Food Guide
What to Eat in Da Lat: 15 Local Dishes & Where to Find Them
Charcoal-grilled rice paper, steaming soy milk, herb-scented hot-pot and strawberries by the basket — a hungry traveller's guide to Vietnam's coolest food city.
Da Lat eats differently from the rest of Vietnam. At around 1,500 m up in the Central Highlands, evenings drop to 10–16°C, and the city's food has grown up around that chill: hot-pot bubbling on every other table, steaming cups of soy milk, snacks grilled over charcoal right in front of you. When the sun goes down, locals and visitors pour into the night market to graze from stall to stall.
The farms around the city grow much of the country's vegetables, flowers and fruit, so the produce is exceptionally fresh: crisp greens, artichokes, avocados and piles of strawberries. Add highland arabica coffee and you have a food scene that rewards slow, curious eating. Almost everything below is sold at cheap street-food prices.
Street Food Classics
The snacks Da Lat is famous for — best eaten standing up, next to a charcoal grill, with a jacket on.
🍕 Bánh tráng nướng — Grilled rice paper
Da Lat's signature snack, often nicknamed "Vietnamese pizza". A sheet of rice paper goes onto a charcoal grill, gets smeared with beaten quail or chicken egg and spring-onion oil, then topped with dried shrimp, minced pork, sausage or cheese and finished with chilli sauce and mayo. It crackles as it crisps; eat it folded in half while it's still hot.
🥞 Bánh căn — Mini rice-flour pancakes
Small round cakes cooked in clay moulds over coals, with a crisp base and a soft, custardy top, often with quail egg, shrimp or squid inside. They arrive in a stack with a bowl of fish-sauce broth studded with meatballs, plus pickled green mango and herbs. Order a plate to share and dunk everything.
🥖 Bánh mì xíu mại — Meatball bánh mì
Da Lat's own take on bánh mì: a small bowl of tender pork meatballs in a light tomato broth, served with a crusty baguette for tearing and dunking. It's the city's favourite breakfast on a cold morning, warming, filling and very cheap.
🌯 Nem nướng — Grilled pork rolls
Sweet, garlicky pork sausage grilled on skewers, then rolled at the table in rice paper with lettuce, herbs, green banana, cucumber and a crunchy fried rice-paper stick. The star is the thick, orange dipping sauce, rich and slightly sweet. A proper sit-down meal that's fun to assemble.
🍗 Bánh ướt lòng gà — Steamed rice rolls with chicken
Silky, thin sheets of steamed rice noodle served with shredded free-range chicken, chicken offal for the adventurous, fresh herbs and a sweet-sour fish sauce. Light but satisfying, and a very Da Lat way to start the day.
🍢 Xiên nướng — Grilled skewers
Meat, sausage, tofu, okra and mushroom skewers sizzle on smoky grills all over the night market. Point at what you want, grab a plastic stool and they'll be brushed with sauce and cooked to order. Perfect for grazing on cold evenings.
Noodles, Soups & Hot-Pot
Da Lat is the one place in southern Vietnam where the weather begs for something steaming.
🍜 Bún bò Đà Lạt — Da Lat-style beef noodle soup
A local cousin of Hue's famous bún bò: thick round rice noodles in a fragrant broth with lemongrass, beef and pork, usually a little milder than the Hue version. Topped with herbs and banana-flower shavings, it's the go-to breakfast or late-night bowl for many locals.
🍲 Lẩu gà lá é — Chicken hot-pot with lá é
The dish every Vietnamese visitor comes to Da Lat for. Chicken simmers in a clear broth loaded with lá é, a local highland herb with a peppery, minty, slightly lemony flavour. You add noodles, mushrooms and more herbs as you go. Cosy, aromatic and best shared on a chilly night.
🥩 Lẩu bò — Beef hot-pot
A bubbling pot of rich beef broth where you cook thin slices of beef, tendon and meatballs with Da Lat's famously fresh vegetables: cabbage, watercress, mushrooms and more. Gather a few friends and settle in for a long, warm dinner.
Sweet & Warm
Cold nights make sweet, warm things taste even better.
🥛 Sữa đậu nành — Hot soy milk
The drink of Da Lat nights. Fresh soy milk, lightly sweet and often scented with pandan, ladled steaming hot from big metal urns. Locals sip it with a pastry or a stick of fried dough. Wrap your hands around the cup and you'll understand the appeal.
🍮 Bánh flan & kem bơ — Flan & avocado ice cream
Da Lat does silky caramel flan, sometimes topped with coffee and crushed ice. Its other famous dessert is kem bơ: mashed Lam Dong avocado blended until thick and creamy, topped with a scoop of coconut ice cream. Rich, green, surprising and very moreish.
🍧 Chè — Sweet soups
Chè is a whole family of Vietnamese desserts: beans, jellies, sticky rice, taro, sweet potato and coconut milk in endless combinations. In Da Lat you'll find hot versions like ginger-syrup rice balls, perfect for warming up after a night walk around the lake.
Fresh from the Farms
The highlands around Da Lat grow much of Vietnam's vegetables, flowers and fruit.
🍓 Dâu tây — Strawberries, jam & strawberry wine
Glossy pyramids of Da Lat strawberries fill the markets. Eat them fresh (locals dip them in chilli salt), as a thick smoothie, or take home a jar of jam, dried strawberries or a bottle of strawberry wine. Jars travel better than fresh fruit on the bus.
Drinks
Two local brews you can't leave without trying.
🌿 Trà atiso — Artichoke tea
Artichokes grow well in Da Lat's cool climate, and the dried flowers, leaves and roots are brewed into a mild, earthy herbal tea that locals drink for health. You'll see it hot in cafés and sold in packs everywhere, an easy, light souvenir.
☕ Cà phê Đà Lạt — Da Lat coffee
The hills around Da Lat grow arabica, smoother and more aromatic than the robusta of the lowlands, and the city is full of cosy cafés with valley views. Try it hot and strong from a phin filter, or with condensed milk. Countryside tours often stop at coffee farms where you can taste weasel coffee and see how beans are processed.
Where to Eat in Da Lat
Stalls and favourite spots change all the time, so here's where to eat by area rather than by name. Follow the crowds of locals on plastic stools — it's the most reliable review there is.
The night market
The easiest place to try half this list in one evening: grilled rice paper, skewers, soy milk, corn and strawberries along the walking street below Da Lat Market. Read our Da Lat night market guide before you go.
Da Lat Market & surrounding streets
The ground floor of Da Lat Market and the small lanes around it are packed with local eateries serving bánh căn, bún bò, bánh mì xíu mại and more — good for breakfast and lunch when the night stalls aren't out yet.
Around the lake & Lam Vien Square
Cafés with lake views, hot coffee, artichoke tea and sweet treats. A great stop on a morning walk around Xuan Huong Lake, about 5 minutes from our hostel.
Countryside lunch on tours
Day trips like Mr Rot's Secret tour and the Easy Rider motorbike tour head out to farms and villages where you'll eat and drink far from the tourist trail.
🍜 Local tip:ask at our reception for today's favourite stalls — we eat there too. We're happy to mark them on your map.
Vegetarian in Da Lat
Da Lat is one of the easiest places in Vietnam to eat vegetarian. With so many vegetables grown on the surrounding farms, the local cuisine leans heavily on greens, mushrooms, tofu and herbs. Look for signs saying "cơm chay" (vegetarian rice) or "quán chay"— you'll find many, especially near pagodas, and they're often busiest on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month when many Vietnamese eat meat-free.
At the night market, ask for rice paper without meat or egg, and look for tofu, mushroom and vegetable skewers, grilled corn and sweet potato. Many hot-pot places can do a mushroom or vegetable broth. Useful phrase: "Tôi ăn chay"— "I'm vegetarian".
Food Tours & Experiences
Some of the best food memories in Da Lat happen outside the city. The countryside and waterfalls tour and the Easy Rider tour typically pass coffee plantations, flower farms and local villages, where you can taste highland coffee — including weasel coffee — and fresh fruit straight from the source. Mr Rot's Secret tour takes you further off the beaten path.
Worked up an appetite? After a day canyoning at Datanla, a steaming chicken hot-pot is exactly what you need. All tours can be booked at the Mooka's Home reception. For more ideas, see things to do in Da Lat, our Da Lat itinerary and the complete Da Lat travel guide.
Stay 10 Minutes from the Night Market
Mooka's Home is at 02 Co Loa, ~5 minutes' walk from Xuan Huong Lake and ~10 minutes from the night market — walk to dinner, walk back warm. Capsule dorm beds from 150,000 VND, private en-suite rooms from 350,000 VND, and breakfast available for a small extra charge. Learn more about our hostel in Da Lat.
Check availability & book →What to Eat in Da Lat — FAQ
What is Da Lat famous for eating?
Da Lat is famous for banh trang nuong (grilled rice paper), hot soy milk, banh mi xiu mai (meatball banh mi), chicken hot-pot with la e herb, fresh strawberries, avocado ice cream, artichoke tea and highland arabica coffee. The cool climate makes it Vietnam's hot-pot and warm-snack capital.
What is banh trang nuong?
Banh trang nuong is a sheet of rice paper grilled over charcoal and topped with egg, spring-onion oil, dried shrimp, minced pork or sausage, then finished with chilli sauce and mayo. It's crispy, cheap and often called Vietnamese pizza, and the Da Lat night market is the best place to try it.
Where is the best street food in Da Lat?
The night market around the Nguyen Thi Minh Khai walking street below Da Lat Market is the easiest place to try lots of dishes in one evening. The streets around Da Lat Market also have many small local eateries. Ask at the Mooka's Home reception for the stalls we're eating at right now.
Is Da Lat food spicy?
Generally no. Most Da Lat dishes are mild, and chilli comes on the side as fresh chillies, chilli sauce or chilli salt so you can add as much as you like. If you don't want any, just say "không cay" (no spicy) when you order.
Is Da Lat good for vegetarians?
Yes. Da Lat grows much of Vietnam's vegetables, and there are many vegetarian (com chay) restaurants, especially near pagodas. Many street foods can also be made without meat, and hot-pots can be ordered with a mushroom or vegetable broth.
Hungry already?
Message us for our current favourite stalls, a hot-pot recommendation or help booking a countryside tour.