Hanoi is not just about Hoan Kiem lake, the walking street every weekend, the old quarter but also about the Hanoian gastronomy and cuisine. Food is an essential part of every tourism destination through which you can learn about the culture and human there. The problem is, Hanoi is a big city and traffic is not really well organized so it may take a lot of time to find the popular dishes. Besides the usual travelling tours, cooking classes in Hanoi are highly recommended selection for the new experiences and convenience they have. Coming to the cooking classes, tourists not only can taste the delicious popular traditional Vietnamese dishes but also learn to cook them. The Cooking centers mentioned below means that the foreign participants do not have to worry about food safety or unreasonable prices.
Now let’s dive in the list of 6 well-known cooking classes in Hanoi. This list is based on the reviews of many tourists who had joined the cooking classes before.
1. Hanoi cooking centre
Rate: From $45/person
Add: 44 Chau Long, Ba Dinh
Tel: (+84-43) 715.0088
Hanoi cooking centre
Hanoi cooking center is very well rated by the participants. The centre offers daily cooking classes which covers the activities like going to the local market, cooking and enjoying the dishes. A class is guided by the professional chefs of the centre who know everything about Vietnamese food and speak fluent English. It starts with a trip to a local market where you are instructed to buy fresh and appropriate ingredients for the dishes by a chef then you will be back to the centre to cook them. The seasonings and ingredients are all prepared to assure you will enjoy the dishes you have made. The staffs do some of the work so it is not involved. The chefs will give you easy and straightforward instructions and explain during your cooking. Eventually, you can enjoy the dishes you have done at the restaurant of the centre or take them home.
It will take you about 4 hours to experience all the activities of the class and $45/person. It is recommended to those who want to have real experiences and see another aspects of the local shopping and understand more about Vietnamese traditional food.
2. Hidden Hanoi
Rate: From $45/person or $55/person including a market tour before the cooking class
Add: 147 Nghi Tam, Tay Ho
Tel: +8491 225 4045
Hidden Hanoi
If you are looking for a genuine Vietnamese experience, the cooking class provided by Hidden Hanoi is just something you can not miss. Hidden Hanoi offers many menus consisting of some of the most popular and authentically Vietnamese dishes such as sea food menu, pagoda vegetarian menu, village menu for you to select which one you prefer. A special thing about the cooking class is that it involves the ingredients which are easy to be found at many Asian grocery stores and it is possible for the tourists to replicate the dishes in their kitchen when they are back home.
The passionate chefs and staff in Hidden Hanoi not only teach you how to cook the dishes but also introduce Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese eating culture such as the importance of rice. Besides, how Vietnamese traditional seasonings and ingredients are used is also explained by the chef. The well organized cooking kitchen with the warm traditional vibe is a good place for you to relax and away from the bustle hand hustle out there.
Also, you will be doing everything on your own from preparation to decoration but with the instructions and help from the chef and staff, you will be surprise with the result.
3. Madam Yen
Rate: From $45/person
Add: 99 Hang Gai Street, Hanoi Old Quarter
Madam Yen
The address is easy to find and right on the Old Quarter. The course includes Market Walking Culture tour with the warm and welcoming crew from Madam Yen’s restaurant who will introduce the architecture of the old houses and Hanoians’ lifestyle and walk you to buy the ingredients at the local market for the upcoming class. The cooking class takes place on the 2nd floor of Madam Yen restaurant and the room is very modern and stylish but also has a comfortable vibe so that everyone can feel free to learn cooking. The chefs can explain almost everything in good English which is a plus. In addition, the chef also teach you how to decorate the dishes appropriately so that it looks more inviting and delicious. Also, the highest levels of hygiene are maintained throughout the class including disposable gloves
After finishing the class, you will have your meal right at the beautiful restaurant’s dinning area and get a cooking certificate like a supportive gift for your attempt and some recipes in case you forget the lesson so that you can cook Vietnamese dishes for your family and friends later when you are back to your home country. Madam Yen cooking class also offer courses for vegetarians but you will need to contact them in advance for better preparation.
4. Old Hanoi
Rate: From $50/person for Public Class, $80/person for Private Class
Address: 18 Ton That Thiep Street, Ba Dinh Dist, Hanoi
Tel: (+84-43) 7478337
Old Hanoi
The cooking space is in a peaceful tropical garden in the middle of Hanoi is a spotlight of this cooking course. There will be a discussion between you and other participants about how your day will go and to give you an overview of the activities during the course. It starts with a short trip to the local market located on the Old Quarter where you can learn about local shopping and pick the ingredients by yourself with the instructions and tips from the chef. You can also haggle over the prices if you want to give it a try and haggling is very common in Vietnamese local shopping.
Back in the restaurant, you will have your hands on everything and when you find something difficult to do, the chef and the helpers are very welcoming to give you a hand. There are only two options or two menus in other words for you to choose but those menus already includes the most popular Vietnamese traditional dishes from desserts to main dishes like crispy spring rolls, grilled fish, sweet potato with ginger pudding.
5. Apron Up Cooking Class
Rate: From 32 USD/person/Group Tour ( You are a member of group 6 to 10 People )
Add: 3rd floor 66 Bat Su Street, Hanoi
Tel: + 84 942 406 686
Apron Up Cooking Class
You will get picked by the staff of Apron Up and start with a market trip after getting some overview information and what to do in a class. The cooking instructor will walk you to the market and teach you some common useful key words so that you can buy the herbs and spices needed for the class and can even haggle the price by yourself. The instructors are so approachable, welcoming and knowledgeable that you can ask and talk to them about everything related to Vietnamese cuisine and culture, lifestyle. You will be instructed to do everything to get your meal complete. There are 8 options for you to choose featuring the popular Hanoi street foods you can not miss like banana pancake, egg coffee, black sticky rice yogurt. The vegan option is also available.
You will enjoy your meal with the group at their restaurant in the same building. The meal might be huge and you can bring the leftovers back to your hotel or it is suggested to give them to the homeless. A diploma is certificated with your name on it and a recipe is also given to you.
6. Orchid Cooking Class
Rate: 1 075 000 VND – 1 185 000VND
Add: 25 Hang Bac Str, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Tel: 84-4-3828 4864
Orchid Cooking Class
The atmosphere of the classroom and the restaurant is very warm and traditional with the yellow walls, wooden chairs and red lanterns. The bowls and dishes used are clay and decorated with traditional patterns. The cooking courses focus on Vietnamese traditional cuisine so you will learn to cook dishes like che – a kind of dessert, pho, Hanoi-style grilled fish, banana flower salad which are specialty for Hanoi gastronomy. There are 5 menus for you to choose.
The chefs are skillful, passionate and experienced in the food arts and ready to share you everything. You are taught knife skills, ingredient selection/identification, indigenous cooking techniques all sprinkled with some local culture and history. The course also features a market tour like the classes mentioned above and you can choose the means of transportation like cyclo. You will get a diploma and some recipes when the class ends as well.
Cuisine is not just about food, it is about the people, lifestyle and culture. Making foods is a direct way to learn about all those things and have great experiences. Most people joining the cooking classes in Hanoi said that they had a great time and that was a must when visiting Hanoi, a spotlight in their trip. Let’s imagine how surprise your family and friends are when you come back home from Vietnam not only with some souvenirs but also can cook them an authentic Vietnamese traditional meal! That is also a meaningful gift, isn’t it?
