Hanoi Food Tour on a Windy Day

Bread with wine sauce

Start your day with a bowl of beef stew with bread – the chill of Hanoi's winter can be completely dispelled if you tear off a piece of bread and dip it into a steaming bowl of beef stew.

Indeed, the beef tendon is tender but not at all chewy because it's simmered for a very long time. The sauce, fragrant with five-spice powder and cardamom, has a rich, reddish-brown color that's incredibly appealing. Blended in with the wine sauce are small pieces of carrots and potatoes, along with a touch of herbs, enough to enhance the flavor of the beef stew sandwich until the very last bite.

Hanoians have loved this dish for a long time; they not only often eat it at restaurants but also enjoy cooking it at home to satisfy their craving for a big pot of wine sauce.

You will often find long lines of customers sitting at sidewalk tables and chairs in streets like Dinh Ngang, Thai Thinh, Ta Hien, Chan Cam... enjoying this traditional flavor.

The crispy, hot bread is torn into small pieces, dipped directly into the beef and wine sauce, and then brought to the mouth to be savored. Oh, the delightful, stimulating sensation the moment the bread touches the tip of the tongue is more than enough to chase away the biting cold of Hanoi's winter.

Here are some places in Hanoi that serve delicious bread with wine sauce, priced from 20,000 to 40,000 VND per serving:

Tram Bread Shop: 252 Hang Bong Street, Hoan Kiem District
Hao Hao bread with wine sauce: 1B Chan Cam Street, Hoan Kiem District
Hieu Luc Bread Shop: 326 Ba Trieu Street, Hai Ba Trung District
Thuy Khe Bread with Wine Sauce: 311 Thuy Khue Street, Tay Ho District
Co Nga's Bread Shop: 3 Ta Hien Street, Hoan Kiem District

Pho with wine sauce

Beef pho - a Hanoi specialty and a national dish known to everyone - now has a unique and even more appealing way of cooking that makes it unforgettable for diners: pho with wine sauce.

The broth for this pho is simmered for a long time, primarily using beef tendons and ribs, marinated according to a special recipe and then simmered in wine. When served, it's garnished with fresh herbs and scallions to enhance the flavor. The dish can be enjoyed with red chili peppers, fresh lime, and fried dough sticks.

A delicious bowl of pho with beef stew typically has a golden-yellow broth, a naturally sweet and rich flavor from the sauce, and the succulent richness of the beef. The meat should be tender, fragrant, and have an appealing reddish hue. Serving the dish hot prevents the meat from becoming tough, making it perfect for savoring on chilly mornings, afternoons, evenings, and nights.

Addresses for delicious beef stew pho in Hanoi, priced from 35,000 - 50,000 VND/bowl:

Pho Thinh: 39 Ton Duc Thang Street, Dong Da District
Pho Tu Lun: 68 Hang Ma Street, Hoan Kiem District
Ly Beo Pho: 4 Hang Non Street, Hoan Kiem District
Beef Pho Duong Tau: 3 Tran Phu Street, Hoan Kiem District
Pho Oanh: 113 Nguyen Truong To Street, Ba Dinh District

Chicken noodle soup

A steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup is also one of those dishes that evokes fond memories during the monsoon season. A bowl of steaming, hot noodles, fragrant with the sweet, earthy aroma of Chinese herbs and young mugwort leaves, is so perfectly suited to the cold weather!

First, you need to try a sip of the broth to fully appreciate the sweet and savory flavor of the chicken stewed with Chinese herbs for hours. Next, bite into a piece of tender, juicy, and succulent stewed chicken, dipped in a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice – it's absolutely delicious. The tender young mugwort leaves, with their slightly bitter taste, complement the chicken perfectly. Finally, a few spoonfuls of crispy, chewy yellow noodles are more than enough to satisfy your hunger on a cold day. Chicken stewed with noodles is not only delicious but also nourishing thanks to the chicken stewed with various Chinese herbs.

Addresses of delicious braised chicken noodle soup restaurants in Hanoi, priced from 35,000 - 50,000 VND/bowl:

Mai Huong Chicken Noodle Soup: 12C Hang Cot Street, Hoan Kiem District
Chicken Noodle Soup 24: 49 Hang Bo Street, Hoan Kiem District
Ba Dau's Braised Chicken Noodles: 201 Ton Duc Thang Street, Dong Da District
Chicken noodle soup with fig tree: 29 Tong Duy Tan Street, Hoan Kiem District

Boiled snails

Visiting Hanoi in autumn without trying boiled snails with ginger fish sauce is an incomplete trip. This casual snack, though simple and quite unlike traditional Hanoi cuisine, is surprisingly a favorite among many.

Each stall sells a myriad of different types of shellfish, including snails and clams, all washed clean and soaked in water, waiting for customers to choose. The shellfish aren't pre-boiled but only prepared when a customer orders, so they're always piping hot, perfect for a hearty meal on a cold winter day. Steamed snails with lemongrass or lime leaves, steamed clams with lemongrass and pineapple... freshly cooked, they're incredibly fresh, naturally sweet, and tender – very satisfying.

The secret to making this dish even more appealing lies in the dipping sauce. The best quality fish sauce is mixed with cooled boiled water, sugar is added, and then it's brought to a boil. Next, finely chopped ginger, garlic, and chili peppers are added, along with lemon juice for an attractive sweet and sour flavor. When serving the dipping sauce to customers, the vendor will sprinkle some chopped cilantro and lemongrass on top.

Diners use lemon thorns or needles to extract the snails from their shells, briefly dip them in the dipping sauce, and then enjoy. The rich, tender texture of the snails, combined with the sweet, sour, spicy, and aromatic flavor of the dipping sauce, creates an indescribably delicious taste.

Besides boiled snails, Hanoi offers countless other ways to prepare them, ensuring diners never get tired of the taste. There are spicy stir-fried snails, tamarind stir-fried snails, coconut stir-fried snails... All types of snails can be used in dishes, from rice snails, rock snails, lion snails, sea rock snails, jumping snails, and apple snails to clams, mussels, and oysters…

Here are some places that sell delicious boiled snails in Hanoi, with prices ranging from 50,000 to 120,000 VND per serving:

Boiled snails at Dinh Liet: 1A Dinh Liet Street, Hang Bac Ward, Hoan Kiem District
Boiled snails at Thuy Khe: 107 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho
Hung Oc Restaurant: Luong Dinh Cua Street, Dong Da District
Oc Lan Beo: B1 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, Trung Tu Ward, Dong Da District
Oc Ba Cam (Mrs. Cam's Snail Restaurant): 5 Tong Duy Tan Street, Hang Bong Ward, Hoan Kiem District

Clam porridge, pork rib porridge

The cold, rainy weather of Hanoi's winter makes people hungrier and crave something hot. Steaming hot pork rib porridge or clam porridge are perfect afternoon snacks on these rainy days, providing warmth and nourishment.

Hot, smooth pork rib porridge, sweet with the flavor of simmered bones, with savory pieces of pork rib and cartilage, served with some fried dough sticks and shredded pork... just thinking about it makes my stomach feel warm.

Addresses for delicious pork rib porridge in Hanoi, prices ranging from 15,000 to 45,000 VND per bowl.

Huyen Anh Pork Rib and Cartilage Congee: 14 Dong Xuan Street, Hoan Kiem District
Pork Rib Congee in Ngo Huyen Alley: 61A Ngo Huyen Alley, Hoan Kiem District
Co La's Pork Rib Congee: 2A Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District
Pork Rib Congee at Luong Su C: 37 Luong Su C, Dong Da District
Cúc Pork Rib Congee: 142D Doi Can Street, Ba Dinh District

Besides pork rib porridge, clam porridge is also a popular dish. The appeal of clam porridge comes from its savory and sweet flavor from the clam broth, the chewy and crunchy clam meat, and especially the seasonings of onion, perilla, and coriander. Savoring the aroma of the herbs, adding a touch of spicy chili powder and pepper, a bowl of clam porridge alone can help you ward off the cold rain.

Clam porridge is sold in slightly fewer places than pork rib porridge. The most famous locations include the porridge shop at 26 Tran Xuan Soan, 192 Quan Thanh, 325 Tran Khat Chan, and the clam porridge at Nghia Tan market. Prices start from 15,000 VND per bowl, depending on whether you add fried dough sticks and shredded pork.

La Vong fish cake

On truly cold days like these, with the wind howling outside, one longs to go out with an empty stomach to enjoy La Vong fish cakes, to fully appreciate the refined elegance of Hanoi cuisine. The pan of fish only needs to be sizzling hot, the fish pieces fragrant, golden brown, and perfectly seasoned. Watching the fish cakes and vegetables simmer until slightly browned, picking up a piece of fish cake, adding some vermicelli, roasted peanuts, and shrimp paste, and then savoring it is simply wonderful. The aroma of shrimp paste blends with the sweetness of the fish, the fragrance of the vegetables, and the nutty flavor of the roasted peanuts – it's indescribably delicious. Don't forget to order a portion of chewy fish offal, or finish off with a mouthwatering fish hotpot – just thinking about it makes your mouth water!

Reliable places to buy fish cakes in Hanoi:

Vua Cha Ca restaurant chain
Ha Thanh Fish Cake, 20 Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District
Cha Ka 13 Ngo Thi Nhap Street, Hoan Kiem District
Fish cake shop No. 14, Hoan Kiem District

Hot pot

The best winter food is hot, and hot pot is the perfect savior on cold, rainy days like these, thanks to its unique feature of dipping ingredients and eating while blowing on them to cool them down, all while enjoying a warm, simmering pot of hot pot. Hot pot is also highly versatile, with both vegetables and meat, catering to all tastes, and the more people, the merrier. Enjoying a leisurely meal, chatting with family and friends around a bubbling hot pot on a cold, rainy day is truly an unparalleled experience.

In Hanoi at this time of year, the most popular types of hot pot include Thai seafood hot pot, Sichuan hot pot, crab and pork rib hot pot, or light and healthy mushroom hot pot, depending on your preference.

Here are some places to eat delicious hot pot, with prices ranging from 200,000 to 600,000 VND per pot:

Mixed Thai Hot Pot - Hot Paradise: 253 Xa Dan Street, Dong Da District
Yixin Hong Kong-style hot pot with two compartments: 9 Phung Hung Street, Hoan Kiem District.
Fish hotpot with banana blossom and tofu - Quan Xua Restaurant: 25/59 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District
Daruma - Thai Hot Pot with American Beef: 1st Floor, Sunrise Building, D11 Tran Thai Tong Street, Cau Giay District
Hotpot Story Buffet: Lot T273, 2nd Floor, Aeon Mall Ha Dong Shopping Center

Experiencing a Hanoi food tour on a windy day is one of the most enjoyable activities when you travel to Hanoi. It's satisfying, keeps you warm for a long time, and helps you stay energized!