A
predominant beverage preference speaks volumes about the façade of a city. In
Hanoi, it’s beer which reigns supreme over other types of alcohol.
Nguyen
Quan, a wine enthusiast and bar connoisseur who knows the drinking ins and outs
of Hanoi like the back of his hand, believes that times are changing and so is
Hanoians’ drinking culture. He suggests to look beyond the Old Quarter, and to
unearth the emerging bars which are more likely to be shrouded somewhere in the
middle of an empty street.
These
bars and gastro pubs, far away from the tourist spotlight, are not as deserted
as they might sound like, but without doubt they live on word of mouth and a
frequent clientele who comes for more than just the drinks.
Tadioto
24 Tong Dan | $$$
From
the abstract paintings, objets d’art, fabric-covered lanterns, to the rustic
steel bar counter, everything in Tadioto reflects the curatorial flair of its
owner: Nguyen Qui Duc, already an established jack of all trades within the
arts both in Vietnam and elsewhere.
Duc
writes, curates, paints, designs, and perhaps more, and as Tadioto was first
set up 10 years ago as a gathering place for his old and new friends, it might
explain the people that it attracts: artists, writers, poets, musicians,
photographers, architects, and diplomats.
Few
places in Hanoi have a more cultured music playlist. From Anouar Brahem to
Ibrahim Maalouf, Alt-J to Le Cat Trong Ly, the slow tempo and moderate volumes
could arouse a good talk over a jade margarita, a Tadioto-recommended safe
choice for light drinkers.
Tadioto
sometimes hosts poetry readings, experimental music nights and exhibitions. It
opens until midnight on weekdays and closes at 2 a.m. during the weekend.
Ke Quán
81 Xuan Dieu | $$
Mrs.
Te, as people often call her instead of her real name, is the neighborly
co-owner of Ke Quán and Ray Quán, its smaller, older sibling less than four
miles away, next to Hanoi’s intrusive rail track (“ray” means “rail” in
Vietnamese).
Mrs.
Te’s specialty is the Vietnamese rượu thuốc,
the local liquor made from natural ingredients including either herbs, fruits
or animals, mixed with distilled white wine.
There
is an impressive menu of more than 20 types of fruit wines, from mulberry,
mandarin, plum, mango, citrus, peach, beeswax to the more unheard-of choices
such as Buddha’s hand or docynia.
The
ingredients are collected from across the northern region and kept in liquor
jars for some time. A complete homegrown process that follows no mapped-out
ratios. Also try the Vietnamese dishes from a terrace with a view of the West
Lake.
Ke
is open from 8.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.
Mojito
19 Nguyen Quang Bich
| $$
In
the hush of a night out, one might accidentally pass by Mojito without noticing
it.
Housed
in a previously French building, Mojito has been redecorated a few times over,
and each time, the ghost of its old cell seems to stick around a little bit
here and there on the wall.
Its
frequent visitors are expats who have been living in Hanoi for a long time,
many coming every weekend to seek the drops of Hanoi in Mojito’s signature
cocktail menu.
The
names are cheeky: The Pho, Fish Sauce, Saigon, The Xoi, Spicy Ginger Pomelo,
The Cure, Irishman in Hanoi, Show Me the Dong.
These
cocktails were all invented by its talented former bartender and manager Phan
Tien Tiep, who won the 2012 Diageo Reserve World Class for The Pho.
Don’t
be fooled by the serenity appreciated by both the staff and the drinkers, there
is live music and DJs every weekend from 9 p.m., which is likely to draw a full
house.
Mojito
is open from 4 p.m. until midnight every day.
+84
23 Ngo Van So | $$$
+84
lives on a romanticized idea of a place for drinkers, smokers, and their
impulses. Somehow that works.
The
place provides a space with a necessary degree of privacy cardinal for many of
us, and “people always return because they feel comfortable in the atmosphere
here,” said Xuan, the pub’s manager.
There
are two floors, the second almost sequestered from the rest. What you will find
on this floor: sets of vintage furniture all collectible, Godfather-inspired; a
charming balcony looking down the tranquil street; and leather-bound couches
scarred with scratches of the bar’s mascot, Tí the cat.
+84
has its own cocktail menu beside classic choices and whiskey ranges, with a few
heads imported from Sicily.
There
is live music almost every night from 9 p.m., and if you are lucky, you might
chance to hear its charismatic owner sing touching tribute to famed Vietnamese
musician Trinh Cong Son.
+84
is open from 9 a.m. until 12.30 a.m. Friday from 7 p.m. is almost always
packed.
Polite Pub
5B Bao Khanh | $$$
This
is a go-to pub for expats in Hanoi. As you enter the cavernous pub, fragments
of Vietnamese, English, Cantonese, Japanese and French echo in the air.
The
blueprint for its overall appeal is 1920s America, which is consistently
reflected on its interior decor, black and white silent film strips, and framed
photographs of jazz icons.
Polite
pub was initially opened as a family business in 1995, probably as the oldest
bar in Hanoi. Yet its image constantly changes and has caught up well with
concurrent social demands, as its most recent renovation is only a year old.
Its
latest menu, concocted just a month ago, for example, pays homage to the
ancient trade roads of the world: The Silk Road, the Incense Road, the Spice
Road and the Tea Horse Road.
The
cocktail menu changes every six months and boasts more than 100 whiskey heads.
There are also frequent guest bartenders from around the country and abroad.
Polite
is open from 4 p.m. until midnight every day.
The Doors
11 Hang Chinh | $$
The
Doors’ frequents are an eclectic crowd: young and old, students and
bureaucrats, next-door neighbors and tourists, aspiring singers and retired
drummers.
It’s
a place to mingle, in an unintentionally classless way maybe, even though its
owner’s idea is only to create a venue for people to play rock and western
music every evening.
Perhaps
because of the all-inclusive byword there seems to be less attention to the
drinks, even though they remain at reasonable market prices.
“It’s
a place for people to listen to rock music,” said Le Minh Quang, the owner.
As
he casually sat down playing chess on the sidewalk, he remembered a time when a
North Korean man stepped into his place, looked around all confused as he
wasn’t able to communicate.
“We
couldn’t talk to each other; he spoke neither Vietnamese nor English,” Quang
said.
But
then the music started to play. “And that was it," he said. "We
didn’t even need to speak the same language.”
The
song was “Yesterday” by The Beatles.
By Bao Yen/
VnExpress