A Foodie’s Guide to Hanoi, Vietnam. 

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Vietnam has become one of my favorite countries to visit in recent years and that is for one reason: the food. I think the Vietnamese cuisine is the best in Southeast Asia (sorry, Thailand and Malaysia!). I love that it is mainly rice flour based, full of fresh herbs, with THE best pork, and some seriously good bread and pastries thanks to their history with the French. 

Which is the best city in Vietnam to eat? Some will argue for Ho Chi Minh while others say the food in Hanoi is the yummiest. Maybe both can be true? Personally, I prefer the food in Hanoi if only because of the best Vietnamese dish ever: Bun Cha Hanoi. 

Read more:

Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh – A Vietnam City Trip

Where to eat in Hanoi? Well, you will be spoiled for choice. While Hanoi street food reigns supreme, the smaller the stool the better the food, there are plenty of great authentic restaurants too. Even with regular sized chairs. In this post, I will share my favorite Hanoi street food tours with you and the restaurants that I love. 

Food in Hanoi – the best tours & great restaurants

Are you nervous about street food? Don’t be! Street food in Hanoi is incredible! But don’t just take my word for it instead book a street food tour with an expert that will show you to the best food spots and markets in Hanoi. 

Doing a Vietnamese street food tour will show you a curated selection of stalls and small restaurants. Your guide will also explain more about the culture and history of the different dishes, explain dining etiquette, and of course, translate. This way, you can be sure to eat some truly authentic dishes and won’t have to worry about hygiene and what the food will do to your belly (except fill it nicely). 

Street food tours are also a great option when you are traveling alone. This way you will avoid the dreaded dinner for one and maybe even make some new friends. 

Read more:

How to avoid getting sick when traveling (and eating) 

My Favorite food tours in Hanoi 

There are plenty of great food tours in Hanoi. I went with one of my favorite operators, A Chef’s Tour, on an early morning market adventure, but unfortunately this tour has been discontinued. You can still do their lunch or evening tour, or the Midnight Hanoi tour that runs from 10pm to 2am – perfect if you are a night owl and want to see what’s cooking in Hanoi when the lights go out.

• Book Hungry Hanoi lunch food tour
• Book Hanoi Dusk evening food tour
• Book Midnight Hanoi night food tour

As I am not a night owl, I booked a “Guided Street Food Tour with Train Street Experience” on GYG that had gotten really good reviews and was quite inexpensive. 

It was just me and another couple with our wonderful guide Jelly. While I was a bit concerned that I would get the typical must-try food in Hanoi – bun cha & co – I was pleasantly surprised that we basically ate all new to me dishes. At our first stop, I got a lesson in Vietnamese noodles and learned that pho actually doesn’t refer to the soup but rather the noodles in the soup. This means you can have pho without the broth and it comes in many other dishes too (this was a revelation to me as I usually find broth-based dishes a bit boring). We tried “Phở trộn”, which is dry mixed pho and so much better than the brothy version. 

After we moved on to eat “Bánh xèo”, the only dish I actually knew. Crispy pancakes are cut into slices and rolled into rice paper. Then we headed to the famous “Bánh cuốn” lady. She makes steamed rice rolls with mushrooms and crispy shallots on top. Those were my favorite and the lady while slightly intimidating looking even complimented my chopstick skills as I ate the fried shallots one by one. 

At this point, I was getting full but there was more: sticky rice with toppings, egg coffee or salted coffee as well as coconut ice cream with sticky rice. Depending on your guide, the route and dishes may change but you will definitely get to eat some of the best food in Hanoi. 

Once we were done feasting, Jelly took us to the famous Hanoi Train Street. Yes, the Train Street Hanoi is open for business. On the left and the right side of the tracks are plenty of bars and cafes where you can have a drink while you wait for the main act: the train coming through. The bar owners make sure that everyone is off the tracks and safe and make a bit of a show of it to keep the waiting customers entertained.

There have been accidents in the past so they are quite strict when the train arrives. Still, you will be incredibly close and it is a fun experience. Make sure to put a coin on the tracks for a cool souvenir! While there is an official train schedule, it can run late. We were there around 8 pm and saw the train twice, once in each direction. 

A nice touch of this tour – your guide will send you the names of what you ate and the restaurants as well as give you recommendations on where to eat in Hanoi. 

• Book Hanoi street food tour with Train Street Visit

Secret Experience Cocktail Tour in Hanoi

If you are too old or too bougie for a bar crawl and Beer Street, I recommend you book a cocktail tour in Hanoi with Secret Escapes. I’ve done their tours in Hoi An and Da Nang, and I’m a huge fan of the concept. 

Similar to a food tour, you will be shown to some of the best venues the city has to offer; however, the focus is on drinking cocktails instead of eating (though you do get snacks!). 

As a huge cocktail fan and solo traveler, I absolutely adore the concept because you get to go bar hopping guided by a local and with built-in friends, at least for an evening. 

Your guide will show you to 4 different venues where you will drink 4 different cocktails. Some venues are proper bars, but you might also end up in a random shop, or someone’s rooftop – places you regularly wouldn’t find on your own or get a cocktail at. 

And even the regular bars, the cocktails are curated for Secret Experience and are not available on the everyday menu. Most feature Vietnamese spirits and/or flavor profiles, so you also won’t usually find them anywhere else. 

Secret Experiences also offers a Craft Liquor Tasting Experience in Hanoi. 

• Book Secret Cocktail Experience in Hanoi
• Book Craft Liquor Tasting Experience in Hanoi

Best places to eat in Hanoi

There are plenty of great restaurants in Hanoi for your culinary journey. How to find a good one? I like to peruse the Michelin guide online. They not only feature fine dining restaurants in Hanoi and those with an actual star rating but also smaller venues or even street food stalls that they recommend.  A favorite is Tầm Vị, an incredibly inexpensive proper restaurant in Hanoi with a Michelin star. I didn’t go because the online reviews were mixed, but would give it a chance if I had some more time. 

Below you will find some places to eat in Hanoi that I recently tried and liked. 

Maison 1929

Maison 1929 is a sister restaurant of the Hanoi institution Chào Bạn. As the name implies it is located in a house from 1929 and offers two floors and a balcony seating. While they consider their cooking modern Vietnamese, Maison 1929 is probably best known for their spring rolls. Especially their crab rolls are well-liked. 

Now, I am a huge fan of Vietnamese spring rolls. While I tend to find them too oily and tasteless in most other countries, they are crispy, juicy, and just so very yummy in Vietnam. The crab spring rolls I ordered at Maison 1929 were no exception though I will say, the crab got a bit lost. That said, I ordered a banana leaf salad to start with. If you have never eaten a banana leaf salad you have missed out – it is one of the best things to eat in Hanoi! The fact that banana leaves are apparently a superfood only makes it better but seriously, try it – it is delicious: crunchy, slightly sweet, tangy, and just morish. 

Luk Lak

Madame Binh has been a legendary chef at the Hanoi Sofitel Legend for 25 years. After she started her own business first in Da Nang and in 2018 in Hanoi – Welcome to Luk Lak. 

The restaurant is located close to the Hanoi Opera and at home in a beautiful building, designed in what they call “modern Indochine” architecture. The menu offers an eclectic mix of traditional and modern Vietnamese food with a strong emphasis on seasonal flavors thanks to a special seasonal menu. 

If you wanted something a little more unusual, go for the spring rolls with snails or the braised flying fish roe in a clay pot. For carnivores they have stuffed pigeon with sticky rice, lots of pork belly dishes, and my new favorite – grilled duck and pork meatballs with herbs and rice noodles. For a city favorite, order their version of bun cha. 

While you can’t compare the prices with those of street food, they are definitely affordable and the portion sizes are generous. Perfect to order a few different dishes and share! They also have a nice selection of non-alcoholic ice teas and juices – I liked my tamarind concoction with dried sour plum. 

Pizza 4P’s

There comes a time during every traveler’s trip when they say – no more tagine! This happened on my Morocco group trip but actually, this can happen in any country and you can substitute tagine with noodles, fried rice, spring rolls, or in this case the whole amazingness that is food in Hanoi. 

You may just want something familiar and homey, not necessarily to settle your stomach but maybe your soul. This is the time when most Vietnam travelers will head to Pizza 4P. Actually, scratch this, most travelers will eventually head there because the pizza is just so damn good. They have locations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh as well as some other cities, and you can order via Grab. 

One Hanoi restaurant is in Bao Khanh northwest of the Hoan Kiem Lake, and the other is in Tràng Tiền to the southeast of the lake. There are a few more but I reckon those are the ones you may visit if you are staying around the lake or in the old quarter. 

Backstage at Capella Hanoi

If you can’t afford a night at Capella Hanoi (I couldn’t), you might be able to afford lunch at their Vietnamese restaurant, Backstage. Sparkling mirrors and costumes, orchids and huge flower arrangements, and impeccable service await. 

The menu features Northern Vietnamese and Hanoi classics like their own rendition of pho, bun cha, and spring rolls, plus a modern, elegant take on regional dishes. While it doesn’t have a Michelin star like its sister restaurant Koki, it is Michelin recommended – for good reason. They also have a Michelin Experience Menu, as well as a lunch menu starting at 680,000 VND (about $26 + tax) for 2 courses. 

I opted for à la carte and started with a small portion of Halong Stone Crab Noodles (just ask your waitress; they are happy to advise on portion sizes) and then ordered the smoked duck breast. I have been a fan of duck lately ever since having the best dish at Potong in Bangkok. While the duck here couldn’t quite measure up, it was a really delicious plate of food, especially thanks to a bonbon of foie gras and mulberry jus. 

Whatever you do order, have some cocktails as well – they are well thought out and delicious. I had the Areca Negroni and a Greta Gabo’s Gift that was incredible. 

All in all, you really notice that you are dining at a Capella hotel – the service couldn’t be better, and while definitely a treat, I think it is a worthwhile one. 

Etēsia

If you need a break from Vietnamese food in Hanoi, I can recommend dinner at Etēsia. It calls itself a modern European restaurant and is a great place for a good bowl of pasta with local flavors. 

Seating is on one long bar counter – try to get a seat right behind the open kitchen to watch the chefs work their magic. They have a good wine-by-the-glass selection, which is quite pricey though. Interestingly enough, their natural wine options are actually the least expensive, and I was here to try it!

I started dinner with smoked salmon and white asparagus, followed by a crab and tomato mille feuille – a beautiful dish, as tomato gel made up the layers, and they added mango for extra sweetness. My pasta choice wasn’t available (the menu changes frequently), so I went for tagliatelle with duck ragu. It wasn’t the most out-there dish (the waiter did ‘warn’ me), but a really good bowl of pasta. 

If you still have space for dessert, they do offer tiramisu or lemon sorbet served in a whole, real lemon. 

Hanoi Food Culture

Hanoi Food Culture is a bit of an institution in Hanoi when it comes to restaurants. Chef Nguyen and his staff were trained at KOTO, an organization that trains disadvantaged Vietnamese. Tucked away in a tiny back alley in Old Town Hanoi, the restaurant is frequented by many tour groups, but that shouldn’t deter you. 

The menu offers many of your Vietnamese and Hanoi favorites, well executed. If you are not ready to sit on a tiny plastic stool on the roadside, this is a great introduction to Vietnam’s food. The helpful staff is always around to explain to you how to eat certain dishes. 

The food is solid, and you are supporting a truly good enterprise with your patronage.

Bún chả Hương Liên

Some may call it a tourist trap and I say, that this is so unfair – wouldn’t you use it if President Obama and Anthony Bourdain had eaten at your restaurant? I know I would and the fact that it is mainly known as Bun Cha Obama really isn’t the restaurant’s making. For them to put the table where the two famous foodies shared their meal in a museum-like glass cube – genius! I think it is meant a bit tongue ’n cheek but regardless, good for them to have this claim to fame. 

Either way, the bun cha is still pretty good. It was one of my first bowls ever and comes with plenty of rice noodles, loads of herbs, tender pork, and fried seafood, crab or veggie rolls. You can choose from various combinations, some even including a beer. Make sure you do get the spring roll because it is very delicious. 

Bun Cha Ta Hanoi

Bun Cha Ta Hanoi is another institution when it comes to Hanoi Old Quarter restaurants. It is unassuming, to say the least, but the bun cha is spot on. 

There are only a few spots downstairs or you head upstairs where they have some long communal tables. You will need to take off your shoes as you are basically sitting on the floor with the tables below in the ground. They also offer various combinations – make sure to read the description – I ordered my bun cha without meatballs by mistake and had to reorder. 

While some say that the bun cha at Bun Cha Ta is a bit too sweet for their liking, I think it is great. The setting is also wonderful especially if you want an authentic meal in Hanoi and aircon at the same time. 

Need more food tips for your Vietnam trip? Find my Hoi An restaurant guide here.