Imperial Restaurant
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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. The restaurant was bright, clean, and beautifully decorated with elegant chandeliers, just as we remembered. 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. It was such a happy, relaxed, and delicious lunch from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm. (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.
The crab sticky rice is so yummy! The rice is so fragrant and the sticky rice is a nice change from normal fried rice. The crab is also super fresh! The dimsum is also not the typical frozen dimsum. Super yum!
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.
Located on the second floor of a small mall, we were looking forward to some good Chinese food. It didn't disappoint. It is spacious with plenty of seating. 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.
Great service, foods are tasty, fresh, hot. Waiters and waitresses are so nice and friendly. Gives us some foods suggestions and idea
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. The ambiance was okay. We went pretty early at 8:30 am right when they opened.
Fancy Chinese restaurant great for special occasions and celebrations. 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.
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!
Chill lil dim sum place. Food was aight, pretty average in my opinion. The best thing was probably their long noodle. The tea itself was aight, nothing crazy.
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.
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
3 years ago
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
3 years ago
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
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
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
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
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
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
4 years ago
Wanted to branch out from the other local classics and try the dim sum here but had just an alright experience. The restaurant's quite big and was pretty busy on a Saturday morning but they clear tables and get customers seated reasonably quickly. However, once we did sit down the service was a bit slow; we looked over the menu while waiting in line so we prepped our dim sum order before we even sat, but we watched multiple other tables sit and get orders and food in before we had ours taken. Unfortunately the food was also satisfactory but nothing impressive. We ordered the rice paper rolls stuffed with crispy chinese breadstick/donut, which was cooked well but came a bit cold. The shrimp stuffed fried tofu and eggplant were nice and crispy but pretty bland even slathered in the sauce that comes on the side. The sticky rice with chicken wrapped in lotus leaf also needed a bit of seasoning, and the fried taro balls were very fresh and crispy but the blandest of all of our dishes. The one dish I really enjoyed was the stewed beef tendon in spicy mala curry sauce, which was cooked perfectly and tender with just the right amount of chew and texture. Overall, while I would eat here in a pinch, I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to come back for dim sum especially with so many other places around. read more
2 years ago
I was worried about my visit because alot of the reviews said the service was bad here. However, it was perfectly fine during my visit! They were attentive and kind. This meal was so comforting, especially during this cold weather! Fyi - they are checking vax cards! I think they remodeled inside? That's what I heard. It's nice and clean. It kind of looks like a banquet hall where events can be held. Wasn't crowded inside and by the time we finished our meal (around 3pm), it kind of emptied out. I'm sure they are very busy during dinner time. We opted for their dim sum. Ordering is pretty easy and our food came super fast! You start off with a nice hot pot of tea. Between 2 people, we shared 9 plates which was the prefect amount. The dishes that were my favorite were the BBQ pork pastry, wonton dumplings in chili oil, korean short ribs, and the BBQ pork rice crepe roll. Nothing was too greasy or salty. Our meal came with many sauces such as sweet n sour, eel, some sort of soy with lemon grass, and of course chili oil. I don't know what it was, but just eating dim sum during the winter time is so satisfying to me. No complaints here! I would love to come back :) read more
Our family favorite place to get dim sum. The restaurant is located the 2nd floor and is really spacious with lots of seating options. It's not always the best service but we're here for the food especially the dim sum. We've been here for small receptions and birthday dinners and the menu has a lot of options including duck, pork belly and various seafood from crabs to lobsters. Everything is always on point with the food. read more
11 months ago
4 years ago
Went here for the first time on Tuesday night. They have dimsum and big plates. Get the smelt fish fry (pictured) and peapod tips with garlic sauce. These are my favorites and I always get them at Chinese places whenever available. It did not disappoint. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor at the south end of the plaza. There is a maître D that coherently speaks and understand English. As for the rest of the staff, sometimes charade works. They are neat and well-dresses though. Whatever you do, just don't look at the flooring/ carpet. read more
It appears as though Imperial used to be Cai restaurant. See below for a Yelp review link to Cai. https://www.yelp.com/biz/cai-restaurant-chicago?osq=cai Anyhow, Imperial doesn't even hide that it used to be Cai as all the plates and cups still have Cai branded all over it. It was really packed coming to this restaurant. We came on a Sunday where the wait to get a table was ridiculous. We had to wait in line just to obtain a number. They probably should refine the line process as there was a guy in front that not attending to the people waiting for a number. I think we waited at least 45 minutes just to get a number, but once we finally got that elusive number, we were seated a couple of minutes afterwards. This place doesn't have push cart service but rather order off a pictorial menu. We ordered all the typical dim sum plates including Siu Mai, Pork Spare Ribs, etc. I have to say that the dim sum was pretty good especially for Chicago, but I don't know if I would want to wait so long for a table again. If you are parking in the public lot across the street, make sure to validate your parking ticket at the restaurant before returning back to your car. It is a substantial difference in cost if you don't get your ticket validated as my friends found out. read more
6 years ago
1 year ago
4 years ago
Been to Imperial Restaurant for a couples time and they are usually my family go to for dim sum. I love this place is surrounded by lot of windows and located on the second floor. Always enjoy the good street view while dinning. The interior remind me of a typical Hong Kong tea house, from the décor and furniture to the tableware. For the morning hours, you can order from the dim sum sheet. The sheet list out all the available dim sum and have clear picture of each items. You just need to mark on the one that you would like order. They also have some special dishes listed at the back of the sheet as well. Their food always come out piping hot and fresh. My favorite is Jumbo Shrimp dumpling and the Red Bean and Coconut Cake. Other than the Dim Sum Menu, they also offer a full menu, which have a extensive selection of different Cantonese dishes. read more
2 years ago
Had a fun experience with my family as it was my sister's pinning ceremony. I loved the pork belly, the sticky rice and the beef chow mien. I was starving a day and the food filled me up. If I had to come here again, I would definitely try the steamed dumplings next time I come here. The service was on time and efficient. It was very customer friendly. read more
5 years ago
Came here on a Saturday morning around 10:15am and there was no wait. We got a table right away by the wall. They came around with a menu and we marked which items we wanted and the food comes out one by one or two at a time, but not all at once. The prices were typical for a city dim sum place. I recommend bringing lots of cash to Chinatown. They love that. The food comes out pretty slowly so be prepared to wait even if it's not too busy. When we left though, there was a line by the door. The food was typical dim sum food. Some dishes were better than others - the crab soup dumplings were a must! The tripe stew was amazing but the other tripe ginger dish was meh. The chicken feet dish was also just okay. It was a bit too sweet and salty and no other flavor. I was hoping for some Chinese broccoli on the menu or something with vegetables but there weren't any. Overall, I'm glad I went and checked it out. Food was average, service was better than expected for a Chinatown service and prices were OK. read more
1 year ago
My favorite Dim Sum place in Chicago! Prices are reasonable compared to other places. They offer all the typical dishes and you can order non-Dim Sum dishes. I love the turnip cakes, shrimp crepes, chicken feet. They also have soup dumplings. Food is always so delicious. I love that they print out a copy of what you order and check off each dish as they are brought to the table so there's no confusion about what is left or what you ordered! If you park in the parking lot, they can validate parking so it's a lot cheaper and comparable to street parking (just need to ask at the front!) Parking in Chinatown on a Sunday is a nightmare until during peak lunchtime though. read more
5 years ago
The service took a while even though the restaurant was not packed. We ordered more than pictures but all items I wanted were "out of stock." One of those instances where the waiters avoided our table or just never checked in. The food was decent but the taste wasn't exciting. The service made it not worth it but it was nice to be in a busy place during lolla & hip hop in chinatown. read more
Back open for a week since the start of March 2021. Came in for dim sum at 10 a.m. on a Sunday and lots of space and quiet as we requested a table by the window (we never get the chance otherwise). Dim sum menu seems simplified a bit (some of our favorites that were exclusive to Cai are gone) but we're ok if they need reduce choices while they reopen. We got siu mai, beef chang fun, radish cake, pan-fried pork buns, and shrimp stuffed tofu/eggplant. Chang fun and radish cake seemed thicker and fresher than before but smaller crowds and maybe creating a front kitchen has helped. Other items were good as ever. Tea choices are now outlined on the back of the menu. Don't be afraid to look before making your choice and trying something new. (I uploaded photo). Back of dim sum menu also outlines $8.50 lunch specials along with $9.99 chef specials. Park in the lot with validation for just $2 and shop the neighborhood before heading out. read more
Also named Cai, this place felt like I was in Hong Kong. It was upstairs and everything from the female employees speaking fast Canto to the wall decor and table/seating was very HK and I was all about it. This was my first time here so I'm not sure if they did cart style pre-covid but everything was off the menu when I came. It did take a while for the food to come out but it was good. The best dish I had was the shu mai. It was super plump and juicy. The shrimp pieces were huge. The least impressive dish was the turnip cake - was bland with little to no flavor. read more
2 years ago
7 years ago
I might be biased but I've always thought that Chicago Chinatown has wayyyyy better dim sum than Manhattan Chinatown. Phoenix and Cai are my top two. Came to Cai this time since we heard that they're closing down soon due to jacked-up rent. We started with complimentary Pu Er tea. Our favorites out of the bunch were the stuffed bean curd skin rice noodle rolls, beef tendon, xiao long baos, and steamed creamy egg yolk buns. The rice rolls were stuffed with dried scallops, very flavorful; Beef tendon had just the right amount of chew though very weak on the spice level; xiao long baos were a bit difficult to eat because of the foil on the bottom but very soupy; the egg yolk buns were the absolute bomb - break them apart right down the middle and the creamy filling will seep through!!! Overall, good value and solid service. Wish it would still be here next time I'm in town. read more
1 year ago
5 years ago
So good and legit dim sum and food. Staff was friendly and fluent in English as well as canto. Chicken was cooked perfectly. Really happy with it and easy to see while driving down the road. read more
Great, delicious dim sum in Chinatown Chicago! One of the top dim sum restaurants in the area for fresh quality tasting dim sum! Food: They have most of the dim sum classics... except noticeably no crab claw, nor black bean clams, nor snails. But still plentiful selection that you can order hot and fresh from menu instead of the rolling carts. (I used to like those carts but have come to appreciate direct menu orders for dim sum) Quality of the food was very good, fresh tasting ingredients including seafood. Service: Fast & efficient. Wait staff has some friendlier than others. Ambience: Large, ballroom Chinese restaurant read more
I was craving dim sum so I called to order some for take out. They told me it would take 30 mins which I didn't mind since I was driving down south and would take me about that long anyways. My order was ready for me when I got there. Everything tasted fantastic. My favorite is the pork stuffed bean curd crepe roll and the fried sticky rice dumpling w/ chicken. I forgot to ask for some spicy mustard but next time I won't! Just be aware that the prices on their menu on their website is different compared to in store now so I hope they'll update that to reflect current pricing. read more
This is my go-to dim sum place. Decent prices, good service. Good location in the new plaza near lots of parking spaces. Honestly, quality is overall similar to other dim sum places in Chinatown. You would have to be very picky and eat a lot of dim sum to be able to distinguish specific quality differences between the dim sum options. My only food complaint is for my favorite dish - the shrimp stuffed rice noodles. They use too much rice noodle, too thick. And they should also pour the sauce over the noodles after they hand it to you. Certain dishes they should instruct the servers to cut for you with a scissor. read more
2 years ago
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Is dim sum offered all hours?
They offer dim sum all day but they cut the offerings later in the day and only offer the top half of the dim sum menu. It's mostly the steamed staples. Disappointed they don't offer the deep fried stuff on the bottom half of the dim sum menu.
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