With the high influx of tourists to Vietnam's central city of Hue, it is no surprise that there are plenty of dining options in the local area. Tourists can visit downtown Hue for the restaurants serving western inspired dishes (paste, pizza, etc.), but for travellers that want to appreciate the local culture, it is best to stick with the delicious and outstanding local dishes. There are also plenty of other great things to do in Hue to entertain the travellers.

Hue has several unique dishes from the fiery street-level sausages and soups that deliver a satisfying explosion of flavours to the delicate and small creations.

Here are a few of the most popular dishes to try on the next visit to Hue:

Com Hen

A popular dish that originated in Hue is com hen which is a rice-based dish with basket clams or baby mussels. It is often served at room temperature. Also, this dish can include peanuts covered in oil, small cut taro plant, bean sprouts, shredded banana blossoms and fresh herbs. This is favourite dish for people from all walks of life. Great eateries to visit for this tasty dish include those on Han Mac Tu street and Truong Dinh Street.

Banh Canh

Banh Canh is a very flavourful rich noodle soup that is served with noodles much shorter and thicker than other soup dishes in Vietnam. Also, the broth in this meal is more glutinous and less clear-looking. Hue has several Banh Canh recipes to taste while on the Vietnam travels.

The broth includes ingredients like pork pie, port chop, shrimp, green onion, crab and several other special ingredients. It is very popular throughout Hue and easily found on many of the streets with decent food stalls.

Che Hem

Che hem is a traditional part of the culture in Hue. This dish is well worth tasting for the tourists planning to visit this central city on the tours of Vietnam. There are several variations of this dish from the light to glutinous soup with special dumplings to lotus seed. Hue has plenty of eateries serving this dish with great streets to visit, including Hung Vuong Street and Tran Phu Street.

Vegetarian dishes

Visitors to the quiet city of Hue can try a great range of very delicious vegetarian dishes. They are fresh, light, and soothing to your stomach. There are plenty of dishes to try on the food stalls such as fried spring rolls with vegetables, mixed boiled vegetables, rice noodle soup with vegetables, and rice with lotus seeds. Some food stalls selling the high-quality vegetarian dishes can be found on Le Quy Don Street which not only tastes great, but also available at good prices.

Hue cakes

A common sight seen everywhere on the streets is the Hue cakes (Banh beo, banh bot loc, banh khoai). They are a typical part of daily life and highly favoured by the local people. Great streets to visit include Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ngu Binh Street and An Dinh street to taste and see the locals eating their favourite cake.