Among the countless snails in Hanoi, Oc Di Tu stands out for a special journey, from a small snail restaurant established in 2016 to being unexpectedly honored by Michelin Guide for 3 consecutive years in 2023, 2024, 2025. Few people know that the restaurant's starting point is not snails.
"At first, my family planned to open a broken rice restaurant, but when I went to the South to eat, I found the snails in the South so delicious and unique that I wanted to bring that flavor to the North," said the restaurant representative.
The restaurant owner's real name is Tu Anh but his intimate name is Tu, so the restaurant took the name of A Tu as a suggestion of the familiar name of the Southern people.
The restaurant's startup path was not easy, he said: "At first, it was quite difficult, compensating for losses continuously. A lot of snails are dumped because the items are not sold, not frozen but are dumped right away to ensure the customer experience".
In the early days, the family also brought chefs to the South to learn a trade, then worked and listened to customers' opinions to create a unique recipe suitable for Northern diners. However, there are also many Southern diners who praise it as delicious and suitable for their taste.
The special thing about the restaurant is not any "family secret". "The ingredients are imported directly from Quang Ninh and Phu Quoc; the small processing steps are only understood by those who directly cook, and there is no secret to calling them too special to name. How long does it take to boil snails, add a little ginger, a little vinegar... pick up a lot of small things to create a delicious bowl of snails", said the restaurant representative.
The restaurant's "nails" are salted egg snails, fried chicken feet with fish sauce and grilled chicken feet with garlic. Many people come to snail restaurants but do not eat snails but only eat the restaurants chicken feet, the restaurant owner revealed.
Glory came to the restaurant in a surprising way. In the first year, Michelin sent an invitation to attend the event, but because all the content was in English, no one could understand the staff. After being opened, the letter was lying in a drawer and gradually forgotten.
It was only when the event took place that a friend in the F&B industry informed the family that their restaurant had been recognized by Michelin Guide.
Although we didnt know anything about Michelin at that time, when I heard the childrens announcement, Aunt Tu cheered enthusiastically, the restaurant representative recalled.
Michelin has honored the restaurant for three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025. After the title, the number of international visitors increased, the largest being tourists from China, Korea and Thailand.
Despite the sudden increase in the number of customers, according to the restaurant, maintaining quality to satisfy diners is a big challenge. Seafood prices are constantly fluctuating, especially after super typhoon Yagi, supply has decreased sharply, many items have increased in price by 1.5 to 2 times compared to before.
With a moderate price menu (adult of 50,000 - 200,000 VND/dish), airy space, the dish always maintains stable quality. The restaurant is one of the few addresses that is highly appreciated by gourmets and still retains its familiarity and ease of approach.
Ms. Nguyen Thu Huyen (Hanoi) shared: "My first impression was that the food was very delicious, the staff was enthusiastic, although there were many people, they arranged tables very quickly. My favorite snail dish is fragrant, fragrant and not fishy. With this flavor, the restaurant is completely worthy of being Michelin-listed.
Mr. Tuan (Thanh Hoa) said: "This is the second time I have come. The first time was by chance because I saw too many people, I wanted to go in and see why there were so many people. Fresh, carefully selected items should be very delicious. I like shrimp salad because it has a little Thai flavor but still retains Vietnamese features".
Among the myriad of culinary options in Hanoi, this Saigon snail restaurant not only attracts diners with its delicious dishes and reasonable prices but also because of its enduring story from simple passion.
