Hanoi has undoubtedly one of the most diverse and unique cuisines in Asia and the world with its colorful flavors of sweet sour spicy and the crunchy texture of fresh herbs that dial down the strong flavors, creating a culinary harmony in your mouth. Here are the top 10 dishes you MUST try as a tourist in Hanoi, Vietnam.
1. Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup)
THE classic Vietnamese signature dish is probably one of the best foods Hanoi has to offer, this dish consists of the aromatic soup, filled with slices of beef, rice noodles and a plateful of fresh herbs. There are many places that sell this Hanoi food. One of the best place to eat Pho in Hanoi is Pho Gia Truyen. Be sure to get there early, as there is usually a long line!
*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:
Location: Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan
Address: 49 Bát Đàn, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: 6-10AM; 6-8.30PM Mon-Sun
Distance from our hotel: 1 km - 13 min walk
2. Bun cha (Vermicelli Noodle with Grilled Pork)
Bun Cha was the dish that president Obama fell in love with when he first came to Hanoi. Understandably so as this is one of the most flavorful and outstanding dishes of Vietnamese cuisine. Bún chả is served with grilled fatty pork over a plate of white rice noodle and herbs with a side dish of dipping sauce. The dish was described in 1959 by Vietnamese food writer Vu Bang (1913–1984) who described Hanoi as a town "transfixed by bún chả." Hanoi's first bún chả restaurant was on Gia Ngư, Hoàn Kiếm District, in Hanoi's Old Quarter.
*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:
Bun Cha Ta Hanoi:
Address: 21 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: 8- 10PM
Distance from our hotel: 450 m - 5 min walk
Bun cha Dac Kim:
Address: 1 Hàng Mành, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: 9AM- 9PM
Distance from our hotel: 850 m - 10 min walk
Bun cha Huong Lien:
Address: 24 Lê Văn Hưu, Phan Chu Trinh, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội
Hours: 8AM- 8:30PM
Distance from our hotel: 1.8 km - 9 min by car
3. Bun rieu cua (Crab Vermicelli Noodle)
HanoiFreshwater crabs flavor this tangy tomato soup that's made with round rice vermicelli and topped with pounded crabmeat, deep-fried tofu and, often, congealed blood. An odoriferous purple shrimp paste is offered on the side -- it tastes delicious. Chilies and fresh herbs are the finishing touches for a complete one-dish meal. When northern Vietnam’s lush rice paddies are flooded, they’re the source of gray - shelled crabs roughly the size of a silver dollar. At Hanoi wet markets, vendors pry off the crustacean’s top shell, scoop out its fat and pound the rest of the body to bits in large mortars or electric grinders.
*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:
Location: Bun rieu Hang Luoc
Address: 14 Hàng Lược, Hàng Mã, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: 6-10AM
Distance from our hotel: 1 km - 14 min walk
4. Cha ca Ha Noi (Turmeric Fish with Dill)
There is an entire street in Hanoi dedicated to this special dish. This is Cha Ca La Vong -- one of the oldest eateries in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the first to set up shop on Cha Ca Street, over a century ago. Hanoi's most famous dish Cha ca dates back more than 130 years. It was first invented by the local Doan family, who served the special dish to troops during French colonial rule. There's a street in Hanoi that's entirely dedicated to chả cá -- a vermicelli noodle dish with turmeric-spiced catfish that diners grill themselves.
*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:
Location: Cha Ca Thang Long
Address: 21 - 31 Đường Thành, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours:10AM - 9.39PM
Distance from our hotel: 1 km - 13 min walk
5. Banh mi (Vietnamese Baguette)
While its origins are French, the Vietnamese have made it distinctively their own. Generally speaking it is an airy Vietnamese baguette made with a combination of wheat and rice flours with a thin crispy crust.
It is stuffed with pork, pâté, cured ham, a mélange of Vietnamese herbs and vegetables like coriander, cucumber, carrot, slices, radish and more depending on what part of the country you are in. A wealth of textures and flavors, you will savor spicy, salty, savory, sweet, and aromatic tastes in each bite.
*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:
Bánh Mì 25
Address: 25 Hàng Cá, P, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 9PM
Distance from our hotel: 950 m - 12 min walk
Banh Mi Hoi An
Address: 98 Hàng Bạc, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 10PM
Distance from our hotel: 550 m - 7 min walk
Banh Mi P
Address: 12 Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 1:30AM
Distance from our hotel: 650 m - 8 min walk
6. Banh cuon (Rolled Cake)
Banh Cuon, a type of rolled rice flour pancake, is an ordinary dish which could be found with no difficulty in wherever in Hanoi. Banh Cuon is a common breakfast for many Hanoians because it is cheap and served quickly. However, if you have time, Banh Cuon nong (hot rolled rice flour pancake), served right after being made, is highly recommended for you. Here we suggest tourists a list of top 5 best places to try Banh Cuon in Hanoi, which has been appreciated by many gourmets in the Vietnamese capital.
*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:
Location: Banh cuon nong
Address: 101 Ba Trieu Street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi.
Distance from our hotel: 2.2 km - 8 min by car
7. Xoi xeo (Sweet Sticky Rice)
Xoi xeo or sweet sticky rice usually comes with staple toppings of green mung bean paste, soy sauce, and dried shallots, but you can opt for a variety of add-ins such as pate, boiled chicken, cha lua (Vietnamese ham), marinated pork belly, or preserved eggs for a more substantial meal. Some restaurants also serve xoi xeo as dessert, topped with dried coconut shavings, roasted sesame seeds, and crystallised sugar. An inexpensive yet prominent xoi xeo restaurant is Xoi Yen, where you can enjoy a basic bowl for VND 15,000, with additional ingredients between VND 15,000 and VND 30,000.
*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:
Location: Xoi Yen
Opening Hours: Daily 07:00 – 22:00
Address: 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Tel: +84 43 934 1950
Distance from our hotel: 350 m - 4 min walk
8. Nem ran (Deep Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls)
Vietnamese Style Deep Fried Spring Rolls (Cha Gio/Nem Ran) can be served all year round, and present in almost every menu of Vietnamese restaurants abroad: A dish that is so famous that many locals of Vietnam assume it as their own specialty and give it their own name such as: “Nem Ran” by northerners and “Cha Gio” by southerners. Ingredients used for the fried spring roll are different depending each local but usually it comprises of lean minced pork, sea crabs or unshelled shrimps, edible mushroom, dried onion, duck/chicken eggs, pepper, salt and different kinds of seasoning. There are also special variants of the traditional pork-based roll, such as Crab spring rolls or Nem Cua Be.
*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:
Noodle and Roll :
Address: 39C Lý Quốc Sư, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Hours: 10AM - 10PM
Phone: 091 561 32 23
Distance from our hotel: 850 m - 10 min walk
Viet Spring Rolls
Address: 65A Bát Đàn, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 008404
Hours: 8 AM - 10PM
Phone: 098 510 51 65
Distance from our hotel: 1 km - 13 min walk
9. Goi cuon (Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls)
Gỏi cuốn,Vietnamese spring roll, fresh spring roll or cold roll is a Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese banh trang (commonly known as rice paper or cold roll). Like other spring roll dishes, they are believed to have an origin in China and were introduced to Vietnam by Chinese immigrants although the gỏi cuốn has been modified to suit local tastes.
*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:
Cuon N Roll Restaurant
Address: 3 Ngõ Bà Triệu, Lê Đại Hành, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội 10000
Hours: 10:30AM - 10PM
Phone: 024 3978 1096
Distance from our hotel: 2.6 km - 10 min by car
10. Pho Cuon (Rice Noodle Roll)
Pho Cuon translates to Rice Noodle Roll, which makes sense since each Pho Cuon is a big rice noodle rolled around beef and green herbs like cilantro and basil. For the equivalent of US $2, we got a heaping plate. We dipped each roll in a bowl of Nuoc Cham, a sweet dipping sauce with a fish sauce base and flavors like sugar, vinegar and chili.
*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:
Location: Phở Cuốn Hưng Bền
Address: 33 Ngũ Xã, Trúc Bạch, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Hours: 9AM - 11PM
Phone: 091 676 41 41
Distance from our hotel: 2.8 km - 9 min by car