Sunset Phở Caffe — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Went here on a Sunday afternoon, the place was packed, which is a good indication of great food.

We were intrigued by the combination of Vietnamese and Croatian food, but did not know what to expect.

I asked our waiter for recommendations and he recommended the Cevapcici spring rolls, which is number one under appetizers, and number 45 which is stir-fry chicken or beef with veggies.

We did start off with number 1, because these were the Yugoslavian spring rolls and we also ordered number 2, La's smoked salmon spring rolls to start ($5 for 2 egg rolls)

For our courses we ordered number 18 which is grilled lemongrass pork, shrimp and I will with noodles. It comes with steamed rice noodles, shredded lettuce, bean sprout mint, basil, cucumber pickle, carrot, radish, Ginger, crushed peanuts and their special sauce on the side. We also ordered number 26 which is the rare and flank beef pho soup.

Number 18 is a cold dish, which I feel would be better served on hot summer days, and the pho soup is an excellent choice on colder days. Be careful with the Special Sauce for number 18. Sprinkle a little bit on top first to see how it tastes before adding any additional sauce, as it can get spicy.

Both dishes were delicious, huge portions, the spring rolls are two large spring rolls which they will cut in half for you. One order spring rolls is more than enough for two people, next time we will only get one order. The cebapcici spring rolls were our favorite, very different and very tasty.

When you enter the restaurant you go past the Long Bar on the left and someone will greet you and seat you, you then step up to the elevated dining area where they have 5 tables for four people one table for two people and three tables that can accommodate 6 people. There is also seating at the long Bar in front, but when we were there no one was eating at the bar.

Did not need reservations on a Sunday afternoon, but they were almost full. I would imagine that you need to make a reservation for weekend evenings.

The menu is very large and there are several interesting items that we want to return...

Treat you like family is an abused phrase in the review world, but it honestly is true at Sunset Pho Caffe. The owners take pride in the menu and treat guests like the restaurant was an extension of their home. No doubt Chicago is filled to the brim with overrated eateries that are well decorated (with a price tag to match) but lack heart and soul. When everything from the reclaimed wood floors to the "vintage" signs to the grammable quotes on the wall is calculated by an expensive designer to evoke certain reactions, you feel like a kid in an amusement park full of mechanical smiles and rehearsed personas. Tipping culture and competition is probably to blame, but regardless authenticity gets lost, including in the food. As for the Sunset pho tai, it's the best one I've had in Chicago. There I said it. The broth is, just as Zel described, "rich but not heavy". Everything is made from scratch - the broth has so much flavor crammed into every cubic inch, each spoonful solicits another and another. The deliciousness is no surprise - it cooks for over 10 hours! A telltale color of good pho broth is light tan, not dark brown. Ever since we came back from a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam we wondered why US-ified, Americanized pho was so greasy and intense when the real thing is actually quite clean and light. As much as I love soup and brothy things, I could never have much before I felt too full and sleepy and had to take the rest home. This was the first time I almost finished the entire bowl. Even the fiance was impressed. Credit goes to him for finding this gem! Like most wonderful things, it was an accidental discovery since our usual place on Argyle was closed Mondays. I'll be enthusiastically recommending it from now on as a remedy for American pho and the hype restaurants, especially if you appreciate charming interiors and an old-time feel where a writer may be huddled over their notebook at a corner table, bathed in the glow of a warm lamp and a scotch (or in this case, plum brandy!). Somewhere between Europe and Asia, but...

Most wonderful restaurant we visited in a while. We were greeted by friendly staff and shown to the window table right away. Our trip started with RAKIJA ŠLJIVOVICA and PELINKOVAC (cure for everything). Overwhelmed by the choices from Yugoslavia and Vietnam in the middle of the day we decided to take it easy and come back for everything else we can't eat now. GURMANSKA PLJESKAVICA and SPICY LEMONGRASS SOUP made the cut for the first round. Everything else will just have to wait. While we waited we had more rakija and pelinkovac, some water as well. Lemongrass soup came first. Half a minute before pljeskavica. Just enough for both of us to try it and understand that the choice we made was right. It was everything I wanted and more. 12 hour broth is recognizable right away. Perfectly spiced it just makes you savor every spoon you put in your mouth. Amazing. More rakija. More pelinkovac. Time to switch. Just by looking at the texture I could tell it was going to be great and it was. If you don't know what pljeskavica is and you like burgers this is it only much better. Don't skip the onions that come with it. It's part of the dish. You can't eat one without the other. Same goes for ćevapčić dish. Liberating experience of onion smell and not a care in the world for a few moments. Rakija might've played a role in it as well. We're coming back for more of the same and different. Loved everything about it. Experience, food, atmosphere, location......