What to eat in Hanoi: 8 dishes and where to find them

What to eat in Hanoi starts with a bowl of pho at a plastic stool before 8am, and rarely slows down from there: the city runs on broths, charcoal-grilled pork and a coffee culture found nowhere else in Vietnam. Do not leave without bun cha, egg coffee and a plate of turmeric fish.

Hanoi's kitchen is northern Vietnamese cooking at its most restrained: less sugar and fewer raw herbs than Saigon's, more black pepper, more broth, more of a French colonial hangover in the bread and coffee. Most of what matters sits inside the Old Quarter, where streets are still named for the guilds that once worked them: Hang Bac for silver, Hang Ma for votive paper, Hang Buom for sails.

The best introduction to what to eat in Hanoi is simply to follow the plastic stools. If a corner has short chairs, a coal burner and a queue of locals rather than tour groups, sit down.

Follow the plastic stools, not the tablecloths.

What to eat in Hanoi first: pho bo at Pho Gia Truyen

Pho is Hanoi's dish before it is Vietnam's: a clear beef broth simmered for hours with charred ginger and star anise, poured over flat rice noodles and thin-sliced beef. The Hanoi version keeps the broth cleaner and the herbs sparser than the south's sweeter bowls.

Pho Gia Truyen, a family stall on Bat Dan street running since 1946, is the reference bowl for many Hanoians, with queues from early morning. A bowl runs 50,000-70,000 VND, cash only, and the shop closes once the broth runs out, often by mid-morning.

Bun cha at Bun Cha Huong Lien

Bun cha is grilled pork belly and patties served warm in a bowl of sour-sweet fish sauce dressing, with cold rice vermicelli and herbs on the side, eaten at lunch rather than breakfast.

Bun Cha Huong Lien, on Le Van Hưu street, is the shop where Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate in 2016; the table is now kept under glass upstairs. The "Combo Obama" (130,000 VND) bundles a bowl of bun cha with a fried spring roll and a Hanoi beer. For the version to cook at home, see our bun cha recipe.

Cha ca La Vong on Cha Ca Street

Cha ca is turmeric-and-dill fish, fried tableside on a charcoal pan and folded through rice noodles, peanuts and shrimp paste or fish sauce. It is rich, specific to Hanoi, and the whole street it is named after now trades on the dish.

Cha Ca La Vong, at 14 Cha Ca Street, has served the one dish since 1871 and gave the street its name. Expect around 150,000-200,000 VND a head; it is one of the pricier stops on this list, and worth it once.

Banh mi at Banh Mi 25, Hang Ca

Banh mi is the clearest legacy of French rule on the Hanoi table: a short, crackling baguette filled with pate, cold cuts, pickled carrot and daikon, coriander and chilli, built to eat walking.

Banh Mi 25, on Hang Ca street in the Old Quarter, draws a steady line of both commuters and tourists for a sandwich that costs 25,000-30,000 VND, ready in under a minute.

Banh cuon at Banh Cuon Gia Truyen, Hang Thanh

Banh cuon are steamed rice-flour rolls, thin enough to see through, filled with minced pork and wood-ear mushroom and dipped in a light fish sauce broth with a few slices of Vietnamese sausage on the side.

Banh Cuon Gia Truyen, on Hang Thanh street, steams the rolls to order over a cloth-covered pot, a technique that shows in the noticeably thinner wrapper. A plate costs 30,000-40,000 VND.

Xoi xeo at Xoi Yen, Nguyen Huu Huan

Xoi is sticky rice, and Hanoi treats it as a full breakfast rather than a side: turmeric-yellow glutinous rice topped with shredded chicken or fatty pork, mung bean paste, fried shallots and a drizzle of pork fat.

Xoi Yen, at 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, has specialised in mix-and-match xoi since 1997 and stays open past midnight, useful after a late flight. Portions run 20,000-50,000 VND depending on toppings.

Ca phe trung at Cafe Giang, Hang Gai

Egg coffee is Hanoi's answer to a milk shortage during the 1940s: egg yolk whipped with condensed milk into a custard-like foam, poured over strong robusta coffee and served warm, more dessert than drink.

Cafe Giang, tucked down an alley off 39 Hang Gai, invented the drink in 1946 and still makes it to the original recipe. A cup costs 40,000-60,000 VND; Cafe Pho Co nearby offers a rooftop version of the same idea.

Street food at Dong Xuan Market

Dong Xuan, Hanoi's largest covered market since 1804, keeps more than 50 food stalls on its ground floor and third floor, serving pho, bun cha, grilled skewers and desserts from 6am to late afternoon, with a night market on weekend evenings.

It is the fastest way to taste a wide spread of what to eat in Hanoi in one stop, particularly on a first day, before deciding which single-dish specialists deserve a repeat visit. Time a trip around Vietnam Restaurant Week, when several Old Quarter kitchens run set menus.

Markets, neighbourhoods and when to go

Most of this list sits within a 15-minute walk of Hoan Kiem Lake, so a single afternoon on foot covers the ground.

• Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem district): the core of this list, best walked slowly, worst navigated by car
• Dong Xuan Market: 15 Cau Dong street, open 6am-6pm daily, plus a weekend night market
• Best time to visit: October to December or March to April, when heat and rain both ease
• Meal timing: pho and xoi are breakfast, bun cha is lunch, cha ca and egg coffee suit any hour

Hanoi food FAQ

Is Hanoi expensive to eat in? Rarely, which is much of the answer to what to eat in Hanoi on a tight budget: most street dishes on this list cost under 100,000 VND (about $4), with cha ca the one clear exception.

Is Hanoi street food safe? At stalls with a fast turnover and a queue of locals, yes; the general rule is to follow the crowd rather than the empty chair.

Do I need reservations? No, for any spot on this list. Arrive before the local lunch or dinner rush, roughly 11:30am and 6:30pm, to skip the wait.

What should I drink with all this? Bia hoi, Hanoi's cheap draft beer sold fresh daily, or the egg coffee itself if it is mid-afternoon.

Where to book first

None of these take bookings, so arrive early instead: Pho Gia Truyen (49 Bat Dan) before 8am, Bun Cha Huong Lien (24 Le Van Huu) for lunch, and Cha Ca La Vong (14 Cha Ca) for a sit-down dinner that runs longer than the rest.