Ha's Snack Bar
Restaurant · Lower East Side ·
Creative Vietnamese-French fusion with rotating weekly menu
Creative Vietnamese-French fusion with rotating weekly menu
"Note: Ha’s Đặc Biệt is a pop-up, and the map address does not indicate exact physical location. Ha’s Đặc Biệt is one of the hottest, if not the hottest, in New York City. The Vietnamese operation has appeared all over the city (at places like , , and , to name a few), in London and Paris, and even did a longer-term residency on Forsyth Street, in the now permanent home of . Keep an eye on their for upcoming events and residencies, and if you see one that catches your eye, act fast as they sell out quickly. In the past we’ve eaten an egg-scallion bánh mì on crusty bread, oysters glossy with green chili nuoc mam, and a rich homemade pâté with pickled chiles and garlic. All of your reservation efforts will be well worth it. " - Willa Moore
"Ha’s Đặc Biệt, a roving Vietnamese food pop-up, has partnered with Rose Los Angeles to launch edibles made with lime zest and green plum powder. A box with 20 edibles costs $45 before shipping." - Luke Fortney
"Ha’s Đặc Biệt pop-ups. They are doing really great so that is really exciting. Also because they’re doing so great, now they’re doing a pop-up in Paris which is so infuriating for a New Yorker like me. Come back to New York." - Eater Staff
"Ha's Đặc Biệt is a small-plates place with a constantly changing menu of about 10 dishes, channeling a street-food kitchen from Vietnam. It experiments with recipes both familiar and innovative, making it a destination for trying new things. The pop-up format, running till late March or early April, encourages frequent visits as the menu evolves. Highlights include raw oysters with green mignonette, razor clam rice salad, cockles in caramel sauce, seafood soup canh chua, and various banh mi options. Despite occasional misfires, the venue offers an experience akin to a Vietnamese street kitchen." - Robert Sietsema
"Ha’s Đặc Biệt caused a sensation when it assumed a residency along with fellow pop-up Kreung Cambodia last summer at East Williamsburg’s Outerspace, scored an overwhelming hit, and promptly closed. Now collaborators Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns have appeared again on the Lower East Side with a new version of their peripatetic pop-up featuring a similarly enticing and challenging Vietnamese menu that runs to nine dishes, including a wonderful rice porridge called chao ca ($16). Thinner than Chinese congee, the broth explodes with flavor, including perfumey red birdseye chiles, chopped shallots, and fresh green herbs. The center of attention is commanded by monkfish liver and kimme-dai — a pinkish plank of a fish also known as goldeneye snapper. The effect is stunning, and you don’t so much slurp the rice soup as explore it, with different flavors in every spoonful. 70 Forsyth Street, between Hester and Grand streets, Lower East Side — Robert Sietsema, senior critic" - Eater Staff