Let’s read about the delicious foods that CANNOT BE missed WHEN TRAVELING in NINH BINH in our What & Where to eat in Ninh Binh article!
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Cơm cháy – Thịt dê (Rice cracker – Goat meat)
Ninh Binh cuisine is the most famous with these 2 dishes, so when coming here, don’t miss them. In Ninh Binh, especially in the tourist area, almost every restaurant has these 2 items on the menu.
Ninh Binh rice cracker differs from other regions from frying to accompanying sauces. Delicious rice cracker is light yellow, evenly grainy, crunchy and still soft, fleshy and fatty without being bored and I can say this is one of the most delicious Vietnamese foods.

Cơm cháy (Rice cracker)
It costs about 35,000 VND – 45,000 VND / pack of 200gr. And if you have it at the restaurants in Ninh Binh, it costs about 130,000 – 140,000 VND / portion.
Ninh Binh goat meat tastes better than places because of two reasons: the goats here are raised on rocky mountains, they eat a variety of leaves, so the meat is firmer than the goats on the hills. Secondly, Ninh Binh people have their own secret, turn goat meat into famous specialties. Especially the lemon – goat made very well, sweet and crunchy, served with a variety of herbs will make bring you the fullest enjoyment. This type of goat meats is one of my favorite Vietnamese foods! Fewer fats and more muscles make it different from other types of meats.

Thịt dê (Goat meat)
The price for a person will range from 110,000 to 220,000 VND. Two restaurant suggestions for diners with both rice cracker and goat meat:
- Hoàng Giang restaurant
Address: Núi Hang Cá, Trường Yên, Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình / Opening hours: 7. 00 am – 11.30 pm
- Thăng Long restaurant
Address: Tràng An, Trường Yên, Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình / Opening hours: 7.00 am – 10.30 pm
Nhệch fish salad
In Ninh Binh, there are many places that recommend this delicious Vietnamese food. The fish salad in Kim Son is considered one of the best dishes in Ninh Binh. In order to make this special dish, this unique fish requires a lot of work. This dish brings the aroma of roasted sticky rice, the sour taste of vinegar intermingled with the warm spicy taste of ginger with garlic, chili, pepper, and lemongrass. Salad with the tangy and fleshy smell, has a very specific flavor, eat once is remember forever not forget.

Nhệch fish salad
- Vũ Bảo restaurant
Address: 6A Phát Diệm Đông, Phát Diệm town, Kim Sơn ward, Ninh Bình / Opening all day / This specialty here costs about 500,000 VND.
Mountain snail
It is a famous specialty in Ninh Binh because of its natural sweetness, rich due to snails eating grass leaves and some precious medicines. Therefore, mountain snails are processed into many different dishes such as grilled, fried tamarind or fried garlic, but the most popular is still boiled mountain snails.

Mountain snail
Mountain snails after catching are washed and boiled with lemongrass. Simple as that, but this rustic delicacy appeals to many people. Diners can eat not to feel the natural sweetness of the snail or dot with chili lemon sauce.
This kind of snail is sold a lot in Ninh Binh so you can buy it anywhere, especially after rainy days. It is also considered as one of the most delicious and cheap healthy food here. Diners can enjoy this dish at:
- Quoc Quan restaurant
Address: Trang An, Truong Yen, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh (close to Trang An Ninh Binh eco-tourism site, about 3km from Trang An and Bai Dinh roads). Price ranges from 80,000 – more than 100,000 VND / plate (depending on the kind).
Perch with sour fish
Truong Yen perch is very fat, strong and sweetmeat, so it is often processed by sour people into tilapia sour soup. Gradually, this dish became the main dish on the menu of restaurants and hotels.

Perch with sour fish
This cuisine is considered a simple dish of Ninh Binh, but it has a strong conquest of all diners. At a glance on how to cook, you can see it is not difficult to cook a bowl of sour soup in Ninh Binh style. However, the taste of this simple soup is certainly not only in the way it cooks but also because the local perch has its own unique flavor.
- Thập Tám restaurant: Đông village – Trường yên town – Hoa Lư ward- Ninh Bình :
- Liên Đồng restaurant: 94 Hoàng Diệu, Tây Sơn ward, Nam Bình, Ninh Bình.
Other delicacies: Nho Quân wine, Lai Thành wine, Gia Viễn shrimp sauce, Nho Quan ant egg sticky rice, To Nhu sprout vermicelli, Ninh Binh drift cake, braised fish, fried crab with guise leaves, etc.
These suggestions above have just brought you a shortlist of Ninh Binh cuisines and best local restaurants to eat in Ninh Binh, hopefully, you have enough time and chances to try them all.