The best street food in Hanoi according to Michelin

When it comes to street food, visitors will struggle to find a city with a more diverse menu than Hanoi. However, two days is just enough to sample the capital's best street food, according to Michelin.

The Old Quarter, Hanoi ’s centuries-old commercial district, has provided a space for ideas to flourish. Street food is a competitive business in Hanoi, and those that fail don’t last long. Those that survive and thrive have withstood countless taste tests from the notoriously picky locals.

Life on the streets of Hanoi is always colorful.

PHOTO: MICHELIN

Needless to say, the Old Quarter is the best place for foodies to explore . Not only is it home to some of the best street food, but the neighborhood is also filled with temples, pagodas, churches, lakes, parks, and cafes. In other words, it’s the perfect place for travelers to kill some time before their next meal.

Day 1

Morning: Satisfy your appetite with a stroll around the Lake before heading into the Old Quarter and enjoying beef noodle soup at Pho Bo Au Trieu, a Bib Gourmand restaurant (good food at affordable prices) according to the Michelin Guide 2024 on the street running parallel to St. Joseph's Cathedral.

Pho is hard to spot because there are no signs, but if you find a place packed with locals and with seating spilling out onto the street, you know you’ve come to the right place. This dish is based on the style of pho from Nam Dinh , one of the places where the famous Vietnamese dish may have originated. At Pho Bo Au Trieu, beef bone broth is simmered for 10 hours to create a rich broth topped with beef ribs and tendons.

Lunch: After breakfast, spend some time admiring the 19th-century St. Joseph's Cathedral, which is usually accessed through a side door on the south side. Then choose a cafe overlooking the church's old facade.

See ancient churches and enjoy delicious Hanoi dishes

PHOTO: MICHELIN

When hunger strikes, wander off the beaten path to find a lesser-known Vietnamese noodle dish. Dong Thinh Eel Noodles, another 40-year-old eatery that was named a Michelin Guide 2024 Bib Gourmand winner, serves noodles with eel, greens, crushed peanuts and fried shallots.

You can order it with or without broth, or if you don’t like noodles, try the congee version. You can also add a side of fried eel to fuel up for the afternoon, which is best spent wandering around the Old Quarter. On your trip, make sure to visit Bach Ma Temple, one of Hanoi’s oldest places of worship, and Thuoc Bac Street, where you can find shops selling traditional medicines that are decades old.

Dinner: A century ago, cha ca (pan-fried fish with turmeric, vermicelli noodles and greens cooked right at the table) was probably served on the streets, but today you have to try this Hanoi-originated dish in restaurants.

One of the best places in town is Cha Ca Thang Long (6B Duong Thanh), which has three locations on the same street. Trust the Michelin inspectors, who love the location at 6B Duong Thanh – a townhouse built over a century ago.

• Au Trieu Beef Pho: 34 Au Trieu, Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Dong Thinh Eel Vermicelli: 87 Hang Dieu, Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Thang Long Fish Cake: 6B Duong Thanh, Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Day 2

Morning: Many foreigners mistakenly think that Vietnamese people eat pho for breakfast every day. No, they have plenty of options. An alternative breakfast to pho and noodles is banh cuon – steamed wet rice paper with minced pork, wood ear mushrooms and an optional boiled egg on the side. Operating the giant steamers requires dexterity, something Ms. Xuan at Banh Cuon Ba Xuan has in abundance.

Dip the patties and rice rolls in a fish sauce-based dipping sauce seasoned with lime, garlic, chilli and herbs. It’s located in an artsy corner of Hanoi, with the Bookworm bookstore, anthropology gallery and Manzi art space nearby. Manzi and Bookworm also serve coffee.

Oc Di Tu, Banh cuon Ba Xuan... are two of the restaurants on the Bib Gourmend list.

PHOTO: MICHELIN

Lunch: Dine like a Hanoian with bun cha, one of the city’s favorite dishes. Tuyet Bun Cha 34, a Bib Gourmand street food stall in the Michelin Guide 2024, serves generous portions of noodles, grilled pork and fresh herbs. The restaurant has only a small space inside, so tables and chairs are strewn on the street when it gets busy.

This bustling eatery is located near Truc Bach Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Su Pagoda, all of which are important landmarks with long histories.

Dinner: Head downtown and loosen your purse strings a bit for dinner at Oc Di Tu. This place serves a variety of high-quality shrimp, clams, oysters, and more. Michelin inspectors were particularly impressed with the giant conch grilled with scallions and fried garlic and Venus clams with lemongrass, chili, and pineapple sauce.

• Mrs. Xuan's Rice Rolls: 16 Doc Hoe Nhai, Nguyen Trung Truc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
• Bun Cha Tuyet 34: 34 Hang Than, Nguyen Trung Truc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
• Aunt Tu's Snail: 144C Quan Thanh, Quan Thanh, Ba Dinh, Hanoi.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-quan-an-duong-pho-ngon-nhat-ha-noi-theo-goi-y-cua-michelin-185240916135146323.htm