DELICIOUS dim sum and reasonably priced! One of the best dim sum places in Chinatown in my opinion. Also, they have very inexpensive lunch specials for $6.99 that are typical Chinese entrees and equally as good. This place is huge. Despite that, the 15-minute wait time we were given during lunch was actually only about 5 minutes. They give you all the basics that you need immediately in terms of setting up the table, water, intentions, menu etc. I wanted to point out that not all of the servers speak English which is also understandable for a Chinese restaurant, so I would hope that guests be polite and patient with them. Despite that they were very prompt at bringing out the food. I realized that dim sum is a bit hard for service to determine when customers are full or need something. My tip is that you'll probably need to call someone when you need to order, if you want additional condiments, or when you are done and need the check. Please don't view the service as incompetent or slow, it's simply the nature of the dining style that makes it difficult to determine the frequency to check on the customers. I had a good experience and would be very willing to come back. read more

We were in town for a convention at Mc cormick place. Wanted some legit Chinese cuisine! Great authentic dim sum! Service was fast and food was hot! It's upstairs so be careful you don't miss it! read more

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My husband and I wanted to try out this dim sum. The service is poor. They sat us down and gave us tea. They never ask us what drink we wanted to drink. We wrote down what we wanted to eat from the dim sum menu. Waited for someone to pick up the order sheet. We had to get one of the server attention to pick up our order sheet. Most of our dim sum dish came out cold. The food was not good at all. We never had a server to attend to us at all. All the server was attending to other tables and ignore us the whole time. Bathroom has a strong smell of mothballs. read more

One of the best Cantonese restaurants I have ever tried. Their Dim Sums are amazing! I had a really good time in this restaurant for having lunch with my grandparents and my mother. read more

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Don't get me started on this place. While the dim-sum is delicious here, the service itself is just simply horrendous. Came here on a Sunday with my wife around noon to get dim-sum. Even though the place was fairly busy we got in pretty fast, thought to myself wow didn't have to wait long to get food...oh how I was wrong. We sat for 15 minutes waiting for a server, had to flag someone down to help us. And the lady we asked for help simply threw our order paper to another person with a very rude attitude right in front of us. Our food finally arrives in piecemeal very slowly after 10 minutes. At one point we ran out of hot chili oil and I turned around and asked one of the servers next to me. He quickly gave me a nasty eye and said fine with a pissed off tone. While the food is delicious here, it doesn't make up for the terrible service at this place. If you want delicious food and don't mind the service, come check out this place, otherwise find another restaurant for dim-sum. read more

Dim Sum is basically the Asian equivalent of Spanish Tapas. It's a great idea for lunch or dinner because you can eat a little or you can eat a lot. Each of the items come in small portions, so you can mix-n-match to your heart's content. You also don't have to worry about the veg-heads among your friends and family because there are quite a number of meat-free dishes to choose from. About sixteen of us came to Cai for An P.'s "Romance of the Three Dim Sums." Eleven of us sat at one table and began to check off all the plates we wanted to order. When they arrived, it was pretty clear our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we feared we had ordered way too much food and would have a huge bill. Not the case! Everyone attacked the plates in a feeding frenzy that would put Shark Week to shame. We pretty much cleared off the table except for a few mini takeout boxes worth of leftovers. They also made splitting the bill easy peasy as the price including a 10%, 15% or 20% suggested tip is calculated for you below the total amount. What was our damage? $25 per person (total+tax+tip)! What a steal! My favorite dishes were the BBQ Pork Bao, Shrimp & Chive Dumplings, Chicken & Taro Spring Rolls and Pork & Shrimp Dumplings. I wish I could remember what else I ate, but it was just soooooooo much food. I tried the Egg Custard and loved the pastry part of it. I didn't try the Chicken Feet because they still freak me out a little. I kinda wish I hadn't tried the Radish Cake. Something about the consistency really stopped me in my tracks. It's very gelatinous and pasty at the same time. I quickly popped another Dumpling in my mouth to make up for it. Also, the Jasmin Tea perfectly complemented the meal. It was light but still flavorful. Parking in the area isn't too bad. You might get lucky and snag a free spot about a block away or so, but there are plenty of metered spaces on the nearby streets and a pay-to-park lot across the street. Cai validates parking, making it $2 instead of $9 when we were there almost 3 hours. Come Dim Sum and then Dim Sum more! read more

It's not what it used to be, the food isn't as good anymore. The dimsum lacked flavors it should. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dimsum anyone? - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here with my family for dim sum/lunch. It was pretty good. We had an assortment and my grandfather decided he wanted lobster and didn't care about the price, so they brought out the biggest lobster you could find. Other than that, the service was cool. We had six different people help/serve us, so it was a little confusing. To be fair we went on a Saturday, which was super busy despite the rain. Overall, good dim sum and quick service. Nice menu selection. read more

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Should you venture into Cai after passing up the other more higher quality dim sum establishments in Chinatown (like Ming Hin, and Phoenix), know this: my experience included finding a dead fly in my chili oil, a shard of glass in my rice, then the floor manager quickly took away the evidence and proceeded to verbally and physically fought with me about taking it away before I could snap any pictures! This place is filthy, repulsive, absolutely unprofessional, and a complete farce of an establishment. After the issue escalated up to the owner, I was given a $50 gift card to silence my complaint. Nice. Hush money. How presumptuous of them to think I would ever step foot back into a complete craphole. Love you NOT long time! read more

Definitely go here! Ordered takeout on Thanksgiving Day. All eight dishes were delicious and delightfully fun to eat, and the bill came to only $39. Lots of vegetarian/shrimp choices and a beautiful photographic menu. Huge restaurant with all tables full and people waiting to be seated. An authentic Chinatown experience! read more

I really enjoyed the food...when it wasn't served cold. Several dishes were served cold and we had to send them back. The service wasn't too great either. Good dumplings though. read more

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Well that was disappointing. We decided to go here for my dad's birthday. We got seated promptly and then... nothing. This place was only a quarter filled and yet we got no service for about 15 to 20 minutes. No water or tea, nothing. After waiting that long, we decided to leave. Plenty of other restaurants around to enjoy a nice meal. read more

Trust me, the new-ness of the restaurant will go away. I went with my in-laws on Thanksgiving for dimsum and obviously it was packed during peek lunch hours. Apparently there are two entrances and the waiters told my mom-in-law that since we came up that side of the restaurant, we will be seated at that side of the area. WTF? Isn't it in order of first come first serve? The food was typical. However the deal breaker was that my husband found a long string of hair inside a nor-mai gai or the chicken sticky rice. He was immediately turned off. Not only that, they forgot two of our dishes which we asked to take off the bill. Too bad, I was looking forward to savoring my favorite dim sum snack, the bbq puff pastry. Aside from the mediocre food, the service of the head staff I heard was terrible. A family friend was to have a wedding banquet held there but two weeks before the big day, the management called to demand a double hike up of the courses per table. Therefore, they went back on their contract and previous price agreement and just decided to call the family to say, "hey, um if you still want to have it here, you need to fork over another $300 per table." WHOA. The family instead were lucky to book Furama last minute and had to notify their guest of their sudden change. Lesson: I wouldn't book any big parties there unless you do a price comparison and research. read more

Thanks to An and his monthly dim sum event, I finally had an excuse to try another dim sum place. This place was on my list, as Hungry Hound said their egg yolk filled buns were exquisite. At 2 pm, the dining area was relatively filled, but there was no wait, even though our table was reserved with other Yelpers. The jasmine tea here was outstandingly brewed strong, with no complaints here from this caffeine junkie. Ordering was easy, and they kept our water glasses filled to the brim the entire time. You ordered from the menu, and they brought it to the table, as opposed to the dim sum method of waiting for carts to come around. I actually prefer the order method, as it's faster than hoping the next cart has the dim sum item you want. Pieces were fairly large, and steamed wonderfully. We didn't have a rubbery chew problem, as this is sometimes the case with larger dim sum items. AND to my benefit, they also had my favorite seaweed rolls on the menu. They were pretty good, but not as crispy as Phoenix's. I was just happy they offered seaweed rolls here! The egg yolk buns were rich, and more of a sweet item than savory, so save this for end of your meal if you're funny about eating dessert at the beginning. Parking is relatively easy. When I came back on a second trip the following week, per Ericka's review, my dining party parked in the private lot and Cai validates parking to make it only $2! Score Oh , and the bathrooms here are clean, spacious and very modern. Just a tip for all of you who fret to go to the bathroom on their China Town journeys. Average price with tip $15. How can you beat that? read more

This place is always packed on the weekends, but it's also one of the largest dim sum banquet halls in Chinatown, which means they know how to get people through and the food hot and plentiful once you sit down. If you don't like cart service, then Cai is the place for you, because you order dimsum from a picture menu on the table. This is definitely for those of us who don't like the stress of hailing down fast-moving food carts while eating. The xiao long baos were excellent here...definitely don't miss out on that. They also have a sweet honey glazed short rib which I've never seen on a dimsum menu before, but was really delicious. read more

I am still a fan of this place but since my last review was from when Cai was very new and still working out their kinks, and also because my most recent visit to Cai wasn't my happiest visit either!!! I'm writing an update and adding some tips to help make dimsum easier for everyone. 1. Don't go during 11am-1pm on weekends for dimsum. Don't go during 'dimsum' hours! I went with some out-of-town friends around 12pm and it was mass confusion and so very frustrating for everyone. We didn't get seated until 1245pm, after being walked to an empty table and being walked back to the door twice. :( **Cai has two entrances and the hostesses at the doors do not talk to each other so they'll both try to seat separate parties at one table...... resulting in one party being very angry and having to walk back to their spots in line.** 2. If you must go between 11am-1pm, MAKE A RESERVATION (yes, they take reservations!) or you will be standing in line for a long while and watch people who did make reservations get seated before you even though you have been standing there for 45+ minutes. You will be very angry and upset just like everyone else that was standing in line with my group of starving tourists waiting to be seated. 3. They have updated their menus. Now every item comes with a picture......... for the foreigners, dimsum virgins, and the ABC who speak English better than their home language. Hooraay for everyone! 4. This tip I really don't want to include because it would only make parking harder for me... but they validate parking!!! Park in the two paid parking lots at the Cermak & Archer crossroads. Validated parking is only $2 for 3 hours. Much cheaper than metered parking. Ok, I have done my good deed for the day. :) read more

Very decent place for a Chicago establishment for din sum (we come from cali where it's the land of dim sum so not trying to be snobby). The food was good and the wait was short. Minus the shiny gold lazy Susan which was super distracting, the place felt clean and we were overall happy with the selection. We got a bunch of food but the winner was the tofu pudding, xo rice noodles (on the back of the menu), and cuttle fish cake. Their shiu mai and shrimp dumplings were basic but not in a bad way. Overall, if we were craving dim sum, we'd come back! read more

Came here for dim sum on Sunday morning and it honestly felt like being in Guangzhou. The place was crowded and food was delicious. The service is a bit slow and it's annoying to have to get a new menu to order each round (it would be more efficient to just get food off of the cart). The prices are reasonable and cheaper than Minghin (another popular dim sum restaurant) but the food is just as good. Overall a solid Chicago dim sum destination read more

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This is still the classiest room for dim sum in town. Going there on a week day morning assured that we encountered no wait lines. We were immediately seated. The hope a year ago for a 2nd visit to Cai was for this one to involve a large group. But today's impromptu get-together was just the two of us. So our selected dim sum order contained a couple of favorite dishes and a half-dozen new ones. Cai's dim sum menu has changed only minimally over these 12 months; 5 brand new items and 2 slightly different ones among the (still) total of *72, which continues to include 6 which are bowls of congee (porridge). Of the 8 dishes that we chose, only one of them was one of these new items. We were offered a choice of tea and so asked for Pu-erh. This came loose in the steeped tea pot, so even with careful and gentle pouring, some of the twigs, etc. wound up in our earless demitasse cups. One good thing that hasn't changed is the cost per dish. All 5 dish size categories remain priced as they were in 2012. You may find Cai's method of tallying what is ordered and served oddly unconnected to the presentation of the bill. Immediately after you place your order, a printed list in Chinese and English is placed on the table (even before food arrives). As dishes are served, the wait staff marks off what was delivered. Later, we were asked if we were ready to pay. But no calculated tab was presented (a tab would be expected to include the cost per dish, a subtotal, and taxes). Their practice seems to be expecting that you will pay with plastic and not with cash. Once you hand them your card, they go off and return with the expected bill for you to review, add a tip, total, and sign. Next time, we'll try challenging them on this. While Chicago's Loop remains one of the most expensive places to park your car, here in Chinatown Square's internal parking spots (with city metering), it's a reasonable $2/hour. *Even though their picture menu "placemat" shows items numbered from 01 to 96, there are 6 breaks in the count so that only 72 items are actually shown (in a grid of 9 across by 8 down). Tricky! read more

This place needs more love! After experiencing dim sum in New York, I gave up Chicago dim sum for its inability to compete. FINALLY- I am super happy to discover a go-to dim sum place in Chicago. Cai is the place to go for those seeking traditional tasting dim sum. Even its decor (which, by the way, is really nice and elegant) resembles that of the more traditional-style restaurants. Those looking for something more "fusion," more modern, and less traditional may want to try MingHin Cuisine instead. The restaurant is clean and the service is similar to any other service you will get in Chinatown (which some people would find below average, but I'm used to- MingHin notably has better service comparatively). When you go in for dim sum, served according to their website from Mon to Fri 9am-4pm Sat to Sun 8am-4pm (traditionally it's something you eat for breakfast/lunch time), you will be provided with a sheet with pictures of different dishes for you to mark down your order. They may also ask you what tea you'd like (I usually order Jasmine). I also noticed on my recent visit Saturday morning there were also some dim sum carts rolling :) .. but they act more as a supplement rather than a replacement to their paper ordering strategy. Note that it will get quite busy during weekends.. My visits before 10:30 am and after 2 pm on Saturdays have helped me luckily avoid most of the traffic and find immediate seating [Honestly, everywhere around lunch time in Chinatown will be crowded, though] Compared to MingHIn, Cai's food has less "spices" and larger portions. Essentially, the spices in my mind are catered more towards Americanized taste buds for those seeking an additional kick or flavor; as I have grown up eating traditional dim sum, I prefer Cai's dishes. They are also very detailed in preparation. There are small things that they will do with their dishes to add something "extra" to their presentation. For example, extra vegetables or garnish. It may seem small, but these additional gestures show how Cai isn't entirely in the business to cut costs or corners- their dishes exemplify a quality that isn't found in many other dim sum places, even some in New York. For those new to dim sum, my personal favorites include: -- Siu Mai - Pork Dumpling (These are much larger than other dimsum places and so good!) -- Super Har-gow Jumbo Shrimp Dumpling -- Sticky Rice w/ Chicken Wrapped in Lotus Leaf -- Beef Short Rib w/ Black Pepper Sauce -- BBQ Pork Buns w/ Abalone Sauce (Sweet & Savory dish) -- Pan Fried Turnip Cake (May be on the blander side for some people, but it's the favorite of others as well) -- Shrimp Crepe (My absolute favorite dimsum dish :D!! .. The beef one has always tasted funny to me..) -- Congee with Pork & Preserved Eggs (This is a larger rice porridge dish- as its portion is large, it may keep you from finishing or eating even more dishes, so I'd recommend this for parties of 3 or greater) -- Fried Sticky Dumpling w/ Chicken (This is a more greasy dish- really good but might turn off some people as it's fried) For dessert, try: -- Baked Egg Tarts -- Sesame Ball For those willing to venture, my parents also enjoy: -- Steamed Chicken Feet w/ Peking Sauce -- Pork Intestine w/ Black Bean Sauce I'm not as big into their crispy shrimp egg rolls, but you can't really go wrong overall with any of their dishes :) .. My friend and I usually will order 7 dishes for the both of us, but you can always order more. Dim sum is great for the fact that they are smaller portions, so don't be shy to just order what looks good! :D [Reading these reviews, I'll have to try the Chicken & Taro Egg Rolls and Mango Pudding next time!] For those looking to save, traditionally an entree (found at the back of your ordering sheets) is ordered to complement the dim sum. The price of their entrees is very reasonable, and I've had a good experience with their lunch dishes as well :) For dinner or late eats, I would recommend other places in Chinatown.. Cai's dinner is good, but there are alternatives. What it's best for is really its dim sum.. Those looking for traditional-tasting dim sum prepared with attention to detail should definitely drop by and check it out :) read more

Food flavor is pretty decent but I found a piece of metal scrub in my shu mai. Took it to go and can't really do much about it since I don't live close to there. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Piece of metal scrub from my shu mai. - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very nice dim sum!! Love everything. The shrimp dumpling was really good. From the folds, you can tell they are handmade, not from the factory. It's a must have every time when I go. read more

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Hmmmmm....How does my original four star review about a year ago go down to ONE STAR? How about AWFUL service. Unattentive. Unfriendly. Not helpful. Inaccurate order. Awful. Awful. We were the only people in the huge place that appeared not to be chinese. That usually makes me SUPER happy! I want to dine in authentic places. Some of our dim sum items were piping hot and delicious (shu mai, potstickers, various dumplings) and some were served luke warm (pork dumpling..my favorite). We ran out of sauce and asked several times for more. We filled out our order form, and the staff did not enter what we put on it! I hate to be rude and flag people down...but I had no choice. Staff members would walk by without even looking at us! It was really bizarre! We had to flag someone down for the check! Water refills only happened at the end of the meal. No one ever asked if we needed anything! What a DISAPPOINTMENT! I WILL NOT BE BACK! I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR BACK FROM THE MANAGER OR OWNER ABOUT WHAT IN THE HECK HAPPENED HERE AND TO LEARN WHY WE WERE NOT VALUED AS CUSTOMERS. How do you go from a four star good review to a one star? You ignore your customers and make them feel bad for being there. Bizarre. read more

Decent dim sum considering there aren't many Hong Kong settlers in Chicago. With dimsum, presentation really counts and The dishes didnt look as fine and precise as "yum cha parlor"'s but the texture and flavor made up for it. I went with my roommate and my dad. Everything we ordered from steamed rice roll to soup dumpling, deep fried tofu rolls, and stir fried beef flat noodles (hon chow ngau hor fun) was adequately flavorful. The only complaint is that there wasn't enough durian in the flakey durian pastry.--weak! If you want to know if any place does dimsum well, order the egg tarts or cha siu bao (BBQ pork bun) the bao should come fluffy outside and contain small chunks of barbecue pork and darker red/brown oyster sauce. Anything else is color but that's also normal, just not as considered. If you like canto pop or mando pop the background music is PERFECT. Jay Chou and Lee hom abound. They forgot to give us the egg tarts but we were stuffed. As you know with Chinese service it's fast and cheap but naturally (and acceptably) offhanded and rude. So don't be afraid to hail a waiter and ask them again if they forgot your request for hot sauce or want the check. Not rude for customers to do that at Chinese restos. read more

My family and I come here often because they do an amazing job with the food. We leave this place super full every time we dine here. And when there's an occasion to celebrate, this is the place we choose. All of the seafood is fresh and all the meats are marinated so nicely. One of my favorite dishes here is the Peking duck. Just plain beautifully executed. The buns are prepared to perfection and the duck and its intrinsic flavor go together so well. You must try that (that's a command, not a recommendation). The service here is good too! It's a bunch of younger servers so they are always ready to serve you more water or get you any other things you may need to make the dining experience better. Love this place! read more

Get a big group together to come here, and make a reservation. You will have fun, and this place is cheaper than Phoenix or Ming Hin. And I honestly enjoy the ambiance more. It's "Hong Kong Style Dim Sum" as my mom calls it. One big dining room, fancy/cheesy chandeliers, banquet hall style, loud, boisterous, and kind of a scene. There is a little bit of cart service action going on, but if you come with a big group, just order off the menu to make sure you get what you want. In terms of service, expect Chinese style service which means you may have to ask multiple times for what you want, and if you want someone's attention you have to "step up" and be a little in your face with the servers - waving your hand, tapping them, stopping them in their tracks, etc... This is Chinatown people! read more

Went here last night for a group event. Our tables were neatly set and the staff seemed to be very nice and organized despite our large group filtering in over the course of an hour. The food came out to each table at the same time and it was paced so that the table was never too cluttered. Even though there was a large Lazy Susan at each table, it was difficult to turn without knocking over the glasses and other things we had on our table. To start our feast, we had spring rolls, crab rangoons, bbq pork buns, and fried dough. I enjoyed the spring rolls and crab rangoons, but would pass on the buns and dough. The buns did not have the ratio right and the dough literally taste like nothing. For dinner we had more than any human should consume. I wanted to try a little of everything and even my modest portions of each left me overstuffed. The best dishes had to be the green beans, steamed veggies, and the schwinn chicken. The chicken was just spicy enough and the veggies were fresh and flavorful. The next best dishes were the duck lettuce wraps, Mongolian beef, and seaweed salad. The wraps were fresh, the beef was sweet and savory, and the salad was just salty enough with still being fresh and bright. On the bottom of my list, but still tasty was a noodle dish that just had a little too much oil, fried rice, and duck skin tacos. The service was good, food was flavorful, and decor was bright and seemed authentic. I enjoyed my evening and will most definitely go back to try a few more dishes. The people I was with also left full and happy. Good place to bring a group of people. It is BYOB, so don't forget your favorite Chinese beer or rice wine. read more

My sister and I decided to try this place out today and we were not disappointed. It's nice to have another big restaurant to choose from besides Furama and Phoenix for dim sum. It's very spacious and bright. But you didn't read this review for that, did you? Food: As good as Phoenix and Ming Hin. We had the pork and preserved egg congee, black bean spare ribs, beef balls (they give you 4 instead of 3!), curry baby cuttlefish, scallions and ginger beef tripe, chicken feet, and vegetable crepe. The tripe could have used a little more seasoning as it was a little bland. The vegetable crepe was different: it had fried tofu in it along with pea pod tips. It was served with a good amount of the sweet soy sauce, which I liked since I really hate when it's served dry and not enough sauce. Service: Very attentive. It was super busy today but our dishes were cleared and we even got extra napkins without us asking for them. Next time I think I'll come back to try the dinner dishes. read more

I love that I can get a nice array of dim sum dishes other than during typical weekend brunch hours. Along with weekends (which I hear is typically busy) Cai serves dim sum daily for lunch and early afternoon. I was waiting for my friend to arrive and I was pleasantly surprised that they still seated me. So I spent the time sipping the tea and checking the menu. The paper menu displays a lot of the usual dim sum staples--shumai, pot stickers, rice noodle rolls, congee, etc. But also on the back of the menu lists some other plates--noodles, veggies, rice dishes too. When we got down to ordering--I think we over-ordered, but it just meant leftovers to take home. My favorites: Beef rice noodles--perfectly cooked noodles, tender beef, great flavor XLB--I've had better, but these were good, served on individual foil cups, probably to prevent sticking to the bamboo steamer. The dough seemed on the flimsy side, but the flavor and "soup" was still there. Shumai--huge pieces, full of ground pork, nice flavor. The misses: The short rib--very chewy and lacking in flavor Steamed bbq pork buns--the dough was hard, not fluffy like it should be. Service was OK. The food came out in a few waves after our initial order was made. And we needed to flag down servers but they were prompt in getting us what we requested. Some folks much nicer than others. TIP: they only accept credit cards that have the 'chip'. they were very adamant about that. read more

This restaurant just opened on the second level at the East end of the New Chinatown Square shopping district. I found it kinda by accident. My friend and I decided to meet up in Chinatown for dinner, and we were going to figure out where to eat once we met up. I arrived in Chinatown and tried to call my friend to she where she was. Since AT&T has the worst coverage in the world, and I was getting no signal in the square, I decided to head to higher ground. Once I was on the second level of the shopping mall, I finally got a signal. As I was making my call, I saw a VERY busy restaurant in what was an empty space just a couple of weeks ago. My view from across the courtyard showed a large kitchen bustling with activity. We decided to check it out. Once inside, we saw that the dining room was about twice the size of any other restaurant in all of Chinatown. Even though the place was obviously very busy, we were promptly seated. The menu has a pretty good selection of standard Chinese fare and quite a few rare and high end treats. Appetizers range in price from $2-$18. Entrees range in price from $7-$89. There is something for everyone. There is a bar in the place, but since it was only the 2nd night of operation, they didn't have their alcohol license yet. Luckily, we had brought a bottle of wine with us. Our server gladly opened it for us and there was no corkage fee. Speaking of our server, we had several. This place was staffed with an ARMY of servers and bussers. They didn't seem to have their groove yet, but for what they lacked in organization, they more than made up with enthusiasm. On a fun note, one of the buss boys told us that we were their first native English speaking customers, an honor if you ask me. Now on to the food. We ordered two appetizers; Honey Glazed BBQ Pork, and Crispy Shrimp Dumplings. The pork was tender with a bit of a slightly dripping and crispy glaze, yummy. The shrimp dumplings came with a small side of VERY hot yellow mustard, super tasty and just the thing if you have any congestion. For entrees, we ordered the General Tso's Chicken and Combination Seafood w/ Vegetables. The chicken was tender in a slightly salty sauce with very fresh bell and hot peppers, tasty but not the most memorable. The combinations seafood, we were told, will vary by season. This time it included stir-fry shrimp, scallops, and squid served with chinese greens and ginger. Once again everything was fresh and full of flavor. I'm usually very skeptical of squid, I've had too many bad experiences with it. I was very pleasantly surprised. It was mild and very tender, as opposed to being over powering and rubbery. This was a seafood dish that can be enjoyed by folks who don't care for seafood. All in all, I'd have to say this restaurant has great potential. The place is huge, very well appointed, has a great menu, and a very attentive and enthusiastic staff. We were told that their dim sum offerings will be expanding soon too. Even though they are just getting going, we had a great experience, and I look forward to trying them again to see how things work out. read more

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This place used to clean but not what we encountered today. I won't be going there again. Food was ok. They lost their taste of touch. Carpets are dirty. Plates and utensils are dirty. As you can see how they served my table: broken teapot and broken plate. This is unacceptable! If they are to served you these broken plates might as well eat the street food instead. Bill was $89 for 2 adults and 2 kids. I should of stay home and cook steak & lobsters instead for the price I paid Cai. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I bring my clients to this restaurant but very disappointed about the food, the congee was spoiled, this is a very bad effect and image to represent Chinese food. Never go back again. 南瓜粥是馊的，排骨饭也不新鲜，带美国朋友来吃，真的是留下了不好的印象，不会再去了，不建议去。 read more

Imperial Restaurant - 馊的南瓜粥 - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was here for dinner and not dim sum so this review is strictly towards the dinner offerings. I came here with a couple friends to try the place out since it opened not that long ago. The inside is pretty nice compared to all the other places in Chinatown and the main entrance door is just ridonk. The food was over priced and very mediocre. What we had: 1. Peking Duck 2. Pork with pickled vegetables 3. Peapod tips with Garlic The Peking Duck was the high light of the meal. The peapod tips was overly salty and the pork dish was OK at best. It seems like restaurants in Chinatown these days focus way more on decor than the quality of the food. I would not recommend this place to any friends. However, I would recommend to my enemies. read more

Food quality and service has gone down the tubes. My friend took me here for my birthday per my request and it was not up to par. You Tiao (fried dough sticks) were cold and hard and the servers would not provide any condensed milk to go with this dish. Egg tarts were cold and flavorless. Dim Sum was just mediocre during this visit. Very disappointing. Further the servers were not attentive and had to be called over to request any thing. read more

Visited Chi-town over the weekend and was told that this was the go-to place for Dim Sum and that it didn't have that many reviews because it is a "secret gem" in the city. All I have to say is that I was very underwhelmed by my experience. Maybe it was because I was suffering the aftermath of a food coma from the day before, but I was not very impressed by the items I tried and it took forever to get the items we ordered. This dim sum place is a little different than traditional ones with the steamer carts--they have a brochure at the table where you write down the number of orders you'd like of each dish and they will bring the items to your table. Efficient concept in terms of making sure customers can see everything they can order at one time, but very inefficient in terms of service. It felt like it took forever to get the orders out and they brought out each dish one...at...a...time....which made brunch kind of awkward with all the gaps of time between dishes. I was disappointed in the lack of fried items...I usually order the deep fried shrimp balls with sliced wonton skins on the outside but this place had maybe two or three fried items, everything else was pretty much steamed. The shrimp dumplings were OK, taro and pork was decent, and chicken feet were your typical braised chicken feet. The highlight of this place was definitely the egg yolk bun. It was salty, sweet, and just the right texture of runny egg yolk deliciousness. If I do ever return here, it would solely be for this item. Regarding atmosphere--when we arrived around 10am, there weren't many tables of people but by 11:30am, the place was packed like an asian style wedding -- fun but very chaotic and loud lol. Parking was pretty easy to find in the morning but by the time we left, there were no spaces to be found for people just getting to the lot. I'd definitely recommend going early to get prime parking and service for this place. read more

Good alternative to Phoenix and Ming Hin. Prices are comparable. They don't have a per person tea charge - a plus. Their har gow and shu mai are larger. Place is newer so even on a Sunday at noon there was no wait. Dining room and restrooms were clean....we'll see how long that lasts! Real estate is tight so they don't roll around a lot of carts. Instead, you have to order dim sum off of a menu with no pictures. So unless you know Chinese or the English equivalent, it may be difficult to determine what you are actually ordering. read more

In Chinatown I would say the hot spot for Dim Sum is Minghin, they've been expanding like crazy and eating up the shops next to it. Overall they are great but they aren't the only great Dim Sum place. Cai can definitely give Minghin a run for its money. Here are some differences: Giant banquet hall setting, the room was huge and cramped as hell. I don't see this as a bad thing because it means its popular. Bigger Menu, basically they have the same stuff as every other dim sum place but more expansive.(98 dim sum dishes!) Some examples would be stewed beef tendon and steamed soup dumplings w/crab meat which are amazing. The overall quality of food at this place is as good if not better than any other place. The service is up to par with any other place and the prices are all about the same for dim sum everywhere in Chinatown. The one draw back is the cramped ass seating, despite the huge room they put the tables and chairs so damn close that your ass is basically touching someone else's if it weren't for the backs of their chairs. In the end I think you should give this place a shot if you're strolling through chinatown square, the place is the on second floor but it isn't hard to find. read more

The food came out fresh and fast.Great dim sum for those trying it for the first time. The prices aren't outrageous and postion size is good. Down side is that it's busy and you have to wait a little. read more

Imperial Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We went for dim sum on Sunday AM 1-Food is good 2-Atmosphere is ok since Sunday AM every family is going for for breakfast 3-Service is Ok. Waiter and waitress was helpful. Minus point is receptionist. Only thing she asked do you want to drink tea or not? Not friendly at all. 4-We has 4 people but they gave us 2 small cup for hot sauce and hoisin sauce so we need to ask for extra. Beside that the the dishes and bowls was chipped 5-Good prIce Overall, food and price are good but they need more improve service and quality. read more

Food is good enough, both dim sum and dinner, but service blows. It doesn't matter how decent your food is but to not get a seat despite calling in for a table ahead of time completely sucks. I may give you one more chance to earn my business again, but you've lost it for now. read more