Have been going to breakers for over 30 years. But the last 2 times the food has been sub par. The steak in my steak mushroom Kew was very tough and the other time the shrimp dish was mushy and no flavor . Dont know if they have new cooks or because of new owners. Maybe time to head to plum garden in McHenry. I've also noticed less people eating in the. Restaurant lately.... read more

If you want to great dining experience the food is fantastic the service is excellent the drinks are fantastic had a great time we were there for an hour and a half and when we were done we didn't want to leave so we went to the bar had a few more drinks met the new owner great guy great restaurant will be coming back Jason thanks again see you soon Mike read more

Shrimp and lobster dinner was very good and made to order as I had them substitute black beans for mushrooms.

Unfortunately they're under new owners. Waited over an hour for our food. Changed their sauces not as good. The waitress dropped and splattered mustard sauce all over us. Out of almond cookies. And on and on. read more

So I was fascinated with the fact that every time I drove home from work or went shopping in Crystal Lake that the parking lot was very full. We finally went one night. Upon going into the place I realized that the exterior and interior aren't much different. Not that the era they are going for isn't cool. I think it could be totally awesome but it's not. I just wanted to vomit with how cluttered it was inside. We were seated in a corner booth on the north east side of the restaurant. Most of the other booths had people in them. We looked at the menu and picked some things out. A little while later a retired couple a couple booths over got their food. It was obvious that the lady was not at all impressed by her appetizer. Soon after the waitress came back and she reported that it wasn't any good. The waitress said that their food would be out shortly. Rather than have the appetizer replaced they decided that they didn't want it and just wanted their entree. The waitress came back out shortly after and provided their entrees. They started to eat and were again very dissatisfied. They began talking loudly about how the food used to be good and something must be wrong. When the waitress came back to provide food to a booth near us they interrupted her and asked where the chef was. I didn't catch his name. Anyway, she explained that he had retired. They had apparently been patronizing the restaurant for a great many years. They refused to pay for the food as they were so disgusted. After an argument with the waitress they finally left. We were then scared ourselves. Our Crab Rangoon and Egg Rolls were really overdone. The Sweet & Sour chicken and Chicken Lo Mein wasn't much better. We'll my wife and I have decided that the reason the parking lot is still full is because of the atmosphere and those who have been coming for the alcohol for years and years. They must be eating when they've been intoxicated or just don't know what good food is. We have several friends who were intrigued about the place much like we were and now have the same opinion. Anyway, I ended up paying my bill but will never go back unless something is done with that place. Anyway, Ironically I'd like to see this place succeed but I think they need an intervention with Chef Ramsay. I looked up and saw that they are taking applications right now but unfortunately not in the Chicago area. Perhaps next time when they cast they'll be looking for Restaurants in our area. I hope that the owners or Employees see this post and decide that they'd like to nominate themselves to get an upgrade and direction. I'd like to see the restaurant selections in the Woodstock/Crystal Lake area improve. http://www.fox.com/kitchennightmares/ Chop Suet Hut Woodstock FTW! Mark read more

A reluctant 3....it's a bummer since I've been here many times, but the food and service have gone downhill. I ordered General Tsao Chicken, as I usually do, not only here here but many other places. (It's not an unusual dish, no?) What I was presented with was a spicy sort of sweet-and-sour chicken with no veggies. When I asked our waitress about it, I was shortly approached by the hostess who told me that's what they have always served and pretty much implied I didn't know what I was talking about. What a bummer. I've been going there on and off for years, it's a shame. The drinks are as usual, sweet and strong and just about anything you order is served with a rock-candy stick. Maybe we were there on a bad night...I hope so. read more

I agree that the egg rolls are good, but tonight was my last visit to this place. The staff spends more time talking at the bar than their tables. If you want a refill on your 8 ounce coke, you'll have to buy it for another 1.50. The entrees aren't what they used to be and the place needs a front to back scrubbing. read more

Went there and ordered sweet and sour chicken, Mongolian beef, shrimp fried rice, crab rangoon, and egg rolls. Egg rolls and rangoon were very good. Love the sweet and sour sauce, seems to he homemade. However, when our food was brought out, I tried the sweet and sour and almost had to spit it out. It was so bitter and the saltiest thing I have EVER eaten. The server came back after I gave it back to him..almost gagging. He tried it himself! Just to find out they flipped the salt and sugar! So we probably ly had about 1/2 cup salt in our food, as the server started telling us, but stopped. He took my plate and didn't bring another back out for a while and we had other food to eat. All we got was two free egg rolls. For something like that, they should have comped at least the sweet and sour. Fried rice was so bland. No egg in it either. Mongolian beef was sweet, probably switched salt and sugar there too. Needless to say, we won't be back. read more

No refills on an 8oz Coke? Are you kidding me?! Management acted like l was crazy for expecting that. Will never go back.

A classic since I was a kid. The Mai Tai's are out of this world!!! The Gals working the bar and the eating area are "Home-Grown" Crystal lake. The food is simple-like it should be-with huge portions and extremely TASTY!!! Swing in for a drink after work-you will be glad you did. Marty Flagg-Wisconsin read more

The Breaker's is more than a restaurant - it's a time machine that takes you back before malls, franchises and food courts. A time when where you were going in America wasn't a mirror image of where you just left. Prior to WWII and the advent of interstate highway the country was knitted together by the national route system - Route 66 and yes, Route 14. "Supper clubs" like "Lenny's The Breakers" offered local color with good food. So step back into 1949 when Chinese cuisine took on an American flavor and wash it down with the best Mai Tai you ever had. Enjoy the kitsch, charm and local color of a supper club that hasn't changed much since I first ate there as a young boy some 50 years ago. read more

BEST darn Mai-Tai's on The Planet We drive about an hour just to sit at the bar at Breakers and order a Mai-tai and eggroll. Yum!! The place is from the 1940's and has the authentic ''Tiki-kitchy'' feel to it. Think an old movie with Dean Martin in it! They do have live music on the week-ends too but be sure and get a reservation or you will end up waiting at the bar and enjoying one mai-tai too many. Its a happy place and the service is always great. The combination meals-- like dinner for two- has lots of delicious food, you will not go hungry in fact you will be carting left overs home. My favorite place! read more

1st time visiting the Breakers. Was apprehensive about actually going - have heard mixed reviews (dirty interior, bad food, etc). The interior was kitschy and old, but wasn't "dirty" by any means. It was a different and unique dining experience. Didn't try any of the famous mai tai drinks, but will next time. Ordered egg drop soup (was a bit weird, water chestnuts and mushrooms were added?) and crab rangoon for appetizers. The crab rangoon were small, kind of lukewarm, and lacking the filling. Would be good if they were bigger! While the sweet and sour chicken was delicious, there were too many added veggies and not enough chicken to the dish. Loved what little chicken there was in it, though! And the chicken fried rice was the absolute best I've ever had. Love the added bean sprouts on top and it was delicious. Overall, I would recommend this place & will definitely be ordering take out (for the fried rice and sweet & sour chicken)! read more

Love the food!!!!! Tonight we had dinner to celebrate my Mom's and brother-in-law's birthday. We had Toni as our waitress and she was fantastic. She took our drink orders and then gave us time to visit prior to approaching us for our dinner order, Mai Tais (Fabulous) and Grogs were the drinks of the night. She always had a smile on her face & was always available when we needed something. We ordered the Canton City Dinner & received a variety of different food. The shrimp & egg roll appetizers are to die for. In fact the entire meal was great!!! We look forward to our next visit to Breakers. to read more

Have been going to breakers for 25 year's, nothing has ever changed until now. We have always experienced an excellent dining experience, good food, outstanding service, awesome drinks. Heard the restaurant has new owners. The MaiTais are what has always brought me in and they have changed, lighter in color, less alcohol, more acid. My wife got sick from the increased acidic content, she only had one. While I didn't think the drinks were terrible. I will be on the lookout for a better Maitai. Food and service were as good as always, maybe breakers take out from now on. read more

The mai-tais are the best around!!! Great atmosphere, definitely one of my favorites places to go during a night out with friends. Food is great and they have a great cheeseburger as well!!! read more

Just ok. The service is good. The menu is ok, but this place is very, very old. Please don't look in the kitchen, and when your sitting at their bar, and they pull up the floor board to go into the crawl space, don't look down there. You look at the kitchen & crawl space, I think you will leave. read more

Nicest people to talk to come in here. Best Mai Tais ever. I still can't figure out how to come close to replicating this recipe at home.

We ate at The Breakers last night with friends. The atmosphere was throwback tiki bar, dated but fun. We ordered the dinner for six, plus one extra that I can't remember the name of......fried shrimp, veggies. The food brought me back to the Cantonese style that I grew up eating in Chicago Chinese restaurants. Love the bean sprouts. There was more than enough food for six; lots of take home boxes. The egg rolls were great, again, like the ones I grew up with. The mai tais were tasty too. Everyone in our party enjoyed the food. Our server was friendly and prompt and didn't rush us through the meal. read more

This was our first time here. Have driven by many times. The waitress (Raia) was very friendly and hospitable, she checked on us many times. It was very busy. The food was outstanding! I had the General Tso chicken and my Wife had the beef in tomatoes and peppers. The quality and quantity was beyond our expectations!! We will be back again!! Oh and the drinks were outstanding also!!! read more

This place has great food!! Gave it 3 stars though because ever since they reopened they never have egg drop soup. Everyone loves egg drop soup and its super disappointing to never get any. Also they replaced their chow mein noodles with super thick weird tasting "chow mein" noodles. I feel like they're starting to go down hill and its a shame because we always thought they were so good! read more

Poor service and below average food. Cluttered atmosphere was small and loud making it hard to move and hold conversation. This brings me to the next point, the waitress got too close for comfort. She also made unnecessary comments that made my party feel unwelcome including: "have you never been here?" and"You didn't use that mustard did you?" There was also a spider that fell from the ceiling on to my boyfriends arm during our meal. The fried wantons were darker than they should have been and the chicken fried rice had less flavor than expected. Again below average Americanized Chinese-where do you get good Chinese in the Woodstock/Crystal Lake area? Overall not a positive experience and we will not be returning. read more

It is all about the circuses here. The food is fuel, but the atmosphere is "Chinatown funky" with a Bob Dylan impersonator on the mike. Wait staff is friendly and competent, but remember, the food is just fuel (Cantonese egg foo yung) so enjoy the ambiance. We go there often just to escape the winter for an hour. Think 50s chinese supper club, and decide. See you there. Enjoy. read more

This used to be my favorite place to go. My parents introduced me to this place many many years ago when I was much younger and I absolutely loved it. They would always celebrate their wedding anniversary here. But the last couple of times I have been here, I have been quite disappointed. Food did not taste as good as it used to. It was okay but not up to the standards I remember. Also there were alot more extras included in the meals. I remember a nice easy laid back atmosphere but the last time I was there, I got the bum's rush. I will not be coming back here for dinner in the future. read more

My favorite Chinese restaurant ever! I love the atmosphere, it is a break from reality tiki style fun. Mai Tais are awesome, I could eat their egg rolls for breakfast, lunch and dinner in fact today I had one for breakfast! My husband isn't a Chinese fan but had a burger and garlic fries and he loved it. I have had Kung Pao chicken and beef and broccoli at different times they were both yummy! The service was great! We brought a group of friends and had a blast! Under new owners many of the same staff, give it a try! read more

My girlfriends and I had a fabulous time here the other night. We wanted a tropical atmosphere, to try and forget that it was 2 degrees outside. Drinks were fabulous and the food was even better. Had the dinner for three, I would highly recommend it, and the egg rolls were the best I've had in a long time! read more

Very Disappointed!!! We used to come here all the time it was our favorite place for anniversaries, birthdays, etc. What happened?! Cheap new management? First of all we were greeted by a 13 year old that just pointed to us where our table was, it took at least 20 min for our waitress to finally come and take our drinks order, while we were waiting for our food we didn't get those chow mein noodles that we used to get before our meal, we got 3 shrimps and 2 very rough spring rolls for appetizers, finally food was here but it was a TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT, BTW we didn't have silverware on our table so when I asked the waitress if we can get some she made a very sarcastic comment "I guess is too hot to eat it with your hands huh" definitely not a good thing to say to someone who's already uncomfortable with the service they're receiving. Back to the food part - fried rice had green and red peppers which totally messed up with the flavor it was awful, the egg foo youngs were horrible! Dried, hard to eat and it tasted like grass, chicken was ok (we missed the old chef) to closed the night we didn't get the almond cookies we used to get at the end of the meal. We used to loved this place specially my boyfriend who has been coming here since he was a kid. Not sure if we're going back. read more

Awful awful place. Food is terrible! Service is disgraceful!! Drinks have nothing to be desired about. Famous Mai tai get real!!! Thought I was drinking fruit punch OJ and Bacardi rum. You can seriously do better anywhere else in crystal lake. Place is also in need of a serious upgrade. read more

Stopped in after a friend recommended it. Danny waited on us. One of the original employees from way back. Gave us a history lesson as we were seated (which I thought was a nice intro). We got there early, seated right away and had drinks on the table in 5 min. Had a full Chinese menu but also had "American fare" which made one of my twin boys happy. Restaurant was packed when we left. Good food for all, Tasty........ Highly recommend it. read more

Wonderful service-delicious food-delightful place! You will enjoy! Live entertainment on Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

Great food. Cool atmosphere ! Arlene was not the best waitress, lost a star because of her. Will be back for the food, just ask for a different waitress. read more

This is a great place to eat. Lovely decor and great service. Prices are right. More food than one can eat. Family style dining. Egg Rolls are the best around. Mai Tai's are very good. This place has been around for many years. They do it right. Say hello to our favorite server Danny! read more

one of the very few truly good oriental restaurants in the area. Our favorite!!! Love it and their egg rolls are yummy.

The Breakers in Crystal Lake has the WORST Chinese food (if you can even call it food) I have EVER eaten! The beef was grey and the veggies looked like they came out of a can of LaChoy! Disgusting!!!!! I threw the to go containers in the dumpster behind the restaurant on the way out. The restaurant smelled like mold the moment we walked in the door, this place must have been under water several times. I had to rate it 1 star because this site makes you give it some sort of rating but it deserves a -5 stars! read more

The Breakers is by far the best Chinese food I have ever had. I won't eat an egg roll anywhere else. The place radiates friendly and the bar crowd is always funny and entertaining. The best drink there is their Mai Tai and it is not for the lightweights. I can't drink more than two! This place will take you back in time. It is dated, but I think that is a good thing and don't understand the reviews that make it a bad thing. Must everything be modernized? Wouldn't that take our history away? I like Breakers just the way it is- Tiki Tacky! read more

I love this Chinese restaurant. It is by far the best in Crystal Lake. The food is great. I recommend the egg rolls and shrimp in lobster sauce. The egg rolls come with homemade sweet and sour sauce which is to die for. The drinks are strong. It is a very nostalgic place with all the tiki decor your heart desires. It is a must try for sure. I've been going here for years. read more

Just went for the first time tonight for dinner, it was pretty awesome. Our waiter was Danny and he was on point the entire time. He recommended the egg rolls and Maitais which were both amazing, I haven't had a Maitai that good since I lived in Hawaii. The food was awesome, you could tell they used fresh vegetables and proteins. The decor was entertaining, unique and corny but very clean and made the experience. Give this place a try for a unique dining experience and ask for Danny, he made our dinner memorable because he was so nice and on top of everything. read more

So terribly disappointed in our recent trip here. SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE, It has never been stellar but this time it was so bad we will not be returning. It was not even busy, two servers on plus a bartender and the owners. 2 larger tables and two booths, including us. Server took our drink order and we looked at our drinks sitting at the bar for more then 5 mins. , half the ice was melted by the time we got them. If the server was "so busy" the bartender or owner that was standing there should have brought our drinks to us. When we ordered we clarified separate checks and told her we would be ordering take home stuff as well. We ordered appetizers right away which seemed to take forever.The friend stuff has an awful after taste, old oil? not sure. Our meals came and we asked twice for more white rice. I had decided to make my togo order for in house as my son ended up joining us.Mind you with no vegetables , which is was like a regular dish. She still brought it to go. We boxed our food and told her right away we would take the check. She brought the whole thing on ONE check. When we went to her and asked for separate checks she printed them separate but never came back to take our payment. We ended up going to the bar and paying cash as they couldn't "find our bills in the system". Not to mention two other tables that came after us, ate and left before us. Unfortunately for this over priced Chinese food and horrible service we will not be returning. read more

My family has been going to Breakers for many years. We have never been disappointed once with the food, drinks or service. The best egg rolls ever and the amount of food you get can feed your family 3-4 meals, there are always left overs for sure. The family is heading over tonight and we can't wait...family from out of state still raves about this restaurant...it is the best! You must try it! read more

I don't get why this place only has 3 stars.. If I could give it 10, I would. Best Chinese food around, by far!