The first round of seasonal colds hit early and I knew there was one cure... some pho ('in soup) ! Can't speak much to the vibe or the ambiance as feeling down had me ordering takeout. I opted for Uber Eats and can attest that their takeout operation was pretty serious. I was a little thrown by the ribeye being the only protein wrapped separately (i guess i assumed the tendon and tripe would be as well...?) regardless -- the savory sweet broth was just what i needed and i felt so much better the next day! thank you hai yen! read more

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Uptown neighborhood gem that I just learned about! For the record it has been here for a while and I'm a latecomer. Hai Yen is a place where you can still get a big bowl of pho for $15 ! I was plenty filled by the pho and didn't need any appetizers. Food is fast and service is good. Easy to have conversations inside . Right on the Asia on Argyle corridor. #vietnamese #pho read more

Hai Yen - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been doing a lot of Vietnamese lately especially Banh Mi sandwiches. This time I switched it up and decided to get some Vermicelli bowls. They seemed very popular from here and looked really delicious. My son ordered a Banh Mi sandwich and my wife and I both ordered their Grilled Sesame Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli bowls. I'll be honest this is my first time ordering this dish and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to eat it cold or warm it up. My wife decided to eat hers cold and I warmed mine up. We both enjoyed the dish the way we ate it but still confused on how it's actually supposed to be consumed. The bowls came with mint, cucumbers, peanuts, bean sprouts, scallion oil and a crispy egg roll. I can definitely see myself returning. read more

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Located right off the red line ,(however, the red line appeared under construction). Took a while to find but paid for street parking. The interior is inviting with comfortable chairs. The menu had some usual Vietnamese options and some unique ones that I haven't tried before. We tried the self wrap, beef ( the first one on that list ). The waiter suggested we also get the vermicelli, which was a good suggestion too. as recommended from another reviewer, we got the anchovy sauce. All very nice and nice to creat your own wrap with the rice paper they provide with all the herbs. We also got the bo luc lac (beef filet with veggies ) - this was okay. We got seafood noodle for the little kids but they seemed to like the pho with brisket and steak. Wouldn't mind returning to try other dishes. Only qualm is that their menus are freaking sharp. They need to round out the corners. read more

Hai Yen - Pho steak and brisket - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I finally stopped in after passing by for years. The restaurant is spotless with many tables and the tables/chairs look relatively new. I ordered the BBQ Banh Mi (Bánh Mì Xá Xíu) and the Hawaiian Leaf Sausage (Bò Lá Lôt). The Banh Mi was flavorful with fresh herbs and sharp pickled vegetables. The BBQ isn't like American, but lighter and sweeter. The garlic and lemongrass come through in the sausage. The beef flavor isn't overwhelming and I would suggest giving these a try. Overall a positive experience and would definitely come back. read more

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I've been to Hai Yen a few times and their bo la lot is five stars - definitely what you need to get here. I feel somewhat confident in saying that I think it's one of the things that they do best and I love getting it here. So delicious. On our last visit, we also got some pho and various appetizers including the banh beo, sugarcane shrimp, and crystal dumplings (I forgot the exact name and their menu's a little hard to find to refresh my memory but I am 80% confident crystal is in the description). I think here is why it's four stars - everything is good! Don't get me wrong! But I have had better versions of all these items (except the sugarcane shrimp, which I haven't had before but was good but not blow my mind good). However! Still a really yummy meal - if the place down the street that does better banh beo wasn't open (it wasn't the day we went lol, I was really excited to take my friends there), this is still yummy. But I've had better versions of these still very yummy things. Still a good yummy Vietnamese restaurant on Argyle and a delightful meal. If Yelp did half stars, I'd do 4.5. read more

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For some good inexpensive Vietnamese food, this is the spot to go. It's very chill and the food is delicious. The drinks are also very reasonable. The only downfall is that the service can be slow. Other than that, if you can ignore the service and see the food for what it is and the price, this is one of the top tier spots. I've had multiple items on the menu from the banh mi to the vermicelli noodles. Everything is delicious and I still have to make my way to more of the menu. My favorite dishes have been the fried rice which they give a ton of shrimp, the vermicelli noodles, and the banh mi. They do not skimp on the protein which is huge. read more

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Neighborhood classic. It's a great restaurant full of comfort and flavor. Especially now with the frigid temps in Chicago, nothing like $15 pho . Broth is flavorful and strengthening at best. The lemongrass beef is delicious too. Service is speedy and kind!! read more

We stopped by for a quick dinner before a concert. The place was pretty full and we were willing to wait. I went in to request a table and we were turned away for some reason. As I was standing outside trying to figure out where we can go for dinner, someone waived me back inside and told me it would take a few minutes to get a table, which was completely fine with us. Not sure what happened there. Anyway, they have a large menu and everyone seemed to be eating the bo la lot with the diy wrapping, which looked amazing. However, I couldn't take any leftovers home today. So we got the bo la lot appetizer, bahn mi with pork and pho tai. The sausage was good, but it would have been better with all the accompaniments of the wrap. I thought the bahn mi could have used more filled. The pho was decent. Maybe we just ordered the wrong things. I would love to try the crispy crepes and more of the rolls and wraps. read more

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This Argyle stalwart has a dish of note. The beef wrapped and grilled in betel leaf is the standout for me. They accomplish other dishes just fine but the Bò Lá Lôt is the one worth going for and a great introduction if you're going for the first time! The dish comes with rice paper, lettuce, herbs, and pickles and dipping sauce makes it a fully realized plate. I personally could eat the little wieners all day by themselves but when it comes with fixins I have to call it a meal. The dining room has a calm feel, the staff are friendly and a little quirky in a good way. The continuity of the decor sets the tone allowing for a peaceful meal, the watercolors of Vietnamese life are bright and airy that elevates the tranquil environment nicely. As the robotic Australian voice for Siri says, "Chick it out!" read more

Hai Yen - Pho, Beef wrapped in Betel Leaf, fixins - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was my first time eating at Hai Yen! It gets my highest rating for Vietnamese cuisine. We took out bbq fried rice. It had pork, grilled shrimp and more. Excellent dish. We had lemon grass chicken. On the side was lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. The meal gets my highest rating. We'll be back at 1055 W Argyle. Thanks read more

Food is amazing, no issues there. The service was painfully slow though. It's not like they had a lot of people, but just kinda ignored us for a long while. After we ordered, the foods came out in reasonable time. But just nearly impossible to wave down a staff since they don't seem to be looking our direction. We ended up having to extend parking because of how long everything took. Now onto the good parts: the foods were all so delicious. We had Hawaiian sausage which was sweet but also savory. The catfish was a bit too sweet after a while but very very flavorful and great over rice. Fish was very tender but does have bones tho, so be careful. The shrimp tamarind soup was uniquely fantastic, it has a whole bunch of interesting flavors, okra, pineapple, celery and some other vegetables. Like tomyum but not spicy and more clear/refreshing. The tofu spring rolls were so good, the mint flavor comes through and the peanut sauce was just right, not too sweet or savory. Jalapeño tofu was a bit too light on flavor, could use more salt, but I don't mind it being light. It's fried well. The drink was also very tasty and well made. Would've given this 5/5 if the service was just a little bit better!! We'd be willing to come back still, with the hope of not getting ignored next time! read more

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Fried rice has pretty big chunks of shrimp. Relatively light. Need to add some soy sauce Bo la lot looks problematic but tastes just like any other sauce with a twist of tropical leafy flavor Pho is huge amount. Literally stretched my belly after I finished it. Lots of thick beef slices and tendon Bah mi is also pretty good. Price is decent for the amount of food as well read more

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Overall Thoughts: This spot has become one of my favorite spots in Argyle for fresh, traditional, and flavorful Vietnamese food at a solid price. Everything I tried was wonderful and the light, aromatic flavors truly hit the spot. The hawaiian leaf sausage is a must have, and they also have a plethora of banh mi options (+ other menu options) that I'm dying to return to try. The food comes out quickly and the staff are super sweet. The inside is very simple and barebones, but spacious and comfortable. Food I tried: - Hawaiian leaf sausage rice paper rolls (4.9/5): The hawaiian leaf sausage is one of the best things I've had in awhile. It's absolutely fire-- so juicy and flavorful. - Charbroiled pork skewer banh mi (4.7/5): A very solid and tasty banh mi for a reasonable price- $8. The bread was fresh and airy, the pork was juicy and flavorful, the veggies were sharp and crisp, and the sandwich was well sauced and not dry. - Grilled shrimp vermicelli bowl (4.3/5): Another solid dish that we enjoyed. The shrimp was a little overcooked but the lightly sweet and fishy flavors were on point. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.5/5 Food: 4.6/5 Ambience: 4.2/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.6/5 read more

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Service is very slow, when the food starts to show up it's one plate at a time I mean like 2-5 min apart. Someone at your table ends up eating alone. read more

Excellent Pho - super tasty beef broth. They let me order off menu - pho with beef brisket and egg noodles. My favorite! Make your own sausage spring rolls is wonderful as well. Get both dipping sauces. Use all the veggies! Friendly service, clean bathroom. Lock up your car and pay the meter with the app (or take the red line). read more

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Still enjoy comint here, my friends and family still love coming here it's been getting quite popular in argyle, the place is small but the food had so much variety but not too much where it's overwhelming! The Bo La lot Is always a fan favorite. We got rice platter, chicken wings, pho, asparagus seafood soup, and all were amazing! They forgot one of our order since we were a big group but they made it right. read more

I ordered takeout, and everything was good and fresh. The place itself is not super nice to dine in, but check it out when you are around because I think the food tasted great. read more

Hai Yen is a classic in Argyle. While most people go to try their bò lá lốt, my friends and I usually opt for their rice plates. The portions are large for the price. The inside is clean but nothing special. The staff are attentive and always check up on us. read more

Food is horrible, service is even worse. I ordered on line and brought my phone to show them the order but they refused to give me the food or refund. No problem their food is lame and there are many better Vietnamese restaurants on Argyle where the owners are not super rude. read more

One of my family's favorite restaurant on Argyle in Uptown. I love the pork chop rice dish, my husband recommends the bun bo hue, and the pho is also great. The service is good. It can get busy during dinner on weekends, but it is a short wait. read more

We went here based on a recommendation from a friend. Apparently there's a 5 course beef special, but we didn't know cause it took forever for the waiter to take our order..reluctantly. We were there on a Sunday around 6pm and they were fairly busy. I never make a big deal over slow service when a restaurant is busy or if the kitchen is backed up, I wholeheartedly get that things happen. I do appreciate the owner/manager apologizing and giving us an estimated time of when our food would arrive. Specialty Banh mi: the bread itself was okay, a little too toasty that it hurt the roof of my mouth. Some meat pieces were cut a little too big and it became chewy. There was no pate, it was spread with Mayo. It was very underwhelming and needed a splash of soy sauce or something. Overall, I wasn't a fan of this Banh Mi at all. Canh chua catfish: this was BY FAR the worst Vietnamese dish I've ever had at a restaurant. There was no flavor in the broth. No hint of tamarind or even vinegar if they weren't using tamarind. It just tasted like water with vegetables and fish. The fish was not even seasoned so it was super fishy. Lemongrass beef self wrap: I wish they brought this out first so I didn't have to eat that terrible soup. This was the saving grace to the whole experience, but it wasn't the greatest. The beef was decently flavored, but couldn't really taste the lemongrass. The dipping fish sauce was too acidic for me and overpowered everything in the wrap. However, they gave a decent amount of veggies for the wrap so I guess that's a plus. read more

Hai Yen - Banh Mi Dac Biet - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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One of our favorite places. The food is fresh and delicious. The first time we went, our server walked us through how to make our own rolls and gave good suggestions as to what to order. It's a place we go to when friends are visiting in town. It's quiet enough to have good conversations but a low-key environment that no one minds if the conversation is a bit more lively. read more

I've started bringing friends and family to Hai Yen, and it's quickly become my favorite spot in Argyle. The restaurant boasts a modern exterior and interior, creating a welcoming atmosphere. My go-to dish is the grilled pork chops (com suon), which are cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious--a fantastic value for the generous serving. The staff has always been friendly and accommodating. I can't wait to return soon. read more

This is a follow up to my review about a year ago. I have never eaten in the restaurant and only had delivery, but it's always been deliciously consistent and quality food. This is Viet food (their pho is great but I am all about their rice plates and rice vermicelli bowls) done exceptionally well, and the value far exceeds the price. I try not to order once a week because it's so good. Hai Yen you deserve five stars for your food...in all honestly I can't speak to the eat-in experience. Keep on keeping on with legit delicious food! read more

I am visiting from CA. Love the food here. Service is really good. Nice and clean restaurant with a cute little bar for drinks. read more

Hai Yen - Love it. I have fun wrapping it and eat it. It is like an experience. - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Price: $ Parking : Street Meter Payments: Credit Cards/Cash Customer Service: Attentive Pandemic safety: Three outdoor dining tables with heaters and pickup options also available . What to Get: Beef Pho, Bo la lot(Hawaiian leaf wrapped beef), Grilled beef short ribs and taro coconut smoothie. Below are my full review: *In my yelpions: love the authenticity of the restaurant. Everything feels very home cook in the best possible way. A traditional mom-and-pop Vietnamese restaurant but they got a wide range of menu which we could choose from. With times like this, if you are craving for a bowl of pho and under a budget, Hai Yen is a great place to go. I highly recommend their pho because the broth were very well season, meat are very tender, not to mention each bowl came in a large portion for under $13 each! When it comes to appetizers, I love their Hawaiian leaf wrapped beef, but if you are itfy for trying new food, they have the options of coming in 3 pieces to start. The shrimp sticks are excellent as well, pretty much is shrimp balls with sugar cane to give the flavor a balance between salty and sweet. Last, if you love TARO(purple yam), I highly recommend the taro coconut smoothie from Hai Yen, as they use the most natural ingredients instead of powder. It is not overwhelmingly sweet nor too purple. However, due to the pandemic, they may sometimes not have the ingredient to make the smoothie, so call ahead to check and make sure. To summarize, with 2 appetizers, 1 beef pho, and one main entrance(clay pot salmon), the bill came up about $50. Highly recommended! More restaurants reviews from my Instagram account:@yelpions read more

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A little family restaurant in Argyle. My fav pho place in Chicago. The pho broth was so flavorful and everything tasted so authentic. The food was just absolutely amazing. For the 3 months I was in Chicago, I would go there at least twice a month. I even brought all my friends who visited there and they all loved it. The staffs were all amazing and so friendly. read more

Hai Yen - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

After walking up to our favorite banh mi place down the street and seeing it was closed, my partner and I pivoted over to try Hai Yen instead. We almost always get veggie Spring Rolls when they're available, and Hai Yen's didn't disappoint. They were tightly rolled and filled with tofu, carrots, peapods, mushroom, vermicelli, bean sprouts, and herbs. The dipping sauce on the side was also full of salty, slightly spicy, umami flavor. The tofu Banh Mi Chay they serve comes with mayonnaise. We are plant-based/vegan, so we asked for our order without mayo. Not having a sauce admittedly left the sandwich on the dryer side but there was some sauce and moisture coming from the tofu. The rest of the banh mi was super fresh and still very good. The star of our visit was the Chè Chuoi. It was a warm dessert consisting of banana, tapioca, coconut milk and ground peanuts. It was green, presumably from pandan which gave it a distinct nuttiness that was complemented by the peanuts. The bananas are not your usual banana--more like a sweet plantain, which gave the dessert some nice body. I would go back just to eat like ten more of these, they were that good! The place filled up shortly after we arrived (around 6 p.m. on Saturday) but the service was still fast and attentive. Definitely stop in! read more

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I've gotten takeout twice from Hai Yen in the past few months (it's worth the 20 min drive!!) My family loves getting the wraps from here. We used to go in person, so I'm glad they have takeout. You get rice paper, meat, herbs, veggies, noodles, and sauce with the wraps. I normally order the Banh Hoi Tom Nuong (shrimp) and Banh Hoi Thit Bo Nuong (sesame beef lemongrass). The beef is definitely my favorite!! It's seasoned perfectly and it tastes sooooo yummy The shrimp is $15 and the beef is $13, but the portions are good and worth it!! We also get the pho, which is a good supplement if you're sharing with family. It's not the best pho in the area, but it's still tasty! We also tried the Bun Heo Nuong (lemongrass pork vermicelli rice noodles). I thought the pork had good flavor and it was tasty!! In my opinion, everything's worth the price and it's easy to order online for takeout now. Can't wait until I can go back in person!! read more

Hai Yen - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Bo la lot was so good it's enough to keep my coming back for more. The cocktails are really good and they don't skimp on the alcohol so 1 or 2 will get the job done. Only thing that was kind of weird was that the pho came out really slow for one of the people in our group. Idk why but we were all about halfway done by the time her pho came out. Luckily we ordered plenty of appetizers. read more

Delicious food!! The bo la lot (betel leaf sausage) is the best bo la lot I've had!! We ordered it as an appetizer, but I will definitely be back to order it as part of a main dish. The sausage is sweet, savory, and juicy, and the betel leaf wrapped around it really tied it altogether and gave it a nice added texture. We also ordered the Hu tieu kho, which roughly translates to flat rice noodles, dry. The dry indicates that this dish, which is traditionally served as noodles in a broth, is served dry, meaning the broth is on the side. The noodles themselves are not dry, but in fact bouncy and noodly! This is one of my favorite ways to eat Vietnamese noodle soups because when it is served dry, there is usually the addition of a delicious sauce to the noodles that adds a ton of flavor. In this case, the restaurant serves this dish with a hefty side of tomato pork sauce (the description does not do it justice). I like to spoon in a couple spoonfuls at a time, toss lightly, eat some noodles, then repeat. I like this because it allows me to control how much sauce I get in a bite, and I like my sauce to noodle ratio pretty high! But they do give you such a generous portion of sauce that I couldve probably just poured it all in! There is a mix of meat and seafood in the bowl as well, for some protein and added texture. I like to sip the broth in between bites. It's all very flavorful, well-balanced, and satisfying. Can't wait to come back and try some other dishes! read more

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I came here because they have bánh bôt loc, which isn't very often found on menus because it's labor intensive to make. The food was GOOD and reminded of the tastes of what my uncle (by marriage) used to make for us. BUT, I was so disappointed that the staff waited on a party that came in after me, after having waited about ten minutes. Throughout my dinner, the tables with Caucasian customers got more attention. I had to get the attention of the busboy and another waiter to let my waiter know that I wanted another round of bánh bot loc AND my check so I don't have to wait even longer. They were NOT rude or dismissive, just not quite attentive. The other waiter was apologetic, which was appreciated. I left a tip as I normally would because I appreciated that they offered something different and I choose not to be mean-spirited. In summary... GOOD FOOD, but quality of service could improve. read more

Hai Yen - Bánh bôt loc... Not often found on restaurant menus because it's a lot of work to make. - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Shrimp spring rolls fresh and perfect with fish sauce, I had a request of Chef- to charbroil my beef strips for my order of phö, it was done, thank you so much, papaya salad was crisp, and refreshing on hot & humid day. Service on this day bit slow, which was fine I was not in any rush, server was accommodating. Fairly priced, although, I was charge for hot tea I did not receive. Go for the food option. read more

Came here on Sunday to order food to go. I specifically asked them not to cook my pho noodles. Well, they cooked the noodles AND also laid out all the raw meats on top. They also did not secure my soup broth so a good potion of it spilled and leaked through my bag onto my other food items. VERY DISAPPOINTED!! read more

Hai Yen - Package was not secured so my soup leaked all over my goi - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here on a Tuesday night and it was easy to get a seat for dinner. We started out with the bo la lat. I was disappointed in this as the betel leaf was secondary to the meat. There wasn't much of a betel leaf on the outside. For the entrée, I had the pork and seafood noodle soup. It was okay. I wish the broth was hotter. I don't think I would order it again and stick with the pho instead. Beer and wine is really cheap here, if you want to grab a drink during dinner. read more

A lot of my friends have been here and I've been hearing good things about this place. Of course, I had to try it out myself. The service was great and the staff was patient (because I couldn't make up my mind on what I wanted to order) and really friendly. A popular item on the menu that a lot of people get is bò lá lt which is beef wrapped in betel leaves. One of my favorites to eat. There's several ways to eat this but I ordered it and we DIY wrapped it with the rice paper and veggies. I will definitely be back again and also to try the other items on the menu. read more

Hai Yen - Bò Lá Lt - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's one of the "fanciest" looking places on Argyle and is filled with Caucasian as well as Asian / Vietnamese diners. The night we came the restaurant was packed (literally every table full) and they had a short wait going. Service is super friendly and you do need to occasionally wave someone down, but servers are passing by frequently and all are happy to help. Our water glasses were kept full, our order was correct, and food came out reasonably fast considering how busy it was. I also overheard a waiter helping some first timers choose dishes and then heard the owner talking in Vietnamese to a table about how the restaurant is doing and how the other places in the area are also faring. It's a family restaurant, which I'm happy to support - hence the 4-stars rounding up from the 3.5 I would otherwise have given it. We tried the Bo La Lot since it's the house specialty and it was very tasty although bigger sized than I'm used to - no complaints about that. I don't know why it says "Hawaiian Leaf" on the menu - betel leaves are used in many cuisines, but maybe it's to make it more approachable. We had a hodge podge dinner that also included the short ribs (they are cross-cut style vs actual short ribs), banana leaf salad, crepe (banh xeo) and the hu tieu soup. All were fair, but slightly off and in general lacking that full on umami that Viet cuisine is famous for. I think perhaps catered more to the Midwestern palate. For example, the ribs were good flavor, but soft and chewy when they should be char grilled; the crepe was so over fried it made divots in the crepe batter instead of the smooth crisp it should be (the herbs they serve with it were spot on though!), etc... If I came back it would likely be to ease my Caucasian friends into Vietnamese food. And we'd definitely order the roll your own rice paper with the bo la lot. Please visit this and the other family owned spots on Argyle. Just ask what their specialty is and stick to that! read more

a good portion of noodles, vegetables, and meat. Egg roll was crispy and delicious yummm read more

Hai Yen - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here several times and food was better before. But this past visit the food quality is so bad now.