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    Mapo Restaurant

    3.6 (444 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    MAPO RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Mapo Restaurant

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    Fried eggplant
    Daniel Y.

    Somehow Mapo flies under the radar for Chinese cuisine in the burbs. Locals will appreciate the authentic menu options and Sichuan dishes. Interior is warm and inviting. It's in the same plaza as H Mart but on the side by Wendy's. Lots of parking. Contrary to popular belief, not everything on the menu is spicy, but Mapo does specialize in these types of dishes. My table was a big fan of the fried eggplant, but I loved the cumin lamb as did everyone else with me. Service is great and attentive. Water was always refilled and water asked if everything was okay. Glad I came back and gave this another chance.

    Mapo Tofu
    Michelle M.

    It's clean. It's delicious. Note: The Jajangmyun is very Peking and NOT Korean. I hate it. But it's my own fault cuz they did explain that to me and I'm just a dummy. Note: The Japanese style Salt and Pepper Tofu is my absolute favorite and delicious. Just beyond my words. The service is very nice... I never feel rushed. And just yeah. A great spot to have a meal. They have a lot for parking.

    Ryan D.

    Mapo Restaurant is truly a hidden treasure in Naperville. When my husband and I visited with a few friends, we found it in a small strip mall with bad signage. It appeared to be the only business operating there. The restaurant looks like your typical Chinese restaurant from the inside and outside. What is special about this restaurant is the quality of the food. Everything is prepared fresh and tastes like a lot of time and attention was put into it. We ordered the cumin lamb skewer and crab ragoon for appetizers. This was the best crab ragoon I've ever had. It was sweet and creamy. We ordered several entrées. My favorites were the orange beef and the honey lemon shrimp. I highly recommend Mapo Restaurant. You'll be happy that you took the time to find it.

    Dennis W.

    Excellent variety of dishes the chefs here can make. There are a couple stand outs. Quality- the hou fun, peppercorn fish, calamari, duck, and lemon/orange shrimp here are really good. I'm also a big fan of the beef tendon and most fish dishes here. Quantity- they give a generous portion for the price Atmosphere- nice clean open place. Lots of seating options Service- fast

    Ishani B.

    The food here usually tastes good however this time around we had a poor experience. The dishes were not as clean and had food marks and spicy cabbage that was served at the table had a strand of hair. The rest of the meals were way more spicy than usual. Maybe the chef changed.

    Nick P.

    This is actually a very decent Chinese restaurant in Naperville. Way less busy than Minghin and more than enough parking. Service was good and attentive. Restaurant is very clean. I've been here a few times. I didn't take any pictures at the time. Any kind of pork belly you get, you'll get a lot of flavor. Please eat it with rice. Basil flavored eggplant cake had some spice to it but not too much to make it unenjoyable. Crispy duck is always a must. They give you some very meaty pieces, the skin gives you that nice crunch. If you're going to come here, at least try to order some other than the typical fried rice, egg rolls, crab rangoon. Makes me cringe.

    Beef tendon
    Francis R.

    Finding ourselves in the area quite a bit, we've been eyeing this spot for sometime now and finally made our way to give it a try. Service was good. Restaurant was spotless. Food is pricier than I had expected and with that I found myself nitpicking. Seafood soup was on the saltier side. The stir fried noodles had good flavors yet noodles were too crispy. Really enjoyed the tofu w/ fish filet. Beef tendon w/ veggies and lamb w/ peppers were both good. Anyways portions I could argue that they could be larger for the price. That's all I got on this one. 'Til next time, cheers!

    Stir fry Eggplant with pork
    Rachel L.

    Casual Chinese dining. Food: we got a variety of things. 1. Stir fry eggplant with pork: this was eggplant stir fried with pork and some garlic sauce. It was a bit too salty and mushy but overall the flavor was pretty good. 2. Dongpo Pork Hock: this was pork hock with chili sauce. It was just all sauce and no pork flavor, as if they just dumped the sauce on top without marinading the pork. The meat was surprisingly dry even though it fell off the bone well. 3. Dry chili three delight: this was salt and pepper shrimp, scallop, squid, and fish fillet. This was my favorite dish, it was crispy and delicious to eat. The bit of spice was just the right amount. Service: very fast service and food came out very fast as well Ambiance: casual dining, very family friendly

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    6 days ago

    Very good food but crazy expensive. Good service at restaurant, haven't done delivery.

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    2 years ago

    Delicious!!!!! The service is amazing and everyone is so nice I love love this place!!! If you have never tried it please try it

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    Happy Lamb Hot Pot

    Happy Lamb Hot Pot

    4.0
    (821 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$
    Large group friendly
    Casual dining

    The best hot pot in the burbs, hands down…read more The location is a fun re-purposed 70s build. It is a cozy location with a lot of space. Always feels welcoming and warm (especially in the winter). I cannot say more than all of their food is delicious. The meat is great and fresh, the buffet veggies are tasty, and the extras they offer (sesame balls, spring rolls, etc.) are a nice touch! You can't go wrong with any of the broths, but don't be shy to try the spicy. It is not overwhelming and adds great flavor. The staff is great and always willing to answer any questions. They are quick to refill broth or bring any refills for meats. Perfect for a group or a delightful date. Many happy returns to this favorite!

    This was my first time at the Happy Lamb location in Naperville. I've been to other locations in…read moreChinatown and Bridgeport, but each location has its own appeal. This one's building looks like a beautiful lodge. While there is an online Yelp waitlist (that goes up to 6 people), we had a party of 8 so I called the restaurant and they were happy to put my name down for a reservation. We came to celebrate my dad's birthday. We brought a cake to share, and when we arrived, our server was gracious enough to store it in the fridge until we were ready. We had 6 adults and 2 kids. Kids under a certain height (I forget the details exactly) are free. So we didn't have to pay for the little ones, and not like toddlers appreciate hot pot anyway. It was more, "how do we make sure they don't touch the pot?!" which went totally fine. It's to position the high chairs the furthest away from the knobs/hot surfaces. On our end of the table, we got the half-half broth of classic marrow and the gold cabbage marrow. The golden marrow was SO GOOD. I would get this again and again, because it's hot/sour; the flavor of pickled cabbage and the spice of Szechuan peppercorns. Our server said the spice builds over time, and it did. It was so flavorful that I barely used my dipping sauce. If you like hot/spicy and sour, choose this broth, it is DELICIOUS. The sauce station and the prepared food buffet was located in the middle-back of the dining area. It's a little packed and cozy in there, especially during the dinner rush, you may need to wait a little longer or keep an eye on the area to determine when to get out of your seat. This same area has self-service personal ice cream cups, soda, additional toppings/veggies/proteins, buffet (fried rice, fried chicken, egg rolls, fried buns) AND the sauce station. What I did love is there was a gentleman who was making balloon animals/hats/characters for sale near the front of the restaurant. He says he does this occasionally when he doesn't have other gigs like parties or weddings, etc, so my kiddo and my niece each got a cat and a bunny, respectively. This made their day! And it was nice for them not to be strapped into a high chair the whole time, and have something to entertain them. Overall, 4 shining stars! It would have been great if they had private and semi-private rooms like the Bridgeport location, but I think this wasn't possible due to their building. It looked like they took over a from a Mangia Bubala Roadhouse (Italian and Jewish fare) which took over from a Connie's Pizza. This place has gone through some changes, but it looks like Happy Lamb will be there for the long-run.

    Photos
    All You Can Eat Hot Pot,
 taste happiness, beef, lamb
    All You Can Eat Hot Pot, taste happiness, beef, lamb
    All You Can Eat Hot Pot,
 taste happiness, beef, lamb
    All You Can Eat Hot Pot, taste happiness, beef, lamb
    All You Can Eat Hot Pot,
 taste happiness, beef, lamb

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    All You Can Eat Hot Pot, taste happiness, beef, lamb
    Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

    Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

    3.9
    (280 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$$

    We went at 3:30pm and got seated right away, especially because of reservations. There are plenty…read moreof seats and the service is quite efficient. We ordered the Gyu-Kaku Feast (for 6 pax). It was plenty of food, topped off with smores for dessert. The meat was fresh. Lots of meat, good beef, some pork, and a few shrimp. The salads were good... might be better if we'd asked for the salad dressing on the side. The sukiyaki was surprising in that it was more like fried rice. Spicy chiggae soup was yummy, nice and spicy. So much food. Super yummy. Park in the structure around the corner on Chicago Ave.

    Came here in a Monday for lunch. We had a reservation for 230. We arrive at 215 and there is no one…read moreat the host station. Ahead of us is a couple and another guy waiting. After 10 minutes the host comes and tells the couple they have tables but they aren't cleaned yet and he's waiting. Mind you the restaurant isn't packed, but there are a few tables dining. I'm guessing they were understaffed. Anyhow, after another 10 minutes the guy ahead of us gets seated. Nothing was said to us. Another party of two came and they were also waiting and they flagged someone down. The host said the same thing as earlier, they have tables that haven't been cleaned. 10 mins later he goes to try to seat them knowing we were there first. The lady even told him, well they were here first. He went ahead and seated them anyway then came back and got us. It's 245. I told him we had a reservation for 230. The lack of communication from the host was off putting. We were hungry and my son really wanted bbq. I would have gone to SGD, but they are closed on Mondays. Anyhow, we wait around a good 10 mins before a server comes to take a drink order. Again, they weren't completely packed, I counted 3 servers and a host. We order ribeye, chicken, filet, kalbi and the hirami in a pot for our meats. We also got corn, spinach, a salad and the fried rice and an order of white rice. I ask him if that's enough food and he says yes, but you can keep a menu in case you want more. Our table was 2 adults and 2 kids who are 11 and 9. Fried rice comes out first and the meats. I ask him to bring the white rice too for my son. He said he forgot and will grab it right away. Let's just say he brought the white rice a good 15 mins after...and I had to remind him. So my son is sitting there eating his meat with no rice. The hirami in the pot was a good size but there were 5 pieces of ribeye and 5 pieces of filet and 5 pieces of chicken and maybe 8 pieces of the kalbi. How is this enough for 4 people? So we order another 2 orders of kalbi. I don't know the happy hour portions are tiny. We also needed refills and that took a couple reminders. We also ordered another order of rice. We are pretty much done eating when I ask him what happened to our rice order? He said he will check and that he ordered it awhile ago. He comes back within 2 minutes with our rice saying there was a mix up in the kitchen? Was it really a mix up or did you just forget? By the time we get our check it's 445. Why did this take so long? We have been there before and we are usually in and out in an hour and a half. So they took the fried rice off our bill. Then for tip, it's asking if we want to tip 18, 22 or 22%? Are you being serious? This guy had to constantly be reminded of everything, service was so slow and he had only two other tables. Someone else was picking up our dirty plates and bringing us the meats. I've never had a bad experience here until now. The visit wasn't worth the $180. Food was good except the filet. That had no flavor at all and had to be drenched with the sauces on the table. We have gotten delivery from here before and the portions were bigger during delivery. One other thing to note, the server never even changed out our grill...they usually do that half way through.

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    Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
    Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
    Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

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    Mapo Restaurant - chinese - Updated June 2026

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