eat like Bourdain
🇻🇳 Where Bourdain Ate in Hanoi
8 places across Parts Unknown & No Reservations
“Hanoi is one of the most magical, sensory-overload cities I have ever been to. The food is extraordinary.”
Bourdain's love for Vietnam, and Hanoi specifically, was one of the defining themes of his travel career. His 2016 meal with President Obama at a Hanoi bún chả shop became one of the most famous moments of Parts Unknown. He returned to Vietnam multiple times across different shows.
What Bourdain Loved About Hanoi
Bún chả — the dish he famously ate with Obama at a humble plastic-stool joint
Phở at dawn — the morning ritual of the entire city
The street food culture — eating on tiny stools inches from the ground
Bia hơi — fresh beer on street corners for pocket change
The energy — the controlled chaos of motorbikes, markets, and food stalls
Episodes Featuring Hanoi
Parts Unknown — S8 E1: Hanoi
The Obama episode — one of the most iconic moments in food TV
Parts Unknown — S2 E2: Vietnam
Returns to Vietnam, the country he loved most
No Reservations — S8 E2: Vietnam
Another deep dive into Vietnamese food culture
No Reservations — S3 E11: Vietnam
First Vietnam episode — falls deeply in love
Travel Tips for Eating in Hanoi
Tony's Advice
Wake up at 5am. Walk to the nearest phở stall with a line of locals. That's breakfast. The rest of the day is bonus.
What to Skip
- ✕Western restaurants in the Old Quarter — you didn't come to Hanoi for pizza
- ✕Overpriced 'street food tours' from hotel concierges
- ✕Restaurants with laminated menus in 5 languages
Every Place Bourdain Visited in Hanoi
8 placesBún ốc Giang phố cổ
Lương Ngọc Quyến
Tony started this Vietnam journey at this bún ốc restaurant in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Bún ốc is a snail noodle soup
Bánh Cuốn Nóng Kim Thoa
Phố Hàm Tử Quan
Tony met with Thao Griffiths, the country director of the Vietnam Foundation. They ate Banh cuon, a dish of ground pork with wood ear mushroom in a thin rice noodle roll that is dipped in broth.
Bún Chửi Ngô Sĩ Liên
Phố Ngô Sĩ Liên
Also known as "Cussing Noodles" due to the owner yelling at people, but is Tony's friend Ha Pham's favorite place to get bún chin zou, or as Tony describes, "a glorious steaming bowl of rice noodles with spicy chilies, a rich hearty porky broth with pig's knuckles and snout. It's the only item on the menu and it's good!"
Bia Hải Xồm
Phan Kế Bính
Tony met with his old friend Dinh Hoang Linh, his former Foreign Affairs Ministry minder. "Bia Hảirefers to the roadside joints where locals gather to enjoy keg dispensed, freshly brewed draft beer
Bún chả Hương Liên
Phố Lê Văn Hưu
Tony met with President Obama (while he was in office) to have bún chả. It was Obama's first visit to Vietnam, and it reminded him of his childhood visits to Indonesia. They shared cold beers and bún chả, a traditional Vietnamese soup of grilled pork belly, pork patties, and noodles served in a broth of vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and served with chilies. Obama told a story about a city in Indonesia called Puncak where he would eat at a roadside restaurant overlooking the tea fields, with a river running through the restaurant. You could pick a fish and they'd fry it and serve it with a bed of rice. Obama said it was a simple meal but his favorite.
Bún chả Nem rán B2 Vĩnh Hồ
Phõ Vĩnh Hó
Bun Cha (noodle dish with grilled meats)
Hanoi Food Stand
Ngo Quyen Street Hanoi
"The dish I crave above all others," Tony says of pho. This episode was a clip show showing "food porn" examples.
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Hotel where he started
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