It may be itsy, but Chicago’s Chinatown is overflowing with dim sum delights, fabulous fruit shakes and an ever-appetizing array of noodle dishes. With an abundance of all things Asian, Chinatown’s sushi spots, eclectic groceries and teashops make it the perfect escape from the mundane. For a flavor adventure that will have you steering clear of Panda Express for good, make this south-of-the-Loop neighborhood your new dining hotspot.
Spring World
File under: Nothin’ lost in translation
Featuring drunken chicken and Chairman Mao’s pork, the overwhelming menu at Spring World has more than enough options. Though quieter than most of the other spots on a given Friday night, Spring World is anything but lacking in terms of quality. The service here leans toward the slow side, but it compensates by serving complimentary tea, rice and a wonderful spicy cabbage salad appetizer.
The Spring World staff is warm and welcoming, which is far from the norm in the more bustling neighborhood restaurants. The servers speak little English but the menu has pictures and the manager is readily available to help with any crucial questions. If asked, he’ll recommend a litany of items, ranging from the conch appetizer and Szechuan smoked tea duck to the vegetarian eggplant with garlic sauce and fried star melon. You’d be wise to take his advice. Don’t miss the steamed sweet rice with bean paste for dessert.
Hing Kee
File under: Bun in the sun
With summer here, Vietnamese bun (vermicelli) is the perfect afternoon meal. It’s a light fix of soft rice noodles and some variety of pork, duck, beef or snail, decorated with fresh basil and cilantro. Sound exotic? Order an avocado or guanabana (a tart tropical fruit related to the custard apple) shake to wash it down and let the bamboo sprig and artificial fruit decor be your escort into a tropical paradise (minus the bugs). Never mind that this is Chinatown; take advantage of the Vietnamese vibe at Hing Kee, where the whirring of fans, rather than stifling air conditioning, will keep you cool while you eat.
Seven Treasures
File under: Late-night hunger pangs
If it’s two in the morning and you’ve got a hankering for Chinese food, this is the place to be. The ambience is akin to a university cafeteria, with swarms of young people sucking down cheap food in the wee hours. For penny pinchers, this is a good option day or night. The service is quick, the portions huge, and the food unexceptional but certainly decent. A heaping helping of braised noodles goes for a mere $3, while most of the seafood items are less than $10. They’ve also got a full selection of milk shakes, “special drinks” like the Ice Cream with Red Bean and Pearl and hot and cold coffees and teas.
Joy Yee's Noodles
File under: Worth the wait
Don’t let the long lines at Joy Yee’s discourage you. While it’s not a flawless establishment (it’s perpetually packed, with tables crammed together in a sardine formation, and service that is similarly strained by the tiny restaurant’s popularity), this Pan-Asian hot spot serves consistently excellent food. The menu at Joy Yee’s easily reaches across bodies of water and language barriers to gather the most spectacular dishes from throughout Asia, such as Thai green chicken curry, Korean BBQ short ribs and Szechwan broccoli in garlic sauce. The atmosphere is festive, with brightly colored walls of red, orange and yellow. The clientele is more mixed than many other places in Chinatown; hipsters and yuppies alike clearly enjoy it. While Joy Yee’s doesn’t produce the sort of satisfying culture shock that one might experience elsewhere in Chinatown, it’s not a tourist joint either. Instead Joy Yee’s offers what may be the most illusive of treasures these days, good, affordable food without a lot of pretense.
Captain Bakery & Cafe
File under: 101 uses for a $1 bill
It is no small blessing that the prices at this seemingly unspectacular Chinatown bakery rarely creep above the $1 mark. There is so much to savor at Captain that it is easy, when perusing its glass-encased offerings, to over-indulge. Snack, meal and dessert items abound, such as shrimp and pork turnovers, red bean paste cake, mango pudding, peanut sticky rice and banana rice cake. The list goes on and on, in direct proportion with the stomachache that’s sure to follow those whose eyes outpace their stomachs. The bakery has ample seating, but it’s not a particularly appealing place to linger. Instead, take advantage of its wonderful food and cheap prices to go and head for the lake. If you like your buzz to be more of the coffee than the sugar variety, it may be a good idea to ask for your beverage unsweetened.
Phoenix Restaurant and Dumpling House
File under: Dim sum and then some
During the weekends, the king of Chinatown dim sum overflows with eager patrons. Just off the main drag, Phoenix is a well-loved staple of Chinatown’s restaurant scene. Its white tablecloths and upstairs view of the city skyline make it a popular party spot, celebrated for its classy (if a bit sterile) atmosphere. The dim sum is said to be the best in town, so arrive early and prepare to be impressed as carts of finely prepared buns, dumplings and any number of other small dishes make their way by, one after the next.
Ken Kee
File under: Better than a TV dinner
Ken Kee is an unimpressive restaurant. It is loud, colorful, and busy. In short, it is not much different from a lot of other Chinese-American restaurants across this great land. It’s in a strip mall, and it has a bit of a strip mall feel, but this, surprisingly, is where its charm lies. To appreciate Ken Kee you have to visit Chinatown with someone who’s never been to a Chinatown before, the sort of person who assumes that all Chinese food is the kind that you find in Jewel-Osco’s TV dinner aisle. These people (and most of us were like them at one point, so you can drop the condescension right now, buddy) need a graceful introduction to “authentic” Chinese cuisine. They need a menu that balances “interesting” items with recognizable ones.
Ken Kee manages to have something for everyone, including my friend, who thoroughly enjoyed his delicious (if not terribly exotic) barbeque duck appetizer, while I slurped my bland-as-a-white-bread-sandwich egg drop soup. If you have parents in town from the far reaches of the rural Midwest, this may be the stepping stone that eventually leads them to a true love of Chinese cuisine.
Moon Palace
File under: Ah yes, the full bar
If you’re looking for Mandarin and wouldn’t mind a whiskey to match, Moon Palace is the place for you. Its got a semi-formal feel, which makes it a good option if that hottie you’ve been eyeing has agreed to your dinner and a movie offer. Specialties of the house include spicy orange chicken, shrimp with hot garlic sauce. Vegetarians will appreciate the Szechwan eggplant with garlic sauce or Szechwan spicy string beans.
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