White Pearl delivers Thai cuisine that feels rooted in authenticity, with bold flavors and the kind of real spice that doesn't hold back. The heat is layered and intentional, and even the small detail of the hot pepper garden behind the restaurant adds to the sense that the kitchen genuinely cares about its craft. The only hesitation is the pricing, which trends noticeably high. Still, when the food carries this much flavor and character, it's easier to understand where the value comes from. read more

I'm always seeking out new to me places and I've heard of this spot from other friends for many years and just recently had the chance to visit. I wish I would've visited sooner! This spot is not much for ambience inside or outside but on the day of my visit they had brisk takeout and the dining room was packed...real quick. I'm sure a lot of folks go here for the Chinese menu items but I was there for the Lao goodies! They did not disappoint! We had the fried meat balls; a mixed app plate with chicken wings, Lao sausage, and beef jerky; lap beef; and a healthy serving of sticky rice (ok maybe we had 2 to sop up the lap beef). Flavors were on point. Medium spice had us excited and rolling at the same time as it got spicier throughout the meal for the lap...but it was so good! I can't wait to go back and try more! Service was friendly and attentive. Parking was easy since they have their own lot. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Fried meatballs, lap beef, mixed plate app with chicken wings, Lao sausage, beef jerky, sticky rice @veefoodlife - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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This is a great option for takeout. Huge menu with a variety of options. Food was well prepared and flavorful. This used to be a Taco Bell back in the day and while they have done some remodeling, the atmosphere is nothing fancy in if you decided to dine in. I had to wait a bit longer than the pickup time but the people working there were very friendly. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Inside-this used to be a Taco Bell! - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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We were out running errands and decided to look nearby for Chinese. My wife loves Cantonese food. There are few choices in the area. We picked White Pearl based on Yelp reviews. When we pulled up we first thought they were closed. Their sign flashed open so we went in. We were very pleasantly surprised. The menu, though not Cantonese was extensive and heavily leaned toward pho and other Thai/Vietnamese choices. They also had Chinese dishes. The outside appearance is not very inviting but the interior is clean and pleasant. The building looks vaguely like a repurposed Taco Bell that shows its age. However this place is well worth a visit. Our food and service was great. We only had two entrees, bbq pork fried rice and I had Thom Yum combo soup. Both were good enough to get us to return and explore the menu further. We enjoyed our food and highly recommend White Pearl. read more

I finally got to try out this spot! I know this place has been around, and I hear so many great things. The food came out so fast & the service was good. We kept getting asked if everything was okay and if we needed anything. Everything we ordered was a "must order". We knew we ordered a lot of food but we had to have it. The chicken wings were so crispy & juicy. The papaya salad satisfied my craving with the perfect amount of spice!! The beef jerky was perfect especially with the sticky rice and the crack sauce. Even the egg rolls were good.....with the sauce too! I'm already craving for this again as I'm writing this. I'm looking forward to the next time I'm back! read more

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The food was really pretty good, no surprises. It's a very basic spot, not a place you'd go for a special meal but very predictable. The biggest thing was the bathroom, looked like it hadn't been cleaned in quite a long time. One of my pet peeves. read more

This business has been in place for many years. Not an appealing inside but unmistakable good food. I would recommend this establishment for a good meal. read more

Great tasting food, crap service. How do you go on break and close the restaurant during open hours. How do you not have forks for take out orders. read more

Got delivery yesterday from White Pearl. I ordered chicken chop suey which sounds pretty boring but OMG, it was amazing!! My order was delivered in under 20 minutes HOT and SO flavorful! The veggies alone were to die for. The serving size was enough for (2) and I'm looking forward to my leftovers!! read more

Delivered promptly, and still warm. Shrimp fried rice was very food and also spicy chicken. Crab Rangoons were very good. Will order again soon. read more

Great food and friendly staff. I loved the beef lab, I used to come here all the time as a kid and it's just as good as an adult!

Poor service. The gentleman who took my order was on the phone the entire time holding me up from getting back to work, as I was on my lunch break. This was the worst and I do mean the worst, general tso chicken I have ever had in my entire life!!! The chicken tasted old and dry. The broccoli was not fresh and overall, I was upset that I wasted $16 on it. What's worse, is that i'd pre-ordered my food over the phone and asked if they had any lunch specials to which they said no. No big deal. But then when I asked for an order of the general, tso chicken, I also asked if they had any meal combinations that came with rice, etc. he said yes, but when I got my food, it was a large order of general tso chicken and a small side of white rice. I have not written a yelp review in a very long time, but this service was atrocious. The food was disgusting and I hope others avoid. Especially if you're from anywhere with good Chinese cuisine. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - general tso chicken - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

We stopped by after going to Santa's village for the Christmas lights. We weren't sure what to expect but the food didn't disappoint. We're not from the area so we were glad that we picked this restaurant because The food was good and we were hungry. read more

Cannot recommend the beef pho here. Interesting tasting meat (not the good kind of interesting) and overall funky flavor of soup had me wondering what I was eating and questioning the freshness. 30$ for two bowls of off tasting soup. Overall would skip this spot , atleast for pho read more

Been coming back here for 7 years and every time I've been amazed by the quality of this place it truly is a special place and never disappointing and friendly staff. read more

Had a delicious lunch! The vegetarian pho is very good, loaded with veggies!! The service was a little slow but we weren't in a hurry, the food did come out quickly and drinks refilled as needed. There were several other diners but it wasn't loud, the decor is pretty minimal. The bathrooms were clean as well! read more

The food is ALWAYS delicious! After Hunan Garden left town, this place has been my go-to! I highly recommend it!

Food is always good, I'd say they're a staple restaurant in Elgin, been around forever, I remember the building being our first Taco Bell.

Wow! Came here on a rainy winters day and had a delightful meal of pho and pad thai combo and more. They even had a vegetarian pho! Egg rolls were crispy. And they very kindly they let our family stay for a long spell as we visited with friends. The ownere were so nice! Made us feel like family. read more

I have been going here since I was little. It's probably been a decade since then but I still order the same thing lol I love all types of noodles! The Pad Thai is one of my favorites and has lots of flavor. You can never go wrong if you're in the mood for noodles. But the beef lad na was off to me. Great portion, ratio of sauce was enough and plenty of beef but it was lacking flavor :-( The meal looks mouth watering but it didn't taste how it looks sadly. I was disappointed. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Beef lad Na noodles - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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A very rude and inconsiderate young man that was the cashier. Customer service sucked big time, Guy seemed to care about me paying before any updates on the food was given. I asked him how long before the order was ready and he said "pay". I asked him if the order was ready and he said "pay". Most restaurants I go to seem to care about the customers first not pay first. Definitely, would not visit again or recommend. read more

Not my favorite. My fiancé is plain chicken and white rice and sauce on the side and he was even less than thrilled.

This place is incredible. Not a standard american-style Chinese place, has a wide variety of authentic Asian dishes. Everything we tried was incredible and you get a ton of food for your money. Best Asian restaurant I've been to in a long time read more

The eggroll is greasy. Not wrapped tight. Not even cooked to golden brown. It's not the same anymore. Use to be my favorite place to get my eggroll fix. White Pearl need the exorcism treatment on these eggrolls. Be gone demon. Leave this world. Talk about a disappointment. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - #19x Egg roll 6pc. - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

The food is very good but the restaurant is so dirty it makes me wonder about the kitchen. I haven't been back.

Food was delicious and the service was good, but the restaurant was dirty. If it were clean I would have given it 5 stars.

Tried the White Pearl for dinner last week based on the reviews. I told them that I wanted some fish and he recommended the spicy Szechuan boiled fish. Tasted very good but too spicy for me even though I asked for mild. This may be their version of mild. I also wanted to try a noodle dish and he suggested pad woon sen which. This was even spicier than the catfish! I've had it before at Thai restaurants and was never spicy. I think I only had a couple of spoons of it. Note to self: Dish name may be the same but always ask if it's spicy. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Spicy Szechuan boiled fish - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Finally got to try this spot. Everything we got was so delicious. The beef fried rice was so good and I liked how it had big pieces of beef. The egg rolls were yummy. The wings were HUGE! I wasnt expecting that. I really liked the chicken and broccoli and mongolian Chicken. I will definately return and try more food here. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Reasonable prices, excellent food, great portions, excellent selection, and outstanding service. Highly recommended for any kind of dining. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Every time I'm in the vicinity for years, I always stopped by to order food but no more! It looks like they have new owners and most probably a new chef. Unfortunately, their food is not as tasty as before and they also raised their prices quite a bit. read more

Recently found this small Asian restaurant and was pleasantly surprised! Delicious food, healthy plant based options and very friendly owner. Family owned business for 30 years. Highly recommend! read more

Been here once and loved the pad tai as well as the veggie spring rolls. Very spicy, but thats how it should be. You can customize the spice level if you ask. Will be back. read more

Everything I have tried here is amazing. Below are my suggestions, you can't go wrong with any of the below options: Appetizers: Lao Sausage, Beef Jerky, Chicken Wings, papaya salad, sticky rice Meals: Combo Lad Nar with Crispy Noodles, Pad Se Ew, Pad Thai I wish I could move this place closer to where I live but I have been here several times and will continue to return. read more

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Flavors aren't even all that! The people were nice which is what gives it 5 stars but the food is just okay. Best flavor there: Onion scallion beef had a nice flavor. I don't even think that is a traditional Thai dish to begin with and seems more like Chinese but hey, They got a great Chinese Onion beef for you. As for the rest of my meal ;-p.... Cons: -Papaya Salad was a bit over priced and did not have any traditional Thai flavors at all. This was the biggest bummer. -Pad Thai was weird and lacking traditional flavors. All I noticed was the sweet syrup they used. -Pad Kee Mao, had a decent flavor but still lacked what I'm accustom to from most Thai restaurants in Chicago. -Pad see Yu (Crispy) also missing flavor. Thank god I didn't pay the GrubHub prices or I'd be super pissed of all the overpriced Cons I mentioned above! You can order directly through the restaurant and pick it up at their regular menu prices. This could all be subjective but If its your first time trying Thai food, I'd try another joint for their staples before trying this one. Then come back and compare. Good luck all! read more

This is the best restaurant in this area for authentic Lao food! I always go here when I don't feel like cooking but want a home cooked meal. I've been here many times and it never disappoints. My go to dishes here are the beef larb and the chicken wings! So good! Other dishes I've tried that are not pictured are the papaya salad and Khao piak sen (chicken noodle soup). The soup is a great dish on a cold day! Also, If you want spice in your dish, make sure you tell them less than you're usual. I got the medium for papaya salad and I couldn't handle it. Next time, I'll go for mild! read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Combination fried rice, chicken wings, sticky rice, lao sausage, beef larb - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Haven't been back to Elgin in over 2 decades. My husband's work brought us here and really excited to see how much it had changed. We've been in the city for past few days and was craving some Lao food. White Pearl is a small, family-owned restaurant that serves not only Lao food, but some Thai and Chinese as well. We ordered a little of everything to share family style. Beef jerky - a little bit greasy, but good flavor. Chicken wings - delicious and crispy. A bit too much coating for me, but good portions. Lao sausage - delicious flavor and spices - crispy outside and moist filling. Papaya salad - was just ok, but I'm picky about it. Pho - Lao pho, not your typical viet pho. Not great, but not bad either. Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce - a bit salty, but good texture. Service was fine, food came out fast. Prices are a bit higher than average, but that's comparing to TN. Hopefully will be able to make it back to try their other items on the menu. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Chicken wings, papaya salad, Lao sausage, beef jerky. - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Everything here is amazing. Their Pad Thai is really special. It's not like the Pad Thai anywhere else I've had it. I would never order it over other delicious Thai entrees at most Thai restaurants but White Pearl's is AMAZING. But you really can't lose with any of their dishes. read more

so fucking good honestly no notes. depends what you order of course but everything my family and i have tried has been AMAZING ! fast polite service in a cute little restaurant. read more

Very bland food. All I could taste on my rice was the frozen vegetables. Nothing else. Over priced for mediocre food

Food is still just as great as before. They added some new foods to the menu which I have no doubt will be just as good! We will be back next time to try it. read more

White Pearl Restaurant - Papaya Salad - extra spicy - Chinese Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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