After many years of living in Buffalo Grove we finally made the trip to try Yan Yan on the other side of town. The restaurant is in a shopping center with plenty of parking. The dining room is large with a modern feel. We were there on a Saturday night and it wasn't very busy which was helpful because there only seemed to be one waitress for all the tables. She was friendly and attentive and used a cart to bring things to multiple tables at the same time. We had the Happy Family and broccoli in oyster sauce dishes. Both were good. We of course also ordered the egg rolls which they use peanut butter in. The wonton soup was also good and was my favorite dish. The one thing I did not like was the silverware was the pressed metal type with very thin sides which were uncomfortable to use when trying to cut the broccoli that wasn't quite tender enough for easy cutting. While Yan Yan was good we prefer the Chinese restaurant closer to our home. read more

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Yan Yan's has fresh, tasty food, but the portion sizes have significantly decreased in recent months. We've frequented this restaurant for many years, have referred several friends to Yan Yan's and were initially pleased when the new owners took over and maintained the original recipes and portion sizes. We've ordered our $200+ chinese food Christmas buffet from this restaurant for many years and were shocked at how small the "Large" sized entrées were. We called immediately to make the staff aware, thinking there was an error when filling the order and were told we received correct sized portions. I'm happy to report the Manager did eventually agree to replace the 3 entrees we indicated were undersized portions; however, maintained their position that the portions we received were their standard sizes. Their lunch specials are ample-sized and always taste fresh; however, we would not order takeout or large catering orders in the future. read more

Yan Yan - Large Mongolian Beef - Chinese Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

The food overall was good. The rice was nice and fluffy, which I appreciated. I ordered two egg rolls--one tasted fresh, while the other seemed like it may have been sitting out for a bit. The Happy Family dish was okay, but I've definitely had better for less money. On the positive side, the orange dipping sauce stood out--it had a nice fruity flavor, and you can tell they take some pride in it. I'd probably come back to try something else on the menu, but I don't see myself spending $27 on another meal here. The ambiance on a Tuesday night was pretty quiet, especially since I ordered about an hour before closing. read more

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Great food and a great price, the food is always good and the prices are fair for the amount of food that you get.

I don't think I've had better and more authentic chinese food in my life. I love the workers there, as they eere always trying to make conversation. the vibe of this restaurant is also so cool! read more

Discovered Gem! A rarity today a great Chinese restaurant. Mongolian beef made with delicious skirt steak. Gyoza appetizer delicious. Excellent service and will definitely return. read more

Still the local favorite. Lovely dining room, reasonable price with great food and wonderful staff. Everyone we have taken there were impressed. Try it! read more

After placing an order through DoorDash for Yen Yen, imagine our surprise when it was fulfilled by Yan Yan. Yen Yen said they have been trying to correct this without success. I do not hold this against Yan Yan. However, after we figured out where our food came from we called to ask if one of our dishes had a specific ingredient. The person who answered the phone said they don't know. I have to imagine the cook was close by and the question could have been easily answered. Instead the food got tossed because of their unwillingness to ask a question about a single ingredient (mushrooms). I did not like the food several years ago when I went. This time the fried rice contained nothing but chicken and rice. No egg, almost no scallions and pretty tasteless. Though this time I ate their unknowingly, I will not intentionally go back in the future. Not recommended. read more

Standard Chinese restaurant decor and atmosphere but excellent food and service. Wide variety of selections.

The noodles are so good here. You can't go wrong with a Cantonese egg noodle I like yan yan special shrimp, beef, and pork. I like the beef chow fun and I like when they burn the noodles so it's a little black and crunchy. I order the dry one and it has beef black mushroom Peapod and bean sprouts it's custom made for me. They have a really good lunch special and it's seven days a week. The food is fast and fresh. I found a discount before online if you spend a certain amount not sure if it's there anymore, but give this place a try. read more

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Still always deserted. That should tell you something. Completely uninspiring food. The won ton soup was warm water with a noodle.

Yan Yan Cuisine is a family favorite. We've been going here for years. They have always been consistent in both carry out and in the restaurant. On this trip, we ordered Mongolian beef, special Cantonese chow mein, and cashew shrimp. The food was delicious and flavorful. It delivers a truly authentic Cantonese style cuisine. I highly recommend Yan Yan Cuisine. read more

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I ordered take out and it was on time. I get home and couldn't believe the tiny sized box the rice came in. The food was good and fresh! Just smaller than I expected for close to $30 I expected normal take out containers. Lastly, they wanted a tip added to the order and charge an extra buck for a service charge on top of asking for a tip for take out. Hmmm read more

The food here was best I've had in a long time and the servers were very nice the restaurant atmosphere was great I'll have to come again

We went to this restaurant years ago and loved it. Over the years we forgot about it. We decided to go back tonight---OMG, the food was great, the dining room was full and the staff was GREAT!!! We will be regulars again!!!! read more

This might look like another restaurant but this place is underrated! I had the egg soup and lemon chicken and it was very delicious. The atmosphere could do some work but overall a wonderful experience. read more

$62 for 2 orders of egg rolls, seasame chicken, pork fried rice. $18.95 for a half filled tray of the Mongolian 3, not worth the money. Fried rice was sub par at best. Chicken was decent as will the egg rolls. Way over priced for the portions and quality. We will not be going back. read more

05/04/21 - I was up in Highland Park so I gave my sister in Deerfield a call to see if she wanted to grab some lunch. She suggested Yen Yen in Buffalo Grove. I arrived there before her so I had a little time to scope out the restaurant. Yen Yen is located in a strip mall in Buffalo Grove. We ordered 3 dishes. We ordered the filling items * Shrimp Egg Foo Yong - This dish came w/2 patties, gravy & white rice. I found this dish to be average & by this I mean there really wasn't anything that stood out for me. I have had better & I've had worse. * Shrimp Lobster Sauce - This was excellent. This also came w/white rice. The shrimp lobster wasn't an overly large portion but the seasoning was very good w/nice plump shrimp & a very good lobster sauce w/egg, pieces of pork? & green onions. * Beef Dish? - The beef was super tender but unfortunately it was too salty. My sister ordered a dinner size portion as she wanted take home but the portion size wasn't very large considering the price point $16. She ordered this before and the rectangular plate pile was filled entirely w/heaping portions. (See the picture of our order) The restaurant is very nice and clean, the server was awesome but I felt that food fell a little flat. For a $44 dollar lunch I would expect a little more read more

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Go there for lunch 1-2x per month. Always great quality and taste!! I usually get General Tso chicken and egg roll. I wish a bowl of egg drop soup came with the lunch special, but I eat too much anyhow..... read more

Heaven on earth. Time after time never disappointed with carryout or eating in. Definitely get the egg rolls. You always leave full and happy. read more

Yan Yan - Buffalo Grove's best Chinese food! - Chinese Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Second time ordering from this place and everything was great best Chinese in the area

Ordered a takeout lunch after being in the area for the first time in a while. Crab Rangoon was delicious with a crispy outside and a scrumptious filling, plump and perfectly cooked. The hot and sour soup was solid in flavor but could have been a touch thicker. The egg drop soup was very good as well, simple and as expected. The entree I chose was double sautéed pork that had great flavor, tasty sauce and nice vegetables. The pork could have been a bit more tender but was certainly flavorful. Kudos for including sweet and sour, hot mustard, and soy sauce plus a plate and silverware. read more

Excellent Chinese food we both had beef dishes. I had the beef and peapods and my husband had the Mongolian Beef and that was very good!

We've only ever ordered take out. This is our favorite place for pot stickers and Mongolian beef. My kids won't eat these dishes from anywhere else. We also enjoy their General Tsaos chicken. read more

First order since they changed names. Two entries and two appetizers. Food seemed a little better and a little cheaper. Middle of the road Americanized Chinese food. read more

Great food and prepared extremely fast! Great pricing and hundreds of options. Best Chinese food in the area!!

I may be in the minority here, but I actually prefer the cooking here more now with the new owners. It may not have the old-school Cantonese flavor, but is closer to a lighter modern Hong-Kong-Americanized Chinese style now. With this, I found that the food texture is a bit improved and ingredient quality seems to be better as well. It's also great how the remodel has really changed the atmosphere of the restaurant. The sleek look really makes this one of the more upscale looking options in the area (though the prices have remained very reasonable, especially for the 7-days-a-week lunch specials). Parking is also not too difficult as this plaza is very large and this side clears up once the breakfast rush is over at Garden Berry. The sweet and sour items here are not quite as crispy or crunchy as some of the other local options -- but the preparation is a bit "healthier". It seems to be covered in a bit less breading and not fried as deeply and then paired with tomatoes, peppers, and pineapple. The pork fried rice is a bit wetter than most fried rice (not really soggy or doused in soy sauce, just prepared with fresher rice). It has a nice bit of wok hay from searing the soy sauce and egg in a very hot wok and comes with a generous amount of pork bits. The mongolian beef is highly recommended. The flank steak is marinated just right and has crispy seared edges which match well with the onion that has absorbed all the fat. The cashew chicken comes with a nice light brown sauce and a generous helping of cashews. The shrimp chow mein exceeded expectations with fairly crisp noodles and a surprising number of large shrimp for the price. One of the better versions of this dish that you'll find in the area. The egg roll is nice and crispy, though not as flavorful as I would have liked (but probably healthier than at the other Yen Yen location). Overall, after the remodeling and ownership change. I think this is one of the better options in the area for Americanized Chinese food. At least for lunch, it's difficult to find a better deal with a complete entree, egg roll, fried rice, and fortune cookie for less which still uses fairly good quality ingredients (outside of Hong Kong Chop Suey in Mundelein). The food seems a bit healthier, which some may attribute to blandness -- but I don't mind this change. read more

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First time there, ordered the satay beef based on others reviews here and it was great! Tender beef, onions, carrots w a slight slight kick to the sauce. Loved it! Not many people there on a Wednesday evening which is disappointing. read more

Recommended by a friend and a favorite of another friend. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. My food temperature was uneven. Four of my cards were declined for payment, including not entering the correct expiration date and employee's refusal to split two separate payment cards and re-enter info. more. Food was mediocre. Definitely will not return and recommend. read more

Nice services. Great food. Always friendly when we pick up. Have ordered to go delivery and have been just as happy. This place is a gem! Definitely recommend for good food and happy bellies. read more

We have been coming to Yan Yan for lunch almost every week for the last one & a half month. What made us come back was their excellent chow fun dishes. We love dried beef chow fun and beef & pepper chow fun the most. The shrimp kow with white rice dish was excellent too. Besides that I like their egg foo yung without the sauce. The chow fun dishes are very authentic & are comparable to those in Hong Kong! In addition, service was great and venue was renovated & clean. read more

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I had tried this place years ago but have found a more recent appreciation. They offer some delicious vegetarian options. Some good takes on traditionally meat entrees like Kung Pao vegetables. Some really tasty sauces and some tofu dishes that I crave. Even has vegetarian soup which can be hard to find. Most dishes that are vegetarian can easily be vegan. Just order without egg. They are pretty quick and casual but nice of a place. Good for lunch and for takeout as well. A bit on the pricey side but I'd say well worth it! Convenient location and easy to fall into anytime. Good atmosphere. All in all a great place to go for Chinese food for everyone and especially for vegetarians and vegans! read more

Excellent food with savory flavor. Friendly staff. Order was ready and on time. I like the coupons that are available. Been there often.

I know this place must've been slammed on Christmas, at least before we came at 7:25 last night, but it's not their first year being open in a long shot. They should've anticipated hiccups and such. It took us at least 25 minutes just to get glasses of water. The glasses were mismatched, which is definitely not the end of the world! They mentioned that their other glasses weren't washed yet. Fine. But I felt bad for the table next to us, which had to use styrofoam cups. Speaking of tables next to us...I counted three tables that got served before us, despite arriving after us. These were large parties, too, larger than our group of three. Service was abysmal, much like any restaurant where servers actively avoid looking at anyone. The night crept along, and by 8:15, we received appetizers. Ten minutes later, AKA an hour into the proceedings, we got main courses. They were largely flavorless. Even inauthentic and largely Americanized Chinese food can possess deep flavors and be inventive in one way or another. Not true for here. People from this area, near where I grew up, have gone here for years, but I think it's coasting on reputation now, and it's best skipped. read more

This is no longer Yen Yen Restaurant, it is now called Yan Yan and under new ownership which explains a lot. Very disappointing experience on Christmas Day with order that was placed 2 days before and still no food 2 hours after the promised time. The waiting area was packed with people waiting for orders. Owner was extremely rude hanging up on customers calling to find out the status of their orders. While waiting in line to see if our order was ready, the owner was yelling at her employees to not answer the phone. After being long time customers, we won't be back. read more

This is as close to what I think authentic Cantonese food is. I'm from New York, so I never had house special like this. It was quite refreshing actually. It was less oily and you actually got fresher vegetables. The soy sauce was also lighter and different. I would go back there again. read more

if I could put a zero I would. my significant other has a whole bunch of allergies, so we told this older Asian guy and all he could say was no with some attitude. He slammed our food on the table. had a whole bunch of attitude. The food / service was horrible. this place definitely deserves to be shut down. Then on the way out I don't leave a tip because people should earn their tips and he definitely did not earn it, he then proceeds to wave me down screaming at me telling me I need to sign and leave tip so I leave it zero and he says "no tip" and I say no he then tells me to never come back. This place is horrible. Please never go here. read more

This review was for yen yen in arlington heights...not yan yan wherever that is. Best egg rolls! read more

If I could give zero stars I would. Ordered at 3:30 and was told our food would be ready between 5-6:30 and they would give us a call when it would be about 15 minutes until our order was ready. Needless to say 6 rolls around and we are pretty hungry so we give them a call. The man on the phone said our order has been ready for a while. When we got there to pick it up the guy said it's warm and fine. When we got home was ice cold. We called to ask them for a refund or some new food and they just hung up on us and wouldn't answer any of our calls.. will NEVER eat here again. read more

Yen Yen is my friends favorite restaurant in the world and I am giving the place 2 stars just so I don't completely piss him off. Here are some facts: - The service is the WORST service ever, beyond awful. The waiter we always get does not speak besides asking us, "you wanna order"? He does not smile, does not come to check on us and does not offer to pack food to go. There is a lady waitress as well and she is cold as well. Never as much as a "thank you" or "have a nice day", nothing. I have never once seen a manager or person "in charge". - Dirty and outdated, the floors are filthy - so many crushed noodles permanently mushed into the carpeting as well as various filth. - Unwilling to make my dish "spicy" - always BLAND in a mystery brown gelatin like sauce. The man brings over a little bottle of chili flakes in oil. They mix peanuts into the sauce, the peanuts become soggy and nasty after a moment or 2. - My friend asked for a cookie and they told him that he would need to pay for it. He asked for some crispy noodles and they also asked him to pay for it, very petty! - Ran out of chopsticks, really!!! - Excellent sized portions, low quality ingredients. Definitely extreme amounts of corn syrup, salt, oil. I don't know if they use MSG but I would not doubt it. - Menus are filthy and falling apart, the green fabric on them is frayed, filthy and just nasty. I make it a point to wash my hands after handling the menu because the cloth is all wet and juicy from who knows what. - When you enter the place, there are 4 quantity 8X10 color pictures of people who did a "dine and dash" at the place over a year ago; above the pictures is a hand written thing that reads, "DO YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE"? I asked the teenage kid at the entrance what that was about and he said that its embarrassing and he tells the owner all the time that its creepy but they don't listen. All businesses experience losses including theft - not saying its right or anything but seriously? They need to get over it and see that their image is being tainted and people are creeped out knowing that the owner holds grudges over a year after a small loss and visits their customers with the eerie pictures of these folks. We are not in the inner city folks, next thing you know they will make you pre-pay and have bars on the windows. - I don't think the people who own this place really care, I go because the place holds memories for a dear friend and he enjoys it very much. Even my friends parents (they are regulars) have said that the food quality and portions have gone down. - The place smells like old oil, when I leave my clothes have that smell lingering on them. - Lunch prices (back page) are very reasonable - just remember that the quality of the food that they are serving up is low. You would think that the vegetarian dishes would have well... vegetables! The only vegetables that I see in the dish that are fresh are bell peppers and maybe carrots and sprouts (when they have them), the rest is canned stuff such as water chestnuts, baby corn, thick gelatin like sauce as well as some chunks of mystery vegetable - maybe the stalks of napa cabbage. - They always seem to have coupons circulating, not a good sign. read more