Picture this: It's a dreary day outside, drizzling rain coming down relentlessly, and your stomach decides it has one--and only one--craving. Pho. You get on the road, because everyone knows the best food comes from just driving around and stopping inside random restaurants. That is exactly what happened at Hai Ky. From the second I walked in, I felt an immediate comfort. My heart, stomach and nose knew, this was not going to disappoint. The waitress immediately came to our table to get our drink order in, and ensured the table didn't have any questions. I ordered the Vietnamese coffee to start, and it was strong, silky and smooth...everything you would want in a viet coffee. When going over the menu, everything was clear and easy to follow, and my eyes gravitated towards the Pho Tai. So naturally, that's what I ordered. The broth was hearty and warm, the meat was good quality and the fixings were bountiful: including onion, beans sprouts, basil, lime wedges, green onion and jalapeños. The sauces were on the table already and they had everything you could want such as hoisin, sriracha, and soy sauce. The flavors mended perfectly and went above and beyond just basic satiation. The service was fast and attentive, ensuring tables never went without anything they could possibly want. Nothing extra, but certainly not lacking in the slightest. The restaurant was maintained and clean, many promotions were on the wall boasting crazy good deals, and although the inside was relatively small, they hosted a large heart with even better food. read more

Hai Ky - Pho Tai - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Rating: 3.8/5 [delivery] Grilled Pork Banh Mi ($9.14): The French bread was actually really good, tasty, and perfectly toasted. The butter helped elevate this sandwich. Pate was there but more subtle. Grilled pork flavors were not bad. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup ($14.95): This does not taste like Bun Bo Hue and lacked the satay, lemongrass, and shrimp paste flavors. It also did not come with banana blossoms. The broth is spicy but lacks depth of flavor, even after I squeezed in the whole lime. I did not like the broth at the beginning but it grew on me as I sipped on it more. Two Egg Rolls ($6.90): These tasted good and were crispy. The egg rolls were stuffed with pork, shrimp, mushroom, and veggies which were balanced in portion and taste. The sweet and sour dipping sauce was okay. Two Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls ($6.90): Not good. There was too much vermicelli noodle, and the spring rolls did not taste very fresh. The pork and shrimp were dry as well. read more

Hai Ky - Egg rolls, pork & shrimp spring rolls, bun bo hue, and grilled pork banh mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

I had egg rolls and kung pao chicken. Egg rolls ok but not hot, like they had been sitting in a warmer. The chicken in the kung pao was dry, like it had been cooked before being thrown in the stir fry. There was little sauce, and the rice was overcooked and dry. The food wasn't as good as it looked in the photo. read more

Hai Ky - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

It's decent, definitely not the best quality or taste but good for the price. I mainly order the spring rolls because they sometimes have a BOGO discount. They are good but the pork is a little chewy. read more

I so miss this restaurant being north. They used to have a store north a few years ago but it closed so the only one is south, which we rarely get to since we don't go south. My favorite dish is the spicy Hai Ky dish with chicken and noodles. So darn good and boy they load you up with chicken. Just love that dish, it is so filling so tasty and not too spicy to take away from the overall dish. Please consider coming North Austin again! I would be a very regular customer! read more

Hai Ky - Spicy Hai Ky. Addicting! - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

I ordered via Postmates so this is solely a food review. The pho was split into broth and a baggie of add ons which are both typical. The noodle and chicken container was piled high with green onions and white onions, quite a lot, which we were not expecting. No sauce packets came with the meal so the flavors were very bland but the food was cooked well and fresh. My husband ate the pad Thai and mentioned it was bland and didn't have much sauce. Maybe theirs is just more watery. read more

The food is always great. Love how fresh the veggies are. My go to is #75 chicken. Lots of veggies and chicken on vermicelli with a spicy garlic sauce. read more

Ordered shrimp spring rolls and they were big but each only had 1 small shrimp in them. Super disappointing. I also got spicy beef noodle soup and pad Thai. The soup was bland, there was no kick to it whatsoever and the sliced beef was dry. The pad Thai wasn't "bad" it was just different from any other pad Thai I've ever had before. No, I guess it actually was bad. Highly unenjoyable experience overall. I did a pick up order. read more

Hai Ky - "Shrimp" spring roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Unfortunately customer service and taste are a big deal for me. I love to spend my money in hard working business but the lady who took my order sounded annoyed that I called to place a pick up order then looked annoyed when I walked in to pick it up, hardly said anything and they weren't busy at all. We ordered two things, first the Chicken for the sesame plate was ok tasted a little more like oranges than I'm used to for sesame but that could just be my taste buds! The chicken in the Grilled Banh Mi tasted very burnt and SMELLED burnt didn't even finish it and it had like four small slices of very thin carrot, like one string of lettuce and one little thin slice of pepper. Definitely won't be going back for $26.50 I'll pay a little more and go somewhere else. read more

I loved the food. Be sure to order #96 as the stir fry noodle was the best I ever had in my life. The general tso was cooked to perfection and the flavor is stellar. Personable service! I would definitely be coming back again. And again. And again. And again. I have been a loyal fan of this place for two years and will continue to be for years to come. read more

It's a small mom and pop shop, simple decorations, but very authentic feel. Service is excellent. The broth is so delicious and a level 4 out of 10 spicy. Adding a couple of lime squeezes will bring out the perfect balance in flavor. No need to add any extra seasonings. read more

Hai Ky - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The Vermicelli bowl with chopped egg rolls and fried tofu is really good. The portion size is decent with some even leftover for the next day. This restaurant is a great option for Asian takeout since the seating inside is old and dated without much ambience. read more

I had a good time at Hai Ky. So the tables are all clean, but there's this thin veneer of grime on the place itself. It's still great and worth a trip if you're craving Vietnamese food. I didn't get the pho, but was told it's delicious. I ordered the Tofu & veggies fried rice and I absolutely cleaned my plate. The portion size was satisfying without making me feel stuffed. It's all reasonably priced as well. The servers are friendly enough, be prepared for a wait though, it seems there's only a couple of people working. They bustled about pretty quickly so it's not so bad even if there happens to be a lot of customers. The food was well worth the wait he had. I mean really I needed some comfort food and hot fried rice with fresh ingredients and well seasoned tofu really hit it for me. read more

Cold day. Wanted something warm. Pho is the right answer. Had it delivered by GrubHub. Arrived fast and hot (thanks, Tyler!). Vegetable pho and tofu. One container filled with goodies, another with broth. Mix them together and you've got a pretty tasty meal. Hubby ordered pork fried rice. The cook must feel sorry for him - looks like 2 or 3 servings... read more

Consistently good! The vermicelli bowl is a solid, and the egg rolls are the best thing of the menu!

No-frills, smaller spot in south Austin. It's been on my list, but I don't think I'd come unless I was craving pho and I was already in the area. The pho dac biet was a bit small in noodle portion and salty in soup $12. I liked the cold vermicelli dish (~$14) more, and loved the char on the pork, as well as generous portions of meat in both dishes. Egg rolls were okay. Quick service. read more

Hai Ky - #44 pork & eggroll vermicelli - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

It's always the hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurants that absolutely rock your world. It's a rule in my household that Asian places with 3 stars are the best places. And this hits all of those spots. The pho was so flavorful and not to mention cheap. It was a small place but the vibe was on point. Waitresses were nice and the food came out quickly. read more

Hai Ky - Build your own stir fry - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Not rating good or bad. I ordered Thai Curry expecting red curry. I ordered 5 hot. I received yellow curry so mild you could feed a baby. They gave me sriracha and some other hot sauce, and soy. Why would I want some other flavor hosing up the curry flavor? Such a disappointment and let down. I ate it, but I was unsatisfied. The portion was large. I also like more sauce with my curry. Came out pretty dry. Service was pretty quick. read more

Hai Ky - #71 Thai Curry (Yellow Curry) - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

So far, the food has been good every time I visited. The flavors are not overpowering and the portions are generous. The chicken and eggroll vermicelli, and Hu Tieu Ap Chao are quite good. I thought that the pho was bland but that was a to-go order and may be different if eaten fresh. The service and ambiance were okay. Overall, this was a good low-key spot with good food with good portion sizes. read more

Hai Ky has a low-key profile on the Austin food scene, but lives up to the name pumpkin out high-key flavors under the radar. Now, I must insist, you NEED to order the ap chao chay and add a side of chili oil. Ap chao means both pan-fried and sauteed, so what you get are sheets of fused noodles that are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. It's a multidimensional textural experience, and every bite is a bit different. Some pieces are have a resounding crunch like a deep-fried wonton, while others have more of an al dente give. It's unlike any other straightforward stir fry and something everyone should have in their lives. Chay, of course, simply means vegetarian/vegan, so you get an assortment of fresh veggies and marinated tofu, rounding out the meal. My tip? Dump the whole container of chili oil in and give it a good stir, to coat. THAT right there is the best takeout meal I've had in a long time. read more

TL;DR. We waited about 45 min for our food to be served and almost got smoked out in the meantime. Tried this place as it was the only pho open in the vicinity after 9pm on a Sunday. We were seated promptly after arriving at 9:10. The restaurant was pretty full. One server brought menus and, before we even picked them up, asked "Drink?" I would have liked a sec to look at the menu and see what my drink options were, but my partner just said "Hot Tea, I guess?" Then I said, "Oh, sure that sounds good, I'll have tea, too." "Two hot teas?" Without thinking that sounded strange, since we're two people who both just ordered tea, we said yes. Moments later, out come two full sized pots of tea filled to the brim (enough for 4-6 people). I felt like that was a little silly; any common sense server would bring one pot and two cups. Oh well. We later joked they brought us all that tea to keep us busy while we waited for our food. We placed our food order around 9:17pm. Two bowls of beef pho and a fresh shrimp spring roll appetizer. My partner asked the second server if they by any chance have beef tendon, as he didn't see it on the menu. She didn't understand. He repeated it. She said, yes it has beef. I repeated it. She still didn't understand. Oh well. About 5 min later all our pho fixings (sprouts, basil, lime, jalapeños) arrive. Then that's it. For 45 minutes, we wait, hungry. We eat all our raw bean sprouts. We watch them place about 10 take-out orders out for pickup, most before the customers arrive. Seems they should try and prioritize dine-in tickets a little better. We watch three tables slowly get served--all arrived before us. Seems they were backed up. By the way, the kitchen ventilation is horrible. One table ordered several sautéed dishes, and the entire restaurant became smoky from the cooking fumes. Like visibly. My throat started getting itchy and irritated from the smoke. Finally, after all that time, my partner approaches the counter to ask where our food is. They never came to check on us. Seems they lost our order. They made it a priority. Finally, at a few minutes to 10pm (closing time), we are served. The food itself was decent. The broth had good flavor, but the veggies didn't taste quite right. Probably a 3 star meal that could be bumped up to 4 if the service experience and atmosphere were good. They didn't deduct anything off the bill for losing our ticket and making us wait forever. Not even one of the extra teas. Doubt we'll return. read more

Hai Ky - Tea for two people, two full sized pots . You might need to clarify one pot of tea, two cups. - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is the fried rice you're getting when you order it as a side. No vegetables, not fully fried and a tiny portion, they don't really seem to care. I keep trying to give this place a chance and support a smaller business but if this is the effort you pay for I'll just pass. My vermicelli was fine but not amazing, but just wanna give others a heads up. Spend your money elsewhere. This is the last time I'll give this business money. read more

Hai Ky - Side fried rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

i always get the stir fried hong kong noodles to go. no complaints and food is good. small lil shop and often quiet service was fast and friendly read more

Great food. Great services. Very fast. I ordered chicken fried and it came out in about 5-10 mins. Very nice and warm. I have no complaints.

I love Hai Ky. The food is great ( I. LOVE. THEIR. VEGGIE. EGG. ROLLS!!!) My fav dish is some steamed white rice with veggie egg rolls. No, that's not on their menu but that's what I love about their service. They're willing to take a custom order (and not get grumpy about it) as long as it's made up of things that they serve. I love that they're never very busy. Just a nice cozy small restaurant. You should definitely try them, and if you already have, go back! read more

I've been ordering from this restaurant for many years. Their Vietnamese vermicelli with eggroll bowls have always been outstanding. I ordered one recently and it was still the umami flavor bomb I remembered. I also tried their chinese menu and was blown away by the Hai KY version of sesame chicken! Fresh herbs and veggies tossed in really elevate the dish. Fresh ingredients is the secret to all of their dishes. read more

We love this unique local spot for tasty Vietnamese food. When we lived closer, we would order delivery, but now we have to drive in from our of town. Our favorite entree is #96 Hu Tieu Ap Chao. It has pan fried noodles, three kinds of meat, and loads of veggies. Be sure to ask for their chili paste if you like spicy. read more

Hai Ky - #96 Hu Tieu Ap Chao - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

They have excellent broth and they're really good at general Tso's chicken too. It's a humble establishment with semi high prices but the food is excellent and it's fresh. read more

Hai Ky - #65 General tso chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The food is so good and the service there is so good! Ambience is so good too! me and my mom went there and the food was so good and when I eat, it gets me so full because of the good tastiness of the food read more

I've previously gotten the Pho and come away feeling very satisfied. Since there was a 'special', the Stir-fry w/ noodles seemed like a good choice. Despite being named 'spicy', the dish was rather bland. Serrano's were completely dry. The server seemed attentive, while being condescending. But, hey, it's Texas. In the past, business was bustling, usually almost full. This time, maybe five patrons, including carry outs. Maybe the regulars were staying away in case of a crowd. Just a small place, the emptiness wasn't good. I don't know what happened over time. read more

Delicious food. Always fresh. Tons of perfectly cooked vegetables. Two things done let me give this a 5 star. Please remove all the storage items from the dining room and the rest room. Who wants to eat in a storage room with shelves of boxes. Just figure it out. There has to be a better solution. Next please let us tip on our credit cards. I know there is a 12% tip included on the check and that's fine but I want to leave more and never have cash. I think your servers would really appreciate this. They would make more money. read more

I like the place, and I am a customer who goes there very regularly and on average I spend 400 dollars on food per month. But I don't plan on going back if I don't find PEPSII the next time I come back. I don't understand why this place doesn't join the cause, knowing that all the people who work there are immigrants. read more

Nah, man. Ordered from Hai Ky on UberEats as they had a B1G1 promotion. It's my mistake, but I meant to order 2 chicken vermicelli plates. I accidentally clicked pork, so when I switched to chicken I guess I switched to chicken fried rice. They list their entire menu with #'s, so my receipt shows "#50 chicken" which I thought was vermicelli. When I got the order, I called the restaurant to complain they sent the wrong thing. Again, it turns out it's my fault, but this is an awful way to list your menu. I actually wasn't that mad as I don't mind fried rice, and it was a big portion. Unfortunately it had like no flavor. Clumps of rice had butter on it, some clumps had soy sauce I guess? Chicken had absolutely no flavor. And then there were pieces of onion thrown in? Didn't see any eggs in the dish nor the vegetables like peas or carrots I'd expect. Pretty disappointing. But bright side, big portions? read more

Good food service enjoyed the shrimp spring rolls and their Pho. Service was ok but it stop me from going back.

Been eating here for years. It's clean, consistent, and flippin' delicious. The folks who work there are always so kind.

Adding an administrative fee on the bill for tips to staff and then calculating tax on top of the fee to, that is wrong

I used to enjoy Vietnamese food at Hai Ky several years ago however this review is only for the Grubhub+ delivery meal I just had. I ordered #104 Spicy Hai Tofu and some pork dumplings and sadly I was disappointed in the entire order. The Tofu dish was quite bland, almost tasteless. It was as if there was some kind of sauce that should have been in the noodles, tofu and veggies but I only detected a little bit of something in one corner, the rest of the healthy portion of food was quite disappointing. Plus the dumplings were limp and almost room temperature. I don't know if this meal actually came from Hai Ky or from a commercial kitchen set up for delivery but either way I am highly unlikely to repeat the experience. This is a shame because their Pho and Bun bowls were always enjoyable in the past. read more

The place was somewhat busy, we were treated right away. Not a lot of seating so maybe expect a wait when it is busy. The don't have fountain drinks but instead opt for can sodas. Which I don't mind. We got the fried cream cheese Rangoons. Which only had cream cheese in them. One of them had chives I believe and then one had no cream cheese at all which was a bit disappointing. The pork and shrimp egg rolls are delicious tho. Packed with flavor and fried perfect. The sate beef didn't have the most flavor but I really enjoyed it. Be warned the meat is not soft but I believe it was chuck roast meat possibly. The rice was however was cooked to perfection. read more

Hai Ky - #60. Sate Beef - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The tofu here is offensive, its cut way too thin and tastes dried out and rubbery as if it were fried days in advance. I've eaten at Hai Ky many times throughout the years and for the most part its pretty consistent. I have noticed the quality slumping in recent years but it's still always been passable. However tonight's overcooked vermicelli, overcooked broccoli, lack of sauce, and the tofu(that may be the worst in austin), makes this place a pass. It's a shame because I did really like this place at one point. read more

Hai Ky - Cardboard or tofu - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Sesame chicken for lunch. It's a busy place for lunch so go early to get a table. Don't let the exterior keep you from dining here. The service is quick and the food it good. Lots of flavor in my sesame chicken. I thought the rice could have been less dry, but it wasn't bad. A little sauce helped it a lot. Great for dinner if you're in a rush. read more

Hai Ky - Sesame Chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas