Found this restaurant from the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. Meaning it a good quality, good value cooking restaurant. It is a bit on the pricey end, but you get what you pay for. The service was great. The staff were knowledgeable and attentive. They gave good recommendations and accommodating to our party's dietary restrictions. The Vietnamese vegetable curry was sooooo good. There wasn't enough rice to eat with it. Creamy and flavorful. The chicken wings were also pretty good, nice starter to share with the table. Definitely worth trying. As I was leaving, saw another table eating a fish that looked good. I'll be back to try the other things on the menu.
It had been about four years since I been here and I’m once again blown away. Our server was a gem and the space is gorgeous and serene. The seafood tower was mind blowing! Everything tasted so fresh. And i continue to be a fan of their Mezcal cocktails. A Michelin star well earned. Keep up the amazing job.
Pleasantly surprised by HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen and their menu. I did not expect this type of service in Pilsen. We enjoyed Happy Hour at our table... Drink and app specials are 4-6 pm and had the opportunity to try a bunch of dishes before dining into the main menu.
Papaya salad, Crispy Chicken Wings, octopus salad and grilled eggplant are to die for. Accompanied by the Fig Spritz and Old Fashioned really sets a nice balance of sweet flavors with salt and spicy food. I do highly recommend the Grilled Meat platter to share amongst 3-4 people with a great mixture of meats and sausages. The pace of the courses are well planned, just a bit hard to wrap up and get the bill. I would recommend coming early and avoiding weekends as the area is difficult to find parking. otherwise high marks for HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen.
Tasty tasty tasty seafood! I loved the fried fish and the oysters. The fried fish is super well prepared and seasoned and comes with lettuce and great sauces. That was the highlight. And the cream puff dessert was good albeit a bit heavy. The food comes very quickly. Staff is super friendly and shoutout to David, a great server. Happy to return to HaiSous anytime.
Tasty, authentic, and delicious. The location is a bit out of the way from the crowds and is well worth a journey to reach this well crafted restaurant.
The drinks are well made and innovative. The chicken wings were crispy and strongly flavored. The papaya salad was crisp and packed a punch. The bun cha broth was amazing and the pork was tender. The biggest surprise was the vegetarian curry with daikon and bamboo which had much more flavor than expected.
Second time coming here & second time getting the curry + chicken wings. Would come here every time for them.
The grilled ribeye ($22) was so tender and marinated very well, portion size was just small.
Colossal prawn and crab dish was delicious. The seafood swims inside a creamy, garlic sauce but they give you a side of horseradish(??) With a strong flavor to cut through the fatty cream sauce.
HaiSous has one of the more affordable prix-fixe tasting menus in Chicago at $68/pp for 3 courses (8 dishes) without any beverage pairing (though I think it’s $70 now). The menu rotates seasonally. My partner and I went on a Sunday night with a reservation and it wasn’t very crowded. The ambience was elegant, but not overly fancy.
The service was quick and friendly, and each of the dishes came very quickly. Overall, the sauces in each of the dishes really stood out to me— they were simultaneously strong and delicate in flavor and made the dishes pop out.
The first “for fun” course came with banana blossom salad, pork sausage summer rolls, and Arctic Char crudo. The summer rolls weren’t too impressive and I’ve definitely had better ones at restaurants in Argyle, but the other 2 dishes were fantastic. The crudo tasted light and fresh, and paired well with the fish sauce flavor and garnishes. The banana blossom salad was my favorite, with tons of unique flavors and textures, both crunchy and chewy.
The main course came with a braised beef dish, roasted sea bass, Chinese broccoli, and rice. The braised beef was incredibly tender and flavorful, especially when marinated in the savory broth. The Chinese broccoli was cooked to a perfect softness and topped with fried garlic pieces that added a nice crunch and flavor. The sea bass was also good— it could have been more tender, but the tomato sauce it came in was delicious. The dessert was a Banana Cookie Crust Cream Puff, which was pretty good and not too sweet. Overall, it was a fun and pleasant experience, and it was a good amount of food for 2 people too!
—
Price (relative to peers): 4.5/5
Food: 4.8/5
Ambience: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Overall Value: 4.8/5
I am gonna be coming to this place for sure. For someone who’s partner is Vietnamese I don’t often venture out of trying non traditional Vietnamese restaurants because they are either super toned down in flavors to match the western pallet.
However this place has blown me and my friends away from their service to the punch flavors of their dishes. We ordered the grilled seafood platter, chicken wings and the meat platter. This was plenty of food for three person. The sauces that the meat and seafood is paired with elevates the flavor of the protein. I wouldn’t say the dishes we ordered were any kind of fusion but it was still very traditional Vietnamese dishes presented well.
I would come again to this restaurant and try their drinks and other dishes next time. Thanks for changing my perspective on Vietnamese fine dining here in the U.S.
Lovely service. We did the tasting menu and the service was incredibly attentive and informative about each dish. We felt very well taken care of.
I would be very surprised if this place doesn’t get a michelin star at some point. Even though they were sold out of the tasting menu (apparently you need to go on thursday since they run out of ingredients, in any case call ahead) the a la carte was just sublime. Everything was inventive, flavorful, and just plain delicious. My favorite was the octopus salad with eggplant. I’ve never had eggplant in such a wonderful way. Service was fairly average for a nicer place but plenty fine. Definitely a step above, worth a detour and not too expensive for an occasion.
I found this lovely restaurant searching for Vietnamese food. I fell in love with this amazing cuisine during a trip to Vietnam, and I’m constantly looking for it in every city I visit. Well, HaiSous didn’t disappoint! If you want something traditional, it might not be your first choice, but if you want to experience a more elevated take on Vietnamese cuisine, then you must give them a try. Though they have some traditional dishes such as Bun Cha, Whole fried fish and Vietnamese Curry, the Chef also brings the amazing flavors to items like grilled oysters, octopus and steak. There is also a very unique and cost effective tasting menu which showcases a few of the menus most popular dishes and a nice selection of flavorful grilled seafood. Oh, and did I mention they have great cocktails?! Definitely worth a visit!
Have been here a couple times, this time I tried the tasting menu. Unexpectedly, each dish is big portion. We even ended up with food to go. If you have a big party, it is served as family style. Definitely recommend people to try out the tasting menu, it is so worth it.
What a surprise to find this delicate Vietnamese restaurant! Our server is extremely friendly and considerate. The eggplant salad is such a delightful combination of flavors and textures! We ordered the grilled seafood platter, and the seasoning is just perfect. The price is reasonable for the quality of food and service. We left feeling very satisfied. Will definitely visit again!
HaiSous had nice service and a beautiful atmosphere. I would go again but probably only for the happy hour. The drinks were okay but my biggest issue was the food really lacked flavor.
My favorite dish was definitely the fried rice with crab. Nothing was bad and in fact, some things we tried were creative and pretty, it just really missed the mark on making it a palate pleaser.
Overall, I think Haisous offered a specific experience but if I wanted Vietnamese food, I would hands down just go to Argyle street
Very memorable food at HaiSous! The octopus salad and the (off menu) shrimp and pork sugar cane dumplings had us licking our fingers - divine! The emperors (crab) rice noodles were incredible, had to fight for the last bites. The drinks were yummy, but somewhat overshadowed by the delicious food. Service at the bar was sub-par, but allowed us to see that the preparation of drinks was somewhat careless (e.g., half-spilled drink was topped off with unmixed hard liquor). I’ll come again, but I’ll probably get cocktails elsewhere!
It was such a beautiful and lovely experience, the staff was extremely Friendly and amazing hosts! The food was extraordinary with little to no wait once ordered! Everything we tried had vibrant flavors that complimented eachother, the kitchen does an excellent job at making it look easy when we know how hard they work to perfect everyone's food ! 200/10 would come again
This was both me and my husband’s first time at HaiSous, and it was hands down one of the best dining experience we’ve had together. Everything from the taste of the food, to the quality of the service, to the ambiance and decor of the restaurant was just so pleasing and comforting. We were very impressed. Extra shoutout to our server Izzy and chef Ethan for their super helpful tips and attentive professional service, they really elevated our dining experience!
If you’re a party of two, we highly recommend you reserve seats at the chef’s counter! You get to see some of the preparation process and can chat with the chef.
We had the chicken wings, the grilled ribeye(both me and my husband’s favorite dish from that night!), bun cha Hanoi, and the octopus salad. For dessert we had the whipped banana cream and the cookie crust cream puff, both were amazing! Obviously we were both completely stuffed by the end and had to pack some things to go. We can’t wait to go back, we’ll take an army of friends and family with us next time so they can also experience this wonderful place!
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes