Top 9 best food to try in Hue

Bun bo Hue is famous and popular in many places in Vietnam. A bowl of Hue beef noodle is suitable for any meal of the day since it is nutritious and provides enough energy for the whole day. Also made with rice noodles, beef, broth from beef bones but Hue beef noodle differs from others in the thick vermicelli, the spicy taste, the thin beef slices, crab cakes, and pork blood. To balance the flavor of all ingredients, you are highly recommended to try the dish with fresh vegetables, herbs, some lime juice, and fresh chili or chili paste.

Addresses to try:

• Bun bo me Keo - 20 Bach Dang Street, Hue
• Bun bo ba Tuyet - 47 Nguyen Cong Tru Street, Hue
• Bun bo Hue My Tam - 5 Tran Cao Van Street, Hue
• Bun bo Hue Mu Roi - 40 Nguyen Chi Dieu Street, Hue

Mussel rice - a dish that seems very rustic but is an indispensable part of Hue cuisine. The cool white rice is put into a bowl and topped with stir-fried mussels, crispy fried pork skin, shrimp paste, some spices and herbs such as pennywort, sliced banana flowers, bean sprouts, shredded taro, roasted peanuts, etc. All of these simple ingredients create a masterpiece thanks to the natural sweetness of the mussels, the freshness of the vegetables, the fatty taste of the pork rinds, the nuttiness of the roasted peanuts, and more. This budget-friendly but mouth-watering dish is definitely something not to be missed in your Hue adventure.

Addresses to try:

• Com hen dap da - 01 Han Mac Tu Street, Hue
• Com hen ba Cam - 49 Tung Thien Vuong Street, Hue
• Com hen Hoa Dong - 64 Kiet 7, Ung Binh Street, Hue
• Com hen Thu Hien - 55 Tran Phu Street, Hue

There are a few types of Banh canh in Hue but Banh canh cua is unmissable. “Banh canh” is 1-cm thick and 10-cm long rice noodles made from the best rice. The soul of the dish is the broth made from the crab stewed in around 2 hours and crab cake. The broth of Banh canh has a thicker consistency and is fattier than other regular rice noodles. That is because the noodles are cooked directly in the broth but not set aside as others and the cook also adds some rice powder to the broth to make it thicker. As for crab cake, it is similar but much better than the one in Rice noodles with beef. Crab cake in Banh canh is made from not only raw pork sausage and crab meat but also shrimp and pork skin, creating a sweeter and chewier taste.

Addresses to try:

• Banh canh cua Me Nga - 32 Pham Hong Thai Street, Hue
• Banh canh cua Ba Doi - 40 Dao Duy Anh Street, Hue
• Banh canh cua Di Trang - 38 Pham Hong Thai Street, Hue

In fact, Bun thit nuong is a popular dish in many Central provinces, including Hue. However, they find it special in each destination depending on the ingredients and sauce. Rice noodle with grilled pork is not served with broth like other dishes. Separate ingredients are put in a big bowl one by one and mixed well by diners. They usually include rice noodles, grilled pork, pickles, beansprouts, lettuce, basil, chopped roasted peanuts, and fish sauce. They also serve deep-fried spring rolls - one of the most traditional foods in Vietnam accompanied by Bun thit nuong.

Addresses to try:

• Bun thit nuong Huyen Anh - 50 Kim Long, Hue
• Bun thit nuong Ba Ty - 81 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hue
• Bun thit nuong Nguyen Truong To - 35 Nguyen Truong To Street, Hue

Nem lui is a favorite dish of many locals and foreigners when visiting Vietnam and it will surely delight your taste buds while you enjoy it in its homeland - Hue. Nem lui is made from finely minced pork or beef marinated with seasonings and wrapped around a lemongrass stalk, then grilled on a charcoal stove. You may enjoy nem lui itself with the special sauce but the best way is to wrap it in rice paper with some lettuce, cucumber, carrot, green mango or pineapple, vermicelli, and herbs, and dip the roll in the sauce to feel all the flavors harmoniously combined.

Addresses to try:

• Nem lui ong Me Gia - 25 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hue
• Nem lui Tai Phu - 2 Dien Bien Phu Street, Hue
• Nem lui Hue Phuong - 38 Ba Trieu Street, Hue
• Nem lui Ba Ty - 81 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hue

Hue is famous for a bunch of dumplings such as Banh bot loc (tapioca dumpling), Banh beo (steamed water fern rice cake), Banh nam (flat steamed rice dumpling), Banh ram it (fried sticky rice dumpling). These dishes are mainly from rice flour, or tapioca flour with fillings or toppings usually from shrimp and pork. Dipping sauce is very important to complete the taste of the dish. You may try Hue dumplings from street vendors, Dong Ba Market, or many local restaurants in Hue at a very cheap price.

Addresses to try:

• Dong Ba Market - 13 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hue
• Quan Hanh - 11 - 15 Pho Duc Chinh Street, Hue

Like Vietnamese rice pancake (or “Banh xeo” in Vietnamese), Banh khoai is a Hue dish with a similar crispy taste and main ingredients from pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, and green onion. But the difference is the way of making the dough and sauce. Banh khoai is made from rice flour mixed with egg yolk instead of turmeric powder as in Banh xeo. Specially, the sauce for Banh khoai is made from many ingredients such as semolina, pork liver, sesame, roasted peanuts,... a unique taste that you cannot find in other dishes.

Addresses to try:

• Hong Mai Restaurant - 110 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hue
• Lac Thien Restaurant - 6 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hue
• Banh khoai Thu Suong - 84 Kim Long Street, Hue
• Banh khoai Dung Thu - 66 Hoang Van Thu Street, Hue

Another kind of Hue specialty is made from tapioca flour but in a very different way! The humble appearance of Banh ep cannot show its amazing taste. The dough after being mixed with some water is shaped into small balls, filled with pork and scallion, and pressed manually a few times in an iron mold on a charcoal stove. Egg is added during the process to make the dish more tasty. The dish is best enjoyed with sweet and sour fish sauce with chili and garlic, some herbs, green mango, cucumber, and carrot.

Addresses to try:

• Banh ep Trang - 3 Le Viet Luong Street, Hue
• Banh ep Hue - 116 Le Ngo Cat Street, Hue
• Banh ep Mu Ny - 27 Le Hong Phong Street, Hue
• Banh ep Gia Di Hue - 52 Ba Trieu Street, Hue

Che cung dinh Hue plays an important role in making Hue's culinary quintessence. Once a noble dessert only served to the royal family and mandarins during the Nguyen Dynasty, Hue sweet soup deeply reflects the ancient royal culture with 36 different dishes, diverse ingredients, elegant colors, and sophisticated decoration and presentation.

Addresses to try:

• Che mo Ton Dich - 20 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hue
• Che Hem - 01, Kiet 29, Hung Vuong Street, Hue
• Che Ngoc Hien - 67 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hue