Best Street Food in Hanoi: What To Try and Where To Find It
With nearly endless mouth-watering street food options, Hanoi is truly a foodie paradise. I spent over a month in Hanoi as part of my yearlong solo trip across Asia and nearly all of my meals were street food. For me, the hardest parts were deciding what to try and where to try it. Hanoi can be an overwhelming city, and the street food scene is no exception! That’s why I put together this guide to help you find the best street food in Hanoi
Best Street Food in Hanoi (TL;DR Summary)
Interested in where to find the best street food in Hanoi, but don’t have time to read through all the details? Here’s a TL;DR summary of the best dishes to try and my favorite spots to try them.
Click the links in the list below for more details on each of my favorite street foods in Hanoi.
Which Areas Have the Best Street Food in Hanoi
Hanoi is a huge city, with a population of over 8 million. By area, Hanoi is more than double the size of Los Angeles. If you’re a little overwhelmed and unsure where to even start looking for the best street food in Hanoi, I don’t blame you!
A quick Google search on Hanoi will be full of blogs and opinions on where to stay in Hanoi. Old Quarter, French Quarter, and West Lake are the three most popular areas for tourists. There are pros and cons to each area, of course. But if easy access to the best street food is a high priority, I’m happy to make the choice much easier for you. After spending over a month in the city, I can tell you unequivocally that the best street food is in the Old Quarter.
Check Out Old Quarter for the Best Street Food in Hanoi
I’m going to be honest with you, Old Quarter (also known as Hoan Kiem) is overwhelming. It’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s crowded, it doesn’t always smell the most pleasant, traffic is brutal, and at times it seems like drivers are doing everything they can to run you over. But Old Quarter is also full of history and charm and is my favorite area to visit in Hanoi. Most importantly, Old Quarter is very densely packed with mouth-watering street food merely everywhere you look.
As you read through this guide, you may notice one thing in common with every recommendation I make. Every single one of my favorite street food stands/restaurants is located in Old Quarter. Not only that, pretty much all of the runners-up that aren’t mentioned here are also located in Old Quarter. In my opinion, it’s not worth going out of your way to try street food outside of Old Quarter unless you’re staying in those areas.
Pho Bo (Rice Noodle Soup With Beef)
I’m assuming if you’re reading an article about the best street food in Hanoi, you probably know what pho (pronounced “fuh”) is. But just in case you don’t, pho is a simple yet delicious soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, fresh herbs, and meat. Most pho spots also provide garnishes like minced garlic, fresh lime, and chopped chili peppers that you can add to taste.
Most of the pho in Hanoi is pho bo (beef), but you can also find plenty of pho ga (chicken). Having tried both a handful of times, I much prefer pho bo! There are actually many variations of pho bo. The most common that I encountered are pho bo tai (thinly sliced rare beef), pho bo chin (thinly sliced well-done beef), and pho bo gau (well-done beef brisket).
To my surprise, pho is commonly eaten for breakfast in Vietnam. But don’t worry, you can still get it almost everywhere for lunch and dinner too.
Best Pho Bo in Hanoi — Pho Thin Bo Ho
There must be about a thousand places to try pho in Hanoi. Ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But seriously, just walk around Hanoi for a half day and it will feel like there are nearly unlimited pho options. I spent over a month in Hanoi between Old Quarter and West Lake and tried pho bo at a bunch of places, including the famous Michelin Bib Gourmand Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su. But only one place had me coming back for more, Pho Thin Bo Ho.
Like most of the best street food in Hanoi, Pho Thin Bo Ho is a small, unassuming shop along a congested Old Quarter street. I wouldn’t blame you if you walked right by it! There are only a couple small tables with stools and like most Hanoi street food, hygiene is questionable at best. It’s also on the pricier side at ~$2.50-$3.50 depending on what you order. But don’t be put off by any of that! I ordered pho to dac biet, which was a mix of rare beef, cooked beef, and brisket and it was my favorite bowl of pho I’ve had in my life.
Banh Mi (Sandwich on Toasted Baguette)
Besides pho, I would guess that banh mi is the second most well-known Vietnamese dish to most. Before arriving in Vietnam, I had a specific idea in mind of what banh mi was based on what I had experienced in the US (big mistake, of course). While there was usually some variation, for the most part, banh mi always consisted of a toasted baguette with grilled pork or chicken, pate, pickled carrot and daikon, and cilantro, dressed with mayo and some chili sauce.
What I quickly learned upon arriving in Hanoi, is that banh mi literally just means “bread” in Vietnamese and there are so many variations! Many places didn’t use pate and some places just offered a baguette with fried egg and called it “banh mi.” The biggest surprise was that most banh mi I encountered were just fatty cold cuts instead of grilled meats. But don’t be deterred! There are plenty of places to find banh mi with grilled meat (which I strongly feel is the better variation!).
Best Banh Mi in Hanoi — Tie Between Banh Mi 25 and Bami Bread
So which is the best banh mi in Hanoi? I had two personal favorites that I frequented, and I just couldn’t decide between the two.
Banh Mi 25
If you’re only going to try banh mi once in Hanoi, you may as well go to the spot that was most recommended to me, Banh Mi 25. The lines at Banh Mi 25 are notoriously long and for a reason. It was the freshest tasting of all the banh mi I tried, and they have an extensive menu of delicious grilled pork, chicken, beef, and vegetarian options. I stuck to the mixed pork banh mi, which included slices of BBQ pork, smoked sausage, and pate and it always hit the spot for about ~$1.50. Also, Banh Mi 25 was the cleanest of the banh mi spots (very important since you’re eating fresh herbs/veggies).
Bami Bread
Banh Mi 25 felt like a well-oiled machine compared to my other favorite banh mi spot, Bami Bread in Old Quater (also called Banh Mi Hoi An). The menu at Bami Bread is much simpler and there are only a few plastic chairs inside. But the grilled pork had the best flavor of all the banh mi I tried! Not just that, each banh mi cost little over $1!
One word of caution: they go a little heavy on the cilantro so make sure to ask for light cilantro (or none, if you hate cilantro). Oh, and they call cilantro “coriander” in Vietnam (coriander is technically cilantro seed, but here they refer to the herb as coriander).
Bun Cha (Vermicelli Noodles With Grilled Pork)
Now that we got the more touristy foods out of the way, it’s time to move into the local staples. One could argue this next food on the list, bun cha is also “touristy” but I had never even heard of it before coming to Vietnam. After some digging, I discovered that Anthony Bourdain treated Barack Obama to bun cha during a filming of Parts Unknown. As a result, many tourist have bun cha as high on their street food lists as pho and banh mi.
Similar to pho, bun cha is a simple meal but its taste is anything but simple. Bun cha translates to “noodles with pork” and that’s basically what it is. There are a few different variations, mostly in terms of how the type and preparation of the pork. The most common type I encountered was grilled pork meatballs. The grilled pork is accompanied by a plate of vermicelli noodles, a plate of fresh herbs, and a bowl of broth (also referred to as dipping sauce). You simply add the ingredients into the broth/sauce in small portions at a time and enjoy!
Best Bun Cha in Hanoi — O Bun Cha
For the best bun cha, head to a place that holds a special place in my heart, O Bun Cha. O Bun Cha was the first restaurant I visited in Vietnam, and I returned quite a few times. What I loved so much about this spot, was the way they prepared and served the pork on bamboo skewers. I ordered the special bun cha, which included a few different variations and cuts of grilled pork. It was one of my favorite lunch dishes in all of Vietnam!
As you can probably guess, I also tried the bun cha spot that Bourdain and Obama dined at. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t find it to be anything special either. It just tasted like any other average bun cha. But if you’re interested, it’s not hard to find., it’s literally called Bun Cha Obama (or Bun Cha Huong Lien).
Bun Bo Nam Bo (Vermicelli Noodle Salad With Beef)
It feels weird to include bun bo nam bo in this list. After all, it literally translates to “beef noodle from the SOUTH.” If you’re not well-versed in Vietnam geography, Hanoi is in the north. Geography lessons aside, one of my favorite meals I had during my time in Hanoi was bun bo nam bo.
I like to think of bun bo nam bo as beef’s answer to bun cha, though it’s quite different. While bun cha has more of a soup-like base, bun bo nam bo has more of a salad-like base. Bun bo nam bo is also topped with crushed peanuts and a wider variety of herbs and leafy greens. It has a good mix of textures and a broader flavor profile than most other Hanoi street foods I tried.
Best Bun Bo Nam Bo in Hanoi — Bun Bo Nam Bo Bach Phuong
To be honest, I’m not even sure how common it is to find bun bo nam bo in Hanoi. I’m sure more places offer it, but I only know of one restaurant that is known for it, Bun Bo Nam Bo Bach Phuong. Yes I know, probably a little biased to call this the best bun bo nam bo when I have nothing to compare it to, but a quick Google search will show you how many others agree with me. Bun Bo Nam Bo Bach Phuong is one of the few restaurants that I returned to frequently. It’s also one of my favorite meals in Hanoi!
The menu at Bun Bo Nam Bo Phuong is very simple. They only serve bun bo nam bo and a few small sides. I recommend opting for extra beef since the portions were a little light. This meal is on the pricier side for street food in Hanoi, at around $4 (less than $3 if you don’t order extra beef). Don’t be scared off if you show up and all the tables look full. There are multiple floors with communal tables. Plus, the service is super fast most days meaning a high turnover of open spots.
Banh Cuon (Steamed Rice Roll With Minced Pork and Mushroom)
The last dish on my list of the best street food in Hanoi, banh cuon, is more of a snack or appetizer than a meal. But if you’re stuffing your face all day as much as I did in Hanoi, it’s nice to change it up and have a light meal here and there! Banh cuon consists of minced pork and wood ear mushrooms rolled in a delicate, paper-thin rice noodle sheet (sort of like a dumpling).
Like the other dishes in this article, banh cuon is not complex, yet very delicious. The most impressive thing about banh cuon is that the chefs manage to roll the ingredients in such a delicate, thin rice noodle sheet without breaking it. Eating one without breaking it is a whole other challenge in itself though!
Best Banh Cuon in Hanoi — Banh Cuon Nong — Pho Bo
While I saw banh cuon on menus, I didn’t see nearly as many places featuring it as I did other foods like pho and banh mi. So, I asked around and the only spot that came up more than once of the handful of people I asked was Banh Cuon Nong — Pho Bo (listed in Google Maps as Traditional Banh Cuon Nong — Pho Bo).
Banh Cuon Nong — Pho Bo looks similar to most of the pho spots you’ll see in Old Quarter. Plastic chairs and small tables on the curb, piles of dishes and cooking equipment, fresh ingredients on display. Is it the cleanest-looking place? Not really… But neither is the rest of the best street food in Hanoi. Is it worth stopping by and giving the banh cuon a try, absolutely! Of all the banh cuon I tried, these were the best balance of being so light and delicate yet full of flavor at the same time.
Is It Safe To Eat the Best Street Food in Hanoi?
Like anywhere in the developing world, food safety is a concern in Hanoi. That being said, Hanoi is famous for street food for a reason. Millions of people visit Hanoi every year and I would wager more than half of them sample some of the famous street food mentioned in this article.
But just because others are doing it, doesn’t mean it’s without risk. Having been all over Southeast Asia, I would say that food hygiene practices are the most questionable in Vietnam. Every time I ate anywhere in Vietnam, even the best street food in Hanoi, my mind went to the 50/50 audio from the movie War Dogs that was all over social media in 2023.
“Hey seriously, is this safe?”
“50/50”
“50/50 what? Like 50% we live, 50% we die?”
“50/50…”
Jokes aside, even simple things like wearing gloves and washing hands aren’t always common. I watched someone take money from a stranger with bare hands and then proceed to stick her bare hands in a pile of herbs to put on a banh mi. I saw spoons and knives used for both raw meat and fresh vegetables. This is what they’re comfortable doing out in the open in front of paying customers… God knows what is going on behind closed doors.
Final Word on Food Safety When It Comes to the Best Street Food in Hanoi
My best advice is just to use your judgment and do what feels comfortable to you. Can you get sick eating street food in Hanoi? Yes, of course. Is it likely? Well, I don’t know and I’m not going to pretend I’m a medical expert. A few good rules of thumb are to eat during busy times of the day and pick busy places. Following those two rules at least ensures high turnover of ingredients.
As of writing this, I’ve been traveling around Asia for nearly six months, and I haven’t gotten food poisoning from street food. The only time I got food poisoning was at a restaurant in Gili Air. I did get pretty sick and experience symptoms of giardia in Hanoi. Sadly parasites are a common thing throughout Vietnam, but I was eating at some VERY questionable places outside of the main touristy areas mentioned in this article (lesson learned).
Closing Thoughts
Hanoi is one of my favorite cities in Southeast Asia for street! I hope this guide on the best street food in Hanoi helps you enjoy it as much as I did.
I hope you found this guide on the best street food in Hanoi helpful. Love my advice? Completely disagree with me? Leave a reply below and let me know your thoughts!