With its vibrant flavors of sweet, sour, and spicy as well as the crunchy texture of fresh herbs that tone the strong flavors of Hanoi cuisine, this place has unquestionably one of the most varied and distinctive cuisines in Asia and the world. This creates a gastronomic harmony in your mouth. Here are the top 8 Hanoi cuisine that every visitor should try.
Table of Contents
Top 8 must-try Hanoi cuisine and where to eat
1. Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup)
One of the nicest Hanoi cuisine has to offer is perhaps the traditional Vietnamese signature dish, which comprises of a fragrant broth with beef pieces, rice noodles, and a plateful of fresh herbs. This Hanoi cuisine is available in numerous locations. Pho Gia Truyen is among the top places in Hanoi to eat Pho. In order to avoid waiting in a big line, arrive early.
Recommended places
- Location: Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan
- Address: 49 Bát Đàn, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: 6-10AM; 6-8.30PM Mon-Sun
2. Cha ca Ha Noi (Turmeric Fish with Dill)
In Hanoi, a whole street is devoted to this unique cuisine. This is Cha Ca La Vong, one of the earliest restaurants to open on Cha Ca Street and one of the oldest Hanoi cuisine, Vietnam, dating back more than a century. The most well-known meal in Hanoi, Cha ca, has a 130-year history. The local Doan family, who provided the unique food to troops under French colonial control, is credited with creating it. In Hanoi, there is an entire street devoted to cha ca, a dish of vermicelli noodles and catfish that diners cook themselves.
Recommended places
- Location: Cha Ca Thang Long
- Address: 21 – 31 Đường Thành, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours:10AM – 9.39PM
3. Bun cha (Vermicelli Noodle with Grilled Pork)
When President Obama first visited Hanoi, he fell in love with a meal called bun cha. It makes sense, considering that this is one of the most savory and exceptional meals in Vietnamese cuisine. Bun cha is a Hanoi cuisine that includes grilled, fatty pork served with white rice noodles, herbs, and a dipping sauce on the side. Vietnamese cuisine critic Vu Bang (1913–1984) wrote about the meal in 1959 and referred to Hanoi as a city “transfixed by bun cha.” In the Old Quarter of Hanoi, there was the city’s first bun cha restaurant.
Recommended places
Bun Cha Ta Hanoi:
- Address: 21 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: 8- 10PM
Bun cha Dac Kim:
- Address: 1 Hàng Mành, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: 9AM- 9PM
Bun cha Huong Lien:
- Address: 24 Lê Văn Hưu, Phan Chu Trinh, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội
- Hours: 8AM- 8:30PM
4. Banh mi (Vietnamese Baguette)
Despite having French roots, the Vietnamese have made it uniquely their own. Generally speaking, it is a light Vietnamese baguette with a thin, crispy crust that is created from a blend of wheat and rice flour.
Depending on what region of the country you are in, it is packed with pork, pâté, cured ham, a variety of Vietnamese herbs, and vegetables including coriander, cucumber, carrot, slices, radish, and more. With a variety of textures and tastes, you may enjoy each bite’s spicy, salty, savory, sweet, and aromatic qualities.
Recommended places
Banh Mi 25
- Address: 25 Hàng Cá, P, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 9PM
Banh Mi Hoi An
- Address: 98 Hàng Bạc, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 10PM
Banh Mi P
- Address: 12 Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 1:30AM
5. Xoi xeo (Sweet Sticky Rice)
The traditional toppings for xoi xeo, or sweet sticky rice, are green mung bean paste, soy sauce, and dried shallots. However, for a more filling supper, you can choose other add-ins like pate, boiled chicken, cha lua (Vietnamese ham), marinated pig belly, or preserved eggs. Additionally, some eateries offer xoi xeo as a dessert, topped with crystallized sugar, roasted sesame seeds, and shavings of dry coconut. At Xoi Yen, an affordable but well-known xoi xeo restaurant, you can get a base bowl for VND 15,000 and additional ingredients for VND 15,000 to VND 30,000.
Recommended places
- Location: Xoi Yen
- Opening Hours: Daily 07:00 – 22:00
- Address: 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
6. Goi cuon (Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls)
Goi cuon, also known as a Vietnamese spring roll, fresh spring roll, or cold roll, is a typical Vietnamese meal made with pork, prawns, veggies, rice vermicelli, and other ingredients (commonly known as rice paper or cold roll). Although the goi cuon has been altered to suit local preferences, they are thought to have originated in China, like other spring roll meals, and were brought to Vietnam by Chinese immigrants.
Recommended places
- Cuon N Roll Restaurant
- Address: 3 Ngõ Bà Triệu, Lê Đại Hành, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội 10000
- Hours: 10:30AM – 10PM
7. Nem chua ran (Deep Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls)
Vietnamese Style Deep Fried Spring Rolls may be found on practically every menu of Hanoi cuisine restaurants abroad and are available all year long: A dish that is so well-known throughout Vietnam that many locals claim it as their own speciality and call it by their own names, such as “Nem Ran” for those from the north and “Cha Gio” for those from the south. Although the ingredients for fried spring rolls vary depending on the region, they typically include lean minced pork, sea crabs or unshelled shrimp, edible mushrooms, dried onions, duck or chicken eggs, pepper, salt, and various seasonings. Additionally, there are unique variations of the classic pork-based roll, like crab spring rolls and Nem Cua Be.
Recommended places
Noodle and Roll:
- Address: 39C Lý Quốc Sư, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: 10AM – 10PM
Viet Spring Rolls
- Address: 65A Bát Đàn, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 008404
- Hours: 8 AM – 10PM
8. Bun rieu cua (Crab Vermicelli Noodle)
Hanoi cuisine- the tart tomato soup, which is cooked with round rice vermicelli and topped with pounded crabmeat, deep-fried tofu, and occasionally congealed blood, is flavord with freshwater crabs. On the side, there is a fragrant purple shrimp paste that tastes great. The finishing touches for a perfect one-dish supper are fresh herbs and chilies. The luxuriant rice fields of northern Vietnam are the source of gray-shelled crabs that are about the size of a silver dollar when they are inundated. Vendors in the wet markets of Hanoi rip off the crustacean’s top shell, scoop out the fat, and then smash the rest of the body in big mortars or electric grinders.
Recommended places
- Location: Bun rieu Hang Luoc
- Address: 14 Hàng Lược, Hàng Mã, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
- Hours: 6-10AM
Conclusion
Hanoi cuisine has its own distinctive flavors and tastes. A beautiful culinary adventure is created by the harmony of flavors, the impact of the weather, and the use of unusual ingredients.
On little plastic tables and chairs, many of the best meals may be found in public areas. Put your reservations about eating on the streets to the side if you want to sample real, local cuisine while traveling.
Instead, have a meal with the locals and sample some of the must-eat Hanoi cuisine.
Please read: pho vietnam