Food in Hoi An is highly unique because this place is the intersection of many Asian and European cultures. Join Yourvietnam.org to learn about the special features of Hoi An’s cuisine right away!
Enjoying Hoi An culinary culture is something you must take advantage of on your Hoi An travel itinerary. Enjoying the delicious, attractive flavors of Hoi An specialties in the old, nostalgic setting of the old town will definitely make visitors fall in love.
1/ Hoi An culinary culture – Where elites converge
In the 17th – 18th centuries, Hoi An was a bustling international trading port. This place is a trading place for Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Western countries.
Therefore, Hoi An’s culinary culture is vibrant and diverse and has characteristics that are similar to those of many regions around the world. Visitors will enjoy many unique, one-of-a-kind delicious dishes in Hoai Pho.
Currently, the number of Chinese people in Hoi An is quite large. So this place still preserves their culinary habits and customs. On holidays, Tet, and weddings, Chinese people often cook dishes such as Phuoc Kien stir-fried vermicelli, golden millet, Duong Chau fried rice, etc., to enjoy and remember their origins.
Not only are the restaurants in Hoi An memorable with delicious dishes. But they also fascinate visitors with beautiful decoration, professional service, and unique space. Restaurants located in the old town often hang old paintings surrounded by flower pots, ornamental plants, and handicrafts. Shops in Hoi An also have traditional names inherited from many generations.
Besides traditional Hoi An culinary culture, dishes originating from France, Japan, and the West are also worth trying. These restaurants enrich Hoi An culinary culture and serve the diverse needs of tourists.
==> Read more: Travel Hoi An A-Z: Eat like a local at Hoi An
2/ Suggest 10 typical delicious food in Hoi An culinary culture
Hoi An’s culinary culture is highly diverse, allowing you to choose the dish you want freely. Discovering food in Hoi An, take advantage of the following typical dishes.
2.1/ Food in Hoi An – Cao Lau
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Hoi An Green Space Cao Lau (687 Hai Ba Trung Street), Hoi An Trung Bac Cao Lau (87 Tran Phu Street), Ba Thanh Hoi An Cao Lau (26 Thai Phien Street)
You can eat Cao Lau with meat, water, fatty shrimp, bean sprouts, and raw vegetables. And the rice-soaking water is from Cu Lao Cham. After soaking, the rice has a yellow color mixed with turmeric. And the water used to knead the dough is water from the ancient Ba Le well.
The dough is kneaded until soft, rolled thin, steamed, and sliced into strips. Char Siu meat in Cao Lau is lean meat marinated with many spices and then simmered over low heat. After the meat is just cooked, take it out and add chopped tomatoes, onions, and oil to make a super delicious sauce.
2.2/ Mi Quang
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Quang Ong Hai noodles Hoi An (6A Truong Minh Luong Street), Quang Co Sinh noodles Hoi An (170/5 Ly Thuong Kiet Street), Van – specializing in Quang noodles Hoi An (329 Nguyen Duy Hieu street )
Quang noodles have many versions, such as duck noodles, crab noodles, beef noodles, chicken noodles, and fish noodles… The appeal of this dish comes from the soft and chewy noodles with the rich flavor of the toppings and the sweet taste. Of broth.
To make the Quang noodles chewy and crispy, the shop owner will add a little alum. The delicious broth is simmered from pork or chicken bones, accompanied by chicken, frog, shrimp, beef, and traditional spices.
2.3/ Hoi An chicken rice
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Ba Buoi chicken rice (22 Phan Chau Trinh Street), Xi Hoi An chicken rice (47/2 Tran Hung Dao Street), Ba Nga chicken rice (8, 9 Phan Chau Trinh Street)
Hoi An chicken rice originates from Tam Ky – a land famous for super delicious chicken in Quang Nam. Chicken rice is cooked from fragrant sticky rice grown by the Thu Bon River and is a must-try delicious dish when coming to Hoi An.
Hoi An chicken rice has a super unique flavor, perfect for those who love greasiness and richness. Delicious chewy chicken shredded, mixed with onions and spices, sprinkled with salt, pepper, coriander, and lemon juice, and then stirred well will definitely make you fall in love.
2.4/ Food in Hoi An – White rose cake
- Suggested delicious places to eat: dumpling oven, cauldron cake – White Rose (533 Hai Ba Trung Street), Trong Com Restaurant (92 Bach Dang Street)
White rose cake (dumpling-cauldron cake) is a plate of cake decorated like a blooming flower. The ingredients to make the white rose cake are rice flour milled from fragrant rice and soaked overnight. And the rice flour needs to be filtered over and over again to make the cake clear and flexible.
Bite into a piece of white rose cake; you will be fascinated with the super delicious filling, including shrimp, meat, carrots, mushrooms… pureed and marinated in rich spices.
2.5/ Gieng Ba Le grilled spring rolls
- Suggested delicious food address: Gieng Ba Hoi An barbecue restaurant (45/51 Tran Hung Dao Street)
Located in the center of Hoi An and next to a long-standing ancient well, Gieng Ba Le restaurant is a beautiful place for food lovers. You will enjoy hot, rich, delicious Gieng Ba Le grilled spring rolls served with a super unique dipping sauce made from soybeans cooked with a few spices.
The grill is airy, has many trees, and has a super unique “open-air” kitchen for visitors to see firsthand how to make authentic Hoi An barbecue. The sweet aroma of grilled spring rolls next to the fire will definitely make visitors remember it forever.
2.6/ Food in Hoi An – bread
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Ms. Lanh’s Bread (430 Cua Dai Street), Than’s Bread (227 Ly Thuong Kiet Street), Minh Thu’s Bread (248 Ly Thuong Kiet Street)
Hoi An bread makes tourists miss it with its super unique flavor and variety of types, such as chicken bread, pate bread, and burgers. This dish easily conquers even the most demanding diners.
Hoi An bread is the most attractive street food in Hoi An. And the rich filling and crispy, delicious crust will definitely make you fall in love.
2.7/ Cassava pho
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Que Son – Quang Nam
Cassava pho, made from cassava roots, is an extremely unique and strange dish from the land of Que Son (Quang Nam). Cassava pho can be processed into many different dishes such as salad and vegetarian, and served with broth made from meat, fish, and shrimp…
The cassava noodles are processed through many elaborate steps and poured into a net shape, looking very strange. Before eating, the pho noodles will be soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, then taken out to drain, then mixed with broth, and eaten with basil, young banana flowers, cinnamon, etc.
2.8/ Food in Hoi An – pancakes
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Hai Dao banh xeo (160 Ly Thai To Street), Hai Nam banh xeo (409 Hai Ba Trung Street), Song Hoai banh xeo (59/32 18/8 Street)
Banh xeo in Hoi An is smaller than banh xeo in other places. So that you can eat many at once. Golden, shiny pancakes with diverse fillings such as bean sprouts, shrimp, minced meat, onions… A hot, crispy pancake mixed with rich dipping sauce and fresh vegetables will definitely be a memory—memorable cuisine for diners.
2.9/ Wonton
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Anh Dung Wontons (14 Ba Trieu Street), Hoang Ky Noodle Shop (67 Tran Phu Street), Hoi An Thanh Thanh Wonton Restaurant (152 Tran Phu Street)
Hoi An wontons have two parts: the outer shell and the meat filling. There are up to 3 types of wontons for visitors to choose from:
- Water wontons: the most popular wonton dish. The wontons are shaped into small pieces and then steamed, served with bone broth and green onions.
- Fried Wonton: the cake is fried in a pan filled with oil, has a shiny golden color, and is eaten with tomato sauce or soy sauce.
- Wonton noodles: wonton noodles served with wonton balls, egg topping, pork…
==> Read more: Travel Hoi An A-Z: Experience the top 10 exciting activities
2.10/ Stir-fried mussel crackers
- Suggested delicious places to eat: Ba Gia restaurant (village 1, Cam Nam). Co Ngan restaurant (Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, Cam Nam)
Hoi An stir-fried mussel cake has a charming flavor thanks to the delicious mussels from the Cam Nam region. The dish is a harmony between crispy pound cake, rich stir-fried mussels, and delicious dipping sauce.
When eating, you use your hand to smash it to make the cake crumble. You will use pieces of broken cake and scoop it up with stir-fried mussels to enjoy. The freshness of mussels, the mouth-watering aroma of fried onions, pepper, and coriander. And the spiciness of chili create extremely memorable culinary memories.
Hoi An’s super-rich culinary culture is one of the features that attract tourists to the quiet old town. In an ancient, peaceful space, you will enjoy delicious specialties imbued with Hoai Pho flavor.
Follow yourvietnam.org fan page to learn more about the beauty of Vietnamese culture. And also find some perfect tips to make your travel plan more wonderful.
