Hue, Vietnam’s ancient capital, is famous for its unique culinary culture, creating the distinctive character of the people of the ancient land with delicious dishes in Hue city that are created and passed down from the royal chefs of the past.
Hue possesses a rich and unique culinary culture that captivates everyone. Below are some delicious dishes in Hue that if you try them all, you will surely have a complete trip to Hue. Let’s explore!
Table of Contents
Top 20 Delicious Dishes in Hue
Nam Pho Noodle Soup – A Hue Specialty You’ll Never Forget
Nam Pho noodle soup is an extremely enticing street food in Hue for both locals and travelers alike. The broth of the noodle soup is made from a combination of rice flour and tapioca flour with a ratio of 3:1, resulting in a slightly cloudy and characteristic texture. Enjoying a bowl of Nam Pho noodle soup, filled with flavorful broth, chewy and elastic noodles, along with pork belly and shrimp, you’ll experience a delicious, rich taste that you won’t forget. When visiting the ancient capital, don’t forget to try this Hue specialty.
- Address: 16 Pham Hong Thai, Hue
- Opening hours: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Price range: 5,000 – 10,000 VND
Banh Khoai – A Delightful Dish Loved by Many
Banh Khoai is surely a favorite dish for many people, hence its name. Many might mistake it for banh xeo (sizzling pancake) because of their similar appearance and ingredients. However, when you taste it, you’ll notice that the crust of Banh Khoai is thicker than banh xeo. It is served with a special broth made from pig liver, pork, roasted sesame, and ground peanuts, instead of the sweet and sour fish sauce typically served with banh xeo.
Recommended dining spot: Hong Mai Banh Khoai
- Address: 110 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hue
- Price range: 25,000 – 35,000 VND
Mixed Fruit Salad
What to eat in Hue? You should try the mixed fruit salad. This dish is made from a type of fruit called vả (Baccaurea ramiflora), which has a slightly fatty and rich taste, contrasting with the bitterness of the sung fruit. People in Hue combine vả fruit with various seasonings such as shrimp paste, shrimp, and vinegar to create a refreshing dish for the summer.
Recommended dining area in Hue: You can visit the food stalls at Dong Ba Market, Tay Loc Market to enjoy this dish. Just go to the market and ask around, as it’s a familiar street food in Hue. For only 10,000 – 20,000 VND, you can enjoy the most authentic mixed fruit salad.
Com Hen (Mussel Rice) – A Delicious Dish with Strong Hue Flavors
When it comes to delicious dishes in Hue, mussel rice is definitely not to be missed. It perfectly combines the royal cuisine of Hue with folk cuisine, creating a unique and exotic taste. The ingredients used to make mussel rice are simple but produce an incredibly delicious flavor. It’s a harmonious blend of colors and flavors. When you taste it, you’ll feel the pungency of ginger, the spiciness of chili, the fragrance of herbs, the sweetness of mussels, and the nuttiness of peanuts.
To truly enjoy the authentic flavor of this Hue specialty, you have to come to the ancient capital. Visit a local eatery and order a serving of Hue mussel rice to fully experience the land and its people.
Recommended eatery: Mrs. Ty’s grilled meat vermicelli
- Address: 81 Dao Duy Tu, Phu Binh, Hue City, Hue
- Opening hours: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Price range: 6,000 – 20,000 VND
Bun Thit Nuong – Grilled Pork Vermicelli
Not only mussel rice and Nam Pho noodle soup, but grilled pork vermicelli is also a specialty of Hue loved by many tourists. With simple ingredients like rice vermicelli, pork, pickles, peanuts, and fish sauce, this dish brings a rustic yet incredibly rich flavor that mesmerizes countless diners both locally and internationally.
It’s a dish not only found in Hue but also across various provinces, yet Hue-style vermicelli stands out with its unique color and flavor, carrying the essence and beauty of the ancient capital.
Recommended eatery: Mrs. Ty’s Grilled Pork Vermicelli
- Address: 81 Dao Duy Tu, Phu Binh, Hue City, Hue
- Opening hours: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Price range: 6,000 – 20,000 VND
Grilled Pork Rice Paper Rolls – Authentic Hue Delicacy
Grilled pork rice paper rolls are a rustic dish originating from Kim Long – Thua Thien Hue, often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. The distinctive feature of this dish is the deliciously fragrant sesame soy dipping sauce. Unlike rice rolls, rice paper rolls are made from a mixture of rice and cassava flour to create a white, smooth, and soft cake. Grilled pork rice paper rolls are usually served with grilled meat, hence the name, and it’s a dish you definitely can’t miss when visiting Hue.
Price range: 30,000 – 70,000 VND/portion
Addresses:
- Mrs. Suu’s Grilled Pork Rice Paper Rolls: QL1A, Loc An, Phu Loc, Thua Thien Hue
- Delicious Hue Grilled Pork Rice Paper Rolls: 27 Le Hong Phong, Hue City
- Huyen Anh Grilled Pork Rice Paper Rolls: 50 Kim Long, Hue City
Nam Cake
What to eat in Hue? Nam cake is the ideal choice. Hue’s Nậm cake is rectangular-shaped, wrapped in dong leaves, with a thin layer of cassava starch on the surface. Inside the cake, there is a filling of shrimp and pork, creating an eye-catching appearance and a delicious aroma. When eaten, diners enjoy the cake with a sour-salty dipping sauce, feeling the soft and chewy texture of the cake, the rich flavor of the filling, truly irresistible.
Price range: 20,000 – 40,000 VND
Addresses:
- Mrs. Do’s Nậm Cake: 7 – 8 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Phu Cat
- Me’s Eatery: 14 Vo Thi Sau Street, Phu Hoi
Clear Shrimp and Pork Dumplings – A Dish Full of Sentiments
Clear shrimp and pork dumplings are the most famous among Hue’s dumplings. There are two types of Hue clear dumplings: bare and wrapped in banana leaves, both with delicious and typical spicy-sweet fish sauce for dipping.
The dough after kneading is filled with shrimp and pork, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Each clear dumpling, when peeled, is transparent, with the dough not sticking to the leaves. When enjoyed, diners can feel the fatty taste of pork belly mixed with the sweetness of shrimp wrapped in a chewy dough layer, truly irresistible.
Recommended eatery: Mrs. Do’s Eatery
- Address: 7 – 8 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Hue City
- Price range: 10,000 – 50,000 VND
Hue Beef Vermicelli Soup – A Famous Dish of the Ancient Capital
When it comes to enjoying Hue’s dishes, you definitely can’t miss Hue beef vermicelli soup. Only in Hue, this delicious dish embodies the true authentic taste of the old days, unmatched elsewhere.
The large white vermicelli strands are slightly chewier and smell of rice. The beef is stewed to fragrant, moderately fatty, not greasy. Besides beef, there are also various types of meatballs, pork knuckles, and boiled blood, all immersed in a clear, naturally sweet broth boiled from beef bones. Add some crunchy fresh vegetables, and it all comes together to create a perfect dish. Hue beef vermicelli soup has appeared in foreign newspapers and magazines and has been voted one of the best dishes in Asia.
Some famous addresses for beef vermicelli soup:
- Mrs. Tuyet’s Beef Vermicelli Soup: 47 Nguyen Cong Tru Street
- Ms. Ty’s Vermicelli Soup: 9/15/33 Nguyen Cong Tru Street, Hue
- Me Keo Vermicelli Soup: 20 Bach Dang Street, Phu Cat, Hue City
Price range: 20,000 – 40,000 VND
Water Fern Cake
The cuisine in Hue is extremely diverse, but in this land, water fern cake is closely associated with the local people. Thin, white like leaves, poured into small, round cups. Many street vendors or just a small bucket, the sellers will bring the cake to each house. Slightly different from water fern cakes in other regions, Hue’s water fern cake is thin, with dried shrimp powder and is often served with crispy fried pork skin.
Recommended addresses to enjoy:
- Water Fern Cake Area: An Dinh Palace, Ngu Binh Street, Nguyen Binh Khiem Street.
- Chợ Tây Lộc Food Court: 209 Nguyen Trai Street.
- Mrs. Cu’s Water Fern Cake: 23/177 Phan Dinh Phung Street.
Banh Canh Ca Loc – a delicious dish from traditional recipe
Banh canh ca loc is a rustic and popular dish because it’s not only delicious but also affordable in Hue with its rich and extremely attractive flavor. It can be said that the soul of Hue-style banh canh ca loc lies in the broth with its sweet and refreshing taste that you can never get tired of. The harmonious combination of chewy noodles and fresh and delicious fish along with various types of herbs has brought an unforgettable flavor to the dish.
Price range: 30,000 – 55,000 VND
Addresses:
- Banh canh ca loc: 55 Tran Phu Street, Hue
- Banh canh ca loc O Cuc: 57 Dinh Cong Trang Street, Hue
- Banh canh ca loc Be Hien: 198 Nguyen Trai Street, Hue
Pressed cake
Pressed cake is a specialty, a delicious food in Hue that you must try when visiting the ancient capital. At first glance, it may look like grilled rice paper, but pressed cake has a very different flavor and preparation method. This dish is the creativity of the people of Hue when the cake is made from simple ingredients such as tapioca flour, pork, eggs, scallions…
Price range: from 2,000 – 3,000 VND/piece
Addresses:
- Pressed cake Di Mai: across from Duy Tan Secondary School, Hue
- Pressed cake Hue Gia Di: 4 Phung Chi Kien Street, Hue
- Pressed cake Hue O Xi: Mac Dinh Chi Street, Hue
Stuffed pancake – a rustic and delicious dish
Stuffed pancake is a famous dish and also a delicious Hue specialty that many people love because of its fragrant, rich taste combined with the saltiness of the meat. The cake has 2 parts: a crispy yellow rice cake base and a soft, smooth stuffed cake layer with shrimp or meat filling. When eaten, the stuffed cake and the crispy cake blend together wonderfully and deliciously.
Price range: 15,000 – 50,000 VND
Addresses:
- Mrs. Do’s stall: 7 – 8 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Hue
- Me Le’s stall: 104/17/9 Kim Long, Hue
- Thuy’s stuffed pancake stall: 16 Pham Hong Thai Street, Hue
Clam rice vermicelli soup
Apart from clam rice, as you already know, people in Hue also have clam rice vermicelli soup. The dish is prepared similarly to clam rice, with clams as the main ingredient creating a unique flavor. The harmonious combination of delicious, fragrant broth with fresh vegetables, roasted peanuts, pork skin… creates a new and unique flavor that will make you “addicted from the first taste” to enjoy. When in Hue, take some time to enjoy this dish.
Price range: 20,000 – 45,000 VND
Addresses:
- Small clam vermicelli soup stall: 28 Pham Hong Thai Street, Hue
- Le Huan’s stall: 06 Le Huan Street, Hue
- Hong Thuy’s stall: 88 Han Thuyen Street, Hue
Clams served with rice paper – a surprisingly delicious dish in Hue
As one of the dishes you should try in Hue when experiencing its cuisine, clams served with rice paper is a combination of dried clam meat with various spices. When eating, diners will use crispy rice paper to scoop up the fragrant and sweet clam meat. The taste is truly incomparable and can only be enjoyed in Hue.
Price range: 20,000 – 35,000 VND
Addresses:
- Hoa Dong clam rice stall: 64/7 Ung Binh
- Ngon clam rice: 7 Ung Binh, Vy Da
- Dap Da clam rice: 1 Han Mac Tu, Vy Da
Grilled pork skewers
For street food enthusiasts, grilled pork skewers are a favorite dish and an indispensable street food in Hue. The dish is made from ground pork mixed with pork skin, pork fat, and spices, then skewered onto sugar cane or lemongrass sticks and grilled over charcoal. The best grilled pork skewers are when they are still hot, eaten with fresh vegetables and dipping sauce.
What makes Hue-style grilled pork skewers special is the dipping sauce; the sauce is made from fish sauce, pork, pork liver, ground peanuts, creating a rich and unforgettable flavor. When served on a plate, you will find it extremely attractive because of the harmonious colors in this dish with the yellow color of the skewers, the green of the vegetables, the brown of the dipping sauce, the red of the chili… Eating will reveal the richness of the meat, the freshness of the vegetables, the fragrant sweetness of lemongrass or sugar cane, making it extremely delicious.
Addresses for delicious food in Hue:
- Tai Phu stall address: 2, 4 Dien Bien Phu, Hue city
- Ba Ty’s grilled pork skewers stall: 81 Dao Duy Tu, Hue city
- Ong Me Gia’s grilled pork skewers stall: Intersection of Huynh Thuc Khang and Mai Thuc Loan, Hue city
Price range: 8,000 – 10,000 VND
Tre Hue – a unique and delicious dish in Hue
Tre is a famous specialty of the land of Central Vietnam, especially in Hue. Tre is a combination of crispy, chewy pig ears and feet with the soft, fatty skin and meat, creating a very special and different flavor.
Tre has a shape similar to sour fermented pork roll, wrapped outside with guava and banana leaves. There is no specific recipe for Hue’s delicious dish, each person will have their own way of making tre, creating many different flavors. Besides appearing in the daily meals of Hue people, tre has also become an indispensable dish in ceremonies, weddings, and especially during the traditional Tet holiday.
Addresses for delicious food in Hue:
- Dong Ba Hue Nem Cha Tre: 25 Dao Duy Tu, Phu Binh
- Ba Ngoc’s Hue Tre: 222 Nguyen Sinh Cung Street, Hue City
Forbidden rice – a ‘strangely delicious’ dish in Hue
Forbidden rice is a long-standing delicious dish in Hue, the ancient capital city, very characteristic of Hue with many ingredients creating multiple colors but still very common.
When a plate of forbidden rice is served, you will first enjoy it with your eyes because the plate contains all 7 colors, arranged in a very artistic and colorful way. White rice cooked with An Cuu rice in the middle, surrounded by pork belly, Hue sausage, shrimp, grilled meat rolls, boiled eggs, herbs, cucumbers… When eating, remember to pour a little fish sauce on top, mix well and enjoy. Forbidden rice is now served from ordinary rice restaurants to luxurious restaurants.
Recommended addresses for delicious food, forbidden rice restaurants in Hue:
- 51 Nguyen Thai Hoc Forbidden Rice: 51 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hue City
- 35 Nguyen Thai Hoc Forbidden Rice: 35 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hue City
Price range: 20,000 – 35,000 VND
Hue vegetarian rice – a delicious dish that makes up the essence of Hue cuisine
If you’re still unsure what delicious food to eat in Hue because you’re a vegetarian or want to enjoy vegetarian food, then go to one of the following addresses:
- Lien Hoa Thu restaurant: 3 Le Quy Don, Hue City
- Thanh Lieu Vegetarian Restaurant: 50 Nguyen Cong Chu
- Mrs. Minh’s Vegetarian Restaurant: 4 Han Thuyen, Thuan Thanh, Hue
Price range: from 15,000 – 55,000 VND
Hue sweet soups – simple yet refreshing Hue delicacies
When it comes to delicious snacks in Hue, Hue sweet soups must be mentioned. Not because Hue sweet soups are better than those elsewhere. But because Hue sweet soups are more elegant, tastier, and more distinctive with the unique types of sweet soups found only in Hue. Here you can easily find sweet soup stalls or vendors from street corners, streets, temples to royal sweet soup stalls with extremely diverse and unique flavors. Here you can enjoy the richness and uniqueness of sweet soups like lotus sweet soup, mixed sweet soup, grapefruit sweet soup, green beans, mung beans, taro, pumpkin, pork skin…
The uniqueness of sweet soups in the ancient capital is created by the taste, color, sweetness, and the talented way of cooking of Hue people. This dish is enjoyed with ice during the summer and hot sweet soups during winter, both of which are unforgettable.
Is there any delicious food for night tourism in Hue?
Known as the cradle of Vietnamese cuisine, Hue is an ideal destination for food enthusiasts. Here are some delicious dishes in Hue at night that you must try at least once in your life.
Trang Tien night banh mi
Trang Tien Bridge is not only known as a famous tourist spot but also a place for delicious snacks in Hue. The most famous is the night banh mi at Trang Tien banh mi stall. The banh mi here is crispy, combined with pate, tasty meat, and the price is only from 5,000 – 15,000 VND. When visiting Hue, make sure to try it.
- Address: Hung Vuong Street, Phu Hoi Ward, Hue City
Grilled corn with scallion oil – a simple yet miraculously delicious dish
As one of the famous street foods in Hue, known as a delicious and cheap dish in Hue, grilled corn with scallion oil is prepared in a unique way that you will surely want to try at least once. The corn is pre-roasted and neatly arranged. When ordered, the vendor will use a small brush made from corn husk to brush a layer of scallion oil onto the tender corn kernels. After a few minutes, you will enjoy a grilled corn with scallion oil that is both fatty and fragrant, perfect for winter.
- Address: sidewalk of Le Loi Street, near Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking street and Trang Tien Bridge
Pressed cake – a favorite night snack in Hue among young people
Pressed cake is a specialty for night eating in Hue that you must try when visiting this land. This dish is the creativity of the people of Hue when the cake is made from simple ingredients such as tapioca flour, pork, eggs, scallions…
Price range: from 2,000 – 3,000 VND/piece
Delicious Hue eateries:
- Aunt Mai’s pressed cake: across from Duy Tan Secondary School, Hue
- Hue Gia Di pressed cake: 4 Phung Chi Kien Street, Hue
- Hue O Xi pressed cake: Mac Dinh Chi Street, Hue
Duck noodle soup – a nutritious dish in Hue at night
When it comes to night food in Hue, duck noodle soup must be mentioned. If you just look at it, it doesn’t look attractive because the piece of duck meat is dark. But when you enjoy the duck meat with fragrant and flavorful broth, it’s incredibly delicious. The tender duck meat and the chewy egg noodle strands shine in beautiful and unique yellow color.
Delicious Hue eateries:
- Chau Loan Duck Noodle Soup: 30 Ba Trieu, Hue City
- Nguyen Trai Chicken & Duck Porridge: 176 Nguyen Trai, Hue City
Above is a list of delicious dishes in Hue that you must try at least once when visiting Hue because of their taste, color, which you can surely not experience anywhere else. Hopefully, through this article, you will gain more experience and understanding to explore the ancient land of Vietnam. Don’t forget to use the private car rental service in Hue from VnCarRentals.com’s for the perfect trip to Hue.
