When it comes to visiting Gia Lai, one cannot ignore the untouched natural beauty and distinct highland culture. However, what really captures the hearts of visitors is the exquisite Gia Lai cuisine. Through the article below, let’s together explore the mouth-watering Gia Lai local foods and satisfy your hunger cravings with the delicious flavors of this mountain town. No more further ado, let’s see what to eat in Gia Lai now!
Gia Lai dried pho (Phở khô Gia Lai)
Gia Lai dried pho, also known as two-bowl pho (phở hai tô), is a popular dish that many people haven’t tried yet. The key ingredients that give this dish its unique flavor are the pho made from rice flour, which has a firm texture like regular noodles, and the sweet bone broth that is served with a lot of meat.
A bowl of dried pho with full toppings typically includes pho, shredded chicken, minced meat, pork greaves, lettuce, basil, and bean sprouts. To enjoy the full flavor, remember to mix in some hoisin sauce and chili sauce before eating.
Suggested addresses
- Pho Hong: 22 Nguyen Van Troi, Hoi Thuong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Pho Ngoc Son: 15 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi Thuong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: From 30,000 VND/bowl.
Fermented crab noodle soup (Bún mắm cua)
Fermented crab noodle soup is a popular and unique Gia Lai local food. However, it may seem intimidating at first due to its appearance and pungent smell. That being said, once you taste it, you may become addicted to this delicious specialty.
To prepare this dish, the crabs are cleaned, and the meat is pureed and filtered to extract the water. The water is then fermented for one day and one night before being cooked with bamboo shoots and boiled duck eggs.
A bowl of fermented crab noodle soup consists of noodles, a bit of pork greave, fried onions, peanuts, and a hot broth. Gia Lai locals often enjoy this dish as a snack on a hot summer afternoon by combining the noodles with fresh vegetables.
Suggested addresses
- Chi crab noodle soup: 2 Phung Hung, Hoi Thuong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Crab noodle soup 339: 339 Le Duan, Thang Loi, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: From 15,000 VND/bowl.
Sticky rice cooked in bamboo and grilled chicken (Cơm lam và gà sa lửa)
Sticky rice cooked in bamboo and grilled chicken are what many diners enjoy in this red land.
To make this dish, first, glutinous rice is cooked by boiling it in embers until it turns yellow and produces a fragrant aroma. The chicken, which weighs around 1 kg, is chosen, cleaned, and marinated with spices such as unrefined salt, peppermint, and green chili.
The chicken is clamped on two bamboo sticks and grilled next to the smoldering fire for 2-3 hours, resulting in a distinctive smoky aroma. The grilled meat remains moist and sweet. Dipping the chicken in salt and eating it with a piece of sticky rice cooked in bamboo is an unbeatable experience.
Suggested addresses
- Bazan shop: 478 – 480 Le Duan, Thang Loi, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Plei Teng restaurant: Tan Son, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: From 150,000 VND.
Half-dried beef (Bò một nắng)
Half-dried beef is a specialty of the Krong Pa ethnic group. It is typically prepared for the rice festival. To ensure that the beef maintains its delectable taste, the chef must be very careful in choosing the meat, marinating it, and controlling the drying conditions.
One popular method of cooking this dish while ensuring to retain the sweetness and tenderness of the meat is to cut it into small pieces, grill it on charcoal, and flip it at the right time to cook both sides evenly.
Suggested addresses
- Chi Ba half-dried beef: 154 Phu Dong, Phu Dong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: From 500,000 VND/kg.
Wild leaves and vegetables hotpot (Lẩu lá rau rừng)
When it comes to Gia Lai local foods, one cannot forget about the fresh and nutritious wild leaves and vegetables hot pot. This is a simple yet delicious and healthy dish. All you need is a pot of hot broth, your favorite side dishes like mushrooms, beans, meat, seafood, and a basket of wild vegetables containing about 10 different types.
Some commonly used vegetables for this hot pot are sesame leaves, ming aralia leaves, broadleaf plantains. With a slightly bitter taste and unique aroma, these wild vegetables are dipped in a sweet hot pot sauce to create an unforgettable flavor that will leave a lasting impression on diners.
Suggested addresses
- Lam Vien restaurant: 100 Phan Dinh Phung, Tay Son, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Pleiku’s Ngon restaurant: 33 Le Hong Phong, Dien Hong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: From 150,000 VND.
Gia Lai rice noodle with roasted pork and anchovy fish sauce (Bún mắm nêm Gia Lai)
This is a dish from the Central region that offers a unique flavor. A delightful bowl of bun mam nem is packed with fresh vegetables, boiled meat, fermented pork rolls, and thinly sliced Vietnamese beef bologna, and topped with some roasted peanuts.
Before eating, you should remember to drizzle the dish with the seasoned fish sauce made from anchovies, mixed with garlic and chili paste.
Suggested addresses
- Pleiku Market, Dien Hong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: From 20,000 VND/piece.
Weaver ant roasted with salt (Muối kiến vàng)
One Gia Lai local food that you can buy as a gift is weaver ant roasted with salt. To make this dish, ants will be roasted on a hot pan with salt and chili to create the final product.
Not only does this dish have a high nutritional value, it also has a unique flavor that makes it suitable as a side dish for half-dried beef, grilled chicken, or mixed with Vietnamese indigenous salad.
Suggested addresses
- Pleiku Market, Dien Hong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: From 280,000 VND/kg.
Pleiku Coffee
Gia Lai is known as the “capital of coffee,” and it would be a mistake to visit this province without trying the delicious Pleiku coffee.
In addition to the usual varieties, the unique and expensive weasel coffee is a specialty that attracts a lot of attention from tourists for both its taste and its processing. Weasel coffee is not bitter but rather fragrant, with a rich aftertaste that even the most discerning coffee lovers will appreciate.
Suggested addresses
- Thu Ha weasel coffee: 9 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi Thuong, Pleiku, Gia Lai.
- Price: from 50,000 VND/serving or 1,000,000 VND/100gr.
Forest honey
Forest honey is a well-known Gia Lai local food. This region, with its verdant forests and vast coffee plantations, provides an ideal environment for bees to produce honey.
Gia Lai’s forest honey is dark yellow and shimmers in the light. It has a fragrant aroma, a sweet taste, and is extremely viscous due to its natural composition. Unlike commercial honey, which contains added sugar, forest honey is completely natural.
Suggested addresses
- Pleiku Honey: 1048 Pham Van Dong, Yen The Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai
- Selling point of wild honey: 677 Truong Chinh, Chi Lang, Pleiku City, Gia Lai
- Huu Su honey shop: 108 Pham Van Dong, Thong Nhat Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai
Lingzhi mushroom
Gia Lai’s primeval forests offer not only high-quality wild honey but also rare and valuable products like lingzhi mushrooms. This herb is known to enhance immunity and promote physical restoration, making it a popular gift for visitors to bring home to their loved ones.
Suggested addresses
- Thien Ngan lingzhi mushroom facility: 88 Seventeenth March, Thong Nhat Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai
- Lingzhi mushroom 81 farm: Nhon Hoa, Chu Puh, Gia Lai
Grilled beef in bamboo tubes (Thịt bò nướng ống tre)
Grilled beef in bamboo tubes is a delicacy that you shouldn’t miss when visiting Gia Lai. This dish retains the natural sweetness of the beef and is infused with the strong aroma of mountain spices, making it a memorable experience for visitors.
Suggested addresses
- Tay Nguyen Grilled Beef Restaurant (937 Dong Pham Van Dong, Yen The Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai)
- Beef 81 – Hot Pot & Grill (105 Quyet Tien, Dien Hong Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai)
- Lui Ba Sau Restaurant (122 Cao Ba Quat, Yen Do Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai)
If you read this and your stomach is already growling, what are you waiting for? Head to Gia Lai to savor the local cuisine right away. With so many delectable options to choose from, you’ll definitely be satisfied with the offerings from Gia Lai local food.
Read more Gia Lai travel guides
- 16 Most Promising Gia Lai Tourist Attractions
- 10 Affordable Pleiku Restaurants for Every Palate
- The Best Gia Lai Travel Guide for New Adventurers
