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A small house, a heartwarming meal.
In the heart of Hue City, where the streets still retain their peaceful charm, lies a small family-run restaurant called Com Nha (Home-Style Rice) – opened and maintained by Ms. Hong Van for over a year. Previously located in the Dong Da apartment building, it has now moved to a new address in Alley 17, House No. 7, Doi Cung Street. Without a large sign or flashing lights, it's simply a small, bright, single-story house, decorated by Ms. Van herself with potted plants, a wooden sign, and Vietnamese flags fluttering in the breeze on the porch.
The home-style restaurant is located at the end of a small alley in a residential area.
The interior space, approximately 40 square meters, is painted white, furnished with simple wooden tables and chairs, and arranged to evoke a cozy, old-fashioned kitchen. Instead of demolishing all the partitions like many modern restaurants, Ms. Vân only removed a portion to create small brick windows – an unusual blend of old and new. Without background music and not overly crowded, the place maintains just enough tranquility for one to hear the sound of spoons touching earthenware rice pots or the gentle breeze rustling through the white curtain on the porch.
The interior of the cafe is simply decorated with white walls and wooden tables and chairs.
A home-cooked meal prepared by parents.
No hired chefs, no pre-ordered meals; each dish here is the result of an early morning market trip and the skilled hands of home cooks. Vân's parents, two elderly people who have been cooking for decades, still regularly go to the market early in the morning to buy ingredients and then personally cook each dish. Each day, the menu changes according to the season and available ingredients, and Vân posts it on Facebook for customers to preview.
A set meal for two costs 70,000 VND and usually includes five dishes: a main course, soup, stir-fried dish, pickles, and fruit for dessert. The rice is cooked with fragrant, sticky rice, served in a hot earthenware pot, and accompanied by familiar, flavorful Hue dishes such as: braised pork with radish, boiled vegetables with shrimp paste dipping sauce, pickled papaya, braised mackerel, banana blossom soup with shrimp, braised pork with tofu, braised silverfish with chili... and various characteristic Hue fish sauces.
The restaurant's menu typically features dishes that people in Hue eat in their daily meals, all prepared by Ms. Van's parents, who personally shop for the ingredients and cook the meal.
The two most popular dishes are boiled pork with fermented shrimp paste and scrambled eggs with minced pork, both regularly featured on the menu. For those wishing to add more, individual dishes can be ordered separately at reasonable prices, such as a plate of scrambled eggs for 15,000 VND or boiled pork for 25,000 VND. Each portion is meticulously prepared, not elaborately presented, but always visually appealing due to the subtle combination of colors and flavors.
Boiled pork with fermented shrimp paste dipping sauce
Egg omelet with various side dishes and dessert
Eating one meal brings back memories of an old kitchen.
The restaurant is open from 10 AM to 2 PM and 5:30 PM to 9 PM. Besides food, they also sell coffee, fruit juices, tea, milk tea, and some bottled drinks at reasonable prices ranging from 12,000 to 28,000 VND. The small, quiet, and clean space, along with the friendly staff and owner, is what keeps many people coming back, not only for the delicious food but also because stepping inside feels like stepping back into an old kitchen from their memories.
A foreign visitor wrote: “We stumbled upon this little family-run café and couldn’t have imagined a better place to have dinner. The owner was very enthusiastic, and we understood each other despite the language barrier. We sat down and were amazed by the delicious food, which was different every day. Rice, soup, vegetables, meat, and fish—everything was prepared as soon as we walked in.”
Not only the food but also the family atmosphere is recreated at Com Nha, as many diners come here with their families to enjoy a meal.
Many foreign tourists have visited, enjoyed, and shared their experiences as a valuable discovery. The couple Jurlendy & Rodolphe, visiting Hue for the first time, called it "the cutest cafe in the city," while female tourist Senne Caroes shared: "A hidden gem, nestled in a small alley. We had a delicious meal with flavorful broth and several meat and fish dishes. The drink menu is also very extensive, especially the lemonade."
Korean tourist Kim Young Soo offered a rather sentimental analogy: "If you're Korean, you absolutely must try Vietnamese food here. Go a little further down the alley, and a table like the one your maternal cousin prepared is waiting for you."
Although the cafe is small, it is clean and the minimalist decor gives it a spacious and airy feel.
Without prioritizing appearances, chasing trends, or elaborate decorations, Ms. Hong Van's small restaurant chooses a slow and steady path: cooking with family love and treating customers like close relatives. And it is this very simplicity that touches the emotions of many people.
"I found the restaurant clean, the food clean, and the atmosphere quiet and comfortable. The food came out quickly, looked appetizing, and tasted good too; it's definitely worth experiencing," shared a Vietnamese customer. It felt like being invited to a meal at the home of a grandmother, mother, or older sister, where few words were needed but the care and attention were evident.
Ms. Hong Van - owner of Com Nha restaurant
In the bustling world of ever-changing culinary trends, there remains a place that cooks home-style meals not to attract a crowd, but to preserve a slow pace of life and a way of eating that is distinctly Hue-style.
