I love the variety offered at Taipei Cafe, yet my favorite is always the 卤肉饭 known as braised pork over rice! It's covered in thick, braised pork sauce topped with fermented vegetables and a brown tea egg. Perfect go-to meal! Their fried pork chop is also another great alternative read more

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup ($9.95): This is a good DEAL! For the price and the value, you get lots of noodles, lots of beef, but not a fan of the broth. It's got quite a bit of tang to it that I don't think suits the name of the dish...spicy? Took of 2 stars for service. Take this how you will. We were around closing time but we were rushed out. The place closes at 10p but were interrupted twice for the bill and the second time for payment before we even finished eating. It was around 9:35/9:40 when the first bill drop off happened and maybe less than 5 minutes later for the request for payment. While I understand the time for close up, we still had 20-25 minutes to eat! Obviously, many of them stood around looking directly at our table, while leaving the other 2 tables alone. read more

BEST POPCORN CHICKEN EVER. I can't get enough of it. Their food is also delicious and flavorful. I've tried many of their appetizers and entrees. All have yet to disappoint. Definitely one of my go to restaurants to eat. The drinks however are kinda iffy for me. But I'm normally there for the food. So I will be back for the popcorn chicken! read more

Great place for milk tea/boba tea - I actually think their milk tea may be one of the most authentic in the Chicago Chinatown area (if you disagree, let me know which one's better!). I've tried their Black forest Mousse and Grass Jelly Milk Tea (favorite!!!). The Black Forest Mousse is a bit too sweet in my opinion but hubby thought it was perfect (he loves chocolate). The Grass Jelly milk tea was delicious! Really authentic. Just wish there were more grass jelly. Check our my video review here: https://youtu.be/XjqqME8VMXU read more

With all the high ratings, I was very excited to eat here. Although I was warned that the food tasted horrible by some friends, I decided to follow through. The food looked delicious enough but I was shocked by how bland the food was. I'm so sorry, but this is the worst restaurant that I have ever been to. Ever. Rice dish: The meat was super hard and I could not fully chew it, nonetheless eat it. It was super salty too -salty and hard-. Only a few vegetables, no flavoring at all, and rice. A couple of bites and I couldn't force myself to eat anymore. Noodles: The noodles had no flavor and the seafood was dull as well. Unfortunately, I won't be coming here again. Honestly, I am extremely baffled by the lack of flavors- I will never forget this meal and its tastlessness. We only had a couple of bites and did not take any leftovers home. I hope it just happened to be a series of mistakes when making this meal... read more

Taipei Cafe - No flavor at all. Hard to eat meat and seafood. Bland noodles and rice dish unfortunately. - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Finally a place in Chicago area that can truly boast about Taiwanese staple street food. We tried the popcorn chicken, pork chop bento box, braised pork over rice, and Tainan style Danzai noodles. All of them hit the right spots and made us very happy. The milk tea with pudding was also very good. The dessert menu was also attractive. The snow ice was a tasty treat that can be shared by two or three if you are stuffed with all the rice and noodles. Definitely will go back again to try the rest of the menu. read more

Taipei Cafe - From drinks to entrees and desserts, they don't miss a beat - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had the Taipei milk tea and it was so tasty. The perfect amount of sweet. I will return for this.

True deliciousness is served here. My friend is a native of China and told me her favorite place in the world is Taiwan (for the food of course). Chowbus, the chicago Chinese food delivery app brings Taipei cafe right to your door. We've gotten the braised pork rice, sesame noodles, and crispy pork chop rice. The braised pork rice... omg such damn good comfort food. The braised pork is salty and on a mountain of white rice. Dish can be hit or miss though depending on the fattiness of the pork. Pork chop rice is fried in delish gravy and cut into strips. Bone in. This is my go to. Cold sesame noodles are tasty but the sauce to noodle ratio heavily favors the noodles. Overall love that I can get Taiwanese food in chicago that wont break the bank. As long as you don't mind a few days w a rice belly, this place is a treat! read more

The drinks are absolutely delicious! I ordered through Chowbus and didn't really know what to expect, but the Okinawa Milk Tea was so good, especially with the pudding! The passionfruit tea was also banger, I love it when passionfruit drinks have the seeds inside, it makes it so fun to drink. Super delicious and I'll definitely order again :) read more

Authentic Taiwanese Restaurant!!! Their Pineapple green tea is the best! All the pinto boxed meals are tasty as well as their noodles. Their serving is good for 2 to share. The staff are very attentive and polite. Parking is free. Price is $$. Will recommend ?: ABSOLUTELY!!!! read more

Service isn't the best, food is decent, not a ton of options, small place, parking lot is small but it's okay Milk tea is decent read more

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This is a hop happening place for Northern and Taiwanese food. If you're in a mood for spicy beef noodle soup this place has a great one. Fun fruit smoothie and tea drinks and I love the popcorn chicken! Yes, the popcorn chicken is a must-have here delicious. I think I'd like to have more friends check this place out as it has so many other items on the menu to check out. read more

What you eat is what you sow. This is why food is essential. As of the posting date. This is the best Taiwanese restaurant in Chicago. Pros: cheap and good Cons: my 红烧肉 isn't as lit as before Even though it's the best Taiwanese restaurant in Chicago, there are canto elements. read more

Sweet staff! We ordered the spicy beef noodle soup and it was so good! Be careful though it is a huge bowl! We shared it between two of us and we had hard time finishing it. You can NOT skip the popcorn chicken. It looked so bland when it came in and the flavor burst surprised my tastebuds. It was anythjng but bland! I couldn't get my hands on what the flavor was but I was a sweet taste. Must just try. We came for the matcha honey toast and honestly after all the food we were so full and DID NOT EXPECT It TO BE SO Big!!! It was beautiful. I personally love the matcha and don't think the matcha was good quality but the toast it's self is great!! I had already recommended the place to a friend before even leaving the place. It's a great place to go eat!! read more

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My favorite Taiwanese restaurant. I usually order online or over the phone and pick up. My favorite dishes are Popcorn Chicken, Braised pork over rice, and crispy spiced chicken. Their milk teas here are really good as well. The servers here are always so nice even though I just come in to pick up food. I always leave with the smile on my face. read more

21 check ins later... so this review is long overdue to say the least. (not including the few times I've forgotten to check-in) I've had nearly everything there is to have on their dinner menu, so I know a thing or two about this place, and I HIGHLY recommend any of the bentos. Particularly the fried porkchop and the fried chicken one along with a small black tea bubble tea. It's very cheap considering the taste and quantity of the food you get! The bento comes with soup, a small veggie (broccoli), rice, some pickled veggies, and a large portion of meat (pork chop, fried pork chop, pork belly, fried chicken, bbq pork)! With the small bubble tea add on (for 2.50), the value, quantity, and quality of food you get really brings me back to an authentic Taiwanese meal. TIP: I like my bubble teas with 50% sugar and less ice. Small Dishes: This place also has a LOT of authentic taiwanese dishes that I've almost never seen served anywhere else in America. Those being, the oyster pancake, rice tower, taiwanese spring roll, ba-wan, and gua bao. The oyster pancake has been a bit hit or miss for me. Sometimes it's fresh and still kinda crispy when I eat it, and sometimes it's a little on the colder side. Overall I like it and recommend trying it to taste a really unique taiwanese dish. Their rice tower is REALLY good. This dish is hard to google since there's no standard english translation, and I only know it's taiwanese pronunciation. But if you google 筒仔米糕, you'll find more results on it. It's only 4 dollars, but it holds a lot of flavor for everyone to have! It's a sticky rice tower with a sweet savory sauce over it. Topped with braised meat. It's traditionally made in these metal cups, steamed, and then flipped over in Taiwan, but not sure what method they use here. I've had a lot of taiwanese spring rolls from family and the local taiwanese community, and the ones they serve here are pretty comparable! They got that crispness down and the sauce they serve with it is really tasty. I think their ba-wan is overpriced for what they serve you, but it's pretty good. I tried it once, and would only get it again if I was REALLY craving this dish. It's just hard to justify when people in Taiwan sell these for like 1-2 USD Their gua bao is also worth trying once, but maybe not again. It's only one bun, and although it's decently big, it's a bit overpriced for what it is. For apps, I'd recommend: The popcorn chicken, taiwanese spring roll, rice tower, taiwanese fried tofu (note, these are NOT stinky. They taste super good, have the pickled veggies like they would with stinky tofu in taiwan, but these got no stank), and oyster omelet. BUBBLE TEA: I think they've got the best regular black milk tea with boba (50% sugar, less ice) in the city of chicago. I didn't really like some of their mousses (a little too sweet and heavy), but overall they have a really nice milk tea selection that are creamy and delicious! I always get one with my bento! Desserts: I've only had room to eat dessert one time, and that's because I shared my entree with someone else. I tried the shaved ice, and it was creamy, smooth, and delicious! I'd say a bit small for the price, but a nice treat. Never tried the bread because I'm always too full, but it looks good and is enormous! Noodle dishes: Their beef noodle soup is decent, but I think it's lacking a bit of flavor that I'm used to. Still really nice and warm for what it is! I love getting the ground pork noodle with soup! Getting it dry feels like there isn't enough of the pork flavor going through the noodles, but the soup helps even out everything. Their Danzai noodle soup is also a good pick. I prefer the ground pork noodles over it, but it's a nice little change of flavor when i get the pork noodles too much. Basil Chicken: There's a good quantity to this one! Which is great since it's one of the pricier items on their menu. It's definitely a sharing dish since the flavor will get a bit overwhelming if you eat it all yourself. Radish Omelet: I've had this a lot at home as a child, and never knew what it was called. So ordering it and finding it here was a really pleasant surprise! The downside is that I don't think it's justified for 7.95. It's something I'm going to look up at home and make myself from now! It's hard to go wrong with most of the items on the menu, but I'd definitely pick out a bento and a bubble tea if it's your first time! Certain Taiwanese dishes lean towards the sweet/savory side, so don't be surprised when the taiwanese sausage is sweet, or when your dipping sauces for the bentos are all sweet savory either! I love this place and will probably go again sometime this week read more

Best Taiwanese food I have ever had in US. The owner spent lots of time trying to duplicate the taste of real Taiwanese food. I think you shouldn't be able to find out such kind of quality and similarity of Taiwanese food in great Chicago area. And you can find the rice they use is very different from that in most of the Chinatown restaurants. They provide many kinds of the food. You should try them and are able to find out some of your favorites. My favorite list: Braised pork chop bento box Braised pork belly Braised pork over rice Stir fried noodle w shitake mushroom & pork Taiwanese sausage Taiwanese fried tofu Taipei special mix Braised trio plates Gua bao Braised chicken Minced pork with chives read more

Their Okinawa milk tea is a must try. It is sweetened with this roasted sugar that just makes it that much better. Also, perfect chewy tapioca. I've been here 2-3 times just to get their milk tea to go. You can orders your drinks here with various sugar and ice level, a plus in my book! read more

Taipei Cafe - Pork ball and turnip soup (top left), squid in thick broth (bottom left), spicy pickled lotus root (right) - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Order delivery and got egg waffles without ice cream. Very disappointed in the order. Milk tea was good but make sure your due diligence is done when sending out orders. read more

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The food was very bad，Let a person to vomit. super bad service，mandatory gratuity The worst restaurants read more

Haven't tried the food in so long, but I was getting milk tea with my friend a few nights ago and the two young ladies that was in charge of making drinks were laughing and talking into our drinks. The guy up front, who I assume is the owner, didn't say anything about it. That's disgusting. Not saying you need to wear a mask but please don't talk into the cup. I don't want your spit in our drinks. Only giving three stars because I've tried a few of their drinks and there are very good. I always ordered over the phone because for some reason they take forever to make even the simplest l drinks. But this time, it was a last minute decision so we walked in to order. I know why they take forever now. It's because the baristas be goofing around. read more

I really enjoyed the desert I got. Milk Tea Shaved Ice and Matcha Egg Waffle both had a lot of flavor. The boba that came with the shaved ice added a unique kick to it. Will be back eventually! read more

Taipei Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So glad I found out this place bringing me back all my hometown flavors. We got bubble tea that you can customize ice and sugar amounts. We also got popcorn chicken and braised trio platter. All of them were really good. Popcorn chicken comes with decent size tho it's a bit sweeter. Love this place! I can't wait to come back again soon! read more

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First time visit, the foods were yummy and taste. The egg whiffle ice cream was ok. Not the original HK style taste but we are inUS. Will visit again next time when we back to Chicago. read more

Taipei Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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PLEASE GET THE OYSTER PANCAKE. Literally a flavor bomb. So friggin good- the texture is like mochi but think a hybrid of green onion pancake and mochi! The intestine/oyster noodle was quite flavorful as well. The bowl is small but because it's so rich, you'll be full by the time you finish! THE TAIPEI HOT POT IS EXTREMELY SPICY. If you aren't a spice fan please pick the seafood hot pot! Although spicy, I thought it was still delicious! Lots of tender meat and cabbage!i would definitely go back! read more

Pretty authentic Taiwanese food and great boba drinks. Their popcorn chicken and braised pork over rice were legit. The stinky tofu hotpot hit the spot but just wished they gave you more than 1 piece of stinky tofu. It's been ages since I've had oyster omelette and theirs did not disappoint. I think their Taiwanese sausage would have been better if it was cooked a little longer but it was still very tasty. Portions were huge. Service was fast and staff very friendly. I'd be here every week if I lived here. read more

This is a restaurant I continue to come to. They have a menu with a lot of different options, their food always tastes delicious, and the portions are generous. Their popcorn chicken and bubble tea are my absolute favorites. The chicken is always cooked perfectly, and the teas taste very fresh. Their beef noodle soup is good, but I wish they would add a little bit more meat and veggies to it. The braised pork over rice is also very good! read more

I imagine it was very authentic, but I didn't have much that I liked. The basil chicken had great flavor, but I had to pull all the meat off the chopped up bones, and occasionally a chip of bone made it into my food. The best was the spicy chicken. I did not like the icy chocolate dessert. We got several dishes, and I know that I didn't like most of them. But, like I said, it was authentic. I probably just prefer the Americanized version of Chinese food. read more

A Taiwanese restaurant that can't pull off a beef-noodle soup (much less use the right type of noodle for it) needs to sit down and have a serious think about what it is doing as an institution. Taipei Cafe's beef noodle soup is like getting a lackluster backrub. You keep imagining what a truly good version of it would be, all while your senses are being assailed by this inadequate version. Their popcorn chicken is absolutely mesmerizing, and prevented me from flipping over the entire table. So too is their pork cutlet bento dish. Their 小吃 cold dishes though (like their Taipei sampler which was mostly seaweed with a few bits of tofu thrown in, and their woodear and goji combo, which seemed hastily constructed) need to be skipped. Their service is fast and their servers were great. The mural on their wall, too, is a Sausage Party fever dream. I appreciate that the spacing of the tables here is far more breathable than those new places that pack you in like sardines until you can't tell if you're eating the food or being the food. Their chairs, needless to say, are hard and that exact new-hip-restaurant-trying-to-seat-you-cheaply model of chair from Target. read more

This is very genuine Taiwan food. Every dish is must eat! We love the beef noodle. It's God's food. We love the bento. Taste just like what we eat in Taiwan. 100% recommendation. If we can give 6 stars we will. read more

Taipei Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It was a really nice place with a cool vibe. Pretty small but very homely. Great service and a well rounded menu. the food and boba was amazing!! my favorite the honey milk tea but try whatever you like cause itll probably be great! read more

Authentic food with low prices. We loved everything we ordered, and the portion was good for sharing too. Popcorn chicken (made with chicken thigh meat), salt and pepper fried chicken breast, Gua Bao are all worth trying. Of course they have the signature Taiwanese braised pork over rice as well. Besides food, they also a good selection of milk tea and desserts. read more

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All around pretty mediocre. Nothing exceptional in terms of food or service. St.Alps in Chinatown serves basically the same food but better. read more

Taipei Cafe - Winter Melon Latte - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We order d bubble tea takeouts here. They were decent. A bit pricy but it's Chicago, not entirely unreasonable.

Five stars for the sheer fact of Taipei Cafe being able to satisfy so many cravings for Taiwanese food that I've had. We ordered so much food because it had been so freaking long since we'd had Taiwanese, and we got the works: o a mee sua (my absolute fave), gua bao, ba wan, lu rou fan, an appetizer plate, and shaved snow (not to be confused with shaved ice)! I also got a milk cap bubble tea which I haven't had in AGES. It's priced okay for what it is - not particularly cheap but not expensive either. I don't really care how much it costs to be honest because knowing that I can get o a mee sua whenever I want again has kind of changed my life. Thanks Taipei Cafe! read more

Taipei Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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They've worked out the service kinks and added some more hard to find Taiwanese dishes (like the taiwanese radish omelette) so I'm upgrading my rating. read more

Taipei Cafe - Cold noodles with sesame sauce; bowls of braised pork and ground pork over rice - Taiwanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Be aware.Second time visit here.The staff here were here was very unprofessional,no greeting,and don't even give you guys a look,and the food is not really flavorful.And they charged for tips like last time that I visited and don't even tell you. read more

Q Matcha waffle was really good!! Their Taiwanese bun, fried tofu, sweet potato fries and oyster pancake is one of the most authentic I had. I always get a craving for this place. Outstanding! read more

Taipei Cafe is so necessary because there just aren't many Taiwanese places in Chicago. That being said, I gave it a 4 because the options are there (the menu is e.x.t.e.n.s.i.v.e) but taste-wise the food is not that authentic. I want to love it so much but Taipei Cafe and I have a rocky relationship at best. Restaurant: relatively clean, I've come on good and slightly bad days when they're busier. The servers are always nice but you can see the fatigue on some of them when things get really hectic. That being said, service can be a little slow on those days. Now that they've gotten really popular, I've noticed that they're really understaffed and struggling to meet the demand. Parking is not ideal in front of the restaurant (almost always full), but there's usually plenty of streetside parking on Halsted on both sides of the road. Also a lot of families seem to come here (again, the only Taiwanese restaurant I know of near downtown Chicago) so expect it to be crowded / be prepared to wait for a table especially on weekends. Food: as I mentioned their menu is BIG. Their Okinawa bubble tea is pretty special and I haven't seen it in other places, so a definite must-try. They have a bunch of xiao-chi ("little eats") that are, as the name suggests, smaller dishes that are sold as street food / in night markets in the homeland. Again, not super authentic tasting but not bad either. Not really complaining since I have yet to find ba-wan or oyster omelettes anywhere else in Chicago... Their bento sets are decent! As one of the most expensive option on their menu (a whopping $8), bentos come on this HUGE plate with plenty of meat and rice - enough to take home! (it heats up fantastically by the way, one of the best leftover meals I've had). I'm also baffled by how "cheap" their oyster omelette is ($6-7), and it comes on a sizable plate. My only issue with the omelette is that it doesn't have a whole lot of oysters, but Chicago doesn't have a whole lot of sea. So. OH and also their shaved ice is big and pretty good. Try it! While we don't feel an overwhelming urge to come back ALL the time, it's comforting to know that there is at least 1 reliable place where we can get Taiwanese food when we're craving it. read more

Authentic Taiwanese food! I mean Taiwanese food, not altered TW food as served in duck duck goat. Popcorn chicken is a hit! Braised pork over rice made my heart sing too! Make reservation ahead of time for Sat night though. Or you will have to wait for a while. read more

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