Mala dry pot 麻辣香锅 (9.5/10): granted I haven't been to Sichuan, but this was the best mala dry pot I've had. A treasure trove of variety in ingredients, all cooked super tender. Tripe was delicious. The flavors were super aromatic. Tons of food as well, probably enough for two Tea duck 樟茶鸭 (9/10): duck was cooked well. This was an off-menu item that our waitress recommended. It came with a chili sauce that was SO good, literally explosions of flavor. Must have been house made?? Twice-cooked pork 回锅肉 (5/10): too salty. Probably would pass next time. Cauliflower dry pot 干锅菜花 (7/10): pretty good as an appetizer. Cauliflower was tender Service was good and restaurant was clean read more

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North Star without a doubt fills the gap for authentic food in the Lake Zurich area without a true competitor (Bowl of Fortune, Pl8, etc.) super close by. This is all with plenty of parking, friendly service, attractive looking interior, varied menu, and very reasonable prices for the generous portion sizes. This is one of the nicer hidden gems, as the experience feels a bit more upscale relative to the prices. Food is very good here, if you're looking for well executed comfort food. The food is plated well and colorful, with good textures overall. The vegetables are fresh and meat quality is generally good. Maybe not the most complex versions of each dish I've ever had, but the pricing also reflects this as you're getting elevated versions of familiar dishes at only a few more dollars than a cheap carryout spot. Here are some quick thoughts on the items I tried: Honey Walnut Shrimp - Very generous amounts of shrimp which are large and have a good firmness. This is nice and crispy and the broccoli on the side is fresh. Dry chili chicken - One of many great versions of this dish you can get nearby. This was fairly crispy and not too spicy with a low amount of numbing oil. There was a good ratio of chicken versus chili in this dish. Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs -- Pretty good, good level of fat and there wasn't too much vinegar. It was enjoyable but probably would get something else on a future visit. Wok fried squid - Squid has a good texture, wasn't too firm or chewy and had a good flavor to it. Overall dish is very colorful and i enjoyed the vegetable combination. Sichuan string bean - Quite surprising, excellent flavor and the string beans were very fresh. This was packed with so much umami that it filled in the gap of another meat dish for me. Pea tips - I had the preparation with garlic and the flavor with excellent, with very good quality of vegetables as well. If I ate a fully vegetarian meal, I wouldn't mind having this with the string beans as both were super fresh and full of flavor. Fried fish with sweet sour sauce - This was presented in a very large portion size with tons of fish. This isn't as good as the expensive specialty ones you can get at some other restaurants, but definitely punches well above its weight given the price point. A must have for any lover of sweet and sour seafood as this really hits the spot for that specific crave. Braised pork belly - If I could order only one dish for a meal, this would be it. The meat is crazy tender and the sauce is super flavorful. This is one of the best options for comfort food you can get and you won't be disappointed. Overall, great food and a very nice setup. Bring a group if you can to try a variety of dishes. Make sure to come hungry as you'll get plenty of food no matter what you order. read more

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My family went here a couple months after their renovation. We had been hearing rave reviews from friends that this place tops other Chinese restaurants and they were right! That being said, this is the suburbs so expectations are not as high as Chinese food found in nyc. The interior is quite nice and modern after their renovations. Everything is clean and new - didn't get a chance to checkout the bathroom but I'd guess that's it's fairly tidy as well. We ordered: - cauliflower drypot: it was fun that it came over a flame - flavor was decent but not mind blowing. It also was a little wetter than what you'd expect from a drypot. - black bean fish: this was more flavorful but not as spicy as expected and a bit sweeter than expected. We were a little sad that it was fish fillet rather than whole fish. - cumin lamb: as someone who usually doesn't like lamb this was actually well done. It wasn't too lamb-y and this pieces were the right size and tender. - tea smoked duck: the meat was tender and the flavor was Smokey but it was a bit more salty and duck-y than I would have liked. Still, a great order. This is apparently an off-menu item! - egg yolk shrimp: nice and crispy with salted yolk in each bite. I have had shrimp with even more yolk coating but this was still good. The owner and wait staff were really nice. You get a 10% discount if you pay in cash! I'd definitely come back again and try some new dishes! Overall still the best Chinese in the area read more

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Authentic Chinese food - delicious food and generous portion. Staff are very nice and attentive when it's not busy - sometimes it could feel short staffed when the restaurant is full. Love that they offer new menu items from time to time. Highly recommended! read more

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North Star is a new Chinese restaurant in this space that previously had a Chinese restaurant in the same location. My husband and I went there on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. The restaurant filled up while we were there. We ordered many dishes from traditional Chinese to more Americanized plates. Each dish was excellent and flavorful. My favorite was the honey walnut shrimp. The service was nice and friendly. I highly recommend North Star! read more

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This was a first time visit to this restaurant. For starters we ordered potstickers. They were not fully cooked inside so we needed to send them back. Same ones brought back but as we were told that they would be fried a little longer. Very doughy and not like typical potstickers. We did not care for them. I ordered shrimp egg foo young. A platter of 3 patties were served with gravy and small shrimp scattered over the patties. Very strange. The patty itself was completely different from any egg foo young that I have ever had. It was fluffy and more like a souffle. Something green was in it which I never figured out what it was. If there was any shrimp actually in the shrimp egg foo young we didn't find it. Hubby had cashew chicken and it was very good. Rice served was perfectly cooked. Wait staff were friendly and helpful. Glad we gave them a try. read more

Northstar had some traditional Chinese dishes which is hard to find in the suburbs of illinois. The seating and service was good. Some of the food is a big spicy so if you do like spicy I would make sure to ask them to do mild or remove the spice if possible. The prices are about 20 dollars as dish which is a little higher than other Chinese restaurants. We paid about 140 without tip for 7 dishes. To see pictures of the food check out my ig asianprde4ever or YouTube danielm6340 read more

Very strong addition to the suburban Chinese food scene. Dramatic improvement inside from the old Green Garden. Dishes were very fresh, excellent quality from both the Chinese and American standout. I had Mongolian chicken which was tasty and I really enjoyed the string cut onions. Wife is a fan of the tofu seafood bowl. Definitely worth trying!!! read more

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Update: since my last review, we had been back multiple times, and each time the food was outstanding. read more

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Very authentic Sichuan food, not easy to find in northern Chicago area. Have tried mapo tofu, twice cooked pork. Both recommended.

I only had a couple items, but most of it was very good, Especially the bok-choy . Will return to try other items. I hope the egg foo young uses the traditional sauce instead of the store bought gravies I've had at other Chinese restaurants in lake Zurich. read more

The food and selection was excellent not your typical Chinese food. The service was ok. And the deco was upscale.

I just ordered from here for the first time. I ordered shrimp egg foo young. And I honestly was. Surprised that the shrimp was not inside of the patties it was laying on top of the patties not put in the patty like every other Chinese restaurant makes it inside very strange... Taste wise it was just okay nothing to brag about... read more

I gave this place a try and ordered a few things but everything was very spicy. Which would be okay, but the twice cooked pork was inedible. It was full of bones and bone shards so even when I tried to eat around the bones I ended up chewing on small shards. I called them up and they were unwilling to do a refund so unfortunately I won't be giving them another try. read more

Service and food were amazing! Eggplant with garlic and mapo tofu were delicious. Perfect spice level and generous portions.

The food, service, and ambiance were very good. This was our first try and we dined in. We enjoyed the Szechuan beans, the twice cooked pork, and the egg rolls (veg and non veg). That was more than enough for two with carry out left over. They give you a generous portion of rice. The spice level for a medium was spicy but we like it that way. And you could get extra hot spice / chili paste on the side if you wish. The service was pleasant. They also clearly do a very large carry out business based on the traffic that was going on. They also had consistent people coming into dine. We will be back. Was unable to give a 4.5 but that is what I would rate it; the only thing that would give it a 5 was bringing the check to the table and/or asking if you wanted dessert or check. I think they just go too busy at the end. read more