Stopped by for dinner. Was not disappointed. Good portions for the price. Soup was good. Noodles…read morealso not overcooked. Meat and tendons tender.

One of my favorite meals while visiting Chicago! It wasn't too busy and service checked up on us…read moreoften. We got the cucumber salad, popcorn chicken, and fried sweet potatoes to share for appetizers! I got the pork noodle soup for myself and ended the meal with a shared mango shaved ice dessert. I appreciated how the food was authentic with generous portions and overall, delicious. Everyone also liked their entree! Pork noodle soup was a lot more filling than I thought with flavorful broth.

I came to Hello Jasmine during a conference at McCormick Place because, let's be real, my dudes,…read morefood at the conference center is largely uninspiring and expensive. One of my friends who went to grad school in Chicago (whose food recommendations I trust with my life) told me I had to check out Hello Jasmine, so I hopped on the bus. I'm so glad I did. The cafe itself is ADORABLE. I happened to visit just before Halloween (10/28), and it was decorated in the most charming "spooky cute" way. There were little Halloween touches everywhere, and someone on staff is very clearly a Harry Potter fan. It somehow managed to feel festive, cozy, and cheerful all at once. I ordered the matcha fresh boba milk tea with fresh milk. My default is always 0% sugar because my biggest beverage pet peeve is when drinks are too sweet. (Despite being an ABC, one thing that definitely survived is my instinct to say "not too sweet, please".) The cashier gently talked me into getting 30% sugar because she said the matcha could be a little bitter otherwise. She was absolutely right. 30% percent was perfect. It was balanced, smooth, and so good that I accidentally drank it much faster than I meant to. (Oops.) I also ordered the pig blood rice cakes (made them spicy), and wow. I don't think I've ever seen these anywhere in Boston. They were seared, spicy, savory, just a tiny bit sweet, and 100% delicious. I was so excited to find something that felt a little harder to come by. 11/10, I would absolutely come back. In fact, my only complaint is that it wasn't closer to the convention center. I probably could have expensed lunch there, and honestly, those corporate dollars would have been much better spent here than on conference catering. I wish I lived in Chicago just so I could stop by more often. Hats off to Jasmine and the staff. It feels bright, authentic, and full of joy. I imagine it's exactly the kind of cafe where students go after a long week to recharge over a really good drink and something comforting to eat, and I'm so glad it exists.

Lots and lots of options. Wish the menu was clearer to first-timers because I saw food on other…read moretables that I would have preferred to order, but hadn't noticed them on the digital menu. Perhaps the pictures didn't do them justice. Beef tendon soup had lots of delicious tendon and noodles. Not enough veggies, though the bok choy it did have was nice and fresh. Mushroom-based milk tea was a fascinating concept, but in the end tasted like iced coffee. Pleasant and efficient personnel.

Went for the end of happy hour/dinner and had a great time sitting at the bar. I started with an…read moreOolong Island Iced Tea cocktail, which was so smooth but probably as potent as its namesake. They have non-alcoholic options available as well. The sweet potato fries had a great texture from their light batter and delicious flavor. My friend and I both got the red braise noodles. I definitely recommend getting the combo beef and tendon. The tendon added a great texture unlike anything else. The flavor starts out almost like pot roast, but it gets richer and spicier as you eat. Makes for great leftovers! We shared the fried chicken, which was another great bite. I loved the seasoning, I think it was sour plum. I got the pineapple tart for dessert and my friend got the cheesecake. Both were really solid. The pineapple tart was super unique, definitely recommend. This was kind of a last minute thing for us, so I'd love to try table service instead of bar seating next time. Really nice looking restaurant.

Minyoli? Meh. I ventured into Minyoli this evening for the first time and was sincerely hoping that…read morethe food would be better than the verdicts rendered by several of my friends- which, unfortunately, ranged from mediocre to disappointing. Let's start on a positive note. The ambiance is inviting and the service was decent to good. The prices are on par with other places in the neighborhood. As for the food and drink, well everything was ok, with a couple of stand-outs. My friend and I started with shared appetizers of the talow wings, which were tender, nicely seasoned and accompanied by sweet potato fries that were also good. The other appetizer was the cucumber salad, which was plentiful and offered a nice balance between the pickling and the spice. We originally planned on another starter, but they were out of that. Glad we "settled" on the cucumber salad, since that was the best part of our meal. When it came time to order our main dishes, I selected one of the specials. No dice. They were out of that too. My friend ordered the noodles with beef and the server talked it up enough that I followed suit. I mentioned light-heartedly that I never usually order the same meal as the person I'm dining with and the server said: "You won't be disappointed." Only problem is...I was disappointed. When the entrée arrived, it looked good enough to eat. There was a lot of chili crisp on one side of the bowl, which I love, and about five slices of beef- all over a heap of noodles. I mixed it all together and was excited and ready for a pow of heat and flavor. Only problem is...there was neither. The chili crisp was less than mild and not at all crispy. The noodles were bland, and the meat was way over cooked, chewy and fattier than it should have been. As my friend perfectly put it, the whole bowl was very "one note." As if to add insult to injury, I had a non-alcoholic pineapple and ginger soda. I asked the server if this was very sugary and he said no. In fact, since the soda is made in-house the server told me that they could keep the sugar level down for me. He also said that the drink was very "ginger forward," which was great by me since I love spicy, spicy ginger. When the drink arrived, it was bland, just like the entrée. It wasn't too sweet, so that was good. But there was only a hint of ginger and a whisper of pineapple. The final coup came at the end of the meal. When the bill came, my friend and I both presented our cards to split the bill as we customarily do. That's when the server told us they only take one card. I get not splitting a bill by more than three or four cards per table, but two? That's preposterous! Look, it wasn't a big deal since my friend and I are like brothers. But what if someone happened to be on a first date or whatever? Yes, Venmo, Zelle, etc., can all happen. But not everyone has that luxury. It's awkward, unnecessary and, frankly, cheap of a restaurant that doesn't want to pay the swipe fees. When I politely mentioned to the server that taking only one card was a bit of a surprise, he told me that it was posted on the menu. He was also seemingly a bit annoyed that I brought it up...like I was being bratty or something. Ok. I'll take his word for it. But if it was on the menu, then it wasn't prominent enough to take note of as I was looking at all the meal options (my friend also didn't see it). I checked to see if the one card policy was posted on the front door when we were leaving, and it wasn't. Anyway, not the end of the world, but something you should be prepared for if you dine here. In the end, I sadly have to agree with my friends' assessments of Minyoli as a mediocre to disappointing dining experience.

Solid, tasty taiwanese food!…read more We enjoyed a mix of dishes (chicken bento box for me, beef noodle soup for my boyfriend, as well as fries with Thai seasoning and a boba tea for me). The green beans came as a side with my bento box and were amazing. The ordering system is a little clunky and annoying but we got through it. Vibes in the space are fine, it's an efficient little cafe The biggest thing is that there's really an opportunity for more sauces! For the fries, for the popcorn chicken, for example, a sauce would make a big difference to dip it in. I like this place and expect to be back

Really excellent dining in experience at Taipei. The bento boxes are LOADED with protein and sides…read more Easily enough for 2 meals for me! Their teas were delicious as well. We ordered via a tablet and received our order within 10 minutes. There were folks coming in and out during our dining. Very popular spot on Belmont! Limited seating, but turns over fast!

It was an early day, and I was craving some comfort food. There was no one in the place when I…read morewalked in at 7:30am. The waitress, Caroline, was very polite and she took my order or won ton noodles. The broth was a tad watery and could have used a bit more flavor. The won tons were delicious, and the noodles hit the spot! It was a perfect meal to start the day! Thank you, Caroline!

Beautiful restaurant! I love all the decor details. The ambiance is lovely and the service is…read moreexcellent. Caroline took fantastic care of me. Very attentive and kind. The food is wonderful! I loved my mapo tofu entree. Very flavorful and the perfect amount of spicy. Great location, right on Michigan Avenue near Grant Park. Fun views of Michigan Avenue from the windows. I would gladly come here again!

Got dan dan noodles for takeout and it did not disappoint…read more Feel like with noodle dishes takeout always feels a bit iffy if the quality of the noodles will still hit and if it's as good as having it on the spot. The noodles were still incredible and they did not skimp on the meat or anything. Incredible meal, and the only thing I wish was different was a little more of that peppercorn kick.

I had the dill dumplings and the beef noodle soup. The quality of the dumplings was a 10/10…read more However, the dill flavor was a little too overpowering for my taste and needed something to balance it out. As for the beef noodle soup, the quality of the ingredients was again excellent. However, they use a very potent chili oil in the broth, which ended up overpowering everything else. The chili oil was pretty much the only flavor I could taste. I went on a really busy day, and the wait time was about 2 hours. In my opinion, this restaurant is definitely not worth a 2-hour wait. However, if you can go when the wait is more reasonable, I'd say give it a try. Just don't go in with the super high expectations TikTok gives you. The customer service was really good as well, which definitely added to the experience. Overall, ok food and good service, but I think the hype and wait time are a little excessive.

Rich in history, the International Mall in Westmont was the place to go for authentic Chinese food…read more(prepared and ingredients) in the 1990's: with its very large grocery store and a large food court serving various cuisines from China. It has definitely seen better days: still open but very empty (of customers, of vendors, of products). But when we stopped by on a Wednesday for lunch, we found the food to be quite good and of really good value along with plenty of space to dine comfortably and nonchalantly: a good stop to refuel while on the way to central Illinois.

Part 3 of 5 Memorial Day weekend APIHM series…read more Currently, the Mall comprises a bank, a couple of TCM doctor's offices, and a dental office. There are a variety of dishes to choose from 4 different vendors on the first floor. I enjoy coming here every so often to treat myself and my family to authentic dishes that are hard to find elsewhere, particularly stinky tofu, ba wan (Taiwanese meatball), oyster omelet, and pig blood soup. It is a food court. You are expected to return the tray and empty dishes back to designated areas. Although not required, I've never seen anyone do otherwise. The bathrooms are small and could use additional lighting in my opinion. Parking, you asked? Yes, there is a large parking lot. It is easily accessed from Route 83 (Kingery Hwy) or Ogden Avenue. On this particular visit, 988 Oriental Food House was closed. Reopening date is May 30, 2023.

Halal lamb dumplings were delicious. First time having soup dumplings and glad it was here!read more

People said best dumplings in Chi and I didn't believe it till I tried it. Genuinely the best AND…read moreit's actually very nice inside considering the fact that it's in Chinatown

We came to Mabu Generation on a Sunday evening when the restaurant was not busy and was actually…read moreunusually quiet. One thing I personally did not like was that they require customers to pay first before the food comes out. For a sit-down restaurant, I prefer to eat first and pay after, especially when service is expected. The service was not very proactive during our visit. The food was okay, but nothing really stood out to me. For the price, I felt it was a little pricey compared to Taipei Cafe, and the overall experience did not feel worth it. Overall, the food was just alright, the service could be improved, and the pay-first system was not something I liked. I don't think I would come back.

Decided to spontaneously eat here on a friday night while walking past and did not regret it…read more The restaurant wasnt overly crowded or loud and, the service was great while the food was even better. The taiwanese style popcorn chicken and pork cutlet were super juicy and tender with nicely crisp breading. The sausage had a pleasant sweetness to it and was served with garlic chips, which added a nice touch. Finally, the broth of the Sichuan noodles was packing with flavor: sweet, tangy, spicy, umami - truly hit all the spots without being too numbing to your mouth, if thats one of your concerns Would definitely return to try the other menu items, especially their hot sizzling plates and their dessert/drink offerings

Unbelievable food! Will be trying more items. For now I can recommend the honey sesame chicken.read more

We were in Chicago for a really quick trip and passed this restaurant as we walked downtown. We…read morethought it looked interesting, so we popped in. It was a very quaint but contemporarily designed space with neutral tones. The staff was very friendly, and we were seated immediately having beat the work crowd. For drinks, I had the Take It Easy, and my friend had the Purple Paradise. I usually go straight for wine but opted for a mixed drink this time. Both of our drinks were great choices. For dinner, we each tried something different and opted for the spring rolls appetizer, the King Mushroom Chicken, Singapore Vermicelli Noodle and Spicy Chili Shrimp with a side of fried rice. Everyone loved their meals. They were absolutely delicious! I had the vermicelli dish, and I couldn't have asked for a better mix of ingredients. It was a little spicy but not too much. The service was great, and our server made solid recommendations across the board. There were many dishes to try, and if I lived in Chicago, this is definitely a place I'd return again.