Ha's Đặc Biệt is a Vietnamese restaurant founded by Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns in 2019. It has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Grub Street, and other publications.[1] Originally a pop-up that moved from several locations in New York City and beyond, the restaurant is set to open a brick and mortar restaurant on Broome Street near the end of 2024.

History

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The restaurant began as a pop-up founded by Ha and Burns in 2019. Ha, a Vietnamese American, grew up in California and New Jersey and went to college for graphic design. Burns grew up New York and completed her culinary education in Ireland after high school, later moving to Brooklyn for work.[2] The two met as line cooks at Mission Chinese Food in 2015 and later married in September of 2024.[3][4] Prior to Ha's Đặc Biệt, the two ran a food cart called Mr. Fish Sauce.[5]

Ha's Đặc Biệt's pop-up business model proved a success through the COVID-19 pandemic. Constantly changing and on a whim, the restaurant would announce their new locations on Instagram right before opening with a new menu, making it impossible to reserve ahead of time. To inform their menus, Ha and Burns would take food trips between pop-ups in various places like Montreal, Paris, Barcelona, and others.[3] Eater called their pop-up business model "akin to what you might find at a street kitchen in Vietnam."[6] In 2024, The New York Times said Ha's Đặc Biệt "would be at or near the top" of "a ranking of pop-ups".[7]

Past pop-up locations include Dimes, Ops, and Yellow Rose, with residencies in Mắm on Forsyth Street and Gem Wine on Broome Street, as well as pop-ups in other countries.[8][9] In London, they opened at Oranj in Shoreditch, and in Paris, they opened at Early June and Paul Bert.[10] In 2022, the restaurant partnered with Kreung Cambodia at Outerspace in the Bushwick neighborhood.[6] In 2023, the restaurant hosted a pop-up with wine bar Voodoo Vin in Los Angeles, their first appearance on the West Coast.[11]

In July of 2024, the restaurant announced on Instagram that they would be opening up a brick and mortar location in the Lower East Side on Broome Street in Gem Wine's old location.[4][12]

References

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  1. ^ Jung, E. Alex (2023-11-30). "The City's Most Exciting Chefs Are Cooking in Someone Else's Kitchen". Grub Street. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  2. ^ "Ha's Đậc Biệt: New Pop-Up Brings Vietnamese Street Food to Brooklyn". Bklyner. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  3. ^ a b Zakeri, Shyan. "The Romance Behind Ha's Đặc Biệt Is A Fish Sauce-And-Lemongrass Type Of Love". Byline. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  4. ^ a b Kailath, Ryan (2024-07-24). "Beloved Vietnamese pop-up Ha's Đặc Biệt to open permanent location on LES". Gothamist. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  5. ^ Goldfield, Hannah (2021-02-26). "Vietnamese Specials at Ha's Đặc Biệt". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  6. ^ a b Sietsema, Robert (2022-01-20). "Find Some of NYC's Best Vietnamese Food at the Latest Ha's Đặc Biệt Pop-Up". Eater NY. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  7. ^ Richardson, Nikita (March 14, 2024). "Restaurant Pop-Ups Are About the Thrill of the Hunt". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Moore, Willa (December 22, 2023). "Ha's Đặc Biệt". The Infatuation. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  9. ^ "Roving NYC pop-up Ha's Đặc Biệt hits Shoreditch for a month". Hot Dinners. 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  10. ^ Renwick, Finlay (January 18, 2024). "Home Cooking with Ha's Dac Biet". Drakes US. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  11. ^ "You do NOT Want to Miss the Voodoo Vin x Ha's Đặc Biệt Collab – BELLO Mag". September 6, 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  12. ^ Orlow, Emma (2024-07-29). "Two of London's Most Famous Restaurants Are Hosting New York Pop-Ups". Eater NY. Retrieved 2024-11-10.