Hanoi Cuisine: TOP 5 Flavorful Dishes To Include In your Food Tour

Besides visiting some of Hanoi’s famous tourist attractions during your Vietnam trip, you should sample Hanoi cuisine to experience Asia’s most renowned food paradise. Hanoi’s specialties will wow you with their exquisite taste and expertise in seasoning and processing.

Hanoi cuisine has evolved over a thousand years, incorporating Vietnamese culinary art’s most complex and distinct aspects. If you are visiting Hanoi, read on to learn about some well-known and delicious foods.

Here’s a list of the 5 dishes the capital city is most known for:

1. Phở – the signature dish of Hanoi cuisine

Phở (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) is a classic dish of Hanoi that you should not miss when visiting this thousand-year-old capital. Phở includes rice noodles, stock, beef or chicken, or even ground pork. It sounds simple to make, but creating a delicious bowl of Phở is not easy. The broth must be made from cow bones or sometimes chicken bones, along with spices such as cinnamon, anise, and cardamom. The best broth is pure and sweet.

Rice noodles must be soft but not doughy, and the meat must be fresh. Additives are also important to make Phở tasty. There should be some vegetables, onion, pepper, and a slice of lemon. Phở is best enjoyed hot and with some “quẩy” (a special kind of cake made from wheat flour, sugar, and eggs). Each shop may have its secret recipe with special additives to make its Phở unique.

Recommended places to enjoy this dish in Hanoi:

Pho Bat Dan – No. 49, Bat Dan Street

Pho Suong – No. 24, Trung Yen Alley, Dinh Liet Street

Pho Thin – No. 13, Lo Duc Street

2. Vietnamese noodles with grilled pork (Bun cha)

Besides pho, bun cha is also a prominent highlight of Hanoi cuisine. A typical dish of bun cha includes vermicelli, grilled pork, vegetables, and dipping sauce with pickled papaya and carrot. The sauce is heated until it is just slightly warm, then seasoned with garlic, chili, and vinegar to make a mildly sweet taste. This sauce is the essential component that makes bun cha special.

Listed in the top 7 specialties of Hanoi street food, the available density of bun cha in Hanoi is so great that you can easily find bun cha everywhere, from big restaurants to street vendors, but only gourmets of Hanoi can advise you on the best ones.

Recommended places to enjoy this dish in Hanoi:

Bun cha Lien Huong – No. 24, Le Van Huu Street

Bun cha Bat Su – No. 23, Bat Su Street

Bun cha Hang Quat – No. 74, Hang Quat Street

3. La Vong grilled fish (Cha ca La Vong)

La Vong grilled fish is one of Hanoi’s most iconic delicacies. Many well-known gourmet blogs have featured this dish on their lists of exquisite foods. The marinated and charcoal-grilled sliced catfish is the highlight of the dish. Cha ca La Vong is most authentic when served with fermented shrimp paste, lemon, chili, belostomatid essence, peanuts, and fresh herbs. The sweetness of the fish, the crunch of peanuts, the fragrance of herbs, and the exquisite flavor of shrimp paste will undoubtedly astonish diners.

Recommended places to enjoy this dish in Hanoi:

Vua Cha Ca – No. 1, Dinh Tien Hoang Street

Cha ca La Vong 14 – No. 14, Cha Ca Street

Cha ca Thang Long – No. 6B, Duong Thanh Street

4. Vietnamese steamed rice rolls (Banh Cuon)

Vietnamese steamed rice roll, or “banh cuon,” is a typical dish that you can find anywhere in Hanoi and other northern provinces. It is one of the most famous delicacies that tourists must try when they visit this S-shaped country.

This delicious dish is popular among gastronomes throughout the country. It is made of steamed rice batter filled with minced wood ear mushrooms, chopped onion, black pepper, and ground pork, topped with crispy fried shallots and Vietnamese sausage slices. Banh cuon is also served with dipping sauce, fresh cucumber slices, chopped lettuce, basil, and blanched bean sprouts. This dish can be enjoyed as a quick snack, a light meal, or a full main course.

Recommended places to enjoy this dish in Hanoi:

Banh cuon Ba Hoanh – No. 66 P.Tô Hien Thanh, Bui Thi Xuan, Hoan Kiem

Banh cuon Gia An – No. 25, Thai Phien Street

Banh cuon Thanh Van – No. 14, Hang Ga Street

5. Vietnamese sticky rice balls (Xoi khuc)

Xoi khuc or banh khuc is made of cudweed leaves, sticky rice, fatty pork, and mung beans. Vietnamese sticky rice balls can serve as a snack or main course. This variation of traditional sticky rice has been modified and is now served with various slices of meat, sausages, pâté, braised eggs, fried eggs, omelets, etc. This dish is usually served with a little salt and sesame.

Recommended places to enjoy this dish in Hanoi:

Banh Khuc Co Lan – No. 69B, Nguyen Cong Tru Street

Banh Khuc Quan – No. 35, Cau Go Street

Banh Khuc Bear House – No. 5, Alley 60, An Duong Street

Hanoi has struck a remarkable chord in the culinary world, with many cuisines that have elevated the city’s profile both domestically and internationally. Any first-time diner in Hanoi will be captivated by the diverse range of cuisine selections. The city’s two seemingly irreconcilable states—traditional and modern—always coexist. Don’t forget to visit some of the above-mentioned food streets and try many of Hanoi’s local dishes. Hopefully, this Hanoi food guide will help you make a wonderful plan for a fantastic food tour in Vietnam’s capital city.