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    Chef Shangri-La

    3.5 (500 reviews)
    Closed Closed

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    CHEF SHANGRI-LA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Chef Shangri-La

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    The starters...Mehh the shrimp was probably the best
    Kia K.

    The restaurant is very cute. The bar was even cuter. Service was very nice prompt. The food was good. We ordered family dinner for 2 and have lots of leftovers. The garlic broccoli was expensive at $6.95 for what it is. It's basically broccoli in jarred garlic. It was also cold. I think it should be served in the metal bowls to help keep it stay warm. Would probably not get it again. The veggie beef kow was good. Had a nice flavor. Lots of veggies which I love. I would get this again. The orange chicken was a no for me. Would not get it again. It was very orangey and not very crispy. The beef fried rice was lacking flavor. It was more white than fried. Tasted fine with soy sauce. The veggie lo mein was so very good. I would absolutely order again. The sauce was tasty and the veggies had a nice crunch. The starters were meh. I liked the shrimp. The egg roll was fine but wasn't out of this world. The crab Rangoon was good, but tasted like cream cheese more than anything. The dumpling thing was a no from me. I didn't like anything about it. The coconut ice cream was so creamy and delicious would have liked more lol.

    Rick Anthony Cada, Elvis impersonator, really made it a great time!
    Robert T.

    I don't know, this one is hard to rate. The drinks are legitimately amazing, but the main attraction is whatever celebrity impersonators they have doing their thing. The service is prompt but curt. What really holds this place back is the food. Dishes are generous but pricey, but all the food in the world won't make up for how generic and bland it is. Is the food edible? Yes, but I don't WANT to have to eat it. I think if the owners took some time (or even some help from a consultant) to rethink the menu, this place could easily reach for 4-5 stars. Disappointingly enough, as much as I praised the drinks, it seems like they've completely ditched the tiki glasses for generic (but tall) glasses. (don't be fooled by the tiki glasses pictured in the menu) Also, be warned, there is a $25/person minimum if you show up when there is a performer (which is really the main reason to show up). This in and of itself is not bad, but I didn't notice it before hand and I had to go research on Google to find the drink prices to make sure we were hitting the minimum. All things considered, this place IS worth visiting for drinks and the show, but skip on the meal. (I'd really love for that opinion to change, because this place is really fun, and I'd probably visit more often if I considered it as a dinner option)

    Egg roll
    Dolores Z.

    Parking in their adjacent lot. We didn't have a reservation but we were accommodated rather promptly. Friday night entertainment, mostly oldies, not bad. Food okay, large portions. Egg rolls and egg foo yung were good, cocktails good.

    Jen R.

    This place is seriously old school and Jimmy is still taking care of the bar and you can get your FONG cocktail. Food is good and they also do depending on the day a show of an Elvis Impersonator or Hawaiian Dancers... It's a fun place to check out and visit with friends. They have a parking lot and street parking

    Dried up chuckie cheese in front of the koi pond
    Janete A.

    Food was overpriced tough and bland. Service was attentive but not helpful. I'll explain why. The ambiance was great until we discovered a dead desiccated mouse in front of the koi pond. No apologies. No offers of discount for our bill. No explanations. Me and my family left disgusted and do not plan on ever returning. 170 dollar bill for a family of 4 for mediocre food, questionably cleaned eating area and zero customer service.

    Hurricane and Pina Colada
    Bob R.

    Chef Shangri-La is a long way from our home. We decided to go with a dozen friends to hear a Tina Turner impersonator after dining on Hawaiian/Chinese food. When you arrive, you are taken back to the 1960s. The exterior of the restaurant uses the same time of gold and red designs, dragons, and red lanterns that I recall from so long ago. It turns out, they have a large bar and a Tiki-Bar, something I haven't been to forever. We were seated right away. I didn't get photos of the interior but did get a video of the performer I'll post where you can see parts. Similar to the exterior, the interior is reds and gold. There were four at our table and the rest of us were spread across other tables and booths. While this wasn't the best Chinese Food we've had, it was good. We had no appetizers or soup. We shared Szechuan Chicken and Beef Chow Fun. Their portions are enormous. There was no way we could finish our meals. The chicken was better than the Chow Fun. The vegetables were crunchy and fresh and so was the chicken. The dish was spicy, as it should be, but just enough for a mild burn. As for the Chow Fun, don't get me wrong, it was good - the beef was excellent and cooked to perfection. Unlike other Chow Funs I've had at other restaurants, they were heavy on the vegetables. That was something I really enjoyed. The Chow Fun noodles were a overcooked, so they were a little mushy and stuck together. Other than that one minor issue, their meal was quite good. The drinks - some of their drinks are stronger than others. My wife had a Pina Colada. She's not much of a drinker but said she couldn't finish it. It was large and it was strong. The Hurricane was delicious but it was not strong. When the entertainment came on, I decided to order a Mai Tai. The waitperson warned me it was stronger than my other drink. Mai Tais can be subtle. This one was no exception. I realized how strong it was when over half was gone. The entertainment was fun. She was a Tina Turner impersonator. She was also the current Miss Senior Illinois. She captured the mannerisms and the schtick of Tina Turner quite well and put on a good show. I think the entertainer made the trip more enjoyable. Since Chef Shangi-La is about an hour from our home, we will watch for another good entertainer before making the trek.

    Drinks
    Rhonda S.

    This place is hysterical! Dated interior and fantastic food. The live entertainment was THE BEST. Elvis was in da house. People were really enjoying the show. I have never had such a good time at dinner. The fruity drinks are strong and they will sneak up on you. The food was fantastic. The service was very good, the waitresses were very attentive. We got a tofu lettuce wrap appetizer that was a bit spicy and super good. I got the spicy Mongolian tofu and rice and it was amazing. Did I mention Elvis was in the house!? Haha so good. The merchandise at the front of the store is hilarious. I had to get a t shirt for my husband. Can't wait to come back!!!

    Rachel H.

    Can't believe I've never wrote a review. Been coming here for over 10 years when I have a taste for some good sit down Chinese and a good/strong Mai Tai. It's a Tiki Bar style restaurant with a full bar on one side and the restaurant on the other side. They have live entertainment on certain days of the week, which is pretty fun. I usually order the shrimp fried rice, orange chicken and egg foo young. All their food is made fresh to order. I've never had a bad order. Their Mai Tai's need to be named "call an Uber" because they are that strong. Service can sometimes be spotty but never bad. Great spot for family and friend dining out gatherings. Nice size parking lot which is convenient. Recommend if you want solid Chinese and good strong and very large drinks.

    After dinner cookies
    Rich S.

    A very interesting place to eat. I wasn't expecting the ambience to be a mix of Asian and Pacific Islander but I did enjoy the meal a lot. The service was very quick and responsive and were quick to take our drink order and then appetizer and then dinner orders. They moved quickly, so getting an order in quickly helped. We weren't in a rush, though. The food portions were huge and the flavor was right on - not too salty, good size pieces to the dish of veggies and proteins. For me, the food had a good level of spice as well. The downside for me was there seemed to be a lot of grease. Normal, but not what I wanted. Overall nice place though. Huge menu and would like to try some other dishes.

    Cabernet Sauvignon and Dr. Fong
    Irene Kitty L.

    It was our first time at Chef Sangrila to celebrate the hubs birthday on a busy Saturday night. We decided to bring in a cake and the hostess was so nice about it. No questions asked and served it to us after our meal at the end of the night. Staff was friendly and super nice! Food was awesome and delicious but the ENTERTAINMENT WAS PHENOMENAL! It was Michael Jackson impersonator night and he did such a great job! The show started at 7:30pm and lasted a good hour. He changed several times and not only he sang but he danced too. He was pretty good! I was very impressed and maybe because I grew up with all of MJ's songs, I sang along every song. MJ engaged with the crowd and during the song "Thriller" he pulled a few guest to dance the infamous zombie dance. It was soooo funny! Hahaha Everything was delicious. We ordered pot stickers, crab rangoons and beef teriyaki sticks. Crab rangoons was very meaty and not skimpy on the filling. The beef sticks was tender and flavorful. We also ordered mooshu pork, steamed white fish, Mongolian beef and chicken chow fun thick noodles. My favorite was the chicken chow fun. But everything was just wonderful and portions was huge. We had leftovers to bring home for dinner the next night! I had a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and my hubby had the Dr. Fong. The entire restaurant has a tiki themed and it was such a wonderful time we can't wait to go back for the other entertainment such as Elton John, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner and more! *Make sure to call ahead to make a reservation because they do get busy because of their fantastic entertainment!

    Rebecca R.

    Have been here twice now and this restaurant has quickly become one of our favorites. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but as soon as you enter the doors you are transported to a Polynesian tiki bar, albeit once from many decades ago. The decor is over-the-top and is very fun. We started with one of their massive Mai Tais, which was crazy strong, but the taste almost bordered on a bit sour. It could definitely be split between my hubby and myself and we also had a Coke, which seemed like the ratio was a bit off as it was overly sweet. The portions are huge and we had the Sesame Chicken and Tahitian Mango Passion Beef. Both were really good dishes with large chunks of meat and veggies. The beef dish was very sweet. The sweet from that along with the Coke was almost too much, though. We will definitely be back again

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    3 months ago

    Love this place. The ambiance and service cannot be matched. I cant wait to come back.

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    7 months ago

    Food was not edible. Our servers were carrying cleaning products, one was serving food with the other hand

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    1 year ago

    The food was very good. But the entertainment was outstanding. Fantastic service and a very good evening to enjoy with my spouse

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    Page 1 of 13

    Ask the Community - Chef Shangri-La

    Will you be open on December 26th?

    Yes 11:30 am

    Do they still have a lunch time buffet? My dad owned a grocery store a block east of this place and I would go with friends for the buffet...

    Sorry not in the last 15 years - but we have a lunch menu

    Is there live music or dancers performing on certain nights still?

    Yes. My band Ed Hill and the Unusuals performs Saturday nights every few weeks. There are other acts too, on Fridays.

    Are the egg rolls pork?

    Pork and shrimp

    View All 5 Questions

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    This was a spur-of-the-moment choice but ended up being very fun for drinks and dinner!…read more I LOVE tiki bars and my husband noticed this one in the area near where we happened to be on Google maps, so off we went! We had about a 15 minute wait for a table but it gave us time to peruse the menu in the car. They offer many classic tiki cocktails, a page full of seasonal drinks, a page of "Designated Driver" mocktails (nice to have an option for something other than just a Shirley Temple!), Polynesian appetizers and entrees, and then Lola's Pizza. For drinks, I got the seasonal Gingerbread Painkiller and my husband got a Green Flash mocktail. (Pro tip on the seasonal drinks: check the regular cocktail menu to see how many skull and crossbones are listed under the regular version of your drink, if applicable, to see if it's a super strong one!) Mine was creamy and spicy but quite powerful. Props to our waitress, Makayla, who checked if anyone at the table was epileptic, because normally the "flash" part of my husband's drink is a strobing LED ice cube; I actually am photosensitive, so it came in the drink in non-strobe mode and just glowed an alien green. She said this was the first time it had actually paid off to ask, but I'm glad she did! The food was tasty: I ordered rumaki, an old-school appetizer of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts that you don't see very often these days, and he got loaded fries. We also got a small Lola's Pizza, which was very good, with a crisp but also chewy crust. The atmosphere here is pure tiki, with a fountain, swag lamps, bamboo, and Hawaiian-influenced Christmas music playing for the season. Lots of big groups here; everyone seemed to be having as good a time as we were! What a laid-back gem in Arlington Heights! We'll be back. Mahalo!

    Discovered this place 10 mins from me! The decor is a little too much in my opinion but great…read moredrinks and vibes. Parking is a little tight too but I parked across the street at Mugs pizza and walked over. The service and staff were great! Big menu as well, next time will try the food. The restrooms are a little small too.

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    The food was so good. We were expecting just plain bar food but got so much more. The brat was…read moregrilled perfectly and the bun was toasted. The chicken sandwich was delicious and juicy. The staff were very friendly. And you can't get a better atmosphere than sitting on the river walk in a Tiki bar setting.

    This is more of a party complex that is located right off of the RIverwalk. They have a lot going…read moreon and the place is huge. First, they have various sized tiki party boats that you can charter. They have games available like large Connect 4, Jenga, hook and ring toss, and of course corn hole. There is tons of seating, but it is all outdoors. They have a few bars that they can open, depending on the crowd. There are a few televisions out there that almost always have sports on. They have your favorite tropical cocktails and some of their own. I will note that they come in plastic cups and not tiki cups, which is fine by me. The staff there was very friendly and helpful. They did not have table service during my visit and I had to go up to the bar to place my orders. They have some savory drinks. I would recommend the Tipsy Mermaid and Mango Tango, but it looks like you really cannot go wrong with whatever you pick They also offer food such as wings, burgers, chicken sandwiches tacos, pizza, wraps, and brats. I ordered an island Party Dog, which came with some chips. It took about 10 minutes for my food to be ready. And it was Ok, nothing special. It was laking in the flavor department for sure. Just so you are not surprised, when it starts to get dark, large rats start coming out of the bushes and running around. They have little fear and will run right by you. You may also experience a jogger running through the area to avoid people walking the Riverwalk. This would be a nice venue for a private event or corporate party. I enjoyed my time here, enjoying my beverage, while watching people and watercraft go by on the Chicago River. I hope to make it back on my next visit to Chi-town.

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    Chef Shangri-La - chinese - Updated May 2026

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