Yelp has made my life better. Through Yelp we met Yvonne B. and because of her, we were introduced to Han 202. We've eaten at this BYOB twice and the second time was even better than the first. Both of our visits were on Saturday nights when reservations are a must. I would suggest that you make yours for an early time because the restaurant does get quite loud as the night goes on. It only takes one person who is loud and the volume in the whole place goes up. (When two such people joined the table next to us the room got extremely loud.) Here's the new system which was different for us along with the updated decor. They have a prix fixe of 35.00 with no upcharges. The old system was ten dollars less but had many extra charges for items such as rice. I like this new system much better and I think the portion size increased. We were served a treat from the chef of crab and pork belly which was delicious. (I preferred this to the old system of the fries.) This inspired me to have major meat in every following course. Meaty appetizer - steak with apples that was really unique and tasty. First course - short ribs with mashed potatoes. I was continuing my meat quest with unequaled taste success. Main course - My meat objective was derailed by the shrimp and scallops options. I have a scallops whenever possible vow which trumped the meat quest. It was so flavorful and fabulous that I didn't mind the derailment. Dessert - Chocolate souffle which belied my claim of not being a chocolate person. Now I have to say I am a chocolate souffle person. We left with coupons and a pact to return for the third meeting with Yvonne and M at Han 202. I honor pacts and plus I have a meat quest to try again. read more

Still Amaze-Balls! I wish I could eat solely at Han 202. And though I'm keeping them at a steady five sexy stars I wish we could have gotten the rock star treatment from our first visit where our beer and wine were kept cold and brought out as needed. This last time the boys ended up having to rest the beer on the floor until the ladies finished the wine for lack of table space. But for $20, I won't deduct any points. Oh- and our dessert was just plain vanilla with a lychee fruit- no mango/tomato sorbet. Wah, wah... but on the bright side, at least I saved a little on the calories. read more

Yeah, I'm dropping a star. Still very good, however there portion size has decreased a bit and there menu seems sparser too. I miss the ice cream at dessert, matter of fact the little white chocolate treat reminded me of a Lindt truffle. Anyhow, we both thought it was a little ball of ice cream or perhaps lemon ice? So we tried to take a bite with our spoons, couldn't cut it, so we waited thinking it would soften up, no dice. Then we tapped on it, still no dice. So I gently tapped it onto my spoon and ventured a bite. I then told my friend, hmpf it's chocolate. Too funny we would have been waiting forever for it to melt. Then I thought about the wait staff standing not to far off, and I thought they must think we're nuts hitting this with our spoons. On the portion size, hey you get five courses for 20 bucks, so you'll still be full, however since something has changed I am updating my review. I can get over the portion size, but please please bring back the ice cream. read more

Sooouuuth Siiiide in the hooouse! Being a born & bred north-sider I would have never made it to Han 202 if I didn't have the suggestion from a native. After Vanessa assured me I did NOT need my passport, we headed to the soooouth siiide. Was the south side always so close? They may have moved it. Weird. 5-course menu @ $20 per person? That can't possibly be right. Rest assured. It. Is. BYOB too? What the frack? Started with the: Soup: spicy king crab miso soup. Lovely. Salad: beef with lemongrass salad. Highlight of the night. Exactly right mix of contrasting flavors. I would love to have this as an entrée sized salad Appetizer: pan-fried ahi tuna. Han 202 proved my love of ahi tune to be true. Entree: rack of lamb with bonito plum sauce. I may have faltered a bit here. I should have went with the duck, but I had never seen lamb on a Chinese menu. Lamb wasn't bad, just okay. Dessert: vanilla ice cream with mango tomato sorbet. Luscious. Again with the complementary flavors. Loved it. Great location. 5 people. 5 bottles of wine. Delicious dinner. read more

The food was great, can't complain about that. I also liked the ability to bring our own alcohol. However, the experience I had with the wait staff and the manager that tried to resolve my issue (which is still not resolved) ruined it all for me. We went there for my friend's birthday. When the bill came, we decided to split it evenly amongst ourselves minus the birthday girl. It came to $38 per person. We were paying with a combination of credit cards and cash. I asked the server to charge $38 to each card. When he came back, I saw that he charged each card $121 instead of $38. I told him that it should have been $38. He appeared confused (possibly because of a language barrier) and said he would reverse the charge. Then he came back with another slip for $38 but couldn't produce a slip for the $121 reversal. I spoke with the manager who said they couldn't produce a reversal but the charge would "disappear" within 3-5 days. The next morning when I checked my balance on-line, I discovered that there were 3 charges on my card: $121, $38 and $156. The 3 charges combined had put my checking account in the negative. I immediately called the restaurant to inquire about the $156 and they told me to "not worry about it," and that the $156 would "disappear" within 3-5 days as well. I was completely flabbergasted. Not only did they not apologize for the additional erroneous charge, they did not even explain to me why the $156 was there in the first place. They were, however, able to put me in touch with the person in charge of doing all the credit card transactions for the restaurant, by the name of "Bin." I called Bin and explained the situation. He seemed sympathetic and assured me that the $121 and $156 charges would be dropped, but I had to wait 3-5 days. I told him that I had spoken to my bank and that I needed him to call the bank and give them the 6-digit transaction code to have these 2 charges dropped immediately. He agreed to look into it and give me a call back. I hadn't heard from him in a couple of days so I called back and left a voice mail. I called back again after not hearing anything for another 24 hours and this time he picked up. He seemed confused about our earlier conversation and was surprised when I asked him if he had called my bank. He was nice on the phone, but because of the language barrier, was completely not helpful. The 2 erroneous charges were eventually dropped, almost a week later. But the experience left me penniless for a week and with an overage fee on my checking account. I asked Bin about getting compensation for the overage fee and he referred me to the owners of the restaurant, Yan Ruan (847-877-0880) and Danny Chan (312-949-1314). I called and left a voice mail. Yan called me back a day later and said that there was nothing they could do unless I provide my bank statement indicating the overage charge. I told her that I absolutely was not going to show her my bank statement, and that even without the statement, I should at least get an apology and explanation on why the server charged me $156 without informing me, even if was a mistake. She couldn't provide a straight answer for it, and continued to say that I needed to show her my bank statement. She then said she was only a manager and that the owner was not available. When I asked to speak with the owner, or someone that can make a decision, she hung up on me. I called back right away and my call went to voice mail. I left a message but I'm not expecting to hear back from her, or anyone else at the restaurant. Again, the food was good but if you ever have an issue that needs to be resolved, don't expect anyone to help you. They obviously don't care about providing good customer service or value my patronage. It's been a disappointing experience. There are plenty of restaurants in Chicago that provide both good food and good service. I will never go back again. read more

Shhhhhhh......I've gotta fantabulous Chicago SECRET! Han 202 is modern and clean yet very warm and comfortable. It was cool watching the chefs prepare our meal. The food was delicious and perfectly portioned. Since the menu is always changing, it won't matter what I recommend, but I sampled my girlfriend's plates and EVERYTHING was so tasty! BTW--The deserts are to die for! The lighting was perfect and the music was quiet and atmospheric. Oh, and the bathrooms were immaculate!. (I do have one complaint--that mirror in the woman's bathroom was made for a Philistine. Who's THAT tall, really? Short girls take note: Bring your own little mirror.) Aside from that, this is the PERFECT spot for impressing a date, in-law, boss, whoever...It is so 'off the grid', you'll feel in the know. The biggest surprise was the restaurant wasn't more crowded! BONUS: There are tons of metered spots available on the street Hey, on a weekend this isn't a 'plus' you take lightly! It really hurts to say this, but, I'm getting that sinking feeling...this place won't be a secret for long. (Especially when BIG mouths like me start talking...) Oh wait! Here's my shout-out to Lisa! Thanks for the great service. read more

I wish this place was around the corner from me. I could eat here all the time. ALL THE TIME! $20.00 brings you a delightful meal that is guaranteed to please. Our party of happily shared bites of duck breast, seared ahi tuna, NY strip and General Tao (their spelling) chicken with each other and not a bad bite in the bunch. The appetizers were beautifully prepared and presented and the service, seamless. The only off note was dessert. For all the care and flavor found in the previous courses, it was the complete opposite for our dessert course. The mango tomato sorbet lacked any distinct flavor, mango or otherwise. The ice cream which is obviously preportioned, had an inordinate amount of freezer burn. So disappointing after such an amazing meal. But I will have no problem getting on the red line to visit Han 202 again, hopefully sooner than later. read more

Nothing about this place would make me return. I am not familiar with this area, but it seemed a bit away from everything else and it's a "must" drive. The place was small, all in all...about 13 tables; however, the kitchen cannot keep up when the place is only about 1/2 full...according to our server. We waited about 45 minutes after being seated to be served with a soup and salad; both items which should be close, if not, pre-prepared at any restaurant. Total time spent to have 4 courses (we decided to skip the 5th and head across the street to Scoops because it was so mediocre) was about 2 hours. Food was not HORRIBLE, but far from great (or good for that matter). Portions were small and flavorless, as indicated...but what do you expect for $20? I would rather spend more, and have better tasting food with a more attentive service provided. Skip it. read more

Took my parents here tonight and they absolutely loved it. I happened to run into a old co-worker who had decided to check it out after reading about it in Time Out. She told me that just before we arrived there was someone from metromix taking photos for the site and the redeye. It's great to see this new local spot getting so much attention from the Chicago press! One thing that was a little disappointing that I learned a couple weeks ago is that they are eliminating their sushi appetizer, which I thought was really nicely done. Other than that, still trying new dishes every time I go in, and haven't hit one I didn't like. Current faves - the shimp and scallops, and the monkfish. read more

Tough call here. I kind of agree with both the negative reviews and the positive. This is more of a 3 and half star place. I picked up my wife from work and we decided to check this place out. $25 for a five course sounded great and it's BYOB, so win-win. We were seated immediately, they provided a cork screw and an ice bucket for our wine, and the menu looked interesting with a decent amount of choices. We started out with each of the soups. Both good. I had the Spicy Crab miso. I liked it, but the crab was pretty much just for texture because there was no crab taste there. My wife had some sort of dumpling soup which was equally good. For our salad, I had the beef and apple salad which was really tasty. My wife's arugula, jicama salad with white truffle oil was more simple, but not bad. For appetizers, we had the spanish mackerel and the hiramasa nigiri. Just ok, two small pieces of hiramasa on warm rice and overcooked spanich mackerel. The mackerel was good, just really overcooked. We had the rack of lamb in a plum sauce and the shrimp and scallop dish for entrees. The shrimp and scallop was enjoyable and was a decent portion. Quite satisfied with it. The "rack of lamb" was three thin chops. Like thhiinn chops. Like Christian Bale in The Machinist thin. Cooked well though. Another chop and some more sauce and this would have been a winner. The sorbets were whatever. Cute place with good service and food. So why the mixed review? Well after paying fifty bucks for this five course chinese dinner, I stopped by Huck Finn's and ordered a half dozen donuts for the ride home. When was the last time you had chinese food and said, damn, I could go for a bag of donuts? read more

Wow Yelp. You sure steered me wrong in this place. I arrived with high expectations and left wishing I'd stopped in Chinatown instead. Here's the thing. If you want filling and tasty food regardless of service and decor then ditch Han 202 and head over to Lao Sze Chuan. If you are on a date and want nice ambience with byob then this is a good place to go. Me, I wanted the former. The portions were way too small. We paid almost $60 when all was said and done, then went home and shared ramen. read more

I would've never thought my next 5-star review would land in Bridgeport, but the mini-trek past downtown was well worth it! The fiancee, myself and our good friends planned a Friday night dinner here after hearing much of the hype around Han 202 and their $20 five course menu. Let's take a stroll through each course... Soup: Spicy King Crab Miso was a unanimous choice for the table. Pretty good as far as miso goes, but the level of heat is pretty intense and tends to overpower any crab flavor. Definitely a bit much if you don't eat a lot of spicy food, and for me it almost crossed the line of being too spicy to enjoy. Salad: I went with the Cucumber and Crab Meat salad, which was light and refreshing. The real winner though was the Beef with Lemongrass salad. It consisted of moist, tender, and very flavorful slices of beef, which paired nicely with julienned granny smith apples and capers. A great balance of savory, sweet, tart to say the least. Appetizer: From the Walnut Shrimp to Crab Rangoon, everyone enjoyed their appetizer course. The standout for me was the Salt & Pepper Calamari. The calamari is cut into french fry-like strips, lightly battered & fried, and tossed with a few thin chili pepper slices to add a nice subtle touch of heat. Perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked, I probably could've eaten a whole plate of this as an entree. Entree: With so many choices I deferred to our waiter to help me decide between the duck and the monk fish. Both turned out to be his personal favorites so I went with the Monk Fish with Chinese Black Bean Sauce. Wow was it good! To be honest it makes me salivate just writing about it. The monk fish, cut into bite size pieces, was delicate and perfectly cooked. The black bean sauce is head and shoulders above any I've had at your typical Chinese carry out restaurant. The sauce alone with a big bowl of rice would've made a fantastic meal. The New York Strip with Miso Sauce was another excellent choice. The steak was perfectly cooked and the chilled miso sauce was packed with flavor. Just to warn you, the meat portion is definitely on the small side. This is, after all, a $20 five course dinner. What you might find lacking in quantity is definitely made up in quality. Dessert: Dinner was capped off with a vanilla ice cream filled espresso cup. Strangely it was missing the advertised Mango Tomato Sorbet so you may want to ask if yours is missing that, too. Still, a nice light way to satisfy your sweet tooth at the end of the meal. All in all this was a great experience and I can't wait to go back. The service was friendly and made some great recommendations. The portions aren't huge (your waistline will thank you), but you definitely won't leave hungry. Great flavors are the focus here and Han 202 is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a newer, more modern spin on Chinese food. Four stars for the food, and a fifth star for great value and BYOB! read more

Fine dining service and an adventurous 5 course prix-fixe dinner for only $25? I fully approve. Han 202 is definitely out of the way but well worth the voyage to find it. A lot of the dishes are simple but masterfully manipulated. The green apple salad only had 3 non-garnish components on the plate and may have been one of my favorite bites in recent memory. All of my dishes possessed a perfect balance of flavor and volume. I wanted just 1 more bite which intensified my desire for the next course. The varying options available of this prix-fixe menu will absolutely drive me to return many times to consume all the combinations. Service was excellent and reminiscent of much higher end dining experiences. My water level never fell below the halfway point. They care about hydration level! NOM'd: Snow Crab Miso Soup + Green Apple w/ Truffle Oil Salad + Walnut Shrimp + Sichuan Duck Breast + Green Tea Sorbet read more

Oh dear, Han 202 is about to make my wallet a lot lighter. I decided that this year, I would (gasp) cheat on LEYE with a more wallet friendly place near my hood. This was the best tawdry affair I've ever had. $20 for five amazing courses? BYOB with no corkage fee? Awesome. I had the spicy king crab miso soup which had a nice little zip, the lemongrass, beef, and apple salad which was perfect, the seared scallop appetizer, and the rack of lamb! This lamb was delicious. Everyone seemed to enjoy their choices with some highlights being the crab rangoon (pronounced best ever by a Chinese gal in the know) and the tempura. They were able to accommodate my veggie date without trouble, and pescetarians are at a huge advantage here. There was a little confusion with our seating and reservation, but the staff handled a group of 12 well, and I had a lovely time. The decor is classy and nice without making you feel like you're a bull in a china shop. They also gave us all VIP cards entitling us to repeat 10% discounts... forever. Way to lure me back. It totally worked. read more

I have heard about this place time and time again, so I knew I had to try it. Armed with a bottle of wine per person (yay for BYOB!) and a group of friends, we moseyed on down to Bridgeport for a cheap ($20 5 course menu, ftw) and delicious meal. Soup: I had the spicy king crab miso soup. You don't get a lot of crab, but the spiciness of it was good. A great starter. Salad: green apple salad. I need to say something about this. The salad was julienne apples with some capers, pepper and a tart vinaigrette. It was AMAZING. Seriously. The flavor of the apples and capers meshed so well, I was sad when I ate all of it. App: walnut shrimp. Two pretty decent sized fried shrimp with a walnut sauce. Delicious. Entree: Red Snapper with jalapeno and basil. This came as a whole fish, so it got sort of tedious to try to get all of the bones out as I was eating it. But the flavors were definitely all there. All in all, it was a great dinner with great people. I know I'll be back. And for people on a budget, this place is for you. read more

Went here for v-day dinner with my wife after reading reviews and looking for a good BYOB. We arrived with bottles of wine in hand, the place was small and quaint, but not really romantic, we hoped the food would help cure that. I started with the Spicy King Crab Miso Soup. I might have missed the crab if I blinked..virtually none in the soup, but i was spicy. There was also a couple crab shells floating in my soup, so maybe the chef needs to be introduced to a sieve. My wife had the vegetable soup, which was meh... We saw 4 people spill their soup during dinner, including my wife. Can we get some bigger bowls, or spoons that aren't top heavy? OK, onto salads, we both got the beef & lemongrass with apple. This salad was probably the highlight of my meal, it was perfect in every way. For appetizers we both got a spring roll, which was excellent, I got the seared Ahi Tuna, and my wife got the King Crab Rangoon, both were great. I got the Shrimp & Scallop Curry and my wife got the Orange Beef for the main course, both were excellent. Dessert, however, was a major letdown. Supposedly there is normally a course of vanilla ice cream with tomato mango sorbet. Not that case on valentines day. We got what looked like an unwrapped lindt truffle on a plate...it was a really disappointing way to end the meal. Overall I'd go back, just because of the $20 Prix Fixe & BYOB, but im bringing my own spoon, and probably will skip on any chocolate orbs that are passed my way. read more

I really wanted to like this place - but it was a bit disappointing.. 1 - Spicy miso soup with crab - slight change to regular miso soup. 2 - Cucumber salad with crab - The cucumber was good and refreshing, but the crab was noticable imitation crab. 3 - Walnut shrimp - 3 large shrimps drizzled with mayo sauce, YUMMY. Highlight of the meal! 4 - Lamb chops - 3 small baby lamb racks served with rice. The sauce was good, but the quality of the meat seems subpar 5 - Vanilla ice cream with cherry and lychee - i think they bought it at the store and melted it so it can freeze in a nice bowl Overall - it's really not a bad deal at all. 5 courses (kinda small, I was still hungry and I'm a 110 lb girl) for $20. My bf and friend that we went with also thought it was OK. Definately GREAT date place since it's BYOB and nicely decorated. read more

Started off the V-day weekend with a sweet sweet deal at Han 202...... Food Spicy King Crab Miso Soup: Liked but didn't love.....I felt like it was really just some crab thrown into miso soup......nothing to marry the flavors and not that spicy. Beef w/ Lemongrass Salad: The beef was fantastic!! Mixed nicely with the shredded apples......but I didn't need as much apple as there was..... Seared Scallop: This was okay.....mine wasn't super hot when I got it.....the flavors were good and I liked the accompanying salad w/ little pomegranate seeds and blueberries....but the scallop wasn't quite as firm as I would have liked nor did it have a solid sear on it. Salt & Pepper Calamari: This was my favorite thing of the night!! I almost asked my bf to switch with me.....but instead just ate most of his dish :) Slightly crunchy on the outside.....really excellent flavors....they almost tasted like onion rings for some reason.....and they were delicious! New York Strip w/ Spicy Miso: Again, good but not amazing.....the miso didn't seem spicy at all.....and while the meat was cooked to almost a perfect medium rare.....there were a few fatty bits that I actually had to spit into my napkin......also, they didn't give me a steak knife to eat it with....so there was lots of sawing going on. Crispy Beef w/ Orange: Our waitress said this was slightly spicy but we didn't think so.....again, liked....didn't love....I thought the beef itself was really yum.....but there was way too much orange in the sauce for me.....bf liked it though Vanilla Ice Cream w/ Sorbet: I think it was a tomato and berry sorbet...can't quite remember after 1.5 bottles of wine in.....it was def a sweet/sour dish.....I would almost go with more sour than sweet....I didn't like it and my bf wasn't really a fan either.....but he kept eating it just to try and "figure it out". Service Servers were all really nice.....they came back quite a few times to see if everything was okay and to see if we needed our other wine opened and were quick on picking up dishes. The wine guy/maitre d'? is a stitch! Ambiance Not a lot of ambiance at all.....and I actually wish that they would have dimmed the lights a little for dinner.....room is small-ish....so it gets a little loud when it's full.... Overall I was really excited to check out the killer 5 course/$20 deal.....and was extra happy that it's byob and no corkage fee....whoo-hooo.....but I didn't think that the actual food was all that.....it's good but not great....I think that a lot of the reviewers are just excited about the deal.....but I'd rather have excellent food and pay $20 more per person.... I would maybe make the trek back down here for a fun cheap night out with a group.....but it's not on my All-Star list..... read more

I would have given this place 4 stars the first time I went but the second time was so bad I'm knocking it down to two. I understand this place is BYOB but you cant even open the bottle of wine for me? Ok I moved past that but the food...there was something wrong with every course I ordered. First off you have to go early to avoid a reservation which we did both times we went. But, because there aren't many people at dinner at 5 pm the servers just stand and stare at you. This can be awkward! They brought out some truffle fries to try as you are ordering but there is no dipping sauce. The website states you have a soup course but they have eliminated this course and still charge you $25 for the prix fix menu. Maybe the fries are the substitute. They have also added a few items that are an additional charge. For the salad- I had the stir fry beef with green apple and Parmesan cheese. I swear I had some cheese that had mold on it. The previous time there was no cheese on this dish...maybe they should go back to skipping out on the moldy cheese. For the appetizer- I had a beef short rib which was actually jiggling from all the fat as they set the plate down for me. The actual two bites of meat were delicious. I wish there was more of it. The previous time I had the walnut shrimp which was good I wish I hadn't been wanting to try something different. For the entree- I had a shrimp and scallop and spicy brown garlic sauce. This wasn't horrible it just wasn't what I was expecting based on the description. This says nothing about vegetables and yet the dish is mostly various odd vegetables. I previously had the general tao chicken which is good but I wanted to try something I couldn't get from my local Chinese take-out. My date got the duck breast which he said was good. You have to pay extra for a side of rice seriously? And for dessert- I paid an extra $5 for creme brulee that was ice cold in the center. not sure if I'll be back but if I do I will go with my original choices and not try anything new! read more

BYOB- absolute plus. So each time I've been here, it was empty. I'm not sure why they are empty because they food here is quite good. You can tell the chef has a deep passion for food and his work by the way presentation. For $35 you get like a 4 or 5 course meal. I honestly liked all of them. Unfortunately, it's been a few months since I've gone there so I don't remember the names of the food I ordered. Nonetheless, I will definitely go back. read more

I give Han 202 5 stars and I will definitely be back!! For $20 five courses here are fresh & tasty with ample choices available. I loved the spicy crab miso soup which had the right amount of spice in it. For my salad I had the lemongrass beef salad. Tender pieces of marinated cooked beef and fresh apples and cucumber slices underneath. Delicious and totally fresh. My appetizer was sea scallops. I loved the sauce on this appetizer but you only get two scallops with this appetizer - still delicious but not totally filling. For the entrees, diners have so much to choose from and being a seafood person, I was happy with the amount of fish choices available because I would like to try them all. I was recommended to try the grouper by our server. It was perfectly flaky and flavored in the best sauce I've ever tried. The dessert was delcious a scoop of Vanilla in a cub with a mango -tomato sorbet. It sounds weird but it was really good! Did I mention other pluses like Han 202 is BYOB, Scoops is across the street and ample street parking? Only con is that its not closer, but that really doesn't matter! Great place will definitely be coming back for more of what this newbie has to offer. I would recommend this spot for dates or small groups. read more

I really enjoyed the first course of tuna ceviche. Here's why this meal went downhill for me after. I am pescatarian because if I eat beef, poultry, or pork I will be ungodly sick for two days. While we were chatting away awaiting the second course, I looked to my right and saw the chef grab my friends course of meat to plate then move on to plate my agedtofu. Because there was no cleaning of hands/gloves between the platings, I knew I was entirely screwed. The cross contamination I witnessed wasn't limited to touching of meat to seafood or tofu. It was really difficult to enjoy the meal at this point because I knew within a few minutes I would start feeling ill. This review really only applies to those with dietary restrictions, be cautious. It's truely unfortunate I'm still regretting this meal 24 hours later. Also edited to include, it is $35. read more

Wow - what a great experience! A great five course meal for $20 and no corkeage. The food was delicious - I had the spicy crab miso - it was ok, apple salad - beautiful mix of apples and dressing, salt and pepper calamari that was like biting into a fantasy so delicious and not greasy and the halibut in a delicious vegetable sauce. The service was so friendly and we never were rushed. We even got to share a bottlle of wine with the table next to us. OK, they gave us a bottle of wine and we drank it! Go now. This place is amazing and wonderful. I look forward to bringing everyone i know to this space! read more

Let's be clear: this is a place with many technical strengths. It just doesn't have its act entirely together. $20 prix fixe, that is correct. (It can be hard to get a reservation on weekends.) It's a trendy new space near the Cell. I had the miso soup, beef apple salad, scallop appetizer, duck entree, and ice cream. (That last being the only "choice" for the desert course.) The entree could have used a wee bit more thought, but everything else was actually tremendous. My biggest complaint was the delay between courses, it bordered on unacceptably long. I would go again. (And of course bring wine; not doing so was nearly a fatal error!) read more

Did they have the AC blowing in the bathroom in the dead of winter??? G.A.S.P Damn sure felt like it. Holy Moly, burr it's cold in there. My bf told me it was cold in there but i was like... sure.... sure, stop exaggerating, drama queen. But low and behold, it was freezing in there. I went as fast as i could and even the water to wash my hand were ice cold. A rule of thumb for Chicago restaurants; during the winter they should put a cubby hole to block the cold when the door opens and closes. I truly hate a updraft in a restaurant establishment and especially when i'm eating. Am i right people? All those who agree, raise you typing finger! Enough about the potty, onto the food. Food here was as the rating goes.... A-OK. For a pre-fixe menu, i wasn't expecting something spectacular but i thought it would be better. The main dish that i thought was great would be the tart salad with the apple and beef. Simply delicious. I wish they would make it into an entree. Really simple but yet so flavorful. I also got the Chilean sea bass. Very tender fish and with the mangos and flavors, it was really good. Other things i got was the scallop which turned out to be just one was ehhh, didn't care for. And for dessert i chose.... Dun Dun Dun.... the tomato sherbet with ice-cream which wasn't good but ate it regardless. I can't turn down free ice-cream. Seriously, a new dessert would be great. I don't understand all the hype of this place. Tried it.....and yelped about it... Now onward...CHARGE! read more

We were here Saturday night around 9:30 PM. I wanted to give this 5 stars but: 1. the low prices attracted, at this time of night, a drunk younger crowd that frequently forgot there were other guests in the restaurant 2. They forgot to bill us for tea - and made a point of asking us for more money after we had settled the bill. What does a teabag cost compared to a customer's good experience? 3. You ran out of the featured desert and gave us a chocolate instead... and there was only one choice for desert to begin with. How do you run out? 4. Very little space between tables - very little privacy or separation from other patrons. Many of whom seem to be unaware that they are in what could be a nice restaurant, if it were not for their own behavior. Is that drunk behind me about to spill his beer down my neck? An interesting meal but unfortunately the clamor that this restaurant has generated has created some attendant unpleasantness. The restaurant has the air of being overwhelmed by its sudden fame. To the detriment of perfect service, despite the efforts of an enlightened minority of staff. May this fascinating experiment weather the storm of success! read more

So, we scored because we got there in time to get the 20% new customer discount. As mentioned in other reviews, we receieved the $20, 5-course tasting menu for $16. But actually, ours was 6-course because just after the soup course they offered a california roll on the house. It's decorated really well. Swanky but very comfortable and casual. The service was excellent. Our server was friendly, had a good sense of humor, and provided great service. When my boyfriend accidently spilled hot miso soup all over she was quick to smile and help clean it up. The chefs made eye contact with us a couple times and asked how everything was. "Great!" we repleid. I heart BYOB - expcially for ligher Asian food. Nothing like a $5 bottle of white with a meal. The servers corked and served it for you without any sort of fee, it was refreshing. But finally, the food. Ahhh, the food. Tasty. They have a full lunch menu I intend to eat from soon and for now a dinner tasting menu: Soup, Salad, Appetizer, Entree, Desert. In all I had tastes of california rolls, spicy miso soup, green apple salad (with capers and toasted nuts!), Nigiri sushi, calamari, Mongolian beef, seabass, and two kind of mochi. The highlights were the appetizers. The calamari was lightly grilled and served with green peppers - it was great. The sushi was excellent also. Such a great flavor, they must have a great source for fish. The lowlight for me was the seabass... But I think that was my fault or ordering wrong. In short, I am excited to welcome Han 202 to the nieghborhood. The slogan on the menu says something like, "Our goal is to provide happiness through a pleasent dining experience." I left extremely happy. This place is well worth the trip. read more

For $25, you get BYOB, 5 courses and a fine dining ambiance. All that's missing is a bidet. So let me state the obvious and echo the thoughts of many others here like its revolutionary, just so I can feel smart: Han 202 is like getting a BMW for Yugo prices. That's even when you consider the opportunity cost spent on the hike to Bridgeport. It's hard to evaluate the food in a vacuum, since it's such a steal. It's not the punchiest Chinese you'll find. But what it lacks in spunk, it makes up for with refined and clean consistency. Standouts include the king crab wonton soup, beef and apple salad, yellowtail sashimi (substituted for salmon), red snapper, Mongolian beef and classic General Tso's. The service is a fine oiled machine, they have it orchestrated down to a robotic, choreographed science. Your fork will be cleared before it leaves your lips and you're lucky if you get a snicker from the staff. Somehow we did when my bro asked for a sample. He got the classy genes. read more

Pure luck let me learn of the wonderful place that is Han202. Sure, I've passed by it before, but its humble exterior never inspired me to step in its doors. Thank you stranger at the bus stop who convinved me it was a restaurant I had to try. Here is my visit. Ambience A small place with colorful painted walls and "old spaghetti factory" looking chairs to sit in. No table cloths but nice tables and a placemat make the set up simple and clean . Even though we were seated with four other full tables around us, the feel of the restaurant was oddly quiet. Too quiet. Even though many fellow patrons were drinking wine and eating good food the seating area was subdued. I blame the fact the music was too low. People seemd uncomfortable to talk to each other in their normal voices. Service There were three employees working the floor and that was enough to cover the whole restaurant and give everyone very attentive service. My wife not able to eat any meat, including seafood, was concerned about the meat friendly offerings, but our server had no problem providing a few all veggie off-the-menu courses for her liking. Very nice. All the workers had a real quiet diemeanor that just wanted to please. Sure, not all of them spoke english very well, a table next to us had a hard time requesting a straw from one of the workers, but their longing to please seemed sincere and actually came out in the form of a few bows here and there. Food First course. Blue Crab Wonton and Chicken Broth: Mild in flavor. The wonton was the star. The broth was forgettable. Second course. Stir-Fry Beef and Green Apple: Perfectly cooked slices of beef in a tasty sauce all on a bed of shoelace thin slices of green apple. Couldn't believe how much I liked this dish. The tart and sweetness of the apple married perfectly with the sauce and beef. The portion isn't huge but what I recieved was wonderful. Third course. Shang Hai Dumpling and Balsamic Soy: I'm not a big dumpling eater. Never enjoyed the dense dough and so-so fillings of past experiences. Not here. The dumpling is light, moist, and the inside is a tasty pork. Dipping the dumpling in the ginger infused balsamic soy sauce made things even better. Fourth course. General Tao's Chicken: Not the crispy, over sauced, fried chicken I'm used to. It was more subtle. More delicate. The chicken, what seemed to be all white meat, was moist and breaded nicely. The sauce, though not as spicy as I would prefer, was excellent. For a person who loves "american style" kind of chinese food I was very happy with this dish and would come back for this one alone. Fifth course. Creme Brulee: Worst creme brulee I've ever tasted. The brulee was soup. No custard texture in sight. Just a burnt sugar topped, citrus laced, grainy cream based soup. I didn't finish it and was irratated I spent the extra $5 to gain the previledge to try the sad tasting dessert. Conclusion After all is said and done my wife and i spent $66 for a very pleasant five course meal. Sure, there were a couple courses that weren't awesome, especially the anti-climatic highly disappointing dessert, but overall the food was excellent, the service great, and the value high. Is this the most amazing restaurant ever? No. But it's a pretty great one and when comparing it to other restaurants that are in and around the neighborhood of Bridgeport it is spectacular. read more

We were looking for a new place to go and this place definitely fit the bill. $35 prix fixe and BYOB, we decided to give Han 202 a try. Its not your typical Chinese restaurant with all the colorful decorations with the typical menu choices. Its more of a French inspired upscale Chinese place with unusual pairing and a modern atmosphere. The service was very good and the food was flavorful and presented nicely. We had the green apple and steak salad along with the red beet salad for the first course. I really liked the green apple salad but didn't really like the beet salad, which isn't surprising because I don't like beets. Next we had the won tons and the crab rangoon and walnut shrimp appetizer which were both very good. For our main courses we had the fried noddles with scallops, shrimp, and sea bass in a sauce (I forgot what kind) and the red snapper in a garlic jalapeno sauce (I think that's what it was). They were both very good and the portions were just right. We finished off the meal with the hot chocolate souffle and this ice cream like dish with berries (sorry I forgot the name) which were both light and very tasty. All in all we really enjoyed our meal and service at Han 202 and will surely add it to the rotation. read more

Grace L. and I tried out Han 202 last night! Prix fixe menu- 5 courses for 20 bucks :) All the dishes were flavorful and had nice presentation. The restaurant is clean and modern. I had the -spicy king crab miso (pretty good combination, but I must admit I was slightly sad to only see one piece of meat) -lemongrass beef with green apple salad- (this was surprisingly really good! beef was very tender and flavorful, and the shredded green apple was a great combination! recommended) -walnut shrimp- (delicious friedness!) -chilean sea bass-(ah my first taste of chilean sea bass! um definitely understand why this fish is overfished and almost endangered- IT'S DELICIOUS!) -vanilla ice cream with tomato and mango- (yum!) Overall, the food was pretty flavorful (although it kinda looked MSG-ful?) However, minus one star because the service was really slow. They only had two waitresses working, and dinner took like 2 hours! They need more cooks and waitresses. On a random side note, I really like their icon of that chinese horse. :) Enjoy! read more

Let me start off by saying that you will not find a better 5-course byob for $25 in Chicago. You get soup, salad, appetizer, entree, and dessert, with multiple choices for each course. This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant. This is my second time eating at Han 202, and I know I will be back again. The food ranged from good (the crab & spicy miso or crab wonton soup) to outstanding (black cod with sacha sauce). Han also had the best versions of salt & pepper calmari and General Tso's chicken that I have ever tasted. The portions were a good size, but not huge. But the lack of size was made up for by the quality of each dish. I'm a big eater and I left satisfied. If the only thing you're worried about is quantity, go to a Chinese buffet. The one minor gripe I have with Han 202 is that they charge a $1.50 for an extra bowl of rice! And the bowl was tiny! That is a huge pet peeve for me when a restaurant does this. That's the equivalent of restaurants charging for a refill of soda out of the gun! read more

Gourmet Asian food beautifully presented from the look to the taste. BYOB is a plus! Our second time here and it was as good as our first, definitely looking forward to many more visits. Highly recommend Han 202! Enjoy! read more

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I'd heard about this place via a short blub in a neghborhood newspaper, and being a Bridgeport resident I thought I'd give a local business a shot. I called a friend of mine and told her about this place, so we made dinner reservations for a Friday night. After picking up our 6 pack (yeah, we're classy chicks.....) we arrived. Easy street parking, didn't have to deal with meters (screw you, city council! woohoo!). There was a slight snafu with our reservations, but it was ironed out within a 5 minute time frame. Matter of fact, our questions regarding the menu, the order taking, busing of tables, refilling of our beer glasses (6 stars for THAT speedy service!), everything..... Well, it was just awesome. I have every intention of going back to this place. 5 courses, all for $20. Great service, great atmosphere, protions that don't leave you with that stuffed-to-the-gills feeling, fantabulous food...... What more could you ask for? It's BYOB. I recommend taking along a nice Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc when you go. That's what I'm doing next time. read more

Han 202 opens at 4 on Sundays, at least that's what they tell you on the internets and on the door of the establishment. We walked in at 4:05 (on Sunday 8/9/2009) ready to drop some hard-earned coin for some great-tasting food (this was our second visit) but the inner door was locked. A server spotted us and the door was soon unlocked but he poked his head out and said in a condescending voice "Today we're opening at 4:30." Rather than arguing or raising our voices, we spoke the loudest we could - with our wallets and dined elsewhere. I understand there may be circumstances where it becomes difficult or impossible to open the kitchen on time. A friendly, honest explanation and perhaps an offer to sit at a table with water or tea while we waited with would have kept our money in Han's pocket. The food IS worth waiting for. In general, Han 202 is well deserving of most of its four- and five-star reviews. Emily and I have been there twice and our first experience was a four-star affair. Yes, that's Emily's review on this page. Just show up 30 minutes or more after the advertised open. read more

Absolutely nothing to brag about. The portions were tiny (of course). But it just wasn't filling. The food wasn't like omg, every penny worth, kudos to the chef, absolutely nothing. Nothing more, nothing less. read more

Han 202 - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Han 202, the magical land of $20, 5-course prix-fixe meal with BYOB. With attractive buzzwords like this, how can you go wrong? It started innocently enough. We were 12 minutes late.This detail becomes important when the hostess told us we were 15 minutes late and that our table had been given away. No big deal. Grab a seat by the sparsely decorated bar and watch the desserts being assembled. This involves...one plate, one Lindt truffle and one shake of chocolate syrup. Really? At least throw in some strawberry, or a scoop of ice cream. The meal itself inspired a lively debate: fake crab meat or real? (fake) Can we cook this beef at home? (yes, less chewy with more flavor) And one question that was echoed by the next table: do you think they spend more money on the food, or a dish washer to deal with the insane plate-to-food ratio? (the latter) At the end of the night, we left unhungry, disappointed, buzzed, and with a strong resolution to cook at home more. Not bad for $20. read more

I came here for a special occasion with a large party (of 10) thinking that the BYOB and pre-fixed menu would be great. The atmosphere was cute although the restaurant, and subsequently the kitchen, were very small. We arrived for our reservation (at 8), but were not seated for a full hour after that time. The hostess/server had a whole lot of excuses, blaming the patrons that had 6 pm reservations. Why they were still there after that long did not make sense to me until we finished our meal. Once we were finally seated, the menu had several small plate options for each course. I will say that the food was delicious!! I was able to try several items and each was very good. However, each course averaged about 45 min between each other (even soups and salads) making our dinner very long. I like a nice relaxed meal, but this seemed a bit ridiculous. Although they did give us a free "app" for our wait (chip with seaweed), they did not offer any additional compensation or apologies which just seemed like bad service. After hearing good reviews from friends, I would try this place again with a party of 2-4, however I wish they would have been honest and let us know ahead of time that they are unable to accommodate a party over 6. That seems fair. Overall, food good. Service, not so much! read more

Aaron S. and I payed another visit here recently and it was just as great as the first time. This time I had the miso soup, crab and cucumber salad, salt and pepper calimari, spicy duck breast, and the dessert was tomato mango sorbet with vanilla ice cream. Aaron went with the spicy miso crab soup, beef gyoza, beef and lemongrass salad, NY strip with miso sauce, and the same dessert (only one the are offering at the moment) We were pleased to see that they added some different items to the menu. Also when we were sat down the waitress brought us out a piece of salmon sashmi with a cilantro sauce over it. So fresh and so tasty even though Aaron nor I are fans of cilantro. The service was the same as the first trip. Super nice, super attentive. Food still excellent. The gyoza that Aaron let me taste was in a awesome sauce. The crab and cucumber salad was perfect, the crab meet tasting very fresh, just the right amount of dressing. Our favorite part had to have been the calimari, they were not too greasy, or chewy and overcooked, or anything like that. It was just super fresh with just the right amount of breading. The squid is even whole, just tiny whole squids. My duck breast was perfect. The veggies served with it covered in a spicey sauce even had me adding rice so that none of it would go to waste ( and i NEVER eat the white rice that comes with Chinese food but this sauce was that good). We've got our fingers crossed that they keep up all this great stuff! read more

I went for a birthday dinner and got the 4 course pre fixe menu for $35. The food wasn't all that great; except for the smoked salmon which was really good. When we got to dessert I ordered the chocolate soufflé but when I tasted it, I though it was nasty and wanted to swap it out for the crem brûlée instead. The "manager" proceeds to tell me that I can't swap out my dessert for another and if I did she would have to charge me "extra" . Needless to say I won't be going back. read more

Han 202 - Smoked Salmon - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois