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Cha Ca La Vong: Restaurant Reviews

14 Pho Cha Ca, Hanoi, Vietnam
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Ranked #222 of 560 restaurants in Hanoi
Price range: $5 - $10
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
104 visitor photos
Restaurant details
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
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338 reviews from our community

43% Recommend
    68
    81
    74
    57
    58
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
There are newer reviews for Cha Ca La Vong
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Sydney
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Friendly staff. Good Vietnamese food. Low prices.”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed March 9, 2013

Nice little restaurant right in the middle of the Old Quarter of Hanoi.
Went there for early dinner, and ordered some traditional Vietnamese food, with lots of garlic, chili and lemongrass. And of course some Hanoi beer. Nice food, charming little restaurant. Not really fancy, but traditional interior. We did not try the western dishes. The Vietnamese food looked better off the menu. An English speaking staff member from Blue Butterfly, was very friendly to us, and we had a long conversation by the table.

  • Visited February 2013
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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Ask Agung S about Cha Ca La Vong
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Brooklyn, NY
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
3 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
“Amazing...I want to go back!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 4, 2013

I read about this restaurant in an in-flight magazine, and decided to check it out. Thank goodness I did! The food is amazing!

The good: promptness, fish, veggies, noodles, beer, value

The not-so-good: I dined solo and was placed at a table with a couple, who clearly didn't want me to join them. They asked to be moved, and this happened again with another couple. I know this is done because the place is so popular and gets crowded, but maybe put solo diners at one table...would save some awkward moments.

Overall, this was one of my favorite dining experiences ever!

Visited March 2013
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Ask norcal1993 about Cha Ca La Vong
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Johannesburg, South Africa
Top Contributor
56 reviews 56 reviews
35 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
29 helpful votes 29 helpful votes
“Good experience in Hanoi”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed March 2, 2013

Ordering this Hanoi favorite here is so easy since they only serve one dish. Beware though it is deep fried and not grilled as the menu suggests. They are very generous with the delicious greens and refill if you eat up. The extra herbs made up for the oily fish. Definitely a favorite with local families.

  • Visited February 2013
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Toronto, Canada
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
6 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
“Cha Cai Fish is pretty delicious but oily...”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed February 19, 2013

We are Balinese and Chinese foodies so we were really excited to try this Hanoi institution. Overall, we did like the flavours of the fish especially the fresh dill, but we did not try the sauce. Even though we regular cook with shrimp paste in Bali, the consistency, smell and colour of the sauce was a real turn-off. Totally agree that service was horrendous. The only thing I was happy as that it inspired me to make a dish like this back a home, without the pool of oil!

  • Visited February 2013
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Food
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Ask MavensPalate about Cha Ca La Vong
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Melbourne, Australia
Senior Contributor
43 reviews 43 reviews
21 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
“Locals haunt”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed February 19, 2013 via mobile

We went to this famous old eating establishment. We were the only westerners in the place which which to us said it all. The place is basic the food once you get the right mix of fish sauce and greens is ok. As there is only the one dish you go there because we can and we can say we have eaten in a family restaurant that is over 100 years old. If you are finicky don't bother but if you love a sense of why you are in Vietnam just go

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