Chicago (Vietnamese) - Hai Yen Restaurant

Hai Yen
1055 West Argyle Street, Chicago IL 60640; Phone 773-561-4077
Date of Review: May, 2006; updated May, 2008

Located on Argyle Street right off of Broadway in the Vietnamese section of Chicago (better known as Little Saigon), Hai Yen is my first choice for Vietnamese food in Chicago. The atmosphere is basic, yet pleasant and suits the restaurant’s philosophy of a fresh, quick meal at good prices. This restaurant is very clean.

The key word I would use to describe the food at Hai Yen is “fresh” as everything I have sampled is tasty and freshly prepared. The Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp and Pork is an excellent starter as the shredded green papaya, carrots, onions, shrimp, pork, fresh mint and peanuts are in perfect contrast to the sweet and tangy lime dressing that this mixture was tossed in. I also highly recommend the grilled beef spring rolls (Bo Cuon) and the Banh Xeo. Banh Xeo is a Saigon style crepe made from rice flour that is filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts and is served with vegetables and a lime dipping sauce. As soon as I saw this on the menu, I knew I had to try it as I remember having this dish in a small local restaurant in Saigon some years back and have fond memories of being the only tourist, or at least Caucasian one, in this crowded restaurant at that particular time.

For entrees, I recommend the charbroiled pork meatballs that are served with an egg roll on top of vermicelli rice noodles. They are served with fresh mint, basil, rice paper and a sweet and sour lime sauce. Much like a fajita, you combine a bit of each of these ingredients in a piece of rice paper and bite into some gorgeous flavors. I also recommend the Pho. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup that offers an intriguing composition of carefully arranged layers of noodles, vegetables and meat surrounded by a hot, rich broth that is spiced with anise, cloves and roasted ginger in addition to fresh basil, cilantro and sometimes even mint. Another favorite of mine is the Chao, rice porridge with a combination of pork, meatballs and/or assorted seafood. It is nourishing, tasty and filling. I recommend sticking close to the Vietnamese menu options and straying from the Thai style options like meat or seafood with vegetables as these menu options are decent, but nothing you can’t get at any other restaurant.

The service is basic and efficient; it suits the restaurant. It is definitely prompt and if you want to have a quick meal and leave quickly, this is the perfect place.

The portions are large and the prices are reasonable. On our last visit, we had 2 appetizers and 2 entrees for $30 including tax and tip.

Try the fresh fruit drinks with tapioca and ask the servers to point you in the direction of the dishes that are authentically Vietnamese.