Cha ca is Hanoi's single-dish kitchen tradition: turmeric-marinated freshwater fish finished tableside in a pan with dill, spring onions and shrimp paste.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
Cha ca was created at 14 Cha Ca street in 1871, where the Doan family began grilling marinated fish for Vietnamese resistance fighters using their home as a meeting place. The family named the restaurant Cha Ca La Vong after a statue inside the shop. The street was renamed Pho Cha Ca in recognition of the dish. Cha Ca Thang Long on Duong Thanh now holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for the same dish, with multiple branches on one street.
Common allergens: Fish, Shrimp (mam tom), Peanut
Tip from the editors. Hemibagrus is traditional but catfish is fine. Don't overcook the dill: 30 seconds of wilting is enough.
Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi has cooked one turmeric-grilled fish dish at 14 Cha Ca street since 1871, and the street itself takes its name from the dish.
Signature: Cha ca turmeric fish, Galangal dill broth, Mam tom dipping sauce
Order: Cha ca La Vong: turmeric fish finished tableside on a charcoal brazier, with dill, spring onions and peanuts.
Tip: The 19th-century upstairs room is the original. Service is brusque, queues are common, but the dish is the point.
Cha Ca Thang Long in Hanoi is the Michelin Bib Gourmand cha ca specialist on Duong Thanh, with turmeric catfish finished tableside in dill and onions.
Try: Cha ca turmeric grilled fish
Order: Cha ca for two: turmeric catfish, dill, spring onions, peanuts and the house mam tom dip.
Tip: One dish only; price per person is fixed at 250,000 VND. The Duong Thanh strip has the same family running multiple addresses.
More cities are in research. Want chả cá covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.