Coolest Cafés in Hanoi!
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Hanoi, and Vietnam in general, is known for its coffee. Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the WORLD, and when you step foot in the capital Hanoi, you can tell coffee is pretty important to Vietnamese culture. It feels like every second store is a coffee shop, so we set out on a mission to visit some of the most UNIQUE cafés in Hanoi! Here is what we came up with!
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1) ALWAYS CAFÉ
Always Café is a super cool café sitting within the heart of Hanoi and the best part is, it’s entirely themed to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The theming begins outside the cafe and extends all the way to the menu, making this cafe a must-visit for any Harry Potter fan!
Hanoi is full of unique cafés! Check out our video on YouTube where we explore some of the best ones, including Always Cafe!
From the second you are stood outside the cafe, the theming is already evident. The building looks like it was plucked straight off Diagon Alley and definitely stands apart from the architecture of the surrounding buildings. As you wander inside the doors, the theming continues. There are few different seating areas with spots at the front of the cafe, or you can venture to the back, where there is a pretty cool display of Hogwarts House memorabilia, some wands and some murals painted on the walls.
By now, you’ve probably adapted a little to your surroundings, and you’ll notice the music playing in the cafe is straight from the movie soundtracks as well.
In the front of the cafe there is merchandise to purchase, including a variety of t-shirts, sweatshirts, Hogwarts ties, wands, jewellery and more! Just next to this, you’ll find a rack of Hogwarts robes, scarves and ties. These ones aren’t for sale however… these are for you to try on and take photos! That’s right! To experience this cafe in full, you can even get dressed up in your house colours to really feel the full immersion into the Wizarding World.
On the other side of the room, you’ll find a bookshelf stacked with a whole bunch of Harry Potter books, including novels, illustrated books and movie guides if you’d like to do some reading while you sip on your butter beer. On top of the shelf also sits a whole bunch of Harry Potter themed board games and trivia which you can enjoy with your friends while you enjoy your time in the cafe.
The theming of course extends to the menu, with many Harry Potter themed drinks to satisfy any taste. There is of course Butter Beer - both hot and cold, and if you’re over 18 years of age, you have the option to make it alcoholic. There are also many different ‘potions’ for you to enjoy. These include famous Wizarding World potions such as Polyjuice Potion and Felix Felicis. The cafe even includes “strong” potions for guests aged 18 years and older!
If you’re wanting your experience to be a little more hands-on, you can look to pre-book Always Cafe’s Potion Class experience. You will get to try your hands at making your own potions and will feel like you are right in Potions Class at Hogwarts!
If you’re looking for a bite to eat as well, Always Cafe also has some different bits and pieces, including pizza, fries, chicken wings and a variety of different pastries.
Overall, this cafe is a great experience for all ages and if you’re a Harry Potter fan, you have to add this to your Hanoi itinerary! Check out our full article on Always Cafe!
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2) THE NEST - Board Game CAFÉ
If you’re looking for somewhere to wind down and take a bit of a breather from the travel lifestyle, then The Nest is the perfect spot for you! After being on the road for almost 9 months, we were craving a bit of normalcy in our lives, so we ventured out to the The Nest. The Nest is a board game café in Hanoi. You pay per hour you spend at the cafe, plus any food and drinks. Order yourself some caramel popcorn, a coffee, and then pick from the MASSIVE board game collection.
If you’re a bit of a board game newbie like us, the staff will help you pick out some game options that suit your party, and will even sit down with you and teach you the game as well. The selection of games is really impressive. They have some of your stock standard games like Scrabble, but then shelves full of games we had never even heard of!
We honestly had such a good time and it was so nice to do something a little different during our time in Hanoi!
3) THE NOTE COFFEE
This is probably the most well-known of the cafés on the list. The Note Coffee is known for having all its walls plastered with handwritten, colourful sticky notes. This is no small café either, it is 4 floors, so you can imagine how many sticky notes that is! You can spend your time reading the hundreds to thousands of sticky notes left by guests from all around the world, from motivational quotes, to some quirkier ones, it’ll definitely keep you entertained reading everyone’s messages.
This coffee shop is very conveniently located right near Hoan Kiem Lake, so even if you’re not intentionally looking out for it, you’ll probably wander past it at some point during your time exploring Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
The cafe serves up the usual culprits that you’ll find in a cafe in Hanoi, including famous egg coffee and coconut coffee, but they also have a bunch of frappes and smoothies as well.
So order yourself a coffee, grab a seat on some sticky notes, and get reading!
4) HIDDEN GEM CAFÉ
This is a perfect one to pair with a trip to Always Cafe, as it is conveniently located right across the road! The entrance to this cafe is a little more subtle, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled, but we promise, the outside has no bearing on the inside, because as you begin to climb up the floors, the whole space opens up and you’ll be surprised that such an awesome space seems to be so hidden!
Hidden Gem cafe prides itself on its focus on being environmentally friendly, and you’ll see that throughout the cafe. Almost everything in the cafe has been re-used or re-purposed in some form - you’ll find old tyres used for stools, recycled materials used to build tables and more.
Hidden Gem offers up all your usual coffees, but also has quite a decent food menu. One of the highlights on the menu is their “Taste of Hanoi”, which is a platter of different, famous Hanoi dishes, like fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, banh mi and noodles. This is a great option to try a few different classic Hanoi dishes, in smaller portions, while you sip on your coffee.
