Ha Long Bay Restaurant is not your standard corner asian restaurant. Very diverse menu, and had the pleasure of dining in for Father's Day. This came as a highly recommended Vietnamese, Thai and Laotian cuisine. The service and drinks are stellar, with domestic beers and Imports stealing the show. Try a Singha or Capital Amber if you're not a local. Definitely cold, refreshing and tasty Our table started with Chicken Dumplings, Vegetarian Samosas and Spicy Potstickers, all flavorful and light. Entrees were Bahn Mi's, Curry, Fried Fish, Noodles and the Vietnamese fried rice. Those who enjoy family style or on a budget will enjoy their portions which are large enough to share. The kitchen staff really knows their flavors and was told about a visit from Andrew Zimmer... a picture of which hangs on the wall. The family is very proud of their recipes and Ha Long Bay Restaurant really delivers great Asian at welcome prices.
I enjoyed my lunch here but I don't think I'd go back and I'm not sure why it's so popular, though I assume it's simply because of the fact that it's downtown which makes it accessible to all of the college kids. No matter the reason, it's a busy place that's also small which means it can be loud, hard to find parking, and difficult to get a table or even place an order over the phone sometimes.The first time I came here was on a Saturday around 7pm - I went in because I called three times and it was either busy or they didn't answer, but they were packed and there were 3-4 people waiting to order in front of me plus more people piling in the door so I decided to leave. I went again today around 3pm and there were only a couple of tables taken so I was able to get in fast and find good parking (I recommend the free lot beside the St. Vincent De Paul Store).The Thai spring rolls are huge and they taste great (despite having cilantro which tastes like soap to me) plus the lime water is wonderful, so no complaints there! As for the pho, it was good but I've certainly had better broths and the beef meatballs had a bit too much fat for my liking. They were out of guava juice which was a bummer, but my waiter was very friendly/helpful and did a good job of checking in without hovering.
Second time eating here and it was the same experience as before. You'll wait over half an hour or more for your food and it's mediocre at best. Supposedly Madisons best SE Asian restaurants. lol. Ha Long Bay is more like "How Long you'll wait". Never again eating here.
We waited in line for about 10 minutes just to order our meal. The lady who took our order said it would be ready in about 25 minutes. I put a timer on and left, since the waiting area was crowded. I came back and waited another 20 minutes, almost an hour. It would be wise to order ahead. If you want seats, make reservations.
We hadn’t had Thai food in a while and this place came highly regarded as one of if not the best in Madison. It was good food, but I’ve certainly had better. The locals clearly love it, as evidenced by the number of dine in patrons and those picking up take our orders. The menu is extensive, as they serve a variety of Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian dishes. You will certainly have a tough time deciding what to get. Eclectic little place in an eclectic neighborhood on “Willy St.” All in all, not a disappointment.
This is the best Pho I have had in my life! The broth was incredibly aromatic and complex. I will always stop here when I am in Madison.
Great food!! Extensive menu!
I've had takeout from Ha Long Bay multiple times prior to tonight's visit, and it was always super good and the customer service with pick up was great. However, today I went to eat in for the first time and found my experience very disappointing. Once seated, the hostess said she'd return with water. She never returned, which is understandable--it was busy. However, we saw her and multiple wait staff service other tables around us for about an hour prior to someone finally acknowledging us. We were never given water--and yes we could have asked, but after waiting for an hour, watching customers who were seated after us eat their meals, we no longer cared and just wanted to order and eat.The food was good as usual. However, I still don't understand how several waiters (including the one who finally asked us for our order an hour after being seated) walked passed us to other tables (who again) were seated after us, and didn't even acknowledge us. When the waiter finally came to our table, he didn't even ask if we wanted drinks. He just took out his note pad and prompted for our food orders. We were not even given a drink menu.Again, I normally wouldn't pay too much attention to this, but the table next to us was seated and helped within 5 minutes (I timed it), and they were asked if they'd like anything to drink as usual prior to the waiter returning for their food order. We not only waited over an hour, but we were never given water and our orders were taken hastily.
the food is amazing and great atmosphere
The food is delicious. They have a big menu, so check it out online before you go. The employees are so friendly and are too happy to recommend a dish.