Hue isn’t Vietnam’s biggest city, but it sure as hell eats like it is. Once the Imperial capital, this place turned feeding emperors into a competitive sport. Centuries later, the obsession stuck. Many of the dishes you find in the city were once reserved for royalty. Now you can find them throughout the city and they’re eaten on plastic stools in a dank alley. Other dishes were born out of necessity by the peasant population and they are equally as delicious. None of them should be missed.
So to assist you in your quest for where to eat in Hue, this guide covers 11 dishes across six spots that showcase the best food in Hue and why this city is still Vietnam’s food capital.
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Table of Contents
Where to eat in Hue: The Imperial City
Hue’s story starts with emperors who had way too much time and way too many chefs. The Nguyen dynasty made the Hue Imperial City the seat of power, and with that came food traditions designed to keep rulers fat, smug, and entertained. Royal banquets meant hundreds of tiny plates, each one a delicate mix of color, texture, and flavor. The emperors demanded variety and presentation that bordered on obsessive. Food was art, but it was also status. If you could impress a bored monarch, you secured your place at court.
The kicker is that those recipes didn’t vanish when the dynasty collapsed. Servants, cooks, and apprentices carried them into the streets, where they lost the gold platters but kept the taste. Hue’s modern dishes are direct descendants of palace food, only cheaper, spicier, and eaten at tiny tables while dodging motorbikes. That’s why Hue’s food stands apart in Vietnam: it’s imperial luxury stripped of ceremony and given to everyone else. When you sit down here, you’re basically eating what emperors once did, minus the concubines and executions, and it’s a reminder of why travelers still search for where to eat in Hue today.
Đông Ba Market
If chaos had a smell, it would be Đông Ba Market. This is Hue’s main food arena, a sprawling mess of vendors where you can buy pig organs, fake sneakers, or noodles better than you’ll find in most Hue restaurants. Bourdain made one stall here famous and he even proclaimed this is the best soup in the world.
The name of the stall is Bún Bò Huế Kim Châu and I’ll bet you can guess the dish we’re going for. Full disclosure, I have read some horrible reviews of Kim Châu and I have eaten at several of Bourdain’s favorites with less than stellar results. Perhaps it was because I had a camera in hand, perhaps it was just a good day, but my visit here was nothing less than superb.
Bún bò Huế
This isn’t just a bowl of noodles. It’s a declaration of war against bland soup. Thick rice noodles swim in broth that smells like lemongrass crashed headfirst into chili oil. Pork knuckles, beef shank, and the occasional cube of congealed blood float around like edible landmines. Locals eat it for breakfast, tourists try to keep up, and everyone ends up sweating.
The real kicker is how layered it tastes. The beef bones simmer for hours, lemongrass stalks perfume the pot, shrimp paste adds funk, and chili oil ties it all together. Every spoonful burns and soothes at the same time. You can eat bún bò elsewhere in Vietnam, but outside Hue it’s watered down and boring. Here, it’s still bold enough to slap you in the face before hugging you.
I always add extra chilies to everything I eat. Not here. Fiery heat directly from her pot with no extras needed. If you eat one dish in Hue, make it this one. No list of where to eat in Hue is complete without it.
Mệ Bừ
Some Hue restaurants polish the floor until you can eat off it. Mệ Bừ doesn’t bother, this is Hue street food at it’s best. The stools are tiny, the fans barely move the air, and the tables wobble. But you’re not here for comfort. You’re here because the grill never stops smoking, skewers pile up faster than beer cans, and everyone at the next table is already three rounds deep into saucy bowls.
Nem lụi
Ground pork wrapped around lemongrass stalks, grilled until the edges char and the fat drips onto coals. It’s smoky, juicy, and begging to be dunked into the thick peanut-hoisin sauce. The sauce isn’t a sidekick, it’s the main act. It clings to the meat, gets all over your fingers, and ruins tissue, because you won’t find a napkin anywhere in this country.
Locals wrap the skewers in rice paper with herbs and pickled vegetables, creating rolls so messy you’ll kick yourself for wearing white today. One skewer turns into five, then ten, and suddenly you’re calculating how to move here without a visa.
Bún mắm nêm
This is the Hue street food litmus test. Cold rice noodles drowned in pungent anchovy sauce, topped with pork belly, pineapple, and herbs. It stinks like a fishing boat in July, and it’s one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes. I wrote all about the pungent aroma and what mắm nêm is in my Danang post if you want to learn more.
But once you power through that funky ass smell, it’s addictive. Sweet, salty, funky, and savoury all at once. Tourists wrinkle their noses and make funny faces, the locals laugh at them. Meanwhile I’m ordering another bowl. Dishes like this are a reminder that the answer to where to eat in Hue isn’t always obvious, but it’s always rewarding.
Chè Hẻm
Dessert in Hue means chè, and Chè Hẻm is the shrine. Hidden in an alley, the shop runs on plastic stools, fluorescent bulbs, and bowls or glasses of sugary chaos. For decades, this has been where students, families, and anyone with a sweet tooth crowd together. Skip it and you didn’t actually eat in the city, and it would be missing from any serious list of where to eat in Hue.
Chè bắp
Corn pudding that’s equal parts creamy and chewy. Sweet but balanced, it’s proof that corn belongs in dessert when done properly. Locals swear it tastes better at night, when the alley is packed and you’re shoulder to shoulder with strangers who don’t care that you’re sweating into your bowl.
Chè khoai môn
Taro in syrup, thick enough to slow your walk home and topped with a thick coconut cream. It’s heavy, sweet, and sticky in a way that clings to your teeth. It’s not subtle, but subtlety isn’t the point. This is Hue’s answer to anyone who thinks dessert should be dainty.
Where to eat in Hue accommodations
Luxury Accommodations: – Alba Wellness Resort By Fusion – Alba Wellness Resort offers a quiet retreat with bungalow-style villas and a palm-lined pool. Its location near Hue Imperial City makes it an easy base for tours followed by meals at Hue restaurants serving regional specialties.
Mid-Range Accommodations: – aNhill Boutique – Anhill Resort Hue combines contemporary architecture with relaxing poolside areas. Guests staying here are well positioned to enjoy the best food in Hue, from local street food stalls to acclaimed Hue restaurants within a short ride from the property.
Budget Accommodations: – Hue Nino Hotel – Nino Hotel Hue features simple but comfortable rooms with large windows and city views. Its central location is convenient for travelers focused on where to eat in Hue, with popular Hue street food markets and casual restaurants only minutes away.
Looking for other great places to stay near Hoi An? Use the search bar below to find more options!
More food from around the world: Best Food in Danang
Cơm hến Hoa Đông
Baby clams sound delicate until you see what Hue does with them. And Cơm hến Hoa Đông won’t show up on any other list you will find. The reason being is that despite all the research I pour into finding out of the way places, I never would have found this had it not been for the reception team at Hue Nino Hotel.
I had three Hue street food locations planned for trying these dishes, and as soon as I talked with them they recommended this place. They weren’t wrong and yes, I did try two of the Hue restaurants I had on my list and they were meh at best. It’s not easy to find, but more than worth the journey, and one of the lesser-known answers to where to eat in Hue.
Cơm hến
Cơm hến and bún hến were both considered peasant food originally. The Nguyen rulers brought it into the Hue Imperial City, it became a favorite of theirs too. The cơm version is rice (cơm) and clams (hến). Not a typical sea clam but mollusks found in the river beds along the Perfume river. They’re tiny little things, but the flavors are not.
It’s served with fresh herbs, peanuts, fried pork skin and a side of clam broth. I personally like to add some chilies to it making it sweet, spicy, briny, and crunchy. Locals tear this up for breakfast and I would fight a baby for another bowl of this right now.
Bún hến
Same ingredients, different vehicle. Noodles replace rice, and the texture changes just enough to make it worth ordering. The heat from the chili builds as you eat, until you’re red-faced, sweating, and pretending you’re fine. But you keep eating, because it’s that damn good.
Kudos to the sweet little Auntie who was flabbergasted a white guy made his way over to the island just to try her cơm hến and bún hến. More than worth the journey to get there.
Quán Ăn An Tâm
Hue doesn’t just do meals. It does snacks, dozens of them, each with its own cult following. Quán Ăn An Tâm is one of those rare stops that feels less like a restaurant and more like a crash course in where to eat in Hue. Just about the entire menu is dishes that were made for the royal family at one point. In fact, the owner’s mother worked in the kitchens for the royal family and her son now carries on her legacy creating finger food heaven.
Bánh ướt thịt nướng
Bánh ướt thịt nướng is a wet and sticky rice paper wrap stuffed with grilled pork and fresh herbs. You will find versions of this throughout Vietnam under the name bánh cuốn or sometimes bánh quấn. You get a dipping sauce called nước chấm that is made from fish sauce, chilies, and citrus. Dip and enjoy
They are often referred to as wet cake and it’s one Vietnamese dish you won’t be able to get enough. The chew of the rice, the smoke of the pork, and the crunch of herbs make it the best handshake Hue can offer.
Bánh nậm
Bánh nậm is a signature dish of the ancient city. It’s such an important dish that on the 1st and 15th day of the lunar month the people of Hue use bánh nậm as offerings to deities and ancestors.
These are flat rice cakes steamed in lá dong leaves, filled with minced pork, shrimp, and shallots. And yes, I said lá dong leaves and not banana leaves as many suggest. In Hue, lá dong is preferred for the aroma it imparts.
Anyway, the dumplings peel away from the leaf like gifts of the Gods. They’re served with a clear amber dipping sauce that uses shrimp as base but it’s very subtle. From dumpling to sauce, everything about this dish is delicate, and they disappear in batches of five before you realize what you’ve done.
Bánh ram ít
With bánh ram ít, they mix the best of both worlds. On the bottom is a crunchy, fried sticky rice cracker. On the top a sticky rice dumpling stuffed more pork and shrimp, then they sprinkle hundreds of tiny dried shrimps on top of that. And once again that subtle chili infused shrimp dipping sauce
The texture clash is deliberate: sticky vs. brittle, soft vs. crunchy. Every bite confuses your brain in the best way. Pure umami heaven. This was fun because I was filming a video and realized I ate an entire plate of these without hitting the record button. So of course I did what any logical person would do. Order another round of bánh ram ít.
Bánh bột lọc
Bánh bột lọc are beautiful tapioca dumplings filled with even more shrimp and pork, and steamed again in lá dong leaves. After steaming, they become completely transparent revealing the pork and shrimp inside.
Delicate dumplings once again, but this time they are served with what I believe is called dầu tôm. Whatever it is called it’s a shrimp based oil, but this time there is nothing subtle about it. It is extremely salty with an extra kick of umami. But the dumplings wouldn’t be the same without it.
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The Original Cà Phê Muối
Vietnam is already coffee-obsessed, but Hue had to put its stamp on it. A husband-and-wife team created salt coffee here, and the rest of the country hasn’t stopped copying them since.
I mean that literally. Cà Phê Muối are the creators of this coffee concoction of the same name and that link is the original location. You will see cà phê muối advertised all over Hue, because it literally translates to salt coffee, but they aren’t the originals.
Cà phê muối
To be honest, this doesn’t sound very good at all. Bitter coffee and let’s really screw it up and throw some salt in it? Not appealing in the least to me, but I had to try it. Holy mother of God!
At first glance, it looks like another iced coffee with too much condensed milk when you see the finished product. They wouldn’t let me film the process, but as best I can tell they bring you a cup with some condensed milk and salt in the bottom of it. Then they top it off with their own secret blend of ground beans in a phin filter to brew right at your table.
The flavor is unbelievable. The salt pulls out the sweetness, sharpens the bitterness, and makes you wonder why no one thought of this earlier. And what is even more bizarre is that it tastes like salted caramel. It’s sweet, but you still get a deep coffee flavor, For coffee lovers, this cup alone could decide where to eat in Hue each morning.
The couple who invented it still run the shop, pouring glass after glass for caffeine addicts who pretend they’ll stop at one. They won’t. I didn’t, and neither will you.
Where to Eat in Hue Final Thoughts
Hoi An Old Town looks pretty on postcards. In reality, it’s a sweaty maze of lantern shops, shouting vendors, and tourists choking the streets. The food saves it. Every alley hides something edible, if you know where to look. Eat wrong, and you’ll drop triple the cash on dishes cooked for gullible travelers.
So go for it and enjoy it. You’ll sweat, you’ll stain your shirt, and you’ll forget what quiet feels like. And you’ll still wish for one more bite before leaving.
So let’s hear it: have you eaten at these spots, or do you know somewhere better? Let me know in the comments.
FAQ: Where to Eat in Hue
What food is Hue, Vietnam most famous for?
Hue is best known for bún bò Huế, the spicy beef noodle soup that’s basically the city in a bowl. But it doesn’t stop there. Hue’s food reputation also hangs on royal-era snacks like bánh nậm and bánh bột lọc, salty-sweet oddities like cà phê muối, and clam-based dishes like cơm hến that were once peasant staples. The city’s mix of imperial banquets and street grit built a food culture that defines where to eat in Hue today.
Is Hue street food safe to eat?
Yes, if you use common sense. Street food in Hue is usually cooked right in front of you, which means it’s fresh and piping hot. Stick to vendors with a steady stream of locals, if the line moves fast, turnover is high, and that’s what you want. Avoid lukewarm trays of food sitting around, and don’t overthink hygiene because Hue isn’t serving Michelin plating. Pack hand sanitizer, grab some tissues, and eat where everyone else eats.
How much does food in Hue cost?
Cheap. A steaming bowl of bún bò Huế might set you back 30,000–50,000 VND, which is less than $2. Skewers, dumplings, and rice dishes often cost the same or even less. Even sit-down Hue restaurants with royal-inspired dishes rarely break $5–$7 a meal, proving that the best food in Hue doesn’t have to come with a high price tag. If you’re paying more than that, you’re either eating in a tourist trap or drinking half the menu.
Where can I find the best street food in Hue?
Đông Ba Market is ground zero. It’s chaotic, loud, and packed with vendors selling everything from steaming bowls of soup to snacks fried on the spot. Outside the market, look for side streets near the Perfume River and around the Imperial City where family-run shops set up stools and tiny grills at night, which is exactly where to eat in Hue if you want to eat like a local. The rule is simple: go where the smoke, crowds, and noise are.
Do Hue restaurants serve vegetarian food?
Yes, and they take it seriously. Hue has strong Buddhist traditions, and many restaurants cook vegetarian versions of classic dishes for temple-goers. Expect tofu, mushrooms, and mock meats replacing pork or beef in bánh, bún, and cơm dishes. Even if you’re not vegetarian, these dishes prove that where to eat in Hue isn’t limited to meat-heavy menus.
How is Hue food different from other parts of Vietnam?
Hue food is spicier, saltier, and punchier than what you’ll eat in Hanoi or Saigon. The city still carries its imperial legacy, so presentation and variety matter. Expect small plates, complex textures, and careful balance of flavors. But it’s not dainty. Hue’s food combines palace traditions with the grit of working-class dishes, with meals that hit harder and last longer on your tongue.
What time of day do locals usually eat in Hue?
Breakfast is king here. Most locals start their day with steaming bowls of bún bò Huế or cơm hến. Lunch crowds hit small eateries and Hue street food for quick snacks or dumplings, while the evening belongs to street-side grills, chè shops, and cafes. If you want to eat like a local, don’t wait until noon for your “first meal”, the best food in Hue is often gone by then.
Can I find royal cuisine in Hue today?
Yes, but it won’t look like what emperors ate in palaces. Many family-run restaurants still cook recipes passed down from royal kitchens, making them living proof of where to eat in Hue if you want history served with your meal. Dishes like bánh nậm, bánh ram ít, and cơm hến all have ties to imperial cooking. You’re eating royal food, it’s just stripped of ceremony, cheap, and probably served with a sweating glass of iced tea.
Is coffee culture strong in Hue?
Absolutely, and Hue adds its own twist. Vietnam is already obsessed with coffee, but Hue invented cà phê muối, a salted coffee that tastes like caramel met espresso. Cafes range from street-corner stools to stylish shops, but the salt coffee is the must-try. Order it at the original café where it was created if you want the real deal, not one of the countless knockoffs.
What should I avoid eating in Hue?
Not much, unless you’re squeamish. The best food in Hue food doesn’t apologize for being funky, spicy, or pungent. If anchovy sauce and baby clams sound like a nightmare, maybe tread carefully, but those are exactly the dishes locals love most. The bigger mistake is sticking only to “safe” bowls of phở. That’s not Hue food, it’s a tourist crutch. If you came here to play it safe, you came to the wrong city.
Got another question? Drop it in the comments.
