Phở
Hanoi's defining noodle soup — clear-broth phở bò, served at dawn and after midnight, never with bean sprouts.
- Where to find it
- Densest around Bát Đàn and Hàng Điếu in the Old Quarter; the Lò Đúc stretch in Hai Bà Trưng for the seared-beef style.
- When it is sold
- Breakfast (5–10am) and again 6–9pm. The best places close midday and sell out.
- What it costs
- 55,000–80,000 VND
How to order it
Say "tái nạm" (rare beef + brisket) for a first bowl. Do not ask for bean sprouts — that is the southern version.
We list neighbourhoods rather than street numbers: Hanoi stalls move, and a wrong address is worse than none. The guides below name specific places we stand behind.
8 guides mention Phở
Phở beyond the bowl: phở xào and phở trộn
The same noodle, without the soup. Stir-fried until the edges char, or tossed cold with peanuts and herbs — two dishes that solve the problem of wanting phở in July.
Phở gà: why Hanoi's chicken bowl beats the beef one
Phở gà is lighter, cleaner and far easier to eat at six in the morning than phở bò — and the stalls that sell only chicken are usually the best phở stalls on the street.
Phở cuốn: Hanoi rolls its phở, and Ngũ Xã is where you eat it
Phở cuốn is phở noodle unrolled into a sheet and wrapped around grilled beef — cold, cheap, eaten with your hands. Here is what to order on Ngũ Xã, what it costs, and why it is the best cheap date in Hanoi.
Hanoi restaurants open after midnight: late-night food and night markets
Where to eat in Hanoi after midnight — 24-hour phở, charcoal grill streets, herbal chicken stew and the weekend night market. What is actually still open, by the hour.
Hanoi 3-day food itinerary: the route I'd send my mum on
Three days, three meals a day, nine neighborhoods. A pace-it-properly Hanoi food trip with morning, lunch and dinner stops, plus what to do between meals.
What to eat in Hanoi: the complete food guide (2026)
The best food in Hanoi, dish by dish — 20 must-try dishes in the order to eat them, what each costs, when it is sold, and a full index of every dish guide on this site.
A self-guided food walk through the Old Quarter
A 2-hour DIY food walk with 9 stops, a printable map, and timing tips. Skip the $40 group tours; this is the route locals would actually take you on.
Best phở in Hanoi: a street-by-street guide
Where Hanoians actually eat phở — clear-broth phở bò, the chicken-only stalls, and the late-night bowls that locals defend with surprising passion.