This post introduces the tasty local foods in Hanoi, which will bring an exciting experience to your taste buds.
Under each dish, Vietnamdrive’s team adds well-known addresses for you to stop by and enjoy when traveling to Hanoi, Vietnam.
1. Pho Hanoi
Pho is a typical local dish of the Hanoi people. When we talk about Hanoi, we think about Pho Hanoi. It is a combination of soft, thin noodles made from rice flour, cooked chicken or beef, and bone broth.
To get a tasty bowl of pho, the bone broth needs to be seasoned and cooked quite elaborately. It requires the chef’s high experience and relatively sophisticated ingredients and flavorings.
There are various Pho types corresponding to the different kinds of meat used, such as rare beef pho, well-cooked beef pho, chicken pho, beef ball pho, or tendon pho.
Some famous addresses to enjoy this dish:
- Pho Bat Dan: 49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Pho Thin Bo Ho: 61 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Au Trieu beef pho: 34 Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Ly Quoc Su Pho: 10 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Pho Ga Nguyet: 05B Phu Doan, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
2. Bun Cha Hanoi
A delicious and equally famous local dish is Bun Cha. It deserves to be considered the top 1 delicious dish in the capital of Vietnam.
This is also a flavorful dish chosen by US President Obama to enjoy during his trip to Vietnam while in office.
The dish includes the main ingredients including fresh vermicelli noodles made from rice flour, ground pork, grilled pork, sweet and sour fish sauce, raw Vietnamese vegetables, carrots, and green papaya.
Some popular addresses include:
- Bun Cha Huong Lien: This noodle shop is also known by many people by the unique name “Bun Cha Obama”. Address: No. 24 Le Van Huu, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
- Bun Cha Tuyet 34: 34 Hang Than, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- Sinh Tu Bun Cha: 02 Nguyen Phong Sac, Cau Giay District, Hanoi
3. Hot Spring Rolls (Banh Cuon Nong)
Coming to Hanoi on cold days, Banh Cuon Nong attracts people’s hearts. If you have the opportunity to come here, try it to feel its appeal.
The rice wrappers used for hot spring rolls are also made from rice flour. The cook will coat a thin layer of dough on a specialized steamer and steam it until cooked. After the wrapper is cooked, it will be taken out of the steamer and rolled inside a layer of stir-fried minced pork and ear-cat mushrooms.
These spring rolls are served with meat pie, boiled meat, Vietnamese herbs, and fish sauce.
The chef only cooks the rolls as soon as the customer orders, so diners need to have a certain amount of waiting time. The dish is served while it is still very hot and that is the reason for the name hot spring rolls.
Some places selling delicious hot spring rolls in Hanoi:
- Ba Xuan rice spring rolls: 16 Doc Hoe Nhai, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- Banh Cuon Gia An: 25 Thai Phien, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
- Banh Cuon Phu Ly: 39 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
4. Egg coffee
Its strange name creates a unique feature in Hanoi cuisine. It’s a pity if you come to Vietnam and haven’t enjoyed Vietnamese coffee, it’s like coming to Hanoi and not trying egg coffee.
This special drink is the result of the marriage between Vietnamese coffee and eggs through matchmaking from the meticulous hands of the bartender. It’s difficult to describe the unique flavor of egg coffee, so experience it and feel it with your own senses.
Although, currently, the recipe for making a cup of egg coffee has become popular throughout the three regions of this country. However, only when being Hanoi, egg coffee brings its true flavor.
A few addresses are often chosen by egg coffee lovers:
- Giang Coffee: 39 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Ancient Town Coffee: 11 Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Dinh Coffee: Floor 2, number 13, Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
>> See more egg coffee shops in Hanoi here.
5. Cha Ca La Vong (La Vong Grilled Fish)
Cha Ca is a long-standing traditional dish of the Hanoi people. The tasty flavor of the dish has made various generations of Hanoi people nostalgic.
La Vong grilled fish dish is made from fresh Lang fish meat. Lang fish is one kind of freshwater fish, the same family as catfish, and called “Bagridae” in English.
The chef needs to carefully marinate the fish with the required special ingredients such as turmeric, galangal, ginger, onions, garlic, fermented rice, and shrimp paste.
After the fish is marinated, it will be grilled until fragrant. This grilled fish is served with typical sauce, fresh vermicelli, and dill.
Addresses for you to taste this delicious dish:
- Vua Cha Ca: 48 Nguyen Thi Dinh, Cau Giay district, Hanoi
- Cha Ca Ha Thanh (Ha Thanh grilled fish): 32 Nguyen Van Huyen, Cau Giay district, Hanoi
- Thang Long fish cake: 19-21-31 Duong Thanh Street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
6. Banh Mi Hanoi
Banh Mi become a famous street food in Vietnam. The bread is not only delicious and has tasty toppings, but the price is also extremely cheap. Many international tourists rate Vietnamese Banh Mi as the best baguette in the world.
There are diverse fillings to choose from such as meat pie, grilled pork, stir-fried beef, sausages, pate, tuna, and cold meats. In particular, each baguette cannot lack green vegetables. Depending on the store, vegetables may include lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, green onions, and sweet and sour carrots.
Some places selling delicious bread in Hanoi:
- Banh Mi Pho (Pho Bread): 57C Dinh Tien Hoan, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Banh Mi Ba Dan (Mrs. Dan Bread): 34 Lo Su, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Banh Mi Pho Co (Old Quarter Bread): 38 Dinh Liet, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
7. Snails
For those who love cuisine in Vietnam’s capital, snails are an irresistible dish to try. There are many types of snails here, from sea snails such as flavorful snails, nail snails, abalone, and claims, to freshwater snails such as black big snails, coconut snails, freshwater nail snails, and rice snails. Depending on the type and method of preparation, each snail dish will create a different taste.
A few suggestions for snail restaurants to enjoy:
- Hai Phong Big Snail: 57, Lane 82, Chua Lang, Dong Da district, Hanoi
- Oc Vi Saigon: 21 Gia Ngu, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Oc Di Tu: 144C Quan Thanh, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
8. Chicken instant noodle soup
Chicken instant noodle soup is a late-night dish that young people love in Hanoi City. The food is a combination of instant noodles with nutritious chicken stewed with traditional herbs.
The deliciousness of the dish depends on the broth. The cook will stew the chicken meat with Chinese herbs, such as Dang Quy, jujubes, lotus seeds, and goji berries. In particular, the indispensable spice that makes this dish special is mugwort.
Eaters will feel the characteristic aroma of traditional Chinese medicine. Slightly bitter taste of wormwood. The taste of chicken broth is sweet. All create a unique and unforgettable dish.
During cold winter days in Hanoi, a bowl of chicken noodle soup becomes more delicious.
Try it at one of these outstanding addresses:
- Ga Tan Co Bien: Alley 285 Doi Can Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- Mi Ga Tan 24 Hang Bo: 24 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Ga Tan Mai Huong: 12 Hang Cot, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
>> You may want to check the popular places to sell fried chicken in Hanoi.
9. Banh Com (Young Rice Cake)
Banh Com has long been a snack bearing the break of Hanoi style. This one has the fragrant taste of young sticky rice and the sweetness of green bean filling.
The cake is handmade according to traditional Hanoian recipes. The cake does not contain preservatives, so its shelf life is quite short, usually 5 days. With the main ingredient being young sticky rice, the cake is not suitable for storage in the refrigerator.
Even though it has a short shelf life, for Vietnamese people, every time they have the opportunity to come to Hanoi, they buy some Com cake to take home as a gift.
Famous Com cake brands here include:
- Banh Com Lang Vong Ba Hoan: 36, lane 63, Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay district, Hanoi
- Banh Com Nguyen Ninh: 11 Hang Than, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- Banh Com Xua Nay: 60 Hang Than, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
10. Local Donut
Local donut is also known as Orange cake, or Banh Cam in Vietnamese. The crust is made from glutinous rice flour, the inside includes sweet or salty fillings.
The sweet filling is made from cooked green beans and added sugar. The savory filling is made from meat and wood ear mushrooms. Depending on the filling, people divide it into salty donuts and sweet donuts.
Sweet donuts include sesame donuts, honey donuts, and sugar donuts. This division depends on whether the outer layer of the crust is sesame, sugar, or molasses.
Donuts are quite cheap but with flavorful taste. For many locals, donuts are always a “never tired of eating” snack.
Addresses that sell delicious donuts in Hanoi:
- Gia Trinh Donuts: 16A Ly Nam De, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Banh Ran Co Truyen Duong Mat (Traditional molasses donuts): 52 Hang Chieu, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Goc Da Restaurant: 52 Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Enjoying the flavorful local Hanoi food is an indispensable part of making a beautiful trip to this city. So, before your journey begins, prepare a list of the famous delicious dishes, which becomes useful because exploring food contributes to the fun of your trip.
Hanoi City, where many dishes converge from all three regions of the country, promises to give you diverse culinary experiences.
Of course, the capital’s typical delicacies will not be limited to luxury restaurants with European standards. Those are small local restaurants with “very Hanoi” chefs – people born and raised on this land. Their dishes have traditional daily flavors and are bold in Hanoi style.
Most famous restaurants in Hanoi only specialize in selling a certain dish. Therefore, it contains the extensive experience of the cook and the acceptance of diners over a long period.
Thus, please save this post and address above to come to taste the local flavor when visiting Hanoi, Vietnam.