Panda Express

We always have wonderful food and service when we come here. The employees are wonderful. We come…read morehere often.

Foods so good here even after 10 years. Maybe we are older, the sauce for crispy tofu is a bit too…read moresweet, but the tofu was fried very well, and flavor overall is still really good. Both scallion oil and numb oil noodles are really good and good value too at $6 each. Flavors are on point. Luroufan special was also good $8 and they give quite a lot so easy to split among the kids. Meat is tender and not overly sweet. The scallion ginger fish fillet was probably the best, and they give a good chunky pieces of fish that is not breaded, but the way they cooked it. The meat trunks stayed together intact. The flavor is what you expect from traditionally steamed fish with soy sauce pour over at the end. Super pleased with the options. They have an interesting self serve utensils, takeout boxes and the tea is self serve too.

595. Dry Tofu Skin Stew Pork Belly Pot 腐竹烧爆皮五花腩煲 ($27.95)

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550. Stew Goat w Mala Sauce 麻辣草羊煲 ($28.99)

Northern Cuisine

4.3(30 reviews)

2.8 mi

I've been wanting to try this place for awhile but it was always so busy! Finally was able to get a…read moretable and I now know why this place is always so packed. Everything was delicious, I've never had northern style Chinese food and its now my favorite. Totally worth the wait. The staff was attentive and service was quick. We had the crispy pork in sweet and sour glaze, salted egg yolk with Japanese tofu, tomato egg noodles and spicy green beans. We've been back many times as this is now our go-to place on campus during summer break while students are away.

Got some great authentic tasting Chinese food at this restaurant in Champaign. It has more…read moreAmericanized options if you would rather be safer. Northern Cuisine is popular with the Asian students because they're most of the people eating in there. Basically it shows it's good enough for them so it's good enough for everyone. The prices are pretty okay for portions. Came in and looked at the menu. It's certainly a big one. There's tons of meaty and plant friendly options to get and they get spicy. Felt like feeling a burn. It's about $15 for an entree which is okay because you get a lot. Also has more authentic options that get even crazier. I got the Mapo Tofu. A great thing is it's not a recipe that uses pork. This is soft tofu with a spicy ass sauce. Could have used a few vegetables in it. This was still pretty good though. Have to say it looking for authentic Chinese to come here. It's located on Green in the middle of the campus bars and restaurants. There's a few things for vegetarians.

A1 Soft Tofu & Scallion Salad 小葱拌豆腐 ($7.95) - good!

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E26 Spicy Lamb Neck Bone Dry Pot 干锅羊蝎子 ($22.95)

Rainbow Garden Champaign

3.4(134 reviews)

3.2 mi

Nice family style restaurant and plenty of seating and tables big enough to fit 8 people! I've been…read morehere a couple of times with friends and the food is generally ok and leans more towards American and Korean style Chinese food. I think some dishes were too saucy (especially the veggies dishes) and salty My favorites are the three cup chicken (crispy!), Zhajiangmian (not pictured and more Korean style), the appreciating fish, a different spicy fish dish I forgot the name to.

What an amazing find! My husband and I had been running errands around Champaign and were getting…read morehungry for dinner. We drove past this place and that, and eventually decided "Rainbow Garden" sounded worth doubling back for. And oh my goodness! First off: the service was PHENOMENAL! We were never rushed but never felt unattended. Our drinks were repeatedly refilled before they were empty. Our food came so much faster than we anticipated! Even paying was quick and easy. Second: the food was honestly some of the best we've ever had. the Pekin duck was nearly perfect (the skin could have been crispier) and the beef fried rice was possibly the best fried rice we've ever had. So flavorful, so full of meat, and the meat was tender and tasty! Third: the whole restaurant was very clean. The bathroom was a little dark, and there's an obstacle in the hallway that makes it not wheelchair accessible, but overall an excellent job. We will be back!

Dining area 1

Seafood hot and sour soup for 2

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Just finished lunch

Peking Garden Restaurant

3.8(123 reviews)

2.1 mi

So upon entering this establishment, it looks like any other older Chinese food place. It's in an…read moreold building and needs updates, but it still works so they likely aren't going to do anything about it. The smell, like cleaning products and a succulent Chinese meal. We sit down and order some extraordinarily tasty food. I will say the spicy is not spicy, that being said there is a special authentic Chinese food menu. The service is amazing! The food was outstanding, my husband and I have agreed that this little unsuspecting place needs to be a staple in our household. Bonus: they are open on Thanksgiving!

This is a really good authentic Chinese restaurant. Each dish is distinct and flavorful! Food…read moreportions are bountiful. The Chicken in hot garlic sauce is awesome!

1. Pot Stickers

West Lake Beef Soup

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130. Chongqing Spicy Chicken

I Wok

4.2(74 reviews)

6.0 mi

NEBS REVIEW: Ordered…read morecarry-out. First timers. Was expected much better. Overall, every was dry and almost tasteless. Husband ordered SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN. No pineapples, green peppers to be found. I ordered Broccoli& Shrimp. Broccoli was to hard to chew. Pork Egg Foo Yung left much to be desired. Very, very dry and came with very thin sauce, nit pork gravy as we are used to receiving else. Shrimp Egg Rolls had only one tiny piece of shrimp, and mostly cabbage, I think. Only thing good was Pork Fried Rice. When we unpacked orders at home, NO packets of Soy sauce or mustard, and not even one Fortune cookie!!! Will NOT be going back again!

Their food is amazing! The staff is always so nice and friendly! Best Chinese place in savoy!read more

Hunan Tofu

Menu

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Menu

Shiquan

3.9(27 reviews)

2.7 mi

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.

Fried Potato & Green Pepper & Eggplant 地三鲜 ($16.99)

Crab Roe Tofu 蟹黄蟹籽豆腐 ($16.95)

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Stir-Fried Lamb 少炒羊肉 ($18.99)

Golden Wheat

4.5(15 reviews)

2.9 mi

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!

The inside

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Dried Beef Soup Noodle - Spicy (not spicy at all)

Mid-Summer Lounge

4.2(118 reviews)

2.9 mi

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.

E4 Stewed Pork Belly in Toasted Bun 腊汁肉夹馍 ($7) - different pork belly filling from that of the 卤肉饭

B4 Tomato & Scrambled Egg Dry Noodle 番茄炒蛋面 ($12) - tomato and egg are sweetened more than I prefer, but otherwise good

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A8 Stewed Beef Consomme Noodle 兰州牛肉面 ($14)

Savory Hotpot House

5.0(4 reviews)

2.5 mi

Love them everything's great....fresh tasting quality ingredients....one of the best I hadread more

Delicious! Must try! Customer service is top notch as well, super friendly. Will go back for sure.read more

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Marbled beef

Lao Sze Chuan Chinese Restaurant

3.5(104 reviews)

2.5 mi

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.

Big portions, really flavorful

Menu

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Menu

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1 review that is not currently recommended

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Elizabeth K.

0

2

0

7 years ago

Yeah uh so my friend got food poisoning here once. Plus they don't give you as much as they used too.

Panda Express - chinese - Updated September 2026

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Since when is Lo Mein made with spaghetti noodles? Wonton soup was broth & 2 wontons. Very…read moredisappointed. They lost a customer today!

Fast service on to go orders. General tso chicken and vegetable rolls are very good. Orange chicken…read morewasn't my favorite and fried rice was a bit bland.

Basil Thai Kitchen

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Really great food, at really low prices, served by really nice employees!…read more This place cares about the customer experience. Nothing but chicken on the menu is the only bad thing about this place, but it is soooo well made. Heapin' helpings go a long way to compensate. For so little money it was a shock! Definitely next time you are in the mood for Asian food, try this place out!

Got food delivered from here recently. When I was going to UofI, this place was my go to for Pad…read morekra pow, so that's the first in my order for nostalgia and then also got some lemon cream chicken and larb salad. Honestly all three were such a let down in terms of portions and taste. Lemon cream chicken had more breaded pieces than actual chicken. Will definitely not be ordering from this place again. Portion sizes were a huge let down, especially for the delivery charges paid.

Aroma Garden

4.4

(20 reviews)

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 place for family style meals for big groups! We made a reservation for a party of 7!…read more The food was delicious, we got 7 dishes to share and it was plenty of food! My favorites were the cumin lamb, dry pot chicken, and the rice noodle with beef. The lamb was perfectly seasoned and not gamey at all (coming from someone who doesn't usually like lamb). The beef in the rice noodles were so tender and a group favorite. The egg drop soup serving was massive, enough for everyone to get two small bowls. I was most disappointed by the twice cook pork, it was extremely dry. The rice was also quite dry as well. Overall a place I would love to visit again!

Asian Taste Restaurant

3.6

(44 reviews)

It's my first time trying this restaurant since I've been here. I ordered their special dish Jammy…read morefan Chicken (the pronouncing is just its Chinese name lol) to go. It tasted good, the packaging was very safe, and it was really heaven if mixing the soup with rice (iykyk). However, I was not satisfied with the dining environment inside, which was part of the reason why I chose to order a to go. The service was quite fast, and people there were friendly. Summary: this is a decent Chinese restaurant if you wanna grab a quick meal to go.

Small space that we somehow fit 12 people into, but would recommend going with smaller groups…read more Noodles were spicy as expected! I got the soup noodle with fish -- a popular dish of theirs. Honestly, I think in the future I'd get a different protein. I liked the noodle quality. Food took a bit to come out but understandable because we came in and took up the entire restaurant. You have to bus your own trays and they were running out of space on where to put them in the narrow hallway. I think I prefer soup noodles at other places but still a solid option on campus!

C-U LaLa Noodle

3.8

(26 reviews)

Food #610 preserved egg and pork porridge…read more#604 house special bun House special bun was solid, 7 out of 10. Meat was a on the oily side but otherwise this was good. The porridge (congee) was 4 out of 10 for me. Lots of corn starch added, though it got thinner as I ate more. The taste seemed like MSG, though I am not sure how much was from the preserved egg. This was less than $10 and a big portion. I would have preferred less volume if it meant less corn starch. Ambiance: Pros for authenticity: the music playing are Chinese artists like JJ Lin. Cons: a bit of a musty smell when I walked in. For context, it had rained all day. I realize I'm not the target market (university student), though the food was disappointing.

First of all, do NOT order online for pick up or take out since it is much more expensive. The meat…read moredishes (pork,beef,etc.) in store were $16.99-$17.99. I was going to order online but they were all around $22-25. The rice special lunches in store were $9.99 but online is around $15. I actually came because my friend loved to come here a couple years ago and said it was his favorite restaurant on campus. I ordered the pork lunch special. And I was extremely disappointed. As seen in the picture when you open your food, there's just a whole ton of cabbage. I then sifted through it and counted less than 8 pieces of meat. And the bottom of the box was padded with a thick layer of rice. I also ordered a stewed pork bun. It lacked flavor and the meat to bread ratio was extremely off. I assumed because of COVID, prices went up (at least online) and less expensive ingredients were being used(meats) and more cheap materials were used to complete customer orders (rice and veggies). I know many restaurants have done this but my order was just laughably disappointing. Also I came to order on a Sunday afternoon. I was placing my order when the cashier told me that the cook was out and they couldn't make over 50-60% of the menu. That put me off a bit as I was originally going to order two things from the menu but they were both "unavailable". I think there should've been a note in the menu so customers would be notified before they spend 5 minutes looking at the menu to decide. Anyways that was a slight tangent. But another reason I gave this place 2 stars is because the cashier and workers were quite short. They would interrupt you while talking. It's just not the customer service I would expect. The only redeeming factor I believe was that one of few pieces of meat I had actually tasted pretty good. Besides this I do not think I will be back or will be recommending this place to anyone else. If you're craving authentic Chinese food, I believe there are many better options on campus (Northern Cuisine, Lao Sze Chuan, etc.).

Golden Wheat

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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!

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Some of the best Thai food in Thai food in the area. The staff are very nice and I enjoy the…read morebeautiful window paintings which greet me as I walk in.

If we were going for ambiance it wouldn't quit have gotten a 5 star :) but we knew we were not…read moregoing somewhere upscale...but their reviews said the food was upscale at a reasonable price and they didn't disappoint. The servers were very friendly and helpful with food selections, the also attended to the table as needed. The food was phenomenal. We had 3 entrees and the combo appetizer platter and it was $67. That isn't bad. We brought back 4 to go boxes. We ordered medium spice, which was a tad much for me. It wasn't so hot I couldn't eat it but I should have asked for it to be taken down a notch. However sinuses are clear as well, so I'll just count that as a bonus :) Food was wonderful! Portions were huge! Servers were friendly and helpful! The area was clean, but more diner style, but for the price we didn't expect anything except clean. Would def recommend!!

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