A Food Lovers Guide to Phu Quoc Island

Vietnam is known around the world for its incredible food, and Phu Quoc is no different! After spending over two weeks on this southern island, we’ve come up with a fun food lovers day for you to enjoy. We’ll give you all the best Phu Quoc restaurants so you can spend less time looking for what and where to eat, and more time chowing down on delicious seafood!

Coffee

Cost: 15,000-30,000 VND
Order: Cà Phê Sữa Dá (Iced Coffee)
Open Hours: 6am-8pm
Location: Z Coffee

There’s no better way to start your day in Vietnam than with a Cafe Sua Da. These delicious morning treats will make even the most intense coffee lover go crazy and leave you wanting more. Packed with a chocolatey taste and sweet condensed milk it will be hard not to become addicted. We grabbed ours from Z Coffee because it was right next to our hotel. You don’t necessarily have make the trip to this coffee house, just make sure your day starts with a Vietnamese coffee!

Breakfast

Cost: 50,000 VND
Order: Bò Né
Opem Hours: 6am-10am (Closes Early If Sold Out)
Location: Bò Né Ngã 5

If there’s one thing that’s going to make you jump out of bed in paradise it’s a Bò Né breakfast. This Vietnamese take on steak and eggs is only available in the morning in most parts of the country. In the center of town there is one restaurant that serves this dish, and it’s only open till 10am (or until they sell out).

From the outside this little shop might not look like anything special, but get ready for a real treat! If the handful of tables are taken you can sit next door at the large and open cafe and order a drink. You can even get your morning Cafe Sua Da here if you haven’t already! A sizzling plate will soon arrive on your table filled with beef, gravy, pate, and onions. Take the side of bread, dip it into the gravy, and be ready to transport to foodie heaven!

Lunch

Cost: 60,000 VND
Order: BÚN CHẢ HÀ NỘI
Time: 6am-9pm
Location: BÚN CHẢ HÀ NỘI

At some point in the afternoon once your stomachs settled from the heavy breakfast, it’s time for another Vietnamese meal! This Phu Quoc restaurant does one thing and it does it well. The popular dish that originated in Hanoi can also be found right here on the island. Take a seat at any of the tables and order one per person. Soon you’ll have a basket of veggies and a plate of wet noodles in a bowl with clear liquid and meat.

This dish isn’t complicated to eat, but you do have to know what you’re doing. Essentially you pile all the ingredients into your bowl and try to make the perfect combo bite each time. If you question if you’re doing it correctly, just look around and follow along with the locals. Also, make sure not to forget to add chili, garlic, and lime to your broth.

Snack

Cost: 20,000 VND
Our Order: Sliced Mango
Time: ALL Day
Location: Long Beach

Hungry for a Phu Quoc seafood dinner, but it’s not quite time yet? Sounds like the perfect time to have an island snack! When you’re set up in your recliner looking at the ocean, it won’t take long before a woman passes carrying two baskets and a mountain of fruit. Once you pick your fruit of choice she’ll cut it up for you to enjoy. We loved our afternoon mangos that were always perfectly ripe, sweet, and delicious.

Happy Hour

Cost: 15,000 – 80,000 VND
Our Order: Beer Saigon
Time: All Day
Location: Joe’s Beach Bar

While waiting for the beautiful sun to set on Long Beach head to one of the many beach bars that fill the strip. Try to get a front row seat as the sunsets were some of the most beautiful we’ve seen in all of Asia. Most bars can make any cocktail you desire, and also serve many international wines. However, when in Phu Quoc we recommend sticking to the local Vietnamese beers! We enjoyed the views Joe’s Beach Bar, but any right around that area are great options.

Dinner

Cost: 30,000+ VND Per Plate
Order: Seafood
Time: 4pm-12pm
Location: Quan Oc Binh Dan

You can always tell how good a restaurant is by how many people are there. Yet in Vietnam, the true way to know is by how many motorbikes are parked outside! During the day you would pass this place and not think twice about the quiet storefront. At night is a different story though… Once the plastic chairs and tables are pulled out onto the street in front of this Phu Quoc restaurant the party is on!

The menu is extensive and filled with different Phu Quoc seafood specialties from the island. Our best meals were when we ordered a few beers, had grilled seafood, and spent hours talking and laughing. We recommend the grilled shrimp, lemongrass clams, grilled scallops with peanuts, and crab fried rice. They also do a great morning glory and eggplant dish which is sometimes hard to find when looking for where to eat in Phu Quoc.

One strange thing you should know is that most of the locals tend to throw there plates on the ground here when they’re done. It might be a weird concept to a foreigner at first, but when you see how little room you have (and how many plates you’ll order) on the small plastic table you’ll understand!

Dessert

Cost: 50,000 VND
Order: Coconut Ice cream
Time: 6pm-Late
Location: Phu Quoc Night Market

Our favorite dessert in Phu Quoc actually came from the night market. It’s a great place to walk off your dinner, take in the local scenery, and shop for souvenirs. Make sure not to skip the coconut ice cream when looking for what to eat in Phu Quoc! There are a few different vendors that sell this rich and creamy dessert which is a perfect way to end your day in food heaven.

Source: Nothing Familiar