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Beside historical stories and attractive souvenirs, Old Quarter in Hanoi is also the best area for food tours, too. Let’s explore now!

Food

Bat Dan hot beef noodle (Phở Bát Đàn)

Apart from Ly Quoc Su street, Bat Dan houses one of the most famous Phở bò store in Hanoi. My travel buddy is a big fan of this popular destination and eagerly introduced me this experience in the early morning (as phở is sold out very quickly here). And don’t I tell you that this store serve ONLY Phở bò? How concentrating they are, selling one dish only!

The very first rule to have a good bowl of phở here is to come early (6:00-7:00AM) as the store will likely to be aggressively crowded then. The second rule (which is quite interesting) is to stay spirit of “first come first served”, everyone queue to order at the counter and take bowls of phở themselves from there as well. Table setting and service do not exist here. The tradition interestingly reminds Vietnamese people (especially the old ones) of the Bao Cấp era long ago, when everybody had to queue for the daily essentials and other stuff.

Fried dough (Quẩy) here is also a good addition to elevate Phở experience, but remember that the big bowl may get you full soon as the amount of beef and noodle is considerable compared to those in the South.

We all highly appreciate the rich clear broth as it is super tasty with original flavours like it was once introduced in the 1960s. Moreover, the broth is reduced goodness of bone marrow but not fatty at all, whereas the beef is tender and soft with a glowing pink hue (like a delicious rare beefsteak).

You’re also encouraged to finish quickly as the number of seats in the store is very limited while the queue is long by the time.

Where to find: 49 Bat Dan street, Hanoi
Cost to pay: average 60,000 vnd/ bowl, with three options: rare (tái), well-done (chín) or both (tái nạm).

Goc Da Noodle with fried tofu & shrimp paste (Bún đậu mắm tôm Gốc Đa)

This original Hanoi food is undeniably one of my girlfriend’s favorites: she even highlights the dish as the best food ever in our trip across Northern Vietnam and admits this tasty choice saved her bad experiences in Hanoi magically after all, in very last minutes.

Every ingredient is well cooked: the deep-fried tofu and pig guts are so crispy and hot, while the tender rice noodles add a bland manner on the tongue. The richness rises to peak when your mouth welcomes all kinds of boiled pig belly/ leg slices, guts and Vietnamese blood sausage.

The main role of this show is no other than shrimp paste, which is made of original fermented shrimp paste, lemon or kumquat juice and sugar. You can add more lemon or kumquat juice and sliced chili at your wish. So only in a small bowl of the mixed paste, we taste up to 5 flavors: sweet, salty, sour, hot and umami (meaty of shrimp). Eventually the herb, with tender bitterness and cool, balances perfectly all the richness and fatty taste of the main part.

The original tradition of this simple-yet-remarkable food is also showcased via setting technique: decorated more attractively on a flat winnowing basket covered by green banana/ phrynium leaves.

For the price, it’s kinda reasonable range compared to other foods like Bún Chả (~50,000 vnd), Phở Bát Đàn (~60,000 vnd), Chả cá Lã Vọng (~130,000 vnd/pax). Our super combo just cost 130,000 vnd for two, including 2 special portions (35,000 vnd), 1 additional fried rolls (30,000 vnd) and fried pig’s tripes (30,000 vnd).

There are actually 2 stores located opposite at the street and both aggressively claim their controversial originality with the big poster at front, but both are all worth your try due to their distinctive flavors.

Where to find: no 3 & 4, Ngo Gach, Hang Buom ward, Hoan Kiem district
Cost to pay: three levels from 25,000 – 30,000 – 35,000 vnd. The additions include fried rolls (30,000 vnd) and crispy fried pig’s tripes (30,000 vnd)

Hang Luoc Siamese duck with fried garlic (Ngan cháy tỏi Hàng Lược)

The food store in Hang Luoc street is reportedly the creator of the famous dish, which does not own a long history but is an epitome of the creativity of the local cuisine. That’s exactly what sparked in my mind when I first saw the dish on a street in the Old Quarter. Quickly pushed by curiosity, we decided to give the dish a try (It is a pity that our first time was not in Hang Luoc but a store at the intersection of Hang Non & Hang Thiec, which claimed its originality of the dish, made us mistaken).

To be honest, the store at Hang Non is not a bad option compared to the original one as they also offer small portions in bowls with reasonable price, instead of insisting on a full or a half of duck, which often is over budget (and overwhelms) for a couple. But it is tricky, and if you are not insistent on demanding the menu with price, loud and clear, you might get frustrated since the waiters try to trick you with a super big menu without price tags. Only when you make a fuss and intentionally leave, they calmly reveal the price of a half duck portion (~250,000 vnd). Keep insisting to leave and eventually, a small menu with a full price list would be on your table.

This experience leaves me an impression on how to deal with the local vendors in Hanoi (and other Northern provinces): you should only choose a restaurant/ coffee with a menu price list. Otherwise, you have to ask clearly before making a decision. It is surprisingly noticed that more and more stores in the North now display price lists that significantly build trust and better experience for customers. It seems the rip-off tradition once famous for Northern tourism now turns a bygone.

Admittedly, except for the tricky price approach, we had a wonderful experience here, a free bowl of bamboo shoot soup, sour fermented sliced bamboo shoot, tasty yet distinctive sauces and a good balance by fresh herb. All the good things come after an insistent request on the price list. It merely cost us 90,000 vnd for all and we loved it!

Where to find: 51 Hang Luoc, Hanoi (original store), some at Hang Non street like the one mentioned above.
Price to pay: bowls cost ~50,000 vnd, a half of a duck costs ~230,000 vnd, and a full duck costs ~450,000 vnd (The price may vary, depending on certain store, holiday and portion).

Drink

Dracontomelon fruit juice (sấu dầm)

My favorite drink in Hanoi since I was a young boy. As a specialty of the capital, quả sấu is used for various dishes of the North like Vịt om sấu (braised duck with dracontomelon), Rau muống luộc dầm sấu (boiled water spinach with dracontomelon) or various versions of Canh thịt (meat soup) cooked with this ingredients. Still, the juice is the winner in my heart and I didn’t miss a chance to enjoy the tasty drink. The distinguished flavor along with the crisp of the skin, a little soft of the fresh, sourness and sweetness, all of which are mingled together perfectly in ice. A highly recommended cool solution for high-heated summertime.

Where to find: most of the street vendors on the pavement selling ice tea and  pipe tobacco (trà đá-thuốc lào) and in several coffee stores (we had it in a lovely coffee at Ta Hien street).
Price: 15,000~30,000 vnd.

Egg coffee

I’ve lived in Saigon for years, I love the coffee culture of this storied metropolis, which possibly outnumbers the coffee tradition in Hanoi (The North still remains at the throne of Trà đá culture, admittedly). But I honestly admire egg coffee, which is definitely a must in the capital.

This long-live drink was created in 1946 by Mr Giảng, a former mixologist of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. During the Resistance war against French colonialism in the North those days, milk is a such luxurious good as it is extremely scarce domestically. To battle this terrible insufficiency, the talented barista found that egg was an ideal alternative for milk, as long as it created a thick texture above coffee like that on cappuccino. After that, he left the world-famous hotel to open his own coffee shop in the Old Quarter neighborhood – Giang cafe, which is now run by his successors.

Egg coffee now is a popular option in some styled coffee shop, as it requires a skillful barista. I have tasted cappuccino, a good drink by Italian, honestly, but still enjoy egg coffee as it produces a heavy loaded version that meets local goût: thick and sweet, not gender at all. You have to dig through the dense sweet foam to sip the bitter coffee taste. Time flies and this rich coffee opens to the cold version, but I still prefer a hot cup of egg coffee on an autumn evening in Hanoi. How beautiful it is!

You may like to enjoy the original formula of Mr Giảng at Giang cafe or pamper yourself with the creativity of other versions in the cafes located at the same street. During the holidays, Giang cafe may experience an aggressively crowded flock of customers, so the other cafes in the area turn into good alternative shelters.

Where to find: Giang cafe, 39 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hanoi. You may find other coffee stores along the street with this specialty on the menu.
Cost to pay: 25,000 – 45,000 vnd

Other best near the neighborhood

Trang Tien ice-cream (Kem Tràng Tiền)

Another legendary brand of Hanoi was created in 1958 at No 35, Trang Tien street. Only after 1 month of training, Mr Khánh, who was in charge of the formula of this famous ice-cream during 1961 – 1993, showcased his talent in making the best ice-cream in town at that time: not too sweet, soft enough, balanced tastes of green rice, chocolate and milk kinds. Hanoi people loved them, and queued for the ice-cream, sometimes, occupied full of pavement at front. Having Trang Tien ice-creams in hands to deal with the super-hot summer of the capital is such a beloved memories of the local and tourists.

In 2020, the brand was refitted thoroughly, especially the store at Trang Tien street. The walls was painted lovely picture of indigenous Hanoi culture like the domestic railway or calligraphy masters.

Customers either take away ice-cream at the counter at front, or ride into a small alley to enjoy the centre inside. And we do love this atmosphere, the happy crowds, yummy ice-cream with cheap price (I even tried both popsicle and waffle cone with green rocroand durian flavors) colorful pictures on the walls for selfie – an amazing experience in Hanoi that you should not miss at all.