Hoi An is a city in Central Vietnam that has become known as an up-and-coming resort town. Listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city’s history as a trading port is evident through not only its architecture, but also through its local cuisine, which is heavily influenced by the many nations who passed through.

There is a huge range of options of eateries, from restaurants to street stand, from cafés to small casual businesses. Because of foreign visitors, there are also a good number of eateries serving non-Vietnamese dishes. Inevitably, these are a little more expensive but not outrageously priced.

We went to Hoi An with a mission. Knowing of the specialties of Hoi An, we prepared ourselves a restaurant route through the little city and left from Da Nang by bus with an appetite. With only 8 hours in the city before we take the last 6pm bus back to Da Nang we needed to go in with a strategy to get a taste of the best and famous dishes of Hoi An.

Nhà Hàng Bông Hồng Trắng (White Rose Restaurant)

White rose dumplings (bánh bao bánh vạc) are an iconic dish of Hoi An, allegedly originating in the White Rose Restaurant located on the fringe of Hoi An’s main city area. Consisting of a rice flour-based skin folded, there are two kinds of filling; pork mince, or a variety of vegetables. A combination of both come in one serving at the White Rose Restaurant, topped with fried shallots and alongside the ever-present sweet, salty, savoury fish sauce (nước mắm). The name is derived from how its folded, which results in the familiar rose-like shape.

Supposedly this restaurant produces all the white rose dumplings found throughout Hoi An, hand-folded every morning and delivered to the restaurants where it’s featured on the menu. Whether this is true hasn’t been entirely confirmed, though with the volume of dumplings being folded by dozens of workers in the restaurant during the short while we ate, we would not be surprised if it were confirmed.

And how does it taste? We’ll be honest, it was a bit of a disappointment. They aren’t particularly strong in flavour, not even the nước mắm. The vegetable dumplings have a good texture, but as for the pork, we’ve definitely had better. For us, it’s not worth the price tag of ₫70,000 (US$3) for a plate at the White Rose, when this price tag could buy us up to 3 bowls of noodles at the average noodles throughout Vietnam.

Still, as an iconic food of Hoi An it’s worth a go. Perhaps it’s a tastier and cheaper option outside of the White Rose Restaurant.

Nhà Hàng Bông Hồng Trắng (White Rose Restaurant)
533 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường Cẩm Phổ, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 7am-8.30pm
Website and Foody listing
Bánh bao bánh vạc (white rose dumplings) ₫70,000 (US$3)

Bánh Mì Madam Khánh

There’s no visiting Vietnam without at least a bánh mì. Of course, with thousands of restaurants and street carts all serving their own variation of the famous Vietnamese sandwich, it’s difficult to pinpoint the best in the country. When it comes to recommendations, we’re all for it, and this restaurant was hailed by a friend who’d visited a few months earlier as the best she had in Vietnam.

The restaurant is undoubtedly famous with the proprietor being dubbed as the bánh mì queen. There is an area behind the service counter with tables where you can eat, and it was packed brimming with tourists – predominantly foreign backpackers – coming for a good feed.

They have a fair range of sandwiches on offer with an English menu for easy selection. Several of the staff have fair English knowledge, which makes ordering easier. We tried the bánh mì thập cẩm (mixed sandwich) at ₫20,000 (US$0.90), crammed with most of the sandwich fillings on the preparation counter. Admittedly, it ended up being one of the best bánh mì we ate, crusty bread filled to bursting with spicy, sweet, salty, savoury cooked meat, sharp pickles, and fresh coriander. Though perhaps not as generous with the vegetables as the ones we’d eaten South, it was a hefty sandwich and very agreeable for our palate.

Bánh Mì Madam Khánh
115 Trần Cao Vân, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 7am-7pm
Website and Foody listing

Bánh Mì Phượng

This is possibly one of the most famous bánh mì shops throughout the whole of Vietnam as the shop of preference of the late Anthony Bourdain. With that sort of label, of course, comes hordes of tourists searching for their bánh mì fix. With very few seats inside the restaurants, the queues go out the door with many spilling onto the street eating their spoils on the roadside.

Much like Madam Khánh’s, the sheer volume of tourists means an English menu and staff who speak some English, making for easier ordering. Some even speak near-fluent Korean. We went for the bánh mì thịt heo với ham & pate (pork bánh mì with ham and pate) at ₫20,000 (US$0.90). We only realised later that they also had their own rendition of bánh mì thập cẩm, which we would have ordered to have a better comparison to Madam Khánh’s.

It was still a good selection, the choice for people who love meat. To our surprise, each meat can be distinguished from the others in terms of texture and flavour, meaning a complex and tasty sandwich. Perhaps the sandwich we chose was a little too meat-centric for our tastes, but a good competitor for the top spot.

Bánh Mì Phượng
2b Phan Chu Trinh, Cẩm Châu, Hội An, Quảng Nam 560000, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 6am-9pm
Website and Foody listing

Cơm Gà Bà Buội Chicken Rice

This cơm gà xé (shredded chicken rice) is supposedly one of the oldest restaurants in the Hoi An area, serving a dish with roots in Chinese cuisine. It’s comparable to the Hainanese style chicken rice, though with some distinct differences. Their chicken rice, consisting of poached, shredded free range chicken, liver, rice cooked with aromatics and turmeric which lends its yellow colour, is served with a side of papaya slaw and a bowl of soup brimming with Vietnamese herbs.

One plate at Bà Buội goes for ₫35,000 (US$1.50), which they allowed us to share despite the demand for seats due to queues. You can also order an additional plate of offal and unlaid eggs with what seems to be tossed in a seasoning sauce (₫60,000; US$2.60), but we couldn’t fit that in at all.  

Compared to the Hainanese style, there is a distinct Southeast Asian flair involved in this dish from the masses of fresh herbs atop the plate. The chicken liver was so sweet without the cloying mushy texture that can be offputting to many. For a cheap, light lunch with familiar components and big flavours, this is a good place to come.

Cơm Gà Bà Buội
22 Phan Chu Trinh, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Minh An, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 11am-9pm
Foody listing
Cơm gà xé (shredded chicken rice) ₫35,000 (US$1.50)

Đậu Hũ (Sweet Tofu Pudding)

Sweet tofu puddings are a common dessert all throughout Asia, with each country having its own variation with distinct flavours. Compared to tofu typically used in savoury cooking, sweet tofu puddings are much softer, its texture comparable to a very soft jelly, and milder in flavour. In Central Vietnam, this dish is typically served warm seasoned with ginger and a sugar syrup.

Đậu hũ, also known as tào phớ, tàu hủ, or some combination of, is sold pervasively throughout Vietnam, including in Hoi An. We stopped off at a vendor operating on the side of the road. She had little more than a table filled with jars of syrup, and insulated buckets in which the tofu was kept warm.

With one cup of pudding at ₫20,000 (US$0.90), it’s a warm, filling, almost guilt-free dessert that is both comforting and delicious. The sugar syrup was slightly caramelised, sweetening the mildly-flavoured tofu. The ginger was a little spicy, enough to balance the sweet syrup and add flavour and warmth to the dessert without becoming pungent or overwhelming.

When in Vietnam, definitely look for a place to try this!

Mót Hội An

This restaurant sells a variety of Hoi An and Central Vietnamese specialties such as cơm gà (chicken rice), mỳ quảng (turmeric noodles), and bún thịt nướng (grilled meat vermicelli). However, it is arguably most famous for the drink that it sells dozens of daily, due to its inarguable visuals and the stunning exterior of the restaurant, resulting in Instagram dreams.

The drink, trà thảo mộc and chanh sả (lemon and lemongrass herbal tea) is decorated with a leaf, flower petal, and cinnamon stick, and is beyond easy to order. Due to its large demand, it’s sold directly out of the window at its entrance, the drink spooned from a large pot into a cup to order at ₫12,000 (US$0.50) each. Simply hold up the number of fingers to indicate how many you’re after, and you’ll have a cup in seconds.

The drink is very refreshing. Due to the lemon and cinnamon, its flavour is quite reminiscent to an apple pie. Though it’s a little on the sweet side, the citrus balances the flavour well. The drink is fruity without any unusual herbal flavour, so it’s easy to drink. Though there isn’t too much actual liquid compared to ice, it’s a definite recommendation, and unavoidable if you’re walking around Hoi An.

Mót Hội An
150 Trần Phú, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 9am-10am (according to restaurant Facebook page)
Facebook page and Foody listing
Trà thảo mộc and chanh sả (lemon and lemongrass herbal tea) ₫12,000 (US$0.50)

Trà Thảo Mộc

Besides Mót Hội An, trà thảo mộc is a drink that is found pretty commonly throughout Hoi An, as long as you know what to look out for. When we were there, we encountered a vendor across the road just a few metres down from the restaurant serving an identical drink for only ₫10,000 (US$0.45). Though it didn’t have the cinnamon stick and fancy cup, we figured we should give it a go to see how it compares.

Compared to the first drink, this one was less sweet, though still had a fresh, sweet flavour. The citrus came through more strongly, it tasted more like calamansi, whose complex flavour is more like a cross between lime, orange, and lemon. It was also comparatively more herbal and spicy, though again nothing too strong or unfamiliar. It’s maybe more suited to people who can’t drink sweet things, or those who are older and looking for a little bit more of a refined flavour.

Much like the first drink, there is a lot of ice, so you get through it pretty fast. But definitely worth a taste, and a good refresher while walking through the warm Hoi An weather.

Quán Ăn Ty Ty

Another unexpected dish to rise from the rise of fusion cuisine in Hoi An is hoành thánh chiên (fried wontons). Supposedly derived from Cantonese wontons, the local method of serving it is fried, topped with a chunky, sweet-and-sour tomato sauce and fresh herbs. Many restaurants all throughout Hoi An serve this specialty, so it’s a definite must-try if you enjoy the Chinese counterpart.

Quán Ăn Ty Ty serves a fairly large menu, which includes a lot of Hoi An specialties. Be it Quán Ăn Ty Ty’s version or the Vietnamese style, the crispy fried skins reminded us of rice crackers, which makes us wonder if they’re made from a rice flour batter. The sauce was light in flavour, like a cooked tomato salsa

Quán Ăn Ty Ty
17/6 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường Minh An, Ninh Kiều, Cần Thơ, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 7am-9pm
Foody listing
Hoành Thánh Chiên (fried wontons) ₫50,000 (US$2.15)

Không Gian Xanh

This restaurant is famous for one of Hoi An’s original dishes, cao lầu. It consists of marinated char siu (barbecue pork), fresh herbs, lettuce, a splash of broth, and topped with crunchy squares of what appears to be wonton skins. What makes it unique is the noodles, made from rice flour and lye water, an alkaline water which contributes to its distinct chewy texture.

We would describe the noodles as almost undercooked, because of its firmness, though it’s not unpleasant at all. Once it’s soaked in the sweet soy-based broth and mixed through with the crunchy vegetables, the textures are balanced well and makes for moreish chewing. The pork is deliciously fatty, glistening with grease though not at all heavy. In all, a delicious, rich, meaty bowl of noodles. You really can’t visit Hoi An without trying cao lầu.

Không Gian Xanh
687 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường Minh An, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 9.30am-9pm
Foody listing
Cao lầu (Hoi An pork noodles) ₫35,000 (US$1.50)

Hoi An was a veritable goldmine of good eats, unique, local, and otherwise. While we were only there for 8 hours we could surely have spent a couple of nights basking in the peaceful atmosphere of the port town, taking our time shopping for souvenirs and seeing the sights.

It turned out as one of our favourite places to visit in the duration of our whole trip. Despite its status as a resort village, it’s not an expensive destination, making a great place for holiday-goers, intrepid backpackers, and foodies alike.