Buzz
Stroll down Quan Thanh Street without indulging in Mrs. Yen's delectable steamed buns or savoring a bowl of fish noodle soup from the two adjacent noodle shops near the end of the street would be a regrettable oversight.
When touring Hanoi, make sure to visit these 6 unparalleled dining spots along Quan Thanh Street
1. Mrs. Loi's Chicken Pho
Located on Quan Thanh Street, this longstanding chicken pho establishment occupies only a small section compared to the renowned ancestral chicken pho eatery at the beginning of the street. Regular patrons attest that despite being a recent addition, the owner's extensive experience in selling boiled chicken ensures that the reserved broth used for the broth is of exceptional quality, devoid of excessive richness from overcooking with bone broth.
The preparation area is neatly arranged right at the storefront.
The broth pot contains high-quality broth.
After boiling, the chicken is not separated into multiple portions but is neatly shredded and arranged in a large tray. The bowl of pho is beautifully presented with the white color of the pho noodles, the shiny yellow of the chicken skin, the green color of the onions, and notably includes lime leaves to enhance the overall flavor profile.
The pho broth here is clear and refreshing, with added lime leaves.
The pho noodles from this establishment are thin but slightly thick, perfectly cooked to retain their softness without being mushy, blending harmoniously with the flavorful broth, sweet and savory. The chicken piece is of authentic local breed, tender, not dry, with crispy skin, though the chicken slices are a bit small, so chewing doesn't feel quite satisfying.
The chicken pieces served here are cut slightly small.
The pho at this place comes in two price ranges: 30,000 VND for regular pho and 35,000 VND for a bowl with special requests such as extra meat, wings, or added liver, gizzard. The eatery operates from 6 a.m. until around 3 p.m. daily. In addition to indoor seating, there are also a few small tables set up on the sidewalk.
2. Hot Sweet Soup by Mrs. Thơm
Among the list of renowned eateries on Quan Thanh Street, one cannot overlook Mrs. Thơm's hot sweet soup shop, which has been in business for over 40 years. The shop specializes in only three types of hot sweet soup: black bean sweet soup, green bean sweet soup with seaweed, and floating rice cake.
The bowl of sweet soup at this shop has just the right amount of sweetness, with beans stewed to perfection, providing a smooth and appealing texture and color. According to the shop owner's revelation, the black bean sweet soup must be cooked with palm sugar for a delightful aroma, while the green bean sweet soup requires white rock sugar. All bowls of sweet soup are infused with a hint of coconut essence from freshly ground coconut, personally prepared by the shop owner.
Hot black bean sweet soup
The floating rice cakes from this shop have also received much praise.
Mrs. Thơm's small hot sweet soup shop only opens from 3 p.m., but it quickly becomes crowded upon opening. Each bowl of sweet soup here is only 15,000 VND, very reasonable for sweet enthusiasts.
3. Mrs. Yến's Steamed Buns
Mrs. Yến's steamed bun shop is located right in the middle of Quan Thanh Street. The shop is small and narrow, easy to miss if not paying attention, and without the crowd standing to buy buns, it's easy to walk past. Compared to other steamed bun shops, the variety here is much less diverse, with only 2 types: meat steamed buns and vegetarian steamed buns. Nevertheless, around 7 a.m., when the shop just opens, Mrs. Yến's shop is already crowded with people waiting to buy buns.
The attraction of this steamed bun shop lies in its handmade square-shaped buns, rather than the typical round ones. The soft and fluffy bun exterior, despite lacking quail eggs or Chinese sausage, still earns high marks for the fragrant sweetness of the fresh meat filling. Despite only offering steamed buns and soy milk, the shop is always bustling, with 4 or 5 staff members serving tirelessly to keep up with demand.
The steamed buns here are relatively simple in appearance but have a unique flavor.
A drawback of the shop is its small size and constant crowd, so it mainly caters to take-out customers. The price of steamed buns here is 13,000 VND for meat-filled buns and 6,000 VND for vegetarian ones. The shop only sells until around 9 a.m., after which they're sold out.
4. Loving Hut Quan Thanh
Although lacking unique or impressive decor, Loving Hut Quan Thanh has long been a favorite vegetarian eatery in Hanoi thanks to its affordable prices and tidy, clean space. The vegetarian dishes here are renowned for being delicious, nutritious, and budget-friendly, with prices for a meal ranging from 25,000 to 40,000 VND, catering to the needs of vegetarians anytime without hesitation or calculation.
Each vegetarian meal here is quite substantial. The meal is neatly arranged on a large plate, consisting of rice, 3 to 4 main dishes, 1 vegetable dish, 2 stir-fried dishes, a bowl of soup, and even a bowl of dessert. Although there's no menu selection, the daily changing menu makes it easy to enjoy. Additionally, the restaurant offers a variety of vegetarian noodles and soups, such as chicken pho, snail noodles, crab noodle soup, and ladder noodles, priced from 25,000 to 35,000 VND per full bowl.
In addition to rice and noodles, the restaurant also offers à la carte dishes at very affordable prices. Especially on full moon days and the first day of every month, the restaurant offers attractive à la carte and buffet options for 100,000 VND. Another noteworthy point is that the restaurant also sells some vegetarian dishes and ingredients for cooking at home.
5. Fish Noodle Soup
Towards the end of Quan Thanh Street, there are two adjacent fish noodle soup stalls: Van Fish Noodle Soup and Huyen Fish Noodle Soup. These two stalls even share the same selling area, with only the table and chair colors (green and red) distinguishing them. Overall, the fish noodle soups at both stalls are delicious and satisfying.
The common feature of these two fish noodle soup stalls is their generous portions of noodles, fish cakes, flavorful broth, large and crunchy fish pieces, and ample fish quantity to satisfy one's appetite. Of course, the bowl of noodles is complemented with seasonal vegetables such as morning glory and mustard greens.
In addition to fried fish, there are also enticing options such as fish roe and fish eggs, but these must be ordered separately and naturally come at a higher price than the regular bowl. However, even with additional orders, the price here is only 40,000 VND per bowl, very reasonable for breakfast or lunch.
In terms of space, both of these stalls offer indoor and outdoor seating, but the indoor area is small, so customers often prefer to sit outside in the courtyard.
6. Unnamed Duck Stall
At the end of Quan Thanh Street, near the Ba Dinh District cultural center, there's a shop specializing in duck dishes. Despite being unmarked and lacking a signboard, this budget-friendly eatery is always bustling with customers coming and going every day. While it operates all day, lunchtime is the busiest, so customers often have to sit outside on the sidewalk.
This shop specializes only in boiled duck dishes and doesn't offer a variety of styles such as roasted, grilled, salted, or hotpot like many others. The ducks here are of a decent size, with just the right amount of fat, boiled to perfection—not too soft nor too tough. Even though the duck is freshly boiled, it's dunked once more in the boiling broth right before serving. Perhaps that's why the duck remains fragrant and hot for longer, making it even more delicious for diners.
Half-boiled duck plate - Photo: Zing.
The bamboo shoot soup here is indisputably delicious. The bamboo shoots are thickly sliced, giving a satisfying crunch, accompanied by slightly chewy pork trotters that soften quickly in the mouth, perfect for chilly weather.
Photo: Zing
Duck porridge is also a staple dish here, ordered by almost every group of customers. The rice grains remain whole, cooked to a thick, sticky consistency with a hint of green beans, resulting in a fragrant and flavorful bowl of porridge. The sweetness of the porridge undoubtedly comes from the pure duck broth, not from any artificial flavorings, ensuring that customers keep coming back for more.
Photo: Zing
The duck prices here are quite affordable, with a half duck plate costing around 100,000 VND. For two people ordering half a duck and two bowls of porridge, it's only about 130,000 VND, which is quite reasonable for those days when you want a change. The shop is open all day.
According to Afamily
Posted by: Hà Huyền Thu
Keywords: 6 must-try eateries on Quan Thanh Street
