In all honestly, if half-stars were an option, this one would be a 3.5. However, due the beautiful interior and consistent attention-to-detail, I'm bumping them to 4. Unlike most of their counterparts in Chinatown, Emperor's Choice keeps their establishment meticulously clean and their wares up to date. This is by far the most aesthetically pleasing of the restaurants I've been to in Chinatown, except maybe Kai, but much cleaner. I don't know if they've recently updated their decor, as this was my first time dining here, but they did a great job. Tables are pristine, bathrooms spic and span, and the bar when you walk in didn't have a crumb on it. Definitely a welcoming place! Food was good! We tried the hot and sour soup, which was among the best I've ever had. For entrees, we ate the Hunan Beef, which features some of the freshest veggies I've ever tasted. The fresh bamboo was my favorite, as I had only had this in chute form, previously. Beef was extremely lean, which is always great. The seafood dish was not as good, but still tasty. It had shrimp, squid, scallops, jalapeno peppers, and snow peas. Scallops are my favorite, and I wish there were more than three or four of them in the dish. Server was routinely checking up on us, but not in an overbearing, creepy way like some servers in Chinatown. While this isn't my favorite in Chinatown, I'll add it to my list of options every time I go back. Disclaimer: I go back quite often and refuse to eat Chinese in Chicago outside of Chinatown. read more

In general, I feel like Chicago is definitely not known for it's plethora of good chinese food. I've felt many a disappointment getting take out and it arriving to be a sloppy, slimy, msg-filled mess. But, when I do have a hankering for some of the good stuff I make sure to head to this place. One of the better (if not top) places to get authentic, delicious, not over-seasoned chinese food. Their won ton soup is in a wonderful broth and the egg rolls are perfectly fried. Huge fan as well of their chicken dishes. Seafood here is excellent and can recommend any of it. If you're looking for the weird stuff (Jellyfish, anyone?) this is the place to go. Service is friendly, but not suffocating. Top it all off with some of their wonderful tea and you will definitely have an enjoyable meal! read more

I've been to this establishment twice, and can speak on a number of great things about this place. First, friendly and fast service - our wait-person was fast, courteous, and helpful in directing us to choices of entries that we were pleased with. Food came out quickly- we ordered egg-rolls and shrimp toast for the table. The egg rolls were good; standard fare, but the shrimp toast was fantastic. Nice crunch, minced up shrimp cooked perfectly into the bread, and deep fried. For dinner, I ordered salt and pepper shrimp, which tasted great as well, and a generous portion to boot. If I had to be nit-picky, the decor of the place is a bit on the dull side, but with the food as good as it is, it doesn't need fancy decorations to keep customers coming back. read more

Went here for dim sum with my family. As im chinese, i Ordered my usual dimsum stuff such as siumai, ha kao, chicken feet, BBQ pork bun, salted egg yolk bun, and also ordered beef w veggie and spicy eggplant to share as our main. Everything was good, except.... the BBQ pork bun's filling is a bit dry; salted egg yolk bun's filling can be a bit smoother. But overall Im very happy that I have a place to go for dimsum now, especially with the fact that there's no authentic Chinese food around my area(streeterville) And I have to travel each time by car in order to get my Asian food. read more

Well it's Mothers Day weekend and Maria has a taste for some good Won Ton soup. Especially since our old favorite of the Rising Sun has gone way down hill with their Won Ton soup lately. I hope you are reading this owners of the Rising Sun. So we pack up the van, Maria, I and the three younger kids and we start heading north. My wife is thinking Chinatown might be a good spot for her Mothers Day meal and to quench her hunger for some good Won Ton soup. It's a cool and rainy Saturday, so Lincoln Park zoo is a NO from our guest of honor. We have called our oldest daughter and have told her to meet us by the Fire Station in Chinatown. After everyone arrives we do some typical tourist sight seeing. We always stop in the Hoypoloi, it's an uncommon gallery you know. Then we say let's pick a place to eat. It's Maria's call and she is trying to remember the place we ate at in the past that had really good Won Ton soup. We finally remember and find it, the Emperor's Choice. Maria and I start by ordering a bowl each of the Won Ton soup. Afterward Maria and I both say the same thing, it was good but not like the last time we had it. It was a bit on the watery side but at least the dumplings were hot and tasty. We also started with the Emperor's Egg Rolls and the Pot Stickers. I am usually the only one who just loves Egg Rolls but even Maria thought they were truly outstanding this time. The Pot Stickers were also good, not outstanding, but good. For our main course items we ordered the Mongolian Beef (which was just average), the Beef with Broccoli (which had some of the best tasting beef I have had in a while. It seemed like they used a better cut of meat which was real GOOD), the Pork Fried Rice (just average, a little burnt tasting), the Emperor's Shredded Chicken (which we all agreed was truly BAD I'm sorry to say Emperors. It was the only left over dish we refused to take home with us. The chicken or the sauce, something just truly tasted off. No one got sick but we thought it was really bad) and finally the Shrimp with Cashews (which had bland tasting shrimp, even though they were huge pieces of shrimp and bland tasting cashews). So in general we received fast and friendly service. The food was average this time around. The price with all the food, drinks and tip was roughly $110 dollars. And the most important part, did Maria enjoy her Mother's Day 2011 meal, she said, "Yes, I liked it." read more

Disclaimer: I only got 3 appetizer dishes here and not any of the entrees. I ordered take out from here on a whim, and it was definitely worth it! Here's why - Crab Rangoon - The best I've had in Chicago so far. For starter, you get 6 pieces, which totally beats the 4 that you'd get at some other places for the same price. They're actually crispy and not soggy (mind you, I ordered them to take out and had a 30 min trip back to my place). There's also this garlic-y taste to them that I thought was great. Emperor's Egg Rolls - This was also fried perfectly. I'm not completely sure what is inside them. I'm guessing it was something along the lines of cabbage, a little sliced scallion, some tiny shrimp, and maybe a few other basic ingredients. Bar-B-que Pork - I know people have been saying this place is highly Americanized, and I'm not going to argue over that, but these pieces of sliced bbq pork were made just like how I'd get them at legit Chinese food places in NY. The slices have just the right amount of meat and fat and they're not dry at all! The only thing that annoyed me was that they didn't give me any type of duck sauce or anything along those lines for the egg roll or crab rangoon, but I guess I'd also have to blame myself for not asking. Besides that, this place was great and I look forward to going back and trying their other dishes. read more

Stopped in for lunch one day after doing some work at a nearby school. I ordered the General Tso's chicken w/ rice lunch special. The portion was HUGE! It also came with soup and an egg roll (or was it Crab Rangoon?)...can't recall. Either way, there are plenty of places to eat in Chinatown but Emperor's Choice should be your first choice! Especially if you find yourself roaming the area and are looking for good food and quick service. read more

Maybe it was the fact that I didnt eat all day, or perhaps it was the Navy Grog drink I had at the bar during our wait but this was the best Chinese food I had in a super long time. The wait was only 45 minutes which was pretty good considering it was during the New Years parade although we did out our name in while the parade was still going on. I was impressed with the friendliness and speed of the service. The waitress asked my girlfriends and I if we wanted seperate checks. This impressed me since most places roll their eyes when you ask for seperate checks but this woman offered! And, she didnt get our orders wrong on the checks! I had the shanghai noodles - mmm hot stuff! We all shared the shrimp fried rice, egg rolls, and crab rangoon. Yes, were hungry ladies. Everything was delicious, hot, fresh and served with a smile. read more

As a party of 7 (4 adults and 3 teens), we tried a lot of food: spring rolls (good), pork dumplings (delicious), Chinese broccoli (could've been more garlicky but good!), eggplant (yummy), salt & pepper shrimp (never tried it before but became one of the best dishes of the night), moo shu pork (delicious), Lo mein with chicken, fried rice with chicken (meh), & orange peel chicken (fresh -and flavorful). We had plenty for left overs. All food was very fresh. I think this has become our new "go-to" reliable spot for dining in and take out! read more

We got off the bus, I Yelped the highest rated restaurants w/ in 2 blocks and Emperor's Choice Restaurant popped up. It was everything I was hoping for when we went to Chinatown on our first stop in Chicago. Great atmosphere, good food and even better prices. I needed an extra fork to keep my wife and kids from trying to eat my General Zhao Chicken. They didn't like their entrees nearly as much as mine. (Why don't they just order what I order for Pete's sake?) The service was very good and the Crab Rangoon actually had crab in it! It was the best meal I had on our 7 day vacation and cost about half of what we spent everywhere else. read more

I have never eaten in any Chinatown in US- NY, SF but Emperor's choice in Chicago's mini Chinatown is great. Its quite a small restaurant and not a lot of tables. It does not look like a high end restaurant and thats a positive sign about a chinese restaturant as far as I am concerned. The food- We ordered three things - Hunan Shrimp, Chicken Noodles and Double cooked Pork. The shrimp and pork were ordered extra spicy. The quantity was more like for 3 people and we were just two and still managed to finish 90% of the food. It was amazing. The dry noodles can be ordered either thin or fat. The waitrees suggested thin so thin it was. It is easily the best noodles I have eaten and I have eaten them in Asia too. The noodles were cooked perfectly. Actually I could eat them with some chilli sauce and nothing else. The chicken in the noodles was very very tasty. It was a masterpiece. The Pork was the other great dish and I am glad my wife ordered the double cooked pork extra spicy. It just great. If you like pork you will like this. It was spicy, pork were chewy and juicy and the sauces were perfect. The hunan shrimp was not great and and if I had ordered the shrimp and noodles, wud have given 3-4 stars. But the noodles and pork were so so good that I feel like giving it a ten. Next time I visit Chicago, I am going here again. read more

My latest experience at this place had me vomiting in their bathroom..... I've being coming here on and off for years and today might be my last . None of the employees there seem to care what happened to me and why I left all of my food on the table.... I'm not so much upset about having bad food but for the lack of guest service I experienced today .... read more

Allow me to set the scene: It's 2:30pm... it's cold... I just bought a turtle the size of a quarter at a store that sold purses... I'm hungry..... As my friend Kate and I leave the purse/turtle store I ask a fellow patron; "excuse me. Do you know which way the Phoenix restaurant is?" (racial profiling: the person happened to be Asian and I was in Chinatown, Native to the area... maybe, maybe not...) the fellow shopper replied "Yes, down this road and then to the right" "Thank you" I replied. "If your going for dim som you need to hurry, it ends at 3pm" he said. "WHAT?, Well do you have any other suggestions of places to eat in the area?" I asked. "Yes, Try the Emperor's Choice next store, I eat lunch there everyday and it's wonderful!" He replied. "THANKS AGAIN" I said... As for Emperor's Choice... It was okay... the portions were huge... the wait staff was alright.... the prices were a bit high... Oh and the best part of the whole bit......... The Fellow patron of the neighboring shop... the nice fellow with the helpful suggestion... He just happened to be the owner of the Emperor's Choice... Conflict of interest?? Not in Chinatown....... LOVE IT! read more

This is my first time eating chinese food in Chicago. It concerned me when we walked in and realized a lack of Asian people at this restaurant. I perceived that as a lack of authenticity. But we decided to try it out regardless. We ordered the soft shelled crab, sizzling black peppered beef, and garlic stir fried snowpea leaves. They turned out to be pretty good, didn't give me the cheap asian takeout food feeling. The dining environment was good for chinese restaurant (I guess this is an important aspect to attract non-asian customers). Clean floor, white table cloth, clean and non smelly bathroom. read more

Great choice. I've been to Asia and eaten real Chinese food all over the world. Great food- Crab in black bean sauce, seafood and standards. Excellent service Nice atmosphere. Good Prices. Can't beat this place for authentic Chinese food and service. read more

As another reviewer noted, this restaurant is trying to cater to the American crowd with the telling signs being the decor, menu, and higher prices. Why go down to Chinatown to have Americanized experience? The best part or the meal was the egg rolls. All the others dishes we ordered we disappointing. Restaurant appeared clean and wait staff and service was fast and attentive. read more

Friendly, small Chinatown place. Specializes in seafood, but also makes maybe the best kung pao chicken I've ever tried. The potstickers are bigger than a baby's fist and quite delicious if the cook's having a good day. Along with the fairly standard (but more fish-centric than usual) main menu, you get a paper "village menu" of more authentic Chinese dishes, some of which seem too terrifying for mere words. Far from the worst Chinese on Wentworth, for sure. Not a good choice for vegetarians. read more

Some of the best Chinese food I've ever eaten at amazing prices. I ordered the lunch Shanghai Rice Noodles combo, which came with a Hot & Sour soup and 2x Crab Rangoons. Additionally, I ordered a Cripsy Tofu appetizer. The soup wasn't spicy (maybe I should have asked them to kick it up a little), but it was full of amazing fresh veggies. The Rangoons were cooked perfectly, nice and crispy, but had very little crab in them (mostly cream cheese). The Shanghai Rice Noodles was amazing. The portion was huge, the meat was cooked perfectly (large shrimp and pork servings), the veggies were crips/fresh. The saffron flavoring just popped in this dish and I highly recommend it to anyone. The Crispy Tofu had a great salt/pepper flavoring with the addition of jalapeño added for a mild spice kick. The restaurant is very clean with white linen tables. The bathrooms are well cared for. The wait staff is extremely professional. Overall, a great restaurant for a family, couples, business meetings, or just a solo patron looking for a great meal at an affordable price (extremely cheap for the Chicago area). read more

Went here when my cousin came in town from New York, and wanted to hit up Chinatown. The reviews were decent, so we decided to try this place out. It was ok. Now I have had traditional Chinese food before, so this review is not based off of it not being Americanized Chinese food. It is based off the fact that the service was subpar at best, and the food was just ok. I have eaten at many different restaurants in Chinatown, and this one was probably my least favorite. read more

My 2nd time in Chinatown Chicago, and I wanted to try a place that was a little more upscale instead of a cheap, big eat place with no ambiance and décor like most places around here. Had no problem paying $10 or more as long as the food was good quality and I got it here. My friends had the eggrolls and I tried pot stickers and was not disappointed. All appetizers come with three different sauces and I must say, the hot mustard sauce was spicy and tasty. I got the show mien noodles with shrimp and again I wasn't disappointed and my friends got poultry and rice and were impressed. I enjoyed the ambiance of this restaurant. White table cloths and Asian music in the background made me feel like I was at a more classy restaurant. The service also deserved high praise. I am one that always likes to try different places, but I would go here again and suggest this place to friends. read more

So glad we dined here! For me it was like stepping back in time. Dishes were hit and miss--some were really well done and others were just mediocre--but I loved the way we dined. We sat at a large round table with a lazy susan in the middle. The food portions were huge! The dishes were placed on the lazy susan and you could move it and select among the various dishes. It was delightful and fun. I haven't done that since I was a kid. Menu is very large--maybe too many options. Wait staff was very helpful in answering questions and they were very attentive to the table and keeping water glasses full, etc. We will definitely come back here again. read more

Plan our team outing for Chinatown and this was a great choice. With 12 guest the server did an amazing job at handling each order. Everything came to the table hot and fresh. The shrimp rolls are very crispy and seasoned well. The shrimp and lobster sauce was fulfilling. This location has a lunch special as well which made the experince awesome. read more

Ducked in for a quick snack and was not disappointed. The marinated jellyfish had a nice crunch, served in a light vinegar and scallop dressing. If you're friends are not as adventurous as you are, you could tell them they were eating a cold noodle dish and they would be none the wiser. The real treat was the savoy scallion pancake, hot and fresh like Shanghai street food. Paired with a hot sake, it's as close to Nirvana as you can get within walking distance to the Red Line. read more

Emperor's Choice Restaurant - Marinated jellyfish - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Excellent food, small space, but food is very well prepared! (vegetables aren't mushy) Service is friendly. Get your parking stub validated, and parking was only $2.00. We shopped afterwards, at Chinatown Bazaar- fun afternoon! read more

Not only is this Emperor's Choice, it's Tom's Choice! To be honest, I'm generally wary of Chinese food. Chinese take-out often suffers from being overly-fried, greasier than a Crisco factory, and as a result, causes me substantial gastrointestinal distress. No wonder, a small shiver when up my spine when my co-worker chose to make Emperor's Choice the venue for a work dinner. Boy, was I surprised. The food, particularly the seafood, was fantastic. We dined on a life-changing whole Dungeness crab, dusted in salt and pepper, flash-fried, and brought to the table steaming hot. The lobster was fresh, tender, and perfectly seasoned. The non-seafood options were great as well, from the beef and broccoli (not greasy!) to the awe-inspiring wonton soup. The mai tais (yes, apparently, they are known for their mai tais) were delicious and potent. And the service was wonderful. Our waiter, an elderly Chinese gentleman, was friendly, hilarious, and attentive. The only negative that I can attribute to this fine restaurant is the atmosphere/decor. It harkens back to the late 70s. But you'll be so busy enjoying your dinner that you won't even notice. read more

Everything was GREAT, except the egg rolls... Not much flavor or meat. Service and as good and we will be back again next year read more

The best part of coming to Chicago! This time we came for lunch and it was still delicious. Service was quick but since there were only 2 waitstaff, getting drink refills was a challenge. The food was amazing, I love the chicken fried rice and had beef and broccoli for the first time. My family and I enjoy eating here and we'll continue to come as part of our trips to Chicago! read more

Pretty darn good! Good service nice drinks! I just wish they were open for us late nighter!

Wow, this must be one of the most cleanest Chinese restaurants in Chinatown that I have been to. It was a bit of shock as the exterior signage didn't seem to indicate that it might be anything like the interior. I have to say that it really affected my mood in a good way that the place felt nice and relaxed. The staff was very attentive making sure they were around when we were ready to order. We got the General Tso's Chicken, Ginger & Onion Fried Lobster, Sichuan Fish Filet, Salty and Spicy Seafood, and Garlic Fried Peapod Leaves. All of it was very flavorful and delicious. I have to say I was disappointed that they were out of crab though. The portions and prices were reasonable, and I would certainly like to come back. read more

Very good place!..good food for a Very good price and very friendly service!!..only could use a bit more room for the dinning area..other than that, Great place!! read more

Came to Chicago to visit from NJ and I must say this place had amazing service and amazing food. The only compliant was that the pinã colada was very watery but that's so minor because again the food was wonderful. read more

Food was cold, super salty, and had no favor. Nobody came to offer water after 10 minutes. Wanted a big table for 4 cuz we knew we'd order 10 dishes and they were like "sorry these tables are reserved" --- LIARS nobody came in during the 2 hrs we were there trying to fit everything onto a small table. Took food to-go and they didn't pack everything we ordered but charged for them all. read more

When my cousin from Taiwan came to visit, I had to rack my brain as to what food would be good for him to try. I suggested maybe we can try American Chinese food to which he responded with "Huh? What's that?" And so I embarked on a journey to find what would be a good American Chinese restaurant for me to take out for him to try. I ended up here at this restaurant because it was closest to me at that point in time. I got the orange peel chicken, kung po chicken, and black pepper beef. I absolutely love the orange peel chicken. It's not as sweet like how most restaurants make it. You can really taste the orange when eating this dish. The kung po chicken and black pepper beef are also very good. All these dishes were a hit with him. And of course, American Chinese food is not complete without fortune cookies so we also had them. Service is decent enough. I was ignored the first few minutes when I arrived at this restaurant but once I was seated, they were pretty attentive. read more

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Emperor's Choice Restaurant in Chinatown is by far the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. We live downtown Chicago so I placed an order for delivery. It was the first time ordering for delivery and it did not disappoint. It only took maybe 1/2 hour and everything was packaged beautifully and came piping hot! My husband and I love this restaurant! Prices are so reasonable for the amount of food you get! I'll never go anywhere else. read more

I Ordered delivery because it had good reviews, so you can imagine how disappointed I was when I received my food and was inedible. I ordered salt and pepper calamari, crab ragoons, Mongolian beef and Hunan chicken. The calamari had a good flavor but the texture was off for squid. The crab rangoons were delicious (that's why it is 2 stars). The Mongolian beef lacked flavor, it was more flavorless than bad beef and broccoli from a mall. Finally, the human chicken tasted off, it wasn't just lacking flavor, the flavor it did have was just bad. Will never eat here or order from them again. read more

I guess I can keep this one simple...Where they don't have it in cusine, they make up in service! My friends and I have been 3 or 4 times in the last month or so and have enjoyed each. They make a great Zombie, the beef and orange peel is great and the shrimp toast makes me smile at night. If you are looking for an off the beaten path spot that you can become a regular @, this is your place! read more

My family likes to visit Chinatown in the cities we travel to. Today we ate here and it was a great place. Authentic, fresh and tasty food. Quick service, clean and friendly staff. Very reasonable prices as well. Will recommend and return. read more

Food was delicious and authentic. Great atmosphere also. Will definitely be going back!

Excellent food In a nice environment with great service. Their hot and sour soup is probably the best I have ever had. Plenty of dishes to choose from. Seating for couples or families. Street parking right outside. read more

I'be been to or order from Emperor's Choice at least a dozen times now and have never been disappointed. When dining in the staff has been so nice and attentive, and delivery or take orders are generous, hot and as tasty as in the shop. Of note, they took extra care to make a take out order for 6 entirely gluten free because a family member has Celiacs (and reported no issues after eating) which is something that can be very tricky. The restaurant actually called ME to say the order was being made in separate pans with tamari sauce only and also discussed alternatives to soy. They also have a traditional menu with a number of delicious items that you wouldn't normally be able to order. Adventurous eaters will be as satisfied as more conventional eaters! read more