Excellent authentic Vietnamese food. Expect to wait a little for your food but it's definitely worth the wait.

Overall, food is quite good but service is on the slow side. Came by here late Sunday afternoon and the place was basically empty. Pho seems to be my go to after a long night of drinking. Started with their Grilled Lemongrass Beef Thit Nuong Rau Song - basically a build your own beef spring roll appetizer served with freshly grilled beef, rice paper, veggies, noodles, and dipping sauce. Meat was great, but I found myself scratching my head why it took so long for it to come out if all they had to do was throw the ingredients on the plate and you have to do the work... Smh. For main entree I did the pho bo - your traditional beef pho served with your choice of fillings starting at $7.50. I was actually quite impressed with the flavor of their broth, however the noodles were all clumped together in a cube. I could tell their portioned out their noodles and had them sitting out ready to be served. You would think having to wait that long for the food to come out that they had the noodles freshly prepared when ordered. It was kind of unappetizing having to pull apart the noodles in the bowl. I also got to try their strawberry lemonade (free with Yelp check in!). Quite delicious. Almost was like a smoothie consistency as it seems they added blended strawberries to a traditional lemonade. Pretty good! 'Til next time, cheers! read more

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Prepare yourself for some amazingly tasty food. While the beef sandwiches are my favorites, I make a point of trying some of the other items on the menu. The pumpkin soup should not be missed. Not the typical pureed soup, Simply It has big beautiful chunks in a broth that is just not to be believed. You also have to try the beef short ribs, heavenly. The perfect balance of sweet,salty and tangy. There's salad and a mini spring roll on the side for the lunch specials, and you also get a drink (the lemonade is really, really good). You can also count on getting a healthy portion of fresh fruit for you to have for dessert, and most of the lunch specials are under $10.00! The folks at Simply It are a very nice bunch of people who make wonderful food at a more than reasonable price. read more

I ordered this for delivery and it was delicious. I got the jalapeno and beef lunch special. It came with a drink, side of fresh fruit (about 1.5 oranges and some grapes), a little soup, two mini eggrolls, a rice choice and the main dish. For about $9! Lot of food for a little price. It was all really, really good too. The beef was tender and tasty. The portion of the beef was a little small and would be my only tiny complaint about this dish. I also got a roast duck sandwich because it was only $4. It tasted okay and I liked the bread, but the meat to bread ratio was severely lacking. It's almost all bread. I also ordered the chicken pho. It was fantastic! So tasty and fresh. The broth was divine. Total was $24 including tax, delivery fee and tip and I'll probably get 3-4 meals out of this. I'd recommend this for sure! read more

This restaurant always make me feel back home, the owner and service here are wonderful as always! The beef noodle soup is yummy and perfect! Really like the hot tea, warm up the body in the freezing weather. read more

Super great spot! Had dinner here before seeing a Greenhouse Theatre show and had some amazing chicken dumplings and for dinner had the pork lemongrass - not to be missed! Friendly service and good, filling food. read more

Simply Pasteur - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm a fan. I would go back b/c I love Vietnamese food, the place is BYOB, and in Lincoln Park off Lincoln... great location by all the bars and nightlife to hit up after eating. The wait staff is very friendly and accomodating. There is NO CORKAGE FEE! :) As a matter a fact, the minute my waiter noticed I had a grocery bag of wine he took it from me immediately and iced our wine and poured everyone a glass. Got to love great service! I brought 2 out of town friends here and we had a great time. The place is small but in a nice intimate way. I read past reviews saying the place gets too packed. I could see how that would happen but we went on a Saturday night at around 9pm for a late dinner and the atmosphere was perfect for catching up with friends you haven't seen in a while. I had the Lemongrass beef that you roll up into spring rolls--- super yummy! (~$8) The beef was cooked perfectly and the plate of condiments was great for people to pick and choose what they like in there spring rolls. I know my friend hates cilantro so she could leave it out, whereas already rolled spring rolls always have it inside. For my entree I had the lemongrass chicken (~$10) b/c I was craving something spicy w/ rice. It was OK. I would have liked it to be spicier and with more chicken and lemongrass flavor. I eat a lot of Vietnamese food and I've definitely had better but the dish was good. It actually kind of tasted like Chinese lemon, peppered chicken in a good way---- that's just not what I thought I was ordering. Anyway, yes, I WILL BE GOING BACK. Simply it is a cute place in a great spot with great prices. Great for taking a date and hanging out with friends over a bottle of wine. The portions are great for the price and you could easily serve the dinner family-style w/ everyone sharing and tasting all dishes ordered. Great BYOB in Lincoln Park. read more

We went there sometime last year and had a great dining experience; we decided to come back since we were around that area again. Their services are as awesome as usual and so does the food! Still remember the first visit last year, it's so packed because there had a bday celebration for a table of 15 ppl. We feel annoyed since it's not a big dining place and the owner came by to apologize guests in each table. He is a super nice person and then gave us a free desert. Few weeks ago, we experienced the nice service, great lunch, and a great deal. Their lunch special includes a drink, soup, salad, and entree.I think it's around $12 with tax. Food quality is unbelievable nice and I can feel the owner puts a lot of efforts on his restaurant. Simply It gave me a wonderful impression and I feel happiness when dining there. It's rare to feel the owner's consistent service and food quality when dining in. This restaurant gave me happiness. Thank you! Simply it! read more

We had appetizers and 2 entrees, specifically goi cuon with beef, beef green beans, sauteed shrimp, ginger free tea, and small egg rolls. All of the food was fine, on the other hand, I don't recall anything particularly standing out. The service was excellent. read more

Pretty good pho! In Lincoln Park, this is a good place for Vietnamese food. It's BYOB. The fried rice looked massive from what I could tell and reasonably priced. Use the Yelp check in for free jumbo lemonade! read more

BYOB! BYOB! BYOB! BYOB! We of course assumed there would be a liquor store next door or right down the street. Really, there is no liquor store close by to purchase alcohol. So make sure you come with a bottle. We got lucky because they had a few bottles of beer and wine left in the back from customers that couldn't drink all the booze they brought, so guess what? We got those bottles! Otherwise you can pay them to make a booze run for you. Let me first say YUMMY! We started with the dumplings which I thought were fantastic! Now my actual entree was Coconut and Mango Beef - and it came IN A PINEAPPLE! It was AWESOME! The presentation alone won me over! I got a ton of food (which I could hardly finish) but I LOVED it! There were a lot of delish things on the menu (such as the pumpkin shrimp, Ginger Mahi-Mahi , and the ribs). Next time I'll try something new, but I gotta say, for a first timer, you can't go wrong with the entree served in a pineapple! How awesome is that!? read more

Had my 24th birthday celebration here - and I am so glad that I picked Simply It! I usually have trouble finding BYOB places that can accommodate larger groups - and the restaurant set up a long table (and a smaller table behind) for our group of 28. The servers were on the quieter side, but very attentive. The owner is SO friendly and helpful, both during our dinner and when I was making reservations the week before. The food is super fresh and very well prepared. I ordered spring rolls and the ginger mahi mahi. The spring rolls were good, but my main entree was FANTASTIC. It was moist and perfectly cooked, with a delicious crust on the outside and an extremely flavorful sauce to accompany the fish. Everyone else really enjoyed their food as well - some highlights were the whole-baked snapper, salmon, vegetarian stir fry, and pho. The restaurant also didn't mind that we brought a LOT of alcohol (everything from wine to beer to tequila) - in fact the owner reminded me a couple times while I was placing the reservation that they were BYOB. Once everyone was pretty much done eating, the staff brought out a big plate of ice cream, fried bananas, and fresh fruit with candles for me. They also brought out several extra plates (with the same dessert items) for our large party which I thought was really nice of them. When it was ready to pay (which can be a nightmare with such a large group), Simply It had the perfect solution - they allowed everyone to go up to the front and pay for whatever they ordered. There was no squabbling over the bill or any problems with splitting it between lots of credit cards. I will definitely be going back to Simply It (with a smaller group, and probably less alcohol haha) to sample their other menu options. read more

Overall, this place needs a menu makeover. The interior/decor is cutesy and it helps that it's BYOB, but the menu selection and taste is just not on par with the standard Vietnamese fare you can get on Argyle street for cheaper. I would not go back to this place. read more

I'm another old-timer who loved the old Pasteur on Sheridan and Lawrence. That was many a Chicagoan's first love when it came to charming hole in the wall ethnic jewels. Anyway that place burned and tuan reopened a much more elegant french-viet bistro in edgewater. (I know, what was he thinking.) So that closed a while ago, and we just clued in that he's back. This incarnation is at neither extreme but treads a nice middle ground, offering good value in an attractive setting. We enjoyed an early dinner on a sunny end of summer evening. I can vouch for these dishes: 1. Grilled lemongrass beef appetizer. You get a big platter, from which you arrange sliced cukes, cilantro, noodles, greens and the beef slices into a rice paper wrapper and roll it up. Pour some vinegary dipping sauce onto that and try to retain some dignity as you stuff that fatty into your face. Damn I'm salivating again. At old Pasteur you actually grilled the meat at your own table on this cute little fire hazard of a gas grill, it was beyond awesome. 2. Shrimp Papaya Salad. It's a nice flavor combo. Dozen or so medium shrimps over a mound of shredded papaya. Nice non-greasy appetizer, tasty little nosh split four ways. 3. Clay pot chicken. Chicken in a ginger sauce prepared in a clay pot. At old Pasteur this dish was catfish and the clay pots were shaped more vertically and had this interesting patina that assured you the flavors intensified every time they made it. Nice reveal at the table when you lifted the lid and got a hit of steam. If memory serves, I think it was wrapped in bamboo leaves and was still bubbling! So damn amazing. Even if I'm romanticizing it. Anyway it's great to enjoy that flavor again but it's not quite like it used to be. I'll be ok. 4. Roasted duck curry. The duck pieces are thick and meaty, tender and flavorful. The curry sauce was very mild. The eggplant could have had more texture so I'd say it was overcooked but the yellow and green pepper pieces were crisp and bite-sized. Nice yam bits in there, picked over the onions. I'd have to say the duck carries this dish and it rocks, but next visit I'll try the Bamboo roasted Duck, which I'm guessing has some more intense flavors. A few more reasons to visit: They keep the lemonade refills coming! They make it fresh and there's some lime in it, and a lime slice. Very tasty. My kids were sucking it down like baby hummingbirds. I'm guessing the ginger tea is great too, didn't try it yet. Complimentary fresh fruit slice dessert. Mango, watermelon, honeydew, strawberries. $6.95 lunch special! I'm def coming back for that. Service was good, food arrived in a timely fashion, nice looking room, total stunna waitress. Some tables are a little cramped so pick a comfy one so you can order lots of dishes. Our kids and the next table over's loved the food but I don't think you'll see lots of families with children here. Um. . . four stars for petty reasons. Parking's a drag, I don't like the name of the place or the location, and it's not exactly pushing the envelope. But he tried that previously, and the art was a success but the financials evidently were not, so maybe they're playing it a little more conservatively this time out. Recap, great lunch value on delicious food, and a fine supper date destination near LP entertainment. *edit: I just learned there is another Tuan sequel on Devon called "Viet Bistro." read more

Don't think I will ever find a replacement for Hue, the wonderful little storefront Vietnamese joint I used to frequent on Argyle back in the 80's and early 90's. But my hopeful search took me to Simply It to check out the lunch specials. Located on a stretch of Lincoln Ave, which is really De Paul University's bar and restaurant row, it boasts that casual college vibe, where students, profs and locals abound. There was a respectable crowd here on a Tuesday afternoon. There is an extensive menu with many interesting choices. I had a taste for salmon, so I ordered a salmon on noodle lunch special, which was a little more than the $7.00 lunch special baseline. I did this with slight hesitation, since I usually save my salmon fix for those more fine dining spots I get to try on business lunches. But the salmon was actually fresh and nicely cooked. It was in chunks on top of the noodles, instead of as a whole fillet, but that did not matter. It was clearly fresh. Onions and greens accompanied the salmon. I was a little disappointed that there was a Chinese-type gravy over the dish. I could have done without that.(I can't recall the last time my doctor suggested that I needed more cornstarch in my diet.) But it was good. Neither spicy nor garlicky. Most of the flavor came from the crispy pan-fried vermicelli noodles. Lunch comes with a shy and anemic little salad of greens and chow mein noodles, a bowl of clear soup with tofu and greens, two little veggie egg rolls the size of of cocktail wienies, hot tea and fresh orange quarters for dessert. For under $10.00, it's a good value. Service was the standard Asian: efficient, polite and prompt. I would like to work my way through some of the other offerings like the sandwiches and the Goi Ga salad. Again, just a great value and a good spot in Lincoln Park for a casual lunch. BYOB, and validated parking for $6 available at Children's Memorial parking garage. It was really a 3.5 with a .5 added for the benefit of the doubt. read more

I went here to escape the St. Patrick's Day insanity with two of my best friends. We were greeted by the host, who is probably one of the friendliest hosts I have ever met at a restaurant. I live just down the street and sometimes come in for bubble tea - he always remembers me and says hello. Although I didn't get it this time - the bubble tea is FANTASTIC. It's more accurately just a fruit smoothie with bubbles, but it's the most flavorful and luscious mango smoothie I have ever had. It's like sucking on a mango right from a tree. Seriously, you have to try this. We were ushered in to the small and cozy dining room, where a cheerful waitress opened our wine. Gotta love a BYOB joint! Our appetizer was a daily special - sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves, and filled with mungbean paste. The presentation was really cool, we had lots of fun peeling back the banana leaves to get to the food inside. I thought the rice cake was delicious - hot, savory, but simple - and perfect with their soy dipping sauce! The waiter recommended my entree if I wanted something "non-traditional," so I took the plunge and was rewarded by catfish in a clay pot. The catfish was cooked in broth with vegetables, all served sizzling hot in - shocker - a clay pot. Although the broth was a little bit too salty, overall I enjoyed the dish tremendously. It stayed deliciously hot the whole time, and I loved getting flaky bites of catfish with crunchy vegetables. I put some jasmine rice in the mix, and it was even better. It was a perfect winter meal, truly warming on a cool day. For dessert, we shared the tasty fried bananas, dipping every last bite in the chocolate and raspberry sauce that was drizzled all over the plate. We all enjoyed our food very much, and got a lot of it for our money! Can't believe it took me so long to come here... read more

Mission: find a friend, go to Simply It on Tuesday or Wednesday evening, enjoy delicious food for $25. Not each, TOTAL. As in $12.50 each (plus tax + tip) for 2 appetizers, salad, 2 entrees, fresh fruit, and tea. 2 summer rolls and 2 dumplings started off our meal. Both were yummy and FRESH, and the dipping sauces were fantastic. The shrimp papaya salad was next, and it is so crisp and refreshing! I loved the chili lime dressing. Our entrees were the ginger chicken and beer with asparagus, which we shared. I would easily order both entrees again, the ginger chicken was so moist and delicious and the sauce on the beef with asparagus was delish. We finished our meal with a small plate of fresh grapes and pineapple, a very nice touch. Overall, the meal I enjoyed here was above average --- everything was very fresh and NOT greasy at all. BYOB, plus "$25 for 2" deal on Tuesdays/Wednesday makes this place an exceptional value. Go check it out for a weeknight date! read more

Simply It in Lincoln Park is just simply wonderful. The place serves vietnamese cuisine and a wide range of items, at that! Went there with my boyfriend last night. Even though the place is quite loud (since its a BYOB a lot of people tend to have bday parties there) and my chair got bumped a number of times I still didn't mind because the food is really good. Get the Saigon Crepe with chicken and shrimp! I love this delicious thai starter. We also tried the sticky rice for the first time last night and we're not dissapointed. For our main course, we shared a small seafood hotpot. It's definitely enough for like 2-4 people. All in all, its a great dinner at a really good value. And the owner is SUPER NICE! You can really tell he cares about his customers, which goes a long way. read more

Had dinner here tonight with a couple friends during a quick study break. It was all our first time at the restaurant. The owner is super friendly and nice. Service was fast and friendly, as it wasn't too busy on a Sunday night. Prices are moderate, some a bit high for the amount of food in a serving. Decent beef pho at $6.50 if you can't get to Argyle. The atmosphere is cozy industrial with exposed brick walls and intimate, only a few tables in the dining room. Would definitely go back another time. read more

To start, it took possibly like 10-15 minutes for the waitress to finally come take our order. We ordered the appetizer dish (#32) which included vegetable spring rolls and egg rolls. The spring rolls were pretty tasteless but the egg rolls were delicious. We both got lunch combinations which seemed like really good deals! I got the pork belly and my fiance got the tilapia. Both of our meals came with salad (a very very small portion but better than nothing!), soup (delicious!), lemonade (watered down but better than plain water!), baby egg rolls (delicious), fried rice (good), and 4 strawberries for dessert. My pork belly was pretty good and my fiance's tilapia was alright. The service was pretty slow because they were super busy and understaffed. I'd suggest they get at least one more waitress during busy lunch hour. The owner came by the eating area many times to observe and make sure everyone was getting what they needed. He seemed very nice, sincere, and hardworking. To summarize, I think it was all a pretty good deal. I would just suggest having at least one more waitress. read more

This place is "simply" amazing!!!! The owner is so nice and the food is just great. My fav is the sate shrimp. Spicy and yummy!!! My boyfriend is a pho crazed man and he loves the beef pho. It's delish. Our absolute fav app are the coconut shrimp. Just get them!!! We almost passed them up but thank goodness we didn't!!!! The sandwiches are also great!! Can't beat the prices. You will get an insane amount of food for cheap and the restaurant is Byob!!! Tonight we got delivery for the fist time and it took a longgggg time!!!! Granted we live downtown I was surprised they even delivered this far. With that being said we were annoyed by the time it got here. One bite of the food though made us forget all about it and we would do it again tomorrow!!! read more

I ordered Simply It to go during a bitterly cold evening, and was excited to warm up with the aid of some Vietnamese delicacies. The food was delivered in the expected time frame, so no issues with service. I had the grilled beef salad, pineapple calamari, and the catfish in the clay pot. The food smelled delicious and exactly what I expected. Unfortunately, my excitement was quickly quelled after sampling each of the dishes. My first criticism is the overwhelming concentration of the flavors in the dishes. I'm a big fan of strong flavors (coming from an Indian household), but this was just overkill. The onion was overpowering in all the sauces, and the food was almost inedible as is. I had to drain out the sauce and cook the meat with more veggies just to dilute the flavor. The catfish and calamari were reasonably tender, but the beef was extremely tough and dense. Overall I was very disappointed and won't be ordering again. read more

Tried the papaya salad, shrimp spring rolls (rice paper ones, not fried), vegetarian dumplings and shrimp pho (just asked them to add shrimp in the vegetarian pho). Food was very average, not tasty at all. The only good thing we're the dumplings which were steamed and fresh. Papaya salad was bland, had to ask them for extra fish sauce to add more flavor. Pho needed lots of sauces to make it spicy. Would not recommend and likely will not go again. read more

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When it comes to Vietnamese food, I usually stick to the Argyle area. But this place has everything that I look for in Vietnamese restaurants: creative dishes, warm ambiance, and affordable prices. The salmon noodle dish is served medium rare topped with crispy strips of ginger all on bed of noodles and fresh cut vegetables. Yum! We were also treated to a dessert plate of fruit and aspic. Double yum! If you're looking for some fresh Vietnamese food outside the beaten path of Argyle/Uptown, this is it. read more

After eating here for the first time I actually said "My tummy is smiling right now." I left this place feeling so satisfied and full of yummy pho and avocado cream cheese wantons, that I just wanted to curl up in a fetal position and grin. Don't want to take the El to a trash and urine filled part of town to eat good pho? No problem, just stay in Lincoln Park. This place is sure to satisfy your pho cravings. It rivals the best of what Argyle has to offer. It is clean, cheap, tasty, and the service is awesome. Did I mention they deliver! Why go anywhere else? Oh and its BYOBoooyaaa. read more

Service was good. Food was ok. My husband and I came here because we were in the neighborhood and wanting pho. Hearing that it was better than places in Argyle, we gave it a shot. He got the pho and I got the highly reviewed Pineapple Calamari. The calamari dish was alright, but it isn't something that I will crave again in the future. The pho is not comparable to the pho in Viet-town pho restaurants. It was pretty bland. Good overall experience but probably won't go there again when craving Vietnamese food. read more

Oh boy, the beef mango dish here is delicious. Very filling. Absolutely juicy. Vietnamese food is extremely underrated, thankfully Chicago is chock full of diverse restaurants such as Simply It. Just tried the basil beef yesterday. Amazing spices all over the beef and mushrooms, with some peppers to give it an extra kick. The roasted duck Bahn Mi is Godly, although it's a bit too much bread for me. read more

Been here twice, enjoyed it fully both times. The room is comfortable, the owner (I assume) and servers are really friendly and efficient, and the food is always tasty. Quality is a cut above the kibble you get on Argyle Street, and while the prices are higher than the Uptown places, they are not THAT much higher. And, who doesn't love BYOB? Weeknights are easy to get in; weekends not so. read more

You're simply the best...better than all the rest!!!! Sorry, couldn't help the pun. But on to my review! Clearly I like this place. But I don't. I LOVE IT. Scuba Steve and I were being lazy and decided to order in. Like a good boyfriend of an avid Yelper, he consulted Yelp to figure out our dinner options. Thinking he would get something relatively healthy, he headed over to the Asian cuisine section - then decided upon Vietnamese. Simply It had great reviews as a BYOB, but how about delivery? The food was delivered within an hour, and it was well worth waiting for. We ordered the Chicken Avocado, the Sticky Rice with Chicken, and the Coconut Mango Beef. All three I will HIGHLY recommend...so delicious, and not greasy at all! Chicken Avocado is an entire chicken breast stuffed with avocado - it comes with some side greens, etc, and has the crispiest, most delicious crust. Sticky Rice with Chicken is pretty straightforward, although I have to say the best part of it is that you can tast the scallion they put in it (and that's a good thing!) Saving the best for last...the Coconut Mango Beef was simply delicious - it also has carrots, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach. I put it on top of a bed of brown rice and gobbled it up. We were also intrigued by a nice letter that was inclued with our receipt and menu that thanked their diners for their patronage (you are SO welcome, thank YOU!) and also requested that if they liked it they write a review on Yelp (done and done). The delivery guy was very sweet, and they included a bunch of these little rice cakes that are slightly sweet and sooooo tasty! Can't wait to actually go TO the restaurant! :) read more

Moving soon from Atlanta where I live by several fantastic Vietnamese restaurants on Buford Hwy which is certainly the most glorious stretch of ethnic eating in the Southeast. I'd give the food here 3-3.5 stars because while it is flavorful & interesting, the ingredients used don't always seem to be the absolute greatest. That being said, everything was very satisfying and even better that it was very economical (hence the extra points that make it a 4 star spot for me). Lemongrass beef was nicely seasoned and always love the various herbs/vegetables that come with this dish but it takes a bit of assembly. If you've never done the manual rice paper roll-up, I'd suggest asking for a little demo. Mmm. I've had better rice paper at other restaurants but that didn't take away too much . . . The main thing that attracted us to this place was the soup options. Beef pho hit the spot but I've had it at some places where the beef cooks in the broth immediately before serving and didn't seem to be the case here. There was also a shrimp soup with pineapple, celery, tomato, okra that had kind of a sweet/sour broth that I liked. Many more enticing options on the menu which is always a plus. The bit o' watermelon and orange brought out with the bill was a nice final touch. Not to mention the barrage of thank-you's we received from 4 or 5 employees on our way out! Love BYOB option and only paying $25 to get a more than filling dinner read more

This by far, is the most friendliest restaurant, I've ever been to. Just by checking in, they will give you a complementary lemonade while making sure your meal and water are always attended to. Legit, I've been to many restaurants where I had to call over the waiter to get more water but this place is always attentive making sure your needs are met. When it comes to their pho, i must say it's average at best as it isn't phenomenal or lackluster. Their spring rolls are incredibly well made as they have a unique style to it and is a must get if your trying out this restaurant for the first time. Their meat portions are amazing as you will be plenty full and content from the serving size though i always order extra noodles in case i'm craving more noodles. read more

Do you love when the restaurant you love loves you back and goes that extra mile? Simply It does this just about every time for me. It's the little things that don't go unnoticed. I am appreciative to always have a consistently great meal here every time plus they sometimes give you a hot cup of tea on a cold day and fresh fruit with your check. Like I said it's the little things. Not only is their pho amazing and very reasonably priced, their Banh Mi sandwich combo is HUGE and delicious as well! Photo for reference. Quiet, relaxing atmosphere and the owner is always happy to have you come in with a warm greeting and sends you on your way with a smile just the same. Not to mention their fresh fruit smoothies are off the chain as well. Do yourself a favor and come to Simply It if you're craving Vietnamese!! read more

Simply Pasteur - Bahn Mi lemongrass pork chop soooo good! - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

LOVE this place! I'll start with the one and only con: The smell at first when you walk in. You know how Asian families who cook Asian food all the time... how their houses kind of have a certain smell? Well this place smells like that at first... but after 5 minutes you seriously don't notice it. And the food is AMAZING! Prices are VERY reasonable for Asian cuisine. And the presentation is fabulous- last time I went I got the Calamari... it was served in half of an entire pineapple! And was SO delcious. My cousins love the soups- which are HUGE. The papaya salad is awesome- a little "weird" if your just used to American dining. OH and make sure to get the spring rolls as an appetizer! If you're not used to food like this I guess they look "weird." But are SO good. PLUS this place has BYOB Beer and Wine with NO corkage fee! The staff is also very helpful and friendly. Oh! And if you drive... and go after 5:00 p.m. you can park in the parking garage for the children's hospital that is one block away. Bring your parking ticket into Simply It and they'll validate it for only $6 ! And you can stay parked there ALL night while you go out drinking afterward. Cheapest parking in the city I've ever found! read more

At least they are consistent! Ordered from here again and after 2+hours, received unimpressive good. Ordered some sort of Vietnamese ravioli appetizer which came as basically a pile of mushy noodles with some cucumbers and basil on top. No idea what that was, but it was inedible. The Pho broth itself was flavorful- but the meatballs were tough. Final conclusion... drive up north when j want palatable Vietnamese food. As a side note- the owner was very apologetic about the long delivery time and seemed genuinely concerned. Of course this doesn't make up for subpar food and crap delivery. But I appreciate good customer service. read more

This is not a place to go if you're expecting efficient service. From the time we were seated, we had to wait almost 20 minutes for our drinks. Then another 15 minutes before our order was taken. Then it took 20 minutes to get a shrimp spring roll, which was kind of bland. We both ordered pho (beef and veggie), which took 1 hour and 15 minutes before we got the bowls of pho! The beef pho broth was very good, but there were hardly any pieces of beef and the meat was tough, chewy and dry. And it's a bummer it's only one kind of beef and you can't get tendons either. They did give a lot of noodles, though. The veggie pho was very bland. The servers were very pleasant, but they could have checked in with us more often, given how long we were sitting there waiting for our food. We had empty water glasses for a long time! Simply Pasteur needs to be more efficient in the kitchen or they will lose a lot of business. We won't be back because you can get better food and pho on Argyle and get it a lot faster! read more

I love this place. i go here about twice a month. The service is so friendly and the food is very well priced and is just fantastic. I have never not liked or only kind of liked anything I've ordered... I've loved everything. BYOB with no corkage fee is clutch, and the lunch specials are amazing. read more

Delicious Pho! My boyfriend and I had that, while our friends had ordered other menu items. We also ordered spring rolls that came with some peanut sauce. Everything was really good and quick service. read more

After suffering through a chilly midwinter run, the Significant Other and I wanted massive amounts of moderately healthful food, and we wanted it NOW. Simply It was nearby and well-reviewed, so we decided to hobble on over and check things out. Our ravenous, aching asses rejoiced when appetizers arrived soon after they were ordered. The avocado wontons--fresh avocado and cream cheese in a crispy wrapper--were more refreshing than any fried appetizer has a right to be. A banana leaf-wrapped sticky rice cake was a little bland, but the accompanying soy-based dipping sauce solved that minor problem. I fretted that a mere bowl of soup wouldn't be enough to calm my angry stomach. Thankfully, my cauldron of beef Pho, with its flavorful broth, tons of rice noodles, and big side plate-o-fixins (fresh cilantro and basil leaves, hot peppers, plum sauce, etc.), managed to both warm and fill me up. Significant Other's catfish in a clay pot was spicily sauced, perfectly cooked, and not "fishy"-tasting at all. We cleared our plates and felt pleasantly full. Traumatic recent memories of trying to will my uncooperative legs to move and panting, "Slow...down," at Significant Other disappeared in a puff of Pho-scented steam. A corkage fee-free BYOB policy brought a smile to my wind-burned face (a six-pack of New Holland Brewery's winter ale didn't hurt either), and the orange slices and puffed rice cakes that rounded out our meal were nice, too. I'll be running (OK, probably briskly walking) back to sample more of the menu and take advantage of their lunch specials. read more

Where do I begin?? After being turned on to this by some friends it has become my go-to spot. My favorite thing about this place (other than the food of course) is the sense of family you get from the minute you walk in the door. Uncle as the regulars know him as is usually the first to say hello and make sure you get a seat. The food is unparalleled by any other asian place in the city. Everything is fresh and tasty. I am far from a vegetarian, but could find plenty to fill me up and make me leave happy. Everything on the menu is great, and i mean EVERYTHING! I order delivery from here a minimum of once a week. Needless to say, they know who I am. Everytime I call in, its like I'm calling family. They also offer a great deal if you aren't sure what to get, they have deals for parties of 2, 4, 6, and 8 for varying prices. If you haven't been here yet, make a point to tell Uncle that his "little nephew" sent you! read more

This place is goodness in my mouth. Its byob with no corking fee...yes please! The dumplings were amazing, as well as the mahi! The staff was attentive and didn't care that we were there for 3 hours (we finally felt bad when they started putting the chairs up). The food is presented amazingly and is uniquely tasty. I will definitely be returning to this little piece of heaven. read more