So Hanoi is all about the food. Street food in particular. You may have figured this out already, but I’m kinda obsessed w Vietnamese street food so I was really looking forward to trying it out. Our LP travel guide, in addition to normal resto recommendations, also included a listing of 10 great street food stops in the city, each one focusing on one specialty (do one thing & do it the best). For anyone who has traveled before relying on guidebooks, you know that can be a great source, oftentimes better than hotel concierge recommendations as those oftentimes involve kickbacks or more tourist-friendly sites that sacrifice local food flair, for local dining options. We had enjoyed great success relying on it to-date, so we thought we’d give it a whirl & do our own personal street food tour of the Hanoi Old Quarter as we wander through its winding streets over the next 4 days.
The first stop did not disappoint as I claimed it to be the single best dish I’ve had on the trip (how quickly I forgot cao lao, what can I say… flavor of the month). So good, we had to have it as our last meal in Hanoi as well. The other stops did not disappoint. Love love love the food. There’s little to no ambience but who gives a shit. Best part… Entire meals including a beer were less than USD$3.00 & it was the best food of the trip, hands down.