Hai Nam Pho Bistro — Restaurant in Budapest

This restaurant is frequently touted as one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Budapest. I vehemently disagree. I tried the duck pho and lemonade, and was thoroughly disappointed.

The duck was sliced so thinly that, although a testament to the chef’s knife skills, there was not enough mass to register on my palate. The duck had no flavor.

The noodles were old, mushy, clumped together, and broken. The soup itself was bland and lacked any depth of flavor. I eventually doused the soup in Sriracha to finally taste something.

I also ordered the lemonade. I asked for it be less sweet and it came out lacking lemon flavor too. It arrived with a thin slice of lemon, a limp slice of lime, and a single leaf of mint—it tasted like water.

My meal of the pho and lemonade was like having a warm bowl of water with a side of slightly cool water for lunch.

RACH Highly...

This was our first time here, but I can only write about positive experiences. The soups were delicious, and was delivered very quickly. The waiter was very knowledgeable, speaks clearly and makes very good suggestions.

Our biggest surprise came when after the dinner we tried to pay, and add the tips which is generally accepted (expected) in Hungary, they told us that here I should not pay it.. I was shocked and surprised at the same time so first I couldn't even hear it, I just said "it's okey", and left, but then the guy was coming after us with a gift green tea drink and gave it to my friend.. So yeah.. We were both very surprised, both on how good the food was, the reservation was well kept too.. I am usually good finding the bad things everywhere, but here, as I said, I can only say positive.

I can absolutely suggest everyone...

The owner Lai (or "Lali" as they often call him here) and his lovely wife (who is the chef by the way) have brought something truly special to Budapest.

This place is a lovely, albeit rather small restaurant, with excellent, very tasty and uncomplicated food served with just the right amount of style and attention. It is true that the bistro has a limited capacity and You may have to wait a bit for a seat, but the food is more than worth the 10-15 minutes tops. The Phó is highly recommended, the pickled chili-garlic mix and the house made pepper sauce (plain Sriracha can pack up and go home ;-) ) are awesome, but so are the many other dishes they serve.

They are also open for lunch if You want to drop by from a nearby office, and they have very...