According to the information given by Michelin, the Old Quarter is the best place for foodies to stay.
“Not only does it have the best street food, but the neighbourhood is also packed with temples, pagodas, churches, lakes, parks and cafes,” it noted.
In the morning of the first day discovering Hanoi, Michelin recommends that visitors should work up an appetite with a brisk loop around Hoan Kiem lake before then ducking into the Old Quarter and seeking out beef noodle soup at Phở Bò Ấu Triệu, a MICHELIN Guide 2024 Bib Gourmand restaurant on a street which runs parallel to St. Joseph Cathedral.
After breakfast, visitors can then take time to admire the 19th-century cathedral before settling into a café which overlooks the cathedral’s weatherworn façade.
“When the hunger pangs return, wander up the road for a lesser-known Vietnamese noodle dish. Miến Lươn Đông Thịnh, another MICHELIN Guide 2024 Bib Gourmand hole-in-the-wall eatery, has been serving glass noodles with eel, greens, crushed peanuts and deep-fried shallots for more than four decades,” it revealed.
During the rest of the afternoon, visitors can look out for Bach Ma Temple, one of Hanoi’s oldest places of worship, as well as Thuoc Bac street, where they can find decades-old shops selling traditional medicine.
According to the prestigious guide, tourists can finish their day with Chả Cá, a pan-fried fish with turmeric, noodles, and greens cooked right at the table at Chả Cá Thăng Long at 6B Duong Thanh street. The eatery is so popular it even has establishments on the same street.
“Put your trust in our MICHELIN inspectors, who prefer the location at 6B Duong Thanh Street, a townhouse built over a century ago,” it stressed.
Visitors should also try Bánh Cuốn, steamed wet rice paper rolls with minced pork, at Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân restaurant to begin their second day in Hanoi.
Michelin shared that lunch for many locals includes Bun Cha, one of the city’s favourite dishes. Tuyết Bún Chả 34, a MICHELIN Guide 2024 Bib Gourmand street food joint, serves extraordinarily generous portions of rice vermicelli noodles, grilled pork, and fresh green herbs.
“This bustling eatery is close to Truc Bach Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Su Temple, all important sights with long histories. Spend the afternoon exploring, and don’t forget to have a drink by the water at sunset,” it suggested.
For dinner, Michelin recommended Ốc Di Tú restaurant on 44C Quan Thanh street which serves a dizzying variety of high-quality sea food delicacies in basic surroundings, such as prawns, clams, and cockles.
“MICHELIN inspectors were particularly impressed with the huge melo melo sea snails grilled with scallions and fried garlic and Venus clams with lemongrass, chili and pineapple,” it concluded.
