Didn't get to the food although I've been told by the locals the food isn't as good as the previous management. I ordered a Mai Tai and asked the bartender if she had the wifi password and she said,"No." Okay, bye. read more

It has been a long time since were here and we brought two friends based on our prior experience prior to Covid. Everyone was very friendly, but the food was just so so and in very large quantities. The tropical drinks were good. I think that their version of Chinese food is Americanized I didn't see any Asian cooks or waitresses and there were no Asian customers. Food was kind of bland. I think we'll stick to the good Asian spots we know in eastern Lake County. read more

This place F*cks! Been coming here for years. Egg rolls for life. Classic crystal lake spot if you want solid Chinese food!

Was a little concerned from the looks of the outside but was pleasantly surprised. First off it's dark and dingy. Ok by me because usually those places have good food. Water came and it was yellow. I was a little turned off by that so I ordered coke instead of my usual iced tea (wasn't sure what water they were using for the tea). Service was slow and it took a while for us to even get our drinks. So off to a rough start. We finally ordered. The egg rolls and the shrimp on the appetizer were pretty good. Not the best I've had but solid. So we ordered our food. We shared the combo fried rice and the general Tso chicken (not usually my go to but my wife wanted it). I will say I was pleasantly surprised. The rice was really good. Good flavor and texture. Same with chicken. I also got a chili sauce that was fantastic. Good flavor and kick. We didn't get alcohol but interested in trying their drinks. Also was confused why the patio was closed. I would be interested in trying that out as well. Will definitely go back to eat and try other dishes. read more

My husband and I had a date night dinner at The Breakers last Saturday evening. I would have posted this review earlier but 1. I couldn't get into my old yelp account so I had to create a new one and 2. Its not the best review and I don't really like to leave negative reviews but something happened that night that I really feel should be brought to attention. Hopefully management of the restaurant may see this and they can learn from it and better their business. We sat on the beautiful patio and were lucky enough to be sitting up front near the young lady playing guitar and singing. I believe her name was Amy. She was very good and it was nice background music for dinner. The patio was fairly busy and there were 3 young ladies serving out there. Our server's name was Emma and she was an absolute doll. So very sweet and helpful. 5 stars for Emma! There was also a girl with curlier hair who seemed very friendly and attentive to her tables. As for the last server, she seems to be doing a fine job until a "situation" occurred. A couple came up to the patio and were standing there, seeming to scope the table situation out while listening to the music. The server went up to them and almost yelled in an agitated tone, "Do you need something?!?" When the couple stated that they were thinking of sitting and having a drink she quickly yelled back, "Well I'm busy!" The confrontation was very awkward. So much in fact that the whole patio stopped to see what was going on. The young musician even stopped playing her song to apologize(even though she had done nothing wrong) and offered for the couple to sit up at by her. The couple seemed understandably offended and maybe a little embarrassed(I think we were all a little embarrassed for them). They quickly just responded saying they would go inside and have a drink at the bar. Now being that I have serving experience(many years ago), I do know that it can be frustrating when things get busy. However, I also know that you should NEVER take it out on a customer as customers are a vital part of keeping any business alive. I can honestly say that this experience may hinder my willingness to go back to this establishment. I really do not enjoy confrontation and I would be fearful that I may get a server like this. I do want to say though that the food and drinks were absolutely divine. If the review was on the food and drinks alone I would give it 5 stars for sure! read more

After no one answered the phone for over 30 minutes this evening, we decided to place our order online. When I arrived at the appointed time, I was told our order had been cancelled. No explanation was given. When I mentioned we had been coming there for over 40 years and this situation wasn't appreciated, I was told "Oh well". After arriving home, another call to the restaurant was answered by the owner. She quickly made several excuses and basically blew us off with, "We're busy right now". As a business owner, I've always supported small, local businesses in our area. Many times, looking past their shortcomings. In the case of the Breakers, it's declining food quality and service level the past few years. The old, dated decor served as a fun reminder of decades ago. However, the attitude conveyed by the owner is unacceptable. We will gladly take our business elsewhere...Oh well. read more

My husband and I just ordered take out from them last night. The food is always great. When dinning in the staff is always friendly and you can tell they love their job. No matter what we order off the menu it's always great. My husband has tried many different restaurants that serve shrimp with lobster sauce, but none have compared to Breakers. read more

LOVE this place & all the friendly faces I meet every time. Kathy makes the BEST cocktails & the egg rolls are amazing. Best in the area!

If you would like to enjoy Chinese food with some amazing tiki drinks in a fun atmosphere, this is the place for you. I've been going here since I was a young child. Egg rolls are delicious as are the mai tais! read more

This place is consistently great! The food, the service, and atmosphere. We had the egg rolls and sweet and sour chicken, which looked almost fake, because it was so gorgeous. It's tasted as good as it looked. read more

Everything is so good! I recommend their egg foo young, finely chopped suey and egg rolls !! Yum

We decided Breakers for tonight, a Friday night. We LOVE their food and it had been a while due to the times. We also wanted a Scorpion for 2 enhancing our meal. Chicken Almond Ding, Egg Rolls, Shrimp and Chicken finger appetizers with rice and Fortune Cookies. It was AWESOME! We showed up when they said, our cocktails were ready and the food came out hot a minute later. PERFECT TIMING. When we arrived home minutes later all was hot, drinks we cold and refreshing. IT WAS THE BEST! EVERYTHING was delicious! We will be ordering again soon. Santa is putting them on the nice list! Santa Mark & Cookie read more

I first visited The Breakers 4 or 5 years ago when I first moved to the area and was told I needed to check out this gem. At that time I left really disappointed in the bland food, and unfortunately a cool vibe is not enough to keep me going back to a restaurant with bad food. I gave it another try last night and am officially 100% sold and already looking forward to going back. I was not aware that there has been an ownership change, but I imagine that is likely the shift. Everyone in my party of 5 was really happy with their meals. The portions are really big, each dish is enough for 3 servings (yet the price is standard and not reflective of 3 servings, which is great.) The food was flavorful and fresh and not at all what I remember the first time. Dishes with rice on the side come with a huge portion of rice, not just the tiny cup with enough for 1 serving like many Asian restaurants. I also appreciate that they have a thoughtful non-alcoholic drink their drink menu. And of course the classic tiki-bar vibe and decor is unbeatable. The only thing that is still a negative that I remember from my first visit here years ago is the funky sewer smell in the hallway leading the bathrooms. What's up with that Breakers? It's really unappealing after a delicious meal. read more

The Breakers Restaurant - a table with a lamp on it - Chinese Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Pretty neat little old school place, to be honest. Really strong drinks (had the Mai Tai). Good food. Friendly service. Reasonably priced. Definitely check it out! read more

How can you not love this place? Kitschy tiki bar flare with great food! The owners Jason and Arienne, and their fantastic staff rock! One of my absolute favs and a Crystal Lake hidden gem! Don't change a thing! read more

We decided to try The Breakers on a whim and we were very surprised on the quality and flavor of our meal! We split a egg roll which had fresh ingredients inside and wasn't over fried sitting in it's own grease like some other Chinese restaurants, also had pot stickers which were very good, orange chicken and pork fried rice. All was very good and very fresh and the best part is we weren't sick the next morning! We will be back! The only reason for not getting 5 stars is the Mai Tai was quite sour, no big deal I'll just have to try a different drink next time. read more

Unfortunately, you can't give zero stars. We ordered through doordash Kong pao chicken and they made Kong pao beef, We don't eat beef. We also ordered a cheeseburger which was raw and uneatable along with an eggroll, also undercooked and raw in the middle. When we called the restaurant, they said it wasn't their problem and to contact doordash. Really Beakers??? Last I checked dorrdash just delivers the food and not cooks it. Your food and the customer service are the WORST!!!!! read more

Since the early 70's me and my family have been going to the Breakers. It was a big deal for us to go. I remember getting in the back of my dad's GTO and cruising there from Palatine. We always sat in the corner round table with the spinning server. All meals were ended with almond cookies and peppermint ice cream. I then would bring my kids through the 90's and early 2000's for the same experience. Outstanding!!! They loved the plastic animals on the side of their pops. We had bad experience two to three years ago. It wasn't the same. We have started going back in the last 6 months and it has been just as we remember. Thank you! I now can't wait to bring our grand kids to it. read more

The Yelp dilemma again: it deserves a zero star rating. Outside the neon sign and 50's tiki bar meets the once unknown and exotic China beckons you to swing three feet off the highway and see what they have to offer or what they think Chinese food is. So it took me three months of trying every other restaurant on US14 but the time to visit came. Walking inside I was not disappointed with the dark interior only an aged venue can provide with one good strong dose of kitsch. The cute host directed me to a window spot overlooking a little 'pond' with cement painted light blue just like at Putt Putt. The wait staff was slow and not helpful. I ordered shrimp I got a soggy mess of the worst chicken I have ever eaten with soggy clearly from a can peas and mushrooms. It was so revolting I couldn't bring myself to complain. I ate a few pieces and got the hell out. The hostess was sitting at the bar bored... I thought about consoling her but then I was overwhelmed by the extreme need to leave this institution not fit for prison food. +Five Stars for vintage Style... minus a million stars for the food. read more

The Breakers Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

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Holy effin' Mai-tai's Batman! I've thought this over for awhile lately, pondered it really. I'm ready to admit it. Breaker's has the best fruity drink I HAVE EVER HAD. Not that I should be heading to AA soon, but I say this with great confidence as I've had my share of cocktails. Or two. Or six. No one's counting unless there's embarrassment involved. Truth be told. I went on a first date with my now hubby here. Said the whole, "oh, I don't drink very much speech" and then proceeded to get Mai-tai tipsy. Long story short, proceeded to behave very unladylike, and fast forward a few years later and I'm married. I must give due thanks to the Mai-tai gods for that one. The recipe is a secret, it's a dark rose color, and you get a sugar candy swizzle stick. It's wonderfully tart, and just one will not do. I drive over an hour here every few months just to get my fix. As for the restaurant itself...it's old, it's kitchy, it's tiki. No, it's not fancy, but it's chill and fun. Don't expect too much, and you'll be happy. My favorites here? Egg rolls to die for. Apricot sweet and sour sauce is amazing. Shrimp appetizer is yummy. I always get the chicken in lobster sauce and the pork fried rice, and it's consistently great. Yes, service is hit or miss. But, if you have crap service than just get another Mai-tai, and all is right in the world. read more

We've driven past this place a hundred times and I always wanted to try it because of the Tiki-bar look. Yesterday after an all day sustainability event at MCC we were hungry and tired. We stopped at the Breakers and, man, I'm I glad we did! Dude! I have a weakness for Tiki bars: spent too much time in Hala Kahiki in my twenties, so the Breakers had me right from the get-go with it's groovy Tiki ambiance. Our awesome waitress Kelley greeted us with a playful smile. She was upbeat, bright and attentive and genuine. In fact, I watched all the waitresses and they were all warm and attentive to their guests! We had the dinner for two and it was a really good choice. Now--let me tell you, I am so tired of Chinese places that give you a crappy frozen egg roll as an appetizer--so often has it happened that I've stopped ordering eggrolls all together. It's so easy to do egg rolls right and so many places do them wrong. But I saw people oohing and ahhing over the egg rolls at The Breakers and now I'm gonna definitely try them when I go back. As for us--our dinner came with fried shrimp as an appetizer and they were a wonderful way to start our meal. Tasty and tender and they weren't stingy with the shrimp! And the tea--don't let me forget the tea--it was Oolong, my fave!!! I'm so tired of Chinese places throwing some bitter black tea at you that's been sitting around all day. Not the Breakers--freshly brewed Oolong--awesomesauce!!! The Kung Bao is some of the best I've ever had. The egg fu young was tender and NOT GREASY--i'm so sick of greasy egg fu young. The fried rice was delicate and richly flavored, AS IT SHOULD BE; you don't need to smother fried rice in soy sauce and salt. Almond cookies are a must for me--I love to finish a meal with tea and and almond cookie and my dining companion had the ice cream that came with our meal (I was too stuffed and we brought most of the fried rice home.) This is now my favorite Chinese joint and I look forward to many groovy meals under the watchful eyes of the Tiki Gods. Awesome experience! You gotta know, though--they're closed on Monday and Tuesday and they're only open for dinner the other days. But still, most of the tables were reserved for Saturday night dining. This place is popular with the locals so keep that in mind. read more

Aloha oukou! Man, this is some Old School Chinese. The decor is awesome. Fresh from the 1950's and 1960's when America had a fascination with our newly acquired state (Hawaii became a state in 1959). Their food comes from that same era when Americans were wary of foreign Chinese food and smart Chinese restaurateurs adapted their dishes to suit American tastes -- bland, sweet and unsophisticated. This is the real Old School deal here people. From the emphasis on their tiki cocktails to dishes served in stainless steel chargers. Tip: Try to get a seat in the back by the garden. You don't go here for good Chinese food. Go to Chen Wok for that. Go here to step back in time, have a fruity cocktail and some Old School Chinese. Sometimes that just hits the spot. Surf's up, dude. read more

Cozey Tiki Bar and restaurant. Bartender not all that friendly but it was busy. Great big portions of Chinese food. Our server, Kelly, was attentive and friendly. Will ask for her on our next visit. Will probably skip the bar. read more

The Breakers Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

The best Chinese Food in Crystal Lake. Great Atmosphere! Me and my family go there all the time. Really good for big groups, just order a bunch of platters and share them. read more

The Breakers Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

So having returned from a not so long ago Key West vacation, we were jonsing for a Mai Tai and some tropical atmosphere. So along with another couple we decided to try the Breakers this past Friday. Why not...the reviews were mixed but the Mai Tai's were always spoken of very highly. Plus they had live entertainment, so how bad could it be? Good things first impressions don't last. We walked in to a very scary rendition of Puff the Magic Dragon being sung be the entertainer and apparently some woman that was a customer. Not good. Almost comical. We all looked at one another and said "one drink and we're out of here". Fortunately, she only accompanied him for Puff. We ended up having more than one, and enjoyed some terrific appetizers. And the Mai Tai is world class, and that comes from a guy that first started enjoying them at Trader Vic's at the Palmer House almost 35 years ago. Most importantly though, we had a great time. The people were fun, the atmosphere, albeit 1950's, was awesome, and it's definitely a joint we'll excitedly go back to again. I just hope the food measures up to the outstanding drinks! read more

Service very slow. Unacceptable. Food very bland. There were 4 in our party. No one enjoyed their dinner. We would have told server we were not happy with our dinner but service was so slow we just wanted to leave. We waited 15 minutes for server to visit table after we were finished. My wife asked a busboy to find her so we could get check. The dinner took 1.5 hours. 3 tables had customers. It was not busy. We were excited because new management. Very disappointed. We will not eat here again. read more

I too really wanted to love this place, its close to home it has a cool tiki bar feel and it has history, what it doesn't have is very good food. We visited on a Thursday night and were pleasantly surprised when it wasn't as busy as it is usually, and after eating here I'm not still not sure why it gets so busy aside from the cheap meals, I guess thats all it takes. We started with the Crab Rangoons that are advertised on the walls on pink placards: "New Appetizer Crab Rangoons 5 pc for $5.00" who could pass that up. Wish we would have. They were fried to death, and the contents was strange. I could make out the Krab but the only other thing i could identify was rice, which is just filler and I didn't see any cream cheese. Regardless they were sent back. Our waitress asked if we wanted another order and I said if they weren't burnt i would. SHe said they all came out that way. Guess someone should tell them that if they take them out earlier they wouldn't get that way, but i'm no cook, but apparently their cooks aren't either. Next up was Fried Shrimp for my wife and Shrimp fried rice for me. The Fried Shrimp was very nice, a light breading and fried just right, and the best part, the shrimp didn't have that metallic aftertaste that so many shrimp have these days. My shrimp fried rice was not bad but wasn't good either. It was just plain without a lot of flavor. We won't be going back. In hindsight I wish i would have tried the Mai Tai as it may have improved the food. read more

Yikes! I really wanted to like this place...unfortunately... Bored staff sitting in the corner talking or hanging out at the bar. Remember 20 years ago when your mom used to make you La Choy chop suey out of a jar? Well they still serve it at the Breakers...just ask for the Kung Pao chicken entree if you don't believe me. Something like $12 for a few slices off a chicken breast and some vegetable pieces in that nasty ol gloppy sauce. We also ordered a sweet'n'sour chicken entree....it was nearly identical. Few pieces of chicken, onion slices, couple pineapple chunks, totally drowning in this odd vinegar sauce. The prices were seriously jacked up too. Kids wanted a "cheese sandwich"... $4.50 each for a slice of kraft cheese between two slices of wonderbread and a side of disgusting sweet mayonnaise. read more

We used to go all the way to Red Dragon in Elmhurst. We refused to eat at China Town or Plum Garden in McHenry. No more travel for us for we have found Breakers in Crystal Lake!! This place is great! The food is very fresh and cooked perfectly. The customer service was amazing. The hostess and our waitress went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed but they weren't annoyingly in our face all night either. Both were very friendly. I will admit when we first walked into the hallway area there was a musty smell like an old, wet carpet but once we entered the actual restaurant, I only smelled delicious food. I also didn't visit the restrooms so I can't say if they were clean or not. The restaurant is definitely old and doesn't seem to have an updated decor in a while. We did each order a Mai Thai which is supposedly what they are known for (you can also order it to take out by the gallon or by the half gallon or just one). I didn't like it at all (I am a loyal Bob Chin's Mai Thai drinker). It was not so much "fruity and light" as it was COMPLETELY FILLED WITH STRONG ALCOHOL!!! We'll definitely be making this our local Chinese place. We really liked it. read more

We met up for dinner a few weeks ago with some old friends and really enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is kitchy kool tiki bar and this place has tike gravitas. It has survived a long time!!!! The tropical drinks were great, the egg rolls were terrific and the entrees were pretty darn good. I want to come back and try more items in the future. The service was outstanding, but we were with regulars, so they knew the ropes as it were. We will be back. I just LOVE tiki!!!! read more

We finally went to The Breakers the other night. I really enjoyed it. I was a bit unsure what to expect after reading the mixed reviews here on Yelp, however everything about our visit chalked up to a great experience. We went on a Saturday night about 7pm. It was definitely packed but we didn't have to wait for a table at all. For Appetizers, we ordered an eggroll which was really great. One of the better ones I've had. Also ordered Crab Ragoon which was AWESOME! I'd say the best Crab Ragoon I've had in the west burbs so far. For entrees - I ordered Gai Ding Chow Mein. It was REALLY good. Chicken, Chinese vegetables, pan fried noodles (very thin) ...yum! The portion was a large size and I had enough for leftovers which I ate the next day...and I rarely eat leftovers! My husband had Beef & Broccoli and Shrimp Fried Rice. He liked his quite well. I tried the fried rice and that was very good too. Of course we ordered Mai Tai's. They were delicious! Came with a swizzle stick/rock candy, which was a fun little addition to the drink. We will definitely go back to The Breakers and hope to bring some friends with us next time. It was a fun experience, great food, with great service and drinks. It is the old lounge type of atmosphere/tiki bar, like the other reviews describe. To me, that was part of the fun and it was neat going to a place that is different with some character. read more

Delicious! Went with my parents and ended up bringing home a lot of leftovers because their portions are huge.

I had a little time to kill on a business trip and thought I would detour to The Breakers. It would be one of the oldest tiki-ish bars I'd ever visited, and that alone merits a visit in my book. The ambiance wasn't quite as sweet old school tiki vibe I was hoping for, but still cracked me up. The painting on the exterior of the building certainly set the tone for the rest of the building. The staff was all wearing Cubs jerseys instead of Aloha gear, but Ill let that slide too considering it was right before the world series. Being a tiki fan, I had very low expectations for the drinks upon seeing the bar setup. Some how, they pulled off a slightly too sweet, but absolutely drinkable Mai Tai. It was better than I expected. The food was about typical take out Chinese food quality, but it was served on a cool elevated platter. The Breakers was by all means nothing special. Had fun chatting with the bartenders and some locals. Certainly worth the trip if you want some Tiki Deep cuts. read more

Absolute worst beef chop suey.ALPO over dried maggots would probably taste better.egg rolls are terrible .uncooked sauerkraut in a toilet paper roll would be an upgrade read more

Good food, very kitchy decor, but cute.

I'd agree with some previous reviews, décor is totally tacky, can tell its been this way forever, and the food passable... Service stands out though with nice, friendly, attentive staff. Tried the navy grog, not as potent as billed though I was careful to not have two lol. Back to food, I brought leftovers home but ended up throwing away as each time I saw it in the fridge I went "nah" lol Go there again? Doubtful read more

Went to dinner and the egg rolls were good but, one was burnt, pork fried rice was good except it was very oily, chicken kao was tasty but, the chicken wasn't very tender, egg foo young was very tough to cut and eat because it was loaded with too many bean sprouts. The place was not busy. I was hoping for a better experience. read more

I had such a taste for Chinese food this past Sunday. I've never been to Breakers, but my in laws talk about it all of the time. It was a rainy and gloomy Sunday afternoon and it seemed like a perfect day to try it out. When we got there, all of the power was out due to the storm, the restaurant didn't appear to be open. We were greeted and invited in for a drink, (as long as we didn't mind sitting in the dark), while we were waiting for the power to be restored. It only took about half of a drink for the power to come back on, and when it did, wow! I love the atmosphere in this place. It's delightfully tacky. It'd be tough to be in a bad mood in this place. There have been millions of Mai Tai's served here and just as many stories told. It's a step back in time where gaudy rules, kind of like Vegas meets a 1970's Bruce Lee movie. We were served by Danny who said he's been at Breakers since 1964. He served us like we were in his house. I didn't know what I wanted off of the menu. There were no descriptions of the meals, just names like Kung Pow, Moo Gai, etc... So, I described what I had a taste for and that's what Danny had the chef make me. There were 5 us for dinner. We had two appetizers, 5 main courses, about 13 drinks, (Mai Tai's and beer), and we had a $130 bill. We walked out with leftovers ready to serve all five of us again. The egg rolls were probably the best I've ever had. I can't wait to take some friends there. I'd love to spend a Friday night listening to Ukulele music while drinking Mai Tai's and sharing a wide array of delicious food. Enjoy. read more

Just got carry out from the Breakers. Been going there for 25 yrs. As you know there are new owners. All Good!! Egg rolls, Chicken Egg Foo young and Combo fried rice ! All Excellent!! But, when you get your egg rolls home.............please put in the oven for 6-7 min on 425'. They are just like you get them in the restaurant then!! They do get soggy on the way home. We live in Woodstock and don't sit down and eat right away. So, there ya go! The Breakers is still Great!! :):) Thank Goodness!! KimT read more

Best egg rolls EVER! Inside looks like the resturant Henry Hill and Tommy D. burnt down in "Goodfellas" Food...eeeeaaahhh....edible, but not great....reminds me of the blah pepper steak my Mom used to make read more