Hòa Bình Restaurant

1. The banh canh had a delicious light broth! The shrimp was jumbo! 2. The spot has chill casual vibes! The interior has a lot of space! 3. The staff was friendly and timely with my order! Note: They do accept card transactions at a minimum purchase! Photo: Vietnamese Iced Coffee and Banh Canh Dac Biet

I’ve eaten in alleyways in Hanoi, plastic stools sinking into motor-oil-stained sidewalks, slurping bowls of pho next to mechanics and old men smoking cheap cigarettes. Those places? Impeccable. Honest. Clean in the way that matters. This was not that. Hòa Bình Restaurant used to be a reliable little pho stop—nothing glamorous, but dependable. The kind of place you return to because the broth hits right and the noodles show up hot. But each visit lately feels like watching a once-decent kitchen slowly give up on itself. Today was the breaking point. Walking in felt less like entering a restaurant and more like stepping into a bathroom in a long-abandoned bus station. The air had that damp, tired smell. Tables sticky. The general vibe: neglect. Not the romantic “gritty street food joint” kind of neglect—just the sad kind. Then the pho arrived. Pho should be simple perfection: clean broth, tender beef, herbs bright enough to wake up the bowl. What I got instead looked like something that had been rescued from the wrong end of a butcher’s table. At one point I fished this out of the soup—the piece in the photo. A slab of grayish beef with thick, pale tubular strands running through it, like little rubber hoses or arteries stiffened by heat. They curled out of the meat in small rings and tubes, the kind of thing that makes you pause mid-bite and think: this was never meant to be in a bowl. It looked less like food and more like something a medical student might dissect. That was it. Pho should comfort you. It should feel restorative—like the culinary equivalent of a deep breath. Instead, this bowl made me lose my appetite entirely. I’ve given this place multiple chances. Each time the quality slips a little further, the cleanliness a little worse, the food a little more questionable. There are too many great Vietnamese kitchens out there to settle for this. I won’t be back. Not for lunch. Not for late-night pho. Not even on a date where someone else is paying. 🍜🚫

This amazing restaurant accommodated our very large group with ease and efficiency. The atmosphere is comfortable, like you can make yourself at home. There are a multiple of options on the two menus. Menus feature Vietnamese and English. The owner is gracious and kind. I would highly recommend it if you want a feel good meal by yourself or with a large group. The Jasmine tea was incredible.

Quiet hidden place for but has a lot of potential. The food is good and they also do catering. The banh canh is the thick kind of you like that style. The bun cha was pretty legit with the charcoal flavor.

Came here on vacation to try the banh canh, and it did not disappoint! Definitely one of the best banh canh I've had, it is very rich and was super flavorful, it also came out very hot which we loved! The service was good considering there was only one server. I loved this small family owned restaurant, if I lived here I would be back every week! :)