Hoi An is not only famous for its ancient Buddhist architecture, streets full of lanterns, and precious museums but also for its diverse collection of Hoi An foods.
There is a saying that “The shortest way to one’s heart is through the stomach” and Hoi An cuisine is the physical evidence of it. Many tourists came here and could not resist the authentic Hoi An specialties. So it’s our pleasure to help you discover the following iconic dishes of Hoi An.
Let’s just say that Cao Lau Noodle Soup has been the pride of Hoi An foods since day 1. It is made with a type of pure rice from the land of Quang Nam, therefore, the strands have a color of dark yellow.
Cau Lau is served with shrimp, char siu, raw vegetables such as bitter herbs, basil, crown daisy, a little broth, and a few types of grilled rice cakes. The flavor of Hoi An Cao Lau is a mixture of aroma and all the spicy, bitter, and astringent flavors. Now, this dish has become popular in Hoi An's finest restaurants ranging from luxurious to affordable.
Price: 25.000 - 30.000 VND(1.00-1.50 USD)/meal.
Besides Cao Lau, Quang Style Noodles, Quang Noodles, or Mi Quang, is also an icon of not only Hoi An foods but also the cuisine of Quang Nam. You can find many Quang noodle restaurants in Vietnam, but Hoi An is the place that preserves the original taste of it. Accordingly, tasting Mi Quang is without question, one of the best things to do in Hoi An.
Quang Noodle is a dish made from rice noodles, eggs, and bouillon, served with raw vegetables, pork, shrimp, chicken, banana flowers, roasted peanuts, and red peppers.
Hoi An has a long menu of Quang noodles; the items include chicken noodles, shrimp noodles, crab noodles, fish noodles, jellyfish noodles, etc. The chicken used for chicken noodles is Quang Nam's authentic species, and Hoi An fish noodles are made with fresh fish from the Thu Bon River.
Price: 25.000 - 50.000 VND(1.00-2.00 USD)/meal.
Hoi An Crushed Rice Cracker or Banh Dap Hoi An, is a rustic food of Hoi An and can be found in small alleys or on the roadside. It has a simple recipe but the taste would tell a different story. The cracker is made from rice flour and is a combination of steamed rice paper and baked rice paper.
People will steam a piece of rice paper and then put a piece of baked paper on top when the former is still hot, then they grill them one more time and fold them to eat. The locals always dip the rice cracker in their Hoi An-style secret sauce and often eat it with stir-fried mussels, boiled meat, and other herbs.
Price: 20.000 - 25.000 VND(0.80-1.20 USD)/meal.
One thing we can all agree about this Hoi An dish is that it’s the only thing on this list that tastes like chicken. The ingredients seem to be common across the country, however, what makes Hoi An Chicken Rice stand out is the chicken and the rice.
They use chicken species raised naturally in Tam Ky land, weighing at least 1kg; their meat is strangely aromatic, soft, and greasy. The rice is the sticky rice grown by the Thu Bon River and is boiled in chicken broth with coconut leaves. This Hoi An food is often served with a bowl of chicken broth, eggs, and a special sauce
Price: 25.000 - 100.000 VND(1.20-4.10 USD)/meal.
Mussel Rice or Baby Basket Clams Rice or Com Hen, is one of the Hoi An foods that you should not miss when planning to travel to Hoi An. Once a rural food, this dish has now become a specialty of Hoi An thanks to its geographical advantage.
Sand dunes and tributaries of Thu Bon River brought an enormous number of fresh and yummy mussels - the main ingredient of this dish. To make mussel rice, the chef puts the mussels in a boiling pot, then separates the flesh and stir-fries it with spices. When the mussels are ready to go, they will be served with rice
Price: 15.000 VND - 50.000 VND(0.60-2.05 USD)/meal.
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Hoi An White Rose, or White Rose Dumplings or Banh Bao - Banh Vac, is the food of Hoi An that was given the most beautiful name.
Like the name, this cake has a white color of white rice; the filling is made from pork, black fungus, shrimp, etc. The most elaborate step is probably when shaping the cake into a flower.
Price: 50.000 - 100.000 VND(2.00-4.10 USD)/meal.
As weird as it sounds, they actually meant it when they chose the name to indicate the only 3 ingredients of the dish: 1 boiled shrimp, 1 piece of boiled meat, and the veg. The recipe for this Hoi An food can be found in many places, but the best one belongs to one of the Hoi An craft villages - Tra Que - the land of Hoi An’s most special vegetables.
The defining factor of Tam Huu lies in the making of the dipping sauce. Commenting on this dish, some chefs said that it was easy to prepare a complicated dish and make it delicious, but it took a lot more to prepare a simple one and make it good.
Price: 50.000 VND(2.05 USD)/meal.
For those who don’t know, Hoi An is home to the best banh mi in the world and is one of the must-not-miss foods in Hoi An. Banh Mi Hoi An’s filling varies from mixed filling, pâté, cheese-wrapped beef, bacon, burger, chicken, etc.
What’s special about Banh Mi Hoi An is that many bakeries in Hoi An have their own way of baking. Similarly, each store has its own sauce recipe, thus, you may feel that Hoi An is like a big city of banh mi with all kinds of flavors.
Price: 20.000 - 35.000 VND(0.80-1.50)/banh mi.
Although less famous than other Hoi An specialties, Hoi An Water Fern Cake In A Small Bowl or Banh Beo Chen is also a must-eat Hoi An food, and probably the cheapest. The filling includes two main ingredients: fresh shrimp and meat.
The chef will peel the shrimp, mince the lean pork, then marinate both of them with spices and stir fry. After stir-frying, the chef adds rice flour water to thicken the filling. When eating, visitors can sprinkle a little pepper and thinly sliced green onions on their bowls and must definitely add the topping of crispy fried Cao Lau strands.
Price: 20.000 - 50.000 VND(0.80-2.00 USD)/tray(12 bowls).
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There goes the main courses of Hoi An, now it’s time to leave the stage for the most popular dessert in Hoi An - the sweet soup. Hoi An sweet soup is a Hoi An food that can be found anywhere in the city, from small alleys, main streets, and shops to street vendors. Here, we have collected the 10 most popular sweet soup stores in Hoi An:
In the summer, Ba Muoi's sweet soup has special dishes such as hyacinth bean sweet soup, green bean sweet soup, etc., and floating sweet soup with pork in the winter.
Price: 8.000 – 15.000 VND(0.30-0.60 USD)/bowl.
Thung Sweet Soup or Che Thung is a sweet soup made with sweet potato, taro, cassava, tapioca, and coconut milk, and was also the main dish sold in Ms. Le’s store. Recently, she has added a few more delicious types of sweet soup which are as delicious as the original one, if not more.
Price: 10.000 VND - 15.000 VND(0.50-0.60 USD)/bowl.
Hoi An Lotus Seed Sweet Soup is a famous street food in Hoi An due to not only its taste but also its health benefits.
Lotus seeds are very nutritious and help people sleep better, therefore, the locals have added them to their sweet soups to make it easier to eat.
Price: 10.000 - 15.000 VND(0.40-0.60 USD)/bowl.
Here, you will find many kinds of mixed sweet soup that remain hot in the cold season but remain fresh in the summer.
Price: 8.000 - 10.000 VND/(0.30-0.50 USD)bowl.
Apart from black bean sweet soup, red bean sweet soup is one of the most basic but delicious foods in Hoi An. This dish is made with red beans, sugar, coconut milk, and pandan leaves, and is served with shaved ice. The store is quite a place to stay in the summer thanks to its location near the ancient banyan tree on Tran Cao Van Street.
Price: 10.000 - 20.000 VND(0.45-1.00 USD)/bowl.
Black sesame sweet soup is a dessert made from black sesame, tapioca starch, rock sugar, peanuts, and ginger.
The buttery taste and the aroma of black sesame have put this dish on the list of must-try dishes in Hoi An. The place is open from 6:00-9:00 a.m., so don’t wake up too late.
Price: 5.000 - 8.000 VND(0.20-0.40 USD)/bowl.
Ms. Suong’s store sells all kinds of sweet soup, from corn sweet soup, green bean sweet soup, red beans, white beans to banana sweet soup, etc.
Price: 5.000 VND(0.20 USD)/bowl.
Miss Lien's Sweet Soup is a street vendor selling self-made sweet soups. If you visit Ms Lien’s sweet soup from 9:00 a.m., you will also get a chance to experience eating sidewalk sweet soup.
Price: 5.000 - 10.000 VND(0.20-0.60 USD)/bowl.
As a delicious sidewalk sweet soup shop in Hoi An, Ms Hai Sweet Soup sells types of sweet soups such as tofu pudding, corn sweet soup, bean sweet soup, black bean sweet soup, mixed sweet soup, lotus seed sweet soup, etc. The owner is known for her cheerfulness too.
Price: 8.000 – 15.000 VND/(0.30-0.60 USD)bowl.
The shop’s menu includes types of sweet soups such as green bean sweet soup, black bean sweet soup, black sesame sweet soup, lotus seed sweet soup, and lotus seed sweet soup,... in addition, the shop also has tofu pudding, tofu, and gelatin dessert.
Price: 10.000 - 20.000 VND(0.45-1.00 USD)/bowl.
See on this topic:
>> The Complete Travel Guide to Hoi An
>> Best Hotels in Hoi An - Hoi An Accommodation Guide
>> 3 Best Golf Courses in Hoi An
>> Highlights of Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An Tour Package from Hue - 04 Days
>> Authentic Experience from Hoi An to Hue Ancient Capital - 04 Days
