Best Street Food In Sapa – Top 10 Must-Try Dishes 2024

Sapa has a huge reputation for its rich cultural values as well as delectable cuisine like Thit Trau Gac Bep or Com Lam. Especially, tourists can try the best street foods in Sapa particularly and in Vietnam generally. If you are curious about what to eat when traveling, Sun Getaways Travel will provide you with a list including the top 10 must-try street foods in Sapa. Let’s figure it out!

Top 6 Sapa Cakes – Best Street Food in Sapa

Corn cake

Corn cake, known as “banh mi ngô” in Sapa, is a beloved street food made from freshly grated corn in Sapa. The cakes are fried to a golden crisp on the outside but remain a soft and sweet interior. Locals often serve corn cakes as a quick snack or eat in every Sapa meal. Tourists adore eating corn cakes because it has a unique taste between natural corn sweetness and the crunch of the fried exterior. Moreover, this is also a top choice for visitors to try when traveling to Sapa.

Chestnut cake

Additionally, Chestnut cake is one of the favorite street foods in Sapa, Vietnam. This delightful treat combines sweet chestnut puree, sticky rice, and sugar. People will mix all ingredients and steam them until they turn a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The cakes are often coated in toasted sesame seeds, adding a delightful crunch. People fall in love with chestnut cake due to its fresh and crisp taste. Chestnut cake is suitable for visitors to wander around Sapa markets and immerse in the noisy atmosphere while tasting piece by piece of cakes.

Banh Goi Chien (Deep-fried pillow cake)

Banh Goi Chien, also called deep-fried pillow cake, is another best street food in Sapa for tourists to try. These cakes are filled with a savory mixture of ground pork, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Every ingredient creates a delightful textural contrast. Street vendors skillfully fry them to crispy perfection.

Deep-fried pillow cakes are often served with a sweet and tangy dipping sauce. Diners will be mouth-watering with a bite of this iconic Sapa snack. They will feel a bunch of amazing flavors with only a deep-fried pillow cake.

Banh Troi Tau Sapa (Sapa steamed rice cake)

Banh Troi Tau (Sapa steamed rice cake) is a famous street food in Sapa, Vietnam. It is made from glutinous rice flour and mung bean paste. Locals will add it to bamboo tubes and then steam them until cooked. Sapa steamed rice cakes have a chewy texture and a sweet, nutty flavor. This is a common snack among the local ethnic minority communities. Hence, tourists can easily find Sapa steamed rice cake at the markets and streets of Sapa.

Banh Dao (Pau co cake)

Another option for you is Banh Dao. Sapa people also call it by the name: Pau co cake. As a traditional dish of Lao Cai’s ethnic communities, the main ingredients to make banh Dao are Dao flour are glutinous rice flour. These flour types are mixed at a suitable rate and then formed into small circle shapes covered by banana leaves. Moreover, its filling can include pork, mushrooms, or sweetened mung bean. Plus, Banh Dao is a delicious snack that reflects the unique culinary traditions of the Sapa region.

Banh Chung Den (Black chung cake)

Next, Banh Chung den (black Chung cake) is a unique specialty of Sapa. This sticky rice cake is colored black using a natural dye from local herbs and leaves, which creates a distinctive appearance and flavor for this dish. Banh Chung den is often served during festivals and special occasions. It is not only known as a symbol of the cultural heritage and community spirit of the Sapa region. Furthermore, Banh Chung Den also reflects the rich culinary traditions of the local ethnic communities living there.

⛱ Contact us via Whatsapp or follow Sun Getaways Travel Fanpage to get the best information for your Sapa tour. Or follow these posts to get the details if you want to:

Top 4 Sapa Local Specialties –  Best Street Food in Sapa

Thit Trau Gac Bep (Dried buffalo meat)

First, Thit Trau Gac Bep (dried buffalo meat) is a delicious street food that people traveling to Sapa is a must-try. The fresh buffalo meat will be seasoned with salt, chilies, and other ingredients then smoke and dry it over a cozy wood fire. This process gives the meat an amazing, intense flavor and a wonderfully chewy taste. If you visit the Northwest highlands, do not miss a chance to taste the real flavor of Thit Trau Gac Bep – A rich culinary heritage of Sapa!

Com Lam (Sticky rice in bamboo)

Cơm Lam is a type of sticky rice in bamboo often served in every meal of Sapa ethnic communities like Nung people, Thai people, or Dao people. It includes glutinous rice packed into fresh bamboo segments. After that, people will roast the bamboo rice over an open fire.

Travelers significantly adore Com Lam because the process of eating it is so interesting. Diners will split the bamboo and taste the sweet sticky rice inside. Com Lam is often served with grilled meat and peanuts to enhance the flavor of delicacy.

Grilled skewers

Sapa Highland is extremely famous for grilled skewers. Residents settling here can turn any ingredient into grilled dishes from a variety of meats like buffalo and lamb,… vegetables such as corn, and even small animals like piglets. These skewers are grilled over hot coals and served with a variety of dipping sauces. Most importantly, Sapa weather is quite cool in the early morning and night, so eating hot grilled skewers helps people increase their body heat and keep them warm.

Xoi Ngu Sac (Five-color sticky rice)

Another well-known street food that you must taste once you come to Sapa is Xoi Ngu Sac! This is five-color sticky rice. This sticky rice dish presents five different colors – white, yellow, green, red, and black. Those colors originate from natural ingredients such as pandan leaves, turmeric, and different types of rice. Tourists feel excited when seeing the vibrant colors of Xoi Ngu Sac. Moreover, it also creates a visually stunning and appetizing presentation for people.

Other Best Street Food in Sapa

In addition to the above flavorful street foods, there are several incredible dishes that visitors should try once in their lives. For example, they can try roasted chestnuts sold at Sapa night markets. Or you can easily buy grilled corn and sweet potato at outdoor stalls along the journey.

Especially, if you feel cold and need warm drinks, let’s sip a cup of hot corn milk! This is a favorite hot drink in Sapa. Its taste is amazing and full of corn flavors. Moreover, it will make your body warmer under the cold weather of Sapa.

Additionally, tourists can buy diverse fruit jams in Sapa and bring them back home as presents for their sweet tooths. There are apple jam, apricot jam, and plum jam for you to try. It is not difficult for you to find them on the road.

⛱ Read more: What to eat in Sapa Vietnam?

Conclusion

In conclusion, Sapa has a lot of delicacies for travelers to try. Moreover, the street food in Sapa shows the town’s rich culinary heritage. Furthermore, it offers a delicious array of local specialties that tantalize the senses and immerse visitors in the vibrant local culture. Sun Getaways Travel has just introduced all the best street food in Sapa. We hope you will taste as many delectable dishes as possible during your Sapa discovery.