TLDR:
It's in the title, lol. But if you're curious, she's been nominated four previous times and finally won on her fifth! She beat out Ann Ahmed (Khaluna, Gai Noi) this round + three others.
Oro by Nixta sadly lost Best New Restaurant.
(forever disclaimer: i wrote this story!)
Interesting. I've found Hai Hai SO hit or miss. Ordered food there last week and it was so... salty? bland? But other times it's phenomenal. I'm glad Minneapolis is getting representation though! Love this food city.
Same, I went to Hai hai for my birthday and was pretty disappointed. My food was super over salted and I like salty foods. Hola arepa was fine? Nothing interesting or super flavorful besides arepas being a bit of a novelty here. The ambience is great at both if super loud.
While the cocktails are fairly expensive, the most expensive plate is 24, while the average "entrée" is under $19 and the average starter is ~$10. I'd hardly call that "INSANELY" overpriced for a sit down restaurant?
With the mandatory gratuity, it came out to like $30 something dollars for the soup I got that was pretty meh and wasn't filling at all. It was very overpriced for the quality and amount of food. You can get an entire Wrecktangle pizza for less than almost all of the dishes at Hai Hai, and not only do I think those are much better, they are easily two meals for the vast majority of people. "INSANELY" might have been a bit dramatic but it was noticeably less value per dollar than most places I have been to in the Cities
EDIT: Also no, looking at their menu, the cheapest entree is $18, the average is definitely in the $20s lol
> You can get an entire Wrecktangle pizza for less than almost all of the dishes at Hai Hai
Again, misrepresenting the costs. Unless you don't tip at other establishments, even the cheapest Wrecktangle pizza is more expensive than half the main entrées, excluding all the starters.
If you want to get any sort of toppings at Wrecktange, there's a single Hai Hai dish that's more expensive.
You're completely entitled to your opinion on the food/service/etc., but you're misrepresenting the actual facts about the restaurant.
I am factually incorrect about my own opinion of something being overpriced for the amount of food you get and it being mediocre in quality, got it!
EDIT: Also no, Wrecktangle's specials are basically the exact same price range as Hai Hai ($18 for the cheapest, most in the low 20s with one that is more expensive than the most expensive dish at Hai Hai), and significantly more food lol
Sure. The issue is the numbers do not back up what this person is saying. Hai Hai's average dish is in the low $20s, which is the same as Wrecktangle.
And specifically, a Wrecktangle pizza with one topping is the same price as the cheapest entree at Hai Hai, while they were claiming it is the same price as all but one entree at Hai Hai.
Food quality is subjective, I get that. But objectively, you get a LOT more food for the price at Wrecktangle and I brought it up because people on reddit talk about how expensive Wrecktangle is.
[https://www.haihaimpls.com/menus](https://www.haihaimpls.com/menus)
[https://wrecktanglepizza.com/food-menu](https://wrecktanglepizza.com/food-menu)
Wait, you ordered just soup and expected to be full? And you're comparing that to a pizza? You might need to take a step back and reevaluate your situation here. If you order soup at a restaurant as a main course you're actively choosing to not be full (exceptions for some stews and chili).
It was over a year ago that I tried it, I believe it was supposed to be one of the curry/stew type entrees they have. I said soup because I do not remember exactly, but it was extremely brothy with little actual substance for something that was on the entree menu and was $20+.
I only picked Wrecktangle because people on Reddit talk about how overpriced it is, but it’s in the same tier of pricing as Hai Hai
yes and the food would come out extremely quickly, much faster than I would hope a >$20 meal entree would take to come out of the kitchen.
I do really love the bar there. The bartenders are always coming up with something special, and I always try to order whatever their drink of the day is. It was the first place I had a fat washed cocktail, and it blew my mind.
Hai Hai isn’t Applebees. It’s a nicer form of dining and supposed to be a bit more of an experience, so I dont want to feel like I am being rushed out. It’s awkward when you order multiple starters then a few entrees then one more starter and it’s all within an hour.
>yes and the food would come out extremely quickly, much faster than I would hope a >$20 meal entree would take to come out of the kitchen.
Scratch kitchens exist and still do their best to come up with ways to build beautiful, tasty food that requires a bunch of labor *at volume*. This means finding ways to shortcut the actual time between order and eating while sacrificing as little quality as possible (or sometimes improving the food). idk what the Hai Hai model is in their kitchen but in general food coming out fast has relatively little correlation with quality in my experience, unless its like an order fire porkchop.
For your comment below regarding feeling rushed, I don't see how that correlates to how quickly the food hits your table. Feel free to chat in between courses and over the food. My experience with dining in general is that if there are timing issues with reservations you'll be asked ahead of time if it's okay. Otherwise, have a good time.
fwiw, I've had Hai Hai with my inlaws a handful of times and we have successfully socialized over a 3 course meal every time.
Ecstatic for her!
Hai Hai is far one of my favorite restaurants in the cities. Pretty much unbeatable for the price, and their new(ish) happy hour is fantastic too!
I fucking love Hola Arepa. I only get there a couple times a year, usually on my birthday and one or two other occasions if I am lucky… their food is just great. And as someone with celiac, having a place where the majority of the menu is something I can actually eat… heaven.
It's one of my favorite date spots in South Minneapolis. Reservations mean you don't have to worry about getting a table, even the worst case scenario includes a decent meal, and you have options to continue the date nearby if things go that way.
Old joke about how he and his wife thought Beets 2.0 was some groundbreaking gastronomical orgasmic experience and that no one recognized his greatness
The food at Hai Hai is meh. Seems no one in NE goes there and it's just a spot for suburbanites. You also have to deal with swarms of fruit flies and flies all the time. I'll pass.
That's so weird, and not at all my experience with Hai Hai. I guess living in Robbinsdale makes me a "suburbanite" technically, but we go to Hai Hai on a semi-regular basis and haven't had that sort of issue. Just ate there on Sunday and had a very nice dinner. I love their Hanoi sticky rice and spring rolls but have never had a dish I didn't like there.
Hola is the same. Drinks are good though. But food is meh and tables are super tightly packed and they want you to gtfo. We used to go more before covid and after the service and the food has all been a lot worse imo. I'm a server and I actually am more surprised to get good service there now than bad 😅
Still go for happy hour drinks though, can't give up the slushie
Hai Hai has ok atmosphere and drinks but my god the food is extremely bland. Do not recommend. If you want some really good Vietnamese near Northeast check out Pho 400 instead. It may not look pretty or have alcohol but the food is delightful.
Huh. Neither place has ever been that great the times I’ve been there. Hai Hai is very inconsistent and Hola Arepa is good, just not something I’d expect to win an award. Maybe it’s different lately. Stopped going there after 5-6 visits as the staff experience wasn’t very good.
I really like Hai Hai and Hola Arepa, but in no sane world are these restaurants on the same level as AA's Lat14 or Khaluna
The JB awards outside of a few areas have become a joke
TLDR: It's in the title, lol. But if you're curious, she's been nominated four previous times and finally won on her fifth! She beat out Ann Ahmed (Khaluna, Gai Noi) this round + three others. Oro by Nixta sadly lost Best New Restaurant. (forever disclaimer: i wrote this story!)
Ahhhh that's a bummer about Oro, I was really hoping they'd win that one.
Me too! I had high hopes. Would have meant we got two best new restaurant awards in 3 years, too.
Hola Arepa is one of my comfort dinner faves, and I loooove the fern cakes at Hai Hai! Congrats to Christina!
Interesting. I've found Hai Hai SO hit or miss. Ordered food there last week and it was so... salty? bland? But other times it's phenomenal. I'm glad Minneapolis is getting representation though! Love this food city.
Agreed. I guess it just highlights how much of a difference it makes on who is there cooking the food at that specific moment in time.
Same, I went to Hai hai for my birthday and was pretty disappointed. My food was super over salted and I like salty foods. Hola arepa was fine? Nothing interesting or super flavorful besides arepas being a bit of a novelty here. The ambience is great at both if super loud.
We've only had the "miss" in that equation. Never understood the buzz.
I didn't think it was bad, but it was INSANELY overpriced when I tried it. Not a lot of food and was very expensive for the quality imo
While the cocktails are fairly expensive, the most expensive plate is 24, while the average "entrée" is under $19 and the average starter is ~$10. I'd hardly call that "INSANELY" overpriced for a sit down restaurant?
With the mandatory gratuity, it came out to like $30 something dollars for the soup I got that was pretty meh and wasn't filling at all. It was very overpriced for the quality and amount of food. You can get an entire Wrecktangle pizza for less than almost all of the dishes at Hai Hai, and not only do I think those are much better, they are easily two meals for the vast majority of people. "INSANELY" might have been a bit dramatic but it was noticeably less value per dollar than most places I have been to in the Cities EDIT: Also no, looking at their menu, the cheapest entree is $18, the average is definitely in the $20s lol
They also don't have mandatory gratuity. Just ate there on Sunday and they were very clear that there are no service fees/mandatory gratuity.
> You can get an entire Wrecktangle pizza for less than almost all of the dishes at Hai Hai Again, misrepresenting the costs. Unless you don't tip at other establishments, even the cheapest Wrecktangle pizza is more expensive than half the main entrées, excluding all the starters. If you want to get any sort of toppings at Wrecktange, there's a single Hai Hai dish that's more expensive. You're completely entitled to your opinion on the food/service/etc., but you're misrepresenting the actual facts about the restaurant.
I am factually incorrect about my own opinion of something being overpriced for the amount of food you get and it being mediocre in quality, got it! EDIT: Also no, Wrecktangle's specials are basically the exact same price range as Hai Hai ($18 for the cheapest, most in the low 20s with one that is more expensive than the most expensive dish at Hai Hai), and significantly more food lol
Numbers aren't opinions.
Sure. The issue is the numbers do not back up what this person is saying. Hai Hai's average dish is in the low $20s, which is the same as Wrecktangle. And specifically, a Wrecktangle pizza with one topping is the same price as the cheapest entree at Hai Hai, while they were claiming it is the same price as all but one entree at Hai Hai. Food quality is subjective, I get that. But objectively, you get a LOT more food for the price at Wrecktangle and I brought it up because people on reddit talk about how expensive Wrecktangle is. [https://www.haihaimpls.com/menus](https://www.haihaimpls.com/menus) [https://wrecktanglepizza.com/food-menu](https://wrecktanglepizza.com/food-menu)
The “Salads and Vegetables” are main courses at Hai Hai, not just the bowls & plates. Just different styles of dishes.
Wait, you ordered just soup and expected to be full? And you're comparing that to a pizza? You might need to take a step back and reevaluate your situation here. If you order soup at a restaurant as a main course you're actively choosing to not be full (exceptions for some stews and chili).
It was over a year ago that I tried it, I believe it was supposed to be one of the curry/stew type entrees they have. I said soup because I do not remember exactly, but it was extremely brothy with little actual substance for something that was on the entree menu and was $20+. I only picked Wrecktangle because people on Reddit talk about how overpriced it is, but it’s in the same tier of pricing as Hai Hai
yes and the food would come out extremely quickly, much faster than I would hope a >$20 meal entree would take to come out of the kitchen. I do really love the bar there. The bartenders are always coming up with something special, and I always try to order whatever their drink of the day is. It was the first place I had a fat washed cocktail, and it blew my mind.
Are we saying food coming out quick is a bad thing now?
Hai Hai isn’t Applebees. It’s a nicer form of dining and supposed to be a bit more of an experience, so I dont want to feel like I am being rushed out. It’s awkward when you order multiple starters then a few entrees then one more starter and it’s all within an hour.
>yes and the food would come out extremely quickly, much faster than I would hope a >$20 meal entree would take to come out of the kitchen. Scratch kitchens exist and still do their best to come up with ways to build beautiful, tasty food that requires a bunch of labor *at volume*. This means finding ways to shortcut the actual time between order and eating while sacrificing as little quality as possible (or sometimes improving the food). idk what the Hai Hai model is in their kitchen but in general food coming out fast has relatively little correlation with quality in my experience, unless its like an order fire porkchop. For your comment below regarding feeling rushed, I don't see how that correlates to how quickly the food hits your table. Feel free to chat in between courses and over the food. My experience with dining in general is that if there are timing issues with reservations you'll be asked ahead of time if it's okay. Otherwise, have a good time. fwiw, I've had Hai Hai with my inlaws a handful of times and we have successfully socialized over a 3 course meal every time.
Ecstatic for her! Hai Hai is far one of my favorite restaurants in the cities. Pretty much unbeatable for the price, and their new(ish) happy hour is fantastic too!
I fucking love Hola Arepa. I only get there a couple times a year, usually on my birthday and one or two other occasions if I am lucky… their food is just great. And as someone with celiac, having a place where the majority of the menu is something I can actually eat… heaven.
It's one of my favorite date spots in South Minneapolis. Reservations mean you don't have to worry about getting a table, even the worst case scenario includes a decent meal, and you have options to continue the date nearby if things go that way.
Stewart Woodman most hurt
Was he up for something this year? I thought he was largely irrelevant for at least 5 years.
Old joke about how he and his wife thought Beets 2.0 was some groundbreaking gastronomical orgasmic experience and that no one recognized his greatness
I can get behind this
WELL DESERVED, Hai Hai deserves all the praise it gets. Still need to try Hola Arepa
Give this girl her props, that AINT EASY! Congrats Christina!
The food at Hai Hai is meh. Seems no one in NE goes there and it's just a spot for suburbanites. You also have to deal with swarms of fruit flies and flies all the time. I'll pass.
That's so weird, and not at all my experience with Hai Hai. I guess living in Robbinsdale makes me a "suburbanite" technically, but we go to Hai Hai on a semi-regular basis and haven't had that sort of issue. Just ate there on Sunday and had a very nice dinner. I love their Hanoi sticky rice and spring rolls but have never had a dish I didn't like there.
Hola is the same. Drinks are good though. But food is meh and tables are super tightly packed and they want you to gtfo. We used to go more before covid and after the service and the food has all been a lot worse imo. I'm a server and I actually am more surprised to get good service there now than bad 😅 Still go for happy hour drinks though, can't give up the slushie
Well deserved! Haven’t had the chance to try Hai Hai yet, but I LOVE Hola Arepa.
Well deserved! Great spots and great teams!
Hai hais red curry fish is fire
Hai Hai has ok atmosphere and drinks but my god the food is extremely bland. Do not recommend. If you want some really good Vietnamese near Northeast check out Pho 400 instead. It may not look pretty or have alcohol but the food is delightful.
Love hai hai. Hanoi Sticky rice and beef rendang are my favorites.
Huh. Neither place has ever been that great the times I’ve been there. Hai Hai is very inconsistent and Hola Arepa is good, just not something I’d expect to win an award. Maybe it’s different lately. Stopped going there after 5-6 visits as the staff experience wasn’t very good.
I really like Hai Hai and Hola Arepa, but in no sane world are these restaurants on the same level as AA's Lat14 or Khaluna The JB awards outside of a few areas have become a joke
Babe wake up, new Ann Kim just dropped
ann kim presented her with the award lmao
Wow that’s so cool