Hanoi's Decades-Old Eel Noodle Soup Receives Michelin Recognition
Since its opening in 1984, Dung's eel noodle soup shop has been bustling with customers from morning to night, especially after earning a spot in the Michelin Guide's recommendations.
Eel dishes are popular throughout Vietnam's three regions, each with its own distinct preparation style. In Hanoi, one of the oldest and most popular spots for eel noodle soup is Dung's, located at 87 Hang Dieu Street in Hoan Kiem District. Loved by both locals and tourists, the shop has been serving customers for over 40 years. This year, it earned a place in the Michelin Guide under the Bib Gourmand category, which recognizes dining establishments offering great food at affordable prices.
Quach Kim Dung, the 66-year-old owner, shared her journey: “I used to work at a restaurant on Hang Buom Street, where I gained extensive cooking experience. After retiring, I helped my family sell rice meals and steamed rice rolls before transitioning to eel noodle soup. Passionate about cooking and fond of eel noodle soup, I experimented to perfect our current recipe.”
The two-story shop is clean and spacious, accommodating up to 50 guests at a time. It is particularly busy at lunchtime, often with not enough seats to accommodate all the patrons.
The eels used in the dishes are sourced from the provinces of Nghe An and Bac Ninh. They are medium-sized with smooth skin and round bodies. The eels are cleaned with salt to remove any fishy odor, then cut into sections, seasoned, and fried at a moderate temperature to ensure they become firm and crispy.
The broth, simmered for 10 hours from pork and eel bones, is first cleaned and blanched to maintain clarity.
The menu offers two main types of dishes: eel noodle soup and mixed eel noodles, with options for either soft or crispy eel.
Upon ordering, noodles and bean sprouts are blanched briefly in the broth, ensuring the noodles remain chewy and non-sticky. The dish is garnished with soy sauce, cucumber, perilla leaves, basil, mint, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots.
In the summer, the mixed eel noodles are particularly popular for their refreshing sweet and sour flavor. Besides the signature eel noodle dishes, the shop also offers a variety of other eel-based dishes such as stir-fried noodles, eel porridge, and eel patties, all of which are well-loved by many.
“I usually visit the shop 2-3 times a week. I prefer the mixed eel noodles because the eel here is crispy and suits my taste,” said Thanh Loan from Ba Dinh District.
The noodles have a chewy texture, while the crispy eel, with its brown-orange hue, is well-seasoned. Customers can enhance the flavor with chili oil according to their preference.
Prices are reasonable, with a bowl of eel noodle soup or eel porridge costing VND45,000 ($1.70), mixed eel noodles at VND55,000, eel soup at VND35,000, and stir-fried eel noodles at VND65,000. The shop also offers vacuum-sealed crispy eel for VND1.5 million ($59) per kilogram, which makes for a thoughtful gift for distant friends.
Open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Dung's shop is a popular destination for visitors to Hanoi's Old Quarter looking for a satisfying late-night meal.