8 delicious Hanoi dishes honored in a French newspaper.

Le Figaro, one of the oldest newspapers in France, calls Hanoi a "culinary temple," a repository of exquisite and delicious dishes. The author emphasizes that, like a giant culinary laboratory, the Vietnamese capital is the birthplace of some of the best street food. There's no need to go to fancy restaurants; the small alleys of the Old Quarter are home to specialties so tempting that people queue and sit in crowded rows to enjoy them. Below are eight long-standing delicacies that visitors absolutely must try in Hanoi.

Noodle soup

Even if you're not a connoisseur of Vietnamese cuisine, you've probably heard of pho. It's a quick meal made with beef or chicken, served in a broth simmered for hours with spices, onions, and aromatic herbs. The Northern Vietnamese pho recipe is believed to have originated in the early 20th century, quickly spreading to the South and then spreading with Vietnamese people to many parts of the world.

Pho can be eaten at any meal of the day, especially in the morning, as it is nutritious and doesn't leave you feeling full for too long. In Hanoi, tourists can find pho restaurants almost anywhere on the street. Remember these famous names: Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan, Pho Thin, Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su...

Bun cha

This is also a famous dish of the capital city. A serving of bun cha usually includes: a bowl of dipping sauce containing grilled pork, carrots, and pickled papaya, served with rice noodles and various fresh vegetables. Some restaurants also add crab spring rolls.

Some suggested places include Bun Cha 74 Hang Quat (open only at lunchtime); Bun Cha Huong Lien, 24 Le Van Huu - a place that hosted former US President Barack Obama in May 2016.

Crab noodle soup

Bun rieu is typically eaten in the morning. Each serving includes broth with crab roe, tomatoes, fried tofu, and some places add pork sausage and beef. This dish is meticulously prepared and requires a great deal of patience. After extracting the roe, the crab is finely ground and carefully filtered to make the broth, enhancing its flavor.

To try this dish, visitors should go to Bun Rieu 11 Hang Bac. The restaurant is open from early morning until late at night, serving a delicious, always piping hot broth.

Rice rolls

Banh cuon can be understood as thin rice sheets rolled with pork, wood ear mushrooms, and chopped onions, dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce. It's always a favorite dish during hot summer days. Walking along the streets of central Hanoi, visitors will encounter many banh cuon stalls open in the mornings, with skilled hands quickly and efficiently making the rolls.

Some suggested places include Ba Hanh's steamed rice rolls at 26B Tho Xuong Street, Ba Xuan's steamed rice rolls at 16 Hoe Nhai Slope, or in the food court of Long Bien Market.

Bread

Banh mi is an example of the fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisine, similar to the Italian panini. In almost every corner of Hanoi's streets, you can find a stall selling this delicious "sandwich." A typical banh mi includes crispy bread, pickled vegetables, cilantro, pate, egg, or various meats such as pork, chicken, or beef. Banh mi is suitable for quick meals while still providing nutrition and lasting satiety.

At the 25 Hang Ca bread shop, you can enjoy 14 types of bread with fresh and delicious fillings. Alternatively, visitors can choose Tram bread shop in Cua Nam, open from 8 am to 10 pm. This place is famous for its bread served with a wine sauce dip.

Types of donuts

Besides its world-famous dishes, Hanoi also boasts a treasure trove of various types of fried cakes, such as: pillow-shaped cakes filled with pork, mushrooms, vermicelli, and quail eggs, or shrimp cakes. To balance the flavors, these rich, fried cakes are served with a dipping sauce made with garlic, chili, and herbs.

Located on Ly Quoc Su Street, Goc Da restaurant specializes in savory fried cakes and stuffed pancakes, and is open from 10 am to 9:30 pm.

Fish cakes

If you haven't tried fish cake (chả cá), then you haven't truly been to Hanoi! This dish is made from fillets of fish, marinated with turmeric and spices, grilled over charcoal, and then heated in a cast-iron pan while eating. The fish cake is served with rice noodles, cilantro, onions, chives, and roasted peanuts. The dipping sauce, which gives this dish its distinctive flavor, is shrimp paste mixed with a little chili and lime juice.

To enjoy this delicious dish, visitors can go to Thang Long Fish Cake Restaurant on Duong Thanh Street. This is a traditional restaurant of the Doan family, run by five generations, and opened in 1871.

Egg coffee

Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil, specializing in Robusta beans. Similar to France and Italy, Hanoi boasts a plethora of coffee shops, ranging from upscale boutiques to sidewalk cafes. A unique feature of Hanoi is its egg coffee, created by Nguyen Van Giang, a former bartender at the Sofitel Legend Metropole.

One time, while making coffee, he ran out of milk. He replaced the milk with beaten egg yolks and sugar to create a creamy foam similar to cappuccino. With its rich, creamy flavor, this new drink was born and is now sold at Giang Cafe, 39 Nguyen Huu Huan, or Dinh Cafe, his son's shop at 13 Dinh Tien Hoang.

My Tong