For us, everything revolves around a table. Eating in Phú Quốc is half the trip: seafood you pick yourself, a crispy pancake on a street corner, a steaming bowl of Pho when you wake. Here are the spots we love and keep coming back to, the ones from our everyday life on the island.
Seafood, we pick it out with our eyes
Our great pleasure hides in the center-east of the island: a restaurant where you walk along the tanks and pick your seafood one by one, still very much alive, before sitting down. The setting does the rest, a floating terrace set out over the water, feet almost in the sea.
We won't drop the name here, we'd rather take you there ourselves. It's the kind of meal that stretches out, where you raise a glass and lose track of time. The address book, we happily share it at the front desk.
"Một Hai Ba, yô!" Cyril's toast, the one we call out before clinking glasses at the table.
The Dương Đông night market
About fifteen minutes from the hotel, around the Dinh Cậu rock and temple, the night market of Dương Đông lights up as day falls. You wander between the stalls of grilled seafood, you nibble, you taste a bit of everything: it's street food at its liveliest, the kind we love to share.
The same neighborhood is worth two visits. Come in the morning for the fish market, when the boats come in, and in the evening for the night market. Hours shift with the seasons: check the day before.
The must-haves: Bánh Xèo in the evening, Pho in the morning
Two dishes set the rhythm of our days. In the evening, we head for a Bánh Xèo, the Vietnamese crispy pancake you fold, dip and share. In the morning, it's Pho and nothing else: we eat it every day, a steaming bowl that wakes you far better than a coffee. These are the two meals we recommend with our eyes closed to anyone discovering the island.
Sweet treats and the nước mắm to bring home
For the evening stroll and the sweet note, we love to wander around Grand World, which comes alive once night falls. Sometimes we raise a glass of sim wine there, that little myrtle-berry wine typical of the island, to savor without rushing.
But the real souvenir to slip into your suitcase is the nước mắm, Phú Quốc's fish sauce. The first Southeast Asian product protected by a European PDO, since 2012: black anchovies fermented in salt in wooden barrels for 12 to 18 months, for a sauce clearer and milder than elsewhere. To taste on the spot, to bring home for sure. And if you've got room left, a little Phú Quốc pepper will do the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Where to eat the best seafood in Phú Quốc?
Our favorite spot is in the center-east of the island: you pick your seafood one by one before sitting down at a floating terrace. We don't give out the name, but we're glad to guide you there from the front desk.
The Dương Đông night market, what time should you go?
It's about 15 minutes from the hotel, around the Dinh Cậu rock. Evenings for the night market and its grilled seafood, mornings for the fish market. Hours change with the seasons, so check the day before.
What is nước mắm and can you bring some home?
It's Phú Quốc's iconic fish sauce, the first Southeast Asian product protected by a European PDO since 2012. Made from black anchovies fermented in salt for 12 to 18 months, clearer and milder than elsewhere. Yes, it's the tasty souvenir to bring home.
What should you absolutely taste in Phú Quốc?
Our must-haves: a Pho in the morning, a Bánh Xèo in the evening, seafood picked on the spot and, for home, the nước mắm. It's our everyday trio, tested and approved every single day.
Cyril and Adèle, two French expats settled in Phú Quốc. Adèle, born in Saigon, has lived and breathed hospitality since she was 15; Cyril, an epicurean and endlessly curious, loves to travel. At Cybade, we welcome you like family, and every address in the Journal, we've tried ourselves.
