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Tugo Tea House

4.5 (215 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

TUGO TEA HOUSE · YELP ASSISTANT

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TUGO TEA HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Classy
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Tugo Tea House

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Popcorn Chicken
Leslie A.

Doing an updated review of this place and it's just been consistently amazing. So great that you can order online and they love to send you the coupon. Coupons and deals as well via text to your cell phone. This place has been so super consistent that visitors have really enjoyed it. And people who've never even tried Taiwanese popcorn chicken have legitimately loved it and fallen in love with it. I love that the cook behind the scenes is truly Taiwanese and it brings a real hundred percent level of authenticity to everything she touches and makes. I appreciate that completely. This is definitely a go to for me and so super convenient because it's near my house.

Popcorn chicken, braised pork rice bowl
Jenny L.

The best Taiwanese food in the Chicago area! Popcorn chicken is legit with the light crispy coating and tender chicken. You can customize the spice level by adding your own togarashi. The deep fried basil leaves just melts in your mouth. I got the beef noodle soup and it was very flavorful with very generous portions of beef shank that is perfectly cooked. My husband got the braised pork bowl which he really enjoyed, and he said the sausage was the best he's ever had. The drink options were vast and one can customize the amount of ice and sweetness level, which I appreciated. So glad we found this gem of a place. We will definitely be back!!

Thai Thai Iced Tea with Boba/Tapioca

Got the Thai tea. It doesn't taste like Thai tea. It is veryyy watered down. Boba is also overcooked. I think they might be better known for their food. Not sure.

Nick P.

3/2/25 update: I haven't been here for a long time but I was in the city. Lunch time on a Sunday was wonderful, it wasn't busy. We were fortunate to grab a table for 2. We ordered the regular not large beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken/Taiwanese sausage bento, assam milk tea, and almond milk tea. The milk teas were great, smooth, and delicious. It was my first time trying the beef noodle soup. We got the wide traditional noodles, they had a little chew to it. Broth was savory. Beef was very tender and succulent. Popcorn chicken is always wonderful. It has just the right amount of seasoning and the Taiwanese sausage pairs great with the white rice. Service is always superb, owners are extremely nice.

Order up! Two kiosks ready to handle the crowd...
Raymond K.

Greetings! The best places I find are the places I find quite by accident. Recommendations from others are wonderful, recommendations from our daughter are priceless. Enter Tugo Tea House to the chat. A few years ago as the Boba craze was clearing the tower, our daughter asked if we could go get Boba. First I had to ask her to repeat the request then I was even more clueless after she explained what exactly she was looking for... My maiden voyage to Tugo years ago developed into a favorite neighborhood haunt where I cherish the time spent with our daughter. Started just before COVID hit by two California transplants, Tugo Tea House developed serious neighborhood street cred. Husband and wife owners Gerald and Jessica created for their customers a charming oasis that takes you a million miles away their strip mall locale. Fun chalkboard drawings, tasteful decor, and quality furniture set the stage. Their genial nature as hosts set the vibe: Come in be cared for... Remarkably, Tugo could win on their quality boba drinks (Frog Bang every time for me)...but I'm here to tell you that they win on their quality drinks and food! Potstickers are good enough to impress this Chinatown fan. Their chicken nuggets flex with flavor and light crunch satisfaction. Next time I'm there, I'm getting the noodles...They look great! There's something special about Tugo Tea House...and it might simply come down to Gerald and Jessica's commitment to making sure everything is perfect the moment you walk through the door. Kudos, Gerald and Jessica...You've transplanted yourselves into our community's heart! Until next time...tk

Popcorn Chicken
Zoe D.

Food: I followed the Taiwanese group to this restaurant, and the popcorn chicken and noodles pleasantly surprised me. Tastes very different from other Taiwanese restaurant, noodle has stronger flavor, popcorn chicken are crispy and tender. Service: The owner couple was incredibly nice, introducing their food and sharing exciting new ideas for the upcoming menu. Ambiance: Small and cozy--our group of nine nearly filled the place! $25-$30/ea

Bento Box - Pork Chop
Ruth L.

Great owners, Jessica and Gerald are so kind to everyone. The food there is authentic and you can tell they are passionate about it. Order at the counter or kiosk. Small cafe, so call ahead if you have a large group and want to see if they can accommodate. Locals love this spot. Few menu items and they do it well. Also check out the selection of boba and smoothies. Highly recommend the beef soup and popcorn chicken combos.

Taro Golden Milk Tea with Tapioca/Boba
Mike L.

Not sure about their food, but the Taro Milk Tea with Tapioca is very watered down. Hardly any flavor. Disappointing as this place has good reviews. Hope their food is good. Few other bubble tea spots around here I would recommend over Tugo.

Braised Minced Pork & Taiwanese Sausage (Rice Bowl)
Tinna Y.

Friendly, authentic Taiwanese food made by Taiwanese who still travels to Taiwan. I ordered the braised mince pork rice and the popcorn chicken. If you know Taiwanese, besides boba tea, popcorn chicken is another must! I was told that the reason the chicken is so tender, besides the unique seasoning, they also use juicy tender dark meat. Not to mention it's gluten free. They're not kidding. The chicken is so light and not greasy at all. It's really flavorful and the basil leaves, is the cherry on top!! The only thing that I was sad is they're out of the sausage with sticky rice. I haven't had it for years!! Unfortunately, they are out of the ingredients. The owner makes everything from scratch! She told me that she's not going anywhere anytime soon. Guess I'll have to come back!

Business hours
Cici C.

We have been hearing about Tugo for a while and finally were in the area to give it a try. The owners are super sweet, kind, and friendly. We tried the basics-- popcorn chicken and beef noodle soup. We asked for thin noodles but got wide noodles instead, which was totally fine because I prefer the thick ones. We only ordered the thin because of kids, but turns out the kids ate the thick ones just fine! The popcorn chicken was light and crunchy, meat was very juicy and tender, but what took it away was the flavoring. The batter was just the perfect blend of sweet and savory and fragrance. The basil was fried to crisp but not burnt and was very delicious. The beef noodle soup is the best we've had. The bok choy's original flavor came through when I unboxed it. The beef was the perfect cut, thickness, tenderness, and was marinated with the flavor I remembered from childhood. The soup base had the exact flavor I was looking for when thinking of Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Many places don't get it right, but they've got it. I have to say, this is probably the best Taiwanese food I've had ever abroad. Their menu focuses on making a few items very well, so it's not a huge selection, but I believe each dish is done extremely well. Definitely gonna try their other dishes and even drinks next time!

Lesley Anne Y.

First time trying out this place because it was recommended by friends. Unfortunately, they ran out of the popcorn chicken, which is one of their bestsellers and it was the highly recommended one, so I would definitely need to go back for it. This is a small place, but there are tables if you want to dine in and the owners, Super nice the service was amazing. I ordered the bento, which came with their pork chop and taiwanese sausage and some veggies rice with minced beef. This was so good. I am definitely ordering this again. The porch up or so, crispy, it was so tender and the serving was huge. The Taiwanese sausage I have been looking for that everywhere and so far. This is the only place that has this authentic Taiwanese sausage. So I am definitely coming back to this place.I feel like this is going to be one of my favorite places to go to. I also ordered the lemon honey green tea. But I feel like I like their passion fruit green tea more. So I am definitely need to try more.Because they do have an extensive menu. Happy eating!

Popcorn Chicken
celina t.

TuGo has been a spot that my boyfriend and I would go for Taiwanese popcorn chicken! This time around we ordered the bucket to share. It was a large bucket perfect for 4-5 people! The chicken stayed crispy even after we drove nearly 20 minutes to get home and eat. The service is great! They are family owned and are very nice people. The shop is small so be prepared to come a bit before peak dinner or lunch ours unless you want it for take out. They do have app ordering, an indoor kiosk, or you can order by the front! The shop is great for dates because they have bubble tea as well as some board games in store.

Braised Minced Pork & Taiwanese Sausage (Rice Bowl)
Karen C.

Tugo is a Taiwanese cafe with food and boba. Taiwanese food is a rare sight in the north suburbs. The food is good and the boba is decent. The staff are friendly and welcoming. Beef Noodle Soup: the noodles have such a satisfying texture. The Beef is tender and flavours the soup well. Go early to get this because the run out towards the end of the day! Basil Fried Chicken: the chicken is so crispy and give a satisfying crunch. I love the basil that goes with it. This brings me back to the night markets in Taiwan. Pork Rice Bowl: The tea egg is perfect in this rice bowl. The Taiwanese sausage is so good! I wish pork belly was used instead of pork mince. The meat sadly is a bit dry, but flavours are good. Garlic Tofu: the flavour is great!! Best to eat fresh in the restaurant. Doesn't hold up well in take out.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup and Lychee flavored drink with crystal jelly

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Thank for visiting Tugo! Looking forward to your next visit.

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Ask the Community - Tugo Tea House

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