Hanoi's Ultimate Old-Quarter Food Tour

Daily at 4:30pm; Duration: 3.5 hours

$45 USD per adult; $29 USD per child

This walking food tour covers approx. 1.5mi / 2.5 km.

The Essentials:

Ditch the guidebook for a night and discover the backstreets of Hanoi’s old-quarter while visiting authentic mom n’ pop eateries and passing by some of the city’s most iconic sights. Make your own bahn mi, stroll through the city’s largest wet market, and try over 10 dishes on this journey through Vietnamese cuisine and culture!

Inclusions

Far more than a meal’s worth of food, local beer, and soft drinks at 5 sit-down restaurants, a local market visit with snacks, plus a premium cocktail at a speakeasy bar.

Group Size

Small groups of 2-12 people per tour.

Start & Stop Locations

Starts at our first restaurant located on the north boundary of Hanoi’s old-quarter. Our last stop is on the south boundary of the old-quarter. An email will be sent with meeting location details immediately after booking.

Cancellation Policy

Reservations cancelled 24 hours or more before your tour start time are fully refundable.

Dietary Requests

We can accommodate the checked dietary requests on this tour. All requests must be communicated at time of booking. Visit our FAQ section for more details.

What You'll Do:

Meeting Location:

This tour starts at our first restaurant located on the north boundary of Hanoi’s old-quarter. An email will be sent with meeting location details immediately after booking.

Bánh Cuốn: Steamed Rice Rolls

Meet Mrs. Xuan, the third-generation owner of this restaurant, and watch her steam rice sheets and roll them with minced pork, mushrooms, and a secret blend seasonings. Then learn why the dipping sauce and garnishes are the staple of Vietnamese cuisine.

Visit Long Biên Bridge & Hanoi's Central Market

Hanoi’s “Horizontal Eiffel Tower” was the first bridge to span the Red River in Hanoi and was a groundbreaking engineering feat when constructed by the French over 100 years ago. Stroll across the tracks to grab some sunset pics (look both ways first!), and then visit Hanoi’s largest wet market to try some street snacks.

Make Your Own Bánh Mì!

Discover the fascinating story of bánh mì with a hands-on mini cooking class led by Mrs. Huyền, a seasoned local vendor. This is a unique opportunity to personalize your sandwich with fresh, authentic ingredients while connecting to the special people behind Hanoi’s vibrant street food culture.

Cháo Sườn Sụn: Creamy Rice Porridge

This is every Hanoian’s favorite comfort food. Famous for its silky texture and nostalgic flavors, this beloved eatery simmers their porridge all day in a rich broth, and serves each bowl with a variety of toppings (and a side of childhood memories). 

Chả Cá: Grilled Turmeric Fish

Prepared directly on your table, marinated fish is cooked in a sizzling pan with fresh dill and green onions, then enjoyed with rice noodles and a unique dipping sauce. Full of flavor and fragrance, this is a celebration of Hanoi’s culinary traditions. 

Chè: Local Dessert

You definitely need to save room for dessert! This wife-husband team transformed their shop into an otherworldly oasis full of nostalgic antiques and rustic wooden furniture. Oh, and their homemade desserts aren’t bad either!

Unique Local Cocktails

Concealed down an alley and up some stairs, this speakeasy offers a special menu just for us with exclusive cocktails inspired by Vietnamese flavors and locals spirits. Tucked away from the old-quarter’s bustle, this intimate gem displays the creativity and passion of today’s younger generations.

Plus More Surprises!

* This itinerary is subject to changes and adjustments based on daily vendor operations and availability, but it will always be awesome.

How do you cross the street in Hanoi's old-quarter?

Carefully. Very carefully. As Vietnam’s bustling capital city, Hanoi’s old-quarter is known for it’s chaotic motorbike traffic, colonial architecture, centuries-old temples, and the best street food culture in the country. But how do you navigate the endless barrage of motorbikes and eateries? We’ve got all the secrets!

For one night, let your guard down and hand things over to us while we show you around the backstreets and hidden corners of old-quarter, passing by some of our favorite must-see sights along the way. You’ll do so much more than eat a ton of food; you’ll finish the night with an up-close appreciation for our rich culture and become experts in Vietnamese cuisine.

Hanoi Old-Quarter Evening Food Tour Building

Customer Reviews:

A third of our customers were referred by a previous guest. Were you one of them?!

Frequently Asked Questions:

This is not a tasting tour, you should come hungry and you will get more than a full meal of food. If you need more, just let your guide know and we’ll get more, but usually guests cannot finish everything and you’ll want to make sure you pace yourself. We also provide local beer, soft drinks, and bottled water throughout the tour, plus a specialty cocktail at a speakeasy bar.

All dietary requests must be communicated at the time of booking. When booking online, you will have the opportunity to let us know if you have any dietary requirements or special requests. Same day requests cannot be guaranteed. Please use the following information to understand if this tour is right for you.

Please note that Vietnamese cuisine features a lot of fish sauce as a replacement for salt (don’t worry, it’s not fishy), which is the most common issue we follow-up with guests about.

Vegetarians & Pescatarians: We’ll make sure you have something to eat at every stop, but you won’t be able to eat everything and you may miss the highlight dish at a couple stops. This is because we visit small restaurants that specialize in one dish, and they don’t always offer substitutions. Your options will expand if you’re able to eat fish sauce and/or fish. This tour will be extremely limited for vegans.

Gluten-free: The staple food in Vietnam is rice and rice noodles. If you are sensitive to soy sauce you will be a bit more limited, but we can make adjustments for you.

This tour is not recommended for anyone with severe allergies to common foods as we cannot guarantee the absence of those foods or that cross-contamination won’t occur.

This is a walking tour. This tour covers about 1.5 miles / 2.5 km by foot, so we recommend leaving the heels at home. This distance is split up between 5+ stops, so it’s roughly a 5-10 minute walk between each stop and a great chance to digest a bit before the next stop. We also find that exploring by foot is the best way to enjoy the sights, sounds, and culture of Hanoi’s old-quarter.

Our child pricing is valid for ages 4 through 15. Children ages 3 and under are free. 

This tour starts at 4:30pm at our first restaurant located on the north boundary of Hanoi’s old-quarter. You’ll get the exact address and a Google map pin immediately after booking. 

Our last stop is on the south boundary of the old-quarter. There are plenty of options for you to continue exploring the area on your own, or you guide can assist you with directions for getting back to your hotel.

Our minimum is 2 and maximum is 12. There’s no flag to follow, or megaphone, or tacky uniforms. It’s small enough to be intimate, but big enough to get away with trying several dishes at each stop. Bottom line is, you’ll follow the guide through a super-local experience and make friends along the way.

Private tours can be arranged, by request, for an additional fee.

All of our tours are rain-or-shine, so we suggest you dress for the weather. If rain is possible, an umbrella, along with shoes that can get wet, is a good idea. In rare cases of extreme weather, your guide will cancel the tour and provide a full refund.

Yes we do! If you would like to book a private tour for you and/or your group, contact us and we’ll be happy to organize this for you. Please keep in mind that private tours do incur an additional fee since our availability is limited each day. 

Yes! You’ll get a promo code in your confirmation email that will give you a 10% discount on all future Lost Plate tours. It doesn’t matter if the tour is in the same city or a different city, we want to keep feeding you as long as you let us. Also, children ages 4 through 15 receive a discount on all tours (3 & under are free).

Bookings canceled 24 hours or more before your tour are fully refundable (100% refund). Bookings canceled within 24 hours notice are not refundable. If you would like to reschedule your tour with less than 24 hours notice, we will need to charge 50% of your total since we are unable to fill your spots at short notice.

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