Hạ Long Café

Nestled in the heart of Charleston’s historic district, Ha Long Cafe offers a delightful array of Vietnamese dishes that promise to transport you straight to the streets of Hanoi. During our recent visit, we sampled the pork banh mi, summer rolls with pork and shrimp, and refreshing strawberry slushies. The pork banh mi was a highlight, featuring a perfect balance of savory, tender pork and fresh, crispy vegetables, all encased in a crusty, toasted baguette. The flavors melded together beautifully, delivering a satisfying crunch with every bite. The summer rolls were equally impressive, boasting fresh and vibrant ingredients. The pork and shrimp were tender and flavorful, complemented perfectly by the accompanying peanut sauce. The strawberry slushies were a refreshing treat, ideal for cooling down on a hot day. They were sweet, tangy, and icy—just what we needed to round out our meal. However, the service at Ha Long Cafe left something to be desired. While the food was undeniably good, the staff seemed more preoccupied with other tasks than attending to our table. It took longer than expected to place our order, and we felt somewhat neglected throughout our visit. Overall, Ha Long Cafe delivers on its promise of delicious Vietnamese cuisine, but the service could use some improvement. If you're patient and more focused on the food than the dining experience, this place is worth a visit.

I’m Vietnamese and today I come here with all my international friends. I ordered Special Phở and it tastes so good, like the original taste in Vietnam. My friend ordered Spring roll and it is super good. The prices are suitable. The boba milk tea is also good too. Overall, excellent!!

great bowl of thin steak pho. The flavor was great, and met all expectations. Friendly staff and clean interior of the restaurant were bonuses. I would go back here again!

Really great pho. Can compare to NJ/NY level. Staffs are very friendly. Forgot to take pic until bowl was empty.

Food was good. The lemongrass pork was plentiful in my dish. The fish sauce vinaigrette was ok. It was missing something. The shrimp spring rolls were refreshing but missing basil which would of kicked it up a notch. All in all was still happy with the visit.

Let me start by we were just walking by going to do a tour and someone came out of this place with the bubble tea and let me tell you once we went on and ordered. Wow 🤩 Soo good. The pho 🍜 the chicken noodle salad the special summer roll and the traditional banh mi Soo good Must try !! You won’t regret it.

I came here due to a recommendation from a friend. I got pineapple green tea with blueberry bursting balls. It was great! Very well lit, comfortable atmosphere. They do a student discount so I got 10% off of my order. It was reasonable for a large size, I think it was around $5 after tax (We got two drinks technically so it was around $10 for both). Service was quick. Super yummy, I would visit when I’m in the area again!

Amazing Vietnamese rice noodles. Amazing milk tea. We really enjoyed.

Slush with coconut milk, lychees & egg custard topping was the best I ever had! Good pho too & ba meinh. Fast service & polite staff. Definitely check this place out!!

Would say it's more 3.5 if you account for it being in Charleston, S.C. The inside definitely could be arranged better with more decor. I can see it look uninviting to some. The gal at the front recommended the Bun Thit Nuong over the Pho so that's what I went with. The flavors on the pork was just like home and my idea of what tradition Bun Thit Nuong should taste like. I thought they gave me an ample portion of protein to go with my noodles. Probably more so my preference but I wish there were more pickled carrots and daikon in the dish. The fish sauce was mixed well and had great umami flavor to it. The Cafe Sua Da wasn't bad either. Wish it wasn't served in a boba cup with a bob straw.

The restaurant was super clean and not noisy. You will have to order at the counter. The staff was younger but super nice. They only have water or teas LOL! my fiancé and I ordered the pho tai and summer spring rolls. So yummy!! The pho broth was ok! I'm picky because I'm Vietnamese myself. However I definitely would suggest if you've never had Vietnamese food before. Give this place a chance

Decent place for casual pho. The broth was pretty good, but I wouldn't say I particularly liked the meats that they used. They only have 3 pho options so it's a limited menu. Service was decent!

Clean, large and roomy. Waiting on my pho... OMG! Best pho in Charleston! I ordered the veggie, and never missed the meat. So much flavor, good broth, and they didn't skimp on the noodles like some places. So good. The only thing that will keep me from coming back more often would be the somewhat limited hours because it's downtown not exactly closer to home. No issues with service.

You can smell the aromas of pho as you're walking by downtown Charleston and I stopped in. They sell bubble tea here but I came in one time for just to try their summer rolls and the last time was beef pho. I am tough critic on pho (part Vietnamese) and I was pleasantly surprised about how flavorful the broth was and overall it was a good portion as well. I enjoyed it and the place was quiet enough for me to stay and study while eating. The staff are young but all very friendly.

Came to Charleston on a day trip, and needed some refreshments before I hit the road, so of course I thought to myself - what's delicious refreshing and (can be) caffeinated? Mmm a bubble tea of course! I came in for a bubble tea and had so much trouble deciding between the lychee and Thai milk teas but I decided to stay true to form and order the Thai Milk Tea. The city has this paper cup ordinance so no more admiring your pretty tea through the cup but such is life. I got it at regular sweetness and added boba (of course), solid tea but way too much ice. I couldn't even put the straw in, and with so much ice - a few sips and it was gone. Most unfortunate. Honestly the star of the show was the banh mi! I got it traditional style, with the various cuts of pork and whew I wouldn't have changed a thing. The bread was fresh and soft where needed, nice crunch where it wasn't. It was so good! And the pickled veggies the compliment to the sandwich, the sauce was absolutely delicious. Honestly one of the best bahn mi's I've had in my lifetime. I will have to come back for another and explore the teas next time I'm in town.

I stopped by this cafe for a light lunch and for some bubble tea. I noticed there are few options in the Charleston area for bubble tea, so i try to pay a visit to each one i come across. This one is downtown but there is a small parking area across from if, which was convenient. The place had window seats, tables, and some tvs, which would make this a good place to bring a couple friends after walking downtown. The drink i ordered was Taro slushy, 50% sweetness, with sea cream. The employee kindly explained that sea cream was similar to a starbucks cold foam. The drink was not too sweet, the taro tasted like the powdered taro mix, not fresh taro but that is hard to find anyways. The sea cream complemented the drink well Additionally i ordered the special Goi cuon, which were Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. They came with a peanut sauce and a vinegar sauce. They were tasty and fresh, the flavors were authentic, the packaging was neat.

I was in town for a work event and called my lunch order for pickup. The person who took my order over the phone was nice and told me it would be ready in 10 minutes. I ordered a special banh mi sandwich with a Vietnamese iced coffee. The sandwich was made perfectly from the pate to the deli meats. I wish it had more cilantro and jalapeno though. The coffee was strong, just as I love it and just as it should be. I thought it was interesting that it was packaged like a bubble tea. On my last day in town before I flew out, I was craving pho for lunch so came back here to dine in. It was a Wednesday afternoon so it wasn't busy. The cashier gave me a number to place at my table and my pho came out to my table quickly. I thought it was strange that I had to go pick up my iced coffee at the counter though. The pho was everything I hoped for and fulfilled my crave. The meatballs were huge, even cut in half, and they weren't shy about supplying an abundance of it in my bowl! I've only ever used Sriracha so the Chin-Su brand of hot sauce was new to me but it was spicy and that's all I needed (it made me sweat). I added ALL the garnishes and finished my whole bowl. It was a great meal to end my trip.

One of the top pho and bubble tea place in Charleston and also the surrounding area. Came here multiple times while on vacation. Pho dac biet was excellent, fragrant broth, super tender meat, and beefy brisket makes this one of the top choice here. I believe they use sliced tenderloin here since the meat was much tenderer than other pho places. Clean bathroom. They also have decent internet.

AMAZING Vietnamese food! In town for a work conference and was thrilled to see this nearby. My friend and I tried Bun Chay Dau Hu - Tofu Bun Chay and Bun Thit Nuong Ga - Chicken Bun Thit Nuong and Shrimp Spring Rolls. SO GOOD!!

Came on a Monday afternoon... not busy at all as far as I can tell .. 5 people casually sitting and no online orders pick up... anyway, food is good but the service is horrible... the two "teenagers"? working seem to care less about being there... needless to say, food came out really late and I had to asked them to check on my order after waiting for 30 minutes for banh mi. I would have given this place 4 stars if the service had been better. It's too bad as most Vietnamese restaurants have good customer service.

This is my go to place in Charleston every time i visited here . The bubble tea is one of the best not water down so good. The toppings too. Fast service and nice staff . Pretty descent in the inside

Great Vietnamese restaurant the Pho, summer rolls, and many delicious food. I enjoyed eating here as much as I can't I definitely recommended to anyone who like Vietnamese foods. Thank you!

Stopped in for a quick lunch, and was super pleased with the food! I got a lemongrass pork banh mi and a passionfruit green tea with boba. Everything was super fresh and delicious! The banh mi tasted very "authentic", like what I used to eat on Buford Highway in Atlanta (if you know you know). I had to get mine without pâté due to being pregnant, but I bet it's even tastier with it. The tea was sweet and chilled, very refreshing for a hot day. Next time I might ask for less sweetness than what's standard, but it wasn't overly sweet - about the same as what you'd get from a Starbucks refresher. Service was fast and friendly, and there was plenty of seating if you choose to dine in. Would love to try the pho next time!

9/6/2023 Ambiance: clean and open atmosphere. Serving more drinks than foods. Service: friendly and expedient Foods: mediocre pho. They offer hot sauce as a substitute for sirracha (understandably since there a shortage of sirracha) nationally. Rating is solely based on pho and there's no cafe sướng nóng ơn menu.

Ding, ding, we have a winner! What a great find in downtown Charleston. The four of us went for a college graduate celebration on a Monday for lunch and it was 5 starts all around. Hahn mi and Pho entrees were awesome and portions were generous. The Bahn Mi was PACKED with meat and veggies, all yummy! There are tons of tea options, too, and all we had were great. We had to use carry away containers, the restaurant was super happy to help on that front. We will definitely return to try some more menu items!

I ordered the beef pho via Door Dash last evening . It was the best , tastiest , freshest , most aromatic , pho I have ever eaten . And it was packaged perfectly - the ingredients were so fresh they sparkled !

The bunthitnuong (noodle salad bowl) with fish sauce is delicious! I also love the peanut sauce with the summer rolls.

Corseted the shrimp summer rolls and the chicken noodle salad and everything was so fresh and delicious!

Great place for pho. And they have spring roll specials sometimes that are also very good. Matcha is made perfectly.

Good pho, tea, and service. I will be eating there again. Also, there's a student discount which is good for college kids

Small restaurant with fantastic Pho one of the best that I've eaten. Cashiers could have been friendlier but oh the Pho

I love coming here for pho and bahn mi! I generally find myself craving their food more than the boba which by the way is equally delicious. Anything from their milk tea bobas and fruit teas have always been great! Their drinks are generally not too sweet which is great. It seems like a frequent study spot as well the place is always clean and spacious. I'm so glad I found this gem!

Fast good pho. Great place for take out too. I don't recommend the chicken pho but the shrimp pho was really good. Other members of my family love the brisket and meatballs. We have been here several times and recommend it

Wow, this was a wonderful surprise. Went in for a bubble tea and tried the avocado summer rolls. Yummy! We'll be back to try the Bun Thit Nuong!

The service in this establishment just wasn't the same today. I walked up with my wife and we said hello to initiate the exchange but the cashier continued her conversation with her coworker after acknowledging our presence. Then when she started talking to us finally, the coworker was talking over my order! Absolutely unbelievable treatment, better training and mopping the bathrooms is needed.

I'm always searching for Vietnamese Bun and downtown. A little disappointed they didn't have grilled meat or shrimp, I ordered Bun with tofu. The tofu was cooked, not fried, and slightly slimy in texture. Summer spring rolls are on the menu, but not available. The staff is friendly and thoughtful. The ambiance is nonexistent. Feng Shui could help the empty hollowness of the restaurant design.

Amazing service, sometime I wish they'd make the sandwiches faster but I have confidence that I'm getting my meal fresh so I don't mind. This place is clean and quiet which make it great for studying or planning.

The food was good. The service was decent. The area was clean however our drinks was not on point as it used to be. There were way too much ice in our Thai ice tea. When we told the server, he didn't seem to know what to do. He just say sorry and went about his business.