Hoi An Food Tour: 12 Tastings Across Back Streets & Markets

Dumplings kept in one family for 130 years, then five savory cakes you've never seen before.

A 3-hour food tour of Hoi An led by an English-speaking guide, stopping at 12+ local eateries across back streets and markets where residents actually eat. You taste dumplings from a 130-year-old family recipe, savory cakes at a school-hour market stall, and the spot Anthony Bourdain visited: places you won't find on social media or stumble into alone. Bottled water and all tastings are included. Choose between a walking route or a motorbike version at checkout.

Options for this experience

2 options

From US$ 27 per person, depending on the option and date you choose.See dates & book

Walking food tour of Hoi An 16:00 and 17:00 Guide in English Taste and tale in Hoi An: Stroll the backstreets of Hoi An, sampling more than 12 local dishes while learning how its old trading port shaped the flavors.

Motorbike food tour in Hoi An 15:00 Guide in English Hop on a motorbike: ideal for summer, it's easy and laid-back and packed with flavor, with a behind-the-scenes look at lantern boats on the Hoai River.

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Step-by-step itinerary

Hoi An local food tasting tour

• Meet guide at White Rose Restaurant
• Try dumplings from family recipe
• Visit local market for five savory cakes
• Learn history at first Catholic church
• Sample food at Ba Le Well area
• Explore Hoi An Central Market and special stall

What’s included

• All 12+ tastings at local eateries and market stalls.
• bottled water.
• snacks.
• English-speaking guide for the full three hours.
• access to the back-street spots and markets where locals eat.
• the Anthony Bourdain-featured stall at Hoi An Central Market.

Times

• Every day 15:00 16:00 17:00

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Before you book

Group Up to 10 · max 6 per booking 1 private ›

Live guide English Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup No hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts. 4 with pickup ›

Ages Adult (9 and older) · Child (4 to 8 years) · Infant (under 4): free

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Wheelchair accessible Accessible transport Stroller-friendly Pets welcome Public transport nearby Not recommended during pregnancy Not recommended with heart problems Not recommended with back problems

Operated by Hoi An With Us

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

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The experience

You arrive in Hoi An with a free afternoon and no plan to navigate the real food scene. The tour starts at White Rose Restaurant, where your guide meets you and you try dumplings made from a recipe kept in the same family for over 130 years. That single dish carries the weight of the place: a trading port where cultures collided and stayed, and where food is memory.

The route moves through the back streets and into a local market when it fills with students buying snacks after school. You stop at five stalls and taste traditional cakes that are savory, not sweet. The kind of surprise that makes you rethink what you thought you knew. Along the way, your guide points out the first Catholic church in Vietnam and the Ba Le Well, where locals still gather and share stories about the water. These are not detours. They are the reason the food tastes the way it does here. At Hoi An Central Market, many stalls look identical and some sellers are pushy, but your guide knows the one that Anthony Bourdain visited and featured on television: no queue, no crowds, easy to miss if you were walking alone.

The tour runs three hours and includes all tastings, bottled water and snacks. You can book the walking version or choose the motorbike option at checkout, which covers the same stops but moves faster through the streets. Both routes are led by the same guide in English, and both end with you having eaten what Hoi An residents eat, not what the main tourist strip serves.

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 8 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What exactly do I taste on this food tour?

You try 12+ dishes across the stops: dumplings from a 130-year family recipe at White Rose Restaurant; five savory traditional cakes at a market stall; food at Ba Le Well; and several tastings at Hoi An Central Market, including the stall Anthony Bourdain featured. All tastings are included in the price.

Are these places I could find and eat at on my own?

Most of the eateries are local spots that only locals really know: places you won't easily find yourself or see on TikTok or YouTube. The guide takes you to the back streets and the market stalls where residents eat, not the main tourist strip.

How long does the tour take?

The tour runs three hours, moving through back streets, local markets and the central market. You can choose the walking route or the motorbike version at checkout. Both cover the same stops and take the same amount of time.

What's included in the price?

All 12+ tastings, bottled water and snacks are included. The guide is English-speaking and leads you the entire way. Gratuities are not included.

What's the difference between the walking tour and the motorbike tour?

Both tours visit the same stops and tastings with the same guide. The motorbike version moves faster through the streets. The walking version lets you move at a slower pace through the neighborhoods. Choose whichever suits your comfort level at checkout.

Why does this tour include a church and a well if it's a food tour?

Hoi An was an international trading port where cultures met and shaped the food and the city. The guide shares stories about the first Catholic church in Vietnam and the Ba Le Well. These stops explain why the food tastes the way it does and what Hoi An's history means to the people who live here.