Hạ Long Bay — Restaurant in Madison

The food is incredible! So far my favorite is the appetizer chicken satay! Their’s is so delicious and love the peanut sauce with it. Also love the fried chicken dumplings! Still finding my favorite entree.

Only complaint is the spring rolls. Four times I’ve ordered vegetarian spring rolls and gotten the light flaky fried spring rolls and I love those so much! However, the last two times I’ve ordered them I got something completely different, both times. First I got the fresh spring rolls, which the veggies were slightly not fresh, and also not what I ordered. And then I got egg rolls, which are a heavy breading and again not what I ordered. I’m just wondering if the menu item fried vegetarian spring rolls is now not available. Every time I place my order I’m always asked to clarify, “what do you mean by fried spring rolls?” I say exactly what I mean, just like the ones I ordered the first four times I ate here. For some reason ordering this item is ordering menu surprise now. I don’t even get the same thing when ordering them. I’ve gotten two different menu items.

Their food is a blessing and wonderful.

But ordering an item you love and getting a different item is something I definitely don’t prefer. Especially since fried spring rolls and fresh are so different. And fried spring rolls and egg rolls are so different.

The whole thing that makes fried spring rolls wonderful is their light flaky outside.

Fried egg rolls is my least favorite menu item so far. The only item I wouldn’t order and hope to not receive as a menu surprise. The outside is heavy breading and it appeared to have chicken inside when I ordered vegetarian. I eat chicken so I ate them, but it’s just the fact that item could have been for someone vegetarian.

Love their hot and sour soup and fried curry puffs. Pretty confident you’ll enjoy eating here, even if you happen to also receive a menu surprise on your order. I do hope to find my favorite entree. I’ve been told to try the Pad Thai and the yellow curry. I had the drunken noodles and it wasn’t as flavorful as other drunken noodles I’ve had, even when I got maximum spicy, and it didn’t really have many veggies. I love when drunken noodles has basil and green peppers and is really flavorful, which is what I’m used to at a different restaurant in another state.

Over all I love Ha Long Bay! They definitely deserve to be called the best of Madison because their food is delicious. Their staff has always been really nice! That makes a huge impact and is why I never brought up the fact they keep giving me items I didn’t order. Many menu items you’re sure to find what you love best. Definitely get the chicken satay! I could eat those every day forever! That peanut sauce is the best I’ve ever eaten! You do want to order way in advance for carry out. This is a busy place! You may have to call a few times but definitely worth the effort! Don’t let a few calls discourage you! Order enough food for a few days! I always get a little extra food because once you eat it all you’re already wishing you...

Once a culinary gem, this restaurant in Madison was arguably one of the finest Asian dining establishments in the Midwest. It exuded the charm of a hidden gem, boasting vibrant energy, exceptional service, and the lively atmosphere of a cherished local diner. Regrettably, my favorite restaurant in Madison has been transformed into a mere shadow of its former self, retaining only the name as a faint vestige of its past. The new management has stripped the restaurant of its unique character, leaving it devoid of any distinct identity. The food, prepared in a manner reminiscent of fast food, maintains consistency but lacks depth and flavor. The airport-lounge design, employed to enhance the ambiance, has resulted in a sterile and impersonal space, akin to the interior of a Skims commercial. The restaurant has lost its emotional resonance and character, leaving patrons with a sense of disappointment.

In reference to my initial visit to the new establishment, I must express my disappointment, despite my longstanding patronage of the original location during my undergraduate years. I accompanied a friend, and we both ordered dishes that deviated from our usual vegetarian preferences. While I opted for a Tom Kha with Tofu and Red Curry Fried Rice to limit my meat intake, my friend chose a banh mi with beef. Additionally, I intended to order a tofu banh mi for my girlfriend at home.

Given that both my girlfriend and I adhere to a vegetarian diet, particularly my girlfriend, I had high expectations for the culinary offerings at Ha Long, which has historically been a haven for vegetarians seeking delectable and seasoned dishes. However, our recent experience was a stark contrast to these expectations.

During our takeout order, we were shocked to discover that the vegetarian dishes contained various meats, including pork in the tofu banh mi. This oversight resulted in incorrect orders, causing significant disappointment and frustration. Despite receiving a refund, the quality of the food was unacceptable.

It appears that the new ownership of Ha Long (old owners of Little Palace) may be relying on the profitability of alcoholic beverages to compensate for the subpar quality of their new menu. While the dishes may not have undergone significant changes, it is evident that the new employees have compromised the standards of service and food quality.

On my subsequent visit, I opted to dine inside. Unfortunately, the new ownership appears to be prioritizing the profit margins of alcoholic beverages over the quality of their food. The pad see ew lacked depth and flavor, and the curries had become bland. The service was also lacking, with a 25-minute wait time for our seats.

While the wait time was expected at the original location, the overall lack of organization was evident. Despite my reluctance to write a lengthy and negative review, I am deeply saddened to see such a cherished Willy St organization decline to its...

What an extremely dissatisfying, and disappointing experience. Especially since this restaurant is talked about so well.

It was extremely busy, or maybe just beyond crowded as we first walked in. The young lady at the front ignored us at the counter, seemingly too busy to acknowledge our presence. Finally when she does, she rudely asked us “do you need something?”. And a gentleman comes up and seats us instead, which we where headed to a lovely spacious table until they moved a different couple there and didn’t ask us if the wobbly laugh of a two top would be okay for us. And it would’ve been, if there wasn’t less than a foot of clearance on both sides.

Frankly I was perfectly content with just ordering, eating, and leaving. We place our orders and waited an hour, as we watch the couple who walked in at the same time as us receive their appetizer, and meal, their check, and kindly leave before we even get our appetizer. Meanwhile, their waiters, busser, and even customers have to squeeze by us, and even touch our tables with their rear ends at one point to get around us.

After an hour wait we receive our appetizer, and 5 minutes after it’s given to us, skewer in hand, mid chew, we’re asked if they could take it off the table?

We shouldn’t have been surprised since the couple sat next to us stated their Pad Thai was disgusting and barely finished their food, and took it home. I was sat that close to them, I could’ve tried it myself.

Upon receiving our food (another 30 minutes after we finish our appetizer), we asked our waitress if we could move tables, because I get it, truly, it’s busy. You can’t train everyone to be courteous of others space. We just saw them clean off 3 booths. So we didn’t think it would be a problem to ask. And I’m not interested in trying to eat my food while people bump into the table and kick my chair just trying to get to the bathroom. Apparently it was a problem, the young lady from the front came and angrily yelled at us to move back to our table because “they could not have us sitting there”.

I got tears in my eyes from how frustrating the whole interaction was, they moved us again, and we just asked them if we could take our food to go. I left a 10 dollar tip (the smallest tip I’ve ever left at a restaurant such as) despite my fiancé not wanting to, since we did take up a young waitresses time and table, took dessert home as well.

Our recommendation is going to any other place that serves, Thai, Vietnamese, Hmong, Laotian, Food. I’ve been to almost all of the places in Madison that serve Pho, and this was probably the worst. If the food doesn’t turn you off, the service definitely will. I lost my appetite after being yelled at for being uncomfortable, hungry, and getting...