Top 10 Delicious Dishes and Local Specialties in Buon Ma Thuot - Dak Lak

Beef is a common and versatile ingredient in many meals, known for its rich flavor and ability to be prepared in various delicious ways for both everyday meals and special occasions. While you're likely familiar with various beef dishes, make sure not to miss tamarind beef hotpot when visiting Buon Ma Thuot.

Served hot and fresh, this dish combines the rich taste of beef with the tangy, refreshing flavor of tamarind, typically enjoyed with crispy bread and wild herbs for an irresistible taste.

DETAILS:

• Location: Ca Te Restaurant, 140 Le Thanh Tong, Buon Ma Thuot

Lang fish is a unique local specialty found in the Seperok River, the largest river in Buon Ma Thuot. Lang fish can be prepared in many ways, but the best way to enjoy it is in a hotpot. A trip to Buon Ma Thuot wouldn’t be complete without trying the Lang Fish Hotpot.

The Lang Fish Hotpot is simple yet incredibly flavorful. It combines the delicate taste of lang fish with a savory broth made from sweet, aromatic ingredients like lemongrass, garlic, green chili, tomatoes, and, most importantly, sour bamboo shoots, which add a unique touch to the flavor. This dish is best enjoyed with rice noodles and a variety of fresh herbs commonly served with hotpot dishes.

DETAILS:

• Location: Available at specialty restaurants and eateries in Buon Ma Thuot.

When talking about wild leaf salad, you’re referring to the essence of the Central Highlands, especially Buon Ma Thuot. This dish is considered a representation of the region’s natural beauty and flavors.

The wild leaf salad is a bold combination of over 40 different types of leaves, ranging from familiar ones like mustard greens, perilla, Vietnamese ginseng leaves, fig leaves, and basil, to more unusual ones like guava leaves and mango leaves, as well as rare varieties unique to the Central Highlands. Accompanying these leaves are side dishes such as boiled pork belly, sliced carp, boiled shrimp, pig skin mixed with roasted rice flour, and plates of salt and pepper. However, the key to the salad’s exceptional taste lies in its rich and golden dipping sauce, made from fermented sticky rice, dried shrimp, and pork belly, then blended and simmered with garlic, tamarind, and spices in hot oil.

Each type of leaf adds a unique flavor to the dish, creating a complexity that rewards those who take the time to savor it. Additionally, these wild leaves are known for their health benefits, being used in traditional medicine to treat digestive issues and heart conditions.

DETAILS:

• Location: Available at specialty restaurants and eateries in Buon Ma Thuot.

Grilled Pork with Rice Rolls is a popular and light breakfast dish enjoyed by the people of Buon Ma Thuot. It consists of rice rolls (similar to wet rice cakes but thicker) filled with grilled pork, fresh vegetables, cucumber, and aromatic pineapple. The key to making this dish truly delicious is the dipping sauce.

A few rolls dipped in the flavorful, savory sauce are enough to fill you up and leave a lingering delicious taste.

DETAILS:

• Location: 45 Tran Nhat Duat, Buon Ma Thuot – Dak Lak

Ginger Braised Goby Fish is a traditional dish of the ethnic minorities in Buon Ma Thuot – Dak Lak. Over time, it has become increasingly popular, appearing regularly on the dining tables of both the local minorities and the general population. As the dish has gained popularity, locals have refined and improved the recipe to enhance its flavor and make it even more delicious.

After each harvest, goby fish is prepared and cooked into this iconic dish. The soft, delicate flesh of the fish blends perfectly with the mild heat of chili, the aromatic fragrance of ginger, and the savory taste of lemongrass. Served with steaming white rice, it’s simply irresistible!

DETAILS:

• Location: Available at local restaurants and eateries in Buon Ma Thuot – Dak Lak.

When it comes to fruit, Dak Lak is renowned for its butterfruit, a type of avocado that is considered the best in Vietnam. If you’re visiting during the avocado season, many tourists choose to buy this nutritious fruit as a gift to bring home.

The flesh of the butterfruit is smooth and creamy, with a delightful aroma and a subtly sweet, rich taste. It can be used to make delicious dishes such as avocado smoothies, avocado ice cream, or healthy salads. Butterfruit is one of the most cherished souvenirs you can take back from Buon Ma Thuot.

DETAILS:

• You can buy butterfruit from most local farms or households in the area.
• Butterfruit is also sold along the roads or at rest stops around Buon Ma Thuot.

When you mention any place in the Central Highlands, you can’t forget coffee, and Buon Ma Thuot coffee is particularly famous. Known as the coffee capital, thanks to its vast basalt soil, Buon Ma Thuot coffee has firmly established itself as a top choice in the market with its verified quality.

With its enticing aroma, pure coffee free from additives or preservatives, this coffee is considered the finest offering from the Central Highlands’ mountains. Buon Ma Thuot coffee makes for an excellent and meaningful gift, suitable for bosses, colleagues, or loved ones, blending sophistication, refinement, and practicality.

DETAILS:

• Location: 01 Lien Thon, Cu E Bur, Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak
• Available at most rest stops in the area.

When you think of Buon Don, you likely imagine the iconic image of the "Buon Don Elephant," which is closely associated with the Buon Don tourism area. A trip to Buon Ma Thuot wouldn’t be complete without visiting Buon Don, and when you're there, make sure to try the famous Grilled Chicken from Buon Don, a signature dish of the Central Highlands.

Unlike typical grilled chicken, Buon Don Grilled Chicken is marinated with pure wild honey and a unique blend of local spices and herbs, then grilled over hot coals. To enjoy it the traditional way, you must pair it with forest herbs, dip it in salt, pepper, and lime, and wash it down with some local Can wine—it’s an unforgettable experience.

DETAILS:

• Location: Almost all roadside eateries leading to Buon Don serve this dish.

The name Bun Chia might sound unfamiliar, but in reality, it’s quite similar to the famous Bun Bo Hue. The biggest difference lies in the ingredients. Instead of beef, the people of the Central Highlands use the rear ham of a pig. The meat is cleaned, then simmered to tender perfection in a flavorful broth, and allowed to cool.

Whenever a customer orders, the restaurant owner takes a chunk of the pork leg and re-heats it in the broth, then places it into a bowl of noodles already topped with shrimp paste. Finally, fresh green onions, onions, and the hot broth are poured into the bowl, creating a warm and satisfying dish.

DETAILS:

• Location 1: 222 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, 18 Tan Da
• Location 2: Bun Bo Shop on YBih Aleo Street
• Location 3: Intersection of Ba Trieu and Hung Vuong Streets

Bitter Eggplant and Anchovy Salad is a simple and traditional dish commonly enjoyed by the people of the Central Highlands. From the name, you can already guess the main ingredients of this dish: bitter eggplant and dried anchovies.

Bitter eggplant is a key element, representing the simple and humble lifestyle of the E De ethnic people. Its strong bitterness is the defining feature of this unique and beloved dish. This type of eggplant grows abundantly in the fields and forests, and locals harvest it, slice it, and mix it with dried anchovies and their special seasonings to create a dish that is as simple as it is special.

DETAILS:

• Location: Most roadside eateries serving Buon Ma Thuot specialties offer this dish.