Food & Restaurants in Nha Trang
Local Dishes in Nha Trang
When in Nha Trang for the first time, one has to try some of the best local food. Food in this Vietnamese coastal town is always fresh with plenty of seafood to eat and new ways to make traditional Vietnamese dishes such as spring rolls and curries.
The taste has a sweetish sourness peculiar to Nha Trang’s food, with fish sauce served alongside as a dip. Such novel foodstuffs are easily found from mobile stalls in busy street markets to restaurants in towns. They are ideal for adventurous persons.
Hai san
Vietnamese call seafood “hi san”, and seafood restaurants dotting white sandy beaches are quite common in Nha Trang. Just around the town you will find a wide range of king prawns, squid, sea urchins, crabs, jellyfish and shellfish brought from nearby fishing villages.
Seafood is sold by weight; live or frozen can be chosen. Upon settling on one which is suitable depending on its cost, it may then be steamed, grilled, fried or cooked hot pot style. The potted squid stuffed with pork mixed tomatoes sauce – the grilled red snapper – shrimp cooked tamarind sauce—all good choices.
Nem nuong
It typically includes pickled green papaya raw herbs , sweet-sour dipping sauce for fish that could be fermented broiled pork roll known as nem nuong Vietnamese people have lettuce leaves rice paper fresh herb chiles rice vermicelli garlic when they go neighborhood eating places within Nha Trang.
Your nem nuong can be modified at ease; we highly recommend you should not use cutlery but enjoy your fingers in eating them for more authentic experience while dining out.
Bun cha sua
One of those dishes that must be tried in Nha Trang is bun cha sua – rice vermicelli with jellyfish and steamed sailfish fillet bathed into sweet acidic fish broth. The restaurants normally add crab, shrimp and pork into the dish.
Off Bach Dang Street and at the given Nha Trang’s street markets many sellers can be seen trading on bun cha sua a popular dish for most locals. This is another type of noodles that contains thick ones and big pieces of fish cake in it known as banh canh cha ca.
Pho noodle soup
Nha Trang is also well-known for its pho, a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup besides seafood. It involves beef or chicken with rice noodles, bean sprouts, lime wedges and so various greens like basil leaves, mint leaves, cilantro leaves and onions. You may accompany your pho with some fish sauce or chili sauce if you like it hot.
This favorite breakfast food is always served at any nearby eatery in Nha Trang. On the other hand bun bo hue (beef rice vermicelli), which has much stronger broth full of lemon grasses plus pork seems to be another kind of Pho.
Nha Trang beef steak
Bo Ne is a breakfast staple in Nha Trang – the Vietnamese equivalent of steak and eggs. On a hotplate are served sizzling cuts of beef alongside eggs, chili sauce, pate, and other various condiments. It is usually accompanied by some fresh vegetables with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, vinegar and sauces, toasted baguette and other side dishes.
The remaining egg yolk and pate on the hotplate can be consumed using the baguette while dipping the beef into a mixture of lime juice mixed with salt and pepper sauce.
Banh cuon
Vietnamese spring rolls named banh cuon have ground pork as well as chopped onions plus wood ear mushrooms; are served with cucumber pickle or steaming bean sprouts along with cha lua (Vietnamese ham). Inside this paper-thin steamed rice flour crepe is also gently wrapped around its fillings.
At times this street food in Vietnam is garnished with herbs like coriander leaves as well as shrimp floss before being served together with fish extract based sweet-sour dipping sauce including lime juice and chili. Banh cuon can be obtained at the street markets in Nha Trang as well as local cafeterias. You will find it delivered to you in bowls containing multiple pieces thereby making it an ideal quick breakfast.
Nem nurong
It may serve as a snack, appetizer or accompaniment for rice or noodles among others over which Vietnamese broiled pork sausage known nem nurong may be eaten. Before grilling marinate the pig extensively in garlic sugar black pepper combination for many hours. Once pounded into paste then wrapped in bamboo before grilling it until properly cooked inside it.
Additionally this dish is slightly sweetened spicy nem nurong goes down very well when wrapped up along with fresh herbs buffet pickles plus rice papers like others.
Banh can
Alternatively topped using quail egg dried or fresh meat and seafood, a crispy rice cake is referred to as banh can. These are cakes that are sold in pairs across Nha Trang as they are small in size. They are freshly made using round pans over a charcoal fire.
The best way to enjoy banh can is dipping it into fish sauce with lime chile garlic paste for good measure. There are also some vendors who serve banh can together shredded green mango, raw veggies and pig meatballs.
Ca ri ga
Usually served with rice noodles or warmed bread, ca ri ga refers to Vietnamese curry. This meal combines chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, ginger and peas cooked together in thick coconut milk curry sauce.
Vietnamese curries bear a resemblance to those of Thailand Cambodia and India but the flavors used in Viet Nam version is much milder and lighter ones making it a perfect choice for lunch or light dinner while enjoying your stay at Nha Trang.
Banh xeo
Rice flour coconut milk turmeric make up savory pancake known as ban xeo which is eaten well with lettuce leaves fresh herbs plus sweet fermented peanut butter sauce; pan fried with diverse ingredients like pork slices shrimp onions sliced bean sprouts button mushrooms etc.
Sometimes neighborhood eateries use rice papers to wrap ban xeo along with its associated sauces hence being an ideal snack or appetizer.
Budget Restaurants In Nha Trang
- Far East Rock Cafe, 86 Nguyen Thien Thuat. 08:00-midnight. In the major tourist district, a well-liked restaurant and bar that serves affordable foreign cuisine to both visitors and expats. several drink specials. It is well run and maintained, and it frequently shows rock videos, particularly ones from the 1980s.
- Tiem Banh Hoa Hung, 39 Phan Boi Chau St and 72 Ly Thanh Ton St, +84 58 3823141, +84 58 2211992. Bakery with sponge cake less than USD1, pâté chaud, chocolate cupcake, sesame toffee. Founded in 1936.
- Hy Lap Greek Mini Restaurant, 1 Trang Quang Khai St (The end of the road), +84 12 05318174. Awesome small restaurant with simple but delicious Greek food. Great staff, including the two Greek owners. 50,000-100,000 dong.
- Lac Canh, 11 Hang Ca St, +84 58 3821391. 07:00-21:00. This restaurant has been around for 25 years, but what makes it unique is that you get to cook for yourself, and both residents and visitors seem to adore it. It is renowned for its thinly sliced beef that is marinated in chilli sauce and cooked on your personal tabletop mini-BBQ. Large bottles of San Miguel beer are sold for 18,000 dong by waitresses dressed in San Miguel apparel. USD2-10.
- Lanterns Vietnamese Restaurant, 34/6 Nguyen Thien Thuat St, +84 58 2471674. 07:00-23:00. Local eatery serving both Western and genuine Vietnamese cuisine. Pleasant surroundings and personnel. Every night during dinner, there will be a sizable audience there. They have a close relationship with two orphanages in the area and frequently invite the kids and adults who look after them to eat at the restaurant. The restaurant also provides a half-day introduction to Vietnamese cuisine, which involves taking a cyclo to the neighborhood market and being given a tour to learn about the local products you will buy and cook. The course costs 540,000 dong. 60,000–150,000 dong for mains.
- Thien Thanh, 386-388 Le Hong Phong (1 km from Nguyen Duc Canh/ Nguyen Tat Thanh St to the south, or 1.4 km from Van Don St to the north), +84 58 3880195, fax: 058-3880192, e-mail: thienthanhcom@vnn.vn. 07:00-22:00. This contemporary restaurant offers a fantastic Western and Asian menu in addition to traditional Vietnamese fare. 100+ meals including fresh fish. USD1-10.
- Truc Linh 2, Biet Thu St, +84 58 821259. 07:00-23:00. Both Asian and Western food. Especially popular for seafood. Truc Linh has been here for years but the original corner one is now the location of a new high rise hotel.USD1-10.
- Cyclo Cafe, 130 Nguyen Thien Thuat St (Corner of Tran Quang Khai St).08:00-22:00. Great budget restaurant serving Western and Vietnamese food. Fruit shakes for 12,000 dong.
Mid-range Restaurants In Nha Trang
- BBQ Un Inn. Great new place along side the river. Same owners as Lanterns. Their speciality is bbq pork ribs.
- Good Morning Vietnam, 19B Biet Thu St, +84 58 815071. 10:00-23:00. Pasta as well as other Italian food. USD4-9.
- Louisiane Brewhouse, Lot 29, Tran Phu (S along Tran Phu from the Sailing Club), +84 58 3521948. 08:00-23:00. Restaurant providing fresh cakes and pies, sushi, top-notch pizzas, steaks, Vietnamese food, and seafood. Microbrewery with locally made beers. Own loungers are accessible directly at the beach or pool, along with a pool table and live music. The cost of a chaise longue at the beach or pool is 40,000 dong per day. You still have access to the pool even if you reserve a chair on the beach. Beer samples are available for 100,000 dong. 30,000-600,000 dong.
- Nha Trang Seafood, 46 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, +84 58 822664.09:30-22:00. Serves fresh and scrumptious seafood. Inexpensive prices and good service. USD2-14.
- Le Petit Bistro, 26D Tran Quang Khai St,+84 58 3527201. Traditional small French bistro, offers typical French cuisine. Big selection of wines. speciality of the house: Le maigret de canard. All you can eat BBQ Sundays from 11:00-16:00, 350,000 dong. 30,000-200,000 dong.
- Sailing Club, 72 Tran Phu St, +84 58 826528. 07:00-23:00. This restaurant serves Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, and Italian food. Crowded at night, when it turns into bar. USD3-10.
- Salut (Formerly, Hello), 16 Tran Quang Khai St, +84 58 3526168.06:00-23:00. Two storey corner restaurant serving Western and Vietnamese food.
- Texas BarBQ and Steaks, 26 Tran Quang Khai St, +84 58 2240979.09:00-22:00. A taste of Texas in Vietnam. Pork, chicken, and steak are imported from the US. Every day, the ribs are smoked for five hours. Burgers cooked over a charcoal fire with real Memphis and Texas BBQ. Pleasant wait staff members who speak English fluently. 60,000-550,000 dong.
Vegetarian Restaurants In Nha Trang
- Lac Viet Quan Chay, 72 Huynh Thuc Khang St (SE of market, 1.5 blocks NW of To Hienh Thanh St), +84 58 3513 716. Vegetarian restaurant. Plate of mixed vegetable and tofu/veg meat dishes with rice or a bowl of noodle soup, less than USD1. A small, humble place, but a nice option for vegetarians and it is right next to the market.
- Restaurant at Long Son Pagoda (At the entrance to Long Son Pagoda).The restaurant serves vegetarian meals only. Great Vietnamese food.
