Ocean Grill & Bar
Chicago IL · 126 Google reviewsOcean Grill & Bar — solid, no-fuss vietnamese in Chinatown. Order the Pho. Modern space that photographs well but eats even better. Chad svastisalee: "The broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the thinly sliced beef was so tender" [$$]
What 407 diners keep saying
What 407 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Stopped by Ocean Grill & Bar for lunch and had a good experience overall. The restaurant is spacious and clean. We ordered three dishes to share: C4. Lobster Glass Noodles, O20. Oc Huong Sot Bo Toi, and O10. So Long Nuong Mo Hanh. The Lobster Glass Noodles were the standout of the meal. The glass noodles were perfectly seasoned, soaking up all the savory flavors and the lobster meat was firm, fresh, and satisfying. It was a simple dish executed really well. The Oc Huong Sot Bo Toi was another enjoyable dish. The escargots were sweet and pleasantly chewy, while the butter garlic sauce was rich and complemented by sweet corn. It’s a great option if you enjoy buttery seafood dishes. We also got the So Long Nuong Mo Hanh. The clams were tender, although there was a slight fishy taste in a few pieces. The spicy dipping sauce paired nicely with the clams and helped balance the flavors. The food was served quickly, which we appreciated. As for the service, the staff were efficient and polite, and everything we ordered arrived promptly. With good food, generous seating, and fast service, it’s a solid spot for seafood lovers.”
“I had the blood stew 🍲 and it was so delicious. I have been to Vietnam and the food was top quality. Authentic flavors. I did tried other small dishes that my fiends ordered and they also were tasty. The ambience was great. Many Vietnamese people were eating there.”
“Tuve una excelente experiencia en este restaurante. Comencé con un café vietnamita helado que estaba perfectamente balanceado entre lo dulce y la intensidad del café. También probé las alitas en salsa de pescado vietnamita, que tenían un sabor único y delicioso, con una combinación muy bien lograda de dulce, salado y un ligero toque picante. El plato principal fue el Pho Dac Biet, una sopa abundante con diferentes cortes de carne y un caldo lleno de sabor que se nota fue preparado con mucho cuidado. Para terminar, disfruté una gelatina vietnamita refrescante que fue el cierre perfecto para la comida. Además de la excelente comida, el ambiente fue agradable y acogedor. Quiero agradecer especialmente a Feng W. y compañeros por su atención y profesionalismo. Fue amable, atento y siempre estuvo pendiente de que todo estuviera perfecto.”
“I’ve found the most delicious Vietnamese food in Chicago, and the staff is incredibly friendly!”
“My boyfriend is Vietnamese, so we try all the restaurants around. This place was SO GOOD!! I got the combo pho, he got a rare steak and brisket pho, and we shared the grilled oysters. Everything was amazing and we are already planning to go back 😋”
“The most delicious pho in the whole Midwest. I have been here 10 times, each time comforting and filling. The broth is always the perfect temperature, the meats are always tender, the rare beef is always pink while in the bowl, and the tendons are always the perfect texture. I'm a big guy and I always have left overs, despite always trying to finish the bowl. Of all the good eats in Chicago, this is such an underrated establishment. I always recommend Ocean's to people I care about.”
“I came here around 2 PM on a Saturday with my husband, and we were seated immediately. We ordered vegetarian fried rice, snails in lemongrass, pho dac biet, beef skewers, razor clams, a sugar cane drink, and milk green tea, and for dessert, we chose coconut pudding! Everything tasted absolutely delicious! One of the best pho I’ve had in a while! It’s the kind of pho that doesn’t need hoisin sauce to enhance its flavor. This place is definitely a gem. The snails with nguoc nam sauce reminded me of Vietnam, and the beef skewers were juicy and flavorful. My husband loved his vegetarian fried rice. The only dish that didn’t suit our palate was the razor clams. It was our first time trying them, and while the flavors and sauce were good, they weren't quite my cup of tea, however, I definitely encourage others to give them a try! The sugar cane juice and green milk tea were super yummy! The coconut pudding was definitely enough for two people, it came in a whole coconut and tasted refreshing without being overly sweet. We also ordered some banh mi on the side to go! The service was excellent!!!!!! Our server was super nice and attentive, and we never had to ask for anything. I will definitely be coming back!”
“Best north Vietnamese restaurant in the Chicago area.”
“Phontastic good and environment. Plenty of parking inside”
“UPDATED review: The BEST beef pho I've had!!! Best coconut 🥥!! Professional waitstaff too very friendly, responsive, and willing to explain the menu items. Changing my rating from 4 to 5 stars!!! I've been here at least 5x now and it has been consistent each time, the pho is phenomenal! On our 5th visit we tried the crispy sticky rice ball appetizer very chewy and sticky and has woodear, shrimp and pork. Very tasty. The coconut dessert is sooo good! You get the jelly coconut inside and the white coconut flesh you have to scrape off the coconut walls. Such a unique and fun dessert option worth $8 and would be so refreshing for the summer. Highly recommend trying it, it's located on the dessert menu which is a small plaque located on the tables not the larger menu. This is my go to place now and forever for pho and that coconut dessert! --------------------------------------------------------------- INITIAL renew: I have tried almost every pho restaurant in Chicago. My bestie and I absolutely love pho during the fall and winter season so it is something that we eat often. We have been here four times already and each time the broth has been consistently savory flavorful and not too salty. Other places we have frequented their broth is always inconsistent it could be too salty too sweet or lack flavor but this place has been consistent each time! My favorite go to is the s1 on the menu it is the beef tenderloin pho they really load your bowl up with so much tenderloin and it is super tender! My bestie likes s6 on the menu which is the combo pho that has different meats and it is also good! Their beef brisket is a little fatty for me so if you don't want it too fat and you want your meat more lean definitely get the s1, the tenderloin is super tender with very little to no fat! We have also tried their escargot (large snails) in a tum yum sauce and one in a garlic butter sauce and they are both really really good especially the one in the garlic sauce! The milk and iced teas are worth the price! They're about a dollar or so more than Chinatown prices but it's a large serving and they make them good! I have tried their green rice drink, the green thai tea with jelly drink, their taro milk tea with taro jelly drink, and they're green kumquat iced tea. They are all really really good. If you want something that's non milk based definitely try the green kumquat tea it is very refreshing and a unique flavor! I definitely want to try the red kumquat iced tea next time. For the milk teas I really like their taro milk tea with the taro jelly it is so good! Taro is soft, creamy, and the jelly is chewy and fresh and not rubbery. Honestly all their drinks are good you can't go wrong! I have yet to try there sandwiches and fried rice dishes. But in terms of their pho they make it perfectly! And large portion sizes definitely worth the value about $18 a bowl. It may be a dollar or two pricier than other pho restaurants but the portion size is enormous and the quality is definitely there each and every time. No complaints. For appetizers, we tried their spring and summer rolls which are really good the summer roll is really unique it has Chinese sausage and is different from your traditional Vietnamese shrimp spring roll. We've also tried their fried chicken cartilage which is really flavorful and has a great chewy texture, bit of spice (not too much) and also a great source of collagen! We recently tried their lotus salad with shrimp and pork which is one of the pics I posted. I did not like the pork it had a weird taste but the rest of the salad with the shrimp was good. I wouldn't order it again though. The customer service is great too they are very professional the servers will explain the menu if you have questions and are quick to respond and serve you. They do not rush you or get annoyed if you ask questions. One time they even turned off the AC when I said it was too cold in there and accommodated my request which was really nice! I'm definitely going to be coming back and this is going to be my go-to pho place!”
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