editorial

Summer Le of Nén Danang talks about the best bites in and around her hometown.
<figure id="attachment_157270" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157270" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-157270" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Nen-Danang-Starters-and-Chef-Owner-Summer-Le.jpeg" alt="Starters at Nén Danang and the restaurant’s chef-owner Summer Le." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Nen-Danang-Starters-and-Chef-Owner-Summer-Le.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Nen-Danang-Starters-and-Chef-Owner-Summer-Le-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Nen-Danang-Starters-and-Chef-Owner-Summer-Le-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Nen-Danang-Starters-and-Chef-Owner-Summer-Le-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157270" class="wp-caption-text">Starters at Nén Danang and the restaurant’s chef-owner Summer Le. (Courtesy of Nén Restaurants)</figcaption></figure>
Long hailed for its street food, Da Nang these days brims with culinary talent in its high-end kitchens. Beyond La Maison 1888—the city’s only Michelin-starred venue—there are pioneers like chef-restaurateur Summer Le, who was awarded Vietnam’s first-ever Michelin Green Star in 2024 for her work at <a href="https://restaurantnen.com/nen-danang-restaurant/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nén Danang</a>. Nén specializes in story-driven modern Vietnamese cuisine focused on hyper-local foodstuffs: think banana rhizome, rice straw, and edibles laden with cultural symbolism like betel and areca. Le also cites the restaurant’s namesake, a small and deeply aromatic wild allium that “represents the idea that humble ingredients can hold great potential.”
Aside from the Da Nang flagship, Nén has grown to include Nén Light Saigon and Le’s first international outpost, Nén Tokyo, which opened last September. She describes it as “a dialogue between Vietnam and Japan, where Vietnamese culinary thinking meets Japanese seasonal ingredients.”
So, where does Le eat during her time off? Gourmands can try out these spots in Da Nang and Hoi An:
Banh Xeo Ba Duong
“Ba Duong is legendary for its banh xeo [crispy stuffed rice pancakes]. My first childhood home was in the next alley, so I used to go there often as a kid. Back then it was just a tiny shop and we would sit in the front yard to eat. Today the place has expanded to almost 10 times its original size, but it’s still hidden in the same little alley. Walking through that small lane and suddenly finding such a bustling restaurant is part of the charm. What I’ve always loved most is their dipping sauce. It’s a thick, complex mix of peanut, pâté, sesame, and many other ingredients. In southern Vietnam, banh xeo is usually eaten with fish sauce, but in Da Nang it’s this rich peanut–pâté sauce that defines the dish, and Ba Duong makes one of the best versions.”
<figure id="attachment_157271" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157271" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-157271" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Si-Dining-Restaurant-Da-Nang-Chef-Alessio-Rasom-and-Italian-Dish.jpeg" alt="Si Dining’s chef Alessio Rasom; his ever-changing menu showcases local ingredients in fine Italian fare." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Si-Dining-Restaurant-Da-Nang-Chef-Alessio-Rasom-and-Italian-Dish.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Si-Dining-Restaurant-Da-Nang-Chef-Alessio-Rasom-and-Italian-Dish-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Si-Dining-Restaurant-Da-Nang-Chef-Alessio-Rasom-and-Italian-Dish-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Si-Dining-Restaurant-Da-Nang-Chef-Alessio-Rasom-and-Italian-Dish-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157271" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Si Dining’s chef Alessio Rasom; his changing menu showcases local ingredients in fine Italian fare. (Courtesy of Si Dining)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://sidiningdanang.com/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Si Dining</a>
“Chef Alessio Rasom is a good friend of mine, and he creates exquisite Italian cuisine inspired by local produce. On a recent visit, I loved the truffle chicken dish he made—the chicken sourced from Northern Vietnam was very high quality and cooked to perfection. It’s always interesting to see how a chef from another culture interprets the ingredients of the region, and Alessio does it with great finesse.”
Goi Ca Thanh Huong
“This place in an old fishing village does goi ca Nam O: fresh anchovies cured in a dry sesame spice mix or in fish sauce, ginger, and chili. It’s eaten as a roll: you wrap the anchovies in rice paper with wild herbs and vegetables, then dip it into fish sauce mixed with fish juices. Vietnamese dishes with raw fish are quite rare, which makes this one special.”
Quan Ba Cuong
“You can find dozens of seafood restaurants along Da Nang’s beach road, but if I had to pick one, it would be Ba Cuong. The experience is straightforward: you walk in, choose what you like, and tell them how you want it cooked: grilled, steamed, or otherwise. With seafood that fresh—most are still alive!—it’s hard to go wrong.”
<figure id="attachment_157268" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157268" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-157268" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/El-Gaucho-Steakhouse-Hoi-An-Pasta-and-Entrance.jpeg" alt="Pastas and grilled meats are mainstays at El Gaucho, a steakhouse in Hoi An." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/El-Gaucho-Steakhouse-Hoi-An-Pasta-and-Entrance.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/El-Gaucho-Steakhouse-Hoi-An-Pasta-and-Entrance-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/El-Gaucho-Steakhouse-Hoi-An-Pasta-and-Entrance-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/El-Gaucho-Steakhouse-Hoi-An-Pasta-and-Entrance-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157268" class="wp-caption-text">Pastas and grilled meats are mainstays at El Gaucho, a steakhouse in Hoi An. (Courtesy of El Gaucho)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://elgaucho.asia/vn/en/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">El Gaucho (Hoi An)</a>
“When celebrating a special occasion, I’d love to visit other fine dining restaurants, but since I’m friends with many of the chefs, it can sometimes be hard to enjoy the meal without too much attention. So, my usual go-to is the Argentinian restaurant El Gaucho. Their steaks are excellent, and the pastas are killers too. It’s a place where I can relax and enjoy a great meal with great service.”
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June/July 2026</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Down to Earth”). Buy a single issue or subscribe <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Vietnamese chef Summer Le with a tray of local ingredients at her flagship restaurant Nén Danang.

Where a Chef Eats in Da Nang