Eating and Dinning in Hanoi

Vietnam is famous for its fine food with each region of the country responsible for the creation of its own dishes based on ingredients abundant to that area. Hanoi is no exception, offering its own unique selection of mouth watering dishes with a distinctly northern influence.
Eating out in Hanoi

Restaurants in Hanoi

Restaurants and food vendors across the city offer a variety of culinary delights with everything from a simple bowl of noodle soup at the roadside to a three-course meal at an up market establishment.
Where you choose to eat depends on your tastes, background and budget; backpackers will find they can eat for a few dollars at many of the places tucked in the labyrinth of streets around the lake while those on package tours will find the quality hotels offering a high standard of food at obviously higher prices.
Wander anywhere in the city however and you’ll find places to eat that on the whole won’t break the bank for a meal of fairly decent quality. If you like to really get into the spirit of things when visiting a foreign country then do check out some of the delights being offered by roadside vendors, they are crazily cheap and are often only offered at such places.
Food markets are also a good place to visit; there are invariably hot and cold foods on offer which are often ideal for a snack if you are out and about sightseeing.
Expats have of course made their mark on Hanoi and a number of typically tourist establishments have sprung up to cater for them. These venues are largely drinking holes but some offer food also so if you want to eat something western while in the city, then look for somewhere with a typically English name such as Al Fresco\'s, Hot Rock Cafe, Moca Cafe and Red Onion Bistro.
First timers will find a decent selection of good restaurants near Hoan Kiem Lake, while some good French Restaurants are tucked away in the old town area. Unlike Thailand, for example, there aren’t an abundance of eating venues catering to the locals, as Hanoins are fairly most and often eat at pavement noodle shops, sometime literally preparing food on the spot with a gas cooker boiling pot and tiny stools.

Local cuisine

Northern cuisine takes many influences from China due to its proximity with the country and as result rice and noodles are a predominant feature. Noodles are especially popular and it’s not uncommon for locals to eat three noodle-meals a day these are famously know as Pho, and you’ll notice the word Com Pho advertising noodle shops all over the place.
Noodle stands selling noodle soup in various guises can be found everywhere around the city and rich and poor alike stop kerbside to grab breakfast, lunch and often dinner from these ubiquitous and most popular of food vendors. Pho or beef noodle soup is perhaps the most famous of all noodle soup dishes and can be found at 99 per cent of roadside stalls.
As a general rule dishes in the north are heavier on meat and lighter on vegetables on account of the climate being less suitable for the latter than in the south of the country. Food is not especially spicy and black pepper is more commonly used than chillies.
The French also left their mark on the city’s cuisine with plain baguettes commonly available from roadside sellers and eateries offering Banh Mi Thit which is a Vietnamese sandwich containing pate, cold meats and vegetables.