01/06/07

Excellent Vietnamese Food, especially their Soups (Pho). Wraps are great too.

by mrjustice

If you want to mingle with the large crowd of 'locals'; and get the best Vietnamese Soups in the City, this is the place. Really warms you up in the cold weather. Their wraps (spring rolls) and beaf wrap are also our favorites. Very cheap AND BYOB. Highly Recommend.

• Pros: Definately the Soups (Pho)
• Cons: Crowded, but never problem getting a seat or attentive service.

10/25/06

When you need pho...

by cliffetters

Pho Xe Tang (or Tank Noodle as we round-eye white devils like to call it) is one of the best places in Chicago for pho. The location is easy to get to via transit. And the restaurant is always clean and well-lit. When it comes to the pho, the broth is hot and beefy, but light and sweet with only a touch of anise flavor. The noodles are firm and you get plenty of basil, lime, pepper slices and beansprouts on the side.

I love the pho with everything (tripe is not that scary folks...), but for beginners or less intrepid eaters the pho tai is a great safe place to start. Each table has plenty of hoisin, hot sauces, fish sauce, soya, and sugar. So you can flavor your pho how you like. The portions are HUGE! So try the normal size offerings first.

The initial service is good. Sometimes it takes a little long to get the check, but no worries, you'll have a full tummy of pho!

If you're looking for comfort food, definitely check out Pho Xe Tang. TANK NOODLE!

• Pros: Delicious, as-close-to-authentic, pho as you can find in Chicago.
• Cons: Parking and ambience are both a little lacking

07/19/06

Best Vietnamese food around (under-rated)

by badjuju

As a Vietnamese person, I would say this is the best restaurant of its kind (quality/price) in town. You can't compare this place with Pasteur, Le Colonial, or Le Lan for example, and so the rating system in this scenario is a little skewed.

I eat here for lunch, dinner, and anything in between. I'm here at least once a month. I come here because everything is above average. Nothing is so bad that you'll never have it again. That is what I look for in these types of restaurants and trust me, my taste buds are practiced. This is not the Vietnamese you'll find on the west coast, in Texas, or DC but if you crave Vietnamese food, you should come here. I usually don't rate this high but I saw the ratings were a little on the low side so I felt obliged to bring it up a little.

So again, you can find better pho, better bun bo hue, better who knows what probably somewhere else in the city but this place still remains affordable, with good service, and consistant food.

A few months ago, I saw one of those local TV shows coming to do a review. Must have been good b/c the following weekend, it was packed with non-Asian people. The food has not changed to accomodate Western taste buds, my Asian taste buds are still pleased... every time.

• Pros: Consistantly good. Affordable. Rapid service. Hip hop playing in the background cracks me up...
• Cons: Can be busy. Parking is tough at times.