Joanna James
One of the best ways to get to know and appreciate Hanoi is by trying its vibrant street food. Featuring fresh ingredients and spices put together by age-old tradition and generational recipes, here are 10 of the city’s best dishes that will take you through a whole new world of flavour.
This vermicelli dish is made from mung bean or sweet potato and is known for its umami-infused chewy texture that is surprisingly pleasant. The dish is often topped with crab, chicken or freshwater eel and is enjoyed stir-fried or with a broth.
You can find this noodle dish anywhere in Vietnam but the Hanoi version (phở Hanoi) is the most widely enjoyed. It features chicken or beef immersed in a clear broth fused with a dash of lemon and bird’s eye chilli. You’ll likely find Phở on menus even at hotels like Pan Pacific Hanoi.
As far as afternoon snacks go, this sweet-and-sour delight cannot be beaten. It is best described as a beef jerky salad. The strips of beef jerky do come with an unusual texture but this is offset by crunchy green papaya and carrot with a dash of fish sauce.
Another dish that Hanoian cooks really elevate is Chả cá which features fatty catfish grilled and stirred to perfection. The secret to the dish is the spice-filled marinade that is generously applied to the fish before grilling. The original recipes of the dish are a well-kept secret, particularly among the top restaurants in Hanoi run by families through several generations.
Bringing together chargrilled pork belly, patties, rice noodles and diluted vinegar fish sauce, this is another great lunch option that will leave you satisfied. The trick is to get a little bit of everything in one bite to enjoy the fusion of all the flavours and textures in one go.
If all you want is a simple Hanoian lunch, then this dish of noodles and fried tofu is the way to go. The textures of the noodles and tofu are a splendid combination made even more so by the customary fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm). Fried spring rolls, young rice patties and fresh herbs complete this simple yet flavourful dish.
The culinary masters of Hanoi have transformed this noodles-with-dumpling soup to set it apart from other southern versions. The dish is flavoured with shitake mushrooms, pork rind and a sprinkle of chives to give it a unique twist. But of course, the main highlight of the dish is the large fried dumpling with its extra crunchy texture.
This is a treat for coffee lovers in Hanoi and can be enjoyed while you take a break from exploring the city’s streets. The coffee’s strong flavour is perfectly evened with the sweet egg foam topping, a mix that speaks to Hanoi’s talent for balancing flavours.
This fish noodle soup is the perfect summer meal, combining flavours of sweet and sour in a broth of pineapple and tomato. This broth is added to a serving of rice noodles, crispy tilapia and celery, which is then topped with fresh herbs and pickled bamboo shoots.
Made of Vietnamese ham slices, shredded chicken and omelette strips, all added to a clear umami-filled broth, this dish uses many leftover ingredients from festivals and celebrations. It is thus a testament to Hanoi’s creativity which is still strong today.
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A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
