As Spring 2025 gathers a little steam and we begin to imagine stepping outside in something less than seven layers, the world of swimwear is busy experiencing a renaissance of sorts, where innovation meets timeless elegance, all in time for summer. From more sustainable styling to architectural silhouettes, this year’s trends reflect a sophisticated marriage of form and function. Let us take you through the most compelling swimwear movements that are set to define the season.
The Rise Of Conscious Luxury
Gone are the days when sustainable swimwear meant compromising on style. This year’s eco-conscious pieces are crafted from revolutionary materials such as regenerated ocean waste and biodegradable fibres, transformed into luxurious suits that would look perfectly at home on the Côte d’Azur. Leading ateliers are introducing collections that marry environmental responsibility with unparalleled craftsmanship, proving that sustainability can indeed be synonymous with sophistication. The innovation extends beyond materials to include biodegradable packaging and carbon-neutral manufacturing processes, setting new standards for the industry.
Perhaps most impressively, these sustainable pieces often showcase superior longevity, maintaining their shape and colour far better than their traditional counterparts. The technical achievement of creating durable, eco-friendly swimwear that retains its luxurious feel has sparked a revolution in textile development, with manufacturers investing heavily in research and development to meet growing demand.
Architectural Minimalism
The clean, architectural lines that have dominated haute couture are making a spectacular splash in swimwear. Think sculptural one-pieces with precisely placed cutouts that frame the body like modern art, and high-waisted bikinis with geometric detailing that would make the Bauhaus movement proud. These pieces aren’t merely swimwear; they’re wearable architecture for the beach. The influence of contemporary architecture is particularly evident in the innovative use of panelling and seamless construction techniques that create striking silhouettes.
The movement has also spawned a new category of swimming costume that doubles as evening wear when paired with the right accessories, particularly popular at luxury resorts. With their sharp lines and considered proportions, these pieces challenge traditional notions of beachwear, elevating the humble swimming costume to new heights of sophistication.
Eternal Noir
The black bikini reigns supreme this season as the ultimate expression of sophisticated restraint, elevated beyond its traditional role through revolutionary fabric innovations and architectural precision. Technical advances in dye technology ensure these pieces maintain their rich, inky depths even after prolonged exposure to salt water and Mediterranean sun, whilst subtle textural variations—from barely-there lustres to sophisticated matte finishes—create depth and dimension that transforms the monochromatic palette into something altogether more compelling.
The most refined iterations embrace architectural minimalism with strategically placed cutouts and seamless construction techniques that create striking negative space, proving that true luxury often lies in perfect restraint rather than ostentatious display. These pieces serve as the ultimate foundation for versatile styling, transitioning effortlessly from morning laps to beachside soirées, embodying the modern woman’s desire for pieces that work as hard as she does whilst maintaining an air of effortless sophistication that never goes out of style.
Heritage Revival
This season sees a magnificent reinterpretation of heritage designs, with influences spanning from the golden age of Hollywood to the vivacious 1970s. Rather than mere reproduction, designers are offering clever contemporary twists on classical silhouettes. Picture corseted one-pieces reimagined in technical fabrics, and vintage-inspired high-waisted bikinis updated with modern textural elements. The revival extends to forgotten techniques like ruching and pin-tucking, now executed with modern precision and durability.
These pieces often feature hidden technical innovations, such as UV protection and quick-dry properties, whilst maintaining their classic appearance. The juxtaposition of vintage aesthetics with cutting-edge functionality creates pieces that resonate with both traditionalists and modernists alike, bridging the gap between past and present with remarkable finesse.
Luminescent Neutrals
The white bathing suit remains the cornerstone of refined beachwear, its timeless appeal undimmed in 2025. Yet this year brings an expanded palette of luminescent neutrals to complement this enduring classic. Pearl-infused fabrics, opalescent finishes, and subtle metallic sheens create an ethereal effect that catches light beautifully both in and out of water. Whether one opts for the pure sophistication of a pristine white one-piece or explores the new frontier of iridescent cream and champagne tones, these pieces offer a refined alternative to traditional block colours, lending their wearers an almost otherworldly elegance.
The technical achievement in creating these luminescent effects whilst maintaining fabric integrity in chlorinated and salt water is particularly noteworthy. The colours shift subtly throughout the day, responding to changing light conditions and creating an ever-evolving aesthetic experience. This innovative approach to more muted tones has revolutionised the way designers think about colour in swimwear, opening up new possibilities for subtle yet impactful design.
Performance Luxe
The worlds of high performance and high fashion have collided spectacularly this season. Technical fabrics with luxurious finishes create pieces that transition seamlessly from morning laps to beachside luncheons. Innovative cuts provide support and freedom of movement while maintaining an undeniably elegant aesthetic. The engineering behind these pieces rivals that of professional athletic wear, with compression zones and ergonomic seaming that flatters whilst enhancing performance.
The fabrics themselves represent a quantum leap forward, incorporating temperature-regulating properties and muscle-supporting compounds previously reserved for elite athletes. These advancements have created a new standard in luxury swimwear, where performance features are as important as aesthetic appeal. The result is a collection of pieces that perform as impressively as they look.
Modern Metallics
This year’s metallic swimwear takes a sophisticated turn with subtle, liquid-like finishes in muted gold, bronze, and gunmetal. Unlike their brasher predecessors, these pieces offer a refined shimmer that catches the light without overwhelming the eye, perfect for those seeking understated luxury. The innovation lies in the development of metallicised fibres that maintain their lustre even after repeated exposure to salt water and sun, a technical achievement that has eluded designers for years.
The pieces often incorporate clever design elements that create different effects when wet or dry, resulting in swimming costumes that seem to transform throughout the day. These metallic finishes have been engineered to complement rather than overwhelm, creating pieces that shine without shouting. The result is a collection of swimwear that brings subtle glamour to beachside gatherings and poolside soirées alike.
The Art Of Versatility
The most innovative designers are creating pieces that transcend traditional swimwear categories. Reversible designs, adjustable elements, and convertible features allow these sophisticated pieces to adapt to various settings and styling preferences, reflecting the modern woman’s desire for versatility without compromising on elegance. These metamorphic garments often incorporate ingenious fastening systems and hidden structural elements that allow for multiple styling options.
The engineering behind these pieces represents a significant advancement in swimwear construction, with some designs offering up to eight different styling possibilities within a single garment. This versatility extends beyond mere aesthetics, with many pieces incorporating clever technical features that allow them to transition seamlessly from beach to street wear. The result is a collection of pieces that work as hard as their wearers, adapting to the varied demands of contemporary life.
The Bottom Line
These trends reflect a broader shift in fashion towards thoughtful consumption, innovative design, and versatile luxury. The modern swimwear landscape offers something for every discerning taste, whether one’s preference lies in architectural simplicity or romantic sophistication.
The question isn’t merely which trend to embrace, but rather how to incorporate these elevated designs into one’s personal style narrative. After all, the most compelling aspect of this year’s swimwear isn’t just its aesthetic appeal, but its ability to tell a story about the wearer’s appreciation for refined design and conscious luxury.
Ho Chi Minh City’s evolution into one of Asia’s most thriving fine dining destinations has been nothing short of sprawling in scope and breakneck in speed, the latter quite the opposite of the ponderous pace of traffic on basically every road and thoroughfare in the city.
Not to worry; at both street level and 81 stories skyward, there are exciting things happening in the wok, across the grill and on the plate that mean you don’t have to go far – stuck in sludgy traffic or mercifully mobile – to have a seriously good meal in Saigon.
As the evening humidity settles and the motorbikes thin out, Vietnam’s second city reveals its sophisticated side. Behind historic facades and up discrete staircases, chefs both local and international are cooking with something approaching a singular narrative: one that celebrates Vietnam’s heritage, sure, but also boldly maps a vision forward.
The arrival of Michelin in 2023 merely confirmed what diners here already knew – this former ‘Pearl of the Orient’ is on song where fine dining is concerned, even if the chefs doing the cooking wouldn’t want you to call it that. Here, then, are Ho Chi Minh City’s best fine dining restaurants, ideal for a special occasion when you want to linger a little longer, drink a little deeper, and really savour just where Saigon is at in 2025.
Anan Saigon
Ideal for the story of Vietnamese street food told through a contemporary lens…
In a striking multi-storey tube house (a traditional Vietnamese architectural style that’s narrow but extends deeply inward, originally designed to minimise street frontage taxes) looking out over one of Saigon’s oldest wet markets, chef Peter Cuong Franklin aimed for the stars and got them: by turning traditional street food dishes into a thoughtful, intricate tasting menu, earning Saigon its first Michelin star in the process.
His is a story of courage in the face of adversity. The Yale-educated former banker fled Vietnam as a child refugee during the Fall of Saigon before returning decades later – via Nahm in Bangkok, Hong Kong’s Caprice and Alinea in Chicago, only three of the world’s best restaurants – to offer a fresh, contemporary take on the cuisine of his homeland.
The tasting menu showcases Franklin’s self-styled ‘Cuisine Moi’ (New Vietnamese) philosophy, with a kind of high-low strut that has seen dishes like the caviar banh nhung (street waffle topped with salmon roe and mousse, dill creme fraiche and gold leaf), banh xeo tacos (crispy Vietnamese crepes reimagined in handheld form), and the conversation-starting fish sauce ice cream all turn skeptics into converts. Because, above all else, this is food you want to eat. And eat. Hence the restaurant’s encouragement to ‘ăn, ăn’.
You could look at the price of the menu in two ways. The Saigon Tasting Menu (£75-ish), which takes diners on a journey through modern interpretations of Vietnamese classics, and the pricier Chef’s Tasting Menu (around £100), an expanded culinary tour from North to South Vietnam, certainly aren’t cheap. And some will be tempted to say that they could eat on the road for a fraction of the price. But those folk are bores. Isn’t there room in this city for both? Instead, consider it as a Michelin-starred tasting menu for under £100, which is a rare find globally.
The restaurant spans multiple floors, with each level offering different experiences – from the main restaurant and the Nhau Nhau cocktail bar with its 1960s vibe, upwards to the more recently opened Pot Au Pho noodle bar and a rooftop bar with cracking views. Take in the vista as you get across the clever cocktail menu, which incorporates Vietnamese ingredients in fine creations like the Black Tea Tra Da (tequila with rice wine, lychee and lime) and the Phojito (gin infused with pho herbs). It’s the kind of place I imagine getting lost in, spending several days imbibing, before emerging blinking back into the light with a fresh perspective on the South’s food. One can only dream…
Ideal for immersing yourself in the primal appeal of over-flames cooking…
With its motto ‘A celebration of Vietnam’s terroir, plants and seasons, through dishes cooked with fire’ (guys, mottos are meant to be short!), Esta has earned its seat at the table by doing something more primal – the kind of red-hot ember cooking that’s so bloody ubiquitous in the UK right now.
Set in a brooding 35-seat space with flaming grill as centrepiece – we’d call it a ‘hearth’ if we were feeling pretentious -, the restaurant envelopes you in a kind of suave wood aroma, seasoning you with smoke throughout your meal. Dark and moodily lit, the fire licking the ceiling casts attractive glows and shadows across the place. Our favourite place to sit is at the counter – a coveted eight seats where you can watch the chefs in action and whisper seductive (or silly) things into your partner’s ear. It’s all rather sensual as you watch the pyrotechnics up close. Just mind your eyebrows.
Chef Francis Thuan, who worked his way up from food delivery driver to acclaimed chef, opened Esta after finding inspiration from fire cooking techniques he discovered in a YouTube video about Ekstedt in Sweden. Now, chef Long Cuong has taken the reins, and his menu blends Vietnamese ingredients and traditions with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese influences. A dish of grilled foie gras is an absolute highlight. Bar-marked and perfect, it’s been glazed with kombu honey as it caramelises. It’s diced, then served in the shell of a smoked onion, bedding down in its allium cocoon over slow-cooked onions and polenta. Somehow, surprisingly, the smoke actually lightens the decadence of it all.
That same flame works more delicately with seafood. Hokkaido scallops are paired with Ha Giang’s hardy mac cop pears, which start sharp and bitter before the grill mellows them to subtle sweetness. The pear’s floral notes lift the scallops’ oceanic richness, creating an unexpectedly harmonious pairing.
Even dishes that skip the grill carry Esta’s smoky signature. Paper-thin carpaccio of milk-fed veal arrives draped over fermented taro tonnato, the smoke-kissed meat playing against umami depth, sarsi leaf, Vietnamese basil, and lemongrass satay oil. Crispy taro shards and pickled shallots add necessary crunch and acidity.
Not purely seasonal, menus at Esta honour different occasions, too. Last year, ‘Her Flame‘, a celebration of Women’s Day, saw dishes like Nha Trang lobster sliced and draped over a kimchi bisque. It’s all garnished with dien dien flowers. Forget bouquets of roses – this is how flowers should be delivered.
Trung khanh chestnuts from Cao Bang become the star of a sophisticated dessert – roasted until fragrant, then churned into earthy-sweet ice cream. Earl Grey tea infused with Calabrian bergamot adds aromatic bitterness, while fresh mandarin segments provide bright contrast. It’s all so beautifully realised, a seemingly random roll call of disparate ingredients united by the power of the grill.
Such skilful composition deserves equally considered wine pairings. The restaurant’s wine selection is thoughtful not throwaway, very deliberately positioned to go with the fire-kissed cuisine. Look for volcanic wines like Etna Rosso – those almost ashy, mineral-driven Sicilian reds whose own volcanic terroir echoes the cooking method beautifully – or perhaps a skin-contact orange wine whose tannic grip can stand up to all that char.
The tasting menu here is priced at 2.5 million VND a head (£72 or so), but there’s an a la carte too, for those looking to take things in at their own pace and choosing. Either way, the theatrical experience and free smoked perfume you leave wearing more than justifies the splurge.
Ideal for marauding French cuisine in old-world elegant surroundings…
In a quiet corner of Thao Dien, set back from where equally frenetic Quoc Huong and Xuan Thuy cross swords, chef Thierry Mounon and his Vietnamese wife Tina have created what many consider to be the finest French dining experience in Ho Chi Minh City.
It’s certainly the most transportative. Set in an elegant French heritage villa surrounding a swimming pool (ignore the whispering angel telling you to jump on in), La Villa has been open since 2010 – an absolute stalwart in terms of modern Saigon dining – and brings a carefully curated take on southern French living to the heart of Saigon’s expat enclave.
Chef Mounon earnt his chops in Avignon working under Michelin-starred chef Christian Etienne, and his menu reflects his Provençal roots, as well as a broader appreciation for the French classics from further north, with impeccably executed dishes that don’t stray too far from tradition (phew). Signature dishes include the duck foie gras terrine with figs, Ajnou pigeon with black truffle, and a pitch perfect bouillabaisse that showcases his technical precision and would have folk on The Go To Food Podcast purring that this was ‘proper cooking’.
The dining room, cosy and cosseted, exudes an old-world elegance that could smell a bit fusty in the wrong hands, the heavy velvet curtains, brown diamond-quilted leather chairs and Southern Vietnamese humidity perhaps not the most harmonious of bedfellows. A chandelier, starched white tablecloths, and crystal stemware further reinforce the old-school vibe. No amount of AC can rewrite this.
A wooden staircase curves gracefully in the background, the whole domestic aesthetic so fully realised you think about asking if you can stay the night. You half expect a cheese trolley to roll into view, and…there it is! Featuring a good 20 different cheeses from across France, served with freshly baked bread and chutneys, it’s a proper treat for fromage fanatics, and reason alone to pitch up at the villa.
The terracotta terrace outside feels better if you can stand the heat. A few tables sit in the shadow of the villa’s white columns, surrounded by lush tropical greenery and overlooking the pool. With one of those massive, jet propeller fans blowing on you, it’s perfect for a languorous lunch or dinner under the stars, just about scooter fume free. Just mind the wantaway serviettes!
For the broadest taste of what chef Mounon is doing here, the seasonal tasting menu is the move. Clocking in north of 5,000,000 (£150), it’s one of Saigon’s most expensive, expansive dining experiences, but it does hit the spot if you’re in the mood.
Wine pairings feature predominantly French selections, naturally.
Ideal for all-day Japanese dining with wide lens city skyline views…
As a rule in Vietnam, the higher up a building you go, the less straightforwardly enjoyable the eating experience becomes.
Up here on the 28th floor of the Sedona Suites building, there’s a worry Towa (meaning ‘eternal life’ in Japanese) is going to be all style, no substance. The incredible, 180-degree half-panorama of bustling Ho Chi Minh City below only threatens to confirm this, the twinkling tapestry of lights taunting us: “We’re down here, on a plastic stool, eating the best damn food of our lives”, they seem to say. We consider jumping off the tower, our own eternal life cut short.
We’ve lost it here, but fortunately a classic Ginza-style martini snaps me back into the room, into the present. The menu meanders and sprawls in such a way that it’s hard to digest in all its pomp. Fortunately, there are pictures (keep getting distracted by that view), and an omakase experience to focus the mind once again. You’ll have to pitch up at the sushi bar for that, but the stools here look out across the city from Towa’s best vantage point. Result!
Premium ingredients are sourced directly from prestigious Japanese markets, including Tokyo’s famous Toyosu Market, Hokkaido, and Nagasaki Bay, and are best when served with minimal fanfare. There’s a keenly priced set lunch available daily from 11:30am to 2pm, starting at just 149,000 VND.
Sure, it’s not the finest Japanese food you’ll eat in Vietnam (that is found up in Hanoi), but the view is irresistible here, the convivial, chattering, casually sophisticated vibe feeling just right as the sun’s setting. Sometimes, that’s all you want when the food back at ground level is as good as it is.
Ideal for opulent Cantonese fine dining with unparalleled attention to detail…
The only Chinese restaurant in Vietnam to hold a Michelin star, Long Trieu presents Cantonese fine dining in a setting of extraordinary opulence. Upon arrival, guests are greeted (not literally; that would be pretty wild) by a specially commissioned Swarovski crystal dragon installation suspended dramatically above the entrance – subtle it is not, striking it is.
That sense of an interior designer having taken things too far continues in the lavish, imperial palace-channeling dining room, a riot of jade stonework and lacquered red walls, traditional gold-leaf painted Chinese scenes, bold expressions of vermilion and gold, and exquisite wood carvings. Nine private dining rooms provide something more discrete, while the main dining area – with its gleaming black marble floors dramatically reflecting white-clothed circular tables – offers views of picturesque Nguyen Hue Boulevard.
Executive chef Wong Fu Keung – a Hong Kong veteran – brings a menu that is refreshingly free from theatrics, instead celebrating Cantonese cooking traditions at their most pure, with a keen focus on abalone specialties (the three-headed abalone in ‘unique sauce’ is a showstopper), bird’s nest dishes, and a Peking duck that lives up to its reputation as the best in town, and then some. The dim sum selection features over 50 varieties, with standouts including steamed shark’s fin shrimp dumpling and baked whole abalone tart. Yes, it’s opulent, yes it’s expensive, but god it’s good.
This is not a casual drop-in spot, and there are too many different set menus to list individually, ranging from around 3 million to more than 7 million VND (£85 to £200) per guest, but it is without doubt one of Saigon’s best restaurants for a special occasion. For those wanting to experience this grand room without dropping a fortune, the dim sum menu is a la carte, with single portions generally priced between 150,000 and 250,000 VND (£5 to £7).
He chose Vietnam in 2023, recognising the rising star status of Saigon and earning the city one of its own soon after. His philosophy? “I make it up as I go; I just cook what I think is tasty. It’s my most authentic cooking yet.”
The name AKUNA, meaning ‘flowing water’ in an Australian Aboriginal language, is a neat little distillation of Aisbett’s career thus far, and the restaurant’s evolving ‘no-rules’ formula. The contemporary, elegant space is low-key and low-lit, with seats at a counter bordering the open kitchen, all set against a backdrop of sparkling city skyscrapers piercing a blue night sky.
The design up above, it should be said, is anything but muted. The striking central feature is an installation of 1,200 Murano glass light rods dubbed ‘Waves’, suspended above the open kitchen and creating a glistening stream effect that embodies the restaurant’s name. This breathtaking piece is part of a broader lighting concept representing the three states of water, crafted with recycled glass.
At this point, you half suspect you’ll simply be served a glass of water, so keen is AKUNA to drive the theme home. Fortunately, there’s food. Aisbett’s 6-course tasting menu (around 3,900,000 VND, or £112) weaves together Australian and Vietnamese influences with intentional Japanese touches. Expect the unexpected with combinations like shaved saltwater crocodile (using both tongue and tail) served with steamed garlic custard, agretti, and Japanese Tonburi (land caviar). Or, the two-way wagyu from David Blackmore’s Victorian high country – tenderloin crusted in sprouted spelt alongside a cheeky wagyu rissole (Aisbett’s wink to the Aussie classic), finished with a Binh Duong wild long pepper sauce.
Even the amuse-bouche, a fresh milk curd with snap peas and buffalo tail consommé, seemingly reinterprets pho bo in a pitch-perfect way. These are dishes that are as intoxicating as they sound, and could easily tip over into just plain weird in the wrong hands, but in Aisbett’s they’re precisely balanced and blessed with real clarity. No ingredient feels out of place, none superfluous.
He explicitly states that he “want(s) the world to see the culinary possibilities amidst the beautiful chaos of Saigon”, and it’s mission very much accomplished, a bit like that serene, ear-piercingly still nano-second between scooter horn honking that sometimes randomly falls as you dissociate at the traffic lights.
Such pinpoint, judicious flavour needs a carefully considered winelist to complement it, and here it’s curated by head sommelier Huyen Ha with a rundown that champions natural and organic wines alongside iconic labels, with glasses starting at a keen 350,000 (£10) for a light, bright Australian Riesling, and going up to an absurd 215 million VND (£6200), for a vintage Petrus.
Ideal for Mediterranean-inspired wood-fired cooking with an eclectic spirit…
Housed in a beautifully preserved belle époque-era French mansion with a distinctive charcoal-grey exterior, Quince Eatery Saigon (the city determiner necessary as there was a sibling over in Bangkok until August of last year) brings a smoky, polished but ultimately laid back take on Mediterranean cuisine with modern international influences to Ho Chi Minh City’s fine dining scene.
Chef Julien Perraudin, whose formative years took him from a Michelin-starred apprenticeship in France to London, Australia (where his eclectic style blossomed), and eventually Bangkok, launched Quince Saigon in early 2018. He describes his wood-fired techniques – the heart of Quince – as “much more intuitive than traditional cooking”. This approach, using two blazing wood-fired ovens, results in dishes with distinctive, complex ember-anointed profiles.
Inside, the open kitchen is the focal point, featuring a gleaming copper counter with just six seats, offering front-row views of the chefs rattling pans and prodding protein on the grill slats. The adjacent dining room, all industrial barebrick walls, high ceilings, and canteen-like rackety, ricocheting volume, is lively and perfumed by charcoal. You find yourself shouting over the din and, for some reason, the haze to be heard.
Standout dishes consistently include the spicy salmon nori tacos (cured salmon, shiso, avocado, and ikura – an absolute must-try appetiser); wild Hokkaido scallops, perhaps paired with smoked marrow cappelletti or Iberico pork tortellini; and the perfectly aged Barbary duck breast with mostarda di frutta. Even the sides, like the intriguingly named ‘Not So Mashed Potatoes’ (stickier, runnier and more indulgent – must be all that truffle butter) or roasted cauliflower with aged Comté cream, are well worth your roving eye. And don’t miss the much-Instagrammed palate cleanser of home-made gummy bears.
If you can physically move after the butter-laden main event, ascend to the second-floor cocktail bar, Madam Kew. This stylish spot, with its retro Hong Kong vibes, is inspired by 1940s Asian entrepreneur Margaret Choo and the Hong Kong bar Maggie Choo’s, boasts a long counter, plush booths, and sofas you’ll want to sink well into after your meal on the ground floor. Let the effervescent bartenders lift you up with their formidable cocktails like the Rock Me Up (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Appleton, Fernet Branca, Campari, honey, ginger, and lemon), alongside fun, flavourful Chinese snacks – their eggplant mapo tofu is right revered on the Saigon socialite circuit.
With regular DJ sets and live music, it’s the perfect complement to the dining experience below. Recognised by Michelin, 50Best Discovery, and Tatler, Quince delivers a truly memorable, fire-kissed feast. Or, perhaps, a memorable, fire-feasted kiss.
Ideal for refined modern British cuisine with skyline views and a live jazz soundtrack…
Named after an ancient (and Libertines-loved) term for Britain, The Albion marks the expansion of two-Michelin-starred chef Kirk Westaway (of JAAN fame in Singapore) into Ho Chi Minh City. And it’s quite the statement. Perched on the 23rd floor of the Hôtel des Arts Saigon, this is where Westaway’s ‘Reinventing British’ philosophy comes to life, all with a backdrop of shimmering city views through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Devon-born Westaway aims to transform traditional British flavours into modern, beautifully crafted dishes (a noble aim in a country whose food is famously light and colourful, from one whose food has the antithetical reputation), all while embracing Vietnamese influences and local ingredients. A remarkable 90% of the restaurant’s vegetables hail from Da Lat, the fertile plains in Central Vietnam that Westaway calls an “organic mecca”. He’s right, you know; we’d call it the same if we had a voice and somewhere to print it.
Albion’s design, a collaboration with Japanese designer Maeda Shinya of Super Potato, is a journey in itself, merging traditional and modern British aesthetics with the artistic flair of Hôtel des Arts. Guests arrive into the Author’s Lounge, a swanky space dominated by an impressive 8-metre oak wood bar shipped from London, flanked by statues reminiscent of ship figureheads.
Deeper in, distinct zones unfold: the Kitchen Observatory offers glimpses into the culinary process; the Blue Parlour exudes luxury with deep royal blue hues and ornate damask wallpaper; and the intimate Chef’s Study features fabrics inspired by Japan’s Edo period. Visually striking, yes, but geographically a little confusing, perhaps…
Anyway, the overall effect is cohesive enough, a blend of old and new, East and West, that admittedly has this British diner braced for a jarring take on fish and chips with coconut milk in the batter and mushy peas seasoned with makrut lime.
Those fears are quickly assuaged. Leading the day-to-day kitchen operations is head chef Christopher Clarke, a longtime friend of Westaway with whom he shares a deep respect for quality produce. Together, they’ve curated a menu (structured as Let’s Begin, Main Courses, To Share, Something Sweet) that celebrates the essence of British culinary culture through a contemporary lens.
Signature dishes include The Albion Tomato, an ode to the farming culture of Da Lat as much as to Blighty, featuring heritage tomatoes, house-made ketchup, fragrant Thai basil, an orange and sweet basil sorbet, and creamy burrata. On the hottest of hot days in Saigon, it was more refreshing than a Truc Bach beer over ice.
The fish and chips isn’t exactly traditional, but the refinements make sense: toothfish in a crisp local ale batter, a beautifully seasoned pea purée, house-made tartare with all the gherkin and caper dice exactly the same size, and ‘chips’ that are actually something closer to the famous Quality Chop confit potato terrine. Superb stuff, and quite comfortably the best fish and chips in the country.
For sharing, the whole roasted chicken crown – tender meat basted with its own jus, crispy stuffed wings, buttery mash, and charred sweetcorn – is a showstopper. And for a light, zesty finish (you’ll want one after this many carbs), the calamansi sorbet, gin-infused citrus, and Earl Grey tea jelly is a delight, the nods to the UK playful but also, most importantly, delicious. Suddenly, we find ourselves missing our mum, both because she roasts a mean chicken and because she loves gin.
The restaurant hosts regular jazz performances (check for monthly jazz nights, often the last Friday). It’s no surprise The Albion was crowned Restaurant of the Year 2025 by Tatler Best Vietnam. It’s an experience that’s as refined as its setting, offering clean, fresh, and vibrant modern British dishes that feel both nostalgic and new.
When we upgrade our homes, it’s easy to push the bathroom right to the end of the priority list, with misassumptions being made about the quantity and quality of the time we spend in this most sacred of rooms.
But when you think about it a little more deeply, it’s essential that our bathrooms are spaces which encourage wellbeing and relaxation. Able to refresh, rejuvenate and replenish in the shortest possible time, bathrooms are most certainly worthy of our attention and budgets when undergoing a home renovation project.
Indeed, bathrooms, being so frequently visited and offering so much function (and, whisper it, frivolity), deserve better.
But that needn’t mean your bathroom remodelling and installation project is time-consuming or bank balance-draining. Instead, it can be an undertaking that’s satisfying and cost effective, if only you follow these top things to consider when remodelling your bathroom.
Be Aware That Bathroom Remodelling Budgets Can Fast Exceed Budget
The first step to bathroom remodelling and installation is setting aside a dedicated, realistic budget. As anyone who has watched even five minutes of shows like Grand Designs or George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces will attest, home renovation projects always go over budget, with costly surprises waiting in every nook and cranny of a property.
This is perhaps most keenly realised in the bathroom; for a room that takes up such (comparative) small space, it also involves the most fiddly of logistics, with water and electricity provision, as well as ventilation, all requiring precise installation.
Accordingly, be sure to keep an extra 10 to 15% of your budget in emergency funds — you never know when you’ll need some extra bucks to redress that dodgy wiring or remedy a newly discovered leaking pipe.
When you begin the remodelling, keep track of your expenditures by listing spent amounts against their budgeted counterparts. This keeps you (and your contractor) accountable, increasing the chances of staying within the decided amount.
Sure, we love to swan around nude in our bathroom, whistle in the bath and play air guitar using our back scrubber as much as the next person, but let’s be honest here; the bathroom is a functional space, first and foremost.
While planning your bathroom remodelling project, be sure to go big on functionality. Here are multiple things to consider:
The bathroom floor should be slip-resistant (e.g., small tiles and wide grout lines do the job by increasing friction).
Choose high-quality, durable countertop materials (e.g., granite). The square footage in bathrooms is less, so it won’t be too much of an investment when compared to kitchen countertops. Yet, such materials boast excellent longevity, making them a worthwhile investment.
The cabinetry should be spacious and resistant to humidity.
The lighting should brighten up the space and be sufficient for bathroom-based tasks. Consider incorporating both ambient and task lighting.
In addition to functionality, you should also, of course, consider aesthetics and the pleasure you get from the space. In that regard, let’s discover some fun design ideas for bathrooms.
The Marble Effect Can Give Your Space A Luxurious Touch
It’s true that bathrooms are a necessity, but why not turn them into places to give off relaxing, cool vibes? Give them a touch of the spa by including marble in a classic white colour.
Marble with grey or gold veins gives off an even more luxurious and royal look. Couple it with essential oils and scented candles, and there you have it — an ordinary bath instantly turned into a relaxing day off from work!
Pro tip: If you’re on a budget, get the marble effect in porcelain, which will still deliver an opulent look but will help keep you within your price range.
Don’t be fooled by the name! It’s not expensive, nor is it a boring or rough-and-tough look for your bathroom. The industrial look instead refers to that instantly recognisable New York City loft-style, where you would see brass accents, exposed brick and rustic bathroom accessories.
This minimalistic design means you can easily adapt it without giving a major overhaul to the space, as so much of this style is about taking away rather than adding.
Here’s how to go about it:
· Include brass tones. This can be achieved with gold fixtures and exposed pipes.
· Add rustic stones to the bathroom — a stone sink is the way to go!
· Reveal a section of exposed brick wall, even if it’s simply an accent.
· Opt for wooden shelves and wire drawers.
Incorporating Plants To Bring The Outside In
Want to give a fresh, warm, and outdoorsy look to your bathroom? Then why not bring in a touch of nature and luxuriate in the healing powers of verdancy. Indeed, micro-gardens in the bathroom are a key trend for 2025 are striking additions that add a pop of colour, diversify texture, and offer a calming, soothing quality to any space.
Can’t stop fixating on that empty spot in the bathroom? Fill it with fern. Or, use plants hanging from the ceiling to give an urban jungle look that you can get properly immersed in. Should you be looking for something a little more subtle in terms of visual impact, a simple cactus stood on some open shelving can look great.For the bathroom, you’ll want to pick plant varieties that are low-maintenance – succulents are great here and can survive in low light and high humidity whilst Boston ferns can cope happily and healthily in these conditions, too. If you think maintaining a plant on a regular basis is too hectic, faux plants could be your saviour.
Black Accents Are A High-End Upgrade
Add hints of black to give your bathroom a sleek and stylish look. If you’re afraid that this will appear too overwhelming (which is a justified view), deploy this darkest of tones with restraint, and pair it with neutral colours.
Playing with white and black accents during your bathroom remodel is a smart way to go; while the colour white gives a clean and fresh outlook, black adds richness and depth to the space. Obviously, tread carefully where checks are concerned, or it’s all going to look a bit ‘novelty sized chess board’.
Instead, introduce those super dark shades in the form of a vanity or wall paintings. Create a statement with black vanity mirrors — these will stand out against the white or neutral background.
Not to forget, your bathtub is an accessory too. Why leave it in a plain, white colour when a black bathtub can immediately change the whole ambiance? The same principle applies to tapware — bold black tapware and faucets create striking focal points that complement other dark accents just beautifully.
Tiles Are Game-Changers — So Choose Them Wisely
Who doesn’t love wooden floors? They give off a warm, cosy vibe and incorporate a natural touch into any room. But using wood in bathrooms, where there’s definitely going to be some water splashes, is less than practical, can result in distressed looking flooring which is surprisingly difficult to fix. The solution? Opt for a wooden look, but through the tiles. They are easier to maintain and look almost as realistic.
Wood effect tiles are becoming increasingly popular because they immediately add an interesting and natural texture to the walls and floor. They also don’t fade over time like natural wood, so you don’t have to worry about redoing your bathroom repeatedly.
So, sprinkle some rustic charm by making the switch to wooden-effect tiles. These offer a great way to give the bathroom a rustic and welcoming look, without the less than welcome upkeep that genuine wooden floors require.
Draperies Are Easy To Neglect — Prioritise Them
Draperies may seem unexpected in bathrooms, but they are just as welcoming and cosy in here as they are in your living space. Full-length draperies are a huge bathroom trend in 2022, owing to the cosy vibes they exude.
You don’t have to opt for old-fashioned ornate, heavy fabrics. Today’s draperies are lightweight and sophisticated, so while they do provide privacy, they also allow natural light to fill the bathroom.
The Bottom Line
Hey, let’s just put it this way; if you put into practice some of the tips we’ve outlined above, we simply can’t wait to use your bathroom next time we visit!
Though certain Vietnamese dishes are among the world’s most cherished and Hanoi’s street food vendors rightly revered, the capital city’s restaurant scene has – until recently at least – has felt simultaneously overlooked and undervalued.
Since then, those distinctive red plaques have sprung up all over the city, looking a little incongruous against the usual timeworn Old Quarter facades, and only confirming what the denizens of Hanoi already knew: you can eat very well here, whether perched precariously on a red plastic stool amidst a cacophony of scooter horns, or seated at a white-clothed table in a hushed, reverent dining room.
The former is obviously where the action is, but sometimes you need to linger a little longer in the latter, with space to think, to breathe and to recline. With Hanoi increasingly making its mark on global gastronomy, the options for eating out at the finer end of the spectrum are becoming overwhelming. Who would have imagined saying that just a few years ago?
Fear not; because we are not overwhelmed. Cut us, and we bleed premium Red Boat fish sauce. Our perfume is perilla leaf, and our hair is made up of a thousand different strands of rice noodle. It’s all in service of this; our guide to the best fine dining restaurants in Hanoi for that truly special occasion.
Gia Restaurant, Dong Da
Ideal for meticulously researched, poetically precise modern Vietnamese dining…
Meaning ‘family’ or ‘home’ in Vietnamese, Gia is chef Sam Tran’s deeply personal ode to the motherland, the dishes here a product of Tran’s decade spent training in Australia, inevitably missing the food of home. Suddenly, the restaurant’s name feels even more poetic, more appropriate still in its position in a beautifully restored Vietnamese townhouse near Hanoi’s historic Temple of Literature.
Chef Tran, the first Vietnamese woman to receive a Michelin star, is on a mission not to ‘elevate’ or to ‘refine’ Vietnamese cuisine, but to capture it through a new lens, modern techniques and a certain youthful swagger, all without losing any of its essence.
She is forthright in her desire not to linger over the past for too long; “Culture is never just nostalgia,” Tran told the The Best Chef Awards last year. She explained that looking at traditional dishes as something to simply “preserve” doesn’t suit her approach, instead wanting to “evoke in customers new emotions about ingredients that are already familiar, while telling stories about traditional Vietnamese culture.”
Mission, we’re pleased to report, very much accomplished.
In a delicate, elegant space, dimly lit and distinctive in emerald greens and dark woods that seem to inform the pace and tone of service, the whole thing feels beautifully considered, from the spacious open kitchen that helps connect diner and cook, farm and table, to the on-display fermentation ‘lab’, filled with jars of fermenting fruits and vegetables, providing decorative flourishes and actual inspiration for the seasonally changing menu.
The dining experience at Gia spans multiple floors – a main dining area and private dining rooms peeling off it, as well as a separate space for dessert service – creating a shifting cadence throughout the meal that anchors the whole thing in that idea of change and progression.
The results on the plate are just as thoughtful. The 12-course tasting menu changes not seasonally exactly, but rather to tell stories throughout the year, of the changing Northern weather or of Hanoian annual celebrations.
In practice, that’s realised through recent highlights like the ‘Inside The River’ menu’s ca kho rieng (caramelised braised fish with galangal), which paid tribute to the innate ancestral wisdom of Vietnamese home cooking, honouring how braised dishes were created not just to preserve food but to pair perfectly with simple staples during times of scarcity and Hanoi’s surprisingly chilly winter nights.
That menu ended with a real showstopper of a dessert, a dish of winter-grown sweetcorn and honey-like sweet potato that drew ingredients and inspiration from the waters and fertile silt of the Red River, transforming the humble into the ambrosial, and marrying savoury and sweet to thought-provoking effect.
Perhaps the most striking thing we’ve eaten here was a pheasant dish from last year that was really a rice dish; a celebration of Hanoi’s young green rice (‘com’), a delicacy only available in autumn. Fragile – transient, even – and chewy, it came alongside a puck of tender pheasant meat, its wine-marinated egg, and a bowl of bitter soup to pull everything together. It was a dish of real complexity, speaking of time and place poetically. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world eating this.
Whatever time of year you’re visiting, you’ll want to go for the drinks pairing. This is complex, sophisticated food that needs a judicious touch with its accompanying drinks, and this is a flight that walks a fine balance between adventurous and accessible – local rice wine sits alongside natural wines and tea infusions, all there to serve the menu, bringing out the best in each dish.
At 1,800,000 VND (about £52) for the lunchtime tasting menu and 2,500,000 (£72) for dinner, Gia isn’t just one of the best fine dining options in Hanoi – it’s also remarkably good value in terms of just about any Michelin-starred restaurant meal worldwide. Booking in advance is strongly recommended.
Ideal for Vietnamese home cooking that doesn’t shoot for the stars but still lands them…
The story behind Tam Vi is almost as straightforwardly satisfying as its food. When mother-daughter team Ms. Tam and Mai Anh opened their modest two-story restaurant in 2019, neither had professional restaurant experience. Their simple goal was to share old-school Northern Vietnamese home cooking inspired by family recipes, and accolades were simply not part of the plan. Fast forward to 2023, and their humble though clearly excellent restaurant received a star at Vietnam’s inaugural Michelin ceremony, which it maintained in 2024. Long may it continue.
Near Hanoi’s historic Temple of Literature (there must be something in the water in Ba Dinh), Tam Vi’s vintage aesthetic and laid back charm immediately takes diners far from the chaos of kinetic Nguyen Thai Hoc, all the way to another era. The antique wooden Chinese furniture, hand-written signs, local artwork, and charming nostalgic touches like an antique gramophone bring real character and a sense of place. Something tactile and transportive. A space where raising your voice would disturb the ghosts of the building. A recently added courtyard, lush and enveloping, has expanded the space whilst maintaining its chilled out charm.
The expansive menu showcases a wide range of homestyle Northern Vietnamese dishes rooted in herbal, savoury flavours and a refreshing lack of ostentation. This is food that will lift you up and ground you, all in one bite.
Standouts include a subtle, sophisticated deep-fried tofu and spring onion dish that is so much more than the sum of its parts – ethereally light and striking in its clean, pronounced flavour – and the thit kho trung (Vietnamese caramelised pork and eggs), which thrives on its interplay of palm sugar sweetness and chunks of pork belly so fatty they verge on the obscene. It could cure many ills, this one.
Gorgeous too is the claypot braised fish. At Tam Vi it’s served as a whole tranche of river fish braised in premium fish sauce that thickens as it bubbles, buoyed by aromatics like black peppercorns – here fruity, not rasping -, ginger, lemongrass and chilli. It’s another dish that deserves freshly steamed rice. Here, the serving of rice depends on the season and changes regularly, another thoughtful touch from a team full of them.
There’s no spherification here. No foams. No stacks or towers. Just precisely seasoned, effortlessly elegant cooking that has rightfully earned its place among Hanoi’s ‘fine dining’ restaurants without ever having any pretensions at haute cuisine.
There’s no wine list either. Instead, Tam Vi focuses on traditional Vietnamese drinks including corn juice with sugarcane, lemon juice with lemongrass, and teas. They’ll get you a big, sharing Hanoi beer and a bucket of ice if you ask nicely, though.
There are other ways to cool down. Vietnam is criminally overlooked where desserts are concerned, but the seasonal desserts at Tam Vi are a triumph. In summer, a sweet ‘soup’ of longans and lotus lands on the table ice cold and ultra-refreshing, the floral fruit bobbing around in their chilled syrup like jewels. A scattered julienne of coconut flesh brings an almost debonair note. We begin scrawling plans on the back of our napkin to open a Vietnamese dessert shop back home.
We adore their troi chay cake, too. A time-honoured delicacy, these luminous rice flour dumplings, prepared for Hanoi’s Cold Foods festival, embody a certain cultural and culinary wisdom that just seems to be in Tam Vi’s blood. When properly made, the dumplings perform a curious dance in boiling water, sinking to the bottom three times before rising to the surface seven times, signalling perfect readiness. Beyond mere cooking technique, this rhythmic movement has become a cherished metaphor for the peaks and troughs of raising children to maturity. At Tam Vi, these pillowy white morsels arrive glistening and tender, their delicate rice exterior giving way to subtle sweetness, topped with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds whose nuttiness arrives at just the right time in the mouth.
Unsurprisingly with this much ‘home cooking’ and ‘traditional’ peppered judiciously throughout our write-up, Tam Vi is exceptional value. With individual dishes typically ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 VND (£3-6), Tam Vi offers one of the most affordable Michelin-starred dining experiences in the world. If you need guidance on an intimidatingly sprawling menu, the ‘Trung Bac Set’ at 760,000 VND (around £23) is a good place to start, serving multiple people with a variety of dishes chosen to tee off against each other, all orbiting the freshly steamed rice in the table’s centre.
You’ll want to book rather than just rocking up – this place has skyrocketed in popularity since receiving its star, with weekends now booked out weeks ahead. You’ll have to do that by phone – Tam Vi has no website. It’s worth the effort; this is our favourite bricks and mortar, upright chairs and proper dining tables restaurant in all of Hanoi.
Ideal for indulgent, old-school French cuisine in Belle époque surroundings…
Sometimes, only old-school glamour will do, and there’s nowhere more gloriously ensconced in its time-capsule than Le Beaulieu at Hanoi’s iconic Metropole. Operating in its current space since 1901, it’s believed to be Vietnam’s oldest continually operating restaurant, but there’s no musty aroma and sense of decay here.
The interior has evolved with the times, recently renovated to blend the hotel’s storied past with a more contemporary style through white, gold, and heathery blue-gray palettes, velvet banquettes and crystal chandeliers. It all makes you fondle your wallet and wonder if you should leave it untouched and untroubled, but something draws you in. It’s impossible to resist, a special feeling from the moment you tentatively walk in – the kind of place where you half expect to bump into Graham Greene nursing a martini in the corner. If he hadn’t, erm, been dead for 30 years…
Anyway, at Le Beaulieu, classically trained chefs maintain the restaurant’s century-old reputation for exceptional French haute cuisine with subtle Vietnamese influences (a little Phu Quoc pepper here, a sprinkling of rau ram there) lightening the load and keeping things feeling just a touch more contemporary. The house-cured kingfish with gueridon service – set alight in front of diners – is a theatrical treat, while the classic lobster bisque (prepared using a 100-year-old recipe and, again, flambeed tableside) is rich, decadent and utterly transportive. Is anything not flaming in the name of showmanship here?
Le Beaulieu certainly isn’t cheap; you’ll pay a similar amount for a main course from the a la carte as you will across town at Gia for an entire tasting menu (the tournedos rossini, complete with black truffle and foie gras, is a cool 3 million VND), but hey; you’re paying for a certain gesture here, a certain sense of accord in the dining room that’s a million miles away from Hanoi’s supercharged streets.
You’re paying to get the run of one of Hanoi’s most extensive wine collections too, featuring more than 600 labels and 1,600 bottles, including over 100 Grand Cru Classés. The sommelier knows her stuff and isn’t afraid to recommend something unexpected – a recent pairing of côte de boeuf with a robust Vacqueyras rather than the usual Bordeaux was inspired.
Sunday brunch here has become something of an institution among Hanoi’s well-heeled locals and slightly less well-heeled but equally extravagant expats – the champagne flows freely and the seafood tower alone is kinda worth the 2,500,000 VND (£80) price tag. That’s before you even consider the foie gras, bottomless lobster bisque, Serrano ham and decadent desserts. It’s a lot, but you did say you were after a ‘special occasion’ kind of place, didn’t you?
Ideal for watching Japanese teppanyaki mastery up close…
Totally disparate to Hanoi’s street food and shophouses is a whole other rarified dining scene that operates in hushed tones from behind thick, claret curtains in the city’s 5 star hotels. Here, high end omakase and teppanyaki is served to almost exclusively Japanese office workers dining solo, all with hushed reverence. Sometimes, in a city that is so relentlessly noisy and at times stiflingly polluted, it’s exactly what you need.
Hibana by Koki, in the cellar of the Capella hotel, feels a bit like being in the womb – warm, dark, and peaceful. Except in this prenatal state, your mother is apparently consuming copious amounts of sea urchin and Hokkaido crab. It’s a moment of luxurious tranquility before you’re sent back, crying and screaming, into Hanoi’s beautiful chaos.
The only non-Vietnamese establishment to receive a Michelin star in Hanoi, Hibana by Koki delivers a theatrical teppanyaki experience that’s as much performance as dining. This exclusive 14-seat counter dining experience is where quiet, contemplative dining operates at its most indulgent. Under the creative direction of chef Junichi Yoshida (the first chef to receive a Michelin star for a teppanyaki restaurant in Tokyo) and executed by resident head chef Hiroshi Yamaguchi, the restaurant serves precise grilled dishes with a clarity and complexity quite removed from Hanoi’s other fine dining establishments.
Indeed, if Le Beaulieu was all about big flames licking up tableside as cream and brandy embark on a hot romance, Hibana is much more demure. Premium Yaeyama Kyori beef from Okinawa’s Ishigaki Island, exclusively imported for the restaurant, cooks gently on the grill, almost purring when it’s ready for its final reverse sear as that initial sizzle dies down. The chefs intuitively know when it’s done, the tender, marbled cuts caressed to chopping board in a plume of smoke and sliced with the kind of long, elegant strokes reserved for Renaissance sculptors admiring their muses – deliberate, venerating, and even a touch sensual in their precision.
Seasonal seafood specialties are equally impressive – the spiny lobster and aforementioned Hokkaido hairy crab are flown in twice weekly from Japan, ensuring peak freshness. Or, at least, the closest to peak you can hope for from ingredients sourced some 3,000 miles away.
The sake selection is exceptional, including several rare bottles not found elsewhere in Vietnam. There’s wine too, but we really wouldn’t – and you really shouldn’t – here. This is sake sipping territory, no further discussion needed.
Be prepared for an investment – multi-course teppanyaki menus range from 3,000,000 to around 6,000,000 VND (£90 to £180) per person – but for a special celebration (make it a date, this is sensual stuff), this intimate Japanese experience is unmatched in Hanoi.
Almost as impressive is the sister operation Izakaya by Koki, which does superb Kobe beef sushi, and an eminently affordable Shabu Shabu set, featuring a collection of six plates and three delicious broths. Yours for just 980,000 VND (£28).
Ideal for sophisticated French-Vietnamese fusion in an attractive villa…
Set in a restored whitewashed, historic French villa centred around a convivial central courtyard, La Badiane (French for ‘star anise’) is a proper stalwart of Hanoi’s fine dining scene, having been open for almost 20 years. In ‘Hanoi fancy restaurant’ terms, that’s a lifetime.
Founded by chef Benjamin Rascalou, who trained at prestigious establishments in France including Lutetia, L’Alcazar, and Le Taillevent in Paris, the restaurant boasts an open-sky corridor lined with lush vegetation, white walls with vivid colour accents, and a black and white tiled floor that make you feel like you’re part of a human chessboard, perhaps, but also that you’re the king.
The menu here is proudly fusion (a rare thing indeed), with French techniques sharing the table with herbs and spices from further afield. A spice jar sits in the centre of each table, just to hammer home the point.
At its best, La Badiane’s dishes manage to straddle the familiar and the surprising. The beef carpaccio with pomelo, wasabi, ginger and parmesan may sound challenging, but it actually works well, while the pan-seared foie gras with cocoa bean sauce again demonstrates the chef’s willingness to take creative risks that largely pay off.
The wine list is predominantly French, with several excellent by-the-glass options that won’t break the bank (this is all relatively speaking, in a city where a fresh roadside beer clocks it at 20p). The house red, a juicy, medium-bodied Cotes du Rhone, is remarkably good value at around 180,000 VND (£6) per glass, and pairs well with a sometimes unpredictable, tough-to-pin-down menu.
Whatever your thoughts on fusion, you’ve got to respect the mileage here. Nearing 20 years in operation, La Badiane has consistently maintained its reputation for its skilful marriage of French and East Asian culinary traditions.
Ideal for experiencing rare Japanese delicacies including fugu…
For a truly special Japanese dining experience that goes beyond sushi and intricately marbled beef, Kappou Ishida offers a serene retreat along Hanoi’s West Lake. The main man behind the operation, Takahiro Ishida, is not only a skilled Japanese chef and certified sake sommelier, but also holds a rare certification in puffer fish processing, making this one of the only restaurants in Vietnam certified to serve fugu. Is there anything this man can’t do?
A peaceful Koi pond at the entrance ushers you in to a brightly lit but mellow, cedar wood-wrapped room. It all feels aimed at whisking diners away to Japan, but we’re perfectly happy being here, in the tranquil setting overlooking West Lake – Hanoi’s most serene part of town. It makes for a perfect special occasion destination, particularly at sunset when the view becomes truly magical.
The omakase sets offer the best introduction to chef Ishida’s philosophy, featuring everything from delicate sashimi preparations to grilled specialties. While the fugu preparation is certainly the headline attraction for the culinarily curious, don’t overlook other specialties like the grilled eel rice or the uni (sea urchin) dishes that highlight Ishida’s deft touch with luxury ingredients.
The sake selection is, unsurprisingly given the chef’s accreditation in the field, exceptional, with Ishida happy to recommend pairings that bring real life and vitality to each course. You’ll find everything from crisp, dry junmai to richer, more complex daiginjo varieties, served at precisely the right temperature.
Omakase sets range from 1,500,000 to 3,500,000 VND (£50 to £110), with prices varying based on how poisonous (only messing) the ingredients are. Advance booking is recommended.
John Anthony Cantonese Grill & Dim Sum, NamTu Liem
Ideal for Cantonese culinary tradition told through a contemporary lens…
Named after the first Chinese man naturalised as a British citizen in 1805, John Anthony tells a story of cultural exchange that feels particularly pertinent in this increasingly cosmopolitan corner of Hanoi. Part of the JW Marriott and overlooking Me Tri lake, the restaurant occupies that rare sweet spot where hotel dining transcends its typically soulless reputation into something genuinely special. Something grounded, even.
The bright, airy dining room is defined by enormous floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light during the day, while strategically placed wall paintings reference the spice routes that form the conceptual foundation of the restaurant. Balancing the contemporary and deeply connected to Chinese tradition, there’s a certain yin-yang balance at play here, in the room and on the plate.
Chef Wong Chi Ming, whose 30-year culinary journey began at age 16, brings a concept that respects Cantonese fundamentals while embracing subtle innovation through judicious use of dry spices, the star anises, cloves, cinnamons and more already beloved of the Vietnamese palate finding a natural home here. This isn’t fusion cooking – it’s heritage Cantonese considered through a respectfully modern lens.
Ming’s team operates with the kind of quiet precision that makes complex techniques appear effortless, particularly visible during dim sum service when bamboo steamers arrive in synchronised waves. The unquestioned star of the menu is the 42-day roasted Peking duck (VND 1,500,000), prepared in what management proudly proclaims is ‘Hanoi’s first wood stone duck oven.’ This specialised equipment, installed specifically for their signature dish, creates the optimal environment for the 24-hour roasting process. The result is transcendent-skin that’s lacquered and crisp as glass, meat that’s tender and rich with just enough gaminess to remind you that you’re eating something special, something that’s lived.
Beyond the usual accompaniments (julienne of spring onion, pancakes, gently gloopy black sauce, we’re looking at all of you), the restaurant offers a house-made black pepper (Phu Quoc, naturally) sauce and five-spice seasoning that puts the John Anthony stamp on the whole thing.
Don’t stop there. Chef Wong’s pork belly char siu showcases classical Hong Kong technique with a caramelised exterior giving way to tender meat. Even better is the braised fresh abalone with chicken, the kind of ‘high-low’ posturing that’s massive in UK fine dining right now but is realised so much more succinctly here.
There’s a premium dim sum menu at lunch, too, which is perhaps the best in the city when the light is shimmering off Me Tri just right. Ranging from 100,000 (£3) to 400,000 VND (£11.50) a portion, it features a roll call of luxurious ingredients, including caviar, black truffle and crab claw. On our last visit, we were particularly wowed with an indulgent single shard of crispy Peking duck skin topped with grilled foie gras. It was as good as it sounds. As in, absolutely fucking ambrosial.
As is often the way with a kitchen finely tuned in the ways of dim sum, the pastry section at John Anthony keeps things both playful and refined. Refreshing, fruit-forward Cantonese desserts like wolfberry and osmanthus jelly, or fresh mango cream with sago and pomelo, both offer a cleansing finish to a meal that got a little carried away with its opulence, quite frankly (yes, we did order four or five of those duck skin shards).
Come during Tet celebrations for their striking Nian Gao, a fish-shaped sticky rice cake symbolising prosperity. This auspicious orange-red delicacy, adorned with gold leaf, combines glutinous rice flour and brown sugar into a sweet, chewy treat. More than just dessert, it embodies wishes for abundance in the year ahead-perfectly aligned with John Anthony’s elegant approach to Cantonese tradition. Just don’t let the little guy jump off your plate and into the nearby lake, or those good omens for the year might be up for debate.
Perhaps the most surprising element at John Anthony (even more so than a dessert threatening to leap off your plate) is the distinctive gin bar dominating one side of the restaurant. The ‘ginstronomy’ concept – pairing gin with food – feels finely tuned rather than gimmicky, a little nod to the namesake’s British heritage. House-infused gins showcase various botanicals from the historical Spice Route, with customised G and Ts that bring complexity to the Cantonese flavours here in unexpected ways.
One of Hanoi’s most premiumly-priced spots, John Anthony isn’t an everyday indulgence, but the exceptional duck alone justifies the splurge. Book a lake-view table for sunset, settle in with a gin infusion, and prepare for Cantonese dining that respects tradition while embracing the contemporary spirit of Hanoi’s evolving culinary landscape. Sometimes, it’s a real joy to be part of it.
Ideal for satisfying primal urges in a handsome space…
Some nights in Hanoi, after days of delicate herb-infused broths and precision-crafted spring rolls, you find yourself craving something altogether more primal. A proper steak. Something hefty, aggressively seasoned, and cooked over fire. When that carnivorous clarion call becomes too deafening to ignore, your local bit tet just ain’t gonna do it. Instead, El Gaucho scratches the itch with uncompromising Argentinian swagger. And, we’re pleased to report, no bodacious cowboys in spangled leather ponchos…
Occupying a handsome two-floor building on the border of Hoan Kiem and the French Quarter, the steakhouse has transformed this Opera House-adjacent location into a little corner of Buenos Aires. The design balances industrial touches-exposed brickwork and concrete floors, vintage incandescent bulbs suspended above the generously stocked bar, illuminating your next drink order. Black and white photographs referencing Argentina’s pioneering history adorn the walls, and the unmistakable scent of grilling meat offers a suave backdrop that has you wishing you’d worn a brown suit and were nursing a cigar, for some reason.
A glass-fronted, refrigerated counter near the entrance displays various cuts in the midst of dry-ageing, setting the tone immediately (there’s a butcher’s on site too, if you prefer to cook your steak at home on a low-powered single-hob induction). El Gaucho’s charcoal grill serves as a visual centrepiece, with the kitchen team operating with the kind of casual expertise that comes from preparing thousands of steaks to precise, sometimes pernickety specification.
Owner David Timm, who flies weekly between locations across Asia to maintain quality control, has built El Gaucho on a refreshingly simple ethos: “No sauces, not a lot of seasoning, just a little rock salt and a great piece of beef.”
The restaurant sources approximately 7,000 kilos of beef monthly for their Hanoi locations, bringing in certified organic, corn-fed beef from the United States and grass-fed cattle from Australia, particularly from selected farms in Victoria and New South Wales.
The menu offers a comprehensive tour of premium cuts, from butter-soft filet mignon to the dramatic, bone-in Tomahawk, ready for Flintstone-esque wielding and gnawing. Their wet-aging process, conducted on-site for approximately four weeks in vacuum-sealed bags, sounds a bit sweaty, but they’ve obviously thought it through. It pays off with a comprehensively barked steak and perfect, blushing centre (if that’s what you want, of course; you could ask for yours well done, in theory).
It feels almost perfunctory – performative, even – to order starters at such a temple to steak; an unnecessary filler before the main event. But the provoleta – grilled provolone cheese served sizzling, given a little energy with tomato and oregano – is a fine warm-up act. The beef empanadas are textbook, too, all chalky pastry and a spiced beef mince interior that undulates with chilli heat.
There are flourishes of considerate hospitality that reconfirm this is a special occasion kind of place. The complimentary bread service arrives with roasted garlic, herb butter, and chimichurri sauce – the latter is particularly good and nicely fiery. Staff will cut meat tableside when requested, and plates are kept warm with candles placed underneath – an astute touch that ensures your last bite is as warm as your first, and none of that delicious, buttery-yellow fat is in danger of congealing.
Do we even need to say that the wine list is heavy on the Argentinian Malbecs? What is noteworthy is the remarkable diversity within this signature grape, with different regions offering vastly different drops in terms of body and depth. Explore, sure, but if you need to narrow things down (you do, that’s why you’re here), then the Alamos Malbec is dry, full-bodied and with good acidity; a unique profile that stands up beautifully to the richest cuts.
The house-signature, complimentary shot of El Caramel -a caramel-infused Belvedere vodka shot – concludes the meal. It provides a smooth, sweet conclusion that somehow perfectly encapsulates the entire El Gaucho experience: straightforward, generous, and leaving you with a warm glow.
A hefty steak will clock in at more than 1,000,000, sure, but sometimes in a city whose cuisine boasts such lightness and elegance, a big, bruising steak is well worth the investment.
Address: 11 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi (Opera House location)
Ideal for wine connoisseurs seeking a front-row seat to creative Mediterranean-Vietnamese cooking…
Tucked away (genuinely, tucked away) at the edge of the Old Quarter on one of my favourite streets in the city, Lo Su, Etesia (meaning ‘summer winds’ in Greek) brings a cool, composed Mediterranean breeze to Hanoi’s contemporary European dining scene. The clever deployment of local Vietnamese ingredients feels almost obligatory this far into our guide on Hanoi’s best fine dining restaurants, but here, it’s a narrative thread that seamlessly flows through the menu, rather than something that’s clumsily shoehorned in.
The intimate 18-seat counter dining concept – it’s long, one of Vietnam’s longest in their words, which is an odd flex – places guests front and centre to witness a certain dinner-and-a-show vibe, as French executive chef Benjamin Morelle (who cut his teeth at Michelin-starred joints in Paris) and his team shake pans and artfully decorate plates. The playful pink walls, low-hanging rattan lights, and shelves adorned with empty wine bottles create something laid back that wouldn’t feel out of place in a London or Paris wine bar. Thank god we’re here instead, though, with Hanoi’s relentless charm on rolling boil just steps away.
Etesia’s sharing plates concept encourages a kind of free wheeling exploration across the menu. The ‘Perfect Egg’ with hay-smoked cauliflower cream, foie gras, croutons and black truffle shavings, is a statement dish, make no mistake, and exemplifies the kitchen’s flair for luxurious comfort, but Etesia shines brightest when cooking seafood – think tender, springy West Australian rock octopus, silky-rich Hokkaido scallops, and buttery Mediterranean black cod. Pair them with a crisp, briny, minerally Assyrtiko from the shores of Santorini and feel very smug indeed.
The pan-seared, perfectly pink duck breast with brown butter figs, pear purée, green apple tart and redcurrant sauce was another recent standout, the breast perfectly cooked, its skin crisp and the tart an interesting counterpoint. There’s a smooth pear purée that ties it all together, and the redcurrant sauce adds a bright, elegant finish that balances the richness of the duck without overpowering it. It’s a lot of fruit, but somehow it worked.
Perhaps the most compelling reason to visit Etesia is its drinks programme, which positions it as the ultimate wine lover’s destination in Hanoi. The comprehensive list features over 350 labels from around the world, with approximately 40 available by the glass, many preserved via the Coravin system, which you don’t often see in Vietnam, it has to be said. Old World vintages dominate, with a knowledgeable sommelier team ready to guide guests through perfect pairings.
For cocktail enthusiasts, a visit to the second-floor Bo / en Cocktail Atelier is essential. This gin parlour (inspired by London’s Natural History Museum – the ‘bo’ meaning ‘botany’ and the ‘en’ ‘entomology’) features preserved herbs and butterfly specimens on the eye, and an exceptional signature Old Fashioned with Rittenhouse Rye and house-made Tonka bean syrup in the glass. It’s certainly odd that there are two similarly-inspired speakeasies in the city, but you know what they say; you wait ages for a Natural History Museum-themed bar, and then two come along at once.
Anyway, back on the ground floor, and dishes range from around 200,000 to 600,000 VND (£6 to £18), making this a remarkably accessible fine dining experience. It’s not cheap for Hanoi, but when you consider the quality and creativity on offer, it’s a bloody bargain.
Ideal for a thought-provoking, narrative-driven tasting menu that reimagines Northern Vietnamese cuisine…
Stepping through Chapter’s distinctive façade of twisted Corten steel slats immediately signals this isn’t your typical Vietnamese restaurant. Founded by chef Quang Dung, who pivoted commendably from a finance career at the University of Exeter to culinary arts, Chapter represents his seventh restaurant venture-and arguably his most ambitious. In our mind, it’s certainly his best.
Right in the carnage of a particularly bia hoi-focused tangle of roads, the restaurant’s sleek, monochrome interior keeps things calm, visually, giving space for your focus to fall on the real star: a narrative-driven menu that transforms Northern Vietnamese mountain cuisine into fine dining.
The name itself carries dual significance-translating to his last name in Vietnamese while symbolising a new chapter in his life after switching from banking to becoming a chef. As Dung told Table Check, “Each chapter, combined with the seasons, builds a story. Every year, we curate about three chapters, renewing them annually with a fresh theme.” The restaurant aims to “turn the pages” with each season, he says.
From an open kitchen that features a pleasingly rickety charcoal grill, chef Dung’s current ‘Sunshine’ tasting menu is a triumph. An absolute highlight from that menu on a recent visit was the prawn banh cuon, somewhat zealously billed as ‘Cuttlefish, Prawn, Tuyen Quang Fragrant Water Bug-A Taste of the Sea, Remembered from the Land of Coal.’
This reimagined dish draws inspiration from Quang Ninh’s beloved banh cuon cha muc breakfast tradition. While familiar at first glance, it reveals quiet surprises: the delicate wrapper is actually made from finely ground fresh squid, translucent as morning mist, holding sweet, perfectly poached Quang Ninh tiger prawns. What brings the dish to life is a sweet-sour fish sauce prepared following generations-old recipes, given real complexity via a spritz of rare Tuyen Quang fragrant water bug essence. The result transforms a familiar Northern staple into something heady and intoxicating, both in terms of flavour and the ambition of the storytelling behind it. You’ve got to admire it.
There’s a farm-to-table approach at work, with ingredients sourced from their own farm just 20km from Hanoi. Creative waste reduction techniques include transforming charcoal ash into cooking salt-a neat example of the restaurant’s zero-waste philosophy. This commitment has recently expanded south with Tales by Chapter in Ho Chi Minh City, a sister concept billing itself as Vietnam’s first fully plant-based, zero-waste dining experience. There, ingredients come directly from the team’s other farm in Dalat, completing an impressive eco-conscious culinary ecosystem that spans the length of Vietnam.
In-house sommelier Tram works closely with the kitchen to ensure harmonious pairings, featuring notable producers like Nicholas Joly alongside Japanese sake selections, and the meal concludes with exquisite petit fours that the chef describes as “more than just sweets-they are a bridge between past and present, where traditional Northern Vietnamese flavours meet contemporary creative spirit.” It’s a fitting end to a meal that consistently balances innovation with reverence for tradition.
At approximately 2,150,000 VND (£65) per person for the tasting menu, Chapter represents premium pricing for Hanoi but delivers a unique 2.5-3 hour experience that has earned it recognition in the Michelin Guide in both 2023 and 2024. Add another £35-40 for the wine pairing, and you’ve still got a bargain compared to similar experiences in Europe.
Liverpool sprawls along the Mersey’s storied banks, each cobblestoned quarter telling its own tale of maritime commerce and musical revolution. Where dockers once unloaded exotic cargo from distant shores, a new generation of chefs now imports culinary traditions from around the globe, transforming warehouses into temples of taste.
Too often dismissed as merely a Beatles pilgrimage stop or a quick ferry ride to somewhere else, Britain’s newly crowned best foodie city (according to Time Out 2025)rewards those who venture beyond the obvious tourist trail.
For foodies seeking a spontaneous escape, Liverpool presents the perfect weekend destination – compact enough to explore thoroughly in 48 hours yet diverse enough to satisfy every palate. The city’s excellent transport links mean you can decide on Friday and be sampling scouse by Saturday lunch, especially with plenty of last minute hotel deals in Liverpool making impromptu culinary adventures both affordable and accessible.
If you’re a foodie and looking for somewhere to stay (more on that later) we’re particularly fond of the Titanic Hotel where a classic room costs just £99 and puts you right in the heart of the action. The hotel’s restaurant, Stanley’s Bar & Grill, is particularly good. It serves modern British fare in a gorgeous open-kitchen space with a waterfront terrace and this is where you get a stellar breakfast – that is if you don’t fancy venturing out first thing to break your fast. Better yet, there’s a rum bar where you can imbibe and have a light snack overlooking the waters of Stanley Dock. There’s even a spa complete with hydrotherapy pool, sauna and gym in case you need to work off some of that food you’ll be eating. We digress….
Unlike its more tourist-worn English counterparts, Liverpool maintains an authenticity that’s increasingly rare in British city centers. The recent pedestrianisation of Bold Street has created a Mediterranean-style dining scene where tables spill onto pavements, while the raw Baltic Triangle hosts street food markets in former breweries.
With strategic timing and insider knowledge (found in this guide of course) 48 hours gives you enough time to taste your way through the city – from traditional Scouse in Victorian pubs to Michelin-recognised tasting menus in converted watchmakers’ workshops.
Day 1: From Dockside Markets To Baltic Beats
Breakfast: Bold Street Awakening
Skip the hotel breakfast buffet and head straight to Bold Street Coffee, the original branch that launched Liverpool’s specialty coffee revolution back in 2009.Arrive before 9am to beat the creative types and students, and you’ll find a seat beneath the rotating local art exhibitions. Their “Buoys” – brioche buns stuffed with scrambled eggs and melted cheese – have achieved cult status with Liverpudlians,though the French toast with raspberry mascarpone and dark chocolate runs a close second.
A five-minute amble down Bold Street reveals why locals call this strip their “Montmartre meets Brick Lane.” Duck into the originalMowgli (which opens at 11.30)where former barrister Nisha Katona turned her grandmother’s tiffin box recipes into a street food empire. Have their famous yoghurt Chat Bomb and perhaps a Mowgli chip butty washed down with a mango lassi for a late breakfast. Ask for a table by the window to watch the street come alive
Between your Bold Street Coffee morning and Mowgli brunch, dedicate time to the street’s legendary independent record shops. don’t miss Dig Vinyl which you’ll find upstairs at Resurrection. It exudes a retro vibe that will take you back to the golden era of vinyl. The street’s boutique stores range from vintage clothing to locally-made crafts – perfect for finding unique Liverpool souvenirs.
At the top of Bold Street, you’ll find the iconic St. Luke’s Church (known locally as the “Bombed Out Church”). This roofless Anglican church, destroyed during WWII and left as a memorial, now hosts art installations, markets, and outdoor events. The contrast between its Gothic stonework and open sky creates a haunting backdrop for reflection.
If you need another caffeine hit while exploring, Coffi nearby roasts their beans locally and offers a quieter alternative to the busier Bold Street spots.
Midday Snack: Markets & Maritime Heritage
If you decide to skip Mowgli, time your arrival at Albert Dock for a late brunch. While tourists queue for Beatles exhibitions, those in the know head straight to Madre (opens at 12pm) and occupies a prime position in the Atlantic Pavilion.
Here, the team behind Belzan has created what they call a “proper taqueria,” with standout dishes like chorizo tacos that feature a juicy chorizo patty topped with a silky crema and melty Oaxacan cheese. Our favourite on the weekend menu are the pig’s head chicharrón tacos served with salsa verde, garlic, escabeche and crispy crackling. Grab a courtyard table (heated in winter) and start with the Iberico pork al pastor, washed down with a mezcalita that packs enough punch to fuel your afternoon explorations.
While at Albert Dock for your Madre lunch, the Tate Liverpool offers world-class contemporary art exhibitions. The International Slavery Museum provides crucial historical context for understanding Liverpool’s maritime heritage, while the Merseyside Maritime Museum explores the city’s relationship with the sea beyond just the Titanic connection.
Once you’ve had your fill of chicharrón and culture, a gentle 10-minute stroll along the waterfront brings you to Duke Street Food and Drink Market, Liverpool’s answer to Borough Market housed in a restored 100-year-old warehouse.There are six independent kitchens here – stalwarts include Cahita who’s Cuban sandwiches are legendary (if you’re not porked out that is) and Bone & Block whose 28-day aged steaks are equally fabled.
Still hungry? The transformation of the Baltic Triangle from derelict warehouse district to creative quartermirrors Liverpool’s own reinvention.Navigate the graffitied streets to Baltic Market (open Thursday to Sunday), Liverpool’s first street food market set within the cathedral-like spaces of the old Cains Brewery. The vendor lineup rotates frequently, but you’ll always find gems like halloumi fries dusted with za’atar and wood-fired pizzasthat rival Naples.Secure a communal table near the stage. Saturday afternoons see everything from brass bands to spoken word.
For those seeking something more refined, Manifest sits just five minutes away on Watkinson Street. Opened by husband-wife team Paul Durand and Charlotte Jones (both Michelin-starred Moor Hall alumni), this 30-cover spot earned its own Michelin recognition within four months.The chef’s choice menu (£85 as of June 2025) changes with obsessive seasonality. June might bring you sweet onion tart celebrating the entire allium family, while October delivers game birds hung to perfection. From our last visit, we won’t be forgetting those salt and vinegar crisp served still warm from the fryer as a snack, anytime soon. They perfectly capture Liverpool’s high-low sensibility.
As daylight fades, make your way to the Georgian Quarter, where gas lamps still flicker outside Grade I-listed townhouses. The Art School Restaurant occupies a Victorian building that once housed “destitute children” – though today’s inhabitants are rather better fed. The setting certainly makes you appreciate your luck and your food. Chef Paul Askew has held court here for over a decade, serving what he calls “modern British with a Scouse accent.”The glass-roofed dining room, where Lennon allegedly practiced sculpture in his art school days, provides the perfect backdrop for dishes like Loch Fyne scallops with black pudding and cauliflower purée.
Before dinner be sure to stroll the Georgian Quarter’s tree-lined streets. The Liverpool Cathedral offers stunning city views from its tower, while the contrasting Metropolitan Cathedral showcases bold 1960s architecture. Hope Street itself is perfect for window shopping at independent galleries and antique shops.
For post-dinner exploration, the quarter’s historic pubs beckon. The Grapes (dating from the 1700s) known for its Beatles connection remains a bohemian hideout and has live music on the weekends. Order a pint of Cains, if they have it, also known as the Liverpool pint. Then put on a song from their vinyl jukebox (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely-Hearts Club Band) that holds seventy 7” records. The money from the Dukebox is all donated to a local homeless charity.
Day 2: From Scouse Tradition To Scandinavian Innovation
Breakfast: Lark Lane Village Life
Begin day two in Lark Lane, a vibrant street celebrated for its independent boutiques, diverse dining scene, and bohemian spirit. Grab a table at Press Bros Coffee who roast their beans in-house and one of their famous seasonal cinny buns or an iconic sausage patty melt.
Image via Press Bros
After your breakfast take time to explore Lark Lane’s bohemian character. The street is lined with independent boutiques selling everything from handmade jewellery to vintage clothing. Larks offers gorgeous vintage items that reflect the area’s artistic spirit. The nearby Sefton Park provides a perfect post-breakfast stroll, especially to see the Palm House – a stunning Victorian glasshouse that rivals Kew Gardens but without the crowds.
Time your visit for the fourth Saturday of the month, and you’ll catch the farmers market that sprawls from Lark Lane into adjoining streets. Up to 60 vendors hawk everything from Wirral asparagus to Lancashire cheese, though the queue for Liverpool Tart – a 19th-century creation involving pastry, eggs, and whole boiled lemons – stretches longest.
Late Lunch: Scouse & Stories
No Liverpool food odyssey is complete without sampling the city’s eponymous dish – scouse. Where to eat it? Maggie May’s on Bold Street of course which serves scouse according to a secret family recipe that predates the Beatles. This isn’t fine dining – fluorescent lights illuminate gingham covered tablecloths – but the beef scouse, served with pickled red cabbage and crusty bread, represents centuries of maritime tradition when “lobscouse” sustained sailors on long voyages. Their scouse is so popular that they sell it in tins making an excellent foodie souvenir. Oh and for future reference, Maggie May’s also does one of the best fry ups in town.
For a more refined take on local traditions, NORD on Old Hall Street showcases what happens when a Liverpool chef returns from Stockholm’s Michelin kitchens.Daniel Heffy’s “travelled British” menu sources exclusively within 25 miles yet applies Nordic techniquesthink Formby asparagus with brown butter hollandaise or Southport shrimp with cucumber and dill.The pod-like booths and space-age interior couldn’t be further from Maggie May’s, yet both restaurants tell Liverpool’s story through food.
Between Maggie May’s traditional scouse and NORD’s Nordic refinement, explore Liverpool’s shopping heritage. Liverpool ONE offers mainstream shopping, but venture into the Ropewalks district for independent galleries and creative studios. The area’s converted warehouses now house everything from photography studios to ceramic workshops, many offering impromptu exhibitions.
Afternoon Imbibing: Gin & Ingenuity
Liverpool’s maritime heritage included importing gin from Holland, so it’s fitting that Liverpool Gin Distillery on Castle Street now produces organic spirits on-site. Book the Gin Lab Experience for a proper deep dive – after a welcome G&T and distillery tour, you’ll create your own 700ml bottle from over 60 botanicals.The basement lounge, all exposed brick and copper stills, hosts live jazz on weekend afternoons.
After your Liverpool Gin Distillery experience on Castle Street, you’re perfectly positioned to explore the Three Graces – the iconic waterfront buildings that define Liverpool’s skyline. The Royal Liver Building offers guided tours with spectacular city views, while the Cunard Building showcases the grandeur of Liverpool’s transatlantic shipping era.
A short walk brings you to Pier Head for ferry rides across the Mersey – the Royal Iris or Snowdrop provide different perspectives of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage waterfront. The 50-minute round trip offers perfect digestive time between your gin tasting and evening dining.
Those preferring hops to juniper should detour to Love Lane Breweryin the Baltic Triangle which incidentally was voted the “coolest” district in the UK by the Sunday Times. The glass-walled brewery allows you to watch the brewing process while sampling their rotating taps.The bar snack with beer flight featuring a homemade sausage roll and a paddle of 3 samples of Love Lane or Higson’s beers is a great afternoon pick me up.
After sampling craft beers at Love Lane Brewery, take a street art walking tour through the surrounding warehouse district. The Jordan Street mural of Jürgen Klopp has become an instant Liverpool icon – this vibrant tribute to the adopted Scouser draws football fans and art lovers alike. The entire Baltic Triangle serves as an open-air gallery, with rotating murals covering former industrial buildings.
The Last Meal: The Chef’s Table
For your Liverpool finale, 8 by Andy Sheridan offers an experience that is highfalutin, sure, but it’s also highly enjoyable. This isn’t just dinner – it’s theater and one which has been rated as one of the top 10 worldwide dining experiences by The Times Magazine which is lofty praise indeed. With just eight seats at a counter where Sheridan (of Great British Menu fame) personally explains each course.
The dimly lit lounge serves opening snacks and cocktails before you descend to the kitchen counter for an eight-course journey through Sheridan’s Liverpool story, told through ingredients and technique. Expect the procession of 8 courses to include dishes like Orkney scallop dressed in a Thai green curry inspired sauce and topped with caviar.
If 8’s limited seats prove elusive, Wreckfish’s 90 cover restaurant provides an excellent alternative. Gary Usher’s crowdfunded place serves what he calls “proper bistro food” and Liverpool is all the better for it. The three-course menu at £23 represents extraordinary value, especially when you factor in the people-watching potential from window seats overlooking the Ropewalks action. Be sure to order the truffle and parmesan chips which has achieved cult status in the city.
Before your finale at 8 by Andy Sheridan or Wreckfish, explore the Ropewalks district’s evening atmosphere. Concert Square comes alive with street performers, while Wood Street and Slater Street offer glimpses into converted Victorian warehouses now housing art spaces and independent theaters.
The Unity Theatre often has pre-show drinks available even if you’re not attending a performance, and their bar offers a cultural crowd-watching opportunity. FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) combines cinema, gallery, and café space – perfect for a pre-dinner cultural immersion.
After your memorable last meal, Liverpool’s night is far from over. The city’s bar scene offers perfect spots for reflection on your culinary journey. Recently Bar Glue has emerged as Liverpool’s cocktail crown jewel, earning national recognition as one of the UK’s finest drinking establishments as winner of ‘New Bar of the Year’ at the Class Bar Awards 2025.
Neighborhood Know-How: Where To Stay In Liverpool
Georgian Quarter: For atmospheric accommodation, the Georgian Quarter offers converted merchants’ houses with views over the Anglican Cathedral. Hope Street Hotel puts you within stumbling distance of both fine dining and historic pubs, while boutique options like The Resident Liverpool offer apartment-style freedom.
Baltic Triangle: Those seeking Liverpool’s creative pulse should base themselves in the Baltic Triangle. LiverpoolWorld The Malmaison in a converted warehouse provides industrial chic, while aparthotels like Staycity offer proximity to nightlife without the noise.
Albert Dock: Waterfront lovers gravitate to the Albert Dock hotels, though expect to pay premium prices for those Mersey views. The Tate Liverpool and Beatles Story sit on your doorstep, but you’re slightly removed from the best food action.
City Centre: Maximum convenience comes from staying centrally around Liverpool ONE. You’re equidistant from all food quarters, with the Radisson Blu and Hilton providing reliable luxury. Budget options cluster around Lime Street Station, though choose carefully – some are better for sleeping off a heavy night than starting a gourmet adventure.
The Bottom Line
Liverpool rewards those who linger. This is a city where Michelin-recognised chefs share streets with family-run Scouse kitchens, where Victorian pubs neighbor Baltic warehouses turned street food cathedrals. In 48 hours, you’ll barely scratch the surface – but that’s rather the point. Unlike cities that reveal all their secrets in a weekend, Liverpool’s food scene keeps evolving, keeps surprising.
Looking for the best restaurants in Dartmouth? You’ve come to the right place to find them. No, not Dartmouth, silly, but IDEAL Magazine…
Sure, Dartmouth’s got the kind of aesthetic that makes amateur photographers look like they know what they’re doing – all tumbling technicolor houses, bobbing boats and that magnificent river slicing through the heart of town. But there’s another reason this historic naval port draws visitors back time and again: the food’s seriously good.
From long-established stalwarts doing the simple things right to exciting newcomers turning those simple things on their head, the dining scene in Dartmouth spans everything from star-aspiring tasting menus to natural wine bars, with plenty of stellar seafood in between.
The result? A town where you can eat exceptionally well, whether you’re after a blow-out feast with wine to match, or simply the finest fish and chips eaten straight from the paper while dodging surprisingly athletic seagulls.
Here’s our guide on where to eat in this delicious corner of Devon: the best restaurants in Dartmouth.
The Seahorse, South Embankment
Ideal for sublime seafood cooked over fire with an Italian soul…
If you’re looking for proof that simple things done perfectly are often the most impressive, spend an evening at The Seahorse. Since 2008, this waterfront gem has been showing Dartmouth how to cook fish with both precision and soul, and nowadays, it’s very much keeping it in the family – with Ben Tonks (yes, that’s the son of seafood ambassador Mitch) heading up the kitchen.
The dining room feels like you’ve stumbled into a particularly lovely corner of coastal Italy – all warm woods, leather banquettes, and vintage menus on the walls. An open kitchen lets you watch as the day’s catch meets the flames of the charcoal grill, while the hospitality, overseen by General Manager Bronte Story, makes you want to linger all afternoon. Oh, how we’ve lingered…
Putting basically every other seafood restaurant in the country’s claims of maximum freshness to shame, the fish at the Seahorse is delivered twice daily from Brixham just a few miles down the coast, and the menu changes accordingly.
Recent highlights include charcoal roasted Torbay scallops with garlic and white port that demonstrate exactly why this place has been in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 for over a decade – simplicity, reverence of the key ingredient, and just a little knowing flair. Their regularly changing fisherman’s soup, rust-coloured and redolent, is so good it makes you forget about your white shirt and dive right in.
For the full experience, keep an eye on the specials board for their whole fish cooked, of course, on the bone; it’s the highlight of any meal here. A recent John Dory roasted over fire and dressed in garlic and Cava vinegar (at £42 per person for two, several notes cheaper than those served in London) shows exactly why The Seahorse has maintained its reputation as one of Devon’s finest restaurants. Just so good.
Regardless of how you play things order-wise, start with a Seahorse martini at Joe’s Bar next door – this intimate drinking den feels like it’s been transported straight from a backstreet in Venice – then settle in for some seriously good cooking. If you’re watching the pennies, their Menu del Giorno (available at lunch until 2:45pm) offers three courses of the same precision cooking for £35. A recent offering included stracciatella with roasted delica pumpkin to start, followed by ray wing with artichokes and datterini tomatoes, finishing with vanilla affogato – a steal at this level.
The wine list deserves special mention, roaming from accessible house wines to serious Italian and French heavyweights. Their house Tonnix wines, a collaboration between Mitch Tonks and Mark Hix, are decent value at £48 a bottle.
Speaking of seafood, the restaurant’s connection with Italy goes beyond just culinary influence – they’re officially twinned with Al Gatto Nero in Burano, sharing a philosophical approach to cooking fish that emphasises simplicity and respect for ingredients.
Ideal for small plates that effortlessly blend French finesse with Italian soul…
In a town that’s rightfully obsessed with seafood, Andria carves out its own compelling niche. Awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide in 2022 (that coveted award for ‘good quality, good value cooking’), this modern bistro is where head chef Luca Berardino’s fascinating culinary heritage – born in Paris, raised on Italian home cooking, trained in the UK – comes together on the plate.
The dining room, with its laid back, bare boards bistro vibes, sets the scene for what’s to come: cooking that’s both precise and a touch playful. The menu revolves around small plates that demand (well, the waiter demands) to be shared – they suggest three per person, but you might want to order more once you see what’s emerging from the kitchen. Brixham crab (just can’t get enough of this stuff ‘when in Devon’) paired with apple, lemon and ginger shows a keen understanding of points-of-difference making a dish, while the hand-dived Dartmouth scallops with roe satay, cucumber and daikon demonstrates the kitchen’s ability to think globally while sourcing locally. It’s a fine balance, indeed.
Even seemingly simple dishes arrive with a twist – their stir-fried sprouts come alive with aleppo chilli, whipped tahini and that ubiquitous miso caramel, while wild mushrooms are bathed in umami via 26-month aged parmesan and a golden, bursting egg yolk. The Black Angus fillet (a bargain at £19) arrives with alongisde a beef fat hash brown that has us resenting every roast potato we’ve ever eaten. This is top, top cooking, and in a town where plain seafood dishes rule supreme, a few flourishes and a bit of gentle innovation are so welcome.
For the full experience, book the Chef’s Table upstairs in their purpose-built kitchen dining room. Here, Berardino cooks exclusively for up to 8 guests (10 for private events) around a communal table, with dishes emerging from a wood-fired BBQ. The tasting menu (£90, with optional wine flight at £55) might feature anything from those scallops and roe satay to Hereford fillet with chasseur sauce, ending with a rich vanilla gelato topped with zabaglione espuma. Ooft.
The wine list, curated by local expert Jon-Paul Passmore, roams from accessible house wines to some serious bottles, with an impressive selection of natural wines for those interested in something different. Cocktails are uniformly excellent, and all priced at £12 – start with their Salcombe Citron and see where the evening takes you.
Open: Daily 12-10:30pm
Price: Small plates £13-19, Chef’s Table tasting menu £90
Ideal for vineyard dining that tells the story of South Devon’s terroir (if you can snag a table)…
A half hour’s drive from Dartmouth, tucked away near Stoke Gabriel in what was once a stone milking parlour, Circa represents an intriguing partnership between kitchen and vineyard. The setting is Sandridge Barton – the new home of what was formerly Sharpham Wine, one of England’s pioneering wine estates with a heritage stretching back over 40 years.
This limited-hours dining room (currently only open for lunch Saturday and Sunday, 12-2:30pm) feels more like a destination event than a traditional restaurant. After eight celebrated years in Exeter, Circa has found an ambitious new format here among the vines, creating something that sits somewhere between a pop-up and a permanent fixture.
The menu here is a love letter to South Devon’s pantry, with an admirable commitment to hyper-local sourcing that never feels preachy. The Tully family, who’ve farmed these 450 acres for 80 years, provide wheat for the outstanding sourdough (milled just up the Dart Valley in Buckfastleigh), while their herd of South Devon cows grazing outside supplies the beef. Even the hay they feed on finds its way into dishes – these folks have “a thing for hay,” as they put it.
Small plates are the way to go – they suggest three per person, and actually that feels generous. Wild garlic dumplings with koji potato foam showcase the kitchen’s knack for combining local, foraged ingredients with contemporary techniques, while the steamed ling with BBQ leek demonstrates their way with Brixham’s daily catch – it’s so nice to see ling on the menu, and the fact it’s landed just five miles away certainly does no harm!
The coffee kombucha-marinated beef shin croquettes is the kind of dish that makes you grateful for the onset of winter. Paired with smoked celeriac and black garlic mayo, it features that promised hay. They do fish thoughtfully here, too; a sous-vide cuttlefish number, served with pickled radish rhubarb and a white soy vinaigrette, is a case in point.
The wine backdrop here isn’t just scenic – you’re drinking at the source of some of Devon’s most respected bottles. Sandridge Barton (formerly known as Sharpham) has been producing award-winning English wines since 1981, and their relocation to this spot in 2020 included building a state-of-the-art winery. The wines, still crafted by longtime head winemaker Duncan Schwab (who earlier this year made the Master Winemakers Top 100), continue to reflect and celebrate South Devon’s unique climate. Opening proceedings with their house vermouth (£9) – made using foraged estate ingredients and Sandridge Barton wines – feels almost obligatory, then.
The sustainability ethos here goes beyond buzzwords – they’re using winemaking by-products in their cooking, fermenting whatever they can get their hands on, and working with local no-dig farms like Spindlebrook in Modbury. There are plans to grow all their own veg and produce their own charcuterie, but as they say themselves, “all in good time.”
For dessert, the sticky toffee pudding with Sandridge Barton cider butterscotch and hay(!) ice cream (£9) is worth navigating the country lanes for, though the Douglas Fir parfait with pine nut brittle and gorse flower chantilly shows exactly the kind of creative thinking that makes Circa so exciting.
Open: Saturday & Sunday 12-2:30pm only
Price: Small plates £7-16, around £45pp for food
Wine: Estate wines from £9 by the glass
Book ahead: Essential – with such limited hours, tables are like gold dust
Ideal for classic dining with harbour views to remember…
There’s something rather charming about Taylor’s, even if that charm occasionally veers into the realm of provincial hotel restaurant. After 25 years on the quay, Peter and Pauline’s restaurant knows exactly what it is – a comfortable, reliable spot where the stunning views of the Dart compete for attention with some occasionally ambitious interior design choices.
The dining room is… a lot. Grey damask wallpaper, plush upholstered chairs that wouldn’t look out of place in a regional wedding venue, and enough mirrors and chandeliers to make a cruise ship blush. But those windows. Oh, those windows. Arched and elegant, they frame a view that’s pure Dartmouth – bobbing boats, the historic waterfront, and if you’re lucky, the Britannia Royal Naval College’s magnificent training ship creating the kind of backdrop that seasons everything with an extra sense of sparkle.
The menu plays the classics with confidence. A starter of crab Thermidor with garlic toast (£17.50) demonstrates why some dishes never go out of style, while their treatment of Dartmoor ribeye, served with a cream and green peppercorn sauce, shows respect for Devon’s pantry. The cooking is precise rather than pioneering, with Peter and his team focusing on essential flavours and combinations that have stood the test of time.
The wine list is similarly well-judged, ranging from accessible house wines (their Australian Chardonnay at £32.25 does the job nicely) to more serious bottles for those pushing the boat out – the Puligny Montrachet (£90) feels appropriate for special occasions. Service strikes that pleasant balance between attentive and relaxed that comes from years of experience. Might as well as just settle in and enjoy that view.
Ideal for breakfasts that make early rising worthwhile (and a slice of Dartmouth life)…
Ignore the truly terrible name. Because if there’s a more cheerful way to start your day in Dartmouth, we haven’t found it. Housed in a characterful townhouse on Lower Street, Café Alf Resco (or just ‘Alf’s’ to the locals) has mastered that rare art of being both a tourist favourite and a place where the local community love to congregate. The interiors are pure Devon charm – all wooden beams, cosy nooks, and red cushions housed under a large awning for semi-outdoor dining.
The legendary Alf’s Breakfast puts most Full English offerings to shame, featuring special-recipe sausages that’ll make you forget about supermarket versions forever. The eggs Benedict arrives with perfectly poached eggs on toasted muffins and a hollandaise sauce that achieves that elusive balance between rich and bright. Both meals are just £12. For something lighter, their house-made granola has developed something of a cult following, while the Portuguese custard tarts, baked fresh each morning are worth setting an alarm for. Yours for £4 a pop.
The commitment to local sourcing shows in every detail – bread and pastries come from Dartmouth bakers, the orange juice is squeezed fresh before your eyes, and their house-blend coffee is roasted just down the road. The heaters crank into gear on chillier mornings to create something cosy and convivial, while weekend sessions feature local musicians playing jazz, blues, or flamenco – ‘Eat to the Beats’, as they charmingly put it.
For lunch, the kitchen turns out hearty filled baguettes and toasties (from £7.50), alongside seasonal specials that might include West Country chargrilled steaks or burgers. There’s even a full bar serving Dartmouth Gin, Devon Red Cider, and local ales from Salcombe Brewery – though maybe save those for after noon, eh?
Open: Daily 7am-2pm (yes, even Sundays)
Price: Breakfast £7-£14.50, Full English £12, Light bites from £5
Book ahead: Not possible – no reservations taken, expect to queue at peak times
Ideal for picnic provisions that elevate any impromptu feast…
A hit among locals and visitors in the know, Smith Street Deli is the kind of place that makes you rethink your carefully laid lunch plans the moment you step inside. This charming delicatessen serves up carefully curated provisions that can transform a simple picnic into something rather special.
The sandwich selection sets a high bar – think fresh Brixham crab with lemon mayo on sourdough (£8.50), or rare roast beef with punchy horseradish that’ll clear your sinuses (£7.50). The deli counter is a treasure trove of locally sourced charcuterie, artisanal cheeses, and preserves that tell the story of Devon’s impressive food scene. Their coffee, from a local roaster, is good quality too, while their salted caramel brownies have achieved near-legendary status among Dartmouth’s sweet-toothed contingent. What’s not to love?
Ideal for when you need to be humble and sit down to something other than seafood…
Running strong in the heart of Dartmouth, Kendricks is where to head when you need a break from the town’s marine-focused menus. This family-run spot near the quay, with Hannah leading the front of house and Tom commanding the kitchen, has mastered the art of satisfying those comfort food cravings. It’s actually one of two venues – there’s a sister restaurant in nearby Stoke Fleming – but the Dartmouth original remains the mothership for those seeking global comfort food done properly.
Their house burger is a masterful affair – a handmade 6oz Devon steak patty topped with streaky bacon and Emmental cheese, served with homemade coleslaw and fries that justify the climb back up Dartmouth’s hills. The West Country pork ribs emerge from the kitchen tender and sticky after a slow cook in their house marinade, with a half rack at £17.50 or a whole at £29 for the particularly peckish.
The menu roams globally while keeping its feet firmly planted in Devon’s pantry – their steaks (from £26 for an 8oz rump) come from local herds and arrive with mushrooms and confit tomatoes, while the pulled beef chilli shows the kitchen’s knack for the kind of slow-cooking that fills a kitchen with a soothing sense of domesticity. The sizzling chicken fajitas arrive at the table with proper theatre and all the trimmings, and there’s a veggie version too if that’s more your thing.
Early birds should look to their Tuesday to Thursday deal (5:30-6:30pm), where £26 gets you two courses of the same hearty cooking. The bar program holds its own too – think local heroes like Bays Devon Cove and Dartmoor ales alongside a thoughtfully curated wine list. Their cocktails provide the perfect excuse for an aperitif – the Negroni hits all the right bitter-sweet notes, and is priced at under a tenner. A rare find in this economy, we think…
Open: Monday-Saturday 6pm-10pm (Closed Sundays)
Price: Starters £7-£9.50, Mains £17-£32, Early Bird Menu £26 for 2 courses
Drink: Local ales from £6/pint, cocktails from £6.50
Ideal for waterfront fish and chips when you want to keep it simple…
Part of Mitch Tonks’ seafood empire, Rockfish has embraced the simple pleasure of fish and chips without any nods to ‘refinement’ or ‘elevation’, which is just what we need to hear sometimes. Perched on South Embankment with views that’ll have you planning a permanent move to Devon, this is where tradition meets sustainability with impressive results.
The kitchen’s connection to Brixham runs deep – their own boat, Rockfisher, along with the rest of the local fleet, ensures the fish is about as fresh as you can get without catching it yourself. The daily menu changes based on the morning’s catch, with your server marking each available species directly on your tablecloth – a nice touch that lets you track your way through Devon’s marine bounty. Or, at the least, a flourish of truly fantastic marketing.
Their fish and chips set a high standard, and are priced at something of a premium accordingly – prime Brixham hake (£20.95) or line-caught Icelandic haddock (£23.95) comes in a crisp, light batter, accompanied by unlimited chips cut from their own dedicated potato crop. It’s not all deep fried; the kitchen shows its range with dishes like chargrilled sea bream with Greek island salad, too.
For the full experience, start with Portland pearl oysters (£9.95 for three) or their excellent salt and pepper Brixham ‘calamari’, then work your way up to the fritto misto – a mixed fry that shows exactly why Tonks has built such a reputation in these parts. There’s even a selection of tinned seafood available, which has been caught, processed and boxed by the Tonks team.
The wine list is well-considered, ranging from a crisp Folle Blanche (£5.50 for a 175ml glass) to serious bottles like Pouilly Fuissé (£56). There’s local beer too, naturally. The outdoor terrace, when the weather plays nice, offers the kind of setting that makes even a simple glass of Prosecco feel like a special occasion.
Ideal for when you want Devon’s finest ingredients to sing…
*As of May 2025, it has been announced that The Angel via their Instagram page that the restaurant is to permanently close, though the exact dates are thus far unclear.*
There’s something rather poetic about The Angel’s current incarnation. In a space where the late, great Joyce Molyneux once made history as one of Britain’s first female chefs to earn a Michelin star, another remarkably talented chef is now writing her own chapter. Elly Wentworth, who took the helm in 2018 at just 26, has transformed this storied riverside restaurant into something that feels both timeless and current.
The elegant dining room, occupying an enviable spot on Dartmouth’s South Embankment with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Dart, manages to feel special occasion without being stuffy. An open kitchen lets you watch Wentworth and her team at work – a detail carried over from Molyneux’s days that feels like a pleasing, simple connection between then and now.
Wentworth herself arrives with serious pedigree; a finalist in 2016’s MasterChef: The Professionals, she cut her teeth working alongside Michelin-starred heavyweights including The Elephant just up the road in Torquay, before taking over The Angel, showing the same courage at 26 that Molyneux did decades before. She’s since appeared on Great British Menu and turned what could have been an intimidating legacy into her own vision of modern British excellence.
The menu is a love letter to Devon’s larder, with everything sourced from within a 30-mile radius where possible. Though there’s an a la carte with starters in the mid teens and mains clocking in between £20 and £40, for the full experience the tasting menu (£95) is the way to go. Recent highlights include a heritage beetroot tart that elevates the humble root to new heights, a langoustine risotto with preserved lemon that’s pitched perfectly between piquant and luxurious, and a ruby red beef fillet with horseradish buttermilk that is cooked with such a precise wall-to-wall pink that it will have you questioning the way you cook your steaks at home from here on in. The ‘All White’ signature dessert both needs to be seen and tasted to be believed. And still, even then, you won’t believe it; it’s ethereal in every possible way.
The wine pairings (£65, or £130 for the fine wine experience) are worth the splurge, ranging from crisp Verdicchio to a stunning Puligny-Montrachet. On the flip side of that splurge, more budget-conscious food lovers should look to lunch, where three courses of the same precision cooking will set you back just £35.
Sunday lunch (£39 for two courses, £45 for three) is another relative bargain, featuring what might be the most elegant roast in Devon. Right now, it actually starts with that langoustine risotto, before moving on to roast beef, roasties and a Yorkshire pudding that’s so cavernous you could fall into its central vortex and never return to finish your plate.
All that food requires a quenching of thirst. The Angel Negroni makes an ideal aperitif, while the wine list roams from accessible £30 bottles to serious treasures like a 2014 Louis Roederer Cristal (£640). They’ve even got their own gin, infused with black garlic and honey – try it in their French Seventy Five for a cool £21.95. It is good, to be fair.
The cooking here has earned Wentworth and her team a place in the 2024 Michelin Guide and two AA Rosettes. But perhaps more importantly, it’s created the kind of restaurant that makes you want to find excuses to return – a special birthday here, an anniversary there, or maybe just because it’s Thursday and they’re open for lunch.
A final note: Dartmouth gets seriously busy in summer, so book ahead for anywhere you’ve got your heart set on. And if you’re visiting during the Dartmouth Food Festival in October, prepare for the town to buzz with foodie events, tastings, and demonstrations. It’s worth braving the crowds for – just pack your stretchy trousers.
Joking aside, it feels like you might be in need of a holiday far beyond everyone’s favourite freezer-based supermarket? With the summer holidays just around the corner, now is the ideal time to plan – and we mean really plan – that dream ‘luxury’ getaway.
Of course, luxury travel means different things to different people, and although the first connotation with the word is so often found on the beach, if you don’t fancy a holiday spent on golden sands, then why not play the opposite game and consider a holiday in Iceland?
The Land of Ice and Fire is just the change of scenery you need; a jolting, magical place sure to dust off the cobwebs and inspire the mind, body and soul. If you’re looking to explore further, here are 9 ideas for the IDEAL luxury trip to Iceland.
Soak In Geothermal Luxury
When most people think of Iceland, the Blue Lagoon springs to mind – and rightly so. This milky blue geothermal wonder is one of the country’s most photographed spots, but luxury travellers know there’s so much more to Iceland’s spa culture than this famous lagoon. The entire country sits atop a geological hotspot, meaning natural hot springs bubble up from the earth across the island.
For a truly luxurious experience, consider The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, an exclusive spa hotel with private lagoon access, or venture to the Secret Lagoon in Flúðir for a more intimate setting surrounded by natural beauty. The mineral-rich waters aren’t just Instagram-worthy – they’re genuinely therapeutic, rich in silica and algae that leave your skin feeling impossibly soft. After hours soaking in naturally heated waters while snow might be falling around you, you’ll understand why Icelanders have made geothermal bathing an art form.
The Northern Lights are perhaps Iceland’s most magical draw, and witnessing this celestial dance is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience that defines luxury travel. But forget standing around in the cold with dozens of other tourists – there are far more sophisticated ways to aurora hunt.
Consider booking a luxury Northern Lights tour that includes heated glass igloos or geodesic domes where you can watch the sky in warmth and comfort, champagne in hand. Some operators offer aurora wake-up calls at luxury hotels, so you can slip from your warm bed directly into a private vehicle when the lights appear.
For the ultimate experience, combine your aurora viewing with other activities – Northern Lights photography workshops, romantic dinners under the stars, or even hot spring soaks while the green lights dance overhead. The aurora season runs from September to March, with the darkest months offering the best viewing opportunities.
A huge part of luxury travel is the opportunity to take things slow, not having to rush from site to site, museum to restaurant, or spa to Northern lights viewing spot. Such trips, spent hastily travelling from place to place, often in large tour groups and not at your own pace, certainly aren’t relaxing. Instead, consider hiring a private driver to take you to spots remote and off the beaten path.
If you want to go all out, then what about a private jet? Yes really. Private jet rentals are becoming more and more feasible – see: affordable – for everyday folk, and in increasingly uncertain times, private airline companies are finding their services needed by a wider range of travellers keen to keep things tight and exclusive.
For frequent flyers, there’s also the option of fractional ownership – where you buy a share of an aircraft rather than chartering per trip. You can either hunt down a detailed fractional jet ownership website or explore traditional charter options, depending on how often you plan to take to the skies.
One of the most surprising parts of private plane travel is that the fees are not based on the number of passengers, but the flight itself. With a group of a few friends or colleagues, many people find flying private less expensive than flying business class because of this. Doing so in Iceland, with the chance to view the dramatic landscape from below, sounds just the first class ticket to us.
Hire A Helicopter
Speaking of things that fly in the sky – nope, not the country’s famous puffins – an Icelandic holiday spent in a helicopter provides perhaps the very best opportunity to appreciate the stunning, dramatic scenery that this great country has to offer. A puffin’s eye view of must see Icelandic sights like the Gullfoss Falls, Öxarárfoss Waterfall, and the geysers and glaciers of Vatnajökull and Snæfellsjökull from the unrivalled vantage point of a helicopter? Yes please!
The exclusivity of having a helicopter experience just for the two of you is pretty luxurious, don’t you think? Incredibly, helicopter tours for two of some of Iceland’s most famous sites start at around ISK 50’000 – that’s less than £300!
If luxury to you means undertaking a new experience, then whale watching in Iceland is for you. Iceland, or rather the waters surrounding Iceland, is considered Europe’s premier whale watching destination. A mix of cold and warm water sea currents and abundant summer daylight means that a huge variety of fish and krill call the Greenland Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Denmark Strait home. Of course, this also attracts whales to these waters, happy for an all-you-can-eat buffet every time they swim with their mouths open.
Incredibly, off the 3000 miles of Iceland’s rugged coastline you’ll find 23 different species of whale, and you might see everything from huge sperm whales to playful killer whales on a whale watching trip. The Minke whale is the most commonly sighted and can be seen off Reykjavik on a boat tour.
However, if you’re looking for a near-guarantee of whale pod sightings, then you should head to Húsavík, on the island’s north east, which also boasts a whale museum in the town. Should your thirst still not be sated, then back in Reykjavik, there’s a whale museum too, which is, in fact, the largest whale exhibition in Europe. Wow.
While ‘Nordic’ cuisine as a whole has enjoyed significant publicity and praise in recent years, Icelandic fare remains something of a niche enthusiasm outside of the subregion. But those who scratch the surface just a little are richly rewarded.
Though throwing back some Hakarl – that’s fermented shark – or Svio (half a sheep’s head) may not sound exactly luxurious to the layperson, some of Iceland’s traditional recipes have been seriously refined over the centuries. Some preparations, however, remain exactly the same; if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, hey?
We’ve written a guide to six of Iceland’s signature dishes and where to try them in the capital Reykavik, but if you’re seeking a more ‘fine’ dining experience, then rest assured, Iceland’s capital boasts cutting edge cuisine in droves. Some of the premier foodie spots in the city for a luxury eating experience include Dill, the country’s only Michelin starred restaurant, and Óx a tiny hidden counter dinner joint serving ultra-modern interpretations of Icelandic classics. A fusing of traditional and modern eating? Sounds like luxury to us!
Camping
Whilst camping in colder climes isn’t exactly everyone’s idea of luxury (brrrrr), if accruing new experiences – rather than Egyptian thread count, marble bathtubs and gold taps – is how you define opulence, then sleeping out under the stars and nylon in Iceland might be just up your snow covered street.
Rather than waste both our time detailing advice on how to do camping right in the country, we’ll redirect you to our tips for a camping trip in Iceland. You’ll find everything you need there!
Stay In Unique Luxury Accommodation
Iceland’s accommodation scene goes far beyond standard hotels, offering some truly extraordinary places to rest your head. For travellers seeking something special, the country boasts luxury glass igloos and geodesic domes that let you sleep under the stars (and hopefully the Northern Lights) while staying perfectly warm and comfortable.
Some of the most exclusive properties include remote luxury lodges accessible only by private transport, offering complete isolation in Iceland’s dramatic landscape. These aren’t just places to sleep – they’re experiences in themselves, with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing views of glaciers, volcanoes, or the ocean, private hot tubs fed by natural geothermal sources, and interiors that blend Scandinavian design with Iceland’s raw natural beauty.
Many also offer bespoke experiences like private chef services featuring local ingredients, in-house spa treatments, and guided excursions that start right from your accommodation’s doorstep.
Iceland’s glaciers and ice caves offer some of the most otherworldly experiences on Earth, but accessing them safely requires serious expertise. This is where luxury travel shines – private glacier guides and small-group ice cave expeditions that prioritise both safety and exclusivity.
Vatnajökull National Park, home to Europe’s largest glacier, offers stunning blue ice caves that form naturally each winter. With a private guide, you can explore these crystal cathedrals without crowds, learning about glaciology and climate science while surrounded by impossible shades of blue.
Some luxury operators even offer helicopter access to remote ice caves and glacier lagoons, combining multiple Iceland experiences into one spectacular day. The expertise of professional guides means you’ll not only stay safe but gain insights into Iceland’s unique geology that you’d never get on a standard tour.
The Bottom Line
If luxury to you means having everything taken care of and not having to plan anything, then consider booking a tour operator to take care of your every need and get the most out of the geothermal wonderland that is Iceland.
Traversing the Land of Fire and Ice safely, without leaving a trace or a memory behind, requires logistical prowess. As such, this is one country where we’d recommend having your itinerary penned and taken care of for you; places are remote and rugged, hotels exclusive and travel options often limited and erratic.
Enlisting a tour operator assures access to the unknown locations and private, restricted access resorts and restaurants which you may not be able to reach otherwise. They’ll be able to plan all the important details of your trip, like the best and vantage point to see the Aurora Borealis and the quietest time to visit the Blue Lagoon.
Being able to luxuriate in Iceland’s culture and lose yourself in the landscape without worrying about researching your next move sounds like pure luxury to us.
Weekends in Bruton have taken on an almost ritualistic quality for London’s creative class. Film directors arrive on Friday evening trains clutching weekend bags and escape plans, photographers swap urban grit for limestone cottages, and foodies trade Borough market for Somerset farmers’ shops.
What began as occasional countryside retreats has grown into something more substantial – many of these weekend pilgrims have become permanent converts – drawn by a town that somehow manages to feel both worldly and wonderfully removed from city life. For those not quite ready to abandon their London lives entirely, At The Chapel has become the perfect sanctuary – a place where you can experience the sanctity of Somerset living, without committing to actually buying a house here.
The Chapel lived many lives before it gained a spatial preposition that makes it quite tricky to reference in print. First, as an inn during the 1600s, then transforming into a silk house in the Georgian era, later becoming a chapel in the 19th century. For a short time in the 1960s, it even moonlighted as a recording studio where Genesis are said to have cut some tracks. Today, with the At attached (told you it can sound awkward), it’s one of the Top 50 Boutique Hotels in the UK.
This historic, shape-shifting building stands prettily and proudly on the High Street of Bruton, which has itself undergone a remarkable transformation from sleepy market town to artistic haven in recent years, all without (largely) shedding its soul. That’s rather like At The Chapel itself; a meticulous conversion that honours its ecclesiastical bones while injecting a shot of contemporary verve. You’ll feel reborn after staying here, too.
Idea
We’ve slept in our fair share of monasteries turned hotels (weird flex), and we can safely say that the conversion of religious buildings into hotels can sometimes feel uncomfortable, like you’re bedding down where you should be kneeling. Not here. The brilliant restoration respects the chapel’s history while giving it a new purpose, lightening things up both metaphorically and quite literally.
Though the burden of its past no longer hangs heavy, it’s a place that encourages gathering, breaking bread, and raising glasses – communal activities that feel entirely appropriate in a former place of worship.
There’s confidence in simplicity here. No need for fussy trimmings or the textural tropes of clichéd countryside hotels. Instead, it leans into what it naturally possesses – soaring ceilings, tremendous light, and the inherent drama of its sacred architecture – then complements these with clean design and quality furnishings.
Owing to its location and standing on the high street (and the lack of other places to stay in Bruton, it has to be said), At The Chapel certainly attracts a well-heeled clientele, but actual room prices remain surprisingly accessible. There’s something inclusive about the place that’s really charming as a result.
Location
Bruton itself is going through a period of seismic change. A small town of barely 3,000 residents, it’s become an unlikely magnet for creative types fleeing London without too noticeably disrupting its ancient rhythms.
The River Brue still meanders through town (those pesky interlopers haven’t drunk it dry quite yet), limestone cottages line the higgledy-piggledy streets, and the 16th-century Dovecote stands sentinel on its hill, untroubled by George Osborne’s presence at its base.
The hotel occupies a prime spot, slap bang in the middle of the (admittedly low stakes) action on Bruton’s high street, walking distance from the town’s train station. London is just a two-hour ride away, and the capital’s denizens flock here in the warmer months. They all head for At The Chapel. These double prepositions are killing me.
From this central anchor and launch pad, you’re perfectly placed to explore the town’s highlights. At The Chapel is right next door to the town’s museum, which has the largest collection of bird eggs in the country. World renowned art gallery Hauser & Wirth’s rural outpost, with its world-class sculpture and Piet Oudolf garden, is a pleasant amble through some fields away, and there’s a corner shop opposite the hotel, as well as several independent shops and restaurants just a Doulting stone’s throw away.
Further afield, the glorious gardens of Stourhead are about 15 minutes by car, and Glastonbury town is around half an hour away.
Style & Character
There are moments in hotel-seeking where you stumble upon something that makes you pause. Not the planned pauses of staged luxury hotels, but the genuine intake of breath when you find a place with its own unmistakable character. At The Chapel delivers that moment right as you step through its heavy wooden doors.
Talk about first impressions. There’s something properly special about entering the chapel’s main space – now the restaurant and bar. The soaring windows that once illuminated congregations now flood the restaurant with ethereal light, casting a glow across polished concrete floors and minimalist white walls. Original architectural elements—vaulted ceilings, elegant arches, and restored plasterwork—create a space that feels dramatic, sure, but the acoustics are good enough to support intimate conversation with a loved one, too.
Light floods through enormous arched windows onto white walls, creating a sense of airiness that’s grounded by original wooden floorboards. Lucy Glendinning’s ‘Faith’, an ex-voto figure mounted on the wall, looks out over the room in a nod to the space’s previous life. A glass bauble chandelier hangs from the high ceiling, a modern intervention that somehow doesn’t jar with the building’s heritage. How they’ve pulled it off, we’re not sure; this chandelier would look so jarring in just about any other dining room we can think of. Here, it’s spectacular.
This balancing act between old and new runs throughout. Contemporary furniture – much of it designed by Ahmed Sidki, who with restaurateur Catherine Butler originally transformed the building – sits comfortably against original features. There’s a refreshing absence of country house clichés: no huntsman prints, no tweed, no antlers. Instead, a palette of whites, woods and muted velvet creates a calm backdrop that lets the drama of the building shine.
The atmosphere changes throughout the day – quiet and contemplative at breakfast as sunlight streams through those immense windows; buzzy and convivial by evening when locals and visitors mingle over pizzas and wine. Unlike the studied coolness of some design hotels, there’s genuine warmth here, helped by a fireplace in colder months and staff who seem genuinely happy to be working in such a special place.
Rooms
The ten bedrooms at At The Chapel continue the clean, unfussy aesthetic established downstairs. White walls meet wooden floors, with minimal furnishings and the odd splash of colour from a chair or chaise longue. Several have dramatic ecclesiastical windows that flood the spaces with light while framing views of Bruton’s rooftops or the distant Dovecote.
Beds are blissfully comfortable – the danger being that you’ll sink so deeply into them that making it downstairs for breakfast becomes a heroic endeavour. While they vary in size, from two snug lofts to the spacious Dovecote Suite, each has enough personality to avoid that cookie-cutter feel. It feels like your own private bedroom, rather than a hotel room, which is all rather lovely.
The bathrooms are splendid – wrapped in grey and white marble, they feature walk-in showers and, in some rooms, generously sized freestanding baths positioned to make the most of the views. Quality REN products add a further touch of understated luxury.
Dogs are welcome here, and you may find the odd dog hair here and there. But given how charming the hotel is and its countryside location, it’s forgiven. Hell, it might even be deliberate; strategically placed to set a certain scene.
Actually, that would be mental.
Anyway, one of the loveliest touches comes each morning when you’ll find a paper bag of freshly baked croissants hanging on your door handle. With Somerset butter and homemade jam waiting in your minibar, it’s the perfect excuse for breakfast in bed before eventually venturing downstairs.
Food & Drink
The restaurant operates throughout the day, transitioning seamlessly from breakfast through lunch and dinner. The cooking is confident and unpretentious, celebrating local produce with a Mediterranean slant. And yes, given the setting, breaking bread here feels less like a figure of speech and more like an ecclesiastical obligation – thankfully, one that’s thoroughly enjoyable to fulfil.
Breakfast might be something as simple as those fresh bakery croissants piled high on the counter at the front or something more substantial – perhaps the signature muffin featuring Cumberland sausage, streaky bacon, a runny egg, and piquant cider-onion ham made with local Dowding’s brew that renders ketchup totally unnecessary, all inside the most beautifully formed sourdough bap. If you’re going to break bread anywhere in Bruton, make it here – literally and figuratively.
Take your time over breakfast – the unhurried rhythm of service and the light flooding the room invites lingering. Unfold a newspaper (available from across the road) or pick up one of the many Wallpaper magazines left for guests, order a second cappuccino, and let your morning unfold naturally in a space where the absence of pressure feels like a quiet luxury. Hey, this is what being on holiday is all about, isn’t it? You’ll see locals doing the same alongside other couples from out of town who you spotted dining at Osip or wandering around Hauser and Wirth.
The all-day menu features dishes that sound straightforward but deliver layers of flavour. The ingredients are good enough to speak for themselves. Spring sees dishes like burrata with preserved lemon and rocket pesto, and roasted lamb shoulder with charred baby gem taking centre stage. Unsurprisingly for a restaurant attached to a bakery, desserts aren’t a mere afterthought – a yoghurt panna cotta with rhubarb and ginger was impossible to resist. The second round, too.
The wood-fired pizzas deserve their local reputation and have quietly become this restaurant’s signature. The base—impossibly light and digestible – provides the canvas for thoughtful combinations that speak of both Somerset and Italy. Think taleggio with field mushrooms and thyme; wild mushrooms paired with goat’s cheese and truffle oil; or buffalo mozzarella made in Glastonbury with San Marzano tomatoes and pepperoni.
Sunday service here is held with the kind of reverence fitting of its chapel setting. The sirloin of beef comes with a pokey horseradish sauce that cuts through the richness, while the chicken breast is complemented by a fragrant sage and apricot stuffing. The star might be the stuffed pork belly — tender, fatty meat given vigour from an apple sauce made using fruit from local orchards. This calls for a Somerset cider or several, we think. All clock in at around £20.
By the check-in desk, there’s a small wine room, full of mostly organic and biodynamic wines from all over the place. It’s as thoughtful as everything else – not encyclopaedic, but carefully chosen with an emphasis on small producers who work sustainably.
Now to that baker. At the Chapel in Bruton has been home to head baker Tom Hitchmough’s artisanal bread craftsmanship for more than a decade. During that time, his skilled hands have been shaping the bakery’s distinctive output, establishing it as a cornerstone of the hotel’s identity and the wider community. Take home a doughnut and a sausage roll for the journey back to wherever you came from – they are the bakery’s signatures for a reason.
Facilities
At The Chapel isn’t about ticking boxes on amenity lists. There’s no spa, no pool, no gym – and it’s all the better for it. What it offers instead is substance: a destination bakery producing exceptional artisan loaves and pastries ; a thoughtfully stocked wine store focusing on small producers; and communal spaces that encourage both socialising and solitude. Considering Bruton is in the process of a massive reinvention as a global foodie destination (genuinely not hyperbolic), it all makes perfect sense.
The south-facing terrace is a sun trap in summer, while downstairs, the Clubroom offers Friday DJ night DJ sessions from 6pm to 10pm, for locals looking to get down and guests squeezing every drop of fun from their stay here.
The true heart of the place, though, is the restaurant and bar. Cultural events, from book launches to talks and film screenings, happen regularly, and you’ll spot the occasional famous face from London’s food, literary and art scene.
Why Go
In a landscape increasingly dotted with identikit boutique hotels, At The Chapel stands apart. It’s a genuine one-off – a place with heart, soul and a deep connection to its surroundings.
You feel this in the building itself, with its respectful restoration; in the food, which celebrates local producers; and in the staff, who create an atmosphere of relaxed hospitality that’s increasingly rare.
The joy of At The Chapel is that it’s not just one thing. It’s the town’s all-day restaurant, artisan bakery, wine store, bar, hotel, unofficial meeting point for locals and designated launchpad for visitors, all rolled into one.
It’s not trying to be the most luxurious hotel in Somerset, or the coolest, or the most exclusive. Instead, it offers something more valuable – authenticity, quality, and a genuine sense of place. In a world of manufactured experiences, that’s something worth seeking out.
Looking for accessible wilderness experiences where your vehicle opens doors to America’s most spectacular landscapes? You’ve found them here.
Car camping offers the perfect balance of adventure and convenience-allowing you to wake up in stunning locations without sacrificing the comfort and storage of your vehicle.
From the misty coastlines of the Pacific Northwest to the towering granite spires of Wyoming, the USA’s car camping destinations offer something for every type of outdoor enthusiast. Unlike traditional backpacking, car camping allows you to bring along creature comforts-proper sleeping gear, camp chairs, coolers full of fresh food, and all the equipment that transforms a night outdoors from mere survival into genuine recreation. Your vehicle becomes both transport and basecamp, offering shelter from unexpected weather and a secure place to store valuables whilst you explore.
This accessibility opens up American wilderness experiences to families with young children, older adventurers who might struggle with heavy packs, and anyone who simply prefers to enjoy nature without completely abandoning modern conveniences.
Olympic National Park, Washington: Where Three Ecosystems Collide In Spectacular Fashion
Few places on Earth compress such extraordinary diversity into a single national park. Within Olympic’s boundaries, you can experience temperate rainforest that rivals the Amazon, rugged Pacific coastline that feels like the edge of the world, and alpine meadows that bloom in brilliant succession throughout the summer months. It’s this remarkable variety-accessible via well-maintained roads-that makes Olympic a car camping destination unlike any other.
Olympic’s diverse ecosystems make it a car camping paradise, with paved roads connecting wildly different landscapes within hours of each other.
Olympic National ParkRuby Beach, Olympic National Park
Kalaloch Campground sits directly on the Pacific coast, offering beachfront sites where you’ll fall asleep to crashing waves. Several sites provide excellent ocean views, though they tend to be windier than forest locations. The campground operates year-round with flush toilets and potable water, though summer reservations fill up months ahead. Beach walks reveal tide pools, sea stacks, and some of the Pacific Northwest’s most dramatic coastal scenery.
Heart O’ the Hills Campground provides access to the park’s temperate rainforest. Located at 1,800 feet elevation, it offers cooler temperatures and towering old-growth forests just 5 miles from Port Angeles. The Hurricane Ridge Road starts here, leading to alpine meadows and mountain views when weather permits.
Practical Tips: Summer temperatures rarely exceed 20°C, so you should pack layers and waterproof clothing regardless of when you visit. Coastal sites tend to be windier but generally warmer than the forest locations. Reservations open up to six months in advance through Recreation.gov, and summer dates fill quickly.
Imagine waking up surrounded by towering sandstone monuments that seem to glow from within, their surfaces painted in every shade from pale gold to deep burgundy. Sedona’s red rock formations aren’t just geological features-they’re natural architecture on a scale that dwarfs human ambition, carved by millions of years of wind and water into shapes so striking they’ve become pilgrimage sites for photographers and spiritual seekers alike.
What makes this desert paradise even more appealing for car campers is the abundance of free dispersed camping options that place you right in the heart of this red rock theatre.
SedonaView of Sunset Crater in the Coconino National Forest
The Coconino National Forest allows free dispersed camping on most forest roads around Sedona. Popular spots include Forest Road 525 (Schnebly Hill Road) and areas off Highway 179 south of town. These sites offer panoramic red rock views without campground fees, though they lack amenities like water and restrooms.
For those preferring developed campgrounds, Dead Horse Ranch State Park in nearby Cottonwood provides full facilities with red rock views. Sites range from $25-50 per night depending on whether they include electrical hookups.
Practical Tips: The high desert elevation of 4,350 feet means nights remain cool even during summer months. Afternoon thunderstorms are common from July through September, so plan indoor activities accordingly. Many forest roads require high-clearance vehicles, so check your route beforehand. You’ll need to bring plenty of water for dispersed camping as there are no facilities. The best photography light occurs at sunrise and sunset when the rocks appear to glow with inner fire.
Hocking Hills, Ohio: The Midwest’s Best-Kept Secret Revealed
Don’t let Ohio’s cornfield reputation fool you-hidden in the state’s southeastern corner lies a landscape so dramatically beautiful it rivals any national park. Hocking Hills proves that you don’t need to drive thousands of miles to find natural wonder; sometimes the most spectacular destinations are hiding in plain sight.
Here, patient streams have carved deep gorges through layers of sandstone, creating a wonderland of waterfalls, caves, and cliffs that feels utterly removed from the surrounding farmland. It’s outdoor drama on an intimate scale, where every turn reveals hidden grottos and moss-covered rock faces that seem straight out of a fairy tale.
Hocking Hills State Park Campground provides 169 sites with modern facilities, including electric hookups and shower houses. The sites are well-distributed throughout the campground with many offering privacy by backing up to forest areas. The campground serves as an excellent base for exploring six major areas: Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Cantwell Cliffs, Rock House, and Conkles Hollow.
Each area features different geological formations carved from Black Hand sandstone. Old Man’s Cave offers the most dramatic gorge walking, whilst Ash Cave features Ohio’s largest recess cave. Most trails are 1-3 miles and well-maintained.
Practical Tips: Spring offers the most impressive waterfalls thanks to snowmelt, whilst autumn provides spectacular foliage displays. Summer weekends can become quite crowded, so consider visiting midweek if possible. Campsites range from $28-35 per night, and reservations are highly recommended from April through October. The nearby town of Logan offers grocery stores and restaurants for resupply and dining out.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: Where Mountains Pierce The Sky Without Warning
The Teton Range doesn’t believe in subtle introductions. Rising abruptly from the valley floor without the courtesy of foothills, these jagged peaks thrust 7,000 feet skyward in one of the most dramatic mountain profiles in North America.
Unlike other ranges that build gradually to their climax, the Tetons announce themselves with geological audacity-a wall of granite spires that seems to scrape the belly of passing clouds. For car campers, this means waking up to mountain views so spectacular they border on the surreal, with pristine lakes reflecting snow-capped peaks that appear close enough to touch yet remain tantalizingly distant.
Colter Bay Campground on Jackson Lake offers 350 sites, many with excellent lake and mountain views. The campground includes shower facilities, a visitor centre, and marina. Reservations open January 1 for summer dates and fill quickly.
Signal Mountain Campground offers a more intimate setting with 81 sites along Jackson Lake’s shoreline. Sites 1-30 provide direct lake access, perfect for sunrise photography with mountain reflections.
Practical Tips: The elevation of over 6,800 feet means nights remain cold even during summer, so pack warm sleeping gear regardless of season. Bear canisters or proper food storage containers are required throughout the park.
Wildlife viewing opportunities are abundant, but you must maintain at least 25 yards distance from elk and moose, and 100 yards from bears. The best weather occurs from July through September, though snow remains possible during any month. The park entry fee is $35 per vehicle and covers seven days of access.
Acadia National Park, Maine: Where Granite Mountains Meet The Atlantic
Acadia represents something truly unique in the American national park system-a place where mountains rise directly from the sea, creating a landscape that feels borrowed from the fjords of Scandinavia. This is the only place in America where you can watch sunrise from a mountain peak whilst listening to waves crash against granite cliffs below.
Mount Desert Island packs an extraordinary variety of experiences into its compact 108 square miles: pristine lakes nestled between rounded peaks, carriage roads that wind through forests of spruce and fir, and a rugged coastline where the relentless Atlantic has carved pink granite into otherworldly sculptures. It’s intimacy and grandeur combined, wilderness and refinement existing side by side.
Blackwoods Campground operates year-round with 306 sites nestled in spruce-fir forest, just 5 miles from Bar Harbor. Sites lack hookups but provide picnic tables and fire rings. Reservations required May-October through Recreation.gov.
Seawall Campground on the island’s quieter western side offers 214 sites closer to the ocean. Sites 1-50 are walk-in only, providing more privacy and closer ocean access.
The park’s 27-mile Park Loop Road connects major attractions including Cadillac Mountain (first sunrise viewing spot in the U.S. from October-March), Thunder Hole, and Sand Beach. Historic carriage roads provide 45 miles of car-free exploring.
Practical Tips: Summer temperatures average between 21-27°C, but coastal fog can keep conditions surprisingly cool throughout the day. Peak season runs from July through August, so consider visiting in September for smaller crowds and brilliant autumn colours. Campground fees are $30 per night across both locations. The nearby town of Bar Harbor provides full services including grocery stores and restaurants specialising in fresh lobster and other local seafood.
Choosing Your Car Camping Chariot: The Best Vehicles for Adventure
The right vehicle can make the difference between a comfortable adventure and a cramped nightmare. SCA, who offer auto auctions in Ohio, tell us that, after analysing thousands of successful car camping trips, certain vehicles consistently rise to the top for their combination of space, reliability, and capability.
The Versatile All-Rounders
Subaru Outback remains the thinking person’s choice for car camping. Its combination of all-wheel drive, excellent fuel economy (around 30 mpg), and generous cargo space makes it ideal for weekend adventures and daily commuting alike. Fold the rear seats flat, and you’ve got a sleeping area suitable for two adults under 6 feet tall. The higher ground clearance handles forest roads confidently, whilst the efficient boxer engine keeps fuel costs manageable on long road trips.
Toyota 4Runner represents the gold standard for serious off-road camping. Built on a truck chassis, it offers exceptional reliability, genuine 4WD capability, and massive cargo space. The rear seats fold completely flat, creating a spacious sleeping area or room for enormous amounts of gear. Its towing capacity of 6,000 pounds means you can haul trailers, boats, or additional storage. The trade-off is fuel economy-expect around 20 mpg-but the go-anywhere capability more than compensates.
The Luxury Adventurers
Jeep Grand Cherokee strikes an excellent balance between comfort and capability. Modern versions offer refined interiors, advanced 4WD systems, and towing capacity up to 6,200 pounds whilst maintaining respectable fuel economy. The cargo area, whilst not as large as the 4Runner’s, easily accommodates camping gear for two people plus supplies for extended trips.
Land Rover Discovery appeals to those who want luxury with their adventure. Exceptional off-road capability combines with premium interior appointments and clever storage solutions. The third-row seats fold completely flat, creating a massive cargo area. However, reliability concerns and higher maintenance costs make this a choice for those prioritising comfort over pragmatism.
The Space Maximisers
Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander offer three-row flexibility with the ability to fold all rear seats flat, creating enormous cargo areas perfect for car camping. Both provide excellent reliability, reasonable fuel economy, and enough space for families or groups. The trade-off is reduced ground clearance compared to truck-based SUVs.
Key Features To Prioritise
Cargo Space: Look for vehicles with flat-folding rear seats. Measure the sleeping area when seats are down-you’ll need at least 6 feet length for comfortable sleeping.
Ground Clearance: Minimum 8 inches for forest roads; 9+ inches for serious off-roading. Many car camping spots require navigating rough tracks.
Fuel Economy: Consider your typical trip distances. Better fuel economy means longer range between petrol stations and lower overall costs.
Reliability: Choose brands with proven track records. Breaking down in remote areas turns adventure into ordeal quickly.
Storage Solutions: Built-in tie-down points, roof rails, and clever interior storage make organisation much easier.
Essential Modifications
Regardless of your vehicle choice, several modifications dramatically improve the car camping experience:
Window coverings for privacy and temperature control
Roof rails or roof box for additional storage
12V cooler powered by your vehicle’s electrical system
Portable battery pack for charging devices without draining your car battery
LED lighting strips for interior illumination
Memory foam mattress cut to fit your cargo area
The Bottom Line
Each destination offers unique advantages: Olympic for ecosystem diversity, Sedona for desert beauty and free camping options, Hocking Hills for Midwest convenience and waterfalls, Grand Teton for mountain drama and wildlife, and Acadia for coastal-mountain combination.
Consider your vehicle’s capabilities when choosing sites-some forest roads require high clearance, whilst developed campgrounds accommodate any car. Always check weather conditions, make reservations where required, and pack appropriate gear for elevation and season. Most importantly, research each area’s specific regulations, from food storage requirements in bear country to fire restrictions during dry seasons.
We’ve all been there. You sit down to tackle that important report, and suddenly you’re three hours deep into a Wikipedia rabbit hole about Victorian-era bread recipes. Or perhaps you’ve just spent 45 minutes rearranging your desk supplies whilst your to-do list glares at you reproachfully. Sound familiar? If you’re nodding along (or you’ve already clicked away to check your phone), then pull up a chair – this one’s for you.
The thing is, in our hyper-connected world of endless notifications, open-plan offices, and the constant pull of ‘just one more scroll’, staying focused in the face of distraction feels less like a skill and more like a superpower.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to be superhuman to get things done. You just need the right strategies, a bit of self-compassion, and maybe a really good hiding spot for your phone. So, whether you’re trying to finish that presentation, study for an exam, or simply read a book without checking Instagram every three pages, we’ve got some surprisingly doable solutions coming your way.
First Things First: You’re Not Broken
Before we dive into the practical stuff, let’s get one thing straight: having the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel in 2025 doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Our brains simply weren’t designed for the non-stop notification parade that is modern life.
Think about it – your ancestors needed to notice rustling bushes (potential lunch or potential danger), not resist the siren call of Instagram whilst trying to finish a spreadsheet. So, cut yourself some slack.
Sort Out Your Space (Yes, It Actually Matters)
You might think your messy desk is just a sign of your creative genius, but sorry to break it to you – it’s probably not helping your concentration. The physical environment you work in has a massive impact on your ability to focus, and the good news is that fixing it doesn’t require a complete home makeover.
The Art Of Strategic Tidying
Here’s the thing about clutter – it’s essentially visual noise, and your easily distracted brain absolutely loves noise. But before you go full Marie Kondo on your workspace, let’s be realistic. You don’t need a minimalist shrine to productivity; you just need to remove the obvious distractions.
The good news is that you don’t need to transform your entire living space into some minimalist monastery. Small changes can make a massive difference. Start with these simple but effective tweaks that take less than five minutes but can save you hours of distraction:
Chuck your phone in a drawer (or better yet, another room entirely)
Clear your desk of everything except what you need right now
Face away from the kitchen if you’re working from home – nobody needs to see the biscuit tin beckoning
Create Your Focus Cave
If you’re lucky enough to have options, designate specific spaces for specific activities. Your brain is surprisingly trainable – use this to your advantage. That corner of the sofa where you usually scroll TikTok? Not ideal for deep work. Find a spot that screams ‘serious business’ (even if it’s just a different chair at the dining table).
Time Management That Actually Works (For Scattered Minds)
Traditional time management advice tends to assume you have the focus of a monk and the discipline of a Navy SEAL. But what if you’re more like the rest of us – easily distracted, prone to procrastination, and allergic to rigid schedules? Fear not. There are time management strategies designed specifically for brains that would rather be doing literally anything else.
The Pomodoro Technique: But Make It Realistic
You’ve probably heard of the Pomodoro Technique – 25 minutes of focus, 5-minute break, rinse and repeat. Brilliant in theory, but if 25 minutes feels like an eternity, start smaller. Seriously.
Here’s a gentler approach that actually works for scattered minds. Think of it as training wheels for your concentration – there’s no shame in starting small when the payoff is finally finishing that project that’s been haunting you:
Set a timer for just 10 minutes (yes, really)
Tell yourself you only have to focus for those 10 minutes
When the timer goes off, you can stop if you want (spoiler: you often won’t want to)
Gradually increase the time as your focus muscle strengthens
And here’s the crucial bit – during your breaks, move your body. A quick walk around the block beats doom-scrolling every time.
Time Blocking For Real Humans
Forget those colour-coded, minute-by-minute schedules you see on Pinterest. They’re fantasy for most of us. Instead, try theme days.
The beauty of theming your days is that it removes decision fatigue – your brain already knows what mode to be in before you’ve even had your morning coffee. It’s like having a work uniform for your mind. Here’s how it might look:
Mondays for admin and emails
Tuesdays for creative work
Wednesdays for meetings
You get the idea
This way, your brain knows what mode to be in without the pressure of an impossible schedule.
The Two-Minute Rule (Your New Best Friend)
This one’s a game-changer: if something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. Reply to that text, file that document, make that quick call. It stops your mental to-do list from becoming a monster that keeps you up at night.
Tech Tools That Help (Not Hinder)
Technology got us into this mess of constant distraction, so it’s only fair that it helps get us out. The trick is choosing tools that genuinely support your focus rather than becoming yet another source of procrastination. Yes, we see the irony in downloading apps to stop you from using apps, but stick with us here.
Apps Worth Your Time
The app store is flooded with productivity tools promising to transform your scattered brain into a laser-focused machine. Most are rubbish. But these four have actually proven their worth with the chronically distracted:
Forest: Grow virtual trees whilst you work – surprisingly addictive in a good way
Freedom: Blocks distracting websites so you can’t even cheat
Brain.fm: Science-y music that actually seems to help with focus
The Liven website: Brilliant for scatterbrains – combines focus soundscapes with bite-sized well-being tools to help you understand why your brain wanders in the first place
But here’s the thing – don’t go mad downloading every productivity app under the sun. Pick one or two and actually use them.
Sometimes Analogue Is The Answer
There’s something to be said for going old school. A physical planner, a kitchen timer, and a good old-fashioned notepad can be less distracting than their digital counterparts. Plus, there’s no notification to pull you away from your task.
Concentration Hacks For Wandering Minds
Even with the perfect workspace and a brilliant schedule, your mind will still wander off like a curious toddler in a toy shop. That’s just how brains work. But rather than fighting this natural tendency, these clever tricks work with your brain’s quirks to keep you (mostly) on track.
The ‘Brain Dump’ Method
Keep a notepad next to you whilst working (old school, we know, but it works). When random thoughts pop up – “Did I lock the car?” “Must buy milk” “Why do we say ‘pair of trousers’?” – jot them down quickly and get back to work.
This simple trick satisfies your brain’s need to remember things without completely derailing your focus. Plus, you might solve some of life’s mysteries during your break.
The Power Of The Pre-Game Ritual
Athletes have pre-game rituals, and so should you. Before starting any focused work, you need to signal to your brain that it’s time to switch gears. Think of it as a gentle warning system – “Oi, brain, we’re about to do something important here!”
This simple three-step ritual takes less than a minute but can make the difference between staring blankly at your screen and actually getting started:
Take three deep breaths (proper ones, not those shallow stress breaths)
Say out loud what you’re about to do: “I’m going to write this email to Sarah”
Visualise yourself actually finishing the task
Sounds a bit woo-woo? Maybe. But it works. Your brain appreciates the heads-up about what’s coming.
Embrace The Swiss Cheese Method
Got a massive project that makes you want to hide under the duvet? Don’t try to tackle it linearly. Instead, poke holes in it like Swiss cheese – do any small part that appeals to you right now.
Writing a report? Start with the bit you find interesting. Planning an event? Begin with the fun stuff like the playlist. Momentum is momentum, regardless of where it starts.
Working With Your Brain, Not Against It
Here’s a revolutionary thought: what if, instead of trying to force your brain into submission, you actually worked with its natural patterns and preferences? Turns out, understanding your own quirks and rhythms is far more effective than trying to squeeze yourself into someone else’s productivity mold.
Know Your Peak Hours
Are you a morning person who’s basically a genius before 10am? Or do you come alive after dark like some sort of productivity vampire? There’s no right answer – just work with what you’ve got.
Schedule your hardest tasks for your peak hours and save the mindless admin for when you’re running on fumes. Fighting your natural rhythm is like swimming upstream – exhausting and ultimately pointless.
The Art Of Productive Procrastination
If you’re going to procrastinate anyway (and let’s be honest, you are), at least make it useful. Create a ‘procrastination list’ of genuinely helpful but less urgent tasks.
The trick is to channel your avoidance energy into something that still moves you forward. When you’re desperately avoiding that big presentation, you could be:
Organising your email inbox
Updating your calendar
Learning keyboard shortcuts
Reading industry articles
At least when you’re avoiding that big presentation, you’re still moving forward somehow.
Get Yourself An Accountability Buddy
Working alone with your easily distracted brain can be torture. Try these tricks:
The beauty of external accountability is that it adds just enough pressure to keep you on track without sending you into panic mode. Whether you’re naturally competitive or just don’t want to let people down, these strategies tap into powerful motivators:
Body doubling: Work alongside someone else, even virtually
Fake deadlines: Tell someone you’ll send them something by 3pm (the panic is remarkably focusing)
Progress updates: A quick daily check-in with a colleague or friend works wonders
Your Quick-Fix Checklist
Here’s what nobody tells you about improving your focus: being horrible to yourself about it makes everything worse. Some days, your brain will feel like it’s been replaced with candy floss, and that’s okay.
Progress isn’t a straight line – it’s more like a toddler’s drawing of a straight line. Celebrate the small wins, learn from the scattered days, and remember that tomorrow is another chance to try again.
When your brain absolutely refuses to cooperate, run through this list:
Sometimes the solution to scattered focus is embarrassingly simple – you’re just hungry, thirsty, or need to move about a bit. Before you diagnose yourself with terminal distraction disorder, check these basics. It’s like IT support asking if you’ve tried turning it off and on again, except it actually works:
Eaten recently? (Hangry brains don’t focus well)
Had some water? (Dehydration is concentration kryptonite)
Phone out of sight? (Yes, even face down on the desk is too close)
Moved in the last hour? (Your body needs to wiggle)
Workspace sorted? (Clear desk, clearer mind)
Trying to multitask? (Stop it immediately)
Need a proper break? (Sometimes the answer is to stop trying)
The Bottom Line
Look, managing distraction isn’t about becoming some sort of productivity robot who never checks social media or daydreams about lunch. It’s about creating conditions that make focus a bit more likely and being kind to yourself when it doesn’t work out.
Start small, experiment with what works for your particular brand of scattered brain, and remember – even reading this far shows you’re capable of focus when something genuinely interests you.
Now, shall we address that browser tab collection you’ve got going?
In an age of endless selfies and video calls, your smile has never been more on display. Yet achieving that effortlessly radiant grin isn’t about expensive treatments or complicated routines – it’s about mastering the small, daily habits that make all the difference. From what’s on your plate to how you wield your toothbrush, here’s your guide to transforming your teeth into your best accessory.
The Morning Ritual That Sets The Tone
Your teeth have been under attack all night from bacteria that thrive whilst you sleep. Starting your day with the right approach can determine whether you’re fighting an uphill battle or setting yourself up for success.
Rather than reaching for your toothbrush immediately after waking, consider starting with a glass of water. This simple act helps neutralise the acidic environment in your mouth and kickstarts saliva production – your body’s natural defence against decay.
When you do brush, technique trumps duration. Dental professionals recommend the ‘modified Bass technique’: angle your brush at 45 degrees towards the gum line and use gentle, circular motions. Think massage, not scrub. Your enamel will thank you for the gentle approach.
The Diet Decisions That Show In Your Smile
What you eat doesn’t just affect your waistline – it’s written all over your teeth. The modern diet poses unique challenges, from hidden sugars in ‘healthy’ smoothies to the acid attack from your morning coffee ritual.
Understanding the impact of your food choices is the first step towards a diet that supports, rather than sabotages, your smile. The relationship between nutrition and oral health is more intricate than most people realise, with some supposedly healthy foods causing more damage than the occasional sweet treat.
Smile-Friendly Foods:
Crunchy vegetables like celery and carrots act as natural toothbrushes
Cheese neutralises acid and provides calcium
Green tea contains polyphenols that fight bacteria
Strawberries and apples contain malic acid, a natural whitener
The Hidden Villains:
Dried fruit clings to teeth like sweet glue
Sports drinks bathe teeth in sugar and acid
White wine is surprisingly more acidic than red
Ice chewing can cause microscopic cracks
The timing matters too. Grazing throughout the day means your teeth never get a break from acid attacks. Try to consolidate eating into meals, giving your saliva time to remineralise teeth between sessions.
Even the most diligent brushers often sabotage their efforts without realising it. We’ve been brushing our teeth since childhood, which means we’ve potentially been reinforcing bad habits for decades. The techniques that seemed logical when we were five – scrubbing harder for cleaner teeth, rinsing thoroughly after brushing – can actually work against us. Breaking these ingrained patterns requires conscious effort, but the payoff in terms of healthier teeth and gums is substantial. Here are the habits to break:
Brushing Too Soon After Eating: Wait at least 30 minutes after consuming anything acidic. Brushing immediately can actually brush away softened enamel.
The Harder-Is-Better Myth: Aggressive brushing doesn’t equal cleaner teeth. It leads to receding gums and enamel erosion. Choose a soft-bristled brush and let it do the work.
Ignoring The Tongue: Your tongue harbours bacteria that contribute to bad breath and tooth decay. A gentle brush or scrape should be part of your routine.
Rinsing After Brushing: This washes away the protective fluoride. Instead, spit out excess toothpaste and let the fluoride continue working.
Whether you’ve invested in professional whitening, orthodontics, or cosmetic enhancements, your daily habits determine how long those results last. Many people spend thousands on their smiles only to undermine their investment with poor maintenance.
If you’ve had cosmetic work done, certain habits become even more crucial. Avoiding staining foods and drinks in the first 48 hours after whitening, using a straw for beverages that might stain, and maintaining meticulous hygiene all contribute to longevity. Those seeking the best composite bonding results, for instance, should be particularly mindful of habits like nail-biting or using teeth as tools, as these can chip or damage the bonding material.
The good news? The same habits that protect cosmetic work also prevent the need for it in the first place. Prevention truly is the most cost-effective cosmetic treatment available.
The Weekend Sabotage Cycle
Weekends often spell disaster for dental routines. The structure that keeps us on track Monday through Friday disappears, replaced by late nights, leisurely mornings, and social events that revolve around food and drink. It’s remarkably easy to go from Friday evening to Sunday night having barely thought about your teeth, yet this is when they need attention most.
Late nights lead to skipped brushing, whilst leisurely brunches mean prolonged acid attacks from mimosas and multiple coffees. Social drinking adds another layer of challenge.
Creating weekend-specific strategies can help:
Keep travel-sized dental supplies in your bag for nights out
Alternate alcoholic drinks with water
Choose clear spirits over sugary cocktails
Never go to bed without brushing, no matter how tired
Remember, two days of neglect can undo a week of good habits. Your teeth don’t take weekends off from decay.
The Evening Wind-Down Your Teeth Deserve
Your nighttime routine is arguably more important than your morning one. During sleep, saliva production decreases dramatically, leaving your teeth vulnerable to bacterial attack for hours. This is your chance to remove the day’s accumulation and prepare your teeth for the overnight battle against bacteria. The effort you put in during these few minutes before bed can mean the difference between waking with fresh breath or that fuzzy-teeth feeling that signals bacterial overgrowth.
Consider adding an alcohol-free mouthwash to your routine. The alcohol-free aspect is crucial; alcohol dries out your mouth, reducing saliva production when you need it most.
The Lifestyle Factors You Haven’t Considered
Your oral health doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s intricately connected to your overall wellness, stress levels, and daily habits that seem unrelated to your teeth. Many people meticulously brush and floss yet still struggle with dental issues because they’re overlooking these broader lifestyle factors. Understanding these connections can be the key to finally achieving the healthy smile that’s eluded you despite your best efforts. These surprising factors all play a role:
Stress and Grinding: Night-time teeth grinding can undo years of good care. If you wake with jaw pain or headaches, consider a night guard.
Hydration Levels: A dry mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria. Keep water nearby, especially if you take medications that reduce saliva production.
Breathing Habits: Chronic mouth breathing dries out your oral cavity. If you snore or wake with a parched mouth, it might be time to investigate.
The Professional Partnership
While daily habits form the foundation, professional care provides the framework. Think of your dentist as your smile’s personal trainer – they can guide, advise and intervene when needed, but the real work happens between visits. Too many people view dental appointments as something to endure or avoid, missing the opportunity to build a collaborative relationship that enhances their home care efforts.Regular check-ups catch problems before they become painful (and expensive). Your dentist or hygienist can also provide personalised advice based on your specific needs and goals.
Professional cleanings remove tartar that home care can’t touch, whilst examinations can spot early signs of decay, gum disease, or oral cancer. Think of these visits as investments in your smile’s future.
The Bottom Line
A healthy smile isn’t built overnight, but the compound effect of good daily habits is remarkable. Within weeks, you might notice fresher breath and less bleeding when flossing. Within months, stains may fade and sensitivity decrease.
The real transformation isn’t just physical. There’s a particular confidence that comes from knowing your smile is genuinely healthy – not just Instagram-ready, but built on a foundation of excellent care. It’s the difference between hiding your teeth and sharing your joy freely.
Your camera-ready smile isn’t about perfection; it’s about health, vitality, and the small choices you make every day. Start with one new habit this week, and watch how it transforms not just your teeth, but your entire approach to self-care.
In an age of overtourism and Instagram hotspots, true hidden gems have become increasingly rare. Yet across Europe, there remain extraordinary places that have resisted the pull of mass tourism—partly because they refuse to accommodate the conventional traveller. These are destinations where the journey itself becomes part of the adventure, where the absence of motorways and railway stations keeps the crowds at bay, and where the reward for your efforts is an authenticity rarely found in today’s well-trodden tourist trails.
Kalsoy’s Kallur Lighthouse, Faroe Islands
At the northern tip of the slender island of Kalsoy sits the Kallur Lighthouse, perched dramatically atop vertiginous cliffs that plunge into the churning North Atlantic. The lighthouse overlooks some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the Faroes.
It’s not just about the scenery – these cliffs are packed with seabirds during summer—thousands of puffins, storm petrels, and guillemots nest along the rocky ledges. Bring binoculars if you’ve got them!
There’s nothing quite like breathing in the briny North Atlantic air from this vantage point, shutting your eyes and hearing nothing but the calls of sea birds, the growling of the wind and the crashing of waves. However, don’t shut your eyes for too long as you’ll want to see that scenery and those birds.
The weather here changes by the minute. One moment you’re squinting against brilliant sunshine, the next you’re dodging rain squalls that seem to appear from nowhere. When the mist rolls in and the light breaks through, rainbows appear like magic across the landscape.
The island itself, nicknamed the flute for its long, narrow shape punctuated by tunnels like finger holes, has no hotels and just four tiny villages with a combined population of fewer than 100 residents. The whole island is less than 20 kilometres long but feels like its own separate world.
Getting there: Getting there isn’t exactly straightforward. First, take the small ferry from Klaksvík (which doesn’t run in bad weather, incidentally), then a local bus or taxi to the northernmost village of Trøllanes. From there, it’s a challenging hour-long hike across private farmland (permission required) and along precarious clifftops. There’s no proper path marked, just a rough track across the fields where sheep wander freely. The lighthouse keeper’s cottage isn’t open to visitors, but the panoramic views of neighbouring islands and the turbulent sea below make this journey worthwhile.
You won’t find La Graciosa (the Spanish for the graceful) in many guidebooks, which is exactly how the locals like it. This tiny volcanic island sits just off Lanzarote’s coast, officially joining the Canary Islands family only in 2018, though it’s been quietly doing its own thing for centuries. Indeed, while millions flock to Tenerife and Gran Canaria , this neighbouring island remains largely untouched. It’s one of the Canary Islands best kept secrets.
La Graciosa was only connected to electricity in the 1970s and remains free of paved roads. Its stark volcanic landscapes, pristine beaches, and crystalline waters represent the Canaries as they once were, before mass tourism transformed the archipelago.
With less than 750 inhabitants, the island is home to two small picturesque villages, Pedro Barba and Caleta del Sebo, nearly all of them reside in the latter. Here you’ll find a handful of small guesthouses and apartments to rent, a few cafés serving fresh fish, plus the essentials: a supermarket, a church, and even a discoteca for weekend nights. Pedro Barba is mostly made up of summer homes, with only a handful of permanent residents.
If you’re a cycling enthusiast, a visit to the island could be the ideal getaway. It’s been attracting a handful of cyclists and triathletes for a while now, drawn to its dirt roads, flat terrain and other-worldly scenery.
Getting there: Fly to Lanzarote, then travel to Órzola in the north. From there, take the small ferry (30 minutes) to Caleta del Sebo, Graciosa’s only town. Once on the island, transport options are limited to bicycles, walking, or hiring one of the few 4×4 taxis that navigate the sandy tracks. The island’s remoteness is preserved by a strict limit on visitor numbers.
Svaneti Towers, Ushguli, Georgia
Tucked away in Georgia’s remote Svaneti region, Ushguli clings to the mountainside at over 2,000 metres above sea level. It’s one of Europe’s highest year-round communities, and walking through its narrow lanes feels like stepping back centuries.
The village’s most striking feature is its collection of medieval watchtowers, known as the Svaneti Towers. Around 30 of them dot the landscape like stone sentries. The towers come in all shapes and sizes – some squat and sturdy, others reaching skyward like stone fingers. As the sun sets, their honey-coloured stonework glows against the pristine mountain backdrop.
Local families built these between the 9th and 12th centuries as refuges during the constant raids that plagued the region. When enemies approached, whole families would grab their valuables and climb to the tower tops, waiting out the danger in relative safety.
Today, Ushguli has found a gentler way to make a living. Many villagers rent out spare rooms in their homes for just a few pounds a night, while others let visitors pitch tents in their gardens. The Georgian hospitality is unrivalled and locals will feed you hearty Georgian fare—think cheese-stuffed khachapuri bread, rich stews, and local wine to wash it all down.
Despite being designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, the village hasn’t lost its authentic feel. Families dig for potatoes at the foot of towers, a couple of tiny museums offer glimpses into traditional Svan life, with the ethnographic collection showing how families once lived in these stone houses. The setting, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and ancient towers, feels almost mythical—like something from a medieval legend that somehow survived into the modern world.
Getting there: The Greater Caucasus Mountains are a hiker’s dream and many hike the Transcaucasian Trail which spans 932 miles across Georgia, Armenia and some of Azerbaijan. This medieval defence tower is one of the stops offs on this trek
If you’re going by car, the drive from Tbilisi up to the Upper Svaneti region is a bone-rattling journey along rutted mountain roads. The journey requires a sturdy 4×4 vehicle and a local driver familiar with the treacherous unpaved track, which becomes impassable in winter. Alternatively, multi-day horse treks through the mountains offer an authentic experience of this extraordinary region.
The Blue Cave, Kastellorizo, Greece
Kastellorizo sits alone in the far eastern Aegean, closer to Turkey than to anywhere else Greek. It barely registers on most maps, which is precisely why it’s remained unspoilt. Indeed, Kastellorizo feels worlds away from the popular Greek islands and lying just 2km from the Turkish coast, you’d think you could swim there if the currents weren’t lethal.
What was once a thriving sponge-diving community of 10,000 is now home to just 500 residents. Sailing into the harbour feels like discovering a secret. The tiny port town—also called Kastellorizo, or simply ‘Chora’ — unfolds like a perfectly preserved postcard. Pastel-coloured houses crowd the waterfront, while the crumbling remains of a Venetian fortress watch over an old Ottoman mosque from the hillside above.
There’s not much to do here in the conventional sense, which is precisely the point. You can wander the empty plateau above town, catching glimpses of Turkey’s coastline just across the water. Its star attraction is the Blue Cave, larger than Capri’s famous grotto and illuminated by an otherworldly blue light created when sunlight refracts through the crystal-clear water. Locals call it ‘phokiali’ (Greek for seal’s refuge).
Aside from a trip to the Blue Cave, the food alone justifies the journey. Harbourside tavernas serve whatever the fishermen brought in that morning—grouper, sea bass, sometimes lobster—along with local delicacies like bright orange sea urchin roe.
Getting there: There are infrequent flights to Kastellorizo from Rhodes or a long ferry journey from the mainland. The Blue Cave is accessible only by small boat, and only when sea conditions permit.
Foula, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Rising from the tempestuous waters of the North Atlantic like some ancient fortress, Foula stands as one of Britain’s last bastions of true isolation. This wind-scoured island, whose Old Norse name translates to ‘bird island’, sits in splendid solitude thirty kilometres west of Shetland’s mainland, closer to Norway than to London and feeling every bit as remote as its coordinates suggest.
Home to just thirty hardy souls who’ve chosen to make their lives on this 13-square-kilometre chunk of rock and peat, Foula operates according to its own rhythms and rules. The island still follows the old Julian calendar, celebrating Christmas on January 6th—a quaint tradition that speaks to Foula’s stubborn resistance to outside influence.
The landscape here is nothing short of spectacular. Five dramatic hills dominate the terrain, their peaks often shrouded in mist that rolls in from the Atlantic without warning. But it’s the Kame of Foula that truly takes your breath away—a sheer cliff face that plunges 376 metres straight into the churning sea below, making it one of Britain’s highest sea cliffs and a sight that humbles even the most seasoned traveller.
Great skuas (locals call them bonxies) nest here in massive numbers and have zero fear of humans. They’ll dive-bomb your head if you get too close, whilst puffins provide comic relief as they tumble about in the fierce winds. June through August is prime time for seabirds, though the weather is temperamental to say the least.
Getting there: Reaching Foula requires patience, flexibility, and a strong stomach. The ferry “Good Shepherd IV” operates three times weekly from Walls on Shetland’s west mainland, but rough seas frequently force cancellations. The crossing takes two and a half hours in good conditions.
Alternatively, a twice-weekly eight-seat plane from Tingwall Airport offers spectacular views but is equally at the mercy of Foula’s notoriously changeable weather. Visitors should be prepared for the possibility of extended stays if transport links are disrupted.
Seceda Ridgeline, Dolomites, Italy
In the heart of South Tyrol, where Austrian sensibilities blend seamlessly with Italian passion, the Seceda ridgeline presents some of the most otherworldly mountain scenery in all of Europe. This razor-sharp chain of pale limestone peaks, sculpted by millions of years of geological drama, creates a skyline so surreal it appears almost computer-generated against the endless blue Alpine sky.
Seceda’s serrated ridgeline stretches for kilometres, each peak more dramatic than the last. The famous knife-edge formations—known locally as the Teeth of Seceda—create a horizon that looks like the spine of some sleeping dragon.
Local Alpine huts, or rifugi, dot the landscape like tiny refuges from another era. These mountain shelters serve hearty South Tyrolean fare—think speck and cheese plates, warming goulash, and strong Alpine schnapps—whilst offering basic accommodation for those brave enough to spend a night amongst the peaks. Sunrise from Seceda’s ridgeline, watched from the warmth of a rifugio with a steaming cup of coffee in hand, ranks among Europe’s most spectacular natural shows.
Getting there: While cable cars operate in summer and winter seasons from Ortisei, the most rewarding approach is on foot. Hiking from the villages of the Val Gardena requires substantial effort and proper equipment but offers constantly changing perspectives of these magnificent mountains. For the truly committed, booking a night at one of the mountain rifugi (huts) allows you to experience dawn breaking over the ridgeline—a moment of transcendent beauty shared with just a handful of other adventurers.
Saint Kilda Archipelago, Scotland
The most remote part of the British Isles, the St Kilda archipelago lies 64km west of the already isolated Outer Hebrides. It’s Britain’s loneliest place, abandoned in 1930 when the last 36 residents finally gave up battling the Atlantic. The statistics alone speak to Saint Kilda’s otherworldly remoteness: further from civilisation than anywhere else in the British Isles, it’s closer to Iceland than to London.
Today, Saint Kilda serves as a living museum and research station. The National Trust for Scotland maintains the village ruins and operates a small research facility studying everything from climate change to seabird behaviour. Military personnel from the nearby radar station provide the only year-round human presence, maintaining equipment that tracks objects in the North Atlantic skies.
The human story here is extraordinary—archaeologists have found evidence of 4,000 years of continuous habitation. Islanders developed unique skills, scaling impossible cliffs to harvest seabirds and eggs. They even had a postal service: messages tied to wooden boats and launched into the Atlantic currents.
Getting there: Day trips run from Harris and Lewis during summer months, but these are frequently cancelled due to Atlantic storms. For those with deeper pockets, you can charter a private jet to Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides and arrange a private boat transfer from there, weather permitting.
For a more immersive experience, volunteer work parties with the National Trust for Scotland offer the chance to stay on Hirta for one or two weeks, assisting with conservation work while experiencing the wild beauty of this extraordinary place firsthand. Be warned: the crossing is notoriously rough, with seasickness virtually guaranteed.
The Bottom Line
These destinations offer something increasingly precious in our hyperconnected world—genuine remoteness and the deep satisfaction that comes from reaching places that demand effort and commitment. They remind us that sometimes the most memorable travel experiences are those that can’t be reached by simply stepping off a tour bus or following the crowd. In an age of overtourism, these hidden corners of Europe protect their secrets by remaining gloriously, determinedly difficult to reach.
We’ve all been there, we’ve all endured it, but that experience never seems to make the next time any easier. Practice here certainly doesn’t make perfect. Because trying to negotiate London and its underground with luggage certainly isn’t easy, especially at rush hour and if you’ve just arrived bleary eyed and jetlagged from the plane. There’s always a new hurdle to jump, a different obstacle to avoid, but with a little planning and foresight, you can ease that travel stress. Here’s how; our 7 tips for travelling with luggage in London.
Travel Outside The Busiest Times (& Know Which Days to Avoid)
London would simply not be able to function without the tube. It’s the quickest and most useful method of transport in the capital. Yet it’s also the most infuriating. Most meetings in the city begin with a complaint about the tube and the nightmare journey that just befell the commuter. And if you’re travelling with luggage in London, that nightmare could become your worst.
The traditional advice says avoid 7:30-9:30am and 5-7pm on weekdays, but there’s more nuance to it than that. According to recent data, Thursdays and Tuesdays are now the absolute worst days for tube travel, as hybrid working patterns mean fewer people brave the commute on Mondays and Fridays. Thursday evenings between 5-6pm have become the single busiest hour on the entire network – imagine sardines, but with less personal space and more tutting.
Here’s something that might save your sanity: TfL data shows that 20% fewer people travel between 7:30-8:00am compared to the 8:00-8:30am peak. Similarly, 16% fewer travel between 8:30-9:00am. That half-hour shift could mean the difference between standing room only and actually getting a seat. After 6:30pm, passenger numbers drop significantly, and the quietest weekday periods are between 8:45am and 5pm.
Just remember that if you’re carrying a rucksack on your back, remove it when you board and place it by your feet; it’s the Londoner’s biggest pet peeve if you don’t. Trust us, the death stares aren’t worth it.
Download TfL Go & Actually Use Its Hidden Features
While there are dozens of London transport apps clamouring for your attention, TfL Go has quietly become the Swiss Army knife of tube travel. Yes, it shows you routes and train times, but if that’s all you’re using it for, you’re missing out on features that could transform your luggage-laden journey.
The app’s step-free mode is a game-changer. Toggle it on and watch as stations without lift access simply vanish from the map, leaving only those you can actually navigate with your suitcase. But here’s the clever bit – it shows real-time lift status. Covent Garden’s lift broken again? (Spoiler: it probably is.) You’ll know before you waste 20 minutes getting there.
The live crowding data is another underused gem. Each station displays current busyness levels in real-time. You might discover that while Green Park is having its usual evening meltdown, Bond Street, just one stop away, is relatively civilised. The app even tells you which carriage to board for the quickest exit at your destination – at King’s Cross, boarding at the front can save you a 200-metre tunnel trudge.
Pro tip: If you’re using contactless payment (and you should be), the app shows your last seven days of journey history without needing to create an account. Perfect for checking you haven’t been overcharged after that confusing zone 2/3 boundary journey.
Embrace The Luggage Storage Revolution
Gone are the days of hunting for increasingly rare station lockers or queuing at expensive left luggage offices. London’s luggage storage has been quietly revolutionised by app-based services that are both cheaper and more convenient than traditional options.
Bounce luggage storage in London leads the pack with 467 locations across London at £3.90 per day, including $10,000 (around £7,500) baggage protection. Here’s what they don’t advertise prominently: many of their locations are in proper hotels. Their King’s Cross spot? It’s in the Premier Inn, meaning your bags are in an actual hotel luggage room with CCTV and professional staff, not stashed behind someone’s shop counter.
Do be aware that the luggage storage at hotels near airports often stays open later than station facilities. The London City Airport Hotel, for instance, accepts bags until 11pm for just £5 per day – perfect if you’re catching an early flight and want to enjoy your last evening in London unburdened.
If you’re still planning to buy an Oyster card, we need to talk. Unless you’re visiting from a country without contactless banking (or you’re deeply nostalgic for 2003), there’s simply no reason to bother with Oyster anymore.
Just tap your contactless debit or credit card, phone, or smartwatch on the yellow readers. The system automatically calculates the best fare and caps your spending at £8.90 daily or £44.70 weekly for zones 1-2. That weekly cap runs Monday to Sunday, so after about five days of travel, you’re essentially riding for free.
For international visitors, yes, your bank might charge foreign transaction fees. But consider this: no £7 deposit to reclaim, no queuing at machines to top up, no leftover credit to worry about, and no extra card to lose. Cards like Revolut, Wise, or Monzo avoid foreign transaction charges entirely and are worth setting up before you travel.
Here’s a clever workaround if you’re travelling as a couple with one card: add it to your phone’s wallet (Apple Pay or Google Pay). One person uses the physical card, the other uses the phone – the system treats them as separate payment methods. Register your card at contactless.tfl.gov.uk to check your journey history without creating an account, useful for verifying you’ve been charged correctly.
Master The Step-Free Network (It’s Better Than You Think)
London now boasts 93 step-free tube stations – a significant improvement from even a few years ago. But ‘step-free’ isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds, and knowing the nuances can save you from nasty surprises.
The blue wheelchair symbol means full step-free access from street to train with minimal gaps. You’ll find this on all 41 Elizabeth line stations and the newer Jubilee line stations from Westminster to Stratford. These are your gold-standard, luggage-friendly options.
The white wheelchair symbol indicates step-free access only to the platform – you’ll still face a significant gap or step when boarding. Stations like Victoria and Brixton fall into this category. It’s manageable with a small suitcase but challenging with multiple bags or a heavy case.
Some parts of the network remain luggage nightmares. The Northern line south of Elephant & Castle is particularly problematic – only Morden at the very end has step-free access. Most Zone 1 Central line stations involve significant stairs or ancient lifts. The Piccadilly line between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove is another desert of accessibility.
Your best bet for cross-London journeys with luggage? The Elizabeth line for east-west travel (Paddington to Liverpool Street in just 10 minutes), the Victoria line for north-south routes (it has the most central step-free stations), or even Thameslink trains from St Pancras and Blackfriars as an alternative to the Northern line.
Veterans of the London Underground know that where you stand on the platform can make or break your journey. This becomes even more crucial when you’re managing luggage. Most passengers naturally cluster around platform entrances, creating scrums when trains arrive. The savvy traveller heads to the ends of the platform, where carriages are noticeably less crowded.
At major interchanges, specific positioning can save you considerable hassle. At Bank, using the last two carriages for the Central line interchange helps you avoid the station’s notorious curved corridors. At King’s Cross, front carriages position you perfectly for Eurostar connections, while rear carriages give direct access to the Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines. Victoria’s rear carriages have direct lift access to the mainline station, bypassing the main concourse chaos entirely.
Look for ‘Board here’ signs on platform walls at step-free stations. These indicate raised sections where the platform has been built up to minimise the gap to the train – invaluable when you’re wrestling with heavy bags.
Here’s perhaps the most useful advice for busy stations: if the first train is absolutely rammed, wait. Seriously. During peak times, trains run every 2-3 minutes on most lines. That first packed train clears the platform backlog, meaning the second one often has actual breathing room. Your blood pressure will thank you.
Know When To Abandon Ship
Sometimes the smartest move with luggage is to avoid the tube entirely. The Elizabeth line has transformed airport connections – Heathrow to Paddington in 27 minutes with air conditioning, spacious luggage areas, and trains every 5 minutes. Compare that to the Piccadilly line’s hour-long sweatbox experience and the choice is obvious.
London’s bus network has also upped its game. The new Superloop express routes circle outer London with limited stops, while traditional routes offer step-free boarding and drivers who’ll actually wait while you wrestle your suitcase aboard. The 38 from Victoria to Angel takes 35 minutes but you’ll see London from the top deck – try doing that underground.
For riverside destinations, Thames Clippers welcome bikes and large luggage, have bars on board, and offer spectacular views. Westminster to Greenwich takes 40 minutes and costs the same as the tube with your daily cap. During summer, it’s infinitely more pleasant than the Central line.
Here’s our 15-minute rule for luggage travel: if your tube journey would take less than 15 minutes, a taxi or Uber often makes more sense. By the time you’ve wrestled your bags down stairs or waited for lifts, navigated platforms, and hauled everything back up, you could be at your destination. Victoria to Pimlico? That’s a £7-10 cab ride versus struggling through Victoria’s crowds. Covent Garden to Leicester Square? The taxi will cost about the same as two tube fares and save you navigating Covent Garden’s 193 steps (yes, we counted) or queueing for its perpetually broken lift.
The Bottom Line
The London Underground remains an engineering marvel, but let’s be honest – it was designed in the Victorian era when luggage meant a gentleman’s walking stick and perhaps a small valise. Modern travel, with its wheelie cases, laptop bags, and duty-free hauls, requires modern solutions.
Book your luggage storage through apps, travel on Mondays or Fridays rather than Thursdays, use the Elizabeth line whenever humanly possible, and always have a Plan B. Check lift status before you travel, position yourself strategically on platforms, and remember that sometimes the best route isn’t underground at all.
And if all else fails? Black cabs have spacious boots, drivers who know every shortcut in London, and doors wide enough for the largest suitcase. Yes, they cost more than the tube, but can you really put a price on arriving at your destination with both your luggage and your sanity intact?
Safe travels, and mind the gap (especially with those bags)!
We’ve all been there: opening the fridge to find wilted lettuce, discovering potatoes sprouting in the cupboard, or realising that expensive piece of cheese has developed an unwelcome fuzzy coating. Despite our best intentions, home kitchens often feel like battlegrounds against spoilage, where fresh ingredients seem to deteriorate faster than we can use them.
Yet professional kitchens across Britain operate with military precision, making ingredients stretch for days or even weeks. Head chefs inspect deliveries, sous chefs rotate stock, and commis chefs prep ingredients that must stay fresh for service hours later. Behind the theatrical flames and knife skills that make cooking shows compelling lies a less glamorous but equally crucial skill: making ingredients last.
While restaurants operate with razor-thin margins and minimal food waste, many home kitchens struggle with ingredients that seem to spoil faster than they can be used. The difference isn’t just about quantity—it’s about technique. Professional chefs have developed time-tested methods that can dramatically extend the life of your weekly shop. Here are ten time-tested techniques that top chefs swear by—and how you can adapt them for your own kitchen.
Master The Art Of Proper Storage Temperatures
Professional kitchens don’t just chuck everything in the fridge and hope for the best. Different ingredients have different optimal storage temperatures, and chefs know them by heart. Your fridge should be set to 3-5°C, but within that space, create microzones: store dairy on the middle shelves where temperature is most consistent, keep herbs and delicate greens in the crisper drawers with high humidity, and reserve the door (the warmest spot) for condiments and preserves only.
Potatoes, onions, and garlic belong in cool, dark cupboards—never the fridge, where their starches convert to sugars and textures turn unpleasantly mealy.
Embrace The FIFO Philosophy
‘First In, First Out’ isn’t just restaurant jargon—it’s a way of life. Professional kitchens label everything with dates and systematically use older stock first. At home, this means resisting the urge to grab the milk from the front of the fridge or the pasta from the top of the cupboard. Rotate your stock like a pro: new purchases go to the back, older items move forward. It sounds tedious, but it becomes second nature quickly and dramatically reduces waste.
Invest In Quality Storage Containers
Whilst restaurants rely on industrial cambro containers, you don’t need commercial equipment to think like a professional. Airtight containers are your best friends—they prevent moisture loss, protect from contamination, and stack efficiently. Glass containers with tight-fitting lids work beautifully for leftovers and prepped ingredients. For pantry staples like flour, rice, and cereals, transfer them from their original packaging into airtight containers immediately after purchase.
Perfect Your Blanching & Shocking Technique
Here’s where home cooks can truly level up. Professional kitchens blanch vegetables not just for immediate service, but for storage. The process—briefly boiling vegetables then plunging them into ice water—partially cooks them whilst preserving colour, texture, and nutritional value. Blanched vegetables can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days and finish cooking in minutes.
Try this with green beans, broccoli, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts. Blanch until just tender-crisp, shock in ice water, drain thoroughly, then store in airtight containers for up to 3-4 days. You’ll have restaurant-quality vegetables ready in moments.
Understand The Science Of Ethylene Gas
Professional kitchens separate their produce storage for good reason. Some fruits and vegetables produce ethylene gas as they ripen, which accelerates the aging process in other produce. Bananas, apples, avocados, and tomatoes are major ethylene producers, whilst leafy greens, herbs, and root vegetables are particularly sensitive to it.
Store ethylene producers separately, ideally in perforated bags that allow gas to escape whilst maintaining humidity. Keep sensitive items well away from these natural aging accelerants.
Plan Your Chilled Transport Strategy
The journey from shop to home is where many ingredients begin their decline. Professional kitchens understand that the chilled transport of ingredients is crucial—deliveries arrive in refrigerated lorries, and items move quickly into proper storage. You can apply this principle by bringing insulated bags or a cool box for grocery shopping, especially during warmer months or longer trips.
Plan your shopping route to collect chilled and frozen items last, and get them home and properly stored as quickly as possible. Those extra twenty minutes in a warm car boot can cost you days of freshness.
Prep Smart, Store Smarter
Professional kitchens prep ingredients in advance, but they’re strategic about what gets prepped when. Some ingredients actually last longer when prepped (washed salad leaves, for instance), whilst others deteriorate quickly once cut (mushrooms and potatoes turn brown rapidly).
Wash and thoroughly dry lettuce and herbs when you get home, then store them wrapped in kitchen paper inside airtight containers. Conversely, only cut mushrooms, avocados, and apples just before use, or treat cut surfaces with lemon juice to prevent oxidation.
Consider quick pickling vegetables that are approaching their peak—professional kitchens often transform aging vegetables into pickled garnishes that last weeks rather than days. A simple brine of equal parts water and vinegar with a tablespoon of salt and sugar can breathe new life into cucumbers, radishes, carrots, or even slightly soft onions. These quick pickles are ready within hours and keep in the fridge for up to a month.
Another professional technique is confiting vegetables in oil—slowly cooking garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes, or root vegetables in olive oil at low temperatures creates intensely flavoured ingredients that keep for weeks in the fridge, submerged in their cooking oil. These oil-preserved vegetables add instant depth to pasta dishes, salads, and grain bowls.
Similarly, transform wilting herbs and leafy greens like rocket into pestos—blending them with oil, nuts, and cheese creates vibrant sauces that preserve the essence of these delicate ingredients for weeks. Professional kitchens regularly turn aging basil, parsley, or even carrot tops into versatile pestos that can elevate simple dishes long after the original leaves would have spoiled.
Control Humidity Like A Professional
Restaurant walk-in coolers maintain precise humidity levels, and you can create similar conditions at home. Most modern fridges have humidity-controlled crisper drawers—use the high humidity setting for leafy greens and herbs, low humidity for fruits. If your fridge lacks these controls, create your own: store leafy vegetables in perforated bags with damp kitchen paper, and keep fruits in ventilated containers.
For herbs, treat them like flowers: trim the stems and store upright in glasses of water, covering the leaves with plastic bags secured with rubber bands.
Professional kitchens freeze ingredients at their peak quality, not as a last resort when they’re about to turn. Freeze herbs in ice cube trays with olive oil or butter, portion meat and fish into meal-sized quantities before freezing, and blanch vegetables before freezing to maintain quality.
Label everything clearly with contents and dates—frozen food doesn’t last forever, and mystery packages lead to waste. Most vegetables maintain quality for 8-12 months frozen, whilst meat and fish are best used within 3-6 months.
Learn To Read The Signs
Perhaps most importantly, professional chefs know how to assess ingredient quality beyond sell-by dates. They look, smell, and sometimes (with safety in mind first, of course) taste to determine freshness. Sell-by dates are conservative estimates—many ingredients remain perfectly good well beyond these dates if properly stored.
Learn to trust your senses: fresh fish should smell like the ocean and not ‘fishy’, vegetables should feel firm with vibrant colours; dairy products should smell clean and sweet. When in doubt, remember that most spoiled food makes itself quite obvious through smell, texture, or appearance
The Bottom Line
The real secret behind a professional kitchens’ success with ingredient longevity isn’t any single technique—it’s the mindset. Every ingredient represents an investment, and waste is simply unacceptable. They plan purchases carefully, store everything optimally, and use ingredients systematically.
You don’t need a commercial kitchen to adopt this approach. Start with one or two techniques that appeal to you, then gradually incorporate others. Soon, you’ll find yourself thinking like a chef: seeing potential in every ingredient, planning ahead, and treating your kitchen stores with the respect they deserve.
The Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. At once chaotic and cerebral, sophisticated and elemental, ribald and refined, urbane and innocent, has got to be one of the most beguiling cities on the planet, whichever adjectives and dichotomies you wish to throw at it.
Eating here often presents a similar sense of contrast. Sure, there are fancy, five star (and now Michelin-starred) restaurants, refining and reimagining dishes that have remained resolutely the same for generations. And yes, some of these restaurants are interesting, thought-provoking places to dine.
But the truly elite level food in the Vietnamese capital is of course found at street level, hunched on a plastic blue stool over some steaming noodles, or leaning against a precariously parked xe om, manipulating a spoon and chopsticks with grace, your bowl teetering precariously on the saddle.
This is where the magic happens, where family recipes have seen their own kind of refinement throughout the years, where outside influences and external forces have made their mark on the food before being resoundingly, resolutely defeated, with only the best bits left over and assimilated.
Please note that prices for street food in Hanoi fluctuate, owing to supply and demand, availability of ingredients and the whim of the owner. That said, you’ll eat very well here for very little. Even the more ‘premium’ meals on our list – a full spread of dishes plus beers – won’t cost more than £10 each.
Here’s a brief rundown of our pricing key…
đ – under 33’000đ (£1) a portion
đđ – under 66’000đ (£2) a portion
đđđ – under 99’000đ (£3) a portion
đđđđ – over 100’000đ (£3) a portion
Opening & Closing Times
The vast majority of the places on our list open early for breakfast and close once they’ve sold out, usually sometime in the mid-afternoon, but often with a meandering presence throughout the day.
Several places on the IDEAL 22 are more popular for dinner or for late night eats – we’ll say explicitly when that’s the case – otherwise, assume that the opening hours are from around 7am to 4pm. All that said, you’ll still sometimes find a stall or shophouse sporadically shut for no broadcast reason. Fortunately, plenty of these restaurants are within walking distance of one another, so if you find one closed, it’s on to the next one!
None of the places on our list take reservations or can be booked in advance, or even have a website, for that matter. If it’s likely you’ll queue, again, we’ll mention it explicitly.
Most of the places on our list operate on a pull-up-a-stool system, where you’ll be perched at a low-slung table or something just a little more upright, but without a backrest. Only Cha Ca Thang Long, Pho Ly Quoc Su and Quan An Ngon are more fully-fledged restaurants; they have proper dining chairs with a backrest, larger tables, and table service. You can take a little more time at these three, as you can at Chim Quay Bit Tet and Bit Tet Ngoc Hieu, where it’s expected that you’ll settle in for a few beers and a bit of a session.
Anyway, you get the picture; things are a little unpredictable price and timing wise, but you are pretty much guaranteed an amazing meal if you stick around with us. So, once again, here are our IDEAL 22 places to eat the best street food in Hanoi.
Map Of The Best Street Food Spots In Hanoi
Banh Mi Pate, 11 Hang Ca, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for a textbook version of Vietnam’s world famous filled baguette…
If you’re looking for one of the best banh mi spots in Hanoi, then head to Hang Ca street and look for the throng of tourists collected under a neon ‘A LOAF OF SMILES’ sign, clutching their branded Banh Mi 25 sarnies.
Then, ignore that bricks and mortar operation, and head down the road and turn right, to a more randomly cobbled together collection of street side stools, a floor fan and a tarpaulin roof, and look for the words Banh My Pate. You have found the place.
Indeed, Banh Mi Pate at 11 Hang Ca, just yards from the supremely popular but ultimately disappointing Banh Mi 25 (sweet, weirdly ‘Western’ in flavour), actually serves a much better banh mi. The baguette here boasts just the right level of crisp exterior and giving centre, and has been hollowed out just a little rather than being completely gutted ‘till it’s a shell of its former self.
All of this bread chat is in the name of letting the eponymous pate (number 4 on the menu) do the proper talking. To us, this particular order – we repeat; number 4 – filled generously with lots of that pate, some salty af pork floss, some pickles, coriander and hot sauce, is the city’s best sandwich. And we’ve eaten a lot of them.
Best enjoyed in the mid-morning when the baguettes are crisp and fresh and the pre-work motorbike rush hour has dissipated, this is one to savour in the coffee shop opposite, on a low slung stool, with a thick, sweet iced coffee. Heaven.
Bun Bo Nam Bo, 47 Tran Quoc Toan, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for crispy pork over sweet, spicy noodles, all served with a mountain of interesting herbs…
There are few prettier streets in Hanoi than Tran Quoc Toan, a little sidestreet that peels off the always jammed Ba Trieu thoroughfare to reveal a leafy promenade with plenty of cute coffee shops, banh mi stalls and noodle joints.
We’ve come to this attractive corner of the so-called French Quarter for the latter, to Bun Bo Nam Bo at 47 Tran Quoc Toan. Weirdly, we’ve not come for the headlining dish – the admittedly excellent South Vietnamese noodle stir-fry/salad bun bo nam bo. Instead, we’re pitching up for the restaurant’s other speciality; hu tieu, which is utterly superb here.
A semi-dry noodle dish in a sweet, salty, peanut-heavy broth, the hu tieu here is topped with the crispiest of deep-fried pork and a good handful of crispy shallots. Alongside, a bowl of herbs – some bitter, some refreshing, with nettles, green and purple perilla leaf, lettuce and more – is all there to be mixed through the bowl and to cradle some of that dressing.
God, it’s good, and lifted to even dizzier heights still by a spritz of calamansi lime. Gratis, never-ending iced jasmine tea is the perfect accompaniment, but they do serve beer if you’ve come to be uncouth.
This place is wildly popular with the lunch break crowd, with office workers piling in between midday and 1pm. During this hour, you might have to wait for ten minutes or so to get seated. Fortunately, there are two floors and plenty more hours in the day that this shophouse is open. The particularly stern hostess at number 47, taking payments and dishing out a few insults, is all part of the fun.
Cha Ca Thang Long, 6B Duong Thanh, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for turmeric marinated fish, fried at the table…
Within Hanoi’s tangle of old streets lays a place so revered that it has attained an almost mystical status. Cha Ca La Vong, on Cha Ca street – named after the famous dish – has been serving the same dish, and only that dish, for hundreds of years.
Catfish marinated in turmeric arrives at your table in a frying pan, sizzling away. You tend to it lovingly until it’s cooked before assembling yourself a bowl of cold, sour noodles, loads of fresh herbs and a pokey, dangerous looking fish sauce. Pop a piece of fish in there and prepare for ambrosia. Flavours are elegant and sophisticated, and just the right side of unusual. The home of the dish, Cha Ca La Vong often full to the rafters and obviously booking is not an option in a place of such heritage, but if you can get a seat, you must.
But – even though it is good – we’re not eating at Cha Ca La Vong in our rundown of Hanoi’s best places to eat street food. Instead, we’re heading round the corner, to Cha Ca Thang Long, which we think does an even better version, the catfish just that little bit plumper, the dill fresher and grassier, the dish just a touch more captivating, and the space more welcoming.
Cha ca, wherever you’re having it, is usually accompanied by a simple dipping sauce of fish sauce, sugar, lime and sliced red chilli, but for those who enjoy the funky flavours of fermented fish, make sure to request a side of mam tom, a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce made from fermented shrimp paste. It is known for its strong, pungent aroma and distinctive, salty flavour. Not obligatorily served to foreigners, you’ll need to request this one especially, but the good folk at Cha Ca Thang Long will be impressed that you did.
This one is best for dinner, with a few friends and a few bottles of Bia Hanoi (really, Saigon tastes a little nicer to us, but when in Rome) accompanying the spread. That spread costs around 200’000đ for two people. For that, the equivalent of £6, you get the fish and all its re-upable accouterments, and a real sense of a special occasion when the sizzling pan hits the table.
Be warned (or, perhaps, be spoiled); Duong Thanh street has three different outposts of this restaurant, all with the same name and run by the same family. 6B just feels like the most convivial and spacious of the three to us.
Xoi Yen, 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food of sticky rice and toppings…
Located just a minute or two from Hoan Kiem lake, Xoi Yen is a culinary institution in the city, renowned for its variety of sticky rice dishes (xoi), which are topped with a range of savoury ingredients such as shredded chicken, braised pork belly pieces, pork floss, peanuts, Chinese sausage, hard boiled eggs, and pate. A grated ball of cooked, compressed mung bean seeds tops every bowl.
Xoi Yen is the city’s most popular spot for xoi, and is packed out from breakfast to late-night, offering a taste of traditional Vietnamese comfort food that fills you up for breakfast or soaks up the liquor late at night. Or both; we’ve been known to bookend a day with the dish.
The sticky rice here is cooked to perfection, with a slightly chewy texture that makes it easy to eat with your hands – as it should be – and forms the anchor for the array of customisable treats. Though you could order your sticky rice ‘tat ca’ (with everything), we prefer a more carefully curated collection, usually of pate, Chinese sausage and egg. A zigzag of the ubiquitous Vietnamese chilli sauce condiment Chin Su, viscous, sweet and spicy, sends everything on its way.
Do be aware that this corner of Nguyen Huu Huan street happens to have not one but two of the best purveyors in town; right next to each other. Rumour has it that one family run shop fractured into two following an affair between husband and sister in law. Whichever one you choose to side with, it’s guaranteed to be delicious, but we prefer the one at 35B. Look for a big black and yellow sign; ‘Xoi Yen’.
Quan Mien Luon Phuc, 152 Lac Trung, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for crispy eel noodles…
Mien Luon is a traditional Hanoian dish that combines humble ingredients to glorious effect. Here mien – slightly chewy, sticky glass noodles made from mung bean starch – sit beneath a tangle of luon (river eels), all crunchy and alluring from a deep, hard fry. Also in the bowl, positioned off to one side in case you’d prefer not to go green, is a heap of baby perilla leaves, which bring their unique fuzzy bitterness to the party, and some gently picked cucumbers.
The dish is often served with a clear, light broth (this one is called mien luon nuoc, which means water) made from eel bones, or in a dry version (mien luon tron), where the noodles and eel are to be mixed with a rich, spicy dressing.
For us, going dry results in the best version of this texturally invigorating dish. At Quan Mien Luon Phuc on the outskirts of the Hai Ba Trung district, you’ll find one of the city’s most exemplary versions. Sure, you’ll have to travel into more residential Hanoi for a taste, but it’s well worth the effort. Pile on a good scoop of the restaurant’s homemade chilli sauce; it lifts and lightens the whole thing. Now, it’s time to get crunching.
Pho Ly Quoc Su, 10 Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for the best beef noodle soup in the city (and, therefore, by rights, the world)…
Congratulations! You got this far through our rundown of the best street food in Hanoi without questioning when we were going to get to the headliner. Well, that time has arrived; it’s time to eat Hanoi-style beef pho.
You might have to wait a while or – heaven forbid – share your fourtop with some other tourists at Pho Ly Quoc Su for a bowl of the good stuff, but the service is brusque and efficient, and the chefs (visible through a glass partition constantly ladelling bowls of the good stuff) work quickly.
Once you’ve settled in, ordering is easy, with menus boasting English translations placed under the glass surface of every table, visible to all. Order the tai gau version – the move for those in the know – which sees fatty, long-braised brisket and slices of raw beef sharing the bowl.
Here, the brisket is thinly sliced and tender, with its mellow, yellow fat gently melting into the broth, causing those all-important globules to dapple the soup’s service. An unctuous mouthfeel awaits. The hot broth half cooks the raw slices, leaving them beautifully tender.
That broth itself is on the lighter side, just a little cloudy (as it should be), and refreshing, savoury and obscenely moreish. The rice noodles are slippery and have the right bite, as in, not much bite at all. Indeed, many a pho in the UK has been ruined by al dente noodles, but not so here.
Add a little of Pho LQS’s homemade chilli sauce and a dash of the liquid from their pickled garlic, and luxuriate in an absolutely exemplary version of the national dish. Phwoar.
Do be warned (this time, really be warned); Pho Ly Quoc Su has many branches in Hanoi, of which all but three are imitators, rather than sanctioned franchises. Don’t be fooled by the bright orange frontage you’ll occasionally see across the city; it’s at number 10 on actual, genuine Ly Quoc Su street in the Old Quarter that you’ll find the legit Pho Ly Quoc Su restaurant.
During busier hours (between around 11am and 2pm) you might have to wait for ten minutes or so to get seated.
Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan, 49 Bat Dan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for – hang on – an even better beef noodle soup (why not have both?)…
All of those superlatives aside, Pho Ly Quoc Su might not even be the finest beef noodle soup in Ha Noi. That honour – and this is something of a rare consensus, it should be said – is found on Bat Dan street, at number 49.
You won’t miss it, as the snaking queue of hungry locals stands testament to the quality of the bowls within this little family run shop. Service is cursory on a good day, and you’ll need to juggle a boiling hot bowl of soup while you jostle for a stool, but genuinely, honestly and with truth, it is worth it.
You’ll see the beef briskets hanging in the doorframe (there is no window here – the shophouse opens fully out onto the street), their hulking frames swaying enticingly on their hooks, their fat shimmering enticingly. There are only three options; tai, tai nam or chin, which is rare beef, rare beef and braised flank, and braised brisket, respectively.
Our heart lies in the latter camp with the pho bo chin, all to get a taste of those swinging briskets. It’s a deeper, richer broth than Pho LQS, perhaps better suited to Hanoi’s surprisingly chilly winters, whilst the one at Ly Quoc Su is more of a summery affair. You could, of course, have both in a single sitting – Bat Dan is only just round the corner from Ly Quoc Su.
Enjoy with quay – the only accompaniment to proper pho – which is, in taste, akin to a savoury donut, and in appearance a dog bone. It takes on the flavour of the soup perfectly.
Expect to queue here, though you shouldn’t be waiting more than around 20 minutes, even during busy times.
Banh Tom Ho Tay, Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho (West Lake)
Ideal for pillowy, sweet shrimp cakes with lakeside views…
Banh Tom is a traditional Vietnamese seafood dish that originates in Hanoi. It’s a simple thing; fresh, pink, pert shell-on prawns are suspended in a sweet potato batter before the whole thing is deep fried. Served alongside is the obligatory dipping sauce and plate of fresh herbs, of course, the latter in this instance designed for wrapping up the sweet, delicious cakes for a one-bite-wonder situation.
The home of these shrimp cakes – fritters, really – is West Lake, Hanoi’s largest with a whopping 17km circumference. On bright, clear days when the lake’s waters lap, taking up position on one of the many, many cafe deckchairs that line the lake can feel very much like a day out at the seaside. And what better snack to enjoy in such environs than banh tom?
On route to Dang Thai Mai street, where you’ll find those lakeside deck chairs, you’ll see banh tom purveyors with elaborate displays of their shrimp cakes piled high pyramidically. Order a few to takeaway for a sunset dinner with a view, because this is one hell of a view across the water, the twinkling lights of Hanoi city reflecting on West Lake’s shimmering waters.
Pho Ga Nguyet, 5B Phu Doan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for chicken pho in salad form…
Light, herbaceous, restorative chicken pho in Hanoi is its own thing, a world away from the beef version’s assertive savouriness and rich mouthfeel. In fact, as a broad rule, if a shophouse or stall serves both chicken and beef pho, it’s fair to assume that neither is the greatest rendition, the two disciplines not interchangeable by any means.
Just outside of the Old Quarter proper, on Phu Doan, a stretch of road defined by garages and motorbike repairs, you’ll find one of Hanoi’s best versions of chicken pho at Pho Ga Nguyet.
Two key moves with your order here; request the dark chicken meat, which is so much more flavourful (the white breast meat is automatically allocated to non-Viets) and order the dish ‘tron’ – or dry. That’s where Pho Ga Nguyet really excels, the standard noodle soup turned into a gorgeous noodle salad, with a chicken fat and soy sauce spiked dressing that coats every damn noodle strand.
The main man here, wielding the cleaver all evening in the shophouse’s entrance, speaks a little English, and is a charming presence. Owing to the shophouse’s daytime operations fixing motorbikes and revving engines, Pho Ga Nguyet is an evening only affair.
During the dinner rush (between 6pm and around 7:30pm), you might have to wait five minutes to get a seat.
Bun Rieu Cua, 11 Hang Bac, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for a seriously refreshing bowl of crab and tomato noodle soup…
Bun rieu cua is something of a hidden gem in the Vietnamese culinary repertoire, at least in the UK. This noodle soup, again hailing from Hanoi, features a rust-coloured, tomato-based broth that hums with the savoury essence of freshwater crab roe, creating a unique, umami-heavy aromatic foundation.
The soup is typically garnished with a variety of fresh herbs, such as perilla and coriander, twists of shredded banana blossom, and deep-fried tofu. Cubes of congealed pig’s blood and snails also sometimes feature – both a welcome added treat, for sure.
The noodles used are thin rice vermicelli, which absorb the broth beautifully. The usual customisation is encouraged, with lime wedges, chilli sauce and shrimp paste all available for the diner to get busy with.
It’s such a refreshing bowl, cleansing and rehydrating on the most humid of Hanoi days. In the corridor-like space of 11 Hang Bac in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, arguably the best bowl in the city is served.
Chim Quay Bit Tet, 20 Hang Giay, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for bronzed and burnished whole barbecued pigeon and lots and lots of fresh beer…
Just yards from Hanoi’s famous Bia Hoi Corner, where you can enjoy an aperitif and digestiv, Chim Quay Bit Tet serves glazed, barbecued whole pigeons, hacked into bite size pieces and served in a mound, head, tail and all, with a spicy salt and calamansi lime dip. This is one to attack with your hands, on a low slung stool, with several icy beers and plenty of cheersing your neighbours. There really isn’t much more to say than that.
Oh, except the deep-fried frog’s legs are excellent, too; you’ll want to order a plate of those, as well as some stir fried morning glory and a bowl of steamed rice, for a full, complementary table. The whole thing shouldn’t cost you and a friend much more than a fiver.
Ideal for Hanoi’s ultimate lunchtime dish, given a subtle twist…
You’ll smell Bun Cha 34 even before you see the commotion of diners jostling for stools on the pavement outside the premises. It’s one of Hanoi’s most singular and inviting aromas; the smell of marinated pork gently catching and caramelising on a tiny makeshift barbecue, a portable fan blowing on it, fanning the flames and spreading the enticing aroma far and wide. Catching a smell of it has been known to stop passing motorbikes in their tracks; a risky business in a city of risky road related businesses, make no mistake.
Bun cha is perhaps the quintessential Hanoi dish, a porky paradise of grilled patties and slices of marinated belly, which are charred to perfection over an open flame. The meat is then piled – always generously – in a bowl of lightly sweetened, slightly vinegary fish sauce-based broth, accompanied by a generous portion of fresh herbs and pickled squares of papaya and carrot.
Bu vinhdav from Getty Images
Thin rice vermicelli noodles are served alongside, allowing diners to dip them into the broth and combine with the grilled pork, which is, admittedly, pretty hard to pull off owing to bun noodles’ inherent stickiness. Fortunately, an aunty is always on hand with a pair of scissors, ready to make the whole dance easier.
The bun cha at Bun Cha 34 is distinctive in that the usual pork patties have been wrapped in wild piper leaf before being grilled, imparting a complex smokey bitterness to both the meat and the broth it rests in. The deep-fried spring rolls are awesome here too; not one bit greasy and served in a pleasing stack that you’ll demolish without a second glance.
Bun Cha 34, as is the rule for this beloved Hanoi dish, is only open for lunch. In fact, it’s incredibly rare that you’ll find bun cha served outside of lunchtime hours anywhere in the city.
Though at first glance Bun Cha 34 might look full, there’s always a corner, side table or extra stool to squeeze into.
Bun Cha Dac Kim, 1 Hang Manh, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for arguably Hanoi’s premier bun cha spot…
Another of Hanoi’s most iconic bun cha spots – arguably its most lauded and popular – isn’t far from 34, over on Hang Manh in the Old Quarter.
Here, the pork patties are comically large – almost burger size – and the plates of herbs are piled even higher than usual. Yep, though bun cha always feels like a super generous affair, everything at Bun Cha Dac Kim feels a little extra. That said, who’s complaining about massive portions when the dish is this good?
By Infel2nOz via Canva
Though Bun Cha Dac Kim might initially look full, there are a couple of floors out of view where there’s a little more dining space. Some of the adjacent coffee shops have also been known to let you pitch up with your bun cha, providing you buy a coffee or juice.
Known locally as ‘Chicken Street’ – on the map it’s Ly Van Phuc – Hanoi has a whole street dedicated to serving barbecued poultry. What could be better? On a weekend, if you have a large group, it’s one of the best places in the city to come, get loose and make merry. While it’s kinda out of the way – take a taxi to the National Stadium and work from there if you’re not on a scooter – and a little hard to find, the smell of ‘ga’ on the grill is unmissable.
You can choose between different parts of the chicken – a little thigh and a little liver is our usual vibe – and be sure to order a side of the grilled banh mi bread brushed with honey. The refreshing pickled cucumbers brought to every table are the perfect accompaniment – don’t be afraid to ask for more.
Though the temptation will of course be to head to the bottom of Chicken Street, next to the car park where everyone seems to be having the best time, we’ve found the grilled chicken served right at the entrance to Ly Van Phuc to be the best. And, to be honest, the most thoroughly cooked; it’s dark down at the end of Chicken Street and sometimes the chicken comes up looking pretty pink.
Though we realise we said ‘street food’ in the title, we’d be remiss to offer a rundown of the best places to eat street food in Hanoi without mentioning Quan An Ngon, a restaurant with air conditioning, proper upright seats with back support, and a whole host of different street food purveyors all surrounding the central dining room.
Since so many great Hanoi restaurants and shophouses specialise in a single dish, Quan An Ngon is a wonderful place to try various regional Vietnamese specialities all in one sitting. It’s an attractive, convivial space with a large central alfresco dining area illuminated by lanterns, fairy lights and an always buzzy atmosphere. The menu has English translations and the staff speak a little, too, making the restaurant a chilled out place for a decent feed. The salads here are particularly good, as is the banh xeo, a type of crispy rice pancake filled with minced pork and prawns.
Quan An Ngon is open for lunch through to dinner and beyond, closing at around 10pm. There are a couple of other branches in the French Quarter, too, which are equally as good.
Banh Goi Ly Quoc Su is the kind of place you dream about long after you’ve left Hanoi. A low slung, chilled out spot slap bang in the bustling streets of the Old Quarter, this place serves up some of the best banh goi in Hanoi. Imagine a crispy, golden pastry shell stuffed with a savoury mix of minced pork, mushrooms, vermicelli and quail eggs that’s somewhere between a samosa and a Cornish pasty. If you’re in Hanoi, missing this would be a culinary crime.
Banh Cuon Gia Truyen, 14 Hang Ga, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for the most elegant expression of Vietnamese cuisine, on the street…
Vietnamese food is well known for its lightness and sophistication, and no dish better encapsulates this than banh cuon, the supremely delicate steamed rice rolls that you’ll see aunties meticulously making across the city.
On a circular surface, a silky batter of rice flour is spread into a thin layer and steamed until translucent, before being filled with a mixture of minced pork and wood ear mushrooms and rolled. It’s a mesmerising spectacle, and one whose dexterity would be impressive in a well-appointed fine dining kitchen, let alone on a street corner.
Once these rolls have been skilfully shifted onto a small plate, deep-fried shallots and fresh herbs are scattered on top. The usual nuoc cham dipping sauce seals the deal.
Interestingly, at Banh Cuon Gia Truyen, one of Hanoi’s most famous banh cuon restaurants, you can order a small spritz of water bug essence (ca cuong) in your dipping sauce, which tastes a little like bubblegum. Order a slice or two of Vietnamese pork sausage (cha lua) to go alongside.
We’d been regulars of that particular spot, Bun Cha Huong Lien, for years prior to the show, but following its broadcast and name change to ‘Obama Bun Cha’, standards – perhaps unsurprisingly – slipped.
Not to worry. Give the tour coaches unloading onto Le Van Huu a swerve and instead head directly next door for one of the best chicken noodle soups in the city, at Pho Ga Mai Anh.
This is one clean broth, totally clear and boasting a crystalline flavour not unlike a chicken consomme. Aside from tender poached chicken meat, a couple of bouncy chicken balls (snigger) and soft rice noodles, only a few slices of the green of spring onions bother the bowl. Seemingly, a judgement has been made that any other herbs would only muddy the broth. We think it’s a good shout, as Mai Anh’s chicken pho really is a celebration of that replenishing broth.
Sometimes for fun, we order a side of poached chicken to eat with our chicken pho at Pho Ga Mai Anh. It’s served with bouncy yellow skin still intact, its flesh tender and silky. A few finely julienned makrut lime leaves and a side of chilli salt and calamansi lime (to be combined) complete this feast of chicken. A tall glass of iced jasmine tea is all you need now.
Bit Tet Ngoc Hieu, 52 Le Ngoc Han, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for steak and chips, Vietnamese-style…
Bit tet, like banh mi, is a reflection of Vietnam’s ability to take on international influences and seamlessly assimilate them into the cuisine.
The dish is centred around a thin, semi-tender beef steak, which is marinated with a blend of soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper before being cooked in a laughably, violently hot, cow-shaped cast iron pan that doubles up as a serving dish. A silver bow-cum-hat tops the pan as it arrives at the table before the big reveal. Inside that pan, you’ll also find a sunny side up egg, a few soggy chips and perhaps a tomato, flavours mingling happily.
At Bit Tet Ngoc Hieu, alongside the classic hammered steak and spongy chips, you’ll find a ball of offaly, peppery goodness akin to a faggot in flavour. It’s what marks out this bit tet restaurant as the best in Hanoi. Mop up all of the intermingling egg yolk, meat juices and chilli sauce run-off with plenty of crisp, banh mi bread. Mop that up with icy beers. Leave happy and on foot – don’t drink and drive guys.
Though Ngoc Hieu is a little out of the city centre, there’s also a whole street (Hoe Nhai) dedicated to bit tet within walking distance of the Old Quarter. Result!
Banh Mi Pho Hue, 118 Pho Hue, Hai Ba Trung District
Ideal for prosaic, proper banh mi that’s always got a queue of motorbikes…
For us, the most simple banh mi is the best banh mi, allowing the quality of the bread, pate and cold cuts to shine. The ludicrously stacked affairs with a mixed grill’s worth of meat inside, plus mayo, three types of hot sauce, a random papaya salad and erroneous Thai basil that you’ll find in the UK? Those guys are not for us.
For a prosaic, proper banh mi whose popularity is clear from its constant queue of motorbikes, you’ll want to venture away from the Old Quarter, heading north from Hoan Kiem lake and the Old Quarter, and into one of Hai Ba Trung’s main thoroughfares, Pho Hue.
At Banh Mi Pho Hue, it’s a celebration of the simple things. The aunty’s mise en place is as follows… Stacks of warm baguettes. A massive brick of homemade pate. A few slices of Vietnamese pork loaf (essentially spam). A bowl of pork floss. Cucumber pickle. Butter. Dairylea. Chilli sauce. There’s also a pan set-up should you want to add an omelette to your banh mi.
Assemble your desired sandwich from that selection, and eat outside the shophouse leaning against a tree, because the dining area is full of parked motorbikes. Everything feels right in the world.
Ghe Hap Xuan Xuan, 37 Hang Giay, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter)
Ideal for premium grilled seafood on stools…
On the periphery of the backpacker part of Hanoi’s Old Quarter (Bia Hoi Corner, Ta Hien, Luong Ngoc Quyen), you’ll find a few totally alfresco set-ups serving up fresh, delicious seafood late into the night.
At Ghe Hap Xuan Xuan on Hang Giay, but also all along nearby Cau Go street, you’ll see crabs, oysters, blood cockles and huge prawns all piled high on a table. Simply point at what you want, take a seat and get ready for a feast because here is where you’ll find fresh seafood being grilled over hot coals. Served simply, with a calamansi lime, MSG and chilli dipping sauce, this is fresh, cheap and oh so fun.
Make sure you order some grilled oysters topped with crispy shallots – the smokey, moody taste of the barbecue certainly does no harm to the saline richness of oysters. In fact, it’s a divine marriage. Then someone, from somewhere, will produce a cold beer as soon as you realise you’re thirsty, and it’s then that you realise you’re in heaven.
Pho Cuon Huong Mai, 25 Ngu Xa, Truc Bach, Ba Dinh District
Ideal for a final expression of pho, in Hanoi’s cutest quarter…
Pho cuon offers a unique twist on the traditional pho. Instead of the usual noodle soup, this dish features wide, uncut sheets of rice noodles that are used to wrap a variety of fresh ingredients. The rolls are typically filled with slices of stir-fried beef and fresh herbs, along with crisp lettuce and sometimes julienned vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers. These ingredients are tightly rolled into the rice noodle sheets, creating a neat and portable package ideal for being dipped in a sauce of fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, sugar, and chilli
Ngu Xa, sitting just off Hanoi’s picturesque, idyllic Truc Bach lake, is sometimes referred to as Pho Cuon street, owing to its row of restaurants specialising in the stuff. Bouncing from restaurant to restaurant, drinking beer and ordering plates of this light-as-you-like local delicacy, is one of Hanoi’s greatest nights out. We think we might just part ways here, you know, and take in the scene a while…
Ngo Dong Xuan, Hoan Kiem (Old Quarter): Known locally as ‘Street Food Alley’, Ngo Dong Xuan is as close as you’ll get to the hawker centres of Malaysia and Singapore in Hanoi, with rows of street food vendors doing their thing here, all in tropical storm-proof surrounds. The aforementioned bun cha, banh tom and banh mi are all found here, as well as a good version of bun oc – snail noodles.
For something a little different, why not check out our rundown of the best pizza in Hanoi next?
