Pasteur (formerly Simply Pasteur) — Restaurant in Lake View Township

We are Vietnamese from DC, in Chicago for a family reunion. We stayed downtown but because we wanted to support a Vietnamese establishment we drove 7 miles in congested Labor Day weekend traffic out to this restaurant that seemed very promising from the high review score. In hindsight, I should have noted the low number of reviews. The six of us that included two hungry young children arrived around 7.10pm. We were greeted warmly at the door and walked into an almost empty but large seating area. I thought the host was a bit clueless as she would walk quietly behind us so we did not really know where she wanted to sit us. My wife was carrying my sleeping 5 year old son and the same hostess proceeded to take the 6th chair away which again was a red flag. Did she expect my wife to carry the child through the dinner? Water was served quickly but only for 4 of the 6 people. We had to ask the waitress for more water. But we were happy to see familiar dishes on the menu.

We ordered a variety of traditional Vietnamese dishes noticing that the price was on the high end. By 7.25 all orders were in and I made a special request that since the kids were very hungry that their food come out quickly. Almost 20 minutes later two appertizers came out. The tempura shrimps were enveloped in super thick batter and sure enough the flour is still uncooked in the inside. The banh xeo, an easy but endearing Vietnamese dish, was burnt in the outside but also uncooked inside. We did not recognize some of the accompanying vegetables or the way the dish was presented as authentic Vietnamese. We asked to return the shrimp dish (3 of the 4 shrimps left.) Then we sat there and waited patiently for our other dishes, one of which is pho, which any good Vietnamese restaurant would be able to bring out in 10 minutes or less. But not this one.

By 8.10, almost an hour after we'd arrived, there was no food on the table. Everybody was hungry and wondering what was going on. We finally asked our waitress who went to the kitchen to check and came back saying food would be forthcoming in two minutes. Five minutes later there was no food still. There were only two other tables besides ours. I asked my family to stand up to leave - the first time ever in my life as a foodie to have walked out of a restaurant because of poor food or service. We left a $20 on the table so the poor waittress would still get something for her time.

We felt angry, cheated even. This place, branding itself as an upscale Vietnamese place, does not even cook Vietnamese food. The favorable reviews scream fake to me after having seen and tasted how food is cooked in the most amateurish way possible. As such, despite the fancy decor and uniform, I predict a long and painful death for this place. I suggest that potential customers stay far...

I'm a big fan of this place, the food and overall how dedicated the owner, Uncle Tuan is to his business. He single-highhandedly runs his business and do everything for his employees and his customers. He never takes a day off and yet, when you see him, he will always greet you with a smile and open arms.

Since my last review in 2013, I've since ordered delivery a couple of times (great way to surprise the hubby at work) and catering for my mother's 60th surprise birthday party which had about 30 people. I was able to talk to Uncle Tuan on the phone, we texted and customized the menu which had over 6 choices and he arranged for delivery pick-up to meet me half way since I lived outside of his delivery zone. He was always willing to work with me and kept me up to-do-date on all the details so I knew when the food was being made, being delivered and prep instructions. The food came freshly made, flavored right and the portions were more than enough. His catering food was the star of my Mother's party and many people asked where did I catered from. I had gotten the Banh Cuon (Vietnamese rice crepes), Lemon Grass Chicken, Grilled Beef Short Ribs, Simply It Special Noodles and Fried Rice, and Beef Skewers to just name a few and everyone really enjoyed it.

I really wish that this restaurant was in my local neighborhood because it would be a place that I frequent often. Sadly, I write this review to ask for your support from fellow Yelp community and friends who shares my love for food and ethnic cuisines. While business has been good on the delivery side, I've learned that dine-in rate has slowed down due to the location and competition. The restaurant could be facing some tough decisions in the near future so I wanted to be transparent and urge you to come and check it out. Please tell your friends and to try the food and see the unbelievable level of customer service for yourself. There is always a Yelp check-in deal and always a promotion.

This is a one-of-a-kind family owned business and Uncle Tuan is really an uncle to all visitors. Please come and help support his business and check out his food and flavors. He is always opened arms and all ears for feedback and suggestions on how to make the food and service better. He truly cares about his customers, his food, his brand and his work. I'm not related to him at all and this review is from my perspective as a long-time patron who really values his business in the...

My family has gone here multiple times in the past and loved the food. This time, was an extremely disappointing experience and I highly doubt we will return again. We went today for my mom’s birthday. The servers were very nice and patient, however the service was extremely slow. It almost felt like they forgot about our orders. The Virgen margarita and mango mojito were very good! Nice mint! The dumplings and veggie egg rolls were great. BUT the slow service was a big turn off for me. We waited probably 30 minutes between foods. The menu didn’t say what dishes were spicy or not, so the waitress dissuaded what I wanted to order. When changing my order, I asked if I could have scallops substituted for chicken understanding it could be an extra cost. She said they couldn’t add it to this dish because it would change the flavor. Okay, so I asked if they could be put on the side the dish (the other dish offered scallops added for $5). Maybe olive oil and salt or something would be easy to accommodate. The waitress misunderstood me, which is fine. But later when asking about scallops I ordered, she apologized for the miscommunication. That’s fine. She asked the chef if he could do scallops on the side, and it would be $26 for 8. I understand scallops are expensive, but I don’t understand why adding them to one dish would be $5 but they couldn’t simply add that number of scallops to the side of my dish if they cannot add them to my dish. I personally didn’t like my dish. The potion size was rather small as well. They were out of the key lime pie (out of three desserts). Quite disappointing. I understand that there are shortages due to covid and supply chains, but this experience didn’t live up to our past experiences at all. The food did not stand up to our past experience and the service was even slower than the usual slow speed that I remember. In the past, the great food used to make the wait time worth it. Also, the chairs continue to be extremely uncomfortable. The best part of the restaurant is the attitudes of the wait staff. It just felt like they had to make excuses for the lack of kitchen staff, limited menu options, and culinary inflexibility...