For a city with only a handful of Chinese and Indian oriented restaurants, Kazan sure offers a ridiculous number of Vietnamese joints to its denizens. Practically any mall has a spot or two offering at least some spring rolls, and Bauman Street is home to three Vietnamese restaurants that I alone could find. I am quite confused as to why that was the case. Why was Vietnamese cuisine so popular here? I did my research and found nothing relevant. It does not appear that there was a history of refugees coming here during the Vietnam War, nor is there some other special bond. No matter the case, if you want to try Vietnamese food in depth like us, or if you already know and love it, and wish to sate your appetite for it during your travels in Tatarstan, know that Kazan will do the trick for you!
Hot Pho – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUoyJQf0D
Hot Pho is one of the more fast-food style Vietnamese eateries in Kazan. I only had their spring rolls, and honestly it was not great. The sauce was seriously lacking some kick and even sodium, and the rolls themselves were quite bland. Shrimps were tasty and they were plump, but that was it. Service was nice and it was found in a mall with nothing else that garnered my attention so a chance can be given to them if you are around that region, likely exploring the Victory Park over there.
Food Hanoi-89 – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUoyJeC8C
Despite being the less hygienic of the two “proper” Vietnamese restaurants in this list, Food Hanoi-89 is by far my favourite one. Sure, the service is non-existent, and the tables seem like they were not cleaned since the day they were bought, but, none of this really changes the life changing taste of the meals served here! Anything from their fried seafood filled snacks to their heavenly Tom Yam, all was done justice within this tiny joint. If you care too much about hygiene, I guess, do not come here. If you know that good food often comes out of not the best-looking kitchens, give this joint a shot, and you will fall in love at first sight. And before anyone asks, yeah, I went there two times, hence the two different combos.
SaiGon – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUoyJqr9A
SaiGon is the exact opposite of Food Hanoi-89 in many ways. They both seem to be run by Vietnamese folks and have kitchens full of them cooking all day long, but SaiGon is the dandier “date” place whereas the former is anything but that. This being said, believe it or not prices do not change much between them, if at all. The taste profile here is a lot milder though, and everything tastes a bit more Slavic if that makes sense. Spices are toned down, and sauces are less flavourful. The whole place is quite clean, and that cleanness seemed to be the theme even in the taste of their dishes. I think SaiGon is the best place to start your journey into Vietnamese cuisine in this particular Russian town, but do not be afraid of changing it up a bit by going to Food Hanoi-89 the next day as we did, which is literally next door anyways.
