China Cafe

Monday	9AM-9PM
Tuesday	9AM-9PM
Wednesday	9AM-9PM
Thursday	9AM-9PM
Friday	9AM-9PM
Saturday	9AM-9PM
Sunday	9AM-9PM

Food wasn’t that great. It tasted okay but not the best. I would not return just for the taste of the food. A plate of veggies for $8.99-$9.99 is a little bit overpriced - I’m not complaining about this because I didn’t pay attention when I ordered. If I knew, I would have never ordered a $9 plate of just veggies. A little bit overpriced for average-tasted food. Staffs were friendly. They weren’t rude to us like some reviews on here. I wasn’t happy because they automatically charged about 15-18% “service fee” on our bills. That’s just ridiculous. I have eaten at many restaurants and yet the only place charged me for service fee was a 5-star restaurant. I didn’t leave any tip because the service fee they charged me served as tip. If I left another 15% on top of their service fee, wouldn’t it be 30% tip? - I don’t think so because it wouldn’t be worth it. Would not return or recommend anyone here because the food tastes okay and they automatically charge service fee. Ridiculous. The staffs were nice though. But no. I wouldn’t return.

I will say this, the food came hot, but the service just wasn't there. Usually you expect Chinese food to be quick but it wasn't. That in addition to a lot of factors came into play. First, they gave us the lunch menu when we walked in, then after sitting there for 20 minutes they told us the price would increase because it's dinner portions now; which is kind of fishy and just plain wrong. If you ran a business and made that mistake you'd have to own up to it. Unless of course your desperate and that difference in $3 per plate makes a difference. They also lost power, which was strange because the music was still playing, but all of the lights when out and the flood lights kicked in. The reason I gave it 2 stars is because they were very nice people and the food came out HOT. Like I'm talking burn your entire mouth hot if you weren't careful and I for one like that in a restaurant. They also comp'd my friends Pepsi due to the power being out.

So my husband found this place on google so we decided to try it being new to the city… we got there we were sat. A young lady was the only one who was working the floor it looked like and she very quickly asked if we wanted water or tea. She came back with hot green tea and water and took off and we never got her attention again… Then we waited… and waited… and waited. No one came to take our order. Another couple who sat after us got their drinks and got their order taken. We still had not. I believe we sat there for 10 -15mins and every time I tried to get someone’s attention they were very quick to run out of the room because they were getting something for another table. We finally gave up and left to eat lunch somewhere else. We really were looking forward to eating here it looked delicious.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other

Recently, while visiting Chinatown and my kids decided we were going to try a little bit of every restaurant, and though all of them were pretty good China Café stood out and we ended up eating there twice in our 10 day visit We intentionally order things that were unique and not found in restaurants where we live, and though my kids are picky, they loved everything, including the waitress that we got on both occasions, who is very friendly When we return next year on business, we are definitely going to be coming back to the restaurant
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Hot and Sour Soup-Hot & Spicy, Mongolian Beef, Orange Beef, Beef Chow Fun, BBQ, Sesame Chicken, Salted Chicken, Pork Buns, Chow Mein

I would give 5 stars for the food but I'm taking away 1 star for the cleanliness. The bathroom was super dirty such as the floor and the front windows. If the FOH looks like that I don't want to think how is the BOH The second star intake away is because of the service: we were waiting like about 25 min for our foor while the table next to us arrived later and got their food in about 10 min. I told the waitress about this but she pretended like didn't understand me. They seemed to be the owners. Clearly they preferred to rush out an order for them instead of taking care of the customers. My wife would put only one star
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 2

From the outside the restaurant doesn't look like much but when you walk is is a different story. Location is able to accommodate anywhere from a table of 2 to a table of 10. We where a table of 8 and we where very comfortable. Menu was clear and in 2 languages and had photos in most of the menu which was very helpful. Food was prepare very quickly we didnt have to wait more than 10-15 minutes,we ordered about 5 different dishes and everything came out at the same time and with no issues at all,food had a good taste. Service was regular,server didn't come as often as we needed and was very distant....maybe it was just an of night for her. I would definitely visit again and maybe I can update my review and give then 5 stars.

Our family has been going to Chinatown for years. To be honest we found this place one afternoon and have eaten here about every visit now past few months and our daughter only wants to eat here. Loves the fish fillet, seafood tofu or lobster. Previously we’d only get a beef chow fun request but has changed her preferences after experiencing all their dishes. I cannot comment on past reviews about decor but I found it hip and refreshing. Comfortable. If you’ve been to Wonton Gourmet out in Des Plaines/Mt Prospect, it has that vibe. Authentic, nostalgic even. Generous portions and reasonable, too. You will not regret. If you are overwhelmed, fed up with New Chinatown sometime chaotic atmosphere this is the place for you.

Having a blast trying out Chinese food in Chicago Chinatown. The restaurant wasn't busy when I visited but doesn't mean the food is bad. The portion is huge and the price doesn't seem to reflect the recent inflation. Great Cantonese style cooking. Flavor is consistent what I expect from a decent Canto restaurant. This is not a chop suey place. Owner is quite friendly and will assist in answering questions about menu or request on something different. This will become one of my go-to restaurant whenever I visit Chicago.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

Ordered two separate dishes, the orange chicken and the sesame chicken. The sesame chicken came in 5 minutes and the orange chicken didn't come. We ate all the sesame chicken and the orange chicken still didn't come, we would have asked, but the waitress never came back. When we were sick of waiting for the chicken I went to pay and cancel the chicken order. She said oh it will be 5 minutes.. I already was very irritated, so I just paid the bill and waited for the chicken. The orange chicken didn't go to waste though, we gave it to a homeless person when we were walking around. The food was good, the service was absolutely terrible!

We went to this place around noon the day before thanksgiving day. It was not crowded but there was only one server. Two of us ordered 4 dishes, they tasted good but the service was extremely slow. The lunch took us almost 2 hours from the time we sat down and when we left. I left a big tip (> 20%) because I felt really bad for the only server who was taking care of the whole restaurant. The owner should be responsible for the below average service.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$30–50
Features
Dine in: Yes
Outdoor seating: No
Takeout: Yes
Delivery: Not sure
Curbside pickup: Not sure

Food was decent, not a lot of people there but service was still very slow. We had to ask for our food because obviously they had forgotten about us, I’m not sure how they would because we came in with a pretty big group. After paying we did not give any tip because of the bad service. After leaving the restaurant, about a block of walking our server chased us down and forced us to give her some tip money. We ended up giving her $5 but she just kept complaining about not giving enough but TIP IS TIP. First and last time there and for sure I will never go back. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS because they are VERY money hungry.

Food was mediocre, and service was very slow. One dish (steamed rice on lotus leaf) was inedible (smelled off, and tasted bad), but the waitress said that's how it's supposed to be, and would not take it off the menu. To top it off, even though the Chinatown parking lots lists they validate parking, they said they couldn't do it, since the manager was put. Besides a disappointing meal, I had to pay $11 for a little over an hour to park. Should have been $3. NEVER going back.
Meal type
Brunch
Price per person
$1–10
Food: 2
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 2
Recommended dishes
Dim Sum

Food was yummy! I went during lunch and they have a lot of options for their lunch specials. It was a lot of food so I had leftovers to take home. Servers were sweet and gave me plenty of time to read over the menu. Isaw other comments about how people were automatically charged a service fee, but they must have removed it since my visit (8/26/2018) because I was not charged a service fee. My only complaint is that it seems they microwaved the chef special soup (bowl was hotter than the soup) and the waitress told me it was carrot (or maybe she meant root) but it was potatoes. I will be returning.

Located near the end of the old Chinatown, China Cafe still stands out among the competition. What makes this restaurant unique, are the dishes written on the walls, a secret menu for Chinese readers if you will. They aren’t accompanied by pictures and at first glance, can be mistaken for poetry. Food is on par with the rest of the highly visited Chinatown restaurants, the rice stands out the most, almost as good as from the place of origin. Inside, it looks modern, split dining, a take a point for the bad smell in the first dining room of the main entrance.

I dont understand the 4 stars. First. The place was clean and staff was nice ..but prices were a tad high and once the food arrived I realised it was not worth the chicken fried rice wich is my daughter's favorite she couldn't even eat it was so bland it was practicly white rice. Then the crispy chicken wad bland too who seasoned this stuff it's like they just cooked it with nothing. The walnut shrimp was ok but i have had better. All in all i won't be going back there spent 40 dollars for a meal i couldn't stomach to finesh

Lots of food per the price you pay. The quality wasn't top notch, and I think it honestly may have tasted better cold in my to-go box, but I wouldn't mind going here if I was super hungry or wanted some take out. I do not understate how big of the portions are, you can easily feed a few with one order!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 3
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 2
Recommended dishes
Mongolian Beef

They are so rude at the time I called for order. I heard the man use a different language abused me at least two times. He might think I cannot understand. He damned instead of taking my order and was not hearing me well, every order I needed to speak to him many times. Then I Finally did not want to make the order from him.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Dinner
Features
Dine in: No
Outdoor seating: No
Takeout: No
Delivery: No
Curbside pickup: No

My husband and I were looking for a sit down restaurant and just happened upon China cafe about a year ago, pre pandemic. We loved it. While we are not very adventurous when it comes to Asian food, we pretty much stick with the usual. I have tried many of their veggies. Absolutely cooked to perfection. Steamed just right, no excessive seasonings, good service, good portions. Priced right. We have ordered several carry out since pandemic. One of our favorites

I dont know if this applies to all guests or they just picked random people or naive tourist because I don't see a lot of comments here mentioning this, but there are some so here goes. They automatically applied 15% service charge to my bill and then suggested 15% to 20% tip on top of that. Unluckily, I did not pay attention to the bill until I walked out the door. I ended up giving them 30% tip. Food tasted good but I don't like being tricked like that.

Went there at 2. Place was pretty empty. Got dim sum, and the price was okay, but don't have a great selection. Service was nonexistent, took forever to get our orders. Waiters look like they don't care with an exception of one guy. Food was mediocre. Other places taste better. Dim sum supposed to be fast, hot, and bite sized dishes. But it took forever, and after it arrived, it was cold. Took forever to refill the tea, and found a hair in tea.

The Large portions are HUGE. Large shrimp fried rice was a MOUNTAIN about 4 inches tall at the peak, and with plenty of shrimp. Priced accordingly stop don't be expecting takeout pricing. The service was exceptional even if most servers spoke very little English. They made up for it with swift attention, which we needed since we dined on with two toddlers who needed a nap. Wonton soup hit the spot. We're ready to go back without kids now.

The place is not modern by any means, but the staff and food is amazing. We order the same thing every time. Chicken with Asian broccoli. Soups. Potstickers and sesame balls. Incredible food. We're regulars for such and we drive from Crystal Lake to come here. Simply worth a visit. Enjoy the food, we haven't had a bad plate yet.
Service
Dine in
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3

We loved it. We are from out of town and had a few mins to stop in. It was 3:00 pm and the food was brought out fresh and hot. Pictured is the congee, siomai, and orange beef. I love orange chicken and crispy beef. This is the perfect combo with the two.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Features
Dine in: Yes
Outdoor seating: No
Takeout: Yes
Delivery: Not sure
Curbside pickup: Not sure

Authentic Chinese restaurant with great Cantonese style dim sum. If you are expecting traditional service like that in an American restaurant, please do not bother. If you are adventurous, sit down and pick what you like off the cart full of delicious dim sum that passes by your table. The girls there are very kind but they don't speak very good English. So be patient with them and they will try to help you choosing your plate.

Initially I rated this very poorly thinking I'd gotten food poisoning. Turns out it was poorly timed gastroenteritis so this is me making amends. I really quite liked the restaurant: the food was very authentic, the dimsum very delicious. I lived in China for three years and I was taken back there by the food at this place. Very affordable experience, especially for Chicago. The service was very good, the staff very attentive.

I was going to give them a higher score but they missed an order. When we were ready to go, 2 hr later, they said oh there is one more. So we ended up not getting the main dish we went there for. It you want to know which order look at there window on left.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 3

Cantonese place opening very late until the night. I went there as there was a group of grandma and granddad ordering a bunch of stuffs. I went to there to order some steamed chicken. I thought of royal chicken and expected it to be cold but this one was hot. I guess I ordered different one. Still it had decent taste. This place validates the parking ticket ($2 for 3 hours) as well.

The orange chicken was SUPER SUPER GOOD!!! the egg rolls were the best I've had! The portions are for 2 people. This place is definitely my favorite in China town! I'm coming back for sure!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Features
Dine in: Yes
Outdoor seating: No
Takeout: Yes
Delivery: No
Curbside pickup: No

The waiter barely came by the table. Had to ask about 3-4 times for more hot tea. Gave us the wrong order, not once but twice
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 5
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Roasted Duck, Orange Chicken, Chow Mein, Shrimp Fried Rice

Staff was very rude. They were out of duck which is what we went there for. Tp notify us of this they just walked up and crosses it off the menu with a pen and walked away without a word. When they saw we weren't ordering much food they got even worse. I ended up ordering the pot stickers and they were awful.

If you want authentic Chinese food then this is the place to go... Especially for VEGANS! You can't beat the atmosphere during the lunchtime hour. I love the green beans and mushrooms with green onion or the garlic broccoli. The tofu is amazing when it's combined with all of the traditional Chinese flavors!

From the outside it appears to be a rundown establishment, once you walk in you are greeted by the wait staff, then seated immediately. The inside of the restaurant is very elegant and definitely makes you feel as if you've walked into a completely different business! Food is great as well!!

We were seated, immediately brought a pot of hot tea (mid June) that we did not ask for. We then had something come up before we could order, on the way out the lady told us we had to pay $5 for the pot of tea we didn’t ask for or touch.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1

Read good reviews but was very disappointed. Can’t believe how sticky and gross the floor was . Should of been a sign to walk out . But gave it a chance only to be disappointed.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Brunch
Price per person
$50–100
Recommended dishes
Dim Sum

I really like to eat here. Prices are pretty dandy. You get alot for what you pay. I come here the most for their orange chicken .
Service
Dine in
Price per person
$10–20
Features
Dine in: Yes
Outdoor seating: No
Takeout: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Curbside pickup: Not sure

Great food, cheapest place in all Chinatown and you get big amounts of food for cheap. Every time we go to Chicago, we go to China Cafe because it's delicious, service is good and we always end up with left overs. Want good Chinese food and awesome dim-sun? Go to these place! It's worth it

I've been a customer here for about 10 years. I really like this restaurant. Although I have a mainstay dish all of the other dishes I've tried have been good. I taken friends there. Everyone has enjoyed the food.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20

We got in to this restaurant around 6pm, it was pretty empty for a while, but we had waited for our food about more than half an hour. If the food is great and I am comfortable with little waiting, but I got this chicken with hair not fully cleaned. To be honest, that was a awful meal.

Cantonese local food with good price. Except the market price seafood like crabs and lobster, other food have a good amount with good value. Their lobster is very fresh and tasty.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$30–50
Features
Dine in: Yes

March 2022 Somehow we managed not to come to this place for the past 15 years...So much changed! What a lovely food! Dim som was awesome (we had various dishes)! The flavors of each dish was amazing: salted chicken, steamed watercress and beef with mushrooms! It is BYOB.

Huge dim sum menu, lots of delicious options (the fried shrimp rice rolls were my favorite), we got a lot of food for pretty cheap. The actual menu entrees are pretty big portions as well.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20

Dim sum was spoiled and the owner was extremely rude. He acted like I was crazy. He said “next time we won’t give you a refund”. There will be no next time. I’m never coming back.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Breakfast
Price per person
$30–50

just show up and get your dim sum on. food is good and the service is solid. the staff is great as it is in many chinese restaurants, you just gotta remember that this isn’t a restaurant run by white people- there’s gonna be some things lost in translation.

Do not eat at china cafe! The food was terrible and also the owner was rude and nasty, he cursed me and my wife out and gave us the finger and didn’t care to make our experience right. I would never waste my money on this restaurant. He should be shut down

Went here on a Saturday afternoon with my wife and kids. The food was really delicious. We had the sesame chicken, the Mongolian beer, shrimp dumplings, and pork buns....and all of it was fantastic. The sesame chicken was crispy and delicious, especially.

The roasted duck is good. The pea tip in garlic is excellent. This place does not serve alcohol but you can bring your own.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

When I first started visiting Chinatown a couple years ago I found this cute little restaurant and was blown away! The employees are very kind and their food always goes beyond expectations. Definitely a great place to get a small meal or a larger meal!

My favorite china town Restaurant! Remember to always eat where the locals do. It's the safest place and safest bet. This place is crowded with locals and offers fresh tasty food. Sometimes there is a wait, but in Chicago and Chinatown so be prepared.

Never coming here again! I wouldn’t rate it a 1 but a 0. Literally my friend and I ordered two very small orders and didn’t give a tip. The guy cursed us out for it and was already threatening us.
Service
Dine in
Price per person
$10–20

This is another awesome spot in Chinatown for Dim Sum! The egg rolls and fried taro balls were fried to perfection! Their noodle dishes are so yummy as well! Staff was real friendly and cozy atmosphere! Prices are very reasonable for great quality!

Came around 2pm， this place was empty, but we barely got any service during our meal,staff just seem don’t care. food taste ok, but don’t think they are fresh.Then when we ask for our check there’s 18% service charge on the bill, WHAT?

I love this place, hidden gem for sure. It could be a 5/5 because of the food, but I think they could improve the service. Sweet & sour chicken is a must-have, also fried rice. I definitely go back every time I visit Chinatown

Soooo good! The chicken is always nice and crispy and the rice is so good. They serve really big portions so each thing on the menu can feed many people. Be aware when ordering just for one person because of the portion sizes

VERY DELICIOUS 10/10 RECOMMEND! Very friendly and polite staff, me and my family of 5 got 3 orders of dumplings and one medium soup and everyone got full. It was $35 in total but we were full for the rest of the day, no joke.

We decided we didn’t wanna eat here and they charged us for tea we did not ask for nor drink.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$1–10
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1

I thought the sesame chicken and fried rice were excellent, but then again I'm a small town guy who likes buffets, so my standards are pretty low. I don't know how it compares here in the city, but for me it was delicious!

The dim sum is legit. I didn't try the regular menu.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Recommended dishes
Dim Sum

Food was Amazing! Best I've had! Will definitely return! Portion size is way more than expected. Must try!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

Great place to go for dinner, definitely a large variety of dishes to choose from. Their dim sum/lunch isn't bad either, but still really good. If you've never been, try it once, you may end up going back.

It's a real restaurant. Nice new place with ambiance. The food was delicious. We'll be back again. The seafood soup was delicious. So was the fried Japanese tofu. I liked the Chow main, beef too.

For this restaurant to last, food must be priced low, food has to be good, and portion size large. Food is ok, portions are good, but price is kind of high for a not so high end restaurant.

Great place for dinner, the taste of oriental Hongkong Food are super delicious We loved all food they have and great price too Not expansive but super yummy and amazing

My one and only affordable ($50 for 3) Seafood Feast of HK-Style LOBSTER, SALT N PEPPER SHRIMP, large FISH MAW SOUP with the best, addictive CRAB RANGOON in Chicago. No fee BYOB.

Everything was really yummy, most of the dishes we had had mushrooms and veggies. Super fresh food & service was great. Definitely recommended for a nice dinner out in China town

Dim sum is okay here. Their soy sauce noodles are good and they give you a ridiculous quantity. Other items are hit and miss. Some items seem to have been frozen before serving.

Dishes and dim sum served are delicious. No complaints about the food. If you in hurry, not suggest you to choose this place, they take a lil time to get the food on the table.

This is one of the best restaurant in Chinatown. The food here is reasonably priced and sooooo delicious!! The waitress is super friendly and makes good recommendations!

Love coming to Chinatown just to eat at China Cafe. Delicious food and polite service. Best lo mein with a hot cup of tea. Appetizer... try the salt and pepper shrimp.

They have super authentic Cantonese food. I had the eel claypot rice, which is off the menu and about $40. I would highly recommend getting it if you have a big party.

Dim Sum hot and fresh! You get quality and excellent quantities. Hidden gem for sure!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20

Right in the heart of Chinatown- this place is great for an afternoon meal or a relaxing dinner! Their menu is traditional and nothing short of spectacular.

Good food, big portions!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$1–10
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3