Here is a critics’ selection of the best restaurants in town:
Ancient Hue Restaurant: “This 200-seat restaurant is located within the walls of the Phu Mong Garden House, which dates back to the 1800s … is famous for vividly recreating the authentic cuisines of Hue's royalty … each dish is beautifully presented with vegetables sculpted into shapes of plants and animals … the menu highlights local specialties like banana blossom salad, banh beo (steamed rice flour with shrimp flakes), and banh khoai (fried rice pancakes stuffed with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts).” (Fodors)
Ba Hoa: “This is what we’re here for … com hen … translated it simply means rice clams … a complicated layering of rice, crispy noodles, toasted peanuts, fresh local clams, bean sprouts, coriander, peppermint, chilli and pork crackling … clam broth is served on the side, a little mixed in with the rice if you wish, and we’re encouraged to try the little banana leaf-wrapped banh lot loc on the table.” (He Needs Food)
Huyen An: “In the leafy enclave of Kim Long, lunch at this open-air canteen, which serves two dishes only: banh uot thit nuong and bun thit nuong … the former, dim sum–like ravioli stuffed with grilled pork, are terrific … but it’s Huyen Anh’s bun thit nuong that sums up everything that’s simple and delightful about Vietnamese cooking.” (Travel and Leisure)
Les Jardins De La Carambole “is Hue's most visually impressive restaurant set in a recreation French colonial villa not far from Hue Citadel … a new offering from the people behind the successful La Carambole on Hue's backpacker strip … they've taken the same concept and dressed it up in a stunning reproduction of a colonial era villa located by the citadel.” (Rusty Compass)
Thanh Lieu: “There is no English on the simple menu here, so you either have to know your Hue food or take your chances ... I started with the Banh Beo, thick circles of rice noodle sprinkled with a flavourful yet mysterious topping ... I also ordered a small Lau (hot pot), which is the speciality here … even though I’ve had hot pot in China many times, the ritual differs slightly from place to place … luckily, the locals who were seated next to me also ordered hot pot, so I could follow their lead.” (My Five Acres)
Tropical Garden Restaurant: “You can find very good Vietnamese Cuisine as well as typical Hue local food such as BanhKhoai (Hue Pancake), Grill Shrimp Paste around sugarcane wrap in rice paper serves with peanut sauce or banana flower soup … the staffs are friendly and professional.” (Culinary Vietnam)
The Pub With Cold Beer: “In the middle of nowhere near Phong Nha … is a local legend … it’s a family concern where you can live out your Ray Mears dream -- and kill your own chicken for lunch … the ‘pub’ grows all its own food -- from the vegetables to the peanuts to the chickens running around -- and the beer is, indeed, cold.” (The Guardian)