Hanoi – Where to eat local food (Part 1 – Noodle)

Besides, Hanoi is a unique capital city with various historic sightseeing, Hanoi is still famous of a rich food-world. Today, I would like to recommend you some of local restaurants where I often taste.

Pho Hanoi: is an iconic culinary symbol rooted in the heart of Hanoi. Renowned for its fragrant broth, tender meat, and delicate rice noodles. Pho Hanoi is a must-try food. Whether you are embarking on a Hanoi adventure or seeking to immerse yourself in the local culture, indulging in a steaming bowl of Pho Hanoi promises your taste buds and take you on a flavorful journey.

In fact, there are tons of pho restaurants in Hanoi, either around Old Quarter. Here I just pick some of them which I prefer to.

1. Pho Co Van: Alley 12A, Ly Nam De Street (opening time: 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM)
2. Pho Khoi hoi: No. 50C, Hang Vai street in the Old Quarter
3. Rib pork Pho – Ho Loi: No. 28, alley 209, An Duong Vuong street (West Lake, opening time: 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM)
4. Pho Ly Quoc Su: No. 10, Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem (nearby Old Quarter)
5. Pho ga Cham: No. 64-68, Yen Ninh street (nearby Truc Bach Lake)

Bun cha Hanoi: of all the great street food in Hanoi, perhaps there is no greater crime than to leave without having had Bun Cha. Bun cha Ha Noi may not sound particularly appetizing, but be assured this thin rice vermicelli served cold with grilled marinated pork is legendary. Bun cha is served with a plate of white rice noodle, a steamy broth and herbs. (Photo: copy)

1. Bun cha Ngoc Xuan: No. 102 Thuy Khue
2. Bun cha que tre: No. 33, Hang Giay
3. Bun cha Huong Lien: 24 Le Van Huu (this restaurant is visited by Mr. Obama, the former president of USA)

Bun dau mam tom: a simple and rustic dish of Vietnamese cuisine. This will make you drool with its perfect combination of fermented shrimp paste, rice vermicelli, protein ingredients and local fresh herbs. (Photo: copy)

1. Bun dau Thanh Hang: No. 5, Ma May (opening time: 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM)
2. Bun dau Co Tuyen: Alley 31, Hang Khay

Pho cuon (fresh spring roll): one of the most unique pho dishes in Hanoi. The fresh and flavorful rolls are made with wide pho noodles, tender slices of beef, fragrant herbs, and crispy vegetables. Wrapped up like a precious gift, they offer the perfect bit of Hanoi’s culinary innovation. (Photo: copy)

1. Pho cuon Hung Ben: No. 118, Tran Vu (nearby West Lake)
2. Pho cuon Huong Mai: nowadays, this brand is opened to a chain of restaurant, so you can find it everywhere. The original one is No. 25, Ngu Xa (near to West Lake)

Other kinds of noodle: as you know, Hanoi is famous of noodles, besides some of above noodle we still have various dishes. Hereby, I would like to recommend them:

1. Mien muc (dried squid noodle)– No. 1, Trung Yen Alley, Dinh Liet street, Hoan Kiem: The vermicelli bowl here includes dozens of ingredients such as crab bricks, fried dried squid, eggs, fish cakes, vegetables, bean sprout…

2. Mien luon (eel vermicelli noodle) – No. 80, Hang Chieu (Old Quarter): The main ingredient of this dish is eel. They have brown-pink backs and yellow bellies. Besides main ingredient, banana flower and vermicelli are other important elements. Banana flower should be fresh and ripe. Vermicelli must be made from high quality phrynuim fruits and are small, pure threads . (Photo: toplist.vn)

3. Fish noodle – No. 96, Tran Vu: Hanoi fish noodle soup is a wonderful culinary experience that you definitely should not miss when you come to the city. From the crispy fried fish pieces, to the fragrant and sweet broth, blending sour, sweet and sour flavors, creating a unique dish, leaving a deep impression in the hearts of diners. (Photo: copy)

4. Goose noodle soup – Bun ngan Nhan, Trung Yen Alley, Dinh Liet street: Goose grilled fatty pork made from bone-filtered of goose, thick, soft, buttery, marinated meat is grilled with charcoal. Meat is also selected lean, with less packaging and fat. It is served with a bowl of bamboo shoots and vermicelli dishes. (Photo: copy)

5. Crab noodle soup (bun rieu cua) – co Dao, No. 189 Hong Ha (Hang Dao): The ingredients for making it is only freshly washed crabs, ripped and pounded, filtered to boil water to make crab meat into a solid cake floating on the stock. (Photo: copy)

6. Snail noodle soup (bun oc) – Bun oc co Hue, No. 43 Nguyen Sieu: This with a piece of red tomato lying on the white vermicelli, green onion, perilla, dark grey of snails, the point of water crab with a bit of yellow fat which give us the sense of the sweet and sour taste of vinegar, the mild spicy of chili blends with the toughness of the snail and the noodle.

7. Doc mung noodle soup: only consists of a few vermicelli, a few slices of pork legs, some bean sprouting. Also we can add ribs, green “doc mung”, and a little the water from the bone.

8. Bun thang (combo noodle soup of Hanoi): made from about 20 ingredients including the main ones: finely chopped fried chicken eggs, sliced chicken breast, thin steamed pork roll, shrimp, squid, …all sprinkled on a nice bowl of vermicelli. (Photo: copy)

At the side of Pho or noodle, there are various unique dishes in Hanoi then I will continue to update…