Hanoi restaurant is located in a dark alley like a maze, has a balcony that makes customers crazy

Hidden in a narrow, dark and old alley, a coffee shop in Hanoi still attracts international customers thanks to its prime balcony, allowing easy views of the beautiful, colorful streets.

While strolling around Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Zhuyian (35 years old), a Chinese tourist, accidentally discovered a cafe with a sunny balcony, located in an ancient house at the bustling Hang Chieu - Dong Xuan intersection. With the eye of a photographer, he immediately thought: “This balcony is definitely the ideal angle to view the streets”.

The male tourist immediately crossed the street to find the entrance to the shop. “From afar, I saw that the balcony was very spacious, but when I got closer, there were only stalls selling decorative items close together. I walked back and forth for quite a while, until I asked a local for directions and saw a small sign with the shop’s name in front of a narrow alley,” Zhuyian said.

The coffee shop is located in a house at the intersection, with a very large balcony, attracting the attention of tourists. Photo: Huy Nguyen

The male tourist walked down the small alley, just wide enough for one person to pass through. The walls on both sides of the alley were old, peeling, and damp. He went up the stairs, through a narrow corridor, and arrived at a small coffee shop.

"The balcony here is truly a surprise gift for visitors. Here, I can admire the entire colorful Hang Ma street, bustling with people passing by. I definitely have to introduce this place on my social media channels," he said.

Zhuyian returned to the cafe twice in two consecutive days because she liked it so much.

Mr. Zhuyian was busy filming the colorful Hang Chieu - Dong Xuan intersection and Hang Ma street from the balcony of the coffee shop. Photo: Huy Nguyen

"Many customers come back to the shop every day during their stay in Hanoi," said Pham Thuy Duong, the coffee shop owner.

On some travel experience sharing applications, many tourists call the journey to explore this coffee shop in alley 27 Dong Xuan street an "expedition".

They have to "search" for the entrance to the shop hidden among other shops, through a deep, dark alley like a maze, a tunnel to find the beautiful balcony space - where they can see Hang Ma, Hang Chieu, and Dong Xuan streets.

Many "exploratory" videos of tourists finding their way into the cafe were recorded and shared on social networks.

The tiny alley leading to the coffee shop - described as a maze or tunnel. Video: Linh Trang - Huy Nguyen

The cafe has been open for 3 years, on the 2nd floor of an old house. According to 520 reviews on Google, the cafe is rated 4.9/5 points.

The female owner said that she happened to be walking around the street and discovered a house at the intersection of Hang Chieu - Dong Xuan with a very large balcony but it seemed to be empty and unused. Ms. Duong went to ask for information with the hope of renting it and turning it into a small coffee shop.

"The landlord owns the second and third floors of the house, each floor is only 25 square meters wide, the balcony takes up more than half of the area. The first floor is where other households live and do business. When I came to rent, the house had been vacant for decades, it was dilapidated, covered in dust, the walls were patchy and peeling," said Ms. Duong.

The alley and stairs leading up to the coffee shop are very old, the walls are peeling and patchy. Photo: Huy Nguyen

The hallway leading to the restaurant is very narrow and old. Photo: Huy Nguyen

"The house is in very poor condition but this balcony corner is really beautiful, with a simple, nostalgic beauty that is not easy to find. The house is located in a deep, narrow alley so the rental price is suitable for me," Ms. Duong added.

This is an old house so the owner is not allowed to make any changes to the structure. Repairing, cleaning, and carrying furniture through the small alley into the shop are all very difficult.

On the balcony, Ms. Duong reinforced it to ensure safety and used ceramic tiles to create a row of small, pretty tables. Photo: Huy Nguyen

The main drinks of the shop are coffees such as milk coffee, black coffee, egg coffee, coconut coffee... The owner uses only coffee beans, ground himself. The most popular drink is egg coffee, priced at 50,000 VND/cup, made from coffee, eggs and milk.

The shop is not too crowded, so when customers order, Ms. Duong or the manager will directly beat the eggs. Customers can observe the entire process of creating Hanoi's famous coffee.

When the customer orders, the owner will beat the eggs to keep them fresh.

The fluffy, fragrant egg part creates an attractive cup of coffee. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Recently, the restaurant owner has added salted matcha to the menu. Matcha green tea with its distinctive aroma blends with a smooth, salty, fatty layer of salted cream, loved by young diners.

"I am a coffee lover so I learned the recipes for making coffee and drinks and served them to customers," said Ms. Duong.

Drinks here cost between 35,000 and 60,000 VND per cup. According to the owner, about 90% of the customers here are international tourists who like to explore the alleys and the old, nostalgic features of Hanoi. From September until after the Lunar New Year, the shop enters the busiest season of the year.

Many tourists check in at the cafe and enjoy sharing on social networks. Photo: Cafe Fanpage

The downside of the restaurant is that there is no parking space. Customers will have to park their motorbikes about 20 meters away and walk into the restaurant. The cost of parking during the day is 10,000 VND and is usually higher in the evening.

A 'poor' coffee shop in the 'diamond land' area, a place that preserves Hanoi's memories . For nearly 40 years, nestled on the second floor of an old house by Hoan Kiem Lake, despite the changes on the outside, Dinh coffee still retains its rustic features, becoming a place for diners to find an old Hanoi.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/quan-ha-noi-nam-trong-ngo-toi-nhu-me-cung-co-ban-cong-khien-khach-me-tit-2445755.html