Hanoi is a city with a big heart and an even bigger appetite and its burgeoning dining scene is growing to rival that of its sophisticated southern brother, Ho Chi Minh. But great food in the capital isn't just five-star luxury or stuffy fine dining, it's about local specialities served fresh and simple and - more often than not - on the streets. Improvised living room eateries offer everything from crispy deep fried nem (pork spring rolls) wrapped in herbs and dipped in fish sauce, to the city's most famous export, pho (beef noodle soup).

And right at the heart of Hanoi's food and drink scene is coffee, taken strong, sweet and buttery and poured across the city in its wealth of charming cafes. Don't miss the famous weasel coffee (made with beans digested by weasels).

1. Cafe Duy Tri

This smoky, ramshackle cafe in the heart of Hanoi's old quarter has been open since 1936 and is a must-see for anyone wanting to experience a genuine, no-frills slice of Vietnam's thriving cafe culture. Set over three floors this low-ceilinged hang-out is a favourite among locals who sit supping weasel coffee on minute wicker stools amid the cafe's battered antique furniture and whirring fans. Try the house speciality of iced coffee with yoghurt.

• 43 Pho Yen Phu Street

2. 14 Hang Ga Street

This street kitchen is famed for serving the best banh cuon in the city - a definitive Hanoi street food dish of silky-soft steamed rice pancakes stuffed with pork mince and pungent black mushrooms and topped with crunchy fried shallots, a squeeze of lime and a handful of fragrant herbs. It's a dish that exemplifies perfectly the Vietnamese concept of flavour and texture balance – savoury, sour, soft, crisp and herbal – and you'd be hard pushed to find it fresher or better made than at this humble canteen.

3. 43 Cau Go Street

When lunchtime comes around in Hanoi (at about 11 am) you'll find yourself enticed by the fug of delectable, aromatic smoke from barbequing pork. This is bun cha and it's another famous delicacy of the north. At this rough-and-ready alfresco kitchen you can watch it being cooked in front of you over a tiny coal fire with the help of an electric fan. Sizzling over the smouldering embers, the pork takes on a smokiness and is served in bowls with cold vermicelli noodles, a vinegary fish sauce broth, pork and spring onion meatballs, a piquant carrot and cabbage pickle and a plate of freshly fried nem (pork spring rolls) - and all for under a pound.

4. Cafe Loc Tai

The French occupation (from the mid-19th century to the second world war) left Hanoi with a bustling bakery scene and the tempting smell of pastries and cakes frequently pervades the streets. Cafe Loc Tai on Hang Dieu is a fun and exuberant fusion of Western patisserie and Vietnamese dessert shop – offering everything from sesame Madeleines, croissants and deep-fried sausage rolls to candied fruits and yoghurt-based soups dotted with floral fruit jellies and tapioca pearls. Try the che choui - a moreish, sticky-sweet soup of hot coconut milk with fried peanuts and chunks of banana that have been grilled in rice and banana leaf until gooey.

• 53 Hang Dieu

5. Cafe Pho Co

Hanoi's "oldest cafe" is certainly well-hidden. Situated on Hang Gai, with panoramic views across the emerald expanse of Hoan Kiem lake, it's a little gem worthy of a stop - if you can find it. To get there you must walk through a silk and trinket shop to a shrine-filled courtyard where birds sing from cages and foliage drips from the surrounding rooftops. Mount the cast-iron spiral staircase and make your way up to the various floors of the cafe, where, high above the noise and pollution of Vietnam's capital city, you can enjoy a freshly-squeezed fruit juice and unrivalled views.

• 11 Hang Gai

6. Pho 10

A visit to Hanoi wouldn't be complete without sampling the city's most famous dish: pho (pronounced fuh). This fragrant and filling beef noodle soup is traditionally eaten first thing in the morning or late at night and is a much-loved, though nonetheless prosaic, dish for the Vietnamese, who eat it on a daily basis. Pho 10, in Hanoi's old quarter is a well-respected purveyor, its kitchen's windows fogged-up by the steam from the huge vats of bubbling stock. A bowl of the good stuff will set you back 20,000 Dong, about 70p - eat it with handfuls of chilli, bean sprouts and a good squeeze of lime.

• 10 Ly Quoc Su

7. Xoi Yen

A favourite among the young people of Hanoi, xoi is a street food dish that has grown in popularity in the past few years. Basically consisting of sticky rice with buttery shaved bean curd, crunchy shallots and a selection of toppings from pâté to fried eggs, it's a rich and filling snack and a great way to line the stomach before embarking on a beer hoi crawl. Xoi Yen comes alive at night, when crowds of people gather to eat the rice with a rich, thin caramelised pork dipping sauce and enjoy the sounds of passing street karaoke.

• 35B Nguyen Huu Huan

8. Highway Four

Situated on bustling Hang Tre, bar/restaurant Highway Four is one of the best places in Hanoi to sample authentically produced Vietnamese rice wine. Enjoy a fruit basket of flavours - ranging from mulberry to rose apple - of the restaurant's Son Tinh liquor, which is made with sticky rice, traditional yeast and herbs grown in the La Chi Gia district. Head upstairs - past the kitchen where Vietnamese delicacies like roasted crickets and jellyfish salad are being busily cooked - to the roof terrace with low lighting and kneeling mats for a cosy atmosphere in which to get merry.

• 5 Hang Tre, highway4.com

9. Cafe Nha Tho

Cafe Nha Tho sits in the shadow of Hanoi's most imposing Catholic Church. In a somewhat bizarre but quintessentially Vietnamese juxtaposition, gown-draped painted angels stare down from the building's frontage at the hoards of young, hip Hanoians who crowd the pavement on tiny stools. The close social proximity that is the norm here may take some getting used to (the diminutive plastic seats are barely big enough for one Western buttock), but it's all part of the conviviality of the city, and you'll start to feel every bit the local as you chew on pumpkin seeds and drink sua chua thach – glasses of ice, yoghurt and candied fruit.

• 2 Nha Chung

10. Restaurant Bobby Chinn

If you find yourself in the mood for modern cuisine in a slightly more plush environment, you won't get much better than Restaurant Bobby Chinn, in the Tay Ho district. Forced to relocate from beside Hoan Kiem lake to this expat enclave because of hiked rent prices, the relaxed but refined dining room, with its red silk drapes and local art-adorned walls is still one of Hanoi's finest eating spots. Half-Chinese, half-Egyptian, New Zealand-born, British educated Chinn is one of Vietnam's most famous resident chefs and his food can be described as fusion – mixing his training in America with his cultural influences and life in Vietnam (he came to the country to learn how to cook Vietnamese cuisine and never left). Try the famous wasabi mash and green tea smoked duck. Tasting menus cost an upmarket £25

• 77 Xuan Dieu Street

All photographs by Dave Lemke, davelemke.com