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 Grilled chicken is individual chicken parts—wings, thighs, and the Vietnamese favorite, claws—cooked over a charcoal grill. Sounds simple, but there’s a magic to it, a secret medley of spices for brining and an equally well-guarded combination and process for basting, that packs an entire street and makes your mouth water as you await the arrival of the chicken on your plate. The relatively scrawny local chickens make for a generous skin to meat ratio. Other grilled sides include potatoes (khoai) and a pressed, buttered baguette (bánh mỳ).
After a week long eating tour (or you might say, eating frenzy), my friend Esther chose a return to grilled chicken street for her last meal in Hanoi. Years later, Esther still reminisces about the chicken:
“Why do I love the chicken on Chicken Street, let me count the ways. It could be the setting. No, it’s not posh by any means, but it is really neat to experience a whole street coming alive at night, with the sight and scent of vendors grilling chicken to order. Grilled chicken may seem like a run of the mill summer time fare. But this is different. These are tender little chickens flattened out, skewered, and basted repeatedly with several "secret concoctions". Cooked over hot coals, the result is maximum crispiness in the skin, and really juicy meat. But wait, there's more! This piece of poultry is a little sweet, salty, spicy, and would ya’ believe buttery too? As if it couldn't get any better, you will see that there's a little condiment for dipping. Nothing complicated, just a bowl with salt, chilies, and really flavorful juicy limes to squeeze over top. Oh, and I didn't tell you about the pickles! It's an all you can eat steady supply of crunchy, perfectly sweet-sour cucumbers, so delicious in fact that you might end up eating just as much pickles to chicken. Top it all off with cold beer, and life just doesn't get any better. Did I mention the cost? It won't put a dent in your wallet, or coin purse.”  Where to find it?
While simply asking for Chicken Street in Vietnamese— Phố Gà Nướng —will probably land you in the right place, the actual street name is Lý Văn Phúc. Lý Văn Phúc is a short alley that runs south from Nguyễn Thái Học Street. It is parallel to and one street west (about 20 meters) of Trịnh Hoài Đức, the street with the big yellow sports stadium. The stalls and open grills line both sides of this short alley and are ready to start serving around 4PM.
Coordinates: We like the place near the head of the alley right under the big red and white Anchor Beer sign. Quán Bình Minh – Gà Nướng, no. 5 Lý Văn Phúc. While it may not be as 'local' as the places further back, this means you get: people sized tables and chairs; cold draft beer so you can avoid adding dodgy chipped ice into warm bottled beer; and little waste baskets so there are less chicken bones scattered around your feet. Also, on a recent trip back to Hanoi, I translated the menu for the owner into English and Chinese, so ordering should be more user-friendly, though pointing works equally well. Chicken is expensive relative to snacks of the noodle variety, so don't be surprised at the bill. At last report, wings were 8,000 dong, thighs 20,000 dong, and claws 4,000 each.
 For an even more adventurous and further-off-the-beaten-track grilled chicken experience, head south to the Kim Liên District. Instead of a string of stalls, there is one large sprawling chicken fiesta. Picture the scene: servers walk around, circling the tables with fistfuls of long skewers in one hand, clacking large shears in the other, calling out which parts they have to offer. You in turn call out a part and number, and they clip off that many parts onto your plate. Sometimes a competition ensues between tables, or between servers who are helping respective tables corner their share of the chicken feet market. The very boisterous, public auction atmosphere and packed crowd requires aggressive tactics as you demand to be served. Coordinates: This is the spot where Phương first fell in love with grilled chicken as a university student. Mỹ Miều Chân Gà Nướng, #101, P1-B14, on Phạm Ngọc Thạch. Head south down Lê Duẩn (parallel to the train tracks) well past the Nikko Hotel to the end of Reunification Park and turn right. Your second left will be Phạm Ngọc Thạch. Great chicken, perhaps even crispier and more savory skin than on Lý Văn Phúc; instead of whole thighs, they have fat drumsticks. |
