Vietnamese Spot with Balut — Ocean Grill & Bar 🥚🦪

A Vietnamese PR friend who usually reps Tanta tried Ocean Grill & Bar and raved about it. After seeing some posts, I got curious — so I rounded up friends and headed over one weekend. 🥚 Balut (Fertilized Duck Egg) – Ordered thinking it was quail eggs… nope! Served with tamarind sauce — tangy, unique, but not really my thing. 🐌 Snails (Whelk) – Wanted clams in scallion oil, but they were sold out. Snails came in multiple styles (satay, tamarind, salted egg, etc.) — fun to try different preparations. 🦀 Crab Meat Glass Noodles – Light on crab, but the noodles were perfectly cooked — not too soft or firm, with subtle seafood flavor. 🍲 Lamb Hot Pot – Served with veggies and tofu skin — my friend called it “Vietnamese zhizhu lamb stew.” When we asked for more broth, they tried to bring a whole new pot with meat! Had to stop them for just broth. 🍚 Fried Sticky Rice – Shaped like a rice ball, stuffed with pork, shrimp, and mushrooms — hearty and savory. ☕ Vietnamese Coffee – Friend said it tasted like “liquid tiramisu.” I had the Thai kumquat green tea — too sweet for my taste. 🔥 Pork Skewers Grilled in the Parking Lot – Saw the chef grilling them on the way out — looked amazing! Saving for next time. Overall decent — but I think seafood might be the real draw. Next visit I’ll try the scallops and clams! 📍 Ocean Grill & Bar 1826 S Canal St, Chicago, IL 60616 #OceanGrillBar #VietnameseFood #Balut #SeafoodLovers #ChicagoEats #PilsenChicago #HotPot