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Happy Cafe

3.5 (65 reviews)
InexpensiveChinese
Closed • 9:30 am - 9:30 pm

Happy Cafe Photos

Business Info

HAPPY CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Classy
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Delicious pork ribs. And don't forget those tasty bits!
Robert S.

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.

Beef tendon wonton noodle soup
Sonny S.

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!

Sludge R.

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.

menu:  shiitake mushroom and chicken congee for $3.50
Linda M.

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.

Fish Fillet Noodle
Diana G.

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.

Kassius C.

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.

Zoe C.

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.

shitty kung pao beef noodle!

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8 years ago

Best Hunan restaurant in Chicago I have experienced. Characteristic flavor, authentic ingredients and reasonable price.

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8 years ago

Don't bother if you don't speak Chinese. They literally hung up on me when I said sorry I don't speak Chinese.

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MCCB Chicago 时尚食谱 - WE ARE GOING TO CLOSE FOR VACATION
FROM AUG 17 - 25
SEE YOU BACK ON AUG 26

MCCB Chicago 时尚食谱

4.5(1.2k reviews)
0.3 mi•Chinatown
•$$

Sunday Funday with a fantastic first visit to a Chinatown gem!…read more I felt like Chinese food today, and rather than eating at my neighborhood regular, I wanted to go straight to Chinatown for the most delicious, authentic experience. Thanks to my deep dive and discovery on Yelp, MCCB turned out to be the perfect spot to achieve this. The restaurant has held its Michelin status for five years now, and for my first time visiting, the flavors here were incredible. Please note: the restaurant signage is not easily visible from the street since the storefront faces inward toward the mall plaza, and while looking for it, I ended up asking a local man and his wife for directions. He was so kind and welcoming that he unexpectedly left his wife on the sidewalk, my husband in the car, and walked me right across the street and into the mall to point it out from the inside! WAIT TIME: there is a 1 to 1.25 hour wait period to be seated for a table, and a $10 fee via credit card is required to secure your spot, which is then fully transferable to your bill upon checkout. The wait is a great time to walk, explore the shops, restaurants, all Chinatown has to offer, and get your steps and miles in! SERVICE: our first server, Allen, was a bit on the stiff, curt side, but overall nice. However, we had to move from a two-top table to a four-top to accommodate all the dishes we were trying. In that changeover, we were blessed to get one of the BEST servers there, Ashley, who made the experience wonderful. FOOD: we ordered an absolute feast, starting with three starters. The Cheng Du Style Dumplings were fantastic. The Crispy Crab Rangoons were actually not mini at all and had a great crunch. The Szechuan Style Cucumber was a bit underwhelming and a slight bit on the soft side for my tastes, as I prefer my veggies crunchy even when cooked. We ordered everything with the mild heat option so there was no overwhelming spice, just great flavor. For the main dishes, we started with the Cauliflower Flank Steak and added broccoli to it, which was a fantastic addition. It is cooked in an oyster sauce and has none of the standard sweeter seasonings of the other dishes. I chose this to balance a sweet and salty rationing across my dishes, finding that MCCB is a great place to get that perfect balance. The Chicken in Spicy Garlic Sauce was perfect with the mild heat option as well, and the Honey Black Pepper Flank Steak was also incredibly savory, tender, and good. We paired everything with garlic string beans, white rice, and a great jumbo shrimp fried rice. I preferred water, while my husband had a few Diet Cokes. The food comes out hot, fresh, and bursting with flavor. PARKING: parking is convenient--there is street parking or you can use the two north and south lots within walking distance. The north lot is on Archer and Wentworth, and the south lot is on Cermak and Wentworth. Validated parking is permitted for a maximum of 3 hours, and you will only pay $3 with the validation. Just make sure to stay within that time limit and get it validated, because if you go over the 3 hours or forget the validation, you will have to pay the full price for the lot. PRICE: the pricing here is very reasonable for a Michelin-recognized restaurant. Our dinner came out to just under $146 total, which offers phenomenal value given the large portions and top-tier quality. If you are seeking high-quality, delicious Sichuan food in Chinatown that completely lives up to its multi-year Michelin status, and can be customized perfectly to your spice comfort, this is a great place to go. Highly recommend and will return with family!

If you come with a group of nine people and two or three are running late they will not seat you…read moreand then we'll give your table to someone else. Make sure all of your party is on time and they are off here. You get Michelin food but not Michelin service They only have ONE waiter ONE ( on Wednesday night) for every table here. It took me about 10 minutes to get Allen's (the only waiter) attention so that I can get my plate changed bc I didn't like what I got (beef dry signature) and my sister ordered fried rice with egg and there was no egg in it and the waiter said there's a little one egg. A bit of egg. I see one egg in there one small egg that was not enough.. It's a very small restaurant with an amount of maybe 15 tables small but they will accommodate a large group and put tables together. And still, it will be very small.. I'm using that one li The dry signature spicy meal (chicken or beef) all come breaded and it is not mentioned that it's breaded on the menu I was not happy with that. I was expecting non-breaded, but they accommodated me and changed my dish Kindly.

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MCCB Chicago 时尚食谱 - Szechuan Twice Cooked Pork Fried Rice

Szechuan Twice Cooked Pork Fried Rice

MCCB Chicago 时尚食谱 - Inside

Inside

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Shang Noodle - Chicago - Har Gao

Shang Noodle - Chicago

4.3(520 reviews)
2.9 mi•Near North Side
•$$

As soon as you open the door, the smell of delicious food hypnotizes you. It's really hard to…read moredecide what to order because everything looks so good! For starters, we tried the Deep-Fried Pork Belly. It had a crunchy exterior with a dusting of chili powder, while the meat was incredibly tender. It came with a sweet chili dipping sauce that balanced the heat of the chili powder perfectly. I don't have much tolerance for spicy food, but I kept going back for "just one more bite." It was that addictive! For the main course, we tried the Mongolian Beef paired with Egg Fried Rice. The beef was so tender it practically melted in your mouth, and the vegetables had a nice bite to them--the perfect combination. The egg fried rice had just the right amount of garlic and egg, and it paired beautifully with the beef. I can't forget to mention the service. I felt like I was at my auntie's house--warm, welcoming, and genuinely cared for.

Great food but slow service! We got a few items such as the chicken lo mein ($19), red chicken…read morechili :($19), 2 order of steamed soup dumplings ($18), string beans ($14), eggplant ($16) and the quality was great and super authentic. However the 30+ min wait for the veggie orders came after the entire meal when every thing was ordered at the same time, they somewhat rushed us at the end so they can sit their regulars, and the steamy soup dumplings were small and stuck to the paper wrapping and not served w the traditional ginger. The seating and place was clean- I just be prepared to wait and skip on the dumplings since it wasn't the best quality.

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Shang Noodle - Chicago - Interior

Interior

Shang Noodle - Chicago - King Mushroom Chicken

King Mushroom Chicken

Shang Noodle - Chicago - Purple Paradise

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Purple Paradise

MingHin Cuisine - Stuffed tofu skin with pork and shrimp

MingHin Cuisine

4.0(1.2k reviews)
2.5 mi•The Loop
•$$

I haven't been to a MingHin location in over 6 years, and after having dinner here last weekend, I…read morewish I could come back again tomorrow already haha. We ordered like the PERFECT amount of food and best variety. Roast duck: I honestly don't know if I've ever had duck before, but I'm a duck believer now. The skin on theirs was the perfect crispy shatter texture and the duck was sooooo juicy! I don't know why I was always so worried about it being gamey. They give you fluffy steamed bao buns, a sauce, and scallions on the side as well as duck fried rice! Turnip cake: Obviously a must any time I come to dim sum. I've never seen turnip in any other form than this. Japanese salt & pepper tofu: My FAVORITE dish ever. Any fried salt & pepper tofu always makes me happy. They use a creamy egg-like tofu and the outside is lightly crispy with amazing aromatics stir fried in. Steamed white rice on the side is perfect with this. Loved everything else my dinner buds picked and we were super full by the end! Service was good and food came out fast and scorching hot! ***Parking in the area is treacherous (not the restaurants fault, but reconsider driving if possible bc cell signal can be zero to none around the garages if you get lucky) ***Their website allows you to request a reservation as long as it's 3 hours before your desired time. We came on a Saturday evening around dinner time and there was plenty of room for us to get a table immediately as walk-ins!

I really wanted to like this place. It was very close to my hotel and a nice location with nice…read moreambiance. The food tasted fine. Some dishes were a hit or miss. The good stuff is the soy sauce noodles, shumai, congee, shrimp rice rolls. The bad are the hargow and the shrimp and chives dumplings. This place does not appear to grasp the texture of these two dishes. The wrappers keep coming off for these. Lastly, the service and communication is bad here. On my last day I wanted to get some to go food here. It took more than 50 minutes from order via phone to gettin the food. After waiting more than half an hour at restaurant I decided to ask them why it's taking so long and they said because of some baked egg tarts they didn't make yet. I asked how much longer it would take and they refused to tell me. Almost missed my flight because of this. Every time I came up to ask, they tell me a new item they are waiting for. I even asked if I can swap out for something they already have but no response and no timing update. I wish management would step in and at least offer some solution so I can be on my way. Hopefully they'll fix this in the future.

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MingHin Cuisine - Restaurant interior

Restaurant interior

MingHin Cuisine - Fish and tofu in clay pot

Fish and tofu in clay pot

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Tea & Tea

Happy Cafe - chinese - Updated October 2026

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