Ha's Snack Bar
Restaurant · Lower East Side ·
French-Vietnamese fusion with rotating menu, bold flavors
French-Vietnamese fusion with rotating menu, bold flavors
"I wasn’t expecting to snag seats at the tiny Ha’s Snack Bar anytime this year, but then I found myself blessed by the Resy gods when I randomly checked for reservations recently. Everything was, predictably, delicious — the instant you open the door, you’re greeted by the smell of butter and fish sauce, which bodes well for everything you’re going to eat here. But if I had to choose a single favorite dish, I’d say the pate chaud, with its flaky crust and its just-right balance of savory meat filling against the slightly sweet sauce surrounding the pie. At this time of year, all I want is buttery and cozy. It’s a luxuriously rich dish, so splitting it with a date is the perfect move." - Bettina Makalintal
"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