Jess Cafe is probably one of my favorite Asian restaurants. The food is great, the waiters are super nice and friendly, and I love the music they play. I definitely recommend Jess Cafe! read more

The beef cubes in tomato sauce was delicious! I will order all the time! The Thai ice tea was also really good and a good size! It was sweet and creamy. I added boba and it was chewy and sweet as well. The thai ice coffee is made stroong but was pretty good. my husband said it was too sweet. the Vegetable Lo Mein was not bad but the vegetables used seemed really old. the noodles were good but I pretty much took out all the vegetables except for the broccoli. Would recommend getting the lo mein with a different topping. We got takeout. The only complaint I have would be how the drinks were packaged. They put straws in the drinks and put plastic wrap to cover the tops (I assume to stop it from spilling) but I would've preferred putting the straws in myself. They also put the drinks in a brown, paper bag but filled it with ice (to keep the drinks cold I assume, which they were). The ice was melting and I didn't know there was ice in there with the drinks so there was a puddle on my floor and I spilled the melted ice water on myself when I lifted the bag. It wasn't a huge deal but thought I would mention in case anyone plans to buy drinks for takeout. read more

See all

Long time customer, first time complainer. Tried to go to dinner with my husband on Monday night 1-19-26. We walk in, were seated and I thought it seemed cold. I looked around and noticed that everyone in the restaurant was wearing a coat. We waited for 5 minutes, our waiter came by and brought menus and water, and I asked him if the heat was broken. And he told me yes the heat is broken. I don't know what the temperature was inside, but the carryout business was very busy and there were about 8 or 10 tables with people seated. Again, every single person was wearing a coat. I asked if the heat was going to be fixed right away, and he said no no maybe tomorrow. We left. When I go to Jess Cafe, I'm not looking for fine dining, or white tablecloths. I want dinner. Relatively quickly, inexpensively, and consistent. What I don't want is to freeze my ass off while I'm dining. We figured we'd come back the next night. Tuesday 1-20-26, I called to ask if the heat had been fixed. I was told no not really. So we stayed home for dinner. That's okay. Wednesday 1-21-26, had a meeting to go to, so my husband went out for pizza with a couple of friends. Today, Thursday 1-22-26. Long, long day at work, and it wasn't even time for lunch! My coworkers wanted to order Chinese food for lunch but before I committed I thought I would check with Jess Cafe to see if they had heat, because if they did my husband and I would go there for dinner. So I called. A nice guy answered the phone and I asked if they had heat. And he told me that it wasn't too bad, about 50° to 55°, but most customers were wearing coats and hats inside. So I ordered Chinese lunch with my friends at work and decided to write this review. The food at Jess Cafe is okay. It's not great, it's a little inconsistent, and some things are just not great at all. They also don't offer a lot of the standards that many Cantonese restaurants offer. Their potstickers are weird, they don't have shrimp toast, and they don't have the stuffed crab claws. We really like those. And they're Thai, and Korean food some of its passable but some of it is just gross. And what they charge for a small dish of kimchi you could buy a giant jar for the same price at Costco. It's nonetheless it's pretty good. As I said usually consistent, but here's my big complaint. And this is a message to the owner. A tall, good looking, skinny guy who lately has been running around in an orange down coat. Mr Jess Cafe - I don't care how you spend your money. It's your money. You earn it, you get to spend it however you want. But - if you're going to drive around in a big honking BMW SUV and perk it right in front of your restaurant fix the fucking heat so that your employees and patrons aren't freezing their asses off. You're in the hospitality business offer some hospitality. And park the fucking BMW in back because it's really kind of shitty to perk it right in front for your employees and customers to see whenever you want is freezing their gonads off. That's all I got thanks read more

I've passed this location many times in the past and would keep saying to myself that I showed give it a try and I finally did. The menu is pretty big but it has a little bit of everything to satisfy your craving. When I walked in with my husband, it was a little busy due to dinner rush inside and for to go but when we got sat down we had wonderful service. We had the kung pao with fried rice and pad see ew with chicken. The servings were pretty big that we had leftovers for the next day. The potstickers were alright and would try a different appetizer for our next time but this is a location we will return! read more

We got takeout here for a family gathering. The foods are all actually pretty good. Not phenomenal but like pretty decent. One dish that stood out to us was the salt and pepper tofu, the crunchy outer layer is extra chick, thicker than anywhere else I've had this dish. The extra crunch was actually pretty good. It's an interesting fusion place with Southeast and East Asian flavors. read more

See all

One star ordered from uber eats, pad thai with shrimp and kung pao shrimp let me say I get soo disgusted when restaurants DO NOT clean or devein shrimp, the shrimp was rubbery and smushy, obviously not Deveined. Gross!!! The noodles were stuck together and tasted so gummy, all of it went in the trash!!!! We also ordered a veggie fried rice. The rice was so stale and bland. From this order experience I kid you not almost made me hate shrimp for good. Only good thing were the egg rolls. read more

I'll start by saying that we've been to Jess Cafe many times over the past 8-10 years or so, and it's usually been good. Some of the dishes have been outstanding. The last couple of times have been different. We were there for dinner most recently on July 8. Something seemed off from the minute we walked in the door. There was a heavy fried fish smell in the air, so the ventilation must not have been working properly. The place is usually very crowded, but there were very few customers there. The server rushed to take our order, almost before we had picked up the menus. My husband had a question about one of the curry options, and he was told it had "crispy noodles" and vegetables. When it arrived, it was an unappetizing pile of white noodles in an unappetizing watery green sauce. No texture, no flavor, no vegetables, no attention from the server once the food arrived at our table. Usually my husband eats every bit on his plate, but not this time--he managed to eat only about half of the order. And he's been sick since the day after he ate it. We won't be going back. read more

After last night 4/13/26, I am soooo upset!!! I found a piece of metal wire in my pad thai chicken order. I got so lucky that I did not swallow it or bite into it. Plus the chicken was raw still and had to cook it better at home. If you guys are in a rush and told me kitchen is closing at 8:30pm to be there very soon. I understand that ordered at 8:10pm and everyone wants to go home. Maybe don't have people order at a certain time to ensure all goes well and such situations don't happen like a hard wire inside people's food and the food not being well cooked. What's going on Jess Cafe?! This is ridiculous!Please be careful with what you use so that it doesn't get into customer's food...this would have ended horribly if I swallowed the metal wire. After a long time customer, I will never come here again after finding the wire in my food. Horrible. I am so upset. I still can't believe I found a metal wire in my food. read more

Jess Cafe - Metal piece in food!!!! - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tried Jess Cafe last night. Overall the food was decent and the prices were average. If I could complain about anything it would be the lack of or non existent condiments they didn't include. I've been eating Chinese for 30 plus years and I can't seem to remember the last time a Chinese restaurant didn't throw in soy sauce, hot mustard, sweet-and-sour, and even a set of chopsticks. Worth the try but ask for the extras. read more

See all

Been here several times. Never for lunch The. Lunch menu are smaller portions than you would receive as if you would be dining in with that said, still an abundance of food with great taste, and definitely shareable. They have frozen drinks with tapioca, as you would find in other Asian restaurants. prices are fair. Definitely with trying if you're in the area. read more

See all

I forgot to take a photo but I branched out and got the yushan eggplant with minched pork and IT WAS THE BEST !!! entire family was happy. read more

Food is good and consistent every time I order. The drive I have to make to get their food is Worth it.

Went for lunch yesterday and had the Mongolian chicken. Almost back to normal. Egg drop was good as always. Not an egg roll fan. Probably hit em up in the next week or 2 and order something different and see how it goes. Very good lunch and proportional like before the close down. read more

The service was awesome the food was great especially the egg foo young and the wong tongs are a must order.

12/25/23 - Christmas Night. We went to my brother in laws house for dinner. I called into Jess Cafe & ordered salt & spicy smelt & fish fillet w/black bean, green & red peppers for pick up @ 4pm. I called back almost immediately and asked if I could change the pick up to 5pm. They said it wasn't a problem. So fast forward to 3:53 pm Simeon from Jess Cafe calls and tells me our order is ready. This is a problem because whenever I order fried foods like the salt & spicy smelt I want it cooked fresh & hot out of the fryer. They asked me if this was ok because my pick up time was @ 5pm or should they redo the order so it was fresh, hot & crispy when I pick it up. I said I would rather get something closer to 5 pm because as you know fried foods lose that crunchy texture if left to sit. I'm very anal about fried foods and I always request something fresh out of the fryer. I am willing to wait to get the order hot & crispy. When I arrived @ 5 pm the restaurant was packed w/diners & people waiting to pick up their orders. My smelt & fish fillet w/black beans were already packaged & waiting for pickup. They assured me that they would remake the order to my preference. Well guess what they didn't the the salt & spicy smelt fish wasn't even warm. I can tell by the temperature & texture of the smelt that it had been sitting for awhile but what was I going to do go back & ask for them to recook my order while e wine at the house was waiting? I have been to Jess Cafe before and generally they produce a pretty good quality food. I'M VERY DISSATISFIED & DISAPPOINTED BY THIS ORDER OF SALT & SPICY SMELT AS THE SMELT HAD BEEN SITTING FOR AWHILE. I know they're busy but this isn't right read more

Jess Cafe - Fish fillet w/black bean, red & green peppers - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Food 5/5, docked 1 star due to the tapioca being soggy and the fact that it took a little bit to get our check which wouldn't have been an issue if we hadn't only stopped in for a quick meal. Food was on our table in the blink of an eye. I got wonton soup, egg rolls, thai iced tea, kung pao and a beef dish (can't remember the name, but that was the only ingredient and everything was solid. read more

First of all the almond cookies are so damnnnn good! I also tried the calamari which had the perfect crunch and the vinegar based dipping sauce it comes with has the perfect twang! read more

Very poor service grouchy people cheap doesn't feel the condiments on the table and when you ask for them such as sugar and give me the bare minimum rude read more

customer Service is good! Time of preparation is good. Food preparation handling is bad. After purchasing my order and eating it at home, few hours later I ended up with stomach problem, bumps inside of my mouth, and had to stay home near the bathroom. I guess employees don't wash hands, or don't wear gloves when hand ready to eat food. I am definitely not coming back. to read more

A really wonderful place. Reasonably priced, always fresh, nice and professional service. Their smoothies are great. Freshly made from real fruits. I have been eating there since 2008! Thank you. read more

We have been looking for a good Asian restaurant for a long time... Jess' Cafe hit the mark!! Loved all the flavors food was wonderfully marinated and tasted GREAT!!! We will be coming back! I never leave reviews... but had to for Jess' Cafe!! Thank you!!! read more

Terrible terrible terrible terrible, full of chicken skin , two small pieces of beef and couple pieces of shrimp. read more

Jess Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

The dishes I selected were bland even their most popular one orange chicken. The chicken was tough/overcooked. I had high hopes from a recommendation & how crowded/busy it was at pick up but I won't be back. read more

We've been going here for years! There hasn't been one thing on the menu that I ordered that I've been disappointed with. Everything here is good! I especially love their Boba teas. The sweet-and-sour fish is to die for! read more

Overall, Jess is a solid choice. They have delicious tasting vegetable egg rolls and their crab Rangoon are also very large and crispy. Their smoothies with tapioca pearls are tasty. The boba is very soft and chewy. They are a little skimpy even when paying for extra boba (sue me). The menu is just so over the top and extensive. If you aren't sure what to get, you may get the wrong thing. Overall, sticking with their Chinese/Cantonese style food is the way to go. Their Korean side (although their kimchi is very spicy and tasty) and Thai side is a little lacking. If you stick with the basics (orange chicken, walnut shrimp, dumplings, eggrolls, etc) you hardly will go wrong. read more

Jess Cafe - Kimchi Short Ribs with Fried Pan-Egg Over Rice (meat too chewy) - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Mmmmmmmm. I miss this place. It's really good. Beef pad Thai was a strange color but so delicious!! Even the baby loved it. I should have taken a photo of him but I was digging in and couldn't multitask. Husband got the basil chicken. He is not big on Asian food which is why we don't come here more often. I mean it's only 5-10 minutes from our home. We should come once a week!!! Oh well. I'm gonna start sneaking on my weekday lunches when he's working. We also had to sneak a red bean coconut smoothie. Couldn't let our boy see it cause then we wouldn't get a sip. Hubby likes it. So I said I'd share it although I didn't really want too. Service is great. They'll get super busy but they'll get to you eventually. Anyway, check them out. Food is great and reasonably priced. Less than $40 with tax and tip. I'd rather spend it here than Panera which is where my husband prefers for the fresher / healthier. But honestly, we spent 42 the other day at Panera for 2 cups of soup, 1/2 a salad, 1/2 a sandwich and a cup of macaroni/cheese. Really?! I know. Everything is much more expensive nowadays. Well, we can get healthy options at Jenn's too! They have many options. Veggies and tofu and other yummy options. read more

Jess Cafe - Beef pad Thai and Basil chicken - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing! Finally flavorfu Chinese food that was delivered fast and warm. The crab ragoon and pork BBQ fried rice is so so good! My new go to place! read more

Ordered on Grubhub I ordered shrimp fried rice crab Rangoon chicken skin and an egg roll. The food was good I have to admit there was a lot of stuffing the crab Rangoon overall it was good. I ordered the chicken skin and they taste like pork rinds never had them before but they are ok . read more

Jess Cafe - Shrimp Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I placed an order at 4:50 pm and was told that it would be an hour and a half wait because of high volumes and the holiday (which is understandable) I got to the restaurant around 6:30 pm to pick up my order. Over the next hour I asked them for an update on my order and was told the order was being worked. Finally I asked one more time for an update mind you I've been waiting at the restaurant for an hour+ and was told my ticket has been lost that they are not working on it. It's ridiculous I spend $75 on food. read more

I have been coming to the location for a while, however this particular visit the food portions look like they have lessened but for the same price. Also they have a red solo cup for water. I guess it eliminates the need for dished post COVID but was a little weird to go to a restaurant and see solo cups. The food was ok, would return for the food however, being a little ways from home May not be for a while. Service was a little slow and they brought one entree outta a time with a lag in between. I like to mix the entrees with rice, etc so as I waited the food temperature lessened. The one thing I do recommend is getting their teriyaki beef - they are the only location I know that sells it as a meal not just an appetizer. All in all not to bad, would visit again and recommend if huge fan of teriyaki beef as a meal read more

See all

I have gotten takeout from this place for my family a few times now. Never disappointed so I feel I should leave a review. The ingredients they use are always fresh and the dishes all have the best flavor. They greet you as you walk in always attentive. It's a small place but always see a place to sit if I want to eat there. If you like fruit smoothies this is the spot you want to visit. Only fresh fruit no added anything. You see the various fruits all over their staging area. The flavor of there smoothies are top notch and can't be beat. read more

My go-to Chinese/Pan Asian spot! I've never dined-in but Jess is full of happy dine-in customers every time I've picked up my food. The place is very ducked off with no frills but people aren't coming for the ambiance - it's the amazing menu they want. This last time we got our usual - orange chicken (Sweet with a nice spicy kick. SO flavorful), bbq pork lo mein (perfectly cooked & sauced every time), and beef & broccoli (tender meat and veggies with an amazing savory sauce). I also tried the Korean dumplings (not pictured and they were cooked beautifully. Chicago has let me down in the past in regard to Chinese food specifically; im so thankful to have come across this place and will remain loyal to Jess when I want some orange chicken in my life! read more

See all

Their website states that they're Pan Asian and they seem to cover every Asian cuisine. Typically when a place is trying to cover too much ground, I'm a bit skeptical. But we came anyway because of the solid Yelp reviews. We found their employees to be very helpful. Our server couldn't quite answer our questions regarding their egg plant dish and he got the chef to come to our table to explain how she prepares the dish, how courteous is that!! They were speaking Mandarin so we stuck with Chinese food for now. The food was very good, with nice plating. The crab Rangoon was full of cream cheese and their egg-rolls had that great peanut butter taste. The eggplant was different from Lao Sze Chuan but it was a big hit nonetheless. The Mongolian beef would bring a smile to Genghis Khan's face. It was all very satisfying along with the HK fish fillet. Plenty of left overs, if I may add. Families were strolling in so it must be a neighborhood favorite. We'll try their other cuisines next, check out their menu, they have: - Malaysian - Filipino - Japanese - Korean - Thai - Vietnamese - Puerto Rican, ok not Puerto Rican, just kidding... read more

See all

I've ordered from this restaurant and found the service horrible. I got it to go and it was old food the first time. I tried again because I believe in second chances- there was HAIR in my food- long strings!!!! I will never eat there again. read more

We can always trust to get consistently good quality and delicious food. From the fried Thai Red Snapper to the piping hot fried rice, everything is well prepared and flavorful. I highly recommend you give it a try. No frills dining room and they are always busy so take out is a nice option as well. Enjoy! read more

SUPER underrated Chinese restaurant on the north side. The chefs of this restaurant originate from Chinatown and you definitely noticed the quality of the food. The interior is of classic Chinese restaurant vibes. Imagine the Asian kid in the corner doing their homework while their parents serve the customers. Its that kind of atmosphere. Simple and clean! I ordered a lot of dishes with my friends for this restaurant. My favorite was likely the fish with black beans sauce! The fish texture was super soft and melts a little in your mouth. The black bean sauce was really good! Not too salty nor too sweet. Combined together it was succulent Sesame beef was good too! Definitely more of an American/Chinese fusion but flavor was good! Definitely more of an orange chicken kind of flavor profile but in beef from. Beef was cooked just right, and not too hard/soft(very important to me) Mapo Tofu is not your standard Mapo Tofu from szechwan, it is a Cantonese style Mapo Tofu. Flavor is definitely not spicy but more savory. The tofu was super soft and meshed really well with the sauce Lemongrass chicken was also good! My least favorite of the bunch but still a banger. Standard lemongrass chicken(hints of lemon and herbs infused into the sauce) and chicken was juicy! Orange chicken was goated(very good) normally I tend to stray away from orange chicken as it is not the normal flavor I enjoy in what I eat but this one takes the cake. If you like Panda orange chicken, go there no more because this orange chicken is 10-20x better read more

See all

We ordered Jess Cafe on Christmas Day and they were SLAMMED!!! So many online orders, as well as people going in and out. Our food wasn't ready when we set the pick up time, but honestly, it was hot and so fresh, so no complaints here. The portions were huge, and everything was absolutely delicious. The crab rangoons are seriously the biggest ones I've ever seen in my life... and the most tasty, too. Honestly, we're done searching for the best Chinese in our area. We found it at Jess, obviously! read more

Jess Cafe has huge portions and everything comes out super fast and fresh. You have to try their fresh smoothies and add in some boba! I really like their honey walnut shrimp and their Mongolian beef. read more

See all

MOSTLY ONIONS disappointed 2x. We like the food but PRICY Mongolian beef entree was MOSTLY onions barely no beef. Crab Rangoon are good. Chicken fried rice good. read more

Jess Cafe - Beef Mongolian MOSTLY onions. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place made a good first impression on me. They serve pan-asian food so their menu is very extensive with lots of options! Combo pad see eiw: This was delicious. Rice noodles are my FAV so I needed my fix. There were less noodles than I was expecting. Maybe cause there was just so many other ingredients mixed in but I didn't mind. I wouldn't say this was authentic thai food but it was very very good! Eggrolls & crab rangoon: These were good as well. Tasted like it typically would from a Chinese restaurant. These never disappoint. Lychee smoothie w/ boba (not pictured): OMG this was delicious! They also do a variety of fruit smoothies so I chose lychee. So delicious - more on the sweeter side but thats how I like my drinks! read more

See all