34

Workshop14

Hanoi

• Three Cents Best New Opening Award 2026
• The Best Bar in Vietnam 2026

Complex cocktails at the vanguard of Vietnam’s drinks landscape

Tucked into what was once an architect's studio on the shores of West Lake, Workshop14 positions itself as the "14th Craft Village" of the Tay Ho district, a nod to the thirteen historic craft villages that once surrounded the old Thăng Long citadel. Guests step through a traditional wooden gate into a space of warm wood, raw texture and soft light filtering through skylights, where the mood is calm and contemplative and the service attentive without ever intruding. The veranda offers a particularly good perch for settling in slowly, and the bar's considered pace makes it somewhere to arrive with time to spare rather than a destination for a quick drink.

That patience extends to the programme, overseen by cocktail veteran Rich McDonough, whose pedigree spans 69 Colebrooke Row and Bar Termini among others, and who approaches Vietnamese ingredients and Modernist technique with an almost obsessive clarity of intent. Can't Stand the Heat reworks the margarita using vacuum re-distillation to capture the flavour of Vietnamese chilli without the burn, while Terry's Chocolate Orange pressure-infuses cognac with Marou cacao nibs, milk-clarifying the result into something silky, aromatic and surprisingly nuanced. The Deacon Frealicious, built on whisky and Lucano bitters clarified with lemon cordial, is smoke, bitterness and brightness in near-perfect proportion, and Stormy Weather pairs Monsoon rum with a green peppercorn vacuum distillate and clarified Dong Du guava cordial for a highball of real local character. Opened in early 2025, Workshop14 took the Campari One To Watch Award on the extended Asia's 50 Best Bars list within months of opening and this year it secures a clutch of special honours, earning the Three Cents Best New Opening Award 2026 and The Best Bar in Vietnam 2026 Award.

Contact