1. Overview
Hue is a world cultural heritage city located on a central strip of land. The ancient capital has a long history and tradition with unique values and identities. Specifically, Hue food is one of the special cuisines that tourists who visit here should try once. The Hue people are sophisticated in eating and drinking. Not only in the selection of ingredients but also in the cooking and processing of the decoration. Here are 20 favorite dishes in Hue that are delicious and reasonable.
What’s new for 2027
- The former Thua Thien Hue province is now Hue City, governed directly by the central government, and since 1 July 2025 many of its wards have been merged and renamed. Addresses below keep the street and former ward names; map apps may show the new ward name.
- We removed the old price ranges, which dated from 2023. Street food in Hue is still very affordable, but menus change, so check prices at each shop, or taste the city with a local guide on a Hue city tour.
2. The Top 20 Of Hue Food – Best Price And Best Taste
2.1. Hue Beef Noodle (Bun Bo Hue)
Bun Bo Hue is a specialty of all three regions in Vietnam, but the best taste is in Hue. The dish has main ingredients, including vermicelli, beef, and pork rolls, with a typical red broth, lemongrass, and shrimp flavor. A hot, spicy, and rich bowl of beef noodle soup will make you hard to resist.
Recommended address: Bun Bo Hue Ba Tuyet – 47 Nguyen Cong Tru, Hue
- Open time: 6 AM – 9 PM
2.2. Grilled Pork Vermicelli (Bun Thit Nuong)
Bun Thit Nuong is also a favorite dish of many tourists. This dish has conquered many domestic and foreign tourists with only simple ingredients such as rice vermicelli, pork, pickles, peanuts, and fish sauce. Moreover, this dish is delicious with raw vegetables or lemongrass skewers.
Recommended address: Bun Thit Nuong Huyen Anh – 50 Kim Long, Hue
- Open time: 8 AM – 7 PM
2.3. Mussel Rice (Com Hen)
Com Hen is a dish that has existed for more than 200 years; food has made many tourists eat once and remember it because of its highly-seasoned, spicy taste. However, this dish will become fishy if you do not know how to enjoy it. Therefore, you should separate the soup and rice into each bowl to taste the full flavor of the dish.
2.4. Hue’s ‘Purgatory Rice’ (Com Am Phu)
Com Am Phu is a famous Hue food that appeared during the Nguyen Dynasty. It is a harmonious combination of familiar delicacies in Hue cuisine, such as ram meat, spring rolls, shrimp lice, omelet, herbs, and pickles, with steamed rice and fish sauce.
Recommended address: Com Am Phu Hue – 51 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hue
2.5. Bot Loc Cake (Banh Bot Loc)
When referring to Hue food with the best taste in this city, it is impossible not to mention Banh Bot Loc. Indigenous people have processed and seasoned it according to their recipe to produce a typical shrimp and meat pie. The dipping sauce is also essential to help make the food the most flavorful.
2.6. Steamed Rice Cake (Banh Beo)
Banh Beo is a daily dish of the Hue people. The shape of the cake is round, like Beo leaves, the cake is made from the main ingredients of rice flour, and the filling is shrimp and onion fat combined with sweet and spicy fish sauce. Not too fussy, but this is a favorite dish for anyone coming to Hue.
Recommended address: Banh Beo Nam Loc Ba Do – 8 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Hue
- Open time: 8 AM – 8 PM
2.7. Thick Noodles Soup (Banh Canh)
Hue has many delicious Banh Canh, such as Banh Canh Ca Loc, Banh Canh Cua, Banh Canh Nam Pho, etc. Most of their flavors are highly seasoned and aromatic. The chef cooks each bowl of soup with all their heart, choosing the freshest ingredients and adding spices to taste.
2.8. Khot Cake (Banh Khot)
Banh Khot is originally a speciality of southern Vietnam, especially Vung Tau, but these crispy little rice cakes are also easy to find in Hue and make a cheap, cheerful snack. The taste of the greasy flour and coconut cream dish combined with the delicious shrimp meat. When eating, you will use lettuce and vegetables to roll Banh Khot and dip it with sweet-and-sour sauce.
2.9. Hue Pancake (Banh Khoai)
Banh Khoai is the name in Hue, also known as Banh Xeo in South Vietnam. The main ingredients of this dish are rice flour, shrimp, meat, bean sprouts, and onions, and then people fry it in a hot pan. The dipping sauce is a significant stage because it determines whether the dish is delicious.
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Recommended address: Lac Thien Restaurant – 6 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hue
- Open time: 10 AM – 9:30 PM
2.10. Fried Sticky Rice Dumplings (Banh Ram It)
In Hue, Banh Ram It is one of the rustic dishes very familiar to the people. It is divided into two parts: the soft dough part at the top and the crispy ram cake at the bottom. The unique feature of Banh Ram It is dipped in a sweet-and-sour sauce prepared specially.
2.11. Rectangular Dumpling (Banh Nam)
Banh Nam is also a specialty of Hue. This cake has a delicious taste, soft and smooth, with a hint of shrimp. The cake is rectangular and very thin; inside is a layer of rice flour on the surface of the leaves, filled with shrimp and meat.
2.12. Hue-style crepe (Banh Ep)
Banh Ep has a small shape but a very fragrant smell. The cake blends harmoniously, full of flavors: greasy, tough, sour, and crunchy, but they are made from familiar ingredients such as flour, meat, eggs, vegetables, etc. This food is the favorite snack of Hue people.
2.13. Fruit-shaped Mung Bean Cake (Banh Dau Xanh Trai Cay)
Banh Dau Xanh Trai Cay is an aristocratic cake because they are made very meticulously and with much effort. In the past, this type of cake was only used at the banquets of Kings. Nowadays, it has become a favorite food of tourists because of its lovely shape and luscious taste.
2.14. Sweet Soup (Che)
Che in Hue is inherently fragrant, delicious, and famous throughout the region because of its unmistakable taste. Although they are all made from simple ingredients such as green beans, coconuts, and potatoes, they still make tourists mouth-watering. Some famous Che in Hue includes Che Hat Sen Boc Nhan Long, Che Tao Xon, Che Bap, etc.
Recommended address: Che Hem – 1 Kiet, 29 Hung Vuong, Hue
2.15. Lemongrass Skewers (Nem Lui)
Nem Lui is not only found in Hue. However, with its own recipe, spring rolls in Hue have features that make visitors fall in love. Nem is made mainly from pork and pork skin, marinated with ingredients, then skewered on lemongrass or bamboo sticks, and cooked on a charcoal stove. If you want to enjoy this delicious Hue food, you should eat it when it’s hot.
2.16. Fig Salad (Va Tron)
Va Tron is often cooked at family parties or on Tet holidays. Specifically, Va is a fruit that offers many health benefits and cures many diseases. The taste of figs is acrid and fleshy, with the sweetness of shrimp, meat, and roasted peanuts brings an incredibly delicious feeling.
2.17. Hue Fresh Spring Rolls (Cuon Hue)
Cuon Hue is a frugal but delicious food. The food has the mild taste of vegetables, the sweetness of the meat, and the spicy and sour taste of ginger. This delicate combination makes the dish rich in flavor and not dull.
Recommended address: Hanh Restaurant – 11 Pho Duc Chinh, Hue
- Open time: 9 AM – 9:30 PM
2.18. Hue Tre (Tre)
Tre Hue resembles Nem, but the taste is not too sour. Instead, Tre is crispy and chewy, most prominent in its characteristic spicy taste, but delicious and creates a feeling of craving when you just finished eating and want to eat more. You can buy this food as a gift for your family and friends.
2.19. Sesame Candy (Me Xung)
Me Xung is a candy often combined by Hue people with a cup of hot tea. They have the sweetness of malt mixed with peanuts and sesame to create a fleshy taste that makes the candy delicious, so suitable for most people’s taste. In particular, Me Xung is very often used on Tet holidays.
2.20. Hue Royal Cuisine (Am Thuc Cung Dinh Hue)
Hue Royal Cuisine is considered the pinnacle of Vietnamese cuisine because of its sophistication and meticulousness. Not only delicious but also visually appealing. Also, they must have a harmonious balance between color and flavor, yin and yang, hot and cold. Typical dishes include Nem Cong, Cha Phuong, Da Tay Nguu, Yen Sao, etc.
These are 20 specialty dishes that any visitor to Hue should try once. Not only the rich taste of Royal but also affordable price.
To wrap up, Metta Voyage hopes the above information will help you fully enjoy Hue food. In addition, to discover more Vietnamese cuisine, you can refer to Viet Nam cooking tour or Viet Nam culinary tour.
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