Top 10 Delicious Must-Try Dishes in Da Nang

Da Nang, the city of bridges, a green-clean-beautiful city, attracts tourists with its diverse tourist spots and exquisite, irresistibly delicious cuisine.

1. Quang Noodle

No need to say, everyone knows that Quang noodle is the famous dish of Da Nang. The thick, tough, and big noodles are the characteristic that creates the soul of the noodle bowl. Quang noodle has various types: Quang noodle with young ribs, Quang noodle with snakehead fish, Quang noodle with eel, Quang noodle with crab cake... but the most 'traditional' is Quang noodle with shrimp, chicken, eggs, and meat. Especially, the indispensable ingredients of Quang noodle are roasted peanuts and crispy sesame rice crackers. Quang noodle is served dry.

Diners mix all the ingredients in a bowl, alongside a bowl of broth cooked from delicious pork bones and shrimp broth, with cashew nuts to create a viscous and colorful broth. Quang noodle is served with fresh vegetables such as mustard greens, lettuce, basil, bean sprouts, coriander, sawtooth herb, thin slices of banana flower... all mixed together to create a unforgettable flavor.

Quang noodle is sold in the morning until around 9-10 a.m. on Hoang Dieu Street, Phan Thanh Street, Trung Nu Vuong Street, Hoang Hoa Tham Street; some places sell it all day long like on Nguyen Huu Tho Street, Nguyen Cong Tru Street. Prices vary depending on the place and the size of the bowl, ranging from 13,000 to 25,000 VND/bowl, and the sesame rice crackers are sold for 3,000 VND/piece.

2. Nam O Raw Fish Salad

Once you taste it, you'll get addicted, but few dare to try this dish because it's made from raw fish. Nam O raw fish salad can be made from ponyfish, halfbeak, anchovy... but the best and most suitable is ponyfish. Ponyfish is bigger than a finger, with head, tail, belly removed, bones removed, split in half, and cut into small pieces, pressed to drain, then marinated with ginger, galangal, minced garlic, and roasted peanuts.

Fish broth is boiled, mixed with Nam O fish sauce, chili, tapioca starch, and sugar to create a unique dipping sauce specifically for the salad. The accompanying vegetables for Nam O raw fish salad are diverse and special, including young shoots of wild herbs, mountain balm, celery, bracken fern, daisy leaves, and fern leaves... which only grow on the Hai Van Pass. However, nowadays, other vegetables like cucumber, mango, banana... are also used more to meet the increasing demand of diners.

There are two ways to enjoy raw fish salad: either roll the fish with various vegetables in rice paper or simply mix the fish with vegetables and dipping sauce, then eat. Put the vegetables on the rice paper, add some slices of fresh fish, sprinkle with golden roasted peanuts and minced galangal, roll it up, dip it in the dipping sauce, and take a bite. The sweet and cool fish meat, the rich and savory dipping sauce, the flavor of galangal, and the spicy aroma of chili, combined with the forest-scented leaves, make people ecstatic when the deliciousness permeates every taste bud.

To truly enjoy Nam O raw fish salad, you have to go to the Nam O area. Or if not, you can visit Nguyen Tat Thanh Street or Nam O Bridge and order a portion for around 40,000 VND.

3. Fish Cake Noodle Soup

When it comes to the central region, finding a place selling fish cake noodle soup is a breeze. However, the fish cake noodle soup in Da Nang is truly exceptional. The delicious fish cake noodle soup has no fishy smell; instead, you'll only smell the fragrant aroma of the noodles combined with the fresh sweetness of vegetables and the rich taste of the broth, leaving every diner ecstatic…

Fish cake noodle soup is also served with fresh vegetables like lettuce, coriander, mint, bean sprouts, and raw banana flowers. Particularly, indispensable to this dish are crushed garlic chili and pickled shallots. The sour-sweet taste of pickled shallots combined with the spicy kick of garlic chili provides diners with unforgettable and delightful experiences.

Apart from fish cake noodle soup, people in Da Nang also enjoy sliced fish noodle soup. Instead of fish cakes, they use fresh whole fish, thinly sliced and briefly marinated with spices to enhance the flavor. These fish are usually tuna, mackerel, or barracuda depending on the season in Da Nang.

There are numerous fish cake noodle soup stalls here, but some places you should visit if you're in the area: the stall on Hoang Dieu Street (next to Hoang Anh Gia Lai building) sells all day from 7 am to 9 pm; the stall selling throughout the night on Hung Vuong Street; another stall only operates in the morning from 6 am to 10 am on Tran Cao Van Street (opposite Tam Toa Market). All of them are incredibly affordable, starting from just 15,000 VND per bowl.

4. Pork and Rice Paper Rolls

Requiring no elaborate preparation, they're simple and very easy to eat. The pork and rice paper rolls in Da Nang are renowned for carefully selected ingredients, resulting in perfect flavor. Pork is taken from the butt or shoulder, then steamed to retain its natural sweetness. Vegetables are all common types but must ensure freshness and vibrancy, including lettuce, mint, water spinach, spring onion, aromatic herbs, bitter herbs, bean sprouts, white banana blossoms, cucumber, and bitter banana…

A secret to this dish lies in its dipping sauce, a type of sauce that is irreplaceable. This is something that everyone will remember when enjoying pork rice paper rolls. Indeed, it's hard to resist the chewy texture of the rice paper combined with the tender texture of the moist noodles, along with a hint of sweetness from the meat, the fresh taste of vegetables, and the intense spiciness of the dipping sauce.

To satisfy your palate, you should choose a restaurant on Chau Thi Vinh Te, Hai Phong, Duy Tan, Le Duan, or Do Thuc Thinh streets… depending on whether you prefer a fancy restaurant or a more casual one with prices ranging from 30,000 to 80,000 VND.

5. Sizzling Pancake

The sizzling pancakes in Da Nang are neither too small nor too big, just the right size for one serving. They are made from freshly ground rice flour with added egg yolks and turmeric, poured onto a hot pan. The filling is carefully selected, made only from live shrimp, half lean and half fatty pork belly, and fresh bean sprouts. Clean and fresh vegetables include lettuce, coriander, bitter banana, and baby mustard greens… The dipping sauce is made from pork liver and ground peanuts, creating a rich and creamy flavor, served alongside a bowl of traditional chili fish sauce.

Sizzling pancakes are eaten hot, wrapped in thin rice paper or large mustard leaves. Each bite of the pancake remains crispy, with a rich aroma, a sweet taste of shrimp and meat, mixed with the coolness of the vegetables and a slight bitterness of green banana. Once you try it, you'll never forget it. The price of sizzling pancakes is also quite affordable, starting from only 5,000 VND/piece on Hoang Dieu, Hai Phong streets…

6. Water Fern Cake

A humble yet enticing dish, both in its ingredients and flavors, holds great allure for both locals and tourists visiting Da Nang. Although simply named, 'banh beo' comes in many varieties, distinguished by their shapes and eating styles. 'Banh beo tai' is arranged neatly on a plate, while 'banh beo chen' is pre-molded in small round bowls. And all of them feature tantalizing fillings on top.

The fillings are made from shrimp, minced fish seasoned with spices, and dried under the sun to remove any fishy smell. Alternatively, there are fillings made from lean meat, wood ear mushrooms… creating a dense, beautifully orange-colored mixture. Banh beo is also served with sour fermented pork rolls and beef sausage. However, the deliciousness of banh beo is determined by the accompanying dipping fish sauce. It's simply minced chili fish sauce diluted with lukewarm water, with a touch of lime and sugar, perfectly complementing the soft white cake.

In Da Nang, sitting around a banh beo cart, enjoying the sweet and fragrant fish sauce is truly delightful! You can find banh beo, banh uot, banh loc on any street or alley in the city, as well as in restaurants and hotels. Not to mention the mobile vendors, the banh beo area in Con Market (at the gate of Hung Vuong Street), Hoang Dieu, Hai Phong, Ong Ich Khiem (selling from noon, only from September to February every year)… are places worth trying. Each bowl of banh beo is only about 1,500 VND.

7. Grilled Beef Cau Mong

'Grilled Beef Cau Mong,' also known as 'Rare Beef Cau Mong' by the people of Da Nang, is as famous as Quang-style noodles.

The art of grilling beef is almost a secret tradition, and few can do it now due to its special requirements. The piece of beef when taken out of the oven must have two layers of rare meat, well-cooked, while the skin must be transparent and cooked to a crispy yet tender texture. When served, it's expertly sliced, each piece containing both meat and skin.

The fish sauce must be made from whole anchovies, extracted water, mixed with sugar, crushed garlic chili, a bit of ginger, and roasted sesame seeds for a tempting aroma. The accompanying greens for grilled beef are abundant, including Tra Que vegetables, perilla leaves, lettuce, baby mustard greens, sour starfruit, thinly sliced bitter banana, coriander, mint, basil, and bean sprouts…

Spread a piece of rice paper, place some slices of grilled beef, roll it together with raw vegetables, dip in fish sauce, chew thoroughly to fully appreciate the sweet and savory taste of beef combined with the rich salty aroma of fermented fish sauce that makes people easily forget their worries. The best Grilled Beef Cau Mong is in Cau Mong, Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province, 15km from Da Nang.

8. Pomegranate Seed Sago Sweet Soup

Pomegranate seed sago sweet soup is made from agar agar, pomegranate seeds made from fine flour, black jelly made from a refreshing forest leaf, especially the coconut milk pressed from pure coconut… all combined to create a delicious, refreshing drink.

When eaten, the crunchiness of the jelly, the creamy coconut milk and mung beans, along with the chewiness of pomegranate seeds make people forget all fatigue. On sunny days, pomegranate seed sago sweet soup is truly a wonderful thirst-quencher.

There are many pomegranate seed sago sweet soup stalls but the best is still in Con Market, or some stalls on Tran Binh Trong Street (at the intersection of Tran Binh Trong and Ngo Gia Tu), Phan Thanh… with prices starting from only 5,000 VND/cup.

9. Suction Snails

No matter what season you visit Da Nang, you'll have the chance to enjoy this special dish.

Suction snails, a colloquial name used by Da Nang locals for stir-fried snails with lemongrass and chili. Rice snails, apple snails, bitter snails… soaked, cleaned, then stir-fried with lemongrass, chili, and spices, with no special recipe but rich flavor. In Da Nang, leisurely spend the afternoon by the sidewalk stall with family and friends, sucking snails by hand, enjoying the spicy sensation, ordering some rice paper, dipping it in the salty and spicy snail broth, it's truly delightful.

10. Mixed Jackfruit Salad

Mixed jackfruit salad, simply boiled ripe jackfruit, shredded to mix with pork belly or shrimp, crushed peanuts, fried shallots, sweet and sour fish sauce with a bit of cilantro and basil. But it mesmerizes with its enticing aroma and vibrant colors.

Eating mixed jackfruit salad with sesame rice paper is the real deal. Break a piece of rice paper, scoop some mixed jackfruit salad, the crispy texture of the rice paper, the chewy and sweet taste of ripe jackfruit, the crunchy texture of pork skin, the fragrance of peanuts, fried shallots, and the slight spiciness of chili, herbs… all create an irresistible flavor.

These eateries typically offer both types of dishes in the evening, with the best ones located on Ong Ich Street (opposite Hoa Tho textile factory), Pham Van Nghi… Prices are very affordable, only about 25,000 VND/plate for snails, 10,000 VND/plate for jackfruit.

Source: Travel guide Mytour – By Eva.