In my ongoing quest to find the best Da Nang lunch, I’ve come across a couple great spots that are worth checking out.
A Tale of Two Da Nang Lunch Spots
Com Suon Que – Rice with Pork Ribs
The classic Da Nang lunch must include three things: a vegetable, something salty (usually meat) and a soup. This cơm sườn shop covers all the bases, except your veggie has been reduced to a side of kim chi + sliced tomato & lettuce, while the meat has been upgraded big time. From the rice to the soup, everything is tasty, but the pork steals the show here. It’s like a Chinese-style glaze, and the meat is tender and juicy. And the price is, as Vietnamese people say, ‘soft’ at only 30,000.
Cơm Sườn Que – 157A Núi Thành
Bun Mam
The other place I tried recently is a bún mắm shop. If you don’t know, bún mắm is one of Da Nang’s tastiest dishes. It’s basically a dry noodle (that’s the bún) salad with fresh veggies, shredded unripe papaya and roasted pork or sometimes pickled ‘sour’ pork. This dish unfortunately often finds itself on the ‘not-suitable-for-foreigners’ list because of the signature ingredient, the fermented fish sauce. But don’t let the smell deter you: bún mắm is amazing!
The most famous place to eat bun mam in Da Nang is in a small alley in the city center, where you can choose from three different restaurants. But I was looking for somewhere new, and heard about Bé Hà on the beach side, so I turned up for lunch one afternoon. You have a choice of roasted pork or ‘sour’ pork, but why choose when you can get both? So I did.
The portion was quite big, and despite turning up at the end of the lunch rush, everything was still really fresh. The fish sauce was potent but not quite at ‘knock-you-on-your-ass’ strength, and a bit sweet with lots of chunks of pineapple to balance out the fishy taste. This place is solid and definitely worth a try.
130 Bùi Hữu Nghĩa (it’s OK, I’d never heard of this street either), just off Nguyễn Công Trứ on the beach side.
Want to check out some other great Da Nang food spots? Come on a morning or evening food tour!