Gecko

it has some vegetarian options, but the one i tried was awful, really bad food.

If you've been to Hanoi, odds are you've been to a Gecko. Or at least seen one. The Old Quarter is full of Gecko restaurants, some clearly part of the chain, some trying to hide the fact, going by different names. The identical menus and Happy Hour signs tend to be a bit of a giveaway. Anyway, the food is absolutely bog standard Western guesthouse stuff, definitely nothing special. They stock mock meat as well as tofu, which is rare for these kinds of places, but otherwise it's cornflour sauces, frozen mixed veg, and bland bland bland. After a point we swore off going to them. The convenience they offer (English menu, guaranteed vegan options) can't make up for the vague melancholy you feel eating some of Asia's most boring food in one of Asia's most exciting cities. I can't speak for Le Gecko in Sapa. They have table cloths and the waiter wears a fancy suit, maybe the food is a real treat for the senses.

This place offers good food. Especially the mock prawns are amazing. Mains start from 50k up to 75k for the mock prawns.

Ok, fine food & place

Went here like 10 times as my partner eats meat and this was a good cheap place for us both and there is loads of options! Great staff definitely recommend

We ate here upon arrival because it was right by our hotel. Lovely, helpful staff and food was good. They have a full page or two of vegetarian. I got mock beef, rice, and veggies. It was quite tasty! And I usually don't eat abroad at places that aren't fully vegan because I worry about the understanding of the meaning. But this place is recommended.

We were finding it a tad difficult to locate vegan restaurants, and this one turned out be just a few blocks from our hotel. Easy to find corner restaurant with a nice ambience. It was a relief to have a place that had food I could eat and was accessible. Though they have a page full of vegan dishes including stir fried mock meats with sticky rice, the food was average. But it was filling and since the location is great to chill and watch the busy street below it was well worth it. In fact we ended up visiting it quite often and ended up making friends with the lovely ever smiling staff.

I got be spicy vegan tofu curry but it tasted like nothing at all. I had to add chilli sauce to give it flavour. The staff were very apathetic too.

I went there last night with my friends. Staff is very friendly, English menu, prices affordable. I page with vegetarian options incl. mock meat and mock seafood. I choose the veggy curry mock chicken with potato and rice. Was ok but nothing special. Good place to go with people that don't want to eat vegan/vegetarian.

I had the "monk meat" with rice and "veggies". It tasted ok, and it had a really meat look, but for Vietnam it was an expensive dish. Staff was friendly, maybe too much hahaha. Would go somewhere else.

Kinda handy but if you're trying to reduce gluten in your diet... Hard to avoid the mock meats..

We found Gecko as it was near our hotel (there are 2 quite close together). We had sweet and sour "lamb" and "chicken" curry. The sweet and sour was a bit too saucy and needed more rice or veg to soak it up, the lamb was tofu based and a bit tough but tasty. The chicken curry really stood out, it had complex flavours and the mock chicken was tender and tasty. The place is popular with tourists but isn't a rip off, under $17US for 3 beers and the food.

Delicious Vietnamese vegetarian dishes. Upstairs balcony has great streetview. Very kind en helpful staff.

My friends and I recently ate here twice while visiting Hanoi. Half of our group of six were Vegan. The restaurant easily accommodated our mixed dietary needs. I enjoyed the Marinara Pizza without cheese on both occasions. The crust was thin and crisp. The sauce was tasty. I had olives, pineapple and fresh tomatoes as toppings. I had 2 glasses of the Mango/passion fruit juice also on both occasions. The service was friendly with the same waitress waiting on us both times. She remembered us from our first visit. She willing divided the bill in three for each couple. The setting was pleasant which was a relief from all the activity on the street. Our group enjoyed a upper floor room to our selves. Overall our experience was excellent. Note Gecko is a chain with at least three locations. We did not try the other locations.

Ate here cos I was desperate, don't order fake pork, it's worse than eating rubber and tastes horrible. The sweet and sour sauce it came on was really nice and the restaurant was quaint.

It was tough to find good vegetarian food in Hanoi during my one week stay. I found nearby Tamarind bland. But Gecko (several locations) has two pages of vegetarian/vegan dishes at the back of the menu. They foods we sampled were quite tasty and were well-seasoned. The "beef" was done well as was the "pork." The "chicken" was more like firm tofu. As at most places you can find fresh fruit juices, lassi, and milk shakes. Friendly staff and free Internet connection is available. I have no complaints. It was the best restaurant for me.

A warning, though: in general when eating in Vietnam (and probably most of SE Asia), some places seem to think fish sauce is vegetarian. So the clear dipping liquid with some pepper flakes floating in it is probably fish sauce. Ask if it is and then ask for a substitute such as rice vinegar or a hot sauce. I'm certain that some of the vegetarian dishes on menus of other restaurants were made with fish sauce. Seems safe at Gecko.