Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Beloved Vietnamese pop-up Ha’s Đặc Biệt to open permanent location on LES
By
Ryan Kailath
Published Jul 24, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Photo by Christopher Lochmann / Courtesy @has_dac_biet
By
Ryan Kailath
Published Jul 24, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After six years as one of the city’s most popular roving pop-ups, Ha’s Đặc Biệt will finally open a brick-and-mortar restaurant on the Lower East Side.
Ha’s Đặc Biệt was initially the side project of Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns, who met as line cooks working at Mission Chinese food and plan to marry in September. The pop-up began churning out Vietnamese street food at street fairs and other locations in 2019.
Like many other pop-ups around the city, Ha’s Đặc Biệt's takeout — and then pop-up — business boomed amid the pandemic lockdowns, when traditional dining options were closed.
Now, Ha and Burns are moving into a small space at 297 Broome St., originally home to Gem Wine, where Ha’s Đặc Biệt had a monthlong residency earlier this year. (Gem Wine has since moved around the corner.)
“We’re so excited, we’ve always known that this was the goal,” Burns said in a phone interview. “We’ve got much so that we want to do that now we feel like we can finally do.”
They plan to open in December or January with a small staff, including Burns’ younger brother, who is a butcher, and perhaps one more server. Ha and Burns said they will be there every night.
Ha said that he and Burns envision the restaurant as a wine bar with an emphasis on charcuterie and small plates, in keeping with the previous Vietnamese menu.
“In New York we’ve come to view wine bars as a place where you can have a full dinner,” he said. “This is really supposed to just be: You don’t know where to go, or you’re between meals and you need a drink and a snack, you come in and out and it’s bustling and full of people.”
Burns said that they hope to have several tables outside, though they recognize that the restaurant's location on a block New York magazine once called the “smelliest block in New York” is a bit "funny" for outdoor dining.
The announcement, which was posted on Instagram on Wednesday, received an outpouring of support from fans.
“Already my favorite restaurant,” wrote the cookbook author and former New York Times food writer Alison Roman. Comedian and winemaker Eric Wareheim, Superiority Burger, Tart Vinegar and others echoed their support in the comments.
Running a pop-up in various spaces offered flexibility, but was often frustrating, Ha said.
“You’re opening a whole restaurant every single time,” he said. “We need our ingredients, stuff they might not have.”
Still, Ha and Burns know that opening a restaurant in New York City is not for the meek.
“People keep looking at us like we’re crazy,” Burns said. “They’re like, 'Oh, you think you’re tired now? Just wait.'”
Tagged
food
vietnamese
new york city
manhattan
restaurants
Ryan Kailath
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 19, 2026
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .