Hai Ky Cafe

The service was underwhelming at best, and the food was disappointing. The chicken in my phở was bland and rubbery, the soup was full of raw onions, and the noodles were undercooked. Edible but meh. Won’t be going back.

my split of the check: approx $ 9 (included 20% tip)
Hands down the best vermicelli bowl that I have ever had so far. The prices here are excellent as well! Lots of bang for your buck! I use to eat here all the time with my co-​workers.

I work on UT’s campus and used to go here often to get the Thai Pepper Sauce noodles with tofu. I liked it.
And then one day the restaurant was closed. Gone. With no sign. What the hell happened to it?

rats rats rats. Or something crawling in the ceiling of the bathroom. Could be some sort of rodent, but it was around 8:30pm… Either way, gross. To think that rodents could possibly be in contact with my food… Not cool.
I ordered vermicelli with grilled beef. Probably the worst vermicelli I’ve had. Usually the carrots come with daikon, and usually the carrots are pickled as well. But there was no daikon and the carrots weren’t pickled, but just regular julienned carrots. And hardly any vermicelli, but rather lots of bean sprouts – you know, to make the plate appear more «full» than it is. And the «grilled beef» wasn’t grilled; it was pan seared on a stove top. And I waited an hour for this? (And yes, I waited an hour).
Rats. Hour-​long wait. Crappy food. I came to this place two years ago and it wasn’t this bad; maybe they’re slacking or got new management since…

Funny, its been 2 years since I last wrote about this place, and about a year since I last came before today. It’s hopping on a friday lunch, but decided to take a friend for their birthday here.
Tried the phở for the first time in a long time and was somewhat disappointed. The noodles were fine but the broth lacked depth and i got my phở #16 with meatballs only to see my meatballs sliced into eight pieces per? I guess they cut it up more so it looks like more food? Eh… had I known that I would have picked something else. I left hungry, which is uncharacteristic of this place knowing the large portions they give. A little disappointing but my friends vermicelli bowl looked awesome with lots of char grilled chicken and an eggroll. All for about the same price as my phở. Never making that mistake again.

I suppose the stir fries taste good, but they always seem to leave a nasty aftertaste. The phở is also inconsistently good. Sometimes the brisket will end up good; sometimes it will end up dry and old. Also, the waiter/​waitress is generally not the nicest.
Fortunately though, the place has a good happy hour Tuesday nights when all entrees are about $ 6.

Despite the three stars, I really do like this place. It just has a time and a place niche for me and isnt a place I would rave review. However, when I want comfort food or a warm, cozy place to pass the time, this is where I go. And when I get there I order phở.
To be fair, phở is my comfort food of choice these days, and Hai Ky’s is pretty good. I always get the veggie option and am always satisfied. Another great dish to try there, that my girlfriend always orders, is the veggies with pan fried noodles. It’s these awesome noodles that are cooked normally and then fried in this sweet sauce and they are crunchy and soft all at once. It’s delicious, and also a form of comfort food.
So, if you are looking for a high class, traditional asian food experience, this is not it. But if you want comfort and ease and satisfaction for about 10 bucks, this is your go to spot.

i went here for lunch today with a large group of people. I would rate them at 3.5, but that’s not an option. We were seated and served water immediately despite the lunch time rush that was currently going on. Service was pretty good. The waiters provided us with suggestions when asked and were patient with us.
In terms of the food, I had ordered the Coconut Curry Stir-​Fry with Chicken. The flavor was pretty good, but I wished that it had a sweeter taste. I could only taste the coconut when I was eating the vegetables that came with the stir fry. However, the portion was quite huge for the price. A lot of the other people in the party took home leftovers!
The next time I come back, I’ll be trying their happy hour!

I absolutely loved this spot! Great, wide selection, delicious food, attentive service. Location is a bit obscure but doesn’t take away from the atmosphere. This has become my new favorite Vietnamese restaurant and I’ve tried plenty.

I don’t have a lot of experience with Vietnamese food beyond phở, so I can’t vouch for the authenticity of Hai Ky.
But damn, this place is delicious.
For about $ 8, I generally get a huge plate of sticky white rice, marinated and fried tofu, and well-​spiced, crisp cooked vegetables. Their spicier items are hot enough to make me happy, but not enough to make me run screaming for water. The veggies are always fresh and cooked well (not overdone and mushy, which I can’t stand), and their wooden chopsticks are the kind that are separated for you! No heartbreak from that time when you broke your chopsticks apart, and they broke in the wrong place, so you had to ask for a second set. Yay! Their Thai iced tea is sweet and standard.
The service is consistently good– I’m always sat promptly, drink order taken. With a one-​hour lunch break, including the walk to and from the restaurant, I always appreciate how fast my food comes.
The one confusion comes when I pay the bill. Sometimes, the server brings me a check and takes my cash/​card from the table. Sometimes, I have to walk to the counter to pay. I can’t seem to find the pattern.
** Note: I only ever come here on weekdays for lunch, so I can’t speak to their evening or weekend service. But if you work around the university and haven’t tried Hai Ky for lunch, you’re missing out.

Just ate here for the first time with a friend. For an appetizer, we split the crab rangoon. They were decent, but nothing outstanding. 888 still has the best in town.
I decided to try a standard: the General Tso’s chicken. It was pretty good, I liked that the chicken was in smaller pieces and was all white meat. I’ve given up on the Chinese food at 888 because they switched to dark meat and put too much batter on everything. It tasted pretty good but there was something kind of weird and factory-​like about the texture of the chicken. I would definitely come here again for Chinese food as it has gone downhill at 888. Service was efficient, but not very friendly and I think they have outlawed smiling at this place.

Hai Ky is not just Vietnamese food. They offer Thai and Chinese dishes as well. But as always: quality over quantity. Their different dishes are all very bland. I’d say just about everything on their menu is sub-​par. None of the food is very flavorful.
Even the phở is bland. I’d like to at least sip on some greasy soup than a bowl of water. Also, the meager amount of bean sprouts and the limes they give you on the side look about 2 – 3 days old.
I had high hopes when this place first opened. Finally a phở place instead of that old, dirty one next to Coco’s. But nope, even that place is better. Every time I hear «Let’s go to Hai Ky,» my taste buds pale, and I just cannot imagine anything I’d want to order from there.