So thrilled to see another Taiwanese restaurant open in Chicago! Authentic Taiwanese food is so hard to find anywhere in America, and this place truly delivers. The service was fantastic--very attentive and helpful in explaining the menu. We decided to try the Luwei and the fried snacks trio platter, and both were outstanding. The Luwei was perfectly braised with rich flavors. The highlight was the shank and tendons! The popcorn chicken in the fried snack trio was seasoned with plum powder, a rare find and a staple of Taiwanese night markets. Tasting it brought back fond memories of home! This restaurant is a gem and a must-visit for anyone craving authentic Taiwanese night market foods read more

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I have few suggestions to offer. 1. Offer somewhat comparable portion of noodle soup with what is offer at ramen shops. 2. It is a better strategy to sell what people want rather than offer what you want to sell. 3. I tries the mushroom appetizer and you should try different fried mushrooms like popcorn oyster mushroom or tempura enoki mushrooms. 4. Scallion pancakes read more

Cute little Taiwanese restaurant and nice staff Red sauce beef noodle: a bit spicy but I don't personally like the spicy sauce. A bit odd taste. Beef is huge and thick and tender though. Noodle is a bit on the hard side. Clear broth beef noodle: not much flavor. Wish it's more umami taste Popcorn chicken: wish they didn't put sour power on it without asking. I prefer original flavor. The texture is great though. What a shame Lu rou fan: love it. Strong flavor. Unique texture with the mushroom and peach jelly. The only down side is too much pickle Coconut pineapple Ice cream: coconut is overpowered by the pineapple. Wish they blend them together so you can taste more coconut A bit too pricy for the amount of food you get. Would not come again. read more

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As a Taiwanese, I think the restaurant did a great job introducing Taiwanese cuisine. They incorporate a lot of authentic flavors and dishes while taking into account mainstream taste profiles. The beef soup was okay. The beef was super tender. However, I wish the broth flavor was more pronounced, seasoned, and the soup less oily. The spicy tallow noodles were savory and satisfying. The fried snacks reminded me of my childhood in Taiwan, though I think the sweet potato fries can be less sweet and more savory and peppery. One time I ordered lu-rou fan (braised pork on rice) to go and I loved it. It was comforting with the right amount of stickiness. The service was awesome. You can tell the staff really cares about the food. I think the food has room to grow to be more consistent and well-balanced. Overall, great experience and I am grateful the restaurant was able to bring a piece of Taiwan to Andersonville read more

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Staff was very knowledgeable about the menu and had great suggestions! Cute interior and good food, looking forward to going back.

The food here is the perfect combo of history, culinary excellence, deducation, culture, heart and soul. The dishes are simple yet the preparation is exceedinhly complex. They have a list of popular dishes as well as seasonal selections. Almost everything we tried was made from scratch! (We tried 70%+ of everything!) The staff is always friendly and helpful! Definitely a gem in the heart of Andersonville! read more

Just an absolutely wonderful experience, me and my wife cannot recommend it enough! We had the fried chicken, veg platter, sesame noodles, four gods niuroumian, cucumber salad, a couple of cocktails (loved the Taiwanese twist on the Old Fashioned!), and the black sesame champurrado & cheesecake for dessert. Also, the atmosphere and service are delightful too, we will definitely come back and looking forward to introducing to friends and families! read more

Lowkey but warm and nice atmosphere with simple trendy wood and brick decor. The food and drinks match in being unassuming but delivering on quality. Our server was very kind and helpful throughout our stay. If you enjoy spice, I would recommend adding some chili sauce on the side. I would highly recommend pairing the Taiwanese Fried Chicken with the Taiwanese mayo. The chicken itself is lightly fried and warmly spiced. It almost tasted a bit cinnamony. The Mi Jiang (hot) was light but warm and savory. I would almost consider it as more of an appetizer than a drink. We enjoyed everything we ordered and would be happy to make a return trip! read more

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Minyoli had a lot of great press, so as a Taiwanese American, I wanted to support it. I really wished I would enjoy it... I understand it's a small family owned business, but the service was really lacking. The server was very particular insisting he could only take orders for drinks, then starters only, then order mains after we finished our starters- We could not order everything at once and could not add on later if we decided to. It should be the restaurant's responsibility to manage and pace out the orders. Not efficient and makes it difficult to turn tables around quicker. Now for the food -- edible but not good and certainly not authentic/traditional. Overall, the small dishes were slightly better than the mains. The Taiwanese Fried Chicken was possibly the best of the worst, but some pieces were burnt. The Century Egg & Tofu Salad was fine but flavorless. They completely missed the mark on every main dish. Braised Beef Lu-Rou-Fan was too wet/soggy rice, and I've never had this dish with yellow pickled radish before. Braised Beef Zhajiangmain - Ganban Noodle was so dry and just seemed like they used the same braised beef as the Lu-Rou-Fan. Niuroumian- Red Braised, Soy Seasoning was shocking how far off this was, and there was no spice like it often is. I can maybe see how some were inspired by the flavors of the original dishes, but the execution was disappointing. Sorry, but this was a no go for me... High ambitions that fell short. I could never in good conscience bring my immigrant mom here, let alone have her know how much $ we spent on this meal. read more

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We tried Minyoli for the neighborhood restaurant week. We really enjoyed our meal, the food and the drinks. It was very busy and they were slow to get items out, but at least it was busy for a good reason. read more

This review coming to you from a Thai/Taiwanese person who's visited Taipei and eaten her way around beef noodle soups: I'm baffled by the negative reviews that I've read, notwithstanding the ones from the restaurant's earliest months of service. Everything we had tonight was sublime, authentic, and thoughtful. Maybe folks go wrong when they compare the food here to what they've had before? We started with popcorn chicken (perfectly seasoned), cucumber salad (mild, slightly wilted in proper Taiwanese fashion--you can't compare this to typical Chinese cucumber salad), and sweet potato fries (crispy batter, hot, served with the seasonal ramps aioli). Generous portions of everything, so good. Red-braised beef noodle soup was everything. They choose to make the noodles fresh every day, in the thinner style (noodle shops in Taiwan offer both thin and wide noodles and they are not the same as ones found in other styles of beef noodle soup). The bone broth was rich, and you could taste the braising spices. Generous hunks of perfectly tender beef. This dish was all about richness and balance. The special at the time was a dry noodle with a ramp "pesto" with smoked duck, served on a sizzling skillet. The duck was probably the best I've ever had in North America (I had a lot growing up in Bangkok). The chilled sesame noodles were standard, delicious, made with the same noodles as the beef noodle soup noods. Final entree: a thoughtful vegetarian rendition of lu rou fan, made with a mountain of diced shiitake, which was SO flavorful. Dessert: GET THE PINEAPPLE TART WITH THE SESAME ICE CREAM. Taiwan is known for pineapple cakes -- buttery shortbread encasing jammy pineapple -- and this tart absolutely nailed the texture and essence. The sesame ice cream was dense and tasted like freshly ground, toasted black sesame. Finally, a place is nothing without its staff, who were super welcoming (and very queer!). The ambiance was casual but comfortable, and I can't wait to come back. read more

I've been to Taiwan twice: Once, by having my Hong Kong flight diverted to Taipei due to a typhoon and once for business; and I liked this country and city a lot, especially its food! Taiwan definitely has it own cuisine far removed from its mainland Chinese roots. Minyoli, so far, has made the best iteration I've ever had, outside of Taiwan itself. Yes, I've had this food in New York City and on Sawtelle St. in West Los Angeles, but once again Chicago has kick this cuisine into high-gear and far exceeded my expectation. So on this frigid night up here in Andersonville, my wife and I (with a reservation) walked into this packed restaurant during Chicago Restaurant Week for its Prix Fix menu and what a bonanza it was: * Cucumber Salad - cold crisp and delicious * Blanched Seasonal Green warm and lush and velvety * Taiwanese Fried Chicken that was better than any Asian fried chicken I've ever * Braised Mushroom Luroufan with ricec and it was excellent * Braised Beef Luroufan with rice and a completely different taste than above * Red Braised Niuroumian (Beef Noodle Soup) with beef and tendons * Spicy Tallow Ganban Noodle with sliced beef shank * Lunar New Year black sesame Tangyuan dumplings * Coconut sherbet So, I can basically say that we kicked off 2025's Chicago Restaurant Week with a giant BANG! read more

Beef Noodle Soup - the meat they chose was tender! but overall too blend, nothing special about the noodles Appetizers - good but it's just a lot of five spice powder can't taste anything else read more

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I'm Taiwanese, so was super excited for this restaurant to open. My cousin and I tried the 牛肉麵 (beef noodle soup) and were disappointed with the broth and noodles. We were also surprised by how sweet the popcorn chicken was - the flavor didn't match what we'd expected. While it was an OK experience, can't say we were super impressed. read more

Minyoli - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love Minyoli. They're so friendly, there's so many gluten free options, and nearly everything on the menu is insanely tasty. I'm going to be so sad when I no longer live right next door! read more

I came with my dinner group tonight and we really enjoyed this spot, both the food and the ambiance! I thought the fried chicken snack was really good! Such a different flavor for a chicken dish. The blanched seasonal greens were a nice surprise in flavor. Also really liked the pineapple tart for dessert - very light and refreshing. Our server was very well informed and good at giving recommended recommendations. read more

We originally came a few weeks after Minyoli opened and they didn't allow reservations at that time. We didn't have time to wait in line either so we decided to come back another time. Needless to say we were excited when we found out that they got their reservation system up and running. We came on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and were promptly seated. Minyoli has a nice ambiance and the interior is clean and simple. There is a slight step in the bathroom (which I tripped on while exiting). I wanted milk tea but the one on the menu automatically is prepared with brown sugar and I am picky about having no sugar in my milk tea. I ended up ordering the muzha iron goddess of mercy tea and our waiter kindly brought me cream to add to my tea. The flavor of the tea was good and the cream was a nice touch. I had the niuroumian (beef noodle soup) with half/half beef and tendons while hubby had the braised beef jajangmian (firm tofu, soy bean paste, cucumber). The niuroumian broth was lacking in flavor which trickled down to the noodles and meat also lacking flavor which was a big disappointment. The noodles were cooked al dente which was fine while the beef and tendon were both tender. Hubby's braised beef jajangmian was TINY and there was barely any sauce on top. We also ordered the Taiwanese fried chicken (two orders) and fish cake (one order) as it's $13 for 3 fried snacks. Each of the snacks came out on teeny tiny plates. Had I only ordered one it wouldn't have been enough for my child. The Taiwanese fried chicken was probably the best thing we had during this meal but you can easily find better Taiwanese fried chicken elsewhere in Chicago. I didn't really care for the fried fish cake. Overall, service was good but I'm glad we didn't wait in line. read more

***5 stars for service and vibes, 3 stars for food*** My wife and I came here with our toddler for lunch on a Sunday. We made a reservation and they had a lot of available times, and there was a good number of patrons already there when we arrived. We were promptly and warmly greeted by the hostess who confirmed our reservation and asked if we wanted to sit inside or on their newer patio; it was pretty windy and chilly that day so we chose indoor seating. She also asked if we wanted a booster seat for our toddler, which we accepted, and our server brought it out. I was pretty surprised since it wasn't a typical plastic booster seat that most restaurants have, but higher quality cushions for the seat and the back rest which strapped in securely. The atmosphere and interior decor is really nice. Very open space with bar seating in the back and open windows in the front to let fresh air and a lot of natural light in. Also had some Jay Chou and other Chinese music playing in the background (gotsta have Jay Chou). The bathrooms are really nice too, though they do have a small step down going in that caught me off guard (didn't see if there was a sign for that or not, so if not then a sign would be helpful). I didn't catch our server's name but he was very friendly and accommodating. My wife wanted milk tea but told him she didn't like sweet drinks, and he confirmed that their milk tea would likely be too sweet for her since he preferred non-sweet drinks as well. Instead he recommended their loose-leaf tea and offered to bring out some creamer for her to make her own which ended up being great for her. My wife ordered the red-braised beef noodle soup with half beef and half tendon, I ordered the braised beef jajangmian and mango Taiwan Beer, and we ordered the choice-of-3 fried snacks with two orders of Taiwanese fried chicken and one order of the fried fish cake and shared a little bit of everything with our daughter. Our food came relatively quickly, and the first thing I immediately noticed was how small my jajangmian was. For the price, I would have expected something bigger like some other places out there. There also was hardly enough sauce to cover all the noodles, which were all stuck together which also made it difficult to mix. While I understand that Taiwanese jajangmian typically doesn't use nearly as much sauce as the Korean version, the lack of sauce contributed to overall lack of flavor, unfortunately, and it made this dry noodle dish feel extra dry. The braised beef by itself tasted fine. I didn't try the beef noodle soup except for a piece of tendon and a piece of beef, and both of those were tender and good. I'll let my wife write out her thoughts on it in her own review though, haha. The fried chicken was juicy, though the seasoning was pretty overpowering. It's very salty at first, but then ended with a sweet aftertaste. The fish cake had a lighter seasoning so flavor was good but the fish cake itself was a little tough. Aside from the food, everything else was an enjoyable experience. Before coming we had already heard and read mixed reviews (mostly on the more critical side from other Asians/Taiwanese peeps), but we still wanted to try it ourselves since there aren't too many Taiwanese places around here. I'll still be keeping an eye on this place to see if there are any changes that would prompt me to come back. read more

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If you are looking for a typical Chinese restaurant, feel free to move along. The menu here is Taiwanese and carefully planned and executed. The staff is incredibly kind and knowledgeable about all things Minyoli-related. The food is very flavorful, even the vegan noodle dish was to die for. Their craft cocktails are truly exceptional and unlike anything I've tried elsewhere. I'm still dreaming about their black sesame ice cream. The quality of food is on par with a fancy 5 star restaurant but in a warm and inviting casual setting. The patio in the back is secluded and cozy too. My only complaint is that I wish they were open on Mondays and Tuesdays! read more

What a great vibe, service, and conversation. But let's talk about the food. My colleague told me about this great Taiwanese noodle restaurant so I had to try it myself. My husband is vegan and I am not. They had fabulous options for both of us. Cucumber salad, fried chicken, sesame noodles and beef shank with noodles were excellent. Two thumbs up and we will be back! read more

We've come here for brunch, lunch and a tasting menu dinner now and have loved our experience every time! Service is always very friendly- and they were very accommodating when we brought our baby with us. The space both inside and the outdoor patio in the summer is very nice too. The food has been incredible - the corn, fried chicken, and beef noodle soup are clear standouts but we've been really happy with everything that we've ordered! They have a lot of great veg and vegan options too. read more

I'm not one for reviews usually but I had a cocktail so good I went back to their website to find the description to send to a friend and saw a few negative reviews and it made me want to share what a good experience I had! The service here is exceptional. It's a family owned spot and the love and pride shows through. The cocktail I got was truly SUBLIME! The food was good, we liked the apps more than the soups, but the chili oil really added to it and the noodles were so fresh. Very happy with it all! Dessert was tasty too. The outdoor space outside is so lovely. Would definitely come back! read more

I came to Minyoli with very high expectations, maybe too high. I lived in Taiwan for 6 years and speak the language, I was married there and my kids are half Taiwanese (Chinese). I've had countless (hundreds or maybe thousands) of roadside stand meals in Taipei......Noodles, Stinky Tofu, Pigs Feet....you name it. When I read the concept for this new restaurant I was very excited. Real Taiwanese cuisine is extremely difficult to find in the states (outside of certain neighborhoods in L.A.), Minyoli was a place I couldn't wait to come to fruition. I went last night with a friend who had never been to Taiwan and wasn't familiar with the cuisine. Bottom line, we were both disappointed. We ordered a combination of fried appetizers to share, both of us ordered noodle soups, and I ordered a PiDan Tofu (Century Egg and Tofu). The fried appetizers were overly salted and bland. They lacked a sauce or flavor element to give them some excitement or pop. The PiDan Tofu was not prepared in a traditional manner (little sliced cubes of tofu with egg that was thin slivers. It should have been an entire tofu mound with large pieces of egg and shaved pork and heavy soy sauce). It was also boring and not tangy and pungent as it should be. The noodles were just okay...the broth was basic (not spicy and soothing) and the noodles were just fair..........decent consistency, albeit a little soft. The beef tendon I ordered with the noodles was way too soft and had no flavor at all. All in all, the meal was very weak and forgettable. But what really upset me the most, it was inauthentic......none of these dishes (or the noodles) would pass muster in Taiwan. They would be looked at with disbelief, and sent back to the kitchen. The service was very good (an early problem I read about online), servers were friendly and quick and everyone there was nice. Didn't save the night.... I think this place needs a complete redo, either liven up the food with untypical Taiwan flavoring elements.....or tighten up everything and get it authentic (maybe the chef needs to go back to Taipei or Tainan and spend some time at the roadside stalls). :( read more

Minyoli - Beef Tendon noodles. - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So glad to see a Taiwanese place open up in Andersonville! I went here without a reservation with a friend on a Thursday. We waited about 15 minutes to sit at the bar, which was lovely. The bartender was super friendly, and we chatted a little about growing up Taiwanese. We ordered Apple Sidras and the beef noodle soup, half tendon of course. Broth had great flavor, and noodles had some bounce, though they weren't as thick and chewy as some I've had. The yansuji (fried chicken) was tender and juicy and came with fried basil (yum!). The tart plum powder on the outside was slightly sweet and an unexpected addition, but I wasn't mad at it. When the bartender heard it was my friend's birthday, they comped our ice cream which was so kind - I can't wait to bring my family and friends here. What a stylish and delicious addition to the neighborhood! read more

Minyoli - Niu rou mian with chili oil - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Staff were nice. Food was bland went with a couple friends tried each other's dishes all disappointed best thing we had was the corn it was the only thing with flavor. Super disappointed don't believe the tiktoks. read more

TLDR: If you like Taiwanese food you should probably look elsewhere Just finished eating here! First off I want to say that the service was excellent, and the environment was very nice. I especially appreciated the interior design and menu graphic design. My cocktail, the old fashioned, was just fine. I'm also always happy to see Taiwan Beer! These things are certainly what this place is best at. However I was quite underwhelmed by the food. It's unfortunate because I was very excited to try this new place out! I love Taiwanese food and have been to Taiwan a few times. I also enjoy Taiwanese food at places like Taipei Cafe (S Halsted) and Hello Jasmine (great Taiwanese snacks!). This place did not meet the standards of those Chicago places (much less Taiwan, but I want to compare the Chicago competition). The dishes all seemed to be missing the flavors I'd expect from these staple Taiwanese dishes, which was obviously disappointing considering it was marketed as Taiwanese food. We tried all the major dishes sans the fried chicken and it was all disappointing. The tea egg was more like a Japanese jammy egg than a tea egg you'd find at Family Mart. The broth of the beef noodle soup was thin and missing the flavors I've come to expect. I want to note that I did not read the reviews of this place before trying it, but upon returning home and bringing up this page I was glad to see others echoing my impressions. I will certainly not be making the trip to the north side for this place unless they make changes to the food offerings. I am sad to write this because I want good restaurants to succeed and I usually don't write negative reviews unless something stands out. I think the marketing implied something different than what was provided and that disconnect is what led me to write this. read more

Minyoli - Lu Rou Fan - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Everything was delicious with great taste but I wish everything was a slightly larger portion or had more protein Fried chicken 9/10 Sweet potato 9/10 Boba tea 9.5/10 (I ordered 50% sweetness, tasted very homemade) Beef noodles 10/10 Sesame 9/10 Jajangmian 9/10 read more

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The place is cute, but don't go, seriously. There are better restaurants making delicious food.

I came in tonight for a friend's birthday dinner. They enthusiastically accommodated our request to be seated in their heated patio, despite have a large group. Our server X was extremely knowledgeable, efficient and kind to us. I tried many of the appetizers, which were delicious and flavorful. The hand pulled noodles were also very tasty and perfect for a cold day. read more

Minyoli - Tai Phoon - hot cocktail - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love Taiwan, I love Taiwanese food, and I was irrationally excited that this place was opening in my neighborhood. Alas... Taiwanese beef noodle soup is legendary. It is one of only, like, 2 or 3 ways I even eat beef anymore. Here, they utterly ruined it by making it taste kind of miso-ey and vinegary. Honestly I don't even know what was going on in the broth. But whatever it was was not that slow-simmered umami it's supposed to be. Too bad because the meat and tendon were really tender and good. I also tried the tallow noodles, which have a great flavor actually, but ultimately it's a bowl of fatty noodles. Whither the vegetables to cut the grease? The cucumber salad is more spicy than refreshing, and you want something refreshing with how oily everything is. I am not complaining about oily, that is absolutely true to Taiwanese food, but you need something to cut it. In Taiwan you can just go get some delicious cheap tropical fruit from the nearest vendor. Here, you can't, and their fruit teas/sodas aren't even made with real fruit. The best part about our meal was the lightly, carefully fried appetizers - fish cake, mushroom, and sweet potato. In contrast to the rest of it, this was not oily at all, just lightly crispy with a thin shattering bite and a light dusting of salt. read more

Brought my Taiwanese parents here and we all loved it. They have a lot of Taiwanese dishes that are hard to find in Chicago (ai yu jelly, carrying pole noodles (noodles with prawn and beef bone broth), luwei (braised meat and veg) while also keeping it interesting with their own take on things (for example, they put plum powder on their Taiwanese fried chicken which, it turns out, is delicious). We also got the beef noodle soup (red braised) which tasted slightly different than we were used to but there are tons of different styles and we scarfed it down. The spicy tallow ganban noodles were also some of the best noodles my husband says he's ever had. One common thread across all 3 of our mains is that we all agreed their noodles are delicious - the perfect amount of chew. Service was also attentive and so nice - they even offered my parents warm water (iykyk) read more

Minyoli - Cucumbers, fried chicken, wood ear mushroom salad - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Tried this place out for dinner with my friend since we were craving some noodles. He said this place was new and that he wanted to check it out. On the way here, note that your best bet for settling in is getting parking on the street (and having to pay). The restaurant itself was clean and modern, staff mainly worked in the back making dishes. The restaurant is spacious but I would honestly take into account that it seemed like the type of place for pair or small group meals. As a huge fan of beef noodle soup, I was eager to see what this place had to offer. I ordered the beef noodle soup and a lychee beer. Service was solid. The beer was delicious but way overpriced (I could buy a whole pack with how much one costs). The noodles were the best part of the dish (tasted like they were hand pulled) and the broth was decent (there was flavor, but not like those I'm used to in restaurants elsewhere). I think this place has potential. read more

The restaurant week menu is not worth the price for the portion sizes that you get. Service was pretty slow and I can't say any of the dishes were recommendable aside from the fried chicken. read more

Being Taiwanese and growing up eating Taiwanese food I was so incredibly excited to hear about the opening of Minyoli. Finally a Taiwanese place in Chicago up north! Parking was convenient, however, it is mostly paid parking around the area. The surrounding streets on a Friday night were very lively and Minyoli keeps their windows open, kind of giving the street food vibe in Taiwan. The staff were great, we had reserved a table a few weeks back so we immediately got seated. The waiter had recommended the Oolong Milk Tea and he was right, it was delicious but definitely on the pricey end of $7. We also order apple sidra from the can which is always a hit! My friends and I wanted to try a bit of everything on the menu so we ordered the following: Luwei (phoenix bean firm tofu, kombu, and sliced beef shank), Taiwanese fried chicken, Cucumber Salad, Niuroumian (Beef noodle soup), Braised Beef Zhajiangmian, Lu Rou Fan and house-made ice cream (black sesame, passion fruit sorbet and pineapple coconut). I was disheartened as each dish I tried was inauthentic, starting from the Luwei which is such a staple, the bean curd was flavorless and beef shank was lacking. The kombu was made well though! The Taiwanese fried chicken was where I was most disappointed, there seemed to have been plum powder added and the chicken was no longer savory but instead incredibly sweet. The Beef noodle soup and Zhajiangmian flavors were so unexpected, I wasn't expecting it to taste as authentic as in Taiwan but at least along the right path. The dishes that I did enjoy were the cucumber salad, lu rou fan and homemade ice cream. If there's a change in the food authenticity I'd love to try it out again. read more

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Cannot recommend this restaurant enough! We brought a friend here for their birthday and it was the perfect celebratory setting, tho we look forward to returning for regular meals so we can enjoy the rest of the menu and drinks. We ate on the spacious back patio, warmed by large flame space heaters - a charming, quiet and covid-safer setting, whereas the inside has a warm, bustling, and friendly-feeling atmosphere. We started with some fried snacks: the sweet potato fries (which smell like donuts), king trumpet mushroom (delectable), fish cakes (can't stop thinking about them!, dense and almost spongy and incredibly flavorful), and sweet corn (honestly my favorite, tho the simplest) - all delicious on their own, or when dipped in the sumptuous house-made mayo and chili oil. Cucumber salad (with a slight chili bite) and wood ear mushrooms (bouncy, refreshing & bright, taught us a thing or two about mushrooms!!) provided refreshing, palate-cleansing bites as we enjoyed the rest of the meal. We also enjoyed 2 of the Ganban noodle dishes: Sesame Noodles (vegetarian, tho the fried enoki mushrooms on top are rich and meaty, balanced with cucumber/carrot and all graced with a rich toasted sesame sauce) and Spicy Tallow (even richer, warm and satisfying, with delicious braised beef shank and topped with addictive fried shallots - we could eat these plain!). The whole meal was blessed with the perfect cold-weather drinks: the SPICED HAW CIDER cocktail, fragrant with black cardamom, cinnamon, hawthorn and brandy... and DARK TAI-PHOON cocktail, sweetly spicy with Taiwanese black sugar and slices of ginger. For DESSERT we chose the seasonal specialty Ai Yu Jelly (Taiwanese fig, honey, lime and osmanthus). We're definitely coming back for the mouth-watering Tea-ramisu and house-made icecreams, but having stuffed ourselves with food, we opted for the lighter and refreshing Ai Yu Jelly that was juicey yet thirst-quenching. Know that the chef and manager are incredibly accomplished and devoted to this cuisine (check out their website!): there is so much history and care behind each high-quality dish, beverage and even ingredient. If you're lucky and the manager is around, you can learn so much about the deliciousness you're blessed to experience here! (The staff also are knowledgeable, with quick, attentive and friendly customer service.) Clean, beautiful physical space with an adorable Minyoli cat logo. Welcoming, down-to-earth yet also special occasion vibe. Highly recommend for date nights and celebrations, as well as a spontaneous dinner/drinks out. (They also do brunch!) read more

Minyoli - Starters and the warming, sweet ginger Dark Tai-phoon cocktails on the patio! - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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If this is what authentic Taiwanese noodles taste like, I don't ever want to visit Taiwan. Went to visit Minyoli the first weekend they officially opened and felt I had to share for anyone out there thinking about coming here. It pains me to write bad reviews, as neither me nor the business really gain anything from it, but I feel a responsibility to paint an accurate picture of what Minyoli has to offer after giving up nearly 3 hours of my time for the abysmal meal I had. We came on a Saturday afternoon for lunch at around noon. Waited an hour for a table, 30 minutes just to order after being seated (yikes!), and then another hour for the food. This meal was not worth a 2.5 hour wait. To start, we ordered the appetizer trio, and selected: fried chicken, fish cakes, and sweet potato fries. The fried chicken was flavorless. If you've ever had Taiwanese fried chicken, you'd know it has a distinct salty taste to it. This was lacking severely at Minyoli and they only gave 4 tiny pieces. The fish cakes were also very bland. Same with the sweet potato fries; which were also soft and soggy, I would hardly call them fries. Very disappointed in this appetizer, I would recommend the fried chicken or fish cakes from Hello Jasmine if you want a taste of what Taiwanese snacks should taste like. Onto the noodle dish. I ordered the traditional braised beef noodle soup and felt that it was very salty yet had no flavor. The noodles were well made but undercooked and did not taste like anything as the broth had no taste itself. The beef was decent, but had you given me this bowl of noodles at any Chinese restaurant, I would not bat an eye or order it ever again. I'm sorry, it's truly nothing special. I'd recommend Katy's Dumpling House in Oak Park if you want some good hand made noodles. At the end of the day, as a Chinese American, I cannot in good conscience recommend this restaurant. With such a limited menu, you gotta be able to hit your dishes out of the park and there wasn't a single thing I consumed at Minyoli that made me want to come back. There are much better places to seek Chinese - Taiwanese food in Chicago. I fully expect this restaurant's ratings to be in the low 3s, if not lower. Leaving 2 stars because the ambiance was pretty nice and because the food was still edible. read more

There is quite some hype around the restaurant and I am excited to have more Taiwanese food here in Chicago. I went on opening day and it was packed so I was unable to try a couple of the things I wanted but excited to come back. I got the Niu Rou Mian with beef and added pickled veggies. The noodle texture was great but the broth needed to be a bit more beef forward and a bit salty for my liking. Additionally most beef noodle soups that I have had usually come with the pickled veggies but I was surprised that they were extra add ons. I ended with the black sesame ice cream and it was good. This is what bumped it up to a 4 star for me. Although a little pricey this black sesame was not too sweet and really highlighted the nutty earth taste that black sesame has. It was a highlight that I still think about a couple weeks later. This is a small place and when I went there were no reservations and no take out orders so plan to come in weird off hours or wait a bit of time. Service is a bit slow and they are still getting acquainted so be mindful of that. Other than that, it could be a cute place to go on a date. read more

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The food here is fantastic and attentive service! Great selection of cocktails as well.

So many issues I wanted to love this restaurant but no. Drinks confusing and made from unusual liquor. The beer is best. Better for a few snacks and a beer than a meal. read more

They offer noodle dishes that have broth and noodle dishes that have sauce. I ordered the spicy tallow, which was one of the noodles mixed with sauce. It said it was going to be spicy, but it was not spicy at all. Overall, the dish was lacking in flavor. I did think the portion size was good. It was the right amount of food - didn't feel overwhelmed by a large dish, and it didn't leave me hungry after. Lastly, the server recommended a Taiwanese apple soda I really enjoyed. read more