Hoi An food guide
Hoi An’s signature bowl is cao lau. Add a banh mi, white rose dumplings, and com ga if you have a second day.
Eat cao lau at a shop that makes it the center of the menu. The noodles should be chewy and the broth scarce.
Cooking classes are the bookable activity here. Pick one that shops at the market in the morning rather than one that only assembles pre-cut trays.
Specialties
Cao lau Cao lầu Cao lau is Hoi An’s noodle dish: chewy noodles, a little broth, pork, herbs, and crackers. It is not a soup you drink. The noodles are the point, and they belong to this town. Toss the bowl so the pork and greens coat the noodles. Banh mi Bánh mì Banh mi is a light baguette with pâté, mayonnaise, pickles, herbs, and usually a protein. The bread should crackle. The filling should not be only meat. Eat it the morning it is baked. Point at the fillings if the stall has several. Vietnamese coffee Cà phê Vietnamese coffee is usually robusta, brewed in a small metal phin filter. Ca phe sua da is iced coffee with condensed milk. Egg coffee, ca phe trung, is a Hanoi whipped-egg cup. Wait for the phin to finish dripping. Stir the condensed milk up from the bottom.