Emoi Izakaya Izakaya & Bar in Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi

EMOI is a Japanese izakaya at 63 Ham Long, and what guests remember is not a dish but a wall covered in hundreds of wooden ema plaques — the kind hung at Japanese shrines to write a wish — all written by the restaurant's own guests. Its Google profile holds 4.8 stars across more than four hundred reviews. The name, written エモい in Japanese, is slang for a rush of feeling that is hard to name.

More photos and details: Website Emoi Izakaya

Where is EMOI? Address and opening hours

The restaurant is at 63 Ham Long Street, Cua Nam Ward, Hanoi — before 1 July 2025 part of Hang Bai Ward, Hoan Kiem District — about a kilometre from Hoan Kiem Lake. It opens 6 PM to 12:30 AM every day of the week, weekends included; hours may shift on public holidays. On Google Maps it is listed as Emoi Izakaya.

The room: paper lanterns and a wall of ema plaques

The ceiling is packed with paper lanterns lettered in Japanese; one wall carries hundreds of wooden ema plaques bearing guests' wishes; a shrine roof edged in red light stands inside the room; paper fans printed with ukiyo-e hang alongside velvet sofas set behind brass-slat railings. Staff wear blue happi coats with orange trim. This is a room that follows one idea through rather than hanging up a few Japanese props.

The food: sashimi, skewers and a seasonal menu

According to guides to the restaurant, the menu runs to sashimi, tuna nigiri, seafood gunkan, seafood hand rolls, teriyaki eel, wagyu carpaccio and grilled skewers. Each quarter the kitchen releases a seasonal menu with Vietnamese notes — so returning after a few months brings new dishes. The current menu is sent when you book.

Eighties city pop and a DJ

The soundtrack is 1980s Japanese city pop, jazz and soul — pitched for conversation rather than dancing. When the room lifts, a DJ plays live, and occasionally a costumed act parades between the tables. That lets EMOI serve both an early dinner and a late-night sitting.

Four seating areas at EMOI

Based on the actual room: velvet sofas behind the railing for small groups wanting more privacy, long tables under the lanterns for larger groups, the corner beside the ema wall — the most requested seat in the house — and a birthday table area. If you want the ema corner, say so when you book.

Birthdays at EMOI

This is the restaurant's speciality: staff open a Happy Birthday paper fan, raise an illuminated sign and get the whole room clapping and singing along. Give at least a day's notice so the team can set the table for your group and prepare the celebration.

Parking and getting there

Motorbikes park in front; cars use a nearby car park. Ham Long is a central street, so it is a few minutes by taxi from the Old Quarter or the hotels around Hoan Kiem Lake. Doors open at 6 PM; book ahead for a sofa or the ema corner, with Friday and Saturday the busiest nights.

Photos of Emoi Izakaya

The Emoi Izakaya photo set on this page has twelve pictures taken at 63 Ham Long. The view of the main room shows the ema plaque wall, a shrine roof lined with red lights and a ceiling of paper lanterns lettered in Japanese, including four lanterns spelling out E-M-O-I. The performance pictures show staff in happi coats opening a Happy Birthday paper fan and holding up a light board, and a costumed act with bamboo hats and kimono parading down the aisle between the tables. The moments section has friends around a long table under the lanterns, a table game and a group taking a selfie by the ema wall — the most requested spot in the house.

Reviews of Emoi Izakaya

On Google Maps, Emoi Izakaya holds 4.8 stars from more than 420 reviews — a high score on a large sample for a venue in the old Hoan Kiem area. It gets mentioned for the ema wall written by its own guests, the way a birthday gets the whole room clapping and singing along, and a seasonal menu each quarter that works Vietnamese notes into Japanese cooking. One honest note: Friday and Saturday evenings and nights with several birthday tables tend to fill up, and late-evening service is for guests aged 18 and over. Nightclub.com.vn also records reviews from guests who booked through the platform and showed up — see the Reviews section below.

Emoi Izakaya menu

The Emoi Izakaya menu runs izakaya-style: sashimi and thinly sliced wagyu carpaccio; tuna nigiri, seafood gunkan and hand rolls; Japanese street-style grilled skewers and teriyaki eel, served on hand-painted ceramic plates. Each quarter the kitchen releases a seasonal set that keeps the Japanese approach but works in flavours Vietnamese guests know — come back a few months later and there will be new dishes. The venue does not publish a priced menu on its website; the full menu and the latest seasonal set are sent on Zalo or by hotline when you book through Nightclub.com.vn.

Booking a table at EMOI Hanoi

Booking through Nightclub.com.vn is free, needs no deposit, is confirmed within minutes and is paid at the venue. State your group size and preferred area; book the early sitting for a full meal, or the late sitting for the DJ hours.