The first meal in a new place sets a small tone for the whole trip. Ours was in Sa Pa, with cool mountain air and a light rain falling outside, which is exactly the weather a bowl of hot pho was made for.
We ended up at Nhà Hàng Thìn Oanh, mostly because it was close to our hotel. We ordered pho and a bánh mì, and I also spotted something on the menu that I had been waiting a year to try. A year ago in Ho Chi Minh City, I never managed to find it anywhere except a 7-Eleven (yes, really).
Not everything on the table was a winner. But the pho fit the moment, the location was convenient, and one dish had me and my companion fighting over the last bites. Here is how our first meal in Sa Pa went.
TL;DR
- Nhà Hàng Thìn Oanh was our first meal in Sa Pa, and it is very close to our hotel.
- The pho was good, and even better in the cool, rainy mountain weather.
- The bánh mì was not very good. We only ordered it to taste it.
- The thịt bò nướng lá lốt was my favorite dish of the meal.
- The restaurant was clean and the staff was very attentive.
- Cards are accepted, but with a 5% surcharge on the bill.
The Location: Close to Our Hotel
After a day of traveling, being able to eat close to where you are staying matters more than you would think. Nhà Hàng Thìn Oanh is near our hotel, so there was no hunting around in the rain and no long walk on an empty stomach.
For a first meal in a new town, that convenience counts for a lot. It made the whole first evening in Sa Pa feel easy.
The Pho: Light, Warm, and Right for the Weather
The weather did a lot of the work here. It was cool, with a light rain falling, and a bowl of pho is about the best thing you can be holding in that situation.
The soup was light rather than heavy, which I appreciated. The noodles were exactly what we needed, since we had a mountain run planned for the next day. It was a good bowl, and I would say it tasted even better because of where and when we were eating it.
The Bánh Mì: Just to Taste It
We ordered the bánh mì mostly out of curiosity, just to taste it. It was not very good.
I do not want to judge Vietnamese bánh mì by one sandwich from one restaurant, and I will not. But compared to the other dishes on our table, this was the weakest, and I would skip it next time.
Thịt Bò Nướng Lá Lốt: The Dish I Waited a Year For
This is the part of the meal I was most excited about. When we were in Ho Chi Minh City a year ago, I had been waiting to try thịt bò nướng lá lốt, and the only place I could find it was a 7-Eleven. So when I saw it on the menu here, I ordered it right away.
I loved it. The minced beef had good flavor, and my companion and I could not seem to get enough of it.
This was my first time eating thịt bò nướng lá lốt in Vietnam, so I can’t tell you whether this is the best version out there. What I can say is that for a first time, I liked it a lot, and it was the highlight of the meal.
Service, Cleanliness, and the 5% Card Fee
The restaurant was clean, and the staff was very attentive, which made the whole visit comfortable.
One thing worth knowing before you go: they accept card payment, but they add 5% on top of your bill. From what I understand, this seems to be a common practice in Vietnam, where businesses charge around 3% to 5% to cover the transaction fees imposed by the bank.
Since almost everything is affordable in Vietnam, I found that 5% negligible. Still, if you prefer to avoid it, it is worth having some cash ready.
Key Takeaways
- Nhà Hàng Thìn Oanh is a convenient choice if your hotel is nearby, as ours was.
- Pho is a good order on a cool, rainy day in Sa Pa, and the light soup and noodles suit a day before a physical activity.
- The bánh mì was not worth ordering here, at least for us.
- If you like grilled minced beef, thịt bò nướng lá lốt is worth ordering.
- The restaurant was clean and the staff was attentive.
- Expect a 3% to 5% card fee in Vietnam. Here it was 5%, and it barely dented the bill.
- Overall, it was an okay first meal in Sa Pa that earned 4 stars.
Final Thoughts
Our first day and first meal in Sa Pa turned out to be a good one. The bánh mì let us down, but the pho warmed us up, and the thịt bò nướng lá lốt was worth the year-long wait.
To sum it up:
- Order the pho, especially if the weather is cool and wet.
- Order the thịt bò nướng lá lốt.
- Skip the bánh mì here.
- Bring some cash if you want to avoid the 5% card fee.
If you have eaten at Nhà Hàng Thìn Oanh, or you have a favorite place for thịt bò nướng lá lốt in Vietnam, drop it in the comments. I would like to compare it with my first try.
