HA VL Vietnamese Noodle Soup, Portland OR

Great Pho had right amount of spice. Does look like a little hole in the wall type of place still the food was great. Place was quiet and easy to move around in. 4 star for atmosphere due to clutter of boxes. They do have 2 tables that can seat up to 8 each.

Been wanting to try the turmeric noodle soup on Sundays for a while and finally did. It didn’t disappoint! Great atmosphere, quick service and super tasty food.

Food was different but delicious.i had the crab flakes soup with It on noodles in a rich thick broth with hints of tomatoes

Amazing Vietnamese food, but the portions are small and expensive. Bonus for opening at 8am.

Really bad, not authentic.
Even charged us for extra tiny plate of veggies, on top of overpriced soup. Like $1 ea.

The soups are excellent in this place! Love the rotating stock they have on different days!

The posted hours are until 4pm but we came by at 2: 30 and they were closed. I'm sure their food is great but it is really pointless if we can't eat in the first place.

Ha vl is a wonderful restaurant all i can really say is that the wednesday soup is the best soup ive had in my entire life and im a person who likes food so i eat a lot of soup

Very good. Rice noodles on northern pho were sticky, and mixed well with the cuts of meat. Tumeric noodles had a deep savory flavor. Would recommend any day of the week.

It’s a place with a limited ever rotating menu specialising in just 2 or 3 dishes a day! I got crab noodle soup, the broth was really rich and delicious. Thick rice udon noodles were nice too. It’s no frills and clean with rapid service. Would happily come back here any time.

ALWAYS perfect! Highly recommend for people that want to explore a variety of amazing Vietnamese soups. Rotating menu, so check before you go. The owners & staff are extremely kind. We try to eat here every Sunday, if we can. The turmeric noodles are so good!

Told by a vietnamese Uber driver. It is wonderful that they have traditional pho and rice noodle. And I try my first snail pho. BTW they only have 3 or 2 dish everyday and need go there early.

The first time I tried to eat at Ha VL, the Vietnamese soup restaurant and James Beard nominated semifinalist for most outstanding restaurant in the nation, I arrived at 5: 00 pm for an early dinner only to learn they close at four. The second time I went on a Tuesday. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The third time there was a hand scrawled sign in the window notifying their patrons they were closed for summer break. The fourth time I arrived at 3: 00 pm but they were closed again. They were out of soup. The fifth time I was there by one in the afternoon. Surely this would be the moment. I walked in and the owner, the L in VL, said, “Sold out! ” I was close to giving up. Maybe I was doomed to fast food drive thrus for the rest of my life. One morning, however, I realized my appointment with an alignment shop would conclude before noon and was only a couple miles away from the restaurant. I arrived at 11: 47 am and, finally, had a table all to myself.

Ha VL only serves soup and they only serve two to three soups per day on a rotating menu. Fridays are Chicken Pho (shredded chicken, rice noodles, chicken broth) and Pnompenh Noodle Soup (shrimp, fish balls, ground pork, squid, sliced pork liver, sliced pork BBQ, rice noodles, pork broth). I ordered one of each. The server was confused and asked where the other guest was hiding. No, they’re both for me, I said smiling through my mask. Her eyes smiled, too, and returned a few minutes later with sweet and spicy condiments, thai basil, sprouts, and limes—and to reconfirm my order (holding up two fingers: “Two? ”). She left and returned again to ask if I wanted both served at once or in succession. Good question, I thought. I opted for the latter. First up was the Chicken Pho. You may have heard the oft used term “delicate flavors” to describe fine food. This was pure and delicate, joyous chicken. The broth was light and almost airy with just a bit of crunch and tang from fresh sliced alliums. I added condiments, herbs, and a scoop of fiery chili sauce. The Chicken Pho was now in “Beast Mode. ” I finished it in under 10 minutes, slurping, and inadvertently moaning, with each stroke of my chopsticks. With the bowl up to my face, the last bits of noodles and broth getting ready for their sleepytime slide down my gullet, they placed the Pnompenh soup on my table. This was just as delicate with a seafood and pork punch complemented by perfectly fried pieces of garlic. It was a flavor bomb but with gentle, refined explosions. I wisely ate around the noodles, wiped my face off, blew my nose, and paid for my meal, recounting for the owner my previous attempts at gluttonizing their food. He told me he was surprised at the demand. They open at eight in the morning. The only Vietnamese restaurant open at eight, he said, and people fight to get in, especially on Sundays. We laughed and waved goodbye. ‘Til next time, cảm ơn.

Still great after all these years. They still run out of soups pretty quickly so go a bit early. I had the Pnompenh noodles this time. Great soup.

Kinda expensive, but so worthwhile. Their soups all have such depth of flavors, and the best accoutrements. They package it well for takeout too!

They only had bun moc on the menu today, but damn that was done perfectly. Wished we stopped here everyday on our trip!

Even though there are only 2 options a day, the soups are amazingly flavorful and the people are friendly

Best bowl I've had since I moved to Portland. Now I will have to come back for all the other savory looking soups they make on different days of the week.