Da Lat sits at 1,500 metres above sea level and the altitude changes everything about how the city eats. The cool climate supports produce - strawberries, artichokes, avocados, mulberries, and temperate vegetables - that grows nowhere else in Vietnam at scale. French colonists developed Da Lat as a hill station retreat during the early twentieth century, and that influence lingers in the architecture, in the café culture, and in a handful of restaurants that work with European techniques and local ingredients. The result is a food scene that is distinct from the coast and from the lowland cities.
Da Lat is also the hotpot capital of the central highlands. Evenings here are cool enough for a simmering pot at the table, and the local thang co (horse meat hotpot) and lau bo (beef hotpot) draw locals from surrounding towns for weekend dinners.
Da Lat’s Key Ingredients and Dishes
Strawberries (dau tay): Da Lat produces most of Vietnam’s strawberries. The fruit is eaten fresh, blended into smoothies, made into jam sold along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street, and incorporated into desserts. Strawberry wine (from approximately VND 180,000 per bottle as of 2026) is a local souvenir with a genuine market.
Artichoke tea (tra atiso): Da Lat is Vietnam’s main artichoke producer. The dried flower is steeped into a slightly bitter, earthy tea sold at most cafes. A cup costs approximately VND 20,000–35,000.
Banh Trang Nuong (grilled rice paper): A Da Lat street food original - a thin rice cracker griddled and topped with egg, spring onion, dried shrimp, and chilli sauce. Street vendors operate after 4pm near the Night Market and Xuan Huong Lake. Approximately VND 15,000–25,000 per sheet.
Da Lat Restaurants: Our Picks
Da Lat Night Market (Cho Da Lat)
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, opposite Xuan Huong Lake | Open 5pm–10pm
The best single stop for Da Lat street food after dark. Around 50 vendors spread across the covered market, with concentrated sections for grilled meats (bo nuong, approximately VND 80,000–150,000), banh trang nuong (VND 15,000–25,000), corn on the cob (bap nuong, VND 15,000), nem nuong (grilled pork skewers, VND 60,000–90,000), and fresh strawberry smoothies (sinh to dau tay, approximately VND 30,000–45,000). The dried fruit and jam stalls along the perimeter are good for local produce. Prices here are lower than in comparable tourist markets in Hoi An or Hanoi.
Best for: Street food, local atmosphere, strawberry desserts, budget eating
Lien Hoa Restaurant
1 Duong 3 Thang 4, Da Lat | Open 6am–9pm
One of Da Lat’s most reliable local restaurants for central Vietnamese food and highland staples. The kitchen does a good bun bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup with lemongrass and shrimp paste, approximately VND 60,000 as of 2026) alongside banh mi and a breakfast menu. The com phan (set rice meals with rotating protein and vegetable dishes, VND 70,000–110,000 per set) is popular with office workers and functions as a good value lunch option. No English menu, but staff manage basic orders. Busy from 11am–1pm.
Best for: Local Vietnamese staples, reliable lunch, budget pricing
Trong Dong Restaurant
220 Phan Dinh Phung, Da Lat | Open 9am–10pm
The go-to address for Da Lat’s highland grilled meat specialities. Trong Dong does nem nuong (hand-rolled grilled pork with rice paper and herbs, VND 120,000–180,000 per portion) and a hotpot menu that spans lau bo (beef, VND 280,000–420,000 for two), lau ga (chicken with local vegetables, VND 260,000–380,000), and lau hai san (seafood, VND 380,000–550,000). The charcoal grill adds smokiness that a gas burner cannot replicate. Order the banh trang (rice paper), fresh herbs plate, and a dipping sauce alongside; the wrapping is as much the point as the meat itself.
Best for: Hotpot, grilled meats, large groups, weekend dinners
Da Quy (Wild Sunflower) Restaurant
49 Truong Cong Dinh, Da Lat | Open 11am–10pm
A garden restaurant that makes good use of Da Lat’s temperate climate - the outdoor seating area stays genuinely comfortable year-round. The menu is French-Vietnamese: artichoke cream soup (sup atiso, approximately VND 75,000), pan-seared duck breast with local vegetables (VND 280,000), and a good selection of Da Lat strawberry-based desserts (strawberry tart, strawberry panna cotta, VND 65,000–90,000). The wine list is small but includes Vietnamese wines from the Da Lat Winery. Main dishes range from VND 160,000–380,000. Booking ahead for weekend dinners is advisable.
Best for: French-Vietnamese fusion, garden dining, strawberry desserts
Le Chalet Da Lat
6 Hoang Dieu, Da Lat | Open 7am–10pm
A colonial-era building converted into a restaurant and café that leans into Da Lat’s French-influenced identity more deliberately than most. The breakfast menu includes baguettes with pate (VND 55,000) and pastries (VND 40,000–65,000). The lunch and dinner menu covers French-inspired dishes - onion soup (approximately VND 90,000), beef bourguignon (VND 280,000), croque monsieur (VND 110,000) - alongside Vietnamese mains. Coffee is properly made (VND 55,000–80,000). The interior is warm and quiet; a good choice on a rainy afternoon.
Best for: French-influenced food, colonial atmosphere, coffee and pastries
Nha Hang Phuong Nam
40 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Da Lat | Open 9am–9pm
A mid-range Vietnamese restaurant popular with domestic tourists for its banh trang nuong and fresh local produce dishes. The menu covers standard Vietnamese staples alongside Da Lat specialities: avocado smoothies (sinh to bo, approximately VND 40,000), steamed artichoke served with sauces (atiso hap, VND 65,000–80,000), and strawberry dessert plates (VND 55,000–75,000). Portions are generous and the staff manage tourist-volume efficiently. Good for a mid-afternoon snack stop if you are walking the area around the market.
Best for: Local produce, artichoke dishes, avocado smoothies, mid-range pricing
Banh Mi 37 (37 Phuong Thanh Huong)
37 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Da Lat | Open 6am–7pm
A Da Lat institution for banh mi that locals prefer to the more famous Banh Mi Huynh Hoa in Saigon. The loaves are freshly baked, well-crusted, and generously filled with pate, seasoned pork, pickled vegetables, and fresh coriander. Approximately VND 25,000–40,000 per banh mi as of 2026. The adjacent drinks stall sells tra atiso (artichoke tea, VND 20,000) and ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee, VND 25,000) to go with it. Arrive before 9am for the best selection.
Best for: Cheap breakfast, local banh mi, artichoke tea
An Cafe Da Lat
26 Hoang Van Thu, Da Lat | Open 7am–9:30pm
A small café that does Da Lat-style coffee seriously. The ca phe chon (weasel coffee, approximately VND 80,000–120,000) is one of the better versions in the city without resorting to tourist-trap pricing. The condensed milk coffee (ca phe nau, VND 35,000) is reliable for an everyday cup. The pastry selection includes strawberry croissants (VND 45,000) and tarts made from local fruit. The interior is small and quiet - a better working café than a group stop.
Best for: Coffee, pastries, quiet working atmosphere
Take a Guided Food Tour of Da Lat
Da Lat’s highland food scene is unlike anything in lowland Vietnam - strawberries, artichokes, fresh avocados, and wine grapes grown in the cool mountain air appear in dishes that don’t exist elsewhere in the country. A guided food tour covers the Da Lat night market, banh trang nuong (Vietnamese pizza made on a charcoal grill), highland barbecue, and the local produce market where farmers sell directly at dawn. The city’s night market is the most concentrated eating area, but the local restaurant streets off Nguyen Van Troi are where the non-tourist versions of the same dishes are served.
Book a Da Lat food experience on GetYourGuide
Practical Notes
Temperature: Da Lat evenings drop to 15–20°C year-round. A jacket is useful if you are planning open-air dining or night market visits.
Strawberry picking: Several farms along the road to Trai Mat village (approximately 7km from the city centre, VND 150,000–200,000 entry with fruit as of 2026) allow visitors to pick strawberries directly. Worth combining with a morning of market shopping.
Getting around: Da Lat’s central area is hilly but walkable. Grab motorbike is the most practical option for reaching restaurants outside the centre (VND 15,000–35,000 within the city).
For a curated list of specific restaurants to visit and neighbourhoods to eat in, see our best restaurants in Da Lat guide.
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