Food was so bland. I've tried eat in and takeout and everything had very little flavor. Also the tables and chairs are "sticky". The decor is dark and dingy. The last time I was there there were too many "RULES" to how I should turn the lazy susan and how I should dish out my food and she insisted I share with other people in my party. It was so weird. and I felt very disrespected and talked down to by the owner /server. I'm not going back. read more

I never write a yelp review but i absolutely love it here. The food is great and the lady (i think the owner) is so nice with an amazing sense of humor. read more

Best Chinese food in the area for sure. The service is top notch. You won't find a more friendly environment. I've been coming here for 15 years and I never tire of the place. Highly recommended read more

Best Chinese in dekalb. Love it then love it now. Great food generous portions and the service is top notch:

Good food that is reasonably priced, considering how prices are going up almost everywhere. Extremely friendly staff.

I am staying in town and was e cited to try this place based on the reviews. Called in an order and mentioned that someone had said on the review they were able to get a half order and since I wanted appetizers could I get that. I was told no, which was fine. Then I asked if I could sub fried rice, (also on a review that they let you sub) fully expecting to pay a bit more. I was told no that I had to order a full plate of fried rice. So in order to get fried rice, I had to order two full meals? Ridiculous. Sorry to say I won't be trying them after all. read more

Yen Ching is truly a singular Mandarin Chinese experience. It is family-run, and if you come in more than once, the staff treats you like family. Child friendly, inexperienced eater-friendly, and accommodating of allergies as well. The food can be spicy, flavorful, savory or sweet, but every dish has the same thing in common - high-quality ingredients. At other Chinese establishments, I often run across gristle, bone, or chewy fat disguised as meat under a thick sauce. Yen Ching's sauces are delicate, bursting with gusto and contain no nasty surprises. The Kung Pao packs a punch, the chicken eggrolls are incredibly fresh and handmade, the vegetables and meats used are bite-sized and expertly prepared. I went to NIU from 2003-2006 and ate at Yen Ching consistently because of the epic quality of their food. The prices, the flavors, the kind family treatment, it's simply the best. To this day I still make bi-annual trips from Chicago to DeKalb just to eat there, and this is coming from someone who lived in Asia for years. The major complaint from some is that Yen Ching operates on an a la carte basis. It's true that Yen Ching is not a huge buffet of lukewarm food that you can gorge yourself on, but the US is getting too fat anyway. Go for quality, not quantity. read more

This is a "comfort food" sort of Chinese place, where everything is very heavy and saucy. In other words, it's great if your in the mood for it. The service is very friendly. The servers are Marilyn and Caroline, the owner and her sister. The head chef is Marilyn's husband. Marilyn is very talkative and friendly. I used to go to Yen Ching with my mom as a kid. Now, every time I go, she asks me "how's your mama?" Occasionally, other family members help wait/bus tables. All are very friendly. I wish that they offered a few "gourmet"-type chinese foods. Peking Duck would be quite nice...*hint, hint* The food is reasonably priced which is great at a Chinese place, since I usually like ordering many different dishes and apps to share with my dining companions. The ambiance is quite nice, though I don't think it has ever been changed since it's been at its current location. Overall, this is the best option for Chinese food in DeKalb. Stop by for a bite to eat next time you're around campus. Oh, yeah... that big door in the front... not the entrance. lol read more

Great food and customer service! Best Mongolian beef I've ever had. Enjoyed light-hearted banter with staff! Great experience overall. Will be dining here again! read more

Good Chinese food near Northern Illinois University campus? We were skeptical, but believing in yelpers, we plunged forward. And yelpers did not disappoint! On the road home from Iowa on Christmas Day, we knew that Chinese restaurants would be our best bet. And after some debate between stopping here or in Aurora, we decided, fortunately, to stop here! Easy to find off of I-88. We weren't adventurous in our orders. After some initial disappointment --they were out of the pancakes for Mu Shu Pork, our table orderied egg drop soup, Veggie fried rice, veggie chow mein, chicken chow mein, and szechuan pork. 5 star for the egg drop soup - one of the best I've ever tasted. Definitely order this. You'll receive heaping portions for two people were enough for six bowl fulls; we took some home. 5 star for the szechuan pork - sweet and spicy, with generous portions of thinly cut pork that wasn't too fatty. 4 star for the veggie fried rice 3 star for the chow mein - nothing bad, not as spectacular as the other dishes. The staff was as friendly as advertised, though the one white employee (possibly husband of one of the daughters) wearing green and red and exclaiming Merry Christmas seemed a tad out of place (dude, it is Christmas Day; not everyone here is Christian.) read more

This has been my family's favorite restaurant for the past 30 years (longer than I've been alive), and I'd give it 5 stars for every year in retrospect if I could. Marilyn is always the best; we come here to see her on bad days, because we know she'll cheer us up. John's food is amazing, and he's always happy to accommodate a request for modifications. My brother moved to Minnesota, my sister moved to DC, I moved to Florida and came back--nowhere have we found a Chinese restaurant we like half as much! Everything on the menu is fantastic, but I particularly recommend some of their spicier fare (Princess Prawns, Hot Braised Pork) and the specials list for more adventurous eaters (it's usually a list of special requests they've gotten from current Chinese NIU students); I've been trying to recreate their crab rangoons for years and never come close to succeeding. This restaurant is perfect for family dinners, date nights, business lunches, and birthdays; I hope you love it as much as we do! read more

I LOVE this place! A must if you live in this area. I get the egg rolls and beef fried rice. Then I alternate between the orange chicken or cashew chicken. Both excellent choices. The oolong tea that they serve pairs well with my meal. I love the fortune cookies! If you got a craving for Chinese food, look no further! The service is usually quick but if it's busy, then naturally it takes a little bit longer to get your meal but that's anywhere. We come here so often that Marilyn remembers our order! LOL! read more

I've been in the DeKalb area for two+ years now but It being on the west side of DeKalb and my home being in Cortland just east of DeKalb and my being lazy when it comes to driving for some dinner I had never made it to Yen Ching in that time until a week ago and had my second visit tonight despite that it was snowing. For me to drive more then a couple of miles especially in snow its got be better the OK and Yen Ching is! It easily has won me as fan and takes the spot of my number one spot for a Chinese eatery in my home base. In my two visits I had the Cashew Chicken no veggie and spicy and yes the spice was nice. My wife in her first try today had the Garlic Chicken hoping it would not be spicy, she's such a yawn, and was pleased to find it not spicy, so she two is ready to jump ob the Yen Ching band wagon. What makes Yen Ching score additional points is good size portions, I can make two servings out of my Cashew Chicken. The hostess is very friendly offering hot tea since I ordered on arrival the first time and five minutes before arrival the 2nd but both waits were short. The out the door on Yen Chings is it is worth the drive even when I'm feeling lazy and it is snowing that should be enough to convince you to get off your duff and get to Yen Ching read more

We have been coming here ever since my daughter was a student at Northern Illinois University. We love it. We really love the family that runs it too! I've never had a bad meal in this place! read more

Yen Ching - Chinese Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

So, let me just say, if I had to only rate the food, it would be more like a 2 or 3 stars. I consider Yen Ching a dinner show! The two sisters that serve you are like a couple of Chinese comediennes. They keep you entertained throughout your entire meal. We ordered the dinner for 6 to make it easier, but I think next time I would just order from the menu. You get some things that you may not care for. It is a lot of food. If I remember correctly, each person gets a serving of an eggroll, crab Rangoon, and fried wonton and a bowl of egg drop soup. Next came white rice, chicken fried rice, Mongolian beef, fried shrimp, shrimp in lobster sauce, sweet sour chicken, pork with vegetables, steamed vegetables, and maybe one more thing that I don't remember. The funniest part was when my youngest son left a half eaten piece of chicken on his plate, a piece of beef, and about 2 Tablespoons of rice. One of the sisters, said "Oh, I wrap it up for you. No worry, I write your name on it." She proceeded to slop all of it into one container and write "Little Boss" on the top. We'll be back if not for the food, for the dinner show! read more

Super nice people. Super greasy food. They are selling the building and retiring. I remember going there as a youngster and enjoying the hell out of it. It still remains a good value, and boy are they nice people. Think of 20+ years of drunken foolish college kids as your primary patrons and still friendly after all of those years! read more

Anyone who gives this place more than a 2 or 3 star rating must not have taste buds. I give it one star higher than the absolute minimum because of the atmosphere. Other than that, the food is bland and tastes like it's been reconstituted from frozen sauces and vegetables. I have made the mistake of trying this place a few times, always telling myself that the food couldn't be as bad as I remember it, but it always lets me down. I would recommend China One on 4th Street over this place. read more

I ordered the shrimp and chicken fried rice and 1 spring roll. The spring roll was okay but the rice was not good at all and that is after I used the house sweet and sour sauce, duck sauce and soy sauce! However, the green tar was excellent! read more

I went here for lunch after hearing a speaker on some science topic. I went with my research professor, since he knew I wanted to go into Dentistry and the presentation was related to the topic. I forgot what I got, but I want to say it was a chicken dish. It was good. Unfortunately, it wasn't too memorable. I just remember it being really awkward. I actually discovered right at this point that I had no desire to go into research. I guess I should be thanking this place. Anyways, I did a triathlon 2 days later. I set some PRs, so thanks for that too. I think this is the best chinese in Dekalb, though! I want to give it 3.75, but its not 4 star, hence the 3. Great decor inside, though! read more

There are reasons to like it here and reasons not to like it. I still recommend trying it once. Likes: - favorite part was the owners / servers. They are so funny, they leave you feeling like you have to like the place. - Decor: I was really amazed how it was decorated inside. If you look at the ceiling tiles they all have fine details and dragons. The tables have pictures embedded into them and the booth seats have symbols. Really nice picture of the Great Wall of China and other artwork. Dislikes: - the food is very generic tasting, and probably not any better than a fast pick-up place. With all the ornate decor I would expect the food to be more authentic Chinese....but it's very Americanized. I've been to China and other Asian countries, as well as some great restaurants here In America that have amazing food. This is not one of them. - even though the servers are funny, there aren't many of them. With that, you tend to wait longer for service read more

Just had me some Yen Ching's today. This place is consistently great. The owner even knows our order by heart (yes, I have been here that many times). The service is great, but I only can say for take out which is all I do. I always get the Vegetable fried rice and it is always good. Overall, this place rocks! read more

After 20 years this place is still pretty good. The sizzling rice soup was a little bland but still good. I love the fried wonton there. Only issue I had was the waitress forgot to put in my appetizer order. Still a pretty nice place . read more

Yen Ching - Sweet and sour chicken - Chinese Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

I had the shrimp and lobster sauce. Probably the best I've ever had! Super friendly service, too.

Best Chinese food around. John and Marilyn are so welcoming. Mongolian beef rocks. We have spent most of our kids birthdays there. We all love it read more

They say on the sign outside that has been there for "30 years" says cocktails, but they do not sell alcohol. Supposedly it is "too high" to change. read more

Love the food from this place! My favorite Chinese restaurant in the area. I don't think I have ever had a dish I didn't enjoy. To top off the amazing food is an excellent staff. They are always so friendly to everyone. The only down side is they don't have a delivery staff. I would order all the time if they delivered. read more

This is our favorite and best Chinese restaurant in Northern Illinois. The food is great! Wonderful flavor and not heavy on msg. Service can vary but Always with a smile. After an extended time, they still call me by name when u walk in the door. We always feel at home. read more

Been to this place quite sometimes in the last 2 years. The food is pretty good and prices are reasonable. I always order the super-hot version of the items and love the Chicken friend rice and Spicy chicken. The service is good and the decor is perfect for the restaurant. I would surely love to visit this place often. read more

I come into town for work each week and stay close by. I first came in because I love Chinese food and it was close. The food is very good, made with quality ingredients. What I love most about this place though is that the owner is a wonderfully friendly and kind person. She and her husband own and work the business and they work their butts off to give a quality dining experience. When things are slow she will sit down and visit and is such a pleasant person. Now I am a regular here and she knows she will see me each week. She knows what I like to order, but I change it up just to keep her on her toes. I am going to be sad when my job in this area is done and I move on. But I will always come in here if I am anywhere close to Dekalb. read more

My husband and I love this place. The staff is always so nice and the food is always amazing. Always recommend it to anybody who comes visit. If you want a great meal and great atmosphere, then go to Yen Ching. read more

This place is the bomb.com! I can't believe we've eaten here so many times and I'm JUST getting to writing a review! We LOVE this place! Everything on the menu is fresh and good, and the service is what really puts this place in a league of its own. The sisters that run the place are charming and hilarious! It's a winner no matter what you get! read more

Best Chinese food in DeKalb. But that's not a great endorsement because overall the Chinese food in DeKalb is pretty awful. Atmosphere is pretty good. It's dim. Would be a nice place to bring a date, I'd imagine. Don't tell my wife I said that, heh. However, I have had excellent Chinese food and this is not it. But this is the best and most authentic that I have tried in DeKalb. I recommend the sesame chicken and Mongolian beef. Oh, staff is great. You can tell that they want to do a good job and they are very respectful. read more

Just moved to Dekalb and had a Chinese craving. Found this on yelp and after reading the reviews decided to give them a try. Like the other reviews say its like dinner and a show, the servers are funny and quick. The food was very good and abundant, we all had left overs to take home. My husband is a very picky egg roll eater, but he did really like them. When my daughter left a small bit on her plate, she was jokingly told to finish up (daughter is 18). She did as she was told and got a very funny high five. The tea is delicious. read more

Food was good, little bit expensive, yet worth it.. The lady was so rude and bad customer service read more

Fantastic Chinese food. Crab and cream cheese rangoons are a must have. The service is phenomenal and the owners/staff are super friendly. I took my date here and we were both very impressed! read more

My parents have been coming here for 40 years, and they've been bringing me my whole life. Co-owner/hostess/waitress Marilyn greets the regulars by name and has all of our usual orders memorized. Yen Ching is the one consistently delicious restaurant amidst all the iffy Chinese places closing as quickly as they spring up in the area. Portions are always generous, and the vegetarian eggrolls are especially mouth-watering. Their lunchtime specials are divine. My one complaint: their deep-fried tofu is inconsistent. One week it's fried to crispy perfection, and the next week it looks and tastes like it's never touched a pan. Regardless, Yen Ching always pleases. read more

My husband has been coming here since he was younger. When he first brought me here I thought the older lady was hilarious. Now I go there looking forward to her AMAZING personality. Great family owned restaurant. Not to mention great food! read more

This place is great! I've never had a bad experience here and the service is just wonderful. I mean how many places give you a complimentary pot of tea? The food is absolutely excellent. I recommend the dumplings they're delicious and the sauce they come with is to die for. read more

Best Chinese food in Dekalb. The owners are sooo incredibly nice. She is very talkative, and very friendly. If you go there a couple of times, she will remember you. I don't see why it's not a date place. I could definitely have a date there. It's pretty intimate, but not too intimate. Very family friendly, and good place to take your friends or bf/gf. I definitely recommend this place. Stop in for their lunch specials! YUMMY. read more

Best Chinese restaurant in town! The owners are lovely, and have great deals on lunch specials! For $6-8, you get a lunch entree, a side of fried rice, 2 wantons, and unlimited hot green tea...perfect for college students on a budget! The fact that the restaurant has been around for like 20 years means that they know good food and great service. read more