Address: | 1353 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA |
Phone: | +1 608-255-2868 |
Site: | halongbaymadison.com |
Rating: | 4.5 |
Working: | 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9PM |
KY
Kyle Nickerson
We are regulars at Ha Long Bay. We have ordered at least once a week from them. Last night we picked up food at around 8:30. We preordered it at 7. A couple of the items we ordered was beef laab and it contains fish sauce. As well as the papaya salad. We know this requires refrigeration since its meat with fish sauce. We order it every time we go there. When a family member came home from work (around 11pm) their items (beef laab and papaya salad) was spoiled. You could tell the meat was not normal. It had a very spoiled smell. We have NEVER had problems with Ha long Bay. Never a reason to complain. Since it was late when we found out, we immediately put it back in the fridge and saved it for tomorrow, so we could call and even bring the items for them to see themselves. When we went back the next day, the owner and a few people behind the counter gladly said they would re make it for us. While we were waiting, a cook that was a lady came out and started yelling at us IN FRONT OF CUSTOMERS that we were wrong and its our fault and they never mess up. She insisted it was out fault and basically said she didnt care about our concerns or our business . Sadly, we are never going back there. We have spent probably over $1,000 on food there. We felt so degraded and disrespected. Our advice is, if they mess up, they arent responsible.
TH
Thomas Nguyen
I was here for a visit and decided to check this place out due to its high rating. Afterall, Andrew Zimmern stopped by so it must be good. Our group ordered the Spicy Chicken Wings (AP14), Phở Hạ Long Đặc Biệt (PH8), Pan-fried Large Rice Noodle Combo (HT2), Thai Coffee with Cream, Thai Tea with cream, and Coconut Sticky Rice w/ Mango. Heres our rating AP14- 8/10. I think the taste is unique with the sauce. However, its a little too sweet. PH8- 6/10. The broth is too bland. As a matter of fact, it is a little sweet to my taste. I am Vietnamese and it just doesnt taste right with my Vietnamese tongue. PH8- 8/10. This is probably my favorite out of the entire order. I prefer the large noodle to be pan-fried instead of deep-fried. Thai Tea- 5/10. Its too light. I cant even taste the tea. The cream does not taste good. Thai Cofee- 4/10. Dont try the Thai Coffee. Try the Vietnamese Coffee instead. Sticky Rice- 6/10. Mango not so sweet (I guess it is not in season). Sticky rice needs to be cooked a little longer. Overall, this place is a very busy place. We came here at 2:30PM and it is still packed. Service is very slow. Many we are Asian and therefore we dont get special treatment (LOL).
HE
Heather Payne
Dont get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the chicken steamed dumplings or chicken pad thai I had. They were both tasty, just didnt blow me away as I had hoped. Of course, I understand that I probably ordered the most "watered down" options this menu had to offer, but I was traveling for work and had a serious craving for pad thai. This restaurant came highly recommended by the hotel concierge as well as my colleagues I was in town to meet. I got there at 9pm on a Wednesday and the line was out the door, seriously, out the door. Thats a great sign. The photos on the wall were of the restaurant crew alongside Andrew Zimmerman (of bizarre foods and other notable foodcentric shows), another great sign. Hence my utter excitement to chow down on what was sure to be the worlds best pad thai. I think thats where it went down a few notches. It was good, not the best in the world; but again, I completely take responsibility for the fact that my order was lame.
CY
Cydney Renee
Attn: For all you who are not yet food Warriors but need one more restaurant to claim victory look no further, this is the place for you! The Thai food here is the best in Madison! Prices are average, no reservation needed and service is good though plan accordingly if youre on a tight schedule as the restaurant can and does fill up quickly not to mention the parking can be tricky - oh and bring an appetite or a friend because the portions are quite generous, and dont be put off if you think Thai is always hot (spicy) they ask you. The Crab rangoons followed by a bowl of Tom Yum Soup with or without the coconut broth (both are excellent) with an extra order of wide fried wide rice noodles in it along with the sweet and sour fried tofu dish with same wide fried rice noodles followed by hot Sesame rice balls for dessert was off the chart! Im hungry for more just writing this! Great service and the best food in Madison - what more do you need!
A
A Private User
We had read good things about Ha Long Bay, but were still pleasantly surprised upon walking in. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and feels relaxing. The service was quick and attentive. We ordered the shrimp and crab spring rolls as an appetizer. For $4 you get two very large and tasty rolls filled with fresh veggies and flavorful meat. For the main course we had Laab w/chicken (Laotian) and Beef with Vermicelli Noodles (Vietnamese). Both dishes provided generous portions for the price, and, while we had never had either before, we enjoyed both. The spice rating on the Laab was exactly as we wanted it. As some have commented, the menu is a little overwhelming but the food we had was excellent. Also, from a friends experience, the take-out takes a while. All-in-all I am very happy to live so close to such a great new restaurant!
DA
Damon Diehl
Went here for lunch with a group (about 10). Service was very friendly, and the menu is immense. The place is loud, like Buffalo Wild Wings (hard ceiling with nothing to dampen sound). Everyone ordered different things, it all looked good. I had AP10 (egg roll wrapped in a spring roll. I liked the dipping sauce. The main dish was the fried wide noodles with beef. Not what I expected (when they say "wide", they mean it), but it was still good. I ordered medium spice, and it wasnt spicy at all. There is sriracha and other spice on the table, if you need to heat things up. Two people ordered pho. It came in a big bowl with lots of noodles. A couple ordered curry dishes. Everything came in big servings, plenty of rice. All in all, it was a good experience. I have to agree with another author that Sala Thai is a bit better.
JO
Joey Suttle
Excellent food! Their Pho is great (although variable; the best pho Ive ever tasted I had here, but Ive also had a visit or two where the broth was a bit underwhelming-- never bad, but sometimes less than excellent). The prices are quite reasonable, and the menu is huge. My wife and I had our rehearsal dinner here a few months ago and the staff was extremely helpful and accommodating. Definitely one of my favorite places to eat in Madison. Update after several years; Ha Long Bay has become more and more popular but doesnt seem to have improved any of the issues that sometimes made their service slow and lackluster. Thus,these problems only seem to have gotten worse. Food quality it still pretty good, but Saigon Noodles has leapt ahead in terms of taste (especially for pho). Still a solid restaurant though.