Hardly a few regions compare to Hanoi when it comes to street food! At the crack of dawn, stalls start ladling fresh bowls of Pho that is breakfast for most locals. However, Pho is just one item of many street food in Hanoi worth trying. Read on to see the best street food hanoi can offer and you should eat!
It’s about 4.30 am.
There’s a small queue starting to form outside one of the most popular Pho stalls in the Old Quarter in Hanoi.
People are eager to grab a hot steaming bowl of the most delicious, budget-friendly bowl before they head off to work or get started with their daily chores.
Once they find a place and select an option, a bowl is quickly placed in front with garnishings.
If there’s friends, a quick banter ensues, else locals calmly savour the hot meal, pay the proprietor on their way out and get going.
Such is the process every morning in Hanoi. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Pho but any street food in Hanoi that is filling, tasty and provides energy till its time for lunch.
The Old Quarter in Hanoi is buzzing with food stalls, some that run only in the mornings others throughout the day and if you have Hanoi on your mind, here’s the food in Hanoi you should not miss on your Hanoi itinerary!
This guide will tell you what to eat where with directions and approximate prices as well!
You needn’t worry about cleanliness or getting ill when trying the street food here. Everything is piping hot and cooked well. I haven’t ever heard of anyone I know get ill by eating the street food in Hanoi.
As for allergies, make sure you do an allergy test in advance and make note of all you’re allergic to and ask the proprietors if the dishes contain anything you’re allergic to.
Street food in Hanoi – A food guide
Street Food in Hanoi #1 – Pho Bo
In some places where it can get quite crowded, customers are expected to pay for their meals in advance before they get seated. Sometimes it can get quite crowded so if you’re with a friend usually while one person pays the other gets hold of a table!
As soon as you order, the lady at Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan, starts slicing thing strips of beef if you’ve ordered Pho Bo while mini trays of garnishings are handed to you once the order is placed.
Pho is one of the most popular dishes across Vietnam – so much so that it is actually considered as the national dish of the country!
This dish can be found wherever you go – in local homes, fancy restaurants or street side stalls.
Pho is basically a noodle soup bowl consisting of rice noodles, broth, and lots of herbs. Pho usually comes with some kind of meat in it too. Beef pho (known as Pho Bo) is the most common type, but chicken is also used widely. There are also several vegetarian options available.
Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan is one of the most popular ones, suggested by almost all Hanoi street food guides, and it is definitely one not to be missed!
If there’s one place you should have Pho, it is this! They only have 3 items on the menu: Pho Tai, Pho Chin, and Pho Tai Nam. Pho Tai is tender steak, Pho Chin is proper cooked brisket and Pho Tai Nam is a mix of strips from both.
While Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan does not offre it some places also offer Pho Gan with tendon meat, and Pho Gau with fatty brisket meat.
The taste of Pho can vary widely however what makes some places more famous than the others is how long they take to make the stock. The longer the bones are stewed the more flavorful the broth and Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan definitely does that for quite a few hours!
So do try the stock just by itself to understand the nuances of flavours before adding the herbs in!
WHERE TO EAT PHO IN HANOI
PHO GIA TRUYEN BAT DAN
Address: 49 Bat Dan, Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 6 AM – 10 AM, 6 PM – 8.30 PM daily
Approximate price: Starts from VND 35,000 per bowl
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PHO THIN
Address: 13 Lo Duc, Pham Dinh Ho, Hai Ba Trung, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 6 AM – 9 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 60,000 per bowl
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PHO 10 LY QUOC SU
Address: 10 Ly Quoc Su, Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 6 AM – 2 PM, 5 PM – 10 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 60,000 per bowl
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PHO HANG TRONG
Address: 8 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 3 PM – 8 PM Saturday to Thursday, 3.30 PM – 8 PM on Fridays only
Approximate price: From VND 30,000 per bowl
Street Food in Hanoi #2 – Bun Cha
Through a tiny lane we went, with people grilling pork to be used in the Bun Cha. The meat was sandwiched between a wire rack and the vendors kept turning it every few minutes while a few others were frying fresh spring rolls.
This lane ended in a ‘part parking – part stall’ hollow. It was here that Bun Cha Hang Quat was located.
I’d tasted Bun Cha in the U.K. however nothing had prepared me for the burst of flavour from authentic Bun Cha from street food in Hanoi.
Bun Cha is a dish originating from Hanoi but has become popular countrywide. It is a traditional pork dish made with seasoned and grilled fatty pork patties (cha) served in a bowl of broth along with a plate of rice noodles (bun).
Herbs, fresh vegetables and dipping sauce are also served as a side dish with bun cha. Traditionally, bun cha has always been eaten at noon. But there are also several restaurants that sell the dish all day long.
Keeping true to tradition, Bun Cha Hang Quat is only open in the noon.
Once here, I found people sat on tiny plastic stools enjoying their lunch with side dishes of Vietnamese crispy spring rolls. While there was a tiny space in this Hanoi street food joint, it was more of a roadside joint with no actual ‘restaurant’ in place.
The pork was smoky, crispy and a complex mix of flavours. For our first street food dish in Hanoi, the bar was set quite high!
WHERE TO EAT BUN IN HANOI
BUN CHA HANG QUAT
Address: 74 Hang Quat, Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 10.30 AM – 2 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 50,000 for Bun Cha and spring rolls
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BUN CHA DAC KIM
Address: 67 Duong Thanh, Shang Bong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 10 AM – 8.30 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 80,000 for Bun Cha and spring rolls
Location can be found here
Website here
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BUN CHA HUONG LIEN (Of late Anthony Bourdain and President Obama fame from Parts Unknown)
Address: 24 Le Van Huu, Phan Chu Trin, Hai Ba Trung, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 8 AM – 8.30 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 90,000 for Bun Cha and spring rolls
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BUN CHA TA
Address: 21 Nguyen Huu Huan, Ly Thai To, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 8 AM – 10 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 60,000 for Bun Cha and spring rolls
Website here
Street Food in Hanoi #3 – Banh Mi
In a nutshell, banh mi is to Vietnam what submarine sandwiches are to the Western world. Traditionally speaking, banh mi is a short, light and airy baguette with a crispy crust that is often eaten as a staple food across Vietnam.
But when you cut open banh mi lengthwise and stuff it with savoury fillings with meat like cha lua or pork sausage, pickled vegetables and more, it becomes what is known as banh mi thit.
WHERE TO EAT BANH MI IN HANOI
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BAMI BREAD
Address: 98 Hang Bac, Hang Buom, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 6.30 AM – 10 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 20,000
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BANH MI 25
Address: 25 Hang Ca, P, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 7 AM – 9 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 15,000
Street Food in Hanoi #4 – Cha Ca
Cha Ca is one of the most iconic Hanoi street food you can ever find. This dish is also known as Cha Ca Hanoi. Cha Ca literally translate to “grilled fish” and is a deliciousness featuring – quite obviously – grilled fish which has been marinated in turmeric.
This is then sauteed with chopped dill and spring onion and served with a bowl of vermicelli rice noodle and some roasted peanuts and dipping sauce to bring it all together.
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WHERE TO EAT CHA CA IN HANOI
QUAN CHA CA THANG LONG 2
Address: 21 Duong Thanh, Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 9 AM – 10 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 1,20,000
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CHA CA ANH VU
Address: 120-k1 P. Giảng Võ, Chợ Dừa, Đống Đa, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Timings: 10 AM – 2 PM, 4.30 PM – 10 PM daily
Approximate price: From VND 1,30,000
Street Food in Hanoi #5 – Banh Cuon
Banh cuon is traditionally a Vietnamese breakfast dish but it has taken the street food stalls in Hanoi by storm. Now mostly available throughout the day, this dish consists of delicately thin rice sheets stuffed with a heavenly mixture of minced pork and mushrooms, and then cut into rolls.
These rolls are then steamed and topped with crispy, deep-fried onions before serving. This dish is completed with the nuoc cham dipping sauce which is essentially fish sauce that brings all the flavours together!
WHERE TO EAT BANH CUON IN HANOI
BANH CUON GIA TRUYEN
Address: 12-14 Hang Ga, Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Timings: 6 AM – 2 PM, 5 PM – 10 PM daily
Cost: VND 40,000 onwards
PIN FOR LATER!
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