Ha's Snack Bar
Restaurant · Lower East Side ·
French-Vietnamese fusion with creative small plates & weekly menu changes
French-Vietnamese fusion with creative small plates & weekly menu changes
"I watched a pop-up-turned-shoebox in Chinatown become a nightly-packed destination: Ha's Snack Bar (born from Ha's Đặc Biệt) runs an unabashedly bold menu of seafood, offal, and French-leaning riffs—think escargot with tamarind, head cheese, even calf’s brain with creamy eggs—but the standout for me was the chicken liver pâté with fried bread and vinegary, spicy peppers; I also enjoyed a steamed skate. Portions are small and the space is tiny, so if you don’t have a reservation be prepared to line up about 30 minutes before opening." - Charlie Hobbs
"In the shoebox wine-bar setting of Ha’s Snack Bar I waited for the chalkboard to reveal nightly surprises—springy snails in tamarind butter, a Spanish tortilla studded with lap cheong and crab, and the occasionally majestic vol-au-vent of curried lobster and sweetbreads—experiencing the buzz of a place everyone wants to keep secret, with no phone number, fleeting reservations, and an intimacy born of counter seats and an open kitchen." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff
"I squeeze into Ha’s either at 5 p.m. or 10 p.m. because I love seeing another brother with the jade Buddha and a vintage Rolex doing incredible work; the precision of cooking from a combi-oven and one electric burner is Simone Biles–level stuff most people wouldn't attempt." - Eddie Huang
"Anthony Ha and Sade Mae Burns built a following by running one of NYC’s most exciting pop-ups under the Ha’s Đặc Biệt name. Now, they’ve opened Ha’s Snack Bar, an offshoot and permanent headquarters for a rotating selection of Vietnamese-influenced snack items in a bistro atmosphere flowing with natural wine (it’s been hinted that a larger restaurant is on the way). This husband-wife team knows how to make a dining room feel warm, and the tight quarters work to their benefit — the kind of place that is filled with casual exuberance that feels like an extension of a dinner party they might host at home. The menu, written on a chalkboard, changes often. Reservations are hard to come by, but there is some room for walk-ins, so get there as soon as the doors open at 5:30 p.m." - Emma Orlow
"Verdict: Ha’s Snack Bar, from the team who ran eternally sold-out pop-up Ha’s Đặc Biệt, only has 24 seats. That’s the one reason why it’s hard to get in. The other is the food. This Vietnamese-inspired spot on the Lower East Side serves genre-bending, limited-edition dishes that are heavy on the fish sauce and bird’s eye chili. Past highlights have included sizzling snails in tamarind butter and a towering vol-au-vent overstuffed with clams. As far as we can tell, Ha's Snack Bar releases reservations about 20 days in advance. But those are extremely hard to come by. Your best shot is grabbing a walk-in seat. The place opens at 5:30pm, and if you get there by 4:45, you'll probably make the first seating at the bar. Arrive after 5pm, or with more than a couple of people, and you might have to wait a few hours." - bryan kim