Everyone needs a clutch restaurant. The place that always comes through. It's convenient,…read moreconsistent, and, most of all, incredibly good. I've had many clutch spots over the years as I moved around, but it took me a minute to find my North Shore go-to. But here I am, a local for half a year now, and my go-to is Ni's, 100%. Lisa, the owner extraordinaire, is friendly, engaging, and an absolute customer service star. Not to mention a formidable chef. She has an obvious passion for food and its cultural history, and I love talking with her about it. The whole crew at Ni's is awesome and always happy to chat or handle any dish alterations. They clearly care about their clientele, and it's one of the things that keeps me coming back. My "must have" is the veggie summer rolls. I get them every time. Really, really good. And after living in the Vietnamese neighborhood of San Francisco for a few years, eating out almost daily, I've had my fair share of summer rolls. The produce at Ni's is always fresh, and I love how they cleverly use jicama for crunch. The rolls come with peanut sauce, but Ni's makes a delicious vegan fish sauce in-house that I go with almost every time. Banh Mi, Veggie Pho, Crispy Tofu, Fried Rice, I've had everything on the menu that is vegan or can be made so, and I'll gladly order them all again and again. This is not an all-vegan restaurant by any stretch (fear not, meat eaters), but Lisa goes out of her way to have options, and I've never been anything but satisfied. Even my kindergartner is into the veggie Pho broth and summer rolls, and he's not the easiest to please. Wilmette is lucky to have Ni's. I hope everyone knows that. They're tucked around the corner from the busier area of Central Ave and Wilmette Ave, and I've been doing my best to spread the word. "You've never been to Ni's?! Get the hell outta here.." So, if you didn't know, now you do. You're welcome.

Got some pho from this Wilmette cafe. It happens to be a cozy place and was perfect for getting it…read more Ni's Kitchen is one of the overlooked places in this overlooked suburb. A lot of the classics to get. They also have a few vegetarian choices so there's plenty for all tastes. Came at lunch and it wasn't that busy. It's usually a bad sign. Thankfully it wasn't. A lot of the familiar things on the menu. There's of course the banh mi and pho. It's about $13 for the Veggie Pho Chay. This has bamboo and mushrooms. Has a few things to add on. There's basil leaves, bean sprouts, and jalapeños to give it spiciness. Has a great variety of Vietnamese classics. It's closed Tuesdays. There's a few things for vegans and vegetarians.

Spectacular bahn mi. Very authentic. Had the pork bahn mi- #102 . Tasty pork - crust thin-…read moreflavorful and tender. All the vegetables complement the sandwhich. The bread was fresh and perfect. Excellent! Very clean- place . Nice guy behind the counter. Will come again. Loved it. Try it! Bring friends

This was a really wonderful meal. Lemongrass beef banh mi, tofu spring rolls, and lemongrass…read moreshrimp banh mi were all delicious. Avocado smoothie wasn't my favorite. Service was so kind. Definitely will go back.

Had a hankering for Vietnamese food and went to this restaurant kind of hidden in a strip mall…read more The space is great high ceilings made the space seem exceptionally large, though I think they could have turned up the music a bit as I thought my kids were boisterous in such a cavernous space. Each table has self serve rooster sauce and hoisin sauce with soup spoons, chopsticks, forks and metal spoons. The caddy was quite large and tall so we had it removed after setting everyone up. We ordered quite a few dishes and repeated a few. #42 was the pho of choice with everything added in. I personally had the bun lemongrass pork with egg roll. Everyone at the table remarked how full the bowl was when the food came out. It's a delightful noodle salad, super flavorful with the fish sauce added and the salad mixed up. Very filling, and actually a good dish to share as a salad. It has variety of texture with peanuts, egg roll crunch, the noodles, the pickled veggies, the umami of.thr fish sauce a wonderful dish that signals in summer. We ordered salt n pepper shrimp and squid as an appetizer for the table since we were quite hungry when we landed. The two were really different from each other. Both great taste, but the onions shined thru with a bomb of flavor, wonderful when mixed in with the rice. The shrimp had heads slightly trimmed, we ate them crispy head and all. I had a taste of the bun bo hue, which I think is always overlooked when it's the last item on the "pho" section of the menu. It should be a highlight, very different than standard pho, the noodles are rounder, the broth more savory and had a bit of unexpected mild heat (I think usually I don't expect heat, but this good). A great contrast from the pho noodles. I've been to the libertyville location before, and had good memories. This one is a good one as well, the staff was always around and I liked how the high ceilings and the feeling of spaciousness. I will definitely give it another round. In a world where most all places are cashless, Viet Taste keeps the pricing reasonable with being Cash only, they do have an atm on site as well. We fortunately had enough cash amongst us for this food adventure.

We came here for a birthday celebration, and it's the perfect spot if you're looking for a quick,…read morestraightforward, and delicious meal! We tried a bit of everything: #21 Bún Lemongrass Pork & Egg Roll: Huge portion and incredibly tasty. #42 Combo Meat Pho: Packed with beef slices, brisket, tendon, tripe, and meatballs. The broth was excellent. #30 Fried Salt & Pepper Calamari: Great flavor, though the portion of calamari was a bit small. #31 Fried Salt & Pepper Shrimp: We got them with the shell on, which was definitely the right move! #58 Bún Bò Huế: A spicy lemongrass and shrimp broth with thick vermicelli, brisket, tendon, and pork roll. It was a unique change of pace from our usual pho order, but really good! I would definitely be back to try other menu items! The staff were quick and helpful!

I am originally from Iowa and recently moved here. Pho Tam was the nearest pho restaurant so I'd…read morethought I'd give this place a try. The restaurant appeared clean and service was fine. I ordered the pho with all the meats, which totaled up to 18.25 before tax. There is only one size of bowl which was huge; probably enough for two people in my personal opinion. Serving size was good for the price. The broth was clear but I could barely taste the aroma of the star anise, cinnamon, and cloves etc. as I have with other pho restaurants. Beef pho should also have a savory taste and I didn't sense that. The only reason I'd come back is to try other entrees.

Fresh, high quality ingredients are packed into each bite of your food from Pho Tam. With a group…read moreof eaters with different tastes, Pho Tam was able to satisfy all our wants. Their summer rolls are fresh and PACKED with shrimp and veggies, and even with take out, the presentation was beautiful. The appetizer platter featuring spring rolls and chicken wings were a fun dish to share, the wings having an addicting, umami-packed sauce that I couldn't get enough of. Also, even with take out, the wings were CRISPY! The pho hit the spot and the rice portions were huge, making this a new go-to take out spot in the area. Make sure to grab a Vietnamese coffee with your meal, the perfect sweet treat to end the night!

We were visiting Lake Forest, and decided to have lunch at Le Colonial. This is our second visit…read moreafter a long while. I would describe this restaurant as an upscale Vietnamese restaurant. The decor was great, and once you walked in, it transformed your surrounding into colonial time of Vietnam. The staffs were very friendly and patient in explaining questions. The menu clearly indicates Gluten Free and other allergens. The food overall was good. We had the glazed ribs - the meat was tender and flavorful with the glaze. The papaya salad - think of it as like a slaw - was crunchy and slightly acidic, so paired well with the ribs. We also had the spicy chicken soup. It has coconut milk, and big enough portion for two people to share. I also want to caution people that the knife skills of the chefs here was quite good - the green chili was thinly sliced that I almost mistook them as spring onions. Imagine if I actually bit into a few... :) Then, we also ordered Chicken stir fried to share. The main dish came with a bowl of jasmine rice. So, there was a variety for our lunch, and everything was flavorful. It is not an everyday Vietnamese cuisine, but it fits the bill for a special outing.

It was my wife's birthday and she chose this restaurant based on her experience with the downtown…read morelocation which we have dined several times. Because we had a rough start with this restaurant, we'll never return. When we checked in we were seated in what I would describe as the overflow portion of the restaurant. It had the be the worst table in the place right next to the serving station. We were the only people in that area. It was 5pm on Sunday. The main dining room was not busy. Why were we there? They state they have a dress code - we were the best dressed in the restaurant. My wife had on a dress and I a sport jacket. After fuming a while, I finally asked our waitress to seat us in the main dining room which she pleasantly accommodated us. I have no beef with our experience after that. It's a nice area and the servers were great. I feel our meal was above average but not stellar commiserate with the price point. I can't get over why we were not seated in the main dining room. Nobody was seated in the "overflow" room the rest of the time we were there. It felt insulting.

I was excited to see bun bo hue on the menu with all the proper fixings, hoping this would be a…read morereasonably authentic spot. Unfortunately, the experience fell short. The broth lacked depth. It tasted like bun bo hue, but it felt like shortcuts were taken. The chicken wings on the side were laughably small and greasy. To make matters worse, gratuity was automatically added, and the place being cash-only felt a bit suspicious. The only positive was that the restaurant itself was large and spacious. That's about it.

Solid Vietnamese food for a fair price. I love the egg rolls here, they are authentic Viet Style…read morewith meat and taro, just like my mom makes! I frequent this restaurant each time I am in town. Cash or Zelle only!

I was sick and needed some healing pho, so I placed my order online. They texted me promptly when…read moreit was ready for pickup, which I really appreciated. I honestly judge places on how well they pack food to enjoy at home--especially spots that pack soup. Everything was packed perfectly. The soup came in a big container, with the meat and all the accoutrements packed separately. The taste was divine, and I even had some left to enjoy the next day. I can't wait to come back and dine in.

Firstly, the restaurant had a great and homey vibe to it. Very relaxing especially on a winter day…read more The menu had great options and even had sushi! But today we settled with mostly Vietnamese food. On a middle of the day Saturday, the restaurant was pretty open and we were able to sit at a table with no wait. I hope this changes for them later because the food was great! Also, they had iced Vietnamese coffee which is a personal favorite. Lastly, I even bought some food home for my wife. Update - even after eating leftovers, the food was still great! 5/5 will be back soon!