Chi Cafe
Chi Cafe — neighborhood chinese in Chinatown. The kitchen takes tradition seriously. Priced right, open late. S G: "The sauce was rich but not overpowering, and absolutely delicious with the rice and pork cutlet" [$]
What 1,921 diners keep saying
What 1,921 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“I have come here a few times but now I will finally write my review! The food is spectacular here and the service is great! I will definitely come back again!”

“Great service cleans and delicious The food taste fresh And very welcoming.”

“Absolutely delicious! Food was seasoned so well. Stopped in on a Saturday night around 8:00, party of 3. We were seated quickly. The restaurant was clean and waiter was friendly. I don’t eat meat. I ordered the general Tso chicken plate and replaced the chicken with the fried tofu. Ordered a side of green beans. SO DELICIOUS!!! Everything was so flavorful. My friends ordered the three meat with fried rice and general T’so plate. Prices are very reasonable for the large portions. $15.60 was the price (tax included) for one plate of meat and rice The restroom was clean. It’s in an awkward spot. Behind the cashier just before you get to the kitchen. There are no paper towels only a hand dryer. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our meals and definitely recommend.”

“Great Cantonese food. It’s been around a longtime for a reason.”

“It's delicious, cheap, and open late. What more do you want? I ordered the beef with king mushrooms, it was very tasty”

“This place has HK style milk tea and its delicious. Got their beef with vegetables and beef with egg sauce. The egg sauce reminded me of childhood when i had it :D”

“Gets really busy and full, expect to wait for a table. The usual Chinese fare. They have my favorite pea pod tips. Neef dish and others are delicious but I worry about the healthiness lol. I meam there’s a lot of fat and grease but that’s what you expect in Chinese dishes and oftem what makes it special and delicious.”

“Late-night spot in Chinatown with a lively atmosphere and lots of people even on weekdays. Parking validation was a big plus. The food was overall average, but the wonton noodle soup was good — flavorful broth and very bouncy shrimp wontons. The oxtail hot pot was also tender and great with rice. Prices are reasonable, good for casual late-night eats, but probably not a place I’d go out of my way for.”

“Chi cafe is one of the only places in Chicago that close supper late which is a gem for late dinning.This place attracts large crowds and is usually packed be prepared for a wait. Make sure to check inside with the host to have him get your name and give you a wait time. Usually people wait around the bench area outside. Honestly the entrance and doors and windows need heavy deep cleaning for years they have been gross. It doesn’t give a nice impression. The inside seems to be nicely devoted from ceilings to wall decors but it’s just the hygiene of the environment that needs to be taken care of. The food plates and silver wear are surprisingly clean.The portion sizes are a little smaller since the last two years I think an entree feeds two comfortable keep that in mind. Some plates come out sooner than others so that’s something to expect. They are terrible at asking if you need anything or checking up they usually never do that and most of the time you need to haul them down fast bc they just walk past you rushing. They do give you fresh water and keep refilling it throughout. The food taste isn’t flavorful as it was couple years back. Very salty and the egg rolls DONT GET. Just mushy and bland it tasted like soggy cabbage. 2$ egg rolls but they’re nasty. The canned drinks are not cold but they give you ice cups to pour into but still hot soda. The bathrooms were surprisingly very clean compared to many places in China town points for that. Staff isn’t usually smiley or welcoming very stern so I have to take in account all factors for the final score. This is ten times better than getting Mc Donald’s late night worth the drive.”

“I’ve been ordering delivery from your restaurant for a long time, but since last week every order has been rejected because you’re supposedly “too busy.” I even came to the restaurant, and there were only 2–3 occupied tables. If you don’t want to accept delivery orders, just turn delivery off instead of wasting customers’ time with excuses. Below is a picture of the day I went after my order got refused.”
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