Hanoi Old Quarter: Food Tour & Banh Mi Class with 10+ Dishes

You'll Make Banh Mi in Hanoi's Oldest Neighborhood, Then Eat Your Way Through 10 Dishes

You'll cook banh mi with a local vendor, eat at five family-run restaurants across Hanoi's Old Quarter, browse Dong Xuan Market with snacks, and finish with cocktails at a hidden speakeasy. The guide is English-speaking and knows the owners personally. Over 10 dishes, unlimited local drinks, and a walk that covers the neighborhood from north to south in one evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Long Bien Bridge1h
2. Dong Xuan Market1h

Explore Hanoi Old Quarter and Food

• Meet at north boundary restaurant
• Try bánh cuốn and cháo sườn sụn
• Visit Long Biên Bridge at sunset
• Explore Hanoi central market
• Join bánh mì making class
• Savor chả cá grilled tableside
• Enjoy homemade desserts in nostalgic shop
• Drink Vietnamese cocktails at hidden speakeasy

The experience

There's something about walking into a restaurant that has no sign, where the owner's mother taught her how to make bánh cuốn in 1987, and you're the only foreigner in the room. That's the feeling this food tour trades on. You start at the north edge of Hanoi's Old Quarter and work your way south over an evening, stopping at five sit-down restaurants where you'll taste bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls), cháo sườn sụn (creamy rice porridge with pork ribs), and chả cá (turmeric fish grilled right at your table). The guide is a local who speaks English and knows the owners, not just the menu.

The hands-on part comes early: you'll make your own bánh mì with a vendor who's been doing this for years, learning how she layers the bread, the pickled vegetables, the pâté. After that, you walk through Dong Xuan Market, Hanoi's largest wet market, where the air is thick with the smell of fresh herbs and fish on ice. You'll sample street snacks there. The kind of thing you'd miss if you were just passing through. The whole thing moves at a pace that lets you actually taste what you're eating and talk to the people making it, not just tick boxes on a checklist.

By the time you reach the last stop (a nostalgic shop full of rustic antiques where they serve homemade desserts) you've already had enough food for two days. But then there's the speakeasy. It's hidden away from the Old Quarter's main noise, and you get a premium Vietnamese-inspired cocktail there, plus unlimited local beer and soda throughout the evening. The whole tour wraps up on the south side of the Old Quarter, which means you've crossed the neighborhood on foot, seen how it actually works, and eaten the way locals do.

You'll pass Long Biên Bridge during the tour too (the historic iron span that's been there since 1902), and catch it around sunset if the timing works. It's not a photo stop. It's just part of the walk. The tour includes an English-speaking guide the whole way, so you're not navigating menus or asking questions in broken Vietnamese. Meeting details come by email after you book.

What’s included

• Five sit-down restaurant meals featuring dishes like bánh cuốn, cháo sườn sụn, and chả cá.
• a hands-on bánh mì making class with a local vendor.
• entry and snacks at Dong Xuan Market.
• unlimited local beer and soda throughout the evening.
• one premium Vietnamese-inspired cocktail at a hidden speakeasy.
• and an English-speaking local guide who knows the restaurant owners and can answer questions about the food and neighborhood.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 16:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Child (3 to 15 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Lost Plate

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to eat the way Hanoi residents do (at family-run spots where the owner's been there for decades) without figuring out which alleys to wander or how to order in Vietnamese. The local guide and fixed stops are what make a real neighborhood walk possible in one evening.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 15 years); Infant (under 3): free.

Is the banh mi class difficult if I've never cooked before?

No. The class is led by a seasoned local vendor and is designed as a hands-on experience, not a culinary lesson. You'll learn the technique by doing it alongside someone who does it every day.

What's included in the price?

Five sit-down meals, a banh mi making class, market snacks, unlimited local beer and soda, one premium cocktail at the speakeasy, and an English-speaking local guide.

Do I need to arrange my own transport to the meeting point?

The tour doesn't include hotel pickup. Public transportation options are available near the starting location. Meeting details are sent by email after booking.

Will I actually see Long Biên Bridge?

Yes, you'll pass by the historic Long Biên Bridge during the tour, with a chance to see it around sunset depending on timing.