Eat like a local on Phu Quoc
With the diverse food culture of Vietnam, you definitely have to try some local food. On Phu Quoc, there are many great restaurants for delicious Vietnamese meals and drinks.
Phu Quoc also has some unique foods that you will have a hard time finding anywhere else in Vietnam, so don’t miss your chance to try them out. Let me introduce you to the best meals and restaurants on the island!
3 meals unique to Phu Quoc
Bún Quậy - rice noodle soup
Bún Quậy is a fresh rice noodle soup dish with fresh squid, fish cake and shrimp cake. Originally, it was a dish from Binh Dinh province, when they came to Phu Quoc as the new economy policy.
Unlike other restaurants, you have to make your own dipping sauce for the food by mixing salt, kumquats, chili, MSG (it’s very common in East Asian food), and sugar. Most Vietnamese tourists who visit Phu Quoc always come to taste Bun Quay at least once. Seafood lovers should not skip this!
If you want to try Bún Quậy, I recommend Bún Quậy Kiến Xây, see the Google Maps location below.
Bún Kèn: fresh noodles with herbs and minced pork
Bún Kèn is another dish local to the Kiên Giang region in Vietnam. This dish is actually influenced by Khmer cuisine. “Kèn” means broth made of coconut. It’s similar to a curry and very delicious. The coconut flavour really changes the taste of the entire dish and makes it a great mix of sweet and savory that just works!
I have listed the location of a very good restaurant specializing in Bún Kèn in Duong Dong town, definitely worth a try.
Gỏi cá trích (herring fish salad)
Phu Quoc herring salad is a harmonious combination of fresh herring fish and vegetables, such as onions, dry coconut, and Vietnamese coriander which create full of nutrients and rich in culinary identity of Phu Quoc region.
You will find this dish at pretty much all seafood restaurants on the island.
Good and affordable local restaurants on Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc is a touristic area, which means you will find a lot of variety in restaurants and food. However, there are also a lot of great local restaurants where you will find amazing and very affordable Vietnamese food and drinks.
Want to know where a local would eat? Here are some of my favourite meals and restaurants on Phu Quoc! Want to learn how to make these mouth-watering dishes yourself? You would be very welcome to join a cooking class if you are interested.
Bánh tráng cuốn (rice paper salad rolls)
Bánh tráng cuốn: It is a rice paper salad. The salad mainly has Vietnamese corianders, sliced green mangoes, quail eggs and mayo dressings. If you’re going to order this dish, I highly recommend you to order “trà thơm” (pineapple tea) along with the salad, it’s a great combination.
You can try Bánh tráng cuốn in multiple restaurants on the island, but my personal recommendation is shown in the Google Maps location.
Seafood BBQ
There are some restaurants in the tourist area that sell reasonable fish bbq like red sniper, barracuda, trevally, etc. Costs only 150,000 VND – 250,000 per fish. Besides, they also have other options such as oysters, scallops, squids, and side dishes, like stirred-fried vegetables (morning glory, broccoli, etc.)
Address: Alley 100, Tran Hung Dao st, Duong Dong, Phu Quoc
The restaurant does not have an official Google Maps listing, but you can find it on the location in Google Maps listed here.
Bánh Mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich)
You can’t visit Vietnam and not have a Bánh Mi. It’s a perfect breakfast or lunch (or both) and so good! It comes in many variations just like a regular sandwich, so there’s definitely something for everyone.
Bánh Mi is actually derived off the French Baguette, which the Vietnamese put their own twist on, to create a masterpiece.
You can find Bánh Mi stalls all over the island, but here are some of my favourite places to grab a sandwich:
-Bánh mì Tuấn Mập
-Bánh mì Nhung
-Bánh mì Út Tâm
The locations are listed in the Google Maps as noted.
Bánh mì Tuấn Mập
Bánh mì Nhung
Bánh mì Út Tâm
Popular foods and drinks in Vietnam
If you are visiting Phu Quoc or Vietnam in general and want to explore the popular foods and drinks in Vietnam, let me tell you about some of our popular meals and drinks!
Bún thịt nướng (fresh noodles with pork BBQ)
Bún thịt nướng (French: “bò bún” or English: fresh noodles with pork BBQ) is one of the Vietnamese popular dishes, which originaties from Southern Vietnam. It is fresh rice noodles topped with herbs (mint, basil and beans sprout), pork bbq, nem nướng (grilled garlic pork sausage) sometimes, and fried spring rolls and dressed with dipping fishing sauce. Each region has its own flavor depending on the food culture of each region.
Bánh xèo - Vietnamese pancakes
The pancake is basically made of rice flour, turmeric powder and water topped with bean sprouts, pork and shrimp. When you eat, you take a part of it, then put on a rice paper, take some salad on, roll it and dip in the sweet-sour fish sauce.
Vietnamese coffee
For coffee lovers: Vietnam has been the kingdom of coffee in Asia. Vietnamese people have made a lot of desserts/drinks from coffee.
Vietnamese coffee – cafe sữa Đá (ice) / nóng (hot): it’s a condensed milk coffee.
Coconut coffee – cafe dừa. Basically, it’s a coffee with coconut cream blended.
Salted coffee – cafe muối: It’s a Vietnamese coffee with milk foam mixed with salt.
Egg coffee – cafe trứng: it’s a coffee with egg.
Peanut butter coffee – cafe bơ đậu phộng: as the name suggests, it’s a coffee with peanut butter.
Looking for a cafe where you can find these drinks? Try of one my recommended cafes!
Vietnamese fruit tea
If coffee is not your thing, then maybe you will be able to start the day the right way with a tasty Vietnamese fruit tea! Some examples of fruit teas include:
Peach tea – trà đào
Lychee tea – trà vải
Apple tea – trà táo
Good cafes in Phu Quoc
If you’re looking for a good cafe on Phu Quoc island, let me tell you some of my favourite places:
-Highland Coffee (multiple locations)
-Mix Coffee
-Tuc Coffee
–Hạt Điền Coffee
I have listed the Google Maps locations for you, they are great cafes to start your morning the right way.
Highlands Coffee
Tuc Cafe
Mix Coffee
Hạt Điền Coffee
Final Thoughts
Phu Quoc has an amazing variety of both local and international food. You should definitely try some of the local recommendations I have pointed out, good food is a blessing and I want you to be able to enjoy your meals while you are on the island or in Vietnam. If you have any questions, food related or not, feel free to get in touch through e-mail or WhatsApp. Or maybe even join me on one of my snorkeling tours, where you will also sample some local foods!