When coming to Hanoi, in addition to visiting famous places and seeing 36 streets of the Old Quarter and romantic lakes, you should enjoy the local food here. It is because these flavorful dishes make many guests remember Hanoi so much.
Now, we would like to introduce the top 5 local food of Hanoi that you will love.
1. Pho Hanoi (Noodle Soup)
Standing in the top list of tasty dishes in Hanoi, of course, no one deserves more than Pho (Vietnamese noodles). Pho is inherently a national dish of Vietnam, and Hanoi pho has a typical taste.
Nowadays, finding a noodle shop in Hanoi is very easy, but not everyone knows well the the correct shops that retain the essence of old Hanoi. So, we are happy to introduce you to some original Hanoi Pho restaurants that are not only familiar destinations for the locals but also the stop for many international diners who love the Vietnamese noodle soup.
Sitting and enjoying a hot bowl of Pho in the early morning and watching Hanoi start a new day will be a little fun on your journey in this city.
Pho Hanoi is really a dish that attracts many tourists to taste, a deep nostalgia for many Hanoi people who are far away from home. This dish is a must-tried food when you want to know more about the cuisine in Hanoi. And, you will have more chance to compare its flavour to Pho at other cities in Vietnam.
Addresses to taste Pho in Hanoi:
- Pho Bat Dan at 49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Pho Thin at 13 Lo Duc Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Pho Suong at 36B Mai Hac De Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
2. Bun Cha (Meat Pie Vermicelli)
As a special rustic dish right from the stage of processing to the way of enjoying it, but Bun Cha (Meat Pie Vermicelli) makes plenty of diners fall in love.
No one knows when Bun Cha was created and who made it first. Just know that for a long time, from generation to generation, Hanoi people are still familiar with Meat Pie Vermicelli and consider it an indispensable dish in the culinary.
Over the years, life has many changes, and many new dishes appear. But Bun Cha Hanoi still retains its traditional flavour. It is a dish full of art, from the way to grill meat on the charcoal to the method making dipping sauce.
Bun cha is famous thanks to a bowl of unsalted fish sauce with a little vinegar, adding a little pepper, garlic, chilli, and melon. A minced meatball and grilled meat are covered with this typical sauce, stimulating the eyes and the taste of customers.
Vermicelli and vegetables are served separately. When tasting, the eaters dip them in a bowl of sauce. This way of eating makes vermicelli, vegetables, and meat be able to be mixed completely to become flavorful. The pungent smell of garlic, the sour taste of vinegar, and the sweetness of the sauce all come together, creating great food.
Although it can be eaten at any time of the day, Hanoians often eat bun cha at lunch. It can be a big bowl, so the locals like to have it for lunch (?). Sitting on plastic chairs and tables, tasting the soft white vermicelli dishes with a bowl of warm yellow sauce seems to have become a familiar image for Hanoians as well as Vietnamese people.
Currently, in Hanoi, there are countless shops selling vermicelli, but to enjoy the right taste of vermicelli, you need to choose the correct restaurants. Here are the four famous places for you to enjoy Bun Cha when coming to Hanoi.
- Bun Cha Tuyet – 34 Hang Than street: This road is a very famous culinary place with many well-known restaurants, including Bun Cha Tuyet. The restaurant serves a big bowl with a lot of vermicelli, grilled meat, and vegetables. The opening time is from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm with 35,000 VND per set.
- Bun Cha Huong Lien at 24 Le Van Huu Street: This restaurant is also called Bun Cha Obama because the US President Obama used to come to taste Bun Cha at this site. Besides the normal ingredients of Bun Cha, the shop also serves seafood noodles and spring rolls. The price of each noodle dish ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 VND.
- Bun Cha Lane 74 – Hang Quat street: The shop locates in a small alley with no signboard but very crowded. The shop usually sells from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. The meatball is soft, but the grilled meat is tougher and tastier. The price of each dish here is 30,000 VND.
3. Bun Thang (Thang Vermicelli)
Bun thang is a famous local food in Hanoi with colourful decoration, tasty feelings. Bun Thang will appeal to you at first sight and taste.
The reason is called Bun Thang because Thang refers to different ingredients that work together like the traditional oriental herbs. And, another meaning of Thang is soup. So, Bun Thang means a high-quality soup.
Making Bun Thang is a sophisticated process, from preparation to cooking. It is estimated that it takes 20 ingredients to cook Bun Thang, including Vietnamese hot mint, Chinese coriander, thin fried eggs, chicken breast, etc. Noodles must be small vermicelli with dry shrimp and a few slices of sausage.
The ingredients to make a bowl of Hanoi vermicelli are very popular, and everyone can find and cook it. But,
to make a delicious bowl and perfected flavour of Bun Thang is not easy. Even in Hanoi, not all shops are flavorful to taste it. Thus, we would like to introduce to you some of the most qualified restaurants in Hanoi so that you can enjoy the right Bun Thang of the capital.
- Bun Thang – 48 Cau Go Street, Hoan Kiem District: The restaurant locates in a small alley on Cau Go Street, decorated quite simply, with air conditioning, so you will not worry about getting hot. With long experience and ingenuity, the owner has created a very tasty bowl of Bun Thang.
- Bun Thang Hang Hom: Hang Hom small street in Hoan Kiem District has 2 famous noodle restaurants for Bun Thang: Thuan Ly restaurant (33 Hang Hom) and Bun Thang – Hang Hom shop ( 11 Hang Hom). The two restaurants are small but look clean and tasty food.
- Bun thang Giang Vo – D2 Giang Vo, Ba Dinh District: is also a famous address for diners in Hanoi. The attraction here is that the broth is clear with natural sweetness, small white vermicelli strands, tender chicken, and rich flavour.
4. Rib Porridge
Rib Porridge (Chao Suon) has become a well-known local food of the people in Hanoi. In the past, rib porridge was often eaten in the morning, with customers are mainly children. Now rib porridge has become a dish eaten in the afternoon, even a night food of most ages, especially young people.
A specific feature of Hanoi rib porridge compared to other places is that the porridge is cooked from glutinous rice. The rice is soaked in water and then crushed with a smooth stone mill. The cooked porridge will be smoothy, making many people surprised because they think this is a dish for children.
Rib porridge can be eaten all year round, but such a hot dish is still the best when enjoyed in winter or the autumn when the wind gets chilly. In Hanoi, you go to the streets to easily see the rib porridge on the sidewalk. Here are a few places to sell rib porridge that Hanoi people love for many years that you cand check to taste.
- Chao Suon Co La (Co La Rib Porridge): has existed for more than 20 years in the heart of Hanoi, located on the sidewalk between Ly Quoc Su and Hang Bong Streets. This store opens in the morning from 7:30 am to 11:00 am, and in the afternoon from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
- Huyen Anh Rib Porridge in Dong Xuan Market: the store has changed a little bit in a style of cooking, but still tasty.
- Chao Suong Hang Dieu (at Hang Dieu Street, Hoan Kiem District) is also a famous site to enjoy rib porridge.
5. Cốm (Green rice kernels)
Cốm (Green rice kernels) is a special gift of the country, and offering of green rice fields, bringing in all the rusticness, simplicity, and purity of the Vietnamese countryside. Cốm in Hanoi is a familiar dish of the local people, which carries the love to this land.
Almost Cốm is available all year round. However, Cốm in the last September is so delicious. When the weather in the North gradually becomes cold, the essence of heaven and earth accumulates at the same time when green rice is collected. The green rice at the right time can make perfect Cốm.
To taste Cốm, the diners often take banana pepper and dip into Cốm to eat. The aroma of the n Cốm mixed with the sweetness of the banana creates a typical flavour. You can also find different ways to enjoy Cốm, including Cốm rolls, green bean Cốm cake, fried Cốm, or Cốm sweet soup.
To make Cốm, the green rice seeds are roasted on a hot pan, but without overheating, just enough to take the skin out. After cooling it down, the crumpling step begins, until the rice is sticky. Then, Cốm is wrapped in the banana or lotus leaves to protect and sell it.
The best Cốm comes from Vong village, Dich Vong Hau ward, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam