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Uptown Vietnamese restaurant closed by city after failed health inspections

Uptown Vietnamese restaurant closed by city after failed health inspections

Rule Changes Chicago, IL local

Nhà Hàng Vietnam's license was suspended after two failed inspections; no passing re-inspection had been recorded as of Oct. 27

October 14th, 2026: License suspended after two failed inspections

Overview

Updated Oct 31

Chicago health inspectors suspended Nhà Hàng Vietnam's license on Oct. 14, after the Uptown restaurant failed two inspections in nine days. The re-inspection found more than 100 rat droppings across the premises, live roaches and open blocks of rat poison on the floor, city records show.

The Argyle Street restaurant was still closed as of Oct. 27, and inspection records listed no passing visit afterward. The Oct. 5 inspection also found shrimp at 47.6 degrees and pork at 69.1 degrees in service coolers, and a manager threw out 10 pounds of food. A March 12 inspection had flagged dirty prep-area floors and a grease-caked exhaust hood that the October report said were still not fixed.

Why it matters

Chicago can shut a restaurant's doors overnight over pests. The inspection records show what it takes to reopen.

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Key Indicators

2
Consecutive failed inspections before suspension
Nhà Hàng Vietnam failed inspections on Oct. 5 and Oct. 14 before the city suspended its license.
5
Violations cited at the Oct. 14 re-inspection
City records list five violations at the re-inspection, two of them critical, including open blocks of rodenticide on the floor by a refrigeration unit and in a closet off the dining room.
100+
Rat droppings counted at the re-inspection
The Oct. 14 report logged more than 100 rat droppings throughout the premises, including 50 inside an HVAC closet off the kitchen.

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Organizations Involved

Chicago Department of Public Health
Chicago Department of Public Health
Municipal agency
Enforcing agency

City agency that inspects restaurants and can suspend licenses for health code violations.
VI
Nhà Hàng Vietnam
Restaurant
License suspended; closed as of Oct. 27

Vietnamese restaurant in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.

Timeline

March 2026 October 2026

3 events Latest: October 14th, 2026 · 4 weeks ago

  1. License suspended after two failed inspections

    Latest Regulatory

    The city suspended the restaurant's license after a re-inspection found rat droppings and live roaches still on site, plus open blocks of rodenticide on the floor by a refrigeration unit and in an HVAC closet off the dining room. Inspectors cited five violations, two of them critical, and told the owners to hire a pest control company and clean and sanitize all affected areas.

  2. Complaint-driven inspection fails

    Regulatory

    Inspectors responding to a complaint found several dozen rat and mouse droppings in the kitchen and dining area, live roaches, flying insects on the walls and in a food container, and dirty doors, walls and floors.

  3. March inspection passed with conditions

    Regulatory

    City records show the restaurant passed a March 12, 2026 inspection with conditions. The Oct. 5 report said core violations from that visit, including cardboard lining prep-area floors and grease buildup on the exhaust hood and filters, had not been fixed.

Scenarios

1

Nhà Hàng Vietnam reopens after passing re-inspection

Likely Resolves by Nov 30, 2026

Discussed by: Block Club Chicago's coverage of similar cases; ABC7's restaurant inspection report

The restaurant fixes the violations and passes a follow-up inspection, allowing it to reopen. This is the common outcome for Chicago restaurants closed for pest issues. Lost Larson, Taste of Canton, and LB Bistro all passed follow-ups after similar violations in 2026.

2

Nhà Hàng Vietnam remains closed, license revoked

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: No specific analyst; a less common outcome for Chicago restaurants

The restaurant fails to address the violations or fails a follow-up inspection, leading to a longer closure or license revocation. This is rarer but happens when owners can't or won't fix the issues.

3

Nhà Hàng Vietnam reopens after extended closure

Possible Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Block Club Chicago's coverage of similar cases

The restaurant takes longer than a month to fix the violations but eventually passes a follow-up inspection and reopens. This happens when issues are extensive or the owner needs time to arrange repairs.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

July 2022

Polygon Cafe closure (2022)

Chicago health inspectors suspended Polygon Cafe's license in Andersonville after finding more than 25 live roaches, 50 rat droppings, and raw fish stored at unsafe temperatures. The restaurant had failed four health inspections since 2015.

Then

Polygon remained closed as of the July 2022 report and had to pass a re-inspection to reopen.

Now

The case shows Chicago's enforcement process: suspension, then re-inspection before reopening.

Why this matters now

Polygon faced the same violations and process as Nhà Hàng Vietnam - pest infestations leading to license suspension and a required re-inspection to reopen.

2026

Chicago restaurant pest violations (2026)

ABC7's I-Team reviewed recent Chicago health inspection reports and found multiple restaurants with serious violations. Lost Larson Bakery had 30 mouse droppings and a slimy ice machine. Taste of Canton had 250 mouse droppings and live roaches. LB Bistro at the Sheraton Grand had a dead rat, live roaches, and a live bird in the dishwashing room.

Then

All three restaurants passed follow-up inspections and remained open.

Now

The cases show that most Chicago restaurants cited for pest violations fix the issues and pass re-inspection.

Why this matters now

The pattern suggests Nhà Hàng Vietnam is likely to reopen if it addresses the violations found in its inspections.

Sources

(5)
+1
Block Club Chicago ABC7 Chicago Chicago Restaurant Inspections Food World News Block Club Chicago