The story of HaiSous is one of “tenacity, hard work, determination, and persistence,” she puts it, and you can tell from the moment you walk in. A sense of pride is evident among the entire team. This starts at the top — Thai and Danielle’s joy is infectious, and it radiates through a staff that seems to enjoy being there as much as you do. How many restaurants list every single team member on its website, including line cooks, bussers, and hosts? HaiSous does, because for the Dangs, the restaurant is a family operation in the truest sense. 

“Within these walls, we have and are a place that helps support so many immigrant families,” Thai said. “We empower our team and promote from within. By doing so we create an environment that makes our team love their job and bring on family members and friends.”

The building itself carries its own layered history. Built in 1888, it has housed lives and businesses across generations — including, at one point, a bowling alley of possible dubious legality. Danielle, a practicing architect who designed the restaurant, preserved elements like the worn plaster of those old bowling alley walls and the vintage Mike’s Tire Shop sign on the brick facade. The structural cast-iron columns are original. 

“The elements that I preserved pay respect to those before us,” she said. The result is a space that feels both rooted and alive, where exposed history meets warm bamboo tones, with greenery throughout, copper accents, an open kitchen, and a dining room that invites you to settle in.

And settle in you do, as the food is really why you’re here.

HaiSous is built for sharing. Start with the crispy caramelized fish sauce wings (a.k.a. Dang Good Wings) — arguably the dish that helped put HaiSous on the map, and one that will never leave the menu, which Danielle made very clear. And that’s not the only one.“We could never remove the wings, the papaya salad, the eggplant or octopus salad, the whole fluke, the Vietnamese curry, the fried rice or the grilled eggplant,” she said. “There would be a revolt if we took those HaiSous classics off.”

Other not-miss dishes? The grilled oysters, named a 2022 best dish in America by the New York Times. Don’t skip the whole prawns, smothered in Thai chile butter, and served with baguette slices to sop up that fragrant sauce. And that whole fried fluke is a showstopper: a golden, crunchy fish served with fresh herbs and lettuce for wrapping, plus the house nuoc cham for dipping. These all deliver the bold, authentic Vietnamese flavors that are Thai’s signature. (For the maximum effect, consider coming with a group.) 

HaiSous also offers a seasonal tasting menu — the chef’s grand tasting tour — for a deeper dive into Vietnamese culinary history. Thai uses it to explore specific regions and time periods, often when others occupied the country: the Chinese influence on Vietnamese noodle culture, the French occupation that gave Vietnam its coffee traditions, its banh mi, and its pâté. “It provides opportunities for the cooks and sous chefs to stay engaged, learn new techniques, and change up the monotony of everyday cooking,” he said. 

The Dangs continue to build and create heat with their work. HaiSous has a popular happy hour that runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and has become a destination in its own right with its $10 cocktail and food specials. The restaurant’s beverage program is sophisticated and complements the food without overwhelming it. Think cocktails like the Green Theory with tequila and mezcal, green herbs, sweet and tart citrus, and a hint of heat from serrano peppers; or the Old So n’ So with bourbon, blood orange, ginger, and citrus. Plus crisp, refreshing white wines and lighter bodied reds. 

Next door, the Dangs operate Ca Phe Da Vietnamese Café, featuring signature Vietnamese coffee drinks and those beloved Dang Good Wings — a sneaky way to get a taste if you can’t wait for dinner. Thai recently expanded his reach with Crying Tiger, a super-hot pan-Southeast Asian collaboration with Lettuce Entertain You in River North. 

HaiSous is the kind of restaurant that reminds you why you love eating out: the warmth, the craft, the story behind the food. It is, as Thai puts it, exactly what they envisioned when they set out to build it: “To never give up and stay true to the craft, evolve, and be the light for our team.” 

Almost a decade in, HaiSous still glows.

Ari Bendersky, a lifestyle journalist specializing in food, wine, spirits, and travel, is the author of Something Glorious with Ari Bendersky on Substack and the host of the docu-series Family Meal. Follow him on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.