee at Cà Phê Lâm across the road.
- Egg coffee with a lake view: Cafe Dinh on Đinh Tiên Hoàng, upstairs, through an easy-to-miss corridor.
- Coffee with a cathedral view: Cộng Cà Phê on Nhà Thờ, across the street from St Joseph's.
- Brunch: Lifted Coffee & Brunch, with a balcony in Phố Cổ, and The Hanoi Social Club in an old French house, which turns to cocktails in the evening.
- Prices: average spend is under 100,000 ₫ (≈$4) at the coffee shops and under 200,000 ₫ (≈$8) at the brunch places.
Coffee and brunch
Cộng Cà Phê – Nhà Thờ
Hoàn Kiếm · coffee shop · under 100,000 ₫ (≈$4) · daily 7:30–23:30
Google Maps · website · 27 P. Nhà Thờ
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 1,700+): a branch of the Vietnamese chain right opposite St Joseph's Cathedral, three floors with the cathedral in the windows. Reviewers recommend the coconut coffee, bạc xỉu and salted cream coffee, though many find them all too sweet. It's busy, and you may have to wait for a seat.
Café Giảng
Phố Cổ · café, egg coffee · under 100,000 ₫ (≈$4) · daily 7:00–22:30
Google Maps · website · 39 P. Nguyễn Hữu Huân
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 17,000+): the café people go to for egg coffee: a thick, creamy yolk foam on top of strong coffee, with no eggy smell at all. There are versions with cocoa, mung bean and even Oreo. You enter through a narrow passage into a surprisingly roomy two-floor house with tiny stools and a balcony. Crowded, but orders come quickly; some regulars actually prefer the plain iced coffee with condensed milk.
Cà Phê Lâm
Phố Cổ · old café · under 100,000 ₫ (≈$4) · daily 7:00–22:00
Google Maps · 60 P. Nguyễn Hữu Huân
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 1,000+): one of the city's oldest cafés, with wooden beams, paintings by local artists, slow ceiling fans and locals chatting. Reviewers praise the old-school salted coffee and the egg coffee, and find it calmer than the touristy cafés around it. There's hardly any food, but you can bring croissants from the bakery next door.
Lifted Coffee & Brunch
Phố Cổ · brunch café · 100,000–200,000 ₫ (≈$4–8) · daily 8:30–19:00
Google Maps · Facebook · 101 P. Hàng Gà
A brunch café full of expats. According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 2,400+): a long menu of Western breakfasts. People praise the eggs Benedict with a smoky, spicy sauce, the smoothies, strong coffee and gluten-free options, and there's a cute balcony. Expect a short wait to get in; dishes sometimes arrive at different times and not very hot.
The Hanoi Social Club
Hoàn Kiếm · café-bar · 100,000–200,000 ₫ (≈$4–8) · daily 8:00–23:00
Google Maps · Facebook · 6 Ng. Hội Vũ
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 4,200+): a café in an old French house on a quiet lane of small shops, several floors with art everywhere. By day: eggs and avocado, healthy and vegan dishes and good coffee; by night: cocktails such as a phở cocktail made with phở spices, sometimes live music. Everyone loves the atmosphere; the kitchen is less consistent.
More around Hoàn Kiếm
Cafe Dinh
Hoàn Kiếm · café, egg coffee · under 100,000 ₫ (≈$4) · daily 7:00–22:00
Google Maps · Facebook · 13 Đinh Tiên Hoàng
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 4,800+): a first-floor café with a balcony over Hoàn Kiếm lake; guests say it was opened by the daughter of the man who invented egg coffee. The foam is thick as custard, over strong dark robusta; the egg cocoa is recommended too. A cup is around 30,000 ₫ (≈$1.20). The entrance is easy to miss: a narrow, dim corridor with an address sign and a creaky staircase. Small and crowded; downstairs is hot, upstairs has air conditioning.
The Note Coffee
Phố Cổ · café · under 100,000 ₫ (≈$4) · Mon–Thu 8:00–22:30, Fri 8:00–23:00, Sat–Sun 7:00–23:00
Google Maps · 64 P. Lương Văn Can
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 6,800+): a small café a couple of minutes from Hoàn Kiếm where walls, tables, stairs and even the ceiling are covered in notes from guests all over the world; they hand out pens and stickers so you can leave yours. Go for the salted or coconut coffee, as many found the egg coffee average. The coffee and food are ordinary overall; people come for the atmosphere.
Bancông Cafe & Restaurant
Phố Cổ · café-restaurant · 100,000–300,000 ₫ (≈$4–12) · daily 8:00–23:00
Google Maps · website · Số 2 P. Đinh Liệt
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 7,200+): a café with a flower-covered front and a first-floor balcony over the street, a good place to sit out the heat or the rain. The long menu is Vietnamese and Western: reviewers praise the egg coffee, matcha, fresh coconut and a surprisingly good pizza. You order by QR code at the table, the menu is in English and portions are big. Some found the drinks ordinary next to the food.
One last thing
Café Giảng and Cà Phê Lâm face each other, so you can compare them in one morning and then walk on to St Joseph's Cathedral and Cộng Cà Phê.
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