Best Hanoi Dishes You Should Not Miss

Hanoi dishes - those two words are enough for locals and foreign tourists to feel the traditional taste of Vietnamese cuisine. The ingredients to make these traditional foods were passed down from the ancestors decades ago, but it still retains the original flavor. Therefore, it stimulates the curiosity of foreign tourists about how delicious Hanoi foods are. The following list recommended by GADT Travel will provide tourists with the most traditional Hanoi dishes.

1. Pho Bo (Beef Noodle)

Vietnam beef noodle was born in the early 20th century in the Hanoi capital and Nam Dinh province. This traditional dish is a combination of broth, rice noodles, some kinds of herbs, and beef. It is garnished with coriander leaves, green onions, and white onions, which is quite different from the beef noodle in Ho Chi Minh City. The Hanoi dish has been included in CNN’s list of 20 best soups in the world. Travelers may quickly fall in love with this native one because of its savory broth, chewy noodles, tender beef slices, and the scent and taste of herbs.

*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:

• Pho gia truyen Bat Dan
  Address: No.49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 6:00am - 10:00am, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 50,000 (approx. $1.72 - $2.15)
  
  
• Pho Ly Quoc Su
  Address: No.10 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 6:00am - 9:00pm
  Price: VND 70,000 - VND 100,000 (approx. $3.01 - $4.30)
  
  
• Pho Thin
  Address: No.13 Lo Duc Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 6:00am - 9:00pm
  Price: VND 65,000 (approx. $2.80)
  
  
• Pho Ganh
  Address: No.4 Hang Ma Street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi City
  Opening hours: 3:00am - 6:00am
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 50,000 (approx. $1.72 - $2.15)

2. Banh Mi

First appeared in the years of the 20th century like Pho, but banh mi originated in France. When this dish arrived in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, it became more different from the original. Banh mi is 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 and radish. Spicy, salty, savory, sweet, and aromatic are the flavors that visitors will feel when they take a bite of this Hanoi dish.

*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:

• Banh mi dan to
  Address: No.252 Cua Nam Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 3:00am - 6:00am
  Price: VND 15,000 - VND 25,000 (approx. $0.65 - $1.08)
  
  
• Banh mi ba Khanh
  Address: No.55B Hai Ba Trung Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City
  Giờ hoạt động: 6:30am - 11:00pm
  Price: VND 20,000 (approx. $0.86)
  
  
• Banh mi pate Lan Ong - Cha Ca
  Address: No.8 Cha Ca, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City
  Opening hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm
  Price: VND 15,000 - VND 35,000 (approx. $0.65 - $1.51)

3. Bun Cha (Vermicelli Noodle with Grilled Pork)

There is a wide variety of dishes with vermicelli in Hanoi cuisine. This traditional food has similarities with the noodle dishes in central and southern Vietnam, but the difference is in the broth when it has a lighter taste. Bun cha is a harmonious and healthy combination of rice vermicelli, grilled pork, and fresh herbs. Dipping the noodles in the fish sauce features well-balanced saltiness, sourness (vinegar or lemon), spiciness (chili) and sweetness (sugar), also some thin slices of green papaya and carrot pickles, and eating bites of pork and fresh herbs - including lettuce, coriander - which is how gourmet in Hanoi show the best way to taste this Hanoi dish.

*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:

• Bun cha Hang Quat
  Address: No.74 Hang Quat Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City
  Opening hours: 10:00am - 2:00pm
  Price: VND 25,000 - VND 40,000 (approx. $1.08 - $1.72)
  
  
• Bun cha Sinh Tu
  Address: No.2 Nguyen Phong Sac, Cau Giay District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 07:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 12:00pm
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 60,000 (approx. $1.72 - $2.58)
  
  
• Bun cha Huong Lien
  Address: No.24 Le Van Huu, Hai Ba Trung District or No.14, Alley 59 Lang Ha Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 60,000 (approx. $1.72 - $2.58)

4. Cha Ca (Grilled Fish with Dill and Turmeric)

Cha Ca is one of the unique specialties of the Hanoi people when was crudely processed in 1871 and handed down until now and definitely a must-eat food in Hanoi cuisine. It refers to grilled turmeric-marinated catfish served with a mountain of fresh dill. A server will set up a hot pot on your table and will bring everything you need to accompany your meal. Each bite of the buttery grilled fish, perfectly seasoned with turmeric and noodles soaked in fish sauce, combined with the fresh herbs, is a delicious explosion of flavors.

*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:

• Cha ca La Vong
  Address: No.14 Cha Ca Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 9:00am - 11:00pm
  Price: VND 175,000 (approx. $7.53)
  
  
• Cha ca Kinh Ky
  Address: No.43 Cua Dong Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm
  Price: VND 150,000 (approx. $6.46)

5. Ca Phe Trung (Egg Coffee)

The first cup of egg coffee was made in 1946 and after decades, the fact that coffee appeared in variations such as coconut milk coffee, and cereal coffee, but this Hanoi food still occupies a special place in the minds of local people as well as foreign tourists. Egg coffee is traditionally prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and Robusta coffee. The drink is made by beating egg yolks with sugar and coffee, then extracting the coffee into half of the cup, followed by a similar amount of egg cream, which is prepared by heating and beating the yolks. The cup is served inside a bowl of hot water to retain its temperature. The marriage of the egg’s rich taste and aromatic coffee wafting through the air makes up a specific flavor. The recipe to make a cup of egg coffee is extremely special - and it makes foreign travelers to Hanoi find out the charm of this traditional drink.

*Recommended places to eat in Hanoi:

• Giang Ca phe
  Address: No.39 Nguyen Huu Huan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 07:00am - 9:00pm
  Price: VND 30,000 - VND 100,000 (approx. $1.29 - $4.30)
  
  
• Dinh Ca phe
  Address: No.13 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 07:00am - 10:00pm
  Price: VND 30,000 - VND 100,000 (approx. $1.29 - $4.30)
  
  
• Cafe Pho co
  Address: No.11 Hang Gai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 8:00am - 11:00pm
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 100,000 (approx. $1.72 - $4.30)

6. Trang Tien Ice Cream

This Hanoi traditional dish was first made in 1958 at Trang Tien Street and that name for the food has been maintained until the present. Trang Tien ice cream has a variety of flavors including chocolate, vanilla, nuggets, coconut milk, cocoa, green beans, etc, but 2 types of ice cream cones and canned popsicles are still the most purchased. Moreover, this dish has an extremely affordable price and serves to everyone on any food tour.

*Recommended place to eat in Hanoi:

• Kem Trang Tien
  Address: No.35 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City.
  Opening hours: 08:00am - 10:00pm
  Price: VND 5,000 - VND 11,000 (approx. $0.22 - $0.47)

READ RELATED: Best Foods in Ho Chi Minh City