Creative Vietnamese Brunch with Standout Wings, Though the Egg Coffee Missed the Mark HaiSous remains an enjoyable spot for a more modern take on Vietnamese cuisine, with quick, efficient, and friendly service in a polished setting. We came for brunch right when the restaurant opened, and it was only about 25% full, which made for an easy and relaxed meal. The crispy chicken wings were excellent -- fried well, nicely seasoned, and easily a go-to order. The bánh xèo was also very good, served hot and fresh with a crisp shell and plenty of filling, though I would have appreciated more leafy greens and herbs for wrapping. The bánh canh cua, or crab noodles, had genuine flavor, a nice spicy balance, and was served piping hot. The crab meat is broken up into the broth, so you do need to drink the spicy broth to get the full benefit of the dish. The beef papaya salad was just alright. Compared with other papaya salads I've had, I wanted more sourness and tartness to give it that sharper, more authentic flavor profile. The biggest disappointment was the cà phê trứng, or egg coffee. After having the real thing in Vietnam, I was excited to try HaiSous' version, but the coffee was not strong or bitter enough to create the right contrast, there was not much beaten egg, and the drink was overwhelmed by a large amount of whipped cream. It came across more like a very sweet dessert coffee than a faithful egg coffee. Overall, we enjoyed the meal and would come back. There are some misses, but the stronger dishes -- especially the wings, bánh xèo, and crab noodles -- make HaiSous worth trying for a creative Vietnamese brunch or dinner. read more

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I've genuinely only ever eaten tacos in Pilsen so this was fun! This place is very well regarded with a James Beard, award-winning chef and a bib gourmand so I had high expectations. The interior is quite open and wooden, but still modern and airy. There's an open kitchen which I always enjoy. Service was solid too. I got some sort of pineapple cocktail which tasted very tropical and refreshing! For the food, we split the fried fish (fluke), the eggplant side, crab noodles and crab fried rice. The fish with the lettuce wraps was incredible. Definitely my favorite dish of the night and I would purge anybody to get it if they go there. It fell off the bone, super flavorful and no fishy aftertaste. The sauce with the lettuce wraps was also great! The noodles were forgettable tbh, but the fried rice had nice crab pieces. Overall, a very good spot for a more elevated dinner! It's just a bit expensive, but the portions were nice so I'll give them that. read more

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Banh Xeo (9/10): omg fire. The crispy rice crepe was SO good, and it stayed crispy for surprisingly long. The sauce went so well with everything. Filling was an amazing blend of crunchy and tender, savory and fresh. Canh Ga Chien (7.5/10): chicken wings were solid. Crispy and flavorful. They weren't mindblowing, but you can't go wrong with ordering them. Very fish saucy Noodle Soup with Lump Crab Cake (8/10): I forgot the actual name of this, but it was on the brunch menu. Noodles had a great amount of chew. Soup was very flavorful and had a good level of spice Service was fantastic! Would definitely come back read more

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Such a great start to our day here with the lychee danish, coconut cappuccino, tofu banh mi, and chicken wings. My friend and I shared so I could get a taste of several things. Our server was Ashley. She made some great suggestions. It was literally a walk away and I wish I lived closer to explore more of their menu. Everything we chose was great and I definitely recommend a visit! read more

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HaiSous was really good. The natural bamboo decor is gorgeous. it's a great spot for a group gathering for family style plates. We got the calamari, noodles and curry. The calamari was crispy and came in a tangy sauce, which was delicious to dip in. The noodles came as a deconstructed pho bowl, with pork eggroll-like wontons. It was refreshing with the mint leaves. The curry was comforting and rich. Service was quick, and helpful. read more

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Beautiful restaurant with a lot of seating options. We were warmly welcomed, service was nice, and the kitchen timing was good. Crispy chicken wings with caramelized fish sauce sounded adventurous but tasted familiar. These were definitely good but they're not mind blowing so I would probably skip them to try other things if you're on the fence. Oysters were so delicious but I hardly ever think they're not. Wagyu with lemongrass and a chili sea salt was simple but tasty. The grilled eggplant was yummy, paired with pickled shallots, fried garlic, and scallions. Definitely a good one for eggplant lovers like me. The veggie curry was good but probably the least favored of everything we had and couldn't finish it. But we made room for a little dessert! We went with the whipped rice pudding but had it without peanuts because I'm allergic. We didn't really enjoy it much. It was kind of bland and I'm guessing it might be because we omitted the nuts. It was sad to finish on a weak note. read more

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It'd been yrs since I dined here, but with a concert to attend down the street, it seemed like an obvious choice. I'm so glad we gave them another chance. I loved my food more than the first time. Not wanting to eat 9 courses, we decided on the al a carte menu. We ordered the Wagyu beef with chili lime salt, the grilled meat platter. and the vegetable curry. I'm confident I hit my protein goal with all that meat. Lol The Wagyu beef starter was delicious. I'm not a huge red meat eater, but the beef with that chili lime salt was a great start to our meal. I'm such a sucker for all things curry, and the vegetable curry didn't disappoint. Full of large chunks of carrots and pieces of daikon, I ate more than I should have. The grilled meat platter is plentiful. Especially for 2 people. I'd been fasting all day and feeling very hungry, but I couldn't finish my share of the food. It's a very generous amount of meat. Growing up in an ultra religious household, my mom still doesn't know that I drink alcohol. It was fitting to order the "Don't Tell Momma" cocktail. Loved the gin with the lychee, pineapple, and lime. So good I drank two. So much for "Dry January". Just don't tell my momma. Service was wonderful and I really liked the overall feel of the restaurant. Parking is a beast though. It took us 20 min to find a spot. Definitely allow yourself plenty of time for that Overall I really liked my experience. If I have tickets for Thalia Hall, I'd eat here again read more

HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen - Don't Tell Momma -- Gin, lychee, pineapple, and lime. Really delicious - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ayoooo you don't understand how bad I wanted to gate keep this place. The interior is very elegant and all of the staff we encountered were super friendly. It may have helped that the friends we were with were regulars. I doubt it though because it appears everyone was getting great service. We went during Happy Hour which is really a cheat code. All drinks and food on the menu were $10. We ordered the wing which were super crispy, flavorful and had a decent kick. 10/10 Would recommend. We also ordered fried rice with crab, calamari, and a pork noodle salad. Not a miss in the group. The cocktails were also top notch. Can't recommend this place enough. If you can't get Crying Tiger reservations, this place is on par. read more

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Made a dinner reservation on New Year's Eve. It was nice that they didn't have a set menu for the holiday so I could pick whatever I wanted. All the food we ordered was super flavorful. We started with the wagyu appetizer which came with a chili lime salt dipping sauce which paired nicely. The fluke was really flakey and crispy on the outside. It paired well with the nuoc mam sauce. It was pretty pricey tho with the lowest market price being $75. I don't think I'd get it again but a good thing to try once. The bun cha Hanoi was another hit. Delicious pork patties but the spring rolls were especially good. The crab fried rice had good pieces of crab and had a kick. Overall, a very cute spot in Chicago with good food and service. read more

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Did chefs tasting menu and it was the best Vietnamese I've ever had. We also ordered the chicken wings, the whole fried fluke, and the eggplant. The eggplant was epic. I would be delighted to come again. Service was impeccable and they were incredibly accommodating. I don't eat pork and they made some wonderful substitutions. The interior is beautifully done and nicely lit. I appreciated the brick interior. Awesome spot and their aged tea was lovely too. read more

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food: the food here was really good but not sure if it's worth the price as i could get equally good viet food for cheaper. a nice date night or celebration spot. meat platter was great cause had a large variety of options. the wings were also insane with how crispy they were staff: super nice staff and brought out a free dessert for our friends birthday ambiance: nice vibe but gets busy and loud read more

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My wife and I have been putting off eating at Haisous for several years mainly because the first time we tried going there we couldn't find parking. Fast forward a few years and it's our 2-year anniversary- we chose to celebrate with dinner at Haisous. My wife was born and raised in Vietnam and knows the food well. I grew up eating southeast Asian cuisine and also consumed a lot of Vietnamese food. Our expectations were set pretty high, especially with Haisous being on the Michelin guide list for multiple years. We got there at opening time for dinner (4pm) and were one of two couples to be seated. The service was excellent as there were many staff members and just a few of us at the time. Our server was Omar, very friendly and showed great hospitality. We ordered an appetizer (fried chicken wings) and two main dishes (bun cha hanoi & the grilled seafood platter), and the food came out very quickly. So then why the two-star review? If not for the great service, it would have been a single star. The food missed the mark, unfortunately. The fried chicken wings were hot and fresh, but the flavor was not "original" at all. Traditionally, the fish sauce is normally a glaze that balances sweetness, saltiness and fish sauce-umami. What we received were delightfully fried chicken wings doused with fish sauce. As for the grilled seafood platter, there was an assortment of scallop, clams, octopus and prawns. The dish arrived with an off-putting smell. After a couple of sniff tests, I found the smell coming from the scorched prawn shells- not very appealing at all as it just smelled burned. Unfortunately, the flavor of both the prawns and the octopus were of burnt flesh. It seemed like they were pre-cooked and then thrown on a piping hot grill for a few seconds just to get the grill marks. Too bad the grill marks actually burnt the flesh of the meat and that was all I could taste- even with the sauces provided to try and cover it up. Lastly, the bun cha hanoi. This is a dish that my wife and I adore. We have it all the time at another restaurant and have had it in the homeland. We received this dish last, and with the experience of the first two dishes, we were hoping this would be the savior of the dining experience we had thus far. Unfortunately, that did not hold true. The first thing I tasted was the broth. Normally, it's a diluted fish sauce that is slightly sweet, salty and smokey from the grilled pork and meat patty the dish normally comes with. What we received was a pho broth where fish sauce was added to try to provide a similar experience- not original at all and would leave the ancestors confused and disappointed. Next, the meat. There were chunks of lean pork with the same burnt grill marks on them as the seafood. Normally, the dish comes with skewered sliced pork belly that is well marinated and lightly charred. The meat patty served here was actually quite good, but missing the natural charcoal smokiness that normally comes with proper grilling. As a bonus (not really), there was a chunk of beef that also had the grill marks on it that was very likely from making the pho broth. It was soft and delicate like how I'd expect in a pho. Needless to say, it was not the experience we thought we were going to have, but we left more confused than upset (although disappointed). We actually had several good laughs talking about it on the ride back home. Like, what Vietnamese chef would dare to use pho broth (beef) to use as a base for bun cha hanoi (served with grilled pork)? In summary, we are not returning nor do we recommend the restaurant for traditional Vietnamese food lovers. In my opinion, the prices are out of this world for the food experience. The place overall was clean, staff were friendly and professional. When I made the reservation, I made a note that it was for our anniversary and they gave us a complimentary cookie dish (best thing we had there) and some tamarind to close out the meal- that was very thoughtful and much appreciated. With all that said, this is a restaurant experience my wife and I will be talking about for years to come- just not for all the right reasons. read more

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Happened upon this restaurant while walking in the area. A couple stopped and chatted with us and shared how fabulous the meal was. Dropped in with a large party, and they accommodated us without a reservation, seating us immediately. Food was great. We ate everything family style, and didn't have a miss in any of the eight items we ordered. read more

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Been here 3 times. Ambiance is nice, service is good, but of course, the food is the highlight. I love the smaller plates like the calamari and the Aussie wagyu, but what I always look forward to most is dessert. THE COOKIE CRUST CREAM PUFF. Ladies and gentlemen, when I'm telling you that I am in love with this dessert, I am 100% serious. The beautiful outer crust of the cream puff perfectly highlights the smooth and tantalizing sweet coffee cream inside. I wish I had a lifetime supply of these things. Anyway, the place is great. Go here. read more

Came here for a weekend happy hour meal. Tasty food but to us it wasn't standout. Great service, fun upscale ambiance inside. German draft beer was also excellent. I'd come back for happy hour! read more

I had high hopes going into the Chef's Grand Tasting Menu at HaiSous, and the first course delivered beautifully--especially the guava salad and grilled rice cracker, which were fresh, flavorful, and creative. Unfortunately, the main dishes didn't keep the momentum. Both the grilled dorade and the slow-braised pork belly were overly salty, and I found myself relying heavily on the rice to balance out the flavors. The dessert was a miss for me--it felt more like a bowl of whipped cream than a satisfying end to the meal. I barely made it through 10%, and I usually love dessert. If I return, I'll skip the tasting menu and go for the seafood tower instead--it looked impressive at the other tables and might be a better way to explore the menu. read more

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Many many years and it's still one of my favorite spots! It's very hard to find a consistent restaurant and this one hits, every single time. The fluke is always so crispy but still buttery, the crab fried rice is delicious, & the eggplant is also so good! The service is always great and the space is huge. read more

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When celebrating and supporting AAPI restaurants in Chicago you do it family style which means bring your friends to Haisous to have an elevated Vietnamese cuisine dinner. Probably one of my favorites for the last couple of years, tucked away in Pilsen neighborhood , they have a gorgeous decor and amazing dishes like the Fluke (fish) that is best shared with good friends. Service is awesome here and they do a great job of taking care of your group. #AAPI #asian #vietnamese read more

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I had dinner at Haisous back in March. We wanted to try the upscale viet restaurant that all our friends talk about. So here's all 5 of our reviews about this place. To start, all the servers are lovely here. Service isn't an issue. The only issue we had was with the food. The prices are steep for whatever you're getting. The only reason we're saying this is because it doesn't taste any different from the food we can eat up north. The Wagyu beef is $70+ for the plate shown below. The meat platter was bits of the appetizers you can order from a pho restaurant. The rice that you have to pay $4 just to eat with the curry.. that's crazy. How are you suppose to eat curry if it doesn't come paired with the rice? All in all, it was a very nice experience however we don't see ourselves visiting often. read more

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Came here to celebrate Valentine's Day. They had a pre fixed menu going on but we opted for items off the regular menu. This isn't going to be your go to place for authentic Vietnamese but instead amazing fusions with Vietnamese flavors. The nuoc mam wings were a classic staple and hit the spot along with the papaya salad. My favorite was the crab garlic fried rice which had such rich flavors that I think about everyday. We probably wouldn't get the grilled oysters again. The staff was so friendly and ambience was great! They gave us the valentines day dessert at the end on the house which had such delicious lightly strawberry and coconut flavors. Looking forward to coming back! read more

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Totally understand their accolades of Bib Gourmand and the James Beard nomination. Came here with the girlfriend for a ladies weekend. Excellent food with lots of options and fantastic prices. The highs: the spicy cucumber drink. Holy cow so good with a bright clean burn on the tongue. The grilled oysters were my favorite bite and their wings were also a hit. I loved the octopus salad with the eggplant as well -- that sauce was addicting! Their desserts were also a highlight-- we couldn't decide on a favorite between the coffee cream puff, the warm sweet potato with coconut, and the pandan cookies. Service was fast and our server was so knowledgeable about the menu and so helpful. The misses: the crab pasta had overcooked noodles. They were so soft none of us enjoyed it. The vegetable curry was good but missing depth of flavor and frankly, a little heat. Paired well with my spicy cocktail though! Overall we all said we would come back, enjoyed trying some new things, and would recommend again! read more

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The ambience and service were wonderful, our service was very sweet! They had a unique espresso martini that I'd recommend and the food was good! My favorite was the steak and broccolini! I'd recommend checking out this place for unique flavors, reasonable prices and unique cocktails! read more

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A perfect elevated Vietnamese place for a date night!! We got the tasting menu at $68/person, and we had a table of two. The steamed rice cakes were delicious, thin, and had a nice subtle umami to it. The tamari chili sauce was a super nice complement! The tapioca dumplings with shrimp were good, not my fav. I liked that they used dried shrimp with the whole shell still on to preserve a more smokey flavor. Not the biggest fan of the snow mushroom fig salad, which had nice bouncy textures, but tasted quite uniformly sour. The slow cooked swordfish was good and had a nice firm texture - the sauce was quite addicting. The imperial lime leaf chicken came with a super crispy skin and was marinated beautifully. Could really taste the fresh notes of lime! Crispy fingerling potatoes was one of the best dishes, though it's arguably the least Viet authentic dish here. A bit too many onions, but the smashed potatoes were delicious with the fish sauce. The fragrant lotus rice was DELISH - legit so fragrant with strong garlic flavors. The dessert was a sweet potato with vanilla custard was very creative!! A nice finish to the savory meal. I liked that they never rushed us throughout the meal, and let us take our time with each course. Our server was also super kind!! read more

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Happy hour at HaiSous is such an amazing deal with fantastic food for only $10-15 per dish. The food was so fresh and had fragrant herbs and punchy flavors. We initially found the place due to the gluten free happy hour menu due to a friend with allergies and was pleasantly surprised how allergen friendly this place was, not just for gluten but for other allergies too. The waiter was so attentive to our requests and making sure the food was safe for our friend. The interior design is very beautiful and upscale and inviting. And now the food: Pork patties 10/10. My favorite dish. It basically is a soup noodle dish, and the broth is crazy good - it's savory and sweet at the same time. Worth it for $15, incredible deal. Absolutely would get again and again. Papaya salad 6/10. It was okay, but probably our least punchy dish, not spicy or fishy or super flavorful. But does seem very fresh and authentic! Chopped clams 8/10. Super yummy and the rice chips are super cool and a great vehicle for the clams. Calamari 7/10. The calamari was so good, like so soft and fresh, and fried perfectly. Just the portions were a little small but makes sense since it was only $10! Crispy rice salad 9/10. Delicious meat and can use lettuce as lettuce wraps. Loved the fresh herbs and fried rolls as an accompaniment. Would def get again. Fried rice with crab 10/10. So easy to eat and huge portions for $15. Honestly felt like you could just eat and eat and eat it. The flavor was good, with a little bit of heat. On an allergy note, they even separated a bowl for us with part of the rice without eggs and crab due to an allergy (we think there was some cross contamination so next time I may ask to cook in a separate pan). The service was amazing though for that. Fried chicken wings. 9/10. Crispy with great flavor and texture. Very yummy. Would def recommend checking out this amazing delicious restaurant especially during Happy Hour! We will be back when next in Chicago. read more

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Food was so good. Great service. Clean restaurant. Nice twist to Vietnamese food. Highly recommend

This place has a nice, modern ambiance and is definitely more of a trendy spot than an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. If you're looking for traditional flavors, this might not be the place. First off, street parking is very limited, so be prepared to search for a spot. I started with the Vietnamese coffee, which was a letdown--it tasted like coffee water instead of the strong, thick consistency Viet coffee is supposed to have. I mentioned it to the waitress, who admitted they've gotten complaints but assured me the beans were from Vietnam. If they know there's an issue, why keep serving it? They made me another one, but unfortunately, it was still just as watery and bland. The chicken wings were actually great--crispy, flavorful, and probably my favorite thing here. However, the brunch menu is pretty small, and the mains we tried were just average. We got the Pho Ga and Bun Bò Huế, both of which were decent but nothing special. What really surprised me was the lack of spice options--no jalapeños, and even though they said they had Thai chilis, they ended up not having them at all. Overall, it's a nice-looking spot, but the food and drinks didn't quite hit the mark for me. If they can tweak a few things (especially the coffee), it could be a much better experience! read more

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Stunning interior and decor! The moment you walk in, you're in a botanical, airy, and modern vibe with intimate lighting. We were a large party of 10 and we sat in the back section which had colorful suspended lanterns, which were so pretty! The server did a great job walking through the menu with all of us. We all ordered our drinks and food quickly. We ordered the chicken wings, calamari, grilled meat platter, grilled eggplant, and baby broccoli. The food came out so quickly! It was impressive! We highly recommend the chicken wings and the grilled meat platter. The platter itself definitely served 4-5 hungry people and there was so much variety. We unfortunately had not gotten our drinks until we were halfway done eating which was confusing. We also took a look at their dessert menu and since we all were celebrating our friend's birthday, we figured she would at least have a birthday dessert or treat of some sort, but nothing special happened. The bill was not bad at all for everyone eating a good amount of shareable plates and some had a second drink. Would highly recommend visiting this spot in the Pilsen area. read more

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We have been HaiSous patrons and fans since Day One. So sad to report this place is not what it once used to be during its glory days. We have brought so many friends and out-of-town guests here, and celebrated important occasions. Last week, I brought my cousin for his birthday along with my nephew. I'm disappointed to say that the service was terrible. Despite putting it in the reservation notes that we were celebrating my cousin's birthday, we were given a terrible table location and told - take it or leave it. Surprised at the hostess' rudeness, we were happy to at least see some familiar faces in the server staff. Unfortunately, morale must be really hit here because he was also extremely stand-offish, spending most of the night chatting away with the bartender, and impossible to get attention of even for simple requests as serveware. When I asked if he could do something special for my cousin, he downright said no. We spent about $300 on dinner here and couldn't get a candle out of them to mark the special occasion. I don't think a scoop of ice cream with a candle can eat into their profit margins and inflation is no excuse for that. As we were leaving, we spotted Chef Dang in the back. We were even more surprised that this kind of shoulder-shrug and care-less service was happening under his direct watch. Needless to say, HaiSous is now off my list of places to recommend/visit again given our recent snub. read more

I'm guessing loyalty no longer matters! I have had to break up a long term love affair with HaiSous. I am beyond disappointed after supporting this restaurant for 5 years (think 1/week on average), that my most recent experience fell well below expectations, to the point I just left and booked somewhere else. Despite making a reservation with notes for our regular seats, we arrive and front desk has allocated us a random table and had not even bothered to read the notes on reservation. I hope things improve because this restaurant is a real value add to Pilsen....but not at the expense of the regulars who brought friends, family and business associates to the venue who no longer matter read more

Haisous (A Michelin guide restaurant) is my go to spot whenever I am visiting Chicago. I normally go for dinner service but was also able to make it for Sunday brunch service. We got to see the Chef/owner when we were there for brunch service. The service is always top tier. For dinner service, Haisous is offering a tasting menu for restaurant week: 1/24 - 2/9. We opted to doing the A La carte menu and wanted to order items I haven't tried: - Octopus Salad: was very refreshing, would order again! - Emperor's Rice Noodle with crab meat - Vegetarian Vietnamese Curry - House Fried Rice: really enjoyed this dish. Was garlicky and went well with the curry - Grilled Eggplant - a good portion. I could taste the char from the grill. My favorite items I normally order when visiting: - Chicken Wings: you can't go wrong with this dish. The chicken wings are extra crispy, and perfect sauce too. Highly recommend for ordering and sharing with the table. - Grand Seafood Tower: so good, perfect for 3-5 people to share and taste test. - Crab Fried Rice: so flavorful. Definitely good for sharing. - Grilled Meat Platter - perfect for sharing. Would recommend. For brunch service, Haisous is only on Sundays from 10am- 2pm. When we went for brunch service, the first thing you smell walking into Haisous is the aroma of pho. In the kitchen, they had a Vietnamese mom cooking the pho, bun bo hues and the banh xeos. You know it's going to be good. We ordered the following to try: - Banh Xeo: highly recommend! Dish came out hot and extra crispy. The proteins inside were generous portions. - Northern style Pho Ga: the pho is sweeter since it's the northern style. It was good, they offered hoisin and sriracha for dipping. It was a great balance, soup came out extra hot. - Bun Bo Hue: no complaints! The chili lemongrass paste is spicy but good. Highly recommend! read more

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HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen is undeniably good - which is why the hype left me somewhat confused. Every dish was enjoyable, yet nothing truly stood out as exceptional. The Bò Nướng Tỏi came closest, featuring beautifully cooked Australian Wagyu with vibrant lemongrass and chili-lime flavors. The Bún Xào Cua was pleasant but forgettable. Well-cooked noodles, decent flavor, but missing depth or character. The cookie crust cream puff with Vietnamese coffee filling was simple, lightly sweet, and easily shareable -- satisfying but not memorable. Cocktails were good, and the ambience well decorated with open kitchen and chefs' counter add energy to the space. Service was attentive. Parking can be challenging. read more

Celebrate with a group feast at Haisous in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood! You can choose their prefixe menu or choose a-la-carte. We chose a-la-carte. Our waiter helped us course out the menu for 7 people. Love that they have multiple non-alc beverage options. We got 2 different Bartenders Choice - Blood Orange lychee mocktail & pineapple lychee mocktail. Literally the whole table got both! Menu highlights: - Whole fried fluke - HUGE, especially when you realize you flip it over to get more meat. You can ask for more lettuce & herbs. - Crispy Chicken wings in fish sauce - Classic staple on their menu - Green beans - how can I make green beans like this?!? Best veggie, followed by eggplant - Grilled pork patties soup with rice noodles - Grilled meat platter was great for a large group. - Pandan cookies with coconut creme for a sweet ending Will definitely be back! read more

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Came here with my friend to try out their winter 2024 tasting menu - which sounded really interesting! You definitely need to make a reservation because of how busy it gets. When we first walked in, we were greeted kind of rudely and then we were unfortunately only able to be seated at the bar and our two seats were *right* in front of the door, so we were shivering the entire dinner and honestly debated whether or not to just keep our coats on the entire time rip. Our food was served course by course, meant to be shared family style. I had read that this restaurant was careful about accommodating dietary restrictions but honestly was kind of disappointed because they were a bit careless with avoiding cross-contamination, but since it was so busy, it felt difficult and awkward to ask the food to be sent back... anyways the tasting menu consisted of: -roasted peanuts & crispy chicken skin: this was super flavorful and an interesting way to start off the meal! I was a little apprehensive about the taste of fish sauce as a glaze but it wasn't overpowering at all. -delicata squash salad: I'm so glad that they were able to incorporate such a great vegetable that's in season for this salad - it was fresh, tasty, and one of my favorite dishes of the night! -thai chili buttered prawns: don't get me wrong, the flavor of the prawns was *amazing* and the actual size of them was also impressive. However, I had repeatedly emphasized that I had celiac and hoped to minimize cross contamination as much as possible and our plate still arrived with Vietnamese baguette served on the exact same plate... sigh. I picked off two prawns that were the "farthest" away because I felt like it would've been a lost cause to flag our server down but that was a disappointment :/ -braised pork ribs: the texture and flavor were both amazing!! The meat was savory, sweet, and so, so tender - loved them! -monkfish roasted in banana leaves: this was a really cool way to serve fish and it was cooked so well - the meat was flaky and soft and juicy, but it didn't stand out to me as much as the braised pork ribs -crispy brussel sprouts: they definitely had a kick to them! -coconut rice pudding with pumpkin and cinnamon for dessert: this was another highlight and such a great way to end the tasting menu. There was something about the rice pudding that was just so good - it was light yet creamy and indulgent, not overly sweet, and honestly I would probably go back to the restaurant just for this rice pudding! As you can see, overall, I think the tasting menu is incredibly worth the price ($68 per person if you don't add the beverage pairing, which is $40 extra per person) because you get served so much food and you get to try so many different dishes and flavors of Vietnamese cuisine. I'm only disappointed primarily by the service we experienced when we came... read more

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Hai Sous delivered a every aspect of a relaxed fine dining experience. The interior is a contemporary play on the beauty of Vietnam. The space is covered in wood, bamboo, greenery, patterns and textures. It's quite sleek yet eye catching. The atmosphere itself is comfortable. A few people are in blazers, a few in sneakers, but most are in the middle - put together and comfortable. The seating gives a reasonable amount of space between you and the next table. So it's not too loud and easy hold a conversation. The menu is small enough to digest and big enough to give options. There's plenty of creative menu items to try (e.g. confit eggplant). We ordered three dishes. All of them were incredible. Hai Sous isn't cheap per se but priced well compared to the total experience and similar restaurants in Chicago. We ordered: Chicken Wings (very popular. very good) Octopus Salad Grilled Meat Platter read more

It's been a good minute since I last checked out Haisous and they still have that essence. I particularly loved eating their octopus salad, grilled eggplant, chicken wings, and Hanoi style noodles. Their newest addition of the noodle dish is to die for! I especially love the pork meatball and crispy egg roll. The soup broth is a sweet and sour mix--heavenly! I would definitely go back just for that. The octopus salad was just as delicious as I last remember it to be. The aromatics pairing of the silky smooth eggplant texture and cold coconut cream base with fried basil leaves and onions were heavenly. I would definitely go back there over and over for that dish! read more

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They may not have gotten the Beard award, but they sure deserved the nomination. We started with crispy calamari and chicken wings. I'm no fan of calamari but the tamarind sauce and light tempura made them a winner. The wings were crispy, but juicy and the fish sauce was spot on. They serve the mains family style. I ordered the colossal prawns, Donna got Emperors rice noodles which has crab meat, chili-tamarind sauce, Vietnamese shiso. My prawns were indeed large and came in a mild but flavorful sauce. The common thread here is the sauces. They were all different but equally full of flavor. It's a busy place, but not overly noisy. Service was attentive, but not intrusive. An excellent anniversary dinner! read more

HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen - Colossal shrimp and Emperors rice noodles. - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went to HaiSous while visiting Chicago. I have never had Vietnamese food before, and this place did not disappoint. I asked the server to pick food for me, and everything she picked for me was excellent. Great experience, highly recommend! read more

FLAVOR (2/5): Salty salty salty. Did I mention it was salty? I needed to chase almost every bit I had with water. We tried their tasting menu and most of the items were a disappointment. They give peanuts for an appetizer here which feels like a waste. The banh xeo salad was decent. The crispy rice was just salty rice puffs. The pork rolls actually were board line inedible. It's like the chef was meant to use sugar but used salt instead. The main course was shrimp sugarcane wraps and a fried fish. They were both not standouts. The dessert was also so disappointing because it could have had so much potential but they just gave fried dough. INSTAGRAM WORTHY (4/5): It's a nice looking restaurant that knows how to plate its food. I liked being able to see into the kitchen through a small bit which they were coal roasting some of the food. SERVICE (3/5): I wished the water refill station wasn't right behind my seat, it always felt like people were walking behind me with pitchers of water. Otherwise the dinner course is a bit slow, you're meant to enjoy the meal but we clearly didn't. TAKEAWAYS: Really confused why this place is Michelin recommended at all. It was so salty, so expensive, and so underwhelming. It was a struggle to finish our food because we were paying so much for the courses already. read more

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This is a family style restaurant, and was beautiful inside. We went during happy hour, and hit one of most of the items. The crab fried rice was delicious! The Bun Cha was flavorful. I loved the octopus salad with the eggplant. The service was great! We had a great time. read more

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Recently visited for my sister's birthday and everything was delicious! The ambiance is really nice and the restaurant is much larger than it looks from the outside. The staff was also very friendly and walked us through the menu knowing it was our first time visiting. We started off with a few cocktails and I really enjoyed my New Statesman. For apps we went with the vegetarian papaya salad and chopped clams. I thought the papaya salad was really good and refreshing. The chopped clams were good, but heavy on the ginger. For main entrees we got the whole fluke, house fried rice and grilled eggplant. It was all very good! My favorite item was the eggplant, you could taste the charred flavors and it was so good. The whole fluke was really good too, very crispy and the lettuce is a nice touch to make lettuce wraps! The fried rice was also flavorful and delicious. For desserts we ordered the banana cream and they brought a dessert for my sister's birthday. The banana cream was so good! So light and heavy on the banana, it tasted like a lighter banana pudding. Highly recommend HaiSous for elevated Vietnamese! read more

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