If you asked me what city in Vietnam had the most underrated food, I’d probably say Dalat.
It definitely doesn’t get the hype of places like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; then again, those are world-renowned for a reason. But there’s something about having a hot bowl of soup or stew in Dalat’s cooler climate that makes me get a serious case of nostalgia.
And for those who love freshly-picked fruits, it’s hard to beat a place called “Vietnam’s Strawberry Capital.”
There’s a lot more to try here than soups and fruits, though. The night market highlights the city’s lovely street food scene, while the restaurants often focus on perfecting a single local dish. These include some instant classics like “Vietnamese pizza” and savory pancakes, but also some more unique bites that complement the produce grown in the surrounding countryside.
This Dalat food guide will cover a bit of everything, from the beloved Vietnamese restaurants in Dalat to the local farms you can visit for strawberries. I also list out some of the city’s international restaurants for those times you’re craving a taste of home, plus I dive into coffee culture and where to find a nice “Cup of Joe.”
Here are my Dalat restaurants, cafes, and overall food spots.
Popular Foods To Try In Dalat
These are some of the most popular local dishes you can find in Dalat. There are also the classic meals that have made it overseas, like pho, bún bò Huế, and bánh mì, but these are the ones that feel beloved throughout Dalat.
Hủ Tiếu | A typical breakfast dish consisting of noodles, meats, and spices. It’s often served as a soup with a pork bone and seafood broth, but can be found as a dry dish too.
Mì Quảng | Noodles, meat, and spices, with the most common core ingredient usually being turmeric. It’s topped with toasted sesame seeds, peanuts, and crackers.
Bánh Căn | Delicious rice flour pancakes cooked in either rounded clay or cast-iron molds. Served with toppings like minced pork, shrimp, or quail eggs and a dipping sauce.
Bánh Tráng Nướng | Often called “Vietnamese pizza” or “rice paper pizza.” It’s essentially crispy rice paper with a layer of egg, spring onion, sauces, and something to make it spicy. Eaten as a roadside snack.
Kem Bơ | Creamy avocado and coconut ice cream topped with coconut flakes and usually something toasted.
Bún Thịt Nướng | A variation of grilled marinated pork, spring rolls, plenty of fresh herbs, and peanuts served on top of rice noodles. It comes with a sweet and spicy fish sauce for dipping or pouring.
Sữa Dậu Nành | Hot soy milk served plain or with flavors mixed in like peanut, sesame, almond, or others. Most tend to drink it with a pastry or two, which is often a lightly sweetened bread or cake.
Bánh Mì Xíu Mại | Meatballs in a char siu sauce or soup with a baguette (bánh mì) on the side. Sometimes it’s served as a sandwich, but typically you dip the bread into the meatball soup or stew mixture.
Cơm Cháy | Scorched rice, as it’s known. These are crunchy rice cakes often served with toppings or as a sort of mini sandwich at the street stalls.
The Da Lat Night Market
No Dalat food guide is complete without talking about the Da Lat Night Market. For those looking to dive into Dalat’s street food scene, this is a must!
This is my favorite night market in all of Vietnam, and I think it has a little bit of everything that makes travelers fall in love with the country’s street food identity. You’ll find many of the dishes I mentioned above, with some being more widespread than others.
Bánh Tráng Nướng, Vietnam’s pizza alternative, seems to be the favorite for most people. Several stands cook it, usually directly in front of you, and sometimes with a bit of flair.
It’s commonly served folded up and tucked into a bit of paper so you can handle it without getting grease on your hands and snack on it while walking. But there’s seating all around at the Da Lat Night Market, so you can always enjoy it sitting down.
Each stand usually offers a couple of Bánh Tráng Nướng variants, but you can always specify what you don’t want if you have any food allergies or dislikes.
Some other common savory food kiosks include fried meats, grilled corn and potatoes, and sausages on a stick. The latter is usually served with some kind of veggie like cabbage or something spicy.
There are also these sorts of grill booths, where a bunch of different meats and veggies are placed on wooden skewers on display. You just pick out the ones you want, and the cook will throw them on the barbecue and serve them when done.
Since the nights can get a bit nippy, hot soy milk stalls (Sữa Dậu Nành) are quite popular. Most are closer to the lakefront at the beginning of the market street. These are enjoyed while popping a squat at a familiar plastic table and chair seating.
To order, you usually grab a tray, place the pastries you want on it, and then sit down until your drink order is taken. This took me a while to figure out, but the lovely ladies working there are kind enough to help if you look a bit lost. Which, apparently, my partner and I did.
Another common dessert is strawberries with sugar and sometimes a bit of spice. Strawberries are grown all around the countryside of Dalat, but unless you take a tour to one of the farms or find a street-side seller, this is the best place to try them.
The ones at the market are usually on the smaller side and are a mix of sweet and slightly bitter. The sugar takes away that bitterness. The ladies selling them sometimes have sour mango, too, which is quite nice with a spicy sugar mix.
As for foreign food, you won’t find much at the Da Lat Night Market. Well, except for a stand with amazing Malaysian-style roti. The guy serving them had this giant mustache when I was there, and definitely made a performance out of it.
The line was packed for his food, and after trying it, I could see why. The roti comes stuffed with different ingredients, is massive, and has the tastiest spicy dipping sauce. If you’re a fan of savory rotis, this is a must-try!
DALAT FOOD TOURS
While they’re not as common as in the more visited cities in Vietnam, food tours do happen in Dalat. Most cover the authentic highland food and the vibrant street food scene.
These include evening experiences where you can opt for a curated local food adventure or a combination of that and market visits. Here are some nice options:
Tour 1 | Dalat Street Food Tour
Tour 2 | Da Lat Night Local Food & Sightseeing Tour by Scooter
Tour 3 | Da Lat Street Food Walking Tour
Vietnamese Restaurants in Dalat
Dalat has a huge variety of local restaurants, many of which focus on just one or two particular dishes. This makes it quite easy to choose where to eat if you’re craving something specific. Most of the places I’ll mention fall into this category.
Here are some of my favorite Dalat restaurants for local cuisine:
Hủ Tiếu Hoàng Hải
A simple, inexpensive, and mouthwatering bowl of hủ tiếu can be found here. While the soup is a common breakfast food, Hủ Tiếu Hoàng Hải (maps) seemed to be open throughout the day and night.
I had a piping hot bowl with a light broth that came with half noodles and half wontons one evening. It warmed me up right. The noodles were chewy, and the wontons were a great addition with succulent minced pork.
It’s best to add some spices and lime to get the flavor to your liking, plus throw in a pile of greens to top it off. The portions are large, with plenty of meat to top it off, so it’s a filling meal. Plus, the staff is super friendly and eager to help you order correctly.
Atispho – Phở Atiso Đà Lạt
The most popular phở restaurant in town is just around the corner from the train station. And while they do plenty of different dishes here, including all the traditional bowls of phở, the specialty is an artichoke phở served with your choice of meat.
It’s one of the more unique bowls of soup you can have in the country and takes advantage of the large amounts of artichokes harvested in the nearby hills. In fact, Dalat is both the “capital of strawberries” and the “capital of artichokes” in Vietnam.
You can expect a fragrant bowl of phở, with a touch of artichoke, quality meat, and fresh veggies to top it all off. While the prices are on the higher end for soups, the quality at Atispho (maps) is worth the price.
Bánh mì – Xôi cô Hà
If you’ve never tried xôi, then Bánh mì – Xôi cô Hà (maps) is a great place to do so. The dish is famous throughout Vietnam and a staple street food in the larger cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Xôi translates to sticky rice and can be served as either a sweet or savory dish. I prefer the savory version, which usually includes plenty of meat, mung beans, fried shallot, plus some herbs and spices. It’s a bit chewy, super flavorful, and the one here is exquisite. I suggest the xôi thập cẩm, which is a combination of different meats.
They have some other delectable things on the menu, most notably bánh mì. The xíu mại is decent, but it’s hard to beat any of the classic bánh mì they offer.
There’s also sticky rice with a quarter leg of chicken, which looked fantastic, but I didn’t try it.
Mì Quảng Võ Hằng
Authentic, with a very local feel to it, Mì Quảng Võ Hằng (maps) serves up an appetizing bowl of mì quảng. The broth is rich and savory, the yellow noodles chewy, there are heaps of toppings, and the portion size is generous.
You can choose between a few different meats, most notably chicken, pork hock, pork rib, and a specialty with multiple cuts. The flavor overall stays similar, so there’s no wrong choice here. The quality stands out, with fresh and crisp vegetables on the side and a fragrant broth that’s sure to warm you up.
The rest of the menu consists of two other soups besides the popular mì quảng: hủ tiếu (a similar dish but with white noodles) and bún riêu (a tangy crab soup).
Bánh căn Dung
If you find yourself out near Linh Phước Temple, which most of you will, then you should definitely stop by Bánh căn Dung (maps) for a meal.
The bánh canh (rice flour pancakes) here is absolutely amazing. They came out warm, crispy, and delicious, with eight little pancakes making up a portion. My partner and I both had the traditional bánh canh trứng cút, which is cooked with a quail egg per pancake. They do other toppings too, like minced pork, beef, or seafood.
All is served with a dipping sauce made with fish sauce, fresh herbs, and a minced pork meatball. A little scoop of chili, and it’s something I still think about to this day. You can find cheaper bánh canh around Dalat, but I found the price-to-quality ratio to be quite good.
I didn’t try it, but many others ordered the bánh bèo, which is a steamed rice cake that is popular in central Vietnam.
Bánh Mì Xíu Mại Ri 79
They do two things really well here: bánh mì xíu mại (meatballs and bread) and soy milk. And I think most would agree, because the little streetside shop is always pumping.
Places like Bánh Mì Xíu Mại Ri 79 (maps) are always an experience, with the plastic table and chair combo, lovely food, and friendly staff. All the while motorbikes are zipping by; it’s really something special.
The minced meatballs are served in a soup with a hint (a strong one at that) of basil and fresh baguettes that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The usual portion comes with four meatballs and two pieces of bread, all at a crazy low price.
Bánh Mì Chảo HKT
As I walked towards my accommodation every day, I kept smelling a delightful aroma coming from the restaurant with HKT displayed on it. That’s how I found out about Bánh Mì Chảo HKT (maps), a nice little breakfast joint which specializes in “pan-fried baguette.”
They do a range of bread dishes, including bò né (sizzling steak with egg), bò kho (beef stew), and bánh mì xíu mại. There’s also a specialty bánh mì chảo (deconstructed pan-fried sandwich) that comes with a mix of egg and meats and is hearty and delicious. These are all some of my favorite morning dishes, so it’s hard to go wrong with any of them.
Prices start very low here, so you can eat well on a budget. They also have several cơm tấm (broken rice) dishes if you’re not up for a baguette.
Nậm Nướng Đà Lạt
Nậm Nướng Đà Lạt (maps) is one of the busiest local restaurants around and a great place to come if you’re in a group. That’s because their specialty is BBQ and hotpot, which unsurprisingly are best enjoyed with friends!
For most meals, you’re expected to grill yourself from a variety of fresh ingredients. I feel like every town in the country has a place like this that is just a non-stop wave of happy faces, eating and chatting the night away.
It’s a lively atmosphere and a quintessential Vietnamese experience.
MORE LOCAL RESTAURANTS TO TRY
Bánh căn Nhà Chung | Famous bánh căn joint
84 Breakfast Cafe | Friendly owner, good xíu mại, fluffy pancakes
Xắp Xắp Cô Năm | A good place to try xắp xắp, a peppery papaya salad
Bánh Tráng nướng Dì Đinh | Tasty, budget-friendly Vietnamese pizza
Streets For Good Eats
If you’re unsure exactly what you want to eat, then you’re in luck; good food is all around Dalat. Here are a few streets you can head to with a nice mix of restaurants and street food options, all within a short walk of one another.
Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Street | A long street that starts just up the stairs from where the night market takes place. There are several bakeries and cafes here, along with restaurants serving all the staple Dalat favorites. It’s a good place to come for bánh tráng nướng and mì quảng shops, plus up past the Da Lat Evangelical Church has a few places to try kem bơ at.
Đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai | So nice, it’s worth mentioning twice. This is the Da Lat Night Market street, and it’s the easiest place to come if you’re unsure where to eat at night. With that being said, there are far better places during the day. The restaurants here are very hit-or-miss compared to the nightly stalls. The Da Lat Market at the end of the roundabout is nice for dried fruits and nuts as souvenirs.
Đường Ánh Sáng Street | The name of this street translates to “Path of Light,” which feels fitting. It’s near the night market, and most of the shops here are restaurants that stay open late. There’s a well-rounded selection of eateries here, including several bun bò Huế and soup shops, a nice place for nem nướng (grilled spring rolls), a good xíu mại restaurant, and some foreign bites like ramen and curry. Sữa đậu nành Dung Béo is nearby too and has good sữa dậu nành (soy milk) and desserts.
Strawberries in Dalat
Within Vietnam, Dalat is famous for its wonderful abundance of strawberries. There are dozens of local strawberry farms producing the sweet fruit in the surrounding countryside, most of which will sell directly to the consumer.
If you find yourself heading out to Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Temple or anywhere on the city’s outskirts, it’s worth stopping by for some fresh produce. You’ll see stalls on the side of the road, but you can also pick your own fruit if you’re up for it.
Here are some of the more popular strawberry farms:
- Hana Farm Strawberry | Near the city center
- Otome Dalat Farm | Out towards Tuyen Lam Lake
- Ichigo Strawberry Farm Đà Lạt | Northeast of the city
- Vườn dâu Fresh Berry Farm | North of the city
Other Restaurants in Dalat
After months of travel, sometimes it’s nice to switch things up from Vietnamese cuisine to something a little different. Since Dalat is quite expat-friendly and one of the more common destinations on the backpacker route, you’ll find several restaurants serving Western-style and other Asian cuisines.
Here are some that I can recommend:
La Lapine – Bakery & Coffee
The go-to place for a pain au chocolat in Dalat. This place is part cafe, part French bakery, and while Vietnam has some bakeries with amazing croissants, this is one of the better ones.
They have good coffee, with all the regular espresso pours and Vietnamese classics, plus a range of desserts. Besides the pain au chocolat, the macarons and almond croissant seem to be the favorites. They also have seasonal pastries that are worth trying.
If you aren’t into heavy breakfasts or just prefer something sweet in the morning, you can’t go wrong here.
BetoNabe
The specialty at BetoNabe is sukiyaki, better known as Japanese hotpot!
They also have well-presented and tasty udons and sobas. It’s generally just heartwarming food and good service to boot.
My partner and I came here on an especially chilling evening, and it was an excellent choice. But if you find yourself in the area during the day, you’ll have a lovely view of the river. This was one of my favorite little nooks of the city, as I found myself enjoying a handful of the nearby restaurants.
Moto Laurie Cafe & Bistro
The wonderful cafe and bistro sits up a hill and has scenic views of Dalat. It’s a cozy, inviting place with casual indoor and outdoor seating and an international menu. And if you have any dietary restrictions, this is a good spot, as they have their own dedicated vegan specials.
I’m not sure if the owners are Australian, but there definitely seems to be an Australian influence here. Many of the dishes were staples in the cafes I frequented on the east coast of ‘Straya.
The breakfasts have most of the classics, like eggs benedict and ham & cheese toasties, but they also do a delicious shakshuka. There’s an all-day breakfast menu too, with pancakes, omelettes, and croissant sandwiches.
The lunch and dinner menu has a bit more variety, with a few Vietnamese dishes, pizza and pasta, and some other Western-style favorites. They sometimes do seasonal monthly specials, too. Overall, you can’t go wrong with most here; everything is fresh and well-prepared.
Mì Cay HUGO
If you love spicy Korean soups and stews, you’ll love it here. After all, mì cay means “spicy noodles” in Vietnamese, and Mì Cay HUGO doesn’t disappoint in that regard.
This is a family-run place with a friendly owner who serves up piping hot, bubbling soups and a few other Korean favorites like tokbokki. The portions are huge, and each soup comes in a stone bowl that keeps it hot throughout the meal.
They also have some awesome coconut jelly and chia seed drinks. Plus, you get served with kimchi on the side, which is always a bonus!
Honestly, it’s hard to beat a mì cay from here on a cold day.
Peace Bistro
If you find yourself hungry and near the Dalat Railway Station, then Peace Bistro is a good shout. This is a place with nice Western-style food that tastes home-cooked.
It also has a pleasant outdoor garden to go along with a menu that will fill you up. They do decent Italian food, a nice steak, and some great pub snacks. For example, it’s one of the few places that has fish and chips.
And if you find it cold outside, they have some nice French-style soups. The standouts are the pumpkin and onion soup.
Tiệm Cơm Núng Nính
This was actually the first spot my partner and I ate at on my latest trip to Dalat. It’s a charming little spot down by the river, with an enthusiastic, friendly chef.
The food here is best described as Asian fusion, as there are some classic Thai dishes to go along with Korean and Singaporean. We tried the pad khaprao gai and orange-glazed chicken rice. After just spending a couple of months in Thailand, I found the pad khaprao gai (stir-fried chicken with basil) was more than serviceable, and I still think about the orange chicken to this day.
If it weren’t for the vast number of other restaurants in Dalat, I’d probably have come here more than once.
A FEW MORE FOR GOOD MEASURE
RackieBurger | For cheap, delicious burgers
Brooklyn Bagels | For build-your-own bagels
Hestia Dalat – Cafe & Pizzeria | For the pizza
Cafes in Dalat
Like most cities in Vietnam, Dalat has a thriving coffee scene, which blends traditional streetside shops with modern and Western-style cafes. And if you’re looking for a quick caffeine boost, you’ll find somewhere to stop on almost every block of Dalat.
I enjoyed cafe hopping here, partly due to the variety, but also because a warm coffee was a welcome treat on the colder mornings. Here are a few cafe recommendations:
Thềm Nhà Có Hoa
As you’ll see with several of these cafes, there’s a Dalat aesthetic of vintage wooden coffee shops and lovely drinks. Thềm Nhà Có Hoa is very much in that category.
Cute animals, a tranquil garden, and wonderful drinks make up this quaint little cafe. There’s a lot to choose from, wheter its coffee, fruit tea, hot tea, yogurt drinks, or matcha drinks. They have a special pandan milk coffee, which isn’t a common sight, cute cats to hang out with, and soothing music.
Just about everything here is meant to make you feel relaxed, and that’s exactly what makes it such a great place.
Cafe Nhà Gỗ
Tucked away in an alley, Cafe Nhà Gỗ feels very much like a hidden secret. It’s a family-run coffee shop that is situated just outside their house in a lovely garden. It feels very traditional Vietnamese in that a small cup of tea is served alongside your coffee.
That and the quiet atmosphere made my time spent here very pleasant. The menu is simple, with a few coffee pours served, a handful of teas, and some wonderful yogurt and fruit drinks that are perfect for those who like simple breakfasts. It’s also very inexpensive, which is always a bonus!
Q Coffee Roastery Dalat
A riverside cafe with calm music and an inviting atmosphere. The coffee is good here, which makes sense because they clearly take it seriously. And if you’re someone who likes the more Western-style espresso-machine pours, then this is a place you’ll thoroughly enjoy.
They also have a really creative design around the shop. There are pretty neat ceramics for sale, a quiet environment for those needing to get work done, and coffee beans for sale. I travel with an Aeropress, so finding a good roast to take on the road with me is always a plus.
Highlands Coffee Quảng Trường Lâm Viên
If you’ve been traveling around Vietnam up to this point, then you probably know about Highlands Coffee. And if you haven’t, it’s simply a large coffeehouse chain in the mold of the famous global ones. The roast here is strong, bitter, and nothing to write home about.
However, this specific location is worth visiting solely for the cafe itself. Set in a modern, artistic glass building in the middle of Lâm Viên Square, it reminded me a bit of London’s classic “Gherkin” building. Of course, it isn’t on that scale, but relaxing with a coffee inside is pretty iconic in its own right.
JERA Egg Coffee
Another alleyway cafe; this one is also set in a beautiful wooden building. As the name implies, the specialty here is egg coffee. It comes served in a pretty ceramic cup with “latte art” in the form of a simple, gorgeous flower.
For those who like matcha, there is a matcha variant of the egg coffee, which is also pretty fantastic. And for those who want something more basic, there are all the classic Vietnamese coffee pours.
Honestly, this place is a vibe itself, with a cute old-school feel and baristas that care about the product.
Lac du LeLe
I ended up at Lac du Le Le after visiting Truc Lam Zen Monastery and was very happy I did so. The modern coffee shop sits along Tuyền Lâm Lake and boasts some pretty fantastic views to go along with a nice cup of coffee.
This isn’t in the center of Dalat per se, but the monastery and lake are a very popular destination to visit, so I felt obligated to share a cafe from around there. This is a really chilled-out place, with friendly staff and all the usual suspects on the menu. That includes coconut coffee, salted coffee, and basic lack coffee (cà phê đen).
They also have different espresso pours, a decent cold brew, and a special “Choco Lele,” or chocolate coffee with ice cream. The Kem Bơ from here was really good, too.
MORE FROM DALAT’S COFFEE SCENE
Coffee Em và Trịnh
Proust Coffee – Specialty Coffee & Teapresso
La Viet Coffee
Quiet Art Cafe
Mew Roastery – Specialty Coffee
TAM TRINH COFFEE EXPERIENCES
If you want to take your Dalat coffee experience a bit further, then you can head out to one of the coffee farms in the Central Highlands. The closest one to the city is Tam Trinh Coffee Experiences. This is where you can hop on a tour and see coffee production first-hand, go through the harvesting and roasting process, and sip on a strong brew with a wonderful waterfall view at the end.
They do a handful of tours of varying lengths, starting with a quick 20- to 30-minute Phin-Making Tour Beyond Elephant Falls, a 1-hour tasting tour, a 3-hour workshop, and a full-day coffee farm and cultural experience tour. For more information, you can check out the Tam Trinh Coffee website.
