What to Eat in Hanoi: 10 Essential Dishes Worth the Trip (From Someone Who Actually Ate Them)
Wondering what to eat in Hanoi? This guide covers every essential dish worth seeking out in the city. This Hanoi food guide is built from days of eating our way through the city. In 2024, Hanoi was voted the world’s number one food city by TripAdvisor readers — beating Paris, Tokyo, and Rome. Vietnam News Agency reported that Hanoi topped TripAdvisor’s Best Food Destination list out of over 8 million listings on the platform.
So I went to find out if it actually holds up.
Egg coffee that tasted like tiramisu, the dish Obama and Bourdain made famous, a Michelin-starred pho spot packed by 5pm, and a one-star dinner for two that cost less than $35 CAD. This is everything we ate, everywhere we went, and whether Hanoi deserves the title.
Spoiler: it does.
What To Eat In Hanoi: Jump To
- Banh Mi: First Bites
- Cafe Giang: Egg Coffee
- The Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake
- Saint Joseph’s Cathedral
- Pho Thin: Best Pho We’ve Had
- Hanoi Train Street
- Bun Cha: Skipping the Tourist Spot
- Salted Egg Street Snack
- Getting Around: Hop-On Hop-Off
- Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
- Temple of Literature
- Tam Vi: One Michelin Star Dinner
Banh Mi: First Bites
Our first morning in Hanoi — the first stop on any good Hanoi food guide — I went straight for banh mi. The spot our travel agency recommended is a chain with 70 locations across Vietnam, solid Google reviews, and clearly well established.
We ordered the Special Banh Mi with chicken and chashu. It cost 50,000 VND, about $2.50 CAD (~$1.80 USD) per sandwich.
Compared to banh mi in Canada, this was smaller. But the bread was fresh, the meat was fresh, the vegetables were fresh, and they add hot sauce by default. You feel that kick. For $2.50, hard to complain.
First banh mi in Vietnam and it did not disappoint.
Chicken and chashu on a fresh-baked roll. $2.50 CAD and worth every cent.
50,000 VND. One of the best value bites of the whole trip.
Fresh bread, fresh meat, fresh vegetables. And hot sauce — always.
Part of a 70-location chain across Vietnam, recommended by our travel agency.
Every bite had a little kick. Exactly what we wanted on day one.
Cafe Giang: Where Egg Coffee Was Born
If you’ve never heard of egg coffee before, here’s the backstory. It was invented in Hanoi in the 1940s by Nguyen Van Giang, a barista at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel. During the French colonial era, fresh milk was scarce and expensive. So he whipped egg yolk with sugar and a touch of condensed milk to create a rich, creamy substitute for the foam on a traditional coffee. He eventually left the hotel and opened his own place. That place is Cafe Giang, still run by his family today, right in the Old Quarter.
You can get egg coffee all over Vietnam now, but this is where it started. It was packed when I walked in, rightfully so.
We ordered one hot and one cold.
Here’s how to drink it: stir the thick egg foam gently into the strong coffee below, then sip slowly so you get both the sweet cream and the bitter coffee in each mouthful. There’s no eggy taste, which surprises most people. It’s velvety, creamy, and almost dessert-like. Ian called it tiramisu in a cup. I compared the cold version to dalgona coffee. The foam alone is very sweet, so make sure you actually dig down to the coffee underneath or you’re just drinking dessert.
📍 Cafe Giang on Google Maps | 39 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Cafe Giang — still run by the family that invented egg coffee in the 1940s.
The hot version. Stir the foam into the coffee slowly and sip both layers.
The cold version. Ian called it tiramisu. I called it dalgona. We were both right.
Packed every time we walked past. Rightfully so.
That foam is thick and sweet. Dig down to the coffee underneath or you are just having dessert.
The Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake
I stayed in the Old Quarter the entire time, and it’s the right call. It’s Hanoi’s historic center, known for its Indochina French architecture, narrow streets, spas, restaurants, and street food everywhere. Pho, bun cha, banh mi, coffee shops. All within walking distance.
Hoan Kiem Lake sits right in the center of the city, Central Park-style. Walking around the outside of the lake is free and honestly that’s enough. There is a paid entrance (50,000 VND per person, about $2.50 CAD / ~$1.80 USD) to walk out to the island in the middle of the lake, where there are two preserved turtles from the Yangtze giant softshell species on display. Only six of that species exist in the world today.
We paid it. In my opinion, you can skip it. The island is small and there isn’t much to see once you’re on it. Save the money and just enjoy the lake from the path around it instead.
The lake area is also a popular spot for locals and tourists to dress in traditional Vietnamese outfits and take photos. It’s a common scene across Asia, and Hanoi does it well.
📍 Hoan Kiem Lake on Google Maps
Hoan Kiem Lake right in the center of Hanoi. Walking the path around it is free and the best way to enjoy it.
Calm and beautiful at any time of day. Early morning is especially good.
Turtle Tower on the island. The paid entrance gets you out here — but in my opinion, skip it.
A popular spot for traditional outfit photos. Hanoi does it well.
Saint Joseph’s Cathedral
Just down from the lake, Saint Joseph’s Cathedral is worth a stop. Built in 1886, it was one of the first major structures the French colonial administration built in Hanoi. The neo-Gothic design was deliberately modeled after Notre Dame in Paris, which makes sense when you see it in person. It’s smaller, but the silhouette is unmistakable.
A few fun facts: the cathedral was built on the site of a pagoda that was demolished to make way for it. It survived both World War II and the Vietnam War mostly intact, which is remarkable given how much of Hanoi was damaged during those periods. It’s still an active Catholic parish today.
After weeks of Buddhist temples in China, walking into a Catholic church felt genuinely jarring in the best way. First church in months.
Dress modestly if you plan to go inside. I was wearing a skirt and they had me cover up my legs. One woman in a spaghetti strap was not allowed in at all, even with a cover. They’re strict about it.
The neighborhood around the cathedral is one of the trendiest in Hanoi. Lots of food, lots of coffee, great for wandering after your visit.
📍 Saint Joseph’s Cathedral on Google Maps | 40 Nha Chung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, built in 1886. The resemblance to Notre Dame in Paris is unmistakable.
The interior is stunning. After weeks of Buddhist temples, this was a genuinely jarring change — in the best way.
The neighborhood around the cathedral is one of the trendiest in Hanoi. Great for food and wandering.
Pho Thin: Best Bowl of Pho We’ve Had
Yes, that’s a big claim.
Pho Thin is in the Michelin Guide and it was packed at 5pm. We shared a table with another couple and both went for the brisket and flank beef pho. The broth was clean and deeply flavorful. The beef was tender, the noodles springy. They garnish with sliced white onion, which is rare in Vietnam. We ordered Chinese donuts on the side for dipping into the broth.
Ian’s verdict: best bowl of pho he’s had in his life. High bar, but he meant it.
Total for two bowls, two teas, and a donut: 170,000 VND, around $8.50 CAD (~$6.20 USD).
Get here before 5pm. By 5:18 there was already a line out the door. We walked in just after five and sat down immediately.
📍 Pho Thin on Google Maps | 13 Lo Duc, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
Brisket and flank beef pho at Pho Thin. Ian’s verdict: best bowl of pho he’s had in his life.
Clean, deeply flavorful broth. Tender beef, springy noodles, rare white onion garnish.
Chinese donuts on the side for dipping. Do not skip this. 170,000 VND total for two.
Hanoi Train Street
We’ve done the Maeklong Railway Market in Thailand. This is a completely different experience.
Hanoi Train Street is a narrow lane in the Old Quarter lined with coffee shops on both sides of an active rail line. Tables go right up to the tracks. Some spots have second-floor balconies so you can watch from above.
The train here moves much faster than the one in Thailand. Ten minutes before it arrives, staff pull all the tables back and tell everyone to sit and tuck their knees in. The staff are not joking.
We booked seats at Hanoi 1990s Coffee Shop. DM them on Instagram to get the train schedule and reserve a seat in advance. The train passed so close that Ian said he could have reached out and touched it. In Thailand we were high-fiving passengers from our seats. Here we were genuinely scared.
Go at night. The neon lights make it a completely different experience from daytime. Worth it over Thailand, no tour required, right in the city.
📍 Hanoi Train Street on Google Maps | Phung Hung Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Hanoi Train Street. The coffee shops set up seats right along the tracks hours before the train arrives.
Neon-lit coffee shops on both sides of the tracks. Go at night — completely different vibe from daytime.
The train passes this close. Knees in. No questions.
Bun Cha: Skipping the Tourist Spot
In 2016, Anthony Bourdain sat down with Barack Obama at a Hanoi bun cha spot and the clip went viral. We thought about going. Then we thought about who else would be there.
We went back and forth on it, but in the end we skipped it. A spot that famous draws a crowd, and we wanted the real version. So we found Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat instead.
No signage that jumps out. Mostly locals inside. That tells you everything.
Here’s how bun cha works: you get a bowl of hot, concentrated broth with grilled pork patties and sliced pork belly, served alongside a plate of vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs. You add the noodles and vegetables directly into the broth, then eat it all together. The char on the meat goes straight into the broth. The pickled papaya and carrots add a hard, crunchy contrast to the soft noodles. Spring rolls on the side make it a full meal.
It looks like a small portion. It’s not. We were both stuffed. Show up early.
📍 Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat on Google Maps | 74 Hang Quat, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat. Mostly locals, no tourist crowds — exactly what we were after.
Hot concentrated broth with char-grilled pork patties and sliced pork belly. The char goes straight into the broth.
Add the vermicelli and herbs directly into the bowl. Pickled papaya and carrots add a satisfying crunch.
Spring rolls on the side make it a full meal. It looks small. It is not.
Salted Egg Street Snack
I spotted this stall right after bun cha, already full, and stopped anyway. I had seen it on Instagram and we just happened to walk by.
The place we went to is called The Roti. It’s a salted egg snack, freshly made, 20,000 VND. One dollar CAD (~$0.75 USD). Hot out of the fryer, soft, gone in three bites. The kind of thing you don’t plan for and end up talking about for the rest of the trip.
If you’re specifically hunting for this snack, the more well-known spot is King Roti on Hang Gai — that one has a bigger following and is easier to find. Either way, don’t skip it.
📍 The Roti on Google Maps | 📍 King Roti Hang Gai on Google Maps
The Roti, Hanoi. Spotted on Instagram. Found it right after bun cha. The universe was telling us something.
Freshly made, hot out of the fryer, 20,000 VND. One dollar CAD. Gone in three bites.
Made to order — you are not getting something that has been sitting under a lamp.
King Roti on Hang Gai is the more well-known spot. Both are worth it.
Getting Around: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
No Hanoi food guide is complete without covering how to get around. The sightseeing spots are not close together. The hop-on hop-off bus solves that without the stress of navigating motorbike taxis or ride apps in an unfamiliar city.
We did one full leisurely loop first, just to soak everything in and get our bearings, then decided where to actually stop and explore. That strategy worked really well. We were able to do it that way because we got the 24-hour pass, but looking back, the 4-hour pass would have been enough for what we needed.
Here’s the price breakdown: 4-hour pass is $15.10 USD, 24-hour pass is $24.50 USD. The difference doesn’t sound like much, but in Vietnam that gap is significant. Unless you’re planning to use it across two days, go with the 4-hour option.
It’s how we got to the Imperial Citadel and Temple of Literature, which are too far to walk from the Old Quarter comfortably. Book in advance through Klook to skip the queue.
Book the Hanoi Hop-On Hop-Off Bus on Klook
The hop-on hop-off bus is the smartest way to cover Hanoi’s sightseeing spots, spread across the city.
We did one full loop first just to get our bearings before deciding where to stop.
4-hour pass is $15.10 USD. 24-hour is $24.50. In Vietnam that difference is real money — go with 4 hours.
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
This was the highlight of our sightseeing day, and I wasn’t expecting it to hit that hard.
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important historical landmarks in Vietnam. We climbed the Hanoi Flag Tower for views over the city, then spent a long time reading through the history exhibits. The citadel served as the political center of Vietnam for nearly 13 centuries, and you feel that walking through it.
The bunkers were the unexpected standout. During the Vietnam War, military commanders operated from underground bunkers right on the citadel grounds. You can walk through them. Sobering and fascinating at the same time.
We spent way too long here. No regrets, but it’s what forced us to rush through the Temple of Literature to make Tam Vi before the dinner rush. Budget at least two to three hours if history is your thing.
📍 Imperial Citadel of Thang Long on Google Maps | 19C Hoang Dieu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the most important sites in Vietnam.
We climbed the Hanoi Flag Tower and got views over the whole city.
The underground bunkers from the Vietnam War are the unexpected highlight. You can walk right through them.
We lost track of time here. Budget at least two to three hours if history is your thing.
Temple of Literature
We’ll be honest: we didn’t give the Temple of Literature the time it deserved.
After losing track of time at the citadel, we moved through here faster than we should have. It’s Vietnam’s first national university, built in 1070, and the grounds are beautiful. Tranquil courtyards, traditional architecture, stone steles listing the names of doctoral graduates carved on the backs of stone turtles.
We saw it. We didn’t experience it. Come back with more time than we gave it.
📍 Temple of Literature on Google Maps | 58 Quoc Tu Giam, Dong Da, Hanoi
Temple of Literature, built in 1070. Vietnam’s first national university. Beautiful and tranquil.
Multiple courtyards connected by gates. We rushed through this and it was a mistake.
Stone steles with doctoral graduate names, carved on stone turtles. History you can actually touch.
Tam Vi: One Michelin Star, $35 CAD for Two
We rushed here from the Temple of Literature because we didn’t have a reservation and knew it fills up fast. We got lucky with a table.
Tam Vi has held one Michelin star three times. A mom and daughter started it. From the outside it looks humble. Inside, it’s a vintage teahouse. Antique decor, low lighting, quiet and warm. The kind of room where the food is clearly the point.
We ordered three dishes: caramelized pork belly with egg, morning glory with pork rinds, and Vietnamese ham with periwinkle snails. The waiter actually told us we had over-ordered and convinced us to cut from four dishes to three. He was right.
The pork belly fat melted completely. Nothing was salty. You don’t even need rice. The snail dish works like a bun cha-style wrap: take rice paper, add noodles and meat, roll it up, dip it, eat it. The snails add a chewy texture that holds up well against everything else.
Does it feel like a Michelin-starred meal in the traditional sense? Honestly, no. No white tablecloth, no ceremony. But the craftsmanship in every dish is obvious, and 700,000 VND for two, around $35 CAD (~$25 USD), is impossible to argue with.
Don’t do what we did. Reserve ahead by messaging them on Facebook or Instagram.
One more thing: while we were there, I ran into William Sonbuchner, aka Best Ever Food Review Show on YouTube. If you don’t know him, he’s one of the biggest food travel creators in the world. I’m not usually the type to go up to someone for a photo, but I worked up the courage and snuck in a quick shot during one of his breaks. It was surreal.
It also confirmed we picked the right place. If it’s good enough for Sonny, it’s good enough for us.
📍 Tam Vi on Google Maps | Binh Dinh Ward, Hanoi | Reserve via Facebook or Instagram
Tam Vi. One Michelin star, three times. A mom and daughter started it, and it shows in every dish.
Vintage teahouse interior. Antique decor, low lighting, warm and quiet.
Caramelized pork belly with egg. The fat melts completely. Not salty. You do not need rice.
Morning glory with pork rinds. Simple on paper, perfectly executed.
Vietnamese ham with periwinkle snails in rice paper. Roll it, dip it, eat it. The snails add a great chew.
700,000 VND for two. About $35 CAD. William Sonbuchner from Best Ever Food Review Show was there the same night.
Does Hanoi Deserve the Title?
Yes.
From a $1 salted egg snack to a Michelin-starred dinner at $25 USD, we ate better here than almost anywhere else on this entire 202-day trip. The food is incredible, ridiculously affordable, and there’s so much more to it than pho. Hanoi earned that title, and based on what we ate, it’s not going anywhere. Use this Hanoi food guide to plan every meal.
If food is your reason for going to Southeast Asia, put Hanoi at the top of your list.
Watch our full video above to see every bite. All the details are below.
Quick Reference
- Banh mi: 50,000 VND (~$2.50 CAD / ~$1.80 USD)
- Cafe Giang egg coffee: ~30,000-50,000 VND (~$1.50-$2.50 CAD)
- Hoan Kiem Lake: free to walk around — skip the paid island entrance
- Pho Thin: 75,000 VND per bowl, 170,000 VND total for two with sides (~$8.50 CAD)
- Train Street: DM Hanoi 1990s on Instagram to reserve seats and get the schedule
- Hop-on hop-off: 4-hour $15.10 USD / 24-hour $24.50 USD — Book on Klook
- Salted egg snack: 20,000 VND (~$1 CAD) — The Roti or King Roti on Hang Gai
- Tam Vi dinner: 700,000 VND for two (~$35 CAD / ~$25 USD) — reserve via Facebook or Instagram
Klook.com
Want us to go deeper on any of these spots? Leave a comment on the video. And subscribe so you don’t miss what’s coming next from Vietnam. Planning other stops? Check out our Tsukiji food guide and our Bangkok vs Kuala Lumpur breakdown.
For destination details, check the official tourism site.
