Nem Chua Rán Bà Già (The Old Lady’s Fried Fermented Pork Roll)

Staying hidden in the side of Hàng Bông Street, the Old Lady’s is easily missed by most foreigners. With a small hand-drawn sign and not at all highlighted, the Old Lady’s, at first sight, seems to scare a bit. If you are not a meticulous person to notice the sign, the only signal that will tell is an old lady or old man at the entrance of the lane will ask you something like: “Nem chua không em ơi?!!” - Do you want some fried fermented pork rolls my pal? The feeling of entering the small lane (alley) for the first time seems quite scary because it is dark even in the day light but somehow very adventurous. However, when you finally get there, you will find yourself sitting in the tiny room with plain plastic table sets but miraculously fits about 10 people. The place has another back door which opens to the side lane which is another “snack’s heaven”!

About the fried fermented pork rolls, there is nothing you have to worry about because they are absolutely delicious! If compared to Ấu Triệu’s fermented rolls - a popular spot for nem chua, this dish will definitely be better and cheaper! Besides the rolls, the Old Lady’s also offers some other dishes and drinks such as fried fries, cheese sticks, iced tea, and kumquat tea and so on.

Address: #38 Hàng Bông Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

Chén Trứng Nướng (Nguyễn Quang Bích’s Fried Eggs)

Nguyễn Quang Bích is well known as the night street of snacks and hotpots. There is also a market that opens late at night which sells mainly fish. On the side of Nguyễn Quang Bích, you will notice a few lines of chairs and tables set on the side of the street and people are sitting there, one side for hotpot and one side for snacks. As soon as you arrive there, just look to the opposite side, you will see a few people are cooking with small stove and grates, just go there and order your food, there will be a menu for you. If you cannot read Vietnamese, you can order these suggested dishes:
The first dish that you must try is small bowls of fried eggs (Chén trứng nướng) which is the specialty of the stall. If you go in a group of two, you can order 4 bowls because they are quite small portions.

The second dish you can order is oyster grilled cheese (Hàu nướng phô mai). The taste is absolutely mouth-watering! You can order 4 of them for 2 people.
The last but not least dish, which you will definitely like, is fried bread with salty chili powder (Bánh mỳ nướng muối ớt). The name may sound “spicy” and slightly creepy but believe me, you will fall for it in no time. The bread is well fried in butter, salted shredded meat and salty chili powder. There are also small slices of sausage to eat along with the bread.

You can also order some parchyrrhizus for dessert and lemon tea for drink.
Address: #24 Nguyễn Quang Bích Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

Bánh Gối Gốc Đa (Gốc Đa Fried “Pillow Pie”)

There will only be one place where you can find the finest pillow pie (bánh gối), that is the popular family restaurant Gốc Đa, located in the Old Quarter. Gốc Đa has been selling fried pillow pie for years and despite the space is limited and it looks not-quite-hygienic but you can fully put your trust in the quality of the final dish because the pies are fried in front of your face, you can see the owner frying the hundreds of pie as soon as you stand at the front of the restaurant.

Gốc Đa serves with a wide range of different dishes from pillow pie, fried pie, jiaozi (há cảo) and so on. The cover is crispy and the stuffing is absolutely appetizing and there is nowhere to be found a stuffing as tasty as Gốc Đa’s. The difference that makes the name of Gốc Đa is not only the pie but the mouthwatering sauce. And as people say: “The soul of the dish is its sauce”.

Address: #52 Lý Quốc Sư Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

Bánh Tráng Nướng Hàng Tre (Hàng Tre’s Grilled Girdle Cake)

A place where Hanoi’s teenagers usually come every weekend is probably 48 Hàng Tre, where has the well-known grilled girdle cake looking like another version of pizza. The making of grilled girdle cake is very simple but there are so many flavors that you can choose from such as butter, beef jerky or mixing of all kinds. If you go to Hanoi, then Hàng Tre’s girdle cake is a dish that you must try at least once!
The restaurant is not too big but there are two floors. Most of the time, the owner will ask you to go through a small lane to the second floor because it is cleaner and there are small table sets which fit three people. The price is also very cheap and competitive so you can enjoy your dish to the fullest!

Address: #48 Hàng Tre Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

Nộm Long Vi Dung (Long Vi Dung’s sweet and sour grated salad)

Sweet and sour grated salad or also known as “nộm” in Vietnamese is an absolutely delicious treat that you must never ever forget to try when setting foot to Hanoi. The Old Quarter is indeed a heaven for snacks in the capital. Here you will find dozens of scrumptious treats but only if you look closer, can you find the best dish! Long Vi Dung’s Nộm is an example. This nộm restaurant has been in working for such a long time. In the past, it was run by Mr. Long, who is native of China, and the ingredients, as well as the recipe, were brought by him from the country to Vietnam. Nộm at Long Vi or in general is generated from China for a long time and now it has been changed partly to fit with Vietnamese’s appetite. After Mr. Long passed away, the restaurant was passed on to his son and the flavor is still stay the same.

The dish is a harmonizing mix of papaws, carrots, fennel and different kinds of beef and jerky. Again, the soul of the dish is still the sauce, which is mixed together with all the ingredients to create the most unforgettable taste that one can find. The restaurant is relatively small but there are always so many customers so sometimes you will find yourself sitting on the side of the street with the same plastic table sets, except for the table is now replaced with a plastic chair and a metal tray. Well, but that is just the thing that creates the unique street-eating style of Hanoi! Besides nộm, you may be interested in bánh bột lọc, a kind of cake with a transparent cover made of flour and mixed stuffing of mushrooms, chopped pork and small shrimps. The place also serves fried fermented pork rolls and iced tea (trà đá), lemon tea (trà chanh) and kumquat tea (trà quất) in case you are interested.

Address: #23 Hồ Hoàn Kiếm Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi

Mỳ Vằn Thắn Đinh Liệt (Đinh Liệt Street’s Vằn Thắn Noodle)

Đinh Liệt Street in the Old Quarter is definitely another place you should drop by if you are a noodle lover. Vằn thắn noodle in Đinh Liệt has been so popular for such a long long time since the time of our parents, they have gone there hundreds of times just to have a bowl of noodle. It even used to be a dating place for former generations in our city! Having a taste of vằn thắn in the middle of the winter is somewhat an indescribable feeling.

Usually, in other vằn thắn restaurants, they will only offer normal vằn thắn bowl in which the noodle is soaked in bouillon; but at Vằn Thắn Đinh Liệt, you will find another dish known as dried or mixed vằn thắn noodle dish in which the noodle is mixed with a very special sauce. The first time tasting this dish, most people also bear the same question in mind of what ingredients is this sauce made of; but of course, it is the restaurant confidential information!

Address: #9A Đinh Liệt Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi