This beautiful dining experience nestles into Campustown and delivers great food, excellent service…read moreand a gentle welcoming atmosphere that pulls it all together into a delightful time. The food is the finest Asian fare around and avoids the common error of over spicing the food. The Mapo Tofu is remarkable and each of the items we shared in our group excelled in its taste and presentation. The decor is simple and elegant amplifying the peaceful mood that surrounds the diners. Each server was polite, gracious and accommodating without hovering or intruding. Do yourself a favor and set aside a day to visit Northern Cuisine and you will not regret it.

Like we stepping into a mini China, with top chart new c-pop playing and foods served beautifully…read more Flavors are all pretty good. The two dishes we ordered were a bit on the sweet side, which isn't atypical for the dishes themselves, so kind of an error on our part. They had celtuce so we had to order it, it was tender and light and flavorful. The dumplings is good but a bit meat heavy than I would've preferred. Skin is very thin, like wonton skin. The scallions pancakes are perfectly panfried. The Beijing yogurt is not at all correct, it's stickier than I'm used to and not as smooth and flavor is a bit flat than the actual ones. Coconut pudding was unremarkable, doesn't stand out. Overall, the foods were good. We probably could've ordered better.

Fantastic experience - best Chinese food I have ever had in the United States! The menu is amazing…read moreand the service outstanding!

A solid option if you're looking for a less busy Chinese restaurant near campus with spacious…read morecomfortable seating, full sit-in service, and a fairly varied menu with good prices and generous portions. If this restaurant were located in most cities in Illinois, it would be one of the nicest and best restaurants around. The competition around Champaign Urbana for Chinese food is very high however, and this one is a little less refined for flavors and textures than some of the popular spots around campus. With that said however, the food is still highly enjoyable and the more authentic dishes are considerably better than the Americanized options. For example, the cumin beef has a nice tender texture with good sear and flavor coming from the onion and mix of spices. The orange beef also has a nice citrus flavor and tender beef that's not overly sweet. The pineapple sweet and sour pork was passable, but not really as sweet or crunchy as expected. The egg rolls were done very well, similar to how my grandpa prepared them. Overall, this is a delicious spot for Chinese food with plenty of parking and much more relaxed dining. Food is good here, but for me just a little less refined than the best options available.

Great fast-casual noodles for lunch near campus…read more The food is simply prepared and delicious. I ordered the first item on the menu: Bok Choy in Chili Oil Noodle. The hearty noodles were chewy with a slight taste of rice -- neither too refined nor over cooked. The beef broth brought the dish's rich taste and gave it some depth, while the bok choy and green onions in the soup were fresh and crispy. Even though the chili oil was a treat, it overpowered the broth and veggies so that I'd consider omitting it from the order. The restaurant was crowded with lunch-goers when I stopped in, but the turnaround on my order was fast. If you need a bite and want something simple and well made, his could be your spot.

We ordered: 1. Pork & Egg w/ Bean Sauce Dry Noodle…read more2. Szechuan style Beef Noodle Soup Very pleased that UIUC now has meal access to a Chinese noodle specialty shop. Flavor of the fermented bean sauce was good and I liked the chewiness of the noodles. Friends liked the Szechuan beef broth flavor and the beef chunks were tender. This will be very nice in the cold winters. No issues with service and there's a good amount of seating for small to medium size groups.

4 = I would come here again and recommend it for others…read more The food here is very authentic and not too oily. I am Chinese (though not from the Szechuan province). The portion sizes are good for families/ sharing. The service is a little slow but everything was very hot and fresh so I have no complaints. I had a non-Chinese friend with me who had questions about the menu and the staff answered the questions. The restaurant is airy has a lot of seating. They also have fermented items for sale. My only complaint is that some of the items tasted extremely similar (cumin lamb and dan dan noodles)

Lao sze chuan looks like it was recently renovated and the menu changed a lot. I couldn't find the…read morebeef noodle soup I used to order. The receipt had a totally different restaurant name and I can't find it on Yelp. We ordered some family style dishes. I really loved the chef spicy chicken - so spicy and crispy!! The pork belly melts in your mouth. The service was just okay -- you order on your phone and food comes to you. The dishes came out all at different times, with the last dish coming out at least 20 mins after the first dish. We couldn't enjoy all the dishes today unfortunately.

I was really pumped to try Golden Wheat because my friends raved that this is the #1 noodle place…read morein Champaign. The restaurant is operated by super friendly and nice Chinese owners. It appeared that they do not speak the best English, but we didn't have any trouble ordering as there was an English/Chinese menu printed out, which we used to point to the item that we wanted to order. What we got: Beijing style JaJangmyeon: I had Korean-styled jjajangmyeon, so I didn't know what to expect at first. The portion size is beyond generous and the amount of topping on the noodles was more than enough. The noodles were soft and chewy. The dish tasted like peanut noodles which I am not the greatest fan of, but my friend loved it! Spicy fatty beef slices noodles: this was really good! I am a big meat lover and the amount of meat that came with this dish made me really happy! The dish was not too spicy and well-balanced. I wish there was a bit more soup because it was just a lot of noodles, but I think this is supposed to be more noodles than soup because it was one of their 'mixed noodles' dish. Overall, it was a very hearty meal. The owners were super kind enough to give us a free bok choy+fish cake side dish which we enjoyed as well. Despite the communication barrier, the service was great and the owners are super sweet people. I will definitely be coming back!

Stopped by after a few friends recommended this place! The noodle soups are amazing. Here are a few…read moretips for non Chinese speaking customers like me. It took a little effort to order due to language BUT it was totally worth it! ORDERING The owner who was originally taking my order was so friendly but only spoke Chinese, so someone else had to step in and help me translate. I asked for the most popular noodle soups and he pointed to "dry beef noodle soup" and "pork shoulder noodle soup" so we ordered both. After you pick your dish he asks if you want spicy or non spicy. We got one of each. I personally liked the "spicy" version and thought it wasn't spicy at all! FOOD I ran into a friend there who knows the owner. He told me everything is made from scratch! Including the noodles. The broth was perfection. So fragrant, flavorful, well seasoned, and clean tasting. Meat was super tender (both beef and pork) and pretty much melted in our mouths. The "dry beef" in the name is totally misleading because there is nothing dry about the meat. ATMOSPHERE It seems like the restaurant kept most of the interior decor from PvP bakery so the aesthetic is pretty nice. Simple, clean, modern, minimal. It's sort of a self serve style in here so you have to get your own water. Just like most Asian restaurants. PACKAGING I ordered our meal to go but the restaurant IS also open for indoor seating. Our food was packed with care! The noodles and soup were packed in separate containers. I will add a note of caution while carrying the food. The hot soup warped the plastic container quite a bit so by the time I got home I noticed that the lid was just barely hanging on and on the brink of busting open. As long as it's held upright though it should not be an issue. Overall, if you're looking for a non frills place with good authentic Chinese food, this is the place to go! Price was pretty good too especially for how good the fooAbout $11 per noodle soup which is much cheaper than mid summer and golden harbor. We will definitely be back!

I wasn't sure what to expect since First Wok is tucked next to a small grocery store with a few…read moreempty buildings around, but it turned out to be a really pleasant surprise. Their website was very easy to order from and pickup was quick. I tried the steamed tofu with vegetables and rice, with the sauce on the side. The veggies were fresh and cooked just right, and it's a great option for anyone trying to eat whole food plant based or vegan. The portion was generous and very satisfying. Friendly service, simple menu, and a spot that's worth supporting if you're looking for something wholesome and tasty. I'll definitely be back.

Really good food! Kind of a small place, but excellent for phone-ahead carry-outs. It may not…read morelook like it, but the chef here is an old-style chef, and sees to all the food preparation details himself. The kitchen area is visible to visitors, so you can see what great care and quality is involved in the preparation of your meal if you like. I recommend calling ahead, because this restaurant is very popular for carry-outs in the neighborhood, and on busy nights, a short backlog can grow. But my experience has been if I phone-in my order even 5 minutes ahead, it is already waiting for me when I get there. I can't say enough about how good the menu is. They have a wide selection, and it is genuine Chinese cuisine. E.g. the hot-and-sour soup is excellent, and it is really as hot and as sour as I have often eaten in Taiwan. Usually I have to add at least vinegar and hot chili oil at home to make other restaurants' soup legitimately as sour and hot as if I bought it in China. This place does not "dumb-down" their cuisine for round-eye bai gwei Americans. In general, the cuisine tastes to this ben dan most like Haka food. I think. I can't say enough about the rest of the menu. But perhaps I have.

The food was very delicious! I ordered the pad thai with chicken and an appetizer of crab rangoons…read more The food was ready for pick up within 15 minutes and they were super friendly. The restaurant was very clean and smelt super good, would recommend!

Finally some good Chinese food! This place has been here most of my life, and I only discovered it…read moretwenty years after moving away. Oh the wasted years... On a visit back home my mom said there was no good Chinese food spots anymore. I said "challenge accepted." I knew I was in for a treat when I saw this place served 'hot braised chicken.' The last time I had hot braised chicken was from a restaurant called China Express that closed down back in the 90s, and I longed for it ever since. I placed my order and waited excitedly. An older gentleman in the restaurant said he likes coming here because it's the only place that makes Chinese food like he used to get in Chicago. You can't beat that kind of endorsement! Golden Wok did not disappoint at all! It wasn't the same hot braised chicken like China Express, but it was its own kind of delicious! I let my mom try some and we went back the next day for more! The fried rice is real fried rice. Not that yellow stuff they dip out of a big vat. This is the real deal! I will always come here when I visit home!

When people ask me what are my favorite restaurants the CU area, Shiquan is one of them! I could…read morecome here to just eat bowls and bowls of wontons with friends! My favorite wontons are mapo, green pepper, and hot chili oil wontons. My second favorite item is the sliced spicy pork belly dish! When you arrive, you scan the menu from your phone and order at your table. The food comes out relatively quickly. The max number of people I've come with is 6, so if you have a party of more than 6 you might have to split up into smaller tables.

I usually order takeouts from Shiquan, only dine in a few times and they seem a little understaffed…read morein the restaurant. The taste of their dishes is authentic and consistent throughout the years. I think this is one of the best Chinese restaurants in town in terms of food.