Hanoi Street Food Guide: What to Eat, Where to Find It & How to Order

Hanoi’s street food scene is legendary for good reason. It’s one of the most nuanced, historically rich, and flat-out delicious in the world. Here’s how to eat your way through it.

The Essentials

Phở — the national dish — is best eaten at breakfast at a no-frills shop where locals eat hunched over plastic stools. Look for a queue. Bún chả (grilled pork noodles) is Hanoi’s other great bowl. Bánh mì (the Vietnamese baguette sandwich) is perfect at any time of day. Chả cá Là Vọng is Hanoi’s famous turmeric fish dish — a whole restaurant named after a single dish that’s been running since 1871.

Where to Eat

Hoan Kiem Old Quarter is the most accessible area for food wandering, though prices skew tourist. Ba Dinh and Dong Da districts have more local options. Cho Hom Market area is brilliant for com binh dan (cheap rice plate meals). The Dong Xuan Market edge has excellent morning snacks and fruit.

How to Order

Point at what others are eating. Smile and hold up fingers for quantity. Most dishes are 30,000–70,000 VND (£1–3). Check the posted price before you sit; some tourist-area stalls change prices.

Egg Coffee

Ca phe trung (egg coffee) is a Hanoi original — a frothy blend of egg yolk, condensed milk, and strong Vietnamese coffee. Giang Café in the Old Quarter is credited as the originator.

Beer Corners

Bia hoi is incredibly cheap draught beer served at plastic tables on street corners. Bia Hoi Corner at the junction of Luong Ngoc Quyen and Ta Hien is the most famous, but any street-corner bia hoi spot offers the real experience.

Join the Hanoi Community

The Hanoi community on Parada has locals and long-term expats sharing current recommendations — the phở stall that just opened, the bia hoi that’s still under 10,000 VND, and the market that’s best before 7am.