One of the "hidden" gems of Chinatown is the Richland Center food court in the basement. This is…read moreone of my favorite restaurants to visit when I'm there because they are affordable, delicious, and consistent. My go-to order every time is pretty much the classic Hainanese Chicken Rice which comes with rice, pieces of boneless, skin-on chicken, a soup, and three sauces (hence the restaurant's name). The rice is full of flavor and is honestly one of my favorite parts about the meal. Their chicken is always tender and juicy. Do note that the chicken is about room temperature, not hot! This is normal. For the sauces, my favorite is the ginger. I've tried their fried Hainanese chicken rice and honestly think the original version is much better. The experience of eating in the basement isn't particularly comfortable, nor is there any service. However, it's still a really great option when you want a quick and casual meal before hitting up a tea shop or grabbing dessert in the area. I have also ordered delivery in the past and the meal holds up excellently. Food: 4.5/5 Price: 4.75/5 Overall: 4.625/5

We got the dish everyone's talking about, the classic hainam chicken rice plate. It comes with…read morechilled poached chicken, rice cooked in the chicken juice, three sauces (sambal, soy, and ginger), and a cup of chicken broth. It was just under $13 with an option to add more meat. The chicken fell apart when you ate it and was flavorful, but the skin was a little too chewy in spots. The star was the actual rice, which I could eat a bowl of on its own. The sauces were good, with the ginger sauce being really refreshing and the soy having a nice touch of sweetness. I'd get it again but I think I'd try something else next time. We also got drinks. My sister was super happy with her Thai tea, and I pretty much inhaled my jasmine milk tea. It's worth a visit if you're down in the food court.

I have been to Penang many times, and it has always been for a special occasion. Today, I missed…read morethe taste of Malaysia so I came to dinner by myself. I ordered enough for two, which means I would have something for the next two meals. The restaurant has been around for a while, and it is a stand alone building. The menu, like what you will find in Malaysia - a mixed of Chinese, Malay, and Indian. The service is always prompt. Here's what I ordered: 1) Roti Canai served with Malaysian chicken curry - the curry is unlike Indian curry. This is a typical Malaysian style curry. You take a piece of the crispy yet a little chewy pan fried dough and dipped in this curry broth. That combination will kick off your appetite. 2) Seafood and Tofu clay pot - a mix of fish fillet, squid, shrimp, vegetables and homemade tofu served in a clay pot. The tofu is delicious - crispy outside with soft and silky center - chef's kiss! 3) String bean mixed with balacan - balacan is a Malaysian sambal sauce made with shrimp paste and chili. It has this savory, sweet and lightly spicy flavor mixed with crispy string beans. It was a delightful dinner! There are many other dishes that I'll come back for, especially other dishes with their homemade tofu.

The food was good, the ama is very friendly, its most likely family owned, the ambiance feels like…read moreyou're back at Malaysia. The food was delcious , but on the chicken satay was raw but it was fixed.

I absolutely love the food here! Strong, flavorful dishes. The dishes appear small but are quite…read morefilling. The spices infused come out in every bite. The fried tofu, fried rice and noodle dishes would highly recommend. They are our staple dishes. The industrial decor with open ceilings make the space appear open and spacious. However, it creates a space where the noise fills the room. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely bustling and gives a lively feel while dining. Staff were friendly. The wait staff seemed very busy managing tables. Service wasn't slow, but definitely felt their restaurant is always at capacity which is a good problem to have! But just expect to have a wait while there.

The Din Tai Fung of Illinois is finally here!…read more My family and I have been chasing the high of Din Tai Fung's soup dumplings for years, but there has always seemed to be an absence of restaurants like this in the Midwest. Thankfully, Phat Phat stepped in to fill that gap. We drove 30 miles for a late lunch around 2:30 p.m. to hopefully beat the crowds. There's a huge parking lot in the back, the building itself is incredibly unique, and the interior is absolutely beautiful. It feels modern while still being warm and inviting. We wanted to try a variety of dishes, so we ordered two baskets of the Shanghai Soup Dumplings, the Enoki Mushroom appetizer, Chicken Fried Rice, Phat Phat Chicken, Nasi Campur, and finished the meal with the Mango Sago. Everything was incredible. The soup dumplings definitely filled the void that Din Tai Fung left behind. Every dish was fresh, perfectly seasoned, and served piping hot. The Mango Sago was the perfect palate cleanser and a refreshing way to end the meal on a hot summer day. The standout for me was the Enoki Mushroom appetizer. That will be a must-order every time we come back. We also have Indonesian family and have visited Bali, so we were excited to try the Nasi Campur. It was spot on. The satay is another must-order in my opinion. Our waiter was kind and attentive, and the rest of the staff were just as welcoming and pleasant. Overall, this was a fantastic experience, and we'll absolutely be back.

Great food. A hidden gem. Everything had been really good…read more Service is crazy fast. They even called me back to take my order when they were with others. Love it!!

Portion is generous …read more. Get cha kuayteow .. totally worth it .. bomb 5/5 Lor bak 5/5 this dish , you rarely see in the US and it tasted good so giving it 5 stars Nasi lemak 4/5 Three big pieces of thigh, some anchovy and fried peanuts with sambal.. but the rice here was not jasmine rice .. unsure what kind of rice they used.. but not quite right Hainan chicken rice 3/5 Lots of chicken .. but again big part of this dish is the fragrant rice .. rice not that fragrant and the rice used was not quite right Murtabak 3/5 Not my fave as it was not much, then not very much meat

I wish this place was closer to me but that would be dangerous cuz I would be there all the time. I…read morelove this noodle place but they actually have a diverse menu it's not just noodles and it's a low-key Asian food place but I go for the shrimp wonton noodle soup the kind of noodles that they have with the wonton is the legit noodles I'm looking for. The fried wonton was actually really good this well. I would keep coming back to this place for the wonton soup but if I'm going to be with a group I would try other dishes because I saw other people ordering them and they look good. Service was great parking is not an issue it's in the plaza and check them out. Definitely coming back for sure Happy eating!

I SAW A MOUSE CRAWLING INSIDE THIS RESTAURANT! AFTER ALREADY SEEING A ROACH IN THE BATHROOM…read more I dined here on 8/7 and was seated near the bathroom/hallway leading toward the kitchen. I first saw what appeared to be a roach in the bathroom and tried to brush it off. Then I saw a MOUSE crawling inside the restaurant. My food had just arrived, I took one bite, and immediately lost my appetite, not to mention ton the food looked like it was a dollar store microwaveable dinner! There were also mops and piles of clothing/belongings sitting in the hallway near the kitchen area, which only added to my concerns about cleanliness. What made it worse was the response. There was no manager available, staff acted like I was making the mouse up, refused to take my concern seriously, and still made me pay for food I couldn't stomach eating after what I witnessed. Seeing both a roach and a mouse during ONE visit is enough for me. I have filed a formal health department complaint requesting an inspection. I would absolutely not eat here again.

Nice variety, good service with providing help for someone with disabilities. Great spring rollsread more

Joyyee is such a staple in Chinatown and honestly it never misses! Anything you get here is…read moreamazing! The inside has such cute lighting and signed with so much seating inside! I brought my friend here from out of town and we were seated right away, the server was on top of our water refills. The menu is huge with so many options, not just Chinese dishes but also Thai dishes. The Server took our order quickly and our food was out so fast! We ordered Crab Ragoons, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Salted Fish Fried Rice and some seafood stir fry but I dont remember what the dish was called. The Crab Ragoons were so fresh, hot and had great flavor! The Sweet and Sour Chicken was fried perfectly with a light batter and not dry at all!. The Salted Fish Fried Rice was just the rice amount of Salty and really balanced out every bite! And rhe seafood dish was delicious! Cooked perfectly and so fresh!

Banger after banger after banger this place rocks the food is amazing at the point that I'm…read moreconvinced having a catering order is the best option. The pho kit buckets are perfectly setup to keep me eating healthy happy and for a long time if you are a meal prepper or a gym enthusiast looking for something consistent I promise this place is a must. The staff is great the cooks hold it down making memorable meals for years to come. The vibe is here is really cute and you can see the chefs in action throwing it down to perfection. This place is a must please go. Also they have cookies here that are baked to perfection they are delicious and have a good soft texture you have to get some with your meals.

Very disappointing experience. We visited on Sunday and…read moreunfortunately did not enjoy our meal at all. The soup had a very unpleasant smell and taste, and even afterward my lips smelled strongly of grease. The spoon provided for the soup was also unpleasantly smelly, heavily scratched, and clearly worn out. It was a plastic spoon that should have been replaced a long time ago. I had to ask for disposable utensils because I simply couldn't use it. The place was visibly dirty, with uncleaned tables and an overall unpleasant atmosphere. We were also shocked that an additional item for the meal was served in a plastic bag. This felt very careless and disrespectful to customers. Unfortunately, cleanliness, food quality, and service were all a 0/10 for us. I would not recommend this place.

The BEST Thai food - very authentic!…read more I got the Guay Tiew Nam Sood - very delicious and received great service from the staff. Feels like this place could be in Thailand!

Had a lunch there with my friends in Chicago. Actually it was highly recommended by one of my…read morefriends, who said "she had tried almost every dish on the menu". Indeed, this spot did not let me down! It is a small Thai restaurant in West Loop, with a large menu featuring monthly specials and quite a few dishes I rarely find in other Thai restaurants in U.S. For food, we ordered the following: 1. Khao Ka Moo: a stewed pork hock platter served with rice, pickled mustard greens, shitake mushrooms, sauce (similar to soy-sauce) and egg (which I opted out). It was my first time to have pork hock in a Thai restaurant. The meat was juicy and the skin was mouth-melting. Highly recommended. 2. JJ Tiger Cry: Basically grilled ribeye served with Thai style sides. The ribeye was cooked at ~medium well. I wish it could be a fattier cut and cooked for a shorter time, but my friend thought the temp. was perfect for her. It was served with a Thai sauce and cabbage+carrot slaw. 3. Green Curry Chicken: my sister's entree. The curry tasted refreshing and flavorful. It was also great that the dish came with both rice noodles and jasmine rice, so you can try both of them -- indeed, the rice noodles, after soaking it in the green curry, tasted heavenly! 4. Yum Hed. Grilled mushroom salad. There were shitake and king oyster mushroom. Served over a bed of fresh lettuce and a kind of spciy, sour sauce. Great as a side. 5. Guay Tiew Tom Tum Koong: Shrimp and rice noodles served in a generous bowl of Tom Yum Soup. It also had much veg. Unfortunately, I am allergic to some seafood so for safety I did not try this dish. Overall, the dishes are of medium sizes, but definitely enough for us. Service was friendly and quick. I may try more dishes the next time I visit Chicago.

Last minute decision to grab some food and we stopped in and it was great service! We got seated…read moreright away. We ordered shrimp fried rice, scallion pancakes, miso soup, and spring rolls. It's a cool setup and the food was fresh. Looking forward to returning!

Kari's Rating 8/10…read more This is my only place I ever come to for soup dumplings in Chinatown. We wanted to order a few different things so we also were able to order the orange chicken, the Korean barbecue short rib ribs, and of course the pork and shrimp dumplings. The first batch of soup dumplings were broken and I asked politely if they could redo the order as all of the soup was underneath the plate through the steamer. Our server was incredibly nice about it, and they took full responsibility as they prepared us a fresh batch. I really appreciate the extra time they took to remake them as 6/8 were broken. I've not ordered the orange chicken before, and it was a little too orangey. If you can imagine like it almost tasted like a thick orange juice syrup, but the chicken was relatively crispy and the portion sizes were pretty large. It also came with a side of rice, which was plenty for the both of us. The Korean short ribs were also really good and were also relatively plentiful, but a few pieces were very chewy and a little bit grizzly so that made it difficult to swallow. They were very full of flavor, but I think the texture was just a little bit rubbery. Overall, again, I think this is a really good place to go to for soup dumplings, and the rest of the food is over overall kind of meh. But I didn't mind it because I've been coming here for years and I try to be a loyal customer.

So many fun menu options! Definitely a great place to come with a small group and try a bunch of…read moredifferent stuff. The spicy crab rangoon were my favorite part of the meal. The spicy tiger was a close second! A deliciously marinated flank steak. The General Tso's chicken sandwich had such a tasty sauce and was a generously sized sandwich. Pretty good sandwich but I'd rather venture out to try something else. The only dish I tried that was average was the roasted duck bao bun. Bun itself was good as was the marinade on the duck. But the duck itself was too chewy. Definitely would come back here!

We ate at bar. The bartender was attentive. Quickly provided menus and took our orders. The menu is…read morehuge - a mix of different Asian cuisines. We tried sushi, gyoza, and pad thai. The food was tasty. Portions were generous.