Review of 'Vietnamese Restaurant Hanley'
We were not holding our breath for a good meal in Stoke-On-Trent. The last time we properly visited the city was before we moved about 5 years ago and we were not terribly impressed - Dirty, trash in the street, no character (lots of chain stores), basically, no love. We were back now attending a play at the Regent Theatre…and we were looking for somewhere to eat. All the trendy places around the theatre were, perhaps predictably, turned us away as they were fully booked so we were forced to walk further down the street but we ended up being very glad we did.
“Vietnamese Restaurant Hanley” caught our eye. Not because it was trendy, far from it. What caught our eye was (1) it was very unpretentious with a simple interior (2) it had a simple menu full of legitimate Vietnamese dishes (having been to Vietnam we have an idea what these are) and (3) it wasn't trying to be anything else.
Inside we were quickly shown to a table by the friendly staff (it looks like it is run by a family - we were served by both mother and daughter) right near the front door. The plain, cheap tables and furniture were fine as the place was very clean. The table had the normal condiments of fish sauce and hot sauce along with chop sticks and spoons. The menu is a single sided affair divided into “Starters”, “Main Course” and “Drinks” (no alcohol here) with nothing more than £14 - Starters £7-£8 and mains £10-£14. Notices on the wall informed us that this was cash (or money transfer) only, so something to bear in mind if you decide to visit (also something to bear was that there was a notice the toilet was out of order…).
A short time after we ordered we unexpectedly received a welcome glass of tea and a plate of prawn crackers. Very nice and quite tasty. This was delivered to the table along with additional pots of condiments for our meal - A home-made hot sauce (very good and not “blow your head off”) and a jar of pickled garlic (crunchy with a nice vinegar pickle but not too strong).
We both ordered “Goi Du Du / Xaoi - Fresh Vietnamese Salad” (“green papaya / green mango and peanuts in a flavourful dressing”) with my opting for the one with shrimp (£8) and my companion opting for the vegetarian (£6). Those familiar with Thai cuisine will recognize this and it was equally as tasty - A crunchy, fresh salad with a lovely, tangy dressing that really satisfied. It was a generous portion size as well with others possibly having this alone as their main, but we had ordered mains anyway.
Before we finished our salads our mains arrived. I opted for the “Bun Cha Ha Noi” (“spring rolls with grilled marinaded pork, served with vermecelli noodles, fresh herbs and chill [sic] & garlic fish sauce”; £14) which was another generous portion size with everything served piping hot. The pork was delicious and not at all over cooked while the noodles were fresh with the deep-fried spring roll packed full of ingredients. The “chill & garlic fish sauce” dipping sauce was thin but worked well with the rest of the ingredients though it was a bit tricky to figure out how to eat it all…I ended up simply dipping the meat then picking up some noodles at the same time.
My companion had the “Pho - Authentic Vietnamese rice noodles” soup (“rice noodles in a flavourful & savoury broth made from chicken and beef bone, with fresh herbs and spring onions”) with chicken (£12). The noodles were perfectly al denté (and stayed that way through the meal) while the chicken, though bland, was not overcooked and the broth was good but also quite bland. She ended up adding some fish sauce to pick up the flavour a bit but really enjoyed the dish which was another generous portion size.
At £40 for the two of us (without tip) it was certainly a bargain with the food absolutely delicious and the staff absolutely delightful - Very friendly and welcoming with excellent service. We will certainly be looking at returning. Not fancy but honest, home-made Vietnamese food. Sure, it is cash only and sure the toilets were not available but the food will keep you coming back.
Note that takeaway is available (it seemed to be well used while we were there) and they DON'T work with food delivery services.
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2026-02-28
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Address: 69A Piccadilly, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1HR ENGLAND
Public Transport: 
Stoke-On-Trent
Location: Staffordshire (England) - Stoke-on-Trent
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Telephone: +44 (0) 7876 426572
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