All Bar One
13-17 New Street
York
North Yorkshire
YO1 8RA
Contact Numbers
Reviews
Truly appalling
I should begin by saying that until today my partner and I were always happy customers at Ha Ha Bar. Myself I had found that they did an excellent steak that was done to perfection and I was always served an excellent cut of meat that I was more than happy to pay for. We would often tell our friends of our good experience there and would visit for a bit of a treat because we knew what we were going to get.That was until today. I ordered my usual favourite which is a 10oz Rib Eye with fries, blue cheese sauce and a bottle of Leffe. My partner ordered a basic greek salad.To start off the waiter took our drinks order and took an unusual amount of time to come back to tell me that they were unfortunately out of Leffe so I ordered a bottle of Tiger instead. This also took an uncomfortable amount of time to arrive but we were in no hurry and proceeded to order our food.Meanwhile, a couple sat next to us had their food brought over and quickly it became apparent that the gentleman was not happy and told the waiter his burger was not properly cooked. It was sent back for another to be made which took quite some time.Upon arriving I have to say I was taken aback by what I was presented with. My partner's salad appeared as you would expect but my steak and chips was a poor representation of the standard I had come to expect. The steak itself was quite obviously not a 10oz Rib Eye even without tasting it and looked like a very cheap cut. I tried it only to find that it had been overdone, I asked for medium-rare and this was clearly medium-well-done. It was also a very poor tasting piece of meat and being somewhat knowledgable in these matters I detected that it was also very much not fresh.The fries were the next let down, since these had barely been shown a heat source and were very much near raw and it was plain to see from their pale withered appearance. The blue cheese sauce that I had enjoyed very much in the past as a hand made fresh addition to my meal, was in fact some form of processed blue cheese derivitave decanted into a small pot.After a few bites of her salad my partner told me it had a distinct 'chemical' taste to it and that the lettuce was in fact somewhat browned.The silver bullet for this experience was that my partner then found a dead bug in her salad! At this point we told the waiter that we were not happy and the manager was summoned.After a polite conversation it was revealed that he had only been working there for three days and was at a loss to explain why the standards had slipped so badly. To his credit he said there would be no charge for our meal and drinks and he hoped we would return another time.Meanwhile, the chap sat next to us had his second burger brought to him and after a quick word with him he told us this one was also undercooked and inedible! He said that they were not even 'proper' burgers and were more akin to frozen grillsteaks.All in all, an appalling meal and we will not be returning until such time as we see reviews indicating a positive improvement in the basic standards of cooking and more worryingly, health & hygiene.
A User - 11/08/2009 | report this review
Rubbish!
Before you read this you need to know two things:1) I am one of those classic 'I don't want to complain - everything is fine' types.2) I have never written a review beforeWe went for a meal last night to York's Ha Ha Bar and it was the worst meal I have ever had.My wife had to order 3 times as they had ran out of half of the items on the menu. The drinks took so long to arrive that one of our party went to the bar and carried the tray back himself as the staff were too engrossed in conversation to bother with us - one of them even thanked him!. The kitchen is open to the restaurant - usually a good thing but not here. The chef, who looked like he had just been released from a life sentence, spent ALL evening with his arms folded and glaring at everyone like he wanted to kill them - not good for ambience!I have never reviewed online before but I felt compelled to do so after our experience - avoid this place like the plague.
A User - 08/12/2008 | report this review
Pullers paradise
Reliant on loud throbbing base music, the emphasis is on dress to pull, and pull to undress. Two words sum this place up, Meat Market. Perfect if you're under twenty, going on tweeny and want to go one base further than the back of the bike sheds. Surprisingly pleasing wine menu though. Vast and good choice (hence the two stars). Food is hit and miss, they seem to be contantly advertising for chef and kitchen staff. That can't be good for the quality of the kitchen. But you can see the kitchen from the bar, which is always a plus. No Rogue restaurant X-files here. Ha! Ha!'s has also undergone another make-over. Which makes 2 in as many years. This means new paint (red), some pot plants and still the same loo facilities. Stay for the wine list, leave when the DJ comes out.
A User - 01/09/2008 | report this review
Great location - shame about...
Just had a makeover. A chain with an emphasis on food rather than drink - don't go there for the beer! Good location and popular with families on w/end shopping/tourist round. Tends to try and capture the trendy pumping music crowd in the evenings but this may have changed in view of the make over. Not yet done the food so can't comment but the kitchens are open which is always good. Not much atmosphere and prices are what you would expect
A User - 10/06/2008 | report this review
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