Hai Cafe in Hackney

Delicious. Quick, friendly service and large portions

MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN LONDON! FOR REAL!

I think the photos speak for themselves. The food was so tasty and delicious. We shared the crab & chicken spring roll which was plenty between two. We also had the peanut sauce which was Mmmm! If I was to nick pick, I would have liked this brought out first then the main and they brought it all out together. Also would have liked the water on the table sooner, as had to chase it. I had the prawn curry - which was so flavoursome with a slight sweetness to it. My other half had the spicy prawn Pho which was most certainly spicy & he thoroughly enjoyed it. Didn’t realise we could BYO drink by paying corkage, but we are not much of drinkers. It was very busy & full inside when we arrived at 6.15pm, even though it only opened at 6pm. We added our name to a waiting list, then went to a very nice bar along the road. Waiting time given was 30-40 mins. A What’s App message tells you when to return. By 7pm we were seated, and by 8pm we had finished! At this time there were a lot more tables available so will bear that in mind next time. However, We enjoyed the atmosphere of the small space and service overall was good, staff helpful and friendly. Will be most definitely be returning after our trip to northern & central Vietnam. It will be interesting to see how the food compares. Spent £46 & had no drinks.

Unbelievable service, absolutely delicious food. Blown away. Could’ve drank the curry sauce and slurped up another 3 bowls of veg tofu bun. Summer rolls were a must, and the peanut sauce was exceptional.

Curry was very good. Pho was quite different from what I am used to in NY—different noodle, different style of broth—but still decent. Maybe it’s a style of pho from a different region of Vietnam. If you get on the waitlist, make sure to check your whatsapp for the queue update. I was only checking my iMessage and ended up waiting for longer than I should have.

Super cute family run restaurant. The best Vietnamese food I’ve had in London.

One of the best Vietnamese restaurants I’ve been to in London, and one of the best restaurants in London full stop. Lovely cosy atmosphere with basically home cooked food. Amazing portion sizes and generous amounts of, say, prawn or tofu, in the main dishes. Best value for money - a total slam dunk in my opinion. The staff were super friendly and helpful even though it was very busy. Highly recommend!!

Superb food but was too cold (had to wear our coats) and the corkage scheme is silly - would have cost me £5 to have one beer. Lovely staff

I love this cafe warm family run the food is so natural is cooked with love , The lady who owns cafe kept my food order and stayed open as I was late from my shift which shows they really care for their customers highly recommended

Great service, huge portions, really speedy. Authentic and delicious Vietnamese food

Consistently delicious, very friendly service.

Really excellent Vietnamese food with more of a home-cooked feel to it than bigger restaurants. The cafe has limited opening hours, limited seating and tables go quickly. But takeaway is an option.

Extremely disappointing Vietnamese food experience that needs to be called out. Firstly I want to mention that based on all the rave reviews and even recommendations on social media (which brought us here originally), this review seems out of place, however I can’t stay silent as someone who is Vietnamese in ethnicity and concerned for the integrity of food enjoyed by many people like me. The problem I have is with the Beef & Chicken Phở that was served to us, which visually confused me but tasted nothing like a Phở I’ve had in Northern or Southern styles. For the beef (excuse the blurry photo), broth was heavily spiced with meat chunks similar to a Bò Kho, and the chicken tasted like something out of an instant packet. It did not have the accompaniments akin to what is traditionally served (eg. perilla leaves used) except for the noodles. Needless to say, you can research what the dish should look like and if you’ve had Phở, you know what it should generally taste like. I can acknowledge that there can be minor adaptations to a dish (to suit customer tastes) but it shouldn’t compromise it’s core identity. My expectation was imagining a bowl of Phở that matched all the photos we saw online, but for some reason we ended up with what I suspect was a kitchen emergency/bad day that needed to serve customers. I absolutely wanted to love the food but combining this with waiting almost 40 minutes for our food with no updates and being served something called ‘Phở’ which was further from the truth, felt genuinely insulting. To anyone trying this restaurant, don’t assume Phở looks and tastes like this anywhere else. To the owners, you need to evaluate your mantra written on the chalk board “We do everything from the beginning, the correct way”.

Excellent food. Service could have been a bit better. Although we were ready to order people who came after us got their orders taken before us.

The chicken curry is so delicious, I put it on my Hinge profile. THE BEST. ❤️

Outstanding food! If you looking for Vietnamese food in Hackney that’s the place. They don’t do bookings so go when they open 18:00 otherwise you will wait, as the restaurant it’s small. But it’s worthy. Prawn bun was so delicious and flavourful. Spring rolls always fresh and tasty. The whole menu is top.

This is just the best place in the whole wide world. Food is amazing and the curry is to die for.

Best Vietnamese in the whole of London! I truly love this place. Every time I enter and breath in the smell of the curry I feel so peaceful. The team at hai cafe really love what they are doing and you can taste it in every dish. One of the few places I keep going back and I’ve never been disappointed. Highly recommend the curry and summer rolls. The peanut sauce is so so good and the homemade kimchi too…Every dish has its own special hai cafe twist… Make sure to grab yourself one of the chilli oil jars to bring these flavours in your own kitchen!

If you’re in search of an authentic viet dining experience that feels like a warm embrace, look no further. This charming, famil From the moment you step inside, the inviting atmosphere makes you feel at home. The menu features a delightful array of classic dishes, all made with fresh ingredients and traditional recipes. Try the chicken curry, mango salad and pho. It’s also BYOB, with just a £10 corkage for the table.

I can’t recommend this place enough. It’s so so so tasty. Really different from any other Vietnamese food I’ve ever had. Generous portions too!

If you’re looking for authentic Vietnamese food in London, look no further than this absolute gem of a restaurant. Family-run and radiating warmth, the moment you step inside, you’re greeted by the most friendly and welcoming staff who make you feel right at home. The food here is nothing short of incredible. Every dish feels like a warm, comforting hug—rich in flavor and cooked with care. The tofu curry, in particular, is an absolute standout. Creamy, fragrant, and perfectly balanced, it’s one of those dishes that stays with you long after the meal. The summer roll was so good, it was gone before I even realised I hadn’t taken a picture! 😂😋 That alone says everything about the freshness and taste. This place has heart, and it shows in every detail.

I got recommended this place by a pal who said it was the best Vietnamese they’ve ever had. I couldn’t agree more. The food was sensational! We had the mango salad, chicken curry, beef curry, spring roll, prawn pho and beef pho. Every single dish was packed full of flavour and the freshest ingredients. It felt like a proper home cooked meal made with love. Can’t wait to return for another delicious feast!

Excellent food and very generous portions. The curry here is phenomenal!

A bit difficult to find a seat but well worth the wait. Very delicious, lovingly prepared, authentic Vietnamese food. Family run business with a small but perfectly executed menu. Dishes are huge! Will definitely be returning to this one.

Simply the best place ever. So glad it’s in our neighbourhood local.

Very friendly helpful staff amazing food and very well priced for what it is as it could be much higher price! 5/5 GOATED

Amazing food and service, the quality of the meat is superb, ingredients all so fresh and the team are so friendly. Highly recommended.

Beautiful family run tiny restaurant. Great food and such a warm atosphere. The food was delicious - we had the vegan spring roll and the chicken pho. Would get it again in a heart beat.

Yuuuum!!! So incredibly flavorful & moderately priced as well. I'm still thinking about this meal months later lol. The curry is especially good! Very unique compared to your typical Vietnamese restaurant.

Food is good but chaotic ordering system. We knew we had to wait but the guy had lots of little bits of paper and lost our table reservation. Waited for 70mins and then was told no more tables because they were closing, some guys who came after us got the last table, because the guy serving lost the bit of paper with our reservation on. Ended up taking the food away but was a bit annoying. Be better if they had a better queueing system or gave people a heads up they weren’t likely to get a table instead of having us wait over an hour and then tell us. Seen some other reviews about the service too.

This was such a good discovery! Went here with friends and we all left full and happy. I tried one of my friend’s curries and liked it so much I ordered it as an extra to take away. I had the pho and it really hit the spot. If there’s a queue, it’s worth the wait!

Incredibly generous portions and very reasonably priced, the food here is absolutely delicious!

I really like this place the food is always exceptional but when I went there for dinner yesterday, I didn't expect to get a table as it is always full. I ordered my food and ask if any of the tables were free (tables are usually reserved). I was told there was a table available and that I would be charged £2.00 to eat in, which was news to me because we had never been charged for eating in berfore, but I paid the eat in fee anyway. When I looked at my bank account today, I see that I was charged £6.00 to eat in, which I am extremely annoyed about. We got takeaway from here last week Saturday and they forgot to put my summer roll in, which I got charged for. I can't stress enough how good the food is here, but they really need to make sure that they are not over charging people and also that they are including everything for takeaway orders. We live in Tottenham (just a 5 min walk away from Edmonton) so when I got home to find that the summer roll wasn't included, I wasn't about to go all the way back to Hackney/Clapton, to inform them of their mistake. Also, I couldn't find a phone number for them anywhere, not even on the website.

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. Real Vietnamese family run business ⭐️ the curry and summer rolls are special

Amazing Vietnamese home cooked not to miss in London/Clapton! The lemongrass roasted chicken curry rice is stuck in my memory until now. It’s a popular spot and doesn’t take reservation, so be prepared to wait 30-40 minutes. We waited 45 minutes and did not regret it one bit.

Best Bánh mì I've ever had in London. Portion sizes are insane, prices are extremely reasonable, staff are super friendly. I can't recommend enough

Some of the rudest customer service I have ever encountered. Waitress had a go and rolled her eyes at us for politely asking about a table that we had waited nearly an extra half hour longer for than expected. Extremely bad atmosphere.

Delicious pho and rice bowl. Highly recommended

Vegan food is mindblowing here. Amazing place.

Prawn summer rolls are really good with nice and fresh ingredients! :)

Food is excellent and good portions. Honestly the beef curry is amazing and I would have one every week but for the pockets. They are shallow ATM

Outrageously good food, the chicken curry is heavenly!!!

Delicious chicken curry and scrumptious summer rolls. Perfect for takeaway, not ideal for dine-in particularly during busy times

This is my favourite take out restaurant in London. Delicious food. Generous portions. Good vibes.

This was so good, affordable, with big portions and such a pleasure to deal with the staff.

Really excellent food. But can be hard to get a table as I think there are only three of them!

Such a good curry, really really tasty!

Delicious food, friendly service, really reasonable for the quality! It was busy on a Sunday night and with good reason!

Authentic and delicious ! Not easy to get a table as they only take walk ins (with a waiting list) and it's quite small but, when you get one - or order to take away - you won't regret it

Seriously one of the best spots in Hackney. I am surprised it's not a clean sweep of 5 ⭐. Great food and a lovely family run atmosphere.

Best Vietnamese food in the whole of london, great friendly atmosphere and cool bring our own wine

Truly incredible food - spices and portion sizes were on point. The veggie Bahn Mi was the best I’ve ever had. Will be coming back.

What an incredible place - the spring roll is amazing (as well as everything else)!!

This is the best Vietnamese meal I’ve had ! I was blown away by the flavours. Such a great atmosphere and amazing staff. The spring roll was out of this world. Can’t wait to go back!

A bit of a wait to get in, but the food is delicious and the staff are friendly and welcoming

Fantastic food! Best vegetarian Banh Mi I ever had. Whenever I come to London, I try to visit them as often as I can fit it into my schedule. There can be quite a queue however and opening times are somewhat irregular but the food sure is worth it!

Can’t rate this place highly enough though they have odd opening hours.

Love this place! Full of flavours and originality

Favourite local spot. Family run small Vietnamese restaurant. I love everything I’ve tried here. Order an iced tea it’s delicious!

Best Vietnamese I’ve ever had. Portions are big!

Tasty super fresh and delicious local Vietnamese. We get take away as we are nearby, there are a few tables to eat in. Check opening hours as not always open and can get busy at peak times. The portions are generous, taste amazing and lovely mother and son who run the place. Highly recommend!

One of my favourite places in London. Food is amazing

There's a reason the curry is the first thing on the menu. It's scrumptious. Wow this place is such a gem! Lovely family run restaurant, defo one to check out for a small bite or dinner. There are only a few tables so probably not great for big groups.

The mango salad is honestly soooo good. I can not stop thinking about it since the day I had it 💕

Such a cute spot with great authentic Vietnamese food for takeaway or eat in, and a warmth from the lovely lady serving the food.

Really well made curries! So good, so local.

I booked a click and collect online and cycled there in torrential rain. I am now soaking wet and madly happy with such a delicious and warming bowl of food.

Delicious family run restaurant serving real Vietnamese food. So good, can’t recommend enough.

The best Vietnamese restaurant in London, in my opinion. Family-owned business, delicious food prepared with love.

So good and worth waiting for a table - highly recommend!

Excellent in every way, stunning food, strong character, lovely people.

The most wonderful dining experience I’ve had in a really long time. Very sweet owners, cute interiors, and amazing food. Feels like a warm hug.

The best Vietnamese food I have ever had!

Local, family owned and family recipes served. Delicious food for fair prices as well! My comfort food place

So glad I’ve discovered this little gem in my neighbourhood. Dishes taste amazing, they burst with unique flavours and spices!

The food is incredible, best I've had since returning from Vietnam, only issue is that you’re never sure when it’s open, the Instagram page and Google page both seem to contradict each other.

Amazing. Homey interiors, very reasonable prices and nice food.

Best authentic Vietnamese place in town. Love the fresh spring rolls and Banh mi and mango salad. Reasonably priced as well

Too good but don't tell anyone...

Delicious food, great raw ingredients cooked with passion. I highly recommend this place to try authentic Vietnamese food. Owners are very friendly, open for a chat :) we will be back!

Literally the best Vietnamese place around. Everything I've picked up from these guys had been phenomenal ❤️

Seriously. good. food. Never fails. Always delicious, innovative and generous. Lovely people. a gem.

Super fresh, incredible flavours and produce. Hallelujah places like this still exist.

Always delicious food. Fresh, not greasy, full of flavour. Best Vietnamese food I’ve ever had.

Small truly authentic Vietnamese, only has a few sit in tables so book in advance, it’s also BYO. We got a take away, 20 min wait, but so worth it, flavours to die for & reasonably priced - 2 starters, 3 mains & a side salad for £44. And had plenty of leftovers too as generous portions. Also had my curry made gluten free.

The best Vietnamese food I’ve ever had. The Mango salad and prawn summer rolls are incredible. The toasted black sesame and crispy shallot house garnish tops it all off.

OMG, this food is amazing. I couldn't be luckier to have this on my doorstep. The portions are generous to say the least, the quality has never waivered below perfection in over four years, and it is exceptionaly good value for money. Mama Hai makes everything fresh and from scratch and like all the staff, is super friendly. My favourite restaurant in the UK, hands down. If you can't get a seat, get a takeaway, you will not be disappointed.

Honestly, this place is BANGING. 11 out of 10. I wish I could have a day in that kitchen learning how they make this tantalising food magic. Proper family business, lovely humans, I wish longevity onto them.

Delicious food, cute atmosphere, love it!

The best food you’ll eat. Ever.

Delicious fresh summer rolls, tiny place but worth the wait. Spicy prawn pho was also very nice. Will definitely go back to taste other dishes. No alcohol served, and they do charge a cork fee.

Hands down the best banh mi I have ever had!

Excellent food and lovely staff!

This is the sweetest place in east london! Food is perfect, service is sweet! ❤️

The food is outstanding. Our go to!

Jewel in the heart of Hackney. Unbelievably tasty and such good value. Such a lovely family restaurant

치킨 스프링롤, 치킨커리, 비프포 먹었는데 진짜 커리가 대박 맛있어요 노래도 좋고 먹는 동안 행복해질거에요

Delicious pho and summer roll. Dog friendly as well!

Siiiick What a vermicelli bowl, they don't mess around! Generous herbs and pickles, the way it should be done. Cozy ambience with friendly, chill, hip staff; down-to-earth family operation. Stumbled on this on a walk around Clapton, a very pleasant surprise.

Amazing food, tastes really fresh & flavoursome. Family-owned & has a really lovely & friendly homegrown feel. Generous portion sizes & minimal waiting times.