Horrible Vietnamese food!
I've been here twice and both times were horrible. I've ordered the pho dac biet (very bland broth and tough meat), the lemongrass vermicelli (meat looked disgusting and tasted even worse), seafood banh canh (carrots were raw and flavorless, cabbage was soggy, and the broth was so bland). The seafood was decent but it's not hard to take that out of the package and put it in boiling broth.
For pho I'll stick to Pho888 and for vermicelli noodles I'll stick to New Saigon. I will never come back to Tank again.
The best and most authentic Vietnamese food in Chicago. Â Or so I've been told. Â I really have no way of corroborating that claim but I've heard it from multiple people who know much much more about food than I. Â All I know is its delicious, cheap and the portions are enormous. Also they make some badass smoothies. Â I highly recommend the taro root one, despite having no idea what that is.
Don't get fancy or overwhelmed by the menu, just get some pho and shut up. Number 39 and 40 are the classic Pho dishes and 40 is stupid big. Â I list these dishes as numbers because that's how the waiters invariably refer to them. Â On our last visit, two of my more meathead friends wanted to order a bit more meat after we were all finished. Â To be fair, some of their dishes can be a bit light on the dead animal. Â The simple order of meat almost shortcircuited our teenage waiter. Â He was a super good waiter and very knowledgable about the menu but the simple order of meat didn't conform to the "number system". Â He attempted to point to a specific number but my friend who initiated the meat order stopped him in his tracks and stated simply, "all I want is a piece of meat". Â This Abbot and Costello skit ended with the waiter checking in the kitchen if this was possible and returning with the info that the kitchen was now closed. Â Seems likely since it was after 10:30 at that point, but I like to think that the idea of making a dish that didn't conform to one of the numbers on the menu caused the place to close down.
Return visit to Tank today! I was famished. Went to lunch at Tank with Brother.
Brother had a noodle soup. Rice noodles with big chunks of taro in a delicious curry-coconut broth. I would guess it had a chicken base. It had an orange color. Slightly sweet. Â I had pho with slices of beef plus some tripe. As usual, they bring the sprouts, basil, lime, sliced chili pepper to add into both soups. Â Delicious!
I also had the summer rolls with pork and shrimp. There are other variations on the menu, including a vegetarian option.
As others have noted, Tank Noodle has most communal seating, which is fine.
Service is friendly, and they seem to know their regulars. Really good vibe.
Minor thing for them to fix would be the cleanliness of the spoons. I picked out 3 dirty ones before I found a clean one. Brother picked out one (dirty) and then just gave up. It is a casual place, so he just ended up sipping his broth directly from the bowl. (Don't look now, Miss Manners!)
Bro and I also had avocado smoothies with the tapioca. They serve it with big chunks of fruit on top. So delicious, although slightly better suited for summer.
Literally some of the best pho you will ever taste. Right off the Argyle stop, Tank Noodle simply can't be beat. I came for my birthday with a HUGE party without making any sort of reservation or calling ahead. I had expected it to not be too busy on a random Tuesday but, boy, was I wrong. It was absolutely packed! In spite of this, the staff was quick to rearrange tables and move other patrons so the 18 of us could all sit together. We were able to place our orders efficiently and since almost all of us had cash, we could do separate checks.
PS - It's BYOB so stop by the liquor store down the street and grab a few beers before coming in.
This place, for me, is almost 5-star worthy.
I've come here many times and always been pleased when I left. Â Okay, the pho isn't as good as Pho 75 back home. Â But, it's about as close as you can get.
I have the pho everytime, and I think the quality is pretty consistent throughout the times I have been. Â I also get a bahn mi to compliment my soup about 50% of the time... you can ask them to bring it out at the same time, otherwise the sandwich will come when you're already done with your soup! Â The quality of the broth is good. Â When you plunge your chopsticks and spoon into it and lift you see all the little bits of goodness rise to the surface. Â Now that's a quality broth! Â Very nice depth to it, and the garnishes they bring out are extremely plentiful. Â
The sandwiches are also of the best quality I've as yet found in Chicago (although I still haven't been to Ba Le across the street) Â I've only gotten another dish once or twice. Â I can't say I was super impressed, but I guess it's more of a what-you-expect meal by going into any sort of Asian cuisine. Â Maybe a little better. Â
This place is the tops :)
Being a bay area girl, I'm constantly surrounding by Vietnamese food. That being said because there's so many of them, I can't really tell you what pho is really good. I was really less skeptical when I came to visit my cousin in Chicago, who was bragging about having good vietnamese food there. We went to tank and it was crazy pack. I ordered the bun rieu and I couldn't help but think to myself that this is my mom's way of making it. I love their bun rieu and definitely will make it a point to come back when I visit my cousin.
Review Source:I've had Vietnamese food before when I was a kid in Hong Kong, when I grew older while in Korea, and at Le Colonial when I came to Chicago. I absolutely love it. I will not forget the meat dish I had when I was kid. There are Vietnamese places in Seoul, Korea but these serve the basics like Pho and Spring Rolls. I will not say much about Le Colonial...this is not that restaurant's review plus its another whole new tier of culinary ecstasy.
I was blessed to have had two Indian friends (both named sid) who shared my desire to explore. I wanted to something I had never had before...something that not a lot of people here would perhaps try.
Yes... FROG CURRY!
That is what I had at Tank Noodle. Eating frog probably sounds much worse than it actually tastes. It tastes like chicken but with a slight fishy taste. IT...WAS....GOOD!
We also had the catfish in a claypot which was also great. The sauce is traditionally a bit salty so definitely eat it with some rice. It was really intriguing to discover that the sauce for the catfish was very similar to the sauce of a favorite Japanese dish of mine: Simmered Red Snapper Head.
I will be coming to Tank Noodle for more. Oh, and I almost forgot. Their choice of music is all 90's. Listening to Backstreet boys while I ate frog curry was awesome haha
Im one of those people that sticks to the same thing everytime i go to a place! so i always get the shrip spring rolls, sum pho soup with liek 5 differant kinds of meat and a steak sandwich with veggies ( i always take half of the soup home and half of the sandwich home for lunch the next day). Â My bf always gets sum tofo and noodles dish which is also just amazing. Â
The run down of the place: very traditional, super fast service, byob, nice friendly servers, food portions are huggggge!, consistant food! thats all i ask for in an amazing place i lovvve this place. Especially in the winter somtimes we go like 2 times in a week! Its far from home but so worth the drive! Thanks tank for always having good, fast, hot, food!!!
Wow. Â "Cam on" (with some accents I can't duplicate), as they say in Vietnam, which means "thank you."
We visited Tank Noodle shortly after Thanksgiving and loved every minute of our experience there. Â My husband and I visited Vietnam last summer and Tank Noodle has the best Vietnamese food I've tasted outside of Vietnam. Â
The menu is amazing and it features every kind of pho you can imagine (even vegetarian!). Â The appetizers are delicious and I highly recommend getting the lettuce wraps with seasoned beef. Â They come with a lot of goodies on the side and you can impress your waiter by making a rice paper wrap with your chopsticks (if you're handy enough).
The ingredients were supremely fresh, there was a lot of veggie to add into the broth and a TON of amazing sauces for topping off your pho. Â I recommend adding hoisin sauce to your broth, as it enhances everything about the flavors in the broth. Â
Tank Noodle is where it's at if you want authentic, traditional, yummy Vietnamese. Â And the prices aren't bad, either.
This place always looks busy but I can't see why after my first visit -- our two dishes (one meat one veg) were overpriced (for what it is) and bland. The vegetarian options were surprisingly few. I don't know that I'll bother trying it again when yummy and reliable Ba Le is across the street. Â I see that others rave about the pho, and neither of us happened to order it this time, so maybe we'll try it one more time.
Review Source:Pho is back on my good list! I was pretty disappointed with my first sampling of pho. I gave it another try and I loved it this time around!
The broth is perfect - not too salty and I loved the bean sprouts that you were given to put into it. The beef was perfectly sliced and not too chewy. Â Pho is an awesome meal to have on a cold winter day!
I also had the Bahn Mi which was yummy, but was way too spicy for my taste. I'm not sure if it was one of the vegetables or the marinade on the beef but my mouth was on fire. I don't do spicy food well so my boyfriend at the majority of it. It was a bummer since I did enjoy it the last time I ate it. Maybe next time I will ask for a less spicy version.
Service was slightly sub par. Our waitress wasn't too friendly and only checked on us once. Also, our appetizer egg rolls came after our pho and sandwich were served. Last, we ordered extra beef but did not get it. Thankfully we were not charged for it.
Overall, good return visit and I see is coming back in the future to warm our bellies with some delicious pho.
The place does get crowded to be prepared to share a bigger table if you are a party of two and you come in when it is busy.
Before I would love coming up to Argyle for pho. We would always come to this place because my friend likes coming here and it is a big place. The place gets packed and you would assume it is really good, but honestly overrated. The broth itself is pretty plain, but if you add sauce, it will make up for it.
The reason why I am giving them a 1 star review is because of their lack of customer service. We came here one time with a group of people and we all ordered pho. I was a little less than halfway done with my pho when I noticed hair in the broth. I felt disgusted and informed our server about this. They told me, we can make you another one. That was fine with me because I was hungry and just wanted to eat something. They brought me my other pho and to my surprise, there was hair in it again! I was upset at this point and I told my server there is still hair in my pho. He just said "oh" and walked away. WOW! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? When the bill came, my they still decided to charge me for my meal after all that. I was never comped or offered an apology once. I just paid it and you can assure that I am never coming back!
We had a late lunch with KT and B at Tank Noodle. Â This neighborhood hosts so many Vietnamese restaurants, I have no idea how you choose, but luckily KT and B are our guides. Â I could not believe how busy it was in the middle of the afternoon. Â We had to wait for a table.
It has been some time since we had pho or other Vietnamese. Â KT grew up with us in a small town in Iowa. Â I had a friend from work who brought his family out of Vietnam and his wife ran a small family restaurant. Â We loved her home cooking but she did not serve pho that I recall.
Tank Noodle is a wonderfully overwhelming place for a beginner. Â I had Stir Fried Pork and Vegetables. Â It was very generous with good flavors and a nice sauce on the side to add to it. Â I also topped it with Sambal Olek from the bottle on the table. Â Sriracha is also available. Â Ms T and KT had huge bowls of noodles with vegetables and beef. Â B had about a gallon bowl of pho with various meats; beef, tripe and tendon. Â He doctored it with the lime juice and condiments that came with it.
Tank Noodle is a great place for a hearty meal at modest cost. Â You need to go a lot of times to find your favorites but everything we had was very good.
I grew up in Vietnam so I just basically assumed that Vietnamese food in America sucks. Well, there are 50 shades of grey, aren't they?
My first time eating at Tank, I barely knew about Vietnamese food in Chicago so I thought - hey this isn't too bad for a Vietnamese restaurant in America.
Wrong! Since, I've experienced better and prices here have also gone up.
I brought a friend's family here and it was so crowded. Food wasn't really good. Bun thit nuong (Rice vermilli with meat, shrimp) was dry.
My mother made an observation that Vietnamese restaurants that are loved by too many Americans are normally not good. This observation is somewhat true.
This place is about 2.5 stars but I round it down since there's just too much hype.
One of the awesomest Vietnamese restaurants I've ever been to (and I'm from California!). Their menu is huge! The pho is excellent, and I highly recommend the fried quails. They also have a bunch of frozen fruit smoothie drinks. Place is quite big, but can get pretty crowded. It's worth the wait tho.
Review Source:This was my  first time at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant and as much as I wanted to love it, I just well, didn't love it. After loving places like Le Colonial, which is French Vietnamese in Chicago and Slanted Door, which is Vietnamese fusion in San Francisco, I thought tank noodle would give me somewhat of the same experience. I unfortunately, was wrong. The place was overcrowded, which shows that business is good and people love the food here, so I was thinking I'd feel the same. I did call and make a reservation for three so we got a pretty good corner table, that was semi private-ish.
The food, well was a-okay, nothing was gross but nothing was exceptional. We tried their famous pho and I prefer my good ol' grandma's chicken noodle soup. The tastes just didn't do it for me, the beef was a tad rubbery and the cilantro and lime flavorings just didn't do it any justice. It was just alright. However, they do give you a huge portion and for $8.00 that's a pretty good deal. Then we had the number 83 which is the vermicelli noodles, beef, pork piece, shrimp, peanuts, veggies served with a chilli sauce and that was better, it was more fresh and flavorful than the pho, but I still wasn't blown away. Plus the egg roll in the dish was also a little bland and needed some major spices. My husband got the combination fried rice with shrimp, chicken and bbq pork and it was also very bland, and all the siracha sauce he added didn't seem to help much. The chicken was rubbery and blah.
Now onto the service, it took a while to get everyone's attention since there are like 5 people for the entire place, but once called they did bring what we needed pretty quickly, common sense stuff like plates and a check. But I honestly didn't come here expecting great service, I did expect great Vietnamese since it's rated so well, and we left kinda eh. Probably would not be back even though the #83 was one of the better dishes here. Tank, your ship sunk with me.
Pho had very flavorful soup and the beef was very tender. Â Had the "exotic" duck and bamboo shoots vermicelli. Â the vermicelli was cooked perfectly. Â personally, I found the duck a bit tough. Â Had the fried spring rolls with pork which was served super hot and very tasty when you eat it wrapped with lettuce. Â Will definitely be back.
BYOB
Geez more than 800 reviews. I'll throw in my 2 cents.
Unless the pho is absolutely atrocious (tasteless broth, tough stringy meats, wilted accompaniments), then i think most vietnamese places make pho that's 1/2 standard deviation from the rest, and I will happily eat a bowl of hot steamy noodle soup without any complaint. The pho here was pretty good, the broth was nicely flavored, and the cuts of meat from the rare brisket to the tripe were good quality. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the pho here is way better than all the rest, but it's certainly decent.
The french beef dish (beef chunks stirfried with onions and peppers, on top of some uncooked tomatoes) was really not any worse or better than something you get at a chinese take out. The egg rolls only come 2/order and were okay. If I come back, it'd be to get the pho or the vermicelli dishes.
I love Pho. Â What can be better than a big hot bowl of delicious broth with all sorts of goodies hidden beneath. Â Well, thats EXACTLY what pho is. Â There are like 15 different version of pho on the menu but its all a variation of the same broth with different cuts of meat.
As far as Pho goes, tank noodle is pretty good. Â I'm a little jaded because I just got back from a trip to Vietnam where I ate pho every chance I could (and there are lots of opportunities) and it doesn't quite compare to the pho there but we are in Chicago and not Hanoi so I guess I can cut them a little slack. Â
Most of the times I've been to Tank noodle I've gotten the pho but last time I got the combo rice vermacelli. Â Full disclosure, this was my absolute favorite dish when I was in Vietnam. Â Grilled meat on a bed of thin rice noodles with heaps of herbs and a fish sauce / lime dressing (this is making my mouth water...). Â Given how much I LOVED this dish in Vietnam, I was a little disappoint by the dish here. Â They used a little bit thicker of a rice noodle which gave the dish a different feeling to it that I couldn't get over (I know what you're thinking, this guy must be a tool if he's complaining about thickness of the noodle, but the texture of the thin noodle really changes the complexity of the dish...and I am a little bit of a too).
As for the service, this feels more like Vietnam. Â Its a place to come and get food, not a dining establishment. Â That being said, this type of service has never bothered me so I'm neutral in this department.
This is a solid choice if you want to try pho for the first time but it won't be the best pho you'll ever have in your life.
Delicious, fresh, well-prepared vietnamese food. Â Try the appetizer sampler - it's to die for. Â You get a shrimp spring roll, pork spring roll, shrimp ball, sausage, and beef w/ vermicelli noodles, all paired with fresh basil, mint, and lettuce. Â
I also had the broken rice dish with the pork cake, grilled pork, and shredded pork.
There is a bit of a wait during lunch, though it's well worth it.
Guess I went at the right time - just after 5pm, so I got the full on hardcore version of what I love about places like this - ultra fast service. Â Sometimes it's a nice change to just focus on the food and not worry about anything else. Â Pick a table, sit down and the food is out in less than 5 minutes.
The fresh spring rolls w/ pork & shrimp are the best I've ever had...it's one of my go-to SE Asian appetizers and these were put together nicely. Â 2 large rolls, each with 3 nice sized shrimp, pork, mint and bean sprouts wrapped tightly. Â Served with the best dipping sauce I've ever had. Â It was so good I was spooning it on to the beef slices in my pho.
So, yeah...now to the reason I came here - the pho. Â I got the standard: Â Pho Tai (sliced beef). Â Broth was tasty, noodles were great and the beef was cut nicely into manageable pieces. Â Accompanying sprouts and basil were super fresh. Â Requisite Sriracha and other sauces and pickles on the table for your consideration.
It's clean and the servers are friendly. Â I'll be back as often as I can get to that neighborhood.
*Note: Â closed on Wednesday...don't get taken out like I did the first time I wanted to eat here!
**Also, it most definitely is *not* expensive, as another tried to weakly assert.
Are you serious? A Zagat rated Pho Restaurant?!?!
There almost always seems to be a line here during the weekends! Â Coming from the Bay Area, I am rather particular about the broth served at pho joints. Â The broth here at Tank is good, but at times wavers in consistency. Â Despite its fluctuating taste, it has never been bad. Â I always order their combination pho (Dac Biet). Â Their bowls always have a nice meat to noodle balance. Â The meatballs are super tasty if that's your thing. Â Sometimes they cut them in either half or quarters and only give you one piece. Â Grrrrrrrr!
I've only had one rice plate at Tank and wasn't impressed at all. Â The flavors were on the bland side. Â You do get a good portion of food, but because the flavor lacks so much, it's not worth it. Â The Bahn Mi sandwiches are great value. Â They are super tasty and very filling. Â A definite good choice if you aren't feeling like a bowl of pho or a rice plate. Â
There's a lot of hype that surrounds Tank. Â Is it worth it? Maybe or maybe not, but it is one of the better bowls of pho I've had in Chicago. Â If this pho spot is Zagat rated, there's a handful of pho restaurants in the Bay Area that deserve this distinction as well!
I've been living in the midwest all my life. The harsh winters demand comfort food, and Tank Noodle hits the spot.
I'm not a beef person, and I'm well aware that traditional Pho is beef based. I always opt for chicken based "Pho". Deal with it.
This soup shop is right on Argyle and it gets very busy at peak times, but service is fast and the turnover is fast. I met my husband here for dinner on Saturday night and we got springrolls to start. I got a chicken based soup, rice noodles, shrimp and BBQ pork. I loaded this bowl of nommiches with Sriracha, hoisin sauce, basil, sprouts and lime.
DIVINE.
So good. Some of the BBQ pork was a little fatty for my taste, but it was all very good and I had leftovers for the next day (it's never as good the next day, though. Sniff).
The price is right here and you a get a dumptruck full of food. Win win!
It is what it is.
Mostly communal seating. Chaos. Huge portions at prices slightly higher than other restaurants BECAUSE THEY CAN. Fresh ingredients. Huge, seemingly endless menu.
The curry tofu noodle soup (154) made with coconut milk is basically one of the best things I've ever eaten.
Back when I was eating meat, their bun is awesome. Get it with pork and eggroll (I think 88?).
While you're there, enjoy your meal with a Vietnamese coffee or tapioca smoothie.
While I tend to stick to the same things when I order, every time I've tried something else, I've been more than happy.
I think the soups & food at Tank are pretty good, but I hate the huge tourist-like crowds. There is one thing Tank has that keeps me coming back - the MARINATED HERBS FRIED DUCK EGG NOODLE SOUP. It is seriously so delicious, such rich depth of flavor. I admit I don't stray far on the menu; when I come here I crave this soup, and the Pho.
I usually order takeout, and the components of the soup are packaged separately, a detail I appreciate. Note for takeout orders: the beef flank for your soup will come raw. I suggest you heat up your broth a bit before pouring it over, so that you cook the meat thoroughly. I don't have a problem eating the meat a little undercooked, it just doesn't taste as good.
Maybe I just don't like Pho. Everybody raves about it, but every time I've eaten it it has come across as a grotesque excess of noodles swimming in not-vey-flavorful broth, which you flavor yourself with bottled sauces. Given what I'd been hearing about Tank, I figured it would show me the light. In the end, it was only marginally better than other Pho experiences.
I went with the combination pho ($8.95), served with tenderloin, flank steak, and tripe. The meat was largely tender, but also very overcooked. The broth was slightly more flavorful than what I'm used to with other phos, but would still be borderline inedibly bland without all of the sauces. This was an average meal, I'd say. Cha gio ($4.50) and pork spring rolls ($4.50) are both very good, but it's pretty hard to mess up deep fried dumplings in my estimation, so this doesn't set Tank apart.
Pricing is appropriate, and service is very fast. All in all, I guess this pho craze is lost on me, and while it may be the standard bearer for pho, my review of Tank has to suffer accordingly. I'll definitely be back, but for Vietnamese stir fry (which I think I like better).
Tank Noodle is Pho Real!
My wife and I paid a visit on a Friday evening for dinner.  The restaurant was jammin', but we only had to wait for about 5 mins until a section of the communal round tables opened up.  We both were in the mood for  the Pho Ga, and we were certainly not disappointed.  The flavor of the broth was outstanding!  We also enjoyed a freshly made bubble smoothie.  My strawberry-mango creation hit the spot!  I loved the fresh fruit on top as well. Â
Overall, a great experience at this Uptown establishment.
My brother, sister in law and 6-year-old niece love this place and come here often. Â So when I visited Chicago, we met here for a late lunch.
The place was busy and we were lucky to get a table for 6 quickly. Â After a few quizzical looks and strange questions, I was able to order a big side of plain, steamed broccoli. Â Everything else was as easy as picking it off the menu, and it all came out fast:
Avocado smoothie w/boba
Papaya smoothie w/boba
Mango smoothie w/boba
Noodles w/tofu & veggies
Shrimp in some kind of sauce
Barbecue pork ramen noodle soup
Beef pho
The soups were huge, steaming bowls with side dishes of bean sprouts, lime wedges, herbs and jalapeno slices.
The tofu with veggies over noodles was a ginormous serving.
My steamed broccoli was perfect, and the avocado smoothie was surprisingly refreshing and creamy.
I can see why this place is so busy, and why my brother loves it so much!
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