5 March 2026
We had our first taste of authentic Vietnamese food in an excellent restaurant in downtown Da Nang right after our arrival by Vietjet Air from Singapore. Our friends, who organised this trip, had dined at this restaurant before and told us this is a must-try restaurant when in Da Nang.
An Thoi is a two-storey restaurant in a shop-house with a blue and yellow façade. The restaurant is situated in the Old Town area, overlooking the Han River. Google Map Location here.
Due to its popularity, this Michelin awarded restaurant is always busy. Be prepared to wait, as they do not accept reservations
Even though we arrived at 2.30 PM, past the peak lunch time hours, there was a queue at the entrance.
The queue is orderly and systematic. The highly trained, customer oriented staff will give a ticket with your queue number and update the queuing status on a flipchart.
Plastic chairs and large umbrellas made the wait more comfortable. The staff even offered complimentary bottles of cold water to those in the queue.
Since we came during non-peak dining hours, we only waited for about 20 minutes. It could be up to 1 hour during peak time. However, my friend who recommended this restaurant assured us it was well worth the wait! Let’s see.
We were seated upstairs, on a long table for our group of 8. The interiors were nicely decorated and air-conditioned. Artificial windows on the wall together with artificial plants and bamboo-weaved lanterns hanging from the ceilings gave an al-fresco dining vibes.
The An Thoi menu features a wonderful selection of local Vietnamese cuisine, including seafood. It was good that we were a fairly large group and could order a variety of cuisine to share.
These were what we ordered:
2 x Banh Xeo or crispy Vietnamese pancakes with rice paper, sliced mangos, herbs and dipping sauces. The savory pancake was filled with shrimps, pork, and bean sprouts
How to eat the Banh Xeo:
- Place the lettuce on a sheet of dry or slightly damp rice paper.
- Add fresh herbs like the sliced mango, bean sprouts,
- Add a piece of the hot, crispy pancake on top of the lettuce.
- Roll the rice paper into a tight cylinder. Dip the roll into the sauce before eating.
The lazy ones could just take a piece of the pancake, add the herbs and veggies onto the plate with the pancake, mix a little of the dipping sauce and eat it like that.
We also had a pomelo salad for 165,000 VND which were devoured by the hungry souls before I could I get a photo!
For drinks, the gents in the group had the local Vietnamese beer. They were really cheap but not that good. The ladies had the fresh coconuts which were cheap and good. 
All of the dishes we tried at An Thoi were delicious and we all agreed that we should eat here again. There is so much more in the menu that we had not tried.
Entrance to the Han Market. The restaurant is conveniently located next to the Han Market, so those who like shopping can couple a visit to this excellent restaurant with a visit to the market that offers a large range of high quality but faked branded goods.
Alternatively, go take a walk along the promenade by the Han River in front of the restaurant.
We did not have time to do the above or explore Da Nang on this day. After lunch, we made an hour long journey to Hoi An, where we would stay for the next 2 nights.
But we will be back!