What should you eat when going to Sapa? Which food in Sapa is popular? There is more than one reason for Sapa to become the top destination for travel enthusiasts. Sapa specialties are so strange and delicious that tourists need to remember the way to one of them.
There are delicious dishes in Sapa that, just by hearing the name, make you feel your stomach “burning” with hunger. Some names look very scary at first glance but are extremely “addictive.” If you have the opportunity to travel on your own to this land of sunshine, flowers, and dew, don’t forget to enjoy all the famous food in Sapa below. Indeed, you will have a memorable Sapa culinary experience.
1/ Sapa Roasted Chestnuts – Food in Sapa easy to find, easy to eat
Sold along the streets of Sapa, roasted chestnuts will be the perfect choice for you to bring home as a gift after your trip. The sweet taste of chestnuts makes it a famous Sapa specialty in many families. It is often used as a snack during holidays or processed into a filling for many other pastries. In the cold weather of Sapa, holding a hot chestnut in your hand, fresh from the oven and still steaming, is truly nothing like it.
Where to eat delicious roasted chestnuts in Sapa?
- Forest Leaves: 69A Xuan Vien
- Sapa Night Market
2/ Wild Shiitake Mushrooms – “Excellent” Food in Sapa
In the land of Sapa, wild shiitake mushrooms have become a rare specialty and are considered a unique gift. The appearance is similar to other types of shiitake mushrooms. Still, once you enjoy Sapa forest shiitake mushrooms, you will feel the fantastic difference that no different kind of shiitake mushroom can match.
Sapa forest shiitake mushrooms have a unique flavor, sweet and fragrant. Mushrooms can be processed into many delicious dishes, such as stir-fried mushrooms, steamed mushrooms, dipping mushrooms, and grilled mushrooms. Each dish brings a unique and attractive flavor, captivating the taste buds of visitors. Sapa wild shiitake mushrooms are not only a delicious dish, but also a precious gift, carrying with them the natural aroma and essence of the Sapa mountains and forests.
3/ Sapa Plum – Sapa Specialty Fruit for the “Eat Clean” Association
When plum blossom season begins to bloom in the Northwest mountains and forests, it is also the time when plums start to transition into the ripe stage. Around May or June, when tourists come to Sapa, they will witness the beautiful scene of long rows of mature plum gardens along the road from Sapa to O Quy Ho.
A bright red strip of plums creates a vivid scene amidst the Northwest mountains and forests, with bunches of plums waiting to be harvested. Among the plum trees, there are delicate tiny houses located next to the village, creating a pure and unique image. Visitors can visit the houses of indigenous people, enjoy a delicious cup of tea, and enjoy the sweet taste of fresh, ripe plums.
4/ Thanh Mai Sapa
Stretching across the hills and mountains of Sapa, Sapa Thanh Mai creates a poetic and attractive scene in spring. Thanh apricot fruit, also known as wild strawberry, is harvested by people when they are ripe from March to May. The unique feature of this Sapa specialty is its characteristic mild sour taste and attractive natural aroma.
Sapa fruit is not only famous for eating fresh but is also used as an ingredient for many drinks and dishes. The sweet and sour taste and bright color of apricot fruit create attractive glasses of juice, smoothies, jams, or desserts. In addition, apricot juice is also said to have cooling effects and is suitable for the digestive system.
5/ Nem Mang Dang
A famous traditional culinary feature of the Tay people – Sapa, is bitter bamboo shoots. Characteristics of Sapa’s bitter bamboo shoot spring rolls are the slight bitterness from the bamboo shoots, the sweet aroma of chicken, onions, and pepper, and the crispy taste of the spring roll shell. The ingredients are carefully selected and carefully prepared to create the perfect dish in taste and appearance. The unique and characteristic flavor of this Sapa specialty will captivate the hearts of many tourists when enjoying it.
Address to eat delicious bitter bamboo shoot spring rolls:
- A Quynh – Northwest specialties: 15 Thach Son
- Red Dao Restaurant: 4B Thac Bac
6/ Food in Sapa – Moc Com
Growing green rice is considered a distillation of the quintessence of sticky rice that the “autumn lady” brought to the Northwest mountainous land. Each grain of green rice is naturally sweet, making you immerse yourself in the fresh, natural flavor. When you taste it, you will feel the unique blend between the sweetness of green rice and the greasy taste of duck meat. This dish brings a fantastic experience, blending the delicious taste and aroma of the Northwest mountains and forests.
7/ Salted and Sour Pork – Delicious Food in Sapa That Many People Like
In the heart of Sapa mountain, a dish reminiscent of traditional and rich flavor is pickled pork. The processing process is simple but sophisticated; fresh pork is boiled and soaked in a unique mixture of wine, salt, and cinnamon leaves. The soaking process lasts 2 to 3 weeks, creating a unique pickled pork flavor.
While you are enjoying it, you will feel the characteristic salty, sour taste along with the crispy, firm chewiness of pickled pork. This dish is suitable to be eaten with rice or used as a snack, even if you run out of dipping sauce.
Address to eat delicious pickled pork:
- Little Sapa 2 Restaurant: No. 38, Cau May, Sa Pa
8/ Sapa Corn Wine
In the heart of every guest, corn wine is undoubtedly an indispensable Sapa specialty in the luggage to explore this land. Processed according to traditional methods, golden sticky corn kernels are carefully selected to create rich, delicious, and special glasses of wine.
The natural sweetness of corn, mixed with the aroma of fruit and a bit of Sapa grassland season, creates a unique and characteristic flavor for Sapa corn wine. Not only is it a drink, but corn wine also carries deep cultural values and traditions of the people of Sapa.
Where to buy quality Sapa corn wine:
- Sapa Quoc Cuong wine store: 74 Thach Son, Sa Pa Town, Lao Cai
- Tay Bac Sapa wine store: 09 Thac Bac, Sa Pa, Lao Cai
- Northwest specialty supermarket in Sapa: N1 street, group 3B, Sa Pa, Lao Cai
9/ Thang Co Sapa – Sapa Specialties for Gourmets
Visiting the love market or fair, visitors can easily find a Sapa specialty with a rather strange name – thang co. Explained thang co is a soup made from beef, buffalo meat, horse internal organs, stewed bones, raw vegetables, and many special spices – similar to beef intestine hotpots and pig intestines hotpots in Southern Vietnam.
This is a traditional delicacy of the H’Mong people, imported from Yunnan province, China, and is nearly 200 years old. Thang Co is usually cooked in a large pan, is dark in color, greasy, and has the bitter taste of horse intestine fluid – extremely “suitable” for the cold weather in Sapa. Local people often jokingly say that if you go to Sapa and don’t enjoy Thang Co, you won’t be able to return.
Address to sell delicious Thang Co Sapa:
- A Quynh Sa Pa: 15, Thach Son, Sa Pa
- Gerbera: 29, Cau May, Sa Pa
- Ngoc Cu: Luong Khanh Thien, Duyen Hai Ward, Lao Cai
10/ Sapa Kitchen Buffalo Meat – Sapa Dishes Are “Delicious Baits”
Kitchen buffalo meat is not only a famous Sapa specialty but is also bought by many tourists as gifts for friends and relatives. Fresh buffalo meat, after being marinated with spices, will be smoked with smoke from a wood stove until the outer layer of meat is completely dry and turns dark red-brown. This is a specialty of the Black Thai ethnic group, possessing a characteristic salty taste and intense aroma coming from many spices.
Although quite picky about eating, Sapa kitchen buffalo meat is very popular with culinary enthusiasts because of its rich sweetness and extremely “booze-consuming” taste. This delicious Sapa dish costs 800,000 VND/kg, depending on the type.
People often steam or boil the meat and eat it with cham cheo sauce. You can also dip the buffalo meat in water, then grill it again, tear it into small pieces, and squeeze in a little sour kumquat lemon juice. The flavor must be said to be rich and unforgettable.
Where to buy buffalo meat in Sapa?
- Sapa night market on Dien Bien Phu street
- Viet’s Farm: 26, Dong Loi, Sapa
- A Thinh facility: Cau May street, Sapa
==> Read more: 25 Famous Food In Sapa That Make It Hard For Tourists To Refuse
11/ Sapa Underarm Pork
Armpit pork is made from free-range pigs of the Mong ethnic people, which have a modest size of only about 5kg to 6kg each. When the market is held, people often “take pigs under their armpits” to sell. That is also the origin of this strange and adorable name.
Talking about the taste of the Sapa armpit pork dish, there are only four words to describe it: “small but with skin.” Due to frequent running and jumping, the pork is soft and firm with alternating meat and fat. It is best when grilled over charcoal until the skin is golden and crispy. Sitting around the fire, enjoying underarm pork, and drinking cider is a refreshing pleasure for the local people.
Where do you go to eat delicious armpit pork in Sapa?
- A Phu Restaurant: 15 Fansipan, Sapa
- Gerbera: 29, Cau May, Sapa
- Dung Trau: 85, Xuan Vien, Sapa
- Phuong Ngoan: 13C, Nguyen Hue, Sapa
12/ Lam Sapa Rice
Famous for the image of lush green terraced fields stretching from high passes, it is not surprising that bamboo-tube rice appears in the list of famous food in Sapa. Lam rice is simply rice grilled in a bamboo tube over charcoal.
During processing, the bamboo tube must be rotated regularly so that the rice cooks evenly. Thanks to this particular method, the rice grains absorb all the fragrance from the bamboo while still retaining its inherent sweetness. Lam rice is both flexible and soft even when cooled, eating quite like sticky rice. You can eat lam rice with roasted sesame salt, pork sausage, or grilled meat. It’s all delicious.
Delicious bamboo rice restaurants in Sapa:
- The Hill Station Singnature Restaurant Sapa: 37, Fansipan, Sapa
- Red Dao: 4B, Thac Bac, Sapa
- A Quynh: 15, Thach Son, Sapa
- Cau May: 92, Ngu Chi Son, Sapa
- Buffalo Bell: 25, Cau Mau, Sapa
13/ Sapa Rainbow Trout
If you think that salmon is a delicacy unique to the islands, you are greatly mistaken. Sapa salmon, also known as rainbow trout or salmon, often lives in stagnant water with low temperatures.
Rainbow trout meat has an eye-catching orange-red color. Each muscle is firm and evenly arranged, soft and fatty, but not at all greasy. You can eat rainbow trout as sashimi (raw fish dipped in mustard), mixed with salad, cooked with pepper, grilled, etc… everything is delicious.
One of the most popular delicious dishes in Sapa with tourists – it must be mentioned – is salmon hotpot. Fresh salmon meat mixed with sweet and sour broth, dipped in a hot pot with all kinds of fresh Northwest vegetables. The flavor must be said to be “a bite that lingers for a lifetime.”
Address selling delicious – nutritious – cheap rainbow trout in Sapa:
- Song Nhi: Silver Falls, Sapa
- Sapa Salmon Restaurant: 039, Xuan Vien, Sapa
- A Phu: 15 Fansipan, Sapa
- A Quynh: 15, Thach Son, Sapa
- Hoa Dao: 48, Le Van Tam, Sapa
14/ Food in Sapa – Seven Color Sticky Rice
Seven-color sticky rice is a traditional Sapa delicacy that often appears during the Tet holidays or the 1st day of the 7th lunar month every year. Seven colors of sticky rice include bright red, dark red, brown, purple, yellow, Mekong blue, and green. It represents seven consecutive months of long resistance of the Nung Din people to honor the glorious achievements and pay tribute to those whose heroes fell in the war against the invaders.
The rice used to cook seven-color sticky rice must be delicious sticky rice with round, long, and plump grains. Although it looks colorful, the colors of sticky rice are wholly taken from natural ingredients such as yellow flower plants, damp rice leaves, kitchen ash, sticky rice leaves, etc. Thanks to that, each color of sticky rice will have a unique natural aroma and delicious taste. Although simple, it will be apparent in the colorful food in Sapa.
A place that sells delicious seven-color sticky rice in Sapa
- Ba Bam sticky rice: Muong Hoa Street, Sapa – in front of the town’s medical station.
- Mr. Dung: 06, Xuan Vien, Sapa
- Hoa Dao: 48, Le Van Tam, Sapa
- Sapa Cuisine: 545, Vicoria Xuan Vien Hotel Lane, Sapa
15/ Northwest Vegetables
With the advantage of a cool climate all year round, Sapa is a promised land of countless temperate vegetables such as lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, chayote, cabbage, garlic goose, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, and wild bamboo shoots.
The vegetables here are not only large, firm, and fresh but also rich in nutrients. Whether used to cook soup, dip in a hot pot, stir-fry vegetarian, or stew meat, it is enough to satisfy even the most demanding diners. You don’t need to worry about gaining weight after your trip. Northwestern vegetables are at most markets, restaurants, or eateries in Sapa at extremely “cheap” prices. Order a plate of mustard greens stir-fried with shiitake mushrooms and dipped in soy sauce.
16/ Grilled Stream Fish in Sapa
Sapa stream fish often live in schools and are as small as a hand or a knife handle. In return, natural fish meat is juicy, firm, and not fishy. Bombarding the culinary map of Sapa, the most refreshing thing is catching and grilling fish right on the stream bank. Inhale the cool, fresh air, listen to the sound of running water, eat a delicious piece of grilled fish, and warm yourself with some Northwest San Lung wine. It is truly a rare experience of freedom in the world. If you need more time to catch fish, you can eat stream fish at restaurants in Sapa. Besides grilled stream fish, crispy fried stream fish is also prevalent among gourmets.
Delicious grilled stream fish restaurant in Sapa:
- Chapa: 40, Cau May, Sapa
- Thai Bac: Km12, Thac Bac Tourist Area, Sapa
- Hoang Minh: 23-24, Sapa culinary area, Sapa
- Sapa Lotus: 34, Cau May, Sapa
17/ Food in Sapa – Black Chicken
Black chicken is another name for the evil chicken breed, raised freely in the garden by many H’Mong families. The identifying characteristic of this chicken species is its pure black color, from feathers to meat and bones. Black chickens are small in stature, each weighing only about 200g – 300g.
This is a famous medicinal dish passed down among the people. It often used to treat diseases such as spleen damage, loss of appetite, menstrual disorders, body heat, bone pain… or nutritional supplements for the elderly and newly sick people.
In Sapa, people most like to eat black chicken grilled with honey. The chicken skin is challenging; the meat is soft and firm and served with salt, pepper, lemon, or mint leaves; it will definitely bring you a memorable culinary experience in the misty land.
Where can you eat delicious black chicken in Sapa?
- Hoang Minh: 23 -23, Sapa culinary area, Sapa
- Sapa Smile: 18, Cau May, Sapa
18/ Sapa Meo Cider
The main ingredient to make premium Sapa cat apple wine is cat apple (also known as medlar fruit). Embracing the spirit of the mountains and forests, wild cat apples have a unique bitter, sweet, and sour taste. When soaked in wine, they will create a very characteristic aroma and yellow cockroach color.
It is not an exaggeration to say that every dish in Sapa becomes a masterpiece if enjoyed with a glass of cider. Right in the first sip of wine, all senses seem to be awakened by the spicy and pungent aroma, followed by the lingering sweetness on the tip of the tongue. Apple cider vinegar also has the effect of treating headaches and dizziness, helping to calm the mind and aid sleep, so tourists often buy it to take home as gifts for relatives and friends.
Where to sell delicious cider in Sapa:
- Quoc Cuong: 74, Thach Son, Sapa
- H’Mong Wine Cooperative: 130, Dien Bien Phu, Sapa
- Northwest Wine: 09, Thac Bac, Sapa
19/ Food in Sapa – Hong Tao
Jujube (or jujube, red apple) is a type of apple widely grown in the Mediterranean region. However, in Sapa, this fruit is also very popular with tourists because of its sweet, crispy, delicious taste and low price. Ripe persimmon has thin red-brown skin and white and succulent flesh. This is the “fresh” version of the dried apple that aunts and mothers often use for cooking, making sweet soup, or making tea. Despite its “low” price, jujubes bring many health benefits, such as detoxification, skin rejuvenation, strengthening the immune system, and nourishing the liver and kidneys.
20/ Sapa humiliation
Cauliflower is a Sapa specialty originating from the Hakka and Guangdong people (China). After coming to Vietnam, he “joined the family according to customs” and transformed under the creativity of the Tay and Nung ethnic people. This is a typical dish during Tet, with a similar preparation method to braised meat but marinated with unique spices of the highlands. The fatty aroma of pork belly and the saltiness of pickled mustard greens blend, combined with hot rice. It is genuinely a “delicious taste of the world.”
==> Read more: Climb the mountains to reach 8 paradise attractions in Sapa
21/ Food in Sapa – Pau Plau
Pau plau is a delicious Sapa dish that is hugely “suitable” for people who like sweets. To make this elaborate cake, the chef must select the roundest sticky rice grains and then grind them by hand. Later, Sun exposure to a sufficient degree. Pau plau day cake is often filled with soft, spongy green beans, grilled or steamed, and eaten with honey. It is sweet and easily “memorable.”
22/ Pau Po Cu Sapa
You must travel to Sapa in April or May of the lunar calendar to enjoy Pau Po Cu corn cakes with the most “standard” flavor. Making this famous Sapa snack is simple enough. You need to choose delicious corn, then separate the kernels, chop them finely, or grind them into cornmeal. After that, add a little salt (if you like) and spread evenly on the hot pan to fry until cooked. Pau po co is truly a Sapa dish that is highly suitable for cold days.
23/ Food in Sapa – Pau Co
In Sapa, when the weather is a bit warm (from June to October), mothers and sisters invite each other to make Pau Co, also known as Banh Dao. This is a snack from bamboo shoots and glutinous rice flour with a delightful, sweet, and fragrant flavor. When your stomach is hungry after a mountain climbing session in Sapa, there’s nothing better than having a fragrant and chewy Dao cake.
24/ Men Men Sapa
Men men is a Sapa specialty at Mong markets. To make Men men, people need to select the roundest and smoothest corn kernels and grind them in traditional stone mills. After that, mix the corn with flour and a little water. Men will be steamed twice before being crumbled until smooth.
Each step in making men requires a lot of knowledge and experience, with processing techniques varying depending on the type of ingredient. You can enjoy Men Men with rice or mixed with vermicelli or noodles. All rounding out the aromatic flavor of Northwest corn kernels.
25/ Con Sui – Cu Sui
When mentioning food in Sapa, you must recognize Con Sui (also known as Cuon Sui). This is also another Northwest delicacy imported from China, made from soft, chewy rice noodles served with a rich, thick sauce. Depending on the seller’s taste, the “toppings” of Con Sui will vary. However, the most common dishes are shredded pork, minced pickled vegetables, bean sprouts, boiled eggs, satay, and a few herbs.
Addresses selling delicious Con Sui – Effervescent Rolls in Sapa
- Con Sui Ong Ha: 436 Dien Bien Phu Street, TT. Sa Pa, Sa Pa, Lao Cai
==> Read more: Enjoy food in Sapa with unique dishes
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