Vietnamese Roadside BBQ Buffet at Chat Nuong Quan Hanoi!

Have you seen one of the many roadside BBQs in Vietnam and always wanted to try? We know we have. This time, we finally plucked up the courage to head to one of the roadside BBQ stalls near our AirBnB. We also found out that it was a buffet! For only 139k VND (or $8 SGD) per person, we had a pretty good evening of BBQ goodness while enjoying the vibes of dining by the roadside!

Chat Nuong Quan roadside BBQ Buffet in Hanoi Vietnam

What Does the Vietnamese Roadside BBQ Buffet Include?

This evening, we approached the BBQ buffet at Chat Nuong Quan and we were shown to our seats right next to the road. After sitting down, we were asked what we wanted but as we could not speak much Vietnamese, we uttered the magical words “BBQ Buffet” and the owner our intentions immediately. Soon, the hot plate was brought to our table. We were also shown to the ingredients inside the stall where you could just pick as much as you like and bring them back to your table to begin your BBQ…

Ingredients available for BBQ Buffet at Hanoi Vietnam (Chat Nuong Quan)

Vietnamese BBQ Buffet includes beef, pork, liver, octopus, squid and chicken wings... — Vietnamese BBQ Buffet includes beef, pork, liver, octopus, squid and chicken wings…

Hanoi Roadside BBQ Buffet also includes sweet onions, green onions, lettuce, sotong balls and more!

There were so many ingredients to choose from. We had beef, pork, chicken wings, seafood and even frog legs! The vegetables were also very fresh. We especially loved the onions that were just so sweet! There’s even pho that you can add to stir fry with the meats.

How Do You Enjoy a Roadside BBQ Buffet in Hanoi Vietnam?

Roadside BBQ Buffet in Hanoi Vietnam (How do you BBQ like a local?)

Once we picked out our ingredients, we were shown by the staff how to do roadside BBQ in Vietnam like a pro. More or less.

First, you will have to lather on butter (tons of it) on the hot plate. Instead of oil or pork fats, butter is the choice of cooking medium – so much so that we had 2 tubs of it on our table. 2 tubs! Also, note that the fire is fuelled by one of those fire gel cans. So unlike the steamboat (gas bottle or electrical) where you can easily adjust the intensity of the flame, there is a cover that sort of controls the amount of heat that comes into contact with the hot plate. We only found out towards the end that we were able to adjust a knob to control the flame. In the meantime, there were loads of furious flipping over of ingredients so that they won’t get burnt…

Ingredients with loads of butter at Hanoi Vietnam roadside BBQ Buffet

The staff were also very prompt in their service. Along the way, you’ll notice that your aluminum foil turns black due to some residual burnt ingredients. This is when the staff will promptly swoop in and change out your foil in less than 30 seconds – as precise as F1 pit-stop change outs. During our dinner, the foil was changed about 5 times. Hence, we were able to get the food nicely cooked without having to BBQ them over burnt ingredients beneath.

Many rounds of BBQ at roadside stall in Hanoi Vietnam

This evening, we had many rounds of BBQ and we actually enjoyed the taste quite a bit. The liver had some coconut seasoning which was interesting. Chicken wings were always good. Also, the frog legs turned out to be surprisingly tender as well. Washed down with some local Vietnamese beer? Perfect!

How Long Should You Stay at a Roadside BBQ Buffet in Hanoi Vietnam?

Many tables of locals enjoying the Friday evening at BBQ Buffet Vietnam Hanoi

We also noticed that the joint was almost full-house with many young locals having gatherings with their friends around the BBQ on a cool winter evening. We actually stayed for almost two hours. With the incessant eating, refilling of ingredients, cooking and drinking, somehow time flew right by. However, most other tables (besides another table next to us) stayed less than 2 hours. We were probably one of the tables that “outlasted” this evening and when we finally asked for the bill, we sensed that the owner uttered something along the lines of

“Look, they’re finally leaving!” or “The foreigners are leaving!”

After the owner shouted a sentence (which of course we didn’t understand), all the other patrons turned around and stared at us for a moment. Soon, one of the staff came over and collected the payment and we were good to go.

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We’ll probably never find out what the owner shouted. But will we be back for another round of roadside BBQ Buffet? Definitely! With prices at $8SGD and $1 for a glass of beer, there’s definitely value and a good variety of ingredients to choose from. Do check out one of these roadside BBQ Buffet while you’re in Hanoi Vietnam, you will enjoy it!

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