Two food walks, and how they differ
| Walk | Starts | Runs | Shape of the evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi Street Food Experience | 18:00 | About 3 hours | A wider circuit — six or seven dishes plus egg coffee and o mai on Hang Duong |
| Hanoi Private Food Tour | 17:30–18:00 | About 3 hours | A dinner-sized route: fewer stops, longer at each, ending around 20:00 |
Both are private and both start from your hotel, so the exact route depends on where you are staying. Neither is a fixed menu — tell your guide what you want and they will re-plan on the way.
What you are likely to eat
- Bun cha — grilled pork with cold rice noodles, the dish Hanoi argues with Saigon about.
- Pho, beef or chicken, and bun doc mung for anyone who wants the version tourists rarely order.
- Banh cuon, steamed rice rolls, and pho cuon, the fresh rolled version.
- Banh goi and banh tom — fried pillow cake and shrimp cake.
- Nem chua ran, thit xien nuong and banh my Hanoi from the grill stalls.
- Nom bo kho, dried beef with green papaya.
- To drink: bia hoi, mixed fruit, che, or egg coffee — the one people fly back for.
Food and drink are not included. Budget roughly 150,000 to 250,000 dong a head, and cover your guide's plate too.
Why a guide changes the meal
Not because the stalls are hidden — they are in plain sight — but because ordering at them is not obvious. Which stall does the good version, what time it sells out, what the herbs on the plate are for, whether the chilli sauce is the one to use. That is the part a guide carries.
They will also tell you where the ingredients come from and which dishes are northern rather than Vietnamese in general, which changes how the rest of your trip tastes.
Frequently asked questions
I am vegetarian. Can I take a food tour?
Yes, with notice. Say so in the booking so the guide can plan a route with dishes that work — Hanoi has more vegetarian food than first-time visitors expect.
Is street food safe?
Our guides use stalls their own families eat at, and the food is cooked in front of you. Mention any allergy before you set off.
Can children join a food tour?
Yes. Tell us their ages and the guide will keep the route short and skip anything too spicy.
How much should I budget?
About 150,000 to 250,000 dong a person for the food and drink, plus the same again if you are covering your guide.