Here's Where to Eat on Hoi An’s Beachfront

A STRONG CASE CAN BE made for Hoi An as home to Vietnam’s most vibrant dining outside Saigon and Hanoi. As a prolific port town, Hoi An was once at the crossroads for trade that spanned Asia and Europe. Chinese and Japanese merchants settled here, stirring their ingredients into the pot. Significantly, the town’s evolving dining scene has extended its tendrils towards its coastal extremities, with oceanfront options encompassing everything from high-end omakase to exemplary beach clubs.   

Nayuu  

The siren song of the ocean is ever-present at Four Seasons The Nam Hai Resort, with the pounding of the East Sea surf a constant soundtrack at Hoi An’s most prestigious property. Therefore, it’s appropriate that the newest addition to the roster of fine-dining options at the resort is Nayuu, an omakase experience that utilises premium Japanese seafood flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, as well as prime cuts of beef from Japan and Korea. 

Spanish-born, Tokyo-trained chef Alex Moranda oversees seasonally changing menus, preparing each dish kappo-style, cutting, slicing, grilling, and simmering his ingredients at the counter. Highlights of the experience include a sashimi selection starring that peerless seafood and handcrafted nigiri sushi topped with treats like Hokkaido scallops and briny creamy uni.

Proceedings continue with diners engaging with Moranda as he selects cuts of aged beef, each cut distinct in flavor and texture. Grilled cuts include melt-in-the-mouth Kagoshima Wagyu tenderloin and aged-to-perfection Korean Andong Hanwoo beef. Nayuu has an enviable collection of premium regional sake from around Japan. Other drink highlights include a seaweed-infused Wakame Martini, and an Old Fashioned crafted with aged Sampan Rum, made just a few kilometers down the coast over the Thu Bon River. 

Nayuu is open for dinner only, Wednesdays to Sundays. Operating hours are in two sessions: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Its Experience tasting menu costs VND5,800,000++ (USD228) per person. www.fourseasons.com/hoian/dining/restaurants/nayuu/omakase

Sound of Silence  

The chatter of customers and the noise of locally sourced Arabica beans being ground means there’s rarely a quiet moment at the Sound of Silence. But the friendly vibe and the unimpeachable quality of everything on offer—from the various coffee-based drinks to the bakery items and brunch-forward offerings (think: omelettes, egg dishes, fruit salads) on the food menu—squares with the meditative promise of the venue name.

Indeed, with tables dotted throughout a lush tropical garden and a clutch of pews set right above the beach, it’s a favorite of Hoi An’s growing contingent of digital nomads. The selection of hand-drip coffees includes varieties from Vietnam and the Bolaven Plateau in Laos and ventures farther afield to Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Honduras.  

Address: 40 Nguyen Phan Vinh, An Bang Beach; Tel: +84 866 774-962; www.facebook.com/soundofsilencecoffee

Esco Beach 

A magnet for Danang’s beautiful people at its location at the north end of China Beach, Esco Beach is bringing the party to An Bang Beach with its Hoi An outpost. Unveiled at the end of 2022, the beach club offers the same winning formula of sunny vibes, DJ beats, excellent cocktails, Vietnamese craft brews and well-executed casual cuisine as the original outpost.

Yet, this being Hoi An, things are slightly less bling and a touch more refined. As such, luxuriously upholstered wicker chairs and sofas offer grandstand views over a garden studded with palm trees and out over the azure East Sea towards the distant Cham Islands. Sun loungers in the garden and on the beach offer plentiful tanning potential, while cabanas supply more shelter and privacy to groups and couples.

Culinary offerings don’t reinvent the wheel, but pizzas, pasta, banh mi, and lighter dishes such as papaya salad with gambas and warm goat-cheese salad hit the spot. So too do grilled items like Australian black Angus tenderloin and fresh seafood like pan-seared sea bass with crushed baby potatoes and braised leek in a butter dill sauce.  

Address: 26 Nguyen Phan Vinh, An Bang, Hoi An; Tel: +84 235 3928 111; www.escobeach-vietnam.com; Meal for two from VND1million (USD40)

Nourish Experience @TIA Wellness Resort

Hoi An lays claim to some of Vietnam’s tastiest eats, including indigenous dishes such as cao lau (chewy noodles with smoked pork and crisp greens), white rose (a delicate shrimp dumpling) and its Anthony Bourdain–approved banh mi renditions. Its culinary abundance is also physically rooted in the mineral-rich alluvial soil of the Thu Bon River basin, which helps to produce what is regarded by many as Vietnam’s most delicious vegetables and herbs.  

Hoi An’s organic farming community is the focus of the Nourish tour at TIA Wellness Resort. The experience is a bridge between the healthy focus at the property—located on the oceanfront at the Danang end of China Beach—and the rich agricultural traditions in Quang Nam Province. The tour starts with a trip to Tra Que Village, famous for its veggies and herbs, where participants learn about local farming methods and the fresh ingredients that make the cuisine so distinct. Guests pick out ingredients to make goi cuon (fresh spring rolls) and banh xeo (Vietnamese-style savory pancake) in a hands-on cooking class held at the resort.  

The Nourish experience costs VND 1,500,000++ (USD60) per person and is offered daily, subject to availability. For more information visit tiawellnessresort.com

BOOK YOUR STAY AT TIA WELLNESS RESORT VIA BOOKING.COM

Lede and hero image courtesy of Four Seasons.

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