Where to enjoy delicious specialty dishes in Hoi An while ensuring quality and saving costs is a question many tourists ask when they visit here. Let’s explore the culinary culture of Hoi An to see what specialties are unique and appealing to tourists! If you only have 24 hours to explore this ancient city, which specialty dish would you choose? Let’s list the top 20 specialty dishes of Hoi An that you must try on your trip!
Table of Contents
Cao Lau of Hoi An
When it comes to Hoi An specialties, one cannot overlook Cao Lau. This dish features yellow noodles, served with shrimp, pork, various fresh greens, and very little broth. The yellow color of the noodles comes from being mixed with ash from a local tree. When tourists savor Cao Lau, they will experience the crispy texture of the noodles, along with flavors: sour, spicy, slightly bitter, sweet from the fresh greens,… which are extremely distinctive. The price of a bowl of Cao Lầu is around 25,000 – 30,000 VND.
Top 3 famous Cao Lau eateries in Hoi An:
Hoi An Trung Bac Cao Lau Eatery
- Address: 87 Tran Phu, Hoi An, Quang Nam
- Price: 30,000 – 50,000 VND
Thanh Cao Lau Eatery
- Address: 26 Thai Phien, Minh An, Hoi An, Quang Nam
- Price: 30,000 – 50,000 VND
Hoi An Ba Be Cao Lau Eatery
- Address: 19 Tran Phu, Cam Chau, Hoi An, Quang Nam
- Price: 20,000 – 44,000 VND
Quang Noodles of Hoi An
In a bowl of Mi Quang, you’ll typically find pork, shrimp, chicken (sometimes boiled eggs depending on the eater’s preference) along with broth simmered from pork bones. Generally, Mi Quang’s broth is very minimal, giving a sensation akin to eating a mixed dish. Mi Quang tastes even better when served with roasted peanuts, rice crackers, aromatic herbs, finely chopped spring onions… A bowl of Mi Quang is priced around 25,000 – 40,000 VND.
Addresses of delicious Mi Quang sellers in Hoi An:
Mi Quang Di Hat
- Address: 4 Phan Chau Trinh, Hoi An
- Price: 15,000 – 25,000 VND
- Mi Quang Ong Hai
- Address: 6A Truong Minh Luong, Hoi An
- Price: 15,000 – 40,000 VND
Mi Quang Ba Minh
- Address: Cam Ha, Hoi An
- Price: 25,000 – 50,000 VND
Banh Canh
Banh Canh, typically made from rice or wheat flour, is a popular comfort food enjoyed by many. It can be prepared in various styles such as Banh Canh with pork knuckles, Banh Canh with crab, Banh Canh with fish cake… It’s a delicious dish to try when visiting Hoi An.
Recommended Banh Canh eateries in Hoi An:
Banh Canh Mrs. Quyt
- Address: 51 Thanh Hoa, Tan An, Hoi An
- Price: 30,000 – 60,000 VND
Banh Canh Mrs. Luon
- Address: 276 Ly Thuong Kiet, Minh An, Hoi An
- Price: 15,000 – 35,000 VND
Hoanh Thanh (Wonton) – Hoi An Specialty
Originally from China, Hoanh Thanh (Wonton) has been adapted over time to suit Vietnamese tastes and has become a famous dish in Hoi An. Hoanh Thanh fillings vary, including shrimp, pork, wood ear mushrooms, and more. The dumpling wrapper is intricately rolled thin and carries a fragrant rice aroma. Hoanh Thanh can be steamed or fried depending on preferences.
Recommended Hoanh Thanh eateries in Hoi An:
Anh Ba Wonton Noodle Shop
- Address: Alley 109 Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An
- Price: 30,000 – 60,000 VND
Nguyen Loi Wonton Noodle Shop
- Address: 78 Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An
- Price: 30,000 – 70,000 VND
Hoang Ky Wonton Noodle Shop
- Address: 67 Tran Phu, Hoi An
- Price: 35,000 – 80,000 VND
Grilled Pork Rolled in Fresh Rice Paper
To make the delicious specialty dish of Grilled Pork Rolled in Fresh Rice Paper in Hoi An, chefs must select fresh and tasty pork marinated with a mixture of five spices, shallots, and lemongrass. After the rice paper is rolled, it needs to be placed on a clean plate to cool down, then sprinkled with some sesame seeds to enhance the fragrance. The skewered pork is incredibly affordable, priced at only 5000 VND per skewer.
Recommended places to buy delicious Grilled Pork Rolled in Fresh Rice Paper in Hoi An:
Mrs. Huong’s Eatery
- Address: 31 Tieu La, Minh An, Hoi An
- Price: 6,000 – 30,000 VND
Mrs. Hoi’s Grilled Pork Rolled in Fresh Rice Paper Stall
- Address: 3 Nguyen Hue, Hoi An
- Price: 7,000 – 9,000 VND per skewer
Ba Le Well
- Address: 45/51 Tran Hung Dao, Minh An, Hoi An
- Price: 15,000 – 45,000 VND
Hoi An White Rose Dumplings
When talking about the delicious dishes of Hoi An’s ancient town, we cannot forget about White Rose Dumplings. White Rose Dumplings are meticulously wrapped, with thin dumpling skins enclosing a filling of shrimp and pork formed into delicate, tender flower shapes. White Rose Dumplings are a blend of modern and traditional cuisine, highly appreciated by many tourists.
Hoi An Specialty: Water Fern Cake
Water Fern Cake is considered a memorable specialty of Hoi An for many tourists. It is served in a small bowl, with the cake made from rice flour. The filling of Water Fern Cake is usually made from shrimp and pork. Water Fern Cake costs only 5000 VND per bowl.
Hoi An Pancakes
Hoi An Pancakes are renowned far and wide, with crispy golden-brown shells, tender pork and shrimp filling creating a unique taste for this dish. The soul of this dish lies in the dipping sauce, meticulously prepared and difficult to replicate, including ground peanuts, sesame, pork liver, boiled until boiling. Pancakes are priced at 10,000 VND each and are widely available at many famous tourist spots in Hoi An.
Phuong Hoi An Bread
Phuong Hoi An Bread has been around for 20 years, with a shop located at 2B Phan Chu Trinh, Hoi An’s ancient town. There are over 20 different fillings available for the bread, such as mixed, beef stew, and fried spring rolls, offering a diverse selection for diners.
It’s no coincidence that Phuong Bread is famous and chosen by many tourists from both inside and outside the country. The fragrant and crispy bread maintains its original flavor even after years, served with meat, vegetables, and sauce, creating a harmonious and novel taste. A small note for you is that you should go early to buy, otherwise you will have to spend quite a bit of time queuing.
Steamed Buns
Food connoisseurs in Hoi An are surely familiar with Steamed Buns. This dish belongs to the Chinese dim sum family. The ingredients are made from white sticky rice and finely ground shrimp filling. The buns are meticulously wrapped, to the extent that many foreign tourists call it Hoi An’s white rose bun.
Hoi An Smashed Rice Cake
Hoi An Smashed Rice Cake, as its name suggests, you will use your hand to press down the cake until it breaks into many pieces. Then, you separate each piece and dip it into the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is made from fermented fish with the main ingredients being anchovy and shallot bulbs. You can enjoy the satisfying Hoi An Smashed Rice Cake at a very reasonable price, only 20,000 – 25,000 VND.
Hoi An Chicken Rice
Hoi An Chicken Rice is highly regarded among the specialties in Hoi An. Some delicious chicken rice shops you can try are: Ba Buoi Chicken Rice, Ba Nga Chicken Rice, Anh Xi Chicken Rice… All chicken rice dishes are delicately prepared, with soft, tender rice and extremely fresh chicken meat, creating the famous chicken rice dish far and wide.
Clam Rice
Hoi An Clam Rice has a unique way of preparing clams, which are sweet without any fishy taste. The unique flavor of clam rice is sure to make you “fall in love at first sight”. Clam rice is often served with raw vegetables made from thinly sliced banana flower, herbs, pineapple, banana stems, small cuts of kumquat for a richer taste.
Hoi An Broken Rice
The price of a portion of Hoi An Broken Rice ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 VND per bowl. In addition to broken rice with ribs and eggs, you can also choose from a variety of diverse dishes such as braised pork and eggs, grilled chicken thighs, and bone broth.
Mot Drink Hoi An
The recipe for Mot Drink is very simple, just herbal tea with a little ginger and lemongrass, creating a drink that is both refreshing and health-protecting. Mot tea is a specialty of Hoi An that many tourists prefer due to its simple, rustic appearance but with a gentle aroma that helps relieve all stress for tourists.
Above is the list of the top 20 specialty dishes of Hoi An that you must try on your trip to discover some of the uniqueness in Hoi An cuisine. Additionally, if you are looking for a quick, safe means of transportation to get around, the private car rental service with drivers in Hoi An at VnCarRentals.com’s in Hoi An will help you with that. Wishing you and your family the most enjoyable trip to Hoi An
