The Note Coffee

One of the cafés that kept appearing on our Hanoi food searches was The Note Coffee, so we made sure to include it in our itinerary and finally see what all the hype was about.

To be honest, the exterior of the building did not immediately impress me. The ordering area on the ground floor a bit small so customers had to head upstairs after placing their orders. The staircase was quite narrow, so climbing up required carefully holding onto both sides.

Most of the customers during our visit were young travelers and students, with barely any elderly locals around, so it felt like the café was designed more for a younger crowd. What truly makes the place stand out are the thousands of sticky notes covering the walls and ceilings. Every table had stacks of sticky notes available, encouraging customers to leave messages behind for future visitors to read. I honestly kept wondering how some of the notes even reached the ceiling.

We ordered one large Strawberry Banana drink (VND 65,000 or around ₱152.55) and a large Iced Mint Choco (VND 60,000 or around ₱140.82). The strawberry banana shake was decent but not particularly memorable, while the mint chocolate drink reminded me of Milo with a hint of mint. Compared to other fruit shake stalls in Hanoi, the prices were definitely higher, but I guess customers are paying more for the experience and novelty rather than the drinks themselves.

We visited at night after dinner, and only a few tables on our floor were occupied, though we were unsure about the upper levels. We stayed on the second floor and ended up finishing our drinks quickly because we were exhausted and thirsty from all the walking. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the beverages and only managed to keep the receipts.

Bancông Cafe & Restaurant

Another café we tried was Bancông Cafe & Restaurant. Even though we arrived past lunch time, the place was still packed with diners. Thankfully, we were seated immediately, though only at the open-air balcony area on the second floor rather than inside the air-conditioned section.

The restaurant’s exterior was eye-catching because of the colorful decorative flowers hanging outside. In fact, many passersby who were not even dining there stopped just to take photos.

We ordered Cơm Tấm Sài Gòn (Saigon Broken Rice), Bún Chả, Phở Xào (Stir-Fried Pho), and Cà Phê Cốt Dừa or Vietnamese Coffee with Coconut Milk. Most of their main dishes were priced similarly at around VND 120,000, making this one of the more expensive local restaurants we tried in Hanoi.

The coconut coffee arrived first, long before our main dishes. It was topped with sweet coconut meat that reminded me of bukayo from the Philippines. We actually finished the entire drink before the food even arrived because it was that enjoyable.

I failed to take a photo of the Saigon Broken Rice because my husband immediately started eating it. He had been craving it ever since trying it in Saigon back in 2024. While it was satisfying, we still preferred the version we had in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Bún Chả platter came with grilled pork, meatballs, two fried spring rolls, fresh herbs, rice noodles, and dipping sauce. Compared to other restaurants we tried around Vietnam, the dipping sauce here had noticeably larger slices of carrots and cucumber. The grilled pork marinade tasted surprisingly close to Filipino-style grilled liempo, which made it very familiar and comforting for us.

As for the Phở Xào, it sadly did not work for me. The thick noodles did not absorb much flavor, making the dish taste bland overall. The vegetables and beef also felt disconnected rather than balanced together. Since it was my order, I eventually asked hubby to finish it for me while I happily stole bites from his broken rice and Bún Chả instead.

Overall, Bancông was a nice experience, especially since it is one of Hanoi’s most recommended cafés. However, it was not somewhere we felt eager to revisit. We found that many smaller local eateries offered more flavorful dishes at lower prices. Perhaps we simply did not choose their best-selling items.

Aahar Indian & Middle East Cuisine Restaurant

After several days of Vietnamese cuisine, we suddenly found ourselves craving Indian food again, which led us to Aahar Indian & Middle East Cuisine. Similar to our experience in Saigon back in 2024, this turned out to be an unexpectedly good find.

We randomly chose the restaurant while walking back to our hotel, and only after finishing our meal did we notice buses of tourists from different nationalities arriving. That alone made us realize we had stumbled upon a popular spot.

As usual, we ordered Chicken Butter Masala (VND 125,000 or around ₱293.03 for a large serving) and Chicken Aahar Biryani (VND 130,000 or around ₱304.75).

The butter chicken masala was excellent — tender boneless chicken coated in a rich, flavorful sauce that paired perfectly with rice. The biryani also used generous chunks of boneless chicken, so every spoonful felt satisfying. Both dishes had just the right level of spice, which worked perfectly for hubby since he does not enjoy overly spicy food.

And yes, no matter where we travel, we somehow always end up ordering the same Indian dishes — because when you truly enjoy something, it never gets old.