Hai Ha

Came in here in the hope of a good, flavorful Bo Kho, which is like a beef stew and usually served with bread, ho fun or rice. Instead there was no option of baguette, and only ho fun/​rice. The rice I ordered never came but did show on the bill at the end. The Bo Kho was more like spicy, tumeric infused beef in a watery jus.
So I ordered another main, Bo Luc Lac (shaking beef on bed of salad). this is usually the dish I order when I am having Vietnamese food, so I know the variations but this was some variation that did not work. The beef was far from ‘shaking’, they were well done and garlic overpowered the marinade. The taste of garlic overpowered my day, and several haribos and bubblemint chewing gums later, I was still burping up the garlic!
The meal was saved slightly by the starter. we went for quail was was cooked really well, juicy, tricky to eat but well worth the sticky fingers after!
Had a Vietnamese iced coffee, which had good balance of the nutty coffee and condensed milk. and of course, crushed ice!
There are so many choices in the neighborhood for Vietnamese food, so you are spoiled for choice. Having said that, I have had some good meals here, so maybe just the Bo Kho and Bo Luc Lac are to be avoided.

I go to Hai Ha when grocery shopping in the area and need a bite to eat. It is nothing special but can satisfy that need for a Vietnamese lunch. The soups are a bit weak to be honest and I end up adding more fish sauce/​hoisin/​siracha to balance the flavours of the phở. They don’t really have a stand out dish and one wishes that their menu would be a bit smaller and have them concentrate on a few really decent dish. That said, avoid the bo luc lac (shaking beef) it is way way too garlicky and will be an unwelcome friend in your mouth all afternoon. What I do love is they are extremely friendly and understand a fellow Viet’s need for fresh chillies to accompany his meal :)

Hai Ha, I so wanted to like you, and for us to be the best of phở-​friends.
Unfortunately, even on a rainy windy night, the phở broth here was so immensely disappointing after all the rave reviews on Unilocal/​Tripadvisor. Barely any of that cloying smell of spices or meat you’d usually expect.
I suspect I get more flavor at home out of tossing a bouillon cube into water. Portions are meh as well.
Phở is around £7.50, for various meats.
We should have peeked in, noticed how no one was Vietnamese, and spun right around!

If you like a BIG bowl of phở, then this place had the friendliest service. Staff pulled the curtains over the door as the temperature dropped and the food came out quickly.
The beef phở was gorgeous and filling and the biggest portion I’ve had so far. The banana fritter was decent and they served orange slices as I waited for it to arrive.

I had never tried Vietnamese before.
What is it about Christmas that draws me closer to other cuisine?
Savouring other tastes in anticipation of making that Christmas meal all the more foreign perhaps.
This restaurant delightful. You can byob, which is always delightful with the corkage at just £1 per person.
The food portions were immensely fresh perfectly sized.
I had a delicious duck in a sticky sweet sauce that was so fresh and zingy. There was just so much on the menu that I will definitely been stopping in for another look.
Definitely a reliable haunt for bringing someone to dinner for a reasonably priced reliable meal!

Phở-​king great! You don’t have to go to Kingsland Road to get a decent bowl of Phở. Right here you can BYOB and slurp away on a tasty soup. I like this place because it gives you options. Large or small and a variety of meats. I struggle to finish a huge bowl of Phở that they normally serve out, so being able to get a smaller size was perfect.
Everything is made fresh so it doesn’t come out super fast but that’s cool because you can open up you’re wine and nibble on their soft shell crabs while you wait. Not quite the standard of some of the other places I have been but indeed it is tasty!

Not the best, everything is soft and tastes the same. It’s never full on the weekends which explains a lot.

I like this place love the chr sui and the noodles pretty reasonable price

Vietnamese, cheap, BYO, not in/​near Shoreditch.
Yes, this place ticks all the boxes!
Not the best ever, but it does a great Goat meat, Lemon Grass and chilli starter, the grilled dumplings are yummy, and the Crispy Aromatic Duck is great. Rest of the food tried was fine, want to attempt a soup — look rather large, and the local vietnamese customers always seem to be eating this. Must be good!

Fantastic Vietnamese cuisine in Hackney — there are a few choices in this area but Hai Ha is good for being really fairly priced and having a great menu, with some pretty authentic cuisine options including goat dishes. BYOB (but not soft drinks) — nothing special to look at, but it’s all about the food.

Hai Ha is a great Vietnamese café serving good food at very good prices. The restaurant’s exterior and interior is not spectacular but the bench seating combined with circular tables makes it a relaxed place to eat. You are able to bring your own wine which is good news for the off licence next door. There are a few Vietnamese restaurants scattered on Mare Street but Hai Ha is definately my favourite. The barbecue ribs and the rice with mixed meats is so delicious and the portions are very generous. The staff are usually friendly but the odd occassion where someone has been a bit abrupt has been quickly forgotten when the food arrives.