Chinese restaurants in Illinois
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A
May May Gourmet Food Inc
Ask a Chinatown local for the most authentic meal in the neighborhood and you’ll invariably be directed down a side street to the green-painted exterior of this windowless café, also referred to simply as ‘Gourmet Restaurant.’ Don’t be put off; what it lacks in decor – which is considerable – is made up with the freshness of their made-to-order Cantonese dishes. Expect some degree of language barrier, easily overcome by pointing to the delicious-looking dish on the table next to you.
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B
Wan Shi Da Bakery
Offering the best, and cheapest à la carte lunch in Chinatown, this bright little bakery has fluffy barbecue pork buns, hot-dog buns (a Chinese variation on the pig in a blanket), bite-sized egg custards, coconut and winter-melon pastries and some dim sum fare. It’s available to go, or to scarf down by the handful at the no-frills tables in the back. The more weather-beaten sister bakery across the street, Chiu Quon Bakery, has a nearly identical menu and more tourist foot traffic. Cash only.
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C
Phoenix
Though better sit-down dinner experiences in Chinatown are abundant, the draw here is the excellent dim sum. Small plates of char siu bao (barbecued pork buns), shrimp-filled rice noodles, egg custards and other popular vitals roll around the dining room in a seemingly endless parade of carts. The language barrier can be an issue, so keep in mind that if it looks like chicken feet, it probably is.
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D
Opera
This upmarket Chinese restaurant is easy on the eyes, exuding a quirky, cinematic pan-Asian ambience (heightened by the intimate ‘vault’ seating constructed from old film-reel vaults). You’ll find familiar dishes on the menu – Peking duck, Kung Pao beef, general’s chicken, etc – remade with boutique meats, sharp spices and a light touch.
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E
Lao Sze Chuan
Lao Sze Chuan is the most authentic option in heavily touristy Chinatown Sq. The house special is the three-chili chicken, which is tender and very spicy, though the extensive menu has excellent hot pots alongside dishes from the far reaches of the Szechuan province. If the choices are overwhelming, look for advice from watchful chef and owner ‘Tony’ Xiao Jun Hu.
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