I often get asked about my favorite food in Da Nang. Choosing only one food is so hard, so I’ve come up with a list of my top 10 Da Nang foods. Note that these aren’t necessarily unique to Da Nang, and some people may argue that other places have a better version of a particular food. But these are foods that I think Da Nang does especially well and shouldn’t be missed while here.
My Top 10 Da Nang Foods
bún mắm
Dry noodle salad with unripe papaya, fresh herbs, roasted pork and the most important ingredient, mắm nem, a stinky (but delicious!) fermented fish sauce. Easily my number one food in Da Nang.
bún chả cá
Fish-cake noodle soup. Often comes with pumpkin, young bamboo, pineapple and crab cake. Add fresh veggies, bean sprouts and a squeeze of fresh lime, toss in some diced chili and a dollop of shrimp paste and you’ve got one hell of a noodle soup.
cá đuối nướng
BBQ stingray. I love this fish because it’s only really got four bones; the rest is all cartilage, which you can eat too! It’s packed with lemongrass and chili & covered with leaves before grilling. Scrape off the soft white meat, roll it up and dip it in fish sauce. Tasty!
nghêu nướng
grilled clams. There’s just something about grilled clams that I never get tired of. I love big juicy ones with minimal seasoning. I love the smaller ones, almost-crispy-on-the-edges, covered in spring onions. I just love them all.
mỳ Quảng
Da Nang’s classic noodle dish. Thin, wide noodles in a light broth, covered in more fresh herbs and sometimes bits of crushed-up rice cracker. You can find my review on mỳ quảng here.
ốc hương
small speckled snails. These are a real delicacy, and they’re not cheap. I like them steamed with lemongrass. You’ll need a toothpick to get them out of the shell. Meaty and tender, these are delicious.
scallops – sò điệp
bánh canh
noodle soup made by rolling out rice flour dough, wrapping it around a spool of sorts (Vodka Hanoi bottles work well) and then using a blunt knife to ‘chunk’ off noodle-sized pieces into a boiling broth. They best places are the ones where you can watch them make it in front of you.
nem lụi
minced seasoned pork pressed on a bamboo stick and grilled over an open flame. So simple but so good!
bánh xèo
Da Nang’s most famous dish with tourists barely made my list, but I just couldn’t bring myself to leave it off. Crispy pancake that’s rolled up in rice paper with fresh veggies, then dunked in a tangy peanut sauce. But whatever you do, don’t go to Bà Dưỡng; there’s plenty of way better bánh xèo around town.
So there you have it, my top 10 Da Nang foods. Now if you want to know my picks for the best places to eat these foods, you’ll have to join a food tour!
