Ocean Grill & Bar

“I came here around 2 PM on a Saturday with my husband, and we were seated immediately.”

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!

Anatasia Pham

Jan 2026

“UPDATED review: The BEST beef pho I've had!!”

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!

Chicago IL

Dec 2025

“Amazing Pho! Great portions, great value! Vietnamese coffee was delicious!”

Matthew Nolan

Nov 2025

“Delicious PHO! Fresh, hot, and delicious! Courteous waiters and waitresses! Clean and beautiful...”

Delicious PHO! Fresh, hot, and delicious! Courteous waiters and waitresses! Clean and beautiful space inside! Highly recommend!

Lexi Childs

Nov 2025

“This place is a gem.”

This place is a gem! Pho broth was so flavorful that I didn’t even think of adding hoisin or sriracha and I always do at other places. The service was great and it smells so amazing as soon as you walk in. So glad we finally tried this place after driving by for almost 2 years. This place will get us through the winter!

Taylor Cromwell

Nov 2025

“The pho bowl was so big and I add a lots of spicy sauce & they liquid all are $10.”

The pho bowl was so big and I add a lots of spicy sauce & they liquid all are $10. 10/10 I really liked it and we came @8:50pm they brought our food out 9:10pm.

Zanrah Anderson

Nov 2025

“Had a wonderful Sunday night dinner at Ocean Grill.”

Had a wonderful Sunday night dinner at Ocean Grill. Convenient parking made the visit easy, and the food was outstanding from start to finish—fresh snails, oysters, and clams, a perfectly prepared classic pho soup, tender meatballs, and flavorful sirloin. Everything was absolutely delicious. The service was warm and attentive, making the whole experience even better. Highly recommend for a great night out.”

Antonia Asimis

Nov 2025

“Enjoyed our visit.”

Enjoyed our visit. Food came out quick and tasted very fresh. Good sized portions. Our server was great. Very attentive and helpful.

K

Nov 2025

“We had the chicken and the rare beef & brisket pho’s - highly recommend both!!”

Alejandra Bravo

Nov 2025

“Amazing Pho! It’s so flavorful and the portion size is huge!! Would definitely go again”

Mayesha

Oct 2025

“Linh was such a sweet server and gave great service.”

Linh was such a sweet server and gave great service. The chicken pho was probably one of the most flavorful pho I’ve ever tried even before adding the extra ingredient and the bowl was bigger than my head. And the razor clams omgggg I tore those up!!! I never had it before but it was delicious! They even packed my pho up with my noodles separately. Don was amazing as well! The lychee juice and berry juice were delish also!

Johenny Then

Sep 2025

“Just devoured the razor clams and snails at Ocean Grill & Bar and they were absolutely delicious.”

Just devoured the razor clams and snails at Ocean Grill & Bar and they were absolutely delicious! The razor clams were fresh and clean without a worry of sand, served with fresh cut herbs and fried garlic. The snails were the largest I've had in Chicago and came in a tasty lemongrass stock. This was a quick service and also paired the two seafood dishes with their top notch beef pho. If doing pho or one of the bowls while dining in, I strongly recommend the fresh noodles. The broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the thinly sliced beef was so tender. The portions are big enough for couples to share. The fresh herbs, smashed hot peppers and a squeeze of lime really tied it all together. Highly recommend checking out Ocean Grill & Bar if you're craving some fantastic pho!

chad svastisalee

Aug 2025