Viet Bistro Of Illinois Inc
(773) 465-5720
1348 W Devon Ave
Chicago,
IL
60660
41.9985
-87.6652
Neighborhoods: Rogers Park, Far North Side
Reviews & Ratings for Viet Bistro Of Illinois Inc
9 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-9 of 9 reviews
Best duck north of Argyle Street
by edgewatereater
August 19, 2007
I have written before but some things have changed that I have to tell you about.
First of all they have added duck to the menu. A half of a roasted duck, totally boned, and marinated in a delicious sauce. It was so good I dreamed about it afterwards. Definitely worth a trip back.
Viet Bistro has their liquor license now and to add pleasure to your meal, try the perfectly chilled sake. You can buy a small bottle of any one of three varieties. Ours had the light sense of jasmine. You can also get it by the glass and try them all.
Now that the experienced crew has moved over from Pasteur the service is very good. Your water glass can't even get half empty. The food comes up timely. My only complaint was they were out of the dessert I wanted to try, a lemincello flavored dessert.
- Pros: the food, the service
- Cons: Should not have run out of dessert so early in the evening
DO NOT EAT THERE
by MARIAELENAGUTTIEREZ
January 30, 2008
A RESTAURANT IS NOT JUST ABOUT FOOD AND DECOR, ITS ALSO ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE. THE CHEF RASHEED IS VERY RUDE AND HAS NO RESPECT FOR OTHERS. I WOULD NOT EAT THERE EVER AGAIN.
- Pros: NICE DECOR
- Cons: RUDE CHEF
Wonderful addition to my neighborhood
by windyhoosier
September 10, 2007
I've been meaning to go for months and finally went last night. (We went early but had made a reservation -by the time we left, the room was full.) The dining room is calm and nicely lit, the chairs comfortable, and we had a window table. The waiter and bus boy were attentive without hovering.
I enjoyed my spring rolls dipped in peanut sauce as well as vegetables with rice noodles. My dinner companion had delicious tempura as well as seafood with veggies. A visually pleasing and tasty meal.
I didn't sample from the wide variety of wines offered but will be back to enjoy the comfortable bar area.
- Pros: delicious fare, wonderful atmosphere, good service
- Cons: people kept trying to enter via the locked dining room doors, there needs to be something attractive but discouraging on the doors
Terrible! Bad service, bland food, not friendly to solo diners
by rogersparkresident
July 12, 2007
I live close to this place and had heard some buzz, so I decided to try it on a holiday evening. This form is too short to detail my entire experience, but here are the things that stand out. My server wasn't at all familiar with the menu. I paid $3.00 for an iced tea that was never refilled and the server told me she didn't know if it should be refilled! The menu is not very vegetarian friendly and the one veggie dish offered was very bland. My inattentive server was nowhere to be found, so I couldn't ask for hot pepper or soy sauce. Although NO ONE else was in the dining room, I was declined a window seat because I was "just one". When the owner/manager observed me reading a book between courses, he turned down the lights. Yes, the decor is trendy, yes my tempura appetizer was OK, but other than that, it was an awful experience. Twenty five dollars later, I wished I had gone to the grocery store or a taqueria instead. I really felt ripped off!
- Pros: nice decor
- Cons: lousy service, unfriendly to a solo diners, only one vegetarian entree
Vietnamese restaurant with a Pasteur pedigree makes a foray into late-night dining and lounging.
by Valerie Moloney
March 27, 2007
The Scene
Miles apart from a Little Saigon pho house, this Rogers Park spot sports a Crate-and-Barrel look with cylindrical lamps and sleek leather chairs. A lounge offers access to the bar and a place to chill with larger groups. A padded suede wall wraps around both sides of the dining room, tastefully complemented by potted planners and shades of grey, brown and burnt orange. Servers are chatty but on the ball.
The Food
From bitter to sweet, clean, precise flavors awaken the taste buds on this pan-Asian menu. Tamarind sauce adds earthiness to petite spring rolls filled with creamy avocado, lobster and jicama. Seaweed mixed with greens and carrots are naturally salty with a soy dressing. Whole red snapper--which can be deboned upon request--soaks up every inch of sweet chili sauce rub, making the meat especially flavorful. Bo lui, or beef skewers with onions and red peppers, are a little too tough.
Curry is not just for the Indians
by ronsimon
March 24, 2007
When Chicago gets to looking like Londontown, I need soup. Hot and spicy soup. That is why I am delighted to have Viet Bistro in the neighborhood. After you clear those nasal passages with a hot and spicy soup, sit back and let the food come in. They use high quality, fresh ingredients including farm raised organic salmon and tender cuts of meat. The curry is better than i have had further west on Devon. Try it soon. It's the best. And pardon me for looking at something other than food but as someone who has spent a lot of time in Asia, I like eating with real chopsticks, not the slivery, sterile disposable ones. And I liked having real chopstick rests to put them on.
- Pros: The secret to parking: read the signs. Lots of loading zones available after 6:00 p.m.
- Cons: Busboys need more training
Organic Salmon and Great Pho
by edgewatereater
March 24, 2007
In an area full of Asian restaurants, it's tough to compete but the Nguyen family has done it again. It was raining when we went to Viet Bistro so we started with a bowl of hot soup. Their Pho is the best this side of Lake Michigan. We shared a lightly fried vegetable tempura. I'm not big on hot peppers so they brought me a special sauce all my own; a form of plum sauce with chopped peanuts that was tasty and made the tempura even tastier. My friend had hot, spicy beef curry and loved it. He worked for years in Thailand and Vietnam and knows his food. I had a giant, tender portion of farm raised organic salmon. It was cooked in a ginger glaze and served over baby bok choy. Yummy. Desserts were beautiful and tasted good too. We shared a hard chocolate dessert filled with two kinds of sorbet and chocolate mousse cake washed down with some very flavorful jasmine tea. Their tea is from Metropolis and while they are famous for coffee, I think their tea is fantastic. The service was quick, pleasant and considerate. The prices are friendly. Next week we are going back so he can try the Red Snapper. We saw it at the next table. I like my food milder so I'll try the seafood and vegetables. The room was full but not overcrowded but I think after they get their liquor license, we'll probably need reservations. Also, it is nice to have somewhere to have a late night bite after a play.
- Pros: Ambience, Food, Service
- Cons: No liquor license yet
Charming all over
by lauren529
February 28, 2007
I just went to this new restaurant last week and I couldn't have asked for a better find! While it has a small menu (currently expanding) and a large section of seafood, it still came out a winner! The desserts there are amazing, and their service couldn't be friendlier. The owner even came over and talked to us for a bit. This is definitely a hidden gem of Rogers Park, and something we could use more of!
- Pros: Friendly Staff, Good Food, Nice Atmosphere
- Cons: Small Menu, Menu is heavy on seafood
Hmmmm...
by jcatcabr
February 28, 2007
Upon entering, this place gave off a warm, cozy, loungey vibe. We had a reservation and were promptly seated on a Friday night. While our server was very courteous and eager to please, the busser was awkward (removing dishes before they are empty) and overall, service needs improvement (we cringed each time as the server and/or busser would clumsily pile the dirty dishes on the table before taking them away). The lobster roll was dull tasting with the wrapper being too chewy. The shrimp roll and beef skewers were tasty. The seafood salad was unimaginative - a blend of seafood, noodles and sweet and sour sauce. The asparagus, chicken and lobster soup was bland, fishy and barely lukewarm. The best entree, by far, was the hugely portioned salmon, which melted in your mouth and had a nice taste. It would be nice to be given a knife to cut the bok choy as it was served not quite al dente. The whole red snapper was nothing special, except for the presentation. There wasn't much meat, just a lot of crunchy skin. The beef skewers were not cooked as requested, chewy and arrived at room temperature but the server promptly offered to re-do the dish or a menu to choose a new entree. The shrimp satay had a nice kick but once again, had that familiar watered down sweet & sour sauce taste. The side dish of asian greens was really just undercooked green beans, bok choy and tofu. It's surprising that the owner of an established restaurant, such as Pasteur, would not have knocked the kinks out from the start. Doesn't experience count for something. The staff seemed quite tentative, not confident and did not exude a high level of restaurant experience. Overall, this place has a lot of potential and we're glad we tried it but would be hard-pressed to return due to the lack of value, despite the great ambiance.
