By 11:30 a.m., three out of four rooms in their home are full. Staff bustle around serving piping hot dishes of fish sauce-fried chicken feet and salt-roasted wings. Inside the compact kitchen, the owners and their helpers hustle to keep up with the rush.

“This place is always full,” said Yen, a longtime customer from Cua Nam Ward. “If you don’t come early, you’ll have to wait forever. I’ve been eating here for ten years and never get tired of it. Back then, the owner used to lower food down from the second floor in a plastic bag tied to a string because the dining space was even more cramped.”

The hunt for hidden flavor

Quy and his wife have been selling chicken feet and wings for ten years, making their eatery one of Hanoi’s best-known street food stops - despite its inconvenient location. Some diners joke that finding the shop feels like playing hide-and-seek, and anyone lacking patience may just give up and walk away.

The shop is hidden deep within a “super narrow” alley off Hue Street in Hai Ba Trung District, marked only by a barely visible sign. Guests must park their motorbikes outside for a fee of about $0.20, then walk through an alley barely wide enough for one person, before climbing an old staircase to the second floor.

The eatery operates from the family’s collective housing unit, where three generations of Quy’s family have lived.

“Initially, we only served guests in our living room,” Quy said. “But as more people came, we had to expand into other rooms and even bought the neighbor’s unit. Now the total floor space is around 120 square meters, enough to host over 100 guests at once.”

The shop uses floor seating with cushions, designed to feel homey and casual. “We’ve added doors and a separate area for shoes so we don’t disturb the neighbors,” Quy added.

Inspired by street food in the South

Years ago, Quy and his wife spent time in Ho Chi Minh City trying to start a business. They developed a love for street food, especially deep-fried squid with fish sauce. His wife experimented with recreating the flavor using chicken, and in 2015, they brought that passion back to Hanoi.

“At first, it was just the two of us doing everything. My mother helped serve and clean. Since we operated from home, we saved on rent, even though the location wasn’t ideal,” said Quy.

The original menu had only two items - fried chicken feet in fish sauce and salt-roasted wings - served with simple sides like pickled cucumber and fries.

Every day, the chicken wings and feet are sourced from trusted suppliers, then cleaned and blanched with ginger and lemongrass to remove odor. Next, they’re lightly battered and refrigerated.

The sauce, made by Quy’s wife, blends four main ingredients. The fish sauce must be rich but not overly salty, resulting in a glaze with a perfect balance of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy, and a deep caramel hue.

“At peak hours, we pre-fry the chicken to about 60% doneness,” Quy explained. “Then we fry it again when an order comes in. That keeps the outer layer crispy and hot, while the inside stays tender and flavorful.”

A special flour coating ensures long-lasting crispiness without drying out the meat.

A homemade recipe that keeps crowds coming back

A single chicken foot costs about $0.55, while a chicken wing is $1.10.

The signature sauce is made fresh every day and never reused. For the salt-roasted chicken, the couple prepares their own spice mix weekly - refusing to use store-bought powders.

“The salt mix is a bit of work,” Quy said. “We even puff and grind shrimp crackers to get that unique texture and flavor. Some customers say it reminds them of snack chips.”

As customer tastes evolve, the menu has expanded to include spicy lemongrass chicken feet, mala-style dishes, and even Thai hotpot. Their hotpot is especially popular on food delivery apps.

Currently, the shop has an impressive 4.3-star rating from nearly 400 Google reviews. Though the space can feel cramped during peak hours, guests consistently praise the friendly staff, quick service, and cleanliness.

The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Linh Trang & Nguyen Huy