Decided to spontaneously eat here on a friday night while walking past and did not regret it 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 read more

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Valentine's Night in Chinatown is going to be a long wait for most places ... this was the 3rd or 4th place we went to and got only a 30 min wait (slight lullaby in patrons) vs the 90m to 2 hours from the Shabu Rotary and Sushi Plus across the street. Its a smaller place but has updated and cute design and vaguely anime vibe. The tables have little drawers with napkins and flatware like some Korean places do as a nice surprise... also the QR code menu on it. Food is Asian fusion and primarily Taiwanese I guess so it was different but familiar and I got a Hotpot to appease my disappointed shabu craving... pals like their dishes as well... drinks were pretty cute - especially the chocolate sugar bear. Good place to hit ii Chinatown next time youre down there. read more

Mabu Generation - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We shared: 1. House Special Spicy Hot Pot 2. BBQ sausage & Minced Pork on Rice 3. Fried Chicken Cutlet Grill w black pepper sauce 4. Grilled style Angus Beef Steak Egg Pancake 5. Popcorn Chicken Hot Pot flavor and ingredients were on point. Minced pork needs to be more saucy and braised more. Fried chicken was flavorful and juicy. The black pepper sauce had too much black pepper. Popcorn Chicken lacked basil but was perfectly crispy, juicy, and garlicky. The beef steak egg pancake was the most fusiony and my least favorite dish. I prefer the traditional beef rolls. No issues with service. read more

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I originally heard about Mabu as a Hong Kong style cafe but quickly realized it had a bit of every type of cuisine once we looked at the menu! The Taiwanese hot pot caught our eye & it felt like the right choice for a cold winter day. The popcorn chicken was not bad either! It was served in a cute scale? Not expected but it felt very creative Overall, we had a good experience here but didn't absolutely love what we ordered. I'd be open to trying some of their other menu items if I visit again! :) read more

Mabu Generation - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ambiance: 5/5 Very cute inside. Reminds me of a hip Hong Kong diner vibes. Service: 5/5 Food: 4.5/5 Food is yummy and fresh. A little pricey, but what isn't these days lol. Our fav drink is the pineapple freeze drink. So refreshing! read more

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This is my second time at Mabu Generation. I got the M01. Sizzling Black Pepper Garlic Beef Rice. Nice warm meal for a cold day, but pretty average. The staff are very attentive, efficient, and nice. This place is definitely more of a have a quick lunch/dinner with some Instagram-able/gimmicky menu options, than a hearty meal type of place where there's enough volume to take home leftovers. read more

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Ordered this place for takeout and did not enjoy the takoyaki unfortunately - it was VERY soggy and wish the wasabi sauce was on the side as that ruined it for me. The stars I did give was for their lemonade - is was so refreshing and yummy and came in those cute boba cylinder cups that you punch your straw in. If you want to try them Grubhub has a $10 off $15 order FYI! read more

Mabu Generation - A03. Takoyaki - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time visit - sizzling plate tempura with tofu and omelette rice was great, especially with a boat of additional black pepper sauce. Taiwanese sausage and pork belly rice was solid too. Ordered the fruit tea thinking it was a sharing pitcher (we were thinking how we've gotten it at Uyghur restaurants), but it was just a large mug. Not enough for me to ding a star for. Attentive service and great pop decor. Not very loud. No problems getting in on a early Saturday evening. read more

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Bomb ass Taiwanese joint with a wide selection of Formosan fare, like noodle soups, hotpot bowls, sizzling plates, popcorn chicken, TW sausage, Taiwanese desserts in bathtub containers, hot fruit tea, milk tea, and much more. Excellent service and the interior is ultra-cool with an awesome mural plus neon designs. Most highly recommended! read more

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Ambiance - modern, spacious, love the LED displays Service - food came out super quickly, servers were nice Food - love the sizzling hot plate, full of flavor, do not pass on the sauce! read more

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Fresh off the plane and straight into a food coma: that's how you properly start a trip to Chicago. My family (party of 6) rolled into Mabu Generation on a hot Thursday afternoon and despite the summer heat we were determined to sweat from spicy hot pot, not just the weather. Mission accomplished. We ordered a few of the Taiwanese mini hot pot (mini in name only; this thing came with enough protein to reach my daily intake), the Taiwanese popcorn chicken (crispy, juicy, life-changing), and the Japanese beef sizzling skillet (so good it sizzled its way into my dreams). The hot pot was packed with flavor and fun surprises like pig blood and pork intestines, aka the MVPs of the broth world. Every bite was a flavor bomb, and the service was impeccable. They were on top of everything like they knew we were hangry travelers ready to fight for our lives (and hot bubbling cauldrons of spice). Portions were generous, flavors were next-level, and my protein intake is probably still processing a week later. 100/10 experience. Catch me back at Mabu next time I'm in Chi Town. read more

Mabu Generation - Taiwanese Mini Hot Pot - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's been on a my radar for awhile. Unfortunately didn't get a chance to try the amazing looking desserts. So this would only be on the savory things I ate. My husband got selective hearing so didn't listen to me when I said I wanted the sizzling plate like every basic person so he got me something else that seem kind of basic where you can get it at any Taiwanese spot. Food was good but pricy. This place gets super freaking busy so def come put your name down before you decide to walk around the square. The food took awhile to come out too since they are so busy. But it comes out super hot and fresh! read more

Mabu Generation - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The service here was fantastic! Staff are super friendly and attentive. There was no wait when we arrived, which was a nice surprise, though it definitely got packed by the time we left. As for the food, it was just okay. The calamari was very crispy and well-seasoned, definitely the highlight of the meal. However, there was some confusion with our hotpot orders. The staff didn't seem to know which pot was which, so we couldn't tell which soup base we actually liked. That kind of took away from the experience since they were supposed to be different but they were exactly all the same ingredients just a different soup base. Overall, great service but the food and organization could use a bit more attention~ read more

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Came here twice within a short period of time. I enjoyed and most of the foods were delicious. However, I do find the prices a little bit expensive for what you get. The portions are on the smaller side. There are a few things I'd come back for and recommend: - grilled angus beef steak egg pancake: not too heavy for an app, scallion was soft yet crispy, perfectly seasoned, enough to share with a party of 4! - popcorn chicken: Paired with the spicy mayo, it's bursting with flavors. The outside is perfectly crispy, while the chicken is juicy and the hint of basil in the batter adds an extra kick of flavor. - sizzling black pepper garlic beef rice: each bite is Heaven on Earth. I've gotta say this is probably my favorite dish so far. Each time I went there was a mix up with my order but I'm impressed with how they handled it. The first time, we didn't even notice the mistake, but they were transparent about it and offered a free appetizer as a courtesy. The second time, they caught the mess up before we said anything and remade the dish.. so we ended up with two of that entree. Service easily deserves a 5 out of 5! This restaurant was a loud and lively! It's been packed both times I went and luckily got a table without a reservation. read more

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We came on a Saturday around opening time (noon) and was sat immediately. Note that around 1pm there was a line going out the door. I immediately noticed that the things on the menu weren't too catered to tourists and more towards the Asian crowd with the offerings. We tried a red bean grass jelly freeze, stinky tofu hot pot, seafood Hot Pot, and chicken cutlet and we loved every dish. Both hot pots had a good variety of ingredients in them and nothing felt out of place. Wasn't too sure why the fried tofu came out on a scale but it was a fun way to eat and see the scale go down. The service was great ~ I'm certain that every waiter there at one point in time checked on our table to make sure we had everything we needed. They even offered to refill our broth and add more fire for our hot pot. Overall great experience and will come again! read more

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Actually came to Mabu for the great looking desserts but ended up staying for dinner. There was a short wait prior where you can give them your name before sitting. Each table has a QR code where you can order and pay for your food. We looked around to see what most people was eating to proceed with our ordering. We ordered the popcorn chicken which was on a plastic scale. We continued to order the mini-hot pot which was enough food for 2 less-hungry appetites. We saw plenty of people ordering the lemon tea which comes with a little bear ice sculpture. Overall the service and food was quite satisfying. We were so full, we did not continue with any desserts. There is always next time as we will be coming back for more. Parking validation is available (3 hours for $2). No Amex but Apple Pay is available. read more

So excited to have this new Taiwanese/Cantonese spot in Chinatown! While there's definitely room for improvement, the flavors were pretty promising. First off, the space is small, so the wait can be long, but the seating is comfortable. We started with drinks--HK Lemon Tea and Milk Tea. Both were solid, though I wish the lemon tea was more lemony. The teddy bear ice cubes in the drinks were super cute! That said, I was a little disappointed that they don't allow customization--I wanted to get the milk tea coffee with the teddy bear ice cube, but they said it only comes with the milk tea or lemon tea. Food-wise, everything had a solid base flavor, but it always felt like it needed just a little more punch. The Taiwanese chicken cutlet, for example, needed more seasoning, though the chili sauce on the side was excellent. The sizzling beef plate leaned more on the sweet side--more black pepper would have balanced it out better. The house special mini pot was the highlight for me, packed with a variety of toppings and really flavorful. The Taiwanese minced pork bowl, on the other hand, was just okay--it's supposed to be a bold, savory dish, but it was a bit bland. Overall, a decent for soft opening. read more

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The food was pretty good. There was an assortment of foods in the hotpot, so I really enjoyed that. The fries were crispy and just the way I like it. I noticed everyone getting the popcorn chicken, so I have to try that next time. The only critique I have is that I wish they gave rice with the hotpot since the noodles were very scarce. The service was perfect since they always asked if we needed anything, refilled our waters constantly, and even replaced the fire when it went out on the hotpot. The ambiance is really nice. I like the neon signs and glass tables they have. read more

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Food: A great variety of tasty options! Among everything we tried, my favorite was the Taiwanese sausage & minced pork over rice--so flavorful. I also loved the creative presentation of the calamari and popcorn chicken, served in a mini scale, which made the experience extra fun. The stinky tofu hotpot had great depth of flavor; if you're not a fan of stinky tofu, you might want to reconsider, but my friends and I really enjoyed it. The sizzling pot was decent, though the beef was not fully cooked--some liked it that way, while others preferred it more well-done. Service: Despite being busy, the staff was very kind and considerate. Even when they made a small mistake with our bubble tea order, no one minded because of how great the overall service was. Ambiance: Clean, well-organized, and best suited for small groups (up to four) since they don't have large tables. It's a great spot for a casual date or a fun hangout with close friends. The food is nicely portioned for a group of 3-4, and the presentation makes for some great photos! Price: Very reasonable--$31 per person for a group of five, which included three main dishes, three side dishes, and three drinks. read more

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We came here on a Friday afternoon. We had to wait for about five minutes or so before we were seated because it was busy that day. The restaurant is clean and decorated with lots of colorful neon lights. We ordered the Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken, sizzling black pepper garlic beef rice, assorted cutlet with spaghetti grilled on a hot plate, cheesy curry beef baked bread bowl with rice, and mandarin orange and lemon green tea. The presentation for the popcorn chicken was interesting. It was served on a mini weigh scale. It was good for the Instagram picture. Also, the presentation of the sizzling black pepper garlic beef is cool. They bring the plate out and cook the meat in front of you. The dish lacked flavors wish there was more black pepper and sauce on it. The curry cheesy bread was flavorful with a strong curry flavor. The assorted cutlet grill in the hot plate was good. All the meats were tender. My drink was ok nothing special. It didn't have a very strong mandarin orange flavor in it. The service was good. The servers were attentive and friendly. They came back to check on us often. I would go back to try their dessert since I didn't try any this time. read more

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The COOLEST Cantonese/Taiwanese place in town! I'm absolutely obsessed with NY's Mabu Cafe and it will always hold a special place in my heart because my mother who grew up in Hong Kong says the decorations are just like her childhood. Their sister restaurant Mabu Generation, newly opened in Chicago, is no exception! Their menu is extensive and never-ending, and every dish is absolutely adorable. Appetizers: We tried the Taiwanese Style Grilled Angus Beef Steak Pancake, which was so flavorful with a nice crunchy exterior and really well-marinated steak with corn and egg inside. The Taiwanese style popcorn chicken was one of the best I've ever had - so juicy, piping hot, and served on a kitchen scale with the most addicting spicy aioli sauce. The takoyaki came with a wasabi sauce drizzled on top and were so fresh and melted in your mouth Veggies: the broccoli with Taiwanese minced pork could've used more pork, but I still loved how steaming hot it was! The broccoli was soaked in the yummy pork flavor. Main courses: The Japanese-style sukiyaki hot pot with udon was incredibly flavorful and came with so many different ingredients - from beef slices, napa cabbage, squid balls, and mushrooms to to baby corn and radish. Loved the sweet sukiyaki flavors. The best dish was hands down the beef sizzling hot plate. SUCH flavorful and marinated beef with corn and an addicting sauce with rice. I couldn't stop eating this! Major jealousy alert for the sizzling hot plates - they looked so delicious and I MUST order next time! Finally, we got the teddy bear bath dessert, which was the cutest dessert ever! They had a nice variety of toppings, and the bear took a while to melt, so we had lots of fun poking at it to make it melt. Our servers were so so nice and gave us extra food because one of them didn't come out hot enough (to be honest we didn't even notice, they just suddenly came to swap it out)! read more

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Ended up here because my first two choices had hour long waits, but it turned out to be a pretty good choice. I love Taiwanese fried chicken and the popcorn chicken here was excellent. Crispy, flavorful, and tender. It doesn't even need the accompanying sauce. I also got the spicy and numbing noodles and, while it did have the numbing part down, I didn't find it all that spicy. The design of the interior is pretty neat though. read more

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I was excited to try this place after seeing all the great reviews, but unfortunately, I was left rather disappointed. While the service was pretty good overall, the food was a let-down. Here's what I ordered: - Taiwanese-style Popcorn Chicken 2.5/5: The chicken was soggy and not crispy at all. The accompanying sauce was pretty good, but I've had much better, like the one from Taipei Cafe in Bridgeport. This version is far from being a good Popcorn Chicken. - Sizzling Black Pepper Cheese Garlic Beef Rice 8/10: This was the best dish of the three we ordered. It was quite flavorful, with the only drawback being the small portion size. - Baked Cheese with Black Truffle White Sauce & Chicken Cutlet over Spaghetti 6/10: Nothing special here. It was quite bland, but still passable overall. I also noticed a strange, pungent smell right by the main entrance. It wasn't as noticeable in the dining area, but it was the first thing that hit me when I walked in. The hot pot dishes on other tables looked promising, and I might come back to try them someday. However, based on this initial visit, it was a so-so experience. It wasn't terrible, but there was nothing special about it either. Location was great (5/5) - it's the first restaurant right when you enter Chinatown Square from the Parking Lot. read more

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Delicious food for big backing. Efficient service. Great atmosphere. It was like eating fast casual from the future. We were so surprised by this place. Just having landed in chicago we were desperately running around chinatown looking for something open. The place looked worn out from the Lolla crowd and I was concerned that the food wouldn't be as good at the end of the day. Still, even from the takeout container, the taiwanese minced pork was melt-in-your-mouth good. The next morning we wanted some MCCB but they were packed so once again we were forced to go here. It felt different during the day, so squeaky clean that my husband noted it was like a hotel lobby. I got the tempura shrimp omelette which I worried would be mid since it wasn't a popular menu item, but it was the envy of my entire table. Also the staff were very efficient and fast. Notably and maybe irrelevantly, they all had the same shaved haircut and we joked that they must be monks the way they were running the place. Last thing, the ordering system was super cool. Super underrated spot. read more

Mabu Generation - M07. Fried Shrimp Tempura Omelet Rice and A05. Okonomiyaki Crispy Fries - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It is a Taiwanese fusion place and I liked the food. I do think the fries need a little bit of seasoning or something but they're still good. The food came out pretty quickly and the mango slush is very thick. Chicken was juicy. Service was nice to us. It does get packed very fast. Loved the interior. It was fun. read more

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I've been here over 3 times and I loved it each time! Food is great! Highly recommend popcorn chicken, sizzling beef corn cheese, the taiwanese mini hotpot and the hot pot with the seafood milk broth. So so good!! Service is always so good and the place is clean and not crowded/small Love it! read more

Mabu Generation - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Food at Mabu Generation is pretty consistent. My partner and I have gone twice and the quality is the same every time. We really enjoy their fried chicken as an appetizer because it comes out fresh and isn't overly salty while remaining tender. The staff are nice and food always comes out fast. The interior is pretty clean and there's always a crowd of people inside too. read more

This's our first time dining in this place! It's at the end of the strip in Chinatown close to Citibank. It's a relatively new causal dining spot. We got seated right the way, the servers are very attentive. You can either order from your phone with the QR code or order directly with the server. We got the AAA sirloin steak and the house special spicy hot pot. The food was just mediocre. Nothing stands out to us. The hotpot is kind of oily, and the black pepper sauce comes with the steak plate is a bit salty for my liking. They put baking soda as meat tenderizer on the steak, can't say I'm a fan since it changed the texture of the steak. You can select one of the 3 sauces for those hot plates meal, curry, black pepper sauce, or a creamy sauce. They do have a wide selection on their menu, could've just been the items we ordered. They do have some fun appetizers and dessert on the menu. They also have a variety of drinks to choose from, might go back next time to try those and different items on the menu. read more

Mabu Generation - S01. Aaa Sirloin Strip Steak - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We wanted to try this new restaurant in Chinatown and finally had a chance tonight. We were seated quickly with a few open tables available around 7 pm on a Friday evening. It had a hip vibration with neon signs and modern decor. It took a bit longer to order, because there were so many different items to try in the menu. But we finally settled on the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (a bit spicy with large udon noodles) the Japanese beef with cheesy rice on a sizzling plate (probably the best dish) and the cheesy chicken curry with macaroni (very cheesy). We were pleasantly surprised by our drinks. The milk tea came with a bear shaped ice. The milk tea was in a separate glass milk bottle which you then pour into the glass with the bear shaped ice. It was fun to see the bear drowning after each pour. I recommend trying at least once for the fun experience and the hip vibe. read more

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Came here with my sister to try this place out last week. It was a soft opening just to see how people like the dishes. We got a hot pot, some appetizer, drinks and dessert. I would say the hot pot flavor isn't bad at all, very flavorful and the ingredients that pair with each pot is a lot. We got fried tofu and calamari, not bad at all. Not too oily. The dessert is cute and delicious. Would come back and recommend people to come and try this place out. read more

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Such a fun vibe and a real privilege to be able to visit this new restaurant on my trip to Chicago. Seating was easy for an early dinner around 5:30 PM but foot traffic definitely picked up by the time was left. Ordered the house special spicy hot pot to share between two people. It was delicious although unfortunately they were out of stinky tofu hot pot which would have been our first choice. The real highlight was the dessert. Oh boy, did they have so many spectacular choices and every table had something completely unique. We ended up getting the ramen pudding is not ramen which was honestly delicious and just the right amount of sweet. We will definitely be back for the cube toast tower! read more

Mabu Generation - House spicy hot pot - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I came here with my parents, so we were able to try a lot of different things. We started off with the angus steak egg pancake in which the steak was decent but the pancake was a bit doughy/thick which made it a bit heavy. For entrees we did the Taiwanese minced pork over rice, stewed beef noodle soup, and milk & cheese based seafood hot pot. The Taiwanese minced pork had a good balance of lean/fat pork and the flavors were really good. The stewed beef noodle soup had a good kick of spice to it so if you like spicy then this is the dish for you. My friend said the stewed beef noodle soup tastes like the one from Taiwan which is why we tried it out. My favorite was actually the milk & cheese based seafood hot pot. It's definitely something different that I've never had or even thought of combining when cooking so this dish stuck out a lot! I loved how rich/creamy the broth was and it just paired so well with the seafood. We ended the meal with the brown sugar black sesame on fried buns for dessert which I thought was WOW SUPER SWEET BUT NUTTY AT THE SAME TIME CAUSE OF THE BLACK SESAME! Service was quick and easy but I went at like 2pm in the afternoon. You can order through QR code which leads to Fantuan/Chowbus website/app or you can order with the workers there I believe cause I saw that's what the table across from us did, but I just ordered through scanning QR code Overall, I thought all the food was decent. I would honestly come back just for the milk & cheese seafood hot pot cause it's just so unique and different. It's a nice space inside and I'm glad that something finally opened at this corner after "My Place" closed down for several years now. read more

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Food and drinks are on the pricier end, but good selections and interesting flavors. Gets packed around 6p, and they currently say they do not accept reservations. You can park in the Chinatown parking lot for $2 for 3 hours though. Since it was our first time there and we were not sure if we'll return we decided to order a little bit of everything. All these were shared between 4 adults (2 older adults who eat very little) and 2 kids (who also don't eat a lot). Definitely a lot of food with leftovers. Flavors were good and interesting. My husband ordered so I didn't get to catch the name of the dishes. My favorite though is the one with the beef slices around the mound of rice, reminds me of Korean galbi. Worth a try for the flavors, but again on the pricier end I feel. read more

Mabu Generation - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately, it missed the mark on several levels. This Taiwanese fusion restaurant is very unauthentic. I was excited because they have personal hotpot's that I love but it was so salty and loaded with MSG. The flavor had a heavy reliance on salt and MSG to carry the taste. The decor is trendy and the service was friendly, but the food doesn't justify the hype or the price point. It was $14 for their signature angus beef pancake rolls which is a fusion take on Taiwanese beef rolls. If you look at the picture it can be deceiving as you'd think it would not be bite sized pieces but they were. Each roll could have fit in a shot glass. Super disappointing! I'd skip and go to a more authentic restaurant down the street in Bridgeport if you're a local. read more

Mabu G was nicely designed, the food has unique and delicious flavors, friendly service and the dessert hit the spot... read more

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staff were attentive and helpful, takes time to explain since it's our first visit. the place were clean including the restroom. the ambiance were relaxed and our food was served quickly. the food taste great and big servings. highly recommended. will visit again. read more

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This place was good. A bunch of us went and split a few different dishes. We got the spicy noodles and chicken katsu and the milk teas were so good! Service was real quick and friendly. Prices was good. It's a small place but we were seated fairly quickly. read more

I came to Mabu Generation for their soft opening, and I had a lovely time. The inside of the restaurant is very retro-luxe, with neon signs, colorful wall decor, and bright lighting. (Nothing overboard, though.) The servers were super attentive and friendly. Although ordering is done online by scanning a QR code on the table, they checked in on us periodically throughout the meal and refilled our water jugs frequently. I was absolutely blown away by the food; it was super delicious, flavorful, and not too heavy. The presentation on a lot of the dishes were also super adorable: For the appetizer, we tried the Taiwanese Style Popcorn Chicken, which is a MUST TRY. It had the perfect blend of spice, not too much breading, and was super tender. The sauce was also a good compliment. For entrees, we tried the Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Noodles and the Sizzling Black Pepper Garlic Beef. The noodles were extremely smooth and lightweight. (And as a pickled vegetable lover, I was extremely pleased.) The sizzling plate was delicious and buttery. The servers also helped us cook the meat and mix the rice, which I appreciated. For dessert, we tried the Bunny Milk Pudding. The pudding itself is very light, but the flavor evolves when dipped in the brown crumb-like topping. It did feel a little gruesome eating the cute bunnies though, haha! read more

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Mabu's finally made it to Chicago! Great food, tasty desserts with cool decors. Newer waiters with positive attitude, genuinely helpful. A nice spot to eat and hangout with friends. Will be back again. read more

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The food was okay and tasted very rich,(in my opinion, i don't really like rich tasting foods). they messed up my order but they quickly remade it for free! The service is very good but the food overall was okay. The vibes are very futuristic and overall chill. But i would not come back. read more

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