Dirty Lips Cafe Hoi An

A riverside cafe that handles coffee well – the double-shot cappuccino gets consistent praise, and the club sandwiches with chicken and ham are solid lunch material. The vibe is relaxed enough to open a laptop and stay a while, especially when rain is bouncing off the street outside.

The food menu is more ambiguous. Stick to what they do well (coffee, sandwiches) and skip anything that sounds like a stretch – the chicken rice and anything labeled ‘Greek salad’ have disappointed people who wandered off-script.

Prices sit slightly above the neighborhood average, which is fine when the coffee delivers and less fine when it doesn’t. The river view from certain seats justifies the markup more than the menu does.