Hanoi House — Restaurant in New York

After one of the longest days of my life – commuting to Connecticut and back for a music festival – I needed a big bowl of pho to heal my mind, body, and soul. I had been wanting to try Hanoi House for a minute, but the wait had been egregious every time I tried. Thankfully, we were seated immediately on a Sunday at noon.

We sat in the wicker chairs on the outdoor patio with the sun blessing us with its presence for the first time in a week, as the past 4 days had been a torrential downpour. I love the rain though. It really locks me in and has me contemplating life. Sometimes it's nice to be inside and be able to focus without yearning to be outside. It also makes you more grateful for the sunny days. To appreciate the sun, you gotta know what rain is. Idk.

All this to say, it was a perfect storm for a pho day. We started with the spring and summer rolls, and I got a Vietnamese coffee. I normally take my coffee black because I'm a BEAST, but Vietnamese coffee holds a special place in my soul. I drank that mf in 2 minutes.

I'd argue that the summer rolls with pork were better than the spring rolls, as that piece of pork wrapped in there really did the trick. This may be a hot take because rarely is something non-fried better than something fried, but there is an exception to every rule. There are very few absolutes in this world, my dear reader.

I went with the Classic Hanoi Style Beef Pho, with Rare Filet and Brisket for the meats. It was QUALITY. Every pho connoisseur knows, a bowl of pho starts and ends with the broth. I would categorize this broth as follows:

Soul Healing Broth. Recovery Broth. Bounce Back Broth. Believeland Broth. Rich and Aromatic Broth. It's Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight but the Size of the Fight in the Dog Broth.

Okay I got a little carried away there, but it was really good lol. The meat and noodles were also of the highest regard.

This would be in my top 3 bowls of pho, which is saying a lot because I hang my hat on knowing a good bowl of pho when I have the pleasure of meeting one, but the portion size for the price is a bit light. But then again, I have found myself saying that a lot about restaurants lately. Maybe it's just my insatiable appetite. Or maybe it's just the cost of living continually rising. Hmmmm. I'll get to the bottom of it.

All in all, the only better pho I have had in NY hails from Di and Di over in Greenpoint.

IG...

What an experience Hanoi House was. I made the decision to have Pho earlier in the day. How do you find the best Pho in New York City? Shift through several articles online that offers you their pick, then GUESS if it is an accurate depiction or if the restaurant paid....... Hanoi House did not pay, it is seriously good. It was a cold afternoon, I stumbled in at 5:00 p.m., memo to me, it doesn't open until 5:30. I was offered to sit at the bar until they opened. Having come all the way from The Bronx, yeah, I waited and they did not disappoint. The website Time Out has Hanoi House listed as one of the best Pho restaurants in New York City. I always order a restaurants signature dish on my first visit. I had the Classic Hanoi Style Beef with the options of two proteins, I selected the filet mignon and oxtail. The dish came super fast so don't order until you are ready to eat. Just to give you an idea of how fast it came: I ordered from the bar, the bartender punched in my order, then turned to pour my wine, the wine and the Pho was put in front of me at exactly the same time. The chili sauce is served on the side with chopped garlic. I asked the bartender where are the sprouts? His reply, this restaurant serves Pho in the way the dish is served in Hanoi. So unknowingly, I like Hanoi style Pho the best. Wonderful atmosphere, I observed several couples there on dates, perfect date night restaurant, small intimate, and warm. I sat at the bar, near the door and did not receive a freezing breeze as customers came in and out. This restaurant is worth traveling to. 5 stars WAYYYYY up, and BTW, Sam Rockwell popped in to pick up a to go order, he is shooting right now so his beard is long and I thought that he was him, but it was later confirmed to me. He is a regular, try this out if you are a fan of soup or Pho, worth your time, my only regret was not getting the bone marrow in my Pho, but I am getting...

Lucky to got a reservation on the same day for dinner. This place on st marks is always busy with the weekend crowds. The restaurant is very small so the seatings are limited and the tables are cramped. The ambience is dimly lit, cozy, with a modernly wooden tone. We ordered a bunch of appetizers and entrees and had everything to share. The portion size is neither too big nor small.

My favorite was the spicy octopus in curry sauce with lemongrass. The lemongrass was very refreshing and the curry was flavorful with a little spicy kick. The octopus was charred such that the skin is crispy but inside is chewy. The butternut squash also goes great with the curry and tasted amazing.

The pork sausage in the summer roll was delicious and my highlight of the dish - it added a crispy crunch to the roll and elevated the overall texture. The dipping sauce was also on point.

Papaya and pig ear salad was delightful. Growing up in Asia, I'm used to pig ears being a regular dish at most restaurants. Their pig ears were deeply fried that there was almost no fat left and it was very crunchy. I think it was done a little bit too much and lost some of the sharp crisp and some part of the ears became almost too hard to bite. The sauce could have been spicier for my taste. Overall it was still a good salad.

The beef pho soup was hearty and delicious and you can just drink the whole bowl of it! It had that umami flavorful from the beef that keeps you wanting more. It wasnt salty or oily but on the lighter side (without adding the bone marrow). It goes great with the spicy sauce too.

The monkfish was not too impressive and the dipping sauce that came with it was too smoky. The vermicelli that came with it was also mediocre. I would not recommend getting this dish there.

Overall a solid Vietnamese restaurant - glad I...