Bún Cá Sâm Cây Si

I had the most delightful experience at this stand restaurant in Hanoi, where I felt like a local indulging in the finest flavors of the city! The atmosphere was bustling and authentic, and the aroma of freshly prepared food filled the air.

What truly stole the show was their mouthwatering fried fish – undoubtedly the best in Hanoi! Each bite was a symphony of crispiness and tenderness, perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. The dish resonated with the authentic taste of local cuisine, making me feel like I was savoring a piece of Hanoi's culinary heritage.

The staff were incredibly warm and welcoming, providing excellent recommendations and ensuring our dining experience was nothing short of exceptional. I appreciated the genuine passion they exhibited for their food and the local culture.

The fish noodle is pretty good. It’s essentially a sourish soup base with fried fish meat and fish skin. The saltiness of the fish mixed with the sour soup is a wonderful blend, gotta try it.

Even though it’s kinda ghetto to eat by the roadside where motorcycles zoom behind you while you dine and the chef is practically just cooking by the road, the food I would say is still made hygienically. And also this atmosphere is hard to find elsewhere in the world. The restaurant also has a small shop while you can dine “indoors”.

The default bowl (top in the menu) which they serve is the 50k dong one. They don’t speak English but you’ll figure it out.

Tasty fish noodle served in both dry and soup style. I’d recommend going for the rice noodle with soup. The soup tastes abit sour and appetizing, goes very well with the fried fish chunks. The fried fish still feels crunchy even after soaking in the soup.

What a hidden gem!
Located down an alleyway was this restaurant that was absolutely jammed with locals (to be honest we could have just followed all the food delivery drivers as they were all headed here!)
We ordered the Fish Noodle Salad and we were advised that it would be a wait (which we could understand just by looking around at those already waiting). Once it arrived it was clear why this was so popular with the locals. The dish was extremely tasty and the fish was delicious.
Would definitely recommend making the effort to not only find this place but wait if required, as it will be worth it!

Note: This was the fourth of six stops on Minh’s Unique Street Food Adventure. For the other locations we stopped at - please see my profile.

Amazing bowl of fish noodle soup. There is dry version too. Taste abit sweet sour then savoury. Hidden in an alley

It's a really nice hole in the wall spot serving Bún cả nước (Rice noodle soup with fried fish). The seating outside with low tables gives it a very local experience. I had the Bún cả nước and it was really good.

Great and hearty fish soup. They have a english menu which makes it easy to order. The special fish roll is nice too

Best fish soup in Hanoi Old Quarter. Also be sure to get the fish spring roll as it’s amazing.

Flavourful broth, the fried fish and fish skin pieces compliment the fresh rice noodles in broth so well. The fried fish rolls were delicious, something I’d never come across before. So glad we came here on a food tour

Fish noodles and fish rolls. Pretty good, especially the dry noodles version. Good luck ordering it without reading vietnamese tho. Maybe try using my pictures.

It's legit inside an alley way and looks unsafe but turn over is high and you'll see tour guides bringing tourist here. The fish roll is pretty unique, they use dill in their recipe. Which I think isn't common in Vietnam.

I ordered the soup version. It’s really tasty, especially the crispy fried fish and fish skin.

Really comforting bowl of fried fish and noodle. The soup is kinda sour-ish and it's great to enjoy with the cold weather in Hanoi. Had it during breakfast and the food came really fast. They had indoor seating area too. Great find!

Yummy road side stall in a dodgy alley way. We had the dry red noodle version while a UK couple beside us had a dry glass noodle version. It was really good. The fish fritters are a must try!

We got the dill fish soup and a fish spring roll. I never had anything like it and it was sooo worth it! We had to go down an alley that had mostly locals and that’s how you know the food is going to be good! The fish had lots of bones so had to watch out for that but it was so delicious with the dill soup. The spring roll was also definitely a must get! One of my favourite meals in Hanoi.

My best breakfast in Hanoi so far. Very, very good. This place serves rice noodles soup with deep fried fish and fish skin as its main protein. The soup is clear and just a bit yellow in color (my guess is from the fish frying oil). It has bean sprouts, choy sum, tomato, and a lot of dill. The flavor profile has more umami and less acidity than other bún soup dishes.

It had a little of a line when I visited (my first time visiting a Hanoian street food stall with a line!), which then got resolved within 3-5 minutes.

The blanched bean sprouts and choy sum were still a bit crispy but were fully cooked (no raw smells) which was the perfect texture in my opinion. The fried fish was delicious, I could taste the herb marinade and it was beautifully fried with a crisp outer layer. The fried fish skin was even tastier than the fried fish meat. Beware though, some of the fried fish meats may have bones. Be careful if you are not used to eating non-deboned fish.

I also tried the fried fish spring roll. The lining of the spring roll is made of fish meat, while the center was filled with minced meat. It was ok but I wouldn’t reorder it as I found nothing special from it.

Overall, I love this bún cá! I would return to this place if I were back in Hanoi in the future.

highly recommend Fish noodle, fried fish roll if you want to try real local hanoi food. best breakfast ever in Hanoi! very very delicious, but you might need translator to get what you want.

Its a street food.. Specialty in glass noodle and noodle.. Along with the crispy fish... And crispy cake... Its so delicious.. If you want you can add chilly.. But its so hoot... Dont forget to order their ice longan.. Its refreshing. .. The price is not expensive also

It's literally a hidden gem street foods. 5/5

. I'm local and the foods here are on point. My 5 times trying this lil stall
After pandemic, the foods here way better.
. I had "hủ tiếu khô trộn" it's dried mixed noodle with tons of ingredients (fried fish, peanuts, herbs, dried onion,...)
. Last time I tried "Bún Cá" this one is noodle with sour broth
. Cant explain more about the taste, I just dont wanna spoil 🤣. U guys better come & give a try by yourself.
. They open early morning till late night (probably whole day opening)
. They have english menu
. Price: 40k - 100k vnd
#kevinnndo

My favorite fish noodle of Hanoi. Must try everytime I’m here. The original fish noodle with soup and the dipping fish noodle with sauce are both delicious. So impressive!

Absolutely delicious Noodle fried fish soup and fried fish rolls, often crowded and you'll most probably share a table with the locals, if you don't mind, but that's what makes it special, besides the amazing, utterly delicious, full of flavour dishes. ☺