PetaLaura
Reviewed April 10, 2014NEW
Visited April 2014
Our guide was Quin, a young student studying in Hanoi. Our fellow tasters were Julia and Anna from Salzburg. Quin was like a mother hen, trying to keep us together and safe whilst negotiating the busy streets of the Old Quarter. We tried a variety of dishes in different locations, which we probably wouldn't have ordered ourselves. Quin's English was very good and she was very informative. Our companions were good fun and we were all determined to try everything. Do not eat anything before you embark on this tour! It is very filling. The last thing we tried was egg coffee in a tiny cafe near the lake. To our surprise it was excellent. The tour is well worth doing and we would recommend, thank you Q!
Denmark Jhon C
Visited January 2014
Visited April 2015
Place was clean, service was very quick! I highly recommend this restaurant who wants delicious food that's outside the usual in this area. The service was excellent!!..
Jasmine
Reviewed April 2, 2014
Visited January 2014
In Hanoi, soup is a way of life — the connective tissue of Vietnamese culture. With noodles, herbs and sinew, it strings together twisting streets and varied lifestyles. Here the bones, crumpled napkins and squeezed limes that litter the ground beneath tiny plastic tables is the symbol of a good meal and a life well lived.
Hanoi is a city with a big heart and an even bigger appetite and its burgeoning dining scene is growing to rival that of its sophisticated southern brother, Ho Chi Minh. But great food in the capital isn't just five-star luxury or stuffy fine dining, it's about local specialties served fresh and simple and - more often than not - on the streets. Improvised living room eateries offer everything from crispy deep fried nem (pork spring rolls) wrapped in herbs and dipped in fish sauce, to the city's most famous export, pho (beef noodle soup). In the quest for the best pho, bun cha and more in this culinary capital look for the stands favored by elderly Vietnamese — they know quality when they taste it. Along the way, you'll find religion, history, art and the theater of daily life.
And right at the heart of Hanoi's food and drink scene is coffee, taken strong, sweet and buttery and poured across the city in its wealth of charming cafes. Don't miss the famous weasel coffee (made with beans digested by weasels).
Hanoians prefer their food saltier with more fermented sauces than their southern counterparts. This is in part a legacy of the harsher climatic and agricultural conditions of the north and the relative scarcity of fresh and high quality ingredients. Northerners have had to make do with less throughout history and exotic sauces were one way of creating a tasty meal from basic elements.
Hanoi and its environs are the birthplace of many quintessential Vietnamese dishes, such as pho and bun cha, and the city is often cited as one of the world's great food capitals. It's a street eater's paradise, with a plethora of options for those who want to eat like a local. In fact, many swear that the best food in Hanoi is found on the sidewalk, with dishes that often feature fish sauce, lemongrass, chilies, and cilantro and other fresh herbs.
The city, which celebrated its one-thousandth birthday last year, has put those centuries to good use perfecting its curbside nibbles. Although vendors often cook in small shop fronts, they serve their wares on the sidewalk, on small plastic tables and chairs that can seem woefully inadequate for overgrown foreigners.
Damir H
Reviewed March 31, 2014
Visited January 2014
I visited Hanoi late January and I thought the place was fantastic. Hungry, I decided to try some of their street food. I was surprised by the fantastic variety and the superb quality of the food. I tried the grilled meat and had gio cake which was absolutely brilliant! I cannot fault it - the taste was perfection. You have to try the street food, it is brilliant and much cheaper than any restaurant and the quality is a lot better. When I visit again, I am definitely going back!
trafficmanager3,Portland, Oregon
Reviewed March 27, 2014
Visited March 2014
When it comes to exceptional, superb, delicious meals, Hanoi has so many varieties of them on its list. It has at least 20 delicious and fabulous street foods with very low and exceptional prices. These include banana and yam cake, gio cake, pillow cake, quay just to mention but a few. You are guaranteed a transformative experience that would create the need and appetite to want to frequent there always. Beyond having great fun with the varieties of dishes available there, you sure would have entertained your eyes with so many beautiful displays of food and culture there. A tour on the street food in Hanoi gives you more than you would expect. It tells you more about the food (explicit information on the ingredients and historic background of the varieties of dishes available there), culture and history of the city. It also gives you an in depth view of the traditions and intricacies of Vietnam food culture.
The tour guides are certainly not to be left out in all of this. They are just too good and they try as much as possible to make you familiarize yourself with the food, culture and history of Hanoi. They certainly are very eloquent in their English speaking. In addition, the traders and local food vendors are just too kind in their own way, giving you the comfort and confidence that you sure do need when on a vacation like that. Honestly, to me, eating on the street of Hanoi was truly a rewarding and transformative experience. I will recommend to anyone (family, groups, couples on a honeymoon etc) the street food tour in Hanoi. Whether you are intending to or you have been a great fan of street food and in need of where to have a superb and outstanding experience as it regards street food, the Hanoi street food tour is necessary for you.
153AshaH,Atlanta, Georgia
Reviewed March 27, 2014
Visited March 2014
Being the picky food-lover that I am, I liked visiting all of the food stands and having all of the choices. The costs were low and it was quite an experience, so the long walk was worth it.
Karine J,Montreal, Canada
5 of 5 starsReviewed March 26, 2014
Visited February 2014
I truly enjoyed the Street Food Tour during my first day in Hanoi. I tried several authentic Vietnamese foods including Banana cake, Bo bia and Trang Tien ice cream which was my favorite, truly delicious. I’m really glad I took this tour otherwise I would have felt a little lost. I was guided by a nice English speaking lady named Miss Hellen. She was awesome and full of energy. Together, we visited the streetfood markets, sampling the produce and she taught me what to eat and how to eat. It was awesome and I definitely recommend anyone going there to try this tour!
LaVida_DeJeeves,Perth, Australia
5 of 5 starsReviewed March 26, 2014
Visited January 2014
I love trying different local foods and Hanoi has a lot to offer. Sometimes in different countries it is difficult to tap into the real local flavors but thanks to Street Food Hanoi I had the local name, local price (rare for a westerner in Vietnam) and a good description of what everything was before eating it.
I was introduced to a lot of things which I wouldn't have even known about with out this tour, and even managed to try most of the things listed on their website.
I highly recommend checking it out!!
T21Wo0321Tara,Sofia, Bulgaria
Reviewed March 25, 2014
Visited February 2014
I'm big on street food whenever I travel so this tour was a no-brainer for me. My tour started in the morning with a very friendly guide picking me up from the hotel. This was my first time in Vietnam, so I wasn't very familier with the local cuisine and thank god for my guide. I had some delicious yam cakes, meats on the stick, the quay, the tao pho, everything was delicious! And just for under 20$. I say that's great value! Would totally recommend this tour to everyone!
1. Fried steamed wheat flour cake : fried stream flour Fried steamed wheat flour cake price is about 4000 – 6000 VND, this food is often in the meal in the afternoon. Enjoy with sour sweet sauce or chili sauce
2. Grilled meat by stick: grilled meat : Grilled meat by stick has many lovers especial kids. One price is about 6000 – 10000 VND, you could pay more 2000 VND to have a bread with grilled meat stick. Walking on the streets of Hanoi in the after noon, you can see grilled shops near the side walk with great smell!
3. Banana cake, yam cake: Only with 5000 for one cake, The main ingredients are banana, yam and flour then fry in cooking oil. They are fat food so you could only 1 – 2 cake for once
4. Gio cake: Gio like the name of famous food of Vietnam – Gio Cha but have no Gio in it. This food is made by rice powder and core : chopped black mushroom and meat. The cost is only 7000 – 10000 VND
5. Pillow cake:You are right J.its name like its shape like a pillow. The core inside is meat and quail egg, cost from 7000 – 9000 VND. Pillow cake is often sale in the winter, and people like it. Enjoy with sour sweet sauce and salad
6. Quay:Cheap price is 2000 – 3000 VND/per, Quay is often eaten with salad and sauce as pillow cake. Many people like to put this food in HOT porridge or Pho.
7. Fried food with stick:You can find these food in front of schools for the pupil with cheap price about 5000 – 7000 VND. It’s really a small party for pupil after the school time with full of smile and sharing, there are many kind of stick such as: Hot dog, fried Nem Chua, fish and shrimp…
8. Fried cake: fried cake shopThere are two type of Fried cake depend on their core: the sweet one with sugar and salty one with meat, black mushroom. The main ingredients are rice, peanut powder and honey or sugar. The price is only 2000 – 3000 VND, the salty one price is 4000 VND and enjoy with sauce.
9. Trung Vit Lon: duck egg : Have the babe duck in the eggs, a nutri-food but many foreingers and visitors dont like this food :D . you can find them in Hang Rong shop on ervery streets of Hanoi for breakfast or super. The price is about 6000 – 8000 VND, enjot with salt, ginger.
10. Trung cut lon: quail egg : The same with Trung Vit Lon but Quai’s eggs not Duck’s eggs. I love this food and often buy them from local market to cook. The price in local market only about 10000VND/10 eggs and in the street shop is about 10000VND/5 eggs coz the sauce and they boil them for you. The sauce is made of lemon juice, salt, ginger and pepper.
11. Sugar cane juice-sugar cane juice on street : The price only from 8000 – 10000 VND, this is the great drink for HOT summer and nutritious drink. You can find them everywhere at the drink shop with a sugar cane juice machine, sit down, call for a glass of sugar cane juice and wait for 5 10 minutes. You also walk on streets with a nilon bag of sugar cane juice if you don’t like to sit at the shop.
12. Banh Nhung-nhung shop : 5000 VND for a stack of Banh Nhung, it’s not common food of street food Hanoi. The kids often like them coz the crack.
13. Bo bia: My favorite street foods, I don’t know why name is Bo Bia but it’s really delicious. The ingredients are coconut fibers, sesame and the special is piece of sugar and the “bark” of foods. This food is rolled as spring scroll, the price is only 5000VND, fantastic! What’s a pity , there is now many Bo Bia shop in Hanoi now.
14. Trang Tien ice cream: Trang Tien is the name of street and also the name of famous brand ice cream in Hanoi, everybody in Hanoi know about it. The old brand name for 50 years. It’s not only cheap with price 7000 – 8000 VND and also special by its taste. As its name, you can buy Trang Tien ice cream on Trang Tien street near the Sword lake. Don’t like any ice cream shop in Hanoi, you can buy ice cream, sit on your bike and enjoy, there is many couple and full of smile - a dating place, or hold your ice cream on hand and walk around the sword lake.
15. Every kind of Bong-corn bong : Favorite street food for girls and kids, less fat and can eat in a long time. The price is only 6000 – 8000 /pack. They are often made of flour or cassava flour then fry.
16. Yogurt- sua chua nep cam: Food for ladies’s skin , the different from Hanoi with other region that they often add more ingredents in yogurt to create taste such as: fruit or Nep Cam. The price only about 5000 VND.
17. Potato storm-fried potato : Cool name huh ! this new foods for kids, the price is about 10000 VND. The tase like many kind of fried potato.
18. Qua chua dam: fruits: The main ingredients are sour and green fruits such as: mango, plum, guava fruit… slice and mix with sugar, pepper powder become attractive foods. The price is about 8000 – 10000VNd/100 gram – depend on the fruit price.
19. Caramen: Hang Than caramen : An old food and maybe from the foreingers, the famou place to eat this food is Hang Than street
20. Tao pho: This is a unique food of Northern of Vietnam for Hot summer, the ingredient as tofu but near the last step to make tofu. The saler will slice Tao Pho to bowl, then pour flower sugar and ice to make a bowl of cool Tao pho. The price is about 5000- 7000VND/ bowl. You can find them on Hang Rong on streets of Hanoi with unique sound “ Tao Pho de”. Street food Hanoi Shops located at many narrow street of old quarter Hanoi
