Food & Restaurants in Quy Nhon

With hundreds of fisherman bringing in their daily catch each morning and kilometers of beachfront eateries, Quy Nhn is an excellent place to find fresh seafood. In addition to its well-deserved reputation as a year-round paradise for pescatarians, the province of Bnh nh also gives the adventurous traveler the opportunity to sample lesser-known delicacies. And for such a tiny city, Quy Nhn has a remarkable variety of vegetarian eateries.

In contrast to other Vietnamese cities, eateries are casual and inexpensive. Customers typically sit right on the street or in the restaurant owner’s multipurpose living room. In all save the most costly establishments and a few venues with a moderate budget, tables and chairs are flimsy and frequently damaged plastic and aluminum contraptions. Even fancier restaurants are frequently situated within a semi-open garden, as opposed to a more traditional indoor setting. The price of any meal in Quy Nhn is far lower than in larger cities; a plate of shellfish in Quy Nhn costs less than a single shell in Saigon, and you can easily fill up for only a few dollars in the majority of restaurants and for less than a $1 at vegetarian eateries.

Still somewhat removed from the international travel circuit, eateries exclusively cater to the preferences of locals and Vietnamese visitors. As long as you stay away from the very few places marketed to international visitors, you’ll almost always be the only foreigner anywhere you go as you sample steamed rice-cakes, guava-leaf pork rolls, fish-cake noodles, pots of shellfish simmering in lemongrass broth, scallops still in the shell grilled with peanuts and chili sauce over open fires, spit-roasted veal, goat skewers, snails cooked with herbs and coconut milk, and vegetarian

It’s the stuff of subterranean foodie fantasies: a seaside city with an abundance of locally-caught and freshly-prepared food options, untouched by worldwide chains and still unexplored by mass tourists. Immerse yourself in the local restaurant scene and you will encounter a side of Vietnam that cannot be seen elsewhere.

Local specialties

Bánh bèo chén (“Waterfern cake cup”) is a steamed rice-cake in a cup with fried shallots and dried shrimp on top, served with dipping sauce. Very prevalent in Bình Định province. In the city of Quy Nhon, students and employees consume cup after cup — often 10 cups per person — while seated at little street-side tables. In the late afternoons and early evenings, several street corners host vendors. 1,000 dong each cup.
The sweet cake bánh ít lá gai (“Little cake with gai leaf”) is made from sticky rice, sugar, mung beans, ginger and (sometimes) coconut, enveloped by mashed gai leaf and then all wrapped up in a banana leaf. Outside of Vietnam, the gai leaf (common English name: pinnate leaves; scientific name: Boehmeria nivea var. tenacissima) is not widely known or utilized. When mashed and cooked, it turns a greenish-black color and lends a little bitter and chewy contrast to the other components’ fragrant sweetness. Bánh t is offered in stores and by street sellers, such as at the northeast corner of Tôn c Thng and Trng Chinh streets, just outside the central market. The banana-leaf-wrapped snack is also available in a number of restaurants, where it is placed on tables and paid per piece. 3,000 dong each cake.
Bánh hỏi are strings of rice vermicelli woven into small packets, served with pork and fried shallots or with oil and onions. You may find them ready-to-eat in restaurants or packaged for takeout by street sellers. The most renowned street sellers sell from daylight to night at the intersection of Trần Phú and Nguyễn Công Trứ streets. A takeout order of bánh hoi wrapped in banana leaf with oil and chives costs 10,000 dong, but a dish served with grilled pork and shallots costs 20,000 dong.
Nem chợ huyện (“Huyện market roll”) is a pork roll with peanut sauce, chili and herbs. The roll, a delicacy of the Phnog Mai peninsula, combines salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors in a single mouthful. Either fresh pork, which is cooked over charcoal with sugar, salt, and pigskin, or fermented pork, which is wrapped in a guava leaf for three days to impart a sour, pungent flavor and then served in a banana leaf, can be used to prepare this dish. One roll can be consumed as a snack, while many rolls can be consumed as a meal. The rolls may be found at several restaurants and street sellers across the city of Quy Nhon. Or come to their birthplace, the Huyện market in the small Phước Lộc district of Tuy Phước village, 2 kilometers (1 mile) from the Bánh Ít Cham Towers and 18 kilometers (11 miles) northwest of Quy Nhon, where 17 businesses just off Highway 1A have been producing thousands of rolls every day for nearly a century. 3,000 dong apiece.
Bánh xèo – Bánh xèo is a particularly popular dish in Quy Nhon, where it is offered in a variety of locations, such as speciality restaurants, semi-permanent stalls, and temporary booths in front of residences.
Locals assert with conviction that their version of bánh xèo is by far the greatest in Vietnam due to a number of distinctive culinary characteristics. Contrary to the more well-known cuisine of southern Vietnam, bánh xèo in Quy Nhon is prepared without tamarind and is thin and tiny. Crepes made of rice flour and water are cooked with bean sprouts in a pan of boiling oil. The consumer chooses the primary component, which can be shrimp, pig, beef, chicken, squid, or quail’s eggs (trung cut) depending on the vendor. The cooked pancake is folded and handed to the client, who then wraps it with fresh cucumber, mint, cilantro, and lettuce in a rice paper that has been soaked in water just enough to make it flexible without losing its crunchiness. The roll is then dunked in a sweet brown sauce comprised of roasted peanuts, fermented soy beans, and palm sugar.
Certain city neighborhoods have become bánh xèo speciality regions, where restaurants and street sellers compete in a pleasant manner. The ambience, location, and cost of restaurants in the city vary greatly, but the cuisine and preparation are remarkably consistent throughout the city, despite the fact that each restaurant has its ardent supporters who insist that their establishment is the greatest. The most renowned location is on Diên Hong street, just south of Lê Duan in the city center, where four nearby eateries manufacture hundreds of pancakes every hour for the throngs of customers that pass through each afternoon and evening. A world away on Đống Đa and surrounding side streets on the north shore, especially near the covered market Chợ Đầm, is the center of the city’s bánh xèo tradition; two full restaurants and numerous street-side vendors offer versions of the dish in settings that are both less hectic and less touristy than Diên Hong. Evenings, numerous small and medium-sized sellers cook bánh xèo in the little night market just off the beach promenade on Ngô Văn Sở and the streets around it between Nguyn Hue and Nguyen Lac.

Beach seafood restaurants

On the opposite side of the beach promenade, there are many outdoor cafes that specialize in seafood that is freshly harvested and caught around here. They sell clams, snails, crabs, oysters, mussels’ prawns and fish variety.

Most of these eateries on little Trần Đức Street are owned and operated by families that live upstairs or behind their shops. The meals are cooked over open flames on charcoal burners dotted all over the road. Waiters rush across traffic from both directions while trying to dodge motorbikes moving in every possible direction as well as potholes, chickens and dogs crossing roads with fire. Customers sit at cheap plastic tables and chairs scattered haphazardly beside the grassy medians between Xuân Diệu and Trần Đức streets that offer an uninterrupted view of the vast ocean basin encompassing the beach bay as well as its mountainous surround.

Some beach restaurants serve more exotic or expensive dishes such as lobster (available all year) and King crab. Most seaside places have similar prices (spring season), quality (spring season), selection (spring season). Plate of oyster, scallop or snail: 30-45 thousand dong; plate of oyster: 40-60 thousand dong; plate of shrimp grill: 60 thousand dong; grilled squid: 60-80 thousand dong; grilled fish: 50-120 thousand dong; hot pot for 2 – 4 person: VND200 Thousand Dong. Two to three blocks from water prices are reduced by 30 to 50 percent but sea views aren’t stunning.

One can find few eateries along the coast but right down both sides of Trần Đức at Phan Đăng Lưu street there’re exactly eleven establishments side by side. There’s large group of less costly restaurants just west from Lê Loi Street hubbing seven places only though.

Restaurants

Bảy Quán, 47 Mai Xuân Thưởng (corner of Trần Phú). Two-story restaurant specialized in steak and fried eggs (bo neé). Extremely popular among students and local employees. Price of 30,000 dong for a lunch consisting of steak and eggs, salad, soft drink, and toast.
Bê Thui Cầu Mống, 249 Nguyễn Thái Học (between Võ Mười and Vũ Bão). Small eatery serving the renowned Quang Nam delicacy of rotisserie-roasted veal. The calf, picked at a young age and weight of 30–35 kg (66–77 lb) so that it is neither too huge nor too little, is roasted entire on a long rod over an open street-side charcoal fire. After scraping off the blackened skin, the pink flesh is sliced into thin slices and served with salty anchovies, rice paper, chile, garlic, fish-oil dipping sauce, green banana bits, and herbs. 150,000 dong.
Bốn Quang Tuấn, 85 Lê Lợi (corner of Tăng Bạt Hổ), +84 93 408-3715. In the heart of the city, there is a barbecue and hot pot restaurant that offers exceptional value. Family-run restaurant with only six tables. Extremely popular with students for its inexpensive beef and hog barbecue. Pot of clams in a spicy sauce for 30,000 Vietnamese Dong. Hot pot 60,000.
Hai Thái, 351 Trần Hưng Đạo (between Nguyễn Văn Bé and Đào Duy Từ streets), +84 56 625-2489. Goat meat is the specialty of this large indoor and outdoor restaurant in the heart of the city. The stomach, intestines, and other organs of the goat were presented. If you’re not used to it, the stench of numerous goats being grilled at once can be overpowering. Off the main dining area, there are private dining rooms. Each stick of goat flesh costs 27,000 dong. 90,000-200,000 dong for goat dinners.
Hương Việt Cafe, 35 Nguyễn Lương Bằng (corner of Tôn Đức Thắng), +84 91 473-7673. East of Nguyn Tat Thành and immediately north of the central market is a sizable, expensive cafe and restaurant. Customers are seated in pagoda constructions connected by wooden bridges and surrounded by topiary and bonsai trees in this lovely and eerie scene, all to the tune of classical music from both Europe and Vietnam. favored by the upper classes of both locals and visitors from Vietnam. Standard Vietnamese cuisine and beverages are available. Starbucks 20,000 dong. Tea (available in several types) 20,000–25,000. The cost of food is around 50% more expensive than at other Quy Nhon locations.
Mià Hàng 07, 7 Trần Phú (on southwest corner of intersection Hà Huy Tập), +84 56 3821-607. On a lonely stretch of road in the southwest of the city, a sizable seafood restaurant with a parking lot is situated beneath a partially covered tin roof. Beach is a five-minute stroll away. It draws a devoted local population of elderly intellectuals who pass the day and night in semi-drunk and fully-rehearsed conversations over the past millennium of Vietnamese history, despite the establishment’s and the patrons’ rather sleazy look. The ability to speak Vietnamese is certainly necessary in order to comprehend the twists and turns of the complex discussions, but some of the older guys can cheerfully speak English after a few drinks and grilled octopus, owing to their participation with American soldiers in the 1960s. For around 20–40% less, a restaurant offers the same shellfish and seafood alternatives as the eateries along the seaside promenade.
Ốc Biển, 21 Trần Cao Vân (between Nguyễn Trãi and Nguyễn Huế), +84 164 624-7898. In the southeast of the city, two blocks from the beach and next to the People’s Municipal Building, is a little seafood eatery. Every day, there are eight different kinds of shellfish: grilled oysters, scallops with peanuts and onions, snails, clams, and mussels. Due to its costs being half those on the surrounding beach promenade, it is well-liked by locals. Per dish of shells, 15,000–20,000 dong.
Phượng Tèo Bún Chả Cá, 211 Nguyễn Huệ. Large and very popular low-budget restaurant for fish cake noodle soup. 25,000 dong per bowl. edit
Quán An Cô Bốn Bún Thịt Nướng, 232 Trần Hưng Đạo (20 m (70 ft) east from Ngô Thời Nhiệm). Standard local Vietnamese eatery. Beef, pork, and chicken stews served with rice or noodles. It is neither especially nice nor very bad: the city is filled with dozens of identical establishments. Due to the owner’s five-year stay in San Francisco and Oakland, this restaurant has gained cult status among Western visitors in Quy Nhon. Several years after the initial review by a foreigner, this modest eatery has gathered more English-language evaluations online than any other restaurant in the city, much to the bewilderment of the proprietor and the few locals who are aware of it. A plate of rice or noodles with several meat dishes costs 20,000 dong.
Quán Dê19, 19 Nguyễn Công Trứ (at corner of Bà Triêu), +84 56 90 555-1178. Goat-meat in a small corner-restaurant in the city centre. All parts of the goat prepared. Cheaper than larger goat restaurants. Goat meals 30,000–100,000 dong.
Quán Dê35, 121-123 Hoa Lư (50 m (160 ft) east of Tháp Đôi street on south side of river quay), +84 98 881-4479. On the northern riverbank, an open-air restaurant with a canopy serves goat meat. River, bridge, and temple views across the water. The preparation of all goat parts. Goat meat costs between 50,000 and 150,000 dong.
Trần Quang Diệu Shell restaurant (northeast corner of Mai Xuân Thưởng and Trần Quang Diệu). Very good value shellfish dishes. Provides three daily specialties of freshly collected shellfish, including clams, snails, grilled oysters, mussels, and scallops, among others. Spices, garlic, lemongrass, and coconut milk are cooked and served on appetizer-sized platters. Customers sit in the little interior space or on a tarp-covered area on the street corner. As a quick and inexpensive lunchtime snack, it is quite popular among students and local office employees. Each shell plate costs 10,000 dong.

Vegetarian

In Quy Nhon, there are dozens of vegetarian eateries.

Look for signs reading “Chay” (vegetarian) in front of buildings and little alleys. The bulk of the eateries are located within a couple blocks of a Buddhist temple. After the monotony of the traditional vegetarian diet in Vietnam, the meals served can be eccentric—in a good way—and are frequently unexpected surprises. And the setting—eating with every generation of the owner’s family in their living room—makes the experience seem very much like a homestay. However, the operating hours of these small family-run businesses are utterly arbitrary; on full moon days, they are often open from morning until early evening, but on other days, it’s a complete crapshoot.

Larger vegetarian restaurants have the benefit of more regular and predictable hours. The meat and fish in the classic Vietnamese noodle and rice meals are substituted with seitan and tofu, and the costs are generally (slightly) higher. Buddhist monks dine frequently at vegetarian restaurants; a few of the more sociable ones know English and frequently engage in conversation with foreigners to learn about life overseas.

An Bình, 141 Trần Cao Vân (directly north of main entrance to the temple, between Tăng Bạt Hổ and Phan Bội Châu). Sizable vegetarian restaurant immediately north of the temple. Tablecloths and flowers adorn each table, creating a little more sophisticated ambiance than other vegetarian eateries in the city. Officially open from 07:00 to 21:00, although frequently closed for extended periods. One of the vegetarian eateries near the Buddhist monastery of Long Khánh. Vegetarian bánh xèo 10,000 dong. Plate of everyday veggie dishes served with rice for 18,000 Vietnamese Dong.
Hiển Nam, 3a Trần Thị Kỷ, +84 56 221-1148. Large vegetarian restaurant adjacent to the Hin Nam temple just west of Nguyn Thành street. Four minutes on foot from Coopmart. Through the restaurant’s open rear gate are picturesque views of the temple. Daily meal of rice with a variety of vegetables and soup: $15,000
Kim Ngọc Bánh Mì, 108 Ngô Mây (at corner of Biên Cương). A permanent street stall one block south of Minh Tịnh temple selling vegetarian baguette sandwiches (bánh mì). One sandwich 8,000 dong.
Minh Hoa, 115 Nguyễn Du (at corner of Ngô Quyền). Standard mid-size vegetarian restaurant. Plate of vegetable dishes with rice plus soup 15,000 dong.
Nhà hàng, 114 Tăng Bạt Hổ (between Lê Hồng Phong and Trần Cao Vân), +84 56 382-1100. On the south side of the Long Khánh Buddhist temple lies a massive vegetarian restaurant. Continually accessible from early morning until late at night, including on holidays. Slightly more pricey than the area’s several smaller, family-owned vegetarian restaurants. Noodle and rice meals cost between 25,000 and 50,000 dong.
Pháp Duyên, 55 Nguyễn Lữ (between Võ Lai and Ngô Mây), +84 98 381-2344. Mid-sized vegetarian one block southeast of the Minh Tịnh temple. A five-minute walk from either the central plaza on the beach or from the Coopmart. Mixed vegetables, rice, soup: 17,000 dong.
Sáu Thu, 79 Hai Bà Trưng (between Ngô Quyền and Lê Lợi). Mid-size vegetarian restaurant next to the Quy Nhơn Evangelical Church in the eastern end of the central city. Both the setting and the food are a slight step above similar vegetarian venues. One plate of assorted vegetable dishes plus rice 30,000 dong.
Thanh Minh, 151 Phan Bội Châu (between Mai Xuân Thưởng and Trần Cao Vân). Small family-run vegetarian restaurant on the north side of Long Khánh Buddhist temple. Generally offers several vegetable-based dishes, as opposed to the meat-substitute dishes found at typical Vietnamese vegetarian restaurants. Mixed vegetable dishes, rice and soup: 20,000 dong.
Thanh Tấm, 41 Ngô Mây, +84 56 625-0309. Mid-sized vegetarian restaurant one block south of the Minh Tịnh temple. Daily lunch of mixed vegetables including rice and soup for 15,000 dong.
Thanh Vân, 161 Trần Cao Vân (between Tăng Bạt Hổ and Phan Bội Châu). Very tiny vegetarian restaurant in a family-home in a small alley off the main street. One of several vegetarian restaurants near the Long Khánh Buddhist temple.
Tịnh Tâm, 149 Trần Cao Vân (between Tăng Bạt Hổ and Phan Bội Châu),+84 56 38-2773. Small family-run vegetarian just north of the Long Khánh temple. One of several vegetarian restaurants near the temple. Extremely kind family owners often invites foreigners to explore their home and culture.
An Lạc, 6 Nguyễn Lữ (just off Ngô Mây). Small family-run restaurant serving cơm (rice with assorted toppings): 20,000 dong. Very kind and friendly owners who will appreciate if you can say even a few words of Vietnamese.

Bakeries

Bánh Kem Ngọc Nga, 319-323B-325 Lê Hồng Phong, +84 56 382-3750. The largest, most elaborate—and commensurately most expensive—bakery in Quy Nhơn. Intricately designed and decorated cakes, for example shaped as animals (frogs, dogs, bunnies, dragons) and human figures (Buddha, princesses). Cake flavors include green tea (matcha), tiramisu, and standard cream cakes. Also offers vegan (pure-veg) baked products. The bakery spans three adjacent stores, with one specializing in cakes, the second in cookies, sweet breads and chocolates, and the third in general baked products. Unusually for Quy Nhơn, the bakery has a website, and the site is even available in English. Mid-size cakes 60,000–200,000 dong, larger and more elaborate cakes 200,000–400,000. Cookies and chocolates 5,000–15,000.
Đúc Tỏ Baguette Bakers, 83 Đống Đa (100 m (260 ft) to the northeast from the busy intersection with Trần Hưng Đạo), +84 56 381-3802. Long-standing family operation that bakes the baguettes used for bánh mì sandwiches. Reputed among locals to be the highest quality baguettes in the city. 1,300 dong for one hot baguette fresh out of the oven, 15,000 for 12.
Hoàng Yến Bakery, 211 Tăng Bạt Hổ (close to corner of Trần Cao Vân), +84 93 343-4908. Small bakery offering big cakes. Cakes 100,000–250,000 dong. Chocolate lollipops 10,000.
Phương Ngá Bakery, 46 Trường Chinh (corner of Lê Duẩn), +84 90 385-8812. Small bakery offering cakes and chocolate pieces. Offers all the standard cakes and decorations, with a specialty in tiramisu cakes and fruit-jelly cakes (including passion-fruit cake). Unusually for Quy Nhơn, sells pieces of cakes in single servings, rather than entire cakes. Whole cakes 50,000–150,000 dong. Single-serving piece of cake 10,000–20,000. Chocolate letters (for spelling out words with chocolate) 2,000 each.
Tamba Bakery, 335A-B Nguyễn Thái Học (at Vũ Bão Võ Lai street), +84 56 362-9549. Spacious and clean bakery in the southwest of city with the English motto “Good Food—Good Life.” Cakes, cupcakes, cream buns, pork floss buns. Prices around 20–40% less than most Quy Nhơn bakeries. Cupcakes 10,000 dong, cakes 30,000–150,000.
Tinh Hoa Bakery, 105 Trần Cao Vân (corner of Hai Bà Trưng), +84 56 382-3717. Corner bakery very popular among locals for birthdays, holidays, and family meals. Cakes 50,000–200,000 dong. Cupcakes 15,000. Chocolate hearts 5,000. Squares of coconut and sticky rice in powdered sugar 3,000.