This is my experience at the famous Pub With Cold Beer in Phong Nha. Expecting a normal fried chicken lunch, I ended up choosing and killing the chicken I would eat in a very immersive and eye-opening experience. It was farm-to-table in the truest sense. This is one of the most unique things I did in Vietnam and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to connect with the local people here and immerse yourself in their way of life. (As long as you eat meat). 

Duration: 1-2 hours

Commute: 20 minute drive

Cost: $20 for meal (feeds 2-4 people)

WHY THE PUB WITH COLD BEER IS FAMOUS

We had heard the Pub With Cold Beer was the first restaurant to serve cold beer in the Phong Nha region in Central Vietnam. We went partly because of this, and partly to try a local staple: fried chicken with peanut sauce. Little did we know it was also famous for the beheading the chicken experience, and that it is a renowned farm-to-table restaurant. Everything they serve at the restaurant, from the peanuts to the chicken, is grown or sourced from their farm.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Pub With Cold Beer is located here. It is a 15 to 20 minute drive from the Phong Nha town area, down the road from my favorite place in Asia: the Duck Stop.

There are two routes to get there—the route on the highway and the route through the backroads. We highly recommend the highway route (especially if it’s raining) as it is very scenic and there are already plenty of dirt backroads you will have to drive through regardless of the route you take. 

Against our better judgement, Kenzie and I opted to take the route through the backroads when it was raining. We soon found ourselves slipping and sliding through a muddy rice paddy field—even entirely wiping out at one point. We luckily missed out on falling on top of one of the huge piles of cow dung that were scattered all around us. Kenzie ended up walking behind me while I drove through the rest of the slippery parts until we arrived.

OUR EXPERIENCE

We pulled into the parking area soaking wet and the place looked deserted. There was a massive pool, a big sheltered area with tables and benches, a few small buildings, and no people to be found. Then a Vietnamese lady came out of one of the buildings and after us asking, confirmed that the restaurant was open!

She gave us a menu to look at and we noticed that the only way to order fried chicken here was to order the whole chicken, priced by the kilo. We decided to go for it because we were hungry, and this is what we came for after all. We also ordered a couple beers to sip on while we waited.

We moved to sit down, but the lady gestured at us to follow her. She led us to a chicken den, walked in, and pulled out a live chicken carrying it by the legs. Everything from here happened very fast. She weighed it (it was 1.5 Kilos), then asked us if we were good with it. We nodded, then she handed it to me by the legs and gestured for us to wait as she ran inside for something. She emerged with a huge butchers knife and said “chop chop”. She then handed the knife to ME and repeated herself: “chop chop”! Then she counted down from three…“Three, Two, One, CHOP CHOP!” And I chopped it off. 

I’m not going to lie, I was definitely lost in thought for a little bit as we sipped our beers (which were indeed cold) waiting for the lady to prepare our chicken for us. I had little blood splashes all over my cheap plastic poncho. I decided that if I am willing to eat meat at all, I shouldn’t have a problem with killing the animal myself. Someone else would have killed it regardless, and there’s no guarantee it would be done humanely. It did feel slightly like Game of Thrones though.

After about 45 minutes, the lady brought out our chicken—fully fried, and served with rice, spinach, and a bowl of peanut sauce. It was in fact extremely delicious. The meat was a bit tough, but that’s to be expected because these chickens weren’t mass bred to be plump like they are in the GMO-using western world. It doesn’t get any fresher than this.

SHOULD YOU GO TO THE PUB WITH COLD BEER?

Well only you can answer that one. It was very eye-opening for us to follow a local and be more connected to the food we consumed. I have heard that you don’t actually have to kill the chicken and that she will do it herself if you are unwilling. Either way, this was unlike anything I had ever done before, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and immersed me in a way of life that was completely different than my own. These are the kinds of experiences I live for when I travel.