I was in Chinatown. It was looking for a new place to try. I stopped here. The staff was really nice. The guy didn't speak much English or anything, but I did tell him. I only ate seafood and he recommended some things. This was pretty good and came with white rice. The restaurant is small, but you can dine in if you want. I wish it didn't have the shell on it but other than that it was good with a nice kick. read more

Happy Cafe - Hot and Spicy Jumbo Shrimp - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Breakfast at Happy Cafe! Our breakfast at Happy Cafe wasan enjoyable start to the day, featuring comforting dishes that satisfied our cravings. We opted for the savory Beef Noodle and the flavorful BBQ Pork Cheung Fun. Food: 4/5 The Beef Noodle offered a comforting blend of tender beef and flavorful broth, while the BBQ Pork Rice Cheung Fun provided combination of textures and tastes. Service: 4/5 There is only one lady serving in the restaurant, however, the food came up within a reasonable time. Ambiance:3/5 The ambiance of Happy Cafe is clean, similar to other cafe in china town Price: 4/5 With reasonable prices, our breakfast at Happy Cafe offered great value for the quality and portion sizes of the dishes. ,Happy Cafe is a go-to spot for a comforting morning meal. We look forward to returning for more another breakfast read more

See all

I still dream about my meal here. So. Freaking. Good. I'm usually a Szechuan fan, but my boyfriend heard from other restaurant chefs that this is their favorite Hunan place. I get the hype. The portions are very large so definitely come with friends so you can try lots of different dishes. The hunan chicken with veggies was my favorite; the red peppers scattered throughout the dish add a lot of flavorful heat. I also loved the tofu with pork - tasted kind of like mapo tofu. You know when other chefs say that this is their fav restaurant that the food will be incredible. Definitely will be coming back again. read more

Happy Cafe - Hunan chicken - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Food was pre-made, soup was overly greasy and salty, tons of oil in vegetables. What make it worst was the unresponsive waiter. Do not come here, avoid at all costs read more

This place is my go to for Chinese food on the cheap but good on taste. It's your typical, small Chinatown restaurant that's better for to go orders but it's not that bad to sit down and eat. I just wouldn't sit here and eat here with my in laws. Try the salty spicy fish and any of their noodle soup dishes. So many noodles!!! read more

This is REAL HUNAN FOOD! Spicy, numbing, but always delicious. Your going to wish you could bottle it and take it home. There are a few authentic Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, and this is one of them. You're going to see more locals here than casual Asian/Anime fans, because this is the real deal. The meat is delicious with a kick in the ass for spice. The pork filled fried lotus root is a welcome surprise. The spinach has a balanced amount of garlic to make it tasty. The shrimp is so good I wish they shelled it first. It's a shame to peel away those spices. The pork ribs, you better get some to go! Heat them the next day in the oven with all those tasty bits. Yeah, you'll want a jar of those tasty bits too. They are so good and make the presentation pop! There you go. I've shared a hidden gem in Chinatown that is worth the trip. If your nice I'll share some more. Enjoy a real taste of China! BTW, I was told this is a new owner. read more

Happy Cafe - Delicious pork ribs. And don't forget those tasty bits! - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's been a while since I've been back to Happy Cafe. I used to come here virtually every night in my college and post college days. It truly made sense to not cook and just try the entire menu at Happy Cafe. I came back because I was in the neighborhood. I needed to pick up some Chinese food to take back to the burbs, and I just gave it a shot based on my memories. I took a look online and their prices were astoundingly still very affordable! Happy Cafe is a typical neighborhood go to place for all the usual favorites from Hong Kong style lunch box places. Chow Mein and Chow Fun are not $9-12...its $5.25!!!!! That's value man. I ordered ahead for my pickup and it was ready when I arrived. The owners are nice and actually recognized me and asked me what I was up to, how many kids I had...ahh...wish I still lived close by. For 5 orders of food bill was $27.70. I had beef chow fun, minced beef with peas on rice (a constant favorite of mine back in the day), pork and beans sprout chow mein, dry style satay beef chow fun (very yummy, a tad spicy) and fish fillet with corn on rice. Now that I have Happy on my mind...I'll definitely be back. They take credit card thru square. A smaller dining area. A fantastic deal for breakfast. I think if you're nice you could request breakfast specials any time of day if I recall. All together, it's a great value, the food is what you'd expect from HK style comforts favs. read more

I came here with my friend for lunch and it's definitely a hole-in-the-wall kinda restaurant, but the prices are super affordable and portions are large compared to other restaurants in Chinatown. I went with the wonton noodle soup with beef brisket, which was delicious. I'm a big eater, but the portions were so large that I had to take my leftovers home. This is a great place to come when you're low on the dough and feeling like a starving animal. Parking can be scarce in this part of Chinatown, but there is street parking. Happy Cafe is super close to grocery stores, pharmacies and banks, so you can run a buncha errands while getting a cheap bite to eat! read more

Happy Cafe - Beef tendon wonton noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Might have been the traveling blues or maybe the fried rice wasn't that great, but whatever it was, I found myself crying at the Happy Cafe. This was definitely no Happy Meal (har har). Juan got soy sauce in his pork fried rice and he was happy. Perhaps that was the secret? Without soy sauce, the pork fried rice tasted pretty bland. Fresh, but lacking flavor. So sad.. so sad.... ::sniff:: read more

I WOULD eat here again, but...................... This is a small, nine small tables restaurant. I came here by myself, and I am not Asian, to eat in. The food was good and the price was right, but the service, maybe it could be a little better. I walk up to the counter and grab one of those throw-a-way menus. As I'm looking at it, I'm asked what I want. I say I need some more time, and the woman stands there staring at me. So I say Mongolian Beef just to get out of a somewhat awkward situation. I sit down at the table nearest the counter. Eventually, she brings my food out. The two servers passed by me over and over and over and over to check on the Asian family at the table near me, never stopping at my table once. I still left a five dollar tip on a nine dollar bill, and would eat here again. read more

Happy Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Yes it's a true hole-in-the-wall type restaurant with only 1 of the over-40 ladies who can speak some English, but the mostly-Northern Chinese Cuisine is so delicious, and you can feed 8 people for under $50!! We have not ever been disappointed in anything we've tried in the 10 years we've been going to Happy! read more

When I returned, I was disappointed that the beef fun roll was only served during breakfast hours. However, I got two servings of my shiitake mushroom and chicken congee. read more

See all

I remember coming here years ago for their macaroni. My mom said to come here since it was cheap and you get a lot of food. Yes, the tables do seem a bit dirty. They seem to have a lot of deal options and I see why so many school kids come here after school for a cheap meal. Fish Fillet Noodle - My mom got this and I didn't try it. My sister said it was ok, but the noodles were a bit too chewy. She said like eating a rubberband...lol! BBQ Pork Chow Funn - This didn't look that good, but it was actually quite good. The noodles had this nice crispiness to it. Kids Meal A - This came with the macaroni and ham, fries and one chicken wing. Fries were ok, my sister said the chicken wing was crispy, but not much flavor. I tried a spoon of the macaroni and ham and remember it being better. Beef and Tomato Egg Rice - I ordered the beef and rice and it was weird when she asked did I want it sweet or salty....huh? I said sweet and she suggest to add an egg and that was a good choice. It was good, but tasted a bit too much like ginger to me. My sister and I got the iced milk tea and it was ok. Tea was pretty flavorful, but the drinks here are pre-made. Overall, not a bad place to come for cheap eats. read more

See all

This place is a mess! I personally Do Not recommend this place! This is my second time dine in here after they change their style. If the first time is not bad enough for me to write this review, this is it! We waited around 10minutes to be seated, and the only reason kept us standing is that no one was going to clean the table. Ok, 10minutes aren't too bad. They only have one waitress, that's understandable. After we were seated, our order was placed normally. Then, it took us 40 minutes for the first dish to come up. In the meantime, other tables were cleaned, some other customers are seated, and even people came in after us got their dishes served. Well, Maybe it's just bad luck! Around 45 minutes after we placed our order, we have two dishes and some white rice on our table. You right! We have no spoons, no chopsticks, no nothing to eat with. Thank goodness that was the last bit of my disappointment. We then finish the dish in 10minutes and left. The dishes aren't a one star worth, I'll give the dishes 2.5stars with no bias. The dishes don't look bad, but they don't taste as good as they look! There are other places that make way better dishes that worth trying. Stop wasting your time here. read more

Happy Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Easily the best chinese food in town. It's authentic Hunan cuisine which is spicy and savory!

They deserve a five star. Food is so authentic. Every course I tried here reminds me my hometown. Changde potato with pork is my fav. Dont know what they did to the potato, it tastes soooo goooood. read more

Happy Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very awesome food. Everything tastes good especially the ribs. I would come again next time hehexd.

Happy cafe used to be good but ever since the last time I was there the quality in the food has gone down. The service is terrible. The food is disgusting and the restaurant is disgusting and filled with mold. This place needs a serious visit from a health inspector cause there was literally a hair in my cup With all that said I deem Happy Cafe the worst Chinese restaurant in Illinois read more

I don't know if the restaurant changed the ownership or hired a new chef. It is not the same restaurant as before. So sad. The taste is not same as before. It was one of the best authentic Chinese restaurant in Chicago. But it is not any more. I ordered 4 dishes which are my favorite. All 4 dishes tasted worse than before. So sad. read more

omg. TOTAL HOLE IN THE WALL. like totally... (wow! i sound like a valley girl) given that, chinese people are super rude in the restaurant industry, this place is like no other. first of all, i would love to give this place at least, AT LEAST, a 2.5 but i just can't BECAUSE the prices are outrageous! their lunch specials are extremely cheap! no more than $4. all of the dishes! i swear! and i swear, they have over 100 dishes. i ordered kung pao beef style noodle and it was sooo salty, total soy saucey... ew. i waited approximately 20mins and asked if my order was ready any time soon, and both times, this lady, snapped at me, and said, "wait, wait for your order. you sit over there. i tell you when ready." sheesh! HAPPY cafe, my ass. should be more or less, CRANKY cafe. read more

Happy Cafe - shitty kung pao beef noodle! - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love Happy Cafe! Why? because of fast service and they are ready to service you at 8:00 a.m. . We like their macaroni noodle soups with ham. I love their rixe box entrees. Super adorable to get breakfast, lunch and dinner. read more

Insanely cheap, authentic lunch specials with your choice of rice, rubbery rice noodles, or thin pan fried noodles. Yum! One of these is enough to fill up two normal people. Can't beat that. read more

This is the place to go in the afternoon for a quick lunch & dessert. I used to LOVE their peas with beef, until it changed & became salty. I also noticed that their rice boxes tend to have mostly rice, and less what you ordered (i.e. meat or vegetables). I know you are trying to cut cost, but 1 pound of rice in a rice box? Seriously? Their take outs comes with soup and they make a good tofu flower dessert (imagine super soft tofu floating in sugar water, yes i know it doesn't sound yummy, but I grew up with it), and homemade soil milk too. Their baked goods are ok, but very reasonably priced. read more

It's a weekend night and my family does not feel like cooking, who do we call up for take out? Happy Cafe! This is our go to place for cheap, tasty Chinese food. Their foods are delicious and there is a wide variety to choose from. The size of the portions vary. One time we were surprised at how much food they gave us. We even had enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow. The next time we ordered (expecting the same big portion orders) we opened the take out box and saw that it was practically half of what we received the last time. Perhaps it is the different cooks making the orders, but if Happy Cafe would be more reliable on its order portions (hopefully on the larger side) that would be better. Happy Cafe also has seating if you want to dine in. They recently got new chairs, so dining in is more comfortable. Although they do try to make the dining experience as pleasant as possible, they can only do so much. Happy Cafe is a small casual restaurant. The tables and flooring looks like it can use some revamping. If you are dining in try out their sizzling hot plate dishes. For example they have short ribs with onions and sweet sauce cooked on a sizzling hot plate. The aroma and crackling noise of this dish is sure to attract the attention of other customers sitting nearby. Interesting Note - Make sure to try out their red bean drink. They have one of the cheapest red bean drinks and it's also very tasty. read more

Two words: Excellent chicken wings! (oh wait, that's three, oops....) Funny story about Happy Cafe: a few years back, I was seated in here, with my back to the door, eating and watching television. I heard a two-way radio squawk behind me, and upon turning around, noticed 5 police officers sitting at the next table, quietly eating their dinner and watching 'NYPD Blue'. I don't know what the point or moral of that story was, just figured I had to tell it... read more

I love this place! It is a small cafe that I come to eat ever since it opened (when I was in high school). Food is very cheap compared to most restaurants in Chinatown and they are delicious! It is so affordable that I'm so sure elementary school kids can come here and order food to get full! I no longer live in the city but anytime when I do come to the city to visit I definitely try to eat at Happy Cafe to relive the memories and eat my old time favorites. You get the bang for your buck here! read more

I had a simple dinner roll (plain bun) and some tea. I enjoyed both and was pretty enticed by the amazing prices on their menu. I'd like to return to try some real food but based on the service and my small order I'm already a fan =) read more

This is super Hunan style food! Some of my favorites: mustard greens chopped small and fried with pepper and ground pork, Mao's pork (which is an enormous portion of pork belly, cubed and stewed to perfection). They specialize in stews and soup. read more

Happy Cafe - Happy Cafe is small and can get crowded - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

decent Chinese food, with great portions! the restaurant's Chinese name indicates they specialize in Hunan food, and they have quite a few dishes from that province. The rice noodle from there is pretty good. read more

Cheap is good right? I mean come on its $5 for a rice box! It's chinese food IN chinatown! Score right?! WRONG! Not when the quality and quantity fails. I was so disappointed with this place. I've gone three times and have yet to be satisfied by the food or the quantity. The final straw with my parents were when we got 4 rice boxes and each one lacked taste (not even MSG can save this one), and there was either very little meat or else the meat was just all fat. Now I got no problem with fat but if it ain't coupled with meat then there is something drastically wrong, even bacon has meat! Worse of all, I got sick from the food. I've never felt so sick after eating so little. I'm sorry but please avoid this place and do yourself a favor and eat at gourmet foods which is right around the corner of this place. You can check my review for the good stuff! read more

Honestly, this place can do well if service was better. If you're not a regular it'll be difficult to get food here. I mean, their walls are filled with a few pictures and menu while they try to incorporate English on there now-a-days. I used to eat here a lot when I was a kid (right when they open) and then it ceased due to the service. Since I was in the area for work and was making my way through town, I decided to drop a phone call in twenty minutes ahead of time. I went in to pick up the food (just a macaroni and chicken wings meal). They told me to wait (probably counting money to a delivery guy. She went back into the kitchen and I had to wait some more. Then she told me the food isn't ready yet. I was in a hurry and I made that point clear to them so I just said cancel the order and departed. One thing learned is never have ANY hopes walking in here for their service. I didn't bother buying any "quick" foods since I wanted something cooked and hot. =[ read more

I've been eating here since I was a kid and it's still delicious. Since I've moved out of chinatown, their food is what I missed most. Whenever I was sick, my mom would go here to get me their pork with preserved egg congee, and on a regular I would eat their pork and pickled radish vermicelli noodles. When my brother and I were younger their "kids meals" were what we always got. Either the one with the soda, fries, and a chicken wing, or the one with the ham macaroni, fries, and a chicken wing. We became regulars there and my mother had a tab to pay for whenever we went. Yeah, it's always packed with elementary school kids, but what do you expect? It's cheap, and right down the street from Haines. Kids not only get their fast food, but they can also hang out and then go back to the school or go to the library next door to do homework. read more

FOOD: Your average Chinatown Chinese food. A bit too greasy, and somewhat over-MSGed, but there is a wide variety and several menus to choose from. They have a school menu (equivalent to kids' sizes), a combo menu (entree over rice or noodles), and a full dinner entree menu. AMAZING bang for your buck. For $5 (off of the entrees over rice menu), you get a HUGE portion. SERVICE: It's a small restaurant, so you can pretty much motion and get service instantaneously when it's not very buy. The staff speak minimal English, so it's better to just point than to try to say your dishes aloud. AMBIANCE: A bit of a run-down, dilapidated cafe feel. There is a TV if you're eating alone. Mostly filled with junior high/high school kids. TRY: Five-wing chicken dinner; crispy pork over chow fun (wide rice noodles) BOTTOM LINE: Not a particularly classy place, but good bang for your buck. read more

Authentic Hunan cuisine. Probably the only one in chicago right now. Space is a little small. Wish they can expand or getva bigger place

$1.50 for a bowl of congee and bun of your choice before 11am or hot and fresh soy milk-nuff said!

This place sucks! I have to wait more than 30 mins for my stupid order and I just ordered some fried rice! and i started complaining and they totally forgot about my order and just started cooking it after ii was done complaining. and when i received, there was a fly in it! totally disgusting! UGHHHHHHHHHHH. read more

Love the chicken wings. Really Cheap. Just that it's not clean and don't have wifi. But the food tastes really good!

First time i went there, i have no clue what to order until this kid told me to order a kid meal A. That only cost me 2:75 and i got like 3 item with that cost. read more

I grew up coming here for years. Food and service is average but price is low. Fried chicken wings always comes out fresh and burning hot, which makes it nice and juicy when you bite into it. read more

This is one of my go to places becasue I'm a dirt poor grad student. I've been coming here for the past 5 years primarily because the price of the food is so inexpensive. It is unreasonable to expect gourmet. However given the price, it is certainly worth it. Probably the best bang for you buck anywhere in chinatown. Usually I order food for carry out, but it's perfectly fine to dine in too. It would be place just to chat with friends over food whom are not picky eaters. Going there gives me nostalgic feelings of what HK was like way way back. Their prices have gone up (like everywhere else), but still remains one the most inexpensive restaurants in Chinatown. Suggestion bring cash. I dont' remember if they take credit cards. They probably don't just like almost everywhere else in Chinatown. read more