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Dalat, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, is a popular destination for visitors due to its beautiful landscapes, flower gardens, and the always welcome cooler Dalat temperatures. To me, it’s one of the best places in Vietnam to visit. And it’s these cooler temperatures that impact the agriculture of the region, resulting in a direct, and certainly unique, influence on the Dalat food scene.
Whether eating in the central market, finding friendly street food vendors, or trying one of the many popular Dalat restaurants, finding dishes original to Dalat City, and the surrounding region, will be a tasty and satisfying task. It will be one of the highlights of your things to do in Dalat.
The Best of Dalat Food – 10 Dishes not to Miss
Canh Atiso Da Lat (Dalat Artichoke Soup)
Large pieces of artichoke and pork make this soup a meal in itself
With Dalat’s climate and soil being kind to the growing of artichokes, it’s no wonder the locals have developed dishes to go along with that.
Most visitors to Dalat will experience artichoke tea at some point, but may not find artichoke soup, which is worth seeking out. The most popular artichoke soup is the one that is made with stewed pork, onions, and coriander.
The soup is earthy, slightly sweet, and rich enough to make it a meal in itself.
Where to eat:
Cuong Thien Huong, 2C Bui Thi Xuan, Dalat (a 10 minute walk from the central market).
Banh Mi Xiu Mai
The warm meatball soup and crispy bread make a great start to the day
Banh Mi Xui Mai is a hearty and popular breakfast dish in Dalat, with street vendors busily dispensing bowls of meatballs alongside crunchy bread from early in the morning.
The small meatballs are made with ingredients including minced pork, jicama, and onion. They are cooked and served in a broth that has been made with tomatoes, green onions, and pepper with a sprig or two of fresh coriander.
I usually eat my Banh Mi Xui Mai by putting the meatballs inside the bread roll and dipping in the soup as I go.
Where to eat:
There are many small vendors that set up for a short period of the day. I ate the dish in the photo at a vendor 165 Phan Dinh Phung, Dalat. They are only open in the morning.
Banh Can
Light and crispy cakes with a slight char on the outside
Banh Can vendors are easily spotted by the large earthenware pot sitting over a charcoal fire cooking tasty rice-flour treats.
Banh Can, more of a regional dish than strictly a Dalat food, are made using old rice flour, which results in the cakes being light and fluffy on the inside, while being slightly crispy on the outside.
The small cakes are cooked in halves, an egg placed inside, before being served as a whole. A dipping sauce made with fish sauce is provided, and when served with a glass of hot soya milk, it is a great dish for a cool night.
Where to eat:
Banh Can Dalat, 7 Tang Bat Ho, Dalat. (This restaurant is located in the middle of a small street food area. There are many different types of Vietnamese dishes to eat here.)
Banh Uot Long Ga
The simple look of the dish belies the unique taste
I must admit that this iconic Dalat food is one that took me a little while to get used to, with a truly unique flavour profile.
The dish is made with soft steamed thin rice pancake, which is then topped with chicken intestine, chicken meat, onion, fried shallots, and served with fish sauce. It tastes pretty much as the ingredients suggest.
I generally order this dish with extra chicken on the side, and yes, it can also be ordered without the chicken intestines.
Where to eat:
Banh Uot Long Ga, Alley 202, Phan Dinh Phung, Dalat
Quan Trang Banh Uot Long Ga, 15 Tang Bat Ho, Dalat (this small street sets up as a great street food location at night.)
Banh Trang Kep
Cooking over charcoal
Banh Trang Kep is probably the most iconic street food in Dalat.
Called Vietnamese pizza by some, this snack is made by topping rice paper with egg, pork, tiny shrimps, and green onion, and then grilling it over a small charcoal fire.
Where to eat: There are dozens of vendors selling these snacks with most of them congregating around the central market area at night. Pull up a small plastic chair and enjoy this iconic Dalat food experience.
Nem Nuong Da Lat
The tasty ingredients ready for assembly
Nem Nuong Da Lat is a regional dish that consists of fatty pork, that has been wrapped around a skewer, grilled over a high heat, then sliced and presented with crunchy deep fried rice paper, pickled vegetables, bun noodles, herbs, and a special peanut based spicy sauce with garlic sugar vinegar.
The ingredients are then rolled in a sheet of rice paper, dipped into the sauce, then devoured like there is no tomorrow. Although the ingredients marry well together, it is the inclusion of the crunchy rice paper that add a really enjoyable texture.
In fact, the last time I ate Nem Nuong Da Lat, I ordered an extra serve of the deep fried rice paper, because let’s be honest, who does’t like crunchy bits.
Where to eat:
At the upstairs dining area at the central market, above the fruit and vegetable section. I’ve eaten at two different vendors there, and both were tasty.
Nem Nuong Hung Van, Bui Thi Xuan, Dalat (a 10 minute walk from the central market)
Khoai Chien and Chuoi Chien
Perfect snack to help keep warm in the cool Dalat nights
On a chilly Dalat night, a quick way to warm the insides is to tackle a fried sweet potato (Khoai Chien) or a fried banana (Chuoi Chien), or both!
These Dalat food delights are one of the more visible street foods, and this particular vendor had a brisk motorbike trade while I sat there working my way through my snacks.
Just a tip, to me the fried sweet potato tastes better when hot, so ask for a fresh one to be cooked rather than take one of the already cooked ones.
Where to eat:
Vendor on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Dalat (this road runs off the Dalat market roundabout.)
Dau Lac
Cups of strawberries ready for the “shake”.
There are many strawberry farms in Dalat, meaning there’s no trouble getting your fill of the freshest and plumpest strawberries in the country. And many of these farms also allow visitors to pick their own, meaning even cheaper strawberries. Bonus.
However, there is another way to eat strawberries in Dalat that is certainly unique, and not one I’ve taken on board just yet. It’s called Dau Lac, which means shaken strawberries.
And it goes like this. The vendor takes a cup of strawberries (see picture) and puts them into a jar with shrimp salt, fish sauce, and sugar, then shakes them all about for a full minute or two. They are then put back into the cup, and served with a tooth pick for easy access.
They seem popular enough, and although I’m glad I tried them, I don’t think I’ll order any on my next trip to Dalat.
Where to try: Dalat night market
Dried Fruits and Syrups
The tasting plates are awesome!
With an abundance of fruits grown in Dalat due to the climate, it’s no surprise that there are many different products being made with the produce. In particular, dried fruits and fruit syrups are available all over Dalat, with a few shops in and around the central market that are always busy.
And speaking of grapes, if you enjoy a glass of wine or two, Dalat wines have been improving quite well since I first tasted a drop many years ago. And for around $5 a bottle, it’s another way to help stay warm at night, or so I hear.
Where to try:
Various shops along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Dalat.
Yoghurt, Soy Milk, Ice Creams
Silky smooth yoghurt
If you are a sweet tooth, Dalat has many ice creams and shakes to tempt you, with avocado and strawberry flavours being, maybe obviously, the most popular. And speaking of dairy, the yoghurt in Dalat is sensational. I won’t mention that after the above bowl of yoghurt was eaten, another was ordered in quick fashion. It was so good.
And it would be remiss of me not to again mention soy milk. again. You don’t need to go to a Dalat cafe to drink soya milk, as not only is this drink an essential part of breakfast, there are many vendors around town selling this drink at all times of the day.
Where to try: The above yoghurt was from a cafe called Le Chalet Cafe, which is opposite the Crazy House on Huynh Thuc Khang. It’s actually a very nice cafe, so pop in of you visit the Crazy House (which you should if you haven’t).
Conclusion
The above list is just the start of some of the local dishes of Dalat. From Banh Mi Xiu Mai, to Nem Nuong Da Lat, to the range of fruits in Dalat, trying new dishes should be high on your list of things to eat in Dalat.
Have you been to Dalat? Leave a comment below with your favourite food experience in Dalat.
Where to Stay in Dalat
The rooms are comfortable and the view is of pine trees. The outside balcony was great for bird and squirrel watching.
Dalat has accommodation options to suit all budgets and needs. My personal favourite is Pine Hill Homestay, located in the hillside, in amongst, you guessed it, pine trees.
The homestay is made up of comfortable cabins and tree houses, many with small kitchens, that are set in sprawling gardens, with pine trees surrounding the property.
It is super quiet, but only a quick motor bike or taxi ride away from all the interesting things to do in Dalat.
Click here for availability and prices
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Great stuff Markus. Certainly a different food experience to the first time we went there. Did you go back to hte bakery?
Hey Cam – thanks for the feedback, and yes, different from our first trip all those years ago. Yes, stopped by the bakery – the hilarious inability to push past the old Vietnamese ladies to buy a Bun Bao has finished – but it still has all the goodies we tried back then.