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Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lincoln ParkTue-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Hellooooo new obsession! Simply It's Beef Pho is the best I've had so far in the city. I love it! I dream about it at night!
There's nothing I love more than a big plate of bean sprouts, cilantro, peppers, and limes and a bowl of steaming hot Pho. This cute little restaurant on Lincoln has never disappointed, and I love going there with my husband. The staff are very attentive and efficient - your water never goes below half full. One weird thing is that their prix fixe menus are taped to the tables... uh, ok? That's kinda weird.
The only complaint is that it is pretty tight quarters at night and you'll probably be sitting shoulder to shoulder to the people next to you. The invasion of personal space is totally worth it though to have more of Simply It's Pho!
So really I would give this place 3.5 stars. I really wanted to like this place. The staff is so friendly and accommodating and I've read so much about the owner.
The pho was okay, I've had better. The broth is sweet and there wasn't enough noodles. Both the beef and pork ribs were extremely fatty and greasy. Would I get it another shot? Sure. But wasn't that impressed first time around.
This place is really fantastic!
The staff is really nice, even if they're not perfect. When you go into a restaurant and get the sense that the staff is in just a little over their head, but just a little, you know there may be a few hiccups but overall it's probably going to be an amazing meal.
The first positive sign is that, while our party of six was waiting, the gentleman I presumed to be the manager or owner brought us out a plate of tasty little egg rolls free of charge. We didn't have reservations and so we ended up waiting a half hour for a table. Not his fault that we didn't make reservations, and not his fault that the place is so popular, but it was still a nice gesture!
When we finally did get seated, we were a little disappointed that they weren't serving the prix fixe dinner for six, since there were six of us and it would have made our life a little simpler, but it turned out all right.
We ordered some appetizers - the teasingly named chicken puffs and avocado-cream cheese won-tons. They weren't bad, but they weren't amazing. The chicken puffs weren't that "puffy"; the wrapper had more of a rubbery, slightly over-friend consistency like you get with underwhelming empanadas. The cream cheese massively overwhelmed the avocado in the won-tons. Next time we'll skip the appetizers or try different ones.
The entrees, however, were novel, savory and satisfying. Grilled salmon with noodles, mango beef (served in a coconut!) and pineapple calamari (served in a pineapple!) all had very subtle, wonderful flavoring. I usually don't like the firm texture of larger chunks of squid but it really worked the way Simply It prepared them, especially in a family-style setting as a contrast to the other textures. Pork spare ribs were tasty and garlicky, although not that different from what you typically get at other Asian restaurants (and I may have cracked a filling on a tiny chunk of bone.)
Food all came out in a timely fashion. The one hiccup we had with service was a forgotten request that we had to repeat for an ice bucket for our champagne.
Biggest drawback was the noise level - the acoustics of the space combined with the, uh, type-A personality characteristics of the neighborhood and its inhabitants made conversation difficult. Atmosphere was "cozy and good for dates" but the noise level makes it better for a party crowd. This is reinforced by the appreciated BYOB policy and the fun of sharing their many entrees.
Knowing these drawbacks will not stop me from going back. A good meal forgives a lot in my book!
The Pho Bo was delicious! We got complementary salad, iced tea, pineapples for dessert, and rice crackers. The only tiny negative might be that the seating area had lots of direct sunlight, some of which was aiming at me, but I probably needed some vitamin D.
3 1/2 !
Totally great for a date. The ambiance was a lot more romantic that I'd thought it'd be.. (candles/exposed brick wall/byob).. and kind of random but.. it smelled like mothballs when I entered the building..? loool..
Very cheap for the amount of food you get. My friend ordered the beef ribs and WOW.. it could feed 3 people ! HUGE plate of korean bbq lookin' ribs w/veggies.. and a HUGE BOWL OF RICE. WOW.
I ordered the fried tilapia.. and.. it tasted like fish sticks in spaghetti-o sauce.. it didn't taste BAD, it just tasted... very random.. and not.. Vietnamese. haha. :x I'll order something else next time.
Servers were very attentive and sweet. We were given puffed rice cakes at the end :)
My friend had her HUGE order to go, and it included with this very sweet letter from the owner and how grateful he his for his customers. T'was sweet..
Lovely ambiance/good portions/good price/good service..but I'll have to order something else next time.
What makes Simply It among the best is Tuan Nguyen and his attention to detail. I've been to Vietnam a number of times and I am impressed with this restaurant's many vegetarian, tofu, seafood and meat dishes. My favorites - curry mussels or chem chep ca ry, banh hoi tom nuong (grilled shrimp with pasta) and ca kho to or catfish in a claypot. BUT mostly I have curry duck (extra hot). Always fresh ingredients as well as niice touches before and after a meal. BYOB.
I've had 2 experiences with Simply It, one was dine-in and the other was delivery.. both were fantastic!
First time I went was with a large group of 15 or so, they were great at accommodating our large group and the friendly service really impressed me. BYOB and very very reasonable prices, also a nice ambiance which was unexpected but definitely a pleasant surprise!
Then I found out that they deliver!!! Finally I don't have to trek over to Argyle for PHO! The order arrived in approximately 1hr, everything was still hot and all properly packaged (separately.. broth from noodles from veggies, etc.) The shrimp spring rolls were AMAZING, the beef short ribs were good (tastes similar to Korean bbq), and the pho, while certainly not the best, hit the spot (and was delivered to my door! I really can't complain!) They also threw in 3 complimentary pears which I thought was really cute.
The order came with a letter from the owner saying how they were struggling financially for a long time and almost had to close their doors, and how they are still struggling... please save Simply It because there really aren't a lot of good Vietnamese places in the city, and I would be so sad to see it go!
this really is not traditional vietnamese cuisine, so when you enter, keep that in mind. just as so much chinese food is usually americanized chinese food, this vietnamese food is similar and very americanized. sure there are dishes inspired by traditional vietnamese with flavors and ingredients a vietnamese person is familiar with they use bizzare ingredients in familiar dishes like banh xeo. because it is foreign to most people, they can probably get away with it because most americans won't know the difference, but to market yourself as vietnamese, a true vietnamese person would be dissappointed. better to call it fusion food i think.
I had to try this place after my coworker kept describing the food to me. I tend to not go to Vietnamese restaurants because I will always say that my mom's stuff is better. But surprisingly, what we ordered for the most part tasted authentic, but had it's own style. We ordered the catfish sour tamarind flavored soup with the stewed catfish in the pot. YUM! I love these two dishes. Also go the Bo Luc Lat (steak cubes), so tender and buttery. The duck salad with fish sauce. This one tasted very unique and the fish sauce was very mild. Our party came here on a Saturday night and it was packed! We made reservations but waited about 10 minutes for a seat. Not too bad. Expect to feel like you're in a warm Italian/Greek restaurant with all the close tables and noise. It's BYOB friendly, so it's a must check out.
This place it great - really tasty food, very reasonably priced (great lunch specials) and an owner who takes huge pride in his restaurant. Don't walk, run to this place!
Plus if you read the screwed up story of what the partners did to the chef/owner you should support this local place as much as you can.
p.s. There are always groups of good looking woman there to add to the ambiance.
Yum, yum! I ate here again last night & am equally as satisfied. I had beef pho this time-absolutely delicious. I added a bit too much hot sauce, so by the end of the meal I was sweating. My fault though.
I did want to mention, however, that they have this new "dinner for..." menu. My bf & friend split a dinner for two, which came with 2 appetizers, 1 salad, 2 entrees, and a big bowl of stick rice. Delish! Their meal was only $25.00 too! Yeah, all that food for only $12.50 per person. This is defintely the way to dine. They have dinners for 2, 4, 6, and 10. Wahoo!
I called to make reservations for a friends birthday. The man who answered the phone used my name… Read more »
I was one of the 20+ gals who went to SImply It for GNO. Bottom line, it was friggin awesome.
This was my first time at a Vietnamese restaurant so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. My anticipation quadrupled when I realized it was family style meals and I didn't have to just choose one thing. Perfect for a Vietnamese virgin like myself. The meals kept coming and everything was amazing. My favorite dish was fried calamari and pineapple in an actual pineapple! Absolute Heaven.
Despite our girl rowdiness, the servers were absolutely amazing. Our empty plates never sat on the table for more than a minute and our wine was constantly being pured for us and having the cork done.
Overall, great experience and great restaurant. I will definitely be back.
Simply It? Simply Fabulous!
As a relative Vietnamese food virgin (I've tried pho once), I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this place. Would it be heavy sauces and greasy fare like most Chinese restaurants? Would there be mystery meat? The answer is an emphatic NO! Simply it boasts some of the freshest and tastiest cuisines I've experienced in quite some time.
Of course, it's GNO night. For those not in the know, the Yelp girls like to do a monthly dinner at a BYOB restaurant so we can get out there and try new places, new ethnic cuisine and of course, hang out, drink wine, gossip and have a great time. The owner of Simply It, Twan, was so accommodating to our party. We had a beautiful, long table, impeccable service from multiple servers and Twan himself and a fabulous prix-fixe menu that allowed us to sample the best of Simply It's menu.
And that Simply It menu? We absolutely tore through it.
Appetizers included Mini veggie Egg roll, chicken dumplings, spring rolls and chicken puff pastries served with a plethora of dipping sauces. The spring rolls and the chicken puff pastries were my favorite. The spring rolls were the absolute freshest spring rolls I've ever had. No sogginess here, folks! I could roll around in whatever filling was in those chicken puff pastries, they were that good.
Our salad was a crisp, light and slightly spicy salad of papaya and shrimp. Delicious.
Entrees included the Beef Mango, which was super-tender beef tenderloin sautéed w/ fresh mango, young coconut, garlic, onion, snow peas, and red bell pepper served in a coconut shell. Calamari Pineapple, which was calamari stir-fried w/ fresh pineapple, cashews. Served in a fresh pineapple. Chicken lemongrass which was chicken stir-fried with sweet bell peppers, jalapeno, lemongrass and fresh herbs and of course a veggie dish (for those non-meat eaters out there) including sautéed fresh Asian vegetables.
The presentation was out of this world! Getting your pineapple calamari served in a gorgeous 1/2 pineapple was amazing! The mango beef? It comes in a 1/2 coconut! We eat with our eyes, first, and Simply It certainly knows it!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the key to Simply It is FRESHNESS! The sauces were light, the veggies crisp, the meat not overcooked... it tasted so clean and wonderful.
Dessert was a sampling of fried bananas and fresh, sliced watermelon, pineapple and cherries. The perfect end to a delicious meal.
Thank you again, Simply It, for taking such good care of a group of loud, half-drunk Yelpettes. It was a meal to remember!
Hands down one of the best Girls Night Out Events ever!!!!!!
Let me just say that I absolutely love this place. From the decor, to the service, to the food, to the accommodations, to the check I was in love.
It is cute, simple & not over whelming. You feel totally comfortable. The service was some of the best service I have received while dining out--none the less of 25 hungry Yelp ladies. They opened a million bottles of wine, gave us more seating for some extras in our party, they served piping hot yummy food. Oh the food! So delish! We had different dipping sauces, puff pastry chicken apps, shrimp style sushi rolls, shrimp salad, mango coconut beef, pineapple calamari [my favorite!], & lemongrass chicken. Everything wasn't over bearing in flavor or salt. It was perfect.
I ate like a true Yelp GNO Queen tonight & guess what!?! I didn't hit my wallet too hard. They advertise in the window a 6 course dinner for two people for only $25! Get yourself here with your man or woman. Hell--take me! :)
Anyway. I would also like to say that I am in love with the little owner. He is the cutest, most generous, happy & thankful restaurant owner ever! I wanted to shrink him down & put him in my pocket. So darling.
I was on of the 25+ girls that came here for GNO in August. The owner was SUPER sweet and accommodating. He didn't mind when all of us fabulous ladies invaded his restaurant, and didn't even seem to mind when girls kept showing up either!
I'm a super picky eater. No bones about it. I was nervous as I don't go out of my little food realm. I do have to say, I REALLY loved Vietnamese cuisine here! The flavors were so fresh, and light, great for a summer time treat.
My favorites were the spring rolls, pot stickers, lemon grass chicken and the mango beef. So delicious, but not in an overpowering way! The presentation for each dish was amazing as well. BEAUTIFUL! I did try the pineapple calamari, and blech---picky eater enter---the calamari didn't do it for me, but the veggies were GREAT! :-)
So, Girls of Yelp, Simply It, thanks so much for giving me a great night out with the gals, and introducing me to some great new cuisine outside of my "safety box!"
oh--and what else is so awesome about here!? BYOB!! :-)
For a while now I wondered what the "It" in Simply It stood for, now I've got some strong working theories:
* Simply great food
* Simply great service
* Simply BYOB
* Simply ridiculous that I live around the corner and it took a GNO to get me through the door
Even though this place got a lot of great Yelp reviews, I shied away from this place because I'm such a picky eater; until the most recent GNO that is. Since our meal was being served family style I didn't have to worry about committing to a single dish and being disappointed.
The space is small, simple and colorful. They accomodated the ladies trickling in for dinner with ease, adding tables, chairs, and place settings as necessary.
Our meal started with trays of appetizers and accompanying sauces. I tried the shrimp spring rolls and the veggie egg rolls. Maybe I didn't put enough sauce on my spring rolls, but I found them to be just ok. Very fresh, but a little too much filler (lettuce, daikon, whatever) for my liking. I usually shy away from all foods with the word egg in them, but I gave the mini veggie egg roll a shot and I must say it was pretty damn good. I can't say this has converted me into an egg roll fan, but I would partake if I had these again.
Next came the salad. Our GNO menu had stated that it would be a calamari salad, but it came out with shrimp instead. Whatever the reason for the switch up the salad was really good and had a nice, subtle zing to it.
The main courses I tried were the pineapple calamari, served out of a halved pineapple, and the sauteed vegetables. Both were quite good, but the pineapple calamari was my favorite. I'm not usually a fan pineapple dishes, they usually come out too sweet and the sauce too thick for my liking, but this was perfect and light. I probably could have polished off a whole pinapple dish myself!
For dessert they served a fried banana dish and complimentary fruit plates. Our pretty banana dish garnished with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle went in lightning speed; the fruit was the perfect final bite and did well to sop up any remaining chocolate on the banana plate.
Now that I've eased my way into Vietnamese cuisine I definitely plan to make a trip back!
You eat with your eyes
before you eat with your mouth.
Quite simply...scrumptious!
The name says it all - this place is Simply It!
I was the first to arrive for my first GNO. I walk in and find a huge table along the back wall all set up for the lovely ladies of yelp, so I shimmy my way to the middle along the wall. I figured I'd be in the middle of the gals, the booze and the food. I was right. So as I'm sitting down and grabbing the wine from my bag, the owner walks up and introduced himself. He's a small guy with a giant smile. He took my wine to open and chill it while I waited for the other yelpettes. Slowly the ladies began trickling in and while we got situated, the servers were grabbing everyones bottles and chilling, opening, etc. Very prompt and gracious.
On to the food. I had never had Vietnamese before, but the menu sounded awesome so I was excited.
They started us with an appetizer sampler. The servers came around and told us which sauces went with which app. I immediately forgot the protocol, but appreciated to quick lesson. I was sitting next to the fab Helena B. and when the server was telling us how to use the sauces, she noticed Helena already chose one and told her she'd ruined it. She wasn't snotty about it though, and we all found it pretty funny. Helena liked it anyway - rogue sauce and all. The egg rolls were super crunchy and I fell in love with the chicken dumplings. As the waitress was taking the plate away, I stuck my arm up to grab the last one off the plate - I mean, it's just the girls - I don't need my manners, right? Right. I didn't get to try the chicken pastry deal, and I wasn't really a fan of the spring rolls, but that's only because I'm not really a cilantro fan - so I didn't hold that against them.
The salad was a cold shrimp salad with papaya and cilantro. As long as I didn't get a bunch of cilantro in the bite, it was super light and refreshing.
The entrees were a lemongrass chicken dish, stir fried with sweet bell peppers, jalapenos, lemongrass (duh) and herbs. Very tasty. The chicken was moist and the veggies had a slight crunch to them. Then the mango beef. Served in a coconut with mango, garlic, onion, coconut and snow peas. So good. Then the calamari dish. This was the one I was most skeptical about, but ended up enjoying the most. I couldn't keep my chopsticks out of the pineapple it was served in. The calamari was cooked perfectly with cashews and, of course, pineapple and veggies. All served along side sticky rice.
Dessert was fried bananas with a strawberry and chocolate drizzle. Scrumptious. Also a plate of fresh fruits.
Everything about the meal was amazing. All the ingredients were super fresh and cooked perfectly. The decor was bright and clean. The service - the service was impeccable. They were there when you needed them, but not overbearing. The perfect balance of attentiveness that can be hard to achieve. On my way out, the owner was saying goodbye to us all, and he said goodbye to me by name! I was super impressed. LOVED HIM!
All this fabulousness for $25? This may have been my first GNO, but definitely won't be my last.
The GNO last night was outstanding, and a good part of that was because of how amazing Simply It was!
The restaurant itself is much prettier than I was expecting. I loved the exposed brick wall on one side, with bright happy colored walls across from it. The Green and orange walls, in addition to the brick walls, and all of the flowers on the tables gave this place a tropical feel. (And I love everything that makes me feel like I'm on vacation somewhere tropical!)
The service was fabulous. Everyone was so nice! White wine was put into chillers, champagne was taken away to cool in the fridge, bottles were opened constantly, water glasses were never empty. And that is even more impressive when you consider we had 25 people at 1 table!!!
The food was delicious. I'm not normally a fan of spring rolls, but these were amazing. I wanted a whole order to myself! The papaya shrimp salad was quite refreshing! That is the perfect summer salad. Everything was fresh and tasty, and the presentations were gorgeous!
And the company was incredible as always!
Simply It = Simply Outstanding!!
Went here for the GNO last night and everything about the experience was just perfect. The company, the food, the service - all stellar!!
I'll start with the food. Every single thing I ate was delicious (and I ate a lot!) My favorites were the vietnamese spring rolls, the shrimp papaya salad, and the lemongrass chicken. Everything was fresh, hot, and presented beautifully. The veggies were all cooked yet perfectly crisp - difficult to do but wonderful when done well! If you're really into presentation, I highly recommend the pineapple calamari (really I recommend it in any event - yum yum!!). The fried bananas at dessert were heavenly!
Where this restaurant really stood out for me, however, was the service. We were a group of 25 people, which is tough for any small restaurant. Even tougher when they were only expecting 20. They were so gracious, enthusiastic even, about adding extra tables and seats to our already huge table and bringing out food for people who had missed the appetizers. Water glasses were never empty and wine bottles magically opened all across the table (BYOB FYI). Also, the servers gave great explanations of the foods and the different sauces - without even being asked!
As for the company, well, I think it goes without saying that 25 yelpettes would be the best!!
I will definitely be coming here again next time I'm in the neighborhood. 5-stars indeed!!
Don't you hate when you order something called Mango Beef and there is hardly any mango or beef in it? Me too!
Finding myself at Simply It for a group gathering, we had a broad selection of items brought to our table for tasting. The portions and variety were abundant. Everything tasted fresh and yummy too. I particularly liked the dumplings, pot stickers, Chicken Lemongrass, and the dessert, Fried Banana with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
But what really got me were two things:
1. The service was actually JOLLY! The staff were more than happy to pour our BYO wine, not cover their ears to shield from all of the "lady chatter", and did it all with a smile on their face.
2. One of the girls told me the story of the owner. Apparently he was abandoned by his two partners in the restaurant venture. Instead of giving up, he has pressed on to singularly insist that this business succeed. Now that is a vision I want to support!
Thank you Simply It for the hospitality and phenomenal deals. I will be back to try the Ga Cuon Bo (Chicken Avocado appetizer)!!
I've had the opportunity to both eat in and have delivery service here, and I can't say enough about this place. Friendly and accommodating Simply It provides fresh flavorful food at a more the economical price. Dinner was a Yelp GNO with a family style presentation which made for great conversation with the amazing ladies of Yelp! Assortments of spring rolls, and spicy beef with pineapple, I only wish that I had felt better so I could eat more. That was remedied with ordering in. The lunch specials have soo much value! Fresh fruit with soup and drink are included, and if you're lucky they'll pack the most amazing calamari salad. I've ordered the beef sandwich (a couple of times) and it's amazing. Tender spicy beef on a beautiful soft roll with fresh greens, peppers OMG! Simply It does it right!
Great restaurant with good food and excellent owners. I've only had 4 dishes or so here, but they were all 4/5 stars if not better. Now when I come, I just get the staple beef pho and call it a day. 7 bucks to fill me up? I'm down. They always end your meal with complimentary fruits. It ranges from mangos, pears, apples, to pineapples and blueberries. 2 more good things about them. 1) The owners/waitresses are always so nice and helpful when you're there. 2) If you order to-go, they package everything so nicely!
4 stars for food, 5 for service. Bumped down to a 4 since this isn't a "high-end" restaurant, so the actual food should count more than the experience.
We celebrated my best friend's birthday here on a Friday night. Our party of 10 was a pretty big group for this size restaurant, but they were nothing but welcoming and helpful.
I absolutely LOVED the food at Simply It. Everyone at the table loved their meals. I ordered the Asian vegetables with crispy noodles, and the meal was perfection. I am still craving it 5 days later. Also delicious were the avocado wontons, like crab rangoon but with avocado and cream cheese! Next time I get to go out to eat, I'm going to seriously want some Simply It. Just fair warning, it is kind of loud on a Friday bc it is so crowded, but I once it died down after 9pm, it was the PERFECT atmosphere for a dinner party.
This is a solid 4 star.
I had the Shrimp Satay and the Simply It's Beef "Luc Loc"
The food is really good but I found it a little pricey. I can get the same quality dish for couple bucks less uptown. Oh well, the place and the service worth the couple extra bucks.
I also like the fact that they serve fresh fruit as a complimentary dessert.
It worths the try!
5 stars is compared to other restaurants in this price bracket. Not the same category as Bon Soiree, Schwa, or Alinea.
The lunch specials are insanely cheap (I think they're all under $10) and include salad, spring roll, rice, and a drink. And so so so delicious. I have yet to try anything I don't like on the menu... although the chicken soup is a bit standard (not a bad thing, I just like my food a little weird).
Delivery is great - you often get a little extra treat with your order - fresh fresh fruit (no half assed fruit salad), some fried rice, etc. The owner is a treat to talk to over the phone, and delivery wait time is reasonable. Everything arrives hot, packaged separately when needed.
Dining in is fantastic - it's BYOB and I hear they have some insane deal on a multi-course meal. (I've been ordering delivery lately but am wayyy tempted by a $25 six course meal for two!)
Support this business and give it a try - I guarantee you'll like it. There is no "wrong thing" to order, unless you expect a specific version of Vietnamese food.
There is not nearly enough Vietnamese food in Chicago. If you go on Metromix and click "Thai," you find 211 restaurants in the Chicagoland area. If you click "Chinese," there are 822. But searching for "Vietnamese" yields only 59 - and half of those are within a few blocks of each other, along or around Argyle Street. There's something wrong with this picture.
When done right, Vietnamese food tastes fresh, clean and healthy - and that's just how Simply It tasted tonight. I ordered from this restaurant for the first time. The food arrived within the expected timeframe, was packaged carefully and well, and was still hot when it arrived. And both the guy who took my order and the guy who delivered the food were unusually friendly. Already, we're off to a refreshingly good start.
The Tamarind Shrimp Soup was divine - an interesting mix of plump shrimp, fruit and vegetables in a delicious broth with just the right amount of spice. I also had the Coconut and Mango Beef - a wonderful mix of fresh veggies, mango and beef - and a very tasty Tamarind smoothie (thank you, Tuan).
I had a hard time choosing which dishes to order, because so many looked good. But I won't have a difficult time choosing which restaurant to order from next time.
Let's hope more restaurants like Simply It open around town and bring more of this excellent food to more parts of the city.
Simply It is a fantastic restaurant! I loved the liveliness and the food was exceptional. It's BYOB which is the main reason we went there and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the atmosphere. It's loud, but I love that. I had the bean sprouts and tofu, which was the favorite dish of my table, and the other people with me enjoyed their food a lot too! The food really was great (and inexpensive). I highly recommend having a meal at Simply It if you are in the area!
AMAZING! I can't say enough good things about this place!
I went to this bright, darling restaurant with co-workers one day after one of them couldn't stop displaying everything she got for eight dollars. The girl couldn't have been happier, and now I know why.
The lunch special includes refreshing ginger iced (or hot) tea or lemonade, soup, salad, an egg roll, an entree, rice and fruit. Yes - as my friend kept repeating - all for eight dollars!
The entire meal was absolutely delectable. I had the calamari and its garlic sauce was the perfect subtle seasoning the dish needed.
On top of the delicious food, the service was wonderful. Our waitress was sweet and attentive and the man I took for the owner couldn't have been nicer!
I will certainly be back again, especially considering it's BYOB. (I've actually already ordered take out from there twice since then). If you're looking for somewhere filling, fresh and affordable, Simply It is the place.
This place is a fantastic BYOB. Inexpensive, tasty and the service is excellent as well. We went for a birthday party on a Friday night and did have to wait for a table for a little bit, but with BYOB's that is to be expected. While we waited the owner brought us water and three different appetizers for free. He was doing it for everyone who had to wait for a table. I mean that's just awesome. The food is delicious and they have a wide variety of meat options from beef to chicken to fish, not to mention a healthy selection of vegetarian options as well. Simply it is just simply awesome.
I ordered delivery one night looking for something different.
My food was decent. A little too natural for my taste...a little bland but seemingly very fresh. Maybe I'm just used to high salt in everything. :)
Make sure to mention any nut allergies. I ordered a salad which came covered in nuts and said nothing about including nuts in the description. When I called to inquire they sent a nut free replacement in a few minutes.
Great customer service. When I placed my order they asked if I was a first time customer and sent fresh fruit. Very nice touch.
So err.. I wouldn't call this vietnamese cuisine, but vietnamese fusion or americanized vietnamese food, or average food with vietnamese flavors. I'm not a snob but was just severely disappointed with the vietnamese crepe (banh xeo) containing mushrooms and chicken?!? WTF. gross. I love mushrooms and am down with chicken, but in banh xeo.. seriously? That's like making pho and adding in spinach and pork.. um, *barf* Is there another Vietnam I don't know about? Were you adopted? Cuz it's time to turn in your vietnamese card! cuz no banh xeo contains such shit. Unless they're all laying in the dumpster together and touching each other. Even in Michigan they didn't fuck up banh xeo. Shame on you!! and I was really wanting the usual, traditional kind that contains pork belly and shrimp... mung beans, yeah those belong in there too, depending on tastes.. *cries* OH WELL. Simply it should keep it simple instead of adding all this extra, random ass shit to what's more traditional dishes that shouldn't be fucked with -- tweaked for mainstream tastes or trying to be cool and shit. Be proud of who you really are. Dude, be real with it... you white washed bitch. I mean, I'm one too but I haven't totally sold out just yet cuz I have asian friends and we even hang out in public. So once again CHICAGO, vietnamese food just isn't your forte now is it...
Would I come here when craving vietnamese food? No. Would I bring my parents here if they visited? Yeah right! My mom would slap me and my dad would gag while my grandma judges me by shooting me some side eye action! Would I come here cuz I'm down the street and want something along the lines of being asian? Hmmmmmmmm.... Sure. So I'm giving it another chance to try and woo me... hello avocado wontons and BYOB. I just hope I'm not left wondering AGAIN... what the hell is this shit??? dookie pretending to be "vietnamese?!" FOR SHAME!!!!!!! Do ya really need to water down most viet dishes cuz a lot of it is pretty much like thai food but not as sweet and if you delve more into it, there's some french and chinese influences. Not some radical fuckery. FYI.
My stomach cries sad acidic tears! Don't cry stomach...!! Mama's gonna try and cook this shit at home next time, so don't cry.. you're not wearing waterproof eyeliner today.
I was saving my 20th review for an awesome place! And this is it!
Simply it has it all!
Hands down the best Vietnamese cuisine in town! The food was absolutely outstanding and it is BYOB so you bring whatever you want to drink and pay nothing for it!
The service is really good. Nice and friendly.
The decoration is really nice and it's budget friendly!
A must place to visit!
When a friend of mine found out I'd be going to Simply It for August's Yelp Girls Night Out event, she forwarded me an article that had run in an April 2009 issue of Time Out Chicago (http://bit.ly/HKCB6). "It breaks my heart," she said in the e-mail.
Well. I read the story on my way down and immediately loved the GNO organizer even more than before just for choosing this restaurant. (Seriously. Read the story.)
Basically? The [adorable, exuberant] owner got screwed by his two partners and left in a horrifying financial lurch -- now he's struggling just to make ends meet, but he won't leave the business because it's his passion and all he knows in the world. I wanted to hug him before I met him, and by the time I left, I was ready to put him in my pocket and take him everywhere with me. What a joyous, lovely man.
A lot of reviews here speak to authenticity, and, well, I don't care. It's in Lincoln Park, for God's sake; do you really expect anything authentic to come of this neighborhood?
BUT. The GNO team did our research and determined that, even if it wasn't completely true to traditional Vietnamese recipes, it's completely delicious.
Platters of appetizers came first -- fresh spring rolls with shrimp, egg rolls, little deep-fried sail shapes stuffed with chicken, peas and carrots, pot stickers -- they were delicious on their own, but I'm a sucker for sauces. And the hoisin-peanut sauce meant for those spring rolls? Yeah, I made someone take my spoon away.
The entrees: lemongrass chicken with a warm, wonderful flavor, mango beef (in a COCONUT SHELL) with not enough of either title ingredient, and pineapple calamari, which was probably the least offensive calamari I've ever tried. And that's saying something, I guess. A big bowl of steamy sticky rice and a cornucopia of fresh vegetables brought the middle of the meal together.
Dessert was deep-fried banana heaven, plus platters of fresh watermelon, sliced strawberries and bing cherries. The last cherry I ate was the straw that broke this camel's back, and I left the restaurant doubled over in the best pain I've felt in a long time. Except -- well, never mind.
But I couldn't make it out the door without a sweet, sincere send-off from the owner. He held his hands out and thanked me for coming in. I managed a smile-like "God damn I'm FULL" grimace and told him it was a wonderful experience. And it had been.
The food was lovely, obviously, with stellar service to match: When I asked for a straw, it was presented to me with a flourish, and the 25 or so women I dined with never wanted for wine chillers, water refills or extra napkins. And the whole. staff. SMILED. How refreshing!
I am a virtuous woman. So far be it from me to add a "pity" star to boost the likelihood that people will visit Simply It because it's a good story and they're going through a rough time. (And really, what restaurant isn't struggling a bit?)
But I will give a solid 4-star experience a fifth for warm fuzzies.
I created a Yelp account just so I could comment on this place. The food is pretty good, the decor is nothing to write home about and the location/parking for this place...meh. But the reason I love this place so much is because of the owner. He is perhaps the sweetest man I have ever met. He always welcomes you into his establishment with a smile and you can't help but be in a good mood when you leave. I support this restaurant because it is in my neighborhood and they have been going through some rough financial times (there is a great tear-jerking article about this place in Time Out Chicago). I believe supporting businesses that continually go above and beyond - these are the nicest people and the food is good, so I try and go once a week.
Now for the food...the curry is flavorful - I recommend the Clay Pot Chicken and the Roasted Duck Curry. I usually get one of those two when I order, but I must admit I have only lived nearby for a few months. But try the watermelon smoothie when you go (no bubble tea). I can't eat there without getting one.
Please try this place. You will not be let down. And say hey to the owner for me.
Simply wonderful, both times around.
My first time to Simply It I had the Catfish in a Clay Pot and enjoyed it very much.
My second time around, I went with other Yelpettes for a Girls Night Out and I think they served us nearly the whole menu. For appetizers I tasted the egg roll and the spring roll and enjoyed them both (and the hoisin sauce with peanuts was fabulously addictive). A salad of shrimp and shredded papaya followed, and I think I ate a small ocean's worth. Then the main courses came, and I had some of the vegetable dish, and then the Pineapple Calamari. The later was artfully presented in a 1/2 pineapple and for the first time actually made me like calamari because I liked the sauce so much. The Mango beef came in a coconut and while I only tried a piece of the mango, the presentation was lovely. Dessert was platters of watermelon, cherries and strawberries, and then the piece de resistance, banana rolls (like a fried banana egg roll) topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
They handled our tremendous party (25 women) with grace and good humor. I am glad they are in my neighborhood and I really want to see them succeed.
They also deliver, so this will be a good winter hibernation meal option as well.
Simply It is simply delicious and great. As one of the many GNO'ers, I came in here with the hopes of trying some yummy Vietnamese food. When I arrived, the large table encompassing the back wall of the restaurant already had quite a few GNO girls seated. The restaurant itself is a little gem down to its green and orange walls, bamboo curtain by the bathrooms, flowers, and general modern decor.
Simply It delivers on great food at a great price. For appetizers, we had spring rolls, chicken dumplings, vegetable samosa like triangles served with a variety of excellent sauces. Every appetizer was well made and tasty. For the salad course, they served a chili papaya salad with shrimp. Since only a small portion was served among eight girls, I only tasted the papaya without the shrimp. It was a small serving snafu that was remedied with the entree and dessert courses. Thanks to the family style service, everyone got to taste the entrees: mango beef, vegetable, lemongrass chicken, and pineapple calamari. The mango beef is so good. I usually avoid beef when ordering any Asian cuisine. Their mango beef changed that for me. So good. The vegetable entree was excellent as well. The best entree had to be the pineapple calamari. It's such a unique presentation and flavors all in one dish. After tasting all of the entrees, it's obvious that each dish tastes distinctly different from the others. The fried banana and fruit desserts were excellent and refreshing. Our section of the table had no problem enjoying the dessert and accompanying fruit.
The service was excellent. The owners did an amazing job keeping up with 25 people and lots of bottles of wine. They diligently opened up bottles of wine when we started to go through the plentiful stash.
All in all, Simply It is pretty damn good. They have an excellent menu, great service, and are BYOB to boot.
Doh! Why didn't I come here before?! This place was fantabulous (yeah, I used that word, so what). We thought it would be good to try some new food over Memorial Day weekend. There were four of us and not one person had anything negative to say about the food. Here's what we ordered and shared:
*Avocado Wonton - like a crab rangoon, but with avocado. 3 stars
*Chef's Hung Choice - vegetarian rolls; must like veggies. 5 stars
*Catfish in a Clay Pot - delicioso!. 5 stars
*Pineapple Calamari - wish it had been served in the pineapple, but it wasn't in season :( Still. 5 stars
*Crispy Tofu with Pineapple - not big on tofu, but the others loved it. 4 stars
*Tofu and Eggplant - it's cooked the same way as the catfish and tasted just as good. 5 stars
Not only was the food great, but love that's it is a BYOB with no corkage fee. It made our meal so much more inexpensive. And, there's a CVS on the way to buy something if you're walking from the train. Also, unlike some BYOBs with no corkage fee, this one did cork the wine for us and chilled it on ice for us.
We made reservations, but came 15 minutes early and didn't mind waiting. However, the owner was so sweet and kept reassuring us that our table would be clean soon and it was.
All in all, this was a great experience and will definitely be coming back!!
It seems like a lot of people who went here really enjoyed their experience. While I think the food here was definitely adequate, Simply It disappointed me in what has become my one single measuring stick for all vietnamese restaurants: pho.
The $6.50 bowl of pho here was not quite what I was hoping for. The broth just straight up didn't feel like it had been simmering for hours with lots of fresh and interesting spices. It felt thrown together from some swanson's with a heavy dose of garlic powder. I can't help but compare any bowl of pho I ever have to that of my local standard, Hai Yen. The bowl of pho at Simply It was significantly smaller, with less broth, less chicken, and significantly fewer rice noodles, and it just plain didn't taste as good. Don't get me wrong... it was still pho. But it was not all the pho that it could be. Additionally the plastic chopsticks made the rice noodles significantly harder to eat than with nice wooden 'sticks.
I guess I'd come back and try some of the other items people on here have recommended. Also the summer roll we had for an appetizer was quite tasty. But if you're a vietnamese place and you can't do pho right...
I had a chance to meet the owners of Simply It/ Viet Bistro through a Vietnamese cooking clinic that a friend of ours told us about, that they had put together up at their Viet Bistro location off of Devon. It was awesome! We tried their cooking and it was delicious. The head chefs and family were extremely friendly and my wife and I met some wonderful people at that event.
My wife and I on our date night on a Friday and decided to try Simply It after hearing great things about the restaurant. The food was excellent. They atmosphere really nice with a nice step away from the busy bar life off of Lincoln. The walls had nice tasteful artwork across the room to complete the vibe of Simply It. The staff that works there are very friendly and helped make the dining experience.
We tried the crepe shrimp dish and the dumplings as an appetizer and it was delicious. The crepe was almost like a lettuce wrap concept and the food presentation was great. We then ordered a spicy shrimp dish (awesome), mixed vegetable dish over crispy noodles (great sauce) and they gave us a lemongrass chicken dish which was also tasted great.
It was also BYOB which was great and they brought out a nice wine chiller for your table as well. The staff was always there to help you out by refilling your drinks, clearing the tables and making sure that everything tasted good.
We had a nice chat with the owner and family during dinner. They are very very friendly and my wife and I had a blast that evening.
We will definitely be coming back and I have recommended it to several other friends already!
Neighborhood: North Park
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Uptown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Uptown
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Uptown
Category: Vietnamese
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