Many Vietnamese restaurants in Prague occupy former Czech hospodas and apart from a few waving cats, they continue with the same decor. How refreshing to see that Hanoi Square has put a lot of effort into creating a Vietnamese theme – but how was the food?
The entrance is Štěpánská street, a short walk from Wenceslas Square.
Inside and to the right, a street food stand – I think more for show than actual use.
Straight ahead is a small bar area – there is a large bar downstairs.
To the left is a room full of lanterns.
That leads to another room with more theming.
The menus are good quality and nicely designed – they even have a wine list and I’m including it here as it doesn’t appear on their website.
Our waiter was friendly albeit a bit slow to deliver drinks.
We had two 0.15l glasses of Pinot Noir. I actually asked for the 109Kč version, but was served and charged for the 140Kč version – I think it probably was just an honest mistake. What wasn’t a mistake was the ridiculous charge for a 0.5l carafe of tap water 69Kč. I’m not sure if refills are free, but either way, Hanoi Square goes on the list of Prague restaurants that offer free tap water but for all the wrong reasons.
We asked if we could order four Há Cáo Tôm (which are like dim sum) as a shared starter and pay pro rata. Our waiter apologised and said they were only available as threes (179Kč).
They were delicious.
We then ordered Vịt Chiên Giòn (duck in tempura) from the ‘sharing menu (249Kč). What arrived was more like a main course dish that needed rice. We ordered some rice (59Kč) – it’s a pity rice isn’t included with this dish.
Again, everything was delicious. Still hungry we tried Tôm Chiên Xù (prawns in tempura) (189Kč). This time, we didn’t ask for four pieces and were pleasantly surprised when we got four and were charged for three.
The bathrooms were modern, clean and spacious.
We ventured downstairs to the bar – just to take a picture. The dimmed lights, decor and shisha smoke give the place a hidden opium bar vibe. I actually like that they ask you to call +420 777 886 699 if you want to visit after10pm as it adds to the feeling.
The food at Hanoi Square is excellent and the theming really adds something. You can eat Vietnamese food for less, especially away from the centre of Prague and in a place that was once a pub – sadly they all seem to charge for tap water. So, I’m trying to decide how often we would visit – is it enough to experience the theming once as a novelty, or will the food bring us back? I think we’ll return – I just hope they read this review and make tap water free.
Hanoi Square
Štěpánská 1742/27
110 00 Nové město – Praha 1
+420 777 886 699
The website design is quirky, but the way that each side of the page scrolls in different directions gives me motion sickness!
The Prague Review 