Bun cha, a bowl of savory, sweet and sour fish sauce with meatballs and thick pork slices served with a plate of white vermicelli, got a publicity boost after former President Barack Obama enjoyed this dish during his 2016 trip to Vietnam.
Bun cha is typically served with seafood spring rolls, crab spring rolls and grilled skewers.
Some famous addresses to try the dish are 74 Hang Quat Street and Huong Lien Stall on Le Van Huu Street that Obama and the late chef Anthony Bourdain visited in 2016.
Cha ca (fried catfish) is one of the unique specialties of Hanoians and it even has a street named after it.
This dish is said to be more than 130 years old. It was first created by the Doan family to serve Vietnamese fighters against the French occupants. The original Cha Ca La Vong restaurant operates till today.
Diners sit at a communal table with a skillet set up over a burner. Turmeric-marinated fish is added to sizzling garlic oil, and dill and shrimp paste tossed in. The diners’ job is to add herbs, marinated hot chilies, peanuts and vermicelli, which are all laid out on the table.
A set of La Vong fried catfish costs VND175,000 ($7.58) per person.
Xoi xeo, a sticky rice dish topped with green mung bean paste and dried shallots in its basic form is a popular breakfast dish and late night snack. One can opt for a variety of add-ons like pate, boiled chicken, cha lua (Vietnamese pork bologna), marinated pork belly, or preserved eggs.
Some restaurants also serve xoi xeo as dessert, topped with dried coconut shavings, roasted sesame seeds, and crystallized sugar.
An inexpensive yet prominent xoi xeo restaurant is Ms. Yen, where you can enjoy a basic bowl for VND15,000.
Another breakfast and late night staple of Hanoians is banh cuon (steamed rice rolls), stuffed with ground pork meat and minced mushrooms.
It is served with fried shallots and cilantro on top.
The flavor of the dish lies in the fish sauce dipping and a drop of ca cuong, a giant water bug essence that adds an extra flavor of scallop or shrimp.
The most famous address in Hanoi to try this treat is Gia Truyen stall at 12 Hang Ga Street.
Banh tom, a deep fried rice powder cake with shrimp, is another Hanoi specialty served by many restaurants across the West Lake.
The most well-known restaurant for this dish is on Thanh Nien Street between the West Lake and Truc Bach Lake. It is typically served with lettuce leaves for wrapping and chili, lime juice and fish sauce for dipping. What made the dish special in yesteryears was that it was made with freshwater shrimp caught in the West Lake.