1. Capital Taste: Phở
- Address: Phở Thìn – 13 Lò Đúc, Ngô Thì Nhậm, Q. Hai Bà Trưng,
Phở is a precious gift from Hanoi. If you travel around Vietnam, you will find it everywhere. So, why is it special here? Because this rustic dish was originally created and made by Hanoi locals with their heart and warmth.
Over time, people migrated to other cities for different purposes taking the dish with them. But still, eating phở in the capital is incomparable as the ultimate place to try this food.
‘Phở Thìn’ restaurant was built in 1979, in the middle of a difficult economic period, by Mr. Nguyen Trong Thin who the place is named after. Throughout Vietnam there are many different kinds of phở such as chicken, pork or spring roll, but this place only serves one kind which is the traditional one: beef.
The beef here is not boiled like other places but fried quickly on a large pan
with enough spices, garlic, and onion. Therefore, it’s not only fragrant and tasty but also retains a delicious layer of beef fat. This place only serves one dish so you can be sure they are damn good at making it. It’s definitely the number one place to experience a true taste of the capital.
2.World Famous Noodles: Bún chả
Address: Bún chả Hương Liên – 24 Lê Văn Hưu, Q. Hai Bà Trưng,
Bún chả Hà Nội is the ideal summer dish. It is known all over the world, featuring on a lot of famous international news shows such as CNN, Dailymail, and more.
Hương Liên restaurant has been in the Hanoi market for more than 25 years. That time is long enough to prove that this is a vermicelli bún shop which is loved by many diners. One of the recipes that attract diners is the delicious method of marinating spring rolls and grilled meat, which allows the dish to maintain its rich flavor after processing.
The restaurant became even more famous when the US President Barack Obama visited it in 2016, along with chef Anthony Bourdain. Coming here, you can order ‘the Obama combo’, which is exactly what the President had.
Located on Lê Văn Hưu street, this is a great place to have a delicious meal and enjoy the local daily life.
3.A Cheap Delight: Bánh đúc
Address: Bánh đúc Lê Ngọc Hân – 08 Lê Ngọc Hân, Q. Hai Bà Trưng,
Bánh đúc is one of the cheapest snacks in the country since only a few thousand dong’s worth can fill you up. However, the time and effort to make a ‘bánh đúc’ is not so small.
This dish has two forms: cold or hot, and each way of eating will bring a completely different taste. This dish is very supple and smooth, with fragrant flavors from coriander, fish sauce, minced meat, crispy mushroom, and a little soft, elegant taste of tofu. It’s a perfect combination of these many ingredients, a harmony of five tastes.
Nowadays, there are many places serving bánh đúc, but Bánh đúc Lê Ngọc Hân is the number one recommendation for you. This place has made bánh đúc for more than ten years. It is one of the most famous restaurants which serve tasty, hot and high-quality products for reasonable prices. Don’t forget to check it out while in town!
4.Roll Up!: Bánh cuốn
Address: Bánh cuốn Bà Hoành – 66 Tô Hiến Thành, Q. Hoàn Kiếm,
This dish is another delicious local delicacy that you must try. Bánh cuốn is a round roll, soft and smooth, rich with the sweetness and scent of rice flour and the aroma of onion. It’s a light food eaten by many Vietnamese people because of its strong taste which can’t be found in other dishes.
If you’re looking for an authentic atmosphere with low tables and chairs, where you can sit down and watch how people make the dish while waiting for it, “Bánh cuốn Bà Hoành” is the one for you.
The plus point of the shop is that it’s located right on the roadside making it easy to find, with open-air and a clean interior. Although the number of visitors every day is large, it doesn’t mean the quality has decreased.
This place has a slightly higher price than the common restaurant (it’s still mind-blowingly cheap), but you will get a big dish with high-quality ingredients.
5. Time For Dessert? Tràng Tiền
Address: Cửa hàng kem Tràng Tiền – 35 Tràng Tiền, Q. Hoàn Kiếm,
Your trip to Hanoi will be incomplete without a taste of the most famous icecream here – Tràng Tiền ice-cream.
Coming to this no frills shop, simply grab an ice cream and savour the cool sweetness of the melting cream on the tip of your tongue. Many people are addicted to this place. Especially popular in the summer, the number of patrons here is always big.
Trang Tien ice cream has been around for a long time, since 1958. At first they only specialised in a very typical traditional green bean flavor.
Nowadays, you can choose from a lot of different flavors. Walking around the old quarter or the West Lake and then stopping off at Trang Tien ice cream street to enjoy the delicious taste, the essence of this dessert will stick in your mind as a quintessential Hanoi experience.