Been searching for years without luck for what I fear is a dying breed and a great guilty pleasure: good Americanized mom and pop style Chinese food. Egg Rolls, Orange Chicken, Shrimp with Lobster sauce, that kind of stuff. Near Downtown would be ideal and delivery would be divine. Thank you.
We can't give up. There's gotta be a good mom & pop Americanized Chinese food joint someone knows about!
This seems like a good place to bring up a mystery. Anyone who has been to Canada knows that Chinese buffets there are 1000% percent better than in the States and I cannot figure out why. We have enjoyed them in Toronto, Montreal, Ottowa, Vancouver, and London (Ontario) and always the food has been good. In the Toronto area there's an iconic chain called the Mandarin that has not only a humongous Chinese buffet (I counted forty entrees) but a Canadian buffet as well with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and a grill buffet with steaks and salmon filet and a salad bar that would be enough by itself and a dessert buffet too and the whole place is white-tablecloth nice, a very popular for taking Grandma on birthday sort of place. The food is very good. On the other hand, most US Chinese buffets that I've been to aren't that good unless you're a starving student. So consider this mystery along with why, as Chowsetter is wondering, there isn't much to offer re Chinese food on Chicago's North Side. However, Chowsetter, there used to be a couple of decent places in Edgewater---I haven't checked lately but they were Mei Shung on Broadway across from St Ita's church, and Wing Ho on N Sheridan at Catalpa. Does anyone know, are they still there?
Chinatown is near downtown. You might find what you're looking for in the recent Tribune guide to its restaurants, at http://graphics.chicagotribune.com/ch...
Not in downtown, but Chen’s in Lakeview is solid Americanized Chinese. Chen’s is delivery/take out only (delivery via Caviar, Grubhub or Uber Eats). Coincidentally just ordered delivery from them yesterday and had a nice meal. Only dish out of six I didn’t enjoy was the hot and sour soup; very bland. Great value too considering portion sizes. There is also a River North location, but haven’t been or ordered from there.
Not in Downtown but PandaChina on Narragansett is great Americanized Chinese food (and super cheap to boot).
by Jen Wheeler | Need a spring vegetable guide to what's in season? Consider this your spring produce cheat sheet—complete...
by Rachel Johnson | Whether the kids are still distance learning or returning to a classroom, with school back in session...
by Kelly Magyarics | You’ve sprung for a gorgeous piece of enameled cast iron cookware; protect your investment by cleaning...
by Debbie Wolfe | Home chefs love wood cutting boards because they are durable and reliable. Wood boards are attractive...