UPDATED Daniel-- I do love a good pizza!! But yes, I also love Chinese food. If I were to rank this kind of thing, it's probably my fourth favorite, after Thai, Indian, and Vietnamese. I'd place pizza in about 5th place. Having said that, two of my top 10 favorite restaurants in Chicago are Chinese restaurants - one right around the corner from you! Moon Palace Express used to be in my top 20 for sure, and possibly in my top 10 for a good stretch of time post-Covid. I was eating there at least twice a week, and loved almost everything I tried on the menu. My two favorites were probably the General Tso's and the Kung Pao chicken. So spicy and flavorful! That's what made today's bland lunch so disappointing. Thanks for the response to my initial review. I haven't had ice cream in about a year but you've just made me crave some!! This used to be one of my top three Chinatown spots. I've had several things off the menu, and they've all gone downhill. Today I ate there for the last time. I hadn't been for a year because the last few times things were not great, but today I was craving it. I thought maybe things had bounced back. If I were to close my eyes and take a hit of this Kung Pao chicken, I would guess that it was rice in a bowl of lukewarm warm water, with some old, soggy, tasteless chunks of an indistinguishable vegetable. Quite possibly the worst kung pao chicken I've ever had, and one of the worst meals in general in months. I will never go back here. read more

Food 10/10 * I love going to this place for the orange chicken. It tastes so good and makes me want more food. Their flat noodle is amazing and I like to eat it with beef broccoli . Service 8/10 I feel is a good service but they can improve by making it a better understanding of the food. Show more pictures so people can understand or want to buy their food. But waiters are fast and easy to asked them for anything. Ambiance: 10/10 *cozy *clean *cute setting and very cozy read more

I really wanted to enjoy this place but Frank at the front was really rude and decided to tell jokes instead of being professional. Not happy with the first impression of this place. It's nice inside, and I'm not sure how the food is, but that threw me off. read more

Since moving to LA, I always find myself craving for Moon Palace! I make sure to always get Moon Palace when I'm back in Chicago! Ordered for delivery tonight and the food was excellent as always! Def hit the spot! I ordered all my favorites: beef and broccoli chow fun, garlic sautéed peapod sprouts, orange chicken and fish and string beans! Delivery took about an hour from the time I ordered. The food arrived steaming hot and fresh! Highly recommend if you've never tried them! read more

Moon Palace Express - Top left clockwise: fish fillet string beans, garlic peapod sprouts, orange chicken, beef and broccoli chow fun with sauce on the side - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I think I have a new favorite Chinese takeout spot! Oh my gosh. We ordered from moon palace tonight and everything was exceptional. The Xiao Long Bao were delicious and succulent. The Schwezan Style green beans were so good. We ordered Moon Palace Chicken which was really spicy, rich and unique. The stir fried veggie lo mein was the least favorite of the night, but it's an inherently simple dish, so no one was surprised. We eat plenty of Chinese takeout and we're so thrilled to have discovered Moon Palace! read more

We chose to dine out for Christmas and wandered into Moon Palace. It was luckily not a long wait-unless you ordered take out that night! Our table was ready in less than 30 minutes and we were served within 45 minutes. We ordered the green onion cakes and egg rolls. Both were very good. Crispy and came with tasty sauces. I had the Mongolian beef which was good. Beef was tender and the sauce tasty. He chose the chicken with vegetables while not a huge portion, it was just large enough for him. They have alcohol but looked limited from my vantage point but I drink common items. He had to find a beer he liked. read more

Moon Palace Express - Outside - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Awesome! My husband and I have this random little tradition where we get Chinese food every NYE. Even though 2020 has been a dumpster fire in all the ways, there was no reason to skip the this year. Full disclosure, our normal place had closed, so I took to my trusy Yelp app to help me out. Menu is substantial; lots of options. We ordered, BBQ Pork (wasnt expecting the presentation, but flavor was AMAZING) Potstickers, Orange Chicken, Lo Mein, Chow Mein and Mongolian Chicken (I think?). We got a lot of food! But the portions were solid and prices for sure reflected what you got. Really easy to order using GrubHub and super safe pickup. Restaurant is right next to the Chinatown Fire Station. Will for sure order from here again and thank you for being open NYE (and during a pandemic)! read more

Moon Palace Express - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delivery was partial. She only dropped it off in building lobby. Will be adjusting tip down

Never again. My sister has had a recent infatuation with Chinese food lately. Everytime we order out she always wants Chinese. Last week we tried Moon Palace for the first and last time. We ordered delivery from Uber Eats and I believe the total was around $65. We ordered cashew chicken, chicken fried rice, Mongolian beef and beef with broccoli. Long story short, the food had NO flavor. It was just bland. We couldn't even smell it once we got it out of the bag and uncovered. The portion size is generous, but we didn't even bother saving the leftovers the food was so bad. The egg rolls were probably the only saving grace, but even those weren't anything to get excited over. The cashew chicken was mostly cashews. There was very little chicken so it was literally like you were eating a bowl of cashews. The Mongolian beef had noodles in it which I didn't care for, but I guess that stopped them from drowning it in onions. It also wasn't spicy at all. The quality of the meat in the dishes didn't seem all that great, but it's hard to judge since the food was flavorless. The entire experience was just disappointing. Adding insult to injury the restaurant didn't send any fortune cookies either! I typically hold restaurants in China town to a higher standard, but Moon Palace failed on every level. read more

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Use to love this place, had THE BEST pot stickers, steamed dumplings and ja Jiang mein, why would the family turn it into a bar?

There are dozens of restaurants to choose from in Chinatown. Why is Moon Palace a favorite? Because they offer the best pot stickers I've ever had. They're huge and juicy, with twice as much filling as any other... and always cooked al dente (overcooking makes pot stickers chewy). Last Saturday, my friend and I each had an order of pork pot stickers. We split Mongolian beef and a fried rice. The beef was medium rare (perfect) but overpowered by too much sauce. The fried rice was tasty. Their house sauvignon blanc was excellent. Good almond cookies. Great service. And $2 self-parking in Chinatown's gigantic lot. The big downer was the fortune in my fortune cookie: I already know I'm intelligent and kind... predict when I'm going to inherit a million dollars from a long, lost relative. read more

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Ordered combination fried rice which I paid xtra for I only had 1 shrimp and a few pieces of chicken will not patronize Moon Palace ever again read more

I ordered delivery so the one star is based strictly on the food. The white rice had MULTIPLE hairs in it that I found pretty much immediately; not a great start to the experience but that was just the plain rice. Then, the shrimp in the fried rice was rubbery, and overall the food was pretty bland. Even the green beans were flavorless. I was also pretty paranoid while eating the fried rice and beans because I was worried there were more hairs hidden. Anyway, the xiao long bao and pork buns were decent at best; the pork buns taste the same as the Trader Joe's frozen version so those were still edible but spoiler alert: they're just as bland. And saving the worst for last... the crispy duck. This is what made me truly regret ordering from here. The first several pieces that we tried were legitimately inedible; they threw everything in the container including the bones (why????). The pieces that did have some meat on them... well it was - you guessed it - bland. As if they killed the duck, then cooked it with zero seasoning and worst of all, the only "crispy" bits were the actual bones! If this is any reflection on their peking duck then I'm really happy I didn't order it. At this point *MY CHEF HUSBAND* (who works at a James Beard Award winning restaurant in Chicago) gave up trying to eat this and put the food on his plate back in the containers. I tried to fool myself and save the remnants for leftovers for the next day, but the next day came and I couldn't force myself. Everything, including the entire container of duck, virtually untouched, went into the garbage. The idea of trying to eat it again made me nauseous and I wouldn't even subject the homeless guy on the corner to this crap. TLDR: Spend your money wisely, go to Lao Sze Chuan *Adding this after reading the business owner's defensive responses: no we don't have COVID, and can taste/smell foods that actually have flavor and seasoning read more

One of our favorite go-to places for Asian eats in Chinatown. There are always plenty of people on the weekends. We always start off by ordering Mai Tais and the Pot stickers, they're delish. I could probably just eat a whole plate of those and be fine. The hubby gets his usual of Beef Pepper steak, he loves it. I'll usually try different less spicy dishes. All which have been really good. Lo Mein, soup, and fried rice. Staff are very friendly and if you go enough, they get to know you. read more

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Walking into this restaurant here in Chinatown one does not feel like you are in Chinatown. Where are all the Chinese people?!? The entire night not a single group of Asians for that matter even walked in. And being Chinese, you know a good sign of a good Chinese restaurant is one that is full of other Chinese people. We ordered the Scallion pancakes (two pieces with very little green onions in it, I don't know maybe green onions are too expensive now to add to many), Pan fried meat buns, pork chop noodle soup, Shanghai pan fried noodles, General Tsaos chicken and two orders of xia long baos. The xia long baos were good but the other dishes were just okay. It definitely catered to an American palate. In the past this place was different and served quality food. Now they are busy and not quite the quality I would look for in a Chinese restaurant. Service though was good. But aside from that we likely won't be back anytime soon. read more

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We got the pork with pickles and bamboo shoots as well as the kung pao chicken and a variety of potstickers and dumplings as appetizers. Delivery was quick and the food tasted quite fresh. All the appetizers we got were excellent as were our main courses. This restaurant is among the top tier of China town restaurants that deliver. The food is well seasoned and not overly greasy or oily. And it was a big on flavor. I definitely plan on ordering here again and exploring more of the menu. read more

If you haven't been here in a while, you should know that it's mostly takeout now with only a few seats for eating in. Still got a good menu, but most of the space is now a bar. :( This used to be one of my faves in Chinatown. read more

Came here on a Saturday evening for dinner and they were pretty busy but finding a table was not difficult. There was plenty of seating and tables. I ended up ordering salt and pepper squid, bok choy with mushrooms, Schwezan style fried chicken bits, and their "Xiao Long Baos." I thought their food was alright. I was pretty disappointed on their Xiao Long Baos because it was VERY dry, no soup in the dumplings whatsoever. They should just change the name of their dish to dumplings, because that's what they resemble. In contrast, their salt and pepper squid was pretty tasty. The Schwezan style fried chicken and the bok choy were dishes that were subpar. Wasn't much of a big fan but I still ate it. read more

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Haven't been back since they changed over to take out, but not disappointed. Salt and pepper shrimp without shells were wonderful! BBQ Pork egg foo young was also good. We always enjoyed eating there with the family and miss that most of all. read more

HOLY SALT. Salt - essentially the only flavor profile this place has to offer. We ordered several dishes and the experience was the same. To make matters worse, the wait staff never refilled our water until the very end when we were about to leave. Additionally, the wontons had no filling and were dry as a saltine. Save your taste buds and go to one of the many other restaurants in Chinatown. read more

Great place for authentic Chinese food. Everything tasted great and very fresh with good sized portions. The only reason this did not get 5 stars was due too service. We came at a time where only three tables had people at them so a very slow night. After we got our food our server didn't check on us until almost the end of the meal leaving our drink glasses empty the majority of the time. Would eat here again but hope for better service next time. Definitely try the soup dumplings! read more

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I went into this restaurant with high expectations, but was let down greatly. We ordered the xiaolongbao and expected a lot of soup, but when we bit into it, it was practically dry! The wrapping was so tough we're sure that they microwaved it. We also ordered the Peking duck and when I tell you how shocked I was when I saw them bringing of plate of tortillas. Tortillas! Where is the bao? The duck was also very dry and tasteless and not worth the $38. Never coming back. read more

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I'm purposely taking down this restaurant score! I came in to get my parking validated and they told me I needed to spend $20 for this. WTF? Who does that! So, I gave in and asked for schezwan chicken. Schezwan was not on the menu but it is easy to make since schezwan pork was already on the menu. Just cook schezwan pork but swap the pork for chicken. Simple. Remember I'm a Asian restaurant guy and a major Chinese food cook and critic. I was raised on Chinese food. I worked at many different Chinese restaurant. My uncles own about 10-20 Chinese restaurant in upper Michigan. She rang me up for a Kung Pao. I was like WTF, but she said it was the same thing. I took it home and guess what? They gave me Kung Pao. WTF! I wanted schezwan! I know what KungPao is and how it taste. Big fail by them. Do not go here! These people cannot take an order. Why run a business if your team cannot take a simple order!! Disappointed indeed! read more

Ordered for takeout tonight. Food was amazing and still warm by the time it was delivered bc it came 30 min earlier than expected! Had the peanut noodles, bbq pork, combo rice & crab rangoons & have not a single complaint. Will be ordering again soon! read more

I cannot wait to come back! We were starving and started with the Soup Dumplings/Xiao Long Bao and egg rolls both came with the spicy mustard and some other sauces which made it sooo good! We then got the combo Lo Mein and beef and broccoli to share which were also amazing! The service was great and we left very happy and very full! read more

Moon Palace Express - Xiao Long Bao was so good omg - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The waitstaff wasn't really friendly or welcoming! They look like they didn't want to be there. There were a couple of families there when we walked in. There was four of us. We haven't been here in a long time so we wanted to look over the menu. They kept staring at us. We ordered a few dishes that were not on the menu. Some of the dishes we had were still good, such as the pot stickers. But one dish was so salty, we asked them to remake it and they did. The prices were a bit high so it will be a once in awhile go to place. read more

Moon Palace Express - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Would not come back! The XLB skins at thick, the water and fortune cookies taste stale and the other dishes are nothing to write home about either. The meatballs were super salty. The worst was the sponge and gluten dish - it literally tasted like old paper. I would stay away! There are a lot better options in Chinatown. The one highlight was the egg and clam dish. read more

Moon Palace Express - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Despite the recent additions to Chinatown, Moon Palace remains the only place that satisfies my cravings for Shanghainese. The place is run by an elderly Shanghai woman and her son. The wait staff is fluent in Mandarin, Shanghainese, and English. No worries on any language barriers! My usual order consists of hot and sour soup, xiao long bao, potstickers, stir-fried Shanghai chow mein, and stir-fried Shanghai rice cakes. All of them are my favorites and I would usually pair them with soy sauce and red vinegar. The xiao long bao are slightly larger than the usual so it's a bit more filling but I love how they are gushing with hot soup. The rice cakes are usually served with shreds of pork and stir-fried to a soft texture. You do not have to chew on it for ages! read more

Had a craving for soup dumplings and saw Moon Palace served xiao long bao (XLB). Let me tell you though, these are NOT soup dumplings. They were some very delicious juicy meat dumplings but I would not call them XLB. Along that line, I did not appreciate the hostess trying to convince me otherwise and trying to teach me about soup dumplings. She tried to convince me that "soup" dumplings does not mean they have soup in them but just that the meat is juicy and it is impossible to have soup in dumplings. I have had dumplings with soup in them before at many other places, it is possible. So that was a bit of a disappointment. Especially when that was the main reason we chose Moon palace. The food was ok, but nothing was spectacular. It is your standard chinese cuisine catered to a more american taste but less greasy than panda express. The restaurant itself is pretty nice and clean. Located conveniently on the corner before entering old chinatown. read more

Moon Palace Express - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food here is amazing ! The Hunan crispy fish filet is tender and delicate while still maintaining a fantastic crunchy texture. Love the tangy sauce that comes with it as well. Also some of the best crab Rangoons I've had in Chicago ! read more

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Had some of the best xiao long bao, soup dumplings in town. We also ordered the duck which was excellently prepared with crispy skin served with buns that were pillowy goodness. We called ahead to see if they would prepare a fresh lobster dish and pepper crab that are both off menu. They were both excellent and really speaks to the great chefs talent. The sesame chicken was perfectly done with the right amount of bready crunchiness and savory sauce. To complement everything we ordered the pea shoots in garlic sauce which were bright green and perfectly cooked. 5+ Quality 5+ Value 5 just enough nostalgic ambience-old China town 5+ for service. The four of us had a wonderful dining experience. They exceeded our expectations. Moon palace is a must do when in old China town. Enjoy! read more

Moon Palace Express - Called ahead for whole fresh lobster. Excellent! - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ordered DoorDash to try. Bad decision. Spent $27 on half duck which was only 7 pieces and def wasn't half a duck. Mooshu pork came with horrible thick tortillas. I'm beating myself up on trying this one. read more

Food was delicious. My husband had the Moon Palace Chicken which he really enjoyed. He said it had enough kick to make it flavorful, plus the veggies had a nice crunch. My Shrimp Lo Mein was pretty good and the shrimp tasted fresh. Great portions. Waitresses were great. Would come again! read more

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Hands down best Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. The restaurant is modern with a cozy feeling to it. Great for date night. We ordered the following, Corn chicken soup :7 Beef lo mein: 10 Combination fried rice: 9 Fried shrimp:10 As you can see we pretty much ordered basic Chinese food but it was so good. The shrimo tasted very fresh and the food was so hot. It really went from the pan to your plate. The service was very attentive and very amicable. The waitress cam with a huge bowl of soup and served us individually. Also when bringing our canned soda she brought us a glass cup with ice. They had a good list of different items in the menu and they serve alcohol too. Highly recommend l! read more

Moon Palace Express - Shanghainese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is my favorite Chinese sit down in the city. Sichuan green beans, crab Rangoon, pork potstickers (we get 5 orders) and off menu item orange tofu has kept me coming back for over 30 years. Dang i am old. read more

We had just finished walking around the boat and rv show and were very hungry. It was a not so nice day and Chinese egg drop soup sounded perfect. I did a quick GF chinese search and this came up. We walked in an there were a few tables occupied. They told me they could make 1-2 things GF. That was fine as it is more than many Chinese places. I also got the egg drop soup along with my chicken/veggies and rice. My husband and daughter shared fried rice and a chicken dish. He said theirs was very good. I did not care for the egg drop soup at all. It was a very weird consistency. The chicken and rice was also fine. Not very flavorful, but I didn't expect much as they didn't have a dedicated GF menu. read more

Moon Palace is my favorite restaurant in Chinatown! Now, I'm biased as an old friend's family owns the place but keeping it real, it's as good as it gets in Chinatown. Clearly they're doing it right because they've been open over 30 years. I've been coming to Moon Palace for 15 years myself (ffffff im old) since I was in highschool. Back in the day, I went to UIC which is nearby and as a college kid, I was in here a couple times a week. Legit. As a youngin' I got sweet and sour chicken every single time I went in. I was young and dumb and didn't venture into more exciting foods. But man, their sweet and sour chicken is the stuff dreams are made of. They are known for being the first place in Chicago to have the now hot-ticket item XLB (Xiao Long Bao). And in my world, they still do it best. Other recommendations, Salt & Pepper Fish, Stir Fried Rice Cake & Shanghai Stir Fried Noodles, Hot & Sour Soups....and don't sleep on their drinks! They do them pretty darn well. Pro-Tip: They are open every friggin day which is just insane. Service is always on point, their food has held up to the test of time, plus they went through a major renovation and fixed everything up all fancy-like. If you're looking for a slightly nicer Chinatown dining experience with delicious food, Moon Palace will surely fit the bill. read more

This is my first time going back since they reopened, food does not taste the same at all. I was anxiously waiting for them to reopen and was sadly very disappointing. read more

Ordered Kung Pao Scallops and Crab Rangoon. No sauce included for crab Rangoon so made my own. King Pao Scallops turned out to be chicken so I paid $18 for something I didn't want. After contacting the restaurant regarding my order, it was decided after a brief discussion that since the chef was adamant about my dish being correct that I got what I ordered. If you order from this place check your order before leaving with your food. Used to be one of my favorite Chinese restaurants but won't be back. read more

Moon Palace is probably the best restaurant in Chinatown. The staff is super nice and attentive. The food is very tasty and you always get nice portions. Drinks are OK, however going to Moon Palace is more of a dining experience versus dining experience that needs to be paired with a nice glass of wine. Totally recommend! read more