Imperial is the same restaurant that operated as Cai before the pandemic. It still retains its Chinese name, and the Chinese signage continues to bear the name "Cai." It had been 6 years since our last visit, just as the pandemic began. Before the pandemic, our extended family gathered here every Sunday for dim sum after my mother and sister attended church in Chinatown. We also celebrated many birthdays and Mother's Day with traditional Cantonese banquet dinners. My fondest memories were my milestone birthday and my husband's birthday, when we pre-ordered a live king crab prepared three ways, plus other banquet style dishes, for each celebration. The crab legs were perfectly deep-fried, the body was delicately steamed, and the remaining meat was stir-fried with e-fu noodles. The presentation was beautiful, and every dish showcased the freshness of the crab. (Please see my posted photos.) Around the time of the ownership change before the pandemic, the friendly and accommodating manager, Elaine, left the restaurant. I was delighted when my sister told me she had recently returned. On a recent Friday, my husband, our daughter and I brought an American friend to Imperial for dim sum. Elaine immediately recognized us and gave us a warm welcome. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant was bright, clean, and beautifully decorated with elegant chandeliers, just as we remembered.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We chose a table for 4 near the window, and the service was friendly and efficient throughout our meal. The 4 of us shared 12 dim sum dishes. We knew we had ordered more than we could finish, but everything looked too tempting to pass up. Our favorites included the Imperial Jumbo Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow), which were filled with plump, fresh, and flavorful shrimp, and the Pan-Fried Turnip Cake, perfectly seared with a crisp exterior (some of the Hong Kong Cantonese restaurants don't even offer this dish, which requires more preparations).  Other highlights included Chicken Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf, Beef and Enoki Rice Crepes, Crispy Shrimp Rolls, Siu Mai, and Sweet Custard Rolls. Every dish was freshly prepared and delicious. Although our friend is very familiar with Asian cuisine, this was her first visit to Imperial. She was genuinely impressed by the quality and authenticity of the dim sum and said she already planned to return with her family. Most of the dim sum we ordered was in the $6.50 (medium) to $6.75 (large) range.  Elaine generously comped our tea and gave us a 10% loyalty discount on our overall bill. Our final bill came up to $78.29 before tip, and $93.68 after.  We were happy to treat our guest and also encouraged her to take home all the leftovers, that made her really happy. As a bonus, the restaurant offers discounted parking at the nearby Chinatown Parking Lot. By scanning the restaurant's QR code with the parking app, my husband reduced the parking fee from $14.99 to just $3 for nearly three hours. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It was such a happy, relaxed, and delicious lunch from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]  (Dim sum and the lunch menu are available until 3:30 p.m.)  After such a long hiatus, it was wonderful to return and find that Imperial continues to deliver the excellent food, warm hospitality, and welcoming ambiance that made Cai our family's favorite Cantonese restaurant. We are thrilled to be back. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]A little hard to find due to it being on the second floor, but this no frills, neighborhood Dim Sum Place is a surprise gem more off the beaten path.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] While the service is lovely, you should expect less western style service. They are efficient and get you quality dishes at great prices, but they may come in an unexpected order. The older clientele to this place are loyal and for good reason. I would recommend you experiment with the menu! Try a few classics like the shrimp dumplings or mango pudding and get a few new items like the taro cake or the chicken feet. read more

Great service, foods are tasty, fresh, hot. Waiters and waitresses are so nice and friendly. Gives us some foods suggestions and idea read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]This dim sum place is packed with aunties, uncles, and grandmas, and grandpas!![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] One of my favorite dim sum places in Chicago Chinatown with so many nostalgic dishes!Honestly I'm always so excited to eat, I've forgotten to take pictures here! read more

With nearly 100% Asian patrons, you would think you're in store for an amazing delicious experience. Unfortunately, and I say this because I was raised in Chinatown so a bit spoiled maybe...the dim sum could have been better. Highlights: The pretty good: sui mai, shrimp dumpling, bbq crepe, taro dumpling, turnip cake, stuffed bean curd. The not so good: beef chow foon you would have a hard time finding the beef. More than half of the small spareribs/black beans were chewy & fatty. Hom sui gawk (fried sesame ball) barely had enough filling. seafood chow mein (too much noodle vs seafood). Service was attentive & prompt and food was served hot a plus. Big RED FLAG is the discount for new Chinatown parking lot QR code did NOT work & no one was able to help. Ended up paying $13.99 for 2 hrs vs $3 for 3 hours promotion. read more

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Located on the second floor of a small mall, we were looking forward to some good Chinese food. It didn't disappoint. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It is spacious with plenty of seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They serve all day dim sum but decided to go with family style. It was Valentine's Day late evening and the dishes we wanted to order (Peking Duck and Roast Pig) were sold out. So we ordered another dish and they asked if they can substitute an ingredient because they were out of it. They served a large bowl of rice to share instead of individual bowls. Portions were decent but all our dishes were delicious! Service was friendly and attentive. Parking is available at Chinatown Parking by the Metro and they can validate your parking ticket for the discount. Will have to come back one day to try dim sum. read more

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We went to this spot to try something new and this spot was shocking. Our Hoisan sauce (after finally being able to get it) started bubbling. I'm not sure why since this has never happened to us at other dim sum places. The service was pretty bad. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance was okay.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We went pretty early at 8:30 am right when they opened. read more

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This was a recommendation from a friend who grew up and lived in the area. Absolutely classic dim sum restaurant. It's huge but would recommend leaving time to get seated. They had unique dim sum dishes that I have not seen at other restaurants. You order on the menu and the food quickly appears piping hot. The service was attentive and kind! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Fancy Chinese restaurant great for special occasions and celebrations.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food was overall delicious. Wasn't a fan of the pork belly though - thought it was a bit tough. I LOVED the Beijing roast duck - paired so well with the wraps, sauce, and veggie toppings. We got soup and oranges on the house. It may be extra helpful if you can speak Cantonese or Mandarin but not necessary. The waiters were super friendly and helpful to us. read more

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Hosted our wedding rehearsal dinner and it was great. Located on the 2nd floor on the very right side of Chinatown. Instead of going with one of their set menus, we opted to create our own tasting menu based on what we wanted which worked out well and was more than plenty of food! They require a deposit when booking. [[HIGHLIGHT]]When we arrived to the area was set for us which was really nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everyone loved the food and the staff was on point. Liters of soda are just placed on the tables for staff to self serve but we also brought some wine and liquor for guests too (BYOB but I don't remember what the corkage fee was). Favorite dishes included the steak filet and lobster. We've already been back a few times for group dinners and dim sum, and would recommend for anyone looking for a large group dinner! read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Chill lil dim sum place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food was aight, pretty average in my opinion. The best thing was probably their long noodle. The tea itself was aight, nothing crazy. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here for a wedding banquet. The food was all very good except for the fried rice that was a bit bland. Otherwise, everything I ate was excellent from the appetizer platter, the soup, and everything else to the dessert. I enjoyed the red bean and the mango and strawberry jello squares. The service was also great and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the decor has been updated recently after Imperial took over Cai.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It's nice it's close to parking lots and parking on the street. read more

Horrible experience, first the food serving sequence is odd, they give you dessert first and then rice dish and then steamed sides Also, we ordered crab meat steam dumplings with no crab in it , the baozaifan is just normal rice with few salty meat on top , the changfen skin is so thick than the fillling There's no service at all, people just put the dish on your table corner without helping arranging at all, the food taste like there's no effort and mind to put in it when they make it And in this condition , they still charge at least 15% tip ! Very bad experience read more

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The food is delicious although the service is sometimes lacking when asking for water or refills.

3.5 stars, but I'll round up for the ambiance. This is where the locals go ~ we came here on a Wednesday for lunch and it was bustling. Tables were filled of people enjoying a dim sum lunch. Located on the second level in Chinatown Square, Cai is very unassuming. But when you enter, it's a big space, and you quickly learn that this is the type of restaurant where people will book a wedding banquet here - Cai has that type of ambiance. We were able to be seated right away. The waiter asked if we wanted tea for the table. We opted out and were brought ice water as requested. We were also given a dim sum picture menu and pen to write in our orders. A staff member took the menu away and later brought out a printed receipt of our orders. Slowly but surely, the carts of dim sum orders were rolled around and each basket was delivered to the table. As each order was brought out, a worker scratched off the order from our receipt to indicate the item was received. It did seem to take an above average amount of time for the food to be brought out, but there was definitely a lunch rush, so the wait was reasonable and understandable. We ordered the har gow ($6.25 for four pieces), shumai ($5.75 for four pieces), fried taro ($5.75 for three pieces), and xiao long baos (soup dumplings; $7.25 for four pieces), which averaged to about $16 per person for the meal. (We could've ordered more had we not stopped at a bakery right before for a pre-meal snack.) The fried taro was one of the airiest I've ever had. The taro shell was so light and crisp. The shumai and har gow were both meaty - meat was overflowing out of the wrapper for the shumai and there were multiple shrimps in each har gow bite. The flavor of these dim sum dishes were okay; I would've liked to add soy sauce to the fried taro and har gow if it was readily available (it wasn't). The XLBs were steamed in individual tins. The wrapper was a little too thick and chewy for my tastes; the XLB was my least favorite of the dishes. There's not a whole lot of service once your order is placed and the food is brought out. Cai had a vibe where you get your food and visit with your friends/family for as long as you want. With so many options to choose from in Chinatown, we were satisfied with our decision to dine at Cai. read more

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Dim sum was above average and if you pay in cash there is a discount. Also dinning in the evening works for me as they offered a great selection of Cantonese style dishes or dishes that may not be on the menu. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Dim sum on Saturday noon was pack full as usual. Lots of tables and very tight to walk through.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have some aisles a little wider for the food carts to get through to tables. So be sure to hang your jacket inside your chair or on a chair away from the food cart aisle.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The restaurant window decals still says Cai, but the name on the glass doors are Imperial. Looks like it is the same restaurant but they had rebrand with a new name. Food is still good. It's the first stairs to go up on the 2nd floor. East side of the plaza. They have a menu with all the pictures of the small dishes and you mark down the number of servings you want. Came with my family so we order a variety of what we like. Couldn't take pictures fast enough before my family started grabbing the food. Siu Mai with shrimp and pork, beef meatballs has a bit more crunch texture from the water chestnut and believe has cilantro, stuffed bean curds, chicken feet sweet and savory, steam BBQ pork bun and the buns are really fluffy, congee preserved egg and mince pork comes in a big bowl can serve 5 adults and 2 kids, crispy Taro surprisingly not as greasy, pan fried turnip like potato pancake but not dry or dense, sesame balls with red bean filling which the kids love, and my favorite Chinese dough rice crepe roll in soy sauce and goes well with the congee. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dim sum variety of dishes - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered to-go from here a while ago and thought that it was great! They have a variety of dumplings as well as noodle and protein dishes. Everything that I had was delicious and I would love to come back to dine here sometime! read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was in very good company that led me to this wonderful restaurant in China Town Chicago. We pretty much left the ordering up to her and trusted the waitresses suggestions also. Minus the 'common American food likes' ideas, obviously she didn't recognize a foodie when she seen one. You could tell this establishment was well loved by the locals and immediately made you feel warm and relaxed. Now, on to the most important part, the food. Every single dish we ordered was exquisite!! The Roast Duck, perfection! The Turnip Cake, delicious! (I'd never had a turnip cake before today) Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf, superb! Dumplings, addicting! Literally, there was only one item that we ordered that I was like, meh. The rest the table loved it, so total preference taking place. That was the Water Chestnut Cake....but I don't typically eat water chestnuts anyway. The prices were fantastic as we split our bill among us, which only leaves the obvious question, when shall I return?? read more

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2nd floor sparsely populated with only westerners- not normally a good sign. It is however difficult to go wrong in a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. There is a certain delicateness to the service almost elegant? White gloved with multiple attendants making sure your water is always filled. The food is seasoned for Westerners, if you fit that category this place is for you. The food here has a clean taste to it. The pork belly is fine, not greasy. Dim sum here is exceptional. The siomai is excellent, juicy packed full of flavor. The shrimp dumplings and the tong Choi were fine. read more

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In town for a family reunion in Chicago. The last meal was dim sum at Imperial Palace. This was some good food. It was hot and fresh. We had har gow, siu mai, bok choy, woo kwok, hom sui kwok and egg custard tarts. There may have been other dishes but I can't remember all of them. The place was quite busy with a steady flow of patrons. The restaurant was decorated with Asian decor and is very large. There is public paid parking around the establishment. I would return to the restaurant when I travel to Chicago again. read more

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My friend and I were seated quickly and the ordering process was very efficient. I loved the food - this is legit dim sum. My favorites are the steamed pork ribs, turnip cake, and wontons in spicy chili oil. read more

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food: good, per usual of these Chinatown dim sum - some dishes they excel at while other fall short, the good one we got were (fried taro "bun", fried dough wrapped in rice paper, most of them were good, I really disliked the soup dumplings) service: good, pretty standard fast paced dim sum [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance: fine, crowd was older when I went, placed us in a tiny room with a separate small table which was a little weird but okay[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Imperial Restaurant - soup dumpling, Steamed Egg Custard Bun, Steamed Chicken Feet - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ordered food at 11 and got it an hour later !! Host was being disrespectful!! Was it because I'm not Asian ? Fuck this place !! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Cool vibe and setting , wish I can say the same about the staff!![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Also forgot my fried rice !! read more

Imperial Restaurant - No fried rice!!! - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Large dim sum restaurant located on the second floor of new Chinatown.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Delicious with fast service! Highly recommend the salt and pepper egg tofu read more

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Came here unexpectedly after being told at a nearby restaurant that we needed everyone at our table in order to be seated (our friends were running late). This worked out in our favor because we had already bought beer as the other place was absolutely known to be BYOB. We came to Imperial hoping it would be BYOB, and it *was*. We ordered a plate of the Salted Fish & Chicken fried rice which was tasty (especially with the adding of chili oil). We also ordered some dim sum such as Siu Mai Pork and Shrimp dumplings and a few others. It wasn't the best dim sum I've ever had, but it was still decent. They weren't rolling around carts like they do in some of the dim sum places I'm familiar with in the SGV area of Los Angeles, but it still came out relatively fresh. Surprisingly, most of the waiters and staff here were really friendly and smiled at us and what not. I was not expecting that sense of warmth from then giving most experiences I have at dim sum places, but it was nice! Lol Another good staple dim sum place in Chinatown. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I haven't been back here in at least eight years. The place is still delicious for dim sum, and they definitely have some unique items on the menu that you will not find at the neighboring restaurants like Dolo or Phoenix. It is located in that new Chinatown mall so parking is there but hard to find like any parking in Chinatown overall. It is located on a second floor, so keep an eye out for that as a signage is not very clear nor prevalent. The dishes are definitely much more authentic as far as being from Hong Kong and Cantonese in style and everything is freshly made. Super hot and very delicious. This most recent visit, we actually sat right next to one of the kitchens were all of the non-steamed dim sum dishes and menu items came out of. It was incredible to see. This place has been here for quite some time. Definitely needs a refresh as well as some serious cleaning in the lobby entrance area. Unfortunate to see some very well, established cobwebs and spiderwebs. Pricing here is very fair and if anything has been very kind, considering inflation. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]We were a little disappointed we didn't get a lazy Susan for our table for 2 to get the full experience of sharing[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]], but everything was delicious! read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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As a Caucasian family, there was an enormous amount of discrimination just walking in- we had asked for oyster sauce 3 to 4 times with three different servers. Everyone shook their head and no one brought us a dish as we had asked.- the Got, which is one of our family's favorite dishes was fried and what tasted like Dunkin' Donuts oil and no flavor and of course, came out cold- [[HIGHLIGHT]]water glasses were dirty.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] There is not one positive thing I can say about this restaurant, except RUN!!! We thought we'd try something new clearly we will never go back !! read more

Good Balance of quality vs price at this upstairs dim sum in China town. Rating 8/10 | Cost $26 w tip. Pros: Short wait, good portions. Cons: Somewhat limited choices. This is the best "solid quality" dim sum I have had. Its not fancy and its not "cheeping out" its always reasonable and solid. Recommended by a friend we stopped in Saturday at 12pm for 2 people and were seated at a shared table in 15 minutes. Staff are efficient. They bring what you ask for, they take your order, they don't waste time on pleasantries but are never rude. Location is simple with nice decorations, table cloths, and just the essentials. Food is great and the portions are larger than other places at a good price. Everything came out hot and tasted great. No dishes were forgotten and the tea and water were refilled regularly. This is the best all around dim sum you can find. A perfect match of quality and cost. read more

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Solid spot for dim sum. Didn't need to wait long for a table because we were asked and agreed to split a table from the host read more

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Absolutely delicious. Plus side they have dim sum during dinner hours as well (only steamed dishes no baked goods though). Service was quick. They provided free winter melon soup at the beginning of the dinner and orange slices at the end. Ambiance was very Hong Kong banquet style, everyone spoke cantonese. Feel free to dress up or casual. Dim sum was around ~$3-$7. Each entree dish was around $18-$20. read more

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We tried this restaurant based on some Facebook recommendations for authentic Chinese cuisine, and we were happily surprised at the delicious dishes. Cai has lunch specials for $12.99 which will not disappoint you. We ordered Beef Flat Rice Noodles, and Seafood Chow Mein. The portions were good sizes, and both dishes were flavorful and yummy. Very authentic Chinese noodle dishes. There was plenty of seafood in our dish: shrimps, squid, fish, and a scallop. There were also multiple tea choices ti try with your meal. $1 per person which is more than reasonable with refills of hot water in your teapot. The service was friendly and quick. The ambiance is simple like most Chinese restaurants. The bathroom was so-so. Definitely worth another visit. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Beef Flat Rice Noodles - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I have been here at least 10 times if not more. They have gone significantly downhill. Will not come back. I get it was the holiday season and they were super packed. We even accommodated them and sat with other people to get seated faster. Reasons for my review stars: 1. More than 50% of the food came out cold 2. Waited over 30 min to get even tea 3. I get most Asian places have poor service, but we couldn't even wave anyone down to get water or chili oil let alone the bowls for our congee Sad that one of the two major places has gone downhill so much. Check out Phoenix for dim sum instead read more

Imperial Restaurant - Waiting for the staff to clean - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Let me preface this by saying this is my experience thus far and that the situation has potential to turn around. I am giving the business a chance to fix the issues I am bringing up and if they do I will update my review accordingly. In the meantime, beware of this place if you want to plan a wedding here! I have booked Imperial for my wedding coming up next month, October. I do not live in Chicago but I grew up here. My entire family is here and is helping me with my wedding plans. Since the beginning of the year until now, I have made 3 to 4 trips back here to plan, secure and make arrangements. I've sat down with Elaine, the restaurant manager, more than two times now, in person to go over details. We have confirmed the same information each time- regarding set up times, how many people it would take to book the entire restaurant. Now, a month before the wedding she is saying we cannot come to set up til 5pm (when my WEDDING BEGINS) and that it will partially still be open to the public! This is absolutely unacceptable. You cannot tell a bride a month away that they suddenly cannot have time to set up and that they will have to share the space to the public. I have yet had a chance to discuss these issues because Elaine is "too busy" each time I call. Supposedly she is free tomorrow, so we will see what she has to say about this mess. I am not above switching my venue to another place that would like to take my $$$. If the owner would like to reach out to me, you have my #, just ask Elaine. I also sent a message on their website, but no word back. I am not happy. Stay tuned. read more

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Perfect go to place for Cantonese food and Dim Sum! Cai is always amazing and consistently good every time I go. They have a variety of foods including dim sum and always satisfy my Chinese food cravings. This time, we ordered the Peking duck special that came with two dishes you choose depending on how you want the duck prepared. We choose the classic Peking duck wraps and the Peking duck lettuce wraps. They brought the duck out and carved it in front of us. Then they took the rest of the duck back to the kitchen to get the rest of the duck parts to stir fry and serve on top of lettuce wraps. Everything was delicious and crisp as duck should be. I am always delighted when I eat Chinese food that doesn't leave a salty/msg taste in my mouth. We also ordered some dim sum that were freshly made. Although it may not look fancy, seating is comfortable and the staff are always friendly. I would also say pricing is reasonable and lower than some of its competitors for the same quality of food. read more

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This is my family's favorite, they have been going here for over 10 years. I am from San Francisco and quite impressed with the quality and taste of the dim sum. I highly recommend it. The fried goods, not pictured here was fried well, golden and crispy! We ordered some traditional Chinese tripe and chicken feet, that's is not easy to prepare and it came out perfect. Service was excellent, it also doesn't hurt my family has been going here for a long time. Don't forget to come here for birthday parties, they have great set menus with seafood and meats. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dim sum - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We arrived with a party of 3 late afternoon on a Saturday. The restaurant was fairly packed so there was a bit of a wait that was expected. It is not a traditional push cart experience - you order off a paper menu (with pictures) and food gets brought to you by carts. The food was all pretty good except for the xiao long pao - those were overly large and didn't taste that good. Everything else was delicious! Packing can be tough so we ended up doing paid parking across the street. Restaurant validates parking to be discounted (not free). I think it was $2 for parking at the end which is not bad. read more

I'm visiting Chicago, this is my friend's favorite dim sum place. She is a local and obsessed with food, so I had high hopes. This place is very nice, clean and bright. The dim sum is classic Cantonese style. I loved every thing! Don't forget the noodle dishes on the back! read more

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Our party of 4 came in for a weekday dim sum lunch at the former Cai.  They've apparently been Imperial and under new ownership for about 9 months.  I heard the chefs were also changed out which is customary with new Chinese restaurant ownership.  The large, airy, and spacious dining room is the same though and still the best and most airy dining room setting in Chinatown IMHO.  Also in traditional Chinese business style, there is a lot of the old Cai name still remaining on the serving plates as well as the big restaurant logo on the building, ha. The dim sum menu is large and there are a few unique dishes added to the menu.  We had a bunch that I won't bother to itemize and it was all delicious.  On the unique side, we had their beef tendon in chili sauce and BBQ pork pineapple turnover pastry, yum.  The large dining room got pretty filled up and vibrant also by about 12:15pm and it was nice to see the brisk business.  It's just a matter of time before we return! read more

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