Hai Yen: User Reviews

A nice find near Clark/Diversey...
By Comensal from Oak Park, November 2, 2009

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We were pleased with our initial visit to Hai Yen -- how nice to have a Vietnamese restaurant in the Clark/Diversey area (a zone that suffers from a lack if decent restaurants beyond take-out and fast food). We enjoyed two soups: one sort of egg drop, one sweet & sour, both pleasant. An entrée bowl featuring sausage, chicken and veggies had great flavors and a lively kick (it also had very mealy potatoes -- they would do much better with Yukes). A pork chop entrée was drab, but serviceable. The décor is peculiarly spare, perhaps to accent the wonderfully ambiguous painting that dominates the back wall. Our server was friendly and (assertively) helpful. We’ll be back, for sure, to sample the varied menu...

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Good Stuff
By Eeeter from Lakeview, March 23, 2009

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We had it delivered and it got here in 30 minutes, 30 minutes before they said it would. Beef wrap and yellow chicken curry are excellent. Best curry I have had in Chi

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I agree with MB.Although I...
By Full Price w/ Half Portions from Chicago, IL, July 7, 2007

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I agree with MB.Although I didn't go on a date, my family had a terrible experience.We were seated and had to "find" a waiter.We were finally "assigned" one 15 minutes after sitting down because our original waiter did not acknowledge us (our ice had melted in our waters it took so long).The food was terrible and the service was slow.Pho is a traditional Vietnamese dish and Hai Yen ruined it!It was a sodium filled almost meatless dish with overcooked noodles.My wife had vermicelli and spring rolls.The vermicelli was not served in a bowel but on a plate.But it was not bad in terms of taste.
A convenient location but I will not return because I don't believe in paying full price for mediocre/half portions of food. BTW, the pop is $2.50.

Not a place to take...
By MB from Chicago, IL, May 21, 2007

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Not a place to take a date!!!
The service was excessively poor & super slow. We left after waiting over 15 minutes with no waiter taking our orders while the restaurant was barely half full. The surrounding tables were dirty.

Great Vietnamese restaurant! My...
By QH from Chicago, IL, March 16, 2007

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Great Vietnamese restaurant! My Mom makes the best Vietnamese food so I am very particular when it comes to Vietnamese restaurants. I ordered, picked it up and it was great. Would try it again, and try the dining experience next time.

I live in the neighborhood...
By Corla from Chicago, IL, February 11, 2007

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I live in the neighborhood and just tried this place for the first time. I thought it was excellent. The sea bass filet was buttery and melt in your mouth delicious and the lump crab stir fry noodles were amazing. Nice atmosphere and great value. I will definitely be back.

Great food, nice atmosphere and...
By Davo from Chicago, IL, January 27, 2007

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Great food, nice atmosphere and full bar make this an excellent spot for Vietnames favorites. The fish in a clay pot is outstanding. We also enjoyed the spring rolls and Pho.

We saw Steve Dolensky's review...
By Jennifer from Chicago, IL, January 25, 2007

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We saw Steve Dolensky's review on last week's Friday night news. The soup that was featured looked delicious. We stopped in last Saturday for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. The soup and spring rolls lived up to their expecetations. I recommend this restaurant to anyone. Delicious!!!

Growing up with a mother...
By Trang from Albany, NY, December 30, 2006

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Growing up with a mother who cooked awesome vietnamese cuisine, I'm most particular when it comes to dining at vietnamese restaurants. Time and time again I get disappointed with restaurants catering to American taste by either serving weak nuoc mam or improperly serving dishes. Hai Yen dishes are true to taste, the ambience is sophisticated, and the service is great. I do recommend the waiters learn the names of the dishes in vietnamese. Even if said without proper phonetics, the attempt is appreciated. Kudos to Hai Yen for keeping with tradition! Good Luck!!!

I really liked this place....
By Sarah from Chicago, IL, December 25, 2006

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I really liked this place. I enjoy Vietnamese food and can say it is very hard to find authentic food. I loved my meal and would definitely recommend it!!!