Pasteur (formerly Simply Pasteur)
Manja Petrov · 202 Google reviewsPasteur (formerly Simply Pasteur) — solid, no-fuss vietnamese in Edgewater. Solid drinks, with the bar pulling its weight, and BYOB. "Every dish was fresh, seasoned well and satisfying" — Mehul Patel [patio]
What 532 diners keep saying
This spot has closed for good. Its reviews stay up for the record — the rankings have already moved on.
What 532 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“This place is fenomenal! Great fresh food and impeccable elegant spectacular atmosphere! Will definitely come back and will bring some friends!”
“My younger daughter wanted to go here for her birthday dinner ... It was delightful.”
“My partner and I ended up here after a previously planned restaurant did not work out and wow, what a blessing in disguise! This place was fantastic. The service was perfect, no notes. My partner got the Basil Beef and she loved it, while I got the Pasteur’s Signature Beef Steak and thought it was just absolutely fantastic (cooked medium.) Unfortunately our food was so good I forgot to even grab pictures of it. Was able to grab a picture of the Ginger Pear Martini (10/10) as well as the again extremely good pistachio cake. We will be back for sure.”
“My first time here, service was great. Food was great and tasty. Very nice ambience. Highly recommended!”
“a much better vietnamese fine dining experience than some places *cough le colonial”
“We enjoyed an appetizer of dumplings while awaiting preparation of Cochinchin & Ginger Chicken, and from their Christmas Eve's special menu, Curry Shrimp, & fresh Tilapia. Our server Lisa & another woman (maybe Kim the owner), kept water filled & table cleared, as needed. Compliments to the chef & entire operation!”
“We had a lovely time at Pasteur. The seating was comfortable and the food was delicious. Everyone shared some excellent appetizers, including the coconut shrimp which was my favorite! Their duck curry was great and I devoured my fried rice. It's a really nice spot and they took our party of 7 quickly even though we were a little early to our reservation.”
“Giving three stars because I feel like I was nickel-and-dimed here. I ordered the pho "meal" (X-large) with beef which is listed as $19 on the paper and online menu. Server asked if I wanted meatballs and I said sure. The price on the bill was $22, and when I inquired, my server said there was an additional charge for meatballs. This wasn't listed as a separate line item on the bill, so I wondered if they had discreetly increased prices on their POS system and hoped customers wouldn't notice. Not in this economy, sorry. Put it on the menu as an upcharge or mention it verbally when offering it. Communication is key to excellent customer service. Food was decent but I won't be back because of this.”
“Pasteur has closed after 40 years. I called their phone and their message confirmed the closing.”
“Hi, I was having a birthday and there was 6 of us. However, this guy showed up on a date or a meeting probably and asking THE WAITRESSES to tell us to BE QUITE AND SILENT. I mean... come on. Not that I am complaining about the waitresses, but please tell them that THIS IS A COMMON ROOM and if they wanted us to be quiet, just go to grave yard. PLEASE! AND THE WAITRESS at first did not apologized. We did not order our entree because we're just too fed up. Is this their restaurant?! Did they reserve this restaurant all for themselves?”
“Pasteur was a pleasant rediscovery. We fell in love with this restaurant many years ago, back when it was located on Sheridan and Lawrence. Later, we admired its high-end rebirth on North Broadway, well before the neighborhood had gentrified enough to match its classy atmosphere and sophisticated menu. Then Pasteur closed again and didn’t reopen until after we had moved to San Diego. Last night, more than a decade later, we found Pasteur again! The same airy and elegant French Colonial interior remains, now paired with an amazingly fitting terrace. The menu’s design could use an updated look to better match the restaurant’s upscale décor, but what’s on the menu matters far more than how the menu looks. And the dishes are gastronomic masterpieces — no exaggeration. Since there were four of us, we each ordered a different appetizer and shared the dumplings, egg rolls, spring rolls, and Saigon crêpes so we could experience a variety of flavors. They were all truly exceptional. For our main courses, we had the catch-of-the-day branzino, lemongrass chicken, basil beef, and Pasteur’s signature steak. As with the appetizers, we all sampled each other’s dishes. Everything came with truly fresh, crisp vegetables, amazing sauces, and wonderful flavors. No disappointments, no envy, no regrets. Finally, we ordered only the Chocolate Mousse Cake to share, since there was hardly any room left for dessert after the generous portions — portions so delicious that we practically cleaned every plate. Just the night before, we had the chocolate mousse cake at The Publican, and there was simply no comparison: Pasteur won hands down. In fact, Pasteur surpassed the much-hyped The Publican in every category: atmosphere, service, food, noise level, value, pricing, and convenient parking. Our exceptional dinner at Pasteur cost about half as much as our meal at The Publican and many other downtown spots, while delivering a far superior dining experience. We also want to thank Lisa and her fellow server (whose name I unfortunately can’t remember) for being wonderful, attentive, quick, and incredibly polite — all while graciously and heroically putting up with my jokes thanks to their great sense of humor. If you’ve read this far, I cannot recommend Pasteur highly enough. It remains one of the best foodie destinations in Chicago. It is absolutely worth the quick — and scenic — drive north along Lake Shore Drive for one of the most memorable dining experiences you can have in Chicago, or truly anywhere else. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!”
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