Photo via Google, Andrew OhBún chả Hương Liên
- Hours
- Today: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Getting there
- Cửa Nam ward, central Hanoi — walkable from the Old Quarter
Why it’s in the log
Bún chả Hương Liên was an ordinary grilled-pork noodle shop on a Hanoi side street until May 2016, when Anthony Bourdain brought President Obama here to film a segment for CNN's Parts Unknown. Grilled pork patties over rice noodles, a bowl of $6 worth of beer between them — it became the most-watched episode of the show's run, and the restaurant has been informally known as "Bún Chả Obama" ever since.
The menu hasn't changed to chase the fame. It's still the same bún chả, the same plastic stools, the same crowd of locals who were eating here long before the cameras showed up — the table Obama and Bourdain sat at is glassed off and labelled, but everything around it runs exactly as it did before.
Go at a normal Hanoi mealtime rather than mid-afternoon, when the tour groups tend to cluster, and order what's on the menu — which is to say, the one dish it's named for.
“The table where Obama and Bourdain sat is still marked out — everyone eats at it anyway, which feels right.”
What people said recently
From Google reviews · see all 12,419 ↗
“This was my second time dining here, although I never got around to reviewing my first visit three years ago. I came back because of Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain, two people I truly admire. We ordered the bún chả and the fried crab…”
“✅️ You have to visit Bún cha Huong Liên while in Hanoi, Vietnam. This is the spot where Anthony Bourdain took President Obama for dinner back in May 2016 while filming Parts Unknown, and it's been a legend ever since. Bourdain famously…”
“The is amazing I just dont like seafood roll Not my taste but The bun cha was amazing. I tried IT for The first Time but not The last. The waiters are really nice and helpfull. 💯% recommend when u will be on Hanoi IT must be on your…”
