What to eat in Hoi An is the most asked question from tourists.
Hoi An is not only a beautiful city with a lot of history and culture but also a wonderful destination for food. From big restaurants to small street food vendors, it’s not difficult to find good local food to eat. As a local tour guide and chef, I would love to recommend some of the best local food to try in Hoi An.
Cao Lau:
In the 17th century, Hoi An became the biggest port city in Vietnam, so merchants from all over the world came and brought their cuisines. Chinese and Japanese were the very first to come; however, Chinese cuisine has a stronger influence on Vietnamese food. As as a result, Cao Lau is the mixture of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine. Cao lau has 4 main ingredient: Pork, vegetables, broth and noodles. Pork is pretty similar to the Chinese Char- siu while the noodles looks like Udon in Japan. However, the taste is changed to adapt to the local taste. Vietnamese tend to put a lot of veggies into their food. Most importantly, the material to make the noodles is also special: Sticky rice and herb ashes and the water from Ba le well which is said to be over 1000 years old. There is no explanation for why that water is so important, but locals believe without the water, Cao Lau would not be as delicious.
Where to find Cao Lau in Hoi An: Mate Restaurant and Coffee provide excellent Cao Lau, click the link below to find more
https://materes.com/product/cao-lau-noodles/
Banh Xeo:
Talking about ” What to eat in Hoi An” list, we shouldn’t miss Banh Xeo. Banh Xeo is Vietnamese traditional Omelet. It has many versions depending on different parts of Vietnam, but all have the same basic ingredients: rice starch, egg, pork, shrimps, and veggies, …
Banh xeo Hoi An has the same style as southern versions: soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The name banh xeo comes from the sound it makes when poured into hot skillets. The skillets have to be very hot to create a crispy layer. Later, Banh xeo will be wrapped in rice papers with lots of veggies.
Where to eat Banh Xeo in Hoi An?
Mate Restaurant and Coffee provide excellent Banh Xeo, click the link below to find more:
https://materes.com/product/banh-xeo/
Pork skewers:
If you are looking for the most typical and popular street food in Hoi An, pork skewer is the answer. When you travel to Hoi An, the first impression will be the smoke coming out from street vendors. This dish is very popular in the winter when it’s colder than usual. Local people will gather around the street vendors whiles the pork skewers are being grilled from scratch. Again, the ingredients for it is not fixed. Each town, each restaurant has their own marinade. People in Hoi An like it fresh, simple and succulent. When they cook they always tenderize it first by thin slicing and smashing it. The marinade is made from local spices as honey, lemon- grass, fish sauce, …
Where to find Pork skewers in Hoi An?
Mate Restaurant and Coffee provide excellent pork skewers, click the link below to find more:
https://materes.com/product/pork-skewers/
Deep fried Wonton:
It would be a miss if you forget to mention wonton when talking about local food in Hoi An. Wonton is of course originated from China, but In Hoi An, it’s really elevated. The dough is deep- fried until crispy. The topping includes sweet and sour tomato sauce and some protein from meat or seafood. The taste is perfectly balanced to perfection.
Written By Khanh – Owner/ chef of Mate Restaurant and Coffee Hoi An
Check out our menu: https://materes.com/free-food-delivery-hoi-an/
Read our review on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298082-d15122794-Reviews-Mate_Restaurant_and_Coffee-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html