Hanoi Street Food Walk: Old Quarter Flavours After Dark
An evening of tasting Hanoi’s favourite dishes at family-run stalls, with a local guide who knows every lane.
Hanoi is one of the great street food cities of the world, and the best way to discover it is on foot with someone who eats here every day. On this evening walk through the Old Quarter we taste around ten local dishes, from bun cha and fried spring rolls to sweet soups and egg coffee, and hear the stories of the families and streets behind them.
Tour highlights
- Taste around 10 Hanoi specialties at family-run stalls
- Bun cha, nem ran, banh cuon and grilled snacks
- Egg coffee in a hidden cafe up a narrow staircase
- A glass of fresh bia hoi on a street corner
- Walk the lanes of the Old Quarter as the lights come on
- Learn how to order, mix and eat each dish like a local
Itinerary
Every part can be changed to suit your group.
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Evening First Tastes in the Old Quarter
We meet at your hotel or a central point in the Old Quarter at around 5:30 PM, as the streets fill with people coming home from work and families set out their low plastic stools. Our first stop is a stall that has served bun cha for many years, where grilled pork patties are cooked over charcoal and served with rice noodles, herbs and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. We continue with crisp nem ran, Hanoi-style fried spring rolls, and a plate of banh cuon, silky steamed rice rolls. Your guide explains how each dish is eaten, which sauces go with what, and how to order like a local.
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Night Sweet Soups, Egg Coffee and Bia Hoi
As night falls we walk deeper into the lanes of the quarter, past temples, tube houses and busy markets. We taste grilled snacks from a street barbecue, sample tropical fruit or a bowl of che, the sweet soups of beans, jellies and coconut milk that locals love after dinner, and climb a narrow staircase to a hidden cafe for an egg coffee, invented in Hanoi in the 1940s. We finish on a street corner with a glass of fresh bia hoi and a view of the evening crowds. The walk ends at around 9:00 PM in the Old Quarter, a few minutes from most hotels. Vegetarian versions can be arranged in advance.
What is included
Included
- English-speaking local food guide
- All food tastings on the walk
- Egg coffee, one bia hoi or soft drink and water
- Hotel pickup in the Old Quarter on foot, or a meeting point nearby
Not included
- Accommodation
- Drinks beyond those listed
- Personal travel insurance
- Tips for guide and driver
- Personal expenses
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Tour: Hanoi Street Food Walk: Old Quarter Flavours After Dark
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