What Food Is Phu Quoc Known For? 10 Dishes You Must Try

Phu Quoc is not just beaches. The island has a food culture shaped by its fishing heritage, its famous pepper plantations, and its position as the fish sauce capital of Vietnam. Some dishes here are impossible to find anywhere else.

Here are the 10 foods Phu Quoc is known for, where to find them, and what makes each one worth seeking out.

1. Bun Quay (Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup)

This is Phu Quoc’s signature dish and the one food you cannot leave without trying. Bun quay features hand-pulled rice noodles made fresh to order. The cook pulls and tears noodle dough directly into a pot of simmering broth, creating irregular, chewy noodles that have a texture machine-made noodles cannot replicate.

The soup is served with fish cake, shrimp, pork, and fresh herbs. The broth is light and clean, relying on seafood stock rather than heavy spices. It is an early morning dish – most bun quay shops open at 6:00 AM and close by 10:00 AM.

Where to eat it: The original bun quay shops are in Duong Dong town near the old market. Ask any local for “bun quay” and they will point you to their favorite.

Price: 30,000-50,000 VND ($1.25-$2)

2. Banh Canh Cua (Crab Noodle Soup)

Thick, chewy tapioca noodles in a rich crab broth, topped with chunks of crab meat, quail eggs, and fried shallots. Banh canh cua is comfort food at its best. The noodles are thicker than standard rice noodles and have a satisfying, slightly gummy texture.

This dish is popular throughout southern Vietnam, but Phu Quoc’s version benefits from the freshness of locally caught crab. The broth tends to be thicker and more flavorful than mainland versions.

Price: 40,000-60,000 VND ($1.60-$2.50)

3. Goi Ca Trich (Herring Salad)

This is the dish that surprises most visitors. Thin slices of raw herring are wrapped in rice paper with shredded coconut, onion, peanuts, fresh herbs, and green mango, then dipped in a pungent fish sauce. It is essentially a Vietnamese ceviche-style dish, though the fish is not cured in citrus.

The combination of textures – creamy coconut, crunchy peanuts, tender fish, crisp herbs – is addictive. The fish sauce dip ties everything together. Goi ca trich is available at most seafood restaurants on the island, but the beachside restaurants on the northern coast serve the freshest versions.

Price: 80,000-120,000 VND ($3.25-$5)

4. Grilled Seafood at the Night Market

The Duong Dong night market is the island’s food epicenter. Every evening, dozens of stalls set up grills loaded with squid, prawns, scallops, oysters, fish, lobster, and sea snails. You choose your seafood from the display, it is weighed and priced, and then grilled to order with garlic butter, chili salt, or tamarind sauce.

The experience is as much about atmosphere as food. Sitting at plastic tables under string lights, cold beer in hand, watching your dinner come off the grill – this is Phu Quoc at its most enjoyable.

What to order: Grilled scallops with peanut and green onion are the crowd favorite. Whole grilled squid is excellent. Garlic butter prawns are simple and perfect.

Price: $8-$15 per person for a generous seafood spread with drinks.

5. Sea Urchin

Phu Quoc’s waters produce sea urchin (nhim bien) that is eaten raw with a squeeze of lime or lightly grilled. The uni (roe) inside is creamy, briny, and intensely flavored. It is a delicacy that costs a fraction of what you would pay in Japan or the US.

Sea urchin is seasonal and availability depends on weather and tides. When it is available, you will see it at the night market and at seafood restaurants around the island.

Price: 20,000-40,000 VND ($0.80-$1.60) per urchin

6. Pepper Crab

Phu Quoc is one of Vietnam’s premier pepper-growing regions, and the island’s black and red peppercorns are prized nationwide. Pepper crab combines the two things the island does best: fresh crab and fresh pepper.

Whole crabs are stir-fried with a generous amount of cracked Phu Quoc pepper, garlic, and butter. The heat from the pepper is sharp and aromatic, different from chili heat. It is a dish that is messy to eat, best shared with friends, and ideally accompanied by cold beer.

Where to eat it: Most seafood restaurants on the island serve pepper crab. The restaurants along the coast road south of Duong Dong are particularly good.

Price: 200,000-400,000 VND ($8-$16) per crab depending on size

7. Dishes Made with Phu Quoc Fish Sauce

Phu Quoc fish sauce (nuoc mam Phu Quoc) has its own geographical indication, similar to Champagne. The island produces the highest-grade fish sauce in Vietnam, made from ca com (anchovies) caught in the surrounding waters and fermented in wooden barrels for 12-15 months.

You will taste the difference in every dish on the island. Dipping sauces are richer and more complex. Soups have deeper flavor. Even simple dishes like broken rice with grilled pork taste better here because the fish sauce is better.

Visit a fish sauce factory: Several producers on the island offer tours where you can see the fermentation process and buy bottles to take home. It makes a great souvenir and is significantly cheaper than buying Phu Quoc fish sauce abroad.

8. Phu Quoc Sim Wine

Sim wine (ruou sim) is made from sim berries (rose myrtle) that grow wild in Phu Quoc’s forests. The wine is sweet, mildly alcoholic (around 12-15%), and has a deep purple-red color. Locals claim various health benefits, though the main appeal is the unique, fruity flavor.

It is not wine in the European sense. Think of it as a berry liqueur. It goes down easy, which can be dangerous. A small glass after dinner is pleasant. Several glasses and you will understand why locals warn you to pace yourself.

Price: A bottle costs 80,000-150,000 VND ($3.25-$6) at local shops. Night market vendors sell small glasses for tasting.

9. Night Market Street Food Beyond Seafood

While the grilled seafood gets the most attention, the Duong Dong night market has much more:

• Banh trang nuong (Vietnamese pizza): Rice paper grilled over coals with egg, dried shrimp, scallions, and chili sauce. Crispy, savory, and costs about $0.50.
• Che (sweet dessert soup): Colorful bowls of coconut milk with beans, jelly, tapioca, and fruit. Refreshing after spicy food.
• Fruit shakes: Fresh mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, and coconut shakes for $1-$2. These are a lifesaver in the heat.
• Banh xeo (crispy crepe): Turmeric-yellow crepes filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts.
• Grilled corn and sweet potatoes: Simple snacks cooked over charcoal.

10. Pho

Every list of Vietnamese food must include pho, and Phu Quoc’s pho shops serve respectable bowls. The island’s pho tends to follow the southern Vietnamese style – sweeter broth, more herbs and garnishes, and a heavier hand with hoisin and Sriracha on the table.

Pho is the universal comfort food in Vietnam. It is available everywhere from early morning until late at night, it is cheap (25,000-50,000 VND), and it is consistently good even at humble roadside shops.

A Note for Dental Patients

If you are visiting Phu Quoc for dental work and wondering what you can eat during recovery, the island’s food scene is actually well suited to soft-food diets. Several of the dishes above require minimal chewing:

• Bun quay and pho are soups with soft noodles
• Banh canh cua has extra-soft tapioca noodles
• Chao (rice porridge) is available everywhere and is the go-to recovery food in Vietnam
• Fruit shakes and smoothies from the night market provide nutrition without chewing
• Sea urchin is soft and requires no chewing at all

Phu Quoc Luxury Dental in Duong Dong actually provides patients with a list of recommended soft-food restaurants near the clinic. It is a small detail that shows they understand what dental tourists need. If you are planning dental work on the island, you will not go hungry during recovery. For help coordinating a dental trip, check out SmileJet for verified clinic listings and treatment planning.

Where to Eat: Quick Guide

For breakfast: Find a bun quay or pho shop in Duong Dong. Follow the locals.

For lunch: Any of the seafood restaurants along the coast roads. Try the ones south of Duong Dong toward An Thoi for less touristy options.

For dinner: The Duong Dong night market is hard to beat for value and atmosphere. Go at least twice.

For a splurge: Several resort restaurants on Long Beach serve elevated Vietnamese cuisine in beautiful settings. Expect to pay $20-$40 per person.

For more on planning your Phu Quoc trip, see our guides on getting to the island from HCMC and transport options on the island.