🇨🇦 Affordable Vietnamese food in Waterloo—refreshing-style pho aler

🥘 Ha Noi’s Platter ($30) When the server carried that huge platter over to our table, even the people at the next table couldn’t help but glance over 👀. It comes with a box of rice paper (refills available! 🥢) and rice noodles, so you can DIY your perfect wrap. The peanut sauce is amazing—creamy, fragrant, and just runny enough to not feel heavy 🥜. Dip away, we won’t judge! My absolute favorites? The pork rolls (with that delicious satay flavor 🍖) and the tangy pickled mango 🥭. Though to be honest, the fried items were just so-so—we even bit into a shrimp that felt a little mushy and not super fresh 😕. 🍜 Pho Beef Noodles ($17) I’m a sucker for clear, clean-tasting pho broth. Those versions with tons of random bits floating around (looking at you, Pho Anh Vu 😅) just aren’t my thing. But this one? Chef’s kiss 💋. It tasted exactly like the hearty beef pho I’d grab after high school classes—warm, comforting, and totally satisfying. One bowl, and you’ll feel all cozy inside ❤️. 🍡 Banh Khot ($16) Saw “rice cake” on the menu and had to try it! These aren’t the chewy, glutinous type—they’re more soft and cake-like, almost like fluffy rice muffins 🧁. They’re fragrant but a bit oily. Great to share with a group if you’re feeling adventurous, but maybe skip if you’re stuffed! 📍 HA NOI VIET EATERY We popped in right after a workout, starving and ready to eat everything in sight 😂. Turns out, the portions are huge—we could’ve easily gotten by with just the platter (maybe add a pho if you’re really hungry). #WaterlooFun #WaterlooLife #WaterlooFood #StudentLife