Upon arriving in Chicago, a friend of my mom's told her to come here since their Bun Bo Hue here is supposed to be super good! It even made it in the newspapers as being really good and cheap too! My mom and I both got the Bun Bo Hue only to be disappointed. At being not only a little pricey and their portions were kind of small compared to places in San Jose, they also had a funny little taste to it. I thought it was tangy and sour and also very salty. We figure, maybe this is Chicago style bun bo hue. The place is clean and in a good location. Parking wasn't hard to find at all. read more

I've been coming here for years. It's still my favorite spot for bun bo hue and banh xeo. They actually have blood for the bun bo hue so I can always order extra. I love it. I always order the duck salad, banh xeo, and bun bo hue. I just tried some of the pho today and that was also really good. The food is always consistent in flavor. If I lived closer, I'd be here every freaken day! read more

The exploration of the Argyle neighborhood continues. For those who don't visit argyle frequently there is a certain monotonous collage of restaurants where nothing looks terribly uninviting but nothing lures you in. When i find something reasonably good, I stick with it, but in this case I am glad i deviated from the plan. The place itself was cozy and intimate, as opposed to some of the more hectic human traffic jammed places closer to Broadway. Everyone was friendly, and I was surprised to see a full house at 9:30pm on a wednesday. We had pho and bun bo hue. The pho was pretty good, but I was kinda annoyed that my bowl was filled to the brim. Maybe thats just precautionary mentality for my messy eating habits. Supposedly the bun bo hue was the talk of argyle, but after a chef change it has not been the same. I'm no expert. In hindsight, I wish i had shook my bad mood, and gotten down with some more menu items as I usually do. Spring rolls, banh xeo, porkchops and some Vietnamese coffee are on the agenda for round 2. read more

The restaurant experience was alright. The service was average. My main issues is that when I received a dish that I was unhappy with they would not take the dish off of my bill or exchange it. Customer service is a major area that this restaurant it lacking in. read more

I was craving pho and so I came across this place I hadn't tried yet. It was a small cozy spot, and it felt comfortable and warm on a cold day. The spring rolls were very tasty as well as the pho. The service was prompt, and the price was right. You can't go wrong coming here. Yum! read more

the best bun bo hue in chicago area!!! literally! i've been here a few times and have never been disappointed with their food! super fast, and friendly service! i love their bun bo hue. it's very flavorful and almost close to home. i'm super picky when it comes to vietnamese food considering my family makes the best hehehe. i also love the goi vit! it's amazing! lots of duck and flavor is very authentic! i also had their com dac bier. they give you a lot of meat, not enough veggies. read more

Cafe Hoang - com dac biet (pork dish) - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

this pleace is amazing!!! i had the most amazing meal. i highly recommend the noodle salad and the pan fried noodles

We were stumbling home after attending the full moon fire jam session and my friend wanted to grab something to eat. It was after 10 pm and most places were closed. We walked into one open place they said they are closed and kicked us out so then we found this place. They welcomed us but they said they were closing very soon. Seem to have a pretty decent may we both ordered the fried noodle dishes me with beef and my friend with shrimp. The service was super fast. The noodle dish was a surprise, I've never had this type of fried noodles before it's almost like a fried pastry. Served with veggies and a good portion of beef. Really good! Mind you I had eaten do linnet before so I was going to eat a little bit and get a soft bag. Well, let's just say I ended up eating more than half. So I had to force myself to stop eating and get a doggy bag. The shrimp dish was equally good as well. While we were there they closed out the place but were nice enough to let us enjoy our meal without making us feel rushed or giving us dirty looks. So gold star on the friendliness and service. I don't go to this area too much but would highly recommend this place and would definitely eat here again. read more

Cafe Hoang - Stir Fried noodle with beef. Yummy! - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Of all the times I've come here, I've never been able to move past their chicken noodle soup. Because, it's just that damn good. This is the place I go to when I'm feeling down and need a friend to lend an ear and something simple and familiar to warm me up. It's very casual and doesn't get crazy busy. The service is above par for the area. The servers won't come by often to check on you but they are attentive and place is small enough that they'll come over if you just turn your head toward them. All of the appetizers I've tried are pretty good. From what my friends have ordered, this place seems to be known for their spicy beef stew. I'm not a huge pho lover (the sweetness mixed with the sourness in the soup takes a bit of getting used to for me), but their pho is decent. Though with so many other restaurants close by also making good pho, this might not be the place to go if you have a specific craving for just pho. For any other Vietnamese food, especially noodle soups, I'd recommend this place. read more

Standard vietnamese restaurant but I love their Bun Bo Hue. It's authentic, spicey and so so filling! Now that I'm living in a new city, I need to find replacements for my mama's cooking and this one is up there with regard to the Bun Bo Hue in my book. read more

After a long night of dancing and drinking, my friends and I were in need of some good noodle soups. We got the banh xeo to share and it was delicious! I got the bun bo hue. My friends got the pho and a noodle soup with bamboo shoots and duck. My mom was born and raised in Hue, so needless to say she knows how to make some amazing bun bo hue. Obviously, no one will ever come close to hers, but Café Hoang did a pretty good job. It had a great balance of spice, heat, and pork, and beef flavor. Even the left overs were pretty good the next day. I tried the pho too and I thought it was good, but a bit oily. I think if they scooped some of the oil off the top before pouring the broth into the bowl, then it would be really good. My friend really liked her duck and bamboo noodle dish. read more

See all

I like the service here. The food is good. It could be better. Pretty clean and nice atmosphere.

Decided to give this a restaurant a try with the bf. A friend told me their Bon Bo Hue (Spicy Pork/Beef soup) was the best in Argyle. When you put a stamp like that on a restaurant, you gotta try it. We started with beef roll with Hawaiin leaf (??) wrapped around it. It was good, but not as good as Hai Yen across the street. ($3.50) I got the Bon Bo Hue - not really good at all. It was edible, but I just wished I got something else the entire time. My mom's is 100% better. BF got pho, good, but nothing spectacular. Each dish was $6.25, so we didn't lose much cash in this meal, but wouldn't go again. read more

Go here for their bun bo hue. They do it pretty well here. Otherwise, I'm still looking for a decent place in Chicago for pho. :( read more

I had been seeing Cafe Hoang all over Chicago food Twitter, and so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. Huge portions, cool location, solid service and delicious food. I had read Bún Bò Huê was their speciality and so we got that to go with classics like Penang Curry with chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai. Yum. I'll be going back. read more

Cafe Hoang - Bún Bò Huê - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

So good. So unexpected. I really recommend this place. There's a bit of a culture shock for the non initiated but the menu is really that good that you can order most things and you'll likely be pleased. The service can seem a bit sassy and has a NYC vibe as they have their way of doing things and they'll tell you that but honestly... who cares when the food is this good. I know that sounds like a double standard. read more

Who can resist pork blood, pork shank and slices of beef simmering in a spicy/sweet broth? i love the Bun Bo Hue at Cafe Hoang! My fiance had the pho and he was a happy guy as well the rare beef salad made a good appetizer (huge portion), and we left happy and very full :) read more

Bottom line: Authentic. Time: Late lunch around 2:00PM Occasion: Craving spicy beef noodles!!! Party of 2 (me and my stomach). Service: Good. - Attentive on my water refill because that noodle soup is spicy! Food: Spicy and awesome - Known for their spicy beef noodle soup (Bun Bo Hue). Get it first and thank me later. - Next best thing on the menu is the crabmeat noodle soup, for the non spicy eaters. Authentic for just the right price. Almost as good as how my mama makes it. Two thumbs up! read more

So I came here because of the best Bun Bo Hue. I have to say, it's pretty good as people have said. If you eat spicy like I am, you might have to add more hot sauce because it wasn't spicy at all for me. read more

Cafe Hoang - Bun Bu Hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here on a whim with a friend on a cold Monday afternoon. Every other restaurant on the block was closed so we ended up here! Food was great! Classic pho and some egg roles. Pretty simple and delicious. Only complaint was slow service especially for how quiet it was in the restaurant. read more

Cafe Hoang - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here on a late Saturday night with some friends after catching a Blackhawks game at a bar. It is byob, so pack accordingly. We got here about 50 minutes before closing time, but the staff was super accommodating. We ordered banh xeo and shrimp fresh rolls to share as a group, and then commenced to order pho banh bo rau, and bun for entrees. I usually frequent other spots on Argyle for pho, so this was my first time trying it. The pho broth was clean, flavorful, and not too greasy or salty which usually is a problem at other pho places I've been to. We didn't finish everything but the staff kindly packed up the leftovers for us. Since it was late Saturday and we had been drinking and continued to drink at dinner, our group was loud and raucous but they didn't even bat an eye. Definitely will be back, Cafe Hoang! read more

See all

Small family business Servers are ok, nice, not at attentive at times. Ordered: Bun no hue. Good. BF prefers Pho 888- which has a stronger beef flavor & more chili oil Vermicelli w/ veggies- had a large serving. Good amount of noodles, beef, & egg rolls. I liked the ratio of the veggies, noodles, beef & egg rolls Fried egg rolls- tasted fresh Pork chop w/ rice, egg & sausage- pork chop was a good cut & had a nice flavor. Egg was over easy. Chinese sausage that was cut up weird & wasn't good. Overall a good price for a good meal. Pay for Street parking. Would recommend. read more

The service at times is a little slow but OMG the Spring rolls! THE SPRING ROLLS - the best peanut dipping sauce! Also love the spicy chicken salad, grilled lemongrass chicken and the beef Pho. read more

Ambience/service - as you would expect in a typical viet restaurant, very casual, nothing special. Food - above average pho and bun bo hue. Good flavours. Papaya rare beef salad (forgot the name lol) was really good. Don't get the Iced beverages, so much ice. Verdict - not much else to say, 3.75/5, not bad! read more

Perfection! Came here on a whim at 10 on Thursday. Amazing food! We got the green curry, chicken pad Thai and spring roll. Oh and also the chicken fried rice- we really enjoyed it- very fresh and not too oily or overdone. read more

Cafe Hoang - Spring roll, pad Thai, green curry- so good! - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Me and my friend had to wait for about an hour for our food even though it wasn't that busy during that day. Moreover, the portions of our food was big but it was full of celery and other vegetables. Low-key kind of disappointing, but I think we either chose the wrong time and/or wrong food. read more

I just cannot with this place anymore. It used to be my go-to, favorite restaurant for bun bo hue. But the quality of their food has declined drastically. They rely too much on MSG, which means they're trying to find shortcuts with their cooking. I always feel so sick after eating here now. It's unfortunate. read more

So sad. Cafe hoang used to be my favorited Vietnamese restaurant, but I'm not sure what happened but I think they may have a new chef or it was just an off day. Bum Bo Hue is the only dish dish I order every time I come here and today the soup was bland, the pork hock was hard as a rock when usually it's fall off the bone tender. When I told the server, he just took the dish and walked away as I was talking stating," if you don't like it, I'll get a new one." The broth was completely tastelessness. So sad. Where will I get my Bum Bo Hue? Also ordered spring rolls and egg rolls as appetizers. Both were very mediocre. May have to to back to Tank. read more

Fantastic bun bo hue! Intestine congee is really good as well. Authentic vietnamese food!

I came here pretty regularly for the Bun Bo Hue during my last year in Chicago. I haven't had it anywhere else, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I think its great here and it replaced Pho as the dish I used to frequent Uptown for. In my experience, the Pho and spring rolls are pretty good as well. I took my parents here when they were visiting Chicago, and my dad still raves about the Bun Bo Hue I convinced him to order on their first night in town. read more

I don't live in the area but we were in the mood to venture out. People I was with had been, so they recommended it was worth the trip - I can confirm. WORTH IT. Both similarities and difference to your standard Thai/Chinese menus. From little experience with Vietnamese, I was open to trying anything. So we ordered about 10 diff dishes and passed them along. So I'll try to run through these quickly because a few were stand-outs. Apps: Crab rangoon and Egg rolls were the best I've had in my entire life. No joke. The Pho soup was really awesome too, I have nothing to compare it to though. We got a few others appetizers that were decent, but get those three mentioned for sure. Moving on to main course. Catfish was bomb. And we got a few spicy chicken dishes that were also great. I don't have too much to say about the food here because I was full after stuffing my face with crab rangoon. But any room left in my stomach says it was all great. 5 stars because I loved the food, and it made a great first impression of Vietnamese food. BYOB as well. read more

It saddens me that I have to give this place 2 stars considering all of its positive reviews. I went there today roughly between7:30-8pm. The place was not packed and there were a pretty decent amount of staff. Our experience was horrible ... I waited for my food for over 40min. This was also the same Time our appetizers came out (don't appetizers come before the entree ‍). My bf had to wait an additional 15 - 20 min for his food which by that time I was almost done w my plate. There were also two other tables that Came after us and literally got their food within 20 min time span. Further, our table was missing the standard condiments found in all Vietnamese restaurants - this to me isn't THAT bad we just took the ones off of the table next to us. We didn't get any utensils ( bf ordered the porkchop rice plate so sorry the chopsticks won't be able to cut the meat) and we had no napkins. And just to add the cherry on top they were also out of Thai tea. Food was decent , nothing special but still good. Just not worth the wait for us. read more

This is my go to place to eat Vietnamese food in Chicago. The bun bo hue here is by far the best/most authentic I've ever had in a restaurant in any city outside of Vietnam. It comes with all the traditional add ons and noodles. The broth's taste is spot on. The chef is from the Hue region and her experience in handling Vietnamese cuisine really shows. The pho here is pretty typical and broth has good flavor. The other typical Vietnamese fare like banh xeo or bun rieu are also pretty good here. read more

I have gotten pho at many places on Argyle. This one has the best broth and the best beef I have had. I highly recommend this place. This Pho is PHO REAL! read more

My husband and I used to go to Cafe Hoang at least once a week when we lived nearby. This is a hole in the wall that serves good food for cheap. My hubby usually get the noodle salad (don't know the name, we normally order by number) which comes with lots of herbs, shrimps and an egg roll. A friend introduced Bun Bo Hue to me and I loved it. Their spring rolls and lime beef appetizers are delicious. We really enjoy their food and it is BYOB which is great. Although, service is pretty much nonexistent, I can not expect much if our noodle soup and noodle salad only cost $6.95 each. Definitely only come for the food. read more

We stumbled upon this place because another Vietnamese place down the street that we planned to go to was actually closed. We saw the Good Eats article posted on Cafe Hoang's window and decided to give it a shot. Their pho was surprisingly good. Had a good flavor, might have been just a tad too salty but I didn't feel the need to add anything else to it. We got the sliced beef and the meatballs. Those were good. We also got the lemongrass chicken, spring rolls, and an appetizer, I forgot the exact name of it but it was like a rare beef salad (served cold) and it was really nice and refreshing. The number on the menu was 007 if you're interested. Hahah. Overall, we were happily stuffed by the end of the meal and for three people, we ordered four things and that was just a little bit more than enough. I think we'll definitely go there again if we're in the area. :) Oh, the reason I only gave four stars was that the service was meh. It's sort of what can sometimes expect out of asian places but it was by no means terrible. It was just not very responsive and they always seemed be trying to rush us or take plates off the table before we were done. read more

We eat here at least once a month, if not more. Definitely a plus that it stays open until 10pm! Everything here is delicious! Our regular is typically the bare beef salad and fried rice. And for entree, we order the bun bo hue! It's a noodle soup that slightly spicier than pho but the flavor is amazing. read more

This is my first negative review on Yelp. I don't have time for this but the experience I had at Cafe Hoang this past Saturday was the WORST dining out experience I've had in my entire lifetime. My boyfriend and I always go to the same Pho place across the street, but we trusted Yelp to help us find a new location. I love Yelp for most things, but when it comes to Asian restaurants, I should just stick to word of mouth. First of all, there were 7 servers and only 3 tables when we walked in. We had to wait for the girls to finish gossiping so we could order. My boyfriend ordered the pho with meatball/beef, I ordered the lemon grass rare beef salad, and we ordered a 4 piece spring rolls. Now, the menu clearly states that in the spring rolls, there should be pork. When I bit into my spring roll, there was nothing but noodle and 1/2 of a shrimp. When we asked one of the servers, she did take it back and have the kitchen remake it. When it came out, it looked the same (full of noodles, 1/2 shrimp, and one very thinly slice piece of pork. ?!?! No apologies whatsoever. I obviously am very surprised to see people raving about their spring rolls. Please go across the street for cheaper and more filled with shrimp/pork spring rolls. That's how it's *supposed* to be. The pho broth tastes like the instant one I have at home. Not great, but not what I was expecting. The lemon grass beef salad was *WAY* too vinegary but the beef was very tender and tasty. It was the only thing worth eating at this restaurant. Also, I had ask for the check and since the servers were too busy chatting with each other, I had to walk up to the register and ask them to please take care of my check. We only put in 1.5 hours on the parking meter and to be honest, it really shouldn't have taken that long for the whole meal. We were hoping to stop by a bakery but since Cafe Hoang took forever with their service, we didn't even get a chance to go to the bakery. If you want authentic tasting pho, bombass spring rolls for less money (not to mention better/quicker service), do your taste buds a HUGE favor and go across to Pho Xe Lua - it's right across the street). Perhaps the owners of Cafe Hoang think that people will come by if they remodel to make the place look better, but that still doesn't cover up the lack of service/food quality. read more

I've been eating here for two years almost every week and I figured I might as well pay it forward by leaving a review, because this place is just phenomenal. I highly recommend their soups, especially the spicy catfish and tamarind soup. According to one of the servers, it is best for when you think you're getting sick, but it's my favorite and I get it every other time I go. I also recommend their Tom Yum, which is exceptionally complex in flavor and not too heavy. And don't be afraid of the spicy seafood gumbo. They'll warn you it's smelly but it really isn't that bad, especially for true gumbo lovers. For those who aren't as interested in big bowls of soup, their rice and noodle dishes are spectacular as well. I'm especially fond of the pan fried wide rice noodle dishes. The noodles are perfectly done and the seasoning/sauce is not too much. The service is very relaxed. They leave you alone but someone is always nearby if you need anything. The place doesn't feel cramped, and the atmosphere is homey. This place is such an integral part of my routine now that I don't know what I'd do without it! read more

My favorite bun bo hue. only problem is that parking is very limited