I've been coming here for a couple years and while some things got better some are not as good. I still give it 4 stars. Here's some comments... I love chicken wings. While some say the PongPong have no meat and are just fried bones these are my go to asian flavor wings. Sweet with some spice and nice crispy bits. I don't get tired of eating these!! Shrimp dumplings, another Chef Ping staple for me. Pieces of shrimp in a nicely steamed wrapper. Hunan beef & chicken. I always order this, why, I don't know, the flavor is so good to me... Pad Thai. This is one that went downhill. I love the noodle (Wide) which you don't see as much anymore, but the sauce on this dish is flavorless. Just look at the photos people post here. Barely any color and it tastes like it. To bad as I love Pad Thai.
(4)
Abhinav S.
Went here as part of a treat. Friend had purchased a new car.. so yay free food. It was dinner time, fairly packed. Even though it was a Friday night, the wait time was short (10 minutes or so), perhaps we were lucky. Plan accordingly if you're hungry and wish to avoid the crowd. The place is huge with two dining areas and a nice ambiance. We ordered the Pong pong chicken, Sczechwan Eggplant and Gan Pong Diced chicken. They were all good. But I think every item that we ordered were breaded, deep fried and full of oil. That was my only qualm but otherwise it was good. Portions are huge and we probably ordered way too much. Next time gotta avoid going all wild and ordering so much. The chefs keeping walking around occasionally to monitor stuff as well. Bring up any issues if you have to them. It's a nice way to personalize the experience and receive active feedback.
(4)
Lena M.
It's always a good sign when you walk in and it's filled with fellow Chinese people young and old enjoying their meal. I'm Cantonese but love cuisine of all sorts. My dinner was delicious! We had the crispy duck, honey walnut shrimp (my fave so I'm really picky!), and my husband loves their version of the General Tso. Take out was speedy and parking for take out is set good. Warning - this place is good so it gets pretty packed quickly. Be prepared to wait for both carry out and dine in.
(4)
Monty W.
Dependable go-to spot for East Asian community in the northern burbs. Utter "Chef Ping" amongst the Chinese or Korean that live in the burbs and chances are that they go here for their family style Chinese/Korean meals. They do try to stress the quality of service here especially for the larger tables in the back with plate swapping near the middle of your menu. Some items that we usually have for family meals included the honey walnut shrimp. JaJa mein (though its never a favorite of mine). Salt and Pepper tofu (must get), The pong pong chicken (make sure to get extra rice for all the sauce haha!). Schezwan green beans are delicious. But garlic stir fried pea shoots for $16?! come on now...8 treasure rice for dessert is a different kind of dessert (not overly sweet) which Ping does fairly well. Chef Ping is a bit pricier and portions a bit smaller than the restaurants in Chinatown for family style meals, but still better than the alternative of driving from the burbs thru the traffic nightmare of the loop. Ample parking. Reservations are suggested especially on weekends. The wait could be considerable.
(4)
Linh L.
Service was great. The food was meh. We ordered the following: 1. Homemade stir fried spicy noodles - it's ok. Spicy, but lacked flavor. 2. Chinese broccoli - tasted fresh and probably the best thing we ordered. 3. Chicken lollipops - this was so disappointing. It was skin and bones. They took out all of the meat! If you like this dish... You must visit Great Seas restaurant in Albany Park of Chicago. It is called "spicy chicken." Much better and more nutritional. I could get 10 chicken lollipops with rice and still be hungry.
(3)
Julia L.
Pretty great! Fast and respectful service, I think the waiter gave my whole party a choice of soup or salad to start off even though maybe it only came with a lunch special? Also, I was impressed by the amount of customers they had on a weekday. We ordered sesame chicken, garlic chicken, pong pong chicken?, jampong and jajang. The sesame and garlic chicken came with rice an egg roll and a wonton crisp. They were perfectly prepared and not soggy at all!! I just didn't really like the garlic chicken - too strong, there's a weird after taste.. But that's my fault I guess. The sesame was amazing! The pong pong chicken was supposed to be spicier than kanppungi which is the Korean spicy chicken wings.. But it was very mild. Haha maybe it's cause we're so used to Great Sea's spicy, sweet, big kanppungi that the pong pong was a little underwhelming. But by no means was it not enjoyable! The jjajangmyun was thick and big portioned which is always good. You should ask for an extra bowl of sauce cause for the amount of noodles Chef Ping holds back that delicious black bean sauce.. it's so good why not have more to smother all over your face - I mean the noodles.. :) Now the only let down today was the jampong. The broth was not spicy and refreshing like it should be, but more milky and mild? I think Chef Ping doesn't like to make things too spicy in order to cater to the non-Asian customers, which they have many! But again, great big portion :) Overall, I would definitely come again, but just skip the jampong.
(4)
angela l.
Were shopping in the neighborhood around dinner time and recalled being to Chef Ping several years ago. We had noodle, sweet pea tip, green bean and fish fillet and all were tasty. Good service! Shall be back again next time we are in the neighborhood .
(4)
Sarah N.
My family and I came here with some friends who recommended this place. Typically, they go to China Town for good Chinese food. They said that this was the best place close by that was almost equivalent to China Town status Chinese food. But, at least it is closer than going to China Town, so I will be coming here more often now that I have been introduced to Chef Ping. Unfortunately, I cannot recall all the food we ordered as they were the ones who ordered for us, in Chinese. I will do my utmost best to recall what it was we ordered. I remember eating Salt and Pepper Squid, Walnut Shrimp, Szechwan Fish Fillet, Mongolian Beef, Sauteed Peapod Tips, Mandarin Bean Curd, and I'm sure there are others we ordered but can't remember. Salt and Pepper Squid was just to die for. If this is all we ate, I could eat this with rice and be happy. As for the Walnut Shrimp, this was also very addicting. The combination of the sweet sauce with the honey walnut and saltiness of the shrimp was perfect. Szechwan Fish Fillet was was another unforgettable dish we had. This is great by itself or even with rice. Just keep guzzling the green tea after each dish and your taste buds resets so that you can get the real flavor of the other dish you eat. The Mongolian Beef was also perfect with the rich flavors combined with the vegetables and beef. The beef was moist and not tough, just how we like it. Second to last is the Peapod Tips, this is a great dish to have for a vegetable dish. I believe hardly any Chinse restaurants serve this unless you're in China Town. I am in love with this dish. Lastly, the Mandarin Bean Curd is something everyone should order as an appetizer. It's a great dish to start the entire meal. I found my go to Chinese Restaurant.
(5)
Amanda B.
I used to like Chef Ping a lot and it pains me to write this review but I can't eat there anymore. They USED to clean their bigger shrimp but the past two times, none of my shrimp were clean. I don't know about other people, but I prefer NOT eating the poop vein in the shrimp. When we told our waitress about it the first time it happened, she just said she would let her manager know and didn't even apologize or offer to get us clean shrimp. It happened again and the waitress didn't even care. I understand they don't clean the smaller shrimp, but the bigger ones they should clean. I can't eat at a place that doesn't clean their shrimp because if they don't even take the time to properly clean shrimp, then what else don't they take the time to clean?
(1)
Soyoung S.
The management is absolutely flawed. We waited over TWO hours for three dishes, while everyone else around us that was seated WELL after us, were already served and nearly done with their meals. Our server clearly forgot to put in our order when we placed it, and didn't bother to come and communicate anything with us until the head server noticed us waiting at an empty table for hours while everyone else around us was being accommodated for My advice to management is to train your servers to be better organized, to apologize when mistakes are made, and to provide good customer service to make up for it. The food was delicious but after waiting for hours for it, the mood at our table greatly fell
(1)
Tellsplatte ..
Good: good food. Excellent service. Felt like a king while sitting at the bar area. Wasn't expecting that. Friendly peeps. -1.5 stars for $$$ to value. Nonetheless, one of the better Chinese I had since moving to the northern Chicago suburbs.
(4)
Ziyan C.
A go-to favorite for my parents, who more than anyone know good Chinese food! We showed up at 6:30pm on a Friday and were told it was a 45 minute wait for us 4. It ended up being about 25-30 minutes, which was a nice surprise. The service is really friendly, prompt, and the food comes out quickly. Our server made good recommendations when we were trying to figure out what to get from one part of the menu, say, the beef section. When we got all our dishes, we realized that three of them are kind of large combo platters (the Summer Salad, Noodle Platter, & Seafood Combo) and fairly similar. I wish our server could've noticed this and mentioned something about it. SALT & PEPPER FAMILY: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Salt & Pepper Tofu ($7.95) - 3.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Smaller than I'd expected; the tofu had a nice & thin breading to it, but with such thick pieces, even though they're flavored on the outside, most of each piece doesn't have much flavor on the inside. BEEF: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Mushroom Beef (beef w/ big sliced king mushroom in a delicate sauce. $13.95) - 4.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… The beef comes in huge slices and is incredibly satisfying to chew through, the meat is so good! The large mushroom slices are great too; they're not too overpowering as I often find with everyday Chinese dishes with mushroom. OLD TIME FAVORITE FROM HOME: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… 1. Summer Salad (cold, hot & mustard salad on bean noodle. $16.95) - 3 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… I didn't love the flavors in this - I could definitely taste the mustard/horseradish throughout, which was an odd pairing for me, and having a cold dish in November in the Midwest just isn't as comforting as the hot dishes. NOODLES & RICE: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Ping's Noodle Platter (seafood, pork, vegetables over noodles. $9.50) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… This was great - the noodles are pretty thick and soft, and there is just a ton of delicious stuff in the dish. SEAFOOD * Chef Ping's Seafood Combo ($14.95) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Another good all-round dish, with lots of good seafood. VEGETABLES: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef…
(5)
Real D.
This is a lame review because everything we ordered was great. The Ping noodles, you can taste how freshly made it is. Now I know what I am missing when I eat the typical dehydrated noodles. We were checked on frequently and we were just 2 people. The place is packed and it's wall to wall Asians, so Asians in the NW burbs know where to go, and that's at Chef Pings.
(5)
Sang L.
My gosh, wish I would have visited this place sooner!!!!! I always see it but never stopped by. If you haven't done so, go now. Best Chinese food around the burbs. The food is authentic and tastes great! The service is good. The inside is a bit busy but that's because this place is great. Everything we ordered from fried rice to noodles to pong wings were delicious. I would definitely take guests from out of town here for great food and atmosphere.
(5)
Joseph L.
I'm torn about this place because I want to give them 5 stars because they go the extra mile to make the food unique and tasty. I just feel as though the food could be given with better portions. If I go here again, I'm getting take out. I waiting 20 minutes to be seated and it took them a while to bring me my food when I did order.
(4)
Bunny D.
their food quality is consistent. If I'm hungry for Chinese food, Chef Ping is the only place I go. Many choices to choose from, even some Korean dishes. My favorite is their Tofu dishes. Yum!
(4)
Odranre B.
it's been 3 years since i reviewed this place, and have been continually dining here at least once a month...it still gets pretty crowded during peak hours...i started noticing some negative changes with the food quality and the portion last year, and steadily declining this year...i really didn't think about it too much until i started taking survey with my friends and families who frequent at the restaurant...i also compared a photo of champong (spicy seafood noodle soup) that i ordered on the first year they opened to the one i ordered two weeks ago and there was roughly 20% difference (and i don't think it evaporated on its way to my table)...sorry chef ping but yu's mandarin reclaimed the crown back...
(3)
Morris N.
This review is for carry-out. I ordered online. The process of creating the account to place the online order was easy to do but kind of a pain especially on an iPad. However you only have to create the account once, then it's not bad at all. Even though it was during a busy dinner rush, the order was ready within 20 minutes as they had advised. We had hot & sour soup and wonton soup. Both were good. The fried pot stickers weren't the best I've had. We tried the noodle platter, sauteed fish fillet, and sweet & sour shrimp. All of the entrees were very good. The prices for the entrees seem to be on the higher side. The overall check amount wasn't too bad.
(4)
Laurice M.
I absolutely LOVE Chef Ping!!! Excellent service-definitely not your typical Chinese restaurant. The servers are polite and attentive, not overbearing or rude. When my family and I went here, I felt really taken care of during the whole time we were there. Glasses were filled without us having to call them. None of them hovering near us but when you need them, easy to get ahold of them. Also, very polite (in my experience, a rarity in Chinese restaurants)!!! As for the food, love love love all the dishes we had ordered so far! I wasn't a fan of every dish but I love that everything seemed fresh and not ordinary. Favorites: - Salt and Pepper Tofu (small serving for the price but I would gladly pay for it because it's really good! So silky and tasty!) - Mongolian Beef (the beef is melt in my mouth tender) - Pong pong chicken (reminded me of Crisp) - Fried rice (the shrimps are BIG!!!) - Orange beef - Young chow fried rice Not my faves but still good - Noodle platter - Noodles with black bean sauce - Peking duck (I like the duck but not a fan of the crepes) - Sesame chicken Definitely recommend!
(4)
Tina L.
Came here for the manfriend's birthday. Good thing we made reservations because this place is poppin'! We just ordered a variety of shushes and did family style: take some, pass it down! Each dish was delicious, I would do this the same again. I recommend the salt and pepper squid, mapo tofu (on the menu I think it's called Lady Mao bean curd) and Chinese broccoli.
(5)
Shy Y.
This place is over hipe over price and down right not authentic Chinese nor Korean food. Food was one step above your regular carry out Chinese carry out, thats not a good thing. This place does well because of its masking appearance and the location, take away the location and its high dollar look and you get a normal carry out. Spent $70 their ordering assortment of food to give it a full evaluation. I'll keep it short and sweet. Not worth the $70 or anymore of my money. Ingredients and flavor was lacing freshness and true Asian flavors This is watered down again food no where near its claims of being the best. On a positive note. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. That's another key ingredient to its success Spend your money somewhere else find a place that focus more on its authenticity of Asian cuisines and the quality of food/ flavor.
(2)
Megan Z.
My father and I live about a mile away from Chef Ping and always enjoy an excellent meal here! The other reviews are right, wait times can be excessive. However, you will understand why once you enjoy the food! We came in on a busy Tuesday night. It was a ten-minute wait for a table, so we decided to eat at the bar area. No regrets, we actually found it quieter and easier to have a conversation. Service here is always top-notch. Regardless of the crowds. We always start our meal here with a fresh bowl of soup. The wonton soup is excellent and is served piping hot! My father usually orders the Hot n' Sour Soup and raves about it. The menu here has some "americanized" selections, however they do offer favorites for those craving a taste from back home. You know it is good when you see a ton of oriental people packing the restaurant! (I say this with the utmost respect!) Next, we ordered the Mandarin Soy Duck! It was hands-down the best duck we've ever had. It is served at room-temp and is utterly amazing. The duck is so tender and the mandarin soy marinade just made it melt in your mouth! If you are a duck person, you must give it a try. The hot dishes as I mentioned before, are mostly americanized. However, do not let this shy you away. Chef Ping is NOT your typical "americanized" chinese joint. My favorite dish here is the Kung Pao Beef, when it comes to "americanized" dishes. The beef is so tender you barely have to chew. It is incredible. Plus, if you love it spicy like I do, just ask them to make it extra spicy. Chef Ping uses incredible seasonings and technique to raise the bar on Chinese Cuisine. Another favorite is the Salt n Pepper Smelt or Ping's Noodle Soup. The noodles are homemade and served in an amazing (spicy) broth abundant with veggies, squid, and shrimp! The Noodle soup is enough for 2 (maybe 3) people! As with all portions at Chef Ping, you can feed 2-3 people from any entree. Simply put, Chef Ping is the undisputed best in Chicago and in my opinion, the whole state! Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
(5)
Lizzy C.
Definitely higher quality than most Chinatown restaurant. I ordered spicy fish and intestines. Both perfectly cooked.
(5)
Howard W.
This restaurant has great food. Very tradition taste along with some western favors. The service is great as well. I would definitely come back again.
(5)
Kenny L.
The place was packed when I came in for lunch, which is a really good sign. I was seated in about 15 minutes which was fine because I was waiting for my friend to arrive anyway. I ordered the homemade lo mein and my friend ordered the garlic chicken. We shared our dishes, and I was very pleased with both. The food was not too salty, and it was simply very good. Also, the lunch menu was very simple. It was not filled with a bunch of stuff to choose from. I do want to try their food for dinner. I am sure that they have a dinner menu.
(5)
Lindsey S.
A couple fellow Yelpers have been telling me to go here and now I'm kicking myself for waiting. Hands down the best Chinese food I have ever had! Everything was hot and fresh, and their crab rangoon are to die for. Normally I'm not a fan of Mongolian beef because I find it to be tough, but it was tender and had amazing flavor here. The staff is outstanding, our empty dishes barely touched the table before being whisked away. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and who I can only assume was the owner stopped and chatted with us. We will definitely be back!
(5)
Somchai S.
Started a new job, and went with my new coworkers to Chef Pings. We arrived around 11:45am on a Friday and the parking lot was packed. There was a 20 min wait for a table. The prices here are very reasonable, $10 a person off their lunch special, including tip. The lunch eggroll was gross, it had no meat. The hot and sour soup was very good. And the entree was filing. I can see why they've captured the lunch crowd. They get you in and out very quickly as well.
(4)
Zoe Z.
I went here on a Tuesday noon. It opens on 11:30am. I got here around 11:28am. Most seats already taken. I got surprised by how organized it was even with so many customers. Very prompt service. Even my hot tea request got respond very soon Ordered Kung pao chicken. Very decent price for lunch menu. And too much food. It was a little bit salty. But overall tasted good.
(5)
Catherine G.
My first experience with Chef Ping was through carryout. My sister in law ordered food for dinner for the family. It was surprisingly good and I enjoyed the various dishes that she ordered. The second experience was at the actual restaurant. Again, family style with an assortment of dishes from sweet and sour pork, mapo tofu, etc. This time though I couldn't get over the salt. Everything was salty! And we had two different types of noodle dishes too... the jajangmyun which is a black bean sauced noodle dish and a spicy soup noodle dish. Anyway.... the noodles were in one word, overcooked. I was hoping that since we were right there at the restaurant that it wouldn't be, but it was. My dad still enjoyed it as he LOVES noodles. And I still liked most of it, but I can't give it a 4 star review for that reason. Still, may go back and try again... you know what they say.. 3rd times a charm!
(3)
Elena N.
I've been here twice since this is a favorite of the roommate's cousins. This last time was last month while we were in town for the wedding. They had the rehearsal dinner here on a Friday night. Summer salad: Cold, hot and mustard salad on bean noodle, big serving. I'd never had this dish before. It was cold and refreshing, but had a really nice kick from the hot mustard. Pong pong chicken: Hot & tangy sauce on a chicken lollipop. Yum! Sticky, garlicky, sweet, savory. Rivals my favorite wings in SF. Lady mao's bean curd: Well known folk dish, tofu with minced pork. Great with some rice! Gan pong shrimp: Original recipe dated back to the old san tung province, burned hot pepper with chopped garlic glaze. A shrimp version of the chicken wings I love?! Yes please! First time having this dish and I loved it! Combination fried rice: Shrimp, chicken, ham with a touch of soy sauce. Nicely fried and full of flavor! The kids loved this! Beef with peppers, onions and carrots: I don't remember this dish too well, but I do remember the beef and veggies were stir fried well. Asian style sweet and sour beef: I don't really like sweet and sour dishes but the roommate's brother loves it! Walnut shrimp: Jumbo shrimp in rich creamy sauce with honey coated walnuts and steamed broccoli. Yum! The shrimp were big and juicy! Sea cucumber and scallops with mushrooms, cauliflower and peas: I loved the scallops and veggies in this dish! Sauteed baby bok choy: Bok choy was cooked well and flavor was nice and garlicky. Noodles in black bean sauce: Pork, baby shrimp, onion & zucchini slow cooked in black bean sauce served over homemade noodles. The roommate loves this dish. And the kids were enjoying it as well. Ping's noodle soup: Noodle in spicy broth cooked with fine shredded pork, seafood and vegetables. One of my favorite dishes! The soup was spicy and savory and dish was full of seafood and veggies! Service was good, but it took some time for the last two dishes to come out. I understood since everything was pre ordered except those two. And every table was adding several orders of the last two dishes. I'm glad I was introduced to this place since I would definitely go back. I don't even need a rehearsal dinner as an excuse!
(5)
Jon H.
The food was great and so was the service! I had a seafood mixed plate and it was very tasty.
(5)
Starrlite D.
Chef ping is pretty awesome! Had to take away one star because their sweet and sour pork is mediocre at best, especially because i was hoping it to be more Korean-chinese style. However, their honey walnut shrimp, sichuan boiled fish, and other dishes are great. Jjamppong and jjajangmyun is good, but is quite different from the normal korean style.
(4)
Abraham K.
Yum yum yum! If this is your first time here I recommend you order Fried Pot stickers for appetizer. For family sharing order sweet and sour Pork, home style sea cucumber (asian delicacy), and for the main dish try jjamppong (spicy noodle broth), noodle in black sauce (jajangmyeon)! Will feed 4-5 hungry people!
(5)
barb z.
Consistently very good food. We only eat here now for Chinese food. No other local place is worth the time or money. If you like spicy try to Seafood Stew. Wonderful.
(5)
Ramone B.
After an intense day of shopping at woodfield mall, my boyfriend and I worked up quite the appetite, and neither one of us care for mall food court cuisine. Out came the trusty yelp app!! #Love We originally found a place called the Hong Kong cafe, but when we arrived they had a sign on the door saying closed for vacation. I'm so glad the Hong Kong cafe was closed because we found our way to Chef Ping!!! It was a Thursday night and Chef Ping was rocking!! There was a short wait which wasn't bad because I observed other people scanning the menu while they waited, and my boyfriend and I quickly follows suit! Out waitresses name was Ann. I fell in love with her. She was too cool. Anyway we ordered the following: -chicken wings (I'm black and love fried chicken okay #DontJudgeMe. I've learned Chinese people can fry some damn chicken like no other. - Pot stickers -Mongolian beef -Salt & pepper smelt. I listed my boyfriends dinner as well because you know I tasted his food. #Gurl #DontPlay The chicken wings and the pot stickers were good! The Mongolian beef was awesome! I couldn't get over how tender the beef was. Somebody beat the sh*t outta that meat to get it so tender!! My meal was the salt and pepper smelt. Honey I could've slapped my dead granny back to life it was sooooooo good!! #JustSaying! The smelt had a perfection salt & spice ratio. I wanted to make room for desert so I didn't finish my smelt. I ordered the 8 treasure rice cake. I was unsure about this because I really wanted red bean ice cream, but since I always get that red bean ice cream. I opted for a change! When my rice cake arrived I was shocked. I was expecting a crunchy cake with some toppings on it. It was a cooked rice dish with what looked like honey, and a sweet bean paste. I actually liked it! I will be back! Funny story I originally ordered crispy fried intestine, and my waitress says "ooohhhh you like that?" I said "Gurl yes, those are called chitterlings (pronounced chittlins) to a black person. They just happened to be out that day, but I will go back to try them! Until next time!!!!
(5)
Perry S.
Chef ping is excellent. We ordered a variety of food dishes and apps and everything was hot and flavorful. The place is busy but we arrived at 655 on Sunday and got seated immediately. One of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever eaten at.
(5)
Mirta P.
My favorite, favorite Chinese restaurant. I eat so much and so often and I love it!!!!
(5)
Venkata Tirupathi Raju B.
Food is very tasty and authentic. I really enjoyed the food. However waiting time for table is more than 15 minutes.
(5)
Tom A.
With all due respect to Lincolnwood's delightful Great Beijing, Chef Ping claims the best garlic eggplant in the area. Friendly service, great tea, and plenty of veg. Options add to the fun.
(5)
Sarah V.
The noodles are made fresh daily, the staff is friendly and they have spinny tables! What more could I ask for? The food is fresh and delicious! Despite their large menu, they manage to make it all taste amazing. The prices are great and everything is served family style. They only take reservations for larger parties, but I've never waited longer than twenty minutes. The seafood noodles are delicious and the Mongolian beef is my favorite! Next time you are in the mood for Chinese food skip PF changs and drive the extra two miles to Chef Ping! You won't regret it!
(5)
Kristy S.
The food was great! It was surprisingly fast, and well made. My group of 6 got fried rice, Kung pao chicken, orange chicken, Mongolian beef, noodles, and soup. We all shared and everyone loved everything. The sharing is a great way to talk to others and enjoy everything everyone wanted. The waitress constantly filled up our drinks, I never sat waiting for my drink to be filled. The place was crowed and we along with the people around us were laughing and having a great time. I would recommend this place if you want to have good Chinese food!
(4)
Claire Y.
A nice Americanized Chinese restaurant. Great dishes (even for someone like me grew up in China and normally hate Americanized chinese food). We ordered pong pong chicken which was supposed to be a spicy dish but it turned to be sweet chicken wings. Hot and sour soup was a bit disappointing, too much pepper. We also got the mushroom dish. It was ok. But it seems a lot of American people love it. I wouldn't mind going back and trying some more legit chinese dish on the menu. And service was really great, they checked in with us often.
(4)
Albert C.
Food is always fresh Must try 1. Pom Pom chicken 2. schezwan eggplant 3. Combination fried rice 4. Walnut shrimp 5. Ping soup 6. It's not on the menu but you can make your own bao with pork belly. I think it's pronounced May-chai-ko-row Service is not always consistent but the food is great
(4)
Francis F.
it came highly recommended as best chinese food restaurant in IL for 2015 based on yelp ratings and reviews. They got us(4 adults,1kid) seated right away. Nice ambience. It was our first time here, so after browsing the menu, we ordered pong pong chicken, salt and pepper squid, walnut shrimp, shrimp in lobster sauce, and combination fried rice. Food was served abt 10-15 mins after we ordered and all were very delicious.Waitress was very attentive and awesome!
(5)
David W.
This place is the bomb. Went with around 10 people and got to order around 10 different dishes. Everything we ordered was excellent, people's personal favorites were the "fried chicken" pong pong chicken. I personally enjoyed the salt and pepper squid. Definitely get a reservation, this place is packed until probably 8pm. We called a day in advance and couldnt get in until 8
(5)
George H.
Well, we went back again, despite my vow not to (but it took a year and a half to convince me to) - my wife wanted to give them another try. Well, this visit was horrible. The shrimp dumplings were bland and the wrappers were exceedingly gummy. The pork Shu Mai were 'ok'. My daughter tried the egg drop soup and the flavor was off - I can't explain what was odd about it but it wasn't good. My wife had the Noodle platter (again) and it was tasty - it was the one highlight of our meal. This time I had Orange Chicken and the kitchen was able to saute' the chicken rather than deep frying it (yay!) but even though I SPECIFICALLY asked for it to be spicy, it again came out with no heat. My daughter had Pad Thai and it was good, but nothing spectacular. The main reason that bumps this visit down to 1 star (it would have been a two or three) was the service. I cannot fault the waiter this is FULLY on the kitchen. The time between our first entree and our third entree was over 30 minutes. When we pointed out the long wait to the manager, he blew us off and stated that they cook things 'family style' and that we should order things that everyone wants to eat so we can share. I am the customer, DON'T TELL ME HOW I SHOULD ORDER MY FOOD. If we order everything at the same time and all three of us individually order our items with the waiter, everything should be served at the same time. And EVEN IF we wanted to share, we would have wanted to share everything at the same time, not fill up on the first entrees and not eat anything of the third because people were hungry. We did not share our food, we all wanted what we ordered and not share. By the time my daughter's entree came out, my wife and I were done eating. UNFORGIVABLE. WE WILL NOT BE BACK!
(1)
Matthew B.
The food here is pretty damn good, but you need to get the more authentic dishes for the best flavors. If you stick to the "American" Chinese dishes like beef and broccoli or general tso's, you'll be disappointed. For starters, get the Fu Chi Fae Pian. This was hands down the best tripe I'd ever eaten. Not chewy at all and lots of flavor. For the entree I had tried the Szechwan Fish Casserole, another amazing dish. This one can take awhile to prepare and apparently only 1/2 chefs that work there know how to prepare it, so you know that makes it even better. It has that spice in there that makes your mouth feel sort of numb without being overly spicy. Easily the best Chinese good in the burbs.
(4)
Avinash K.
So, had gone for dinner. We had vegetable chicken - which was nothing but fried tofu. If you were expecting it hot, then THINK again, it was cold. Tasted Ok. My friend had fried eggplant with rice, that was pretty good. I had the ping noodles substitued seafood and pork with chicken. I asked for very spicy and it still wasn't as spicy as I wanted. Very friendly service. Just be warned. Food seems pretty good, but if you like spicy food this is not the place. I can safely say CHINESE FOOD is not for me. I gave an extra star just for the service. Will I go there again, most likely NOT. Sorry. FYI: One dish comes in huge quantity, is good enough for two guys to share. So please order one by one. :)
(3)
Alma C.
To sum up the Chef Ping vs. Yu's Mandarin debate: people REALLY REALLY REALLY do NOT like change. Especially if they really liked a particular something something yummy, they will yelp and cry and scream about the change because this or that and something or another. Here's my 2 cents on the debate: - Chef Ping has some really good Korean/Chinese food (yu san sil, honey walnut shrimp, ja jang myun). - Yu's has very recently had some really good Chinese food (unidentified noodles that were so kickass that if you were holding them at that time, I may have chewed on your hand accidentally). Note: I too thought Yu's sucked for a long time after the ownership/chef changes. Now I think it's worth another visit (had a bunch of carry-out only can't speak for service). - Both Chef Ping and Yu's have some dishes I don't care for and both can both be very oily at times. My advice on Chef Ping and Yu's: visit both, try everything on their menu, form your own opinion, give peace a chance. Especially since Chef Ping has his own spot now, it's not like he's disappearing anytime soon. At least you better not Chef Ping. You almost gave me a heart attack when you and consequently my honey walnut shrimp disappeared at Yu's with no warning or explanation. Now that was just mean (I told you people don't like change).
(4)
Ben K.
This place has the best Korean-Chinese food in Chicago and possibly Korea and China. You can tell that a restaurant is good when there is always a line out the door when you arrive (You can make reservations with parties of 6 or greater). Sometimes when I eat at Chef Pings, my food tastes saltier during the course of the meal because my tears of happiness fall into the food (that was a joke, Chef Ping food is not salty it is perfect). Chef Ping noodle dishes are second-to-none and here are the best ones: 1) Ping's Noodle Platter (lazomyun) 2) Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jajangmyun) 3) Ping's Noodle Soup (jiambong). Here are some non-noodle notable mentions: Pong Pong Chicken and Mongolian Beef One of my favorite waitresses works here too. During one of my first times visiting, after my meal I was mixing some rice in the black bean sauce (jajang) that comes with the Noodles in Black Bean Sauce dish (jajangmyun) and eating it. When the waitress saw me doing that, she gave me a container filled with black bean sauce (jajang) to take home and I didn't even ask for it! Don't ask them for a container filled with black bean sauce to take home now because they won't give it to you, but that one time she gave it to me I cried a little. Interesting fact: everyone that works here speaks at least three languages.
(5)
Jack B.
This place is so disoganised, I'm surprised people just don't walk out and leave , regardless of the raves , if the services is bad the food tends to taste bad too..
(1)
Kevin B.
Four of us stopped in for dinner before a concert at the Allstate arena. I'm glad that we went there 2 1/2 hours before our show because the place was packed and never did slow down. They don't take reservations so you have to go and plan to wait. The food was good and the portions were large and very "shareable".
(4)
Andrea R.
I've been looking for good Chinese food in Chicagoland for the past decade or so. The good news is that I (finally) found it. The bad news is that it's 30-45 minutes from my house, but those who live in Chef Ping's hood should consider themselves lucky. Based on the Friday lunch crowd word is out about their tasty & affordable lunches. At Nicole W's suggestion I went w/ the seafood and pork noodles, but asked them to hold the pork. Each meal comes with soup or a salad. For once it was too hot for soup so I went the salad route, which made it's way to my table literally 3 seconds after I ordered it. The salad wasn't anything exciting, but that just meant more room for my incredible noodles. And yes, the noodles were incredible. The portion was also large enough for 3 people and it was impossible to stop eating it. I'm getting full again just thinking about it. One of my dining companions ordered the orange chicken, which appeared to be equally delicious. And like all good Chinese restaurants they delivered fortune cookies with the bill, which by the way was only $30 for 3 of us. My fortune cookie basically told me I'll be a billionaire one day. When that day comes perhaps I can open a Chef Ping closer to my house.
(5)
Gerry A.
Lunch review updated and clearly slipping. After many alternating lunches at Yu's and Chef Ping's I have to give the lunch nod CLEARLY to Yu's and Ichef. I am a longtime friend of Tong's ( as in ACROSS the street on Golf :~) but it is hard to believe that anyone could have been able to put together a ruder lunch server group than Chef Ping's. They make Yu's servers look like the friendliest in town, and by comparison they are. Yu's lunch menu is MUCH bigger and their hot and sour is much richer and peppery, with meat AND baby shrimp, what a concept. Every time I come in by myself I have to fight for any kind of a decent seat as a single instead of the wobbly napkin leveled table they give to other roundeyes. Tong is not there at lunch and it really shows. Try them both for lunch, you'll see. Yu's will actually take your order until 3. You get attitude at Chef Ping's at 2:15. They don't need your money. Try IChef on the other end of Alqonguin in Schaumburg if you want easy parking, friendly service, and a larger more flavorful menu.
(3)
Jui-Yang H.
Very nice Chinese restaurant, more like my mom's cooking. Taiwan/Chinese style. Must order a dish (forgot the English name) eight ingredient vegetable. It is seafood with Curly flower and sea cucumber. Kong pong chicken also good.
(5)
Nate C.
Hands down best Chinese place in the area. Everything is very high quality...My favorites include the Curries, and the shrimp toast.
(5)
Sung Y.
Chef Pings is one of the best Chinese/Korean restaurants in the Chicagoland area. Coming with a group of folks and eating family style is the best way to enjoy many of the wonderful dishes they have on the menu. On this visit we ordered the chef ping wings, honey walnut shrimp, sweet and sour pork, yang jang pi, jjampong, and jjajang myun. All dishes were excellent! Will return again and again!
(5)
Dorothy P.
I really need to stop hyping places just because of peer pressure. My hubs wanted Chinese and was all set to order from our favorite local place, but nooooo, I suggested Chef Ping because everyone around the office was talking about how awesome they are. Now, I'll try anything once, so I talked him into letting me pick up dinner. I even scoured the Yelp reviews for what to order. The consensus was Ping's Noodle Platter and GanPong Chicken. We were amply warned that the eggrolls were junk, but since my hungrier half is a sucker for eggrolls, we ordered them anyways. Pickup took 30 minutes, which was alright by me. I figured they'd be worth the wait. When I walked into the restaurant, it was buzzing. There was a wait on a Thursday night, which I thought was a good sign. I picked up the food and made my way home, salivating the entire way. Now, in Chef Ping's defense, it was a 40 minute trek home, and by the time I got there, everything had cooled down. The eggrolls are JUNK. I appreciate the skinny style egg roll in a wonton wrapper normally; this is the typical style that most Vietnamese restaurants (including my aunt's) carry. The filling was ridiculously tastless and sparsely filled. Dare I say that the restaurant supplied stock sweet & sour sauce packets made them taste worse? I'm not sure how, but they did. We were warned. I will pass that warning on. DO.NOT.GET.THE.EGGROLLS. Everyone was singing the praises of the Ping's Noodles. Did we get the same thing? The noodles reminded me of linguine that was WAY overcooked. Now, I don't mind squishy noodles, but the texture was just off on this whole dish. It also smelled of old, not so fresh seafood...The mix of seafood in it was interesting and included squid, calamari (?), and shrimp. I believe there was also supposed to be pork in it, but I never saw it. I did like what spices I could taste, and the dish had a nice amount of heat. The dish that I was most interested to try was the GanPong chicken because I had never heard of it before, and it sounded interesting. The dish itself was just a tub of fried chicken coated in a sweet/spicy/garlicky sauce with bits of carrot and green pepper mixed in for justification (it's got veggies, so it's healthy, right?). The problem is that by the time I got it home, the sauce had been so absorbed into the chicken pieces that it was dry. Now I'm not sure if the sauce is sparse to begin with, so I can't exactly give it a fair assessment. The flavor was decent, I will give it that. I'm torn. The dishes at Chef Ping aren't exactly cheap (the least expensive meat dish will cost you over $10). I feel like maybe we missed out on the full experience since we got takeout, but I'm not sure I want to try it again. I guess if my coworkers dragged me back here, I'd give it another go, but I doubt I'll be back on my own.
(2)
Lily L.
Tried this place on a Sunday, packed! It didn't take very long to get a table though. Fell in love with this place the second I had my appetizer. It's the best I've ever had in Chicago area, and yes I tried everywhere. The long drive was so worth it.
(5)
Susan S.
Hot and sour had good flavor, short on ingredients. Sake was brought to the table in a teapot of warm water but sake was cold. Had the garlic chicken was too salty asked them to remake it still salty . Needed balance added a little sugar even it out. Egg roll was sparse and tasteless. Noodle with onion shrimp and pork was tasty oodles where nice texture but really didn't see the proteins . Would I go back ? Probably not.
(3)
Angelica C.
We ordered the below dishes: Pineapple fried rice Chicken wings (MUST ORDER, phenomenal!!!) Baby Bok Choy Seafood Peking Noodle Mongolian Beef (highly recommended) Mao Po Tofu (ehh) Crab Rangoon (call me Americanized, but I love these nonetheless) Celebrated my 30th birthday here with my entire immediate family of 13. Since our party was so large we had to sit at two tables, but not a big deal. They did honor our reservation time, which I truly did appreciate as the 40 min hike from the city had my stomach growling. The chef did walk around and greet customers- a nice personal touch. We normally eat at the Malaysian restaurant down the street (ahem), but wanted to try something different this time and we fell in love immediately!
(5)
Madison L.
The salty egg yolk crab is my favorite; it is incredibly fresh and delicious. All the dishes are quite appetizing, but this is by far my favorite. This is not something I find at every Chinese restaurant and I would definitely come back and bring family and friends. There seems to always be a wait; so if you are in a hurry - this is not the place. The parking lot is packed and the restaurant is always filled up. Chef Pings is a pretty popular & happening place Saturday nights!
(5)
Al S.
My first visit to Chef Ping was Saturday Jan. 10, 2015. I grew up in Chicago's Chinatown so I fancy myself as having somewhat more experience with the cuisine than the average bear. It looked like a feeding frenzy was happening in both the parking lot and inside the restaurant. Positive signs. If you're in a hurry to dine and dash you'd be better off with carryout, as was my transaction . The front door was packed with people waiting to dine. Since it was my first experience with Chef Ping, my order included a sampling of the menu: egg rolls, shrimp dumplings, fried rice, and crab Rangoons. Overall, I was satisfied but I was not overwhelmed. The egg rolls were oily, the Rangoon filling just ok, shrimp dumplings bland, and the fried rice fair. I may give Ping another chance, maybe I will be more impressed with menu items with actual seasoning, spice and more flavor.
(3)
Krishna C P.
I was introduced to this place by my central american friends. And they had hyped it up for me throughout the 40 min drive from Lincoln park. We ordered a few Chinese dishes which were good, almost comparable to the Chinatown restaurants. In my mind I was still thinking what the fuss was about. And then came the dish that blew me away.. BLACK BEAN CLAMS . there are no words to describe it .The flavors are amazing and once on the palate ,it all comes together. since then I have visited this restaurant eveytime I have been in the area and ate a full serving of the clams by myself. The place is almost always packed. Service and ambience , is much better than a regular Chinese place. I am giving it 5 for the black bean clams ,go try them.
(5)
Sue T.
If you're headed here for lunch, come early or you'll have a tough time finding a parking spot and you'll stand in line. This is a popular place for a good reason. The great selection of lunch specials come with choice of egg drop or hot & sour soup or salad, rice, egg roll and crunchy won-ton. My favorite is the Mandarin trio - beef, chicken *and* shrimp with veggies in a savory dark gravy. No decisions to make; I get everything on one plate. Fast service and reasonable prices.
(4)
Andrew K.
I really enjoy this place and try to come here as often as I can. I like how the tables are served including the complimentary hot tea which is pretty good. Every dish I've tried here was very good. But some of them like Spicy Shrimp, seafood noodles and etc. are exceptional! This is the best Chinese cuisine place I have been to in Chicago and this includes best restaurants in Chinatown. The waiting stuff is very friendly and attentive. Overall this place is always a great experience and good prices on dishes and alcoholic beverages. The only downside (and this doesn't affect my 5 star score) that this place is hard to get into, it is usually packed so I try to go in not popular hours, like early dinner or lunch.
(5)
Ryan O.
If I could rate this 6 stars , I would! Such incredible food and it is impossible to order something that isn't tasty. Service is always great, the place is always busy (the first sign its a hot spot) and the taste is always second to none. This is treasure of a spot and and the go-to when I need something to eat out
(5)
Melanie D.
Love this place! My favorite item on the menu is the Chef Ping soup. It's perfectly spiced! I also enjoy their summer salad and lollipop chicken. I wish there was more seating, it's a bit crowded. On the plus side though, there is a small area that's secluded that you can reserve for a party. I don't like that when you leave, the smell of oil lingers on your clothes, but I guess that's true of any Chinese place you go to. The servers are all very friendly and accommodating! My son has allergies and each time we've been there, it wasn't a problem at all. Making reservations is easy :) The parking lot is tiny! I wish they would expand!
(4)
Michael G.
The best place for noodle soup. Authenic and delicious ! The place is packed all the time, and the wait is worth it ! If you order " Take out " , add 15 minutes onto the time they tell you it will be ready. Food is excellent, the servers and the hostess are overwhelmed because it is so busy. Hostess can be less than friendly.
(5)
Brian L.
First of all I am not giving three stars because of the food. I personally love the food especially the Three Treasures Delight. I do have a problem with the service though. I usually go during dinner time, and within that time we would have to wait half an hour up to hour and a half. In those days, when I go in, we would have to give them my name and the approximate wait time to get to my table. One instance that I keep remembering is that while waiting 45 minutes in, the lady at the podium called my name. Then she said "just checking to see if you were here" and I had to wait another 30 minutes to actually get seated. I don't know if she understands that me and my party were hungry and we do not need to get our hopes up when our name is called only to say "just checking" Another annoyance is that the waiters/waitresses seem to always rush you into ordering. I suggest knowing the menu beforehand before you order. While they do seem to know when you need a refill and usually come to ask if everything is okay, rushing someone when they are thinking about what else to order is very stressful.
(3)
Pablosso P.
Definitely, this is one of the best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. I don't want to write too many words blah, blah, about their dishes, how they are exceptionally cooked, about their high quality and taste etc etc, all what you need is just to come and try their dishes. This time we decided to order only sea food and vegetable dishes (because of religious fasting). So, we had mushroom. Mushroom with tofu - very tender and Yum! Thai curry shrimp with bamboo shoots- orgasmic, must try, super Yum! Flat noodles with seafood and vegetables (don't know it's name)- very tasty, tender and delicious - love it! Sea food mixture- "U San Su" (not sure about spelling) with sea cucumber (the Oriental delicacy and dainty).
(5)
Bob R.
The last time we went to Chef Ping was a number of years ago we went there for a party. We remember the food was really good so when my son and I were thinking about where to go, Chef Ping came to mind. It's located on the edge of Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg at just east of Algonquin and Wilke. For us, it's pretty convenient and we've talked about going back there for a long time. There is a very diverse clientele there which typically means to me that it satisfies a wide variety of people. The restaurant itself if very modern looking. But, the layout still reminds me of the Baker's Square Restaurant that used to inhabit the space. They have done a really nice job of redecorating, though, and making the feel much more exotic. Service was a little slow, but the server was quite pleasant. Since the menu is more exotic than most of the Chinese restaurants in the area, we asked lots of questions. She was very patient with us and asked as many questions about what we liked as we asked of her. We settled on an order of steamed pot stickers for an appetizer followed by "Chef Ping Noodles" and an order of twice cooked pork. The pot stickers were fresh - served in the steamer and were served with the traditional pot sticker sauce and chili sauce. The added spiciness added a lot. While I would classify the twice cooked pork as average, the noodles were outstanding. We later learned that the original chef from Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg, the one who made them famous for their hand stretched noodles, was at Chef Pings now. There was a wide variety of vegetables, pork and a number of kinds of shellfish with the noodles. It really was garlicky and scrumptious. Our meal ended up with the traditional fortune cookie. Interestingly, my son and I both had the same fortune - it was something about not having to worry about the future. That was a nice way to end the meal.
(4)
Chris G.
Chef Pings is probably the best Chinese in Chicago. Not quite the same as on the coasts but still very good. Portions are large and food is good quality. The restaurant is also very clean which is a nice plus.
(4)
Aimi W.
Fusian style restaurant, yet they also have authentic homestyle chinese dishes. They have korean chinese food such as jjajangmyun and and jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup). A large number of diners are korean. I highly recommend trying the summer salad if you are into authentic chinese food. The name of the dish doesn't do it justice. It is a large dish that is enough for 2-3 people and far from just a salad. Its a mixture of wasabi based sauce with flat soy noodles, baby shrimps, squid, beef, and vegetables. Partially hot, partially cold, this unique dish is a multi-dimensional taste experience.
(5)
Susan B.
Stayed a long 5 days in Woodale, IL. Ate nasty food for 2 days and then found Mr. PINGS. EUREKA! FINALLY DECENT FOOD! We ordered jjajamgmyin (black bean noodle), fried eggplant, spicy green, beans, Chilean bass, mapo tofu, and topped it all over our rice. Let's start with the jjajangmyun.... Handmade noodles were delicious. Black bean sauce was perfect. I could have gobbled down the whole bowl in 5 minutes. Fried eggplant. Seriously doesn't sound appetizing but was shoot good. Perfect blend of garlicky spicy.... Crispy... So flavorful. A must have. Spicy green bean. Decent. Nothing special. Chilean sea bass and the house tofu. Both top notch. Service was pretty good too. Never went low on water and they even brought us extra rice. This place saved me when I was low. Made me happy for 2 hours.
(4)
Rebecca C.
This is hands down the best place to come for Chinese food. You will never go to P.F. Chang's or anything American style again. The portions here are overwhelming. We went our first time ordering a meal each and over did it, because we did not know how much food each one would have. Lesson learned but our bill was just at $50 for all of that food. Since then we have been back weekly and have tried the sesame chicken, sweet and sour chicken, salt and pepper shrimp, general Tso's chicken, shrimp fried rice, and shrimp egg rolls. Upon sitting, they bring you a teapot full of hot tea. Nice! The staff is very friendly and helpful. This is worth the hour drive from Chicago to come here and dine.
(5)
Jim H.
If you want to just go to another Yu"s, and are a fan of efficiency, this is a good place for you. The food is somewhat unimaginative, at least at lunch, and the choices are limited.but if you were looking for quick Chinese this is a good a place as any.
(3)
Min S.
Food is good however be careful when picking up carry out orders. Chef Ping has more than once messed up/mixed up with another carry out order. I ended up getting home and had someone else's dinner in my possession (stuff I'd never order- fried sweetened meat is not good in general.) The restaurant needs to train the staff to better manage orders and communicate from answering phones and putting the right ticket on carry out bags. Customer service and attention to detail is lacking in this regard
(2)
Amstaff Y.
Believe the hype, this place is amazing. Epic pong pong wings, noodle dishes, great service and good value.
(5)
Erick P.
I love Chef Ping, the food is excellent except it is ALWAYS packed. If you are hungry and want a quick Chinese place, this is not the place for you. Is the food worth the wait? Yes
(4)
Johana K.
Good food and great service. Celebrated my birthday here with my husband. Ordered pong pong chicken and mushroom tofu. It was delicious! Will definitely come back again.
(5)
Wally M.
We came early, about 5:00. We were seated right away. Right from the start the place gave off good vibes. Friendly hostess, more than half of the patrons were Oriental. Tea right away. Typical "hard to choose from" because it all sounds good type of menus. The boss going around making sure you were happy. We had fried pot stickers to start, wife had Dragon and Phoenix (Chicken and shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms) I had Spicy noodles with vegetables of which I asked for extra spicy. My dish was wonderful and just as spicy as I had ordered. (The noodles were made in house). Because of the mushrooms in my wife's dish and the size of the shrimp, she said she liked it better than Yu's where we usually go. We will be going back! Maybe it was because it was early, but the noise level was low enough that we could carry on a normal conversation. Generally not the case in Yu's Price for the two of us was $32 plus 6 tip. Cons:..... my fortune cookie said I'd have a visitor. . . . . . . I didn't.
(4)
Seth M.
Excellent menu with really great sauces used on all dishes. This place is a real gem. Price is also extremely affordable. Would recommend the kung pao, garlic chicken, hunan chicken, and sesame chicken. Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu
(4)
Devin W.
After living in China I'm always on the search for a Chinese restaurant that serves real chinese food. Look no further. Everything I've had here is really tasty. Must Go!
(5)
Mancow M.
Hate the wait- love the food. PING IS THE THING when it comes to Asian chow chow. The fact that it's packed w/ Asians doesn't impress me. I kept hearing this from my friends like that would impress me. Having traveled the Orient, the fact that a restaurant (in America) is packed with Asians doesn't signify much. There's a waiting list to get into Japan's KFC. No joke. Having been to China I know they eat EVERYTHING and anything and proud of it. Stuff I wouldn't step in they eat. Their table manners by our standards are rather base too. Lots of slurping and sucking and disgusting noises. They aren't as picky as say the French. HAHA! I ordered as follows: House salad w/ ginger La Jiao Myun (exotic noodle bowl) Pong pong chicken!!!!!! Gon Pow scallops Birds nest shrimp (This was made especially for me and is their best item. It's known as "WALNUT chicken" usually when it doesn't have the deep fried noodle "nest" bowl. The bowl isn't needed however so don't sweat it if they don't make it my way.) Beef Pot (Its a collision of exotic flavors. Adventuresome eaters will thrill to this dish!) It was the greatest food of its kind. The dining room is charmless. The staff does their best to make a cramped uncomfortable waiting area as painless as possible. Management seems on top of the staff and tables. They WORK! The wait is uncomfortable but but but THE FOOD is great! The egg rolls are tiny and lousy. But everything is so reasonably priced that if you choose a dish you don't like it's no big deal. Take some chances here and make some palate advances.
(4)
Georgene M.
This is an amazing restaurant. The only downside is that there is almost always a wait, but it is definitely worth it!! The staff here is also very kind.
(5)
Lindsey C.
I have come here for both lunch and dinner. Definitely a better deal for lunch with their lunch specials. My favorite dish is the Seafood noodle soup. Noodles are perfectly cooked and the broth is very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. Lots of seafood in the dish. Very satisfying.
(4)
Rob W.
A strong 4 stars - practically a 5 and future visits might take it there if things go as well as my first visit. Went there for lunch on a Thursday around 11:45 - the place was already packed. Fortunately there was a spot at the bar open, so I was sat immediately. I ordered Mongolian Beef which is a favorite of mine when eating at Chinese restaurants. Great way for me to compare a place to others and this one did not disappoint! For $7.75 you get a fried won ton (garnish as much as anything else), a small, but tasty eggroll, a scoop of lightly fried rice and a healthy portion of flavorful Mongolian Beef. Just the right amount of oil used too - no residue at all. I was really impressed. While I probably could have asked for some, no sauce was offered for the eggroll. Service was prompt and attentive - especially considering how busy they were. Prices are a tad higher than a lot of Chinese restaurants, but this place is a little more upscale than most, so no surprise. Definitely worth a return trip for dinner - hopefully at a table so I can see if the service measures up as well as it did at the bar for lunch.
(4)
M S.
We absolutely love the food at Chef Ping! Order any noodle dish and you won't be disappointed. Drinks are stiff and there is warm tea at every table. The food comes out piping hot! Sesame chicken is to die for. As a person who doesn't like seafood, The vegetable egg rolls are a delicious treat. You know it is good food when the restaurant is full of Asian customers. Expect to wait for a table, though. And, unfortunately on every one of our dine in experiences, we are usually forgotten about by the waiters because we are not Asian. We will return, because the food is that good!
(4)
Jason K.
Their cooking was good as usual. But ingredients were not fresh. Unusually not fresh than any other days we had before. Today's bad ingredients are chicken, shrimp, If u see this today then u wanna avoid them. And we can't come back here often as we did.
(2)
Richard L.
Considering myself a bit of an aficionado for Chinese food, I believe Chef Ping is the best in Chicagoland. Chef Ping is actually owned by the son of a Korean man who had a much larger and successful Chinese restaurant in Schaumburg for years but then closed it down due to retirement. We're lucky his son has carried on the family business. The quality of the food has no comparison in Chicago, with great prices befitting its suburban location. Our favorites: 1) Crispy spicy eggplant 2) Salt & pepper shrimp Note: There is a long wait on weekend evenings, up to an hour at peak time.
(5)
Jennifer S.
Awww yeah...it is that good! Yelpers, you rarely lead me astray. Chef Ping's was quoted as being better than Yu's and I have to agree. Chef Ping did everything right from the word GO! Upon our arrival for a mid-week visit, we were promptly greeted and immediately seated. The gentleman who brought the hot tea said it was decaf when I asked and this is the only area that I wasn't sure about. He didn't even think about his answer and I have yet to visit a restaurant serving decaf hot tea. So, maybe I was lucky and Chef Ping's really is skipping out on the caffeine or maybe he was fibbing. I'll never know. I had one tiny cup just in case he was fibbing. We ordered pan fried potstickers and egg rolls. I often order an egg roll at a new-to-me Chinese restaurant to get an initial feel for what to expect. The egg roll was good, but didn't blow me away. The potstickers DID impress me and the sauce left me wishing this was an Italian restaurant where I could soak up the extra on my plate with a piece of crusty bread. I mixed both dipping sauces together. Oh yum! We ordered the combination fried rice to split, Kung pao chicken and the old family shrimp recipe. The combo fried rice was loaded with giant shrimp, white meat chicken and chunk of ham. It was flavorful and filling. I had one bite of the Kung pao chicken - delicious, but I didn't want to fill up. Instead, I munched on the old family recipe shrimp. Light crisp breading coated large shrimp and then seemed to be quickly wok tossed in a sweet and garlicky sauce. I am proud to report that I only ate a portion of this entree. It took self-restraint and perhaps it was a good thing that the service was really spot-on because I had our server wrap my leftovers before I could eat them! ;-) It's a welcoming restaurant with excellent quality and attentive service. I'll be back soon without a doubt!
(5)
Laura C.
Chef Ping is authentic asian cuisine at its finest. The restaurant covers several types of cuisine from Korean to Szechaun. All very good. We have dined there twice and am looking forward to the next time. In this day and age when it is so easy to call in an order and go pick it up (They offer this service too) Its always nice to eat in. Service is ultra efficient and the restaurant is always packed. Look around you. Everyone goes to Chef Ping. If you are in the area, I hope you will try it. Be extra observant of the hours. They are closed for lunch.
(4)
arlene c.
Best Chinese restaurant in the suburbs, I drive 25 minutes to this place one way. I think it's worth it you can't go wrong everything is good.
(5)
Ãle S.
made mother's day reservation for 13 people. reconfirmed reservation twice on the day of the reservation before going to the restaurant. somehow we weren't on the reservation list when we all got there after a half hour drive. And 13 people left with great frustration and disappointment. I wish I could give 0 stars.
(1)
Jenny O.
I can't believe I'm posting a review this late after coming here for years. My family and I eat here religiously almost every Saturday. Also, I should mention that the owners worked at Yu's back when the food used to be good, and we went there all the time ever since I was a kid. I actually like Chef Ping better than the old Yu's. It's very clean, and the service is good. Also, the owners are absolute sweethearts. My favorite dish here is the Chef Ping Wings. It might actually be my all-time favorite wings... It's very flavorful and perfectly crispy without being too greasy. My other favorite dish is the Noodle Platter. It always has plenty of veggies, meat, and seafood, and the noodles are cooked so well. The prices are very reasonable here, and I honestly don't think you can find better Chinese food in the Chicagoland area.
(5)
Jaewoo C.
Really good food. Not too oily, which is something I look for when I go out to eat Chinese food. Was worth the drive from North chicagoland
(5)
Jin H.
So this happened yesterday. I arrived at the restaurant and see their lunch hours ends at 2:30pm I was standing inside the restaurant and saw the clock it was 2:25pm I found it little odd, because when was the last time you saw lunch hour end at 2:30pm? In the middle of the hours. But anyway, I said to myself, phew~ I guess I made it. I stood by the counter waiting for a host to get me a table. There were people counting money by the bar, who saw me but didn't initiate to come help. I made eye contact with couple waiter and waitresses, but no one came by me still. It was now 2:36pm. A hostess came out of from what seems to be kitchen, didn't say two word. "Pick-up?" I thought that was rude to begin with. But I was amazed what comes after. I said, "No, there are two of us". Then she replied, "Sorry we closed", and went about her things and didn't even look back. I was looking at her back, with shock and amaze. Now, this might not come to you as a surprise if you weren't there. But to explain myself. I got into the restaurant before the lunch hour ended. I didn't even know that meant the whole restaurant was closing. Despite the effort to get some help for over a ten minutes, which by then, I was mad as it was, they made me stand there like an idiot. Now I'm thinking if they were all counting down the clock... To top that off, this lady did not welcome the customer or what so ever, nearly kicks me out because she "thinks" I'm 6 min late. It was first time visiting this restaurant, I was just in utter shock rude all the people were. No one cared to come over and explain I've standing there over ten minutes.... I didn't even want to waste a second of my time, arguing. For me, service matter a lot. I don't care if that have the best dish in the whole world. If I know I'm going to be walking out with disturbed by the service, I'm never going there. I can assure you, you will not enjoy visit, unless you are there strictly to feed yourself from starving. Or need some extra drama in your life. Most definitely, do NOT go with your date. You might end up fighting. I would rather go to place I can enjoy and feel comfortable; even if the taste is arguable. Honestly, I don't even care how the food is at this place. I know I'm not going back to this restaurant ever again.
(1)
James L.
The reviews speak for themselves. I am definitely a fan of Chef Ping. My rating is based on overall dining experience. Food - 5 Stars hands down. For Chinese dining, this place has the highest quality food in my opinion (and several of my friends opinions as well, we often go in groups of 6-10 here). Some of my favorite dishes (if you're not korean/chinese, just try to sound these out like they're spelled and a waiter/waitress will most likely pick up on what you are trying to say): -"Wong Jong Pee" (tried to translate to english as best as I could haha) - this is a thin noodle platter (jelly noodles) with sauce that resembles spicy mustard undertones (but not too strong unless you drench the foot in it). This is probably my favorite dish here! Your server will mix this for you and of is it delicious! -Honey Walnut Shrimp - guilty pleasure of mine here. The sauce is a little thick, but the shrimp is cooked very tenderly and is overall, an awesome dish. -Double Fried String Beans - never have vegetables tasted this good. Very delicious, especially if you like string beans -"PONG PONG Chicken" - this is a very solid dish and you may not find it on the menu easily. This comes as a pretty decent serving of chicken marinated in a sweet sauce, and served on a bone. -"Tang-See-Yook" - kind of a like a sweet and sour chicken, but not the sweet and sour red sauce. Very good pork dish! -Jam Pong - very good, one of their staple dishes (for a noodle platter) The customer service is probably right around 3 stars. They don't stand out for being good or bad. The food comes out at a decent time and they will check on you from time to time. Servers can be hit or miss, but I have never run into a dine-in here with an absolutely terrible server. Definitely recommend!
(4)
Arnold K.
A family outing experience led us to Chef Ping's. We arrived around 1pm on a weekend. There was a short wait in which during this time I took the opportunity to take a look around. What I found was a room full of people of asian decent. That's a good sign in my book. We ordered several dishes, all of which were very good. My favorite was the Spicy Beef Stew (which requires a bit more time than most), which seemed to be the most authentic. Definitely go, expect a short wait, and the food to come out fast (except for the previously noted).
(4)
Ryne D.
You'll notice that 90% of the reviews here mention Yu's Mandarin. For DECADES, Yu's was the place to go for Chinese food in the northwest burbs. When I was growing up, my parents would take out-of-town visitors there for lunch. Whenever I visit my Lola (grandma), this is where we would go. But then...new ownership tanked the place. If you look at Yu's on Yelp, it has a decent rating, but you'll also see many people scorned by the place they used to love. I am no different. When I heard rumor that the previous owners of Yu's had opened Ping, I had to try it, with my grandma of course. For her birthday too, so my sister and I were praying that we had made a good choice. We had. Food came out almost shockingly fast. The noodles here were just as we remembered them at the old Yu's. Firm, oily (but not too much), and full of seafood. Not to say they don't have their own tricks - I don't remember Yu's having delicious fried chicken lollipops, but they do here. Most of all though, it got grandma's seal of approval. The only thing I'd recommend against would be the salt and pepper tofu - you only get a few pieces and it's not really worth the price. It's only 10 minutes from Yu's. There's no reason to go there over here. Thanks Chef Ping!
I have been wanted to come here since they opened a few years ago. Finally we grouped 15 people and made the reservation on the Christmas Eve. It was a smart move to make a reservation before hand. The parking lot was packed and people were lining up for tables in a tiny waiting area. We also made the pre-order of Dragon Hair Fish and Seafood with Steamed Egg. Of course ordered more dishes when we were sat down. Too many dishes actually. Well All of them were really good. There are a few of them really stood out. Let's start with the cold dish - Summer salad. It is mix between flat bean noodles with all kinds of stuff, beef slices, egg slices, and veggies. It is a bit spicy due to the yellow mustard. Fresh, tasty and a bit spicy. It was different and really refreshing. Amongst the hot dishes, Sea Cucumber with Fatty Pork and Dragon Hair Fish were the winners. One was heavy flavored with soy sauce and Fish was light and refreshing. Both were delicious. The Spicy Seafood Noodles is a dish with Korean influence. I have eaten this dish a lot in a few other restaurants. When the dish is cooked right, it has a indescribable taste from right amount of hot pepper power and seafood. Chef Ping did a great job on this. It was just right. The services were super quick and friendly. I was almost amazed how quick they served us with our dishes even the whole place was fully packed. Definitely worth the drive to there again soon. My friend told me their spicy dishes were pretty good too which we didn't get the chance to try this time.
(5)
Nelson M.
Restaurant Review Holy asian! Chef Ping rivals Yu's and recently tops it. The type of asian food you get here is a fusion of korean and chinese which is a unique experience. It has the spiciness of korean food while maintaining the stir fry component of cantonese cooking. The one major downside is get a reservation or you will be waiting a while. A lot of the waiters speak mandarin and their english is so so which is always a mark of a good traditional asian restaurant. So from my memory that good items to try include the pong pong chicken which is a chicken drumstick lollipop with the spicy ping sauce. The chef ping stir fry noodle is a bit spicy but has a good balance of seafood. Another item is the aged salty egg coated dungenese crab. Simply amazing, not to mention through the roof in cholesterol. There is also a noodle dish that has multiple layers including pork, egg, etc that comes not mixed and it is mixed at the table. The sauce they use reminds me of wasabi. IMHO those are the best dishes to try. Pro- unique korean/chinese fusion, fresh food Con- some of the dishes have now shrunk in size compared to before, long wait time Hidden deal- If the parking lot is full, park over at the banquet hall parking lot. You may get towed if you parking in the next door ice cream store lot.
(4)
Spencer H.
I have been a big fan of Yu's Mandarin for years & I have been told to check this place out repeated times. This place has a pretty big buzz & it hasn't worn out. I was told that many people here were former employees including one of the old bosses of Yu's & when I went here to eat, the waiter confirmed this for me. We started off with some iced teas & hot & sour soup. It was not the best hot & sour soup I have had but it was good & I would order it again. For the main course we ordered a beef & chicken hunan style, kung pao chicken & shrimp fried rice. The beef & chicken hunan style is a dish I have only eaten at Yu's Mandarin because they perfected it. So I was very curious to see how good it would be here. The food came out about 10 minutes after placing the order. One thing I noticed right away is that they used larger shrimp in their shrimp fried rice & there were a lot of shrimp. Most places only use small shrimp. The kung pao chicken was good but the real surprise was the beef & chicken hunan. It was just as good as at Yu's Mandarin. This is the first place in years that has been as good as Yu's Mandarin. Overall the experience was great. The food was good & the service was fast. It was on the pricier side but it was worth the experience. I would definitely eat here again if I was in the area.
(5)
Gianni P.
Ordered takeout for the office after we seen it was ranked #1 in Illinois by Yahoo. Wait time for sit in lunch is extremely long so carryout worked. Place is exactly as everyone says...... AMAZING!
(5)
Michelle F.
From one bad Asian food experience (here's looking at you, WildfishofArlingtonHeights) on Monday night to an experience at Chef Ping that can only be described as AMAZEBALLS! This food is knock-your-socks-off fresh and flavorful! They have really great service, wonderful prices, and a really wonderful ambiance. My friend and I were never left wanting anything. So let me preface this with the fact that my fellow Yelper and I (shout out to my wannabe Asian friend Cristie! She is my expert for many things Asian-food-related!) ordered enough food to feed a small army (or better yet, us two and then our significant others later on that night). Everything we ordered was delicious, and it came out piping hot! It was fairly fast from the time we ordered until the time we received our food. Ten minutes, maybe?? WHAT WE ORDERED: Stir Fried Mushrooms Shredded Pork Fried Rice Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter Sesame Chicken WHAT WE ENJOYED Every gosh darn bite of everything WHAT WE DID NOT ENJOY ::Crickets:: But seriously, the food was amazing! The sauce on the sesame chicken will haunt my dreams. The noodle platter was delicious (and they were able to make it White Girl Spicy--woot). The fried rice was really good, and not dry at all (I hate when it gets dry!) and the mushrooms are out of this world! But word to the wise, these are HUGE slices, and hard to cut. So you will need a knife! We arrived right around six on a Tuesday night. There was no wait when I got there, and the restaurant was about 1/2 filled. However, before we had even figured out what we wanted to order, the place was PACKED. So this place really knows how to keep them coming!! I can't wait for my next outing to Chef Ping. I saw about 18 more things I wanted to order. I might have to try and space them out among a few visits, though...or not...
(5)
Christy S.
Delicious authentic food! We love this place, their Vegetable Noodle Platter is the best thing I've ever tasted! Salt and Pepper Shrimp is delicious! My husband loves the sweet and sour chicken, the Hunan Beef is his favorite. You have to go early, before 530, or there's a wait. But it's SO good! Oh and the wonton soup, great!
(5)
Cristie F.
I had been longing to eat at Chef Ping since I heard about it a couple months back. The time had come and my excitement was uncontainable. First things first. I'm not sure who this Chef Ping is, but I'm madly in love with him. ((Well, I'm assuming it's a him - either way)). CP brought me back to everything I was missing at my previous favorite Chinese restaurant ((eh...ahem, Yu's)). In the middle of a monsoon I was surprised to see the restaurant packed. Apparently a little ((or a lot)) of rain doesn't bother Ping diners. After my experience, a tsunami wouldn't stop me from heading there. The point - get there early, take it to go, or expect a wait. The menu consists of a variety of meats and seafood, as well as quite a few vegetarian options. I was stoked to see king mushrooms on the menu, but the long-awaited sesame chicken was taking the priority that night. Dinner consisted of Sesame Chicken and Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter. Both were incredible - duh. The sesame chicken was everything I imagined it would be and more. The chicken was fresh and juicy, lightly breaded, and tossed in the best sesame sauce known to man. The veggie platter had fresh stir-fried veggies and an abundance of house made silky noodles. The portions were huge, so two entrees for two people was more than enough. Service was fantastic. The hostess, staff, and our waitress were extremely friendly and seemed genuinely happy to have us there. That was a welcomed change from many other restaurants I've visited. Our dishes came out fast and our glasses were always full. The only thing I'm unhappy about and regret is not knowing about Chef Ping sooner. Chef Ping - I love you. Thank you for bringing back the amazing Chinese dishes I so desperately missed.
(5)
John L.
Worth the 1 hour wait... In fact, I would wait 2 hours to eat here again! The place had extremely fresh ingredients and an amazing menu! I strongly suggest the jajangmyun but don't plan on splitting it with someone because you'll want the whole bowl! The chicken wings are legit as well. I don't think you can go wrong on anything on the menu. It took a while to get a table, but the service was incredible right when we sat down. Even the bussers were smiling...not to day bussers aren't friendly, but let's face it, they typically don't have the friendliest personalities. The place was booming and service was great...nuff said
This place is always premier. Our waitress way very attentive and so personable. She took our order and served our food when it came out. Food was amazing. I have tried something different every time I am here and I haven't been disappointed. The interior is nicely designed. Make sure you call ahead to see how long the wait is. They are usually busy.
(5)
Alison G.
Now after 2yrs they grow so fast now you can see long wait Food sometimes is 4stars sometimes 3. I give it 3 because the recent visits were about 3 Looking forward for better food when I come back
(3)
Kevin G.
Have been here many times. Food is just simply amazing and great flavors. For the quality of food that you get it's an absolute bargain. Seriously! The steamed pot stickers were amazing. pork MuShu off the hook. Just go - You'll luv it. Makes all other Chinese food places inedible.
(5)
Monica J.
Really yummy and reasonably-priced food. My family and I used to go to Yu's Mandarin all the time and then we heard the owners switched to Chef Ping. We love the mushroom dish, tofu, and their veggie noodles are really yummy. Great place for take out or dine-in. Be prepared to wait, though, as this restaurant is usually quite packed.
(5)
David L.
There is never an issue with the food at Chef Ping. It's consistently good. The atmosphere at Chef Ping has decreased significantly as Chef Ping tries to maximize revenue and squeeze people in like sardines in a can. It's become increasingly difficult to get to and from the table without bumping into neighboring patrons. Just today, I was asked multiple times by one member of the wait staff if I was done eating. I was not even done chewing and was making sure my son was eating his lunch. This is a business and you are out to maximize revenue, but packing in tables to the point walking is difficult and pestering customers to leave does not make for a relaxing atmosphere to grab a meal.
(3)
Katie F.
Food was fantastic! Prices were great for huge portions. We had pong pong chicken (without the sauce, which was way too hot), veg fried rice, and veg noodles (not spicy). Our waitress was super friendly and helped us pick our dishes. The only downfall is the wait, so make sure you get there early or late.
(5)
Larry C.
It's good here Get the egg yolk crab It's legendary!! If you go on Sunday, there are a bunch of hot girls eating bowls of black noodles. If you eat at the bar, sometimes they'll ask you to join there table. Place a bible by your Kan Tsao Nue Fan and you will get solicited to join the big tables that are round in the back. Brush up on your Bible verses cuz quoting people quoting Jesus is a great way to pick up Christian chicks!! Oh. There is an oberweis next door so that is where the Christian AfterParty is. PRO tip: park there at Oberweis because Chef Ping's lot is PACKED!!! PRO TIP: the asian girls hitting on you are Korean
(5)
Dinah T.
Chef Ping is a high end type of Chinese establishment. It's located on a main road and the parking lot gets busy. They are closed on Monday's, yes a restaurant that is NOT open 7 days a week. I believe most Chinese restaurants are closed on Monday's. I've been here several times from seating for 2 to a private wedding engagement party in the back room, jammed pack of people. This place gets VERY busy during the weekend so expect to wait if you didn't make RSVP. So sit by the bar and people watch. Or if you don't like the crowd, then take out is just as good. If you see a lot of Chinese customers coming here, then you KNOW it will be good! Every item that we have order from the menu was pretty good, it taste even better for leftovers! Keep in mind their food is not like you would get in a divey place in Chinatown. They do serve their dishes family style which I like. So what do I like? Well here you go... Wonton Soup (very clean and the shrimp filled wontons were full of filling). Not really authentic Chinese soup-Chinatown style but pretty good. Hot n' Sour Soup, very peppery and thick. Hubby likes this soup. Clam Soup for Two is a clear broth soup of mini manila clams. I get then when my family is in the mood, it's a lot of soup for 1 person as an appetizer. Better if it's a meal. Fried Pot Stickers flavorful and tasty, not too oily and crispy yum. Crab Rangoon stuffed with filling, really good. I'd get this again. Walnut Shrimp (sweet creamy sauce with deep fried jumbo deveined shrimp, candied walnuts, and steamed broccoli on the side). I'd get this again and again. Shrimp in Lobster Sauce jumbo deveined shrimp, thick sauce with a salty taste. Steamed whole Pike and Flounder- flaky white fish with a sesame oil with soy sauce, etc. If they are not too busy, they will filet the fish and serve you by table side (to avoid seeing the fishes face, lol!). Mongolian Beef, soft meat and well-seasoned. Can be a bit oily though. Orange Chicken has lightly crispy battered pieces with a sweet sauce. One of our favorite dishes we order. Szechwan Eggplant is a lightly battered pieces with a tasty garlic sauce. Another favorite dish Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce is fresh, not over cooked vegetables. Seafood Peking Noodle (home-made noodles with a black bean sauce). Ping's Noodle Platter a spicy dish that you can ask for less or extra spicy. I love this home-made noodle. Pineapple Fried Rice and their shrimp fried rice (their deveined shrimp are medium size rather than the baby shrimp which I prefer and they put peas and carrots in their fried rice which I don't care much for. But the flavors are there). The space is a dark dining experience in the front area of the house. In the private rooms in the back are well lighted. The overall experience is very nice, good service, quick, and the food is yummy too! This is my go to place when I'm in the area!
(4)
David M.
Had Crab Rangoon which were unique and delicious, not the standard fair by any means. Shared an order of General Taos, Beef and Broccoli, and Chicken Fried Rice. All were excellent. The food alone made this a 4 star experience. The service was extraordinary, and I will feel like a terrible person if I didn't give this place a 5 star review. Friendly, attentive, expedient, and courteous. Happy to have found this place, and happy to offer my repeat business.
(5)
Shelby B.
I have such a love-hate relationship with this place. My husband and I have been here at least 10 times, and my review is consistent with these experiences. The reviews from "white people" who are impressed by the Asian clientele just baffle me. Everywhere I go is all white folk, and I certainly don't ooh and aah think these places are so great. Having eaten plenty of vegan Chinese food in China (a difficult find!), Chef Ping is on par. So... the food is delish, but the service is awful. The servers are jerks, and when I go with my American husband, we are not given chopsticks unless we ask. When I go with my Chinese friend, they appear at our table automatically. Come on, give chopsticks or don't! For my last order, I requested that they add straw mushroom, and I'd be happy to pay extra. My order came without any straw mushroom, and when I pointed this out, the server said, " I think you have enough mushroom." Well, they weren't the straw variety! ofc, I was charged $3 for the straw mushroom, and had to have a battle over it. Also, I always have leftovers as their portions are huge. If I ask for extra rice while we are dining, they will pack up any leftover rice along with my tofu and veggie dish at no charge. If I don't ask for it while dining, and ask at the end of the meal, they charge us for it. My husband loves the noodles here, so we'll always go back. I am South Asian, and thus, a rice, not a noodle person. I love their veg dishes, and as a vegan, happy to get tofu prepared as well as they do it, but would be happy never to go here again because their service is reliably awful.
(3)
Steve J.
Our office is in the area, so Chef Ping's is our go to place when we want great Asian food for lunch. No, we have never tried it in the evening. For lunch, the place is fantastic. The pricing is great and the service (even when the place is packed) is always friendly and reasonably fast. Even the front desk (with people lined back to the door) is always professional and nice. Our general rule for lunch, is if you don't want to wait, make sure you are there by 11:45. Parking also gets a little hairy past that time (private lot). Hot and Sour Soup is wonderful as are all the other lunch dishes we have tried.
(5)
Chung W.
Food is good but the service is bad. One waiter told us to leave table in an hour even though we got there at 4:30 PM. He said someone reserved the table at 5:30 PM. He rush us to order and finish our food. If you want to enjoy a dinner with your friends and family, this may not be a good place.
(2)
Jen Z.
Great food, very authentic! Been there a few times and never disappointed. Much better than Yu's. Wish it's closer to me so I can go there on a weekday when it's not so packed and there's no wait time. We had to give up the place after learning about the 1-hr wait on a Saturday night recently.
(5)
B M.
Awesome awesome awesome. I go here for lunch. The menu is great. Favorite is the ping platter from the lunch menu. From the dinner menu the mango chicken is awesome and so is the chicken wings. I have never had a bad meal and have tried almost everything on the lunch menu. Lines are long very busy so you have to have time to eat here. The service is as quick as it can be when a place is this packed and don't be surprised if it feels like a long wait for your food. If you know that going in you will have a great time and great food.
(5)
Sven B.
I started a new job and my colleague wanted to go here for lunch last week. I have worked in this area for a long time, and have seen Chef Ping - just never have I gone there. Man, I have been missing out! My favorite Asian places in the area are Yu's Mandarin and P.F. Chang's in Schaumburg. Now, Chef Ping is right up there with them! It was so busy at lunch time (for a reason) and the food was outstanding! Very fresh, delicious, etc. Service left a bit to be desired both in terms of speed as well as having food come out at the same time. Still, it was so good! I got the combination lo mein for lunch with the egg drop soup. Their tea is really good too! I am going back tomorrow with a few colleagues to partake in some more Chef Ping goodness. Highly recommended! :)
(5)
Irene O.
The black bean noodle and seafood noodle soup are amazing. The portions are relatively large and they'll split them into two bowls if you'd like. I always get the orange beef here and it has never disappointed me. The beef is always juicy and tender. I am also a huge fan of the walnut shrimp, tangsooyook, and kkanpoongi. The service is always great and they remember your face if you come pretty regularly. This is definitely the best chinese restaurant around, especially for the korean-chinese menu.
(5)
Julie Y.
OMG need to get the pings chicken wings- chicken lollipops and whatever else is on the menu. Seriously.. so good and not too salty like other Asian restaurants can be. im a fan.
(5)
Anthony A.
Tried this place a few times now and the food has yet to disappoint. Kung Pao Chicken was very good and the Ping's Noodle Platter was excellent. My wife is a hot and sour soup connoisseur (I can't stand the stuff) and she said it was some of the best she's had in a while. Definitely recommend.
(5)
Shelly M.
My boyfriend and I have ordered carry out from Chef Ping a few times. We have never ate in the restaurant because it is always busy and there is always a wait for a table. We order the pong pong chicken which is delish. We also order the noodle platter which my boyfriend loves. Food is always good. The prices are on the higher side, but worth the try!
(4)
Trina J.
This place is a Chinese food lovers heaven. You get authentic, great tasting and affordable chinese. I love this place. So much so, that I happily take the 15-20 minute drive to check this place out. It really is that good. Never have I seen a chinese restaurant with such a large crowd. People literally wait for them to open for dinner. They are staked out in the parking lot. How do I know this? I decided to stop for take out when heading home. I thought I would be first because it was ten minutes prior to opening. When I pulled up, there were at least five other cars waiting. If this place were closer, I would eat here even more. Chef Ping, chinese by any other name is just not the same.
(5)
Khris L.
This place is a gem. The food is a bit pricey, but so damn yummy. It seems that I'm not the only one that feels this way as this place was packed to the brim while I was there. Everyone was eating, talking, laughing, and basically having a great time. The service was phenomenal, with many people checking up on us to make sure we were enjoying our time there. The food was good, the service was great, and the place was clean. What more can you ask for? Try this place out!
(5)
John G.
I loved the food at Chef Pings but my last experience has left me unhappy and I will not be back. The wife and I ordered our food. I ordered General Tao's chicken and asked for all white meat. Our food came and I was given dark meat. I dislike dark meat and told the waiter I had ordered General Tao's and requested all white meat. He told me if I wanted white meat he could put the order in again but he would have to charge for both! Neither my wife nor I will each dark meat. I told him to take the food away then and basically we paid our bill and left.
(1)
Violet C.
Great Birthday Parties we had there with friends and family. Getting ready for one more tonight. Food is great! Fun place! Hope we don't get rushed. Looking forward! Happy Birthday DC and JC!
(4)
Jay Y.
I went there for the JaJangMyun for nostalgic reasons but was sadly disappointed. It just seemed to lack a little love. I can say the same thing about the spicy seafood noodle soup. The broth tasted like instant Ramen broth. On the other hand the tempura shrimp and pong pong wings were absolutely superb. I can't wait to try some noodle dishes on my next trip.
(4)
Char A.
Tried Chef Ping for the first time. The hot and soup soup was the best I ever had! Based on a recommendation here, I tried the noodle platter. It was good, just a little too much seafood for me. The noodles were homemade and delicious.
(5)
Ian B.
The food is great but the staff at the hostesses stand is a mess. Waiting 1 1/2 hours when we had a reservation... The one lady lied to my face about double booking parties. Not coming back
(2)
Food L.
This place is great, in never disappointed me when it comes to the quality and deliciousness of food. Their Kung Pao chicken is the best I had in town and all their dishes are full of flavor and enjoyable to eat. Their seafood dishes are 5 stars, I can say with confidence that the chef is so talented and like an artist, he knows how to delight your taste buds with colorful dishes full of flavor and freshness. Sometime it takes us 45 minutes in line until we are seated, but it is worth it, even if I waited double the time... This is a king of authentic Chinese food cuisine in the northwest suburbs without a doubt!!
(5)
Kevin T.
Best Chinese food I have ever had! Great service, Jerry is a great server. I tried the crab rangoon, egg rolls and shrimp egg rolls. All were the best quality I have ever tasted! I ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet (Sea Bass) and it blew my MIND!!! Soooo Gooood! Their Mai Tai was excellent as well. If you're looking for good Chinese food at an affordable price you have to try Chef Ping!
(5)
Shawn M.
I travel to Asia frequently and have been looking for an authentic Chinese food spot. This is the best we've found, period. Amazing, fresh ingredients, tasty dishes, always busy. Those are some of the words I'd use to describe Chef Peng's. The owners are also very nice and always smiling. I'm guessing that because they're always busy has something to do with it. An hour wait is typical so plan ahead or get there early. The wait staff can be short with customers but they are still better than wait staff in Chinatown restaurants.
(5)
Stephanie K.
What is there not to like about this place? Fantastic curry. Great hot and sour soup. Good chicken wings. Fantastic shrimp kung pao. Basically, this is the best chinese restaurant ever. I used to eat here all of the time when I lived in Palatine. Now that I'm living in Crystal Lake, I don't make it out there very often but just thinking about it makes me want to make the drive. Thank you Chef Ping for never disappointing and not giving my subpar Chinese food like every other Chinese restaurant here in the Chicago suburbs.
(5)
Julie R.
This IS the best Chinese food outside of Chinatown in all of Chicagoland. Fact. And I think those that have had Chef Ping know this as well BECAUSE there is ALWAYS a crazy wait to dine here on a Friday or Saturday night. But I will not down grade to a 4-star just because they're popular ;) We always get the Orange Chicken- amaze. The Won Ton soup is very fresh and light. Crab Rangoons are generous in proportions. Ordering the pot-stickers pan fried is worth the wait rather than having them deep, fat fried or just steamed. There was also this shrimp dish, it sounded gross because the sauce was mayonnaise based BUT it was SO GOOD! Mu shu pork is super filling- its like Asian burritos, create-your-own style. I think what really makes this place stand out is that their flavors do NOT taste muddled as I feel that many other Chinese restaurants tend to do... I also think the service is pretty good from the few times I've been. While you're waiting for your table, get a cocktail at the bar. I really wanted to try the Cucumber lemon mojito but they were out of mint. :(. Instead, I had the Malibu Mai Tai which was very sweet and tasty- that's how I like 'em though. This place NEEDS a larger location. No doubt.
(5)
Erv T.
Amazing and very good. We are vegetarians and love the vegetable noodle dish . They get very busy so order online and pick it up. Plan 60 minutes extra on Fridays and Saturdays.
(5)
Justin R.
Some of the best chinese food available in the Chicago area.
(5)
Nita L.
Delicious! Served family style so plan to share dishes or you'll have tons of leftovers, which isn't really a bad thing. They did bring us one dish we hadn't ordered, and after we dished it out they asked us if we liked it. At that point I asked if we had the right one, and we learned it wasn't our dish They promptly replaced it with the right dish. The feeling I had was that if I hadn't asked, they would have just let it slide. Not positive that's what would have happened, just a sense. That said, it was delicious and we will return!
(5)
Judy H.
Best chinese food in the NW suburbs, and better than most places in Chicago's chinatown. My family and I have been coming here since the owners sold off Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg and created Chef Ping in Arlington Heights. We always order: - Salt & Pepper Shrimp - Szechwan Eggplant - the eggplant is lightly fried, so best enjoyed in the restaurant, but can be good as leftovers too. Just will be soggy. - Yellow Leek with Shredded Pork - Seafood Noodle Soup or Ping's Noodle Soup - YOU MUST GET THIS. They make their own hand-pulled noodles. It's the best. - Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jia jia mien) Other menu items are good too. Can't really go wrong.
(4)
M K.
Awesome Chinese food. The Ping's noodle platter was excellent and the Black Bean noodles were just as we wanted. Great service and good food along with reasonable prices make this one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area.
(5)
Christina S.
"Where do you want to go out to eat?" Chef Ping, CHEF Ping, CHEF PING!!! I do not get sick of this place so my answer is not going to change. EVER. What can I say that hasn't been already said. Probably nothing, but damn, this is some awesome Chinese food. But, it's the NOODLES that are beyond fantastic. That is to say particularly, the handmade noodlles, and that is not necessarily all of the noodle dishes, so definitely ask which dishes those are before you order. I like to get the Ping Noodle Platter, either vegetarian or the combo but I opt for no seafood- unless I forget that part like I did once, and I still thought it was phenom, despite the fact that I am not a scallop or calamari girl. Don't get me wrong, I didn't eat every morsel of seafood, but I totally handled it which speaks to the freshness and technique offered at Chef Ping. And I will slap your mama before I will let her have any of my noodles! Yes, they are that good, and even the lunch special, which comes with an egg roll and soup, is large enough for three meals. But I want every one of those three meals over the next two days, so NO, your mama can not have any of my noodles!!! Except for egg drop soup, which is not my thing, I've never had anything bad here. The pot stickers are very good, and the pong pong chicken was a HUGE hit shared at our table of five last visit. There is still so much on this menu that I want to try. I find it annoying that my husband, who very much enjoys his meals here, is not as big of a fan of Chinese food in general, so I do not get here as often as I would like. If this was in my neighborhood however, I would be their best customer, especially considering they are pretty reasonably priced. Don't miss out on trying Chef Ping. You won't regret it. And if you go, can I come, too? Pretty please?? P.S. Authentic Chinese menu available as well as a banquet room, I believe.
(5)
Jay S.
Best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. Long wait but it must mean it's good and it was. Pong pong chicken is the best wing I've ever had. La-jo-myun (seafood fried noodle) was a bit salty but still good. Sweet n sour pork w/ pineapple was real good too and I like the fact that it's the clear sauce, not the nasty red sauce a lot of other restaurants use. I'm sold.
(5)
Candice G.
When I go out to eat and see a menu item called 'Vegetarian Chicken' that's described as 'tofu created to taste like chicken by ancient Buddhist Monk', well, you better believe I want that ancient Buddhist not-chicken on my plate and then promptly placed in my mouth. Unfortunately, I tried to order that here last night and our server responded by asking me if I'd ever had it before. I said 'no', but mentioned that I was really excited to. She responded by describing the dish to me in what had to be the absolute most complicated way possible, involving an almost egregious amount of hand motions and her using the word 'skin' no less than eight times till finally ending on her physically reaching over the table to take the menu away from me and turn to the next page to randomly point out some other menu item that was in almost no way related to the one I just said I wanted. Uhmmm... ya know, I think we're gonna need another minute to look over the menu (and talk about how f*cking awkward that interaction was). So that was weird, right? And, like any 20-something American raised by cable television, being told I couldn't have something only made me want to order it more... but, due to my lack of cultural studies and state of intimidation left by a waitress who took a menu away from and looked straight in my eye and told me to order something else, I didn't know how I would go about ordering the now shrouded in mystery ancient Buddhist not-chicken, so I just picked something else at random and sat somewhat silently while i contemplated the whole thing. Things I did and have ordered in the past: ** Kung-Pow Tofu: A rather ironic dish to order given the aforementioned interaction, as it's not listed on the menu, but they suggested I could get the kung-pow style dish regardless of it not actually being available there... and it was so freakin' good. They should put that on the menu and maybe consider taking items off that they won't let you order anyway. ** Salt & Pepper Tofu: Amazing. The tofu is softer than you'd expect, but the flavors and the little cut of bits of pepper and spices that I incorrectly and refer to as 'salsa' because I don't actually know what to call it is outstanding. Those smoky hot peppers are so good. I want to eat them popcorn. ** Mandarin Bean Curd: It's good. I like a bit more flavor and spice in my dishes but for the average tofu dish it was pretty good. Very salty, but I've come to recognize that as being a common denominator in most of Chinese food I've had. Luckily, you have a big glass of ice water in front of you. Oh and every table has a pot of of tea on it, though if it's worth mentioning, they don't give you the real ceramic tea cups, they're just crummy plastic ones that may or may not leak toxic plastic poison into your piping hot tea... though personally, I'm not too worried about that. I spent a good part of my childhood with my face pressed against the microwave window watching the guts of my hot pockets simmer and seep onto the protective sleeve.
(4)
Leon D.
We ordered take-out last Wednesday from this favorite restaurant. When I got our order home, we discovered that my wife's entree was missing. I called and spoke with Angela. She didn't even hesitate, she offered to make it right on the spot. We have always loved the food here, but food and excellent service explains why this parking lot is always jammed.
(5)
Kat L.
Ho. Ly. PING!!! It's about time i find an amazing Chinese spot around the area! Went here for lunch with the fam, as recommended by my cousin's wife. So many hits that I'm sure anyone could find a dish to like. Here's some takes on our chinese shchmorgasboard: salt and pepper squid: I could have done with a bit more seasoning, but if a Chinese McDonald's decided to have a squid mc nugget, this is pretty much what you'd get. i swear, the texture is just like chicken mcnuggets! and oh?! fancy that. sweet and sour sauce on the side. lol summer salad: a myriad of textures. hot and cold and crunchy vs. rice noodles and the clean crisp of (ginger? or onion?) and all sorts of things. I so recommend if you're aiming for refreshing but somewhat filling. Thai seafood noodle: wide rice noodles perfection. texture is spot on. some parts soft with a slight bit of a crisp on other ends. DELISH! Mango shrimp: uhm. i will probably order this. over. and over. and over. a lil sweet. a lil heat. and a whole lot of YUM!! mango and shrimp? BFFs. why can't everyone do this? crab rangoons: standard Shrimp dumpling: YES!!! for dim sum fare!!! fish with wood ear: also delish! great for those who aren't fish connoisseurs. i love the mushroom. Pineapple fried rice: so delicious. and there were raisins, which makes it kinda close to filipino home (arroz valenciana? sorry if i botched the spelling). Geez. Louise. We obviously went to town ordering a wide variety of things. I was pretty happy with everything. Service was quick and on point (they actually had forgotten to put in our table's order for soup, but the entrees came out on the fly so we didn't mind). Portions were fair for pricing, and I'm happy to pay a little more for some great quality food. COME HERE. You won't regret it.
(5)
Vina O.
This place is ALWAYS crowded on weekends. I've only gone here for dinner and the food is decent. I live extremely close to Chicago's Chinatown and I'd personally rather go there anyday, but I guess this is the best place to go to if you want semi-authentic Chinese/Korean food in the suburbs. Favorite dishes by far are the fried lollipop chicken and black bean mussels!
(3)
Stephen M.
I love the place! I took a star out cause it was a hassle to find parking! But then again it was a Sunday and if the parking lot is full, that means that their food is pretty damn good and is worth waiting for! :) I love the service here..the people are very friendly!
(4)
Lisa C.
So far, their lazzamyun, tang su yuk, jjajangmyun were all delicious. Their jjamppong was also really good but I was disappointed that it was not spicy whatsoever. The fried potstickers were pretty good too. The service was much better than expected because everyone was really on top of things, fast, and polite. Definitely will be going back.
(4)
Jim F.
Hey Esther....sounds like you went to Yu's vs Pings!
(5)
Marlo P.
I was here for the first time yesterday and I was really surprised at how busy this place is! So rumor has it that the old executive chef of Yu's Mandarin quit that place, took all his recipes, and opened his own restaurant. At least that's what my father told me. This place is pretty small and really busy. I went at 6pm on a Friday and there was a line out the door. I tried the seafood peking noodles, shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour shrimp, crispy duck and szechwan eggplant. The noodles were the highlight. You could tell these were fresh noodles. The seafood was cooked nicely in the dish and my family (we were a party of 6) ordered two bowls of it. The other stuff was just what I expected. Nothing great about it. I didn't expect the eggplant to be battered and fried though, but it was still decent. The crispy duck just tastes like the deep friend the whole thing and put it on a place with some hoisin sauce. The prices were pretty decent. For a family of 6 (all adults) with four beers and two soco and cokes, 6 entrees and one order of egg drop soup the bill came out to be $104 with taxes. I think that's pretty decent. I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(4)
Nick S.
I've had Chef Ping twice. I liked everything except the Szenchuan eggplant. It was bland and on the greasy side. I'm giving them the benefit b/c two of my foody type friends love this place.
(4)
A. L. P.
My go-to local chinese place, since I live right down the street. The inside is very nicely decorated and clean, the portions are large (two dishes and an appetizer typically feeds our group of 4), they have the best fortune cookies around, and there are always asian people eating here. Win! Would definately recommend taking your out of town relatives here.
(4)
Cerise M.
Food is pretty good, not as greasy as chinese food usually is. We tried the famous pong chicken, salted egg king crab, sizhuan beef and shimp with walnut. They taste decent, but not that spectacular. Service is good though, servers are nice and attentive. Would come back here.
(3)
Al M.
OK, I'm Asian, but not a fan of Asian food. I'm always hungry 30 minutes later. But this place is pretty good. The food was served within minutes. The food itself, was above average. The fried wontons, weren't flaky. The egg rolls weren't soggy. The salad wasn't wilted. The wait staff was very attentive and friendly. The place was nice and clean. It's packed around lunch. Do yourself a favor, go around 11 or after 1 or else you'll be waiting for a table.
(4)
John K.
I come here for every special occasion. And too bad the secret is out because I can hardly get a damn seat anymore! Pong Pong Chicken, chang chang myun, and jampong are to die for. I love this place. One of the few places I salivate over when I come back from a trip to another city. Good food made consistently never goes out of style.
(5)
Barman S.
For my family, this is an upgraded version of Yu's Mandarin, which makes it the best Chinese Restaurant in Chicago Suburb. We heard that the owner of Yu's Mandarin sold the restaurant and opened this one and we believe it because the menu is very similar if not the same except for some changes in the names. Our #1 favorite is Ping's Chicken Wing (Yu's chicken wing in Yu's Mandarin). Menu (9/10) Almost everything you want in Chinese food is available here and they taste pretty good too. The only complaint I have is that their Mongolian beef isn't as good as the one in Yu's Mandarin because the meat is harder although the taste is exactly the same. Price (8/10) It's more expensive than most Chinese restaurants out there, but this is a fancier Chinese restaurant as well, so that's kind of expected. Ambiance (9/10) I really like the restaurant's settings, from the tiles, the furniture, and the dish. It's more modern than Yu's. The toilet is very clean too, which is unheard of for a Chinese restaurant. Service (7/10) The service is average because the waiters and waitresses have so many patrons to attend to. When the restaurant is empty (very rarely), you get a much improved service from them. Location (8/10) It's about 15-20 minute high way drive without traffic. With traffic, it's more like a 30 minute high way drive, so it's not as close as I prefer. We normally don't go there unless we're closer to the area, which is usually on Sunday after church. Overall score: 8/10
(4)
Kevin W.
first the good - Very good noodles, especially the Chef Ping noodle platter. Cooked just right, reminded me of italian home-made noodles. We also ordered the chicken wings which were pretty tasty. Kind of reminded me of Thai/korean chicken wings, very tasty and succulent. then the meh: But honestly, the Chinese food here is not even close to Chinatown. Honey Walnut shrimp is to die for? Why is it $16? I order walnut shrimp all the time in Chinatown and its only $8 there. whack. We also tried the dumplings with homemade wrapping. it was just okay, actually the dumpling wrap was a little too thick and the pork filling wasn't even amazing. The spicy beef pot was too oily and over-saturated. A group of 6 of us took home all of it because we barely touched it. I was also told to order the Sweet and Sour Pork, which I thought was going to be something special but it was just your old breaded pork with sweet and sour sauce on it, just a tad better than panda express. The ambiance was nice, the service was good, but overall the food was just okay. I would go here if I was dying for Chinese food and was stuck in the burbs. The bill might be tolerable at about $20 per person, but its Chinese food...
(2)
Brian C.
What is it with all these places that throw the bland 1000 calorie glaze on every dish? I had a fried squid dish which didn't have a lot of flavor, just the heavy glaze with some chili peppers to make me think there was some heat and flavor. If I wanted heat, I had to suck on one of the chili peppers. It just didn't work. I was with a big group, and I tried some of the other dishes ordered. My wife had a noodle dish which had that same bland and heavy glaze. Another member of our group had the General Tso's chicken, and it too had the bland glaze with no flavor whatsoever. And the portions were enormous. If you want to understand why this society is so fat, come to a place like this and you'll see why. Oh, and be sure to air out your coat when you get home because it will reek of the essence of this place.
(2)
Jamie M.
Based on Yelp reviews, we celebrated my wife's birthday at Chef Ping's with Pam, my mother-in-law. We got to the restaurant at 7:30 on Saturday and it was packed - always a good sign! Also a good sign were the facts that the signs and menus were in English and Chinese, and 1/2 the patrons were Chinese. As the whitest country-kid I know, I always look for restaurants frequented by people of that culture. They should know better than I, right? If only the food had been better. Based on reviews, we ordered the crab rangoons, one of my favorite dishes. They tasted like someone had left out the crab. I thought maybe I was missing something, but I broke it open and poked around, and there was no hint of crab inside. Normally you can at least see something in the middle. It tasted like cream-cheese only in a fried wrapper. I couldn't take any seasonings at all. Pam agreeed - we were both disappointed and didn't finish the plate. I also started with the sizzling-rice soup, and after giving a half-hearted sizzle, the rice tasted a bit like foam pellets in a weak vegetable broth. 0 for 2. My entree was the Ping's Noodle Platter - the menu said they were famous for their noodles so I thought it was the way to go. This was tasty. The scallops and shrimp were cooked just right, although I did get a couple of odd bits of calamari. The noodles were nice and tender, and I enjoyed the seasoning. Slight red curry taste to it. Yum! As a matter of fact, I just ate the leftovers for lunch. 1 for 3. Pam ordered the almond chicken and Kelly got the kung-pao chicken. We were sharing, so tried them both, and they both tasted almost exactly the same except that someone threw almond slivers on Pam's and peanuts on Kelly's. The nuts didn't even get stirred in at all, just tossed on top. If I gave you a bite of each and you didn't get a nut, you wouldn't be able to distinguish. The was a lot of chicken in each, and it was tender with a slightly sweet taste to it. Each of them rated their food as "meh." We'll give that 1/2 start for each dish, so that is 2 out of 5. Service was awesome - in fact, it's the only reason I didn't give Chef Ping's only 1 star. The staff was definitely working as a team filling drinks, running food, clearing dishes, etc. Truly exceptional. When we found it, Pam realized it is located in an old Baker's Square location. Kudos do whoever did the remodel / decor - it looks beautiful and you would never guess the buildings history. I am at odds with all the other great reviews on here, but it just wasn't that good. Hopefully we went during an off night or something. I would go back based on my dish to try again, but I don't think I could convince the others to.
(2)
Pete C.
In a nutshell, the food we ordered was wonderful. We ordered the Schezwan Eggplant, Pong Pong Chicken, Salt and Pepper tofu and the Honey Almond Shrimp. Good size orders, friendly attentive staff and fast service. I want to go back...very soon!
(5)
Nick D.
This place is the best Chinese in the area - Hands Down. Anyone that says Yu's is better is full of it. Yu's has been going down hill since they sold it. Try the Szechwan Beef, Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp, Sesame Chicken, Mongolian Beef. All of these dishes are out of this world. I was a cusomer of Yu's for 15 Years, Ping's is a cut above.
(5)
Justine R.
Two words: Homemade Noodles. Every time I've gone here, I leave disappointed that I can't fit any more food in my stomach. I guess you need to order the right stuff though, because once I went with my husband, and the couple next to us seemed disappointed with their selection (and kept staring at our orders). We always get the Ping's Noodle Platter (please don't ask for this "not spicy".. it totally takes away from the flavor) and Peking Duck. The Duck is pricey, but they wrap large pieces of duck in mandarin pancakes (think: asian mini-burrito). The plum sauce and scallions are a perfect pairing to the duck. Sigh, I wish I were rich and could go here more often. It's not that they're that expensive, but coming here too often can break the bank a bit. Plus it's a good 30 minute drive just to get to the restaurant. Nevertheless, I still dream of those two dishes occasionally and convince my husband to make the drive with me at least once every two months =)
(5)
D. C.
A taste of Chinatown for the suburbs. Chef Ping is a slick, modern looking restaurant cooking up food that's comparable to (if not better than) that served down in Chinatown. Our feast included approximately 11 different items total from every section of their menu; everything looked beautifully fresh and tasted wonderful. I can see why this place was packed from the time we arrived and still had a large group waiting when we left. I'll definitely be back now that I know this place exists!
(4)
Demetrio P.
Food was okay here. My brother recommended Chef Ping as coworkers recommended this place to him as well. Ordered the Chicken Wings, not too spicy, little sweet, noodles with seafood, was okay, and the combination fried rice, which was okay as well. I can't say the food blew me away, but the food was tasty, place was clean, and the service was attentive. I wouldn't drive out from Chicago just to go here...but if I'm ever in the vicinity, I may visit Chef Ping when in the mood for Chinese food. Overall, okay food, okay prices, okay service.
(3)
Valentin S.
This is my favorite restaurant when it comes to Chinese food. Move over P.F. Chang
(5)
Jen Y.
As a visitor to the area, this review is based more on the merits of the restaurant versus a comparison to local competition. Food gets a solid 4 stars. The menu has the typical Chinese restaurant fare with a few Korean staples. Everything was great--delicious flavors without an MSG overdose or too much grease. Service was very friendly, but as it got busier, we were a bit rushed. Having arrived at 11:30 am, just as they opened, we got a prime spot. Good thing, because 30 minutes later, this place was packed and there was a wait to get a seat. But given the quality of the food, I can see why this place draws the crowds!
(4)
Alex K.
The atmosphere was great, the Szechuan string beans were fantastic, and the servers were the most attentive of any restaurant I can remember being to. The only downside was the limited vegetarian choices, but the people I went with who weren't vegetarians enjoyed their dishes immensely. We'll be back!
(4)
Jin Joo L.
How did I manage to skip over this hidden gem? I've been here a million times and the food never gets worse and the service is always great! This place is very similar to Yu's Mandarin in cuisine but the dishes are presented very differently. I like the jjajangmyun, jjampbong, walnut shrimp, mushroom and tofu, peapod tips, only to name a few. The dumplings are also one of my favorites here. I love their dumplings more than any other place I can think of right now. This place is great for family gatherings, big parties, business meetings, or just dinner for two. They don't deliver but carry-out is always an option. Note: they do not take reservations unless it is for six people or more.
(4)
Elizabeth A.
Chef Ping's is my favorite Chinese/Asian restaurant. They are always busy so plan on waiting. It is worth the wait! Try the Seafood Noodle Soup, it's delicious. Actually I haven't had anything I didn't like and I have tried many things on their menu.
(4)
Ray P.
I'm giving Chef Ping 3 stars, albeit against my better judgment. Don't get me wrong, they have delicious food AND CP's is much closer to my sister's house than Yu's. Proximity is worth 4 stars alone, especially as good Chinese restaurants in the NW suburbs are few and far between (no, Chinese Munch In, you are not a good Chinese restaurant. I'm sorry). So, as for the food, it was okay. Some dishes were downright delicious. Just some of the dishes we ordered were terribly disappointing. Let me start with the Szechuan Eggplant. The eggplant is BREADED. And, I mean like eggplant-parmesan-breaded. This was NOT tempura breading, either...it was like a batter applied to the eggplant pieces and deep fried then bathed in sauce. Those poor guys were soggy soggy soggy...and, thus mushy mushy mushy. The sauce was delicious....but, I spent far too much time picking off the soggy breading. Szechwan FAIL (anyone know how to say FAIL in Szechwan?). The Mongolian beef was incredible -- tender, flavorful, charred spring onions (I could've eaten those on their own without the beef). AND, I was glad they served the crispy vermicelli on the side so they weren't soggy. The clams in black bean sauce were delicious. I love anything in black bean sauce. But, Chef Ping, could you please clean the clams so I'm not grinding down my tooth enamel on grit? Thank you. The Chef Ping Seafood Platter was good. Not great. Good. Great sauce. Chef Ping, put cuttlefish in there instead of squid, ok? The chicken with broccoli was meh. They used American broccoli, which was a soggy green mess by the time I got it home. Chef, use the bitter Chinese broccoli...it's soooo much tastier! Combination chow mein was okay. Not good, not bad, just ok. I don't recommend it. If you live in this area, trust me, Chef Ping is your best choice for good Chinese food. Unless, you want to trek waaaay out to Yu's.
(3)
Insun M.
Always a good sign if the parking lot of a restaurant is full. I wanted to compare the Ping's noodle platter to the one a Yu's. Conclusion: both places are equally delicious. The Gang Poong shrimp was ok. Shrimp was cooked right but the breading and sauce could have been more flavorful. The service was attentive and quick. I must have looked like I was having trouble scooping the noodles because one of the ladies swooped in and did table side service of mixing and serving us the noodles. No complaints about that fo sho.
(4)
Howard L.
OK.......this is the new Yu's right..? Yes....they used to own Yu's and now they are on their own. No secret there, everyone knows...or at least, they can see and tasted it. Noodle platter...just as good. All the appretizer are great. Food are great...the place is definitely nicer then Yu's as they do have their interior designer to work out the place....alittle DARK for what I like but I know alot of customer do like it. I am more the Asian type and would like to see what I eat....LOL Overall, a great place for chinese food....between this and Yu's. I will pick it due to the distance....if I am at Woodfield mall, this is closer then Yu;s...yes, it is stupid. The only complain....PARKING. It is a McDonlad size parking lot. (it was a old baker square store)...you have to wait 15-20 minutes for parking on weekend, then another 20-30 minutes for table....be there early.
(3)
Deepika B.
This was recommended by my husband's Japanese friend when we were hunting for chinese restaurants as there was a huge queue at Yu's Mandarin.So we decided to try this place. However, it was definitely worth the try. The staff welcomed us as we got in and we were immediately given a table. The decor was simple and the ambiance good. This place had a mixed crowd. The staff was extremely friendly and warm and the service was great. I shall go back to this place for their friendly staff. We ordered the hot and sour soup which was good and spicy as indicated. Steamed pot stickers and the orange chicken were good too. The fried rice was the best and we loved it. Overall, a great experience and we shall definitely keep coming back to this place for the service and the food.
(4)
Fi Fi R.
I have been to this place for lunch and dinner several times and I have to say that the food is AMAZING!!! Not to mention the owners always remember you. When you walk in, you feel very special because they always remember details about you. Since I live kind far from them and do not go there as often as I would like to, they do not forget you at all - no matter when you come back... Any time I am in the area, I try my best to come in and eat there.
(5)
Sofia M.
I kept driving by and seeing the parking lot full all the time! so could not resist and went in. It is like Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg but better looking and newer. The food was delicious and greatly priced!! I am a fan, i go there all the time.
(4)
Donaye N.
Must order: Pong Pong Chicken!!! I liked the Szechwan Eggplant, too! It is a long wait...especially on a Sunday dinner time!
(4)
Sandra G.
The homemade noodle do not meet my expectation, very disappointed. I tried to order crab and I asked the server to ask their kitchen to make sure the crab is meaty otherwise I don't like to order, but the server told me the kitchen do not know whether the crab is meaty or not. Very disappointted.... how the chef does not know how to select the crab. The restaurant should be able to deliver a good service to their customer but I don't find this quality service from this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(2)
Amaliya L.
Hands down, one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the burbs.... No joke, and I am Chinese. We decided to celebrate my parent's 40th anniversary and Christmas Eve at Chef Ping's last night. We were on a time crunch; we had to be at Willow Creek for Christmas Mass by 545pm. Luckily, my sister had the foresight to reserve a table in their private party room the night before. The place was packed! The food? PHENOMENAL!! We ordered 10 dishes plus 2 appetizers. Everything arrived in time and piping hot. Our seafood selections featured bountiful deveined shrimp, melt in your mouth squid, and tender scallops. Beef and Chicken selections were moist and flavorful. Vegetables and Noodles were all cooked to perfection. The pocket tofu was delicious. As a bible thumping meataholic, this dish almost converted me into giving up meat. The texture and flavor was unlike most vegetarian dishes. Another notable dish is their pork and chives that featured peapod sprouts. I have no idea what the other names of the dishes we ordered were, but I can definitely attest that I was nearing foodgasm. My face felt flushed and I could feel my eyes rolling backwards. We ate silently savoring every single morsel. The service was amazing. One of the best that I have ever received in an Asian restaurant. They timed the order perfectly. There was always a waitperson waiting nearby to refill our water glasses, tea, or clear empty plates. Dinner for 12 including tip amounted to only $165!
(5)
Cindy K.
It takes a lot for me to tolerate traffic and venture from the city to the suburbs. Great friends and good food is one such reason. Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin's cute little sister. The food is comparable (which means artery clogging, food coma inducing, and damn good) and the space is smaller. Service was better and the decor was nicer. It gets packed, which goes to show that the food is worth it. I do have to say that the jajjangmyun is better at Yu's.
(4)
Kelcey K.
The food here is great but the service isn't as good as their food! 3 of us visited this place for lunch, we ordered the walnut prawns, the chef ping's fried chicken and the noodle platter. We were in love with the walnut prawns and the fried chicken! The prawns were kinda coated in a mayo sauce and the walnuts seem to be coated with honey. I'm not too sure about that but the walnuts were crunchy and tasty. The fried chicken ain't your normal Popeye's friend chicken. They fried it and drench them in a somewhat sweet and sour sauce that made the chicken really yummy! The chicken itself was well marinated and juicy too. The noodle platter was interesting. It contained squid, prawns, scallop and many other ingredients all mixed together I couldn't really differentiate them. As mentioned, it's got a unique taste but I don't think I'll order it again. I'll give these guys 4 stars if not for the service. During lunch hour when it became rather crowded, the servers kept trying to clear our dish and wanted to drive us away even though we weren't done with our food! And when we told them we were waiting for a couple of other friends to arrive, they rolled their eyes in our faces. If not for their fried chicken, I doubt I'll visit this place again. But it's too yummy to ignore!
(3)
Mai T.
GENERAL: A friend of ours use to live where we recently moved to. He had talked about this place and said it was a great place. So, since I had Yelp at my fingertips, I looked on Yelp as well as did a quick "google" search on this place. Upon my research, I found that the owners use to own Yu's Mandarin but ended up selling the place and later on opened this place. I had high expectations only because if they use to own Yu's, I would think that they helped build it's reputation and would then carry on that hard work to there own restaurant. SERVICE: When we approached this place, the parking lot was jammed packed. Instantly, I thought that it must have been a really good place. We went there around dinner time on a weekday so that could be why. There were cars waiting like eagles to catch an open spot. We came in with no wait at all and were seated right away. I don't know how they have their system there, but our waiter was not attentive to us at all. He was more worried about his other tables, and if he were at other tables, we would be looking away from the tables to look at other tables as well as the number of people coming in. It was slightly annoying as it took us longer to place an order. We finally placed our order and I had asked for chop sticks (didn't get them), then asked for more napkins (didn't get them) ,and finally asked for more rice (guess what? didn't get them). I didn't want to remind him because I didn't want him to "hate" our table even more since he probably didn't know we existed half the time. FOOD: I ordered the honey walnut shrimp. Let's just say that the walnuts were outstanding, yet the shrimp (main part) wasn't to good. Something about it didn't seem right but I couldn't put my finger on it. The breading that was surrounding the shrimp tasted very stale (I know, that sounds impossible right?) The mayo/honey sauce that they had concocted was not sweet. It had a weird taste. If you do get it, you can definitely taste the difference compared to Yu's. My little one had the Seafood Thai Noodle and the BF had the Sauteed Canton Flat Noodle. Let's just say that they both tasted the same, one was with seafood and the other was with beef. The Seafood Thai Noodle didn't have a distinct taste. It was bland. The only good thing about it was the seafood within the dish. They had succulent squids, shrimps, and scallops. Man-O-Man were those items delish. I've been noticing the difference between many restaurants. Most of them will cheap out and not give you "real" seafood items but in stead will substitute them with smaller sized shrimp that already look cheap or squid that you only get 2 of in an entire dish. This place wasn't horrible. If I'm looking for Chinese that's not in the mall or not 1 hour waits like Yu's then I would choose this place.
(3)
Bari L.
I was not to excited to go back but since my friend was having a birthday dinner there I had no choice. Since there was more of us there was a larger verity of food on the table so I was able to try more. Let me give you a little background on myself. I come from a very diverse family and my step-grandmother who I love dearly is Chinese so when I think of Chinese food I think of her fresh and delicious home cooking. Chef Ping is not bad for what it is but all it is American version of Chinese food. Sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken, orange beef. I did order some buk choy and it was ok but it was still a little more saucy then I prefer. For the price nothing knocked me off my feet and unless someone is having another birthday dinner I'm going to take a pass.
(3)
Doug w.
The best way to summarize Chef Ping is to say that if you miss the 'old' Yu's Mandarin, this is the place to go. The food is noticeably better than Yu's (now) and the menu looks very similar. Was interesting to note that some of the items on the Chinese menu at Yu's have made it to the English side at Chef Pings...Unless memory fails (as it sometimes does) Yu's has Sichuan fish hotpot on the Chinese menu, but it's in English at Ping's. It's also about 1/3 of the size of Yu's and a nicer interior. Service was a bit on the slow side and prices are higher. But for something approaching real Chinese food in the 'burbs, Chef Ping is probably the place. Still looking for a place with real mainland Chinese...Shanghai, Hangzhou and/or Beijing style.
(4)
alan q.
It's a very clean and new restaurant but kind of small. Make a reservation! This place was packed when we came at 6:30 pm on a Saturday. We made a reservation and still had to wait 20 minutes. Food was good. Chicken wings and Fried Rice were solid. Spicy Korean noodle seafood soup was tasty. The Korean Noodle in Black Bean sauce was decent, but had better. They have a big menu and need to try other things when I'm back.
(4)
Tiffany L.
Yup, food tastes just like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Got the following dishes: - Ping's Noodle Platter - Noodle in Black Bean Sauce - Ping's Chicken Wing - Szechwan String Beans (these are awesome btw, double fried) - Clams in Black Bean Sauce The noodles were slightly overcooked and there was some confusion about the chicken*, but overall a good meal and I'll definitely be back. There are apparently some secret items off the menu that I'd love to order as well, like some sort of beef/tofu stew dish, and a beef/scallion burrito type wrap thing wrapped in foil that is a chinese staple. *Here is the confusion about the chicken, maybe you can help me out. Yes, YOU. Before I came people kept telling me to order the "Pong Pong Chicken". Thinking this was just the korean chicken wing ("gan-pong-yi), I thought I was good to go. Upon looking at the menu, they had 3 different listings of this chicken on the menu: Ping's Chicken Wing, Gan Pong Chicken, and one on the korean menu. No listing of a "pong pong chicken". We quickly figured out that the "Gan Pong chicken" was boneless so we didn't want that (even though it SOUNDS like "ganpongyi". VERY CONFUSING CHEF PING!). We asked our waitress if the Pings chicken wing was just the same as gan-pong-yi, and she said yes, so that's what we ordered. However when we received the dish, even though it tasted the same, the cut of the chicken was different than I remembered -- more like chicken wings, verses the korean style w/ the large head of meat attached to a skinny naked bone. This leads me to believe that "Pong Pong Chicken" might be the more authentic korean style chicken that I'm more accustomed to, and it is a secret menu item. Besides they are meatier as well. Anyone have an answer to this? Anyone? Bueller?
(4)
Stevie V.
This place is amazing. We finally decided to grab dinner here and so glad we did. Our server was very attentive and food came out quickly. We were 3 for 3 on our meals. Ordered shrimp curry (amazing), some beef thing, and general tao (also amazing). It was very clean and overall great environment. My friend made a joke that there were a lot of Asian people eating there so it has to be good.
(5)
V.i.o.l.e.t.t.a. D.
Are you people mad???? How the hell did this place get four stars????? I was just here for lunch today and it was HORRIBLE. They gave us DIRTY glasses with lipstick on them, and plates decopaged with dried food....ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I should have left right there and then but against my better judgement I stayed and asked for different glasses and plates. I ordered vegetable tofu and it came with HUGE honking pieces of rotting flesh atop a bed of rubbery noodles...when I asked to have it remade because this wasn't what I ordered the waiter looked at me as if I were a complete bother even though I clearly stated previously that I'm VEGETARIAN and I DON'T want meat with my food. He was rude from the get-go..very short and unfriendly and it took everything in me not to chuck my silverware at him. I finally got my food...but, by that time my companion was already finished.............fan-tas-tic. NEVER. again.
(1)
Grace L.
I know this place has its' history with Yu's, but I'll keep the review to just Chef Pings. Came here on a busy Sat night, busy at 8:30pm that is. The place was packed, and it got me excited since a busy Chinese eatery in this area usually means something good. But then, there aren't that many Chinese eateries in the area. (Maybe 5-6 not counting Panda Express?) The greeter was extremely friendly, as was our server as well. We got seated and water and hot tea was already made available..yippee. We ordered steamed dumplings for app, gan pong scallops, and Mongolian beef, all of which were from previous Yelper's reviews. ;-) The steamed dumplings are not the kind that are soupy inside and you eat with black vinegar. They are the potstickers that are just steamed instead. They also take about 15-20 min to prepare and there are six for the app. There are two accouterments that came with it, a soy based dipping sauce and a spicy chili sauce. Both went well with it. The filling was just ok and the skin a bit thick, but better safe than mooshy. The scallops were lightly fried and tossed in a nice dark sauce. They were large scallops and quite tasty. I do wish there was a bit more sauce on them, but they were good as is. Unlike some other gan pong anything, these were not spicy, don't let those red chilis in the sauce fool you? Mongolian beef was also really good, the beef was thinly sliced and there was a good balance of white/green onions and meat. The beef was cooked well, had a good texture and wasn't too salty. Both of our dishes, albeit not amazingly cheap, were of decent portions and reasonable. Service was very attentive, almost a little too much, as they filled our tea cups, were watching from the corner, asked us profusely how things were going and made sure everything was ok. Just a little trying too hard to please, or maybe we are just not used this. The only negatives in the service was that dessert was not an option given, which was noted at a table near us who actually wanted it, and our doggy bag boxes were presented with a used plastic bag to store them home. Hmmph, doggy bag...anyway. Decor is greyish chic, as it is a newer place. There is a small bar in the front, about 10-15 tables and a party room in the back with about 3-4 larger tables. Food is decent, price is reasonable for the portions/quality, and of course, we will be back for the noodles.
(4)
Eric Y.
This is a very good Chinese restaurant for the suburbs. I've been there twice, both times with big family gatherings so I've tried multiple different things. The highlights have been the clams with black bean sauce - large, juicy, sweet, simply delicious. The fried squid with spicy sauce is really excellent - squid "crack" - it's addictive. The noodles are pretty good - all handmade on-site - the texture is nicely firm and chewy but the sauces and accoutrements are just ok. There is a rolled onion pancake with beef that on one occasion was good and on another was just ok. The dish is need of a sauce, something to give it a little oomph. The peashoots are good. We had a dish of stir-fried tofu, chive flower and tiny fish. It was very good but I would prefer the chive flower to be cut in smaller size to facilitate eating with rice. Servers are very helpful, food arrived pretty quickly. This place is very busy and if you try to go for lunch on weekends, be prepared to wait! One more thing, I usually don't comment on the background music but when it is so inane - the worst type of Muzak - I can't help but say something about it. Note to owner - it's a restaurant, not an elevator!
(3)
Anna V.
My family all agrees the food is great. The place is very clean. The lady owner greets us every time. I usually like to frequent the city but for Chinese food this is the place.
(5)
Jen K.
Yup, it's same owners that sold Yu's and started this place... it is crazy, ridiculously busy here at Chef Ping's! Main reason is that it is a smaller space but they're pretty good about getting tables in and out... on a Sat. night, our party of 4 was seated in about 25-30 minutes. Anyway, nothing super spectacular with the menu... most staple Chinese/Korean dishes. I think the winner of our dinner was the gan pong chicken... sauce was delicious that we all fought for it at the end :p They do serve the typical Asian selections of alcohol -- they have a bar as well but it didn't look fully stocked. For Chicago, I'd say it's one of the better Chinese restaurants but living in the SF/Bay Area, it'd only pass as mediocre.
(3)
Christine L.
Actually, while I am a fan... it is my husband who is super fan when it comes to Chef Pings. He is there 1-2 times per week. Friendly staff, generally fast service, good quality food and a good variety of choices. We live just a few blocks west of the restaurant and while we choose to eat in, we have neighbors/friends who often call in and run over to pick up their food. The egg drop soup is not the egg rich variety that is my preference and I could do without the tiny shrimp... but that is just me. The owner/manager circulates, they know and acknowledge their regulars. There is a diversity in the clientele demographic which speaks to the authenticity and high quality of the food. We are delighted to see a full parking lot regularly... that doesn' mean that it's difficult to get in, but rather that the business is succeeding, because they do what they do well.
(4)
monty m.
Brown lettuce in salad however; everything else was excellent in taste, service , price and selection. i found nothing bad about the place besides the brown lettuce. Not good for groups of more than 5 people as the space is small and fills quickly.
(4)
Ayumi K.
If you've been to Yu's Mandarin in the past and liked it, you'll like Chef Ping's. The old owner of Yu's sold the Mandarin and opened up Chef Ping's, so the menu is somewhat similar and is right up to par on taste as Yu's. Though I haven't tried everything on the menu (yet), I'm pretty sure everything is good. If you go, I highly recommend the honey-glazed shrimp with walnuts, the combo fried rice, and the champon (for some reason, I don't really know what champon is listed under, but if you say 'champon', they'll understand which noodle soup you're talking about). The food is good, the service is good (and fast!), and the prices are even better. The place is also really clean, so that's an added bonus. They have lunch specials too, so be sure to check that out! Might want to arrive early, though, as this place gets crowded quick. PS: Dinner entrees come out with individual white rice. Just thought I'd let those of you who love white rice know.
(3)
Katie K.
In an area full of stripmall Asian restaurants, Chef Ping is the real deal. You can tell because the place is completely full after 5:30pm on a weekend night. Everything is great here: the service, the food, the ambience. Servers are prompt, courteous and efficient; we were served quickly but without feeling rushed. The (presumed) owner (or at least manager) stopped by to check on us, and even took an order for an extra dish we had just decided on. The food was all hot and tasty. And the price was reasonable. Chef Ping will get our repeat business for sure!
(5)
Geoff N.
Great quality food at a decent price for the portions you get. Wait staff is attentive and it's a wonderful place to meet with groups large and small...if you can get a seat! This place is always packed and for good reason. I don't think there's another Chinese restaurant like it in the entire area. To be quite honest, Chef Ping's food rivals some of my favorites from NYC's Chinatown. Come here to eat and you won't regret it. Just be prepped to wait for a little bit before you get seated (unless you want to order take-out).
(4)
Rebecca Huicha K.
Move over Yu's, there's a new place in town! Yes, like the previous reviews this place is owned by the old Yu's owners. Honestly I wasn't too excited to try this place since Chinese is not exactly diet food and I just didn't expect too much from it. We had reservations for 630 on a saturday night and I'm glad we did cause this place was PACKED. Most of the customers were asian, which is a good sign for an asian restaurant! The place is definitely not as big as Yu's, probably 1/4th of it's size. We had a bit of a wait even though we had reservations which typically would rub me the wrong way but the staff was really friendly and apologetic for the wait. Our group of 5 ordered 7 dishes which gave a perfect variety. The food is REALLY good though the portions are a bit smaller than yu's. If you're in the area and feel like yu's, I'd recommend you try this place instead. The food is comparable if not better and the place is cleaner and more up to date.
(4)
Rick C.
A few friends of ours had recommended this place to us, so we decided to check it out on our way back from Woodfield. The place itself was nice, more modern than most Chinese places. It was also busy, most of the tables were filled, which was a good sign. We sat down looked at the menu and nothing really stood out for us. They have a lot of different types of asian dishes, from Chinese to Korean to Thai, I just don't think we were particularly in the mood for anything. We decided on two noodle dishes, the seafood peking noodle and the noodles in black bean sauce. The noodles in black bean sauce is a dish we've had in some Korean\chinese places and it's noodles with cucumber, covered in a black bean sauce with seafood. It comes out unmixed, so it looks like noodles with a bowl of black goop which might seem unappetizing to some. The owner came by and mixed it for us and explained that these were homemade noodles and that we should mix them as early as possible. They were great. The noodles were perfect and really made the dish. The Peking seafood noodles were a little spicy and we enjoyed those as well. We liked everything so much we came again a few days later. We didn't have problems picking out dishes this time around. Since our first visit, we've tried the Pong Pong chicken (yes, it's Ping's Pong Pong chicken). Anyone familiar with spicy Korean chicken wings will enjoy these. They're not on the menu, so ask for them by name. We've also had the sweet and sour pork and the sesame beef. If you're in the area, I'd recommend this place. The portions are ample, the staff is helpful (sometimes overly so), and the food is tasty.
(4)
Joanne L.
My first review! Finally joined the gang=) I will go out of my way for chinese or korean noodles, so very happy to see both on their lunch menu. Heard about this place from several friends, glad to finally check them out. I agree, lunch portions are a nice size and the prices even better! ($6.75-$8.75/dish). We ordered 2 of the 3 most popular noodles dishes: Noodles with Black Bean Sauce Spicy Seafood Noodle Platter Excellent! Noodles cooked al dente and if you've eaten at Yu's, the black bean sauce tastes pretty much the same. Noodle platter came steaming with plenty of fresh tasting seafood and veggies. nice flavor. Next time i'll try their Noodle Soup (a lot of folks sitting around us ordered the Noodle soup). also ordered mongolian beef and impressed with how tender and flavorful the meat was. high quality for a $7 dish. highlights: cheap, closer drive than Yu's (we were on the way home from Ikea), clean, modern, & friendly service. FYI..smaller place than Yu's, i noticed they had a back area for larger groups but there were only 4 tables that seated 8-10. definitely make reservations. We came on a tuesday...Lunch starts at 11:30am, we got there at 11:40 and were seated right away. By 11:55, the place was packed... If your kid likes jia jian mien, my kid wolfed that dish down-very messy so bring bibs!=) Will come here again! Off to eat my leftovers..=)
(4)
david l.
Food was very good but wait was a little on the long side (at least an hour and a half just for two people), it's silly how they dont take reservations unless you have a party greater than 6 people. Just show up super early.
(4)
Anthony V.
Two forks, way up.
(4)
Patrick M.
After being a fan of Yu's for as long as I can remember, I heard that the owners had moved on and created a new restaurant so I had to check it out. So I grabbed a bunch of friends, and we all LOVED it. We each got an entree and two appetizers for the table. We all shared each other's food and were amazed at how delicious and flavor-filled the food was. This is easily #1 on my list as best Chinese food in Chicago, you can't find anything better! As far as atmosphere goes. I love the look of the restaurant, it's got a darker atmosphere than Yus. Such that I'd still easily go with a group of friends or just a date with my girlfriend. The staff we dealt with was also super friendly with all of us, it was quite abnormal but in the best way. I couldn't find anything wrong and can't wait to go back!
(5)
DB A.
The secret is out. Too late to keep it to myself. This is the legitimate heir to Yu's Mandarin's reputation. Oh sure, Yu's is still there, but it's slipped in the past few years. This place is as good as Yu's was in its heyday. Go there. Try the Seafood noodle platter. Your mouth and tummy will thank you.
(4)
Michael L.
This place is pretty good for Chinese food. Sweet and sour pork is awesome. And the Mongolian Beef isn't full of green onions like it is at other places. We get take out a lot, I would like to see how it is sitting down. Good Chinese takeout place though.
(4)
Bill H.
Chef Ping is no longer the best kept secret in the northwest suburbs. The food is great. The atmosphere is pleasant. The service is prompt. The room for improvement is more room in the parking lot. Maybe a valet would help. Mc Donald's next door is not a friendly neighbor. I have thought about parking on the street median. Maybe a drive through for the take out orders would relieve congestion. Just an idea Tong ! Bill Howe Food Critic
(5)
Joy L.
This place is amazing. The food is wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. Reservations on the weekends are a must as it fills up quickly.
(5)
Andrea L.
Portions are good, food is tasty, and pricing is reasonable. The decor is certainly nice (the newness of the place helps!), and definitely provides a comfortable ambiance. Good place to catch up with friends, especially as Chinese food is always best done family style! I very much enjoyed the honey-glazed walnut shrimp. The Szechwan Eggplant was unexpectedly fried and crunchy, but otherwise delicious while still hot. My friends highly recommend the noodle platter, but I have not yet tried it!
(4)
Monica K.
This place is like Yu's Mandarin but cleaner and much more modern (better service too in my opinion). It's a Korean-run Chinese restaurant so all of your favorites (like jja-jang-myun and jjam-bbong) are here and they're delicious! The general tao's chicken is not too spicy, sometimes can be too much breading and a little too fatty but the flavor is just perfect. The gan-poong scallops are a family favorite, also not too spicy. We've generally enjoyed every single dish here, the service is great/friendly and prompt. This place is so busy now on the weekends that you're better off making reservations. Went on a Sunday afternoon at 5:30 PM and we were lucky enough to get the last table before the crazy rush.
(5)
Mark W.
Some of the best Chinese in the suburbs ! Real Chinese food without the Americanized style. Staff friendly and attentive. Weekends really busy, worth the wait.
(4)
Mark B.
Great seafood soup.
(4)
Kyle M.
Aside from the Chinatown in McHenry, this is the best place in the NW Suburbs!
(5)
Scott S.
This place is pretty money. Just as good, if not better, than the "old" yu's mandarin (when it was under old ownership). There was a 30-40 minute wait when we went there on Saturday night, but the crowds died down around 8pm. I highly recommend the salty egg crab (a deep fried dungeoness crab)....everyone loved the crab legs and the batter they use is very tasty. the la-joh-myung is not listed on the menu, but is a yu's mandarin favorite and they will make it for you. everyone thought it actually tastes better here! (it is a savory noodle dish with seafood). Kung Pao Chicken, chinese broccoli, gang pon scallops, and honey & walnut shrimp were all good dishes. I'd agree that the portions are a bit smaller, but the quality is very good. their mai tai's are pretty yummy, too. Though it took us a while to get seated, the staff was very friendly and attentive! We all liked the place a lot and agreed we'd all come back for sure. That is a big compliment considering we are all asian and pretty picky about our asian food!
(4)
Ever D.
My family ate here for Father's day, and both the food and service were better than I expected. I normally would go into the city for special occasions, but we had lots of kids in our group, so this dictated the choice and location of what restaurant we were going to go to. I had never eaten here but read the reviews and have to say that this place surprised me. The food was better than expected. All of the dishes were in good portions and tasted delicious. If I am ever out in that neighborhood again, I will definitely stop to get a bite there.
(4)
John Y.
Another one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. When they first opened, I was a little worried about this place. Food was good, but maybe not as good as Yu's in Schaumburg. In subsequent visits, it became more and more obvious: Chef Ping's easily outshines Yu's Mandarin.
(5)
Yaeko M.
I have been to there for lunch with co-workders many times. I went there for dinner first time. We ordered schezwan eggplant (crispy fried eggplant with spicy sweet sauce) -- this was great!!, walnut shrimp (popcorn shrimp with cream sauce)-- this was great!!, scallops and squid with leek - this was excellent!!!, sauteed peapods tips with garlic -- this was good too!!. All dishes were very good. I wanted to order more. As of conclusion, I ate too much because the food was really tasty. The dinner menu variety is so much better than lunch menu. I wanted to order more and try different dishes. I saw other nice looking dishes at next table and I wanted try. I will go back soon there soon!. This place is always popular!
(5)
Andrew C.
Excellent Asian cuisine and first rate service - almost TOO attentive (I lost count after about seven different staff members stopped at our table to see if we needed anything - while the restaurant was quite busy!). Try the eggplant - crunchy and spicy. Yummmm.
(4)
Nari H.
OK. So heard the former Yu's owners opened up this restaurant, Chef Ping after selling Yu's, so a few friends and I decided to eat here. Interior: being new, it's got a much nicer interior. Feels nice being there. Food: It's got all the favorites we would always get whenever we go to Yu's, and the food was really good, esp. the Champong. One dish looked smaller than it used to be. Service was friendlier than usual (Ha!) and the managers came around to check up on us to make sure everything was going well. Yu's is closer to where I live, but the food here at Pings is a little better. So I'm torn, but minus the sketchy opening, I'm a fan. I'll be here if I'm in the area and would tell others about it :)
(4)
Jyo H.
We've been to Chef Ping's few times. Dine-In experience is okay... Taste wise, nothing to write home about. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants that taste like it or better. Carry-out experience was not so good. You get no utensils, napkins, soy sauce. Nothing..! Only your order in plastic containers. That's it. That is just serious carelessness. Customer shouldn't need to remember to ask for every little thing that needs to go in the bag. Other restaurants seem to do this very well. Seems like Chef Ping people just don't care. Lunch Specials are a bit pricey for what it is. Corner cutting is bluntly obvious and apparent in the presentation and in taste. Wonton Crisps are a joke. Eggrolls - if you can even call it that - are low-grade supermarket frozen variety. Staff 'sound' polite but lack sincerity. Overall a bit disappointed.
(2)
Nicole M.
Move over Yu's, my new fav is Chef Ping! I started noticing the quality of Yu's food was not as good as it use to be and I found out the original owners opened Chef Ping in Meadows. (or something along the lines of that) And which I live closer to. (bonus!) I ordered take out from there because the place was soo busy! But now I know why because it's really GOOD! I ordered the Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Combo Fried Rice... All delish!! Not dry and very tasty! From now on I'm going to Chef Ping! :)
(5)
Food For thought C.
2 Stars- C'mon Man I usually agree with most of yelp nation reviews this one I have to say is far off. The food was very blah and the service was next to non existence. I have drove by the place a couple of times and seen a good crowd. It was very typical of most Asian places, meaning the Asian people there were eating something completely different then everyone else in the place. I would say past on this place and try your nearby mall food court area if you have a taste for Chinese food. Maybe I missed something here but I doubted that I will be going here again in this lifetime or the next.
(2)
David C.
When I think about Chef Ping, one word comes to mind: consistency. From the standard Korean-favorite dish of jjajangmyun (black bean paste noodles) to the traditional sweet and sour pork, there is quality throughout the menu. Each visit to this Chinese restaurant reminds me not all food places decrease in value as time progresses. This is the beauty and genius of Chef Ping! Without fail, it is possibly the easiest, most convenient place to set up couple dates to family gatherings. Why? The food will satisfy and the service will deliver. It can fit as a casual meet-up with a colleague to a business dinner with clients. And the restaurant carries a diverse group of people too. There isn't an exceptional dish I can think of; however, there are many really good dishes. I recommend this place to anyone at any given moment. Lastly, the atmosphere is solid. The building design is clean and modern. The overall setup is a little cramped, and the lighting is on the dimmer end. Also, the wait usually can get to 40 min. for a table. Prepare to wait! Other than that, hope you enjoy what will be a quality experience! Food recs: - LaJoMyun (spicy seafood noodle platter) - JjamBbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) - Pom Pom Chicken Wings - TangSoo Pork (sweet/sour pork) - Walnut Shrimp - String Beans
(4)
Kathy F.
For lunch, anyway, four stars. I went early (11:45a.m.) since the first two times I tried to go to Chef Ping for lunch I could not find parking and ended up elsewhere. Very fast service! Great value! Big portion (I had to take home half of my lunch)! I started with the asian salad-not a stand-out but I cannot do egg drop soup and was not in the mood for hot and sour. Sweet and sour chicken (came with rice, wonton strips and an egg roll) was fresh and delicious. I was impressed with the freshness off all the items I ordered. I will definitely return for lunch!
(4)
Steve W.
Just had an awesome lunch at Chef Ping! Potstickers are a must to start! Then had Yu-Shang Pork and Ping's Noodle Platter. Both were fantastic! Will be back soon.
(5)
Ray M.
Crab is awesome n pong pong chicken is very good!
(4)
Johnathan K.
This place just opened near my house and I stopped in for lunch this afternoon. The restaurant is very nice and spacious, and immaculately clean. I came for lunch with two other people, so it was pretty empty. We started off with hot tea before looking over the lunch menus we were given. Lunch orders (not sure about dinner) come with your choice of soup or salad as well as an egg roll and a couple of fried wontons. I ordered vegetable fried rice, the rest of my party ordered sweet and sour shrimp and Pad Thai. They liked their soup (hot and sour and egg drop). I went with the salad which was underwhelming as the dressing was too thin to stick to the lettuce, meaning that I ate plain iceberg lettuce, carrot and cucumber, and then had a centimeter of dressing in the bottom of my bowl. Bummer. On the bright side, my main course was really delicious; a huge, steaming hot portion of rice with carrots, egg, baby corn, mushrooms, broccoli and peas. I really enjoyed it, some of the best fried rice I've ever had. The other portions were also very generous, especially for the moderate prices. Everyone loved their food. Service was quick and attentive and everyone we dealt with was very nice and friendly. I will definitely be back, hopefully for dinner so I can check out the full menu.
(4)
Beth G.
My Pad Thai dish gets three stars from me (hey, I'm really picky about Pad Thai, and theirs is just sort of boring), but I'm adding an extra star for the company and ambiance. Had my first Yelp (non-official) event here, and that was awesome. The back party room had three tables, with a birthday at each table (including ours). It was fun to sing "Happy Birthday" three different times. The waitstaff were all smiles for that, and so was I.
(4)
Sandy T.
This is the only place that my family and I go to for Chinese food other than China town. It is AWESOME. The service there is great and everyone is always so nice to us. Some things are not on the menu that we order (like salt and pepper squid/shrimp etc.) but they will customize your orders. I never had anything that I did not like from Chef Ping. The go to foods are definitely Mongolian beef and orange chicken, but if you are not picky, try something like the jellyfish salad. It is so yummy. I would definitely recommend Chef Ping, especially for groups so you can eat family style.
(5)
Becky K.
beautiful ambiance, mini bar, and great food... having been a server before, i know what to look for in my service...and let me tell ya, my tea and water glass NEVER went half way...it actually got kinda annoying...let me take a sip before you refill, hot damn! but anyways, food was great...not so much the honey walnut shrimp though...but other than that, i mos def recommend this family joint.. a nice sunday dinner at chef pings, and you cant go wrong :)
(4)
Dina I.
Not as good as Yu's but comes close. Love the yellow leeks, the mushroom and tofu dish, any of the noodle dishes...
(4)
Julie P.
Yum! Chef Ping is my go-to Chinese place, whether I want take out or to dine in. The food is very consistent and well prepared. Love the crab rangoon especially, and all of the entrees I've tried have been good.
(4)
Liz M.
I wish I didn't like their food so much here. Let me explain. These people are RUDE. I come in from downtown to visit my parents in the suburbs, and we come here often for lunch or dinner. Many times my mom and I come at 11a for lunch. We are promptly seated. Before I can even ask my mom how she is doing the waiter is at the table asking if we are ready to order. We kindly say no, we haven't looked at the menu yet. 5 minutes later (if that) he comes back- are you ready to order? Feeling the pressure we usually just order an appetizer to start. Another 5 minutes- are you ready to order your entree? Dear goodness man!!! Can I visit with my mom for just a little bit?! We order. 10 minutes later- the food is out. Before my mom and I are even halfway through our meal the check is on the table and he has come by twice asking if there is anything else we need. At first I thought it was a one time problem. WRONG! EVERY TIME I come here, this happens! Lunch or dinner. If you are planning on visiting with your table, having a nice relaxing meal, DONT GO HERE. If you want to be in and out quickly for lunch, this might just be your place. Like I said, I wish the food wasn't so good. Unfortunately, it is pretty much my favorite so I keep coming back. Their lunch specials are excellent. Plenty of food for a very reasonable price. I've never had anything I didn't like here. Chef Ping- please listen to your costumers and let us enjoy our meal without you stalking our table.
(3)
Jasmine S.
This place is more like a Korean Chinese restaurant. My favorite dish is the Pocket Tofu and Sea Cucumber Pork Belly for now. Zam Bong is pretty good with sea cucumber - it's beige color - not red. They have a very nice party room with 4 round tables. Decor is contemporary. Price range is wide. You can have a $12 dinner or a $40 dinner. Big parking lot - but it was full for a saturday night. Will go back and try their Sze Chuan dishes next.
(5)
Gina D.
When it comes to Chinese food, I enjoy consistency. Now that my husband and I have eaten here four times, I can say that the food has been excellent each and every time. We are happy to find such quality and authentic flavor in the suburbs. The restaurant is always jam packed so expect to wait a good thirty minutes to well over an hour if you get there during prime time (that includes weeknights). I love that the waiters work together and remember the regulars; major plus! If you're in the area, stop in; you won't be disappointed!
(5)
Michelle W.
Amazing restaurant all around! Food, decor and service were spot on. I loved the handmade noodles - they were the perfect texture and very tasty. I would definitely come back again!
(5)
Emme K.
Love this place as an alternative to Yu's.
(5)
Michael R.
Fantastic lunch special and good beef! Will definitely come back again!
(5)
Jim G.
I really don't understand all the great reviews for this restaurant. I write this with severe gastrointestinal issues and wishing I had never gone there for dinner. Ordered salt and pepper squid. I was surprise when I saw it was deep fried. Very little salt and pepper either. Just tons of grease. They didn't seem to even drain it before plating it. The chicken (which was expected fried) was dried out. It was like eating chicken wings which were deep fried twice. The classic tofu dish was slimy fried tofu with almost no vegetable. The only good thing was the spicy beef and tripe appetizer. As for service, what was first thought to be overly attentiveness turned into a rush job to turn over the table. We were asked repeatedly whether or not we were done. The bill came and for the 4 items and two sodas it cost over $55. What?! For Chinese food? This place is an overpriced grease pit. You are better off eating at the McDonald's next door.
(1)
Matt F.
This place is really good and always pretty busy. I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter.
(4)
Lynn L.
the waitress didnt get my order quite right due to language barriers, but aside from that, the food was delicious. chef pings chicken wings were amazingly delicious. i wanted more the next day.
(3)
Janice L.
so the word is the previous amazing chef from yu's mandarin opened up chef ping.. but i don't understand why the food isn't as good as yu's mandarin a few years back. the decor, atmosphere, and service are all superb, and the food 'looks' delicious but definitely lacks flavor.. and i don't know if it's the lighting or what the food looks very fake and shiny (too much peanut oil?) but lunch is great.. there are lots of options and pretty well-priced. the kung-pao beef and noodles in black bean sauce are my faves. the seafood family and sweet and sour chicken are pretty good as well.
(3)
Thao N.
This place really surprised me! The sever's were friendly and accommodating. They greeted us with a warm welcome and we parted with them saying thank you. The staff demonstrated great appreciation towards our visit and that for sure will get me to come back. My family and I went for Father's Day dinner and even though the place was packed, we were able to get seated pretty quickly. What I noticed first was the modern decor and how clean it was. Even the feel of the napkins shows how different this Chinese restaurant is. We ordered family style and so we ordered a lot of food, How else would you get a feel for their menu? To start, we had Hot and Sour soup, which was definitely Hot and not too sour. Just the way I like it, with bamboo shoots and tofu. Then we got into the dishes, my brother is big on beef, so he ordered the Scallop Beef (under Seafood) and Broccoli Beef (under Beef). The Scallop Beef contained big chunks of tender scallops, sliced beef and mushrooms in a brown sauce. Not like anything else I've had at any other Chinese restaurants. The Broccoli Beef is pretty self-explanatory but still the tenderness of the meat was unmatched. My sister in-law ordered the Clams in Black Bean Sauce (under Fresh Catch from the Sea) and it was served in a mini wok over fire. The clam meat was so fresh it kind of melted in your mouth, not rubbery like the ones that have been frozen. My mom ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet and I can't really form an opinion on this dish because I don't really like dishes like these. But be warned, this had a warm, spicy, sensation going down your throat. My step-dad, whom this dinner was for, didn't order his own dish but I did get to order the Honey-Glazed Walnut Shrimp. The shrimps were far from itty bitty, the walnuts weren't overly coated with the sweet stuff and the sauce actually tasted light, considering what it's usually made from (mayo and honey). We also ordered the Combination Chow Mien but it wasn't what we thought it was so I shouldn't state an opinion about this dish either. All in all, it was a great dinning experience and I would recommended this place the next time you go out for Chinese.
(4)
Eric P.
I went here again Saturday only to find out they do not have their lunch specials. That is okay but then when I ordered Mongolian beef, pon pon chicken, walnut shrimp, and ping's noodle and found the price was pretty high and the quantity was pretty disappointing. Yes it did feed 6 people but then again we weren't stuffed. The walnut shrimp was way too sweet like eating candy... to say the least if you want to spend the money for quality this is good but don't expect quantity. I would have to debate whether to go back here unless its for lunch or just for the ping's noodle dish.
(3)
K W.
Excellent, authentic Chinese food. Each dish had a unique flavor. I went here with my relatives who are very particular about Chinese food and they like it a lot. The fried chicken wings were my favorite. I personally don't like sea cucumber but my relatives loved it and this is one of the few restaurants that serves it. This is their new favorite restaurant after Yu's Mandarin closed (which they used to own).
(5)
Bob S.
It is the very best of all the rest; Oriental food that is fresh, delicious and made from only the finest ingredients that cannot be beat. From over 50 visits in the past two years the food has been consistently outstanding so go with confidence that it is the best around-including Chinatown. We love the Chop Chae, walnut shrimp, lemon chicken, mongolian beef, hot and sour soup and really everything on the menu. Also the carry out has been consistently excellent. Our goto carry out is an order of Mongolian beef with egg rolls; $18 for a very generous portion of the beef and six egg rolls that cannot be beat. Compare that in quality to nearby fast food restaurants and it is the best bargain around. Try it!
(5)
Melissa C.
I grew up in Schaumburg, and Yu's was always the fam fave. When my bros & I were kids, we would always ask to get up to watch the cooks do their thang. Since my fam moved to CA in '05, Yu's was the first place we would go to on their Chicago visits. We had our high school AND college grad parties there. And then it happened.... the mongolian beef got too peppery. Something was missing in the soup. The quality still seemed to be there, but it just wasn't right... what happened to you, Yu's??? ...and just when I had almost given up, I found out that Chef Ping happened. Since this realization, we've gone here several times--the owners remembered us from way back when (moreso my brother, the pilot, who since the '05 move would fly back for a day and make sure that he made a trip for his fave kung pao beef, alone, like a lame--who wouldn't remember that? =]). Thank you yelp... for bringing my fave Chinese food back to me. Prices have certainly gone up since way back when, but that's expected. This place has the best beef dishes I've ever had at a Chinese restaurant. Get the walnut shrimp. Get some of their yummy homemade noodles. ALL the soups are SO goood! I can go on... but you can just read other reviews. =]
(5)
Kirk W.
Honestly some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. Lunch menu VERY reasonably priced - but get there before 11:45!! Pad Thai is outstanding.
(5)
angie h.
We have been customers since they opened. Today my whole family was there, with my parents, cousin and niece. Food is ok, not as good as when they opened. But what we are unhappy about, is that they charge a WHOPPING 18% Gratuity for a party of 6 adults and one kid. We had worked in restaurant industry while going to college some years back and know the standards. In today's economy, 18% is not exceptable. We don't mind 15%, but they forever lost this family as customers. It's just not right. That 3% difference should be left to customers, not forced on us. We Will Not Be Back.
(2)
Clayton B.
Hands down best place I have been to in a long time amazing service and great food they will even make things for you that's are not on the menu and let you know what's good. Will be going back soon I made a yelp account just to say how amazing this place is and let everyone know! Even though I have been using yelp for years this was the place that I want to tell everyone about!
(5)
B T.
Great place. Love the noodle platter. Always busy
(5)
William P.
Used the online ordering for my first Chef Ping experience. We had 3 orders and ordered at 11:45. We showed up at Ping's around 5 - 10 after... and had to wait another 10 minutes for our food. The place was mobbed with people walking in and looking for tables (which they were not able to accomodate). I am a big fan of Yu's, and am now a big fan of Chef Ping's. The honey glazed walnut shrimp was absolutely amazing (but not in the edible bowl like at Yu's). The dish might have actually been better at Ping's than at Yu's. We ordered two other items off of the lunch menu and were shorted an egg-roll and wonton chip... but alas, the other two orderee's ended up happy with their orders. The black bean sauce noodles were reportedly as good as Yu's... and the Kung Pao chicken was reportedly tastey and spicy. At a lunch rush (and probably dinner, too), I don't think there is a better way to go than to order online and pick it up if you live close. Just be sure to give about a half hour on the order.
(4)
Jason B.
I was debating back and forth whether I should give Chef Ping a 5 star or a 4 star rating. I decided to go with my gut, and give it 5 stars. Yu's was always my go-to for Chinese for years, but as you know, Chef Ping was opened by family. The menu is pretty much the same, however, in my opinion, the noodles are not a perfect as Yu's- for obvious reasons. The service however, is what gave it the fifth star. During my latest visit, I learned from past visits, and went during a non-peak time. Usually when you're at a restaurant and they are slow, you may see a few servers BS-ing amongst themselves, paying little, or no attention to other server's tables. This is not the case at Pings. We literally were assisted by 3 servers, and we didn't have to ask either. This was done in a way in which we didn't feel crowed or disturbed. I ordered jangmyeon (black bean sauce over noodles), and when it was brought to the table, a random server saw this and came to our table, being super sweet and proceeded to mixed the sauce and noodles for us. Not knowing that I'm half Korean (I look as white as they come) and actually lived in Korea (this is a Korean-Chinese dish...I think), she wanted to make sure I was enjoying the dish fully. They are the epitome friendly and attentive, this being true even when Ping's at it's absolute busiest. If you go, you MUST order the szechuan eggplant.
(5)
Vanessa M.
had lunch here with the family tonight. had an awesome experience. the ambiance, food, and service were all amazing. we ordered egg rolls, crab sho mai, combination fried rice, hunan beef, kung pao shrimp, seafood noodle soup, and the whole steamed flounder....and all of it was crazy good. all this for only $80. i can't say enough about the service. our server was really friendly and funny, he was also very attentive. he even de-boned our steamed flounder at the table. they were closing in order to get ready for dinner service later that night, but we were still eating and chatting. they didn't rush us at all. we were a group of 5 adults, we all had a great experience. can't wait to go back with my husband. its a great date place. atmosphere is romantic and relaxing.
(5)
Jordan B.
Easily the best (Chinese) food around!
(5)
Picky C.
Chef Ping....I heart your noodles! Soupy, spicy pan-fried, Korean style, Chinese style...I've missed it so! I loved the noodles at Yu's and was miserable when I couldn't find them anywhere else. The mix of Chinese and Korean foods is awesome and for those of you who like wasabi and chewy, crisp/crunchy interesting savory textures (this dish really is good), ask for the Fu-Chi-Fay-Pian appetizer dish. It's a large family style dish, and can get pricey due to the shrimp, meats, etc. But they are the only ones who get it right in the burbs. The parking lot is always packed when there are so many other Asian restaurants around a .3 mile radius. This should tell you something. The crowd is equal parts Asian and non-Asian. They have Americanized Chinese food but I encourage the eaters who have not ventured to try our something different, to ask your neighbors about what they ordered. You will find the most delicious dishes here. It's clean, it's updated, the food smells outside the restaurant entice you in and the service and quality food keeps you coming back for more. Long live the original owners for venturing out and updating their look and style! Eat on! I highly recommend this place.
(5)
S M.
yus mandarin tastes better. Somehow, everything tastes the same to me...but making everything tasting the same should be a miracle on the chef's side. Decor is ok, normal. Hostess = ok. Staff = ok. Nothing that bad overall except that the food isn't what I liked.
(3)
Frederick T.
Drove by for months before deciding to stop in for lunch. good thing. the food was great. The place is beautiful and the staff extremely friendly. Will be back again for sure. this place gives PF Changs a run for their money. PF you are still king but Chef Ping is right there.
(5)
Jack L.
Finally, we can go back to some of the best Chinese dishes in Chicago's northwest suburbs. This place beats Yu's any day of the week and the chef and some of the wait staff came from Yu's. So it's like coming home again. The atmosphere is good and service is outstanding.
(5)
Justin S.
Honey walnut shrimp: excellent! Nuff said.
(4)
Shark S.
Trust me, I don't give 5 stars for nothing. This is the real deal. Honey walnut shrimp and lightly breaded scallops, try and find it better, you can't.
(5)
David M.
Food quality is quite good, as is the atmosphere. Prices are somewhat higher than other Chinese restaurants in the area and the volume of food is slightly less. With that said, I would rather dine at Chef Ping's than most any other Chinese restaurant in the area. The number of Chinese people dining the restaurant is a testament to its authenticity.
(4)
Darlene L.
Loved this Asian cuisine in the northwest suburbs. We waited the requisite fifteen minutes to have the healthier version of the pot stickers which were steamed. They were plump and delicious with the hot and mild sauces.Both the cashew chicken and mu shu pork were well seasoned and served in generous portions. Nice consistency to the mu shu pancakes which the waiter filled with fresh ingredients. The cashew chicken had plenty of tender chicken with a bowl of steamed rice on the side. Tea was served immediately in a pot left on the table. Service was efficient if not a bit rushed. We barely finished the appetizer when the entrees arrived. The crowd was coming in so they clearly wanted to turn the table. This is not leisure dining but the food is quality.
(4)
Griffin Y.
Chef ping is awesome!! The food is delicious. Soo yum! And their prices are legit. Go in for a bite, you wont be disappointed. Guaranteed!
(5)
David M.
The food here is great. We've only done takeout though, because we're a little intimidated by the crowds. Interestingly, the clientele seems to be almost entirely Asian. i imagine that says good things about their authenticity.
(5)
T. E.
This is not your typical Americanized Chinese food. This is authentic and classy. The food is not overpriced either. The fu chi far pian was amazing with the right amount of tingle on the tongue. A little packed and if you come at the wrong time there's a bit of a wait and they don't always take reservations but that's an attestation to the good food they have. Definitely recommend and would be back.
(5)
Thomas S.
Chef Ping is the best Asian dining in the Arlington Heights area. It stands head and shoulders above every place else we've tried. It's a family run business, where you can really feel their pride in providing great food and service. Try it and you'll be back as a regular!
(5)
Sonny P.
Went to Chef Ping on a Wednesday night with 3 of my other friends. We ordered the Veggie Egg rolls and Crab Rangoon to start it off. Both were good, nothing spectacular. We then had the Szechwan Eggplant which is a MUST, this dish had flavor and was cooked perfectly, Veggie Noodle Platter, and Kung Pao Chicken. The noodle platter lacked flavor and was not spicy at all but when we asked her if the dish is spicy, she replied "oh yes! very much so!" Also, the best part of this restaurant is that they have MOCHI! However, they only have one flavor which is mango. I would try this place out again.
(3)
Liz B.
We have enjoyed Chef Ping every time we have been there. The lunch special are good and we think amazing value. Having lived in the city for many years with many Chinese Restaurants to choose from we find Chef Ping to be the best in the NW burbs. Will be returning!
(5)
Nicole W.
Too legit. Too legit to quit. Yeah, I pulled out some Hammer Time (sans parachute pants) at Chef Ping. The food is awesome and thus I had a hard time stopping myself from eating multiple dishes in one sitting. If you've been a Chicago suburban dweller for some time, it' Yu's circa 1999, when the gettin' was good. But Chef Ping now takes home the authentic Chinese cake for me...! Beyond the (frighteningly) fast service, Chef Ping is clean, modern and hosts a menu with a cornucopia of tasty Chinese and Asian eats. I tried the potstickers, crab rangoon, Ping's noodle platter and szechuan prawns. All were incredibly fresh and on point and it's definitely worth noting that both prices and portions were comparable for authentic Asian eats in the area. Go to Chef Ping. Go now.
(5)
Krista G.
This place is always busy. Service is subpar if you go during their prime time hours usually lunch time til 8:30 pm. The food is good depending on the day you go. I've had some amazing meals at chef ping and I've had some bland meals as well. I'm guessing different chefs and cooks prepare differently? The Sapporo is cheap compared to other restaurants which is a plus. When it's busy and the food takes 30+ minutes those sapporros help with the eagerness of the wait.
(3)
Jennifer Z.
I've come here quite a few times over the year whenever we are in the area. It's extremely well managed- very modern in decorations and decent size establishment. Every time we've stopped by- there's either been a wait for a table or it's been rather full. Business seems to be great for them so definitely call ahead if possible (I always seem to forget..) Also a side note: they're closed on Mondays and while I know that- I've definitely stopped by many a times then to find it closed! Some of my favorite dishes: 1) Salty Egg Yolk Crab - I'm not even a fan of seafood...let alone crab, but this dish is quite a spectacular combination as the salty egg yolk truly brings out the tenderness and flavor from the crab. Even the crab shell is delicious! 2) Pong Pong Chicken - the chicken wings are spicy and tangy dripping with a sweet, spicy and sour sauce that's delicious. 3) Home Style Toss - a great stir fry that's very comfort-food esque and authentic in both flavor and taste. 4) Noodles!! All of their noodles are fantastic,but my personal favorite is the Noodle in Black Bean Sauce which is dry and has no soup to it. Even though this dish is commonly popular dish in Korean, I believe it's origins are actually from Beijing, China. In Chinese cuisine, it's made slightly different from it's Korean version and Ping's makes it to perfection! My family's big on seafood so their top picks would be the Ping's Noodle Soup and Seafood Noodle Soup. Definitely worth stopping by if you're ever in the area. Some very innovative and creative Chinese food with authentic and delicious taste!
(4)
Lisa G.
amazing food for the price...the staff is helpful in finding a dish you like! they are really fast and have really decent prices for the amount of food you get! I really enjoy going there for any meal lunch, dinner or carry out! always busy every day!!! i heard through the grapevine that the owner is a former owner at Yu's mandarin when they used to be super busy! highly recommend this place!!!
(5)
Anthony M.
We have gone to literally dozens of Chinese restaurants over the last 40 years and I sincerely mean that this is the absolute best. The menu has both authentic chinese cuisine and also menu items that would appeal to those familiar witht the stock and trade selections. The staff has always been pleasant and accommodating. When ever I go to an ethic restaurant I look to see how many people from that country are in the establishment. Chef Ping enjoys quite a Chinese following as well as people who are not. We love the steamed dumplings, egg rolls, aged tofu and pork, sesame chicken, shrimp , chicken and vegetables, the combination fried rice and more. There are more items on the dinner menu than the lunch menu, but the latter has more than enough choices for the average consumer. Tony M
(5)
Terri J.
Chef Ping has the best Chinese food in the area. This is the family that used to own Yu's back when Yu's was the best Chinese food in the area. Yu's has gone downhill, but thank God Chef Ping opened up. Their crab rangoons are very good, but a bit unusual (mustardy kind of taste). The lemon chicken and sweet n sour chicken are excellent. Other family members love the eggplant and beef selections. It's our go-to Chinese carry-out place. Luckily for us it's super close. Add a trip to Oberweis (next door) and it makes for the perfect meal. Carry-out service is best if you use their online ordering tool as we've had incorrect orders when placed over the phone. Overall - a great carry out experience!
(5)
Gail D.
One of the best fresh Chinese food in town! Not greasy at all! Staff is super friendly. Has lots of options. From the typical Chinese favs to the more eclectic not your average dishes. I crave this place at least once a month!
(5)
Marcus O.
This was an excellent experience. First off the food was top notch. I started with egg drop soup which was very good. For the main entree I had Ping's Noodle Platter which were probably the best asian noodles that I've ever had. The service was amazing as the staff was very attentive. I can't wait to go here again and would highly recommend!
(5)
Irene Z.
It's been a while since my last visit, but came for lunch with a colleague 2 weeks ago, and it was so good that I ordered out for the family that weekend. It was packed at lunchtime! We arrived at the thick of the lunch hour, at 12noon. The parking lot here is small and we were one of several cars circling the lot. Unfortunately, there are no expanded parking options since the neighboring businesses have their own separate lots. We were planning to leave after circling for the 3rd time but were lucky and managed to catch a space right before we pulled out. So glad we were able to stay. Lunch specials are great and cheap (for the amount and quality of food). I went with the sesame chicken and my colleague went with the almond chicken. We both had the egg drop soup. Combos come with rice, spring roll and fried wonton. I forgot how good the food is here and I was so hooked that I ordered the sesame chicken again for the family, along with shrimp w/lobster sauce, and the spring rolls. My coworker was very happy with her almond chicken. We both had enough leftovers and had them for lunch the next day. There was a wait when we initially checked in at the host stand, but the other groups waiting were parties of 4 or more. Since we were only 2, they managed to squeeze us into one of the booth/chair tables. Loved that. Service was fast and pleasant. Sunday dinner carryout was easy and painless. Food was ready within 30 minutes even during the busy dinner rush. I was lucky and got the one 'carry-out' parking spot right up front. One new thing I learned - we're used to carrying out our Chinese food at Chef Ping's and only occasionally dine in. There was a noticeable difference with the sesame chicken dining in and carrying out. While both were delicious, it tasted much better and crispier when I dined in rather than having the sauce soak in and making the chicken softer by carrying it out. Good both ways, but I preferred the crispier chicken in restaurant just a tad more over the softer at home. In any case, sesame chicken is my new fave here!
(5)
Francisco P.
Great food but felt rushed by our waiter.
(4)
Jenny H.
Good luck finding parking on the weekends! We circled around and finally decided to camouflage our car in an adjacent lot. Thank goodness someone in our group made reservations. Otherwise, we'd end up with a at least a 40 minute wait. With six in our party, we were seated awkwardly, yet cozily in an elongated booth. Each ordered a dish and had a FEAST between the cantonese style lobster, jja jang myun, tofu, sauteed veggies, sesame chicken, etc. Of course, endless rounds of hot tea and rice all around. While Chef Ping may not replace the deep-rooted nostaglia I harbor for some of the older chinese hole-in-the-walls, it's very close. It is definitely chinese food done well and I'm glad for this addition in the 'burbs!
(4)
Soo Jin M.
Pretty decent jja jiang myun. Slightly on the bland side but you can fix that with a little radish. Ggam poongi was ok too. Seafood stir fry thing was good as well. Not as good as great seas but will suffice.
(4)
Sharon L.
We have been going to Chef Ping's since they first opened. We have never been disappointed. The service is fast, accurate and friendly. The food is delicious and consistent. We have tried many, many different dishes and have loved them all.
(5)
Elaine M.
We are so happy we've found Chef Ping! Now we don't have to drive into the city and endure horrible service at Great Seas whenever we crave Korean style chicken wings. The pong pong chicken (not on the menu) aka lollipop chicken is SO good - we order it every time we come here. It's crispy, sweet, and the perfect amount of heat. In the three times that we've been here so far, we've also ordered chajangmyun, champong, gang pong chicken, walnut shrimp, salt and pepper squid, and szechwan eggplant. Always piping hot and delicious. The wait staff is great and managers / owners are always around to say hi or lend a hand. We will definitely be back! (Thanks to May of Body Accessory / Style4U for sharing your Chef Ping food porn with us on facebook!)
(5)
Tom E.
Great food. Wonderful, prompt service. Affordable. Always full so I'm not the only person who believes in the place.
(5)
Eugene P.
Went here for a rehearsal dinner and I kept on shoveling food in my face without even checking to see what it was. It was very tasty but my favorite would have to be the walnut shrimp and Peking duck. I basically had to be rolled out of that restaurant. It was good food, clean and great service.
(4)
J J.
I've been coming here for years and it is my go-to spot! I'm happy to drive a decent distance to come here, because their food and customer service is the best. It has always been consistent and the entire staff is extremely attentive. Even the owner has come to our table before and he is very friendly and personable and gets us whatever we might want. It's an all-around awesome experience every time I come here and I always leave extremely satisfied, which is a testament to how good this place is. The restaurant is very clean as well, which means something to me, because the fact that they care to take care of the place, shows that they care about what they do. I've been to more than my fair share of chinese restaurants and so I have a lot to compare to. Plus, chinese food is probably my favorite type of cuisine. Needless to say, I'm obsessed with this place:) I only wish I could come here once a week! I love Ping's!
(5)
Jean C.
I love their food but hate the wait for a table, especially on a weekend night. 15 minute wait turned to 45!!
(3)
Mao W.
In my mind, Chef ping is one of best chinese food (if not THE best) in chicago area. Authentic and tasty. Service is great. Parking is crowded everyday, so get there early. If you want to try something different, I recommend: Steamed pot sticker (dipping into the hot source a little bit will enhance the flavor) Salty-egg york crab Beef belly and tofu stew Mandarin soy duck (cold dish) Hot braised fish Szhewan fish casserole (this one is spicy) Yu-Shang pork Chef ping seafood combo Sea food peking noodle and sea food noodle soup Yang chow fried rice
(5)
Kenneth C.
This is a great suburban restaurant for Chinese food with an added Korean touch. While it may lack the authenticity of Chinatown, the dishes are made with fresh ingredients and are wonderfully flavorful. The restaurant is always crowded on the weekends but service is quick without being too intrusive. Korean dishes are decent too. You really can't go wrong here.
(5)
Vera F.
Best Chinese food in the area. Outstanding, exceptional in fact. We eat there. First no place to park so it took almost 15 to 20 minutes to get a parking place. Then a 30 minute wait for a table. This was at 5:00 on a Saturday. Service was not so good. Went with my daughter & husband. My husbands food came about 15 minutes before mine & my daughters. This was really irritating. Then the waiter seemed rushed and as if he had no time for us. Another waiter worked hard to help him out which was appreciated. In the future will carry out because the food is truly amazing.
(4)
Kevin C.
Chef Ping serves moderately priced and very tasty Chinese food. It's a huge draw for Asian and white families alike, which is great for the waiters because Asian people tip like shit. It's hard to pin down the exact nature of the food here. On the one hand, you've got typical faux American-Chinese dishes like General Tso's and Cashew Chicken (the bologna of Chinese food). On the other, you have spicy fried shrimp and authentic chicken pops, and for some reason there's just one page in the menu that's written in Korean. MYSTERIOUS. I'm curious as to whether or not there's an actual Chef Ping, or if he's a fictional character like the Burger King. If it's the former, that's an extremely bold move naming the restaurant after himself. It'd be like someone naming a school "Principal Jones." If it's the latter, I'd like to shake his hand.
(4)
Frank A.
Again, I'm skeptical of Chinese joints in the burbs, but I gave it a shot based on people constantly recommending this place to me. So I finally drop by and it looks like a renovated Baker's Square. The interior has been revamped to include a small bar updated decor with a private room. Staff was nice and attentive. Ordered different items including duck, black bean seafood noodle dish, salt and pepper shrimp, pong pong chicken. I've also tried other menu items on different visits. Loved the pong pong chicken. It's basically chicken wings that have been half de-boned into a sort of lollipop finger food. Salt and pepper shrimp was de-shelled and had a light batter. It included bits of peppers for added spice. Like mentioned below, their noodles are not mixed with the sauce / meats. It is mixed as it arrives at your table. I actually liked that presentation because it looks fresh as opposed to some dish that was prepared ahead of time and could have sat there in the kitchen for who knows how long. Overall, a good dining experience. Only slight complaint is that it is slightly more expensive than traditional Chinese restaurants. This place can get super busy, so I usually try to hit this place up just ahead of the dinner rush.
(4)
Dmitry G.
For those of you who love to pig out on this kind of slop--well, what can I say? For those who look for quality and are a bit more discerning, take heed: Ordered jia jiang myun, kung pao chicken and the 8 Happiness. It is very evident that they reuse their hot peppers (hence, the black, bitter taste to the peppers with absolutely no heat) and also pre-cook the sauces and chicken wings. The sauce was beyond salty because it had been heated and re-heated multiple times and the chicken wings were fried how many days before serving with the sauce applied at time of serving. Open your eyes people! I feel sorry for you--learn about quality--maybe learn how to cook for yourself. Also, they are very stingy with the napkins and chopsticks. The servers can use an attitude adjustment. Signed, someone who knows the restaurant business.
(1)
Yane Y.
Okay, I've been here about 7 times or so, but for living in the area for about 6 months or so, I'd say that's decent! Soo, there are certain dishes that I order when I come here. We've tried a couple of dishes, but there are those "signature" dishes that we like - and stick to! Here they are: 1) Chef's Ping Seafood Noodle Platter - a must! OMG, sooo sooo good. If you've ever had "jjam-ppong" (Korean-chinese style hot and spicy dish), this is basically a "dry" version of it, i.e. without the soup. 2) Pong Pong Chicken - I think that's what it's called. They're tiny little chicken wings that are good. Pretty decent. 3) Ma Po Tofu - I lOVE tofu. So, this is a pretty good dish. 4) Sweet & Sour Pork - This is not the American style sweet & sour pork with red sauce. This is the Asian-style (not sure if it's Korean-style or Chinese-style, but definitely not an American red-sauce) sweet & sour pork sauce. 5) Black Bean Noodles (sometimes) - This is decent. Not the best ever. But it's aight.... **I tried their honey walnut shrimp dish because so many people raved about it here on yelp. However, personally, I'm not a big fan of THICK batter, and really thick and sweet sauce. It was a bit much for me, so I can't do that. **I tried their kang-ppong-gee (Korean style chicken wings) on another occassion - wasn't too impressed. My husband and I prefer the pong pong chicken over the kang-ppoong-gee. (spelling?) Too bad I can't comment on the other dishes.... Overall, this is what I would consider a "Korean-Chinese" restaurant. A lot of their foods and dishes, I feel, are more catered to Korean people or a Korean style. This is not an authentic Chinese restaurant, nor is it an "American-Chinese" restaurant. Soo, are you wondering what a "Korean-Chinese" versus "American-Chinese" versus Authentic Chinese restaurant is? Well, basically, the pre-fix describes the type of people that the Chinese restaurant caters to. So, Korean-Chinese restaurant would have your "black bean noodle" (jja-jjiang-myun) and your "jjam-ppong" (no idear! what this would be called in English, maybe Seafood Noodle soup?). Your American-Chinese restaurant will have food catered toward your typical American folks (example, P.F. Chang's). Your authentic Chinese restaurant is catered toward Chinese/Taiwanese, etc.!! Not Koreans, Not Americans, Not anyone else --- although you will probably find Koreans, Americans, etc. An example of a more authentic Chinese restaurant in the area is "Hong Kong Cafe". Now, you can look at their menu and tell that they are authentic Chinese... Hopefully this whole bit about "Korean-Chinese", "American-Chinese", and authentic Chinese make sense. haha.... good luck and hope you can find some good foods to enjoy here, as well! Cheers! and Happy eating!!!
(4)
Dr S.
never had a bad meal everything here is top notch and very delicious, if u want great chinese cusine, this place is a must.
(5)
George S.
EXTRA CRISPY EGGPLANT! I get it every time, its a family favorite and a personal favorite. It is easily the best asian cuisine I have had on this side of the pacific. I have had many different dishes as well, like the lemon, orange, kung pao, chicken and the the fish filet, all is amazing. I just got the mango chicken the other day and it was delicious. The place gets pretty packed during lunch and dinner hours but its worth the wait regardless. I live in the city and have made trips out to this place because its that good. I don't know what else I can say about it but that its the best...
(5)
J G.
Whole family loves this place and the food. We dine in and order carry out. Never disappointed.
(5)
Mr C.
I love Ping! It gets crowded and you may have to wait to sit on a busy night. Overall, it's legit.
(4)
Melanie S.
Chef Ping is pretty great, and second only to Yu's. This is not surprising since the owner of Chef Ping used to be the chef at Yu's. My friend and I came here on Super Bowl Sunday, and no surprise, it wasn't crowded at all. We were greeted warmly and shown to a comfy booth. Service is very friendly and attentive...almost too attentive. We weren't even settled in to our table before they were on us like white on rice (pun intended) to place our order. Since it was our first visit, we wanted to take our time and look over the menu carefully before making any decisions. They brought us hot tea promptly and by then we were ready to order. We tend to stick with the basics (no sauteed intestine with pickled cabbage for us!) and ordered egg rolls, Mongolian beef, Phoenix in green (chicken with vegetables) and combination fried rice. The egg rolls naturally arrived first, and were a great starter. They were hot, crispy, and not a trace of grease. They're on the small side, which is fine because there was plenty more food to come. The rest of our food came out quickly, and it was piping hot and looked delicious. Our favorite chicken dish at Yu's is Snow White chicken and Chef Ping's comparable version, Phoenix in Green, was quite good as well, and includes more vegetables, like zucchini and broccoli. It was good, but I have to give the edge to Yu's. Their Mongolian beef was a hair on the sweet side for me, but the beef was tender, and cooked well. My only nitpick is the combination fried rice. It was described on the menu as having chicken, beef, and shrimp, and instead of beef, it came with ham. Obviously I am a fan of the swine, but I was disappointed as I was expecting beef. I nicely inquired about it to a server who explained that the combination fried rice always comes with ham and not beef. Okay...that's fine, but why does your menu description say otherwise? Overall, we both enjoyed Chef Ping. It's comparable to Yu's on all levels, in quality, price and portion size, but we agreed that if we're hauling ass all the way out to the 'burbs for Chinese, we'll likely stick with Yu's. It's just better all the way around. Don't let this deter you from Chef Ping though. It's still head and shoulders above most Chinese restaurants out there. Just not Yu's :-p
(4)
Uday K.
I stopped here for a quick lunch of vegetable fried rice. Awesome stuff. Non spicy and just right ratio of rice and veggies. Good place for an elaborate Asian lunch.
(4)
Jon R.
Not the best place for 1 guy and a bar during the pickup takeout food hours. So I moved from bar to table. Hot and Sour soup is wonderful and peppery. Complimentary tea at the table...good stuff. I ordered a bottle of cold sake, Ozeki, great stuff. No complaints on pad Thai either. Rice noodles are made homemade daily. I could probably give this 5 stars, but I went with 4. Fast service, great tasting food.
(4)
Bob P.
One of the best options in an area of many restaurants I appreciate Chef Ping's because: 1) It is not a chain (although it is in the old Baker's Square building) 2) Prices are reasonable (lunch specials, I did not see what dinner prices are) 3) Portions are large enough 4) Service is great (kept the water filled, we served our own hot tea, closing check was quick). 5) Food was quick, hot and most importantly delicious. Went there for the 1st time a week ago. Just suggested it for another meeting next week where I will have to pass Yu's Mandarian and about 25 other restaurants to get there this seems one of the best options in the area, especially if you want something safe that meets most criteria (vegetarian, flavorful, not spicy or spicy). Best Chinese I have found in area. Best low/mid priced food in the area.
(4)
Rachel G.
Best Chinese food in the area. Hands down! Sesame chicken is awesome. Mongolian beef awesome. Chicken with broccoli awesome. Egg rolls awesome. Ping wings awesome! (And spicy!) Fried rice awesome. Go eat there now!
(4)
Anya C.
My favorite Chinese place. authentic Chinese food. Not too salty or oily, Fresh, get food right away after order. went there 10+ times
(5)
Jan L.
Wow, this is by far the best Chinese food I've ever had. Let me first say that I am really picky about Chinese food and I don't like the American version of it. After reading everyone's review on Yelp I've decided to try this place. We had the shumai, it took about 30 minutes for them to cook but my goodness, it was worth the wait. So delish. Also had a couple of the home made noodle dishes... so good and so fresh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it now. Service was super friendly from the hostess to the bus boys and the waitresses. If you like authentic Chinese food this is hands down the best in the area. Try to go there during week days as the weekends can get really crowded (for good reasons I may add). I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(5)
DEALS D.
stopped by for my birthday dinner with kids. all I can say is wow. the service and food A++++. the waitress that took care of us was perfect the food came up like clock work. the taste was incredible. tried the pong pong chicken and baby bockchoi seafood noodle platter will recommend and coming back. the favors the quality was incredible.
(5)
paul l.
Best Jiang Ya (Mandarin Soy Duck) in the greater Chicago area. Ditto for the Summer Salad (Double Skin). My wife always orders Three Taster, as it has generous portion of sea cucumber slices than any other Chinese restaurants in the Chicago area, especially considering the $15.25 price. La Jiao Mien (Ping's Noodle Platter) is still as good as Yu's Mandarin days. I would prefer thicker/fatter noodles than the thin ones they are currently using. The owner is very courteous, going from table to table, fill tea cup(s) and asking for patrons' feedback.
(4)
Aletta J.
Succulent shrimp, deep fried honey walnuts, green beans flash fried, mango tomato chicken, mushroom/tofu, pork tofu, and potstickers. Our lunch for five and the smallest takeout box ever! We went with frequent diner friends and enjoyed everything. I could leave the tofu mushrooms; a bit chewy and tofu reminded me of grade school tapioca pudding. I prefer the solid pack kind. Should have ordered 2 orders of potstickers---mmmmmmmmmm. We were back on New Year's Eve and it was PACKED, but we were seated w/in 10 mins of our reservation time. Our waiter was fun, flirtatious in a fun way and couldn't have been more non-imposing even though they were busy. Going back soon -- the chili oil is addictive!!!
(5)
S I.
The food is as good as its ever been. I went about a week ago with the fellas and between three of us we ate 4 dishes and a few drinks each. Although it's not the cheapest around I think it's worth every penny. The food is amazing. Flavorful, fresh, meticulously prepped, presented well, and service is over the top good. I can't wait to take my folks and have a grand time with them as well. Only downside I can think of is no reservations but I'll wait for good stuff :)
(5)
Howard L.
This is a 6 month old (ie, new) Mandarin style restaurant, and located in a gutted ex Bakers Square restaurant. It's nicely done and comfortable inside. Every item we had was very good, and we had a lot of variety for our party of 8. Amongst the dishes: * cold duck and jellyfish appetizers * cold spicy beef appetizer * sea cucumber with the largest beef tendons I've ever seen * sea cucumber with shrimp and scallops * fish filet with yellow chives * beef stew in pot * Schezwan chicken wings * clam soup * Chef Ping spicy noodle soup One drawback is that there are no set family style menus. You are on you own to pick ala carte entrees to create your feast. They have a vibrant main dining room, but also a more private room in the back with 5 round tables for 10 each. They can tone the spiciness down nicely, as none of our dishes were overly spicy per request. Value is reasonable, given the new, clean, and convenient suburban setting. Their servings tend to be a little heavy on the use of sauce and gravy, and that's probably the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating for this reviewer.
(4)
Mark S.
Definitely got what I paid for. $11 for Mongolian Beef with white rice, an egg roll, soup and a coke. Pretty good deal, but the food was not worth eating. I won't be back. It was very bland and the quality of the beef wasn't too good. Service was great.
(2)
Michele B.
The food is great but got takeout for lunch. You cannot get the lunch special which includes soup so if you want it you pay extra!?!?! Told them I would be there in 15-20 minutes got there in 15 and the food was sitting on the counter COLD. Hope this improves in the meantime I will eat there.
(2)
Alec H.
Best noodles around!!! I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter. Go early to avoid the long wait.
(5)
Jen H.
All I can say is horrible! By far the worst dining experience ever! We called in a carry-out order on Christmas and we were told it would be ready 45min. I got there 45-50 min after the order was called in and was told "just a few , they are working on it now" After 15min of me standing there waiting I asked again how long and I was told "it's almost ready" Another 15 min went by and I asked yet again and I was told "it's coming right up" then they said I could pay so as soon as it was ready I could go. I paid and waited ANOTHER 30min!!!!!! Finally after standing there for over a hour waiting by the bar for the order and asking numerous times how much longer would the wait be and at this time I let them know this was the first time we had ever ordered from them- I was told that they would "throw in some almond cookies and take 15%off" What a slap in the face that was but I just wanted out of there! It was Christmas and I had 8 people waiting for this dinner! When I finally got the order (2 hours after it was called in!!!!!) and got home(less than 5min away) 2 of the 4 dishes we had requested to be EXTRA spicy and they had absolutely no heat at all to them, all of the dishes and appetizers were stone cold and had NO flavor at all then to top it off 1 of this items was not even in the bag! The 1 item that was not even in the bag was for a child!!! I called Chef Ping to let them know how after waiting there for over a hour we did not even receive everything and the lady went on to make every excuse "we are busy" and "it is Christmas" and I even got "I noticed it wasn't in the bag but you had already left" Now mind you she had the telephone number on the receipt that she was HOLDING!!!! Then the final straw was when she said "you should not order out from a new place on a holiday" I worked in the restaurant business for 10+years and if ANYONE ever had to wait the first thing is you offer them something to drink-a water, a pop, tea or coffee. And if someone is there for DOUBLE the amount of time they are told, the smart thing to do is offer to comp the meal for them and try to get them to come back- word of mouth is key to any good business! Anyone can make good food when your slow but you show how truly good you are when you are busy and if that is how you treat all of your customers, I have a feeling there will be a new restaurant there in a couple years! Attached to the carry out bag it said to share your experience- Not only am I doing that on Yelp but I have already told 6 people who were talking about going there about my experience and how poorly I was treated, they are finding new restaurant in the area to go to!
(1)
Vivian H.
My boyfriend's family has been coming here forever I guess, and there's a reason for that! Yummy korean seafood noodle soup, chicken pops, spicy shrimp.. scrumptious. And when we ordered wrong, the staff was nice enough to take it back and not charge us for it (UNHEARD OF, esp in Chinese restaurants!) It was a little weird that our waitress did not speak Chinese...
(4)
Rickson W.
i just dont understand this place.people who eat here act like its the best chinese place they ate.I ate thier pai thai and it wasnt good at all.However it almost seems like people are addicted to this place.I ask one question when you go to any chinese restaurant.are they using MSG in their food which stimulates your senses in your brain to like it better? Just ask
(1)
Cherie R.
My parents and I have been coming here since it opened - and before used to go to Yu's Mandarin since I was about five. (The chef used to work there!) Suffice to say this is our favorite Chinese restaurant - for the Chinese Korean food! I used to order the Mongolian beef and NOTHING else growing up - and it's still as fantastic as ever. I have, however, branched out a little bit and eat the jjampong and the jajangmyun pretty frequently as well. Don't miss out on the noodles, people - we used to trek out here from downtown just to have them!
(4)
Jennifer M.
We had dinner here the other night. The service was exceptional at being attentive. The appetizers were not very pleasant tasting. The main courses were good and plentiful. Ice water and a pot of tea were delivered to our table by the Busser immediately upon being seated. The Server came by and checked on us frequently for any additional requests we may have had. Throughout dinner, our empty plates were removed from the table. The restaurant manager walked by often to ensure everyone's happiness. The Clam Soup for 2: I didn't think there was enough clam in the soup. I thought it could use a little miso to cut the taste of clam in the broth. The Crab Rangoon: I've had better at the Red Lantern. I wasn't crazy for the cream cheese or its oily fryer taste. Mango Shrimp: I liked the gradual heat that comes through with every bite. Fish Casserole: Extremely hot. All the flavor is on top so be sure to stir the pot! Szechwan Prawn: It sure seemed like shrimp and not prawns to me! It could just be me. There's plenty of choices on their menu. We'll definitely be back; not on Monday's, they're closed.
(3)
Jasmin V.
Chef Ping's has almost the exact menu of Yu's with the exact taste. Smaller than Yu's and just as packed. Always filled with Asians and my parents believe that's the best review for Chinese resturants.
(5)
John L.
Their food is phenomenal. I enjoyed some sort of spicy beef while my date had the mango chicken. With the large portions, I was able to take home a couple of lunches, beef and chicken. I could not believe the flavor combination of the mango chicken. Wow! A slice of heaven here in Rolling Meadows. Service was exceptional also. With a couple of drinks and a tip the prices were unbelievably reasonable. Don't miss this one if you are in the neighborhood. In fact go out of your way to visit! Thank you for an excellent meal.
(5)
Wendy M.
Ok, I was skeptical of this place since I grew up in the Chicago Chinatown area but after been here a couple of times I changed my mind. I think the food is fresh and well prepared. We had a variety of dishes since we had over 10 people at our table and everything is served family style. My favorites were the chicken wings, walnut shrimp and Ping's noodle platter. They make their noodles fresh and you can tell. Definitely a must try if your in the neighborhood.
(4)
Rachel H.
I absolutely love Chef Ping. I have been frequenting this gem of a place the past year. Legend has it the owner used to own Yus Mandarin and sold it a while ago (15-20 years), retirement bored him, so he opened Chef Ping! We always get the The Seafood Noodle Platter no matter what other dishes we order, it absolutely rocks!! The Salt and Pepper Smelt is divine, always crispy and perfectly seasoned.I am particularly partial to the garlic and peppers that are sprinkled on it. The dinner menu carries a dish called "Fish Casserole", it takes about 20 minutes to prepare, but the wait is worth it. The fish is served in a spicy broth, think boiled fish from Lao Schezwan with Shitake Mushrooms. This is everybody favorite, whomever I take to eat here, falls in love with this dish.Other notable mentions are the Clams in Black bean, my oldest nephew (7 year old) can eat the entire dish all by himself, if we are lucky my sister or I distract him and steal a clam...if we are lucky. The dumplings are a good child pleaser, I havent me ta child who doesnt like them. Lunch options are pretty good. I see a lot of Chinese/Korean folks at lunch time. Most of them get some kind of a noodle in a black sauce. It is eaten with the pickled radish and onions...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I always vow to get it the next time, but somehow I default to the noodle platter!! They offer an arrary of cocktails, I havent had a chance to try them...yet. This is not your run of the mill Chinese restaurant, it is upscale, servers speak english and are able to guide you in case you needs reccomendations. A little on the expensive side, but so worth it.
(5)
Jackie G.
What a disappointment!! This place was packed so I thought it would be good. I ordered Mongolian beef and crab rangoons. First of all, this place is pricey. If the food is good. I'm for spending a few extra bucks but my beef was just ok. Actually, it was very bland. The thing that bothered me was the crab rangoons. Yuck! They put cinnamon or cloves or something inside that reminded me of Christmas cookies. I've eaten rangoons from many places and have never thrown them out and not eaten them. I will Never eat here again. Waste of money.
(2)
R T.
Meh. Passable Gan Pong shrimp and overly sticky Pong Pong chicken (loving the bouncy names). The Ping's noodle platter was quite yummy. We ordered everything spicy coz we like the occasional burn but the spice-o-meter was turned way down. No stringent complaints as the portions were plentiful. I would have added another star just for the noodle platter but the brusque waitstaff put a damper on our experience. Don't be shy about letting loose a few belly laughs. It will simply be drowned out by the noisy chatter. Oh and try the complimentary honey tea. Surprisingly flavorful and yet light.
(3)
Jenny V.
i love/hate coming here. hate mostly because its a semi small place and it gets so busy! my family and i like coming here because its closer than Yu's i think we all like it a bit more than Yu's. my favorite thing to get here is their honey glazed shrimp, SO GOOD! i also like to get their mango mochi ice cream definitely call ahead and make a reservation on fridays and weekends. ALWAYS BUSY!
(5)
Erin Y.
We really like Chef Ping, and come here often. Our favorites are the jia jia mein with the black bean sauce, the seafood mein, fried squid with spicy sauce, pepper beef, and clams with black bean sauce. The texture of their noodles is perfect. You can easily tell that they're homemade. However, there are usually inconsistencies from our different experiences. The spicy seafood mein was way spicier than usual last time we came. A lot of people who don't mind spicy were complaining about it. Also, the fried squid, which is normally so delicious, did not have enough sauce on it, so it tasted kind of bland. It wasn't sticky like it should be. Anyway, usually our experiences here are pretty good but occasionally, they miss the mark. Overall, this is a good place to get decent Chinese food. They always facilitate reservations for large parties, and the food comes out fast. I'd recommend trying it!
(3)
Valerie W.
So, Chinese food is kind of a big deal around my house, and we are p.i.c.k.y. about it. It's difficult to find good Chinese food in this area, and we've pretty much exhausted all of our options. Then... we discovered Chef Ping. It was as if the pearly white gates of Chinese food heaven had opened! My grandmother (from whom I get my love of Chinese cuisine) discovered Chef Ping, and insisted that I take her there. (Right after she found the place she was eating there multiple times a week, bringing whoever she could along!) Where to begin? Appetizers are always a good place to start... - Egg Rolls - made with spring roll skins instead of wanton wrappers - light and extremely crispy. - Shrimp toast - one of our favorites, some places get it... Chef Ping does! Dishes to share - Gan Pong Scallops - cooked perfectly, slightly crispy, perfect glaze, not overly sauced. - Moo Shu Pork - I've been obsessed with moo shu lately, and I love getting it when the server will make the 'burritos' for you. -Seafood Peking Noodle - how can you possibly go wrong with fresh, housemade noodles? I cannot wait to go back to Chef Ping... my mouth is watering already.
(5)
Jon C.
This place is one of my 'regulars' for my family and friends. I love coming here to get some of their noodle dishes. I often see more Koreans getting these noodle dishes but if you're not afraid of trying new things and the spiciness, there is the spicy seafood medly noodle dish, and the spicy broth seafood noodle bowl. Not only that, but we end up ordering more than what we should because we love their taste of other dishes. We always get the Pong-Pong Chicken. It's got a sweet and spicy/asian taste to the crispy wings they prepare as a lollipop style. It isn't your average american chicken wing look but still the best asian chicken wings I've had in life. I also strongly recommend getting their mongolian beef, and their walnut glazed shrimp. Sooo good! Definitely worth trying but I guarantee you'll go for seconds. The bad thing is the dinner rush bc it gets overly crowded in the entrance area and if you're there on the weekends, expect to wait up to 2 hours. Lunch time and early dinner time is probably the best time. Also, they bring out the dishes one at a time but reason being is that they claim to make each dish from scratch and freshly prepared to be served right after it's made. After second thoughts on this issue, it isn't so bad to wait but I'm sure people will have different opinions about it.
(5)
Ray C.
Korean and Chinese unite in this joint. Ask for Pong Pong Chicken, get some pea pod tips, and whatever else you want.
(4)
Phyllis S.
Here's the deal. If you are going at lunchtime, get there by 11:30. Why? Cause if you show up after noon, this place gets packed and you will be waiting in line, otherwise. Seriously, at 11:40 on a Thursday there were like three tables of people eating; at 12:20 every table was full and there was a line out the door. And yeah, the parking lot isn't all that big. So as I walked in, I was impressed by two things, the nice decor, and the subtly sweet and spicy underlying aroma of ginger and garlic. I knew the food was going to be good. I was a little torn about what to get, since I am trying to keep the calories under control. Instead of the veggie stir-fry; I ordered the Thai noodles with seafood and asked them to make it a little spicy. It came with a small salad (nice ginger soy dressing), an eggroll and a fried wonton wrapper. The platter of noodles was A LOT of food. I could NOT eat it in one sitting. (Which is fine by me. The leftovers were a really nice lunch the next day! The food was subtly spicy, as I had requested, and was just wonderful. The seafood consisted of squid, shrimp and scallops and whereas I would have liked a few more scallops, I don't think the portion was skimpy. Also there were a few shreds of carrot, cabbage and a few baby bok choy in there. I'd have liked more veggies, but hey, that's me. I will say this. I was not impressed with the eggroll. It wasn't greasy, but it also didn't have much flavor. Meh. The tea was a nice oolong. (I am a tea snob, so that's saying something.) The price is damn good for the quality and portion size. Some dudes behind us were eating these HUGE bowls of noodles. Looks like each bowl could have fed three people.
(4)
Ajay S.
Went here with a large group of family and friends, but made reservations a day befoe. That was a great idea as this place was packed at 7pm on a Friday night. My only complaint was that parking was full and we had to park next door at the banquet hall. We tried a little of everything, about 6 apetizers, and 4 dinners. They include tea for free, which was very nice. I really enjoyed the braised fish, curry chicken, and a noodle dish, which was amazing. Found it flipping through the yelp pictures. I will definately go back!!
(4)
Jay S.
I had heard about this place from multiple Asian friends of mine, so I needed to try it out. Needless to say now I understand what they were raving about. Have tried multiple dishes now after going back 3 times in two weeks. Sesame beef and sesame chicken are both excellent. Even my picky boys loved it! Normally they eat nothing with sauce. The chicken pops have a savory spicy sauce that is to die for. Mandarin combo is flavorful with plenty of shrimp, chicken and beef. Also, the pot stickers are the best I have found in over 25 years since my favorite closed. Must go for the food. Atmosphere is really not much to speak of but that's not why you go here.
(5)
Jackie L.
this is my go to place for korean chinese food. i love their champong, lahjoh mien and jah jang mien. i try to get their before the rush cuz they don't really have a big parking lot and tables. cuz if your order to go - don't get noodles, cuz they will explode. and if you are feeling extra adventurous - try their eggplant and mapo tofu. yumm!!! but that's cuz i love anything eggplant and seafood. def. prefer this place over yu's. yu's has been skimping on their seafood. i order the same noodle dish and ended up with lots of mussels and squid. and i hate mussels -- what happened to the shrimp and oysters? i hope chef ping's keeps the variety they have in their seafood platter the way it is. don't mess up a good thing. xie xie~~~!
(4)
Kerosan L.
Awesome meal for New Year's day: tried szechuan egglant, crispy duck, noodle platter, orange chicken and shrimp eggroll. We wereny disappointed with the service, and food taste. Will certainly be back soon.
(4)
Renee G.
The food is high quality, but their soups are not allergy friendly. All of them have shrimp. It would be nice if they had soups that didn't have shell fish in them.
(4)
Jen J.
This place rocks! Great lunch prices, nice atmosphere, and fantastic food. Of the many things I've tried, I've yet to find one I don't like.
(5)
Danielle S.
I actually came to Chef Ping completely on accident. We meant to go to another Chinese restaurant, but we passed by this instead. I had seen this place many times and wondered what it was like, so we decided to try it out. We were pleasantly surprised! We were seated right away (lunch time) at a clean table. Their menu is pretty small in comparison to other places, but the prices are very decent. We ended up getting tea (for free), soup, our entree, and an egg roll for about $10. Our server was super sweet, very attentive and helpful. She made conversation with us and really wanted to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is very calming as well. It was a great place to go during our lunch break, and we will definitely go again!
(5)
Sam P.
Read the rave reviews... visited the restaurant... Food did not meet expectation. Thought it catered to Koreanized version of Chinese food (and in fact had some menu items printed in Korean), but the taste was so so. Nothing exceptional. It's a regular Chinese restaurant with more authentic (i.e. less Americanized) taste, but not a true Chinese taste either.
(3)
Laura C.
Went here yesterday with my family. Some food was salty and some food was bland. The eggplant and pork pepper stir fry were salty, everything else was bland. The good thing was that the food came out really fast. Literally within 5 min of ordering, things started coming out. I really liked the vegetarian chicken. The waitress said I might not like it because it's an old style of cooking, but I wanted to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. It was really good. I highly recommend it to anyone that's vegan or vegetarian.
(3)
Dan N.
First off a shout out to my Brother in Food Vince V. who took me here for the first time. I know it would be good since he has like 20 check ins here. The old owners of one of the areas great Chinese restaurents Yu's Mandarin oped this place. So there was no dough is was going to be excellent. The two of us ordered way to much food, I'm sure the people around us were asking themselves who are these guys. The FuChiFaePian was referesingly cold and spicy and perfect. The seafood noodles were excellent as well, there are not many places to get noodles like this, there noodles always were and continue to be special. The Walnut shrimp was one of the best renditions I have had. Like Yu's was their seafood always had a freshness that not may Chinese places have. The shrimp are so plump and crisp cooked perfectly. I am counting the days till I can get back there.
(5)
Lisa C.
Best Chinese there is. Been eating with them for 30 years and 3 locations. Most of the customers are Asian , so you know it's the real deal. Best Moo Shu ever, but everything is outstanding. Never a bad meal.
(5)
Michelle D.
My husband and I recently had our rehearsal dinner at Chef Pings. We are regulars at Pings and even got engaged there!!! So it was perfect to have our rehearsal there. It was about 40 guests in their private room. More food than we could have asked for!! Served family style: Schezwan beef, sesame chicken, green beans, Mongolian beef all delicious!! The owner was very accommodating for our event she even let us bring in our own desserts. I would definitely host another party there Cheers to Chef Ping
(5)
Sonni W.
Are you kidding?!! The high ratings are completely misleading. The food was salty and awful. NOT GOOD. No better than "China Buffet" to be honest. If you want good food, this isn't it. If you enjoy salt, and consider Popeye's and Boston Market "4-star", then go for it. I ordered directly from the menu what was supposed to be "spicy with lots of vegetables" and a salad with ginger dressing. Even the salad dressing was so salty it barely tasted of ginger. Then "lunch" came. A scoop of white rice and a sticky glop of meat and sauce with barely any vegetables. Far from the menu description; not even 1/4 of it was vegetable. The Menu also described it as spicy (with a red pepper icon). What I got was super salty but not spicy... at all. I dug through the slop and found ONE little pepper -- still closed, with its hot seeds locked inside. I ate only the rice and the few veggies, letting them toss more than half the food on that plate. It was just awful. Nothing about it is five stars. We actually suspected the staff had written all the online reviews!
(1)
Brittany V.
The food was great. You get a lot of food for what you pay. Our server wasn't very attentive, even though the place want that busy. I'm still willing to give this place another shot.
(4)
D S.
Easily our #1 family Chinese food spot. The chef is always visible running the ship...GREAT food can't say we have ever had a bad meal...we just need more room on the table for all the stuff we order. I find it hard to go to other restaurants in the area for Chinese after experiencing Chef Ping!!!
(4)
Jacob J.
IF you want the real deal, read Brian K's review first. I forgot to re-read it before checking this place out. I think had I, it would've gone far better. So because of Brian.. Way too much hype over this place. I got it, people assume well if Asians like it, it must be awesome. Not all of the time. It's good stuff, just not legendary. It was a Sunday evening and we were surprised at how busy it was. Parking was hard to come by; we waited in the car for a space to open. It's the suburbs and there isn't any available street parking. If you're daring one could park in another businesses lot and hope for the best. There were several family parties going on and many people with smiling faces, so those were all good signs. We ordered a few items which we knew to be good ones. Gan Pong chicken, Ping's chicken wing and a random vegetarian dish, all of which was for sharing. The two chicken dishes tasted similar to each other even though the waitress stressed to us they would be different. One of the two was left behind, but my memory is not cooperating with which, maybe you'll like'm both. We didn't care much, hence the leftovers which sat there uneaten. Imagining if time travel were possible, I would've rather opted to order something off their Korean menu. Their "black noodle" maybe (jja jjang myun) it was on almost every table and looked delicious. Eager faces slurping up noodles, before they got cold. Best way to be eaten. With an order of meager looking egg rolls and sodas our total was around thirty bucks. Their egg rolls look like veg egg rolls or spring rolls you may get at a Cantonese or Thai restaurant. Thin and long like lady fingers, not bulky with filling and crispy from egg roll wrapper. Nice place, great and lively atmosphere with attentive service. Party room available with round tables for many to be seated. However, service is lost in translation. Hard to come by or willing participation from waitresses, when suggestions are needed or a conversation is wanted when something is missing, where are you? Plating was mediocre, the guy doing plating up the street at Denny's does a far better job with their iceberg lettuce.
(3)
Sandra Y.
Vegetarian Chicken was good! I really liked it, even though the waitress said I might not like it since it's a traditional Chinese style dish. Honestly, that intrigued me & made me want it more! :p I didn't really like the Szechwan Eggplant here. They used cheap pepper sauce that I always get at the store instead of authentic spicy chillies. I do like the cheap pepper sauce & use it at home, but I expected more from this place. The sauce they made with it was just salty & not very good. Other than that, some food was too salty, some was really bland. Meh. On the plus side, the food came out REALLY fast! As a drink, I had the cucumber mojito. It wasn't really pretty looking, but it tasted alright.
(3)
Richard A.
Five stars. It's just really that good. In fact, I'd venture to say the best Chinese in the area! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, perfect for families. In fact, stop by on a Sunday afternoon and you'll find many enjoying a nice lunch. Try the wings. Crispy, spicy and good. Nothing like it!
(5)
Stacey P.
I definitely like it here.... problem is it's so small. If you go on a saturday night, get there at like... 5pm for dinner if you don't want a line. NO, maybe 4 pm. Are they even open then? Yes, get there before they open, pitch a tent, and wait. Haha, no it is not that bad, but seriously, it gets crowded early!!! I have to say overall, I like the food. I would happily go back (if it wasn't so far from me) often. BUT...there is a but. It's not THAT good. The food is kind of a mix between westernized and not westernized. It's much better than the super westernized cantonese places like..chow mein house or something, but it's not much better than your other nice "chinese/mandarin" restaurants. Maybe I just didn't order the super good dishes though. I always like the walnut shrimp, because it's sweet and fattening..who wouldn't? I also enjoyed the fried egg plant...because it's sweet and fattening....who wouldn't? (Theme? yes). We also got their yellow leek and pork dish. I *love* that dish at authentic taiwanese/mandarin places, but it wasn't great here. It was just ok. boohoo, oh well. I guess that's about all I have to say for chef ping. It's a good place to eat but nothing that will blow your mind. For chicago, it's probably one of the better chinese places, sadly.
(3)
Amy K.
Awesome service, even during extremely busy times. The hand-made noodles are always a hit, as is the fried s&p tofu.
(5)
Maya S.
The best Chinese food ever. It's our favorite restaurant we go every week, sometimes twice a week. Great food every time. Everybody that goes there loves their food. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Make a reservation if you don't like to wait. :):):)
(5)
Noomi J.
My favorite Chinese food restaurant. Fast service, delicious food with several standouts. Nice interior, always busy. I've been going here for years and haven't had a bad experience. Pongpong chicken ($12.95) - 5 stars. The reason why I go to Chef Ping's. I tried Yu's Mandarin's version, wasn't as good: sauce wasn't as tasty, had more breading, not as crispy. I prefer Chef Ping's tasty lil drummettes to Crisp's, Toreore's, Au Cheval's, Kyochon's, etc. Great Sea Chinese Restaurant's is just as good, more spicy and bigger in size (~$16). Egg yolk crab (market price, we paid $30) - 5 stars. Finger-licking good crust. It was my first time trying out this dish, and I'm so glad that I tried it from here. I love crab, and this was delicious. Jajangmyun ($7.95) - 4.5 stars. My go-to place for this dish. We always order this. It's hard to describe the taste, but it's a mainstream food in Korea. Adventuresome eaters should try this ;D Jjamppong ($8.95) - 4 stars. Decent spiciness. Hangover food haha, or rainy day food. Szechuan eggplant ($10.25) - 4 stars. Crispy with a sweetish sauce. My mum's favorite. Ping's noodle platter ($9.25) - 4 stars. Good amount of seafood chunks. Tame food that won't upset sensitive stomachs. Honey walnut shrimp ($15.95) - 4 stars. I can't remember the price, but I remember that everyone liked it. EDIT Aug 2014 - updated prices, except for jjamppong
(5)
Pierre D.
My favorite Chinese spot in the suburbs. Before Ping had opened I had usually found myself going to YU's which is still good but does not compare to Ping! The Noodle Platter is always a good choice. It's packed with scallops, beef, shrimp, and plentiful vegetables. Honey Walnut Shrimp are huge, fresh, and delicious! While they may seem a bit expensive they're damn worth it, however the dish is soo rich that you should have it for sharing and not as a main course. I've had several other dishes here, and never have been disappointed. My only gripe so to speak is sometimes they get backed up and the wait times can be long. The parking lot is small so if you can't find a spot and they suggest you park next door then odds are you are in for a long wait. I'll give them a 5 cause well they're the best in the area!
(5)
Derek C.
I've been here a couple of times and it's been a good experience both times. This place is comparable to Yu's mandarin, altho I still feel that Yu's is slightly better. They pretty much have the same menu. We came here on Saturday night, after trying to get a table at Yu's, but the wait there was horrendous, so we decided to give Chef Ping's a try. The wait time was less, but the place was crowded and so was the parking lot! the service was great and everyone was really attentive to our needs. two dishes I'd highly recommend are the honey glazed walnut shrimp and the szechwan eggplant. I'm a huge meat eater, so I wasn't excited about my wife ordering the eggplant, but after I tasted it, I quickly changed my mind! the honey glazed walnut shrimp wasn't as good as the first time I had it, but it could have been an off night for the kitchen. All in all, the food was delicious, and every enjoyed the meal. If I were to pick between Yu's and Ping's, I'd probably say Yu's, but Ping's is not far behind!
(4)
Gary C.
Hands down, the best Chinese food in the Northwest burbs! I've eat there many times with family and friends and have never been disappointed. Chicken kung pao, pot stickers, hot sour soup, any noodle platter(Ping's seafood platter is my favorite), Spicy Beef Stew, orange chicken, General Tso's chicken, walnut shrimp are all out of this world! I ACTUALLY hate to share these complementary words...it'll only make the wait that much longer for me next time I go ;-)
(5)
Sherwin C.
Relatively good food overall for both lunch and dinner. Sometimes can be a little heavy on the salt but the food is very flavorful. Don't miss the fresh noodles here or their specialties. Place gets very busy early so you need to either make a reservation or arrive early on most nights of the week. Service and cooking is relatively fast though so even if you have to wait it won't be extremely long (except maybe on weekends). If you want to eat authentic cuisine without the long wait, iChef in Hoffman Estates is a good alternative (Yu's Mandarin usually has very long waits as well).
(5)
Phill C.
I've been here many times since they first opened... sometimes its 4 stars and sometimes 5, but the Pong Pong chicken wings are always tasty. Crispy & meaty chicken lollipops covered in a sticky sweet/spicy sauce. Highly recommended. You can tell they use quality ingredients and usually everything is delicious. I remember the first time I was there, we ordered a bunch of dishes and was even loving the crab rangoon. They use yellow cream cheese and real crab meat.... mmmmm. Also, any dish with noodles is usually very good, as the noodles are made in-house. Not sure if they still do noodle making demonstrations, as they used to when they were at Yu's Mandarin, but it's pretty cool how they make them by hand. Overall great quality food served in a modern setting. They have lunch specials too!
(4)
Mike O.
I chose this place for our latest NW Suburban Dinner group gathering and it was excellent from start to finish. Chef Ping's reputation in other reviews convinced me to try the place. Located on Algonquin next to Oberweis, it really appears unassuming from the street. Once inside, it has the look of class, with its lighting and wall decor. We had a table reserved for 11 people. Service was prompt and friendly from the moment we sat down. They brought out water for everyone and a pitcher of hot tea. The table was round and had a large revolving glass tray int he middle, making it easy to share and pass around the various dishes, carousel style. Thanks to Rachel J, I didn't spend too much time studying the menu and went straight for the Mongolian beef, a favorite Chinese dish of mine. Sure enough it was an excellent choice. I don't know if it's the best I've ever had, but it certainly would rank right up there. Amaliya ordered sauteed peapod tips, which looked like a heaping plate of cooked spinach. However, it was a great dish too. I got to try a sample of it and would certainly consider ordering it next time I came here. In all, I'd say the staff made it a very pleasant dining experience, bringing the food to us faster then I would have expected at most places. They even sang "Happy Birthday" to fellow Yelper George R, in addition to a person at another table who was also celebrating a birthday. I'd recommend this place for upscale Chinese dining at its best.
(5)
Matthew N.
Good food, decent price. If you order takeout on the weekends make sure to order about an hour ahead of time. This place is crazy busy on the weekends. Our favorites that we ordered were the cashew chicken, mu shu pork, and pork dumplings. We will go back soon.
(4)
Brian K.
FAMOUS FOR (My rating in parentheses) - Champong AKA Seafood Noodle Soup (10/10) - Lajomyun AKA Ping's Noodle Platter (10/10) - Tang-soo-yook AKA ?? (9/10) - Yang Jang Pi AKA ?? (10/10) - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp (10/10) ALSO HAD: - Gan Pong Chicken (3/10) - Szechwan Style Prawn (7/10) - Mongolian Beef (5/10) - General Tso's Chicken (3/10) As you can see, I've been here a lot. Actually, my family and I have been coming here for about 20 years! "How can that be this place just opened?!" Well, I don't know the whole story, but this Chef Ping guy used to be a Yu's Mandarin, and that's where my family's been going. But several years ago, I got the Champong and it tasted a little different. Thinking it was a fluke, I went again later, and again, and again, and again, and each time it kept changing, and each time, the color kept changing. The real Yu's Champong should be something of an Orange color, but it was slowly becoming redder, which is a sign of it becoming more of a typical Korean-Style Champong, which is good too, in its own regard, but I'd take an authentic Yu's Champong any day! In any case, Yu's entire menu started to suffer. We found out after a year that the owners changed to some Korean folks, and as usual here in Chicago, Korean owned restaurants seem to suck. Needless to say, we were depressed, our only source of all those foods mentioned above were gone, because nobody made it like Yu's. Then, we overheard this Chef Ping business, and.... here we are! CHAMPONG Koreans like Mandarin food. Why? Mandarin food seems to have similar foundations as Korean food. One main ingredient is garlic. Koreans LOVE garlic, so everybody's happy! Now, I said earlier that Korean-Style Champong is redder. Well, almost all Korean Style Champong taste the same. It's a bit spicy, and has a sort of a mish-mash aroma with all types of ingredients. There isn't one ingredient that really takes the lead, and it all ends in a fairly satisfying dish. But Ping's Champong is totally different. It doesn't rely on red peppers to deliver the spice and/or taste, rather it relies on fresh vegetables, large and fresh seafood, and black pepper. When it comes out, you get this mound of boiled veggies on top of the noodles in this beautiful orange soup. The first thing you do is taste the soup and instantly, you get this mad rush like you want to down the whole thing. Good thing the heat stops you--or it'd be a waste! Immediately, you taste the black pepper in the front, with garlic in the background, and the whole thing just goes down so refreshingly, you gotta say AHH! I mix everything up and then basically put some noodle, veggies, and meat on the spoon, scoop up soup and eat it out of the spoon, all the way to the bottom of the bowl, till it's dry! The soup is the star of the show here, folks, not the noodles! But, having said that, the noodles are, usually, such great quality! Handmade, for sure, and not stringy, not oversaturated, but just perfect! I'm afraid of running out of room, so I'll mash it all together here. We typically order the YangJangPi first, sort of as an appetizer. It's finely sliced vegetables, sauteed onions, and egg along with mini shrimps, and pork or beef all in a horseradish sauce. It's just incredible and they get such a perfect amount of sauce all the time where it's not nose-hair-melting, but it's not completely weak either. We'll also order Tangsooyook to share, and individual Champongs/Lajomyuns. The Tangsooyook is probably called "Sweet & Sour Pork," but I don't know if there's a Korean/American distinction, because I've seen people order S&S Pork and it came out in a red sauce. This is supposed to be in a golden sauce. It was better at Yu's back in the day, but I guess this'll have to do, which is why it isn't 10/10. The concept is the same as S&S, battered deep fried pork with a sweet/sour sauce. It almost tastes like there's a pinch of honey in it. I'm not sure what the ingredient is, but this beats any red S&S sauce out there...at least on Pork. It's got such a sugary sweet side and such a not-so-tangy sour side that gives it an amazing balance! Champong I already explained. Lajomyun is kinda the same thing, but without the soup, it's more prepared in a Wok with its own sauces. I have such a hard time deciding between the two, because the Champong soup is so amazing, but the Lajomyun platter is so freaking good it makes me wanna melt! It's perfectly seasoned, garlic, soy sauce flavors are evident, but the huge shrimp and scallops with the noodles are just to die for! This & the Champong are the ways I learned to eat vegetables. I hated them as a kid, but they somehow cooked these so well so that the texture is almost completely preserved from when they were raw, but the veggie taste is lightened somehow so that a veggie hater like me could still eat them and enjoy! OuttaRoom!Funny thing is, this Chinese Rest. is so good at these dishes but suck @ standard PandaExp types of Chn Food.
(5)
Nic Z.
As long-time visitors of Yu's, we had to try Chef Ping's when they opened, and we've been coming ever since. Although 'inspired' by Yu's, the food is distinctly different. There's something slightly less heavy and healthier about it. It just tastes good. Super friendly staff, delicious food. Not much more to say than that. Go!
(5)
Andrew T.
Get their seafood noodle soup, or the Ping's noodle platter. The dining area is a little crowded, and you have to wait a while before getting seated because it is that good. Nuff said, go get in line.
(5)
Pam D.
I must admit, I did come here with high expectations. I had Chef Ping bookmarked for quite a while. As we were going to be in the area, we made a point of checking it out for lunch before the holidays. The parking lot was packed and there was a line, but somehow we managed to get a parking space and our wait was only a few minutes for a table. I had hot and sour soup and the Mongolian Beef. The soup was hopelessly bland, even after I tried to doctor it up. My expectations began to fall a bit. The Mongolian Beef on the other hand was very tasty and the portion was quite generous. Christopher ordered the Chef Ping Noodle Soup, which came out quite a while after mine did. The moment I saw it, I knew this was NOT what Christopher had in mind. It was topped with all kinds of seafood and that is absolutely the last thing he will eat. He looked perplexed and said he did not see anything on the menu about seafood and there was another dish that was specifically a seafood noodle soup. We grabbed a carry out menu we had picked up and looked. Sure enough it listed seafood as a prime ingredient. I offered to trade with him, though I had my mind set on Mongolian Beef. At that point Christopher got up and went to the hostess station and checked one of the hard bound menus. In there, no seafood was listed. He decided at that point to send it back. The waiter told us that over time the recipe had changed, but the hard cover menus had not been changed to reflect it. Confusing to say the least. Chris ordered Orange Chicken and the wait began. By the time his food arrived, I was finished with my entree. His food was nice and tasty and very crisp. All the ingredients in both our entrees seemed very fresh. The dining experience was not fun for us, but the food for the most part was decent enough. It was ok, but not a spot I long to return to any time soon.
(3)
Sarah S.
I went here for lunch today with four coworkers...we went at 1145 and just barely got a booth! The place gets packed fast after their 1130 opening time during weekdays lunch. We had a very nice waitress (although she did forget to bring my coworker hot sauce & only brought 1 fortune cookie for 5 people...super strange!). The decor is great on the inside! Loved the modern Asian feel to everything. I had the S&S Shrimp Lunch Special for $7.95. A good deal! You get a choice of eggdrop soup, hot & sour soup or salad...then your entree comes with an eggroll & some kind of fried won ton thing. The eggdrop soup was really good but unlike ones I've had in Chinatown. It was loaded with vegetables & had some baby shrimps & tofu in it. My coworker said his hot & sour soup was the best he's ever had. The veggie eggroll was very delish! My sweet & sour shrimp was extremely tasty as well and after all the food I took four fairly big pieces of it home. It comes with a semi fried rice...white in color....with some veggies in it. I didn't think it would come with that kind of rice so next time I will probably just ask for plain brown or white rice. A couple coworkers got jja jjang myun (black bean with noodles dish) & said it was really good with their homemade noodles. I tried it, as well, and I honestly didn't think it was much better then the jja jang myun at Assi. Two other coworkers had the mongolian beef & were extremely underwhelmed even saying they wouldn't ever go back. I didn't try the mongolian beef but perhaps it isn't their best work. They had no problem with splitting our check 5 ways...but that 1 fortune cookie thing was kinda odd. There were some waits to take our order & then to receive our bills which surprised me because I would think they would want people up and out quickly during the lunch hour! I would definitely go to Chef Ping's again but wouldn't go out of my way to eat here! :)
(4)
Chelsea H.
Fabulous! We went on a Thursday night and were seated right away and we were served and out of there in half an hour. We ordered the vegetable egg rolls. Delightful! Crab Rangoon was the best I have had in years. The Mongolian beef was tender, tasty, and didn't skimp a bit on the meat. My dish was the General Tsao Chicken. AMAZING! Perfection in the amount of heat to the dish and flavor. It couldn't have been more perfect. Wait, it does... I had a malbec that hit the spot! Will definitely be coming back regularly. We have found our new favorite Oriental food spot!
(5)
Sam Y.
4 stars for food and service - 1 for one of the worst jja jjang myuns I've ever tasted - 1 for trying to get tipped twice. (One of my biggest pet peeves) We had a large party. Overall experience was decent. Most of the food we ordered was pretty good. Not as good as Yu's for sure. But they tried to hide the fact that 20% was already factored into the credit card receipt they brought back for me and tried to get tipped twice. This is fraud in my opinion.
(2)
Kim B.
I'm new to the area and heard Chef Ping is the best Chinese food in the north suburbs. The food was good but not great. The service was definitely slower than it should have been. I'll probably check out some other cheaper Chinese restaurants before I settle on Chef Ping's as my go-to place.
(3)
Jennifer I.
"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand....." Mr. Werewolf of London can look for a place called Lee Ho Fook's all he wants, but on Superbowl Sunday, Melanie S. and I drove to the burbs looking for a place called Chef Ping. Turns out this was the perfect day to give Chef Ping a try...the game kept a lot of folks away. Rumor has it that it's very busy there on Sundays...and every other day of the week. So if giving Chef Ping a shot, be prepared to wait for a table. Snaps to the Chef Ping server for bringing hot tea without us having to ask. It did not take us very long to pick out which dishes we wanted....we ordered egg rolls, Mongolian Beef, Phoenix in Green (a chicken/vegetable dish), and combination fried rice. We enjoyed everything, but there was ham in the fried rice, which was not indicated on the menu...we were ok with it, but given some people's issues with eating pork, I definitely think they need to change the menu. However, the shrimp in the fried rice were a good size...not those lame dinky bay shrimp which you sometimes get, that I think are really Sea Monkeys. Don't waste my time.... Overall, thumbs up to Chef Ping. I'd like to meet his tailor.
(4)
Robert B.
Hidden spot I don't think I would have been to. great recomendation by co-workers hotel staff. friendly staff and super good food. YUM
(5)
Mark S.
I heard rave reviews about this place but... for a veggie it is a little below average. I did get the only veggie lunch option which was veggie delight (not my favorite), I am sad to say it was a disappointing standard Chinese takeout version of the dish. I imagined that they could make an amazing version of dish, not just the standard sauce on steamed veggies with white rice. I think I could have gone to any Chinese buffet and had the same thing for half the price... the only saving grace in the meal was a small salad with a Japanese style dressing. The non-veggie bean noodles looked really good and my fiend said that he loved it but there was no veggie version of the item, they said that it was not possible to make veggie. The place was packed and the service was fast and good, especially for how busy it was. The only reason this place gets three stars is that everyone I was with said that they loved their meal as a vegetarian at lunch I would say go someplace else with more selection and more taste.
(3)
Tricia D.
Food wasn't particularly hot, in the Paris Hilton "that's hot" sense nor temperature-wise. Go to a Chinese restaurant - any restaurant for that matter - and hot food is expected! Our large party had what must have been 10+ courses of food, but none of the dishes were particularly memorable for me. The fried rice was prepared with pineapple and raisins and was creative, but not that great tasting. It was like a pilaf gone wrong. Fried beef wraps, cold appetizers, chicken and frozen veggie soup, steamed fish, green beans, duck, and shrimp... all of it was so-so. I did drool at the sight of the peking duck wraps that the table next to us had though. The most refreshing thing about the night was the watermelon served at the end of the meal and a fortune cookie that told me a cheerful message was on its way.
(2)
Jo N.
Excellent food! Prob best Chinese food I have had in a very long time! Fried rice came with large shrimp :)
(5)
Linda C.
FOOD: YUMMY! Portions were extremely generous and they certainly make sure you get your money's worth. For example, when we got the tofu and seafood dish, typically its mostly just tofu and vegetables with a few pieces of seafood. But here at Chef Ping's they give you just as much seafood as the tofu! The squid was perfectly cooked. SERVICE: so fast... that's all I can say... wow so fast! Their bus boys clear tables so quickly and the turnover rate for tables is extremely fast for the amount of people they have. We waited all but 5 minutes when it was bustling... I thought we'd be stuck waiting for a good 20 minutes! Just as I grabbed a menu to start looking it over while waiting, we were seated! Wait staff is also very attentive and make sure you get everything you need. ATMOSPHERE: clean, well maintained, and nice decor
(4)
Sydney L.
This is my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant. I go here at least a 3 times a months with my family and co-workers. Other than the occasional frustration from waiting to get seated, the service and the atmosphere here is nice. But my favorite part is of course the food. I usually get almond chicken or crab rangoon. The taste is always right, never too salty or too sweet. Chef Ping is a must-go!!
(5)
D J.
First time at Chef Ping's. It was awesome: The 3 of us were pigs and ordered tang syuk, pong pong chicken, black bean noodles, veggie/noodle platter, and canton noodles. We could have killed all, but we didn't ;). My only suggestion is more vegetables in the dishes. There were slivers of veggies in the various dishes, but there really should have been more. The pong pong needed more sauce too. The noodles were the best I've had in a long time and were amazing. I didn't see the restroom, but the place seemed pretty clean (asides from the funky odor of people on a muggy summer day in the foyer).
(4)
Jenny C.
So my review is purely on the basis of placing an order by phone. This reflects nothing about the food because the food is definitely a solid 4.5/5. First a little background set-up: I was ordering on behalf of my coworkers for lunch. Their online ordering menu was down for some unknown reason which was totally fine. I understood that there are glitches so I was more than happy to call and just ask for the information instead. So, since I was trying to order from the lunch menu yet the lunch menu was not available for viewing at all, I needed to call to see what was available. I called and asked if there were any shrimp options on the lunch menu (mind you I was very friendly and was not at all being difficult about the online menu situation). She listed them and I needed to ask my co-workers (since we didn't know what our options were before) which of the three options they wanted. I asked for just a minute to confirm with my coworkers and then the attitude starts. The hostess or whoever answered the phone was not so subtly ticked off that I needed less than 5 secs to confirm which option we wanted. Then I ordered ganpoong shrimp instead of kung pao shrimp (I accidentally mixed up the words). So imagine my confusion when she said that was going to come from the dinner menu. I asked why when that was the option and the rudeness continued with her response of, "I already told you kung pao shrimp was lunch menu not ganpoong". The conversation ended very awkwardly as I was a little caught off guard at her rudeness. Honestly, I understand it is hectic when it is lunch time. However, I don't think I was being overly demanding, rude, or ridiculous. I wasn't taking my time thinking about the options and I mistakenly mixed up two confusing words . (Try saying each really fast...) But I don't think that permits rudeness from the person taking the order. Overall, it definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth with their unnecessary attitude. I love their food but it makes me a little hesitant to order from them again.
(2)
Tim B.
Chef Ping is extremely delicious. The place was packed, indicating the popularity and success of the establishment. I tried three different dishes, and they were all absolutely fantastic. Chicken Wings Black Bean Noodles with Pork Asian Sweet Sour Crispy Beef I highly recommend this food palace for great service and great food at a great price. I look forward to my next meal at Chef Ping.
After reading all of the reviews, I set out to finalize the debate between Yu's Mandarin and Chef Ping's. Both restaurants specialize in Chinese cuisine and offer Korean-Chinese dishes but which one do I prefer? I decided to try Chef Ping's again but order something new on their menu that I have never seen on a Chinese menu, Pong Pong Chicken. I was hoping that this was the dish that would separate the two. When we arrived, I noticed that Pong Pong Chicken had been removed from their menu but was informed that they still offered it. A special off the menu dish? Even better. We ordered Pong Pong Chicken and Noodles with Black Bean sauce (jja jjang myun). When the chicken came out, I immediately noticed that it wasn't the same as their Gan Poong Chicken - this was something different. There was more breading and no vegetables - all meat and plenty of it. The plate was full of chicken wings - more than your typical order. The sauce was sweet and spicy and full of flavor. After the first bite, my wife and I both nodded acknowledging that it was good. The noodles came out shortly afterwards. The noodles were perfectly cooked with the right consistency - a little chewy which was exactly how I liked it. The sauce was savory with a meaty aftertaste. Honestly, it's been awhile since I've had homemade noodles this good. This was jja jjang myun done right. What surprised me the most was the service. When the noodles came out, the person who brought it out had two spoons and mixed our noodles for us. Then, our server came by and used scissors to cut the noodles to make them easier to eat. If you are familiar with Asian restaurants, then you'll know that this isn't a common practice. Pong Pong Chicken, homemade noodles, and excellent customer service - that's a triple threat. Chef Ping's wins the title in my book.
(5)
Ryan M.
My absolute favorite Asian food. General tso is a great simple dish. Mu shu is excellent - recommend as a appetizer in place of egg rolls. Eggs rolls are not very good at all. Kung pao chicken is a tad on the spicy side beware. And their fried rice you won't be able to stop eating.
(5)
Cathy S.
This restaurant is getting worse . Placed a carry out order which was supposed to be ready in 25 minutes. After 40 mins I ask where my food is and she says my rice has been ready for awhile but still waitin for my beef plate. Another 25 mins later my order is finally ready. $28 for two items and my fried rice was cold and smelt like a a burnt match. It tasted awful. Very disappointed again!!! My last visit was not good either but wanted to give it another try .... Sorry I give up!
(2)
Junee M.
Well it's an ok restaurant, was my 1st time to try it out. Order for pick-up. I will not consider it an authentic Chinese Restaurant. Food was in a sweet side. Egg Drop was ok, too fancy for my taste. Mongolian beef was better but nothing like PF Chang. Their young chow fried rice was excellent. But the big disappointment was their salt and pepper smelt, not tasty at all. I specifically requested extra crispy smelt but when I opened it, it was very saggy that we need to toast it before we can eat it. To think, I just live 5 mins from this place. Nothing like the smelt from Red Star in Glenview.. Service was nice and pick-up order was fast.
(3)
Tunaidi A.
I'm a huge fan of Chef Ping. It seems every time I'm back in the area, it's the one place my friends want to go to... and for good reason. I honestly think Chef Ping is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Chicago northwest suburbs. The decor is pretty modernized and the restaurant itself is very clean and inviting. This isn't all for show either, because the food definitely complements Chef Ping's attractiveness. I think what Chef Ping does best is that it incorporates many sectors of Chinese cuisine into its menu successfully. They don't do it haphazardly or in a jack-of-all-trades style, but excels in all facets of their food. From the "Americanized" Chinese, such as sesame chicken; to the authentic Chinese, such as the casserole varieties; to the Chinese delicacies, such as sea cucumber, abalone, and Peking duck; to the Korean influence, such as jajangmyun; and even to the pleasant inclusion of desserts (something that many Asian restaurants don't offer). Chef Ping is a winner.
(5)
Karen O.
Good Food. Very chintzy on the steamed rice. Seriously... If u ask for more. They literally bring u out like 2 more tablespoons... Isn't rice very cheap?? Other than that... No complaints
(3)
Jessica N.
Seriously, this is one of the best for Chinese in the Chicago area. And they get extra kudos for having cute decor (a thing most great Chinese food restaurants lack). Apologies for not knowing the english names for most of what we order when I go here with my parents I only hear in Chinese. Must Order: Spicy Eggplant Calamari Seafood noodles (fresh made noodles! SO GOOD!!) They also have a cold noodle dish with tons of finely cut veggies and a wasabi sauce that is so good! I heart this place! Definitely stop by if you are in the area but come early. It gets super crowded!
(5)
Jason C.
Having arrived to Chicago after on the road for four hours, we were hungry and need to eat quickly... however when we pulled into the parking lot, it was full and our hope for quick seating disappeared... we slowly walked in and asked for table for two... the hostess asked if we wanted to sit at the bar and I said no... hostess said it'll be five minutes for a table and so we waited. As soon as we got seated, we ordered our food... jjajangmyun, champong and pong pong chicken (their version of kangpunggi). We expected that it would take about 15 minutes to get our food, but nope, we got our chicken within five minutes... then we got our noodles five minutes thereafter. The chicken was good, the only complain I had was that, the wings had very little meat on the wings... they were small compared to say Great Sea... nevertheless the chicken was good. Jjajangmyun - not sure if they have kang jjajang or mul-jjajang... but the one we got tasted a lot like kang jjajangmyun. It was bit on the salty side, but good... however Great Sea's jjajangmyun is still the nest. Chompong - the best champong I had in midwest... yes, in midwest... the one in LA still rains champ! Overall, I give this place four stars for 1) service and 2) taste of the dishes. They gave us our dish quickly and it really hit the spot. This place is far from downtown, so plan your visit wisely.
(4)
E S.
Who doesnt love chef pings!?? Pong pong chicken all the way! I wish it wasnt so packed all the time.
(4)
Vince V.
The parking lot was completely packed. It has been two years since I first set foot in the restaurant and Chef Ping shows no sign of slowing down. If anything, they've upped their game. The crowd this Sunday night is noisy, busy and visibly hungry. Dishes are flying out of the kitchen and the bar just like every table in the house is full yet the genius of it all was that we didn't wait too long for seating. Dinner itself was predictably fantastic, a greatest hits collection from successful past meals: potstickers, crab rangoon, the spicy seafood noodle platter, the decadent honey walnut shrimp and the ever-present sesame chicken. This was not a night for experimentation given the relatively conservative taste buds of my dining companions. This was a night of going for dishes everyone knew, understood and delighted in and true to form, every dish was executed deliciously.
(5)
Charles L.
Fantastic place! Usually try out a place with Kong Pau and their's was great. I hope I get a chance to take the family back to this place.
(5)
Sung L.
Great food, Great service, and Great prices! Chef Ping is The Best! Noodle Platter, Black Bean Noodle, Pong Pong Chicken.
(5)
Chris D.
I do plan to return to experience the full menu. To have only one vegetarian option on the lunch menu was a disappointment. The food was very good, and I enjoyed the tea. I just do not enjoy feeling I only have one option. The prices are very reasonable. I liked that this restaurant had a diverse crowd, which I always take as a sign of quality.
(3)
Esther L.
I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. My family loved the former restaurant these owners had, Yu's. But ever since they parted ways and started this restaurant, neither have been the same. The food is mediocre. Jam-bong is hit or miss; sometimes it is salty. It's best if ordered super spicy. This is my family's go to Chinese Korean restaurant. Generally, the food is pretty good. My family likes the jampong (spicy noodle soup), jajangmyun (black bean noodles), walnut shrimp, and palbochae (which I think is the happy family seafood). However, it's hit or miss. Some days, everything is great and other days, some dishes are off. I guess it depends on who is cooking. I had a pretty disappointing experience at lunch recently. The salad dressing was gross. It tasted like pure ground ginger with soy sauce. It was very sour. I wanted to replace the chicken with shrimp in the pad thai at lunch and the waitress said this would cost an additional $5, when the dish itself was only $6.50. So I would basically be paying double to substitute the shrimp for chicken. And of course I was charged full price when I asked her to hold the chicken. There was no discount for not having any meat even though she wanted to charge double for a different protein. The pad thai was just okay. It's not the best I've had. It was sweet and kind of boring. The flavor was missing. We also ordered the kung pao shrimp lunch special, the black bean noodles, and the noodle soup. Only the black bean noodles and noodle soup were good. I will probably not order from the lunch menu again and will stick to what I know is good.
(3)
Yu H.
I've long dreaded reviewing this place. I've been coming here since it opened like twice a month but a part of me just doesn't want to review it. I don't want to, I don't want others to know but that's apparently already too late given the 45 minute waits for dinner on a Wednesday night. God this is painful to say but....this is my favorite restaurant. In my travels eating all over the place this restaurant in my opinion has reached the perfect balance of quality, taste, price, portion, service, and ambiance. God it love it so. Let me explain: I've had a history with Yu's Mandarin which used to be my favorite but as the rumors go, their head chef sold the place and quit. He waited a while and then opened up this place down the street with basically the same recipe's as Yu's but with slight improvements. Quality at Yu's declined over the years as it changed hands and now a lot of their formers followers moved to Chef Ping, I being one of them. I've eaten most of their menu but these are my favorites: Hot and Sour Soup: Unique to only YU's and Chef Ping, it tastes amazing and has that slow warming spiciness you get int he back of the throat with Szechuan flour peppers and white pepper. Not your average takeout hot and sour here. Mandarin Duck: Pretty much the only place to get it done right. These take like 3 days to make and the taste is impeccable. You probably won't find a better version of this anywhere else here or IN CHINA! Pork with Chinese Yellow Chives: Also hard to find in the burbs, Yellow chives are like regular chinese chives except not allowed to see sunlight so they turn yellow and has a very subtle taste to them similar to how they grow white asparagus. 8 Treasures: The ultimate smorgasbord of tastiness, they are fishball, sea cucumber, ham, chicken, tofu, squid, shrimp, and mushrooms. You can't go wrong with this dish. Steamed Flounder: Don't let the name fool you, theres more to this than a steamed fish, It comes on a giant platter with scallions and peppers and a wonderful sweetened soy sauce (See picture). Egg Yolk Crab: Pretty decadent, its a giant dungeonous crab cooked with the flavor of chinese salted duck yolks. Tastes like heaven, probably hell on your arteries. I could go on for another 2 pages but I'll spare you and let you explore for yourself. Being a new building, the place looks very nice with great lighting. Service is never slow and the kitchen cooks lightning fast. All the turnover ensures a fantastic fresh quality meal. In my opinion, this place is near perfect if not perfect. Definitely DO NOT take my word for it. Go and taste for yourself. I'll probably be the pissed off guy in the waiting area wishing no one else knew about this gem of a place so I can have it all to myself.
(5)
Buortau L.
"Chef Ping" is awesome! If you've ever been to "Yu's Mandarin" before, then the food is just like that (Korean Chinese cuisine). If you're up for something unique, then I'd say you must give "Chef Ping" a try.
(5)
Effie K.
Probably best Chinese I've eAten ever. Mongolian beef and Kung pao beef are delicious. My go to place to eat.
(5)
George P.
Best Chinese in Chicago. Food is fresh. This is one of those places where you can pick something randomly from the menu and you won't be disappointed. Food comes out fast. Staff is attentive. Seafood is fresh. I'm shocked at how good this place is. It used to be an old Baker's Square. The interior looks like a hip restaurant you would find in Chicago. Best thing about Ping is how low your bill is after you order a lot of food.
(5)
Dave K.
Plain and simple, Chef Ping = the best Chinese food I've ever had. Looking forward to returning!
(5)
June P.
When it comes to dining on Chinese food, you're often faced with an indiscernible menu, a confusing experience with waitstaff, and questionable cleanliness. But as Chinese food becomes more and more a regular part of the American diet, many modern and trendy Chinese restaurants are popping up. The refreshing thing about Chef Ping is that it's what you would get if Nate Berkus did a makeover on your favorite old-school Chinese dive. There are many comparisons out there because of the connection between Chef Ping and the local favorite Yu's Mandarin, but to me, Chef Ping is where you go when you finally outgrow the long-standing relationship you've grown comfortable in with Yu's. At Chef Ping, you'll find that there's hardly a poor choice to make, and my husband and I have never been disappointed in our meals. Our favorite dish is the Pong Pong Chicken, a take on the popular kam-poong chicken wing dish. They push the meat on a fried chicken wing to one side, likening it to a lollipop, and toss it in a spicy, sweet, savory sauce that reassures you'll leave with a full belly and smile. The black bean noodles (jjajang myun) are done very well with chewy noodles and flavorful sauce that is neither watery nor full of cornstarch. Portion sizes are generous. The waitstaff are noticeably friendly and hold easy conversations. (This makes you feel ever better about betraying your parents' favorite Chinese restaurant.) I often noticed tables erupting in laughter with their waiter. This is always a good sign. The tables are also always full when we go, whether it's 5:30 or 9:30. It's good to make sure you give yourself at least 30 minutes cushion time, because it is a popular restaurant. My husband and I find that 6 is a great time to go in, as the rush seems to start around 6:15 on weeknights. Chef Ping harkens back to a day when service at Asian restaurants was more about welcoming customers warmly (including conversations and advise on how/what to eat, albeit likely with someone of their same ethnicity) and the food was authentic. In an age where "exotic food" is about as exotic as Panda Express, and turnover and minimizing costs is king, Chef Ping doesn't skimp on anything. Good food and service AND amazing turnover? Imagine that.
(5)
Alice A.
Ever since this place opened, i have been coming here instead of Yu's. The food is consistent every time. In their lunch menu, the mandarin trio, ping's noodle soup and platter and yu-shang pork are all very flavorful. If you are craving for fresh seafood, their lobsters and crabs are delicious as well.
(4)
Dan D.
Stopped in on a Tuesday for dinner. Nice decor, friendly & attentive service, waiter answered all the questions we had about the menu. My wife thought the egg drop soup was kind of watery and tasteless, but we agreed that the vegetable egg rolls were very well done. Entrees consisted of Gan Pong Diced Chicken (her) and Chef Ping Seafood Platter (me). The chicken was very good, spicy without being overpowering, and the portion was huge. The seafood consisted of shrimp, scallops, squid, and some other fish-like substance, along with broccoli and leeks in a light brown sauce. As with the chicken, there was more than enough to take home and still leave the restaurant satisfied. On the whole, we really enjoyed our dinner here. Close to home and work. We'll be back.
(4)
Derrick T.
Given my second trip to have a meal at Chef Pings, I have to increase my rating. It's way past opening month, the food quality continues to be high, and the portions were pretty generous as of last night's meal. One of my boyz from the rural area of Springfield found himself missing true Chinese food, so we made our way to Chef Pings. Surprisingly busy on a Tuesday night, we had a 20 minute wait which turned into a 8 minute wait to a large family size table in the back room. Appetizer - Chicken Wings - Crisp and tasty, very small wings... but lots of them. Surprising, since the menu states 6 wings, but each of our platters had about 12 wings. Main Courses Swei Zhu Ru - (Spicy Pot Fish) - Soft tender fish, excellent flavor, nice presentation Pong Pong Gi - Crispy Fried Chicken Legs with Spicy/Sweet Sauce - Nice thick glaze, the chicken legs are trimmed near the foot end and the meat is pushed up to the top for easy of eating. Fried to a crisp and covered in sauce. Tasty. Ru Shiang Chei Zhe - Garlic Fried Eggplant - Again, wonderfully crisp on the edges, and perfectly tender in the middle, with a tasty sauce covering it. Whei Gou Ro - Twice Cooked Pork - Not quite what I was expecting, as it was a very lean meat with veggies. Tasty, but I think I had confused this with a different dish I was considering... Hu Tao Shia - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp - Phenomenal Dish. They've really perfected the balance of crispyness, sweet mayo/glaze, and candied walnuts. Don't overlook the decorative broccoli... it's steamed perfectly. La jao mien - Ping's Noodle Platter - The is a standard for what was once Yu's. Seafood mixed in with hand pulled noodles. Excellent dish, and in my humble opinion, the dish that built Yu's Mandarin's fame... every bit just as good here. Verdict: To quote a friend, "one of the best chinese restaurants in the burbs". Go and enjoy!
(4)
Tony W.
Wasn't too impressed with the food. And discretion is not their strong suit. My friend discreetly pulled the hostess aside to ask her to bring her the check directly as she wanted to treat us to lunch. The hostess brought over the waiter and loudly instructed him to bring my friend the check when it was time. She sat there looking both annoyed and amused as we roared with laughter.
(3)
Mike L.
I always try to find an excuse to go to Chef Ping whenever I visit my parents in the burbs. It's a well-dressed Chinese restaurant that is always at least 75% filled with asian patrons, so you know they are doing well. I've heard that the owners are the previous owners of the famous (or infamous) Yu's Mandarin, and I am glad they decided to get back in the restaurant biz. Be brave and order from the Chinese menu. My favorites are #1 (flat glass noodles with pork, veggies, sliced scrambled egg in a peanut/horseradish sauce) and #33 (tofu + beef brisket cassarole). I absolutely love #33 when it is made right (served hot, with a good amt of spice and tender brisket), but this has only happened 2 out of 3 times. You also can't go wrong with the jia jiang myun, underrated in my opinion. From peeking at other tables there are other good choices out there mixed with tackier choices, but I'll leave the menu adventures to the regulars. Would have rounded up to 5 stars if #33 was consistently good. However I am forgiving because they had the NCAA tourney playing at the bar.
(4)
Nancy H.
An excellent suburban alternative to delicious Chinese food. There are a few items that also crossover into Korean cuisine, so the diners are mostly Chinese & Koreans. Overall, the food is actually really good, the restaurant is clean and attractive, the waiters are very friendly and speak English well, and even the service is pretty good. Minus one star for the price tag & small(ish) parking lot. Some of my favorite dishes: - honey walnut shrimp (perfect ratio of honey and mayo - not too much of either, and the shrimps are large) - Szechwan eggplant (fluffy, deep fried slices of eggplant in a sweet & spicy sauce) - egg yolk lobster (fried in a salted egg yolk batter) - noodles in black bean sauce (the slightly chewy noodles are supposedly made in house!) - any fried rice (I've tried two kinds, and regardless of the filler items, the smokiness of the rice from the wok is what really makes the difference here) The owners are relatives of the Yu's Mandarin owners, is what I hear, so some of the same dishes have been copied over to Chef Ping's menu.
(4)
Genevieve L.
I usually get a carryout order but every so often, we'll dine in. Whenever I'm there, I order the Thai Chicken Curry and it's phenomenal every single time! They always give a huge portion of chicken in their dishes and the service is fast. I definitely recommend it.
(5)
AJ M.
Came here with a group of friends. Heard alot about this place and on a friday night I saw why. This place got packed really quickly around dinner. And I have a theory that if a place gets packed they have to be doing something right. For appetizers the pork shu main, crag ragoon was great. Skip the egg rolls and chicken skewers. The orange chicken, General Taos, beef n broccoli are better then most chinese places. Service is good. Only problem is they only brought out a little rice out, although if you ask for more they will keep bringing more.
(4)
Nomaan D.
Got the Mongolian beef, curry chicken, and Kung pao chicken. They were all excellent. Especially the curry chicken.
(5)
Tracy T.
This is by far the best FOOD EVER!!! I cannot get enough. It's hard for me to stray from the sesame chicken and pineapple fries rice but when I do, I'm always thrilled. Great atmosphere, superb food!
(5)
Quinn B.
As close to "the best" Chinese food I've ever had..... Fresh ingredients, timely service and nice atmosphere. I went for lunch and had sweet and sour chicken with hot and sour soup. To me, the state of the chicken always speaks of quality. Moist, great breading and tasted terrific. The hot and sour soup was not just an after thought either. It was prepared with care and seasoned well. The place is well worth checking out.
(5)
Annie L.
Great food, friendly staff, fast service, very mod decor. It's like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Some recommendations: 1. salt and pepper shrimp with the shell on 2. clam and black beans 3. schezwan eggplant I took one star off because my friend and I were placed literally 2 feet away from the surrounding tables for dinner. I didn't mind it, but man it was interesting hearing people's conversations and I'm sure the same for them of us. haha
(4)
G J.
I got here before 11:30 am and there were actually people waiting for lunch service to begin. There were people waiting in their cars and in the restaurant. This I have never seen at any restaurant. I ordered the Ja jang myeon and Tangsuyook. This was the best I've ever had of these dishes. The Ja jang myeon seems to have been made from scratch. Each pork pieces of the tangsuyook appears to have been meticulously battered and fried. By the time I finished my food the restaurant was packed. The restaurant had a somewhat upscale casual feel. I hope more chef ping's would open up as this place can show others how things should be done.
(5)
William C.
Every country has their own take on Chinese food and I was very impressed with this Korean style Chinese restaurant since it is the closest thing you can get here. every dish is tasty and I even think it is better than San Francisco's. Summer Salad is a must have!
(5)
C. W.
LOVE it. Any place where I can take my finicky girls to get fed and they're happy, we're happy. All four of my family likes this place, some of the best Chinese in the Rolling Meadows/Arlington/Mount Prospect area. I will build on others' recommendations to either arrive early or be ready to wait for a table. It's worth the wait.
(5)
Cathaleya C.
I saw lots of asians here, and I've heard the chefs from Yu Mandarin came here for work since Yu is under new management... anyhow, we ordered the crispy intestine, asian style pork, and szechuan string beans. Good, good, and good. We are fans.
(5)
Phil S.
I'm so angry that I didn't find out about this place sooner. I was a big Yu's fan in the past but wrote a scathing review due to their service. A friend later told me that the owner's of Yu's sold the place and opened Chef Ping's. I made it over here as fast as possible to get my fix of the good stuff I was used to and I was not disappointed. My wife and I hadn't had a decent Koreanized Chinese meal in a very long time so we already knew what we were going to order before we got there: jja jang myun, jjam ppong and tang soo yook. We arrived at 8pm on a Sunday evening to find a parking lot almost completely full. We had a short wait of about 5 minutes and were seated. Server took our order and our food was out in about 10 minutes even though the restaurant was still full. It was everything we missed and dreamed of and they even split the jjam ppong for us in to 2 bowls which seemed like 2 large bowls! Everything was hot and fresh and even though it was crowded the servers were very good at asking us if we needed anything else, or if everything was okay and refilled my water constantly. Not keeping my water filled is a big pet peeve of mine as I don't drink soda and I drink a lot of water with my meals. Even the manager (could've been the owner?) was bringing food out because they were busy. He was very nice and I wanted to tell him how much we enjoyed our meal but he looked really busy when we left so I didn't want to bother him. I'll have to try other items on the menu to compare them to Yu's of olden days but for now I am ecstatic that I never have to step foot in that hell hole Yu's ever again. Good riddens. I'll be back for more and more!
(5)
Andrea W.
This is my favorite Chinese Restaurant in the Suburbs. High quality food with a nice atmosphere. Ping's Noodle Platter and Honey Walnut Shrimp are two of my favorites.
(5)
jay t.
Simply amazing... All of the food I've tried there has been
(5)
G E.
Good fresh food, good service, basically a new Yu's restaurant. Always busy but worth the wait.
(5)
Peter R.
I heard thru the grapevine that the previous owners of Yu's Mandarin started a new restaurant called Chef Ping's. I was told that it was on Algonquin Road close to Golf. We recently drove by, and I realized that it used to be the old Bakers Square that closed down a couple of years ago. The wife and I finally decided to give this place a try yesterday. The parking lot was packed, but I found some PTP (Prime Time Parking) right up front. I thought there would be a wait, but the space inside is bigger that I thought it would be. The hostess greeted us with a smile and sat us right away. I found the ambience to be very welcoming. The room was bright with it being a nice sunny day and all. The menu is almost identical to Yu's Mandarin, and I see that some of the staff jumped ship and now works here. I decided to order what we usually get at Yu's so we can compare the taste of the dishes. We started off with the fried pot stickers, and ordered Mongolian Beef and Lemon Chicken for the main course. The dishes come with a small bowl of white rice, but I would suggest ordering the fried rice if you're really hungry. The pot stickers were pan fried deliciousness, and the dipping sauce was very good. Our food came out fairly quickly, which is good considering how busy they were. The lemon chicken was so tender with the right amount of sweet tart. I found the Mongolian Beef here to be more flavorful than the one at Yu's. That is saying a mouthful since I consider the Mongolian Beef at Yu's one of my favorite dishes. I feel like Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin younger, equally attractive sister. The menu and tastes are so similar, with a slight nod to Chef Pings for having tastier dishes. You really can't go wrong with either one. The only thing for me is that Yu's is 2 minutes away from pad, while Chef Ping's is 10 minutes away. I find that to be quite a delicious dilemma to have. FYI: They are closed on Mondays
(4)
Yuntaek P.
A few weeks ago, my friend and I went this place. Very kind server and very yummy foods. Definitely a top pick in Chinese restaurant category. If you know Korean style Chinese food, this is a must visit.
(5)
Nick L.
This is a fascinating restaurant. The decor looks good and the place smells like good food. Always busy, so they must be doing something right. But it did not work for me. I love my Vegetable Pad Thai. Thai Garden, Taste of Thai, Dan Thai in Hoffman Estates set a good benchmark. The Pad Thai from Chef Ping was dull and boring. Got it to go. Noodles with eggs, a sprinkling of tofu and a few bean sprouts. It was missing sauce and the only other vegetable I saw was some red cabbage for decoration. Must have something to do with the fact that they were probably busy.
(2)
Shad A.
Szechuwan green beans and walnut shrimp are my favorites. This place is delciious.
(5)
Richard C.
this chinese restaurant is authentic as it gets in suburb chinese. the place is clean, staffs are friendly and nice, and food is awesome. for noodle platter and noodle platter only, it is out of bounds good. this is must-have if you like any noodle dish. all other dishes are pretty darn good as well. it gets really packed on the weekend so be aware of wait time if you are taking a group to here. 6 star for noodle platter. 4.5 star for everything else. highly recommended!
(5)
Gini O.
Yummy all-around. Have been coming here since it opened and have defected from Yu's which is still good. Great staff - warm and welcoming. They know our family and we are treated like family. Added benefit - nice decor. Truly some of, if not the best Chinese in the Chicagoland area. I lgrew up in NW suburbs, currently live on the north shore, former north sider and have been to most of the better places in China town and no place I've been to in my travels (even out of state) compares to Chef Pings as it delivers on all fronts. Only problem - it's almost always packed so sometimes there's a wait. :-) Really can't say enough. Try the mandarin trio, honey walnut shrimp -- super yummy.
(5)
Matt J.
I've eaten here about a half a dozen times or so, so I figured it was about time I actually wrote a review. Probably the only negative thing you can say about this place is that unless you show up at an off hour, there is a high likelihood that you are going to be in for a bit of a wait, as the quality of the food and service here is the worst kept secret in the NW burbs. As someone that eats Asian almost daily (wife is Chinese and we spend 4+ months in China every year), I can say that this is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the city (along with a couple in Chinatown). Sure, it may be true that much of the menu could be categorized as "Chinese for the gweilos", you can't criticize the flavors or the portions. Also, if you become a regular and get to know the owner, you may just get some off-menu delicacies delivered to your table. Bottom line is that if you live on the NW side of Chicago, you are not going to find a better Chinese / Asian-fusion restaurant in your neighborhood, so pack up friends and family and head over early (or late) to beat the crowds.
(5)
Luca B.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant, by far the best in the area. We loved the crispy duck, noodle platter, mango chicken... yum
(5)
Sam S.
The food was very good, but service was lacking. The chicken wings were very good and spicy. I recommend them. Our service was not very good often having to request service and water refills. The parking lot is small and some of our party had to park next door and walk over. And the 11 per cent tax on Rolling Meadows dine in food was a bit of a shock. Overall food a 4 service and amenities a 2. Won't be back anytime soon.
(3)
Garrett A.
There's a rumor going around that Chef Ping was started by an old Yu's Mandarin person, which absolute sense. The only difference between the two are the less crowded parking lot and the decor (Chef Ping is a quieter, lighter version, more bamboo than heavy walnut). The food is essentially the same, with two callouts. The Canton Noodles at Ping are thicker and of less quantity than Yu's Beef Flat Noodle, and the waiter recommended this "noodles with hot peppers" thing that ended up being delicious. Service was great -- we were seated at 6 pm and finished exactly an hour later. Mainly since the dining room is smaller and there was more wait staff, we never had to ask for a refill or more rice. But the thing that make Chef Ping stand on its own is the value of what you're getting. I came here with a group of five and it ended up being $65 without tax and tip. That's the equivalent of an Applebee's or Chili's, but with much better food. We also had enough leftovers for another meal. That's what I call a good deal.
(4)
T K.
We took our family of 5 there for the first time. We had to wait 15 min but the service was awesome and the food was incredible. The Ping pong chicken, beef with pea pods, crab Rangoon and pot stickers were great. The kids really liked the beef lo mein. We wound up buying the hot sauce as it was fresh and perfect hotness. Traveled from lake Zurich to get here and will definitely be back soon and often.
(5)
Jerome J.
Salted egg crab, honey glazed walnut shrimp, salt n pepper tofu tonight but can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Be prepared to wait since this place is so popular.
(4)
Kel W.
Chef Ping is pretty darn delicious. I have only been there once. For drinks - I got a Zombie (sort of a more bitter Mai Tai and very strong) YUM, and a Crown/Coke - STRONG. Score one for them. Then, we ate all of our orders sort of family style. The potstickers were delicious and extremely savory. The egg rolls were really good but not my favorite I've ever had. On to dinner - Salt and Pepper Shrimp was very tender and not super fishy. Nice. Sesame Chicken OH MY GOSH! What was funny is our friend that was with us that ordered it, many at the table poked fun at him because it was on the kids menu, but honestly, it was the most delicious thing I tasted all night. The chicken was tender, yet crunchy in the right spots and the sauce was so yummy I could not get enough. I would go back just to get like three orders of the sesame chicken. Mushroom and Beef - YUM. I wasn't a fan of the Pong Pong chicken, which was bone in. Everything else was spicy or vegetarian (and not shared) so I didn't really get to taste much else. But overall, it was a really great experience for all of us and me especially. I would highly recommend Chef Ping as a lovely place in the burbs to go to with your family, friends or to take a date to. yum yum Enjoy!
(4)
Michael L.
We came here to see if the hype from our fellow yelp friends were correct. was the new restaurant by the former Yu's Mandarin owners as good? I believe it was, but at a price. The interior is quite nice. small bar area with a TV (theyll even switch the channel on request- watched the bulls game). the food is better. Definitely order from the chef specials/favorites called old time favor from home section. we enjoyed the yellow leek with shredded pork and eggplant with oyster sauce. both tasted like home. the salt and pepper squid was good but def overpriced. also, you can't combine smelt with squid or others. lastly, the gan pong chicken was just okay. spicy but lacked richness and depth. service was decent as well. we will definitely be trying other dishes here.
(4)
Deyu Z.
I waited almost 3 years to write the reivew. I have dinned in this place more than a dozen times in the last 3 years. I can spend a whole day to describe all of the dishes, but I will just do the review in short. Chef Ping offers a solid and consistent experience of chinese food, but almost all of the "authentic" Chinese dishes are slightly modified to suit a broader dinner basis. I am not against changes, but execution of dishes are lacking behind for me to give a 4-star rating. One dish I would rave about is the soy marinated duck, which is as close to authentic as possible in Chicago area. Though the quality went down a bit since the opening for that dish. My experience with the service was fairly good. My first visit and the most recent visit were excellent, and rest were just fine. The restaurants are busy during the weekend, so you may expect a 5 to 10 minutes wait and a push from waiter to turn over the table.
(3)
Erin S.
They make hot & sour soup that's good w/o too much salt. Really great egg rolls too! I like their chop che and chow-mein dishes. I wish they didn't put shrimp in everything b/c my kid's allergic, it's sad she misses out on such tasty stuff! Lunch is very affordable but the place can be very busy, so leave time for that. I'd say if you're in the area, give it a try!
(4)
Rich W.
Chef Ping is the new project by the people who previously owned Yu's Mandarin. It is Pan Chinese adjusted by Korean palate (I believe the owners are either Korean Chinese or Chinese Korean). Food was solid. The jelly fish salad was refreshing with a mix of great textures from the jelly fish, cucumber, and carrots. The Chinese vinaigrette was spot on. Mapo tofu was good. It was not as spicy as the original Sichuan version, but it had a great balanced flavor, which went well with rice. The gan-pung scallop was also less spicy than the original, but again had a great sweet and tangy sauce. The scallops were lightly breaded and cooked to perfection. Service was friendly and adequate. Decor was of a lounge/bistro style. A lot of dark wood tone. Overall it felt clean and comfortable. I prefer this place over the old Yu's Mandarin. Food is equally good, but service is better, and it's less crowded.
(4)
Matthew K.
I tried out Chef Ping last night on the advice of my neighbor. So glad I went. The wait was pretty long even though I arrived around 5:45pm. Apparently it is best to make a reservation. But it was worth the wait. We all started with soups. The hot and sour, won ton, and egg drop soups were all very tasty. Very quickly thereafter, our meals arrived. I had Ping's Noodle Platter, and it was great. Everyone at the table, including my 4 year old and 11 year old, loved it. It was classified as spicy, but it wasn't very spicy at all. I also tried out the Hunan Beef, Mongolian Beef, and the Sweet & Sour Chicken/Shrimp. All were pretty good. Once again, the Hunan Beef was supposed to be spicy, but I don't think it was spicy at all. The service was good. Food arrived quickly and the wait staff was very diligent about coming by and filling our water glasses. We also had a manager (or owner?) come by twice to make sure our meal was okay. The portions were good size, we probably could have ordered one less entree. We will definitely come back the next time we are in the area.
(5)
kevin w.
Super chinese food. Super friendly staff. Super duper clean.
(5)
Cam W.
This is the best Chinese restaurant I have been to. The food is all freshly made from scratch and absolutely delicious. The potstickers are wonderful not too much dough and the meat is outstanding. The orange chicken is lightly battered and delicious. You can get white or dark chicken. All dishes can made to your specifications. I wish they would open another restaurant closer to me.
(5)
Holly F.
Hands down (or rather towards the wings) Chef Ping's Chicken Wings are the best chicken wings I've ever had! The sauce is really good and they have a nice crunch on the outside, but they aren't bready at all. You have to wait a little for tables bc it's a popular place, but the service is great and you get a lot of food for a low price at lunch. It was also a nice suprise to have a pot of tea brought to us at no cost right away after coming in from the chilly weather. Everything we ordered was delicious, not greasy, and was really fresh. I'll definitely be coming back when I'm in town!
(5)
Erika S.
Consistently great food and a great selection. Restaurant is clean and always busy. Only downfall us that most of the time there is a wait but not a terrible problem to have. Food is made to order and can be made with custom spice level.
(5)
Benjamin S.
Wow great Chinese Food in Arlington Heights. I live in Wood Dale but will now come here to get food to bring home. They lose one star because the staff was over friendly and bothered us at our table to frequently and I dislike that and also the beer was not so cold. EIther way the food was great. The noodles could have used a few more veggies and such but they were fresh and delicious. The beef dish we got was great the soup and appetizers were amazing!!! great white rice and overall a great deal. Price is right and you get more than what you pay for as opposed to most Asian inspired restaurants in this area. Thank You Chef Ping...
(4)
Vicky R.
I have only been to Chef Pengs twice now and I am addicted already. This place would be almost comparable to Yu's in Schaumburg but no cigar. My last two visits first one being take out, I got my food very quickly which is nice because you will wait through a storm at Yu's even if it's To Go. The price is very fair and the food so far has been great. Although the second time I ate in the restaurant and I feel you get more for you money especially with the lunch menu. It seems there is more on your dish then when you take out. And I love my food and getting my moneys worth but it's not always a option to eat in for me. My first visit I got the Mongolian Beef which was absolutely fabulous!! You get soup, egg roll and a fried thingy too. Recently, I ordered the sesame chicken and OH MY GOD!!! This place is so fabulous. I just loved the dishes, I could have had seconds on everything I ate it was so good. And to me it was the best Egg drop soup too. It gets very busy during lunch and it's nice inside, not huge but not small either. I doubt the waits are as long as Yu's. Yes, I compare to that restaurant because it's the best to me. But this has to be 2nd best in my book.
(5)
Kathleen P.
When my husband mentioned there was a new Chinese restaurant and that it was really good, I replied with a sarcastic, "Humph!" I have been disappointed by Chinese restaurants. I admit that I had become bitter. Every time I tried to give it another shot, I would end up more disillusioned. Would I let myself be vulnerable one more time? I wasn't sure I could "put myself out there" again. Well, the next day, my husband surprised me by bringing home dinner. It looked so fresh. I could recognize the ingredients. It was delicious. Every dish had its own unique, enticing aroma and flavor. Was this some type of cuisine that I had yet to try? An Asian country that I had yet to explore? No and no. This was Chinese food from Chef Ping. We had Curry Chicken and Szechuan Eggplant, along with a couple of eggrolls. Perfection.
(5)
Kei T.
Since I moved to Chicago, this has been my number 1 favorite Chinese restaurant. Probably the best in northwest suburb.
(5)
Zhong Y.
Finally tried this place. This is a northern Chinese place with more than a hint of Korean Chinese flavor, and must be one of the most authentic northern place in these here parts as evidenced by the heavily northern Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean families dining here. The dead giveaways are the zhajiangmien, which is a northern noodle dish served with a thick black soy flavored meat or seafood sauce with onions, and the fried chicken wings, which were in a sweet spicy sauce. Both were quite good. I also had a fuqi feipian starter -- it's sliced beef and beef tendon, in a spicy chili oil with Sichuan pepper, cilantro, and crushed peanuts -- which was quite authentically hot, and absolutely delicious. A bit of a strange feeling to be eating in a converted former Bakers' Square, but, one gets over that quickly. Price was good for the value, and the service was attentive.
(4)
Kelly M.
I am really at odds to the reviews here. We went to dinner here on Saturday night. Here's my interpretation: Pros- Decor- its nice in there. You would have NEVER thought it used to be a Bakers Square Staff- there are LOTS of them and we had people at our table constantly Clean- it was very clean Speed- It was INCREDIBLY fast Cons- Taste- it was just blah. I had Kung Pao Chicken- my mom had Chicken almond din. Both tasted REALLY REALLY similar- mine had peanuts on top- her almonds. Bother we just meh Crab Rangoon had no visible crab. No taste of it. Nothing The staff we had were NEVER the same, so it was awkward saying something about food when you weren't sure who to talk to? All in all- not impressed and won't go back.
(2)
Angela H.
I asked the server what language he speaks because there are some food items I only know how to say in Chinese (also I wanted to figure out what food this restaurant specializes in so I know how to order). He responds, 'what language you want? i can speak it. chinese, korean, japanese, i know it all'. At first I thought he was joking, but he was for real! Chinese born, immigrated to Korea. Majored in hotel hospitality so learned Japanese in college. Wait a minute...that sounds a lot like the previous owner of Yu's. What did you say? You owned Yu's? NOODLES, please! I forgot how freakin good Yu's noodles are. Chewy, perfectly chewy. kiu kiu as we say in Taiwanese. Best noodles I've ever had and SO different from anywhere else I've ever had. We got the Ping noodle platter (la jao mien) and the Ping Noodle Soup (chow ma mien). I was a little hesitant because I recently came back from New England and had great seafood. Eating seafood in Chicago, not to mention the 'burbs, I was skeptical. But the seafood was amazing! So tender, succulent, not at all rubbery. Octopus, scallops, shrimp, perfectly cooked. It's so easy to over cook shrimp, but they didn't! I was amazed! Next time we'll have to try some non-noodle dishes. I'm so excited to go back!
(4)
Samuel K.
We went to chef ping's last night with some family for my wife's birthday. Everything was great! The Pong Pong Chicken is awesome and so is the jjajangmyun! Our server Tim was great, even one of the other servers came by and noticed that one of our side dishes was low and offered a refill before we even knew that we needed more. I was very impressed. Our water cups never hit the bottom and were always refilled. The one glitch was that there was dust falling from the ceiling because it was the first time the ac had turned on for the year since it was unusually warm. When we made mention to one of the staff he brought out all new plates without us even asking. Later out we found out he was one of the owners! Overall chef ping's seems to have the recipe for success, great food, awesome service, good location, and owners who are involved and care. Only wish I didn't live 45 mins from the place. I asked the owner if they we going to build another one to hint making one by where we live. He said that the family sold Yu's so that they can enjoy retirement more. So it looks like I'm going to find myself taking the long drive up to rolling meadows more often.
(5)
Joe D.
The Szechwan Eggplant was so good that we've already made plans for a return trip to get more. We went on a Saturday night and the place was packed, so you may want to plan ahead and make reservations. All the employee's we encountered were very pleasant and seemed happy. We had a great time and look forward to returning.
(5)
Eric F.
This is a horrible experience and the worse one I've ever had. Last Sunday, 3/27/2007 at 11:45AM, four of my friends and I went to Chef Ping. There were not so many people yet, but it still took a long while for waiting the food coming. We have ordered a pork wrap. There are five of us, they only provided 4 wraps. So we asked the waitress to see if she can give us one more. She refused and claimed that this dish is designed for four, but we still have some stuffing in the dish which is far more enough to make another one. But she still refused. We moved over. Close to the end, we found we have only 4 dishes but actually we ordered 5. So we checked the waiter again. Was that so hard for him to say sorry? Yes, very hard. He blamed us that we did not confirmed our orders. OMG, what missing here was the first one we have ordered! OK, he is a young kid, we did not want to bring too much trouble for him. So we just sit there quietly for the final one coming. Finally, we can "enjoy" our last dish. The usher came and checked with us to see IF WE CAN LEAVE AT 15 MINS LATER!!! This really pissed me off and pushed my button. I can't believe they just want us leave. And can't we just have a pieceful lunch?! And it may take a while, but it is not our fault to wait for the final dish coming! I've never went to a restaurant that ask guest to leave after making their money. So we don't server their services?!!! I was so mad, but still left some tips. Since the Chef Ping may not behave, we should behave. But I will never come back to this restaurant again, no matter what! Generally the food is OK, but it is over crowded and pricy. The customer services is aweful! And the waiter actually will show their faces to you if you tip less. I just still feel shocked and angry! How this could be happend to us?!
(1)
Melissa D.
I have to admit that hype impairs my judgment of restaurants and movies. I've been wanting to try Chef Ping's for quite some time from all of the good things I've heard about it. I decided to take my mom here for Mother's Day. We ordered the Braised Eggplant, Mongolian Beef, Gan Pong Shrimp and Jang Pong. All tasted very good, prices were reasonable and service was good. But I didn't walk away thinking the food was as good as advertised. Then, over the course of the week, I tried to compare other Chinese Restaurant's that were better. The only place I could think of was Great Seas and VIP in Chicago. What I liked about Chef Pings was that the quality was better and not as greasy as the aformentioned. The Shrimp for example, were huge pieces. The Braised Eggplant had more breading than I would have like but is something I would order again. The only complaint if any, was that the Jang Pong was not as spicy as I'm accustomed to. Overall, Chef Ping's is probably one of the top 2 Chinese Restaurants in the Chicagoland area.
(4)
Sarah M.
"Everything was great! Friendly service, great ambiance, and yummy food."
(4)
Jim T.
Very impressive experience. Started with the sizzling rice soup and was delighted by the flavor profile. Based on other Yelp recommendations I went 'safe' and had the Mongolian Beef. WOW! Maybe it's that I'm easy but I was very, very satisfied with the portion size, quality, and taste of the beef dish. Service was very attentive and made for a great experience too. Overall, a very pleasant meal and I recommend Chef Ping highly...
(4)
Jason L.
Me and some friends went here for dinner the other night, Never again !!! the food was not very good, didn't seem fresh also so,so service, nobody was impressed by this place, save your money and go somewhere else.
(1)
Sean Y.
Great food and in general, good service. The tofu dishes, combo chow mein, fried potstickers, and Chef Ping noodles are excellent! It is always crowded here that sometimes you have to park somewhere else!
(4)
John K.
This restaurant has surpassed Yu's Mandarin in almost every category except for space as Chef Ping's is much smaller than Yu's. The Gan Pong Chicken and Salty Egg Crab are my favorites! In fact, the Gan Pong Chicken is the best I've ever had (yes, even better than Great Sea Restaurant).
(5)
Antoknight B.
I love Chef Ping. It's my go to Chinese restaurant. Dishes to try- salt and pepper tofu, spicy pepper beef and lady moa tofu.
(5)
christine c.
came here twice so far, once for lunch and one for dinner. both times were EXCELLENT. the chicken wings are sooooooo good and even though they're not on the lunch menu, you can ask for them and they will happily prepare them for you :) as always, i get the seafood noodles w/o soup. sucks for yus noodles - they had a terrible lawyer! should've placed a noncompete clause in there. so sad. i will probably never go back to yus - they totally skimp on their ingredients now
(5)
Maggie G.
Oh em gee! We've heard rumors of Chef Ping's from fans of Yu's, so we had to try it. We ordered carryout, and had to get the barbeque fried rice. Everything you need in fried rice, but what's really spectacular are the noodles. We had something with lots of mushrooms, and they were fantastic, cooked to perfection.
(5)
Barry G.
As a long time customer of Yu's, we eventually stopped going because the food got worse and worse with each visit. We were turned on to Chef Ping by a local chef that I admire, and an old relationship was rekindled. Same/similar items as Yu's has/had, but as tasty as the old Yu's was. Things will have different names, but you'll eventually find what you're looking for. As a bonus, the K menu now has english translations on it, so you'll be less surprised by some Korean-Chinese delicacies. My must-haves are the chop chae, Ping's noodle soup, black bean noodles, gan pong squid. The squid doesn't travel well, so eat it all while you're there... and don't be afraid of the whole hot peppers, they give a delicious smoky slightly spicy accent to the whole dish.
(4)
Morry L.
Chef Ping has excellent food and reasonable prices. The problems on weekends are inadequate parking and too long of a wait which can exceed an hour. They do not take reservations for small parties.
(4)
Kira C.
the food was good. our waitress was very attentive, I mean she walked around to refilled our tea pot quite often. crowed around lunch time, but didn't have to waite for long.
(5)
Eugene P.
Ok, when I say, "I've been going to Yu's for a long time," I mean it. My family and I have been going to Yu's since the previous location on Roselle, before it move across the street to Golf Road. We've been regulars for nearly 40 years. If you are a Yu's regular, you may have noticed the quality of service and the food decline in the last year and a half. I believe that is because they changed ownership. Well the old owners opened a new restaurant, a few miles down the road, Chef Ping. Chef Ping has the same great menu that Yu's had, and the quality of food is back. Unlike the other reviewers, I didn't notice the smaller portions, so I can't confirm or deny that. I can say that the food is great. Yu's was our favorite restaurant, now Chef Ping is our favorite. My only concern is that Yu's started out small, they moved across the street and expanded, then they took over the stores next to them and expanded even more. I don't think Chef Ping can expand like that in their current location.
(5)
Bert W.
all i can say is WOW! not only was the food great, but the service was AWESOME. you can't beat having both great food and service. it was a packed house but they still gave our family exceptional service!!! even when i needed a refill the hostess refilled my coke! the entire staff was extremely FRIENDLY! I LOVE THAT!
(5)
Judi H.
I really wanted to like this place. i read all the reviews which sounded great. I like Yu's so I had high hopes. I ordered some food for carry out. The egg rolls were just okay, a bit greasy but okay. The chicken wing app was dry and flavorless. One reviewer was very enthusiastic about the sesame chicken so I tried that. It was just a pile of dry, sticky sweet ick. I hate to waste food but there was no saving it. Just flavorless dry stuff. A total waste of money.
(1)
Teresa C.
I love their mapo tofu and kung pao shrimp.
(4)
Julia J.
Chef Ping is one of our fave places to eat Chinese food. The owners and servers know us now because we've frequented their place so much. The best time to go for lunch is early or around 1ish because noontime is crazy busy, but the turnaround for tables is quick. Same goes for dinner. If you show up at 6 PM or later, you'll definitely have to wait. They do take reservationsn for groups of 6 or more; so it's recommended if you can plan ahead of time. Some of our fave dishes are the Ping's chicken wings, tofu with king mushrooms, pad thai noodles, and their dumplings. Their noodle soup is good too. You won't be disappointed if you go here!
(5)
Adam N.
Food was great. Service was great. My wife and I will definitely return. This place is a great alternative to yu's mandarin where the service is terrible.
(5)
Denise K.
Went here for lunch Saturday. It was nice as far as ambiance. Lunch was good, not great. The potstickers were good but falling apart. The waiter said it would be a 20 min wait for the steamed sumplings, but they were out in like 10 min. The crab rangoon was small and had a hint of something yellow in the cream cheese - perhaps curry powder. But you could not taste it. They were ok, but Noodles Delight were far better in taste and price. I had the mongolian beef which was good. It was nice for the rice noodles to be served on the side so they did not get soft before you got to eat them. My mom had mu shu chicken. She liked it but said it was very messy. She was glad the server rolled the pancakes as that is a bit tricky to do, and some places just leave you on your own to do it. The server was attentive and water/ice tea was never empty. It did not wow me, but I would go back to try other things on the menu. Mom was disappointed there was no lunch menu - as she is always looking for the bargain! lol. Lunch fir 2 was just under $40.
(3)
Brandon V.
Great food! Sometimes the service is just average...when they are very busy. Understandable. Ping's wings are good. Also Mongolian beef, seafood noodle, walnut shrimp, fried rice.
(4)
Allen L.
I came last week with a couple friends for lunch because I'm a big fan of Yu's (although no longer since ownership changed). Of course since the buzz is that the owners are now at Chef Ping, I had to give it a try. The place looks pretty good on the inside, neutral and classy. Our server was fine although it was a little hard to understand what he was saying, but nothing out of the ordinary for a chinese place. Now onto the food...like I said, being a longtime fan of the old Yu's, I was really really disappointed. We decided to try a couple different things and share. One of my favorite things was the Mongolian Beef and I was really hoping that it was how they used to do it, but instead the beef came out drenched in alot of sauce and the beef was a little rubbery. The brown sauce was just a salty flavor and nothing like how Mongolian Beef should be! I had the spicy seafood noodle soup which they are famous for. It wasn't bad, but not good either. It was full of noodles and vegetables, lacking in the seafood. While I like spicy, all I could taste was spicy...there should be some flavor...I dont know, maybe seafood? However, not all was lost...the soup wasn't bad and we had this spicy intestine appetizer that was probably the best thing we had there. One last thing was the egg rolls...maybe it was a bad batch, but I've had alot of good or ok egg rolls. Usually it's ok because egg rolls arent hard to make, but these were TERRIBLE. It was filled with mostly cabbage, I couldn't really find anything else and it was so bland in taste! Even sweet and sour sauce couldn't save it...and I rarely ever eat bad egg rolls. Maybe my expectations were too high...but considering what all the rave and reviews are about them being the Yu's owners, I feel that using that reputation to advertise deserves the same treatment back. I don't want to base everything on one try so I'll definitely try again another time (and update my review). But I feel like the old Yu's will never come back and alot of people are blinded by just the "name". I don't see how so many people can give 5 stars so easily for such a mediocre place.
(2)
Bing B.
preface: yes, this place is the old yu's owners. yes, i loved (and still love) yus. this place, not so much. TL:DR? - they tell you to get the F out after youve eaten, but only if youve been a loyal customer to them for a long time. foods ok. review: food seems to have the same items as old yu's. seems like they re-tooled it to be a bit more of a "fast food" type but enough items overlapped that it can be considered similar. however, it maybe me but it just doesnt taste the same. something is slightly off and it doesnt have the same flavor/quality. now the new yus definitely has some differences, but i didnt expect it from chef ping. that alone would have put this place a 0.5 star lower than old yus and would have put it at about a 4.5. however, what bumped the rating down so low was the fact that the last time i was there, after we ate, after a few minutes, they told us to GTFO. we have been going to their establishments for as long as i could remember (been in that hood at least 25+ years. how long have they run yus again?) and they know at least our faces if not our names. so how do you treat your LONG time customers? why, by telling us to leave brusquely. at first we thought, oh, ok maybe we did stay a bit too long, we should leave. however after thinking about it for a while, we were somewhat upset in the way they told us. its not like we were camped out for hours, and we were still drinking after we ate! well, it turns out, they do this to not only us, but also to a lot of our other friends and family, leaving such a bad taste in our mouths that many have decided not to go there again.
(2)
Alfred K.
A korean chinese joint in the burbs! Despite the poor review from another vegetarian, we wanted to give Chef Ping a try for ourselves and we're incredibly glad we did. We've had the Vegetarian Chicken, Szechuan Eggplant, Fried Bun (smirk), the Vegetable Noodle Platter, and #5 off of the Korean menu on the last page. Everything tasted great. The Vegetarian Chicken is a cold appetizer of rolled up tofu skin - reminds me of Shanghainese food. The Szechuan Eggplant was individually deep fried and then covered in a great spicy garlic sauce. Fried buns are fried buns. The noodles are made in-house which are always nice to have, although we've had better ones at Portland. The #5 on the last page is another cold appetizer of grass jelly and cucumber mixed in sesame sauce and szechuan pepper oil (the type that makes your lips numb...), just great flavors. Service is generally good. Nothing to complain about, except for the long lines and lack of parking...
(4)
E S.
The noodle platter and hot and sour soup tasted exactly the same as Yu's. This is a good thing since I really like Yu's. The Kung Pao Chicken was also very good.
(5)
Tracy F.
The veggies in all the dishes were not stewed to death, so I know each order was made fresh and not over cooked. Still some crunch to all the veggies which we love. Food was excellent / price was a smidge high, but worth it as we cannot find a single Chinese restaurant that is worth eating at in the area. Usually a wait to dine in, we have only ordered pick up.
(4)
Heena T.
I absolutely loved this place. From the quality of service to the quality of food to the cost, this place is by far the best Asian restaurant I have dined at in a VERY long time. Extremely satisfied and will definitely return!
(4)
s C.
I've mostly only had the korean-chinese food here, but it is EXCELLENT. Fresh, fast, and flavorful. The ttansooyook, lahjohmyun, and samsun jiajiangmyun are FANTASTIC. I'm a huge fan of Yu's, but have to admit the food here is a notch above and the ambiance is much nicer. We've also had the spicy green beans and pot stickers, both were delicious as well.
(5)
Derek S.
The only reason I even give this restaurant one star is because it is actually a very nice looking place. Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end. I have had 2 bad experiences here actually, the first time I only called, and the automated answering service kept sending me around in a loop instead of connecting me to someone, I later found out it was Monday and they were closed, but it was still very frustrating having the automated service sending me around in a circle as opposed to just saying the stupid place was closed. So that kind of made me a little aggravated but I decided I'd give the place a second try anyway, and so we ordered food another day. We got sweet n sour chicken, combo fried rice and eggrolls with an order of crab rangoons. It was all crap. The crab rangoons were gross, and it was like it was made with egg yolk and cream cheese, and there was no crab meat at all. Gross. There was a huge egg shell in the fried rice, I have no idea how they missed that, it was the size of a quarter. Also gross. The egg rolls were the size of my pinky finger and covered in frying oil, and the sweet and sour chicken wasn't at all what I expected. Normally it would be fried pieces of breaded chicken, with sauce on the side but this was more like sesame chicken minus the seeds. It was lousy, all their food was terrible and I'll never go there again. China 1 right down the street has much better food, their restaurant isn't nearly as flashy but their food is awesome compared to this dump.
(1)
Michelle P.
Went to Chef Ping last night for dinner. I must say, it is the best Chinese food I ever had. Fresh ingredients, great drinks, and wonderful service made for an awesome dining experience. Had the egg rolls, crab rangoon and gan pong chicken. The egg rolls were hand rolled and did not taste over fried or heavy. Same with the crab rangoon. The gan pong chicken was a spicy dish. Not too spicy though. Had just the right amount of bite. I highly recommend Chef Ping.
(5)
Jill M.
This has to be the best Chinese food I have ever had, even better then when they owned Yu's in Schaumburg. I would highly recommend it!
(5)
angelo h.
VERY happy with the service, atmosphere, and most importantly, the food! Reasonably priced menu, make sure you get there either at 11:30 for lunch or 1:00 after the noon rush is gone...it gets very busy and rightfully so! Yes, I am a former fan of Yu's and I have thankfully followed the old ownership to their new venture. This place is GREAT for American style Chinese food. It is unfortunate some folks on this review board use absolutely disgusting descriptors that certainly work towards the detriment of an establishment's better name. I personally know the owner and that person would NEVER serve 'rotten' flesh to anyone...what an outlandish thing to say...save it for a creative writing class please...I guess that is why there are professional food critics and the rest of us. On the same token...I will bring it up to the owner about the dirty serving wear...that is unacceptable and the owner most certainly would agree.
(5)
Dan D.
Stopped in on a Tuesday for dinner. Nice decor, friendly & attentive service, waiter answered all the questions we had about the menu. My wife thought the egg drop soup was kind of watery and tasteless, but we agreed that the vegetable egg rolls were very well done. Entrees consisted of Gan Pong Diced Chicken (her) and Chef Ping Seafood Platter (me). The chicken was very good, spicy without being overpowering, and the portion was huge. The seafood consisted of shrimp, scallops, squid, and some other fish-like substance, along with broccoli and leeks in a light brown sauce. As with the chicken, there was more than enough to take home and still leave the restaurant satisfied. On the whole, we really enjoyed our dinner here. Close to home and work. We'll be back.
(4)
G J.
I got here before 11:30 am and there were actually people waiting for lunch service to begin. There were people waiting in their cars and in the restaurant. This I have never seen at any restaurant. I ordered the Ja jang myeon and Tangsuyook. This was the best I've ever had of these dishes. The Ja jang myeon seems to have been made from scratch. Each pork pieces of the tangsuyook appears to have been meticulously battered and fried. By the time I finished my food the restaurant was packed. The restaurant had a somewhat upscale casual feel. I hope more chef ping's would open up as this place can show others how things should be done.
(5)
William C.
Every country has their own take on Chinese food and I was very impressed with this Korean style Chinese restaurant since it is the closest thing you can get here. every dish is tasty and I even think it is better than San Francisco's. Summer Salad is a must have!
(5)
C. W.
LOVE it. Any place where I can take my finicky girls to get fed and they're happy, we're happy. All four of my family likes this place, some of the best Chinese in the Rolling Meadows/Arlington/Mount Prospect area. I will build on others' recommendations to either arrive early or be ready to wait for a table. It's worth the wait.
(5)
Cathaleya C.
I saw lots of asians here, and I've heard the chefs from Yu Mandarin came here for work since Yu is under new management... anyhow, we ordered the crispy intestine, asian style pork, and szechuan string beans. Good, good, and good. We are fans.
(5)
Phil S.
I'm so angry that I didn't find out about this place sooner. I was a big Yu's fan in the past but wrote a scathing review due to their service. A friend later told me that the owner's of Yu's sold the place and opened Chef Ping's. I made it over here as fast as possible to get my fix of the good stuff I was used to and I was not disappointed. My wife and I hadn't had a decent Koreanized Chinese meal in a very long time so we already knew what we were going to order before we got there: jja jang myun, jjam ppong and tang soo yook. We arrived at 8pm on a Sunday evening to find a parking lot almost completely full. We had a short wait of about 5 minutes and were seated. Server took our order and our food was out in about 10 minutes even though the restaurant was still full. It was everything we missed and dreamed of and they even split the jjam ppong for us in to 2 bowls which seemed like 2 large bowls! Everything was hot and fresh and even though it was crowded the servers were very good at asking us if we needed anything else, or if everything was okay and refilled my water constantly. Not keeping my water filled is a big pet peeve of mine as I don't drink soda and I drink a lot of water with my meals. Even the manager (could've been the owner?) was bringing food out because they were busy. He was very nice and I wanted to tell him how much we enjoyed our meal but he looked really busy when we left so I didn't want to bother him. I'll have to try other items on the menu to compare them to Yu's of olden days but for now I am ecstatic that I never have to step foot in that hell hole Yu's ever again. Good riddens. I'll be back for more and more!
(5)
Andrea W.
This is my favorite Chinese Restaurant in the Suburbs. High quality food with a nice atmosphere. Ping's Noodle Platter and Honey Walnut Shrimp are two of my favorites.
(5)
jay t.
Simply amazing... All of the food I've tried there has been
(5)
G E.
Good fresh food, good service, basically a new Yu's restaurant. Always busy but worth the wait.
(5)
Peter R.
I heard thru the grapevine that the previous owners of Yu's Mandarin started a new restaurant called Chef Ping's. I was told that it was on Algonquin Road close to Golf. We recently drove by, and I realized that it used to be the old Bakers Square that closed down a couple of years ago. The wife and I finally decided to give this place a try yesterday. The parking lot was packed, but I found some PTP (Prime Time Parking) right up front. I thought there would be a wait, but the space inside is bigger that I thought it would be. The hostess greeted us with a smile and sat us right away. I found the ambience to be very welcoming. The room was bright with it being a nice sunny day and all. The menu is almost identical to Yu's Mandarin, and I see that some of the staff jumped ship and now works here. I decided to order what we usually get at Yu's so we can compare the taste of the dishes. We started off with the fried pot stickers, and ordered Mongolian Beef and Lemon Chicken for the main course. The dishes come with a small bowl of white rice, but I would suggest ordering the fried rice if you're really hungry. The pot stickers were pan fried deliciousness, and the dipping sauce was very good. Our food came out fairly quickly, which is good considering how busy they were. The lemon chicken was so tender with the right amount of sweet tart. I found the Mongolian Beef here to be more flavorful than the one at Yu's. That is saying a mouthful since I consider the Mongolian Beef at Yu's one of my favorite dishes. I feel like Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin younger, equally attractive sister. The menu and tastes are so similar, with a slight nod to Chef Pings for having tastier dishes. You really can't go wrong with either one. The only thing for me is that Yu's is 2 minutes away from pad, while Chef Ping's is 10 minutes away. I find that to be quite a delicious dilemma to have. FYI: They are closed on Mondays
(4)
Yuntaek P.
A few weeks ago, my friend and I went this place. Very kind server and very yummy foods. Definitely a top pick in Chinese restaurant category. If you know Korean style Chinese food, this is a must visit.
(5)
Nick L.
This is a fascinating restaurant. The decor looks good and the place smells like good food. Always busy, so they must be doing something right. But it did not work for me. I love my Vegetable Pad Thai. Thai Garden, Taste of Thai, Dan Thai in Hoffman Estates set a good benchmark. The Pad Thai from Chef Ping was dull and boring. Got it to go. Noodles with eggs, a sprinkling of tofu and a few bean sprouts. It was missing sauce and the only other vegetable I saw was some red cabbage for decoration. Must have something to do with the fact that they were probably busy.
(2)
Shad A.
Szechuwan green beans and walnut shrimp are my favorites. This place is delciious.
(5)
Richard C.
this chinese restaurant is authentic as it gets in suburb chinese. the place is clean, staffs are friendly and nice, and food is awesome. for noodle platter and noodle platter only, it is out of bounds good. this is must-have if you like any noodle dish. all other dishes are pretty darn good as well. it gets really packed on the weekend so be aware of wait time if you are taking a group to here. 6 star for noodle platter. 4.5 star for everything else. highly recommended!
(5)
Gini O.
Yummy all-around. Have been coming here since it opened and have defected from Yu's which is still good. Great staff - warm and welcoming. They know our family and we are treated like family. Added benefit - nice decor. Truly some of, if not the best Chinese in the Chicagoland area. I lgrew up in NW suburbs, currently live on the north shore, former north sider and have been to most of the better places in China town and no place I've been to in my travels (even out of state) compares to Chef Pings as it delivers on all fronts. Only problem - it's almost always packed so sometimes there's a wait. :-) Really can't say enough. Try the mandarin trio, honey walnut shrimp -- super yummy.
(5)
Matt J.
I've eaten here about a half a dozen times or so, so I figured it was about time I actually wrote a review. Probably the only negative thing you can say about this place is that unless you show up at an off hour, there is a high likelihood that you are going to be in for a bit of a wait, as the quality of the food and service here is the worst kept secret in the NW burbs. As someone that eats Asian almost daily (wife is Chinese and we spend 4+ months in China every year), I can say that this is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the city (along with a couple in Chinatown). Sure, it may be true that much of the menu could be categorized as "Chinese for the gweilos", you can't criticize the flavors or the portions. Also, if you become a regular and get to know the owner, you may just get some off-menu delicacies delivered to your table. Bottom line is that if you live on the NW side of Chicago, you are not going to find a better Chinese / Asian-fusion restaurant in your neighborhood, so pack up friends and family and head over early (or late) to beat the crowds.
(5)
Luca B.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant, by far the best in the area. We loved the crispy duck, noodle platter, mango chicken... yum
(5)
Sam S.
The food was very good, but service was lacking. The chicken wings were very good and spicy. I recommend them. Our service was not very good often having to request service and water refills. The parking lot is small and some of our party had to park next door and walk over. And the 11 per cent tax on Rolling Meadows dine in food was a bit of a shock. Overall food a 4 service and amenities a 2. Won't be back anytime soon.
(3)
Garrett A.
There's a rumor going around that Chef Ping was started by an old Yu's Mandarin person, which absolute sense. The only difference between the two are the less crowded parking lot and the decor (Chef Ping is a quieter, lighter version, more bamboo than heavy walnut). The food is essentially the same, with two callouts. The Canton Noodles at Ping are thicker and of less quantity than Yu's Beef Flat Noodle, and the waiter recommended this "noodles with hot peppers" thing that ended up being delicious. Service was great -- we were seated at 6 pm and finished exactly an hour later. Mainly since the dining room is smaller and there was more wait staff, we never had to ask for a refill or more rice. But the thing that make Chef Ping stand on its own is the value of what you're getting. I came here with a group of five and it ended up being $65 without tax and tip. That's the equivalent of an Applebee's or Chili's, but with much better food. We also had enough leftovers for another meal. That's what I call a good deal.
(4)
T K.
We took our family of 5 there for the first time. We had to wait 15 min but the service was awesome and the food was incredible. The Ping pong chicken, beef with pea pods, crab Rangoon and pot stickers were great. The kids really liked the beef lo mein. We wound up buying the hot sauce as it was fresh and perfect hotness. Traveled from lake Zurich to get here and will definitely be back soon and often.
(5)
Jerome J.
Salted egg crab, honey glazed walnut shrimp, salt n pepper tofu tonight but can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Be prepared to wait since this place is so popular.
(4)
Kel W.
Chef Ping is pretty darn delicious. I have only been there once. For drinks - I got a Zombie (sort of a more bitter Mai Tai and very strong) YUM, and a Crown/Coke - STRONG. Score one for them. Then, we ate all of our orders sort of family style. The potstickers were delicious and extremely savory. The egg rolls were really good but not my favorite I've ever had. On to dinner - Salt and Pepper Shrimp was very tender and not super fishy. Nice. Sesame Chicken OH MY GOSH! What was funny is our friend that was with us that ordered it, many at the table poked fun at him because it was on the kids menu, but honestly, it was the most delicious thing I tasted all night. The chicken was tender, yet crunchy in the right spots and the sauce was so yummy I could not get enough. I would go back just to get like three orders of the sesame chicken. Mushroom and Beef - YUM. I wasn't a fan of the Pong Pong chicken, which was bone in. Everything else was spicy or vegetarian (and not shared) so I didn't really get to taste much else. But overall, it was a really great experience for all of us and me especially. I would highly recommend Chef Ping as a lovely place in the burbs to go to with your family, friends or to take a date to. yum yum Enjoy!
(4)
Michael L.
We came here to see if the hype from our fellow yelp friends were correct. was the new restaurant by the former Yu's Mandarin owners as good? I believe it was, but at a price. The interior is quite nice. small bar area with a TV (theyll even switch the channel on request- watched the bulls game). the food is better. Definitely order from the chef specials/favorites called old time favor from home section. we enjoyed the yellow leek with shredded pork and eggplant with oyster sauce. both tasted like home. the salt and pepper squid was good but def overpriced. also, you can't combine smelt with squid or others. lastly, the gan pong chicken was just okay. spicy but lacked richness and depth. service was decent as well. we will definitely be trying other dishes here.
(4)
Deyu Z.
I waited almost 3 years to write the reivew. I have dinned in this place more than a dozen times in the last 3 years. I can spend a whole day to describe all of the dishes, but I will just do the review in short. Chef Ping offers a solid and consistent experience of chinese food, but almost all of the "authentic" Chinese dishes are slightly modified to suit a broader dinner basis. I am not against changes, but execution of dishes are lacking behind for me to give a 4-star rating. One dish I would rave about is the soy marinated duck, which is as close to authentic as possible in Chicago area. Though the quality went down a bit since the opening for that dish. My experience with the service was fairly good. My first visit and the most recent visit were excellent, and rest were just fine. The restaurants are busy during the weekend, so you may expect a 5 to 10 minutes wait and a push from waiter to turn over the table.
(3)
Erin S.
They make hot & sour soup that's good w/o too much salt. Really great egg rolls too! I like their chop che and chow-mein dishes. I wish they didn't put shrimp in everything b/c my kid's allergic, it's sad she misses out on such tasty stuff! Lunch is very affordable but the place can be very busy, so leave time for that. I'd say if you're in the area, give it a try!
(4)
Rich W.
Chef Ping is the new project by the people who previously owned Yu's Mandarin. It is Pan Chinese adjusted by Korean palate (I believe the owners are either Korean Chinese or Chinese Korean). Food was solid. The jelly fish salad was refreshing with a mix of great textures from the jelly fish, cucumber, and carrots. The Chinese vinaigrette was spot on. Mapo tofu was good. It was not as spicy as the original Sichuan version, but it had a great balanced flavor, which went well with rice. The gan-pung scallop was also less spicy than the original, but again had a great sweet and tangy sauce. The scallops were lightly breaded and cooked to perfection. Service was friendly and adequate. Decor was of a lounge/bistro style. A lot of dark wood tone. Overall it felt clean and comfortable. I prefer this place over the old Yu's Mandarin. Food is equally good, but service is better, and it's less crowded.
(4)
Matthew K.
I tried out Chef Ping last night on the advice of my neighbor. So glad I went. The wait was pretty long even though I arrived around 5:45pm. Apparently it is best to make a reservation. But it was worth the wait. We all started with soups. The hot and sour, won ton, and egg drop soups were all very tasty. Very quickly thereafter, our meals arrived. I had Ping's Noodle Platter, and it was great. Everyone at the table, including my 4 year old and 11 year old, loved it. It was classified as spicy, but it wasn't very spicy at all. I also tried out the Hunan Beef, Mongolian Beef, and the Sweet & Sour Chicken/Shrimp. All were pretty good. Once again, the Hunan Beef was supposed to be spicy, but I don't think it was spicy at all. The service was good. Food arrived quickly and the wait staff was very diligent about coming by and filling our water glasses. We also had a manager (or owner?) come by twice to make sure our meal was okay. The portions were good size, we probably could have ordered one less entree. We will definitely come back the next time we are in the area.
(5)
kevin w.
Super chinese food. Super friendly staff. Super duper clean.
(5)
Cam W.
This is the best Chinese restaurant I have been to. The food is all freshly made from scratch and absolutely delicious. The potstickers are wonderful not too much dough and the meat is outstanding. The orange chicken is lightly battered and delicious. You can get white or dark chicken. All dishes can made to your specifications. I wish they would open another restaurant closer to me.
(5)
Holly F.
Hands down (or rather towards the wings) Chef Ping's Chicken Wings are the best chicken wings I've ever had! The sauce is really good and they have a nice crunch on the outside, but they aren't bready at all. You have to wait a little for tables bc it's a popular place, but the service is great and you get a lot of food for a low price at lunch. It was also a nice suprise to have a pot of tea brought to us at no cost right away after coming in from the chilly weather. Everything we ordered was delicious, not greasy, and was really fresh. I'll definitely be coming back when I'm in town!
(5)
Erika S.
Consistently great food and a great selection. Restaurant is clean and always busy. Only downfall us that most of the time there is a wait but not a terrible problem to have. Food is made to order and can be made with custom spice level.
(5)
Vicky R.
I have only been to Chef Pengs twice now and I am addicted already. This place would be almost comparable to Yu's in Schaumburg but no cigar. My last two visits first one being take out, I got my food very quickly which is nice because you will wait through a storm at Yu's even if it's To Go. The price is very fair and the food so far has been great. Although the second time I ate in the restaurant and I feel you get more for you money especially with the lunch menu. It seems there is more on your dish then when you take out. And I love my food and getting my moneys worth but it's not always a option to eat in for me. My first visit I got the Mongolian Beef which was absolutely fabulous!! You get soup, egg roll and a fried thingy too. Recently, I ordered the sesame chicken and OH MY GOD!!! This place is so fabulous. I just loved the dishes, I could have had seconds on everything I ate it was so good. And to me it was the best Egg drop soup too. It gets very busy during lunch and it's nice inside, not huge but not small either. I doubt the waits are as long as Yu's. Yes, I compare to that restaurant because it's the best to me. But this has to be 2nd best in my book.
(5)
Kathleen P.
When my husband mentioned there was a new Chinese restaurant and that it was really good, I replied with a sarcastic, "Humph!" I have been disappointed by Chinese restaurants. I admit that I had become bitter. Every time I tried to give it another shot, I would end up more disillusioned. Would I let myself be vulnerable one more time? I wasn't sure I could "put myself out there" again. Well, the next day, my husband surprised me by bringing home dinner. It looked so fresh. I could recognize the ingredients. It was delicious. Every dish had its own unique, enticing aroma and flavor. Was this some type of cuisine that I had yet to try? An Asian country that I had yet to explore? No and no. This was Chinese food from Chef Ping. We had Curry Chicken and Szechuan Eggplant, along with a couple of eggrolls. Perfection.
(5)
Kei T.
Since I moved to Chicago, this has been my number 1 favorite Chinese restaurant. Probably the best in northwest suburb.
(5)
Zhong Y.
Finally tried this place. This is a northern Chinese place with more than a hint of Korean Chinese flavor, and must be one of the most authentic northern place in these here parts as evidenced by the heavily northern Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean families dining here. The dead giveaways are the zhajiangmien, which is a northern noodle dish served with a thick black soy flavored meat or seafood sauce with onions, and the fried chicken wings, which were in a sweet spicy sauce. Both were quite good. I also had a fuqi feipian starter -- it's sliced beef and beef tendon, in a spicy chili oil with Sichuan pepper, cilantro, and crushed peanuts -- which was quite authentically hot, and absolutely delicious. A bit of a strange feeling to be eating in a converted former Bakers' Square, but, one gets over that quickly. Price was good for the value, and the service was attentive.
(4)
Kelly M.
I am really at odds to the reviews here. We went to dinner here on Saturday night. Here's my interpretation: Pros- Decor- its nice in there. You would have NEVER thought it used to be a Bakers Square Staff- there are LOTS of them and we had people at our table constantly Clean- it was very clean Speed- It was INCREDIBLY fast Cons- Taste- it was just blah. I had Kung Pao Chicken- my mom had Chicken almond din. Both tasted REALLY REALLY similar- mine had peanuts on top- her almonds. Bother we just meh Crab Rangoon had no visible crab. No taste of it. Nothing The staff we had were NEVER the same, so it was awkward saying something about food when you weren't sure who to talk to? All in all- not impressed and won't go back.
(2)
Angela H.
I asked the server what language he speaks because there are some food items I only know how to say in Chinese (also I wanted to figure out what food this restaurant specializes in so I know how to order). He responds, 'what language you want? i can speak it. chinese, korean, japanese, i know it all'. At first I thought he was joking, but he was for real! Chinese born, immigrated to Korea. Majored in hotel hospitality so learned Japanese in college. Wait a minute...that sounds a lot like the previous owner of Yu's. What did you say? You owned Yu's? NOODLES, please! I forgot how freakin good Yu's noodles are. Chewy, perfectly chewy. kiu kiu as we say in Taiwanese. Best noodles I've ever had and SO different from anywhere else I've ever had. We got the Ping noodle platter (la jao mien) and the Ping Noodle Soup (chow ma mien). I was a little hesitant because I recently came back from New England and had great seafood. Eating seafood in Chicago, not to mention the 'burbs, I was skeptical. But the seafood was amazing! So tender, succulent, not at all rubbery. Octopus, scallops, shrimp, perfectly cooked. It's so easy to over cook shrimp, but they didn't! I was amazed! Next time we'll have to try some non-noodle dishes. I'm so excited to go back!
(4)
Samuel K.
We went to chef ping's last night with some family for my wife's birthday. Everything was great! The Pong Pong Chicken is awesome and so is the jjajangmyun! Our server Tim was great, even one of the other servers came by and noticed that one of our side dishes was low and offered a refill before we even knew that we needed more. I was very impressed. Our water cups never hit the bottom and were always refilled. The one glitch was that there was dust falling from the ceiling because it was the first time the ac had turned on for the year since it was unusually warm. When we made mention to one of the staff he brought out all new plates without us even asking. Later out we found out he was one of the owners! Overall chef ping's seems to have the recipe for success, great food, awesome service, good location, and owners who are involved and care. Only wish I didn't live 45 mins from the place. I asked the owner if they we going to build another one to hint making one by where we live. He said that the family sold Yu's so that they can enjoy retirement more. So it looks like I'm going to find myself taking the long drive up to rolling meadows more often.
(5)
Joe D.
The Szechwan Eggplant was so good that we've already made plans for a return trip to get more. We went on a Saturday night and the place was packed, so you may want to plan ahead and make reservations. All the employee's we encountered were very pleasant and seemed happy. We had a great time and look forward to returning.
(5)
Benjamin S.
Wow great Chinese Food in Arlington Heights. I live in Wood Dale but will now come here to get food to bring home. They lose one star because the staff was over friendly and bothered us at our table to frequently and I dislike that and also the beer was not so cold. EIther way the food was great. The noodles could have used a few more veggies and such but they were fresh and delicious. The beef dish we got was great the soup and appetizers were amazing!!! great white rice and overall a great deal. Price is right and you get more than what you pay for as opposed to most Asian inspired restaurants in this area. Thank You Chef Ping...
(4)
Eric F.
This is a horrible experience and the worse one I've ever had. Last Sunday, 3/27/2007 at 11:45AM, four of my friends and I went to Chef Ping. There were not so many people yet, but it still took a long while for waiting the food coming. We have ordered a pork wrap. There are five of us, they only provided 4 wraps. So we asked the waitress to see if she can give us one more. She refused and claimed that this dish is designed for four, but we still have some stuffing in the dish which is far more enough to make another one. But she still refused. We moved over. Close to the end, we found we have only 4 dishes but actually we ordered 5. So we checked the waiter again. Was that so hard for him to say sorry? Yes, very hard. He blamed us that we did not confirmed our orders. OMG, what missing here was the first one we have ordered! OK, he is a young kid, we did not want to bring too much trouble for him. So we just sit there quietly for the final one coming. Finally, we can "enjoy" our last dish. The usher came and checked with us to see IF WE CAN LEAVE AT 15 MINS LATER!!! This really pissed me off and pushed my button. I can't believe they just want us leave. And can't we just have a pieceful lunch?! And it may take a while, but it is not our fault to wait for the final dish coming! I've never went to a restaurant that ask guest to leave after making their money. So we don't server their services?!!! I was so mad, but still left some tips. Since the Chef Ping may not behave, we should behave. But I will never come back to this restaurant again, no matter what! Generally the food is OK, but it is over crowded and pricy. The customer services is aweful! And the waiter actually will show their faces to you if you tip less. I just still feel shocked and angry! How this could be happend to us?!
(1)
Melissa D.
I have to admit that hype impairs my judgment of restaurants and movies. I've been wanting to try Chef Ping's for quite some time from all of the good things I've heard about it. I decided to take my mom here for Mother's Day. We ordered the Braised Eggplant, Mongolian Beef, Gan Pong Shrimp and Jang Pong. All tasted very good, prices were reasonable and service was good. But I didn't walk away thinking the food was as good as advertised. Then, over the course of the week, I tried to compare other Chinese Restaurant's that were better. The only place I could think of was Great Seas and VIP in Chicago. What I liked about Chef Pings was that the quality was better and not as greasy as the aformentioned. The Shrimp for example, were huge pieces. The Braised Eggplant had more breading than I would have like but is something I would order again. The only complaint if any, was that the Jang Pong was not as spicy as I'm accustomed to. Overall, Chef Ping's is probably one of the top 2 Chinese Restaurants in the Chicagoland area.
(4)
Sarah M.
"Everything was great! Friendly service, great ambiance, and yummy food."
(4)
Jim T.
Very impressive experience. Started with the sizzling rice soup and was delighted by the flavor profile. Based on other Yelp recommendations I went 'safe' and had the Mongolian Beef. WOW! Maybe it's that I'm easy but I was very, very satisfied with the portion size, quality, and taste of the beef dish. Service was very attentive and made for a great experience too. Overall, a very pleasant meal and I recommend Chef Ping highly...
(4)
Jason L.
Me and some friends went here for dinner the other night, Never again !!! the food was not very good, didn't seem fresh also so,so service, nobody was impressed by this place, save your money and go somewhere else.
(1)
Sean Y.
Great food and in general, good service. The tofu dishes, combo chow mein, fried potstickers, and Chef Ping noodles are excellent! It is always crowded here that sometimes you have to park somewhere else!
(4)
John K.
This restaurant has surpassed Yu's Mandarin in almost every category except for space as Chef Ping's is much smaller than Yu's. The Gan Pong Chicken and Salty Egg Crab are my favorites! In fact, the Gan Pong Chicken is the best I've ever had (yes, even better than Great Sea Restaurant).
(5)
Antoknight B.
I love Chef Ping. It's my go to Chinese restaurant. Dishes to try- salt and pepper tofu, spicy pepper beef and lady moa tofu.
(5)
christine c.
came here twice so far, once for lunch and one for dinner. both times were EXCELLENT. the chicken wings are sooooooo good and even though they're not on the lunch menu, you can ask for them and they will happily prepare them for you :) as always, i get the seafood noodles w/o soup. sucks for yus noodles - they had a terrible lawyer! should've placed a noncompete clause in there. so sad. i will probably never go back to yus - they totally skimp on their ingredients now
(5)
Maggie G.
Oh em gee! We've heard rumors of Chef Ping's from fans of Yu's, so we had to try it. We ordered carryout, and had to get the barbeque fried rice. Everything you need in fried rice, but what's really spectacular are the noodles. We had something with lots of mushrooms, and they were fantastic, cooked to perfection.
(5)
Barry G.
As a long time customer of Yu's, we eventually stopped going because the food got worse and worse with each visit. We were turned on to Chef Ping by a local chef that I admire, and an old relationship was rekindled. Same/similar items as Yu's has/had, but as tasty as the old Yu's was. Things will have different names, but you'll eventually find what you're looking for. As a bonus, the K menu now has english translations on it, so you'll be less surprised by some Korean-Chinese delicacies. My must-haves are the chop chae, Ping's noodle soup, black bean noodles, gan pong squid. The squid doesn't travel well, so eat it all while you're there... and don't be afraid of the whole hot peppers, they give a delicious smoky slightly spicy accent to the whole dish.
(4)
Morry L.
Chef Ping has excellent food and reasonable prices. The problems on weekends are inadequate parking and too long of a wait which can exceed an hour. They do not take reservations for small parties.
(4)
Kira C.
the food was good. our waitress was very attentive, I mean she walked around to refilled our tea pot quite often. crowed around lunch time, but didn't have to waite for long.
(5)
Eugene P.
Ok, when I say, "I've been going to Yu's for a long time," I mean it. My family and I have been going to Yu's since the previous location on Roselle, before it move across the street to Golf Road. We've been regulars for nearly 40 years. If you are a Yu's regular, you may have noticed the quality of service and the food decline in the last year and a half. I believe that is because they changed ownership. Well the old owners opened a new restaurant, a few miles down the road, Chef Ping. Chef Ping has the same great menu that Yu's had, and the quality of food is back. Unlike the other reviewers, I didn't notice the smaller portions, so I can't confirm or deny that. I can say that the food is great. Yu's was our favorite restaurant, now Chef Ping is our favorite. My only concern is that Yu's started out small, they moved across the street and expanded, then they took over the stores next to them and expanded even more. I don't think Chef Ping can expand like that in their current location.
(5)
Bert W.
all i can say is WOW! not only was the food great, but the service was AWESOME. you can't beat having both great food and service. it was a packed house but they still gave our family exceptional service!!! even when i needed a refill the hostess refilled my coke! the entire staff was extremely FRIENDLY! I LOVE THAT!
(5)
Judi H.
I really wanted to like this place. i read all the reviews which sounded great. I like Yu's so I had high hopes. I ordered some food for carry out. The egg rolls were just okay, a bit greasy but okay. The chicken wing app was dry and flavorless. One reviewer was very enthusiastic about the sesame chicken so I tried that. It was just a pile of dry, sticky sweet ick. I hate to waste food but there was no saving it. Just flavorless dry stuff. A total waste of money.
(1)
Teresa C.
I love their mapo tofu and kung pao shrimp.
(4)
Julia J.
Chef Ping is one of our fave places to eat Chinese food. The owners and servers know us now because we've frequented their place so much. The best time to go for lunch is early or around 1ish because noontime is crazy busy, but the turnaround for tables is quick. Same goes for dinner. If you show up at 6 PM or later, you'll definitely have to wait. They do take reservationsn for groups of 6 or more; so it's recommended if you can plan ahead of time. Some of our fave dishes are the Ping's chicken wings, tofu with king mushrooms, pad thai noodles, and their dumplings. Their noodle soup is good too. You won't be disappointed if you go here!
(5)
Adam N.
Food was great. Service was great. My wife and I will definitely return. This place is a great alternative to yu's mandarin where the service is terrible.
(5)
Denise K.
Went here for lunch Saturday. It was nice as far as ambiance. Lunch was good, not great. The potstickers were good but falling apart. The waiter said it would be a 20 min wait for the steamed sumplings, but they were out in like 10 min. The crab rangoon was small and had a hint of something yellow in the cream cheese - perhaps curry powder. But you could not taste it. They were ok, but Noodles Delight were far better in taste and price. I had the mongolian beef which was good. It was nice for the rice noodles to be served on the side so they did not get soft before you got to eat them. My mom had mu shu chicken. She liked it but said it was very messy. She was glad the server rolled the pancakes as that is a bit tricky to do, and some places just leave you on your own to do it. The server was attentive and water/ice tea was never empty. It did not wow me, but I would go back to try other things on the menu. Mom was disappointed there was no lunch menu - as she is always looking for the bargain! lol. Lunch fir 2 was just under $40.
(3)
Brandon V.
Great food! Sometimes the service is just average...when they are very busy. Understandable. Ping's wings are good. Also Mongolian beef, seafood noodle, walnut shrimp, fried rice.
(4)
Allen L.
I came last week with a couple friends for lunch because I'm a big fan of Yu's (although no longer since ownership changed). Of course since the buzz is that the owners are now at Chef Ping, I had to give it a try. The place looks pretty good on the inside, neutral and classy. Our server was fine although it was a little hard to understand what he was saying, but nothing out of the ordinary for a chinese place. Now onto the food...like I said, being a longtime fan of the old Yu's, I was really really disappointed. We decided to try a couple different things and share. One of my favorite things was the Mongolian Beef and I was really hoping that it was how they used to do it, but instead the beef came out drenched in alot of sauce and the beef was a little rubbery. The brown sauce was just a salty flavor and nothing like how Mongolian Beef should be! I had the spicy seafood noodle soup which they are famous for. It wasn't bad, but not good either. It was full of noodles and vegetables, lacking in the seafood. While I like spicy, all I could taste was spicy...there should be some flavor...I dont know, maybe seafood? However, not all was lost...the soup wasn't bad and we had this spicy intestine appetizer that was probably the best thing we had there. One last thing was the egg rolls...maybe it was a bad batch, but I've had alot of good or ok egg rolls. Usually it's ok because egg rolls arent hard to make, but these were TERRIBLE. It was filled with mostly cabbage, I couldn't really find anything else and it was so bland in taste! Even sweet and sour sauce couldn't save it...and I rarely ever eat bad egg rolls. Maybe my expectations were too high...but considering what all the rave and reviews are about them being the Yu's owners, I feel that using that reputation to advertise deserves the same treatment back. I don't want to base everything on one try so I'll definitely try again another time (and update my review). But I feel like the old Yu's will never come back and alot of people are blinded by just the "name". I don't see how so many people can give 5 stars so easily for such a mediocre place.
(2)
Bing B.
preface: yes, this place is the old yu's owners. yes, i loved (and still love) yus. this place, not so much. TL:DR? - they tell you to get the F out after youve eaten, but only if youve been a loyal customer to them for a long time. foods ok. review: food seems to have the same items as old yu's. seems like they re-tooled it to be a bit more of a "fast food" type but enough items overlapped that it can be considered similar. however, it maybe me but it just doesnt taste the same. something is slightly off and it doesnt have the same flavor/quality. now the new yus definitely has some differences, but i didnt expect it from chef ping. that alone would have put this place a 0.5 star lower than old yus and would have put it at about a 4.5. however, what bumped the rating down so low was the fact that the last time i was there, after we ate, after a few minutes, they told us to GTFO. we have been going to their establishments for as long as i could remember (been in that hood at least 25+ years. how long have they run yus again?) and they know at least our faces if not our names. so how do you treat your LONG time customers? why, by telling us to leave brusquely. at first we thought, oh, ok maybe we did stay a bit too long, we should leave. however after thinking about it for a while, we were somewhat upset in the way they told us. its not like we were camped out for hours, and we were still drinking after we ate! well, it turns out, they do this to not only us, but also to a lot of our other friends and family, leaving such a bad taste in our mouths that many have decided not to go there again.
(2)
Alfred K.
A korean chinese joint in the burbs! Despite the poor review from another vegetarian, we wanted to give Chef Ping a try for ourselves and we're incredibly glad we did. We've had the Vegetarian Chicken, Szechuan Eggplant, Fried Bun (smirk), the Vegetable Noodle Platter, and #5 off of the Korean menu on the last page. Everything tasted great. The Vegetarian Chicken is a cold appetizer of rolled up tofu skin - reminds me of Shanghainese food. The Szechuan Eggplant was individually deep fried and then covered in a great spicy garlic sauce. Fried buns are fried buns. The noodles are made in-house which are always nice to have, although we've had better ones at Portland. The #5 on the last page is another cold appetizer of grass jelly and cucumber mixed in sesame sauce and szechuan pepper oil (the type that makes your lips numb...), just great flavors. Service is generally good. Nothing to complain about, except for the long lines and lack of parking...
(4)
E S.
The noodle platter and hot and sour soup tasted exactly the same as Yu's. This is a good thing since I really like Yu's. The Kung Pao Chicken was also very good.
(5)
Tracy F.
The veggies in all the dishes were not stewed to death, so I know each order was made fresh and not over cooked. Still some crunch to all the veggies which we love. Food was excellent / price was a smidge high, but worth it as we cannot find a single Chinese restaurant that is worth eating at in the area. Usually a wait to dine in, we have only ordered pick up.
(4)
Heena T.
I absolutely loved this place. From the quality of service to the quality of food to the cost, this place is by far the best Asian restaurant I have dined at in a VERY long time. Extremely satisfied and will definitely return!
(4)
s C.
I've mostly only had the korean-chinese food here, but it is EXCELLENT. Fresh, fast, and flavorful. The ttansooyook, lahjohmyun, and samsun jiajiangmyun are FANTASTIC. I'm a huge fan of Yu's, but have to admit the food here is a notch above and the ambiance is much nicer. We've also had the spicy green beans and pot stickers, both were delicious as well.
(5)
Derek S.
The only reason I even give this restaurant one star is because it is actually a very nice looking place. Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end. I have had 2 bad experiences here actually, the first time I only called, and the automated answering service kept sending me around in a loop instead of connecting me to someone, I later found out it was Monday and they were closed, but it was still very frustrating having the automated service sending me around in a circle as opposed to just saying the stupid place was closed. So that kind of made me a little aggravated but I decided I'd give the place a second try anyway, and so we ordered food another day. We got sweet n sour chicken, combo fried rice and eggrolls with an order of crab rangoons. It was all crap. The crab rangoons were gross, and it was like it was made with egg yolk and cream cheese, and there was no crab meat at all. Gross. There was a huge egg shell in the fried rice, I have no idea how they missed that, it was the size of a quarter. Also gross. The egg rolls were the size of my pinky finger and covered in frying oil, and the sweet and sour chicken wasn't at all what I expected. Normally it would be fried pieces of breaded chicken, with sauce on the side but this was more like sesame chicken minus the seeds. It was lousy, all their food was terrible and I'll never go there again. China 1 right down the street has much better food, their restaurant isn't nearly as flashy but their food is awesome compared to this dump.
(1)
Michelle P.
Went to Chef Ping last night for dinner. I must say, it is the best Chinese food I ever had. Fresh ingredients, great drinks, and wonderful service made for an awesome dining experience. Had the egg rolls, crab rangoon and gan pong chicken. The egg rolls were hand rolled and did not taste over fried or heavy. Same with the crab rangoon. The gan pong chicken was a spicy dish. Not too spicy though. Had just the right amount of bite. I highly recommend Chef Ping.
(5)
Jill M.
This has to be the best Chinese food I have ever had, even better then when they owned Yu's in Schaumburg. I would highly recommend it!
(5)
angelo h.
VERY happy with the service, atmosphere, and most importantly, the food! Reasonably priced menu, make sure you get there either at 11:30 for lunch or 1:00 after the noon rush is gone...it gets very busy and rightfully so! Yes, I am a former fan of Yu's and I have thankfully followed the old ownership to their new venture. This place is GREAT for American style Chinese food. It is unfortunate some folks on this review board use absolutely disgusting descriptors that certainly work towards the detriment of an establishment's better name. I personally know the owner and that person would NEVER serve 'rotten' flesh to anyone...what an outlandish thing to say...save it for a creative writing class please...I guess that is why there are professional food critics and the rest of us. On the same token...I will bring it up to the owner about the dirty serving wear...that is unacceptable and the owner most certainly would agree.
I've been coming here for a couple years and while some things got better some are not as good. I still give it 4 stars. Here's some comments... I love chicken wings. While some say the PongPong have no meat and are just fried bones these are my go to asian flavor wings. Sweet with some spice and nice crispy bits. I don't get tired of eating these!! Shrimp dumplings, another Chef Ping staple for me. Pieces of shrimp in a nicely steamed wrapper. Hunan beef & chicken. I always order this, why, I don't know, the flavor is so good to me... Pad Thai. This is one that went downhill. I love the noodle (Wide) which you don't see as much anymore, but the sauce on this dish is flavorless. Just look at the photos people post here. Barely any color and it tastes like it. To bad as I love Pad Thai.
(4)
Abhinav S.
Went here as part of a treat. Friend had purchased a new car.. so yay free food. It was dinner time, fairly packed. Even though it was a Friday night, the wait time was short (10 minutes or so), perhaps we were lucky. Plan accordingly if you're hungry and wish to avoid the crowd. The place is huge with two dining areas and a nice ambiance. We ordered the Pong pong chicken, Sczechwan Eggplant and Gan Pong Diced chicken. They were all good. But I think every item that we ordered were breaded, deep fried and full of oil. That was my only qualm but otherwise it was good. Portions are huge and we probably ordered way too much. Next time gotta avoid going all wild and ordering so much. The chefs keeping walking around occasionally to monitor stuff as well. Bring up any issues if you have to them. It's a nice way to personalize the experience and receive active feedback.
(4)
Monty W.
Dependable go-to spot for East Asian community in the northern burbs. Utter "Chef Ping" amongst the Chinese or Korean that live in the burbs and chances are that they go here for their family style Chinese/Korean meals. They do try to stress the quality of service here especially for the larger tables in the back with plate swapping near the middle of your menu. Some items that we usually have for family meals included the honey walnut shrimp. JaJa mein (though its never a favorite of mine). Salt and Pepper tofu (must get), The pong pong chicken (make sure to get extra rice for all the sauce haha!). Schezwan green beans are delicious. But garlic stir fried pea shoots for $16?! come on now...8 treasure rice for dessert is a different kind of dessert (not overly sweet) which Ping does fairly well. Chef Ping is a bit pricier and portions a bit smaller than the restaurants in Chinatown for family style meals, but still better than the alternative of driving from the burbs thru the traffic nightmare of the loop. Ample parking. Reservations are suggested especially on weekends. The wait could be considerable.
(4)
Linh L.
Service was great. The food was meh. We ordered the following: 1. Homemade stir fried spicy noodles - it's ok. Spicy, but lacked flavor. 2. Chinese broccoli - tasted fresh and probably the best thing we ordered. 3. Chicken lollipops - this was so disappointing. It was skin and bones. They took out all of the meat! If you like this dish... You must visit Great Seas restaurant in Albany Park of Chicago. It is called "spicy chicken." Much better and more nutritional. I could get 10 chicken lollipops with rice and still be hungry.
(3)
Julia L.
Pretty great! Fast and respectful service, I think the waiter gave my whole party a choice of soup or salad to start off even though maybe it only came with a lunch special? Also, I was impressed by the amount of customers they had on a weekday. We ordered sesame chicken, garlic chicken, pong pong chicken?, jampong and jajang. The sesame and garlic chicken came with rice an egg roll and a wonton crisp. They were perfectly prepared and not soggy at all!! I just didn't really like the garlic chicken - too strong, there's a weird after taste.. But that's my fault I guess. The sesame was amazing! The pong pong chicken was supposed to be spicier than kanppungi which is the Korean spicy chicken wings.. But it was very mild. Haha maybe it's cause we're so used to Great Sea's spicy, sweet, big kanppungi that the pong pong was a little underwhelming. But by no means was it not enjoyable! The jjajangmyun was thick and big portioned which is always good. You should ask for an extra bowl of sauce cause for the amount of noodles Chef Ping holds back that delicious black bean sauce.. it's so good why not have more to smother all over your face - I mean the noodles.. :) Now the only let down today was the jampong. The broth was not spicy and refreshing like it should be, but more milky and mild? I think Chef Ping doesn't like to make things too spicy in order to cater to the non-Asian customers, which they have many! But again, great big portion :) Overall, I would definitely come again, but just skip the jampong.
(4)
angela l.
Were shopping in the neighborhood around dinner time and recalled being to Chef Ping several years ago. We had noodle, sweet pea tip, green bean and fish fillet and all were tasty. Good service! Shall be back again next time we are in the neighborhood .
(4)
Sarah N.
My family and I came here with some friends who recommended this place. Typically, they go to China Town for good Chinese food. They said that this was the best place close by that was almost equivalent to China Town status Chinese food. But, at least it is closer than going to China Town, so I will be coming here more often now that I have been introduced to Chef Ping. Unfortunately, I cannot recall all the food we ordered as they were the ones who ordered for us, in Chinese. I will do my utmost best to recall what it was we ordered. I remember eating Salt and Pepper Squid, Walnut Shrimp, Szechwan Fish Fillet, Mongolian Beef, Sauteed Peapod Tips, Mandarin Bean Curd, and I'm sure there are others we ordered but can't remember. Salt and Pepper Squid was just to die for. If this is all we ate, I could eat this with rice and be happy. As for the Walnut Shrimp, this was also very addicting. The combination of the sweet sauce with the honey walnut and saltiness of the shrimp was perfect. Szechwan Fish Fillet was was another unforgettable dish we had. This is great by itself or even with rice. Just keep guzzling the green tea after each dish and your taste buds resets so that you can get the real flavor of the other dish you eat. The Mongolian Beef was also perfect with the rich flavors combined with the vegetables and beef. The beef was moist and not tough, just how we like it. Second to last is the Peapod Tips, this is a great dish to have for a vegetable dish. I believe hardly any Chinse restaurants serve this unless you're in China Town. I am in love with this dish. Lastly, the Mandarin Bean Curd is something everyone should order as an appetizer. It's a great dish to start the entire meal. I found my go to Chinese Restaurant.
(5)
Amanda B.
I used to like Chef Ping a lot and it pains me to write this review but I can't eat there anymore. They USED to clean their bigger shrimp but the past two times, none of my shrimp were clean. I don't know about other people, but I prefer NOT eating the poop vein in the shrimp. When we told our waitress about it the first time it happened, she just said she would let her manager know and didn't even apologize or offer to get us clean shrimp. It happened again and the waitress didn't even care. I understand they don't clean the smaller shrimp, but the bigger ones they should clean. I can't eat at a place that doesn't clean their shrimp because if they don't even take the time to properly clean shrimp, then what else don't they take the time to clean?
(1)
Soyoung S.
The management is absolutely flawed. We waited over TWO hours for three dishes, while everyone else around us that was seated WELL after us, were already served and nearly done with their meals. Our server clearly forgot to put in our order when we placed it, and didn't bother to come and communicate anything with us until the head server noticed us waiting at an empty table for hours while everyone else around us was being accommodated for My advice to management is to train your servers to be better organized, to apologize when mistakes are made, and to provide good customer service to make up for it. The food was delicious but after waiting for hours for it, the mood at our table greatly fell
(1)
Tellsplatte ..
Good: good food. Excellent service. Felt like a king while sitting at the bar area. Wasn't expecting that. Friendly peeps. -1.5 stars for $$$ to value. Nonetheless, one of the better Chinese I had since moving to the northern Chicago suburbs.
(4)
Ziyan C.
A go-to favorite for my parents, who more than anyone know good Chinese food! We showed up at 6:30pm on a Friday and were told it was a 45 minute wait for us 4. It ended up being about 25-30 minutes, which was a nice surprise. The service is really friendly, prompt, and the food comes out quickly. Our server made good recommendations when we were trying to figure out what to get from one part of the menu, say, the beef section. When we got all our dishes, we realized that three of them are kind of large combo platters (the Summer Salad, Noodle Platter, & Seafood Combo) and fairly similar. I wish our server could've noticed this and mentioned something about it. SALT & PEPPER FAMILY: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Salt & Pepper Tofu ($7.95) - 3.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Smaller than I'd expected; the tofu had a nice & thin breading to it, but with such thick pieces, even though they're flavored on the outside, most of each piece doesn't have much flavor on the inside. BEEF: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Mushroom Beef (beef w/ big sliced king mushroom in a delicate sauce. $13.95) - 4.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… The beef comes in huge slices and is incredibly satisfying to chew through, the meat is so good! The large mushroom slices are great too; they're not too overpowering as I often find with everyday Chinese dishes with mushroom. OLD TIME FAVORITE FROM HOME: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… 1. Summer Salad (cold, hot & mustard salad on bean noodle. $16.95) - 3 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… I didn't love the flavors in this - I could definitely taste the mustard/horseradish throughout, which was an odd pairing for me, and having a cold dish in November in the Midwest just isn't as comforting as the hot dishes. NOODLES & RICE: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Ping's Noodle Platter (seafood, pork, vegetables over noodles. $9.50) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… This was great - the noodles are pretty thick and soft, and there is just a ton of delicious stuff in the dish. SEAFOOD * Chef Ping's Seafood Combo ($14.95) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Another good all-round dish, with lots of good seafood. VEGETABLES: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef…
(5)
Real D.
This is a lame review because everything we ordered was great. The Ping noodles, you can taste how freshly made it is. Now I know what I am missing when I eat the typical dehydrated noodles. We were checked on frequently and we were just 2 people. The place is packed and it's wall to wall Asians, so Asians in the NW burbs know where to go, and that's at Chef Pings.
(5)
Sang L.
My gosh, wish I would have visited this place sooner!!!!! I always see it but never stopped by. If you haven't done so, go now. Best Chinese food around the burbs. The food is authentic and tastes great! The service is good. The inside is a bit busy but that's because this place is great. Everything we ordered from fried rice to noodles to pong wings were delicious. I would definitely take guests from out of town here for great food and atmosphere.
(5)
Joseph L.
I'm torn about this place because I want to give them 5 stars because they go the extra mile to make the food unique and tasty. I just feel as though the food could be given with better portions. If I go here again, I'm getting take out. I waiting 20 minutes to be seated and it took them a while to bring me my food when I did order.
(4)
Lena M.
It's always a good sign when you walk in and it's filled with fellow Chinese people young and old enjoying their meal. I'm Cantonese but love cuisine of all sorts. My dinner was delicious! We had the crispy duck, honey walnut shrimp (my fave so I'm really picky!), and my husband loves their version of the General Tso. Take out was speedy and parking for take out is set good. Warning - this place is good so it gets pretty packed quickly. Be prepared to wait for both carry out and dine in.
(4)
Bunny D.
their food quality is consistent. If I'm hungry for Chinese food, Chef Ping is the only place I go. Many choices to choose from, even some Korean dishes. My favorite is their Tofu dishes. Yum!
(4)
Odranre B.
it's been 3 years since i reviewed this place, and have been continually dining here at least once a month...it still gets pretty crowded during peak hours...i started noticing some negative changes with the food quality and the portion last year, and steadily declining this year...i really didn't think about it too much until i started taking survey with my friends and families who frequent at the restaurant...i also compared a photo of champong (spicy seafood noodle soup) that i ordered on the first year they opened to the one i ordered two weeks ago and there was roughly 20% difference (and i don't think it evaporated on its way to my table)...sorry chef ping but yu's mandarin reclaimed the crown back...
(3)
Morris N.
This review is for carry-out. I ordered online. The process of creating the account to place the online order was easy to do but kind of a pain especially on an iPad. However you only have to create the account once, then it's not bad at all. Even though it was during a busy dinner rush, the order was ready within 20 minutes as they had advised. We had hot & sour soup and wonton soup. Both were good. The fried pot stickers weren't the best I've had. We tried the noodle platter, sauteed fish fillet, and sweet & sour shrimp. All of the entrees were very good. The prices for the entrees seem to be on the higher side. The overall check amount wasn't too bad.
(4)
Laurice M.
I absolutely LOVE Chef Ping!!! Excellent service-definitely not your typical Chinese restaurant. The servers are polite and attentive, not overbearing or rude. When my family and I went here, I felt really taken care of during the whole time we were there. Glasses were filled without us having to call them. None of them hovering near us but when you need them, easy to get ahold of them. Also, very polite (in my experience, a rarity in Chinese restaurants)!!! As for the food, love love love all the dishes we had ordered so far! I wasn't a fan of every dish but I love that everything seemed fresh and not ordinary. Favorites: - Salt and Pepper Tofu (small serving for the price but I would gladly pay for it because it's really good! So silky and tasty!) - Mongolian Beef (the beef is melt in my mouth tender) - Pong pong chicken (reminded me of Crisp) - Fried rice (the shrimps are BIG!!!) - Orange beef - Young chow fried rice Not my faves but still good - Noodle platter - Noodles with black bean sauce - Peking duck (I like the duck but not a fan of the crepes) - Sesame chicken Definitely recommend!
(4)
Tina L.
Came here for the manfriend's birthday. Good thing we made reservations because this place is poppin'! We just ordered a variety of shushes and did family style: take some, pass it down! Each dish was delicious, I would do this the same again. I recommend the salt and pepper squid, mapo tofu (on the menu I think it's called Lady Mao bean curd) and Chinese broccoli.
(5)
Shy Y.
This place is over hipe over price and down right not authentic Chinese nor Korean food. Food was one step above your regular carry out Chinese carry out, thats not a good thing. This place does well because of its masking appearance and the location, take away the location and its high dollar look and you get a normal carry out. Spent $70 their ordering assortment of food to give it a full evaluation. I'll keep it short and sweet. Not worth the $70 or anymore of my money. Ingredients and flavor was lacing freshness and true Asian flavors This is watered down again food no where near its claims of being the best. On a positive note. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. That's another key ingredient to its success Spend your money somewhere else find a place that focus more on its authenticity of Asian cuisines and the quality of food/ flavor.
(2)
Megan Z.
My father and I live about a mile away from Chef Ping and always enjoy an excellent meal here! The other reviews are right, wait times can be excessive. However, you will understand why once you enjoy the food! We came in on a busy Tuesday night. It was a ten-minute wait for a table, so we decided to eat at the bar area. No regrets, we actually found it quieter and easier to have a conversation. Service here is always top-notch. Regardless of the crowds. We always start our meal here with a fresh bowl of soup. The wonton soup is excellent and is served piping hot! My father usually orders the Hot n' Sour Soup and raves about it. The menu here has some "americanized" selections, however they do offer favorites for those craving a taste from back home. You know it is good when you see a ton of oriental people packing the restaurant! (I say this with the utmost respect!) Next, we ordered the Mandarin Soy Duck! It was hands-down the best duck we've ever had. It is served at room-temp and is utterly amazing. The duck is so tender and the mandarin soy marinade just made it melt in your mouth! If you are a duck person, you must give it a try. The hot dishes as I mentioned before, are mostly americanized. However, do not let this shy you away. Chef Ping is NOT your typical "americanized" chinese joint. My favorite dish here is the Kung Pao Beef, when it comes to "americanized" dishes. The beef is so tender you barely have to chew. It is incredible. Plus, if you love it spicy like I do, just ask them to make it extra spicy. Chef Ping uses incredible seasonings and technique to raise the bar on Chinese Cuisine. Another favorite is the Salt n Pepper Smelt or Ping's Noodle Soup. The noodles are homemade and served in an amazing (spicy) broth abundant with veggies, squid, and shrimp! The Noodle soup is enough for 2 (maybe 3) people! As with all portions at Chef Ping, you can feed 2-3 people from any entree. Simply put, Chef Ping is the undisputed best in Chicago and in my opinion, the whole state! Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
(5)
Lizzy C.
Definitely higher quality than most Chinatown restaurant. I ordered spicy fish and intestines. Both perfectly cooked.
(5)
Howard W.
This restaurant has great food. Very tradition taste along with some western favors. The service is great as well. I would definitely come back again.
(5)
Kenny L.
The place was packed when I came in for lunch, which is a really good sign. I was seated in about 15 minutes which was fine because I was waiting for my friend to arrive anyway. I ordered the homemade lo mein and my friend ordered the garlic chicken. We shared our dishes, and I was very pleased with both. The food was not too salty, and it was simply very good. Also, the lunch menu was very simple. It was not filled with a bunch of stuff to choose from. I do want to try their food for dinner. I am sure that they have a dinner menu.
(5)
Lindsey S.
A couple fellow Yelpers have been telling me to go here and now I'm kicking myself for waiting. Hands down the best Chinese food I have ever had! Everything was hot and fresh, and their crab rangoon are to die for. Normally I'm not a fan of Mongolian beef because I find it to be tough, but it was tender and had amazing flavor here. The staff is outstanding, our empty dishes barely touched the table before being whisked away. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and who I can only assume was the owner stopped and chatted with us. We will definitely be back!
(5)
Somchai S.
Started a new job, and went with my new coworkers to Chef Pings. We arrived around 11:45am on a Friday and the parking lot was packed. There was a 20 min wait for a table. The prices here are very reasonable, $10 a person off their lunch special, including tip. The lunch eggroll was gross, it had no meat. The hot and sour soup was very good. And the entree was filing. I can see why they've captured the lunch crowd. They get you in and out very quickly as well.
(4)
Zoe Z.
I went here on a Tuesday noon. It opens on 11:30am. I got here around 11:28am. Most seats already taken. I got surprised by how organized it was even with so many customers. Very prompt service. Even my hot tea request got respond very soon Ordered Kung pao chicken. Very decent price for lunch menu. And too much food. It was a little bit salty. But overall tasted good.
(5)
Catherine G.
My first experience with Chef Ping was through carryout. My sister in law ordered food for dinner for the family. It was surprisingly good and I enjoyed the various dishes that she ordered. The second experience was at the actual restaurant. Again, family style with an assortment of dishes from sweet and sour pork, mapo tofu, etc. This time though I couldn't get over the salt. Everything was salty! And we had two different types of noodle dishes too... the jajangmyun which is a black bean sauced noodle dish and a spicy soup noodle dish. Anyway.... the noodles were in one word, overcooked. I was hoping that since we were right there at the restaurant that it wouldn't be, but it was. My dad still enjoyed it as he LOVES noodles. And I still liked most of it, but I can't give it a 4 star review for that reason. Still, may go back and try again... you know what they say.. 3rd times a charm!
(3)
Elena N.
I've been here twice since this is a favorite of the roommate's cousins. This last time was last month while we were in town for the wedding. They had the rehearsal dinner here on a Friday night. Summer salad: Cold, hot and mustard salad on bean noodle, big serving. I'd never had this dish before. It was cold and refreshing, but had a really nice kick from the hot mustard. Pong pong chicken: Hot & tangy sauce on a chicken lollipop. Yum! Sticky, garlicky, sweet, savory. Rivals my favorite wings in SF. Lady mao's bean curd: Well known folk dish, tofu with minced pork. Great with some rice! Gan pong shrimp: Original recipe dated back to the old san tung province, burned hot pepper with chopped garlic glaze. A shrimp version of the chicken wings I love?! Yes please! First time having this dish and I loved it! Combination fried rice: Shrimp, chicken, ham with a touch of soy sauce. Nicely fried and full of flavor! The kids loved this! Beef with peppers, onions and carrots: I don't remember this dish too well, but I do remember the beef and veggies were stir fried well. Asian style sweet and sour beef: I don't really like sweet and sour dishes but the roommate's brother loves it! Walnut shrimp: Jumbo shrimp in rich creamy sauce with honey coated walnuts and steamed broccoli. Yum! The shrimp were big and juicy! Sea cucumber and scallops with mushrooms, cauliflower and peas: I loved the scallops and veggies in this dish! Sauteed baby bok choy: Bok choy was cooked well and flavor was nice and garlicky. Noodles in black bean sauce: Pork, baby shrimp, onion & zucchini slow cooked in black bean sauce served over homemade noodles. The roommate loves this dish. And the kids were enjoying it as well. Ping's noodle soup: Noodle in spicy broth cooked with fine shredded pork, seafood and vegetables. One of my favorite dishes! The soup was spicy and savory and dish was full of seafood and veggies! Service was good, but it took some time for the last two dishes to come out. I understood since everything was pre ordered except those two. And every table was adding several orders of the last two dishes. I'm glad I was introduced to this place since I would definitely go back. I don't even need a rehearsal dinner as an excuse!
(5)
Jon H.
The food was great and so was the service! I had a seafood mixed plate and it was very tasty.
(5)
Starrlite D.
Chef ping is pretty awesome! Had to take away one star because their sweet and sour pork is mediocre at best, especially because i was hoping it to be more Korean-chinese style. However, their honey walnut shrimp, sichuan boiled fish, and other dishes are great. Jjamppong and jjajangmyun is good, but is quite different from the normal korean style.
(4)
Abraham K.
Yum yum yum! If this is your first time here I recommend you order Fried Pot stickers for appetizer. For family sharing order sweet and sour Pork, home style sea cucumber (asian delicacy), and for the main dish try jjamppong (spicy noodle broth), noodle in black sauce (jajangmyeon)! Will feed 4-5 hungry people!
(5)
barb z.
Consistently very good food. We only eat here now for Chinese food. No other local place is worth the time or money. If you like spicy try to Seafood Stew. Wonderful.
(5)
Ramone B.
After an intense day of shopping at woodfield mall, my boyfriend and I worked up quite the appetite, and neither one of us care for mall food court cuisine. Out came the trusty yelp app!! #Love We originally found a place called the Hong Kong cafe, but when we arrived they had a sign on the door saying closed for vacation. I'm so glad the Hong Kong cafe was closed because we found our way to Chef Ping!!! It was a Thursday night and Chef Ping was rocking!! There was a short wait which wasn't bad because I observed other people scanning the menu while they waited, and my boyfriend and I quickly follows suit! Out waitresses name was Ann. I fell in love with her. She was too cool. Anyway we ordered the following: -chicken wings (I'm black and love fried chicken okay #DontJudgeMe. I've learned Chinese people can fry some damn chicken like no other. - Pot stickers -Mongolian beef -Salt & pepper smelt. I listed my boyfriends dinner as well because you know I tasted his food. #Gurl #DontPlay The chicken wings and the pot stickers were good! The Mongolian beef was awesome! I couldn't get over how tender the beef was. Somebody beat the sh*t outta that meat to get it so tender!! My meal was the salt and pepper smelt. Honey I could've slapped my dead granny back to life it was sooooooo good!! #JustSaying! The smelt had a perfection salt & spice ratio. I wanted to make room for desert so I didn't finish my smelt. I ordered the 8 treasure rice cake. I was unsure about this because I really wanted red bean ice cream, but since I always get that red bean ice cream. I opted for a change! When my rice cake arrived I was shocked. I was expecting a crunchy cake with some toppings on it. It was a cooked rice dish with what looked like honey, and a sweet bean paste. I actually liked it! I will be back! Funny story I originally ordered crispy fried intestine, and my waitress says "ooohhhh you like that?" I said "Gurl yes, those are called chitterlings (pronounced chittlins) to a black person. They just happened to be out that day, but I will go back to try them! Until next time!!!!
(5)
Perry S.
Chef ping is excellent. We ordered a variety of food dishes and apps and everything was hot and flavorful. The place is busy but we arrived at 655 on Sunday and got seated immediately. One of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever eaten at.
(5)
Mirta P.
My favorite, favorite Chinese restaurant. I eat so much and so often and I love it!!!!
(5)
Venkata Tirupathi Raju B.
Food is very tasty and authentic. I really enjoyed the food. However waiting time for table is more than 15 minutes.
(5)
Tom A.
With all due respect to Lincolnwood's delightful Great Beijing, Chef Ping claims the best garlic eggplant in the area. Friendly service, great tea, and plenty of veg. Options add to the fun.
(5)
Sarah V.
The noodles are made fresh daily, the staff is friendly and they have spinny tables! What more could I ask for? The food is fresh and delicious! Despite their large menu, they manage to make it all taste amazing. The prices are great and everything is served family style. They only take reservations for larger parties, but I've never waited longer than twenty minutes. The seafood noodles are delicious and the Mongolian beef is my favorite! Next time you are in the mood for Chinese food skip PF changs and drive the extra two miles to Chef Ping! You won't regret it!
(5)
Kristy S.
The food was great! It was surprisingly fast, and well made. My group of 6 got fried rice, Kung pao chicken, orange chicken, Mongolian beef, noodles, and soup. We all shared and everyone loved everything. The sharing is a great way to talk to others and enjoy everything everyone wanted. The waitress constantly filled up our drinks, I never sat waiting for my drink to be filled. The place was crowed and we along with the people around us were laughing and having a great time. I would recommend this place if you want to have good Chinese food!
(4)
Claire Y.
A nice Americanized Chinese restaurant. Great dishes (even for someone like me grew up in China and normally hate Americanized chinese food). We ordered pong pong chicken which was supposed to be a spicy dish but it turned to be sweet chicken wings. Hot and sour soup was a bit disappointing, too much pepper. We also got the mushroom dish. It was ok. But it seems a lot of American people love it. I wouldn't mind going back and trying some more legit chinese dish on the menu. And service was really great, they checked in with us often.
(4)
Albert C.
Food is always fresh Must try 1. Pom Pom chicken 2. schezwan eggplant 3. Combination fried rice 4. Walnut shrimp 5. Ping soup 6. It's not on the menu but you can make your own bao with pork belly. I think it's pronounced May-chai-ko-row Service is not always consistent but the food is great
(4)
George H.
Well, we went back again, despite my vow not to (but it took a year and a half to convince me to) - my wife wanted to give them another try. Well, this visit was horrible. The shrimp dumplings were bland and the wrappers were exceedingly gummy. The pork Shu Mai were 'ok'. My daughter tried the egg drop soup and the flavor was off - I can't explain what was odd about it but it wasn't good. My wife had the Noodle platter (again) and it was tasty - it was the one highlight of our meal. This time I had Orange Chicken and the kitchen was able to saute' the chicken rather than deep frying it (yay!) but even though I SPECIFICALLY asked for it to be spicy, it again came out with no heat. My daughter had Pad Thai and it was good, but nothing spectacular. The main reason that bumps this visit down to 1 star (it would have been a two or three) was the service. I cannot fault the waiter this is FULLY on the kitchen. The time between our first entree and our third entree was over 30 minutes. When we pointed out the long wait to the manager, he blew us off and stated that they cook things 'family style' and that we should order things that everyone wants to eat so we can share. I am the customer, DON'T TELL ME HOW I SHOULD ORDER MY FOOD. If we order everything at the same time and all three of us individually order our items with the waiter, everything should be served at the same time. And EVEN IF we wanted to share, we would have wanted to share everything at the same time, not fill up on the first entrees and not eat anything of the third because people were hungry. We did not share our food, we all wanted what we ordered and not share. By the time my daughter's entree came out, my wife and I were done eating. UNFORGIVABLE. WE WILL NOT BE BACK!
(1)
Matthew B.
The food here is pretty damn good, but you need to get the more authentic dishes for the best flavors. If you stick to the "American" Chinese dishes like beef and broccoli or general tso's, you'll be disappointed. For starters, get the Fu Chi Fae Pian. This was hands down the best tripe I'd ever eaten. Not chewy at all and lots of flavor. For the entree I had tried the Szechwan Fish Casserole, another amazing dish. This one can take awhile to prepare and apparently only 1/2 chefs that work there know how to prepare it, so you know that makes it even better. It has that spice in there that makes your mouth feel sort of numb without being overly spicy. Easily the best Chinese good in the burbs.
(4)
Avinash K.
So, had gone for dinner. We had vegetable chicken - which was nothing but fried tofu. If you were expecting it hot, then THINK again, it was cold. Tasted Ok. My friend had fried eggplant with rice, that was pretty good. I had the ping noodles substitued seafood and pork with chicken. I asked for very spicy and it still wasn't as spicy as I wanted. Very friendly service. Just be warned. Food seems pretty good, but if you like spicy food this is not the place. I can safely say CHINESE FOOD is not for me. I gave an extra star just for the service. Will I go there again, most likely NOT. Sorry. FYI: One dish comes in huge quantity, is good enough for two guys to share. So please order one by one. :)
(3)
Francis F.
it came highly recommended as best chinese food restaurant in IL for 2015 based on yelp ratings and reviews. They got us(4 adults,1kid) seated right away. Nice ambience. It was our first time here, so after browsing the menu, we ordered pong pong chicken, salt and pepper squid, walnut shrimp, shrimp in lobster sauce, and combination fried rice. Food was served abt 10-15 mins after we ordered and all were very delicious.Waitress was very attentive and awesome!
(5)
Alma C.
To sum up the Chef Ping vs. Yu's Mandarin debate: people REALLY REALLY REALLY do NOT like change. Especially if they really liked a particular something something yummy, they will yelp and cry and scream about the change because this or that and something or another. Here's my 2 cents on the debate: - Chef Ping has some really good Korean/Chinese food (yu san sil, honey walnut shrimp, ja jang myun). - Yu's has very recently had some really good Chinese food (unidentified noodles that were so kickass that if you were holding them at that time, I may have chewed on your hand accidentally). Note: I too thought Yu's sucked for a long time after the ownership/chef changes. Now I think it's worth another visit (had a bunch of carry-out only can't speak for service). - Both Chef Ping and Yu's have some dishes I don't care for and both can both be very oily at times. My advice on Chef Ping and Yu's: visit both, try everything on their menu, form your own opinion, give peace a chance. Especially since Chef Ping has his own spot now, it's not like he's disappearing anytime soon. At least you better not Chef Ping. You almost gave me a heart attack when you and consequently my honey walnut shrimp disappeared at Yu's with no warning or explanation. Now that was just mean (I told you people don't like change).
(4)
Ben K.
This place has the best Korean-Chinese food in Chicago and possibly Korea and China. You can tell that a restaurant is good when there is always a line out the door when you arrive (You can make reservations with parties of 6 or greater). Sometimes when I eat at Chef Pings, my food tastes saltier during the course of the meal because my tears of happiness fall into the food (that was a joke, Chef Ping food is not salty it is perfect). Chef Ping noodle dishes are second-to-none and here are the best ones: 1) Ping's Noodle Platter (lazomyun) 2) Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jajangmyun) 3) Ping's Noodle Soup (jiambong). Here are some non-noodle notable mentions: Pong Pong Chicken and Mongolian Beef One of my favorite waitresses works here too. During one of my first times visiting, after my meal I was mixing some rice in the black bean sauce (jajang) that comes with the Noodles in Black Bean Sauce dish (jajangmyun) and eating it. When the waitress saw me doing that, she gave me a container filled with black bean sauce (jajang) to take home and I didn't even ask for it! Don't ask them for a container filled with black bean sauce to take home now because they won't give it to you, but that one time she gave it to me I cried a little. Interesting fact: everyone that works here speaks at least three languages.
(5)
Jack B.
This place is so disoganised, I'm surprised people just don't walk out and leave , regardless of the raves , if the services is bad the food tends to taste bad too..
(1)
Andrea R.
I've been looking for good Chinese food in Chicagoland for the past decade or so. The good news is that I (finally) found it. The bad news is that it's 30-45 minutes from my house, but those who live in Chef Ping's hood should consider themselves lucky. Based on the Friday lunch crowd word is out about their tasty & affordable lunches. At Nicole W's suggestion I went w/ the seafood and pork noodles, but asked them to hold the pork. Each meal comes with soup or a salad. For once it was too hot for soup so I went the salad route, which made it's way to my table literally 3 seconds after I ordered it. The salad wasn't anything exciting, but that just meant more room for my incredible noodles. And yes, the noodles were incredible. The portion was also large enough for 3 people and it was impossible to stop eating it. I'm getting full again just thinking about it. One of my dining companions ordered the orange chicken, which appeared to be equally delicious. And like all good Chinese restaurants they delivered fortune cookies with the bill, which by the way was only $30 for 3 of us. My fortune cookie basically told me I'll be a billionaire one day. When that day comes perhaps I can open a Chef Ping closer to my house.
(5)
Dorothy P.
I really need to stop hyping places just because of peer pressure. My hubs wanted Chinese and was all set to order from our favorite local place, but nooooo, I suggested Chef Ping because everyone around the office was talking about how awesome they are. Now, I'll try anything once, so I talked him into letting me pick up dinner. I even scoured the Yelp reviews for what to order. The consensus was Ping's Noodle Platter and GanPong Chicken. We were amply warned that the eggrolls were junk, but since my hungrier half is a sucker for eggrolls, we ordered them anyways. Pickup took 30 minutes, which was alright by me. I figured they'd be worth the wait. When I walked into the restaurant, it was buzzing. There was a wait on a Thursday night, which I thought was a good sign. I picked up the food and made my way home, salivating the entire way. Now, in Chef Ping's defense, it was a 40 minute trek home, and by the time I got there, everything had cooled down. The eggrolls are JUNK. I appreciate the skinny style egg roll in a wonton wrapper normally; this is the typical style that most Vietnamese restaurants (including my aunt's) carry. The filling was ridiculously tastless and sparsely filled. Dare I say that the restaurant supplied stock sweet & sour sauce packets made them taste worse? I'm not sure how, but they did. We were warned. I will pass that warning on. DO.NOT.GET.THE.EGGROLLS. Everyone was singing the praises of the Ping's Noodles. Did we get the same thing? The noodles reminded me of linguine that was WAY overcooked. Now, I don't mind squishy noodles, but the texture was just off on this whole dish. It also smelled of old, not so fresh seafood...The mix of seafood in it was interesting and included squid, calamari (?), and shrimp. I believe there was also supposed to be pork in it, but I never saw it. I did like what spices I could taste, and the dish had a nice amount of heat. The dish that I was most interested to try was the GanPong chicken because I had never heard of it before, and it sounded interesting. The dish itself was just a tub of fried chicken coated in a sweet/spicy/garlicky sauce with bits of carrot and green pepper mixed in for justification (it's got veggies, so it's healthy, right?). The problem is that by the time I got it home, the sauce had been so absorbed into the chicken pieces that it was dry. Now I'm not sure if the sauce is sparse to begin with, so I can't exactly give it a fair assessment. The flavor was decent, I will give it that. I'm torn. The dishes at Chef Ping aren't exactly cheap (the least expensive meat dish will cost you over $10). I feel like maybe we missed out on the full experience since we got takeout, but I'm not sure I want to try it again. I guess if my coworkers dragged me back here, I'd give it another go, but I doubt I'll be back on my own.
(2)
Lily L.
Tried this place on a Sunday, packed! It didn't take very long to get a table though. Fell in love with this place the second I had my appetizer. It's the best I've ever had in Chicago area, and yes I tried everywhere. The long drive was so worth it.
(5)
Susan S.
Hot and sour had good flavor, short on ingredients. Sake was brought to the table in a teapot of warm water but sake was cold. Had the garlic chicken was too salty asked them to remake it still salty . Needed balance added a little sugar even it out. Egg roll was sparse and tasteless. Noodle with onion shrimp and pork was tasty oodles where nice texture but really didn't see the proteins . Would I go back ? Probably not.
(3)
Gerry A.
Lunch review updated and clearly slipping. After many alternating lunches at Yu's and Chef Ping's I have to give the lunch nod CLEARLY to Yu's and Ichef. I am a longtime friend of Tong's ( as in ACROSS the street on Golf :~) but it is hard to believe that anyone could have been able to put together a ruder lunch server group than Chef Ping's. They make Yu's servers look like the friendliest in town, and by comparison they are. Yu's lunch menu is MUCH bigger and their hot and sour is much richer and peppery, with meat AND baby shrimp, what a concept. Every time I come in by myself I have to fight for any kind of a decent seat as a single instead of the wobbly napkin leveled table they give to other roundeyes. Tong is not there at lunch and it really shows. Try them both for lunch, you'll see. Yu's will actually take your order until 3. You get attitude at Chef Ping's at 2:15. They don't need your money. Try IChef on the other end of Alqonguin in Schaumburg if you want easy parking, friendly service, and a larger more flavorful menu.
(3)
Jui-Yang H.
Very nice Chinese restaurant, more like my mom's cooking. Taiwan/Chinese style. Must order a dish (forgot the English name) eight ingredient vegetable. It is seafood with Curly flower and sea cucumber. Kong pong chicken also good.
(5)
Nate C.
Hands down best Chinese place in the area. Everything is very high quality...My favorites include the Curries, and the shrimp toast.
(5)
Sung Y.
Chef Pings is one of the best Chinese/Korean restaurants in the Chicagoland area. Coming with a group of folks and eating family style is the best way to enjoy many of the wonderful dishes they have on the menu. On this visit we ordered the chef ping wings, honey walnut shrimp, sweet and sour pork, yang jang pi, jjampong, and jjajang myun. All dishes were excellent! Will return again and again!
(5)
Angelica C.
We ordered the below dishes: Pineapple fried rice Chicken wings (MUST ORDER, phenomenal!!!) Baby Bok Choy Seafood Peking Noodle Mongolian Beef (highly recommended) Mao Po Tofu (ehh) Crab Rangoon (call me Americanized, but I love these nonetheless) Celebrated my 30th birthday here with my entire immediate family of 13. Since our party was so large we had to sit at two tables, but not a big deal. They did honor our reservation time, which I truly did appreciate as the 40 min hike from the city had my stomach growling. The chef did walk around and greet customers- a nice personal touch. We normally eat at the Malaysian restaurant down the street (ahem), but wanted to try something different this time and we fell in love immediately!
(5)
Madison L.
The salty egg yolk crab is my favorite; it is incredibly fresh and delicious. All the dishes are quite appetizing, but this is by far my favorite. This is not something I find at every Chinese restaurant and I would definitely come back and bring family and friends. There seems to always be a wait; so if you are in a hurry - this is not the place. The parking lot is packed and the restaurant is always filled up. Chef Pings is a pretty popular & happening place Saturday nights!
(5)
Al S.
My first visit to Chef Ping was Saturday Jan. 10, 2015. I grew up in Chicago's Chinatown so I fancy myself as having somewhat more experience with the cuisine than the average bear. It looked like a feeding frenzy was happening in both the parking lot and inside the restaurant. Positive signs. If you're in a hurry to dine and dash you'd be better off with carryout, as was my transaction . The front door was packed with people waiting to dine. Since it was my first experience with Chef Ping, my order included a sampling of the menu: egg rolls, shrimp dumplings, fried rice, and crab Rangoons. Overall, I was satisfied but I was not overwhelmed. The egg rolls were oily, the Rangoon filling just ok, shrimp dumplings bland, and the fried rice fair. I may give Ping another chance, maybe I will be more impressed with menu items with actual seasoning, spice and more flavor.
(3)
Krishna C P.
I was introduced to this place by my central american friends. And they had hyped it up for me throughout the 40 min drive from Lincoln park. We ordered a few Chinese dishes which were good, almost comparable to the Chinatown restaurants. In my mind I was still thinking what the fuss was about. And then came the dish that blew me away.. BLACK BEAN CLAMS . there are no words to describe it .The flavors are amazing and once on the palate ,it all comes together. since then I have visited this restaurant eveytime I have been in the area and ate a full serving of the clams by myself. The place is almost always packed. Service and ambience , is much better than a regular Chinese place. I am giving it 5 for the black bean clams ,go try them.
(5)
Sue T.
If you're headed here for lunch, come early or you'll have a tough time finding a parking spot and you'll stand in line. This is a popular place for a good reason. The great selection of lunch specials come with choice of egg drop or hot & sour soup or salad, rice, egg roll and crunchy won-ton. My favorite is the Mandarin trio - beef, chicken *and* shrimp with veggies in a savory dark gravy. No decisions to make; I get everything on one plate. Fast service and reasonable prices.
(4)
David W.
This place is the bomb. Went with around 10 people and got to order around 10 different dishes. Everything we ordered was excellent, people's personal favorites were the "fried chicken" pong pong chicken. I personally enjoyed the salt and pepper squid. Definitely get a reservation, this place is packed until probably 8pm. We called a day in advance and couldnt get in until 8
(5)
Andrew K.
I really enjoy this place and try to come here as often as I can. I like how the tables are served including the complimentary hot tea which is pretty good. Every dish I've tried here was very good. But some of them like Spicy Shrimp, seafood noodles and etc. are exceptional! This is the best Chinese cuisine place I have been to in Chicago and this includes best restaurants in Chinatown. The waiting stuff is very friendly and attentive. Overall this place is always a great experience and good prices on dishes and alcoholic beverages. The only downside (and this doesn't affect my 5 star score) that this place is hard to get into, it is usually packed so I try to go in not popular hours, like early dinner or lunch.
(5)
Ryan O.
If I could rate this 6 stars , I would! Such incredible food and it is impossible to order something that isn't tasty. Service is always great, the place is always busy (the first sign its a hot spot) and the taste is always second to none. This is treasure of a spot and and the go-to when I need something to eat out
(5)
Melanie D.
Love this place! My favorite item on the menu is the Chef Ping soup. It's perfectly spiced! I also enjoy their summer salad and lollipop chicken. I wish there was more seating, it's a bit crowded. On the plus side though, there is a small area that's secluded that you can reserve for a party. I don't like that when you leave, the smell of oil lingers on your clothes, but I guess that's true of any Chinese place you go to. The servers are all very friendly and accommodating! My son has allergies and each time we've been there, it wasn't a problem at all. Making reservations is easy :) The parking lot is tiny! I wish they would expand!
(4)
Michael G.
The best place for noodle soup. Authenic and delicious ! The place is packed all the time, and the wait is worth it ! If you order " Take out " , add 15 minutes onto the time they tell you it will be ready. Food is excellent, the servers and the hostess are overwhelmed because it is so busy. Hostess can be less than friendly.
(5)
Brian L.
First of all I am not giving three stars because of the food. I personally love the food especially the Three Treasures Delight. I do have a problem with the service though. I usually go during dinner time, and within that time we would have to wait half an hour up to hour and a half. In those days, when I go in, we would have to give them my name and the approximate wait time to get to my table. One instance that I keep remembering is that while waiting 45 minutes in, the lady at the podium called my name. Then she said "just checking to see if you were here" and I had to wait another 30 minutes to actually get seated. I don't know if she understands that me and my party were hungry and we do not need to get our hopes up when our name is called only to say "just checking" Another annoyance is that the waiters/waitresses seem to always rush you into ordering. I suggest knowing the menu beforehand before you order. While they do seem to know when you need a refill and usually come to ask if everything is okay, rushing someone when they are thinking about what else to order is very stressful.
(3)
Kevin B.
Four of us stopped in for dinner before a concert at the Allstate arena. I'm glad that we went there 2 1/2 hours before our show because the place was packed and never did slow down. They don't take reservations so you have to go and plan to wait. The food was good and the portions were large and very "shareable".
(4)
Pablosso P.
Definitely, this is one of the best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. I don't want to write too many words blah, blah, about their dishes, how they are exceptionally cooked, about their high quality and taste etc etc, all what you need is just to come and try their dishes. This time we decided to order only sea food and vegetable dishes (because of religious fasting). So, we had mushroom. Mushroom with tofu - very tender and Yum! Thai curry shrimp with bamboo shoots- orgasmic, must try, super Yum! Flat noodles with seafood and vegetables (don't know it's name)- very tasty, tender and delicious - love it! Sea food mixture- "U San Su" (not sure about spelling) with sea cucumber (the Oriental delicacy and dainty).
(5)
Bob R.
The last time we went to Chef Ping was a number of years ago we went there for a party. We remember the food was really good so when my son and I were thinking about where to go, Chef Ping came to mind. It's located on the edge of Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg at just east of Algonquin and Wilke. For us, it's pretty convenient and we've talked about going back there for a long time. There is a very diverse clientele there which typically means to me that it satisfies a wide variety of people. The restaurant itself if very modern looking. But, the layout still reminds me of the Baker's Square Restaurant that used to inhabit the space. They have done a really nice job of redecorating, though, and making the feel much more exotic. Service was a little slow, but the server was quite pleasant. Since the menu is more exotic than most of the Chinese restaurants in the area, we asked lots of questions. She was very patient with us and asked as many questions about what we liked as we asked of her. We settled on an order of steamed pot stickers for an appetizer followed by "Chef Ping Noodles" and an order of twice cooked pork. The pot stickers were fresh - served in the steamer and were served with the traditional pot sticker sauce and chili sauce. The added spiciness added a lot. While I would classify the twice cooked pork as average, the noodles were outstanding. We later learned that the original chef from Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg, the one who made them famous for their hand stretched noodles, was at Chef Pings now. There was a wide variety of vegetables, pork and a number of kinds of shellfish with the noodles. It really was garlicky and scrumptious. Our meal ended up with the traditional fortune cookie. Interestingly, my son and I both had the same fortune - it was something about not having to worry about the future. That was a nice way to end the meal.
(4)
Chris G.
Chef Pings is probably the best Chinese in Chicago. Not quite the same as on the coasts but still very good. Portions are large and food is good quality. The restaurant is also very clean which is a nice plus.
(4)
Susan B.
Stayed a long 5 days in Woodale, IL. Ate nasty food for 2 days and then found Mr. PINGS. EUREKA! FINALLY DECENT FOOD! We ordered jjajamgmyin (black bean noodle), fried eggplant, spicy green, beans, Chilean bass, mapo tofu, and topped it all over our rice. Let's start with the jjajangmyun.... Handmade noodles were delicious. Black bean sauce was perfect. I could have gobbled down the whole bowl in 5 minutes. Fried eggplant. Seriously doesn't sound appetizing but was shoot good. Perfect blend of garlicky spicy.... Crispy... So flavorful. A must have. Spicy green bean. Decent. Nothing special. Chilean sea bass and the house tofu. Both top notch. Service was pretty good too. Never went low on water and they even brought us extra rice. This place saved me when I was low. Made me happy for 2 hours.
(4)
Rebecca C.
This is hands down the best place to come for Chinese food. You will never go to P.F. Chang's or anything American style again. The portions here are overwhelming. We went our first time ordering a meal each and over did it, because we did not know how much food each one would have. Lesson learned but our bill was just at $50 for all of that food. Since then we have been back weekly and have tried the sesame chicken, sweet and sour chicken, salt and pepper shrimp, general Tso's chicken, shrimp fried rice, and shrimp egg rolls. Upon sitting, they bring you a teapot full of hot tea. Nice! The staff is very friendly and helpful. This is worth the hour drive from Chicago to come here and dine.
(5)
Jim H.
If you want to just go to another Yu"s, and are a fan of efficiency, this is a good place for you. The food is somewhat unimaginative, at least at lunch, and the choices are limited.but if you were looking for quick Chinese this is a good a place as any.
(3)
Min S.
Food is good however be careful when picking up carry out orders. Chef Ping has more than once messed up/mixed up with another carry out order. I ended up getting home and had someone else's dinner in my possession (stuff I'd never order- fried sweetened meat is not good in general.) The restaurant needs to train the staff to better manage orders and communicate from answering phones and putting the right ticket on carry out bags. Customer service and attention to detail is lacking in this regard
(2)
Amstaff Y.
Believe the hype, this place is amazing. Epic pong pong wings, noodle dishes, great service and good value.
(5)
Erick P.
I love Chef Ping, the food is excellent except it is ALWAYS packed. If you are hungry and want a quick Chinese place, this is not the place for you. Is the food worth the wait? Yes
(4)
Johana K.
Good food and great service. Celebrated my birthday here with my husband. Ordered pong pong chicken and mushroom tofu. It was delicious! Will definitely come back again.
(5)
Wally M.
We came early, about 5:00. We were seated right away. Right from the start the place gave off good vibes. Friendly hostess, more than half of the patrons were Oriental. Tea right away. Typical "hard to choose from" because it all sounds good type of menus. The boss going around making sure you were happy. We had fried pot stickers to start, wife had Dragon and Phoenix (Chicken and shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms) I had Spicy noodles with vegetables of which I asked for extra spicy. My dish was wonderful and just as spicy as I had ordered. (The noodles were made in house). Because of the mushrooms in my wife's dish and the size of the shrimp, she said she liked it better than Yu's where we usually go. We will be going back! Maybe it was because it was early, but the noise level was low enough that we could carry on a normal conversation. Generally not the case in Yu's Price for the two of us was $32 plus 6 tip. Cons:..... my fortune cookie said I'd have a visitor. . . . . . . I didn't.
(4)
Seth M.
Excellent menu with really great sauces used on all dishes. This place is a real gem. Price is also extremely affordable. Would recommend the kung pao, garlic chicken, hunan chicken, and sesame chicken. Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu
(4)
Devin W.
After living in China I'm always on the search for a Chinese restaurant that serves real chinese food. Look no further. Everything I've had here is really tasty. Must Go!
(5)
Mancow M.
Hate the wait- love the food. PING IS THE THING when it comes to Asian chow chow. The fact that it's packed w/ Asians doesn't impress me. I kept hearing this from my friends like that would impress me. Having traveled the Orient, the fact that a restaurant (in America) is packed with Asians doesn't signify much. There's a waiting list to get into Japan's KFC. No joke. Having been to China I know they eat EVERYTHING and anything and proud of it. Stuff I wouldn't step in they eat. Their table manners by our standards are rather base too. Lots of slurping and sucking and disgusting noises. They aren't as picky as say the French. HAHA! I ordered as follows: House salad w/ ginger La Jiao Myun (exotic noodle bowl) Pong pong chicken!!!!!! Gon Pow scallops Birds nest shrimp (This was made especially for me and is their best item. It's known as "WALNUT chicken" usually when it doesn't have the deep fried noodle "nest" bowl. The bowl isn't needed however so don't sweat it if they don't make it my way.) Beef Pot (Its a collision of exotic flavors. Adventuresome eaters will thrill to this dish!) It was the greatest food of its kind. The dining room is charmless. The staff does their best to make a cramped uncomfortable waiting area as painless as possible. Management seems on top of the staff and tables. They WORK! The wait is uncomfortable but but but THE FOOD is great! The egg rolls are tiny and lousy. But everything is so reasonably priced that if you choose a dish you don't like it's no big deal. Take some chances here and make some palate advances.
(4)
Georgene M.
This is an amazing restaurant. The only downside is that there is almost always a wait, but it is definitely worth it!! The staff here is also very kind.
(5)
Aimi W.
Fusian style restaurant, yet they also have authentic homestyle chinese dishes. They have korean chinese food such as jjajangmyun and and jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup). A large number of diners are korean. I highly recommend trying the summer salad if you are into authentic chinese food. The name of the dish doesn't do it justice. It is a large dish that is enough for 2-3 people and far from just a salad. Its a mixture of wasabi based sauce with flat soy noodles, baby shrimps, squid, beef, and vegetables. Partially hot, partially cold, this unique dish is a multi-dimensional taste experience.
(5)
Lindsey C.
I have come here for both lunch and dinner. Definitely a better deal for lunch with their lunch specials. My favorite dish is the Seafood noodle soup. Noodles are perfectly cooked and the broth is very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. Lots of seafood in the dish. Very satisfying.
(4)
Rob W.
A strong 4 stars - practically a 5 and future visits might take it there if things go as well as my first visit. Went there for lunch on a Thursday around 11:45 - the place was already packed. Fortunately there was a spot at the bar open, so I was sat immediately. I ordered Mongolian Beef which is a favorite of mine when eating at Chinese restaurants. Great way for me to compare a place to others and this one did not disappoint! For $7.75 you get a fried won ton (garnish as much as anything else), a small, but tasty eggroll, a scoop of lightly fried rice and a healthy portion of flavorful Mongolian Beef. Just the right amount of oil used too - no residue at all. I was really impressed. While I probably could have asked for some, no sauce was offered for the eggroll. Service was prompt and attentive - especially considering how busy they were. Prices are a tad higher than a lot of Chinese restaurants, but this place is a little more upscale than most, so no surprise. Definitely worth a return trip for dinner - hopefully at a table so I can see if the service measures up as well as it did at the bar for lunch.
(4)
M S.
We absolutely love the food at Chef Ping! Order any noodle dish and you won't be disappointed. Drinks are stiff and there is warm tea at every table. The food comes out piping hot! Sesame chicken is to die for. As a person who doesn't like seafood, The vegetable egg rolls are a delicious treat. You know it is good food when the restaurant is full of Asian customers. Expect to wait for a table, though. And, unfortunately on every one of our dine in experiences, we are usually forgotten about by the waiters because we are not Asian. We will return, because the food is that good!
(4)
Jason K.
Their cooking was good as usual. But ingredients were not fresh. Unusually not fresh than any other days we had before. Today's bad ingredients are chicken, shrimp, If u see this today then u wanna avoid them. And we can't come back here often as we did.
(2)
Richard L.
Considering myself a bit of an aficionado for Chinese food, I believe Chef Ping is the best in Chicagoland. Chef Ping is actually owned by the son of a Korean man who had a much larger and successful Chinese restaurant in Schaumburg for years but then closed it down due to retirement. We're lucky his son has carried on the family business. The quality of the food has no comparison in Chicago, with great prices befitting its suburban location. Our favorites: 1) Crispy spicy eggplant 2) Salt & pepper shrimp Note: There is a long wait on weekend evenings, up to an hour at peak time.
(5)
Jennifer S.
Awww yeah...it is that good! Yelpers, you rarely lead me astray. Chef Ping's was quoted as being better than Yu's and I have to agree. Chef Ping did everything right from the word GO! Upon our arrival for a mid-week visit, we were promptly greeted and immediately seated. The gentleman who brought the hot tea said it was decaf when I asked and this is the only area that I wasn't sure about. He didn't even think about his answer and I have yet to visit a restaurant serving decaf hot tea. So, maybe I was lucky and Chef Ping's really is skipping out on the caffeine or maybe he was fibbing. I'll never know. I had one tiny cup just in case he was fibbing. We ordered pan fried potstickers and egg rolls. I often order an egg roll at a new-to-me Chinese restaurant to get an initial feel for what to expect. The egg roll was good, but didn't blow me away. The potstickers DID impress me and the sauce left me wishing this was an Italian restaurant where I could soak up the extra on my plate with a piece of crusty bread. I mixed both dipping sauces together. Oh yum! We ordered the combination fried rice to split, Kung pao chicken and the old family shrimp recipe. The combo fried rice was loaded with giant shrimp, white meat chicken and chunk of ham. It was flavorful and filling. I had one bite of the Kung pao chicken - delicious, but I didn't want to fill up. Instead, I munched on the old family recipe shrimp. Light crisp breading coated large shrimp and then seemed to be quickly wok tossed in a sweet and garlicky sauce. I am proud to report that I only ate a portion of this entree. It took self-restraint and perhaps it was a good thing that the service was really spot-on because I had our server wrap my leftovers before I could eat them! ;-) It's a welcoming restaurant with excellent quality and attentive service. I'll be back soon without a doubt!
(5)
Laura C.
Chef Ping is authentic asian cuisine at its finest. The restaurant covers several types of cuisine from Korean to Szechaun. All very good. We have dined there twice and am looking forward to the next time. In this day and age when it is so easy to call in an order and go pick it up (They offer this service too) Its always nice to eat in. Service is ultra efficient and the restaurant is always packed. Look around you. Everyone goes to Chef Ping. If you are in the area, I hope you will try it. Be extra observant of the hours. They are closed for lunch.
(4)
arlene c.
Best Chinese restaurant in the suburbs, I drive 25 minutes to this place one way. I think it's worth it you can't go wrong everything is good.
(5)
Ãle S.
made mother's day reservation for 13 people. reconfirmed reservation twice on the day of the reservation before going to the restaurant. somehow we weren't on the reservation list when we all got there after a half hour drive. And 13 people left with great frustration and disappointment. I wish I could give 0 stars.
(1)
Jenny O.
I can't believe I'm posting a review this late after coming here for years. My family and I eat here religiously almost every Saturday. Also, I should mention that the owners worked at Yu's back when the food used to be good, and we went there all the time ever since I was a kid. I actually like Chef Ping better than the old Yu's. It's very clean, and the service is good. Also, the owners are absolute sweethearts. My favorite dish here is the Chef Ping Wings. It might actually be my all-time favorite wings... It's very flavorful and perfectly crispy without being too greasy. My other favorite dish is the Noodle Platter. It always has plenty of veggies, meat, and seafood, and the noodles are cooked so well. The prices are very reasonable here, and I honestly don't think you can find better Chinese food in the Chicagoland area.
(5)
Jaewoo C.
Really good food. Not too oily, which is something I look for when I go out to eat Chinese food. Was worth the drive from North chicagoland
(5)
Jin H.
So this happened yesterday. I arrived at the restaurant and see their lunch hours ends at 2:30pm I was standing inside the restaurant and saw the clock it was 2:25pm I found it little odd, because when was the last time you saw lunch hour end at 2:30pm? In the middle of the hours. But anyway, I said to myself, phew~ I guess I made it. I stood by the counter waiting for a host to get me a table. There were people counting money by the bar, who saw me but didn't initiate to come help. I made eye contact with couple waiter and waitresses, but no one came by me still. It was now 2:36pm. A hostess came out of from what seems to be kitchen, didn't say two word. "Pick-up?" I thought that was rude to begin with. But I was amazed what comes after. I said, "No, there are two of us". Then she replied, "Sorry we closed", and went about her things and didn't even look back. I was looking at her back, with shock and amaze. Now, this might not come to you as a surprise if you weren't there. But to explain myself. I got into the restaurant before the lunch hour ended. I didn't even know that meant the whole restaurant was closing. Despite the effort to get some help for over a ten minutes, which by then, I was mad as it was, they made me stand there like an idiot. Now I'm thinking if they were all counting down the clock... To top that off, this lady did not welcome the customer or what so ever, nearly kicks me out because she "thinks" I'm 6 min late. It was first time visiting this restaurant, I was just in utter shock rude all the people were. No one cared to come over and explain I've standing there over ten minutes.... I didn't even want to waste a second of my time, arguing. For me, service matter a lot. I don't care if that have the best dish in the whole world. If I know I'm going to be walking out with disturbed by the service, I'm never going there. I can assure you, you will not enjoy visit, unless you are there strictly to feed yourself from starving. Or need some extra drama in your life. Most definitely, do NOT go with your date. You might end up fighting. I would rather go to place I can enjoy and feel comfortable; even if the taste is arguable. Honestly, I don't even care how the food is at this place. I know I'm not going back to this restaurant ever again.
(1)
James L.
The reviews speak for themselves. I am definitely a fan of Chef Ping. My rating is based on overall dining experience. Food - 5 Stars hands down. For Chinese dining, this place has the highest quality food in my opinion (and several of my friends opinions as well, we often go in groups of 6-10 here). Some of my favorite dishes (if you're not korean/chinese, just try to sound these out like they're spelled and a waiter/waitress will most likely pick up on what you are trying to say): -"Wong Jong Pee" (tried to translate to english as best as I could haha) - this is a thin noodle platter (jelly noodles) with sauce that resembles spicy mustard undertones (but not too strong unless you drench the foot in it). This is probably my favorite dish here! Your server will mix this for you and of is it delicious! -Honey Walnut Shrimp - guilty pleasure of mine here. The sauce is a little thick, but the shrimp is cooked very tenderly and is overall, an awesome dish. -Double Fried String Beans - never have vegetables tasted this good. Very delicious, especially if you like string beans -"PONG PONG Chicken" - this is a very solid dish and you may not find it on the menu easily. This comes as a pretty decent serving of chicken marinated in a sweet sauce, and served on a bone. -"Tang-See-Yook" - kind of a like a sweet and sour chicken, but not the sweet and sour red sauce. Very good pork dish! -Jam Pong - very good, one of their staple dishes (for a noodle platter) The customer service is probably right around 3 stars. They don't stand out for being good or bad. The food comes out at a decent time and they will check on you from time to time. Servers can be hit or miss, but I have never run into a dine-in here with an absolutely terrible server. Definitely recommend!
(4)
Arnold K.
A family outing experience led us to Chef Ping's. We arrived around 1pm on a weekend. There was a short wait in which during this time I took the opportunity to take a look around. What I found was a room full of people of asian decent. That's a good sign in my book. We ordered several dishes, all of which were very good. My favorite was the Spicy Beef Stew (which requires a bit more time than most), which seemed to be the most authentic. Definitely go, expect a short wait, and the food to come out fast (except for the previously noted).
(4)
Ryne D.
You'll notice that 90% of the reviews here mention Yu's Mandarin. For DECADES, Yu's was the place to go for Chinese food in the northwest burbs. When I was growing up, my parents would take out-of-town visitors there for lunch. Whenever I visit my Lola (grandma), this is where we would go. But then...new ownership tanked the place. If you look at Yu's on Yelp, it has a decent rating, but you'll also see many people scorned by the place they used to love. I am no different. When I heard rumor that the previous owners of Yu's had opened Ping, I had to try it, with my grandma of course. For her birthday too, so my sister and I were praying that we had made a good choice. We had. Food came out almost shockingly fast. The noodles here were just as we remembered them at the old Yu's. Firm, oily (but not too much), and full of seafood. Not to say they don't have their own tricks - I don't remember Yu's having delicious fried chicken lollipops, but they do here. Most of all though, it got grandma's seal of approval. The only thing I'd recommend against would be the salt and pepper tofu - you only get a few pieces and it's not really worth the price. It's only 10 minutes from Yu's. There's no reason to go there over here. Thanks Chef Ping!
I have been wanted to come here since they opened a few years ago. Finally we grouped 15 people and made the reservation on the Christmas Eve. It was a smart move to make a reservation before hand. The parking lot was packed and people were lining up for tables in a tiny waiting area. We also made the pre-order of Dragon Hair Fish and Seafood with Steamed Egg. Of course ordered more dishes when we were sat down. Too many dishes actually. Well All of them were really good. There are a few of them really stood out. Let's start with the cold dish - Summer salad. It is mix between flat bean noodles with all kinds of stuff, beef slices, egg slices, and veggies. It is a bit spicy due to the yellow mustard. Fresh, tasty and a bit spicy. It was different and really refreshing. Amongst the hot dishes, Sea Cucumber with Fatty Pork and Dragon Hair Fish were the winners. One was heavy flavored with soy sauce and Fish was light and refreshing. Both were delicious. The Spicy Seafood Noodles is a dish with Korean influence. I have eaten this dish a lot in a few other restaurants. When the dish is cooked right, it has a indescribable taste from right amount of hot pepper power and seafood. Chef Ping did a great job on this. It was just right. The services were super quick and friendly. I was almost amazed how quick they served us with our dishes even the whole place was fully packed. Definitely worth the drive to there again soon. My friend told me their spicy dishes were pretty good too which we didn't get the chance to try this time.
(5)
Nicole W.
Too legit. Too legit to quit. Yeah, I pulled out some Hammer Time (sans parachute pants) at Chef Ping. The food is awesome and thus I had a hard time stopping myself from eating multiple dishes in one sitting. If you've been a Chicago suburban dweller for some time, it' Yu's circa 1999, when the gettin' was good. But Chef Ping now takes home the authentic Chinese cake for me...! Beyond the (frighteningly) fast service, Chef Ping is clean, modern and hosts a menu with a cornucopia of tasty Chinese and Asian eats. I tried the potstickers, crab rangoon, Ping's noodle platter and szechuan prawns. All were incredibly fresh and on point and it's definitely worth noting that both prices and portions were comparable for authentic Asian eats in the area. Go to Chef Ping. Go now.
(5)
Krista G.
This place is always busy. Service is subpar if you go during their prime time hours usually lunch time til 8:30 pm. The food is good depending on the day you go. I've had some amazing meals at chef ping and I've had some bland meals as well. I'm guessing different chefs and cooks prepare differently? The Sapporo is cheap compared to other restaurants which is a plus. When it's busy and the food takes 30+ minutes those sapporros help with the eagerness of the wait.
(3)
Jennifer Z.
I've come here quite a few times over the year whenever we are in the area. It's extremely well managed- very modern in decorations and decent size establishment. Every time we've stopped by- there's either been a wait for a table or it's been rather full. Business seems to be great for them so definitely call ahead if possible (I always seem to forget..) Also a side note: they're closed on Mondays and while I know that- I've definitely stopped by many a times then to find it closed! Some of my favorite dishes: 1) Salty Egg Yolk Crab - I'm not even a fan of seafood...let alone crab, but this dish is quite a spectacular combination as the salty egg yolk truly brings out the tenderness and flavor from the crab. Even the crab shell is delicious! 2) Pong Pong Chicken - the chicken wings are spicy and tangy dripping with a sweet, spicy and sour sauce that's delicious. 3) Home Style Toss - a great stir fry that's very comfort-food esque and authentic in both flavor and taste. 4) Noodles!! All of their noodles are fantastic,but my personal favorite is the Noodle in Black Bean Sauce which is dry and has no soup to it. Even though this dish is commonly popular dish in Korean, I believe it's origins are actually from Beijing, China. In Chinese cuisine, it's made slightly different from it's Korean version and Ping's makes it to perfection! My family's big on seafood so their top picks would be the Ping's Noodle Soup and Seafood Noodle Soup. Definitely worth stopping by if you're ever in the area. Some very innovative and creative Chinese food with authentic and delicious taste!
(4)
Anthony M.
We have gone to literally dozens of Chinese restaurants over the last 40 years and I sincerely mean that this is the absolute best. The menu has both authentic chinese cuisine and also menu items that would appeal to those familiar witht the stock and trade selections. The staff has always been pleasant and accommodating. When ever I go to an ethic restaurant I look to see how many people from that country are in the establishment. Chef Ping enjoys quite a Chinese following as well as people who are not. We love the steamed dumplings, egg rolls, aged tofu and pork, sesame chicken, shrimp , chicken and vegetables, the combination fried rice and more. There are more items on the dinner menu than the lunch menu, but the latter has more than enough choices for the average consumer. Tony M
(5)
Terri J.
Chef Ping has the best Chinese food in the area. This is the family that used to own Yu's back when Yu's was the best Chinese food in the area. Yu's has gone downhill, but thank God Chef Ping opened up. Their crab rangoons are very good, but a bit unusual (mustardy kind of taste). The lemon chicken and sweet n sour chicken are excellent. Other family members love the eggplant and beef selections. It's our go-to Chinese carry-out place. Luckily for us it's super close. Add a trip to Oberweis (next door) and it makes for the perfect meal. Carry-out service is best if you use their online ordering tool as we've had incorrect orders when placed over the phone. Overall - a great carry out experience!
(5)
Gail D.
One of the best fresh Chinese food in town! Not greasy at all! Staff is super friendly. Has lots of options. From the typical Chinese favs to the more eclectic not your average dishes. I crave this place at least once a month!
(5)
Marcus O.
This was an excellent experience. First off the food was top notch. I started with egg drop soup which was very good. For the main entree I had Ping's Noodle Platter which were probably the best asian noodles that I've ever had. The service was amazing as the staff was very attentive. I can't wait to go here again and would highly recommend!
(5)
Jenny C.
So my review is purely on the basis of placing an order by phone. This reflects nothing about the food because the food is definitely a solid 4.5/5. First a little background set-up: I was ordering on behalf of my coworkers for lunch. Their online ordering menu was down for some unknown reason which was totally fine. I understood that there are glitches so I was more than happy to call and just ask for the information instead. So, since I was trying to order from the lunch menu yet the lunch menu was not available for viewing at all, I needed to call to see what was available. I called and asked if there were any shrimp options on the lunch menu (mind you I was very friendly and was not at all being difficult about the online menu situation). She listed them and I needed to ask my co-workers (since we didn't know what our options were before) which of the three options they wanted. I asked for just a minute to confirm with my coworkers and then the attitude starts. The hostess or whoever answered the phone was not so subtly ticked off that I needed less than 5 secs to confirm which option we wanted. Then I ordered ganpoong shrimp instead of kung pao shrimp (I accidentally mixed up the words). So imagine my confusion when she said that was going to come from the dinner menu. I asked why when that was the option and the rudeness continued with her response of, "I already told you kung pao shrimp was lunch menu not ganpoong". The conversation ended very awkwardly as I was a little caught off guard at her rudeness. Honestly, I understand it is hectic when it is lunch time. However, I don't think I was being overly demanding, rude, or ridiculous. I wasn't taking my time thinking about the options and I mistakenly mixed up two confusing words . (Try saying each really fast...) But I don't think that permits rudeness from the person taking the order. Overall, it definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth with their unnecessary attitude. I love their food but it makes me a little hesitant to order from them again.
(2)
Tim B.
Chef Ping is extremely delicious. The place was packed, indicating the popularity and success of the establishment. I tried three different dishes, and they were all absolutely fantastic. Chicken Wings Black Bean Noodles with Pork Asian Sweet Sour Crispy Beef I highly recommend this food palace for great service and great food at a great price. I look forward to my next meal at Chef Ping.
(5)
Jason C.
Having arrived to Chicago after on the road for four hours, we were hungry and need to eat quickly... however when we pulled into the parking lot, it was full and our hope for quick seating disappeared... we slowly walked in and asked for table for two... the hostess asked if we wanted to sit at the bar and I said no... hostess said it'll be five minutes for a table and so we waited. As soon as we got seated, we ordered our food... jjajangmyun, champong and pong pong chicken (their version of kangpunggi). We expected that it would take about 15 minutes to get our food, but nope, we got our chicken within five minutes... then we got our noodles five minutes thereafter. The chicken was good, the only complain I had was that, the wings had very little meat on the wings... they were small compared to say Great Sea... nevertheless the chicken was good. Jjajangmyun - not sure if they have kang jjajang or mul-jjajang... but the one we got tasted a lot like kang jjajangmyun. It was bit on the salty side, but good... however Great Sea's jjajangmyun is still the nest. Chompong - the best champong I had in midwest... yes, in midwest... the one in LA still rains champ! Overall, I give this place four stars for 1) service and 2) taste of the dishes. They gave us our dish quickly and it really hit the spot. This place is far from downtown, so plan your visit wisely.
(4)
E S.
Who doesnt love chef pings!?? Pong pong chicken all the way! I wish it wasnt so packed all the time.
(4)
Vince V.
The parking lot was completely packed. It has been two years since I first set foot in the restaurant and Chef Ping shows no sign of slowing down. If anything, they've upped their game. The crowd this Sunday night is noisy, busy and visibly hungry. Dishes are flying out of the kitchen and the bar just like every table in the house is full yet the genius of it all was that we didn't wait too long for seating. Dinner itself was predictably fantastic, a greatest hits collection from successful past meals: potstickers, crab rangoon, the spicy seafood noodle platter, the decadent honey walnut shrimp and the ever-present sesame chicken. This was not a night for experimentation given the relatively conservative taste buds of my dining companions. This was a night of going for dishes everyone knew, understood and delighted in and true to form, every dish was executed deliciously.
(5)
Charles L.
Fantastic place! Usually try out a place with Kong Pau and their's was great. I hope I get a chance to take the family back to this place.
(5)
Sung L.
Great food, Great service, and Great prices! Chef Ping is The Best! Noodle Platter, Black Bean Noodle, Pong Pong Chicken.
(5)
Chris D.
I do plan to return to experience the full menu. To have only one vegetarian option on the lunch menu was a disappointment. The food was very good, and I enjoyed the tea. I just do not enjoy feeling I only have one option. The prices are very reasonable. I liked that this restaurant had a diverse crowd, which I always take as a sign of quality.
(3)
Esther L.
I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. My family loved the former restaurant these owners had, Yu's. But ever since they parted ways and started this restaurant, neither have been the same. The food is mediocre. Jam-bong is hit or miss; sometimes it is salty. It's best if ordered super spicy. This is my family's go to Chinese Korean restaurant. Generally, the food is pretty good. My family likes the jampong (spicy noodle soup), jajangmyun (black bean noodles), walnut shrimp, and palbochae (which I think is the happy family seafood). However, it's hit or miss. Some days, everything is great and other days, some dishes are off. I guess it depends on who is cooking. I had a pretty disappointing experience at lunch recently. The salad dressing was gross. It tasted like pure ground ginger with soy sauce. It was very sour. I wanted to replace the chicken with shrimp in the pad thai at lunch and the waitress said this would cost an additional $5, when the dish itself was only $6.50. So I would basically be paying double to substitute the shrimp for chicken. And of course I was charged full price when I asked her to hold the chicken. There was no discount for not having any meat even though she wanted to charge double for a different protein. The pad thai was just okay. It's not the best I've had. It was sweet and kind of boring. The flavor was missing. We also ordered the kung pao shrimp lunch special, the black bean noodles, and the noodle soup. Only the black bean noodles and noodle soup were good. I will probably not order from the lunch menu again and will stick to what I know is good.
(3)
Sydney L.
This is my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant. I go here at least a 3 times a months with my family and co-workers. Other than the occasional frustration from waiting to get seated, the service and the atmosphere here is nice. But my favorite part is of course the food. I usually get almond chicken or crab rangoon. The taste is always right, never too salty or too sweet. Chef Ping is a must-go!!
(5)
Yu H.
I've long dreaded reviewing this place. I've been coming here since it opened like twice a month but a part of me just doesn't want to review it. I don't want to, I don't want others to know but that's apparently already too late given the 45 minute waits for dinner on a Wednesday night. God this is painful to say but....this is my favorite restaurant. In my travels eating all over the place this restaurant in my opinion has reached the perfect balance of quality, taste, price, portion, service, and ambiance. God it love it so. Let me explain: I've had a history with Yu's Mandarin which used to be my favorite but as the rumors go, their head chef sold the place and quit. He waited a while and then opened up this place down the street with basically the same recipe's as Yu's but with slight improvements. Quality at Yu's declined over the years as it changed hands and now a lot of their formers followers moved to Chef Ping, I being one of them. I've eaten most of their menu but these are my favorites: Hot and Sour Soup: Unique to only YU's and Chef Ping, it tastes amazing and has that slow warming spiciness you get int he back of the throat with Szechuan flour peppers and white pepper. Not your average takeout hot and sour here. Mandarin Duck: Pretty much the only place to get it done right. These take like 3 days to make and the taste is impeccable. You probably won't find a better version of this anywhere else here or IN CHINA! Pork with Chinese Yellow Chives: Also hard to find in the burbs, Yellow chives are like regular chinese chives except not allowed to see sunlight so they turn yellow and has a very subtle taste to them similar to how they grow white asparagus. 8 Treasures: The ultimate smorgasbord of tastiness, they are fishball, sea cucumber, ham, chicken, tofu, squid, shrimp, and mushrooms. You can't go wrong with this dish. Steamed Flounder: Don't let the name fool you, theres more to this than a steamed fish, It comes on a giant platter with scallions and peppers and a wonderful sweetened soy sauce (See picture). Egg Yolk Crab: Pretty decadent, its a giant dungeonous crab cooked with the flavor of chinese salted duck yolks. Tastes like heaven, probably hell on your arteries. I could go on for another 2 pages but I'll spare you and let you explore for yourself. Being a new building, the place looks very nice with great lighting. Service is never slow and the kitchen cooks lightning fast. All the turnover ensures a fantastic fresh quality meal. In my opinion, this place is near perfect if not perfect. Definitely DO NOT take my word for it. Go and taste for yourself. I'll probably be the pissed off guy in the waiting area wishing no one else knew about this gem of a place so I can have it all to myself.
(5)
Irene Z.
It's been a while since my last visit, but came for lunch with a colleague 2 weeks ago, and it was so good that I ordered out for the family that weekend. It was packed at lunchtime! We arrived at the thick of the lunch hour, at 12noon. The parking lot here is small and we were one of several cars circling the lot. Unfortunately, there are no expanded parking options since the neighboring businesses have their own separate lots. We were planning to leave after circling for the 3rd time but were lucky and managed to catch a space right before we pulled out. So glad we were able to stay. Lunch specials are great and cheap (for the amount and quality of food). I went with the sesame chicken and my colleague went with the almond chicken. We both had the egg drop soup. Combos come with rice, spring roll and fried wonton. I forgot how good the food is here and I was so hooked that I ordered the sesame chicken again for the family, along with shrimp w/lobster sauce, and the spring rolls. My coworker was very happy with her almond chicken. We both had enough leftovers and had them for lunch the next day. There was a wait when we initially checked in at the host stand, but the other groups waiting were parties of 4 or more. Since we were only 2, they managed to squeeze us into one of the booth/chair tables. Loved that. Service was fast and pleasant. Sunday dinner carryout was easy and painless. Food was ready within 30 minutes even during the busy dinner rush. I was lucky and got the one 'carry-out' parking spot right up front. One new thing I learned - we're used to carrying out our Chinese food at Chef Ping's and only occasionally dine in. There was a noticeable difference with the sesame chicken dining in and carrying out. While both were delicious, it tasted much better and crispier when I dined in rather than having the sauce soak in and making the chicken softer by carrying it out. Good both ways, but I preferred the crispier chicken in restaurant just a tad more over the softer at home. In any case, sesame chicken is my new fave here!
(5)
Francisco P.
Great food but felt rushed by our waiter.
(4)
Jenny H.
Good luck finding parking on the weekends! We circled around and finally decided to camouflage our car in an adjacent lot. Thank goodness someone in our group made reservations. Otherwise, we'd end up with a at least a 40 minute wait. With six in our party, we were seated awkwardly, yet cozily in an elongated booth. Each ordered a dish and had a FEAST between the cantonese style lobster, jja jang myun, tofu, sauteed veggies, sesame chicken, etc. Of course, endless rounds of hot tea and rice all around. While Chef Ping may not replace the deep-rooted nostaglia I harbor for some of the older chinese hole-in-the-walls, it's very close. It is definitely chinese food done well and I'm glad for this addition in the 'burbs!
(4)
Soo Jin M.
Pretty decent jja jiang myun. Slightly on the bland side but you can fix that with a little radish. Ggam poongi was ok too. Seafood stir fry thing was good as well. Not as good as great seas but will suffice.
(4)
Sharon L.
We have been going to Chef Ping's since they first opened. We have never been disappointed. The service is fast, accurate and friendly. The food is delicious and consistent. We have tried many, many different dishes and have loved them all.
(5)
Elaine M.
We are so happy we've found Chef Ping! Now we don't have to drive into the city and endure horrible service at Great Seas whenever we crave Korean style chicken wings. The pong pong chicken (not on the menu) aka lollipop chicken is SO good - we order it every time we come here. It's crispy, sweet, and the perfect amount of heat. In the three times that we've been here so far, we've also ordered chajangmyun, champong, gang pong chicken, walnut shrimp, salt and pepper squid, and szechwan eggplant. Always piping hot and delicious. The wait staff is great and managers / owners are always around to say hi or lend a hand. We will definitely be back! (Thanks to May of Body Accessory / Style4U for sharing your Chef Ping food porn with us on facebook!)
(5)
Tom E.
Great food. Wonderful, prompt service. Affordable. Always full so I'm not the only person who believes in the place.
(5)
Eugene P.
Went here for a rehearsal dinner and I kept on shoveling food in my face without even checking to see what it was. It was very tasty but my favorite would have to be the walnut shrimp and Peking duck. I basically had to be rolled out of that restaurant. It was good food, clean and great service.
(4)
J J.
I've been coming here for years and it is my go-to spot! I'm happy to drive a decent distance to come here, because their food and customer service is the best. It has always been consistent and the entire staff is extremely attentive. Even the owner has come to our table before and he is very friendly and personable and gets us whatever we might want. It's an all-around awesome experience every time I come here and I always leave extremely satisfied, which is a testament to how good this place is. The restaurant is very clean as well, which means something to me, because the fact that they care to take care of the place, shows that they care about what they do. I've been to more than my fair share of chinese restaurants and so I have a lot to compare to. Plus, chinese food is probably my favorite type of cuisine. Needless to say, I'm obsessed with this place:) I only wish I could come here once a week! I love Ping's!
(5)
Jean C.
I love their food but hate the wait for a table, especially on a weekend night. 15 minute wait turned to 45!!
(3)
Mao W.
In my mind, Chef ping is one of best chinese food (if not THE best) in chicago area. Authentic and tasty. Service is great. Parking is crowded everyday, so get there early. If you want to try something different, I recommend: Steamed pot sticker (dipping into the hot source a little bit will enhance the flavor) Salty-egg york crab Beef belly and tofu stew Mandarin soy duck (cold dish) Hot braised fish Szhewan fish casserole (this one is spicy) Yu-Shang pork Chef ping seafood combo Sea food peking noodle and sea food noodle soup Yang chow fried rice
(5)
Kenneth C.
This is a great suburban restaurant for Chinese food with an added Korean touch. While it may lack the authenticity of Chinatown, the dishes are made with fresh ingredients and are wonderfully flavorful. The restaurant is always crowded on the weekends but service is quick without being too intrusive. Korean dishes are decent too. You really can't go wrong here.
(5)
D J.
First time at Chef Ping's. It was awesome: The 3 of us were pigs and ordered tang syuk, pong pong chicken, black bean noodles, veggie/noodle platter, and canton noodles. We could have killed all, but we didn't ;). My only suggestion is more vegetables in the dishes. There were slivers of veggies in the various dishes, but there really should have been more. The pong pong needed more sauce too. The noodles were the best I've had in a long time and were amazing. I didn't see the restroom, but the place seemed pretty clean (asides from the funky odor of people on a muggy summer day in the foyer).
(4)
Lisa G.
amazing food for the price...the staff is helpful in finding a dish you like! they are really fast and have really decent prices for the amount of food you get! I really enjoy going there for any meal lunch, dinner or carry out! always busy every day!!! i heard through the grapevine that the owner is a former owner at Yu's mandarin when they used to be super busy! highly recommend this place!!!
(5)
Buortau L.
"Chef Ping" is awesome! If you've ever been to "Yu's Mandarin" before, then the food is just like that (Korean Chinese cuisine). If you're up for something unique, then I'd say you must give "Chef Ping" a try.
(5)
Effie K.
Probably best Chinese I've eAten ever. Mongolian beef and Kung pao beef are delicious. My go to place to eat.
(5)
Vera F.
Best Chinese food in the area. Outstanding, exceptional in fact. We eat there. First no place to park so it took almost 15 to 20 minutes to get a parking place. Then a 30 minute wait for a table. This was at 5:00 on a Saturday. Service was not so good. Went with my daughter & husband. My husbands food came about 15 minutes before mine & my daughters. This was really irritating. Then the waiter seemed rushed and as if he had no time for us. Another waiter worked hard to help him out which was appreciated. In the future will carry out because the food is truly amazing.
(4)
Kevin C.
Chef Ping serves moderately priced and very tasty Chinese food. It's a huge draw for Asian and white families alike, which is great for the waiters because Asian people tip like shit. It's hard to pin down the exact nature of the food here. On the one hand, you've got typical faux American-Chinese dishes like General Tso's and Cashew Chicken (the bologna of Chinese food). On the other, you have spicy fried shrimp and authentic chicken pops, and for some reason there's just one page in the menu that's written in Korean. MYSTERIOUS. I'm curious as to whether or not there's an actual Chef Ping, or if he's a fictional character like the Burger King. If it's the former, that's an extremely bold move naming the restaurant after himself. It'd be like someone naming a school "Principal Jones." If it's the latter, I'd like to shake his hand.
(4)
Yane Y.
Okay, I've been here about 7 times or so, but for living in the area for about 6 months or so, I'd say that's decent! Soo, there are certain dishes that I order when I come here. We've tried a couple of dishes, but there are those "signature" dishes that we like - and stick to! Here they are: 1) Chef's Ping Seafood Noodle Platter - a must! OMG, sooo sooo good. If you've ever had "jjam-ppong" (Korean-chinese style hot and spicy dish), this is basically a "dry" version of it, i.e. without the soup. 2) Pong Pong Chicken - I think that's what it's called. They're tiny little chicken wings that are good. Pretty decent. 3) Ma Po Tofu - I lOVE tofu. So, this is a pretty good dish. 4) Sweet & Sour Pork - This is not the American style sweet & sour pork with red sauce. This is the Asian-style (not sure if it's Korean-style or Chinese-style, but definitely not an American red-sauce) sweet & sour pork sauce. 5) Black Bean Noodles (sometimes) - This is decent. Not the best ever. But it's aight.... **I tried their honey walnut shrimp dish because so many people raved about it here on yelp. However, personally, I'm not a big fan of THICK batter, and really thick and sweet sauce. It was a bit much for me, so I can't do that. **I tried their kang-ppong-gee (Korean style chicken wings) on another occassion - wasn't too impressed. My husband and I prefer the pong pong chicken over the kang-ppoong-gee. (spelling?) Too bad I can't comment on the other dishes.... Overall, this is what I would consider a "Korean-Chinese" restaurant. A lot of their foods and dishes, I feel, are more catered to Korean people or a Korean style. This is not an authentic Chinese restaurant, nor is it an "American-Chinese" restaurant. Soo, are you wondering what a "Korean-Chinese" versus "American-Chinese" versus Authentic Chinese restaurant is? Well, basically, the pre-fix describes the type of people that the Chinese restaurant caters to. So, Korean-Chinese restaurant would have your "black bean noodle" (jja-jjiang-myun) and your "jjam-ppong" (no idear! what this would be called in English, maybe Seafood Noodle soup?). Your American-Chinese restaurant will have food catered toward your typical American folks (example, P.F. Chang's). Your authentic Chinese restaurant is catered toward Chinese/Taiwanese, etc.!! Not Koreans, Not Americans, Not anyone else --- although you will probably find Koreans, Americans, etc. An example of a more authentic Chinese restaurant in the area is "Hong Kong Cafe". Now, you can look at their menu and tell that they are authentic Chinese... Hopefully this whole bit about "Korean-Chinese", "American-Chinese", and authentic Chinese make sense. haha.... good luck and hope you can find some good foods to enjoy here, as well! Cheers! and Happy eating!!!
(4)
Frank A.
Again, I'm skeptical of Chinese joints in the burbs, but I gave it a shot based on people constantly recommending this place to me. So I finally drop by and it looks like a renovated Baker's Square. The interior has been revamped to include a small bar updated decor with a private room. Staff was nice and attentive. Ordered different items including duck, black bean seafood noodle dish, salt and pepper shrimp, pong pong chicken. I've also tried other menu items on different visits. Loved the pong pong chicken. It's basically chicken wings that have been half de-boned into a sort of lollipop finger food. Salt and pepper shrimp was de-shelled and had a light batter. It included bits of peppers for added spice. Like mentioned below, their noodles are not mixed with the sauce / meats. It is mixed as it arrives at your table. I actually liked that presentation because it looks fresh as opposed to some dish that was prepared ahead of time and could have sat there in the kitchen for who knows how long. Overall, a good dining experience. Only slight complaint is that it is slightly more expensive than traditional Chinese restaurants. This place can get super busy, so I usually try to hit this place up just ahead of the dinner rush.
(4)
Dmitry G.
For those of you who love to pig out on this kind of slop--well, what can I say? For those who look for quality and are a bit more discerning, take heed: Ordered jia jiang myun, kung pao chicken and the 8 Happiness. It is very evident that they reuse their hot peppers (hence, the black, bitter taste to the peppers with absolutely no heat) and also pre-cook the sauces and chicken wings. The sauce was beyond salty because it had been heated and re-heated multiple times and the chicken wings were fried how many days before serving with the sauce applied at time of serving. Open your eyes people! I feel sorry for you--learn about quality--maybe learn how to cook for yourself. Also, they are very stingy with the napkins and chopsticks. The servers can use an attitude adjustment. Signed, someone who knows the restaurant business.
(1)
Dr S.
never had a bad meal everything here is top notch and very delicious, if u want great chinese cusine, this place is a must.
(5)
George S.
EXTRA CRISPY EGGPLANT! I get it every time, its a family favorite and a personal favorite. It is easily the best asian cuisine I have had on this side of the pacific. I have had many different dishes as well, like the lemon, orange, kung pao, chicken and the the fish filet, all is amazing. I just got the mango chicken the other day and it was delicious. The place gets pretty packed during lunch and dinner hours but its worth the wait regardless. I live in the city and have made trips out to this place because its that good. I don't know what else I can say about it but that its the best...
(5)
J G.
Whole family loves this place and the food. We dine in and order carry out. Never disappointed.
(5)
Mr C.
I love Ping! It gets crowded and you may have to wait to sit on a busy night. Overall, it's legit.
(4)
Melanie S.
Chef Ping is pretty great, and second only to Yu's. This is not surprising since the owner of Chef Ping used to be the chef at Yu's. My friend and I came here on Super Bowl Sunday, and no surprise, it wasn't crowded at all. We were greeted warmly and shown to a comfy booth. Service is very friendly and attentive...almost too attentive. We weren't even settled in to our table before they were on us like white on rice (pun intended) to place our order. Since it was our first visit, we wanted to take our time and look over the menu carefully before making any decisions. They brought us hot tea promptly and by then we were ready to order. We tend to stick with the basics (no sauteed intestine with pickled cabbage for us!) and ordered egg rolls, Mongolian beef, Phoenix in green (chicken with vegetables) and combination fried rice. The egg rolls naturally arrived first, and were a great starter. They were hot, crispy, and not a trace of grease. They're on the small side, which is fine because there was plenty more food to come. The rest of our food came out quickly, and it was piping hot and looked delicious. Our favorite chicken dish at Yu's is Snow White chicken and Chef Ping's comparable version, Phoenix in Green, was quite good as well, and includes more vegetables, like zucchini and broccoli. It was good, but I have to give the edge to Yu's. Their Mongolian beef was a hair on the sweet side for me, but the beef was tender, and cooked well. My only nitpick is the combination fried rice. It was described on the menu as having chicken, beef, and shrimp, and instead of beef, it came with ham. Obviously I am a fan of the swine, but I was disappointed as I was expecting beef. I nicely inquired about it to a server who explained that the combination fried rice always comes with ham and not beef. Okay...that's fine, but why does your menu description say otherwise? Overall, we both enjoyed Chef Ping. It's comparable to Yu's on all levels, in quality, price and portion size, but we agreed that if we're hauling ass all the way out to the 'burbs for Chinese, we'll likely stick with Yu's. It's just better all the way around. Don't let this deter you from Chef Ping though. It's still head and shoulders above most Chinese restaurants out there. Just not Yu's :-p
(4)
Uday K.
I stopped here for a quick lunch of vegetable fried rice. Awesome stuff. Non spicy and just right ratio of rice and veggies. Good place for an elaborate Asian lunch.
(4)
Bob P.
One of the best options in an area of many restaurants I appreciate Chef Ping's because: 1) It is not a chain (although it is in the old Baker's Square building) 2) Prices are reasonable (lunch specials, I did not see what dinner prices are) 3) Portions are large enough 4) Service is great (kept the water filled, we served our own hot tea, closing check was quick). 5) Food was quick, hot and most importantly delicious. Went there for the 1st time a week ago. Just suggested it for another meeting next week where I will have to pass Yu's Mandarian and about 25 other restaurants to get there this seems one of the best options in the area, especially if you want something safe that meets most criteria (vegetarian, flavorful, not spicy or spicy). Best Chinese I have found in area. Best low/mid priced food in the area.
(4)
Rachel G.
Best Chinese food in the area. Hands down! Sesame chicken is awesome. Mongolian beef awesome. Chicken with broccoli awesome. Egg rolls awesome. Ping wings awesome! (And spicy!) Fried rice awesome. Go eat there now!
(4)
Anya C.
My favorite Chinese place. authentic Chinese food. Not too salty or oily, Fresh, get food right away after order. went there 10+ times
(5)
Jan L.
Wow, this is by far the best Chinese food I've ever had. Let me first say that I am really picky about Chinese food and I don't like the American version of it. After reading everyone's review on Yelp I've decided to try this place. We had the shumai, it took about 30 minutes for them to cook but my goodness, it was worth the wait. So delish. Also had a couple of the home made noodle dishes... so good and so fresh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it now. Service was super friendly from the hostess to the bus boys and the waitresses. If you like authentic Chinese food this is hands down the best in the area. Try to go there during week days as the weekends can get really crowded (for good reasons I may add). I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(5)
DEALS D.
stopped by for my birthday dinner with kids. all I can say is wow. the service and food A++++. the waitress that took care of us was perfect the food came up like clock work. the taste was incredible. tried the pong pong chicken and baby bockchoi seafood noodle platter will recommend and coming back. the favors the quality was incredible.
(5)
paul l.
Best Jiang Ya (Mandarin Soy Duck) in the greater Chicago area. Ditto for the Summer Salad (Double Skin). My wife always orders Three Taster, as it has generous portion of sea cucumber slices than any other Chinese restaurants in the Chicago area, especially considering the $15.25 price. La Jiao Mien (Ping's Noodle Platter) is still as good as Yu's Mandarin days. I would prefer thicker/fatter noodles than the thin ones they are currently using. The owner is very courteous, going from table to table, fill tea cup(s) and asking for patrons' feedback.
(4)
Aletta J.
Succulent shrimp, deep fried honey walnuts, green beans flash fried, mango tomato chicken, mushroom/tofu, pork tofu, and potstickers. Our lunch for five and the smallest takeout box ever! We went with frequent diner friends and enjoyed everything. I could leave the tofu mushrooms; a bit chewy and tofu reminded me of grade school tapioca pudding. I prefer the solid pack kind. Should have ordered 2 orders of potstickers---mmmmmmmmmm. We were back on New Year's Eve and it was PACKED, but we were seated w/in 10 mins of our reservation time. Our waiter was fun, flirtatious in a fun way and couldn't have been more non-imposing even though they were busy. Going back soon -- the chili oil is addictive!!!
(5)
S I.
The food is as good as its ever been. I went about a week ago with the fellas and between three of us we ate 4 dishes and a few drinks each. Although it's not the cheapest around I think it's worth every penny. The food is amazing. Flavorful, fresh, meticulously prepped, presented well, and service is over the top good. I can't wait to take my folks and have a grand time with them as well. Only downside I can think of is no reservations but I'll wait for good stuff :)
(5)
Jen H.
All I can say is horrible! By far the worst dining experience ever! We called in a carry-out order on Christmas and we were told it would be ready 45min. I got there 45-50 min after the order was called in and was told "just a few , they are working on it now" After 15min of me standing there waiting I asked again how long and I was told "it's almost ready" Another 15 min went by and I asked yet again and I was told "it's coming right up" then they said I could pay so as soon as it was ready I could go. I paid and waited ANOTHER 30min!!!!!! Finally after standing there for over a hour waiting by the bar for the order and asking numerous times how much longer would the wait be and at this time I let them know this was the first time we had ever ordered from them- I was told that they would "throw in some almond cookies and take 15%off" What a slap in the face that was but I just wanted out of there! It was Christmas and I had 8 people waiting for this dinner! When I finally got the order (2 hours after it was called in!!!!!) and got home(less than 5min away) 2 of the 4 dishes we had requested to be EXTRA spicy and they had absolutely no heat at all to them, all of the dishes and appetizers were stone cold and had NO flavor at all then to top it off 1 of this items was not even in the bag! The 1 item that was not even in the bag was for a child!!! I called Chef Ping to let them know how after waiting there for over a hour we did not even receive everything and the lady went on to make every excuse "we are busy" and "it is Christmas" and I even got "I noticed it wasn't in the bag but you had already left" Now mind you she had the telephone number on the receipt that she was HOLDING!!!! Then the final straw was when she said "you should not order out from a new place on a holiday" I worked in the restaurant business for 10+years and if ANYONE ever had to wait the first thing is you offer them something to drink-a water, a pop, tea or coffee. And if someone is there for DOUBLE the amount of time they are told, the smart thing to do is offer to comp the meal for them and try to get them to come back- word of mouth is key to any good business! Anyone can make good food when your slow but you show how truly good you are when you are busy and if that is how you treat all of your customers, I have a feeling there will be a new restaurant there in a couple years! Attached to the carry out bag it said to share your experience- Not only am I doing that on Yelp but I have already told 6 people who were talking about going there about my experience and how poorly I was treated, they are finding new restaurant in the area to go to!
(1)
Vivian H.
My boyfriend's family has been coming here forever I guess, and there's a reason for that! Yummy korean seafood noodle soup, chicken pops, spicy shrimp.. scrumptious. And when we ordered wrong, the staff was nice enough to take it back and not charge us for it (UNHEARD OF, esp in Chinese restaurants!) It was a little weird that our waitress did not speak Chinese...
(4)
Howard L.
This is a 6 month old (ie, new) Mandarin style restaurant, and located in a gutted ex Bakers Square restaurant. It's nicely done and comfortable inside. Every item we had was very good, and we had a lot of variety for our party of 8. Amongst the dishes: * cold duck and jellyfish appetizers * cold spicy beef appetizer * sea cucumber with the largest beef tendons I've ever seen * sea cucumber with shrimp and scallops * fish filet with yellow chives * beef stew in pot * Schezwan chicken wings * clam soup * Chef Ping spicy noodle soup One drawback is that there are no set family style menus. You are on you own to pick ala carte entrees to create your feast. They have a vibrant main dining room, but also a more private room in the back with 5 round tables for 10 each. They can tone the spiciness down nicely, as none of our dishes were overly spicy per request. Value is reasonable, given the new, clean, and convenient suburban setting. Their servings tend to be a little heavy on the use of sauce and gravy, and that's probably the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating for this reviewer.
(4)
Mark S.
Definitely got what I paid for. $11 for Mongolian Beef with white rice, an egg roll, soup and a coke. Pretty good deal, but the food was not worth eating. I won't be back. It was very bland and the quality of the beef wasn't too good. Service was great.
(2)
Michele B.
The food is great but got takeout for lunch. You cannot get the lunch special which includes soup so if you want it you pay extra!?!?! Told them I would be there in 15-20 minutes got there in 15 and the food was sitting on the counter COLD. Hope this improves in the meantime I will eat there.
(2)
Alec H.
Best noodles around!!! I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter. Go early to avoid the long wait.
(5)
Jon R.
Not the best place for 1 guy and a bar during the pickup takeout food hours. So I moved from bar to table. Hot and Sour soup is wonderful and peppery. Complimentary tea at the table...good stuff. I ordered a bottle of cold sake, Ozeki, great stuff. No complaints on pad Thai either. Rice noodles are made homemade daily. I could probably give this 5 stars, but I went with 4. Fast service, great tasting food.
(4)
Rickson W.
i just dont understand this place.people who eat here act like its the best chinese place they ate.I ate thier pai thai and it wasnt good at all.However it almost seems like people are addicted to this place.I ask one question when you go to any chinese restaurant.are they using MSG in their food which stimulates your senses in your brain to like it better? Just ask
(1)
Cherie R.
My parents and I have been coming here since it opened - and before used to go to Yu's Mandarin since I was about five. (The chef used to work there!) Suffice to say this is our favorite Chinese restaurant - for the Chinese Korean food! I used to order the Mongolian beef and NOTHING else growing up - and it's still as fantastic as ever. I have, however, branched out a little bit and eat the jjampong and the jajangmyun pretty frequently as well. Don't miss out on the noodles, people - we used to trek out here from downtown just to have them!
(4)
Jennifer M.
We had dinner here the other night. The service was exceptional at being attentive. The appetizers were not very pleasant tasting. The main courses were good and plentiful. Ice water and a pot of tea were delivered to our table by the Busser immediately upon being seated. The Server came by and checked on us frequently for any additional requests we may have had. Throughout dinner, our empty plates were removed from the table. The restaurant manager walked by often to ensure everyone's happiness. The Clam Soup for 2: I didn't think there was enough clam in the soup. I thought it could use a little miso to cut the taste of clam in the broth. The Crab Rangoon: I've had better at the Red Lantern. I wasn't crazy for the cream cheese or its oily fryer taste. Mango Shrimp: I liked the gradual heat that comes through with every bite. Fish Casserole: Extremely hot. All the flavor is on top so be sure to stir the pot! Szechwan Prawn: It sure seemed like shrimp and not prawns to me! It could just be me. There's plenty of choices on their menu. We'll definitely be back; not on Monday's, they're closed.
(3)
Rachel H.
I absolutely love Chef Ping. I have been frequenting this gem of a place the past year. Legend has it the owner used to own Yus Mandarin and sold it a while ago (15-20 years), retirement bored him, so he opened Chef Ping! We always get the The Seafood Noodle Platter no matter what other dishes we order, it absolutely rocks!! The Salt and Pepper Smelt is divine, always crispy and perfectly seasoned.I am particularly partial to the garlic and peppers that are sprinkled on it. The dinner menu carries a dish called "Fish Casserole", it takes about 20 minutes to prepare, but the wait is worth it. The fish is served in a spicy broth, think boiled fish from Lao Schezwan with Shitake Mushrooms. This is everybody favorite, whomever I take to eat here, falls in love with this dish.Other notable mentions are the Clams in Black bean, my oldest nephew (7 year old) can eat the entire dish all by himself, if we are lucky my sister or I distract him and steal a clam...if we are lucky. The dumplings are a good child pleaser, I havent me ta child who doesnt like them. Lunch options are pretty good. I see a lot of Chinese/Korean folks at lunch time. Most of them get some kind of a noodle in a black sauce. It is eaten with the pickled radish and onions...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I always vow to get it the next time, but somehow I default to the noodle platter!! They offer an arrary of cocktails, I havent had a chance to try them...yet. This is not your run of the mill Chinese restaurant, it is upscale, servers speak english and are able to guide you in case you needs reccomendations. A little on the expensive side, but so worth it.
(5)
Jackie G.
What a disappointment!! This place was packed so I thought it would be good. I ordered Mongolian beef and crab rangoons. First of all, this place is pricey. If the food is good. I'm for spending a few extra bucks but my beef was just ok. Actually, it was very bland. The thing that bothered me was the crab rangoons. Yuck! They put cinnamon or cloves or something inside that reminded me of Christmas cookies. I've eaten rangoons from many places and have never thrown them out and not eaten them. I will Never eat here again. Waste of money.
(2)
R T.
Meh. Passable Gan Pong shrimp and overly sticky Pong Pong chicken (loving the bouncy names). The Ping's noodle platter was quite yummy. We ordered everything spicy coz we like the occasional burn but the spice-o-meter was turned way down. No stringent complaints as the portions were plentiful. I would have added another star just for the noodle platter but the brusque waitstaff put a damper on our experience. Don't be shy about letting loose a few belly laughs. It will simply be drowned out by the noisy chatter. Oh and try the complimentary honey tea. Surprisingly flavorful and yet light.
(3)
Erin Y.
We really like Chef Ping, and come here often. Our favorites are the jia jia mein with the black bean sauce, the seafood mein, fried squid with spicy sauce, pepper beef, and clams with black bean sauce. The texture of their noodles is perfect. You can easily tell that they're homemade. However, there are usually inconsistencies from our different experiences. The spicy seafood mein was way spicier than usual last time we came. A lot of people who don't mind spicy were complaining about it. Also, the fried squid, which is normally so delicious, did not have enough sauce on it, so it tasted kind of bland. It wasn't sticky like it should be. Anyway, usually our experiences here are pretty good but occasionally, they miss the mark. Overall, this is a good place to get decent Chinese food. They always facilitate reservations for large parties, and the food comes out fast. I'd recommend trying it!
(3)
Valerie W.
So, Chinese food is kind of a big deal around my house, and we are p.i.c.k.y. about it. It's difficult to find good Chinese food in this area, and we've pretty much exhausted all of our options. Then... we discovered Chef Ping. It was as if the pearly white gates of Chinese food heaven had opened! My grandmother (from whom I get my love of Chinese cuisine) discovered Chef Ping, and insisted that I take her there. (Right after she found the place she was eating there multiple times a week, bringing whoever she could along!) Where to begin? Appetizers are always a good place to start... - Egg Rolls - made with spring roll skins instead of wanton wrappers - light and extremely crispy. - Shrimp toast - one of our favorites, some places get it... Chef Ping does! Dishes to share - Gan Pong Scallops - cooked perfectly, slightly crispy, perfect glaze, not overly sauced. - Moo Shu Pork - I've been obsessed with moo shu lately, and I love getting it when the server will make the 'burritos' for you. -Seafood Peking Noodle - how can you possibly go wrong with fresh, housemade noodles? I cannot wait to go back to Chef Ping... my mouth is watering already.
(5)
Jon C.
This place is one of my 'regulars' for my family and friends. I love coming here to get some of their noodle dishes. I often see more Koreans getting these noodle dishes but if you're not afraid of trying new things and the spiciness, there is the spicy seafood medly noodle dish, and the spicy broth seafood noodle bowl. Not only that, but we end up ordering more than what we should because we love their taste of other dishes. We always get the Pong-Pong Chicken. It's got a sweet and spicy/asian taste to the crispy wings they prepare as a lollipop style. It isn't your average american chicken wing look but still the best asian chicken wings I've had in life. I also strongly recommend getting their mongolian beef, and their walnut glazed shrimp. Sooo good! Definitely worth trying but I guarantee you'll go for seconds. The bad thing is the dinner rush bc it gets overly crowded in the entrance area and if you're there on the weekends, expect to wait up to 2 hours. Lunch time and early dinner time is probably the best time. Also, they bring out the dishes one at a time but reason being is that they claim to make each dish from scratch and freshly prepared to be served right after it's made. After second thoughts on this issue, it isn't so bad to wait but I'm sure people will have different opinions about it.
(5)
Ray C.
Korean and Chinese unite in this joint. Ask for Pong Pong Chicken, get some pea pod tips, and whatever else you want.
(4)
Phyllis S.
Here's the deal. If you are going at lunchtime, get there by 11:30. Why? Cause if you show up after noon, this place gets packed and you will be waiting in line, otherwise. Seriously, at 11:40 on a Thursday there were like three tables of people eating; at 12:20 every table was full and there was a line out the door. And yeah, the parking lot isn't all that big. So as I walked in, I was impressed by two things, the nice decor, and the subtly sweet and spicy underlying aroma of ginger and garlic. I knew the food was going to be good. I was a little torn about what to get, since I am trying to keep the calories under control. Instead of the veggie stir-fry; I ordered the Thai noodles with seafood and asked them to make it a little spicy. It came with a small salad (nice ginger soy dressing), an eggroll and a fried wonton wrapper. The platter of noodles was A LOT of food. I could NOT eat it in one sitting. (Which is fine by me. The leftovers were a really nice lunch the next day! The food was subtly spicy, as I had requested, and was just wonderful. The seafood consisted of squid, shrimp and scallops and whereas I would have liked a few more scallops, I don't think the portion was skimpy. Also there were a few shreds of carrot, cabbage and a few baby bok choy in there. I'd have liked more veggies, but hey, that's me. I will say this. I was not impressed with the eggroll. It wasn't greasy, but it also didn't have much flavor. Meh. The tea was a nice oolong. (I am a tea snob, so that's saying something.) The price is damn good for the quality and portion size. Some dudes behind us were eating these HUGE bowls of noodles. Looks like each bowl could have fed three people.
(4)
Ajay S.
Went here with a large group of family and friends, but made reservations a day befoe. That was a great idea as this place was packed at 7pm on a Friday night. My only complaint was that parking was full and we had to park next door at the banquet hall. We tried a little of everything, about 6 apetizers, and 4 dinners. They include tea for free, which was very nice. I really enjoyed the braised fish, curry chicken, and a noodle dish, which was amazing. Found it flipping through the yelp pictures. I will definately go back!!
(4)
Jay S.
I had heard about this place from multiple Asian friends of mine, so I needed to try it out. Needless to say now I understand what they were raving about. Have tried multiple dishes now after going back 3 times in two weeks. Sesame beef and sesame chicken are both excellent. Even my picky boys loved it! Normally they eat nothing with sauce. The chicken pops have a savory spicy sauce that is to die for. Mandarin combo is flavorful with plenty of shrimp, chicken and beef. Also, the pot stickers are the best I have found in over 25 years since my favorite closed. Must go for the food. Atmosphere is really not much to speak of but that's not why you go here.
(5)
Jackie L.
this is my go to place for korean chinese food. i love their champong, lahjoh mien and jah jang mien. i try to get their before the rush cuz they don't really have a big parking lot and tables. cuz if your order to go - don't get noodles, cuz they will explode. and if you are feeling extra adventurous - try their eggplant and mapo tofu. yumm!!! but that's cuz i love anything eggplant and seafood. def. prefer this place over yu's. yu's has been skimping on their seafood. i order the same noodle dish and ended up with lots of mussels and squid. and i hate mussels -- what happened to the shrimp and oysters? i hope chef ping's keeps the variety they have in their seafood platter the way it is. don't mess up a good thing. xie xie~~~!
(4)
Kerosan L.
Awesome meal for New Year's day: tried szechuan egglant, crispy duck, noodle platter, orange chicken and shrimp eggroll. We wereny disappointed with the service, and food taste. Will certainly be back soon.
(4)
Renee G.
The food is high quality, but their soups are not allergy friendly. All of them have shrimp. It would be nice if they had soups that didn't have shell fish in them.
(4)
Jen J.
This place rocks! Great lunch prices, nice atmosphere, and fantastic food. Of the many things I've tried, I've yet to find one I don't like.
(5)
Danielle S.
I actually came to Chef Ping completely on accident. We meant to go to another Chinese restaurant, but we passed by this instead. I had seen this place many times and wondered what it was like, so we decided to try it out. We were pleasantly surprised! We were seated right away (lunch time) at a clean table. Their menu is pretty small in comparison to other places, but the prices are very decent. We ended up getting tea (for free), soup, our entree, and an egg roll for about $10. Our server was super sweet, very attentive and helpful. She made conversation with us and really wanted to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is very calming as well. It was a great place to go during our lunch break, and we will definitely go again!
(5)
Sam P.
Read the rave reviews... visited the restaurant... Food did not meet expectation. Thought it catered to Koreanized version of Chinese food (and in fact had some menu items printed in Korean), but the taste was so so. Nothing exceptional. It's a regular Chinese restaurant with more authentic (i.e. less Americanized) taste, but not a true Chinese taste either.
(3)
Laura C.
Went here yesterday with my family. Some food was salty and some food was bland. The eggplant and pork pepper stir fry were salty, everything else was bland. The good thing was that the food came out really fast. Literally within 5 min of ordering, things started coming out. I really liked the vegetarian chicken. The waitress said I might not like it because it's an old style of cooking, but I wanted to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. It was really good. I highly recommend it to anyone that's vegan or vegetarian.
(3)
Jenny V.
i love/hate coming here. hate mostly because its a semi small place and it gets so busy! my family and i like coming here because its closer than Yu's i think we all like it a bit more than Yu's. my favorite thing to get here is their honey glazed shrimp, SO GOOD! i also like to get their mango mochi ice cream definitely call ahead and make a reservation on fridays and weekends. ALWAYS BUSY!
(5)
Dan N.
First off a shout out to my Brother in Food Vince V. who took me here for the first time. I know it would be good since he has like 20 check ins here. The old owners of one of the areas great Chinese restaurents Yu's Mandarin oped this place. So there was no dough is was going to be excellent. The two of us ordered way to much food, I'm sure the people around us were asking themselves who are these guys. The FuChiFaePian was referesingly cold and spicy and perfect. The seafood noodles were excellent as well, there are not many places to get noodles like this, there noodles always were and continue to be special. The Walnut shrimp was one of the best renditions I have had. Like Yu's was their seafood always had a freshness that not may Chinese places have. The shrimp are so plump and crisp cooked perfectly. I am counting the days till I can get back there.
(5)
Lisa C.
Best Chinese there is. Been eating with them for 30 years and 3 locations. Most of the customers are Asian , so you know it's the real deal. Best Moo Shu ever, but everything is outstanding. Never a bad meal.
(5)
Michelle D.
My husband and I recently had our rehearsal dinner at Chef Pings. We are regulars at Pings and even got engaged there!!! So it was perfect to have our rehearsal there. It was about 40 guests in their private room. More food than we could have asked for!! Served family style: Schezwan beef, sesame chicken, green beans, Mongolian beef all delicious!! The owner was very accommodating for our event she even let us bring in our own desserts. I would definitely host another party there Cheers to Chef Ping
(5)
Sonni W.
Are you kidding?!! The high ratings are completely misleading. The food was salty and awful. NOT GOOD. No better than "China Buffet" to be honest. If you want good food, this isn't it. If you enjoy salt, and consider Popeye's and Boston Market "4-star", then go for it. I ordered directly from the menu what was supposed to be "spicy with lots of vegetables" and a salad with ginger dressing. Even the salad dressing was so salty it barely tasted of ginger. Then "lunch" came. A scoop of white rice and a sticky glop of meat and sauce with barely any vegetables. Far from the menu description; not even 1/4 of it was vegetable. The Menu also described it as spicy (with a red pepper icon). What I got was super salty but not spicy... at all. I dug through the slop and found ONE little pepper -- still closed, with its hot seeds locked inside. I ate only the rice and the few veggies, letting them toss more than half the food on that plate. It was just awful. Nothing about it is five stars. We actually suspected the staff had written all the online reviews!
(1)
Brittany V.
The food was great. You get a lot of food for what you pay. Our server wasn't very attentive, even though the place want that busy. I'm still willing to give this place another shot.
(4)
D S.
Easily our #1 family Chinese food spot. The chef is always visible running the ship...GREAT food can't say we have ever had a bad meal...we just need more room on the table for all the stuff we order. I find it hard to go to other restaurants in the area for Chinese after experiencing Chef Ping!!!
(4)
Jasmin V.
Chef Ping's has almost the exact menu of Yu's with the exact taste. Smaller than Yu's and just as packed. Always filled with Asians and my parents believe that's the best review for Chinese resturants.
(5)
Jacob J.
IF you want the real deal, read Brian K's review first. I forgot to re-read it before checking this place out. I think had I, it would've gone far better. So because of Brian.. Way too much hype over this place. I got it, people assume well if Asians like it, it must be awesome. Not all of the time. It's good stuff, just not legendary. It was a Sunday evening and we were surprised at how busy it was. Parking was hard to come by; we waited in the car for a space to open. It's the suburbs and there isn't any available street parking. If you're daring one could park in another businesses lot and hope for the best. There were several family parties going on and many people with smiling faces, so those were all good signs. We ordered a few items which we knew to be good ones. Gan Pong chicken, Ping's chicken wing and a random vegetarian dish, all of which was for sharing. The two chicken dishes tasted similar to each other even though the waitress stressed to us they would be different. One of the two was left behind, but my memory is not cooperating with which, maybe you'll like'm both. We didn't care much, hence the leftovers which sat there uneaten. Imagining if time travel were possible, I would've rather opted to order something off their Korean menu. Their "black noodle" maybe (jja jjang myun) it was on almost every table and looked delicious. Eager faces slurping up noodles, before they got cold. Best way to be eaten. With an order of meager looking egg rolls and sodas our total was around thirty bucks. Their egg rolls look like veg egg rolls or spring rolls you may get at a Cantonese or Thai restaurant. Thin and long like lady fingers, not bulky with filling and crispy from egg roll wrapper. Nice place, great and lively atmosphere with attentive service. Party room available with round tables for many to be seated. However, service is lost in translation. Hard to come by or willing participation from waitresses, when suggestions are needed or a conversation is wanted when something is missing, where are you? Plating was mediocre, the guy doing plating up the street at Denny's does a far better job with their iceberg lettuce.
(3)
Sandra Y.
Vegetarian Chicken was good! I really liked it, even though the waitress said I might not like it since it's a traditional Chinese style dish. Honestly, that intrigued me & made me want it more! :p I didn't really like the Szechwan Eggplant here. They used cheap pepper sauce that I always get at the store instead of authentic spicy chillies. I do like the cheap pepper sauce & use it at home, but I expected more from this place. The sauce they made with it was just salty & not very good. Other than that, some food was too salty, some was really bland. Meh. On the plus side, the food came out REALLY fast! As a drink, I had the cucumber mojito. It wasn't really pretty looking, but it tasted alright.
(3)
Richard A.
Five stars. It's just really that good. In fact, I'd venture to say the best Chinese in the area! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, perfect for families. In fact, stop by on a Sunday afternoon and you'll find many enjoying a nice lunch. Try the wings. Crispy, spicy and good. Nothing like it!
(5)
John L.
Their food is phenomenal. I enjoyed some sort of spicy beef while my date had the mango chicken. With the large portions, I was able to take home a couple of lunches, beef and chicken. I could not believe the flavor combination of the mango chicken. Wow! A slice of heaven here in Rolling Meadows. Service was exceptional also. With a couple of drinks and a tip the prices were unbelievably reasonable. Don't miss this one if you are in the neighborhood. In fact go out of your way to visit! Thank you for an excellent meal.
(5)
Wendy M.
Ok, I was skeptical of this place since I grew up in the Chicago Chinatown area but after been here a couple of times I changed my mind. I think the food is fresh and well prepared. We had a variety of dishes since we had over 10 people at our table and everything is served family style. My favorites were the chicken wings, walnut shrimp and Ping's noodle platter. They make their noodles fresh and you can tell. Definitely a must try if your in the neighborhood.
(4)
Stacey P.
I definitely like it here.... problem is it's so small. If you go on a saturday night, get there at like... 5pm for dinner if you don't want a line. NO, maybe 4 pm. Are they even open then? Yes, get there before they open, pitch a tent, and wait. Haha, no it is not that bad, but seriously, it gets crowded early!!! I have to say overall, I like the food. I would happily go back (if it wasn't so far from me) often. BUT...there is a but. It's not THAT good. The food is kind of a mix between westernized and not westernized. It's much better than the super westernized cantonese places like..chow mein house or something, but it's not much better than your other nice "chinese/mandarin" restaurants. Maybe I just didn't order the super good dishes though. I always like the walnut shrimp, because it's sweet and fattening..who wouldn't? I also enjoyed the fried egg plant...because it's sweet and fattening....who wouldn't? (Theme? yes). We also got their yellow leek and pork dish. I *love* that dish at authentic taiwanese/mandarin places, but it wasn't great here. It was just ok. boohoo, oh well. I guess that's about all I have to say for chef ping. It's a good place to eat but nothing that will blow your mind. For chicago, it's probably one of the better chinese places, sadly.
(3)
Amy K.
Awesome service, even during extremely busy times. The hand-made noodles are always a hit, as is the fried s&p tofu.
(5)
Maya S.
The best Chinese food ever. It's our favorite restaurant we go every week, sometimes twice a week. Great food every time. Everybody that goes there loves their food. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Make a reservation if you don't like to wait. :):):)
(5)
Noomi J.
My favorite Chinese food restaurant. Fast service, delicious food with several standouts. Nice interior, always busy. I've been going here for years and haven't had a bad experience. Pongpong chicken ($12.95) - 5 stars. The reason why I go to Chef Ping's. I tried Yu's Mandarin's version, wasn't as good: sauce wasn't as tasty, had more breading, not as crispy. I prefer Chef Ping's tasty lil drummettes to Crisp's, Toreore's, Au Cheval's, Kyochon's, etc. Great Sea Chinese Restaurant's is just as good, more spicy and bigger in size (~$16). Egg yolk crab (market price, we paid $30) - 5 stars. Finger-licking good crust. It was my first time trying out this dish, and I'm so glad that I tried it from here. I love crab, and this was delicious. Jajangmyun ($7.95) - 4.5 stars. My go-to place for this dish. We always order this. It's hard to describe the taste, but it's a mainstream food in Korea. Adventuresome eaters should try this ;D Jjamppong ($8.95) - 4 stars. Decent spiciness. Hangover food haha, or rainy day food. Szechuan eggplant ($10.25) - 4 stars. Crispy with a sweetish sauce. My mum's favorite. Ping's noodle platter ($9.25) - 4 stars. Good amount of seafood chunks. Tame food that won't upset sensitive stomachs. Honey walnut shrimp ($15.95) - 4 stars. I can't remember the price, but I remember that everyone liked it. EDIT Aug 2014 - updated prices, except for jjamppong
(5)
Pierre D.
My favorite Chinese spot in the suburbs. Before Ping had opened I had usually found myself going to YU's which is still good but does not compare to Ping! The Noodle Platter is always a good choice. It's packed with scallops, beef, shrimp, and plentiful vegetables. Honey Walnut Shrimp are huge, fresh, and delicious! While they may seem a bit expensive they're damn worth it, however the dish is soo rich that you should have it for sharing and not as a main course. I've had several other dishes here, and never have been disappointed. My only gripe so to speak is sometimes they get backed up and the wait times can be long. The parking lot is small so if you can't find a spot and they suggest you park next door then odds are you are in for a long wait. I'll give them a 5 cause well they're the best in the area!
(5)
Derek C.
I've been here a couple of times and it's been a good experience both times. This place is comparable to Yu's mandarin, altho I still feel that Yu's is slightly better. They pretty much have the same menu. We came here on Saturday night, after trying to get a table at Yu's, but the wait there was horrendous, so we decided to give Chef Ping's a try. The wait time was less, but the place was crowded and so was the parking lot! the service was great and everyone was really attentive to our needs. two dishes I'd highly recommend are the honey glazed walnut shrimp and the szechwan eggplant. I'm a huge meat eater, so I wasn't excited about my wife ordering the eggplant, but after I tasted it, I quickly changed my mind! the honey glazed walnut shrimp wasn't as good as the first time I had it, but it could have been an off night for the kitchen. All in all, the food was delicious, and every enjoyed the meal. If I were to pick between Yu's and Ping's, I'd probably say Yu's, but Ping's is not far behind!
(4)
Gary C.
Hands down, the best Chinese food in the Northwest burbs! I've eat there many times with family and friends and have never been disappointed. Chicken kung pao, pot stickers, hot sour soup, any noodle platter(Ping's seafood platter is my favorite), Spicy Beef Stew, orange chicken, General Tso's chicken, walnut shrimp are all out of this world! I ACTUALLY hate to share these complementary words...it'll only make the wait that much longer for me next time I go ;-)
(5)
Sherwin C.
Relatively good food overall for both lunch and dinner. Sometimes can be a little heavy on the salt but the food is very flavorful. Don't miss the fresh noodles here or their specialties. Place gets very busy early so you need to either make a reservation or arrive early on most nights of the week. Service and cooking is relatively fast though so even if you have to wait it won't be extremely long (except maybe on weekends). If you want to eat authentic cuisine without the long wait, iChef in Hoffman Estates is a good alternative (Yu's Mandarin usually has very long waits as well).
(5)
Phill C.
I've been here many times since they first opened... sometimes its 4 stars and sometimes 5, but the Pong Pong chicken wings are always tasty. Crispy & meaty chicken lollipops covered in a sticky sweet/spicy sauce. Highly recommended. You can tell they use quality ingredients and usually everything is delicious. I remember the first time I was there, we ordered a bunch of dishes and was even loving the crab rangoon. They use yellow cream cheese and real crab meat.... mmmmm. Also, any dish with noodles is usually very good, as the noodles are made in-house. Not sure if they still do noodle making demonstrations, as they used to when they were at Yu's Mandarin, but it's pretty cool how they make them by hand. Overall great quality food served in a modern setting. They have lunch specials too!
(4)
Mike O.
I chose this place for our latest NW Suburban Dinner group gathering and it was excellent from start to finish. Chef Ping's reputation in other reviews convinced me to try the place. Located on Algonquin next to Oberweis, it really appears unassuming from the street. Once inside, it has the look of class, with its lighting and wall decor. We had a table reserved for 11 people. Service was prompt and friendly from the moment we sat down. They brought out water for everyone and a pitcher of hot tea. The table was round and had a large revolving glass tray int he middle, making it easy to share and pass around the various dishes, carousel style. Thanks to Rachel J, I didn't spend too much time studying the menu and went straight for the Mongolian beef, a favorite Chinese dish of mine. Sure enough it was an excellent choice. I don't know if it's the best I've ever had, but it certainly would rank right up there. Amaliya ordered sauteed peapod tips, which looked like a heaping plate of cooked spinach. However, it was a great dish too. I got to try a sample of it and would certainly consider ordering it next time I came here. In all, I'd say the staff made it a very pleasant dining experience, bringing the food to us faster then I would have expected at most places. They even sang "Happy Birthday" to fellow Yelper George R, in addition to a person at another table who was also celebrating a birthday. I'd recommend this place for upscale Chinese dining at its best.
(5)
Pam D.
I must admit, I did come here with high expectations. I had Chef Ping bookmarked for quite a while. As we were going to be in the area, we made a point of checking it out for lunch before the holidays. The parking lot was packed and there was a line, but somehow we managed to get a parking space and our wait was only a few minutes for a table. I had hot and sour soup and the Mongolian Beef. The soup was hopelessly bland, even after I tried to doctor it up. My expectations began to fall a bit. The Mongolian Beef on the other hand was very tasty and the portion was quite generous. Christopher ordered the Chef Ping Noodle Soup, which came out quite a while after mine did. The moment I saw it, I knew this was NOT what Christopher had in mind. It was topped with all kinds of seafood and that is absolutely the last thing he will eat. He looked perplexed and said he did not see anything on the menu about seafood and there was another dish that was specifically a seafood noodle soup. We grabbed a carry out menu we had picked up and looked. Sure enough it listed seafood as a prime ingredient. I offered to trade with him, though I had my mind set on Mongolian Beef. At that point Christopher got up and went to the hostess station and checked one of the hard bound menus. In there, no seafood was listed. He decided at that point to send it back. The waiter told us that over time the recipe had changed, but the hard cover menus had not been changed to reflect it. Confusing to say the least. Chris ordered Orange Chicken and the wait began. By the time his food arrived, I was finished with my entree. His food was nice and tasty and very crisp. All the ingredients in both our entrees seemed very fresh. The dining experience was not fun for us, but the food for the most part was decent enough. It was ok, but not a spot I long to return to any time soon.
(3)
Sarah S.
I went here for lunch today with four coworkers...we went at 1145 and just barely got a booth! The place gets packed fast after their 1130 opening time during weekdays lunch. We had a very nice waitress (although she did forget to bring my coworker hot sauce & only brought 1 fortune cookie for 5 people...super strange!). The decor is great on the inside! Loved the modern Asian feel to everything. I had the S&S Shrimp Lunch Special for $7.95. A good deal! You get a choice of eggdrop soup, hot & sour soup or salad...then your entree comes with an eggroll & some kind of fried won ton thing. The eggdrop soup was really good but unlike ones I've had in Chinatown. It was loaded with vegetables & had some baby shrimps & tofu in it. My coworker said his hot & sour soup was the best he's ever had. The veggie eggroll was very delish! My sweet & sour shrimp was extremely tasty as well and after all the food I took four fairly big pieces of it home. It comes with a semi fried rice...white in color....with some veggies in it. I didn't think it would come with that kind of rice so next time I will probably just ask for plain brown or white rice. A couple coworkers got jja jjang myun (black bean with noodles dish) & said it was really good with their homemade noodles. I tried it, as well, and I honestly didn't think it was much better then the jja jang myun at Assi. Two other coworkers had the mongolian beef & were extremely underwhelmed even saying they wouldn't ever go back. I didn't try the mongolian beef but perhaps it isn't their best work. They had no problem with splitting our check 5 ways...but that 1 fortune cookie thing was kinda odd. There were some waits to take our order & then to receive our bills which surprised me because I would think they would want people up and out quickly during the lunch hour! I would definitely go to Chef Ping's again but wouldn't go out of my way to eat here! :)
(4)
Matthew N.
Good food, decent price. If you order takeout on the weekends make sure to order about an hour ahead of time. This place is crazy busy on the weekends. Our favorites that we ordered were the cashew chicken, mu shu pork, and pork dumplings. We will go back soon.
(4)
Brian K.
FAMOUS FOR (My rating in parentheses) - Champong AKA Seafood Noodle Soup (10/10) - Lajomyun AKA Ping's Noodle Platter (10/10) - Tang-soo-yook AKA ?? (9/10) - Yang Jang Pi AKA ?? (10/10) - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp (10/10) ALSO HAD: - Gan Pong Chicken (3/10) - Szechwan Style Prawn (7/10) - Mongolian Beef (5/10) - General Tso's Chicken (3/10) As you can see, I've been here a lot. Actually, my family and I have been coming here for about 20 years! "How can that be this place just opened?!" Well, I don't know the whole story, but this Chef Ping guy used to be a Yu's Mandarin, and that's where my family's been going. But several years ago, I got the Champong and it tasted a little different. Thinking it was a fluke, I went again later, and again, and again, and again, and each time it kept changing, and each time, the color kept changing. The real Yu's Champong should be something of an Orange color, but it was slowly becoming redder, which is a sign of it becoming more of a typical Korean-Style Champong, which is good too, in its own regard, but I'd take an authentic Yu's Champong any day! In any case, Yu's entire menu started to suffer. We found out after a year that the owners changed to some Korean folks, and as usual here in Chicago, Korean owned restaurants seem to suck. Needless to say, we were depressed, our only source of all those foods mentioned above were gone, because nobody made it like Yu's. Then, we overheard this Chef Ping business, and.... here we are! CHAMPONG Koreans like Mandarin food. Why? Mandarin food seems to have similar foundations as Korean food. One main ingredient is garlic. Koreans LOVE garlic, so everybody's happy! Now, I said earlier that Korean-Style Champong is redder. Well, almost all Korean Style Champong taste the same. It's a bit spicy, and has a sort of a mish-mash aroma with all types of ingredients. There isn't one ingredient that really takes the lead, and it all ends in a fairly satisfying dish. But Ping's Champong is totally different. It doesn't rely on red peppers to deliver the spice and/or taste, rather it relies on fresh vegetables, large and fresh seafood, and black pepper. When it comes out, you get this mound of boiled veggies on top of the noodles in this beautiful orange soup. The first thing you do is taste the soup and instantly, you get this mad rush like you want to down the whole thing. Good thing the heat stops you--or it'd be a waste! Immediately, you taste the black pepper in the front, with garlic in the background, and the whole thing just goes down so refreshingly, you gotta say AHH! I mix everything up and then basically put some noodle, veggies, and meat on the spoon, scoop up soup and eat it out of the spoon, all the way to the bottom of the bowl, till it's dry! The soup is the star of the show here, folks, not the noodles! But, having said that, the noodles are, usually, such great quality! Handmade, for sure, and not stringy, not oversaturated, but just perfect! I'm afraid of running out of room, so I'll mash it all together here. We typically order the YangJangPi first, sort of as an appetizer. It's finely sliced vegetables, sauteed onions, and egg along with mini shrimps, and pork or beef all in a horseradish sauce. It's just incredible and they get such a perfect amount of sauce all the time where it's not nose-hair-melting, but it's not completely weak either. We'll also order Tangsooyook to share, and individual Champongs/Lajomyuns. The Tangsooyook is probably called "Sweet & Sour Pork," but I don't know if there's a Korean/American distinction, because I've seen people order S&S Pork and it came out in a red sauce. This is supposed to be in a golden sauce. It was better at Yu's back in the day, but I guess this'll have to do, which is why it isn't 10/10. The concept is the same as S&S, battered deep fried pork with a sweet/sour sauce. It almost tastes like there's a pinch of honey in it. I'm not sure what the ingredient is, but this beats any red S&S sauce out there...at least on Pork. It's got such a sugary sweet side and such a not-so-tangy sour side that gives it an amazing balance! Champong I already explained. Lajomyun is kinda the same thing, but without the soup, it's more prepared in a Wok with its own sauces. I have such a hard time deciding between the two, because the Champong soup is so amazing, but the Lajomyun platter is so freaking good it makes me wanna melt! It's perfectly seasoned, garlic, soy sauce flavors are evident, but the huge shrimp and scallops with the noodles are just to die for! This & the Champong are the ways I learned to eat vegetables. I hated them as a kid, but they somehow cooked these so well so that the texture is almost completely preserved from when they were raw, but the veggie taste is lightened somehow so that a veggie hater like me could still eat them and enjoy! OuttaRoom!Funny thing is, this Chinese Rest. is so good at these dishes but suck @ standard PandaExp types of Chn Food.
(5)
Nic Z.
As long-time visitors of Yu's, we had to try Chef Ping's when they opened, and we've been coming ever since. Although 'inspired' by Yu's, the food is distinctly different. There's something slightly less heavy and healthier about it. It just tastes good. Super friendly staff, delicious food. Not much more to say than that. Go!
(5)
Andrew T.
Get their seafood noodle soup, or the Ping's noodle platter. The dining area is a little crowded, and you have to wait a while before getting seated because it is that good. Nuff said, go get in line.
(5)
Chelsea H.
Fabulous! We went on a Thursday night and were seated right away and we were served and out of there in half an hour. We ordered the vegetable egg rolls. Delightful! Crab Rangoon was the best I have had in years. The Mongolian beef was tender, tasty, and didn't skimp a bit on the meat. My dish was the General Tsao Chicken. AMAZING! Perfection in the amount of heat to the dish and flavor. It couldn't have been more perfect. Wait, it does... I had a malbec that hit the spot! Will definitely be coming back regularly. We have found our new favorite Oriental food spot!
(5)
Sam Y.
4 stars for food and service - 1 for one of the worst jja jjang myuns I've ever tasted - 1 for trying to get tipped twice. (One of my biggest pet peeves) We had a large party. Overall experience was decent. Most of the food we ordered was pretty good. Not as good as Yu's for sure. But they tried to hide the fact that 20% was already factored into the credit card receipt they brought back for me and tried to get tipped twice. This is fraud in my opinion.
(2)
Kim B.
I'm new to the area and heard Chef Ping is the best Chinese food in the north suburbs. The food was good but not great. The service was definitely slower than it should have been. I'll probably check out some other cheaper Chinese restaurants before I settle on Chef Ping's as my go-to place.
(3)
Jennifer I.
"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand....." Mr. Werewolf of London can look for a place called Lee Ho Fook's all he wants, but on Superbowl Sunday, Melanie S. and I drove to the burbs looking for a place called Chef Ping. Turns out this was the perfect day to give Chef Ping a try...the game kept a lot of folks away. Rumor has it that it's very busy there on Sundays...and every other day of the week. So if giving Chef Ping a shot, be prepared to wait for a table. Snaps to the Chef Ping server for bringing hot tea without us having to ask. It did not take us very long to pick out which dishes we wanted....we ordered egg rolls, Mongolian Beef, Phoenix in Green (a chicken/vegetable dish), and combination fried rice. We enjoyed everything, but there was ham in the fried rice, which was not indicated on the menu...we were ok with it, but given some people's issues with eating pork, I definitely think they need to change the menu. However, the shrimp in the fried rice were a good size...not those lame dinky bay shrimp which you sometimes get, that I think are really Sea Monkeys. Don't waste my time.... Overall, thumbs up to Chef Ping. I'd like to meet his tailor.
(4)
Robert B.
Hidden spot I don't think I would have been to. great recomendation by co-workers hotel staff. friendly staff and super good food. YUM
(5)
Mark S.
I heard rave reviews about this place but... for a veggie it is a little below average. I did get the only veggie lunch option which was veggie delight (not my favorite), I am sad to say it was a disappointing standard Chinese takeout version of the dish. I imagined that they could make an amazing version of dish, not just the standard sauce on steamed veggies with white rice. I think I could have gone to any Chinese buffet and had the same thing for half the price... the only saving grace in the meal was a small salad with a Japanese style dressing. The non-veggie bean noodles looked really good and my fiend said that he loved it but there was no veggie version of the item, they said that it was not possible to make veggie. The place was packed and the service was fast and good, especially for how busy it was. The only reason this place gets three stars is that everyone I was with said that they loved their meal as a vegetarian at lunch I would say go someplace else with more selection and more taste.
(3)
Tricia D.
Food wasn't particularly hot, in the Paris Hilton "that's hot" sense nor temperature-wise. Go to a Chinese restaurant - any restaurant for that matter - and hot food is expected! Our large party had what must have been 10+ courses of food, but none of the dishes were particularly memorable for me. The fried rice was prepared with pineapple and raisins and was creative, but not that great tasting. It was like a pilaf gone wrong. Fried beef wraps, cold appetizers, chicken and frozen veggie soup, steamed fish, green beans, duck, and shrimp... all of it was so-so. I did drool at the sight of the peking duck wraps that the table next to us had though. The most refreshing thing about the night was the watermelon served at the end of the meal and a fortune cookie that told me a cheerful message was on its way.
(2)
Jo N.
Excellent food! Prob best Chinese food I have had in a very long time! Fried rice came with large shrimp :)
(5)
Linda C.
FOOD: YUMMY! Portions were extremely generous and they certainly make sure you get your money's worth. For example, when we got the tofu and seafood dish, typically its mostly just tofu and vegetables with a few pieces of seafood. But here at Chef Ping's they give you just as much seafood as the tofu! The squid was perfectly cooked. SERVICE: so fast... that's all I can say... wow so fast! Their bus boys clear tables so quickly and the turnover rate for tables is extremely fast for the amount of people they have. We waited all but 5 minutes when it was bustling... I thought we'd be stuck waiting for a good 20 minutes! Just as I grabbed a menu to start looking it over while waiting, we were seated! Wait staff is also very attentive and make sure you get everything you need. ATMOSPHERE: clean, well maintained, and nice decor
(4)
George P.
Best Chinese in Chicago. Food is fresh. This is one of those places where you can pick something randomly from the menu and you won't be disappointed. Food comes out fast. Staff is attentive. Seafood is fresh. I'm shocked at how good this place is. It used to be an old Baker's Square. The interior looks like a hip restaurant you would find in Chicago. Best thing about Ping is how low your bill is after you order a lot of food.
(5)
Dave K.
Plain and simple, Chef Ping = the best Chinese food I've ever had. Looking forward to returning!
(5)
June P.
When it comes to dining on Chinese food, you're often faced with an indiscernible menu, a confusing experience with waitstaff, and questionable cleanliness. But as Chinese food becomes more and more a regular part of the American diet, many modern and trendy Chinese restaurants are popping up. The refreshing thing about Chef Ping is that it's what you would get if Nate Berkus did a makeover on your favorite old-school Chinese dive. There are many comparisons out there because of the connection between Chef Ping and the local favorite Yu's Mandarin, but to me, Chef Ping is where you go when you finally outgrow the long-standing relationship you've grown comfortable in with Yu's. At Chef Ping, you'll find that there's hardly a poor choice to make, and my husband and I have never been disappointed in our meals. Our favorite dish is the Pong Pong Chicken, a take on the popular kam-poong chicken wing dish. They push the meat on a fried chicken wing to one side, likening it to a lollipop, and toss it in a spicy, sweet, savory sauce that reassures you'll leave with a full belly and smile. The black bean noodles (jjajang myun) are done very well with chewy noodles and flavorful sauce that is neither watery nor full of cornstarch. Portion sizes are generous. The waitstaff are noticeably friendly and hold easy conversations. (This makes you feel ever better about betraying your parents' favorite Chinese restaurant.) I often noticed tables erupting in laughter with their waiter. This is always a good sign. The tables are also always full when we go, whether it's 5:30 or 9:30. It's good to make sure you give yourself at least 30 minutes cushion time, because it is a popular restaurant. My husband and I find that 6 is a great time to go in, as the rush seems to start around 6:15 on weeknights. Chef Ping harkens back to a day when service at Asian restaurants was more about welcoming customers warmly (including conversations and advise on how/what to eat, albeit likely with someone of their same ethnicity) and the food was authentic. In an age where "exotic food" is about as exotic as Panda Express, and turnover and minimizing costs is king, Chef Ping doesn't skimp on anything. Good food and service AND amazing turnover? Imagine that.
(5)
Derrick T.
Given my second trip to have a meal at Chef Pings, I have to increase my rating. It's way past opening month, the food quality continues to be high, and the portions were pretty generous as of last night's meal. One of my boyz from the rural area of Springfield found himself missing true Chinese food, so we made our way to Chef Pings. Surprisingly busy on a Tuesday night, we had a 20 minute wait which turned into a 8 minute wait to a large family size table in the back room. Appetizer - Chicken Wings - Crisp and tasty, very small wings... but lots of them. Surprising, since the menu states 6 wings, but each of our platters had about 12 wings. Main Courses Swei Zhu Ru - (Spicy Pot Fish) - Soft tender fish, excellent flavor, nice presentation Pong Pong Gi - Crispy Fried Chicken Legs with Spicy/Sweet Sauce - Nice thick glaze, the chicken legs are trimmed near the foot end and the meat is pushed up to the top for easy of eating. Fried to a crisp and covered in sauce. Tasty. Ru Shiang Chei Zhe - Garlic Fried Eggplant - Again, wonderfully crisp on the edges, and perfectly tender in the middle, with a tasty sauce covering it. Whei Gou Ro - Twice Cooked Pork - Not quite what I was expecting, as it was a very lean meat with veggies. Tasty, but I think I had confused this with a different dish I was considering... Hu Tao Shia - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp - Phenomenal Dish. They've really perfected the balance of crispyness, sweet mayo/glaze, and candied walnuts. Don't overlook the decorative broccoli... it's steamed perfectly. La jao mien - Ping's Noodle Platter - The is a standard for what was once Yu's. Seafood mixed in with hand pulled noodles. Excellent dish, and in my humble opinion, the dish that built Yu's Mandarin's fame... every bit just as good here. Verdict: To quote a friend, "one of the best chinese restaurants in the burbs". Go and enjoy!
(4)
Tony W.
Wasn't too impressed with the food. And discretion is not their strong suit. My friend discreetly pulled the hostess aside to ask her to bring her the check directly as she wanted to treat us to lunch. The hostess brought over the waiter and loudly instructed him to bring my friend the check when it was time. She sat there looking both annoyed and amused as we roared with laughter.
(3)
Mike L.
I always try to find an excuse to go to Chef Ping whenever I visit my parents in the burbs. It's a well-dressed Chinese restaurant that is always at least 75% filled with asian patrons, so you know they are doing well. I've heard that the owners are the previous owners of the famous (or infamous) Yu's Mandarin, and I am glad they decided to get back in the restaurant biz. Be brave and order from the Chinese menu. My favorites are #1 (flat glass noodles with pork, veggies, sliced scrambled egg in a peanut/horseradish sauce) and #33 (tofu + beef brisket cassarole). I absolutely love #33 when it is made right (served hot, with a good amt of spice and tender brisket), but this has only happened 2 out of 3 times. You also can't go wrong with the jia jiang myun, underrated in my opinion. From peeking at other tables there are other good choices out there mixed with tackier choices, but I'll leave the menu adventures to the regulars. Would have rounded up to 5 stars if #33 was consistently good. However I am forgiving because they had the NCAA tourney playing at the bar.
(4)
Nancy H.
An excellent suburban alternative to delicious Chinese food. There are a few items that also crossover into Korean cuisine, so the diners are mostly Chinese & Koreans. Overall, the food is actually really good, the restaurant is clean and attractive, the waiters are very friendly and speak English well, and even the service is pretty good. Minus one star for the price tag & small(ish) parking lot. Some of my favorite dishes: - honey walnut shrimp (perfect ratio of honey and mayo - not too much of either, and the shrimps are large) - Szechwan eggplant (fluffy, deep fried slices of eggplant in a sweet & spicy sauce) - egg yolk lobster (fried in a salted egg yolk batter) - noodles in black bean sauce (the slightly chewy noodles are supposedly made in house!) - any fried rice (I've tried two kinds, and regardless of the filler items, the smokiness of the rice from the wok is what really makes the difference here) The owners are relatives of the Yu's Mandarin owners, is what I hear, so some of the same dishes have been copied over to Chef Ping's menu.
(4)
Genevieve L.
I usually get a carryout order but every so often, we'll dine in. Whenever I'm there, I order the Thai Chicken Curry and it's phenomenal every single time! They always give a huge portion of chicken in their dishes and the service is fast. I definitely recommend it.
(5)
AJ M.
Came here with a group of friends. Heard alot about this place and on a friday night I saw why. This place got packed really quickly around dinner. And I have a theory that if a place gets packed they have to be doing something right. For appetizers the pork shu main, crag ragoon was great. Skip the egg rolls and chicken skewers. The orange chicken, General Taos, beef n broccoli are better then most chinese places. Service is good. Only problem is they only brought out a little rice out, although if you ask for more they will keep bringing more.
(4)
Nomaan D.
Got the Mongolian beef, curry chicken, and Kung pao chicken. They were all excellent. Especially the curry chicken.
(5)
Tracy T.
This is by far the best FOOD EVER!!! I cannot get enough. It's hard for me to stray from the sesame chicken and pineapple fries rice but when I do, I'm always thrilled. Great atmosphere, superb food!
(5)
Quinn B.
As close to "the best" Chinese food I've ever had..... Fresh ingredients, timely service and nice atmosphere. I went for lunch and had sweet and sour chicken with hot and sour soup. To me, the state of the chicken always speaks of quality. Moist, great breading and tasted terrific. The hot and sour soup was not just an after thought either. It was prepared with care and seasoned well. The place is well worth checking out.
(5)
Annie L.
Great food, friendly staff, fast service, very mod decor. It's like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Some recommendations: 1. salt and pepper shrimp with the shell on 2. clam and black beans 3. schezwan eggplant I took one star off because my friend and I were placed literally 2 feet away from the surrounding tables for dinner. I didn't mind it, but man it was interesting hearing people's conversations and I'm sure the same for them of us. haha
(4)
Alice A.
Ever since this place opened, i have been coming here instead of Yu's. The food is consistent every time. In their lunch menu, the mandarin trio, ping's noodle soup and platter and yu-shang pork are all very flavorful. If you are craving for fresh seafood, their lobsters and crabs are delicious as well.
(4)
Nelson M.
Restaurant Review Holy asian! Chef Ping rivals Yu's and recently tops it. The type of asian food you get here is a fusion of korean and chinese which is a unique experience. It has the spiciness of korean food while maintaining the stir fry component of cantonese cooking. The one major downside is get a reservation or you will be waiting a while. A lot of the waiters speak mandarin and their english is so so which is always a mark of a good traditional asian restaurant. So from my memory that good items to try include the pong pong chicken which is a chicken drumstick lollipop with the spicy ping sauce. The chef ping stir fry noodle is a bit spicy but has a good balance of seafood. Another item is the aged salty egg coated dungenese crab. Simply amazing, not to mention through the roof in cholesterol. There is also a noodle dish that has multiple layers including pork, egg, etc that comes not mixed and it is mixed at the table. The sauce they use reminds me of wasabi. IMHO those are the best dishes to try. Pro- unique korean/chinese fusion, fresh food Con- some of the dishes have now shrunk in size compared to before, long wait time Hidden deal- If the parking lot is full, park over at the banquet hall parking lot. You may get towed if you parking in the next door ice cream store lot.
(4)
Spencer H.
I have been a big fan of Yu's Mandarin for years & I have been told to check this place out repeated times. This place has a pretty big buzz & it hasn't worn out. I was told that many people here were former employees including one of the old bosses of Yu's & when I went here to eat, the waiter confirmed this for me. We started off with some iced teas & hot & sour soup. It was not the best hot & sour soup I have had but it was good & I would order it again. For the main course we ordered a beef & chicken hunan style, kung pao chicken & shrimp fried rice. The beef & chicken hunan style is a dish I have only eaten at Yu's Mandarin because they perfected it. So I was very curious to see how good it would be here. The food came out about 10 minutes after placing the order. One thing I noticed right away is that they used larger shrimp in their shrimp fried rice & there were a lot of shrimp. Most places only use small shrimp. The kung pao chicken was good but the real surprise was the beef & chicken hunan. It was just as good as at Yu's Mandarin. This is the first place in years that has been as good as Yu's Mandarin. Overall the experience was great. The food was good & the service was fast. It was on the pricier side but it was worth the experience. I would definitely eat here again if I was in the area.
(5)
Gianni P.
Ordered takeout for the office after we seen it was ranked #1 in Illinois by Yahoo. Wait time for sit in lunch is extremely long so carryout worked. Place is exactly as everyone says...... AMAZING!
(5)
Michelle F.
From one bad Asian food experience (here's looking at you, WildfishofArlingtonHeights) on Monday night to an experience at Chef Ping that can only be described as AMAZEBALLS! This food is knock-your-socks-off fresh and flavorful! They have really great service, wonderful prices, and a really wonderful ambiance. My friend and I were never left wanting anything. So let me preface this with the fact that my fellow Yelper and I (shout out to my wannabe Asian friend Cristie! She is my expert for many things Asian-food-related!) ordered enough food to feed a small army (or better yet, us two and then our significant others later on that night). Everything we ordered was delicious, and it came out piping hot! It was fairly fast from the time we ordered until the time we received our food. Ten minutes, maybe?? WHAT WE ORDERED: Stir Fried Mushrooms Shredded Pork Fried Rice Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter Sesame Chicken WHAT WE ENJOYED Every gosh darn bite of everything WHAT WE DID NOT ENJOY ::Crickets:: But seriously, the food was amazing! The sauce on the sesame chicken will haunt my dreams. The noodle platter was delicious (and they were able to make it White Girl Spicy--woot). The fried rice was really good, and not dry at all (I hate when it gets dry!) and the mushrooms are out of this world! But word to the wise, these are HUGE slices, and hard to cut. So you will need a knife! We arrived right around six on a Tuesday night. There was no wait when I got there, and the restaurant was about 1/2 filled. However, before we had even figured out what we wanted to order, the place was PACKED. So this place really knows how to keep them coming!! I can't wait for my next outing to Chef Ping. I saw about 18 more things I wanted to order. I might have to try and space them out among a few visits, though...or not...
(5)
Christy S.
Delicious authentic food! We love this place, their Vegetable Noodle Platter is the best thing I've ever tasted! Salt and Pepper Shrimp is delicious! My husband loves the sweet and sour chicken, the Hunan Beef is his favorite. You have to go early, before 530, or there's a wait. But it's SO good! Oh and the wonton soup, great!
(5)
Cristie F.
I had been longing to eat at Chef Ping since I heard about it a couple months back. The time had come and my excitement was uncontainable. First things first. I'm not sure who this Chef Ping is, but I'm madly in love with him. ((Well, I'm assuming it's a him - either way)). CP brought me back to everything I was missing at my previous favorite Chinese restaurant ((eh...ahem, Yu's)). In the middle of a monsoon I was surprised to see the restaurant packed. Apparently a little ((or a lot)) of rain doesn't bother Ping diners. After my experience, a tsunami wouldn't stop me from heading there. The point - get there early, take it to go, or expect a wait. The menu consists of a variety of meats and seafood, as well as quite a few vegetarian options. I was stoked to see king mushrooms on the menu, but the long-awaited sesame chicken was taking the priority that night. Dinner consisted of Sesame Chicken and Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter. Both were incredible - duh. The sesame chicken was everything I imagined it would be and more. The chicken was fresh and juicy, lightly breaded, and tossed in the best sesame sauce known to man. The veggie platter had fresh stir-fried veggies and an abundance of house made silky noodles. The portions were huge, so two entrees for two people was more than enough. Service was fantastic. The hostess, staff, and our waitress were extremely friendly and seemed genuinely happy to have us there. That was a welcomed change from many other restaurants I've visited. Our dishes came out fast and our glasses were always full. The only thing I'm unhappy about and regret is not knowing about Chef Ping sooner. Chef Ping - I love you. Thank you for bringing back the amazing Chinese dishes I so desperately missed.
(5)
John L.
Worth the 1 hour wait... In fact, I would wait 2 hours to eat here again! The place had extremely fresh ingredients and an amazing menu! I strongly suggest the jajangmyun but don't plan on splitting it with someone because you'll want the whole bowl! The chicken wings are legit as well. I don't think you can go wrong on anything on the menu. It took a while to get a table, but the service was incredible right when we sat down. Even the bussers were smiling...not to day bussers aren't friendly, but let's face it, they typically don't have the friendliest personalities. The place was booming and service was great...nuff said
This place is always premier. Our waitress way very attentive and so personable. She took our order and served our food when it came out. Food was amazing. I have tried something different every time I am here and I haven't been disappointed. The interior is nicely designed. Make sure you call ahead to see how long the wait is. They are usually busy.
(5)
Alison G.
Now after 2yrs they grow so fast now you can see long wait Food sometimes is 4stars sometimes 3. I give it 3 because the recent visits were about 3 Looking forward for better food when I come back
(3)
Kevin G.
Have been here many times. Food is just simply amazing and great flavors. For the quality of food that you get it's an absolute bargain. Seriously! The steamed pot stickers were amazing. pork MuShu off the hook. Just go - You'll luv it. Makes all other Chinese food places inedible.
(5)
Monica J.
Really yummy and reasonably-priced food. My family and I used to go to Yu's Mandarin all the time and then we heard the owners switched to Chef Ping. We love the mushroom dish, tofu, and their veggie noodles are really yummy. Great place for take out or dine-in. Be prepared to wait, though, as this restaurant is usually quite packed.
(5)
David L.
There is never an issue with the food at Chef Ping. It's consistently good. The atmosphere at Chef Ping has decreased significantly as Chef Ping tries to maximize revenue and squeeze people in like sardines in a can. It's become increasingly difficult to get to and from the table without bumping into neighboring patrons. Just today, I was asked multiple times by one member of the wait staff if I was done eating. I was not even done chewing and was making sure my son was eating his lunch. This is a business and you are out to maximize revenue, but packing in tables to the point walking is difficult and pestering customers to leave does not make for a relaxing atmosphere to grab a meal.
(3)
Katie F.
Food was fantastic! Prices were great for huge portions. We had pong pong chicken (without the sauce, which was way too hot), veg fried rice, and veg noodles (not spicy). Our waitress was super friendly and helped us pick our dishes. The only downfall is the wait, so make sure you get there early or late.
(5)
Dinah T.
Chef Ping is a high end type of Chinese establishment. It's located on a main road and the parking lot gets busy. They are closed on Monday's, yes a restaurant that is NOT open 7 days a week. I believe most Chinese restaurants are closed on Monday's. I've been here several times from seating for 2 to a private wedding engagement party in the back room, jammed pack of people. This place gets VERY busy during the weekend so expect to wait if you didn't make RSVP. So sit by the bar and people watch. Or if you don't like the crowd, then take out is just as good. If you see a lot of Chinese customers coming here, then you KNOW it will be good! Every item that we have order from the menu was pretty good, it taste even better for leftovers! Keep in mind their food is not like you would get in a divey place in Chinatown. They do serve their dishes family style which I like. So what do I like? Well here you go... Wonton Soup (very clean and the shrimp filled wontons were full of filling). Not really authentic Chinese soup-Chinatown style but pretty good. Hot n' Sour Soup, very peppery and thick. Hubby likes this soup. Clam Soup for Two is a clear broth soup of mini manila clams. I get then when my family is in the mood, it's a lot of soup for 1 person as an appetizer. Better if it's a meal. Fried Pot Stickers flavorful and tasty, not too oily and crispy yum. Crab Rangoon stuffed with filling, really good. I'd get this again. Walnut Shrimp (sweet creamy sauce with deep fried jumbo deveined shrimp, candied walnuts, and steamed broccoli on the side). I'd get this again and again. Shrimp in Lobster Sauce jumbo deveined shrimp, thick sauce with a salty taste. Steamed whole Pike and Flounder- flaky white fish with a sesame oil with soy sauce, etc. If they are not too busy, they will filet the fish and serve you by table side (to avoid seeing the fishes face, lol!). Mongolian Beef, soft meat and well-seasoned. Can be a bit oily though. Orange Chicken has lightly crispy battered pieces with a sweet sauce. One of our favorite dishes we order. Szechwan Eggplant is a lightly battered pieces with a tasty garlic sauce. Another favorite dish Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce is fresh, not over cooked vegetables. Seafood Peking Noodle (home-made noodles with a black bean sauce). Ping's Noodle Platter a spicy dish that you can ask for less or extra spicy. I love this home-made noodle. Pineapple Fried Rice and their shrimp fried rice (their deveined shrimp are medium size rather than the baby shrimp which I prefer and they put peas and carrots in their fried rice which I don't care much for. But the flavors are there). The space is a dark dining experience in the front area of the house. In the private rooms in the back are well lighted. The overall experience is very nice, good service, quick, and the food is yummy too! This is my go to place when I'm in the area!
(4)
David M.
Had Crab Rangoon which were unique and delicious, not the standard fair by any means. Shared an order of General Taos, Beef and Broccoli, and Chicken Fried Rice. All were excellent. The food alone made this a 4 star experience. The service was extraordinary, and I will feel like a terrible person if I didn't give this place a 5 star review. Friendly, attentive, expedient, and courteous. Happy to have found this place, and happy to offer my repeat business.
(5)
Shelby B.
I have such a love-hate relationship with this place. My husband and I have been here at least 10 times, and my review is consistent with these experiences. The reviews from "white people" who are impressed by the Asian clientele just baffle me. Everywhere I go is all white folk, and I certainly don't ooh and aah think these places are so great. Having eaten plenty of vegan Chinese food in China (a difficult find!), Chef Ping is on par. So... the food is delish, but the service is awful. The servers are jerks, and when I go with my American husband, we are not given chopsticks unless we ask. When I go with my Chinese friend, they appear at our table automatically. Come on, give chopsticks or don't! For my last order, I requested that they add straw mushroom, and I'd be happy to pay extra. My order came without any straw mushroom, and when I pointed this out, the server said, " I think you have enough mushroom." Well, they weren't the straw variety! ofc, I was charged $3 for the straw mushroom, and had to have a battle over it. Also, I always have leftovers as their portions are huge. If I ask for extra rice while we are dining, they will pack up any leftover rice along with my tofu and veggie dish at no charge. If I don't ask for it while dining, and ask at the end of the meal, they charge us for it. My husband loves the noodles here, so we'll always go back. I am South Asian, and thus, a rice, not a noodle person. I love their veg dishes, and as a vegan, happy to get tofu prepared as well as they do it, but would be happy never to go here again because their service is reliably awful.
(3)
Steve J.
Our office is in the area, so Chef Ping's is our go to place when we want great Asian food for lunch. No, we have never tried it in the evening. For lunch, the place is fantastic. The pricing is great and the service (even when the place is packed) is always friendly and reasonably fast. Even the front desk (with people lined back to the door) is always professional and nice. Our general rule for lunch, is if you don't want to wait, make sure you are there by 11:45. Parking also gets a little hairy past that time (private lot). Hot and Sour Soup is wonderful as are all the other lunch dishes we have tried.
(5)
Chung W.
Food is good but the service is bad. One waiter told us to leave table in an hour even though we got there at 4:30 PM. He said someone reserved the table at 5:30 PM. He rush us to order and finish our food. If you want to enjoy a dinner with your friends and family, this may not be a good place.
(2)
Jen Z.
Great food, very authentic! Been there a few times and never disappointed. Much better than Yu's. Wish it's closer to me so I can go there on a weekday when it's not so packed and there's no wait time. We had to give up the place after learning about the 1-hr wait on a Saturday night recently.
(5)
B M.
Awesome awesome awesome. I go here for lunch. The menu is great. Favorite is the ping platter from the lunch menu. From the dinner menu the mango chicken is awesome and so is the chicken wings. I have never had a bad meal and have tried almost everything on the lunch menu. Lines are long very busy so you have to have time to eat here. The service is as quick as it can be when a place is this packed and don't be surprised if it feels like a long wait for your food. If you know that going in you will have a great time and great food.
(5)
Sven B.
I started a new job and my colleague wanted to go here for lunch last week. I have worked in this area for a long time, and have seen Chef Ping - just never have I gone there. Man, I have been missing out! My favorite Asian places in the area are Yu's Mandarin and P.F. Chang's in Schaumburg. Now, Chef Ping is right up there with them! It was so busy at lunch time (for a reason) and the food was outstanding! Very fresh, delicious, etc. Service left a bit to be desired both in terms of speed as well as having food come out at the same time. Still, it was so good! I got the combination lo mein for lunch with the egg drop soup. Their tea is really good too! I am going back tomorrow with a few colleagues to partake in some more Chef Ping goodness. Highly recommended! :)
(5)
Irene O.
The black bean noodle and seafood noodle soup are amazing. The portions are relatively large and they'll split them into two bowls if you'd like. I always get the orange beef here and it has never disappointed me. The beef is always juicy and tender. I am also a huge fan of the walnut shrimp, tangsooyook, and kkanpoongi. The service is always great and they remember your face if you come pretty regularly. This is definitely the best chinese restaurant around, especially for the korean-chinese menu.
(5)
Julie Y.
OMG need to get the pings chicken wings- chicken lollipops and whatever else is on the menu. Seriously.. so good and not too salty like other Asian restaurants can be. im a fan.
(5)
Anthony A.
Tried this place a few times now and the food has yet to disappoint. Kung Pao Chicken was very good and the Ping's Noodle Platter was excellent. My wife is a hot and sour soup connoisseur (I can't stand the stuff) and she said it was some of the best she's had in a while. Definitely recommend.
(5)
Shelly M.
My boyfriend and I have ordered carry out from Chef Ping a few times. We have never ate in the restaurant because it is always busy and there is always a wait for a table. We order the pong pong chicken which is delish. We also order the noodle platter which my boyfriend loves. Food is always good. The prices are on the higher side, but worth the try!
(4)
Trina J.
This place is a Chinese food lovers heaven. You get authentic, great tasting and affordable chinese. I love this place. So much so, that I happily take the 15-20 minute drive to check this place out. It really is that good. Never have I seen a chinese restaurant with such a large crowd. People literally wait for them to open for dinner. They are staked out in the parking lot. How do I know this? I decided to stop for take out when heading home. I thought I would be first because it was ten minutes prior to opening. When I pulled up, there were at least five other cars waiting. If this place were closer, I would eat here even more. Chef Ping, chinese by any other name is just not the same.
(5)
Larry C.
It's good here Get the egg yolk crab It's legendary!! If you go on Sunday, there are a bunch of hot girls eating bowls of black noodles. If you eat at the bar, sometimes they'll ask you to join there table. Place a bible by your Kan Tsao Nue Fan and you will get solicited to join the big tables that are round in the back. Brush up on your Bible verses cuz quoting people quoting Jesus is a great way to pick up Christian chicks!! Oh. There is an oberweis next door so that is where the Christian AfterParty is. PRO tip: park there at Oberweis because Chef Ping's lot is PACKED!!! PRO TIP: the asian girls hitting on you are Korean
(5)
Khris L.
This place is a gem. The food is a bit pricey, but so damn yummy. It seems that I'm not the only one that feels this way as this place was packed to the brim while I was there. Everyone was eating, talking, laughing, and basically having a great time. The service was phenomenal, with many people checking up on us to make sure we were enjoying our time there. The food was good, the service was great, and the place was clean. What more can you ask for? Try this place out!
(5)
John G.
I loved the food at Chef Pings but my last experience has left me unhappy and I will not be back. The wife and I ordered our food. I ordered General Tao's chicken and asked for all white meat. Our food came and I was given dark meat. I dislike dark meat and told the waiter I had ordered General Tao's and requested all white meat. He told me if I wanted white meat he could put the order in again but he would have to charge for both! Neither my wife nor I will each dark meat. I told him to take the food away then and basically we paid our bill and left.
(1)
Violet C.
Great Birthday Parties we had there with friends and family. Getting ready for one more tonight. Food is great! Fun place! Hope we don't get rushed. Looking forward! Happy Birthday DC and JC!
(4)
Jay Y.
I went there for the JaJangMyun for nostalgic reasons but was sadly disappointed. It just seemed to lack a little love. I can say the same thing about the spicy seafood noodle soup. The broth tasted like instant Ramen broth. On the other hand the tempura shrimp and pong pong wings were absolutely superb. I can't wait to try some noodle dishes on my next trip.
(4)
Char A.
Tried Chef Ping for the first time. The hot and soup soup was the best I ever had! Based on a recommendation here, I tried the noodle platter. It was good, just a little too much seafood for me. The noodles were homemade and delicious.
(5)
Ian B.
The food is great but the staff at the hostesses stand is a mess. Waiting 1 1/2 hours when we had a reservation... The one lady lied to my face about double booking parties. Not coming back
(2)
Food L.
This place is great, in never disappointed me when it comes to the quality and deliciousness of food. Their Kung Pao chicken is the best I had in town and all their dishes are full of flavor and enjoyable to eat. Their seafood dishes are 5 stars, I can say with confidence that the chef is so talented and like an artist, he knows how to delight your taste buds with colorful dishes full of flavor and freshness. Sometime it takes us 45 minutes in line until we are seated, but it is worth it, even if I waited double the time... This is a king of authentic Chinese food cuisine in the northwest suburbs without a doubt!!
(5)
Kevin T.
Best Chinese food I have ever had! Great service, Jerry is a great server. I tried the crab rangoon, egg rolls and shrimp egg rolls. All were the best quality I have ever tasted! I ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet (Sea Bass) and it blew my MIND!!! Soooo Gooood! Their Mai Tai was excellent as well. If you're looking for good Chinese food at an affordable price you have to try Chef Ping!
(5)
Shawn M.
I travel to Asia frequently and have been looking for an authentic Chinese food spot. This is the best we've found, period. Amazing, fresh ingredients, tasty dishes, always busy. Those are some of the words I'd use to describe Chef Peng's. The owners are also very nice and always smiling. I'm guessing that because they're always busy has something to do with it. An hour wait is typical so plan ahead or get there early. The wait staff can be short with customers but they are still better than wait staff in Chinatown restaurants.
(5)
Stephanie K.
What is there not to like about this place? Fantastic curry. Great hot and sour soup. Good chicken wings. Fantastic shrimp kung pao. Basically, this is the best chinese restaurant ever. I used to eat here all of the time when I lived in Palatine. Now that I'm living in Crystal Lake, I don't make it out there very often but just thinking about it makes me want to make the drive. Thank you Chef Ping for never disappointing and not giving my subpar Chinese food like every other Chinese restaurant here in the Chicago suburbs.
(5)
Julie R.
This IS the best Chinese food outside of Chinatown in all of Chicagoland. Fact. And I think those that have had Chef Ping know this as well BECAUSE there is ALWAYS a crazy wait to dine here on a Friday or Saturday night. But I will not down grade to a 4-star just because they're popular ;) We always get the Orange Chicken- amaze. The Won Ton soup is very fresh and light. Crab Rangoons are generous in proportions. Ordering the pot-stickers pan fried is worth the wait rather than having them deep, fat fried or just steamed. There was also this shrimp dish, it sounded gross because the sauce was mayonnaise based BUT it was SO GOOD! Mu shu pork is super filling- its like Asian burritos, create-your-own style. I think what really makes this place stand out is that their flavors do NOT taste muddled as I feel that many other Chinese restaurants tend to do... I also think the service is pretty good from the few times I've been. While you're waiting for your table, get a cocktail at the bar. I really wanted to try the Cucumber lemon mojito but they were out of mint. :(. Instead, I had the Malibu Mai Tai which was very sweet and tasty- that's how I like 'em though. This place NEEDS a larger location. No doubt.
(5)
Erv T.
Amazing and very good. We are vegetarians and love the vegetable noodle dish . They get very busy so order online and pick it up. Plan 60 minutes extra on Fridays and Saturdays.
(5)
Justin R.
Some of the best chinese food available in the Chicago area.
(5)
Nita L.
Delicious! Served family style so plan to share dishes or you'll have tons of leftovers, which isn't really a bad thing. They did bring us one dish we hadn't ordered, and after we dished it out they asked us if we liked it. At that point I asked if we had the right one, and we learned it wasn't our dish They promptly replaced it with the right dish. The feeling I had was that if I hadn't asked, they would have just let it slide. Not positive that's what would have happened, just a sense. That said, it was delicious and we will return!
(5)
Judy H.
Best chinese food in the NW suburbs, and better than most places in Chicago's chinatown. My family and I have been coming here since the owners sold off Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg and created Chef Ping in Arlington Heights. We always order: - Salt & Pepper Shrimp - Szechwan Eggplant - the eggplant is lightly fried, so best enjoyed in the restaurant, but can be good as leftovers too. Just will be soggy. - Yellow Leek with Shredded Pork - Seafood Noodle Soup or Ping's Noodle Soup - YOU MUST GET THIS. They make their own hand-pulled noodles. It's the best. - Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jia jia mien) Other menu items are good too. Can't really go wrong.
(4)
M K.
Awesome Chinese food. The Ping's noodle platter was excellent and the Black Bean noodles were just as we wanted. Great service and good food along with reasonable prices make this one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area.
(5)
Christina S.
"Where do you want to go out to eat?" Chef Ping, CHEF Ping, CHEF PING!!! I do not get sick of this place so my answer is not going to change. EVER. What can I say that hasn't been already said. Probably nothing, but damn, this is some awesome Chinese food. But, it's the NOODLES that are beyond fantastic. That is to say particularly, the handmade noodlles, and that is not necessarily all of the noodle dishes, so definitely ask which dishes those are before you order. I like to get the Ping Noodle Platter, either vegetarian or the combo but I opt for no seafood- unless I forget that part like I did once, and I still thought it was phenom, despite the fact that I am not a scallop or calamari girl. Don't get me wrong, I didn't eat every morsel of seafood, but I totally handled it which speaks to the freshness and technique offered at Chef Ping. And I will slap your mama before I will let her have any of my noodles! Yes, they are that good, and even the lunch special, which comes with an egg roll and soup, is large enough for three meals. But I want every one of those three meals over the next two days, so NO, your mama can not have any of my noodles!!! Except for egg drop soup, which is not my thing, I've never had anything bad here. The pot stickers are very good, and the pong pong chicken was a HUGE hit shared at our table of five last visit. There is still so much on this menu that I want to try. I find it annoying that my husband, who very much enjoys his meals here, is not as big of a fan of Chinese food in general, so I do not get here as often as I would like. If this was in my neighborhood however, I would be their best customer, especially considering they are pretty reasonably priced. Don't miss out on trying Chef Ping. You won't regret it. And if you go, can I come, too? Pretty please?? P.S. Authentic Chinese menu available as well as a banquet room, I believe.
(5)
Candice G.
When I go out to eat and see a menu item called 'Vegetarian Chicken' that's described as 'tofu created to taste like chicken by ancient Buddhist Monk', well, you better believe I want that ancient Buddhist not-chicken on my plate and then promptly placed in my mouth. Unfortunately, I tried to order that here last night and our server responded by asking me if I'd ever had it before. I said 'no', but mentioned that I was really excited to. She responded by describing the dish to me in what had to be the absolute most complicated way possible, involving an almost egregious amount of hand motions and her using the word 'skin' no less than eight times till finally ending on her physically reaching over the table to take the menu away from me and turn to the next page to randomly point out some other menu item that was in almost no way related to the one I just said I wanted. Uhmmm... ya know, I think we're gonna need another minute to look over the menu (and talk about how f*cking awkward that interaction was). So that was weird, right? And, like any 20-something American raised by cable television, being told I couldn't have something only made me want to order it more... but, due to my lack of cultural studies and state of intimidation left by a waitress who took a menu away from and looked straight in my eye and told me to order something else, I didn't know how I would go about ordering the now shrouded in mystery ancient Buddhist not-chicken, so I just picked something else at random and sat somewhat silently while i contemplated the whole thing. Things I did and have ordered in the past: ** Kung-Pow Tofu: A rather ironic dish to order given the aforementioned interaction, as it's not listed on the menu, but they suggested I could get the kung-pow style dish regardless of it not actually being available there... and it was so freakin' good. They should put that on the menu and maybe consider taking items off that they won't let you order anyway. ** Salt & Pepper Tofu: Amazing. The tofu is softer than you'd expect, but the flavors and the little cut of bits of pepper and spices that I incorrectly and refer to as 'salsa' because I don't actually know what to call it is outstanding. Those smoky hot peppers are so good. I want to eat them popcorn. ** Mandarin Bean Curd: It's good. I like a bit more flavor and spice in my dishes but for the average tofu dish it was pretty good. Very salty, but I've come to recognize that as being a common denominator in most of Chinese food I've had. Luckily, you have a big glass of ice water in front of you. Oh and every table has a pot of of tea on it, though if it's worth mentioning, they don't give you the real ceramic tea cups, they're just crummy plastic ones that may or may not leak toxic plastic poison into your piping hot tea... though personally, I'm not too worried about that. I spent a good part of my childhood with my face pressed against the microwave window watching the guts of my hot pockets simmer and seep onto the protective sleeve.
(4)
Kat L.
Ho. Ly. PING!!! It's about time i find an amazing Chinese spot around the area! Went here for lunch with the fam, as recommended by my cousin's wife. So many hits that I'm sure anyone could find a dish to like. Here's some takes on our chinese shchmorgasboard: salt and pepper squid: I could have done with a bit more seasoning, but if a Chinese McDonald's decided to have a squid mc nugget, this is pretty much what you'd get. i swear, the texture is just like chicken mcnuggets! and oh?! fancy that. sweet and sour sauce on the side. lol summer salad: a myriad of textures. hot and cold and crunchy vs. rice noodles and the clean crisp of (ginger? or onion?) and all sorts of things. I so recommend if you're aiming for refreshing but somewhat filling. Thai seafood noodle: wide rice noodles perfection. texture is spot on. some parts soft with a slight bit of a crisp on other ends. DELISH! Mango shrimp: uhm. i will probably order this. over. and over. and over. a lil sweet. a lil heat. and a whole lot of YUM!! mango and shrimp? BFFs. why can't everyone do this? crab rangoons: standard Shrimp dumpling: YES!!! for dim sum fare!!! fish with wood ear: also delish! great for those who aren't fish connoisseurs. i love the mushroom. Pineapple fried rice: so delicious. and there were raisins, which makes it kinda close to filipino home (arroz valenciana? sorry if i botched the spelling). Geez. Louise. We obviously went to town ordering a wide variety of things. I was pretty happy with everything. Service was quick and on point (they actually had forgotten to put in our table's order for soup, but the entrees came out on the fly so we didn't mind). Portions were fair for pricing, and I'm happy to pay a little more for some great quality food. COME HERE. You won't regret it.
(5)
Vina O.
This place is ALWAYS crowded on weekends. I've only gone here for dinner and the food is decent. I live extremely close to Chicago's Chinatown and I'd personally rather go there anyday, but I guess this is the best place to go to if you want semi-authentic Chinese/Korean food in the suburbs. Favorite dishes by far are the fried lollipop chicken and black bean mussels!
(3)
Stephen M.
I love the place! I took a star out cause it was a hassle to find parking! But then again it was a Sunday and if the parking lot is full, that means that their food is pretty damn good and is worth waiting for! :) I love the service here..the people are very friendly!
(4)
Lisa C.
So far, their lazzamyun, tang su yuk, jjajangmyun were all delicious. Their jjamppong was also really good but I was disappointed that it was not spicy whatsoever. The fried potstickers were pretty good too. The service was much better than expected because everyone was really on top of things, fast, and polite. Definitely will be going back.
(4)
Jim F.
Hey Esther....sounds like you went to Yu's vs Pings!
(5)
Marlo P.
I was here for the first time yesterday and I was really surprised at how busy this place is! So rumor has it that the old executive chef of Yu's Mandarin quit that place, took all his recipes, and opened his own restaurant. At least that's what my father told me. This place is pretty small and really busy. I went at 6pm on a Friday and there was a line out the door. I tried the seafood peking noodles, shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour shrimp, crispy duck and szechwan eggplant. The noodles were the highlight. You could tell these were fresh noodles. The seafood was cooked nicely in the dish and my family (we were a party of 6) ordered two bowls of it. The other stuff was just what I expected. Nothing great about it. I didn't expect the eggplant to be battered and fried though, but it was still decent. The crispy duck just tastes like the deep friend the whole thing and put it on a place with some hoisin sauce. The prices were pretty decent. For a family of 6 (all adults) with four beers and two soco and cokes, 6 entrees and one order of egg drop soup the bill came out to be $104 with taxes. I think that's pretty decent. I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(4)
Nick S.
I've had Chef Ping twice. I liked everything except the Szenchuan eggplant. It was bland and on the greasy side. I'm giving them the benefit b/c two of my foody type friends love this place.
(4)
A. L. P.
My go-to local chinese place, since I live right down the street. The inside is very nicely decorated and clean, the portions are large (two dishes and an appetizer typically feeds our group of 4), they have the best fortune cookies around, and there are always asian people eating here. Win! Would definately recommend taking your out of town relatives here.
(4)
Cerise M.
Food is pretty good, not as greasy as chinese food usually is. We tried the famous pong chicken, salted egg king crab, sizhuan beef and shimp with walnut. They taste decent, but not that spectacular. Service is good though, servers are nice and attentive. Would come back here.
(3)
Barman S.
For my family, this is an upgraded version of Yu's Mandarin, which makes it the best Chinese Restaurant in Chicago Suburb. We heard that the owner of Yu's Mandarin sold the restaurant and opened this one and we believe it because the menu is very similar if not the same except for some changes in the names. Our #1 favorite is Ping's Chicken Wing (Yu's chicken wing in Yu's Mandarin). Menu (9/10) Almost everything you want in Chinese food is available here and they taste pretty good too. The only complaint I have is that their Mongolian beef isn't as good as the one in Yu's Mandarin because the meat is harder although the taste is exactly the same. Price (8/10) It's more expensive than most Chinese restaurants out there, but this is a fancier Chinese restaurant as well, so that's kind of expected. Ambiance (9/10) I really like the restaurant's settings, from the tiles, the furniture, and the dish. It's more modern than Yu's. The toilet is very clean too, which is unheard of for a Chinese restaurant. Service (7/10) The service is average because the waiters and waitresses have so many patrons to attend to. When the restaurant is empty (very rarely), you get a much improved service from them. Location (8/10) It's about 15-20 minute high way drive without traffic. With traffic, it's more like a 30 minute high way drive, so it's not as close as I prefer. We normally don't go there unless we're closer to the area, which is usually on Sunday after church. Overall score: 8/10
(4)
Jamie M.
Based on Yelp reviews, we celebrated my wife's birthday at Chef Ping's with Pam, my mother-in-law. We got to the restaurant at 7:30 on Saturday and it was packed - always a good sign! Also a good sign were the facts that the signs and menus were in English and Chinese, and 1/2 the patrons were Chinese. As the whitest country-kid I know, I always look for restaurants frequented by people of that culture. They should know better than I, right? If only the food had been better. Based on reviews, we ordered the crab rangoons, one of my favorite dishes. They tasted like someone had left out the crab. I thought maybe I was missing something, but I broke it open and poked around, and there was no hint of crab inside. Normally you can at least see something in the middle. It tasted like cream-cheese only in a fried wrapper. I couldn't take any seasonings at all. Pam agreeed - we were both disappointed and didn't finish the plate. I also started with the sizzling-rice soup, and after giving a half-hearted sizzle, the rice tasted a bit like foam pellets in a weak vegetable broth. 0 for 2. My entree was the Ping's Noodle Platter - the menu said they were famous for their noodles so I thought it was the way to go. This was tasty. The scallops and shrimp were cooked just right, although I did get a couple of odd bits of calamari. The noodles were nice and tender, and I enjoyed the seasoning. Slight red curry taste to it. Yum! As a matter of fact, I just ate the leftovers for lunch. 1 for 3. Pam ordered the almond chicken and Kelly got the kung-pao chicken. We were sharing, so tried them both, and they both tasted almost exactly the same except that someone threw almond slivers on Pam's and peanuts on Kelly's. The nuts didn't even get stirred in at all, just tossed on top. If I gave you a bite of each and you didn't get a nut, you wouldn't be able to distinguish. The was a lot of chicken in each, and it was tender with a slightly sweet taste to it. Each of them rated their food as "meh." We'll give that 1/2 start for each dish, so that is 2 out of 5. Service was awesome - in fact, it's the only reason I didn't give Chef Ping's only 1 star. The staff was definitely working as a team filling drinks, running food, clearing dishes, etc. Truly exceptional. When we found it, Pam realized it is located in an old Baker's Square location. Kudos do whoever did the remodel / decor - it looks beautiful and you would never guess the buildings history. I am at odds with all the other great reviews on here, but it just wasn't that good. Hopefully we went during an off night or something. I would go back based on my dish to try again, but I don't think I could convince the others to.
After reading all of the reviews, I set out to finalize the debate between Yu's Mandarin and Chef Ping's. Both restaurants specialize in Chinese cuisine and offer Korean-Chinese dishes but which one do I prefer? I decided to try Chef Ping's again but order something new on their menu that I have never seen on a Chinese menu, Pong Pong Chicken. I was hoping that this was the dish that would separate the two. When we arrived, I noticed that Pong Pong Chicken had been removed from their menu but was informed that they still offered it. A special off the menu dish? Even better. We ordered Pong Pong Chicken and Noodles with Black Bean sauce (jja jjang myun). When the chicken came out, I immediately noticed that it wasn't the same as their Gan Poong Chicken - this was something different. There was more breading and no vegetables - all meat and plenty of it. The plate was full of chicken wings - more than your typical order. The sauce was sweet and spicy and full of flavor. After the first bite, my wife and I both nodded acknowledging that it was good. The noodles came out shortly afterwards. The noodles were perfectly cooked with the right consistency - a little chewy which was exactly how I liked it. The sauce was savory with a meaty aftertaste. Honestly, it's been awhile since I've had homemade noodles this good. This was jja jjang myun done right. What surprised me the most was the service. When the noodles came out, the person who brought it out had two spoons and mixed our noodles for us. Then, our server came by and used scissors to cut the noodles to make them easier to eat. If you are familiar with Asian restaurants, then you'll know that this isn't a common practice. Pong Pong Chicken, homemade noodles, and excellent customer service - that's a triple threat. Chef Ping's wins the title in my book.
(5)
Ryan M.
My absolute favorite Asian food. General tso is a great simple dish. Mu shu is excellent - recommend as a appetizer in place of egg rolls. Eggs rolls are not very good at all. Kung pao chicken is a tad on the spicy side beware. And their fried rice you won't be able to stop eating.
(5)
Cathy S.
This restaurant is getting worse . Placed a carry out order which was supposed to be ready in 25 minutes. After 40 mins I ask where my food is and she says my rice has been ready for awhile but still waitin for my beef plate. Another 25 mins later my order is finally ready. $28 for two items and my fried rice was cold and smelt like a a burnt match. It tasted awful. Very disappointed again!!! My last visit was not good either but wanted to give it another try .... Sorry I give up!
(2)
Junee M.
Well it's an ok restaurant, was my 1st time to try it out. Order for pick-up. I will not consider it an authentic Chinese Restaurant. Food was in a sweet side. Egg Drop was ok, too fancy for my taste. Mongolian beef was better but nothing like PF Chang. Their young chow fried rice was excellent. But the big disappointment was their salt and pepper smelt, not tasty at all. I specifically requested extra crispy smelt but when I opened it, it was very saggy that we need to toast it before we can eat it. To think, I just live 5 mins from this place. Nothing like the smelt from Red Star in Glenview.. Service was nice and pick-up order was fast.
(3)
Tunaidi A.
I'm a huge fan of Chef Ping. It seems every time I'm back in the area, it's the one place my friends want to go to... and for good reason. I honestly think Chef Ping is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Chicago northwest suburbs. The decor is pretty modernized and the restaurant itself is very clean and inviting. This isn't all for show either, because the food definitely complements Chef Ping's attractiveness. I think what Chef Ping does best is that it incorporates many sectors of Chinese cuisine into its menu successfully. They don't do it haphazardly or in a jack-of-all-trades style, but excels in all facets of their food. From the "Americanized" Chinese, such as sesame chicken; to the authentic Chinese, such as the casserole varieties; to the Chinese delicacies, such as sea cucumber, abalone, and Peking duck; to the Korean influence, such as jajangmyun; and even to the pleasant inclusion of desserts (something that many Asian restaurants don't offer). Chef Ping is a winner.
(5)
Karen O.
Good Food. Very chintzy on the steamed rice. Seriously... If u ask for more. They literally bring u out like 2 more tablespoons... Isn't rice very cheap?? Other than that... No complaints
(3)
Jessica N.
Seriously, this is one of the best for Chinese in the Chicago area. And they get extra kudos for having cute decor (a thing most great Chinese food restaurants lack). Apologies for not knowing the english names for most of what we order when I go here with my parents I only hear in Chinese. Must Order: Spicy Eggplant Calamari Seafood noodles (fresh made noodles! SO GOOD!!) They also have a cold noodle dish with tons of finely cut veggies and a wasabi sauce that is so good! I heart this place! Definitely stop by if you are in the area but come early. It gets super crowded!
(5)
Kevin W.
first the good - Very good noodles, especially the Chef Ping noodle platter. Cooked just right, reminded me of italian home-made noodles. We also ordered the chicken wings which were pretty tasty. Kind of reminded me of Thai/korean chicken wings, very tasty and succulent. then the meh: But honestly, the Chinese food here is not even close to Chinatown. Honey Walnut shrimp is to die for? Why is it $16? I order walnut shrimp all the time in Chinatown and its only $8 there. whack. We also tried the dumplings with homemade wrapping. it was just okay, actually the dumpling wrap was a little too thick and the pork filling wasn't even amazing. The spicy beef pot was too oily and over-saturated. A group of 6 of us took home all of it because we barely touched it. I was also told to order the Sweet and Sour Pork, which I thought was going to be something special but it was just your old breaded pork with sweet and sour sauce on it, just a tad better than panda express. The ambiance was nice, the service was good, but overall the food was just okay. I would go here if I was dying for Chinese food and was stuck in the burbs. The bill might be tolerable at about $20 per person, but its Chinese food...
(2)
Brian C.
What is it with all these places that throw the bland 1000 calorie glaze on every dish? I had a fried squid dish which didn't have a lot of flavor, just the heavy glaze with some chili peppers to make me think there was some heat and flavor. If I wanted heat, I had to suck on one of the chili peppers. It just didn't work. I was with a big group, and I tried some of the other dishes ordered. My wife had a noodle dish which had that same bland and heavy glaze. Another member of our group had the General Tso's chicken, and it too had the bland glaze with no flavor whatsoever. And the portions were enormous. If you want to understand why this society is so fat, come to a place like this and you'll see why. Oh, and be sure to air out your coat when you get home because it will reek of the essence of this place.
(2)
Justine R.
Two words: Homemade Noodles. Every time I've gone here, I leave disappointed that I can't fit any more food in my stomach. I guess you need to order the right stuff though, because once I went with my husband, and the couple next to us seemed disappointed with their selection (and kept staring at our orders). We always get the Ping's Noodle Platter (please don't ask for this "not spicy".. it totally takes away from the flavor) and Peking Duck. The Duck is pricey, but they wrap large pieces of duck in mandarin pancakes (think: asian mini-burrito). The plum sauce and scallions are a perfect pairing to the duck. Sigh, I wish I were rich and could go here more often. It's not that they're that expensive, but coming here too often can break the bank a bit. Plus it's a good 30 minute drive just to get to the restaurant. Nevertheless, I still dream of those two dishes occasionally and convince my husband to make the drive with me at least once every two months =)
(5)
D. C.
A taste of Chinatown for the suburbs. Chef Ping is a slick, modern looking restaurant cooking up food that's comparable to (if not better than) that served down in Chinatown. Our feast included approximately 11 different items total from every section of their menu; everything looked beautifully fresh and tasted wonderful. I can see why this place was packed from the time we arrived and still had a large group waiting when we left. I'll definitely be back now that I know this place exists!
(4)
Demetrio P.
Food was okay here. My brother recommended Chef Ping as coworkers recommended this place to him as well. Ordered the Chicken Wings, not too spicy, little sweet, noodles with seafood, was okay, and the combination fried rice, which was okay as well. I can't say the food blew me away, but the food was tasty, place was clean, and the service was attentive. I wouldn't drive out from Chicago just to go here...but if I'm ever in the vicinity, I may visit Chef Ping when in the mood for Chinese food. Overall, okay food, okay prices, okay service.
(3)
Valentin S.
This is my favorite restaurant when it comes to Chinese food. Move over P.F. Chang
(5)
Jen Y.
As a visitor to the area, this review is based more on the merits of the restaurant versus a comparison to local competition. Food gets a solid 4 stars. The menu has the typical Chinese restaurant fare with a few Korean staples. Everything was great--delicious flavors without an MSG overdose or too much grease. Service was very friendly, but as it got busier, we were a bit rushed. Having arrived at 11:30 am, just as they opened, we got a prime spot. Good thing, because 30 minutes later, this place was packed and there was a wait to get a seat. But given the quality of the food, I can see why this place draws the crowds!
(4)
Alex K.
The atmosphere was great, the Szechuan string beans were fantastic, and the servers were the most attentive of any restaurant I can remember being to. The only downside was the limited vegetarian choices, but the people I went with who weren't vegetarians enjoyed their dishes immensely. We'll be back!
(4)
Jin Joo L.
How did I manage to skip over this hidden gem? I've been here a million times and the food never gets worse and the service is always great! This place is very similar to Yu's Mandarin in cuisine but the dishes are presented very differently. I like the jjajangmyun, jjampbong, walnut shrimp, mushroom and tofu, peapod tips, only to name a few. The dumplings are also one of my favorites here. I love their dumplings more than any other place I can think of right now. This place is great for family gatherings, big parties, business meetings, or just dinner for two. They don't deliver but carry-out is always an option. Note: they do not take reservations unless it is for six people or more.
(4)
Elizabeth A.
Chef Ping's is my favorite Chinese/Asian restaurant. They are always busy so plan on waiting. It is worth the wait! Try the Seafood Noodle Soup, it's delicious. Actually I haven't had anything I didn't like and I have tried many things on their menu.
(4)
Ray P.
I'm giving Chef Ping 3 stars, albeit against my better judgment. Don't get me wrong, they have delicious food AND CP's is much closer to my sister's house than Yu's. Proximity is worth 4 stars alone, especially as good Chinese restaurants in the NW suburbs are few and far between (no, Chinese Munch In, you are not a good Chinese restaurant. I'm sorry). So, as for the food, it was okay. Some dishes were downright delicious. Just some of the dishes we ordered were terribly disappointing. Let me start with the Szechuan Eggplant. The eggplant is BREADED. And, I mean like eggplant-parmesan-breaded. This was NOT tempura breading, either...it was like a batter applied to the eggplant pieces and deep fried then bathed in sauce. Those poor guys were soggy soggy soggy...and, thus mushy mushy mushy. The sauce was delicious....but, I spent far too much time picking off the soggy breading. Szechwan FAIL (anyone know how to say FAIL in Szechwan?). The Mongolian beef was incredible -- tender, flavorful, charred spring onions (I could've eaten those on their own without the beef). AND, I was glad they served the crispy vermicelli on the side so they weren't soggy. The clams in black bean sauce were delicious. I love anything in black bean sauce. But, Chef Ping, could you please clean the clams so I'm not grinding down my tooth enamel on grit? Thank you. The Chef Ping Seafood Platter was good. Not great. Good. Great sauce. Chef Ping, put cuttlefish in there instead of squid, ok? The chicken with broccoli was meh. They used American broccoli, which was a soggy green mess by the time I got it home. Chef, use the bitter Chinese broccoli...it's soooo much tastier! Combination chow mein was okay. Not good, not bad, just ok. I don't recommend it. If you live in this area, trust me, Chef Ping is your best choice for good Chinese food. Unless, you want to trek waaaay out to Yu's.
(3)
Howard L.
OK.......this is the new Yu's right..? Yes....they used to own Yu's and now they are on their own. No secret there, everyone knows...or at least, they can see and tasted it. Noodle platter...just as good. All the appretizer are great. Food are great...the place is definitely nicer then Yu's as they do have their interior designer to work out the place....alittle DARK for what I like but I know alot of customer do like it. I am more the Asian type and would like to see what I eat....LOL Overall, a great place for chinese food....between this and Yu's. I will pick it due to the distance....if I am at Woodfield mall, this is closer then Yu;s...yes, it is stupid. The only complain....PARKING. It is a McDonlad size parking lot. (it was a old baker square store)...you have to wait 15-20 minutes for parking on weekend, then another 20-30 minutes for table....be there early.
(3)
Deepika B.
This was recommended by my husband's Japanese friend when we were hunting for chinese restaurants as there was a huge queue at Yu's Mandarin.So we decided to try this place. However, it was definitely worth the try. The staff welcomed us as we got in and we were immediately given a table. The decor was simple and the ambiance good. This place had a mixed crowd. The staff was extremely friendly and warm and the service was great. I shall go back to this place for their friendly staff. We ordered the hot and sour soup which was good and spicy as indicated. Steamed pot stickers and the orange chicken were good too. The fried rice was the best and we loved it. Overall, a great experience and we shall definitely keep coming back to this place for the service and the food.
(4)
Fi Fi R.
I have been to this place for lunch and dinner several times and I have to say that the food is AMAZING!!! Not to mention the owners always remember you. When you walk in, you feel very special because they always remember details about you. Since I live kind far from them and do not go there as often as I would like to, they do not forget you at all - no matter when you come back... Any time I am in the area, I try my best to come in and eat there.
(5)
Sofia M.
I kept driving by and seeing the parking lot full all the time! so could not resist and went in. It is like Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg but better looking and newer. The food was delicious and greatly priced!! I am a fan, i go there all the time.
(4)
Donaye N.
Must order: Pong Pong Chicken!!! I liked the Szechwan Eggplant, too! It is a long wait...especially on a Sunday dinner time!
(4)
Sandra G.
The homemade noodle do not meet my expectation, very disappointed. I tried to order crab and I asked the server to ask their kitchen to make sure the crab is meaty otherwise I don't like to order, but the server told me the kitchen do not know whether the crab is meaty or not. Very disappointted.... how the chef does not know how to select the crab. The restaurant should be able to deliver a good service to their customer but I don't find this quality service from this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(2)
Amaliya L.
Hands down, one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the burbs.... No joke, and I am Chinese. We decided to celebrate my parent's 40th anniversary and Christmas Eve at Chef Ping's last night. We were on a time crunch; we had to be at Willow Creek for Christmas Mass by 545pm. Luckily, my sister had the foresight to reserve a table in their private party room the night before. The place was packed! The food? PHENOMENAL!! We ordered 10 dishes plus 2 appetizers. Everything arrived in time and piping hot. Our seafood selections featured bountiful deveined shrimp, melt in your mouth squid, and tender scallops. Beef and Chicken selections were moist and flavorful. Vegetables and Noodles were all cooked to perfection. The pocket tofu was delicious. As a bible thumping meataholic, this dish almost converted me into giving up meat. The texture and flavor was unlike most vegetarian dishes. Another notable dish is their pork and chives that featured peapod sprouts. I have no idea what the other names of the dishes we ordered were, but I can definitely attest that I was nearing foodgasm. My face felt flushed and I could feel my eyes rolling backwards. We ate silently savoring every single morsel. The service was amazing. One of the best that I have ever received in an Asian restaurant. They timed the order perfectly. There was always a waitperson waiting nearby to refill our water glasses, tea, or clear empty plates. Dinner for 12 including tip amounted to only $165!
(5)
Cindy K.
It takes a lot for me to tolerate traffic and venture from the city to the suburbs. Great friends and good food is one such reason. Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin's cute little sister. The food is comparable (which means artery clogging, food coma inducing, and damn good) and the space is smaller. Service was better and the decor was nicer. It gets packed, which goes to show that the food is worth it. I do have to say that the jajjangmyun is better at Yu's.
(4)
Kelcey K.
The food here is great but the service isn't as good as their food! 3 of us visited this place for lunch, we ordered the walnut prawns, the chef ping's fried chicken and the noodle platter. We were in love with the walnut prawns and the fried chicken! The prawns were kinda coated in a mayo sauce and the walnuts seem to be coated with honey. I'm not too sure about that but the walnuts were crunchy and tasty. The fried chicken ain't your normal Popeye's friend chicken. They fried it and drench them in a somewhat sweet and sour sauce that made the chicken really yummy! The chicken itself was well marinated and juicy too. The noodle platter was interesting. It contained squid, prawns, scallop and many other ingredients all mixed together I couldn't really differentiate them. As mentioned, it's got a unique taste but I don't think I'll order it again. I'll give these guys 4 stars if not for the service. During lunch hour when it became rather crowded, the servers kept trying to clear our dish and wanted to drive us away even though we weren't done with our food! And when we told them we were waiting for a couple of other friends to arrive, they rolled their eyes in our faces. If not for their fried chicken, I doubt I'll visit this place again. But it's too yummy to ignore!
(3)
Al M.
OK, I'm Asian, but not a fan of Asian food. I'm always hungry 30 minutes later. But this place is pretty good. The food was served within minutes. The food itself, was above average. The fried wontons, weren't flaky. The egg rolls weren't soggy. The salad wasn't wilted. The wait staff was very attentive and friendly. The place was nice and clean. It's packed around lunch. Do yourself a favor, go around 11 or after 1 or else you'll be waiting for a table.
(4)
John K.
I come here for every special occasion. And too bad the secret is out because I can hardly get a damn seat anymore! Pong Pong Chicken, chang chang myun, and jampong are to die for. I love this place. One of the few places I salivate over when I come back from a trip to another city. Good food made consistently never goes out of style.
(5)
Insun M.
Always a good sign if the parking lot of a restaurant is full. I wanted to compare the Ping's noodle platter to the one a Yu's. Conclusion: both places are equally delicious. The Gang Poong shrimp was ok. Shrimp was cooked right but the breading and sauce could have been more flavorful. The service was attentive and quick. I must have looked like I was having trouble scooping the noodles because one of the ladies swooped in and did table side service of mixing and serving us the noodles. No complaints about that fo sho.
(4)
Mai T.
GENERAL: A friend of ours use to live where we recently moved to. He had talked about this place and said it was a great place. So, since I had Yelp at my fingertips, I looked on Yelp as well as did a quick "google" search on this place. Upon my research, I found that the owners use to own Yu's Mandarin but ended up selling the place and later on opened this place. I had high expectations only because if they use to own Yu's, I would think that they helped build it's reputation and would then carry on that hard work to there own restaurant. SERVICE: When we approached this place, the parking lot was jammed packed. Instantly, I thought that it must have been a really good place. We went there around dinner time on a weekday so that could be why. There were cars waiting like eagles to catch an open spot. We came in with no wait at all and were seated right away. I don't know how they have their system there, but our waiter was not attentive to us at all. He was more worried about his other tables, and if he were at other tables, we would be looking away from the tables to look at other tables as well as the number of people coming in. It was slightly annoying as it took us longer to place an order. We finally placed our order and I had asked for chop sticks (didn't get them), then asked for more napkins (didn't get them) ,and finally asked for more rice (guess what? didn't get them). I didn't want to remind him because I didn't want him to "hate" our table even more since he probably didn't know we existed half the time. FOOD: I ordered the honey walnut shrimp. Let's just say that the walnuts were outstanding, yet the shrimp (main part) wasn't to good. Something about it didn't seem right but I couldn't put my finger on it. The breading that was surrounding the shrimp tasted very stale (I know, that sounds impossible right?) The mayo/honey sauce that they had concocted was not sweet. It had a weird taste. If you do get it, you can definitely taste the difference compared to Yu's. My little one had the Seafood Thai Noodle and the BF had the Sauteed Canton Flat Noodle. Let's just say that they both tasted the same, one was with seafood and the other was with beef. The Seafood Thai Noodle didn't have a distinct taste. It was bland. The only good thing about it was the seafood within the dish. They had succulent squids, shrimps, and scallops. Man-O-Man were those items delish. I've been noticing the difference between many restaurants. Most of them will cheap out and not give you "real" seafood items but in stead will substitute them with smaller sized shrimp that already look cheap or squid that you only get 2 of in an entire dish. This place wasn't horrible. If I'm looking for Chinese that's not in the mall or not 1 hour waits like Yu's then I would choose this place.
(3)
Bari L.
I was not to excited to go back but since my friend was having a birthday dinner there I had no choice. Since there was more of us there was a larger verity of food on the table so I was able to try more. Let me give you a little background on myself. I come from a very diverse family and my step-grandmother who I love dearly is Chinese so when I think of Chinese food I think of her fresh and delicious home cooking. Chef Ping is not bad for what it is but all it is American version of Chinese food. Sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken, orange beef. I did order some buk choy and it was ok but it was still a little more saucy then I prefer. For the price nothing knocked me off my feet and unless someone is having another birthday dinner I'm going to take a pass.
(3)
Doug w.
The best way to summarize Chef Ping is to say that if you miss the 'old' Yu's Mandarin, this is the place to go. The food is noticeably better than Yu's (now) and the menu looks very similar. Was interesting to note that some of the items on the Chinese menu at Yu's have made it to the English side at Chef Pings...Unless memory fails (as it sometimes does) Yu's has Sichuan fish hotpot on the Chinese menu, but it's in English at Ping's. It's also about 1/3 of the size of Yu's and a nicer interior. Service was a bit on the slow side and prices are higher. But for something approaching real Chinese food in the 'burbs, Chef Ping is probably the place. Still looking for a place with real mainland Chinese...Shanghai, Hangzhou and/or Beijing style.
(4)
alan q.
It's a very clean and new restaurant but kind of small. Make a reservation! This place was packed when we came at 6:30 pm on a Saturday. We made a reservation and still had to wait 20 minutes. Food was good. Chicken wings and Fried Rice were solid. Spicy Korean noodle seafood soup was tasty. The Korean Noodle in Black Bean sauce was decent, but had better. They have a big menu and need to try other things when I'm back.
(4)
Tiffany L.
Yup, food tastes just like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Got the following dishes: - Ping's Noodle Platter - Noodle in Black Bean Sauce - Ping's Chicken Wing - Szechwan String Beans (these are awesome btw, double fried) - Clams in Black Bean Sauce The noodles were slightly overcooked and there was some confusion about the chicken*, but overall a good meal and I'll definitely be back. There are apparently some secret items off the menu that I'd love to order as well, like some sort of beef/tofu stew dish, and a beef/scallion burrito type wrap thing wrapped in foil that is a chinese staple. *Here is the confusion about the chicken, maybe you can help me out. Yes, YOU. Before I came people kept telling me to order the "Pong Pong Chicken". Thinking this was just the korean chicken wing ("gan-pong-yi), I thought I was good to go. Upon looking at the menu, they had 3 different listings of this chicken on the menu: Ping's Chicken Wing, Gan Pong Chicken, and one on the korean menu. No listing of a "pong pong chicken". We quickly figured out that the "Gan Pong chicken" was boneless so we didn't want that (even though it SOUNDS like "ganpongyi". VERY CONFUSING CHEF PING!). We asked our waitress if the Pings chicken wing was just the same as gan-pong-yi, and she said yes, so that's what we ordered. However when we received the dish, even though it tasted the same, the cut of the chicken was different than I remembered -- more like chicken wings, verses the korean style w/ the large head of meat attached to a skinny naked bone. This leads me to believe that "Pong Pong Chicken" might be the more authentic korean style chicken that I'm more accustomed to, and it is a secret menu item. Besides they are meatier as well. Anyone have an answer to this? Anyone? Bueller?
(4)
Stevie V.
This place is amazing. We finally decided to grab dinner here and so glad we did. Our server was very attentive and food came out quickly. We were 3 for 3 on our meals. Ordered shrimp curry (amazing), some beef thing, and general tao (also amazing). It was very clean and overall great environment. My friend made a joke that there were a lot of Asian people eating there so it has to be good.
(5)
Pete C.
In a nutshell, the food we ordered was wonderful. We ordered the Schezwan Eggplant, Pong Pong Chicken, Salt and Pepper tofu and the Honey Almond Shrimp. Good size orders, friendly attentive staff and fast service. I want to go back...very soon!
(5)
Nick D.
This place is the best Chinese in the area - Hands Down. Anyone that says Yu's is better is full of it. Yu's has been going down hill since they sold it. Try the Szechwan Beef, Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp, Sesame Chicken, Mongolian Beef. All of these dishes are out of this world. I was a cusomer of Yu's for 15 Years, Ping's is a cut above.
(5)
Leon D.
We ordered take-out last Wednesday from this favorite restaurant. When I got our order home, we discovered that my wife's entree was missing. I called and spoke with Angela. She didn't even hesitate, she offered to make it right on the spot. We have always loved the food here, but food and excellent service explains why this parking lot is always jammed.
(5)
Jay S.
Best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. Long wait but it must mean it's good and it was. Pong pong chicken is the best wing I've ever had. La-jo-myun (seafood fried noodle) was a bit salty but still good. Sweet n sour pork w/ pineapple was real good too and I like the fact that it's the clear sauce, not the nasty red sauce a lot of other restaurants use. I'm sold.
(5)
V.i.o.l.e.t.t.a. D.
Are you people mad???? How the hell did this place get four stars????? I was just here for lunch today and it was HORRIBLE. They gave us DIRTY glasses with lipstick on them, and plates decopaged with dried food....ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I should have left right there and then but against my better judgement I stayed and asked for different glasses and plates. I ordered vegetable tofu and it came with HUGE honking pieces of rotting flesh atop a bed of rubbery noodles...when I asked to have it remade because this wasn't what I ordered the waiter looked at me as if I were a complete bother even though I clearly stated previously that I'm VEGETARIAN and I DON'T want meat with my food. He was rude from the get-go..very short and unfriendly and it took everything in me not to chuck my silverware at him. I finally got my food...but, by that time my companion was already finished.............fan-tas-tic. NEVER. again.
(1)
Grace L.
I know this place has its' history with Yu's, but I'll keep the review to just Chef Pings. Came here on a busy Sat night, busy at 8:30pm that is. The place was packed, and it got me excited since a busy Chinese eatery in this area usually means something good. But then, there aren't that many Chinese eateries in the area. (Maybe 5-6 not counting Panda Express?) The greeter was extremely friendly, as was our server as well. We got seated and water and hot tea was already made available..yippee. We ordered steamed dumplings for app, gan pong scallops, and Mongolian beef, all of which were from previous Yelper's reviews. ;-) The steamed dumplings are not the kind that are soupy inside and you eat with black vinegar. They are the potstickers that are just steamed instead. They also take about 15-20 min to prepare and there are six for the app. There are two accouterments that came with it, a soy based dipping sauce and a spicy chili sauce. Both went well with it. The filling was just ok and the skin a bit thick, but better safe than mooshy. The scallops were lightly fried and tossed in a nice dark sauce. They were large scallops and quite tasty. I do wish there was a bit more sauce on them, but they were good as is. Unlike some other gan pong anything, these were not spicy, don't let those red chilis in the sauce fool you? Mongolian beef was also really good, the beef was thinly sliced and there was a good balance of white/green onions and meat. The beef was cooked well, had a good texture and wasn't too salty. Both of our dishes, albeit not amazingly cheap, were of decent portions and reasonable. Service was very attentive, almost a little too much, as they filled our tea cups, were watching from the corner, asked us profusely how things were going and made sure everything was ok. Just a little trying too hard to please, or maybe we are just not used this. The only negatives in the service was that dessert was not an option given, which was noted at a table near us who actually wanted it, and our doggy bag boxes were presented with a used plastic bag to store them home. Hmmph, doggy bag...anyway. Decor is greyish chic, as it is a newer place. There is a small bar in the front, about 10-15 tables and a party room in the back with about 3-4 larger tables. Food is decent, price is reasonable for the portions/quality, and of course, we will be back for the noodles.
(4)
Eric Y.
This is a very good Chinese restaurant for the suburbs. I've been there twice, both times with big family gatherings so I've tried multiple different things. The highlights have been the clams with black bean sauce - large, juicy, sweet, simply delicious. The fried squid with spicy sauce is really excellent - squid "crack" - it's addictive. The noodles are pretty good - all handmade on-site - the texture is nicely firm and chewy but the sauces and accoutrements are just ok. There is a rolled onion pancake with beef that on one occasion was good and on another was just ok. The dish is need of a sauce, something to give it a little oomph. The peashoots are good. We had a dish of stir-fried tofu, chive flower and tiny fish. It was very good but I would prefer the chive flower to be cut in smaller size to facilitate eating with rice. Servers are very helpful, food arrived pretty quickly. This place is very busy and if you try to go for lunch on weekends, be prepared to wait! One more thing, I usually don't comment on the background music but when it is so inane - the worst type of Muzak - I can't help but say something about it. Note to owner - it's a restaurant, not an elevator!
(3)
Anna V.
My family all agrees the food is great. The place is very clean. The lady owner greets us every time. I usually like to frequent the city but for Chinese food this is the place.
(5)
Jen K.
Yup, it's same owners that sold Yu's and started this place... it is crazy, ridiculously busy here at Chef Ping's! Main reason is that it is a smaller space but they're pretty good about getting tables in and out... on a Sat. night, our party of 4 was seated in about 25-30 minutes. Anyway, nothing super spectacular with the menu... most staple Chinese/Korean dishes. I think the winner of our dinner was the gan pong chicken... sauce was delicious that we all fought for it at the end :p They do serve the typical Asian selections of alcohol -- they have a bar as well but it didn't look fully stocked. For Chicago, I'd say it's one of the better Chinese restaurants but living in the SF/Bay Area, it'd only pass as mediocre.
(3)
Christine L.
Actually, while I am a fan... it is my husband who is super fan when it comes to Chef Pings. He is there 1-2 times per week. Friendly staff, generally fast service, good quality food and a good variety of choices. We live just a few blocks west of the restaurant and while we choose to eat in, we have neighbors/friends who often call in and run over to pick up their food. The egg drop soup is not the egg rich variety that is my preference and I could do without the tiny shrimp... but that is just me. The owner/manager circulates, they know and acknowledge their regulars. There is a diversity in the clientele demographic which speaks to the authenticity and high quality of the food. We are delighted to see a full parking lot regularly... that doesn' mean that it's difficult to get in, but rather that the business is succeeding, because they do what they do well.
(4)
monty m.
Brown lettuce in salad however; everything else was excellent in taste, service , price and selection. i found nothing bad about the place besides the brown lettuce. Not good for groups of more than 5 people as the space is small and fills quickly.
(4)
Ayumi K.
If you've been to Yu's Mandarin in the past and liked it, you'll like Chef Ping's. The old owner of Yu's sold the Mandarin and opened up Chef Ping's, so the menu is somewhat similar and is right up to par on taste as Yu's. Though I haven't tried everything on the menu (yet), I'm pretty sure everything is good. If you go, I highly recommend the honey-glazed shrimp with walnuts, the combo fried rice, and the champon (for some reason, I don't really know what champon is listed under, but if you say 'champon', they'll understand which noodle soup you're talking about). The food is good, the service is good (and fast!), and the prices are even better. The place is also really clean, so that's an added bonus. They have lunch specials too, so be sure to check that out! Might want to arrive early, though, as this place gets crowded quick. PS: Dinner entrees come out with individual white rice. Just thought I'd let those of you who love white rice know.
(3)
Katie K.
In an area full of stripmall Asian restaurants, Chef Ping is the real deal. You can tell because the place is completely full after 5:30pm on a weekend night. Everything is great here: the service, the food, the ambience. Servers are prompt, courteous and efficient; we were served quickly but without feeling rushed. The (presumed) owner (or at least manager) stopped by to check on us, and even took an order for an extra dish we had just decided on. The food was all hot and tasty. And the price was reasonable. Chef Ping will get our repeat business for sure!
(5)
Geoff N.
Great quality food at a decent price for the portions you get. Wait staff is attentive and it's a wonderful place to meet with groups large and small...if you can get a seat! This place is always packed and for good reason. I don't think there's another Chinese restaurant like it in the entire area. To be quite honest, Chef Ping's food rivals some of my favorites from NYC's Chinatown. Come here to eat and you won't regret it. Just be prepped to wait for a little bit before you get seated (unless you want to order take-out).
(4)
Rebecca Huicha K.
Move over Yu's, there's a new place in town! Yes, like the previous reviews this place is owned by the old Yu's owners. Honestly I wasn't too excited to try this place since Chinese is not exactly diet food and I just didn't expect too much from it. We had reservations for 630 on a saturday night and I'm glad we did cause this place was PACKED. Most of the customers were asian, which is a good sign for an asian restaurant! The place is definitely not as big as Yu's, probably 1/4th of it's size. We had a bit of a wait even though we had reservations which typically would rub me the wrong way but the staff was really friendly and apologetic for the wait. Our group of 5 ordered 7 dishes which gave a perfect variety. The food is REALLY good though the portions are a bit smaller than yu's. If you're in the area and feel like yu's, I'd recommend you try this place instead. The food is comparable if not better and the place is cleaner and more up to date.
(4)
Rick C.
A few friends of ours had recommended this place to us, so we decided to check it out on our way back from Woodfield. The place itself was nice, more modern than most Chinese places. It was also busy, most of the tables were filled, which was a good sign. We sat down looked at the menu and nothing really stood out for us. They have a lot of different types of asian dishes, from Chinese to Korean to Thai, I just don't think we were particularly in the mood for anything. We decided on two noodle dishes, the seafood peking noodle and the noodles in black bean sauce. The noodles in black bean sauce is a dish we've had in some Korean\chinese places and it's noodles with cucumber, covered in a black bean sauce with seafood. It comes out unmixed, so it looks like noodles with a bowl of black goop which might seem unappetizing to some. The owner came by and mixed it for us and explained that these were homemade noodles and that we should mix them as early as possible. They were great. The noodles were perfect and really made the dish. The Peking seafood noodles were a little spicy and we enjoyed those as well. We liked everything so much we came again a few days later. We didn't have problems picking out dishes this time around. Since our first visit, we've tried the Pong Pong chicken (yes, it's Ping's Pong Pong chicken). Anyone familiar with spicy Korean chicken wings will enjoy these. They're not on the menu, so ask for them by name. We've also had the sweet and sour pork and the sesame beef. If you're in the area, I'd recommend this place. The portions are ample, the staff is helpful (sometimes overly so), and the food is tasty.
(4)
Joanne L.
My first review! Finally joined the gang=) I will go out of my way for chinese or korean noodles, so very happy to see both on their lunch menu. Heard about this place from several friends, glad to finally check them out. I agree, lunch portions are a nice size and the prices even better! ($6.75-$8.75/dish). We ordered 2 of the 3 most popular noodles dishes: Noodles with Black Bean Sauce Spicy Seafood Noodle Platter Excellent! Noodles cooked al dente and if you've eaten at Yu's, the black bean sauce tastes pretty much the same. Noodle platter came steaming with plenty of fresh tasting seafood and veggies. nice flavor. Next time i'll try their Noodle Soup (a lot of folks sitting around us ordered the Noodle soup). also ordered mongolian beef and impressed with how tender and flavorful the meat was. high quality for a $7 dish. highlights: cheap, closer drive than Yu's (we were on the way home from Ikea), clean, modern, & friendly service. FYI..smaller place than Yu's, i noticed they had a back area for larger groups but there were only 4 tables that seated 8-10. definitely make reservations. We came on a tuesday...Lunch starts at 11:30am, we got there at 11:40 and were seated right away. By 11:55, the place was packed... If your kid likes jia jian mien, my kid wolfed that dish down-very messy so bring bibs!=) Will come here again! Off to eat my leftovers..=)
(4)
david l.
Food was very good but wait was a little on the long side (at least an hour and a half just for two people), it's silly how they dont take reservations unless you have a party greater than 6 people. Just show up super early.
(4)
Patrick M.
After being a fan of Yu's for as long as I can remember, I heard that the owners had moved on and created a new restaurant so I had to check it out. So I grabbed a bunch of friends, and we all LOVED it. We each got an entree and two appetizers for the table. We all shared each other's food and were amazed at how delicious and flavor-filled the food was. This is easily #1 on my list as best Chinese food in Chicago, you can't find anything better! As far as atmosphere goes. I love the look of the restaurant, it's got a darker atmosphere than Yus. Such that I'd still easily go with a group of friends or just a date with my girlfriend. The staff we dealt with was also super friendly with all of us, it was quite abnormal but in the best way. I couldn't find anything wrong and can't wait to go back!
(5)
DB A.
The secret is out. Too late to keep it to myself. This is the legitimate heir to Yu's Mandarin's reputation. Oh sure, Yu's is still there, but it's slipped in the past few years. This place is as good as Yu's was in its heyday. Go there. Try the Seafood noodle platter. Your mouth and tummy will thank you.
(4)
Michael L.
This place is pretty good for Chinese food. Sweet and sour pork is awesome. And the Mongolian Beef isn't full of green onions like it is at other places. We get take out a lot, I would like to see how it is sitting down. Good Chinese takeout place though.
(4)
Bill H.
Chef Ping is no longer the best kept secret in the northwest suburbs. The food is great. The atmosphere is pleasant. The service is prompt. The room for improvement is more room in the parking lot. Maybe a valet would help. Mc Donald's next door is not a friendly neighbor. I have thought about parking on the street median. Maybe a drive through for the take out orders would relieve congestion. Just an idea Tong ! Bill Howe Food Critic
(5)
Joy L.
This place is amazing. The food is wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. Reservations on the weekends are a must as it fills up quickly.
(5)
Andrea L.
Portions are good, food is tasty, and pricing is reasonable. The decor is certainly nice (the newness of the place helps!), and definitely provides a comfortable ambiance. Good place to catch up with friends, especially as Chinese food is always best done family style! I very much enjoyed the honey-glazed walnut shrimp. The Szechwan Eggplant was unexpectedly fried and crunchy, but otherwise delicious while still hot. My friends highly recommend the noodle platter, but I have not yet tried it!
(4)
Monica K.
This place is like Yu's Mandarin but cleaner and much more modern (better service too in my opinion). It's a Korean-run Chinese restaurant so all of your favorites (like jja-jang-myun and jjam-bbong) are here and they're delicious! The general tao's chicken is not too spicy, sometimes can be too much breading and a little too fatty but the flavor is just perfect. The gan-poong scallops are a family favorite, also not too spicy. We've generally enjoyed every single dish here, the service is great/friendly and prompt. This place is so busy now on the weekends that you're better off making reservations. Went on a Sunday afternoon at 5:30 PM and we were lucky enough to get the last table before the crazy rush.
(5)
Mark W.
Some of the best Chinese in the suburbs ! Real Chinese food without the Americanized style. Staff friendly and attentive. Weekends really busy, worth the wait.
(4)
Mark B.
Great seafood soup.
(4)
Kyle M.
Aside from the Chinatown in McHenry, this is the best place in the NW Suburbs!
(5)
Scott S.
This place is pretty money. Just as good, if not better, than the "old" yu's mandarin (when it was under old ownership). There was a 30-40 minute wait when we went there on Saturday night, but the crowds died down around 8pm. I highly recommend the salty egg crab (a deep fried dungeoness crab)....everyone loved the crab legs and the batter they use is very tasty. the la-joh-myung is not listed on the menu, but is a yu's mandarin favorite and they will make it for you. everyone thought it actually tastes better here! (it is a savory noodle dish with seafood). Kung Pao Chicken, chinese broccoli, gang pon scallops, and honey & walnut shrimp were all good dishes. I'd agree that the portions are a bit smaller, but the quality is very good. their mai tai's are pretty yummy, too. Though it took us a while to get seated, the staff was very friendly and attentive! We all liked the place a lot and agreed we'd all come back for sure. That is a big compliment considering we are all asian and pretty picky about our asian food!
(4)
Ever D.
My family ate here for Father's day, and both the food and service were better than I expected. I normally would go into the city for special occasions, but we had lots of kids in our group, so this dictated the choice and location of what restaurant we were going to go to. I had never eaten here but read the reviews and have to say that this place surprised me. The food was better than expected. All of the dishes were in good portions and tasted delicious. If I am ever out in that neighborhood again, I will definitely stop to get a bite there.
(4)
John Y.
Another one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. When they first opened, I was a little worried about this place. Food was good, but maybe not as good as Yu's in Schaumburg. In subsequent visits, it became more and more obvious: Chef Ping's easily outshines Yu's Mandarin.
(5)
Yaeko M.
I have been to there for lunch with co-workders many times. I went there for dinner first time. We ordered schezwan eggplant (crispy fried eggplant with spicy sweet sauce) -- this was great!!, walnut shrimp (popcorn shrimp with cream sauce)-- this was great!!, scallops and squid with leek - this was excellent!!!, sauteed peapods tips with garlic -- this was good too!!. All dishes were very good. I wanted to order more. As of conclusion, I ate too much because the food was really tasty. The dinner menu variety is so much better than lunch menu. I wanted to order more and try different dishes. I saw other nice looking dishes at next table and I wanted try. I will go back soon there soon!. This place is always popular!
(5)
Andrew C.
Excellent Asian cuisine and first rate service - almost TOO attentive (I lost count after about seven different staff members stopped at our table to see if we needed anything - while the restaurant was quite busy!). Try the eggplant - crunchy and spicy. Yummmm.
(4)
Nari H.
OK. So heard the former Yu's owners opened up this restaurant, Chef Ping after selling Yu's, so a few friends and I decided to eat here. Interior: being new, it's got a much nicer interior. Feels nice being there. Food: It's got all the favorites we would always get whenever we go to Yu's, and the food was really good, esp. the Champong. One dish looked smaller than it used to be. Service was friendlier than usual (Ha!) and the managers came around to check up on us to make sure everything was going well. Yu's is closer to where I live, but the food here at Pings is a little better. So I'm torn, but minus the sketchy opening, I'm a fan. I'll be here if I'm in the area and would tell others about it :)
(4)
Jyo H.
We've been to Chef Ping's few times. Dine-In experience is okay... Taste wise, nothing to write home about. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants that taste like it or better. Carry-out experience was not so good. You get no utensils, napkins, soy sauce. Nothing..! Only your order in plastic containers. That's it. That is just serious carelessness. Customer shouldn't need to remember to ask for every little thing that needs to go in the bag. Other restaurants seem to do this very well. Seems like Chef Ping people just don't care. Lunch Specials are a bit pricey for what it is. Corner cutting is bluntly obvious and apparent in the presentation and in taste. Wonton Crisps are a joke. Eggrolls - if you can even call it that - are low-grade supermarket frozen variety. Staff 'sound' polite but lack sincerity. Overall a bit disappointed.
(2)
Nicole M.
Move over Yu's, my new fav is Chef Ping! I started noticing the quality of Yu's food was not as good as it use to be and I found out the original owners opened Chef Ping in Meadows. (or something along the lines of that) And which I live closer to. (bonus!) I ordered take out from there because the place was soo busy! But now I know why because it's really GOOD! I ordered the Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Combo Fried Rice... All delish!! Not dry and very tasty! From now on I'm going to Chef Ping! :)
(5)
Food For thought C.
2 Stars- C'mon Man I usually agree with most of yelp nation reviews this one I have to say is far off. The food was very blah and the service was next to non existence. I have drove by the place a couple of times and seen a good crowd. It was very typical of most Asian places, meaning the Asian people there were eating something completely different then everyone else in the place. I would say past on this place and try your nearby mall food court area if you have a taste for Chinese food. Maybe I missed something here but I doubted that I will be going here again in this lifetime or the next.
(2)
David C.
When I think about Chef Ping, one word comes to mind: consistency. From the standard Korean-favorite dish of jjajangmyun (black bean paste noodles) to the traditional sweet and sour pork, there is quality throughout the menu. Each visit to this Chinese restaurant reminds me not all food places decrease in value as time progresses. This is the beauty and genius of Chef Ping! Without fail, it is possibly the easiest, most convenient place to set up couple dates to family gatherings. Why? The food will satisfy and the service will deliver. It can fit as a casual meet-up with a colleague to a business dinner with clients. And the restaurant carries a diverse group of people too. There isn't an exceptional dish I can think of; however, there are many really good dishes. I recommend this place to anyone at any given moment. Lastly, the atmosphere is solid. The building design is clean and modern. The overall setup is a little cramped, and the lighting is on the dimmer end. Also, the wait usually can get to 40 min. for a table. Prepare to wait! Other than that, hope you enjoy what will be a quality experience! Food recs: - LaJoMyun (spicy seafood noodle platter) - JjamBbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) - Pom Pom Chicken Wings - TangSoo Pork (sweet/sour pork) - Walnut Shrimp - String Beans
(4)
Kathy F.
For lunch, anyway, four stars. I went early (11:45a.m.) since the first two times I tried to go to Chef Ping for lunch I could not find parking and ended up elsewhere. Very fast service! Great value! Big portion (I had to take home half of my lunch)! I started with the asian salad-not a stand-out but I cannot do egg drop soup and was not in the mood for hot and sour. Sweet and sour chicken (came with rice, wonton strips and an egg roll) was fresh and delicious. I was impressed with the freshness off all the items I ordered. I will definitely return for lunch!
(4)
Steve W.
Just had an awesome lunch at Chef Ping! Potstickers are a must to start! Then had Yu-Shang Pork and Ping's Noodle Platter. Both were fantastic! Will be back soon.
(5)
Ray M.
Crab is awesome n pong pong chicken is very good!
(4)
Johnathan K.
This place just opened near my house and I stopped in for lunch this afternoon. The restaurant is very nice and spacious, and immaculately clean. I came for lunch with two other people, so it was pretty empty. We started off with hot tea before looking over the lunch menus we were given. Lunch orders (not sure about dinner) come with your choice of soup or salad as well as an egg roll and a couple of fried wontons. I ordered vegetable fried rice, the rest of my party ordered sweet and sour shrimp and Pad Thai. They liked their soup (hot and sour and egg drop). I went with the salad which was underwhelming as the dressing was too thin to stick to the lettuce, meaning that I ate plain iceberg lettuce, carrot and cucumber, and then had a centimeter of dressing in the bottom of my bowl. Bummer. On the bright side, my main course was really delicious; a huge, steaming hot portion of rice with carrots, egg, baby corn, mushrooms, broccoli and peas. I really enjoyed it, some of the best fried rice I've ever had. The other portions were also very generous, especially for the moderate prices. Everyone loved their food. Service was quick and attentive and everyone we dealt with was very nice and friendly. I will definitely be back, hopefully for dinner so I can check out the full menu.
(4)
Anthony V.
Two forks, way up.
(4)
Beth G.
My Pad Thai dish gets three stars from me (hey, I'm really picky about Pad Thai, and theirs is just sort of boring), but I'm adding an extra star for the company and ambiance. Had my first Yelp (non-official) event here, and that was awesome. The back party room had three tables, with a birthday at each table (including ours). It was fun to sing "Happy Birthday" three different times. The waitstaff were all smiles for that, and so was I.
(4)
Sandy T.
This is the only place that my family and I go to for Chinese food other than China town. It is AWESOME. The service there is great and everyone is always so nice to us. Some things are not on the menu that we order (like salt and pepper squid/shrimp etc.) but they will customize your orders. I never had anything that I did not like from Chef Ping. The go to foods are definitely Mongolian beef and orange chicken, but if you are not picky, try something like the jellyfish salad. It is so yummy. I would definitely recommend Chef Ping, especially for groups so you can eat family style.
(5)
Becky K.
beautiful ambiance, mini bar, and great food... having been a server before, i know what to look for in my service...and let me tell ya, my tea and water glass NEVER went half way...it actually got kinda annoying...let me take a sip before you refill, hot damn! but anyways, food was great...not so much the honey walnut shrimp though...but other than that, i mos def recommend this family joint.. a nice sunday dinner at chef pings, and you cant go wrong :)
(4)
Dina I.
Not as good as Yu's but comes close. Love the yellow leeks, the mushroom and tofu dish, any of the noodle dishes...
(4)
Julie P.
Yum! Chef Ping is my go-to Chinese place, whether I want take out or to dine in. The food is very consistent and well prepared. Love the crab rangoon especially, and all of the entrees I've tried have been good.
(4)
Liz M.
I wish I didn't like their food so much here. Let me explain. These people are RUDE. I come in from downtown to visit my parents in the suburbs, and we come here often for lunch or dinner. Many times my mom and I come at 11a for lunch. We are promptly seated. Before I can even ask my mom how she is doing the waiter is at the table asking if we are ready to order. We kindly say no, we haven't looked at the menu yet. 5 minutes later (if that) he comes back- are you ready to order? Feeling the pressure we usually just order an appetizer to start. Another 5 minutes- are you ready to order your entree? Dear goodness man!!! Can I visit with my mom for just a little bit?! We order. 10 minutes later- the food is out. Before my mom and I are even halfway through our meal the check is on the table and he has come by twice asking if there is anything else we need. At first I thought it was a one time problem. WRONG! EVERY TIME I come here, this happens! Lunch or dinner. If you are planning on visiting with your table, having a nice relaxing meal, DONT GO HERE. If you want to be in and out quickly for lunch, this might just be your place. Like I said, I wish the food wasn't so good. Unfortunately, it is pretty much my favorite so I keep coming back. Their lunch specials are excellent. Plenty of food for a very reasonable price. I've never had anything I didn't like here. Chef Ping- please listen to your costumers and let us enjoy our meal without you stalking our table.
(3)
Jasmine S.
This place is more like a Korean Chinese restaurant. My favorite dish is the Pocket Tofu and Sea Cucumber Pork Belly for now. Zam Bong is pretty good with sea cucumber - it's beige color - not red. They have a very nice party room with 4 round tables. Decor is contemporary. Price range is wide. You can have a $12 dinner or a $40 dinner. Big parking lot - but it was full for a saturday night. Will go back and try their Sze Chuan dishes next.
(5)
Gina D.
When it comes to Chinese food, I enjoy consistency. Now that my husband and I have eaten here four times, I can say that the food has been excellent each and every time. We are happy to find such quality and authentic flavor in the suburbs. The restaurant is always jam packed so expect to wait a good thirty minutes to well over an hour if you get there during prime time (that includes weeknights). I love that the waiters work together and remember the regulars; major plus! If you're in the area, stop in; you won't be disappointed!
(5)
Michelle W.
Amazing restaurant all around! Food, decor and service were spot on. I loved the handmade noodles - they were the perfect texture and very tasty. I would definitely come back again!
(5)
Emme K.
Love this place as an alternative to Yu's.
(5)
Michael R.
Fantastic lunch special and good beef! Will definitely come back again!
(5)
Jim G.
I really don't understand all the great reviews for this restaurant. I write this with severe gastrointestinal issues and wishing I had never gone there for dinner. Ordered salt and pepper squid. I was surprise when I saw it was deep fried. Very little salt and pepper either. Just tons of grease. They didn't seem to even drain it before plating it. The chicken (which was expected fried) was dried out. It was like eating chicken wings which were deep fried twice. The classic tofu dish was slimy fried tofu with almost no vegetable. The only good thing was the spicy beef and tripe appetizer. As for service, what was first thought to be overly attentiveness turned into a rush job to turn over the table. We were asked repeatedly whether or not we were done. The bill came and for the 4 items and two sodas it cost over $55. What?! For Chinese food? This place is an overpriced grease pit. You are better off eating at the McDonald's next door.
(1)
Matt F.
This place is really good and always pretty busy. I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter.
(4)
Lynn L.
the waitress didnt get my order quite right due to language barriers, but aside from that, the food was delicious. chef pings chicken wings were amazingly delicious. i wanted more the next day.
(3)
Janice L.
so the word is the previous amazing chef from yu's mandarin opened up chef ping.. but i don't understand why the food isn't as good as yu's mandarin a few years back. the decor, atmosphere, and service are all superb, and the food 'looks' delicious but definitely lacks flavor.. and i don't know if it's the lighting or what the food looks very fake and shiny (too much peanut oil?) but lunch is great.. there are lots of options and pretty well-priced. the kung-pao beef and noodles in black bean sauce are my faves. the seafood family and sweet and sour chicken are pretty good as well.
(3)
Thao N.
This place really surprised me! The sever's were friendly and accommodating. They greeted us with a warm welcome and we parted with them saying thank you. The staff demonstrated great appreciation towards our visit and that for sure will get me to come back. My family and I went for Father's Day dinner and even though the place was packed, we were able to get seated pretty quickly. What I noticed first was the modern decor and how clean it was. Even the feel of the napkins shows how different this Chinese restaurant is. We ordered family style and so we ordered a lot of food, How else would you get a feel for their menu? To start, we had Hot and Sour soup, which was definitely Hot and not too sour. Just the way I like it, with bamboo shoots and tofu. Then we got into the dishes, my brother is big on beef, so he ordered the Scallop Beef (under Seafood) and Broccoli Beef (under Beef). The Scallop Beef contained big chunks of tender scallops, sliced beef and mushrooms in a brown sauce. Not like anything else I've had at any other Chinese restaurants. The Broccoli Beef is pretty self-explanatory but still the tenderness of the meat was unmatched. My sister in-law ordered the Clams in Black Bean Sauce (under Fresh Catch from the Sea) and it was served in a mini wok over fire. The clam meat was so fresh it kind of melted in your mouth, not rubbery like the ones that have been frozen. My mom ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet and I can't really form an opinion on this dish because I don't really like dishes like these. But be warned, this had a warm, spicy, sensation going down your throat. My step-dad, whom this dinner was for, didn't order his own dish but I did get to order the Honey-Glazed Walnut Shrimp. The shrimps were far from itty bitty, the walnuts weren't overly coated with the sweet stuff and the sauce actually tasted light, considering what it's usually made from (mayo and honey). We also ordered the Combination Chow Mien but it wasn't what we thought it was so I shouldn't state an opinion about this dish either. All in all, it was a great dinning experience and I would recommended this place the next time you go out for Chinese.
(4)
Eric P.
I went here again Saturday only to find out they do not have their lunch specials. That is okay but then when I ordered Mongolian beef, pon pon chicken, walnut shrimp, and ping's noodle and found the price was pretty high and the quantity was pretty disappointing. Yes it did feed 6 people but then again we weren't stuffed. The walnut shrimp was way too sweet like eating candy... to say the least if you want to spend the money for quality this is good but don't expect quantity. I would have to debate whether to go back here unless its for lunch or just for the ping's noodle dish.
(3)
K W.
Excellent, authentic Chinese food. Each dish had a unique flavor. I went here with my relatives who are very particular about Chinese food and they like it a lot. The fried chicken wings were my favorite. I personally don't like sea cucumber but my relatives loved it and this is one of the few restaurants that serves it. This is their new favorite restaurant after Yu's Mandarin closed (which they used to own).
(5)
Bob S.
It is the very best of all the rest; Oriental food that is fresh, delicious and made from only the finest ingredients that cannot be beat. From over 50 visits in the past two years the food has been consistently outstanding so go with confidence that it is the best around-including Chinatown. We love the Chop Chae, walnut shrimp, lemon chicken, mongolian beef, hot and sour soup and really everything on the menu. Also the carry out has been consistently excellent. Our goto carry out is an order of Mongolian beef with egg rolls; $18 for a very generous portion of the beef and six egg rolls that cannot be beat. Compare that in quality to nearby fast food restaurants and it is the best bargain around. Try it!
(5)
Melissa C.
I grew up in Schaumburg, and Yu's was always the fam fave. When my bros & I were kids, we would always ask to get up to watch the cooks do their thang. Since my fam moved to CA in '05, Yu's was the first place we would go to on their Chicago visits. We had our high school AND college grad parties there. And then it happened.... the mongolian beef got too peppery. Something was missing in the soup. The quality still seemed to be there, but it just wasn't right... what happened to you, Yu's??? ...and just when I had almost given up, I found out that Chef Ping happened. Since this realization, we've gone here several times--the owners remembered us from way back when (moreso my brother, the pilot, who since the '05 move would fly back for a day and make sure that he made a trip for his fave kung pao beef, alone, like a lame--who wouldn't remember that? =]). Thank you yelp... for bringing my fave Chinese food back to me. Prices have certainly gone up since way back when, but that's expected. This place has the best beef dishes I've ever had at a Chinese restaurant. Get the walnut shrimp. Get some of their yummy homemade noodles. ALL the soups are SO goood! I can go on... but you can just read other reviews. =]
(5)
Kirk W.
Honestly some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. Lunch menu VERY reasonably priced - but get there before 11:45!! Pad Thai is outstanding.
(5)
angie h.
We have been customers since they opened. Today my whole family was there, with my parents, cousin and niece. Food is ok, not as good as when they opened. But what we are unhappy about, is that they charge a WHOPPING 18% Gratuity for a party of 6 adults and one kid. We had worked in restaurant industry while going to college some years back and know the standards. In today's economy, 18% is not exceptable. We don't mind 15%, but they forever lost this family as customers. It's just not right. That 3% difference should be left to customers, not forced on us. We Will Not Be Back.
(2)
Clayton B.
Hands down best place I have been to in a long time amazing service and great food they will even make things for you that's are not on the menu and let you know what's good. Will be going back soon I made a yelp account just to say how amazing this place is and let everyone know! Even though I have been using yelp for years this was the place that I want to tell everyone about!
(5)
B T.
Great place. Love the noodle platter. Always busy
(5)
William P.
Used the online ordering for my first Chef Ping experience. We had 3 orders and ordered at 11:45. We showed up at Ping's around 5 - 10 after... and had to wait another 10 minutes for our food. The place was mobbed with people walking in and looking for tables (which they were not able to accomodate). I am a big fan of Yu's, and am now a big fan of Chef Ping's. The honey glazed walnut shrimp was absolutely amazing (but not in the edible bowl like at Yu's). The dish might have actually been better at Ping's than at Yu's. We ordered two other items off of the lunch menu and were shorted an egg-roll and wonton chip... but alas, the other two orderee's ended up happy with their orders. The black bean sauce noodles were reportedly as good as Yu's... and the Kung Pao chicken was reportedly tastey and spicy. At a lunch rush (and probably dinner, too), I don't think there is a better way to go than to order online and pick it up if you live close. Just be sure to give about a half hour on the order.
(4)
Jason B.
I was debating back and forth whether I should give Chef Ping a 5 star or a 4 star rating. I decided to go with my gut, and give it 5 stars. Yu's was always my go-to for Chinese for years, but as you know, Chef Ping was opened by family. The menu is pretty much the same, however, in my opinion, the noodles are not a perfect as Yu's- for obvious reasons. The service however, is what gave it the fifth star. During my latest visit, I learned from past visits, and went during a non-peak time. Usually when you're at a restaurant and they are slow, you may see a few servers BS-ing amongst themselves, paying little, or no attention to other server's tables. This is not the case at Pings. We literally were assisted by 3 servers, and we didn't have to ask either. This was done in a way in which we didn't feel crowed or disturbed. I ordered jangmyeon (black bean sauce over noodles), and when it was brought to the table, a random server saw this and came to our table, being super sweet and proceeded to mixed the sauce and noodles for us. Not knowing that I'm half Korean (I look as white as they come) and actually lived in Korea (this is a Korean-Chinese dish...I think), she wanted to make sure I was enjoying the dish fully. They are the epitome friendly and attentive, this being true even when Ping's at it's absolute busiest. If you go, you MUST order the szechuan eggplant.
(5)
Vanessa M.
had lunch here with the family tonight. had an awesome experience. the ambiance, food, and service were all amazing. we ordered egg rolls, crab sho mai, combination fried rice, hunan beef, kung pao shrimp, seafood noodle soup, and the whole steamed flounder....and all of it was crazy good. all this for only $80. i can't say enough about the service. our server was really friendly and funny, he was also very attentive. he even de-boned our steamed flounder at the table. they were closing in order to get ready for dinner service later that night, but we were still eating and chatting. they didn't rush us at all. we were a group of 5 adults, we all had a great experience. can't wait to go back with my husband. its a great date place. atmosphere is romantic and relaxing.
(5)
Jordan B.
Easily the best (Chinese) food around!
(5)
Picky C.
Chef Ping....I heart your noodles! Soupy, spicy pan-fried, Korean style, Chinese style...I've missed it so! I loved the noodles at Yu's and was miserable when I couldn't find them anywhere else. The mix of Chinese and Korean foods is awesome and for those of you who like wasabi and chewy, crisp/crunchy interesting savory textures (this dish really is good), ask for the Fu-Chi-Fay-Pian appetizer dish. It's a large family style dish, and can get pricey due to the shrimp, meats, etc. But they are the only ones who get it right in the burbs. The parking lot is always packed when there are so many other Asian restaurants around a .3 mile radius. This should tell you something. The crowd is equal parts Asian and non-Asian. They have Americanized Chinese food but I encourage the eaters who have not ventured to try our something different, to ask your neighbors about what they ordered. You will find the most delicious dishes here. It's clean, it's updated, the food smells outside the restaurant entice you in and the service and quality food keeps you coming back for more. Long live the original owners for venturing out and updating their look and style! Eat on! I highly recommend this place.
(5)
S M.
yus mandarin tastes better. Somehow, everything tastes the same to me...but making everything tasting the same should be a miracle on the chef's side. Decor is ok, normal. Hostess = ok. Staff = ok. Nothing that bad overall except that the food isn't what I liked.
(3)
Frederick T.
Drove by for months before deciding to stop in for lunch. good thing. the food was great. The place is beautiful and the staff extremely friendly. Will be back again for sure. this place gives PF Changs a run for their money. PF you are still king but Chef Ping is right there.
(5)
Jack L.
Finally, we can go back to some of the best Chinese dishes in Chicago's northwest suburbs. This place beats Yu's any day of the week and the chef and some of the wait staff came from Yu's. So it's like coming home again. The atmosphere is good and service is outstanding.
(5)
Justin S.
Honey walnut shrimp: excellent! Nuff said.
(4)
Shark S.
Trust me, I don't give 5 stars for nothing. This is the real deal. Honey walnut shrimp and lightly breaded scallops, try and find it better, you can't.
(5)
David M.
Food quality is quite good, as is the atmosphere. Prices are somewhat higher than other Chinese restaurants in the area and the volume of food is slightly less. With that said, I would rather dine at Chef Ping's than most any other Chinese restaurant in the area. The number of Chinese people dining the restaurant is a testament to its authenticity.
(4)
Darlene L.
Loved this Asian cuisine in the northwest suburbs. We waited the requisite fifteen minutes to have the healthier version of the pot stickers which were steamed. They were plump and delicious with the hot and mild sauces.Both the cashew chicken and mu shu pork were well seasoned and served in generous portions. Nice consistency to the mu shu pancakes which the waiter filled with fresh ingredients. The cashew chicken had plenty of tender chicken with a bowl of steamed rice on the side. Tea was served immediately in a pot left on the table. Service was efficient if not a bit rushed. We barely finished the appetizer when the entrees arrived. The crowd was coming in so they clearly wanted to turn the table. This is not leisure dining but the food is quality.
(4)
Griffin Y.
Chef ping is awesome!! The food is delicious. Soo yum! And their prices are legit. Go in for a bite, you wont be disappointed. Guaranteed!
(5)
David M.
The food here is great. We've only done takeout though, because we're a little intimidated by the crowds. Interestingly, the clientele seems to be almost entirely Asian. i imagine that says good things about their authenticity.
(5)
T. E.
This is not your typical Americanized Chinese food. This is authentic and classy. The food is not overpriced either. The fu chi far pian was amazing with the right amount of tingle on the tongue. A little packed and if you come at the wrong time there's a bit of a wait and they don't always take reservations but that's an attestation to the good food they have. Definitely recommend and would be back.
(5)
Thomas S.
Chef Ping is the best Asian dining in the Arlington Heights area. It stands head and shoulders above every place else we've tried. It's a family run business, where you can really feel their pride in providing great food and service. Try it and you'll be back as a regular!
(5)
Sonny P.
Went to Chef Ping on a Wednesday night with 3 of my other friends. We ordered the Veggie Egg rolls and Crab Rangoon to start it off. Both were good, nothing spectacular. We then had the Szechwan Eggplant which is a MUST, this dish had flavor and was cooked perfectly, Veggie Noodle Platter, and Kung Pao Chicken. The noodle platter lacked flavor and was not spicy at all but when we asked her if the dish is spicy, she replied "oh yes! very much so!" Also, the best part of this restaurant is that they have MOCHI! However, they only have one flavor which is mango. I would try this place out again.
(3)
Liz B.
We have enjoyed Chef Ping every time we have been there. The lunch special are good and we think amazing value. Having lived in the city for many years with many Chinese Restaurants to choose from we find Chef Ping to be the best in the NW burbs. Will be returning!
(5)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :1755 Algonquin Rd
Rolling Meadows, IL, 60008
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Kobayashi K.
When my fiancé and I were apartment-hunting back in 2010, we happened to stop for lunch here. Chef Ping was our first and became our favorite local restaurant in the Schaumburg area. When we moved again in 2013, we chose to commemorate the occasion by eating our last lunch at Chef Ping's as well. ;_; The atmosphere inside is very welcoming and "upscale casual", with dark woods, simplistic style, and peaceful piano music. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always able to recommend something tasty. The menu includes a variety of traditional, fusion, and "Americanized" Chinese dishes, so you can really try many different things each time you go! * They also have a special room for larger dinner parties! (We held one of the hubby's birthdays there!) * The wait on the weekends can be long if you haven't made a reservation! This place is awesome and people know it! * We live 1 and 1/2 hours away now and we STILL drive out of our way to Chef Ping's to carry-out our favorites! Husband's Favorites: Ham-Fried Rice / Broccoli Beef My Favorites: Pad Thai Noodle / Shrimp Egg Rolls
(5)Jimmy W.
I've been coming here for a couple years and while some things got better some are not as good. I still give it 4 stars. Here's some comments... I love chicken wings. While some say the PongPong have no meat and are just fried bones these are my go to asian flavor wings. Sweet with some spice and nice crispy bits. I don't get tired of eating these!! Shrimp dumplings, another Chef Ping staple for me. Pieces of shrimp in a nicely steamed wrapper. Hunan beef & chicken. I always order this, why, I don't know, the flavor is so good to me... Pad Thai. This is one that went downhill. I love the noodle (Wide) which you don't see as much anymore, but the sauce on this dish is flavorless. Just look at the photos people post here. Barely any color and it tastes like it. To bad as I love Pad Thai.
(4)Abhinav S.
Went here as part of a treat. Friend had purchased a new car.. so yay free food. It was dinner time, fairly packed. Even though it was a Friday night, the wait time was short (10 minutes or so), perhaps we were lucky. Plan accordingly if you're hungry and wish to avoid the crowd. The place is huge with two dining areas and a nice ambiance. We ordered the Pong pong chicken, Sczechwan Eggplant and Gan Pong Diced chicken. They were all good. But I think every item that we ordered were breaded, deep fried and full of oil. That was my only qualm but otherwise it was good. Portions are huge and we probably ordered way too much. Next time gotta avoid going all wild and ordering so much. The chefs keeping walking around occasionally to monitor stuff as well. Bring up any issues if you have to them. It's a nice way to personalize the experience and receive active feedback.
(4)Lena M.
It's always a good sign when you walk in and it's filled with fellow Chinese people young and old enjoying their meal. I'm Cantonese but love cuisine of all sorts. My dinner was delicious! We had the crispy duck, honey walnut shrimp (my fave so I'm really picky!), and my husband loves their version of the General Tso. Take out was speedy and parking for take out is set good. Warning - this place is good so it gets pretty packed quickly. Be prepared to wait for both carry out and dine in.
(4)Monty W.
Dependable go-to spot for East Asian community in the northern burbs. Utter "Chef Ping" amongst the Chinese or Korean that live in the burbs and chances are that they go here for their family style Chinese/Korean meals. They do try to stress the quality of service here especially for the larger tables in the back with plate swapping near the middle of your menu. Some items that we usually have for family meals included the honey walnut shrimp. JaJa mein (though its never a favorite of mine). Salt and Pepper tofu (must get), The pong pong chicken (make sure to get extra rice for all the sauce haha!). Schezwan green beans are delicious. But garlic stir fried pea shoots for $16?! come on now...8 treasure rice for dessert is a different kind of dessert (not overly sweet) which Ping does fairly well. Chef Ping is a bit pricier and portions a bit smaller than the restaurants in Chinatown for family style meals, but still better than the alternative of driving from the burbs thru the traffic nightmare of the loop. Ample parking. Reservations are suggested especially on weekends. The wait could be considerable.
(4)Linh L.
Service was great. The food was meh. We ordered the following: 1. Homemade stir fried spicy noodles - it's ok. Spicy, but lacked flavor. 2. Chinese broccoli - tasted fresh and probably the best thing we ordered. 3. Chicken lollipops - this was so disappointing. It was skin and bones. They took out all of the meat! If you like this dish... You must visit Great Seas restaurant in Albany Park of Chicago. It is called "spicy chicken." Much better and more nutritional. I could get 10 chicken lollipops with rice and still be hungry.
(3)Julia L.
Pretty great! Fast and respectful service, I think the waiter gave my whole party a choice of soup or salad to start off even though maybe it only came with a lunch special? Also, I was impressed by the amount of customers they had on a weekday. We ordered sesame chicken, garlic chicken, pong pong chicken?, jampong and jajang. The sesame and garlic chicken came with rice an egg roll and a wonton crisp. They were perfectly prepared and not soggy at all!! I just didn't really like the garlic chicken - too strong, there's a weird after taste.. But that's my fault I guess. The sesame was amazing! The pong pong chicken was supposed to be spicier than kanppungi which is the Korean spicy chicken wings.. But it was very mild. Haha maybe it's cause we're so used to Great Sea's spicy, sweet, big kanppungi that the pong pong was a little underwhelming. But by no means was it not enjoyable! The jjajangmyun was thick and big portioned which is always good. You should ask for an extra bowl of sauce cause for the amount of noodles Chef Ping holds back that delicious black bean sauce.. it's so good why not have more to smother all over your face - I mean the noodles.. :) Now the only let down today was the jampong. The broth was not spicy and refreshing like it should be, but more milky and mild? I think Chef Ping doesn't like to make things too spicy in order to cater to the non-Asian customers, which they have many! But again, great big portion :) Overall, I would definitely come again, but just skip the jampong.
(4)angela l.
Were shopping in the neighborhood around dinner time and recalled being to Chef Ping several years ago. We had noodle, sweet pea tip, green bean and fish fillet and all were tasty. Good service! Shall be back again next time we are in the neighborhood .
(4)Sarah N.
My family and I came here with some friends who recommended this place. Typically, they go to China Town for good Chinese food. They said that this was the best place close by that was almost equivalent to China Town status Chinese food. But, at least it is closer than going to China Town, so I will be coming here more often now that I have been introduced to Chef Ping. Unfortunately, I cannot recall all the food we ordered as they were the ones who ordered for us, in Chinese. I will do my utmost best to recall what it was we ordered. I remember eating Salt and Pepper Squid, Walnut Shrimp, Szechwan Fish Fillet, Mongolian Beef, Sauteed Peapod Tips, Mandarin Bean Curd, and I'm sure there are others we ordered but can't remember. Salt and Pepper Squid was just to die for. If this is all we ate, I could eat this with rice and be happy. As for the Walnut Shrimp, this was also very addicting. The combination of the sweet sauce with the honey walnut and saltiness of the shrimp was perfect. Szechwan Fish Fillet was was another unforgettable dish we had. This is great by itself or even with rice. Just keep guzzling the green tea after each dish and your taste buds resets so that you can get the real flavor of the other dish you eat. The Mongolian Beef was also perfect with the rich flavors combined with the vegetables and beef. The beef was moist and not tough, just how we like it. Second to last is the Peapod Tips, this is a great dish to have for a vegetable dish. I believe hardly any Chinse restaurants serve this unless you're in China Town. I am in love with this dish. Lastly, the Mandarin Bean Curd is something everyone should order as an appetizer. It's a great dish to start the entire meal. I found my go to Chinese Restaurant.
(5)Amanda B.
I used to like Chef Ping a lot and it pains me to write this review but I can't eat there anymore. They USED to clean their bigger shrimp but the past two times, none of my shrimp were clean. I don't know about other people, but I prefer NOT eating the poop vein in the shrimp. When we told our waitress about it the first time it happened, she just said she would let her manager know and didn't even apologize or offer to get us clean shrimp. It happened again and the waitress didn't even care. I understand they don't clean the smaller shrimp, but the bigger ones they should clean. I can't eat at a place that doesn't clean their shrimp because if they don't even take the time to properly clean shrimp, then what else don't they take the time to clean?
(1)Soyoung S.
The management is absolutely flawed. We waited over TWO hours for three dishes, while everyone else around us that was seated WELL after us, were already served and nearly done with their meals. Our server clearly forgot to put in our order when we placed it, and didn't bother to come and communicate anything with us until the head server noticed us waiting at an empty table for hours while everyone else around us was being accommodated for My advice to management is to train your servers to be better organized, to apologize when mistakes are made, and to provide good customer service to make up for it. The food was delicious but after waiting for hours for it, the mood at our table greatly fell
(1)Tellsplatte ..
Good: good food. Excellent service. Felt like a king while sitting at the bar area. Wasn't expecting that. Friendly peeps. -1.5 stars for $$$ to value. Nonetheless, one of the better Chinese I had since moving to the northern Chicago suburbs.
(4)Ziyan C.
A go-to favorite for my parents, who more than anyone know good Chinese food! We showed up at 6:30pm on a Friday and were told it was a 45 minute wait for us 4. It ended up being about 25-30 minutes, which was a nice surprise. The service is really friendly, prompt, and the food comes out quickly. Our server made good recommendations when we were trying to figure out what to get from one part of the menu, say, the beef section. When we got all our dishes, we realized that three of them are kind of large combo platters (the Summer Salad, Noodle Platter, & Seafood Combo) and fairly similar. I wish our server could've noticed this and mentioned something about it. SALT & PEPPER FAMILY: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Salt & Pepper Tofu ($7.95) - 3.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Smaller than I'd expected; the tofu had a nice & thin breading to it, but with such thick pieces, even though they're flavored on the outside, most of each piece doesn't have much flavor on the inside. BEEF: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Mushroom Beef (beef w/ big sliced king mushroom in a delicate sauce. $13.95) - 4.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… The beef comes in huge slices and is incredibly satisfying to chew through, the meat is so good! The large mushroom slices are great too; they're not too overpowering as I often find with everyday Chinese dishes with mushroom. OLD TIME FAVORITE FROM HOME: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… 1. Summer Salad (cold, hot & mustard salad on bean noodle. $16.95) - 3 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… I didn't love the flavors in this - I could definitely taste the mustard/horseradish throughout, which was an odd pairing for me, and having a cold dish in November in the Midwest just isn't as comforting as the hot dishes. NOODLES & RICE: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Ping's Noodle Platter (seafood, pork, vegetables over noodles. $9.50) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… This was great - the noodles are pretty thick and soft, and there is just a ton of delicious stuff in the dish. SEAFOOD * Chef Ping's Seafood Combo ($14.95) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Another good all-round dish, with lots of good seafood. VEGETABLES: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef…
(5)Real D.
This is a lame review because everything we ordered was great. The Ping noodles, you can taste how freshly made it is. Now I know what I am missing when I eat the typical dehydrated noodles. We were checked on frequently and we were just 2 people. The place is packed and it's wall to wall Asians, so Asians in the NW burbs know where to go, and that's at Chef Pings.
(5)Sang L.
My gosh, wish I would have visited this place sooner!!!!! I always see it but never stopped by. If you haven't done so, go now. Best Chinese food around the burbs. The food is authentic and tastes great! The service is good. The inside is a bit busy but that's because this place is great. Everything we ordered from fried rice to noodles to pong wings were delicious. I would definitely take guests from out of town here for great food and atmosphere.
(5)Joseph L.
I'm torn about this place because I want to give them 5 stars because they go the extra mile to make the food unique and tasty. I just feel as though the food could be given with better portions. If I go here again, I'm getting take out. I waiting 20 minutes to be seated and it took them a while to bring me my food when I did order.
(4)Bunny D.
their food quality is consistent. If I'm hungry for Chinese food, Chef Ping is the only place I go. Many choices to choose from, even some Korean dishes. My favorite is their Tofu dishes. Yum!
(4)Odranre B.
it's been 3 years since i reviewed this place, and have been continually dining here at least once a month...it still gets pretty crowded during peak hours...i started noticing some negative changes with the food quality and the portion last year, and steadily declining this year...i really didn't think about it too much until i started taking survey with my friends and families who frequent at the restaurant...i also compared a photo of champong (spicy seafood noodle soup) that i ordered on the first year they opened to the one i ordered two weeks ago and there was roughly 20% difference (and i don't think it evaporated on its way to my table)...sorry chef ping but yu's mandarin reclaimed the crown back...
(3)Morris N.
This review is for carry-out. I ordered online. The process of creating the account to place the online order was easy to do but kind of a pain especially on an iPad. However you only have to create the account once, then it's not bad at all. Even though it was during a busy dinner rush, the order was ready within 20 minutes as they had advised. We had hot & sour soup and wonton soup. Both were good. The fried pot stickers weren't the best I've had. We tried the noodle platter, sauteed fish fillet, and sweet & sour shrimp. All of the entrees were very good. The prices for the entrees seem to be on the higher side. The overall check amount wasn't too bad.
(4)Laurice M.
I absolutely LOVE Chef Ping!!! Excellent service-definitely not your typical Chinese restaurant. The servers are polite and attentive, not overbearing or rude. When my family and I went here, I felt really taken care of during the whole time we were there. Glasses were filled without us having to call them. None of them hovering near us but when you need them, easy to get ahold of them. Also, very polite (in my experience, a rarity in Chinese restaurants)!!! As for the food, love love love all the dishes we had ordered so far! I wasn't a fan of every dish but I love that everything seemed fresh and not ordinary. Favorites: - Salt and Pepper Tofu (small serving for the price but I would gladly pay for it because it's really good! So silky and tasty!) - Mongolian Beef (the beef is melt in my mouth tender) - Pong pong chicken (reminded me of Crisp) - Fried rice (the shrimps are BIG!!!) - Orange beef - Young chow fried rice Not my faves but still good - Noodle platter - Noodles with black bean sauce - Peking duck (I like the duck but not a fan of the crepes) - Sesame chicken Definitely recommend!
(4)Tina L.
Came here for the manfriend's birthday. Good thing we made reservations because this place is poppin'! We just ordered a variety of shushes and did family style: take some, pass it down! Each dish was delicious, I would do this the same again. I recommend the salt and pepper squid, mapo tofu (on the menu I think it's called Lady Mao bean curd) and Chinese broccoli.
(5)Shy Y.
This place is over hipe over price and down right not authentic Chinese nor Korean food. Food was one step above your regular carry out Chinese carry out, thats not a good thing. This place does well because of its masking appearance and the location, take away the location and its high dollar look and you get a normal carry out. Spent $70 their ordering assortment of food to give it a full evaluation. I'll keep it short and sweet. Not worth the $70 or anymore of my money. Ingredients and flavor was lacing freshness and true Asian flavors This is watered down again food no where near its claims of being the best. On a positive note. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. That's another key ingredient to its success Spend your money somewhere else find a place that focus more on its authenticity of Asian cuisines and the quality of food/ flavor.
(2)Megan Z.
My father and I live about a mile away from Chef Ping and always enjoy an excellent meal here! The other reviews are right, wait times can be excessive. However, you will understand why once you enjoy the food! We came in on a busy Tuesday night. It was a ten-minute wait for a table, so we decided to eat at the bar area. No regrets, we actually found it quieter and easier to have a conversation. Service here is always top-notch. Regardless of the crowds. We always start our meal here with a fresh bowl of soup. The wonton soup is excellent and is served piping hot! My father usually orders the Hot n' Sour Soup and raves about it. The menu here has some "americanized" selections, however they do offer favorites for those craving a taste from back home. You know it is good when you see a ton of oriental people packing the restaurant! (I say this with the utmost respect!) Next, we ordered the Mandarin Soy Duck! It was hands-down the best duck we've ever had. It is served at room-temp and is utterly amazing. The duck is so tender and the mandarin soy marinade just made it melt in your mouth! If you are a duck person, you must give it a try. The hot dishes as I mentioned before, are mostly americanized. However, do not let this shy you away. Chef Ping is NOT your typical "americanized" chinese joint. My favorite dish here is the Kung Pao Beef, when it comes to "americanized" dishes. The beef is so tender you barely have to chew. It is incredible. Plus, if you love it spicy like I do, just ask them to make it extra spicy. Chef Ping uses incredible seasonings and technique to raise the bar on Chinese Cuisine. Another favorite is the Salt n Pepper Smelt or Ping's Noodle Soup. The noodles are homemade and served in an amazing (spicy) broth abundant with veggies, squid, and shrimp! The Noodle soup is enough for 2 (maybe 3) people! As with all portions at Chef Ping, you can feed 2-3 people from any entree. Simply put, Chef Ping is the undisputed best in Chicago and in my opinion, the whole state! Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Lizzy C.
Definitely higher quality than most Chinatown restaurant. I ordered spicy fish and intestines. Both perfectly cooked.
(5)Howard W.
This restaurant has great food. Very tradition taste along with some western favors. The service is great as well. I would definitely come back again.
(5)Kenny L.
The place was packed when I came in for lunch, which is a really good sign. I was seated in about 15 minutes which was fine because I was waiting for my friend to arrive anyway. I ordered the homemade lo mein and my friend ordered the garlic chicken. We shared our dishes, and I was very pleased with both. The food was not too salty, and it was simply very good. Also, the lunch menu was very simple. It was not filled with a bunch of stuff to choose from. I do want to try their food for dinner. I am sure that they have a dinner menu.
(5)Lindsey S.
A couple fellow Yelpers have been telling me to go here and now I'm kicking myself for waiting. Hands down the best Chinese food I have ever had! Everything was hot and fresh, and their crab rangoon are to die for. Normally I'm not a fan of Mongolian beef because I find it to be tough, but it was tender and had amazing flavor here. The staff is outstanding, our empty dishes barely touched the table before being whisked away. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and who I can only assume was the owner stopped and chatted with us. We will definitely be back!
(5)Somchai S.
Started a new job, and went with my new coworkers to Chef Pings. We arrived around 11:45am on a Friday and the parking lot was packed. There was a 20 min wait for a table. The prices here are very reasonable, $10 a person off their lunch special, including tip. The lunch eggroll was gross, it had no meat. The hot and sour soup was very good. And the entree was filing. I can see why they've captured the lunch crowd. They get you in and out very quickly as well.
(4)Zoe Z.
I went here on a Tuesday noon. It opens on 11:30am. I got here around 11:28am. Most seats already taken. I got surprised by how organized it was even with so many customers. Very prompt service. Even my hot tea request got respond very soon Ordered Kung pao chicken. Very decent price for lunch menu. And too much food. It was a little bit salty. But overall tasted good.
(5)Catherine G.
My first experience with Chef Ping was through carryout. My sister in law ordered food for dinner for the family. It was surprisingly good and I enjoyed the various dishes that she ordered. The second experience was at the actual restaurant. Again, family style with an assortment of dishes from sweet and sour pork, mapo tofu, etc. This time though I couldn't get over the salt. Everything was salty! And we had two different types of noodle dishes too... the jajangmyun which is a black bean sauced noodle dish and a spicy soup noodle dish. Anyway.... the noodles were in one word, overcooked. I was hoping that since we were right there at the restaurant that it wouldn't be, but it was. My dad still enjoyed it as he LOVES noodles. And I still liked most of it, but I can't give it a 4 star review for that reason. Still, may go back and try again... you know what they say.. 3rd times a charm!
(3)Elena N.
I've been here twice since this is a favorite of the roommate's cousins. This last time was last month while we were in town for the wedding. They had the rehearsal dinner here on a Friday night. Summer salad: Cold, hot and mustard salad on bean noodle, big serving. I'd never had this dish before. It was cold and refreshing, but had a really nice kick from the hot mustard. Pong pong chicken: Hot & tangy sauce on a chicken lollipop. Yum! Sticky, garlicky, sweet, savory. Rivals my favorite wings in SF. Lady mao's bean curd: Well known folk dish, tofu with minced pork. Great with some rice! Gan pong shrimp: Original recipe dated back to the old san tung province, burned hot pepper with chopped garlic glaze. A shrimp version of the chicken wings I love?! Yes please! First time having this dish and I loved it! Combination fried rice: Shrimp, chicken, ham with a touch of soy sauce. Nicely fried and full of flavor! The kids loved this! Beef with peppers, onions and carrots: I don't remember this dish too well, but I do remember the beef and veggies were stir fried well. Asian style sweet and sour beef: I don't really like sweet and sour dishes but the roommate's brother loves it! Walnut shrimp: Jumbo shrimp in rich creamy sauce with honey coated walnuts and steamed broccoli. Yum! The shrimp were big and juicy! Sea cucumber and scallops with mushrooms, cauliflower and peas: I loved the scallops and veggies in this dish! Sauteed baby bok choy: Bok choy was cooked well and flavor was nice and garlicky. Noodles in black bean sauce: Pork, baby shrimp, onion & zucchini slow cooked in black bean sauce served over homemade noodles. The roommate loves this dish. And the kids were enjoying it as well. Ping's noodle soup: Noodle in spicy broth cooked with fine shredded pork, seafood and vegetables. One of my favorite dishes! The soup was spicy and savory and dish was full of seafood and veggies! Service was good, but it took some time for the last two dishes to come out. I understood since everything was pre ordered except those two. And every table was adding several orders of the last two dishes. I'm glad I was introduced to this place since I would definitely go back. I don't even need a rehearsal dinner as an excuse!
(5)Jon H.
The food was great and so was the service! I had a seafood mixed plate and it was very tasty.
(5)Starrlite D.
Chef ping is pretty awesome! Had to take away one star because their sweet and sour pork is mediocre at best, especially because i was hoping it to be more Korean-chinese style. However, their honey walnut shrimp, sichuan boiled fish, and other dishes are great. Jjamppong and jjajangmyun is good, but is quite different from the normal korean style.
(4)Abraham K.
Yum yum yum! If this is your first time here I recommend you order Fried Pot stickers for appetizer. For family sharing order sweet and sour Pork, home style sea cucumber (asian delicacy), and for the main dish try jjamppong (spicy noodle broth), noodle in black sauce (jajangmyeon)! Will feed 4-5 hungry people!
(5)barb z.
Consistently very good food. We only eat here now for Chinese food. No other local place is worth the time or money. If you like spicy try to Seafood Stew. Wonderful.
(5)Ramone B.
After an intense day of shopping at woodfield mall, my boyfriend and I worked up quite the appetite, and neither one of us care for mall food court cuisine. Out came the trusty yelp app!! #Love We originally found a place called the Hong Kong cafe, but when we arrived they had a sign on the door saying closed for vacation. I'm so glad the Hong Kong cafe was closed because we found our way to Chef Ping!!! It was a Thursday night and Chef Ping was rocking!! There was a short wait which wasn't bad because I observed other people scanning the menu while they waited, and my boyfriend and I quickly follows suit! Out waitresses name was Ann. I fell in love with her. She was too cool. Anyway we ordered the following: -chicken wings (I'm black and love fried chicken okay #DontJudgeMe. I've learned Chinese people can fry some damn chicken like no other. - Pot stickers -Mongolian beef -Salt & pepper smelt. I listed my boyfriends dinner as well because you know I tasted his food. #Gurl #DontPlay The chicken wings and the pot stickers were good! The Mongolian beef was awesome! I couldn't get over how tender the beef was. Somebody beat the sh*t outta that meat to get it so tender!! My meal was the salt and pepper smelt. Honey I could've slapped my dead granny back to life it was sooooooo good!! #JustSaying! The smelt had a perfection salt & spice ratio. I wanted to make room for desert so I didn't finish my smelt. I ordered the 8 treasure rice cake. I was unsure about this because I really wanted red bean ice cream, but since I always get that red bean ice cream. I opted for a change! When my rice cake arrived I was shocked. I was expecting a crunchy cake with some toppings on it. It was a cooked rice dish with what looked like honey, and a sweet bean paste. I actually liked it! I will be back! Funny story I originally ordered crispy fried intestine, and my waitress says "ooohhhh you like that?" I said "Gurl yes, those are called chitterlings (pronounced chittlins) to a black person. They just happened to be out that day, but I will go back to try them! Until next time!!!!
(5)Perry S.
Chef ping is excellent. We ordered a variety of food dishes and apps and everything was hot and flavorful. The place is busy but we arrived at 655 on Sunday and got seated immediately. One of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever eaten at.
(5)Mirta P.
My favorite, favorite Chinese restaurant. I eat so much and so often and I love it!!!!
(5)Venkata Tirupathi Raju B.
Food is very tasty and authentic. I really enjoyed the food. However waiting time for table is more than 15 minutes.
(5)Tom A.
With all due respect to Lincolnwood's delightful Great Beijing, Chef Ping claims the best garlic eggplant in the area. Friendly service, great tea, and plenty of veg. Options add to the fun.
(5)Sarah V.
The noodles are made fresh daily, the staff is friendly and they have spinny tables! What more could I ask for? The food is fresh and delicious! Despite their large menu, they manage to make it all taste amazing. The prices are great and everything is served family style. They only take reservations for larger parties, but I've never waited longer than twenty minutes. The seafood noodles are delicious and the Mongolian beef is my favorite! Next time you are in the mood for Chinese food skip PF changs and drive the extra two miles to Chef Ping! You won't regret it!
(5)Kristy S.
The food was great! It was surprisingly fast, and well made. My group of 6 got fried rice, Kung pao chicken, orange chicken, Mongolian beef, noodles, and soup. We all shared and everyone loved everything. The sharing is a great way to talk to others and enjoy everything everyone wanted. The waitress constantly filled up our drinks, I never sat waiting for my drink to be filled. The place was crowed and we along with the people around us were laughing and having a great time. I would recommend this place if you want to have good Chinese food!
(4)Claire Y.
A nice Americanized Chinese restaurant. Great dishes (even for someone like me grew up in China and normally hate Americanized chinese food). We ordered pong pong chicken which was supposed to be a spicy dish but it turned to be sweet chicken wings. Hot and sour soup was a bit disappointing, too much pepper. We also got the mushroom dish. It was ok. But it seems a lot of American people love it. I wouldn't mind going back and trying some more legit chinese dish on the menu. And service was really great, they checked in with us often.
(4)Albert C.
Food is always fresh Must try 1. Pom Pom chicken 2. schezwan eggplant 3. Combination fried rice 4. Walnut shrimp 5. Ping soup 6. It's not on the menu but you can make your own bao with pork belly. I think it's pronounced May-chai-ko-row Service is not always consistent but the food is great
(4)Francis F.
it came highly recommended as best chinese food restaurant in IL for 2015 based on yelp ratings and reviews. They got us(4 adults,1kid) seated right away. Nice ambience. It was our first time here, so after browsing the menu, we ordered pong pong chicken, salt and pepper squid, walnut shrimp, shrimp in lobster sauce, and combination fried rice. Food was served abt 10-15 mins after we ordered and all were very delicious.Waitress was very attentive and awesome!
(5)David W.
This place is the bomb. Went with around 10 people and got to order around 10 different dishes. Everything we ordered was excellent, people's personal favorites were the "fried chicken" pong pong chicken. I personally enjoyed the salt and pepper squid. Definitely get a reservation, this place is packed until probably 8pm. We called a day in advance and couldnt get in until 8
(5)George H.
Well, we went back again, despite my vow not to (but it took a year and a half to convince me to) - my wife wanted to give them another try. Well, this visit was horrible. The shrimp dumplings were bland and the wrappers were exceedingly gummy. The pork Shu Mai were 'ok'. My daughter tried the egg drop soup and the flavor was off - I can't explain what was odd about it but it wasn't good. My wife had the Noodle platter (again) and it was tasty - it was the one highlight of our meal. This time I had Orange Chicken and the kitchen was able to saute' the chicken rather than deep frying it (yay!) but even though I SPECIFICALLY asked for it to be spicy, it again came out with no heat. My daughter had Pad Thai and it was good, but nothing spectacular. The main reason that bumps this visit down to 1 star (it would have been a two or three) was the service. I cannot fault the waiter this is FULLY on the kitchen. The time between our first entree and our third entree was over 30 minutes. When we pointed out the long wait to the manager, he blew us off and stated that they cook things 'family style' and that we should order things that everyone wants to eat so we can share. I am the customer, DON'T TELL ME HOW I SHOULD ORDER MY FOOD. If we order everything at the same time and all three of us individually order our items with the waiter, everything should be served at the same time. And EVEN IF we wanted to share, we would have wanted to share everything at the same time, not fill up on the first entrees and not eat anything of the third because people were hungry. We did not share our food, we all wanted what we ordered and not share. By the time my daughter's entree came out, my wife and I were done eating. UNFORGIVABLE. WE WILL NOT BE BACK!
(1)Matthew B.
The food here is pretty damn good, but you need to get the more authentic dishes for the best flavors. If you stick to the "American" Chinese dishes like beef and broccoli or general tso's, you'll be disappointed. For starters, get the Fu Chi Fae Pian. This was hands down the best tripe I'd ever eaten. Not chewy at all and lots of flavor. For the entree I had tried the Szechwan Fish Casserole, another amazing dish. This one can take awhile to prepare and apparently only 1/2 chefs that work there know how to prepare it, so you know that makes it even better. It has that spice in there that makes your mouth feel sort of numb without being overly spicy. Easily the best Chinese good in the burbs.
(4)Avinash K.
So, had gone for dinner. We had vegetable chicken - which was nothing but fried tofu. If you were expecting it hot, then THINK again, it was cold. Tasted Ok. My friend had fried eggplant with rice, that was pretty good. I had the ping noodles substitued seafood and pork with chicken. I asked for very spicy and it still wasn't as spicy as I wanted. Very friendly service. Just be warned. Food seems pretty good, but if you like spicy food this is not the place. I can safely say CHINESE FOOD is not for me. I gave an extra star just for the service. Will I go there again, most likely NOT. Sorry. FYI: One dish comes in huge quantity, is good enough for two guys to share. So please order one by one. :)
(3)Alma C.
To sum up the Chef Ping vs. Yu's Mandarin debate: people REALLY REALLY REALLY do NOT like change. Especially if they really liked a particular something something yummy, they will yelp and cry and scream about the change because this or that and something or another. Here's my 2 cents on the debate: - Chef Ping has some really good Korean/Chinese food (yu san sil, honey walnut shrimp, ja jang myun). - Yu's has very recently had some really good Chinese food (unidentified noodles that were so kickass that if you were holding them at that time, I may have chewed on your hand accidentally). Note: I too thought Yu's sucked for a long time after the ownership/chef changes. Now I think it's worth another visit (had a bunch of carry-out only can't speak for service). - Both Chef Ping and Yu's have some dishes I don't care for and both can both be very oily at times. My advice on Chef Ping and Yu's: visit both, try everything on their menu, form your own opinion, give peace a chance. Especially since Chef Ping has his own spot now, it's not like he's disappearing anytime soon. At least you better not Chef Ping. You almost gave me a heart attack when you and consequently my honey walnut shrimp disappeared at Yu's with no warning or explanation. Now that was just mean (I told you people don't like change).
(4)Ben K.
This place has the best Korean-Chinese food in Chicago and possibly Korea and China. You can tell that a restaurant is good when there is always a line out the door when you arrive (You can make reservations with parties of 6 or greater). Sometimes when I eat at Chef Pings, my food tastes saltier during the course of the meal because my tears of happiness fall into the food (that was a joke, Chef Ping food is not salty it is perfect). Chef Ping noodle dishes are second-to-none and here are the best ones: 1) Ping's Noodle Platter (lazomyun) 2) Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jajangmyun) 3) Ping's Noodle Soup (jiambong). Here are some non-noodle notable mentions: Pong Pong Chicken and Mongolian Beef One of my favorite waitresses works here too. During one of my first times visiting, after my meal I was mixing some rice in the black bean sauce (jajang) that comes with the Noodles in Black Bean Sauce dish (jajangmyun) and eating it. When the waitress saw me doing that, she gave me a container filled with black bean sauce (jajang) to take home and I didn't even ask for it! Don't ask them for a container filled with black bean sauce to take home now because they won't give it to you, but that one time she gave it to me I cried a little. Interesting fact: everyone that works here speaks at least three languages.
(5)Jack B.
This place is so disoganised, I'm surprised people just don't walk out and leave , regardless of the raves , if the services is bad the food tends to taste bad too..
(1)Kevin B.
Four of us stopped in for dinner before a concert at the Allstate arena. I'm glad that we went there 2 1/2 hours before our show because the place was packed and never did slow down. They don't take reservations so you have to go and plan to wait. The food was good and the portions were large and very "shareable".
(4)Andrea R.
I've been looking for good Chinese food in Chicagoland for the past decade or so. The good news is that I (finally) found it. The bad news is that it's 30-45 minutes from my house, but those who live in Chef Ping's hood should consider themselves lucky. Based on the Friday lunch crowd word is out about their tasty & affordable lunches. At Nicole W's suggestion I went w/ the seafood and pork noodles, but asked them to hold the pork. Each meal comes with soup or a salad. For once it was too hot for soup so I went the salad route, which made it's way to my table literally 3 seconds after I ordered it. The salad wasn't anything exciting, but that just meant more room for my incredible noodles. And yes, the noodles were incredible. The portion was also large enough for 3 people and it was impossible to stop eating it. I'm getting full again just thinking about it. One of my dining companions ordered the orange chicken, which appeared to be equally delicious. And like all good Chinese restaurants they delivered fortune cookies with the bill, which by the way was only $30 for 3 of us. My fortune cookie basically told me I'll be a billionaire one day. When that day comes perhaps I can open a Chef Ping closer to my house.
(5)Gerry A.
Lunch review updated and clearly slipping. After many alternating lunches at Yu's and Chef Ping's I have to give the lunch nod CLEARLY to Yu's and Ichef. I am a longtime friend of Tong's ( as in ACROSS the street on Golf :~) but it is hard to believe that anyone could have been able to put together a ruder lunch server group than Chef Ping's. They make Yu's servers look like the friendliest in town, and by comparison they are. Yu's lunch menu is MUCH bigger and their hot and sour is much richer and peppery, with meat AND baby shrimp, what a concept. Every time I come in by myself I have to fight for any kind of a decent seat as a single instead of the wobbly napkin leveled table they give to other roundeyes. Tong is not there at lunch and it really shows. Try them both for lunch, you'll see. Yu's will actually take your order until 3. You get attitude at Chef Ping's at 2:15. They don't need your money. Try IChef on the other end of Alqonguin in Schaumburg if you want easy parking, friendly service, and a larger more flavorful menu.
(3)Jui-Yang H.
Very nice Chinese restaurant, more like my mom's cooking. Taiwan/Chinese style. Must order a dish (forgot the English name) eight ingredient vegetable. It is seafood with Curly flower and sea cucumber. Kong pong chicken also good.
(5)Nate C.
Hands down best Chinese place in the area. Everything is very high quality...My favorites include the Curries, and the shrimp toast.
(5)Sung Y.
Chef Pings is one of the best Chinese/Korean restaurants in the Chicagoland area. Coming with a group of folks and eating family style is the best way to enjoy many of the wonderful dishes they have on the menu. On this visit we ordered the chef ping wings, honey walnut shrimp, sweet and sour pork, yang jang pi, jjampong, and jjajang myun. All dishes were excellent! Will return again and again!
(5)Dorothy P.
I really need to stop hyping places just because of peer pressure. My hubs wanted Chinese and was all set to order from our favorite local place, but nooooo, I suggested Chef Ping because everyone around the office was talking about how awesome they are. Now, I'll try anything once, so I talked him into letting me pick up dinner. I even scoured the Yelp reviews for what to order. The consensus was Ping's Noodle Platter and GanPong Chicken. We were amply warned that the eggrolls were junk, but since my hungrier half is a sucker for eggrolls, we ordered them anyways. Pickup took 30 minutes, which was alright by me. I figured they'd be worth the wait. When I walked into the restaurant, it was buzzing. There was a wait on a Thursday night, which I thought was a good sign. I picked up the food and made my way home, salivating the entire way. Now, in Chef Ping's defense, it was a 40 minute trek home, and by the time I got there, everything had cooled down. The eggrolls are JUNK. I appreciate the skinny style egg roll in a wonton wrapper normally; this is the typical style that most Vietnamese restaurants (including my aunt's) carry. The filling was ridiculously tastless and sparsely filled. Dare I say that the restaurant supplied stock sweet & sour sauce packets made them taste worse? I'm not sure how, but they did. We were warned. I will pass that warning on. DO.NOT.GET.THE.EGGROLLS. Everyone was singing the praises of the Ping's Noodles. Did we get the same thing? The noodles reminded me of linguine that was WAY overcooked. Now, I don't mind squishy noodles, but the texture was just off on this whole dish. It also smelled of old, not so fresh seafood...The mix of seafood in it was interesting and included squid, calamari (?), and shrimp. I believe there was also supposed to be pork in it, but I never saw it. I did like what spices I could taste, and the dish had a nice amount of heat. The dish that I was most interested to try was the GanPong chicken because I had never heard of it before, and it sounded interesting. The dish itself was just a tub of fried chicken coated in a sweet/spicy/garlicky sauce with bits of carrot and green pepper mixed in for justification (it's got veggies, so it's healthy, right?). The problem is that by the time I got it home, the sauce had been so absorbed into the chicken pieces that it was dry. Now I'm not sure if the sauce is sparse to begin with, so I can't exactly give it a fair assessment. The flavor was decent, I will give it that. I'm torn. The dishes at Chef Ping aren't exactly cheap (the least expensive meat dish will cost you over $10). I feel like maybe we missed out on the full experience since we got takeout, but I'm not sure I want to try it again. I guess if my coworkers dragged me back here, I'd give it another go, but I doubt I'll be back on my own.
(2)Lily L.
Tried this place on a Sunday, packed! It didn't take very long to get a table though. Fell in love with this place the second I had my appetizer. It's the best I've ever had in Chicago area, and yes I tried everywhere. The long drive was so worth it.
(5)Susan S.
Hot and sour had good flavor, short on ingredients. Sake was brought to the table in a teapot of warm water but sake was cold. Had the garlic chicken was too salty asked them to remake it still salty . Needed balance added a little sugar even it out. Egg roll was sparse and tasteless. Noodle with onion shrimp and pork was tasty oodles where nice texture but really didn't see the proteins . Would I go back ? Probably not.
(3)Angelica C.
We ordered the below dishes: Pineapple fried rice Chicken wings (MUST ORDER, phenomenal!!!) Baby Bok Choy Seafood Peking Noodle Mongolian Beef (highly recommended) Mao Po Tofu (ehh) Crab Rangoon (call me Americanized, but I love these nonetheless) Celebrated my 30th birthday here with my entire immediate family of 13. Since our party was so large we had to sit at two tables, but not a big deal. They did honor our reservation time, which I truly did appreciate as the 40 min hike from the city had my stomach growling. The chef did walk around and greet customers- a nice personal touch. We normally eat at the Malaysian restaurant down the street (ahem), but wanted to try something different this time and we fell in love immediately!
(5)Madison L.
The salty egg yolk crab is my favorite; it is incredibly fresh and delicious. All the dishes are quite appetizing, but this is by far my favorite. This is not something I find at every Chinese restaurant and I would definitely come back and bring family and friends. There seems to always be a wait; so if you are in a hurry - this is not the place. The parking lot is packed and the restaurant is always filled up. Chef Pings is a pretty popular & happening place Saturday nights!
(5)Al S.
My first visit to Chef Ping was Saturday Jan. 10, 2015. I grew up in Chicago's Chinatown so I fancy myself as having somewhat more experience with the cuisine than the average bear. It looked like a feeding frenzy was happening in both the parking lot and inside the restaurant. Positive signs. If you're in a hurry to dine and dash you'd be better off with carryout, as was my transaction . The front door was packed with people waiting to dine. Since it was my first experience with Chef Ping, my order included a sampling of the menu: egg rolls, shrimp dumplings, fried rice, and crab Rangoons. Overall, I was satisfied but I was not overwhelmed. The egg rolls were oily, the Rangoon filling just ok, shrimp dumplings bland, and the fried rice fair. I may give Ping another chance, maybe I will be more impressed with menu items with actual seasoning, spice and more flavor.
(3)Krishna C P.
I was introduced to this place by my central american friends. And they had hyped it up for me throughout the 40 min drive from Lincoln park. We ordered a few Chinese dishes which were good, almost comparable to the Chinatown restaurants. In my mind I was still thinking what the fuss was about. And then came the dish that blew me away.. BLACK BEAN CLAMS . there are no words to describe it .The flavors are amazing and once on the palate ,it all comes together. since then I have visited this restaurant eveytime I have been in the area and ate a full serving of the clams by myself. The place is almost always packed. Service and ambience , is much better than a regular Chinese place. I am giving it 5 for the black bean clams ,go try them.
(5)Sue T.
If you're headed here for lunch, come early or you'll have a tough time finding a parking spot and you'll stand in line. This is a popular place for a good reason. The great selection of lunch specials come with choice of egg drop or hot & sour soup or salad, rice, egg roll and crunchy won-ton. My favorite is the Mandarin trio - beef, chicken *and* shrimp with veggies in a savory dark gravy. No decisions to make; I get everything on one plate. Fast service and reasonable prices.
(4)Andrew K.
I really enjoy this place and try to come here as often as I can. I like how the tables are served including the complimentary hot tea which is pretty good. Every dish I've tried here was very good. But some of them like Spicy Shrimp, seafood noodles and etc. are exceptional! This is the best Chinese cuisine place I have been to in Chicago and this includes best restaurants in Chinatown. The waiting stuff is very friendly and attentive. Overall this place is always a great experience and good prices on dishes and alcoholic beverages. The only downside (and this doesn't affect my 5 star score) that this place is hard to get into, it is usually packed so I try to go in not popular hours, like early dinner or lunch.
(5)Ryan O.
If I could rate this 6 stars , I would! Such incredible food and it is impossible to order something that isn't tasty. Service is always great, the place is always busy (the first sign its a hot spot) and the taste is always second to none. This is treasure of a spot and and the go-to when I need something to eat out
(5)Melanie D.
Love this place! My favorite item on the menu is the Chef Ping soup. It's perfectly spiced! I also enjoy their summer salad and lollipop chicken. I wish there was more seating, it's a bit crowded. On the plus side though, there is a small area that's secluded that you can reserve for a party. I don't like that when you leave, the smell of oil lingers on your clothes, but I guess that's true of any Chinese place you go to. The servers are all very friendly and accommodating! My son has allergies and each time we've been there, it wasn't a problem at all. Making reservations is easy :) The parking lot is tiny! I wish they would expand!
(4)Michael G.
The best place for noodle soup. Authenic and delicious ! The place is packed all the time, and the wait is worth it ! If you order " Take out " , add 15 minutes onto the time they tell you it will be ready. Food is excellent, the servers and the hostess are overwhelmed because it is so busy. Hostess can be less than friendly.
(5)Brian L.
First of all I am not giving three stars because of the food. I personally love the food especially the Three Treasures Delight. I do have a problem with the service though. I usually go during dinner time, and within that time we would have to wait half an hour up to hour and a half. In those days, when I go in, we would have to give them my name and the approximate wait time to get to my table. One instance that I keep remembering is that while waiting 45 minutes in, the lady at the podium called my name. Then she said "just checking to see if you were here" and I had to wait another 30 minutes to actually get seated. I don't know if she understands that me and my party were hungry and we do not need to get our hopes up when our name is called only to say "just checking" Another annoyance is that the waiters/waitresses seem to always rush you into ordering. I suggest knowing the menu beforehand before you order. While they do seem to know when you need a refill and usually come to ask if everything is okay, rushing someone when they are thinking about what else to order is very stressful.
(3)Pablosso P.
Definitely, this is one of the best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. I don't want to write too many words blah, blah, about their dishes, how they are exceptionally cooked, about their high quality and taste etc etc, all what you need is just to come and try their dishes. This time we decided to order only sea food and vegetable dishes (because of religious fasting). So, we had mushroom. Mushroom with tofu - very tender and Yum! Thai curry shrimp with bamboo shoots- orgasmic, must try, super Yum! Flat noodles with seafood and vegetables (don't know it's name)- very tasty, tender and delicious - love it! Sea food mixture- "U San Su" (not sure about spelling) with sea cucumber (the Oriental delicacy and dainty).
(5)Bob R.
The last time we went to Chef Ping was a number of years ago we went there for a party. We remember the food was really good so when my son and I were thinking about where to go, Chef Ping came to mind. It's located on the edge of Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg at just east of Algonquin and Wilke. For us, it's pretty convenient and we've talked about going back there for a long time. There is a very diverse clientele there which typically means to me that it satisfies a wide variety of people. The restaurant itself if very modern looking. But, the layout still reminds me of the Baker's Square Restaurant that used to inhabit the space. They have done a really nice job of redecorating, though, and making the feel much more exotic. Service was a little slow, but the server was quite pleasant. Since the menu is more exotic than most of the Chinese restaurants in the area, we asked lots of questions. She was very patient with us and asked as many questions about what we liked as we asked of her. We settled on an order of steamed pot stickers for an appetizer followed by "Chef Ping Noodles" and an order of twice cooked pork. The pot stickers were fresh - served in the steamer and were served with the traditional pot sticker sauce and chili sauce. The added spiciness added a lot. While I would classify the twice cooked pork as average, the noodles were outstanding. We later learned that the original chef from Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg, the one who made them famous for their hand stretched noodles, was at Chef Pings now. There was a wide variety of vegetables, pork and a number of kinds of shellfish with the noodles. It really was garlicky and scrumptious. Our meal ended up with the traditional fortune cookie. Interestingly, my son and I both had the same fortune - it was something about not having to worry about the future. That was a nice way to end the meal.
(4)Chris G.
Chef Pings is probably the best Chinese in Chicago. Not quite the same as on the coasts but still very good. Portions are large and food is good quality. The restaurant is also very clean which is a nice plus.
(4)Aimi W.
Fusian style restaurant, yet they also have authentic homestyle chinese dishes. They have korean chinese food such as jjajangmyun and and jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup). A large number of diners are korean. I highly recommend trying the summer salad if you are into authentic chinese food. The name of the dish doesn't do it justice. It is a large dish that is enough for 2-3 people and far from just a salad. Its a mixture of wasabi based sauce with flat soy noodles, baby shrimps, squid, beef, and vegetables. Partially hot, partially cold, this unique dish is a multi-dimensional taste experience.
(5)Susan B.
Stayed a long 5 days in Woodale, IL. Ate nasty food for 2 days and then found Mr. PINGS. EUREKA! FINALLY DECENT FOOD! We ordered jjajamgmyin (black bean noodle), fried eggplant, spicy green, beans, Chilean bass, mapo tofu, and topped it all over our rice. Let's start with the jjajangmyun.... Handmade noodles were delicious. Black bean sauce was perfect. I could have gobbled down the whole bowl in 5 minutes. Fried eggplant. Seriously doesn't sound appetizing but was shoot good. Perfect blend of garlicky spicy.... Crispy... So flavorful. A must have. Spicy green bean. Decent. Nothing special. Chilean sea bass and the house tofu. Both top notch. Service was pretty good too. Never went low on water and they even brought us extra rice. This place saved me when I was low. Made me happy for 2 hours.
(4)Rebecca C.
This is hands down the best place to come for Chinese food. You will never go to P.F. Chang's or anything American style again. The portions here are overwhelming. We went our first time ordering a meal each and over did it, because we did not know how much food each one would have. Lesson learned but our bill was just at $50 for all of that food. Since then we have been back weekly and have tried the sesame chicken, sweet and sour chicken, salt and pepper shrimp, general Tso's chicken, shrimp fried rice, and shrimp egg rolls. Upon sitting, they bring you a teapot full of hot tea. Nice! The staff is very friendly and helpful. This is worth the hour drive from Chicago to come here and dine.
(5)Jim H.
If you want to just go to another Yu"s, and are a fan of efficiency, this is a good place for you. The food is somewhat unimaginative, at least at lunch, and the choices are limited.but if you were looking for quick Chinese this is a good a place as any.
(3)Min S.
Food is good however be careful when picking up carry out orders. Chef Ping has more than once messed up/mixed up with another carry out order. I ended up getting home and had someone else's dinner in my possession (stuff I'd never order- fried sweetened meat is not good in general.) The restaurant needs to train the staff to better manage orders and communicate from answering phones and putting the right ticket on carry out bags. Customer service and attention to detail is lacking in this regard
(2)Amstaff Y.
Believe the hype, this place is amazing. Epic pong pong wings, noodle dishes, great service and good value.
(5)Erick P.
I love Chef Ping, the food is excellent except it is ALWAYS packed. If you are hungry and want a quick Chinese place, this is not the place for you. Is the food worth the wait? Yes
(4)Johana K.
Good food and great service. Celebrated my birthday here with my husband. Ordered pong pong chicken and mushroom tofu. It was delicious! Will definitely come back again.
(5)Wally M.
We came early, about 5:00. We were seated right away. Right from the start the place gave off good vibes. Friendly hostess, more than half of the patrons were Oriental. Tea right away. Typical "hard to choose from" because it all sounds good type of menus. The boss going around making sure you were happy. We had fried pot stickers to start, wife had Dragon and Phoenix (Chicken and shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms) I had Spicy noodles with vegetables of which I asked for extra spicy. My dish was wonderful and just as spicy as I had ordered. (The noodles were made in house). Because of the mushrooms in my wife's dish and the size of the shrimp, she said she liked it better than Yu's where we usually go. We will be going back! Maybe it was because it was early, but the noise level was low enough that we could carry on a normal conversation. Generally not the case in Yu's Price for the two of us was $32 plus 6 tip. Cons:..... my fortune cookie said I'd have a visitor. . . . . . . I didn't.
(4)Seth M.
Excellent menu with really great sauces used on all dishes. This place is a real gem. Price is also extremely affordable. Would recommend the kung pao, garlic chicken, hunan chicken, and sesame chicken. Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu
(4)Devin W.
After living in China I'm always on the search for a Chinese restaurant that serves real chinese food. Look no further. Everything I've had here is really tasty. Must Go!
(5)Mancow M.
Hate the wait- love the food. PING IS THE THING when it comes to Asian chow chow. The fact that it's packed w/ Asians doesn't impress me. I kept hearing this from my friends like that would impress me. Having traveled the Orient, the fact that a restaurant (in America) is packed with Asians doesn't signify much. There's a waiting list to get into Japan's KFC. No joke. Having been to China I know they eat EVERYTHING and anything and proud of it. Stuff I wouldn't step in they eat. Their table manners by our standards are rather base too. Lots of slurping and sucking and disgusting noises. They aren't as picky as say the French. HAHA! I ordered as follows: House salad w/ ginger La Jiao Myun (exotic noodle bowl) Pong pong chicken!!!!!! Gon Pow scallops Birds nest shrimp (This was made especially for me and is their best item. It's known as "WALNUT chicken" usually when it doesn't have the deep fried noodle "nest" bowl. The bowl isn't needed however so don't sweat it if they don't make it my way.) Beef Pot (Its a collision of exotic flavors. Adventuresome eaters will thrill to this dish!) It was the greatest food of its kind. The dining room is charmless. The staff does their best to make a cramped uncomfortable waiting area as painless as possible. Management seems on top of the staff and tables. They WORK! The wait is uncomfortable but but but THE FOOD is great! The egg rolls are tiny and lousy. But everything is so reasonably priced that if you choose a dish you don't like it's no big deal. Take some chances here and make some palate advances.
(4)Georgene M.
This is an amazing restaurant. The only downside is that there is almost always a wait, but it is definitely worth it!! The staff here is also very kind.
(5)Lindsey C.
I have come here for both lunch and dinner. Definitely a better deal for lunch with their lunch specials. My favorite dish is the Seafood noodle soup. Noodles are perfectly cooked and the broth is very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. Lots of seafood in the dish. Very satisfying.
(4)Rob W.
A strong 4 stars - practically a 5 and future visits might take it there if things go as well as my first visit. Went there for lunch on a Thursday around 11:45 - the place was already packed. Fortunately there was a spot at the bar open, so I was sat immediately. I ordered Mongolian Beef which is a favorite of mine when eating at Chinese restaurants. Great way for me to compare a place to others and this one did not disappoint! For $7.75 you get a fried won ton (garnish as much as anything else), a small, but tasty eggroll, a scoop of lightly fried rice and a healthy portion of flavorful Mongolian Beef. Just the right amount of oil used too - no residue at all. I was really impressed. While I probably could have asked for some, no sauce was offered for the eggroll. Service was prompt and attentive - especially considering how busy they were. Prices are a tad higher than a lot of Chinese restaurants, but this place is a little more upscale than most, so no surprise. Definitely worth a return trip for dinner - hopefully at a table so I can see if the service measures up as well as it did at the bar for lunch.
(4)M S.
We absolutely love the food at Chef Ping! Order any noodle dish and you won't be disappointed. Drinks are stiff and there is warm tea at every table. The food comes out piping hot! Sesame chicken is to die for. As a person who doesn't like seafood, The vegetable egg rolls are a delicious treat. You know it is good food when the restaurant is full of Asian customers. Expect to wait for a table, though. And, unfortunately on every one of our dine in experiences, we are usually forgotten about by the waiters because we are not Asian. We will return, because the food is that good!
(4)Jason K.
Their cooking was good as usual. But ingredients were not fresh. Unusually not fresh than any other days we had before. Today's bad ingredients are chicken, shrimp, If u see this today then u wanna avoid them. And we can't come back here often as we did.
(2)Richard L.
Considering myself a bit of an aficionado for Chinese food, I believe Chef Ping is the best in Chicagoland. Chef Ping is actually owned by the son of a Korean man who had a much larger and successful Chinese restaurant in Schaumburg for years but then closed it down due to retirement. We're lucky his son has carried on the family business. The quality of the food has no comparison in Chicago, with great prices befitting its suburban location. Our favorites: 1) Crispy spicy eggplant 2) Salt & pepper shrimp Note: There is a long wait on weekend evenings, up to an hour at peak time.
(5)Jennifer S.
Awww yeah...it is that good! Yelpers, you rarely lead me astray. Chef Ping's was quoted as being better than Yu's and I have to agree. Chef Ping did everything right from the word GO! Upon our arrival for a mid-week visit, we were promptly greeted and immediately seated. The gentleman who brought the hot tea said it was decaf when I asked and this is the only area that I wasn't sure about. He didn't even think about his answer and I have yet to visit a restaurant serving decaf hot tea. So, maybe I was lucky and Chef Ping's really is skipping out on the caffeine or maybe he was fibbing. I'll never know. I had one tiny cup just in case he was fibbing. We ordered pan fried potstickers and egg rolls. I often order an egg roll at a new-to-me Chinese restaurant to get an initial feel for what to expect. The egg roll was good, but didn't blow me away. The potstickers DID impress me and the sauce left me wishing this was an Italian restaurant where I could soak up the extra on my plate with a piece of crusty bread. I mixed both dipping sauces together. Oh yum! We ordered the combination fried rice to split, Kung pao chicken and the old family shrimp recipe. The combo fried rice was loaded with giant shrimp, white meat chicken and chunk of ham. It was flavorful and filling. I had one bite of the Kung pao chicken - delicious, but I didn't want to fill up. Instead, I munched on the old family recipe shrimp. Light crisp breading coated large shrimp and then seemed to be quickly wok tossed in a sweet and garlicky sauce. I am proud to report that I only ate a portion of this entree. It took self-restraint and perhaps it was a good thing that the service was really spot-on because I had our server wrap my leftovers before I could eat them! ;-) It's a welcoming restaurant with excellent quality and attentive service. I'll be back soon without a doubt!
(5)Laura C.
Chef Ping is authentic asian cuisine at its finest. The restaurant covers several types of cuisine from Korean to Szechaun. All very good. We have dined there twice and am looking forward to the next time. In this day and age when it is so easy to call in an order and go pick it up (They offer this service too) Its always nice to eat in. Service is ultra efficient and the restaurant is always packed. Look around you. Everyone goes to Chef Ping. If you are in the area, I hope you will try it. Be extra observant of the hours. They are closed for lunch.
(4)arlene c.
Best Chinese restaurant in the suburbs, I drive 25 minutes to this place one way. I think it's worth it you can't go wrong everything is good.
(5)Ãle S.
made mother's day reservation for 13 people. reconfirmed reservation twice on the day of the reservation before going to the restaurant. somehow we weren't on the reservation list when we all got there after a half hour drive. And 13 people left with great frustration and disappointment. I wish I could give 0 stars.
(1)Jenny O.
I can't believe I'm posting a review this late after coming here for years. My family and I eat here religiously almost every Saturday. Also, I should mention that the owners worked at Yu's back when the food used to be good, and we went there all the time ever since I was a kid. I actually like Chef Ping better than the old Yu's. It's very clean, and the service is good. Also, the owners are absolute sweethearts. My favorite dish here is the Chef Ping Wings. It might actually be my all-time favorite wings... It's very flavorful and perfectly crispy without being too greasy. My other favorite dish is the Noodle Platter. It always has plenty of veggies, meat, and seafood, and the noodles are cooked so well. The prices are very reasonable here, and I honestly don't think you can find better Chinese food in the Chicagoland area.
(5)Jaewoo C.
Really good food. Not too oily, which is something I look for when I go out to eat Chinese food. Was worth the drive from North chicagoland
(5)Jin H.
So this happened yesterday. I arrived at the restaurant and see their lunch hours ends at 2:30pm I was standing inside the restaurant and saw the clock it was 2:25pm I found it little odd, because when was the last time you saw lunch hour end at 2:30pm? In the middle of the hours. But anyway, I said to myself, phew~ I guess I made it. I stood by the counter waiting for a host to get me a table. There were people counting money by the bar, who saw me but didn't initiate to come help. I made eye contact with couple waiter and waitresses, but no one came by me still. It was now 2:36pm. A hostess came out of from what seems to be kitchen, didn't say two word. "Pick-up?" I thought that was rude to begin with. But I was amazed what comes after. I said, "No, there are two of us". Then she replied, "Sorry we closed", and went about her things and didn't even look back. I was looking at her back, with shock and amaze. Now, this might not come to you as a surprise if you weren't there. But to explain myself. I got into the restaurant before the lunch hour ended. I didn't even know that meant the whole restaurant was closing. Despite the effort to get some help for over a ten minutes, which by then, I was mad as it was, they made me stand there like an idiot. Now I'm thinking if they were all counting down the clock... To top that off, this lady did not welcome the customer or what so ever, nearly kicks me out because she "thinks" I'm 6 min late. It was first time visiting this restaurant, I was just in utter shock rude all the people were. No one cared to come over and explain I've standing there over ten minutes.... I didn't even want to waste a second of my time, arguing. For me, service matter a lot. I don't care if that have the best dish in the whole world. If I know I'm going to be walking out with disturbed by the service, I'm never going there. I can assure you, you will not enjoy visit, unless you are there strictly to feed yourself from starving. Or need some extra drama in your life. Most definitely, do NOT go with your date. You might end up fighting. I would rather go to place I can enjoy and feel comfortable; even if the taste is arguable. Honestly, I don't even care how the food is at this place. I know I'm not going back to this restaurant ever again.
(1)James L.
The reviews speak for themselves. I am definitely a fan of Chef Ping. My rating is based on overall dining experience. Food - 5 Stars hands down. For Chinese dining, this place has the highest quality food in my opinion (and several of my friends opinions as well, we often go in groups of 6-10 here). Some of my favorite dishes (if you're not korean/chinese, just try to sound these out like they're spelled and a waiter/waitress will most likely pick up on what you are trying to say): -"Wong Jong Pee" (tried to translate to english as best as I could haha) - this is a thin noodle platter (jelly noodles) with sauce that resembles spicy mustard undertones (but not too strong unless you drench the foot in it). This is probably my favorite dish here! Your server will mix this for you and of is it delicious! -Honey Walnut Shrimp - guilty pleasure of mine here. The sauce is a little thick, but the shrimp is cooked very tenderly and is overall, an awesome dish. -Double Fried String Beans - never have vegetables tasted this good. Very delicious, especially if you like string beans -"PONG PONG Chicken" - this is a very solid dish and you may not find it on the menu easily. This comes as a pretty decent serving of chicken marinated in a sweet sauce, and served on a bone. -"Tang-See-Yook" - kind of a like a sweet and sour chicken, but not the sweet and sour red sauce. Very good pork dish! -Jam Pong - very good, one of their staple dishes (for a noodle platter) The customer service is probably right around 3 stars. They don't stand out for being good or bad. The food comes out at a decent time and they will check on you from time to time. Servers can be hit or miss, but I have never run into a dine-in here with an absolutely terrible server. Definitely recommend!
(4)Arnold K.
A family outing experience led us to Chef Ping's. We arrived around 1pm on a weekend. There was a short wait in which during this time I took the opportunity to take a look around. What I found was a room full of people of asian decent. That's a good sign in my book. We ordered several dishes, all of which were very good. My favorite was the Spicy Beef Stew (which requires a bit more time than most), which seemed to be the most authentic. Definitely go, expect a short wait, and the food to come out fast (except for the previously noted).
(4)Ryne D.
You'll notice that 90% of the reviews here mention Yu's Mandarin. For DECADES, Yu's was the place to go for Chinese food in the northwest burbs. When I was growing up, my parents would take out-of-town visitors there for lunch. Whenever I visit my Lola (grandma), this is where we would go. But then...new ownership tanked the place. If you look at Yu's on Yelp, it has a decent rating, but you'll also see many people scorned by the place they used to love. I am no different. When I heard rumor that the previous owners of Yu's had opened Ping, I had to try it, with my grandma of course. For her birthday too, so my sister and I were praying that we had made a good choice. We had. Food came out almost shockingly fast. The noodles here were just as we remembered them at the old Yu's. Firm, oily (but not too much), and full of seafood. Not to say they don't have their own tricks - I don't remember Yu's having delicious fried chicken lollipops, but they do here. Most of all though, it got grandma's seal of approval. The only thing I'd recommend against would be the salt and pepper tofu - you only get a few pieces and it's not really worth the price. It's only 10 minutes from Yu's. There's no reason to go there over here. Thanks Chef Ping!
(5)Mercedes Z.
April 1, 2015 In one word: OUTSTANDING! Recommend: Mushroom Shrimp. It has huge, delicious shrimp in a very flavorful, light, delicate sauce served with a side of white rice. The mushrooms have a delectable taste and are huge. Recommend: Shrimp with Vegetable--you can't go wrong with this dish either. You can either sit in a booth which are large and very comfy or at a table and chairs. Restaurant has beautiful, new décor and the service is outstanding as is the manager. We cannot wait to go back again and try some other dishes and appetizers. Crowded on a Wednesday night. Be prepared to wait if you get there early. After 8:00pm is your best bet.
(5)Jie S.
I have been wanted to come here since they opened a few years ago. Finally we grouped 15 people and made the reservation on the Christmas Eve. It was a smart move to make a reservation before hand. The parking lot was packed and people were lining up for tables in a tiny waiting area. We also made the pre-order of Dragon Hair Fish and Seafood with Steamed Egg. Of course ordered more dishes when we were sat down. Too many dishes actually. Well All of them were really good. There are a few of them really stood out. Let's start with the cold dish - Summer salad. It is mix between flat bean noodles with all kinds of stuff, beef slices, egg slices, and veggies. It is a bit spicy due to the yellow mustard. Fresh, tasty and a bit spicy. It was different and really refreshing. Amongst the hot dishes, Sea Cucumber with Fatty Pork and Dragon Hair Fish were the winners. One was heavy flavored with soy sauce and Fish was light and refreshing. Both were delicious. The Spicy Seafood Noodles is a dish with Korean influence. I have eaten this dish a lot in a few other restaurants. When the dish is cooked right, it has a indescribable taste from right amount of hot pepper power and seafood. Chef Ping did a great job on this. It was just right. The services were super quick and friendly. I was almost amazed how quick they served us with our dishes even the whole place was fully packed. Definitely worth the drive to there again soon. My friend told me their spicy dishes were pretty good too which we didn't get the chance to try this time.
(5)Nelson M.
Restaurant Review Holy asian! Chef Ping rivals Yu's and recently tops it. The type of asian food you get here is a fusion of korean and chinese which is a unique experience. It has the spiciness of korean food while maintaining the stir fry component of cantonese cooking. The one major downside is get a reservation or you will be waiting a while. A lot of the waiters speak mandarin and their english is so so which is always a mark of a good traditional asian restaurant. So from my memory that good items to try include the pong pong chicken which is a chicken drumstick lollipop with the spicy ping sauce. The chef ping stir fry noodle is a bit spicy but has a good balance of seafood. Another item is the aged salty egg coated dungenese crab. Simply amazing, not to mention through the roof in cholesterol. There is also a noodle dish that has multiple layers including pork, egg, etc that comes not mixed and it is mixed at the table. The sauce they use reminds me of wasabi. IMHO those are the best dishes to try. Pro- unique korean/chinese fusion, fresh food Con- some of the dishes have now shrunk in size compared to before, long wait time Hidden deal- If the parking lot is full, park over at the banquet hall parking lot. You may get towed if you parking in the next door ice cream store lot.
(4)Spencer H.
I have been a big fan of Yu's Mandarin for years & I have been told to check this place out repeated times. This place has a pretty big buzz & it hasn't worn out. I was told that many people here were former employees including one of the old bosses of Yu's & when I went here to eat, the waiter confirmed this for me. We started off with some iced teas & hot & sour soup. It was not the best hot & sour soup I have had but it was good & I would order it again. For the main course we ordered a beef & chicken hunan style, kung pao chicken & shrimp fried rice. The beef & chicken hunan style is a dish I have only eaten at Yu's Mandarin because they perfected it. So I was very curious to see how good it would be here. The food came out about 10 minutes after placing the order. One thing I noticed right away is that they used larger shrimp in their shrimp fried rice & there were a lot of shrimp. Most places only use small shrimp. The kung pao chicken was good but the real surprise was the beef & chicken hunan. It was just as good as at Yu's Mandarin. This is the first place in years that has been as good as Yu's Mandarin. Overall the experience was great. The food was good & the service was fast. It was on the pricier side but it was worth the experience. I would definitely eat here again if I was in the area.
(5)Gianni P.
Ordered takeout for the office after we seen it was ranked #1 in Illinois by Yahoo. Wait time for sit in lunch is extremely long so carryout worked. Place is exactly as everyone says...... AMAZING!
(5)Michelle F.
From one bad Asian food experience (here's looking at you, WildfishofArlingtonHeights) on Monday night to an experience at Chef Ping that can only be described as AMAZEBALLS! This food is knock-your-socks-off fresh and flavorful! They have really great service, wonderful prices, and a really wonderful ambiance. My friend and I were never left wanting anything. So let me preface this with the fact that my fellow Yelper and I (shout out to my wannabe Asian friend Cristie! She is my expert for many things Asian-food-related!) ordered enough food to feed a small army (or better yet, us two and then our significant others later on that night). Everything we ordered was delicious, and it came out piping hot! It was fairly fast from the time we ordered until the time we received our food. Ten minutes, maybe?? WHAT WE ORDERED: Stir Fried Mushrooms Shredded Pork Fried Rice Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter Sesame Chicken WHAT WE ENJOYED Every gosh darn bite of everything WHAT WE DID NOT ENJOY ::Crickets:: But seriously, the food was amazing! The sauce on the sesame chicken will haunt my dreams. The noodle platter was delicious (and they were able to make it White Girl Spicy--woot). The fried rice was really good, and not dry at all (I hate when it gets dry!) and the mushrooms are out of this world! But word to the wise, these are HUGE slices, and hard to cut. So you will need a knife! We arrived right around six on a Tuesday night. There was no wait when I got there, and the restaurant was about 1/2 filled. However, before we had even figured out what we wanted to order, the place was PACKED. So this place really knows how to keep them coming!! I can't wait for my next outing to Chef Ping. I saw about 18 more things I wanted to order. I might have to try and space them out among a few visits, though...or not...
(5)Christy S.
Delicious authentic food! We love this place, their Vegetable Noodle Platter is the best thing I've ever tasted! Salt and Pepper Shrimp is delicious! My husband loves the sweet and sour chicken, the Hunan Beef is his favorite. You have to go early, before 530, or there's a wait. But it's SO good! Oh and the wonton soup, great!
(5)Cristie F.
I had been longing to eat at Chef Ping since I heard about it a couple months back. The time had come and my excitement was uncontainable. First things first. I'm not sure who this Chef Ping is, but I'm madly in love with him. ((Well, I'm assuming it's a him - either way)). CP brought me back to everything I was missing at my previous favorite Chinese restaurant ((eh...ahem, Yu's)). In the middle of a monsoon I was surprised to see the restaurant packed. Apparently a little ((or a lot)) of rain doesn't bother Ping diners. After my experience, a tsunami wouldn't stop me from heading there. The point - get there early, take it to go, or expect a wait. The menu consists of a variety of meats and seafood, as well as quite a few vegetarian options. I was stoked to see king mushrooms on the menu, but the long-awaited sesame chicken was taking the priority that night. Dinner consisted of Sesame Chicken and Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter. Both were incredible - duh. The sesame chicken was everything I imagined it would be and more. The chicken was fresh and juicy, lightly breaded, and tossed in the best sesame sauce known to man. The veggie platter had fresh stir-fried veggies and an abundance of house made silky noodles. The portions were huge, so two entrees for two people was more than enough. Service was fantastic. The hostess, staff, and our waitress were extremely friendly and seemed genuinely happy to have us there. That was a welcomed change from many other restaurants I've visited. Our dishes came out fast and our glasses were always full. The only thing I'm unhappy about and regret is not knowing about Chef Ping sooner. Chef Ping - I love you. Thank you for bringing back the amazing Chinese dishes I so desperately missed.
(5)John L.
Worth the 1 hour wait... In fact, I would wait 2 hours to eat here again! The place had extremely fresh ingredients and an amazing menu! I strongly suggest the jajangmyun but don't plan on splitting it with someone because you'll want the whole bowl! The chicken wings are legit as well. I don't think you can go wrong on anything on the menu. It took a while to get a table, but the service was incredible right when we sat down. Even the bussers were smiling...not to day bussers aren't friendly, but let's face it, they typically don't have the friendliest personalities. The place was booming and service was great...nuff said
(5)Melissa G.
This is literally the best Chinese food ever!! It has always been busy every time that we have been here, but there is a reason for that, and it's well worth the wait! I absolutely love the spicy seafood noodle soup - so delicious!!!! My fiancé loves the Mongolian Beef and Chicken Pad Thai, but whatever you order, make sure that you ask for some of their homemade noodles! Can't recommend this place enough!
(5)Billy W.
This place is always premier. Our waitress way very attentive and so personable. She took our order and served our food when it came out. Food was amazing. I have tried something different every time I am here and I haven't been disappointed. The interior is nicely designed. Make sure you call ahead to see how long the wait is. They are usually busy.
(5)Alison G.
Now after 2yrs they grow so fast now you can see long wait Food sometimes is 4stars sometimes 3. I give it 3 because the recent visits were about 3 Looking forward for better food when I come back
(3)Kevin G.
Have been here many times. Food is just simply amazing and great flavors. For the quality of food that you get it's an absolute bargain. Seriously! The steamed pot stickers were amazing. pork MuShu off the hook. Just go - You'll luv it. Makes all other Chinese food places inedible.
(5)Monica J.
Really yummy and reasonably-priced food. My family and I used to go to Yu's Mandarin all the time and then we heard the owners switched to Chef Ping. We love the mushroom dish, tofu, and their veggie noodles are really yummy. Great place for take out or dine-in. Be prepared to wait, though, as this restaurant is usually quite packed.
(5)David L.
There is never an issue with the food at Chef Ping. It's consistently good. The atmosphere at Chef Ping has decreased significantly as Chef Ping tries to maximize revenue and squeeze people in like sardines in a can. It's become increasingly difficult to get to and from the table without bumping into neighboring patrons. Just today, I was asked multiple times by one member of the wait staff if I was done eating. I was not even done chewing and was making sure my son was eating his lunch. This is a business and you are out to maximize revenue, but packing in tables to the point walking is difficult and pestering customers to leave does not make for a relaxing atmosphere to grab a meal.
(3)Katie F.
Food was fantastic! Prices were great for huge portions. We had pong pong chicken (without the sauce, which was way too hot), veg fried rice, and veg noodles (not spicy). Our waitress was super friendly and helped us pick our dishes. The only downfall is the wait, so make sure you get there early or late.
(5)Larry C.
It's good here Get the egg yolk crab It's legendary!! If you go on Sunday, there are a bunch of hot girls eating bowls of black noodles. If you eat at the bar, sometimes they'll ask you to join there table. Place a bible by your Kan Tsao Nue Fan and you will get solicited to join the big tables that are round in the back. Brush up on your Bible verses cuz quoting people quoting Jesus is a great way to pick up Christian chicks!! Oh. There is an oberweis next door so that is where the Christian AfterParty is. PRO tip: park there at Oberweis because Chef Ping's lot is PACKED!!! PRO TIP: the asian girls hitting on you are Korean
(5)Dinah T.
Chef Ping is a high end type of Chinese establishment. It's located on a main road and the parking lot gets busy. They are closed on Monday's, yes a restaurant that is NOT open 7 days a week. I believe most Chinese restaurants are closed on Monday's. I've been here several times from seating for 2 to a private wedding engagement party in the back room, jammed pack of people. This place gets VERY busy during the weekend so expect to wait if you didn't make RSVP. So sit by the bar and people watch. Or if you don't like the crowd, then take out is just as good. If you see a lot of Chinese customers coming here, then you KNOW it will be good! Every item that we have order from the menu was pretty good, it taste even better for leftovers! Keep in mind their food is not like you would get in a divey place in Chinatown. They do serve their dishes family style which I like. So what do I like? Well here you go... Wonton Soup (very clean and the shrimp filled wontons were full of filling). Not really authentic Chinese soup-Chinatown style but pretty good. Hot n' Sour Soup, very peppery and thick. Hubby likes this soup. Clam Soup for Two is a clear broth soup of mini manila clams. I get then when my family is in the mood, it's a lot of soup for 1 person as an appetizer. Better if it's a meal. Fried Pot Stickers flavorful and tasty, not too oily and crispy yum. Crab Rangoon stuffed with filling, really good. I'd get this again. Walnut Shrimp (sweet creamy sauce with deep fried jumbo deveined shrimp, candied walnuts, and steamed broccoli on the side). I'd get this again and again. Shrimp in Lobster Sauce jumbo deveined shrimp, thick sauce with a salty taste. Steamed whole Pike and Flounder- flaky white fish with a sesame oil with soy sauce, etc. If they are not too busy, they will filet the fish and serve you by table side (to avoid seeing the fishes face, lol!). Mongolian Beef, soft meat and well-seasoned. Can be a bit oily though. Orange Chicken has lightly crispy battered pieces with a sweet sauce. One of our favorite dishes we order. Szechwan Eggplant is a lightly battered pieces with a tasty garlic sauce. Another favorite dish Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce is fresh, not over cooked vegetables. Seafood Peking Noodle (home-made noodles with a black bean sauce). Ping's Noodle Platter a spicy dish that you can ask for less or extra spicy. I love this home-made noodle. Pineapple Fried Rice and their shrimp fried rice (their deveined shrimp are medium size rather than the baby shrimp which I prefer and they put peas and carrots in their fried rice which I don't care much for. But the flavors are there). The space is a dark dining experience in the front area of the house. In the private rooms in the back are well lighted. The overall experience is very nice, good service, quick, and the food is yummy too! This is my go to place when I'm in the area!
(4)David M.
Had Crab Rangoon which were unique and delicious, not the standard fair by any means. Shared an order of General Taos, Beef and Broccoli, and Chicken Fried Rice. All were excellent. The food alone made this a 4 star experience. The service was extraordinary, and I will feel like a terrible person if I didn't give this place a 5 star review. Friendly, attentive, expedient, and courteous. Happy to have found this place, and happy to offer my repeat business.
(5)Shelby B.
I have such a love-hate relationship with this place. My husband and I have been here at least 10 times, and my review is consistent with these experiences. The reviews from "white people" who are impressed by the Asian clientele just baffle me. Everywhere I go is all white folk, and I certainly don't ooh and aah think these places are so great. Having eaten plenty of vegan Chinese food in China (a difficult find!), Chef Ping is on par. So... the food is delish, but the service is awful. The servers are jerks, and when I go with my American husband, we are not given chopsticks unless we ask. When I go with my Chinese friend, they appear at our table automatically. Come on, give chopsticks or don't! For my last order, I requested that they add straw mushroom, and I'd be happy to pay extra. My order came without any straw mushroom, and when I pointed this out, the server said, " I think you have enough mushroom." Well, they weren't the straw variety! ofc, I was charged $3 for the straw mushroom, and had to have a battle over it. Also, I always have leftovers as their portions are huge. If I ask for extra rice while we are dining, they will pack up any leftover rice along with my tofu and veggie dish at no charge. If I don't ask for it while dining, and ask at the end of the meal, they charge us for it. My husband loves the noodles here, so we'll always go back. I am South Asian, and thus, a rice, not a noodle person. I love their veg dishes, and as a vegan, happy to get tofu prepared as well as they do it, but would be happy never to go here again because their service is reliably awful.
(3)Steve J.
Our office is in the area, so Chef Ping's is our go to place when we want great Asian food for lunch. No, we have never tried it in the evening. For lunch, the place is fantastic. The pricing is great and the service (even when the place is packed) is always friendly and reasonably fast. Even the front desk (with people lined back to the door) is always professional and nice. Our general rule for lunch, is if you don't want to wait, make sure you are there by 11:45. Parking also gets a little hairy past that time (private lot). Hot and Sour Soup is wonderful as are all the other lunch dishes we have tried.
(5)Chung W.
Food is good but the service is bad. One waiter told us to leave table in an hour even though we got there at 4:30 PM. He said someone reserved the table at 5:30 PM. He rush us to order and finish our food. If you want to enjoy a dinner with your friends and family, this may not be a good place.
(2)Jen Z.
Great food, very authentic! Been there a few times and never disappointed. Much better than Yu's. Wish it's closer to me so I can go there on a weekday when it's not so packed and there's no wait time. We had to give up the place after learning about the 1-hr wait on a Saturday night recently.
(5)B M.
Awesome awesome awesome. I go here for lunch. The menu is great. Favorite is the ping platter from the lunch menu. From the dinner menu the mango chicken is awesome and so is the chicken wings. I have never had a bad meal and have tried almost everything on the lunch menu. Lines are long very busy so you have to have time to eat here. The service is as quick as it can be when a place is this packed and don't be surprised if it feels like a long wait for your food. If you know that going in you will have a great time and great food.
(5)Sven B.
I started a new job and my colleague wanted to go here for lunch last week. I have worked in this area for a long time, and have seen Chef Ping - just never have I gone there. Man, I have been missing out! My favorite Asian places in the area are Yu's Mandarin and P.F. Chang's in Schaumburg. Now, Chef Ping is right up there with them! It was so busy at lunch time (for a reason) and the food was outstanding! Very fresh, delicious, etc. Service left a bit to be desired both in terms of speed as well as having food come out at the same time. Still, it was so good! I got the combination lo mein for lunch with the egg drop soup. Their tea is really good too! I am going back tomorrow with a few colleagues to partake in some more Chef Ping goodness. Highly recommended! :)
(5)Irene O.
The black bean noodle and seafood noodle soup are amazing. The portions are relatively large and they'll split them into two bowls if you'd like. I always get the orange beef here and it has never disappointed me. The beef is always juicy and tender. I am also a huge fan of the walnut shrimp, tangsooyook, and kkanpoongi. The service is always great and they remember your face if you come pretty regularly. This is definitely the best chinese restaurant around, especially for the korean-chinese menu.
(5)Julie Y.
OMG need to get the pings chicken wings- chicken lollipops and whatever else is on the menu. Seriously.. so good and not too salty like other Asian restaurants can be. im a fan.
(5)Anthony A.
Tried this place a few times now and the food has yet to disappoint. Kung Pao Chicken was very good and the Ping's Noodle Platter was excellent. My wife is a hot and sour soup connoisseur (I can't stand the stuff) and she said it was some of the best she's had in a while. Definitely recommend.
(5)Shelly M.
My boyfriend and I have ordered carry out from Chef Ping a few times. We have never ate in the restaurant because it is always busy and there is always a wait for a table. We order the pong pong chicken which is delish. We also order the noodle platter which my boyfriend loves. Food is always good. The prices are on the higher side, but worth the try!
(4)Trina J.
This place is a Chinese food lovers heaven. You get authentic, great tasting and affordable chinese. I love this place. So much so, that I happily take the 15-20 minute drive to check this place out. It really is that good. Never have I seen a chinese restaurant with such a large crowd. People literally wait for them to open for dinner. They are staked out in the parking lot. How do I know this? I decided to stop for take out when heading home. I thought I would be first because it was ten minutes prior to opening. When I pulled up, there were at least five other cars waiting. If this place were closer, I would eat here even more. Chef Ping, chinese by any other name is just not the same.
(5)Khris L.
This place is a gem. The food is a bit pricey, but so damn yummy. It seems that I'm not the only one that feels this way as this place was packed to the brim while I was there. Everyone was eating, talking, laughing, and basically having a great time. The service was phenomenal, with many people checking up on us to make sure we were enjoying our time there. The food was good, the service was great, and the place was clean. What more can you ask for? Try this place out!
(5)John G.
I loved the food at Chef Pings but my last experience has left me unhappy and I will not be back. The wife and I ordered our food. I ordered General Tao's chicken and asked for all white meat. Our food came and I was given dark meat. I dislike dark meat and told the waiter I had ordered General Tao's and requested all white meat. He told me if I wanted white meat he could put the order in again but he would have to charge for both! Neither my wife nor I will each dark meat. I told him to take the food away then and basically we paid our bill and left.
(1)Violet C.
Great Birthday Parties we had there with friends and family. Getting ready for one more tonight. Food is great! Fun place! Hope we don't get rushed. Looking forward! Happy Birthday DC and JC!
(4)Jay Y.
I went there for the JaJangMyun for nostalgic reasons but was sadly disappointed. It just seemed to lack a little love. I can say the same thing about the spicy seafood noodle soup. The broth tasted like instant Ramen broth. On the other hand the tempura shrimp and pong pong wings were absolutely superb. I can't wait to try some noodle dishes on my next trip.
(4)Char A.
Tried Chef Ping for the first time. The hot and soup soup was the best I ever had! Based on a recommendation here, I tried the noodle platter. It was good, just a little too much seafood for me. The noodles were homemade and delicious.
(5)Ian B.
The food is great but the staff at the hostesses stand is a mess. Waiting 1 1/2 hours when we had a reservation... The one lady lied to my face about double booking parties. Not coming back
(2)Food L.
This place is great, in never disappointed me when it comes to the quality and deliciousness of food. Their Kung Pao chicken is the best I had in town and all their dishes are full of flavor and enjoyable to eat. Their seafood dishes are 5 stars, I can say with confidence that the chef is so talented and like an artist, he knows how to delight your taste buds with colorful dishes full of flavor and freshness. Sometime it takes us 45 minutes in line until we are seated, but it is worth it, even if I waited double the time... This is a king of authentic Chinese food cuisine in the northwest suburbs without a doubt!!
(5)Kevin T.
Best Chinese food I have ever had! Great service, Jerry is a great server. I tried the crab rangoon, egg rolls and shrimp egg rolls. All were the best quality I have ever tasted! I ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet (Sea Bass) and it blew my MIND!!! Soooo Gooood! Their Mai Tai was excellent as well. If you're looking for good Chinese food at an affordable price you have to try Chef Ping!
(5)Shawn M.
I travel to Asia frequently and have been looking for an authentic Chinese food spot. This is the best we've found, period. Amazing, fresh ingredients, tasty dishes, always busy. Those are some of the words I'd use to describe Chef Peng's. The owners are also very nice and always smiling. I'm guessing that because they're always busy has something to do with it. An hour wait is typical so plan ahead or get there early. The wait staff can be short with customers but they are still better than wait staff in Chinatown restaurants.
(5)Stephanie K.
What is there not to like about this place? Fantastic curry. Great hot and sour soup. Good chicken wings. Fantastic shrimp kung pao. Basically, this is the best chinese restaurant ever. I used to eat here all of the time when I lived in Palatine. Now that I'm living in Crystal Lake, I don't make it out there very often but just thinking about it makes me want to make the drive. Thank you Chef Ping for never disappointing and not giving my subpar Chinese food like every other Chinese restaurant here in the Chicago suburbs.
(5)Julie R.
This IS the best Chinese food outside of Chinatown in all of Chicagoland. Fact. And I think those that have had Chef Ping know this as well BECAUSE there is ALWAYS a crazy wait to dine here on a Friday or Saturday night. But I will not down grade to a 4-star just because they're popular ;) We always get the Orange Chicken- amaze. The Won Ton soup is very fresh and light. Crab Rangoons are generous in proportions. Ordering the pot-stickers pan fried is worth the wait rather than having them deep, fat fried or just steamed. There was also this shrimp dish, it sounded gross because the sauce was mayonnaise based BUT it was SO GOOD! Mu shu pork is super filling- its like Asian burritos, create-your-own style. I think what really makes this place stand out is that their flavors do NOT taste muddled as I feel that many other Chinese restaurants tend to do... I also think the service is pretty good from the few times I've been. While you're waiting for your table, get a cocktail at the bar. I really wanted to try the Cucumber lemon mojito but they were out of mint. :(. Instead, I had the Malibu Mai Tai which was very sweet and tasty- that's how I like 'em though. This place NEEDS a larger location. No doubt.
(5)Erv T.
Amazing and very good. We are vegetarians and love the vegetable noodle dish . They get very busy so order online and pick it up. Plan 60 minutes extra on Fridays and Saturdays.
(5)Justin R.
Some of the best chinese food available in the Chicago area.
(5)Nita L.
Delicious! Served family style so plan to share dishes or you'll have tons of leftovers, which isn't really a bad thing. They did bring us one dish we hadn't ordered, and after we dished it out they asked us if we liked it. At that point I asked if we had the right one, and we learned it wasn't our dish They promptly replaced it with the right dish. The feeling I had was that if I hadn't asked, they would have just let it slide. Not positive that's what would have happened, just a sense. That said, it was delicious and we will return!
(5)Judy H.
Best chinese food in the NW suburbs, and better than most places in Chicago's chinatown. My family and I have been coming here since the owners sold off Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg and created Chef Ping in Arlington Heights. We always order: - Salt & Pepper Shrimp - Szechwan Eggplant - the eggplant is lightly fried, so best enjoyed in the restaurant, but can be good as leftovers too. Just will be soggy. - Yellow Leek with Shredded Pork - Seafood Noodle Soup or Ping's Noodle Soup - YOU MUST GET THIS. They make their own hand-pulled noodles. It's the best. - Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jia jia mien) Other menu items are good too. Can't really go wrong.
(4)M K.
Awesome Chinese food. The Ping's noodle platter was excellent and the Black Bean noodles were just as we wanted. Great service and good food along with reasonable prices make this one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area.
(5)Christina S.
"Where do you want to go out to eat?" Chef Ping, CHEF Ping, CHEF PING!!! I do not get sick of this place so my answer is not going to change. EVER. What can I say that hasn't been already said. Probably nothing, but damn, this is some awesome Chinese food. But, it's the NOODLES that are beyond fantastic. That is to say particularly, the handmade noodlles, and that is not necessarily all of the noodle dishes, so definitely ask which dishes those are before you order. I like to get the Ping Noodle Platter, either vegetarian or the combo but I opt for no seafood- unless I forget that part like I did once, and I still thought it was phenom, despite the fact that I am not a scallop or calamari girl. Don't get me wrong, I didn't eat every morsel of seafood, but I totally handled it which speaks to the freshness and technique offered at Chef Ping. And I will slap your mama before I will let her have any of my noodles! Yes, they are that good, and even the lunch special, which comes with an egg roll and soup, is large enough for three meals. But I want every one of those three meals over the next two days, so NO, your mama can not have any of my noodles!!! Except for egg drop soup, which is not my thing, I've never had anything bad here. The pot stickers are very good, and the pong pong chicken was a HUGE hit shared at our table of five last visit. There is still so much on this menu that I want to try. I find it annoying that my husband, who very much enjoys his meals here, is not as big of a fan of Chinese food in general, so I do not get here as often as I would like. If this was in my neighborhood however, I would be their best customer, especially considering they are pretty reasonably priced. Don't miss out on trying Chef Ping. You won't regret it. And if you go, can I come, too? Pretty please?? P.S. Authentic Chinese menu available as well as a banquet room, I believe.
(5)Jay S.
Best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. Long wait but it must mean it's good and it was. Pong pong chicken is the best wing I've ever had. La-jo-myun (seafood fried noodle) was a bit salty but still good. Sweet n sour pork w/ pineapple was real good too and I like the fact that it's the clear sauce, not the nasty red sauce a lot of other restaurants use. I'm sold.
(5)Candice G.
When I go out to eat and see a menu item called 'Vegetarian Chicken' that's described as 'tofu created to taste like chicken by ancient Buddhist Monk', well, you better believe I want that ancient Buddhist not-chicken on my plate and then promptly placed in my mouth. Unfortunately, I tried to order that here last night and our server responded by asking me if I'd ever had it before. I said 'no', but mentioned that I was really excited to. She responded by describing the dish to me in what had to be the absolute most complicated way possible, involving an almost egregious amount of hand motions and her using the word 'skin' no less than eight times till finally ending on her physically reaching over the table to take the menu away from me and turn to the next page to randomly point out some other menu item that was in almost no way related to the one I just said I wanted. Uhmmm... ya know, I think we're gonna need another minute to look over the menu (and talk about how f*cking awkward that interaction was). So that was weird, right? And, like any 20-something American raised by cable television, being told I couldn't have something only made me want to order it more... but, due to my lack of cultural studies and state of intimidation left by a waitress who took a menu away from and looked straight in my eye and told me to order something else, I didn't know how I would go about ordering the now shrouded in mystery ancient Buddhist not-chicken, so I just picked something else at random and sat somewhat silently while i contemplated the whole thing. Things I did and have ordered in the past: ** Kung-Pow Tofu: A rather ironic dish to order given the aforementioned interaction, as it's not listed on the menu, but they suggested I could get the kung-pow style dish regardless of it not actually being available there... and it was so freakin' good. They should put that on the menu and maybe consider taking items off that they won't let you order anyway. ** Salt & Pepper Tofu: Amazing. The tofu is softer than you'd expect, but the flavors and the little cut of bits of pepper and spices that I incorrectly and refer to as 'salsa' because I don't actually know what to call it is outstanding. Those smoky hot peppers are so good. I want to eat them popcorn. ** Mandarin Bean Curd: It's good. I like a bit more flavor and spice in my dishes but for the average tofu dish it was pretty good. Very salty, but I've come to recognize that as being a common denominator in most of Chinese food I've had. Luckily, you have a big glass of ice water in front of you. Oh and every table has a pot of of tea on it, though if it's worth mentioning, they don't give you the real ceramic tea cups, they're just crummy plastic ones that may or may not leak toxic plastic poison into your piping hot tea... though personally, I'm not too worried about that. I spent a good part of my childhood with my face pressed against the microwave window watching the guts of my hot pockets simmer and seep onto the protective sleeve.
(4)Leon D.
We ordered take-out last Wednesday from this favorite restaurant. When I got our order home, we discovered that my wife's entree was missing. I called and spoke with Angela. She didn't even hesitate, she offered to make it right on the spot. We have always loved the food here, but food and excellent service explains why this parking lot is always jammed.
(5)Kat L.
Ho. Ly. PING!!! It's about time i find an amazing Chinese spot around the area! Went here for lunch with the fam, as recommended by my cousin's wife. So many hits that I'm sure anyone could find a dish to like. Here's some takes on our chinese shchmorgasboard: salt and pepper squid: I could have done with a bit more seasoning, but if a Chinese McDonald's decided to have a squid mc nugget, this is pretty much what you'd get. i swear, the texture is just like chicken mcnuggets! and oh?! fancy that. sweet and sour sauce on the side. lol summer salad: a myriad of textures. hot and cold and crunchy vs. rice noodles and the clean crisp of (ginger? or onion?) and all sorts of things. I so recommend if you're aiming for refreshing but somewhat filling. Thai seafood noodle: wide rice noodles perfection. texture is spot on. some parts soft with a slight bit of a crisp on other ends. DELISH! Mango shrimp: uhm. i will probably order this. over. and over. and over. a lil sweet. a lil heat. and a whole lot of YUM!! mango and shrimp? BFFs. why can't everyone do this? crab rangoons: standard Shrimp dumpling: YES!!! for dim sum fare!!! fish with wood ear: also delish! great for those who aren't fish connoisseurs. i love the mushroom. Pineapple fried rice: so delicious. and there were raisins, which makes it kinda close to filipino home (arroz valenciana? sorry if i botched the spelling). Geez. Louise. We obviously went to town ordering a wide variety of things. I was pretty happy with everything. Service was quick and on point (they actually had forgotten to put in our table's order for soup, but the entrees came out on the fly so we didn't mind). Portions were fair for pricing, and I'm happy to pay a little more for some great quality food. COME HERE. You won't regret it.
(5)Vina O.
This place is ALWAYS crowded on weekends. I've only gone here for dinner and the food is decent. I live extremely close to Chicago's Chinatown and I'd personally rather go there anyday, but I guess this is the best place to go to if you want semi-authentic Chinese/Korean food in the suburbs. Favorite dishes by far are the fried lollipop chicken and black bean mussels!
(3)Stephen M.
I love the place! I took a star out cause it was a hassle to find parking! But then again it was a Sunday and if the parking lot is full, that means that their food is pretty damn good and is worth waiting for! :) I love the service here..the people are very friendly!
(4)Lisa C.
So far, their lazzamyun, tang su yuk, jjajangmyun were all delicious. Their jjamppong was also really good but I was disappointed that it was not spicy whatsoever. The fried potstickers were pretty good too. The service was much better than expected because everyone was really on top of things, fast, and polite. Definitely will be going back.
(4)Jim F.
Hey Esther....sounds like you went to Yu's vs Pings!
(5)Marlo P.
I was here for the first time yesterday and I was really surprised at how busy this place is! So rumor has it that the old executive chef of Yu's Mandarin quit that place, took all his recipes, and opened his own restaurant. At least that's what my father told me. This place is pretty small and really busy. I went at 6pm on a Friday and there was a line out the door. I tried the seafood peking noodles, shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour shrimp, crispy duck and szechwan eggplant. The noodles were the highlight. You could tell these were fresh noodles. The seafood was cooked nicely in the dish and my family (we were a party of 6) ordered two bowls of it. The other stuff was just what I expected. Nothing great about it. I didn't expect the eggplant to be battered and fried though, but it was still decent. The crispy duck just tastes like the deep friend the whole thing and put it on a place with some hoisin sauce. The prices were pretty decent. For a family of 6 (all adults) with four beers and two soco and cokes, 6 entrees and one order of egg drop soup the bill came out to be $104 with taxes. I think that's pretty decent. I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(4)Nick S.
I've had Chef Ping twice. I liked everything except the Szenchuan eggplant. It was bland and on the greasy side. I'm giving them the benefit b/c two of my foody type friends love this place.
(4)A. L. P.
My go-to local chinese place, since I live right down the street. The inside is very nicely decorated and clean, the portions are large (two dishes and an appetizer typically feeds our group of 4), they have the best fortune cookies around, and there are always asian people eating here. Win! Would definately recommend taking your out of town relatives here.
(4)Cerise M.
Food is pretty good, not as greasy as chinese food usually is. We tried the famous pong chicken, salted egg king crab, sizhuan beef and shimp with walnut. They taste decent, but not that spectacular. Service is good though, servers are nice and attentive. Would come back here.
(3)Al M.
OK, I'm Asian, but not a fan of Asian food. I'm always hungry 30 minutes later. But this place is pretty good. The food was served within minutes. The food itself, was above average. The fried wontons, weren't flaky. The egg rolls weren't soggy. The salad wasn't wilted. The wait staff was very attentive and friendly. The place was nice and clean. It's packed around lunch. Do yourself a favor, go around 11 or after 1 or else you'll be waiting for a table.
(4)John K.
I come here for every special occasion. And too bad the secret is out because I can hardly get a damn seat anymore! Pong Pong Chicken, chang chang myun, and jampong are to die for. I love this place. One of the few places I salivate over when I come back from a trip to another city. Good food made consistently never goes out of style.
(5)Barman S.
For my family, this is an upgraded version of Yu's Mandarin, which makes it the best Chinese Restaurant in Chicago Suburb. We heard that the owner of Yu's Mandarin sold the restaurant and opened this one and we believe it because the menu is very similar if not the same except for some changes in the names. Our #1 favorite is Ping's Chicken Wing (Yu's chicken wing in Yu's Mandarin). Menu (9/10) Almost everything you want in Chinese food is available here and they taste pretty good too. The only complaint I have is that their Mongolian beef isn't as good as the one in Yu's Mandarin because the meat is harder although the taste is exactly the same. Price (8/10) It's more expensive than most Chinese restaurants out there, but this is a fancier Chinese restaurant as well, so that's kind of expected. Ambiance (9/10) I really like the restaurant's settings, from the tiles, the furniture, and the dish. It's more modern than Yu's. The toilet is very clean too, which is unheard of for a Chinese restaurant. Service (7/10) The service is average because the waiters and waitresses have so many patrons to attend to. When the restaurant is empty (very rarely), you get a much improved service from them. Location (8/10) It's about 15-20 minute high way drive without traffic. With traffic, it's more like a 30 minute high way drive, so it's not as close as I prefer. We normally don't go there unless we're closer to the area, which is usually on Sunday after church. Overall score: 8/10
(4)Kevin W.
first the good - Very good noodles, especially the Chef Ping noodle platter. Cooked just right, reminded me of italian home-made noodles. We also ordered the chicken wings which were pretty tasty. Kind of reminded me of Thai/korean chicken wings, very tasty and succulent. then the meh: But honestly, the Chinese food here is not even close to Chinatown. Honey Walnut shrimp is to die for? Why is it $16? I order walnut shrimp all the time in Chinatown and its only $8 there. whack. We also tried the dumplings with homemade wrapping. it was just okay, actually the dumpling wrap was a little too thick and the pork filling wasn't even amazing. The spicy beef pot was too oily and over-saturated. A group of 6 of us took home all of it because we barely touched it. I was also told to order the Sweet and Sour Pork, which I thought was going to be something special but it was just your old breaded pork with sweet and sour sauce on it, just a tad better than panda express. The ambiance was nice, the service was good, but overall the food was just okay. I would go here if I was dying for Chinese food and was stuck in the burbs. The bill might be tolerable at about $20 per person, but its Chinese food...
(2)Brian C.
What is it with all these places that throw the bland 1000 calorie glaze on every dish? I had a fried squid dish which didn't have a lot of flavor, just the heavy glaze with some chili peppers to make me think there was some heat and flavor. If I wanted heat, I had to suck on one of the chili peppers. It just didn't work. I was with a big group, and I tried some of the other dishes ordered. My wife had a noodle dish which had that same bland and heavy glaze. Another member of our group had the General Tso's chicken, and it too had the bland glaze with no flavor whatsoever. And the portions were enormous. If you want to understand why this society is so fat, come to a place like this and you'll see why. Oh, and be sure to air out your coat when you get home because it will reek of the essence of this place.
(2)Jamie M.
Based on Yelp reviews, we celebrated my wife's birthday at Chef Ping's with Pam, my mother-in-law. We got to the restaurant at 7:30 on Saturday and it was packed - always a good sign! Also a good sign were the facts that the signs and menus were in English and Chinese, and 1/2 the patrons were Chinese. As the whitest country-kid I know, I always look for restaurants frequented by people of that culture. They should know better than I, right? If only the food had been better. Based on reviews, we ordered the crab rangoons, one of my favorite dishes. They tasted like someone had left out the crab. I thought maybe I was missing something, but I broke it open and poked around, and there was no hint of crab inside. Normally you can at least see something in the middle. It tasted like cream-cheese only in a fried wrapper. I couldn't take any seasonings at all. Pam agreeed - we were both disappointed and didn't finish the plate. I also started with the sizzling-rice soup, and after giving a half-hearted sizzle, the rice tasted a bit like foam pellets in a weak vegetable broth. 0 for 2. My entree was the Ping's Noodle Platter - the menu said they were famous for their noodles so I thought it was the way to go. This was tasty. The scallops and shrimp were cooked just right, although I did get a couple of odd bits of calamari. The noodles were nice and tender, and I enjoyed the seasoning. Slight red curry taste to it. Yum! As a matter of fact, I just ate the leftovers for lunch. 1 for 3. Pam ordered the almond chicken and Kelly got the kung-pao chicken. We were sharing, so tried them both, and they both tasted almost exactly the same except that someone threw almond slivers on Pam's and peanuts on Kelly's. The nuts didn't even get stirred in at all, just tossed on top. If I gave you a bite of each and you didn't get a nut, you wouldn't be able to distinguish. The was a lot of chicken in each, and it was tender with a slightly sweet taste to it. Each of them rated their food as "meh." We'll give that 1/2 start for each dish, so that is 2 out of 5. Service was awesome - in fact, it's the only reason I didn't give Chef Ping's only 1 star. The staff was definitely working as a team filling drinks, running food, clearing dishes, etc. Truly exceptional. When we found it, Pam realized it is located in an old Baker's Square location. Kudos do whoever did the remodel / decor - it looks beautiful and you would never guess the buildings history. I am at odds with all the other great reviews on here, but it just wasn't that good. Hopefully we went during an off night or something. I would go back based on my dish to try again, but I don't think I could convince the others to.
(2)Pete C.
In a nutshell, the food we ordered was wonderful. We ordered the Schezwan Eggplant, Pong Pong Chicken, Salt and Pepper tofu and the Honey Almond Shrimp. Good size orders, friendly attentive staff and fast service. I want to go back...very soon!
(5)Nick D.
This place is the best Chinese in the area - Hands Down. Anyone that says Yu's is better is full of it. Yu's has been going down hill since they sold it. Try the Szechwan Beef, Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp, Sesame Chicken, Mongolian Beef. All of these dishes are out of this world. I was a cusomer of Yu's for 15 Years, Ping's is a cut above.
(5)Justine R.
Two words: Homemade Noodles. Every time I've gone here, I leave disappointed that I can't fit any more food in my stomach. I guess you need to order the right stuff though, because once I went with my husband, and the couple next to us seemed disappointed with their selection (and kept staring at our orders). We always get the Ping's Noodle Platter (please don't ask for this "not spicy".. it totally takes away from the flavor) and Peking Duck. The Duck is pricey, but they wrap large pieces of duck in mandarin pancakes (think: asian mini-burrito). The plum sauce and scallions are a perfect pairing to the duck. Sigh, I wish I were rich and could go here more often. It's not that they're that expensive, but coming here too often can break the bank a bit. Plus it's a good 30 minute drive just to get to the restaurant. Nevertheless, I still dream of those two dishes occasionally and convince my husband to make the drive with me at least once every two months =)
(5)D. C.
A taste of Chinatown for the suburbs. Chef Ping is a slick, modern looking restaurant cooking up food that's comparable to (if not better than) that served down in Chinatown. Our feast included approximately 11 different items total from every section of their menu; everything looked beautifully fresh and tasted wonderful. I can see why this place was packed from the time we arrived and still had a large group waiting when we left. I'll definitely be back now that I know this place exists!
(4)Demetrio P.
Food was okay here. My brother recommended Chef Ping as coworkers recommended this place to him as well. Ordered the Chicken Wings, not too spicy, little sweet, noodles with seafood, was okay, and the combination fried rice, which was okay as well. I can't say the food blew me away, but the food was tasty, place was clean, and the service was attentive. I wouldn't drive out from Chicago just to go here...but if I'm ever in the vicinity, I may visit Chef Ping when in the mood for Chinese food. Overall, okay food, okay prices, okay service.
(3)Valentin S.
This is my favorite restaurant when it comes to Chinese food. Move over P.F. Chang
(5)Jen Y.
As a visitor to the area, this review is based more on the merits of the restaurant versus a comparison to local competition. Food gets a solid 4 stars. The menu has the typical Chinese restaurant fare with a few Korean staples. Everything was great--delicious flavors without an MSG overdose or too much grease. Service was very friendly, but as it got busier, we were a bit rushed. Having arrived at 11:30 am, just as they opened, we got a prime spot. Good thing, because 30 minutes later, this place was packed and there was a wait to get a seat. But given the quality of the food, I can see why this place draws the crowds!
(4)Alex K.
The atmosphere was great, the Szechuan string beans were fantastic, and the servers were the most attentive of any restaurant I can remember being to. The only downside was the limited vegetarian choices, but the people I went with who weren't vegetarians enjoyed their dishes immensely. We'll be back!
(4)Jin Joo L.
How did I manage to skip over this hidden gem? I've been here a million times and the food never gets worse and the service is always great! This place is very similar to Yu's Mandarin in cuisine but the dishes are presented very differently. I like the jjajangmyun, jjampbong, walnut shrimp, mushroom and tofu, peapod tips, only to name a few. The dumplings are also one of my favorites here. I love their dumplings more than any other place I can think of right now. This place is great for family gatherings, big parties, business meetings, or just dinner for two. They don't deliver but carry-out is always an option. Note: they do not take reservations unless it is for six people or more.
(4)Elizabeth A.
Chef Ping's is my favorite Chinese/Asian restaurant. They are always busy so plan on waiting. It is worth the wait! Try the Seafood Noodle Soup, it's delicious. Actually I haven't had anything I didn't like and I have tried many things on their menu.
(4)Ray P.
I'm giving Chef Ping 3 stars, albeit against my better judgment. Don't get me wrong, they have delicious food AND CP's is much closer to my sister's house than Yu's. Proximity is worth 4 stars alone, especially as good Chinese restaurants in the NW suburbs are few and far between (no, Chinese Munch In, you are not a good Chinese restaurant. I'm sorry). So, as for the food, it was okay. Some dishes were downright delicious. Just some of the dishes we ordered were terribly disappointing. Let me start with the Szechuan Eggplant. The eggplant is BREADED. And, I mean like eggplant-parmesan-breaded. This was NOT tempura breading, either...it was like a batter applied to the eggplant pieces and deep fried then bathed in sauce. Those poor guys were soggy soggy soggy...and, thus mushy mushy mushy. The sauce was delicious....but, I spent far too much time picking off the soggy breading. Szechwan FAIL (anyone know how to say FAIL in Szechwan?). The Mongolian beef was incredible -- tender, flavorful, charred spring onions (I could've eaten those on their own without the beef). AND, I was glad they served the crispy vermicelli on the side so they weren't soggy. The clams in black bean sauce were delicious. I love anything in black bean sauce. But, Chef Ping, could you please clean the clams so I'm not grinding down my tooth enamel on grit? Thank you. The Chef Ping Seafood Platter was good. Not great. Good. Great sauce. Chef Ping, put cuttlefish in there instead of squid, ok? The chicken with broccoli was meh. They used American broccoli, which was a soggy green mess by the time I got it home. Chef, use the bitter Chinese broccoli...it's soooo much tastier! Combination chow mein was okay. Not good, not bad, just ok. I don't recommend it. If you live in this area, trust me, Chef Ping is your best choice for good Chinese food. Unless, you want to trek waaaay out to Yu's.
(3)Insun M.
Always a good sign if the parking lot of a restaurant is full. I wanted to compare the Ping's noodle platter to the one a Yu's. Conclusion: both places are equally delicious. The Gang Poong shrimp was ok. Shrimp was cooked right but the breading and sauce could have been more flavorful. The service was attentive and quick. I must have looked like I was having trouble scooping the noodles because one of the ladies swooped in and did table side service of mixing and serving us the noodles. No complaints about that fo sho.
(4)Howard L.
OK.......this is the new Yu's right..? Yes....they used to own Yu's and now they are on their own. No secret there, everyone knows...or at least, they can see and tasted it. Noodle platter...just as good. All the appretizer are great. Food are great...the place is definitely nicer then Yu's as they do have their interior designer to work out the place....alittle DARK for what I like but I know alot of customer do like it. I am more the Asian type and would like to see what I eat....LOL Overall, a great place for chinese food....between this and Yu's. I will pick it due to the distance....if I am at Woodfield mall, this is closer then Yu;s...yes, it is stupid. The only complain....PARKING. It is a McDonlad size parking lot. (it was a old baker square store)...you have to wait 15-20 minutes for parking on weekend, then another 20-30 minutes for table....be there early.
(3)Deepika B.
This was recommended by my husband's Japanese friend when we were hunting for chinese restaurants as there was a huge queue at Yu's Mandarin.So we decided to try this place. However, it was definitely worth the try. The staff welcomed us as we got in and we were immediately given a table. The decor was simple and the ambiance good. This place had a mixed crowd. The staff was extremely friendly and warm and the service was great. I shall go back to this place for their friendly staff. We ordered the hot and sour soup which was good and spicy as indicated. Steamed pot stickers and the orange chicken were good too. The fried rice was the best and we loved it. Overall, a great experience and we shall definitely keep coming back to this place for the service and the food.
(4)Fi Fi R.
I have been to this place for lunch and dinner several times and I have to say that the food is AMAZING!!! Not to mention the owners always remember you. When you walk in, you feel very special because they always remember details about you. Since I live kind far from them and do not go there as often as I would like to, they do not forget you at all - no matter when you come back... Any time I am in the area, I try my best to come in and eat there.
(5)Sofia M.
I kept driving by and seeing the parking lot full all the time! so could not resist and went in. It is like Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg but better looking and newer. The food was delicious and greatly priced!! I am a fan, i go there all the time.
(4)Donaye N.
Must order: Pong Pong Chicken!!! I liked the Szechwan Eggplant, too! It is a long wait...especially on a Sunday dinner time!
(4)Sandra G.
The homemade noodle do not meet my expectation, very disappointed. I tried to order crab and I asked the server to ask their kitchen to make sure the crab is meaty otherwise I don't like to order, but the server told me the kitchen do not know whether the crab is meaty or not. Very disappointted.... how the chef does not know how to select the crab. The restaurant should be able to deliver a good service to their customer but I don't find this quality service from this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(2)Amaliya L.
Hands down, one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the burbs.... No joke, and I am Chinese. We decided to celebrate my parent's 40th anniversary and Christmas Eve at Chef Ping's last night. We were on a time crunch; we had to be at Willow Creek for Christmas Mass by 545pm. Luckily, my sister had the foresight to reserve a table in their private party room the night before. The place was packed! The food? PHENOMENAL!! We ordered 10 dishes plus 2 appetizers. Everything arrived in time and piping hot. Our seafood selections featured bountiful deveined shrimp, melt in your mouth squid, and tender scallops. Beef and Chicken selections were moist and flavorful. Vegetables and Noodles were all cooked to perfection. The pocket tofu was delicious. As a bible thumping meataholic, this dish almost converted me into giving up meat. The texture and flavor was unlike most vegetarian dishes. Another notable dish is their pork and chives that featured peapod sprouts. I have no idea what the other names of the dishes we ordered were, but I can definitely attest that I was nearing foodgasm. My face felt flushed and I could feel my eyes rolling backwards. We ate silently savoring every single morsel. The service was amazing. One of the best that I have ever received in an Asian restaurant. They timed the order perfectly. There was always a waitperson waiting nearby to refill our water glasses, tea, or clear empty plates. Dinner for 12 including tip amounted to only $165!
(5)Cindy K.
It takes a lot for me to tolerate traffic and venture from the city to the suburbs. Great friends and good food is one such reason. Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin's cute little sister. The food is comparable (which means artery clogging, food coma inducing, and damn good) and the space is smaller. Service was better and the decor was nicer. It gets packed, which goes to show that the food is worth it. I do have to say that the jajjangmyun is better at Yu's.
(4)Kelcey K.
The food here is great but the service isn't as good as their food! 3 of us visited this place for lunch, we ordered the walnut prawns, the chef ping's fried chicken and the noodle platter. We were in love with the walnut prawns and the fried chicken! The prawns were kinda coated in a mayo sauce and the walnuts seem to be coated with honey. I'm not too sure about that but the walnuts were crunchy and tasty. The fried chicken ain't your normal Popeye's friend chicken. They fried it and drench them in a somewhat sweet and sour sauce that made the chicken really yummy! The chicken itself was well marinated and juicy too. The noodle platter was interesting. It contained squid, prawns, scallop and many other ingredients all mixed together I couldn't really differentiate them. As mentioned, it's got a unique taste but I don't think I'll order it again. I'll give these guys 4 stars if not for the service. During lunch hour when it became rather crowded, the servers kept trying to clear our dish and wanted to drive us away even though we weren't done with our food! And when we told them we were waiting for a couple of other friends to arrive, they rolled their eyes in our faces. If not for their fried chicken, I doubt I'll visit this place again. But it's too yummy to ignore!
(3)Mai T.
GENERAL: A friend of ours use to live where we recently moved to. He had talked about this place and said it was a great place. So, since I had Yelp at my fingertips, I looked on Yelp as well as did a quick "google" search on this place. Upon my research, I found that the owners use to own Yu's Mandarin but ended up selling the place and later on opened this place. I had high expectations only because if they use to own Yu's, I would think that they helped build it's reputation and would then carry on that hard work to there own restaurant. SERVICE: When we approached this place, the parking lot was jammed packed. Instantly, I thought that it must have been a really good place. We went there around dinner time on a weekday so that could be why. There were cars waiting like eagles to catch an open spot. We came in with no wait at all and were seated right away. I don't know how they have their system there, but our waiter was not attentive to us at all. He was more worried about his other tables, and if he were at other tables, we would be looking away from the tables to look at other tables as well as the number of people coming in. It was slightly annoying as it took us longer to place an order. We finally placed our order and I had asked for chop sticks (didn't get them), then asked for more napkins (didn't get them) ,and finally asked for more rice (guess what? didn't get them). I didn't want to remind him because I didn't want him to "hate" our table even more since he probably didn't know we existed half the time. FOOD: I ordered the honey walnut shrimp. Let's just say that the walnuts were outstanding, yet the shrimp (main part) wasn't to good. Something about it didn't seem right but I couldn't put my finger on it. The breading that was surrounding the shrimp tasted very stale (I know, that sounds impossible right?) The mayo/honey sauce that they had concocted was not sweet. It had a weird taste. If you do get it, you can definitely taste the difference compared to Yu's. My little one had the Seafood Thai Noodle and the BF had the Sauteed Canton Flat Noodle. Let's just say that they both tasted the same, one was with seafood and the other was with beef. The Seafood Thai Noodle didn't have a distinct taste. It was bland. The only good thing about it was the seafood within the dish. They had succulent squids, shrimps, and scallops. Man-O-Man were those items delish. I've been noticing the difference between many restaurants. Most of them will cheap out and not give you "real" seafood items but in stead will substitute them with smaller sized shrimp that already look cheap or squid that you only get 2 of in an entire dish. This place wasn't horrible. If I'm looking for Chinese that's not in the mall or not 1 hour waits like Yu's then I would choose this place.
(3)Bari L.
I was not to excited to go back but since my friend was having a birthday dinner there I had no choice. Since there was more of us there was a larger verity of food on the table so I was able to try more. Let me give you a little background on myself. I come from a very diverse family and my step-grandmother who I love dearly is Chinese so when I think of Chinese food I think of her fresh and delicious home cooking. Chef Ping is not bad for what it is but all it is American version of Chinese food. Sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken, orange beef. I did order some buk choy and it was ok but it was still a little more saucy then I prefer. For the price nothing knocked me off my feet and unless someone is having another birthday dinner I'm going to take a pass.
(3)Doug w.
The best way to summarize Chef Ping is to say that if you miss the 'old' Yu's Mandarin, this is the place to go. The food is noticeably better than Yu's (now) and the menu looks very similar. Was interesting to note that some of the items on the Chinese menu at Yu's have made it to the English side at Chef Pings...Unless memory fails (as it sometimes does) Yu's has Sichuan fish hotpot on the Chinese menu, but it's in English at Ping's. It's also about 1/3 of the size of Yu's and a nicer interior. Service was a bit on the slow side and prices are higher. But for something approaching real Chinese food in the 'burbs, Chef Ping is probably the place. Still looking for a place with real mainland Chinese...Shanghai, Hangzhou and/or Beijing style.
(4)alan q.
It's a very clean and new restaurant but kind of small. Make a reservation! This place was packed when we came at 6:30 pm on a Saturday. We made a reservation and still had to wait 20 minutes. Food was good. Chicken wings and Fried Rice were solid. Spicy Korean noodle seafood soup was tasty. The Korean Noodle in Black Bean sauce was decent, but had better. They have a big menu and need to try other things when I'm back.
(4)Tiffany L.
Yup, food tastes just like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Got the following dishes: - Ping's Noodle Platter - Noodle in Black Bean Sauce - Ping's Chicken Wing - Szechwan String Beans (these are awesome btw, double fried) - Clams in Black Bean Sauce The noodles were slightly overcooked and there was some confusion about the chicken*, but overall a good meal and I'll definitely be back. There are apparently some secret items off the menu that I'd love to order as well, like some sort of beef/tofu stew dish, and a beef/scallion burrito type wrap thing wrapped in foil that is a chinese staple. *Here is the confusion about the chicken, maybe you can help me out. Yes, YOU. Before I came people kept telling me to order the "Pong Pong Chicken". Thinking this was just the korean chicken wing ("gan-pong-yi), I thought I was good to go. Upon looking at the menu, they had 3 different listings of this chicken on the menu: Ping's Chicken Wing, Gan Pong Chicken, and one on the korean menu. No listing of a "pong pong chicken". We quickly figured out that the "Gan Pong chicken" was boneless so we didn't want that (even though it SOUNDS like "ganpongyi". VERY CONFUSING CHEF PING!). We asked our waitress if the Pings chicken wing was just the same as gan-pong-yi, and she said yes, so that's what we ordered. However when we received the dish, even though it tasted the same, the cut of the chicken was different than I remembered -- more like chicken wings, verses the korean style w/ the large head of meat attached to a skinny naked bone. This leads me to believe that "Pong Pong Chicken" might be the more authentic korean style chicken that I'm more accustomed to, and it is a secret menu item. Besides they are meatier as well. Anyone have an answer to this? Anyone? Bueller?
(4)Stevie V.
This place is amazing. We finally decided to grab dinner here and so glad we did. Our server was very attentive and food came out quickly. We were 3 for 3 on our meals. Ordered shrimp curry (amazing), some beef thing, and general tao (also amazing). It was very clean and overall great environment. My friend made a joke that there were a lot of Asian people eating there so it has to be good.
(5)V.i.o.l.e.t.t.a. D.
Are you people mad???? How the hell did this place get four stars????? I was just here for lunch today and it was HORRIBLE. They gave us DIRTY glasses with lipstick on them, and plates decopaged with dried food....ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I should have left right there and then but against my better judgement I stayed and asked for different glasses and plates. I ordered vegetable tofu and it came with HUGE honking pieces of rotting flesh atop a bed of rubbery noodles...when I asked to have it remade because this wasn't what I ordered the waiter looked at me as if I were a complete bother even though I clearly stated previously that I'm VEGETARIAN and I DON'T want meat with my food. He was rude from the get-go..very short and unfriendly and it took everything in me not to chuck my silverware at him. I finally got my food...but, by that time my companion was already finished.............fan-tas-tic. NEVER. again.
(1)Grace L.
I know this place has its' history with Yu's, but I'll keep the review to just Chef Pings. Came here on a busy Sat night, busy at 8:30pm that is. The place was packed, and it got me excited since a busy Chinese eatery in this area usually means something good. But then, there aren't that many Chinese eateries in the area. (Maybe 5-6 not counting Panda Express?) The greeter was extremely friendly, as was our server as well. We got seated and water and hot tea was already made available..yippee. We ordered steamed dumplings for app, gan pong scallops, and Mongolian beef, all of which were from previous Yelper's reviews. ;-) The steamed dumplings are not the kind that are soupy inside and you eat with black vinegar. They are the potstickers that are just steamed instead. They also take about 15-20 min to prepare and there are six for the app. There are two accouterments that came with it, a soy based dipping sauce and a spicy chili sauce. Both went well with it. The filling was just ok and the skin a bit thick, but better safe than mooshy. The scallops were lightly fried and tossed in a nice dark sauce. They were large scallops and quite tasty. I do wish there was a bit more sauce on them, but they were good as is. Unlike some other gan pong anything, these were not spicy, don't let those red chilis in the sauce fool you? Mongolian beef was also really good, the beef was thinly sliced and there was a good balance of white/green onions and meat. The beef was cooked well, had a good texture and wasn't too salty. Both of our dishes, albeit not amazingly cheap, were of decent portions and reasonable. Service was very attentive, almost a little too much, as they filled our tea cups, were watching from the corner, asked us profusely how things were going and made sure everything was ok. Just a little trying too hard to please, or maybe we are just not used this. The only negatives in the service was that dessert was not an option given, which was noted at a table near us who actually wanted it, and our doggy bag boxes were presented with a used plastic bag to store them home. Hmmph, doggy bag...anyway. Decor is greyish chic, as it is a newer place. There is a small bar in the front, about 10-15 tables and a party room in the back with about 3-4 larger tables. Food is decent, price is reasonable for the portions/quality, and of course, we will be back for the noodles.
(4)Eric Y.
This is a very good Chinese restaurant for the suburbs. I've been there twice, both times with big family gatherings so I've tried multiple different things. The highlights have been the clams with black bean sauce - large, juicy, sweet, simply delicious. The fried squid with spicy sauce is really excellent - squid "crack" - it's addictive. The noodles are pretty good - all handmade on-site - the texture is nicely firm and chewy but the sauces and accoutrements are just ok. There is a rolled onion pancake with beef that on one occasion was good and on another was just ok. The dish is need of a sauce, something to give it a little oomph. The peashoots are good. We had a dish of stir-fried tofu, chive flower and tiny fish. It was very good but I would prefer the chive flower to be cut in smaller size to facilitate eating with rice. Servers are very helpful, food arrived pretty quickly. This place is very busy and if you try to go for lunch on weekends, be prepared to wait! One more thing, I usually don't comment on the background music but when it is so inane - the worst type of Muzak - I can't help but say something about it. Note to owner - it's a restaurant, not an elevator!
(3)Anna V.
My family all agrees the food is great. The place is very clean. The lady owner greets us every time. I usually like to frequent the city but for Chinese food this is the place.
(5)Jen K.
Yup, it's same owners that sold Yu's and started this place... it is crazy, ridiculously busy here at Chef Ping's! Main reason is that it is a smaller space but they're pretty good about getting tables in and out... on a Sat. night, our party of 4 was seated in about 25-30 minutes. Anyway, nothing super spectacular with the menu... most staple Chinese/Korean dishes. I think the winner of our dinner was the gan pong chicken... sauce was delicious that we all fought for it at the end :p They do serve the typical Asian selections of alcohol -- they have a bar as well but it didn't look fully stocked. For Chicago, I'd say it's one of the better Chinese restaurants but living in the SF/Bay Area, it'd only pass as mediocre.
(3)Christine L.
Actually, while I am a fan... it is my husband who is super fan when it comes to Chef Pings. He is there 1-2 times per week. Friendly staff, generally fast service, good quality food and a good variety of choices. We live just a few blocks west of the restaurant and while we choose to eat in, we have neighbors/friends who often call in and run over to pick up their food. The egg drop soup is not the egg rich variety that is my preference and I could do without the tiny shrimp... but that is just me. The owner/manager circulates, they know and acknowledge their regulars. There is a diversity in the clientele demographic which speaks to the authenticity and high quality of the food. We are delighted to see a full parking lot regularly... that doesn' mean that it's difficult to get in, but rather that the business is succeeding, because they do what they do well.
(4)monty m.
Brown lettuce in salad however; everything else was excellent in taste, service , price and selection. i found nothing bad about the place besides the brown lettuce. Not good for groups of more than 5 people as the space is small and fills quickly.
(4)Ayumi K.
If you've been to Yu's Mandarin in the past and liked it, you'll like Chef Ping's. The old owner of Yu's sold the Mandarin and opened up Chef Ping's, so the menu is somewhat similar and is right up to par on taste as Yu's. Though I haven't tried everything on the menu (yet), I'm pretty sure everything is good. If you go, I highly recommend the honey-glazed shrimp with walnuts, the combo fried rice, and the champon (for some reason, I don't really know what champon is listed under, but if you say 'champon', they'll understand which noodle soup you're talking about). The food is good, the service is good (and fast!), and the prices are even better. The place is also really clean, so that's an added bonus. They have lunch specials too, so be sure to check that out! Might want to arrive early, though, as this place gets crowded quick. PS: Dinner entrees come out with individual white rice. Just thought I'd let those of you who love white rice know.
(3)Katie K.
In an area full of stripmall Asian restaurants, Chef Ping is the real deal. You can tell because the place is completely full after 5:30pm on a weekend night. Everything is great here: the service, the food, the ambience. Servers are prompt, courteous and efficient; we were served quickly but without feeling rushed. The (presumed) owner (or at least manager) stopped by to check on us, and even took an order for an extra dish we had just decided on. The food was all hot and tasty. And the price was reasonable. Chef Ping will get our repeat business for sure!
(5)Geoff N.
Great quality food at a decent price for the portions you get. Wait staff is attentive and it's a wonderful place to meet with groups large and small...if you can get a seat! This place is always packed and for good reason. I don't think there's another Chinese restaurant like it in the entire area. To be quite honest, Chef Ping's food rivals some of my favorites from NYC's Chinatown. Come here to eat and you won't regret it. Just be prepped to wait for a little bit before you get seated (unless you want to order take-out).
(4)Rebecca Huicha K.
Move over Yu's, there's a new place in town! Yes, like the previous reviews this place is owned by the old Yu's owners. Honestly I wasn't too excited to try this place since Chinese is not exactly diet food and I just didn't expect too much from it. We had reservations for 630 on a saturday night and I'm glad we did cause this place was PACKED. Most of the customers were asian, which is a good sign for an asian restaurant! The place is definitely not as big as Yu's, probably 1/4th of it's size. We had a bit of a wait even though we had reservations which typically would rub me the wrong way but the staff was really friendly and apologetic for the wait. Our group of 5 ordered 7 dishes which gave a perfect variety. The food is REALLY good though the portions are a bit smaller than yu's. If you're in the area and feel like yu's, I'd recommend you try this place instead. The food is comparable if not better and the place is cleaner and more up to date.
(4)Rick C.
A few friends of ours had recommended this place to us, so we decided to check it out on our way back from Woodfield. The place itself was nice, more modern than most Chinese places. It was also busy, most of the tables were filled, which was a good sign. We sat down looked at the menu and nothing really stood out for us. They have a lot of different types of asian dishes, from Chinese to Korean to Thai, I just don't think we were particularly in the mood for anything. We decided on two noodle dishes, the seafood peking noodle and the noodles in black bean sauce. The noodles in black bean sauce is a dish we've had in some Korean\chinese places and it's noodles with cucumber, covered in a black bean sauce with seafood. It comes out unmixed, so it looks like noodles with a bowl of black goop which might seem unappetizing to some. The owner came by and mixed it for us and explained that these were homemade noodles and that we should mix them as early as possible. They were great. The noodles were perfect and really made the dish. The Peking seafood noodles were a little spicy and we enjoyed those as well. We liked everything so much we came again a few days later. We didn't have problems picking out dishes this time around. Since our first visit, we've tried the Pong Pong chicken (yes, it's Ping's Pong Pong chicken). Anyone familiar with spicy Korean chicken wings will enjoy these. They're not on the menu, so ask for them by name. We've also had the sweet and sour pork and the sesame beef. If you're in the area, I'd recommend this place. The portions are ample, the staff is helpful (sometimes overly so), and the food is tasty.
(4)Joanne L.
My first review! Finally joined the gang=) I will go out of my way for chinese or korean noodles, so very happy to see both on their lunch menu. Heard about this place from several friends, glad to finally check them out. I agree, lunch portions are a nice size and the prices even better! ($6.75-$8.75/dish). We ordered 2 of the 3 most popular noodles dishes: Noodles with Black Bean Sauce Spicy Seafood Noodle Platter Excellent! Noodles cooked al dente and if you've eaten at Yu's, the black bean sauce tastes pretty much the same. Noodle platter came steaming with plenty of fresh tasting seafood and veggies. nice flavor. Next time i'll try their Noodle Soup (a lot of folks sitting around us ordered the Noodle soup). also ordered mongolian beef and impressed with how tender and flavorful the meat was. high quality for a $7 dish. highlights: cheap, closer drive than Yu's (we were on the way home from Ikea), clean, modern, & friendly service. FYI..smaller place than Yu's, i noticed they had a back area for larger groups but there were only 4 tables that seated 8-10. definitely make reservations. We came on a tuesday...Lunch starts at 11:30am, we got there at 11:40 and were seated right away. By 11:55, the place was packed... If your kid likes jia jian mien, my kid wolfed that dish down-very messy so bring bibs!=) Will come here again! Off to eat my leftovers..=)
(4)david l.
Food was very good but wait was a little on the long side (at least an hour and a half just for two people), it's silly how they dont take reservations unless you have a party greater than 6 people. Just show up super early.
(4)Anthony V.
Two forks, way up.
(4)Patrick M.
After being a fan of Yu's for as long as I can remember, I heard that the owners had moved on and created a new restaurant so I had to check it out. So I grabbed a bunch of friends, and we all LOVED it. We each got an entree and two appetizers for the table. We all shared each other's food and were amazed at how delicious and flavor-filled the food was. This is easily #1 on my list as best Chinese food in Chicago, you can't find anything better! As far as atmosphere goes. I love the look of the restaurant, it's got a darker atmosphere than Yus. Such that I'd still easily go with a group of friends or just a date with my girlfriend. The staff we dealt with was also super friendly with all of us, it was quite abnormal but in the best way. I couldn't find anything wrong and can't wait to go back!
(5)DB A.
The secret is out. Too late to keep it to myself. This is the legitimate heir to Yu's Mandarin's reputation. Oh sure, Yu's is still there, but it's slipped in the past few years. This place is as good as Yu's was in its heyday. Go there. Try the Seafood noodle platter. Your mouth and tummy will thank you.
(4)Michael L.
This place is pretty good for Chinese food. Sweet and sour pork is awesome. And the Mongolian Beef isn't full of green onions like it is at other places. We get take out a lot, I would like to see how it is sitting down. Good Chinese takeout place though.
(4)Bill H.
Chef Ping is no longer the best kept secret in the northwest suburbs. The food is great. The atmosphere is pleasant. The service is prompt. The room for improvement is more room in the parking lot. Maybe a valet would help. Mc Donald's next door is not a friendly neighbor. I have thought about parking on the street median. Maybe a drive through for the take out orders would relieve congestion. Just an idea Tong ! Bill Howe Food Critic
(5)Joy L.
This place is amazing. The food is wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. Reservations on the weekends are a must as it fills up quickly.
(5)Andrea L.
Portions are good, food is tasty, and pricing is reasonable. The decor is certainly nice (the newness of the place helps!), and definitely provides a comfortable ambiance. Good place to catch up with friends, especially as Chinese food is always best done family style! I very much enjoyed the honey-glazed walnut shrimp. The Szechwan Eggplant was unexpectedly fried and crunchy, but otherwise delicious while still hot. My friends highly recommend the noodle platter, but I have not yet tried it!
(4)Monica K.
This place is like Yu's Mandarin but cleaner and much more modern (better service too in my opinion). It's a Korean-run Chinese restaurant so all of your favorites (like jja-jang-myun and jjam-bbong) are here and they're delicious! The general tao's chicken is not too spicy, sometimes can be too much breading and a little too fatty but the flavor is just perfect. The gan-poong scallops are a family favorite, also not too spicy. We've generally enjoyed every single dish here, the service is great/friendly and prompt. This place is so busy now on the weekends that you're better off making reservations. Went on a Sunday afternoon at 5:30 PM and we were lucky enough to get the last table before the crazy rush.
(5)Mark W.
Some of the best Chinese in the suburbs ! Real Chinese food without the Americanized style. Staff friendly and attentive. Weekends really busy, worth the wait.
(4)Mark B.
Great seafood soup.
(4)Kyle M.
Aside from the Chinatown in McHenry, this is the best place in the NW Suburbs!
(5)Scott S.
This place is pretty money. Just as good, if not better, than the "old" yu's mandarin (when it was under old ownership). There was a 30-40 minute wait when we went there on Saturday night, but the crowds died down around 8pm. I highly recommend the salty egg crab (a deep fried dungeoness crab)....everyone loved the crab legs and the batter they use is very tasty. the la-joh-myung is not listed on the menu, but is a yu's mandarin favorite and they will make it for you. everyone thought it actually tastes better here! (it is a savory noodle dish with seafood). Kung Pao Chicken, chinese broccoli, gang pon scallops, and honey & walnut shrimp were all good dishes. I'd agree that the portions are a bit smaller, but the quality is very good. their mai tai's are pretty yummy, too. Though it took us a while to get seated, the staff was very friendly and attentive! We all liked the place a lot and agreed we'd all come back for sure. That is a big compliment considering we are all asian and pretty picky about our asian food!
(4)Ever D.
My family ate here for Father's day, and both the food and service were better than I expected. I normally would go into the city for special occasions, but we had lots of kids in our group, so this dictated the choice and location of what restaurant we were going to go to. I had never eaten here but read the reviews and have to say that this place surprised me. The food was better than expected. All of the dishes were in good portions and tasted delicious. If I am ever out in that neighborhood again, I will definitely stop to get a bite there.
(4)John Y.
Another one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. When they first opened, I was a little worried about this place. Food was good, but maybe not as good as Yu's in Schaumburg. In subsequent visits, it became more and more obvious: Chef Ping's easily outshines Yu's Mandarin.
(5)Yaeko M.
I have been to there for lunch with co-workders many times. I went there for dinner first time. We ordered schezwan eggplant (crispy fried eggplant with spicy sweet sauce) -- this was great!!, walnut shrimp (popcorn shrimp with cream sauce)-- this was great!!, scallops and squid with leek - this was excellent!!!, sauteed peapods tips with garlic -- this was good too!!. All dishes were very good. I wanted to order more. As of conclusion, I ate too much because the food was really tasty. The dinner menu variety is so much better than lunch menu. I wanted to order more and try different dishes. I saw other nice looking dishes at next table and I wanted try. I will go back soon there soon!. This place is always popular!
(5)Andrew C.
Excellent Asian cuisine and first rate service - almost TOO attentive (I lost count after about seven different staff members stopped at our table to see if we needed anything - while the restaurant was quite busy!). Try the eggplant - crunchy and spicy. Yummmm.
(4)Nari H.
OK. So heard the former Yu's owners opened up this restaurant, Chef Ping after selling Yu's, so a few friends and I decided to eat here. Interior: being new, it's got a much nicer interior. Feels nice being there. Food: It's got all the favorites we would always get whenever we go to Yu's, and the food was really good, esp. the Champong. One dish looked smaller than it used to be. Service was friendlier than usual (Ha!) and the managers came around to check up on us to make sure everything was going well. Yu's is closer to where I live, but the food here at Pings is a little better. So I'm torn, but minus the sketchy opening, I'm a fan. I'll be here if I'm in the area and would tell others about it :)
(4)Jyo H.
We've been to Chef Ping's few times. Dine-In experience is okay... Taste wise, nothing to write home about. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants that taste like it or better. Carry-out experience was not so good. You get no utensils, napkins, soy sauce. Nothing..! Only your order in plastic containers. That's it. That is just serious carelessness. Customer shouldn't need to remember to ask for every little thing that needs to go in the bag. Other restaurants seem to do this very well. Seems like Chef Ping people just don't care. Lunch Specials are a bit pricey for what it is. Corner cutting is bluntly obvious and apparent in the presentation and in taste. Wonton Crisps are a joke. Eggrolls - if you can even call it that - are low-grade supermarket frozen variety. Staff 'sound' polite but lack sincerity. Overall a bit disappointed.
(2)Nicole M.
Move over Yu's, my new fav is Chef Ping! I started noticing the quality of Yu's food was not as good as it use to be and I found out the original owners opened Chef Ping in Meadows. (or something along the lines of that) And which I live closer to. (bonus!) I ordered take out from there because the place was soo busy! But now I know why because it's really GOOD! I ordered the Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Combo Fried Rice... All delish!! Not dry and very tasty! From now on I'm going to Chef Ping! :)
(5)Food For thought C.
2 Stars- C'mon Man I usually agree with most of yelp nation reviews this one I have to say is far off. The food was very blah and the service was next to non existence. I have drove by the place a couple of times and seen a good crowd. It was very typical of most Asian places, meaning the Asian people there were eating something completely different then everyone else in the place. I would say past on this place and try your nearby mall food court area if you have a taste for Chinese food. Maybe I missed something here but I doubted that I will be going here again in this lifetime or the next.
(2)David C.
When I think about Chef Ping, one word comes to mind: consistency. From the standard Korean-favorite dish of jjajangmyun (black bean paste noodles) to the traditional sweet and sour pork, there is quality throughout the menu. Each visit to this Chinese restaurant reminds me not all food places decrease in value as time progresses. This is the beauty and genius of Chef Ping! Without fail, it is possibly the easiest, most convenient place to set up couple dates to family gatherings. Why? The food will satisfy and the service will deliver. It can fit as a casual meet-up with a colleague to a business dinner with clients. And the restaurant carries a diverse group of people too. There isn't an exceptional dish I can think of; however, there are many really good dishes. I recommend this place to anyone at any given moment. Lastly, the atmosphere is solid. The building design is clean and modern. The overall setup is a little cramped, and the lighting is on the dimmer end. Also, the wait usually can get to 40 min. for a table. Prepare to wait! Other than that, hope you enjoy what will be a quality experience! Food recs: - LaJoMyun (spicy seafood noodle platter) - JjamBbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) - Pom Pom Chicken Wings - TangSoo Pork (sweet/sour pork) - Walnut Shrimp - String Beans
(4)Kathy F.
For lunch, anyway, four stars. I went early (11:45a.m.) since the first two times I tried to go to Chef Ping for lunch I could not find parking and ended up elsewhere. Very fast service! Great value! Big portion (I had to take home half of my lunch)! I started with the asian salad-not a stand-out but I cannot do egg drop soup and was not in the mood for hot and sour. Sweet and sour chicken (came with rice, wonton strips and an egg roll) was fresh and delicious. I was impressed with the freshness off all the items I ordered. I will definitely return for lunch!
(4)Steve W.
Just had an awesome lunch at Chef Ping! Potstickers are a must to start! Then had Yu-Shang Pork and Ping's Noodle Platter. Both were fantastic! Will be back soon.
(5)Ray M.
Crab is awesome n pong pong chicken is very good!
(4)Johnathan K.
This place just opened near my house and I stopped in for lunch this afternoon. The restaurant is very nice and spacious, and immaculately clean. I came for lunch with two other people, so it was pretty empty. We started off with hot tea before looking over the lunch menus we were given. Lunch orders (not sure about dinner) come with your choice of soup or salad as well as an egg roll and a couple of fried wontons. I ordered vegetable fried rice, the rest of my party ordered sweet and sour shrimp and Pad Thai. They liked their soup (hot and sour and egg drop). I went with the salad which was underwhelming as the dressing was too thin to stick to the lettuce, meaning that I ate plain iceberg lettuce, carrot and cucumber, and then had a centimeter of dressing in the bottom of my bowl. Bummer. On the bright side, my main course was really delicious; a huge, steaming hot portion of rice with carrots, egg, baby corn, mushrooms, broccoli and peas. I really enjoyed it, some of the best fried rice I've ever had. The other portions were also very generous, especially for the moderate prices. Everyone loved their food. Service was quick and attentive and everyone we dealt with was very nice and friendly. I will definitely be back, hopefully for dinner so I can check out the full menu.
(4)Beth G.
My Pad Thai dish gets three stars from me (hey, I'm really picky about Pad Thai, and theirs is just sort of boring), but I'm adding an extra star for the company and ambiance. Had my first Yelp (non-official) event here, and that was awesome. The back party room had three tables, with a birthday at each table (including ours). It was fun to sing "Happy Birthday" three different times. The waitstaff were all smiles for that, and so was I.
(4)Sandy T.
This is the only place that my family and I go to for Chinese food other than China town. It is AWESOME. The service there is great and everyone is always so nice to us. Some things are not on the menu that we order (like salt and pepper squid/shrimp etc.) but they will customize your orders. I never had anything that I did not like from Chef Ping. The go to foods are definitely Mongolian beef and orange chicken, but if you are not picky, try something like the jellyfish salad. It is so yummy. I would definitely recommend Chef Ping, especially for groups so you can eat family style.
(5)Becky K.
beautiful ambiance, mini bar, and great food... having been a server before, i know what to look for in my service...and let me tell ya, my tea and water glass NEVER went half way...it actually got kinda annoying...let me take a sip before you refill, hot damn! but anyways, food was great...not so much the honey walnut shrimp though...but other than that, i mos def recommend this family joint.. a nice sunday dinner at chef pings, and you cant go wrong :)
(4)Dina I.
Not as good as Yu's but comes close. Love the yellow leeks, the mushroom and tofu dish, any of the noodle dishes...
(4)Julie P.
Yum! Chef Ping is my go-to Chinese place, whether I want take out or to dine in. The food is very consistent and well prepared. Love the crab rangoon especially, and all of the entrees I've tried have been good.
(4)Liz M.
I wish I didn't like their food so much here. Let me explain. These people are RUDE. I come in from downtown to visit my parents in the suburbs, and we come here often for lunch or dinner. Many times my mom and I come at 11a for lunch. We are promptly seated. Before I can even ask my mom how she is doing the waiter is at the table asking if we are ready to order. We kindly say no, we haven't looked at the menu yet. 5 minutes later (if that) he comes back- are you ready to order? Feeling the pressure we usually just order an appetizer to start. Another 5 minutes- are you ready to order your entree? Dear goodness man!!! Can I visit with my mom for just a little bit?! We order. 10 minutes later- the food is out. Before my mom and I are even halfway through our meal the check is on the table and he has come by twice asking if there is anything else we need. At first I thought it was a one time problem. WRONG! EVERY TIME I come here, this happens! Lunch or dinner. If you are planning on visiting with your table, having a nice relaxing meal, DONT GO HERE. If you want to be in and out quickly for lunch, this might just be your place. Like I said, I wish the food wasn't so good. Unfortunately, it is pretty much my favorite so I keep coming back. Their lunch specials are excellent. Plenty of food for a very reasonable price. I've never had anything I didn't like here. Chef Ping- please listen to your costumers and let us enjoy our meal without you stalking our table.
(3)Jasmine S.
This place is more like a Korean Chinese restaurant. My favorite dish is the Pocket Tofu and Sea Cucumber Pork Belly for now. Zam Bong is pretty good with sea cucumber - it's beige color - not red. They have a very nice party room with 4 round tables. Decor is contemporary. Price range is wide. You can have a $12 dinner or a $40 dinner. Big parking lot - but it was full for a saturday night. Will go back and try their Sze Chuan dishes next.
(5)Gina D.
When it comes to Chinese food, I enjoy consistency. Now that my husband and I have eaten here four times, I can say that the food has been excellent each and every time. We are happy to find such quality and authentic flavor in the suburbs. The restaurant is always jam packed so expect to wait a good thirty minutes to well over an hour if you get there during prime time (that includes weeknights). I love that the waiters work together and remember the regulars; major plus! If you're in the area, stop in; you won't be disappointed!
(5)Michelle W.
Amazing restaurant all around! Food, decor and service were spot on. I loved the handmade noodles - they were the perfect texture and very tasty. I would definitely come back again!
(5)Emme K.
Love this place as an alternative to Yu's.
(5)Michael R.
Fantastic lunch special and good beef! Will definitely come back again!
(5)Jim G.
I really don't understand all the great reviews for this restaurant. I write this with severe gastrointestinal issues and wishing I had never gone there for dinner. Ordered salt and pepper squid. I was surprise when I saw it was deep fried. Very little salt and pepper either. Just tons of grease. They didn't seem to even drain it before plating it. The chicken (which was expected fried) was dried out. It was like eating chicken wings which were deep fried twice. The classic tofu dish was slimy fried tofu with almost no vegetable. The only good thing was the spicy beef and tripe appetizer. As for service, what was first thought to be overly attentiveness turned into a rush job to turn over the table. We were asked repeatedly whether or not we were done. The bill came and for the 4 items and two sodas it cost over $55. What?! For Chinese food? This place is an overpriced grease pit. You are better off eating at the McDonald's next door.
(1)Matt F.
This place is really good and always pretty busy. I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter.
(4)Lynn L.
the waitress didnt get my order quite right due to language barriers, but aside from that, the food was delicious. chef pings chicken wings were amazingly delicious. i wanted more the next day.
(3)Janice L.
so the word is the previous amazing chef from yu's mandarin opened up chef ping.. but i don't understand why the food isn't as good as yu's mandarin a few years back. the decor, atmosphere, and service are all superb, and the food 'looks' delicious but definitely lacks flavor.. and i don't know if it's the lighting or what the food looks very fake and shiny (too much peanut oil?) but lunch is great.. there are lots of options and pretty well-priced. the kung-pao beef and noodles in black bean sauce are my faves. the seafood family and sweet and sour chicken are pretty good as well.
(3)Thao N.
This place really surprised me! The sever's were friendly and accommodating. They greeted us with a warm welcome and we parted with them saying thank you. The staff demonstrated great appreciation towards our visit and that for sure will get me to come back. My family and I went for Father's Day dinner and even though the place was packed, we were able to get seated pretty quickly. What I noticed first was the modern decor and how clean it was. Even the feel of the napkins shows how different this Chinese restaurant is. We ordered family style and so we ordered a lot of food, How else would you get a feel for their menu? To start, we had Hot and Sour soup, which was definitely Hot and not too sour. Just the way I like it, with bamboo shoots and tofu. Then we got into the dishes, my brother is big on beef, so he ordered the Scallop Beef (under Seafood) and Broccoli Beef (under Beef). The Scallop Beef contained big chunks of tender scallops, sliced beef and mushrooms in a brown sauce. Not like anything else I've had at any other Chinese restaurants. The Broccoli Beef is pretty self-explanatory but still the tenderness of the meat was unmatched. My sister in-law ordered the Clams in Black Bean Sauce (under Fresh Catch from the Sea) and it was served in a mini wok over fire. The clam meat was so fresh it kind of melted in your mouth, not rubbery like the ones that have been frozen. My mom ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet and I can't really form an opinion on this dish because I don't really like dishes like these. But be warned, this had a warm, spicy, sensation going down your throat. My step-dad, whom this dinner was for, didn't order his own dish but I did get to order the Honey-Glazed Walnut Shrimp. The shrimps were far from itty bitty, the walnuts weren't overly coated with the sweet stuff and the sauce actually tasted light, considering what it's usually made from (mayo and honey). We also ordered the Combination Chow Mien but it wasn't what we thought it was so I shouldn't state an opinion about this dish either. All in all, it was a great dinning experience and I would recommended this place the next time you go out for Chinese.
(4)Eric P.
I went here again Saturday only to find out they do not have their lunch specials. That is okay but then when I ordered Mongolian beef, pon pon chicken, walnut shrimp, and ping's noodle and found the price was pretty high and the quantity was pretty disappointing. Yes it did feed 6 people but then again we weren't stuffed. The walnut shrimp was way too sweet like eating candy... to say the least if you want to spend the money for quality this is good but don't expect quantity. I would have to debate whether to go back here unless its for lunch or just for the ping's noodle dish.
(3)K W.
Excellent, authentic Chinese food. Each dish had a unique flavor. I went here with my relatives who are very particular about Chinese food and they like it a lot. The fried chicken wings were my favorite. I personally don't like sea cucumber but my relatives loved it and this is one of the few restaurants that serves it. This is their new favorite restaurant after Yu's Mandarin closed (which they used to own).
(5)Bob S.
It is the very best of all the rest; Oriental food that is fresh, delicious and made from only the finest ingredients that cannot be beat. From over 50 visits in the past two years the food has been consistently outstanding so go with confidence that it is the best around-including Chinatown. We love the Chop Chae, walnut shrimp, lemon chicken, mongolian beef, hot and sour soup and really everything on the menu. Also the carry out has been consistently excellent. Our goto carry out is an order of Mongolian beef with egg rolls; $18 for a very generous portion of the beef and six egg rolls that cannot be beat. Compare that in quality to nearby fast food restaurants and it is the best bargain around. Try it!
(5)Melissa C.
I grew up in Schaumburg, and Yu's was always the fam fave. When my bros & I were kids, we would always ask to get up to watch the cooks do their thang. Since my fam moved to CA in '05, Yu's was the first place we would go to on their Chicago visits. We had our high school AND college grad parties there. And then it happened.... the mongolian beef got too peppery. Something was missing in the soup. The quality still seemed to be there, but it just wasn't right... what happened to you, Yu's??? ...and just when I had almost given up, I found out that Chef Ping happened. Since this realization, we've gone here several times--the owners remembered us from way back when (moreso my brother, the pilot, who since the '05 move would fly back for a day and make sure that he made a trip for his fave kung pao beef, alone, like a lame--who wouldn't remember that? =]). Thank you yelp... for bringing my fave Chinese food back to me. Prices have certainly gone up since way back when, but that's expected. This place has the best beef dishes I've ever had at a Chinese restaurant. Get the walnut shrimp. Get some of their yummy homemade noodles. ALL the soups are SO goood! I can go on... but you can just read other reviews. =]
(5)Kirk W.
Honestly some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. Lunch menu VERY reasonably priced - but get there before 11:45!! Pad Thai is outstanding.
(5)angie h.
We have been customers since they opened. Today my whole family was there, with my parents, cousin and niece. Food is ok, not as good as when they opened. But what we are unhappy about, is that they charge a WHOPPING 18% Gratuity for a party of 6 adults and one kid. We had worked in restaurant industry while going to college some years back and know the standards. In today's economy, 18% is not exceptable. We don't mind 15%, but they forever lost this family as customers. It's just not right. That 3% difference should be left to customers, not forced on us. We Will Not Be Back.
(2)Clayton B.
Hands down best place I have been to in a long time amazing service and great food they will even make things for you that's are not on the menu and let you know what's good. Will be going back soon I made a yelp account just to say how amazing this place is and let everyone know! Even though I have been using yelp for years this was the place that I want to tell everyone about!
(5)B T.
Great place. Love the noodle platter. Always busy
(5)William P.
Used the online ordering for my first Chef Ping experience. We had 3 orders and ordered at 11:45. We showed up at Ping's around 5 - 10 after... and had to wait another 10 minutes for our food. The place was mobbed with people walking in and looking for tables (which they were not able to accomodate). I am a big fan of Yu's, and am now a big fan of Chef Ping's. The honey glazed walnut shrimp was absolutely amazing (but not in the edible bowl like at Yu's). The dish might have actually been better at Ping's than at Yu's. We ordered two other items off of the lunch menu and were shorted an egg-roll and wonton chip... but alas, the other two orderee's ended up happy with their orders. The black bean sauce noodles were reportedly as good as Yu's... and the Kung Pao chicken was reportedly tastey and spicy. At a lunch rush (and probably dinner, too), I don't think there is a better way to go than to order online and pick it up if you live close. Just be sure to give about a half hour on the order.
(4)Jason B.
I was debating back and forth whether I should give Chef Ping a 5 star or a 4 star rating. I decided to go with my gut, and give it 5 stars. Yu's was always my go-to for Chinese for years, but as you know, Chef Ping was opened by family. The menu is pretty much the same, however, in my opinion, the noodles are not a perfect as Yu's- for obvious reasons. The service however, is what gave it the fifth star. During my latest visit, I learned from past visits, and went during a non-peak time. Usually when you're at a restaurant and they are slow, you may see a few servers BS-ing amongst themselves, paying little, or no attention to other server's tables. This is not the case at Pings. We literally were assisted by 3 servers, and we didn't have to ask either. This was done in a way in which we didn't feel crowed or disturbed. I ordered jangmyeon (black bean sauce over noodles), and when it was brought to the table, a random server saw this and came to our table, being super sweet and proceeded to mixed the sauce and noodles for us. Not knowing that I'm half Korean (I look as white as they come) and actually lived in Korea (this is a Korean-Chinese dish...I think), she wanted to make sure I was enjoying the dish fully. They are the epitome friendly and attentive, this being true even when Ping's at it's absolute busiest. If you go, you MUST order the szechuan eggplant.
(5)Vanessa M.
had lunch here with the family tonight. had an awesome experience. the ambiance, food, and service were all amazing. we ordered egg rolls, crab sho mai, combination fried rice, hunan beef, kung pao shrimp, seafood noodle soup, and the whole steamed flounder....and all of it was crazy good. all this for only $80. i can't say enough about the service. our server was really friendly and funny, he was also very attentive. he even de-boned our steamed flounder at the table. they were closing in order to get ready for dinner service later that night, but we were still eating and chatting. they didn't rush us at all. we were a group of 5 adults, we all had a great experience. can't wait to go back with my husband. its a great date place. atmosphere is romantic and relaxing.
(5)Jordan B.
Easily the best (Chinese) food around!
(5)Picky C.
Chef Ping....I heart your noodles! Soupy, spicy pan-fried, Korean style, Chinese style...I've missed it so! I loved the noodles at Yu's and was miserable when I couldn't find them anywhere else. The mix of Chinese and Korean foods is awesome and for those of you who like wasabi and chewy, crisp/crunchy interesting savory textures (this dish really is good), ask for the Fu-Chi-Fay-Pian appetizer dish. It's a large family style dish, and can get pricey due to the shrimp, meats, etc. But they are the only ones who get it right in the burbs. The parking lot is always packed when there are so many other Asian restaurants around a .3 mile radius. This should tell you something. The crowd is equal parts Asian and non-Asian. They have Americanized Chinese food but I encourage the eaters who have not ventured to try our something different, to ask your neighbors about what they ordered. You will find the most delicious dishes here. It's clean, it's updated, the food smells outside the restaurant entice you in and the service and quality food keeps you coming back for more. Long live the original owners for venturing out and updating their look and style! Eat on! I highly recommend this place.
(5)S M.
yus mandarin tastes better. Somehow, everything tastes the same to me...but making everything tasting the same should be a miracle on the chef's side. Decor is ok, normal. Hostess = ok. Staff = ok. Nothing that bad overall except that the food isn't what I liked.
(3)Frederick T.
Drove by for months before deciding to stop in for lunch. good thing. the food was great. The place is beautiful and the staff extremely friendly. Will be back again for sure. this place gives PF Changs a run for their money. PF you are still king but Chef Ping is right there.
(5)Jack L.
Finally, we can go back to some of the best Chinese dishes in Chicago's northwest suburbs. This place beats Yu's any day of the week and the chef and some of the wait staff came from Yu's. So it's like coming home again. The atmosphere is good and service is outstanding.
(5)Justin S.
Honey walnut shrimp: excellent! Nuff said.
(4)Shark S.
Trust me, I don't give 5 stars for nothing. This is the real deal. Honey walnut shrimp and lightly breaded scallops, try and find it better, you can't.
(5)David M.
Food quality is quite good, as is the atmosphere. Prices are somewhat higher than other Chinese restaurants in the area and the volume of food is slightly less. With that said, I would rather dine at Chef Ping's than most any other Chinese restaurant in the area. The number of Chinese people dining the restaurant is a testament to its authenticity.
(4)Darlene L.
Loved this Asian cuisine in the northwest suburbs. We waited the requisite fifteen minutes to have the healthier version of the pot stickers which were steamed. They were plump and delicious with the hot and mild sauces.Both the cashew chicken and mu shu pork were well seasoned and served in generous portions. Nice consistency to the mu shu pancakes which the waiter filled with fresh ingredients. The cashew chicken had plenty of tender chicken with a bowl of steamed rice on the side. Tea was served immediately in a pot left on the table. Service was efficient if not a bit rushed. We barely finished the appetizer when the entrees arrived. The crowd was coming in so they clearly wanted to turn the table. This is not leisure dining but the food is quality.
(4)Griffin Y.
Chef ping is awesome!! The food is delicious. Soo yum! And their prices are legit. Go in for a bite, you wont be disappointed. Guaranteed!
(5)David M.
The food here is great. We've only done takeout though, because we're a little intimidated by the crowds. Interestingly, the clientele seems to be almost entirely Asian. i imagine that says good things about their authenticity.
(5)T. E.
This is not your typical Americanized Chinese food. This is authentic and classy. The food is not overpriced either. The fu chi far pian was amazing with the right amount of tingle on the tongue. A little packed and if you come at the wrong time there's a bit of a wait and they don't always take reservations but that's an attestation to the good food they have. Definitely recommend and would be back.
(5)Thomas S.
Chef Ping is the best Asian dining in the Arlington Heights area. It stands head and shoulders above every place else we've tried. It's a family run business, where you can really feel their pride in providing great food and service. Try it and you'll be back as a regular!
(5)Sonny P.
Went to Chef Ping on a Wednesday night with 3 of my other friends. We ordered the Veggie Egg rolls and Crab Rangoon to start it off. Both were good, nothing spectacular. We then had the Szechwan Eggplant which is a MUST, this dish had flavor and was cooked perfectly, Veggie Noodle Platter, and Kung Pao Chicken. The noodle platter lacked flavor and was not spicy at all but when we asked her if the dish is spicy, she replied "oh yes! very much so!" Also, the best part of this restaurant is that they have MOCHI! However, they only have one flavor which is mango. I would try this place out again.
(3)Liz B.
We have enjoyed Chef Ping every time we have been there. The lunch special are good and we think amazing value. Having lived in the city for many years with many Chinese Restaurants to choose from we find Chef Ping to be the best in the NW burbs. Will be returning!
(5)Nicole W.
Too legit. Too legit to quit. Yeah, I pulled out some Hammer Time (sans parachute pants) at Chef Ping. The food is awesome and thus I had a hard time stopping myself from eating multiple dishes in one sitting. If you've been a Chicago suburban dweller for some time, it' Yu's circa 1999, when the gettin' was good. But Chef Ping now takes home the authentic Chinese cake for me...! Beyond the (frighteningly) fast service, Chef Ping is clean, modern and hosts a menu with a cornucopia of tasty Chinese and Asian eats. I tried the potstickers, crab rangoon, Ping's noodle platter and szechuan prawns. All were incredibly fresh and on point and it's definitely worth noting that both prices and portions were comparable for authentic Asian eats in the area. Go to Chef Ping. Go now.
(5)Krista G.
This place is always busy. Service is subpar if you go during their prime time hours usually lunch time til 8:30 pm. The food is good depending on the day you go. I've had some amazing meals at chef ping and I've had some bland meals as well. I'm guessing different chefs and cooks prepare differently? The Sapporo is cheap compared to other restaurants which is a plus. When it's busy and the food takes 30+ minutes those sapporros help with the eagerness of the wait.
(3)Jennifer Z.
I've come here quite a few times over the year whenever we are in the area. It's extremely well managed- very modern in decorations and decent size establishment. Every time we've stopped by- there's either been a wait for a table or it's been rather full. Business seems to be great for them so definitely call ahead if possible (I always seem to forget..) Also a side note: they're closed on Mondays and while I know that- I've definitely stopped by many a times then to find it closed! Some of my favorite dishes: 1) Salty Egg Yolk Crab - I'm not even a fan of seafood...let alone crab, but this dish is quite a spectacular combination as the salty egg yolk truly brings out the tenderness and flavor from the crab. Even the crab shell is delicious! 2) Pong Pong Chicken - the chicken wings are spicy and tangy dripping with a sweet, spicy and sour sauce that's delicious. 3) Home Style Toss - a great stir fry that's very comfort-food esque and authentic in both flavor and taste. 4) Noodles!! All of their noodles are fantastic,but my personal favorite is the Noodle in Black Bean Sauce which is dry and has no soup to it. Even though this dish is commonly popular dish in Korean, I believe it's origins are actually from Beijing, China. In Chinese cuisine, it's made slightly different from it's Korean version and Ping's makes it to perfection! My family's big on seafood so their top picks would be the Ping's Noodle Soup and Seafood Noodle Soup. Definitely worth stopping by if you're ever in the area. Some very innovative and creative Chinese food with authentic and delicious taste!
(4)Lisa G.
amazing food for the price...the staff is helpful in finding a dish you like! they are really fast and have really decent prices for the amount of food you get! I really enjoy going there for any meal lunch, dinner or carry out! always busy every day!!! i heard through the grapevine that the owner is a former owner at Yu's mandarin when they used to be super busy! highly recommend this place!!!
(5)Anthony M.
We have gone to literally dozens of Chinese restaurants over the last 40 years and I sincerely mean that this is the absolute best. The menu has both authentic chinese cuisine and also menu items that would appeal to those familiar witht the stock and trade selections. The staff has always been pleasant and accommodating. When ever I go to an ethic restaurant I look to see how many people from that country are in the establishment. Chef Ping enjoys quite a Chinese following as well as people who are not. We love the steamed dumplings, egg rolls, aged tofu and pork, sesame chicken, shrimp , chicken and vegetables, the combination fried rice and more. There are more items on the dinner menu than the lunch menu, but the latter has more than enough choices for the average consumer. Tony M
(5)Terri J.
Chef Ping has the best Chinese food in the area. This is the family that used to own Yu's back when Yu's was the best Chinese food in the area. Yu's has gone downhill, but thank God Chef Ping opened up. Their crab rangoons are very good, but a bit unusual (mustardy kind of taste). The lemon chicken and sweet n sour chicken are excellent. Other family members love the eggplant and beef selections. It's our go-to Chinese carry-out place. Luckily for us it's super close. Add a trip to Oberweis (next door) and it makes for the perfect meal. Carry-out service is best if you use their online ordering tool as we've had incorrect orders when placed over the phone. Overall - a great carry out experience!
(5)Gail D.
One of the best fresh Chinese food in town! Not greasy at all! Staff is super friendly. Has lots of options. From the typical Chinese favs to the more eclectic not your average dishes. I crave this place at least once a month!
(5)Marcus O.
This was an excellent experience. First off the food was top notch. I started with egg drop soup which was very good. For the main entree I had Ping's Noodle Platter which were probably the best asian noodles that I've ever had. The service was amazing as the staff was very attentive. I can't wait to go here again and would highly recommend!
(5)Irene Z.
It's been a while since my last visit, but came for lunch with a colleague 2 weeks ago, and it was so good that I ordered out for the family that weekend. It was packed at lunchtime! We arrived at the thick of the lunch hour, at 12noon. The parking lot here is small and we were one of several cars circling the lot. Unfortunately, there are no expanded parking options since the neighboring businesses have their own separate lots. We were planning to leave after circling for the 3rd time but were lucky and managed to catch a space right before we pulled out. So glad we were able to stay. Lunch specials are great and cheap (for the amount and quality of food). I went with the sesame chicken and my colleague went with the almond chicken. We both had the egg drop soup. Combos come with rice, spring roll and fried wonton. I forgot how good the food is here and I was so hooked that I ordered the sesame chicken again for the family, along with shrimp w/lobster sauce, and the spring rolls. My coworker was very happy with her almond chicken. We both had enough leftovers and had them for lunch the next day. There was a wait when we initially checked in at the host stand, but the other groups waiting were parties of 4 or more. Since we were only 2, they managed to squeeze us into one of the booth/chair tables. Loved that. Service was fast and pleasant. Sunday dinner carryout was easy and painless. Food was ready within 30 minutes even during the busy dinner rush. I was lucky and got the one 'carry-out' parking spot right up front. One new thing I learned - we're used to carrying out our Chinese food at Chef Ping's and only occasionally dine in. There was a noticeable difference with the sesame chicken dining in and carrying out. While both were delicious, it tasted much better and crispier when I dined in rather than having the sauce soak in and making the chicken softer by carrying it out. Good both ways, but I preferred the crispier chicken in restaurant just a tad more over the softer at home. In any case, sesame chicken is my new fave here!
(5)Francisco P.
Great food but felt rushed by our waiter.
(4)Jenny H.
Good luck finding parking on the weekends! We circled around and finally decided to camouflage our car in an adjacent lot. Thank goodness someone in our group made reservations. Otherwise, we'd end up with a at least a 40 minute wait. With six in our party, we were seated awkwardly, yet cozily in an elongated booth. Each ordered a dish and had a FEAST between the cantonese style lobster, jja jang myun, tofu, sauteed veggies, sesame chicken, etc. Of course, endless rounds of hot tea and rice all around. While Chef Ping may not replace the deep-rooted nostaglia I harbor for some of the older chinese hole-in-the-walls, it's very close. It is definitely chinese food done well and I'm glad for this addition in the 'burbs!
(4)Soo Jin M.
Pretty decent jja jiang myun. Slightly on the bland side but you can fix that with a little radish. Ggam poongi was ok too. Seafood stir fry thing was good as well. Not as good as great seas but will suffice.
(4)Sharon L.
We have been going to Chef Ping's since they first opened. We have never been disappointed. The service is fast, accurate and friendly. The food is delicious and consistent. We have tried many, many different dishes and have loved them all.
(5)Elaine M.
We are so happy we've found Chef Ping! Now we don't have to drive into the city and endure horrible service at Great Seas whenever we crave Korean style chicken wings. The pong pong chicken (not on the menu) aka lollipop chicken is SO good - we order it every time we come here. It's crispy, sweet, and the perfect amount of heat. In the three times that we've been here so far, we've also ordered chajangmyun, champong, gang pong chicken, walnut shrimp, salt and pepper squid, and szechwan eggplant. Always piping hot and delicious. The wait staff is great and managers / owners are always around to say hi or lend a hand. We will definitely be back! (Thanks to May of Body Accessory / Style4U for sharing your Chef Ping food porn with us on facebook!)
(5)Tom E.
Great food. Wonderful, prompt service. Affordable. Always full so I'm not the only person who believes in the place.
(5)Eugene P.
Went here for a rehearsal dinner and I kept on shoveling food in my face without even checking to see what it was. It was very tasty but my favorite would have to be the walnut shrimp and Peking duck. I basically had to be rolled out of that restaurant. It was good food, clean and great service.
(4)J J.
I've been coming here for years and it is my go-to spot! I'm happy to drive a decent distance to come here, because their food and customer service is the best. It has always been consistent and the entire staff is extremely attentive. Even the owner has come to our table before and he is very friendly and personable and gets us whatever we might want. It's an all-around awesome experience every time I come here and I always leave extremely satisfied, which is a testament to how good this place is. The restaurant is very clean as well, which means something to me, because the fact that they care to take care of the place, shows that they care about what they do. I've been to more than my fair share of chinese restaurants and so I have a lot to compare to. Plus, chinese food is probably my favorite type of cuisine. Needless to say, I'm obsessed with this place:) I only wish I could come here once a week! I love Ping's!
(5)Jean C.
I love their food but hate the wait for a table, especially on a weekend night. 15 minute wait turned to 45!!
(3)Mao W.
In my mind, Chef ping is one of best chinese food (if not THE best) in chicago area. Authentic and tasty. Service is great. Parking is crowded everyday, so get there early. If you want to try something different, I recommend: Steamed pot sticker (dipping into the hot source a little bit will enhance the flavor) Salty-egg york crab Beef belly and tofu stew Mandarin soy duck (cold dish) Hot braised fish Szhewan fish casserole (this one is spicy) Yu-Shang pork Chef ping seafood combo Sea food peking noodle and sea food noodle soup Yang chow fried rice
(5)Kenneth C.
This is a great suburban restaurant for Chinese food with an added Korean touch. While it may lack the authenticity of Chinatown, the dishes are made with fresh ingredients and are wonderfully flavorful. The restaurant is always crowded on the weekends but service is quick without being too intrusive. Korean dishes are decent too. You really can't go wrong here.
(5)Vera F.
Best Chinese food in the area. Outstanding, exceptional in fact. We eat there. First no place to park so it took almost 15 to 20 minutes to get a parking place. Then a 30 minute wait for a table. This was at 5:00 on a Saturday. Service was not so good. Went with my daughter & husband. My husbands food came about 15 minutes before mine & my daughters. This was really irritating. Then the waiter seemed rushed and as if he had no time for us. Another waiter worked hard to help him out which was appreciated. In the future will carry out because the food is truly amazing.
(4)Kevin C.
Chef Ping serves moderately priced and very tasty Chinese food. It's a huge draw for Asian and white families alike, which is great for the waiters because Asian people tip like shit. It's hard to pin down the exact nature of the food here. On the one hand, you've got typical faux American-Chinese dishes like General Tso's and Cashew Chicken (the bologna of Chinese food). On the other, you have spicy fried shrimp and authentic chicken pops, and for some reason there's just one page in the menu that's written in Korean. MYSTERIOUS. I'm curious as to whether or not there's an actual Chef Ping, or if he's a fictional character like the Burger King. If it's the former, that's an extremely bold move naming the restaurant after himself. It'd be like someone naming a school "Principal Jones." If it's the latter, I'd like to shake his hand.
(4)Frank A.
Again, I'm skeptical of Chinese joints in the burbs, but I gave it a shot based on people constantly recommending this place to me. So I finally drop by and it looks like a renovated Baker's Square. The interior has been revamped to include a small bar updated decor with a private room. Staff was nice and attentive. Ordered different items including duck, black bean seafood noodle dish, salt and pepper shrimp, pong pong chicken. I've also tried other menu items on different visits. Loved the pong pong chicken. It's basically chicken wings that have been half de-boned into a sort of lollipop finger food. Salt and pepper shrimp was de-shelled and had a light batter. It included bits of peppers for added spice. Like mentioned below, their noodles are not mixed with the sauce / meats. It is mixed as it arrives at your table. I actually liked that presentation because it looks fresh as opposed to some dish that was prepared ahead of time and could have sat there in the kitchen for who knows how long. Overall, a good dining experience. Only slight complaint is that it is slightly more expensive than traditional Chinese restaurants. This place can get super busy, so I usually try to hit this place up just ahead of the dinner rush.
(4)Dmitry G.
For those of you who love to pig out on this kind of slop--well, what can I say? For those who look for quality and are a bit more discerning, take heed: Ordered jia jiang myun, kung pao chicken and the 8 Happiness. It is very evident that they reuse their hot peppers (hence, the black, bitter taste to the peppers with absolutely no heat) and also pre-cook the sauces and chicken wings. The sauce was beyond salty because it had been heated and re-heated multiple times and the chicken wings were fried how many days before serving with the sauce applied at time of serving. Open your eyes people! I feel sorry for you--learn about quality--maybe learn how to cook for yourself. Also, they are very stingy with the napkins and chopsticks. The servers can use an attitude adjustment. Signed, someone who knows the restaurant business.
(1)Yane Y.
Okay, I've been here about 7 times or so, but for living in the area for about 6 months or so, I'd say that's decent! Soo, there are certain dishes that I order when I come here. We've tried a couple of dishes, but there are those "signature" dishes that we like - and stick to! Here they are: 1) Chef's Ping Seafood Noodle Platter - a must! OMG, sooo sooo good. If you've ever had "jjam-ppong" (Korean-chinese style hot and spicy dish), this is basically a "dry" version of it, i.e. without the soup. 2) Pong Pong Chicken - I think that's what it's called. They're tiny little chicken wings that are good. Pretty decent. 3) Ma Po Tofu - I lOVE tofu. So, this is a pretty good dish. 4) Sweet & Sour Pork - This is not the American style sweet & sour pork with red sauce. This is the Asian-style (not sure if it's Korean-style or Chinese-style, but definitely not an American red-sauce) sweet & sour pork sauce. 5) Black Bean Noodles (sometimes) - This is decent. Not the best ever. But it's aight.... **I tried their honey walnut shrimp dish because so many people raved about it here on yelp. However, personally, I'm not a big fan of THICK batter, and really thick and sweet sauce. It was a bit much for me, so I can't do that. **I tried their kang-ppong-gee (Korean style chicken wings) on another occassion - wasn't too impressed. My husband and I prefer the pong pong chicken over the kang-ppoong-gee. (spelling?) Too bad I can't comment on the other dishes.... Overall, this is what I would consider a "Korean-Chinese" restaurant. A lot of their foods and dishes, I feel, are more catered to Korean people or a Korean style. This is not an authentic Chinese restaurant, nor is it an "American-Chinese" restaurant. Soo, are you wondering what a "Korean-Chinese" versus "American-Chinese" versus Authentic Chinese restaurant is? Well, basically, the pre-fix describes the type of people that the Chinese restaurant caters to. So, Korean-Chinese restaurant would have your "black bean noodle" (jja-jjiang-myun) and your "jjam-ppong" (no idear! what this would be called in English, maybe Seafood Noodle soup?). Your American-Chinese restaurant will have food catered toward your typical American folks (example, P.F. Chang's). Your authentic Chinese restaurant is catered toward Chinese/Taiwanese, etc.!! Not Koreans, Not Americans, Not anyone else --- although you will probably find Koreans, Americans, etc. An example of a more authentic Chinese restaurant in the area is "Hong Kong Cafe". Now, you can look at their menu and tell that they are authentic Chinese... Hopefully this whole bit about "Korean-Chinese", "American-Chinese", and authentic Chinese make sense. haha.... good luck and hope you can find some good foods to enjoy here, as well! Cheers! and Happy eating!!!
(4)Dr S.
never had a bad meal everything here is top notch and very delicious, if u want great chinese cusine, this place is a must.
(5)George S.
EXTRA CRISPY EGGPLANT! I get it every time, its a family favorite and a personal favorite. It is easily the best asian cuisine I have had on this side of the pacific. I have had many different dishes as well, like the lemon, orange, kung pao, chicken and the the fish filet, all is amazing. I just got the mango chicken the other day and it was delicious. The place gets pretty packed during lunch and dinner hours but its worth the wait regardless. I live in the city and have made trips out to this place because its that good. I don't know what else I can say about it but that its the best...
(5)J G.
Whole family loves this place and the food. We dine in and order carry out. Never disappointed.
(5)Mr C.
I love Ping! It gets crowded and you may have to wait to sit on a busy night. Overall, it's legit.
(4)Melanie S.
Chef Ping is pretty great, and second only to Yu's. This is not surprising since the owner of Chef Ping used to be the chef at Yu's. My friend and I came here on Super Bowl Sunday, and no surprise, it wasn't crowded at all. We were greeted warmly and shown to a comfy booth. Service is very friendly and attentive...almost too attentive. We weren't even settled in to our table before they were on us like white on rice (pun intended) to place our order. Since it was our first visit, we wanted to take our time and look over the menu carefully before making any decisions. They brought us hot tea promptly and by then we were ready to order. We tend to stick with the basics (no sauteed intestine with pickled cabbage for us!) and ordered egg rolls, Mongolian beef, Phoenix in green (chicken with vegetables) and combination fried rice. The egg rolls naturally arrived first, and were a great starter. They were hot, crispy, and not a trace of grease. They're on the small side, which is fine because there was plenty more food to come. The rest of our food came out quickly, and it was piping hot and looked delicious. Our favorite chicken dish at Yu's is Snow White chicken and Chef Ping's comparable version, Phoenix in Green, was quite good as well, and includes more vegetables, like zucchini and broccoli. It was good, but I have to give the edge to Yu's. Their Mongolian beef was a hair on the sweet side for me, but the beef was tender, and cooked well. My only nitpick is the combination fried rice. It was described on the menu as having chicken, beef, and shrimp, and instead of beef, it came with ham. Obviously I am a fan of the swine, but I was disappointed as I was expecting beef. I nicely inquired about it to a server who explained that the combination fried rice always comes with ham and not beef. Okay...that's fine, but why does your menu description say otherwise? Overall, we both enjoyed Chef Ping. It's comparable to Yu's on all levels, in quality, price and portion size, but we agreed that if we're hauling ass all the way out to the 'burbs for Chinese, we'll likely stick with Yu's. It's just better all the way around. Don't let this deter you from Chef Ping though. It's still head and shoulders above most Chinese restaurants out there. Just not Yu's :-p
(4)Uday K.
I stopped here for a quick lunch of vegetable fried rice. Awesome stuff. Non spicy and just right ratio of rice and veggies. Good place for an elaborate Asian lunch.
(4)Jon R.
Not the best place for 1 guy and a bar during the pickup takeout food hours. So I moved from bar to table. Hot and Sour soup is wonderful and peppery. Complimentary tea at the table...good stuff. I ordered a bottle of cold sake, Ozeki, great stuff. No complaints on pad Thai either. Rice noodles are made homemade daily. I could probably give this 5 stars, but I went with 4. Fast service, great tasting food.
(4)Bob P.
One of the best options in an area of many restaurants I appreciate Chef Ping's because: 1) It is not a chain (although it is in the old Baker's Square building) 2) Prices are reasonable (lunch specials, I did not see what dinner prices are) 3) Portions are large enough 4) Service is great (kept the water filled, we served our own hot tea, closing check was quick). 5) Food was quick, hot and most importantly delicious. Went there for the 1st time a week ago. Just suggested it for another meeting next week where I will have to pass Yu's Mandarian and about 25 other restaurants to get there this seems one of the best options in the area, especially if you want something safe that meets most criteria (vegetarian, flavorful, not spicy or spicy). Best Chinese I have found in area. Best low/mid priced food in the area.
(4)Rachel G.
Best Chinese food in the area. Hands down! Sesame chicken is awesome. Mongolian beef awesome. Chicken with broccoli awesome. Egg rolls awesome. Ping wings awesome! (And spicy!) Fried rice awesome. Go eat there now!
(4)Anya C.
My favorite Chinese place. authentic Chinese food. Not too salty or oily, Fresh, get food right away after order. went there 10+ times
(5)Jan L.
Wow, this is by far the best Chinese food I've ever had. Let me first say that I am really picky about Chinese food and I don't like the American version of it. After reading everyone's review on Yelp I've decided to try this place. We had the shumai, it took about 30 minutes for them to cook but my goodness, it was worth the wait. So delish. Also had a couple of the home made noodle dishes... so good and so fresh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it now. Service was super friendly from the hostess to the bus boys and the waitresses. If you like authentic Chinese food this is hands down the best in the area. Try to go there during week days as the weekends can get really crowded (for good reasons I may add). I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(5)DEALS D.
stopped by for my birthday dinner with kids. all I can say is wow. the service and food A++++. the waitress that took care of us was perfect the food came up like clock work. the taste was incredible. tried the pong pong chicken and baby bockchoi seafood noodle platter will recommend and coming back. the favors the quality was incredible.
(5)paul l.
Best Jiang Ya (Mandarin Soy Duck) in the greater Chicago area. Ditto for the Summer Salad (Double Skin). My wife always orders Three Taster, as it has generous portion of sea cucumber slices than any other Chinese restaurants in the Chicago area, especially considering the $15.25 price. La Jiao Mien (Ping's Noodle Platter) is still as good as Yu's Mandarin days. I would prefer thicker/fatter noodles than the thin ones they are currently using. The owner is very courteous, going from table to table, fill tea cup(s) and asking for patrons' feedback.
(4)Aletta J.
Succulent shrimp, deep fried honey walnuts, green beans flash fried, mango tomato chicken, mushroom/tofu, pork tofu, and potstickers. Our lunch for five and the smallest takeout box ever! We went with frequent diner friends and enjoyed everything. I could leave the tofu mushrooms; a bit chewy and tofu reminded me of grade school tapioca pudding. I prefer the solid pack kind. Should have ordered 2 orders of potstickers---mmmmmmmmmm. We were back on New Year's Eve and it was PACKED, but we were seated w/in 10 mins of our reservation time. Our waiter was fun, flirtatious in a fun way and couldn't have been more non-imposing even though they were busy. Going back soon -- the chili oil is addictive!!!
(5)S I.
The food is as good as its ever been. I went about a week ago with the fellas and between three of us we ate 4 dishes and a few drinks each. Although it's not the cheapest around I think it's worth every penny. The food is amazing. Flavorful, fresh, meticulously prepped, presented well, and service is over the top good. I can't wait to take my folks and have a grand time with them as well. Only downside I can think of is no reservations but I'll wait for good stuff :)
(5)Howard L.
This is a 6 month old (ie, new) Mandarin style restaurant, and located in a gutted ex Bakers Square restaurant. It's nicely done and comfortable inside. Every item we had was very good, and we had a lot of variety for our party of 8. Amongst the dishes: * cold duck and jellyfish appetizers * cold spicy beef appetizer * sea cucumber with the largest beef tendons I've ever seen * sea cucumber with shrimp and scallops * fish filet with yellow chives * beef stew in pot * Schezwan chicken wings * clam soup * Chef Ping spicy noodle soup One drawback is that there are no set family style menus. You are on you own to pick ala carte entrees to create your feast. They have a vibrant main dining room, but also a more private room in the back with 5 round tables for 10 each. They can tone the spiciness down nicely, as none of our dishes were overly spicy per request. Value is reasonable, given the new, clean, and convenient suburban setting. Their servings tend to be a little heavy on the use of sauce and gravy, and that's probably the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating for this reviewer.
(4)Mark S.
Definitely got what I paid for. $11 for Mongolian Beef with white rice, an egg roll, soup and a coke. Pretty good deal, but the food was not worth eating. I won't be back. It was very bland and the quality of the beef wasn't too good. Service was great.
(2)Michele B.
The food is great but got takeout for lunch. You cannot get the lunch special which includes soup so if you want it you pay extra!?!?! Told them I would be there in 15-20 minutes got there in 15 and the food was sitting on the counter COLD. Hope this improves in the meantime I will eat there.
(2)Alec H.
Best noodles around!!! I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter. Go early to avoid the long wait.
(5)Jen H.
All I can say is horrible! By far the worst dining experience ever! We called in a carry-out order on Christmas and we were told it would be ready 45min. I got there 45-50 min after the order was called in and was told "just a few , they are working on it now" After 15min of me standing there waiting I asked again how long and I was told "it's almost ready" Another 15 min went by and I asked yet again and I was told "it's coming right up" then they said I could pay so as soon as it was ready I could go. I paid and waited ANOTHER 30min!!!!!! Finally after standing there for over a hour waiting by the bar for the order and asking numerous times how much longer would the wait be and at this time I let them know this was the first time we had ever ordered from them- I was told that they would "throw in some almond cookies and take 15%off" What a slap in the face that was but I just wanted out of there! It was Christmas and I had 8 people waiting for this dinner! When I finally got the order (2 hours after it was called in!!!!!) and got home(less than 5min away) 2 of the 4 dishes we had requested to be EXTRA spicy and they had absolutely no heat at all to them, all of the dishes and appetizers were stone cold and had NO flavor at all then to top it off 1 of this items was not even in the bag! The 1 item that was not even in the bag was for a child!!! I called Chef Ping to let them know how after waiting there for over a hour we did not even receive everything and the lady went on to make every excuse "we are busy" and "it is Christmas" and I even got "I noticed it wasn't in the bag but you had already left" Now mind you she had the telephone number on the receipt that she was HOLDING!!!! Then the final straw was when she said "you should not order out from a new place on a holiday" I worked in the restaurant business for 10+years and if ANYONE ever had to wait the first thing is you offer them something to drink-a water, a pop, tea or coffee. And if someone is there for DOUBLE the amount of time they are told, the smart thing to do is offer to comp the meal for them and try to get them to come back- word of mouth is key to any good business! Anyone can make good food when your slow but you show how truly good you are when you are busy and if that is how you treat all of your customers, I have a feeling there will be a new restaurant there in a couple years! Attached to the carry out bag it said to share your experience- Not only am I doing that on Yelp but I have already told 6 people who were talking about going there about my experience and how poorly I was treated, they are finding new restaurant in the area to go to!
(1)Vivian H.
My boyfriend's family has been coming here forever I guess, and there's a reason for that! Yummy korean seafood noodle soup, chicken pops, spicy shrimp.. scrumptious. And when we ordered wrong, the staff was nice enough to take it back and not charge us for it (UNHEARD OF, esp in Chinese restaurants!) It was a little weird that our waitress did not speak Chinese...
(4)Rickson W.
i just dont understand this place.people who eat here act like its the best chinese place they ate.I ate thier pai thai and it wasnt good at all.However it almost seems like people are addicted to this place.I ask one question when you go to any chinese restaurant.are they using MSG in their food which stimulates your senses in your brain to like it better? Just ask
(1)Cherie R.
My parents and I have been coming here since it opened - and before used to go to Yu's Mandarin since I was about five. (The chef used to work there!) Suffice to say this is our favorite Chinese restaurant - for the Chinese Korean food! I used to order the Mongolian beef and NOTHING else growing up - and it's still as fantastic as ever. I have, however, branched out a little bit and eat the jjampong and the jajangmyun pretty frequently as well. Don't miss out on the noodles, people - we used to trek out here from downtown just to have them!
(4)Jennifer M.
We had dinner here the other night. The service was exceptional at being attentive. The appetizers were not very pleasant tasting. The main courses were good and plentiful. Ice water and a pot of tea were delivered to our table by the Busser immediately upon being seated. The Server came by and checked on us frequently for any additional requests we may have had. Throughout dinner, our empty plates were removed from the table. The restaurant manager walked by often to ensure everyone's happiness. The Clam Soup for 2: I didn't think there was enough clam in the soup. I thought it could use a little miso to cut the taste of clam in the broth. The Crab Rangoon: I've had better at the Red Lantern. I wasn't crazy for the cream cheese or its oily fryer taste. Mango Shrimp: I liked the gradual heat that comes through with every bite. Fish Casserole: Extremely hot. All the flavor is on top so be sure to stir the pot! Szechwan Prawn: It sure seemed like shrimp and not prawns to me! It could just be me. There's plenty of choices on their menu. We'll definitely be back; not on Monday's, they're closed.
(3)Jasmin V.
Chef Ping's has almost the exact menu of Yu's with the exact taste. Smaller than Yu's and just as packed. Always filled with Asians and my parents believe that's the best review for Chinese resturants.
(5)John L.
Their food is phenomenal. I enjoyed some sort of spicy beef while my date had the mango chicken. With the large portions, I was able to take home a couple of lunches, beef and chicken. I could not believe the flavor combination of the mango chicken. Wow! A slice of heaven here in Rolling Meadows. Service was exceptional also. With a couple of drinks and a tip the prices were unbelievably reasonable. Don't miss this one if you are in the neighborhood. In fact go out of your way to visit! Thank you for an excellent meal.
(5)Wendy M.
Ok, I was skeptical of this place since I grew up in the Chicago Chinatown area but after been here a couple of times I changed my mind. I think the food is fresh and well prepared. We had a variety of dishes since we had over 10 people at our table and everything is served family style. My favorites were the chicken wings, walnut shrimp and Ping's noodle platter. They make their noodles fresh and you can tell. Definitely a must try if your in the neighborhood.
(4)Rachel H.
I absolutely love Chef Ping. I have been frequenting this gem of a place the past year. Legend has it the owner used to own Yus Mandarin and sold it a while ago (15-20 years), retirement bored him, so he opened Chef Ping! We always get the The Seafood Noodle Platter no matter what other dishes we order, it absolutely rocks!! The Salt and Pepper Smelt is divine, always crispy and perfectly seasoned.I am particularly partial to the garlic and peppers that are sprinkled on it. The dinner menu carries a dish called "Fish Casserole", it takes about 20 minutes to prepare, but the wait is worth it. The fish is served in a spicy broth, think boiled fish from Lao Schezwan with Shitake Mushrooms. This is everybody favorite, whomever I take to eat here, falls in love with this dish.Other notable mentions are the Clams in Black bean, my oldest nephew (7 year old) can eat the entire dish all by himself, if we are lucky my sister or I distract him and steal a clam...if we are lucky. The dumplings are a good child pleaser, I havent me ta child who doesnt like them. Lunch options are pretty good. I see a lot of Chinese/Korean folks at lunch time. Most of them get some kind of a noodle in a black sauce. It is eaten with the pickled radish and onions...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I always vow to get it the next time, but somehow I default to the noodle platter!! They offer an arrary of cocktails, I havent had a chance to try them...yet. This is not your run of the mill Chinese restaurant, it is upscale, servers speak english and are able to guide you in case you needs reccomendations. A little on the expensive side, but so worth it.
(5)Jackie G.
What a disappointment!! This place was packed so I thought it would be good. I ordered Mongolian beef and crab rangoons. First of all, this place is pricey. If the food is good. I'm for spending a few extra bucks but my beef was just ok. Actually, it was very bland. The thing that bothered me was the crab rangoons. Yuck! They put cinnamon or cloves or something inside that reminded me of Christmas cookies. I've eaten rangoons from many places and have never thrown them out and not eaten them. I will Never eat here again. Waste of money.
(2)R T.
Meh. Passable Gan Pong shrimp and overly sticky Pong Pong chicken (loving the bouncy names). The Ping's noodle platter was quite yummy. We ordered everything spicy coz we like the occasional burn but the spice-o-meter was turned way down. No stringent complaints as the portions were plentiful. I would have added another star just for the noodle platter but the brusque waitstaff put a damper on our experience. Don't be shy about letting loose a few belly laughs. It will simply be drowned out by the noisy chatter. Oh and try the complimentary honey tea. Surprisingly flavorful and yet light.
(3)Jenny V.
i love/hate coming here. hate mostly because its a semi small place and it gets so busy! my family and i like coming here because its closer than Yu's i think we all like it a bit more than Yu's. my favorite thing to get here is their honey glazed shrimp, SO GOOD! i also like to get their mango mochi ice cream definitely call ahead and make a reservation on fridays and weekends. ALWAYS BUSY!
(5)Erin Y.
We really like Chef Ping, and come here often. Our favorites are the jia jia mein with the black bean sauce, the seafood mein, fried squid with spicy sauce, pepper beef, and clams with black bean sauce. The texture of their noodles is perfect. You can easily tell that they're homemade. However, there are usually inconsistencies from our different experiences. The spicy seafood mein was way spicier than usual last time we came. A lot of people who don't mind spicy were complaining about it. Also, the fried squid, which is normally so delicious, did not have enough sauce on it, so it tasted kind of bland. It wasn't sticky like it should be. Anyway, usually our experiences here are pretty good but occasionally, they miss the mark. Overall, this is a good place to get decent Chinese food. They always facilitate reservations for large parties, and the food comes out fast. I'd recommend trying it!
(3)Valerie W.
So, Chinese food is kind of a big deal around my house, and we are p.i.c.k.y. about it. It's difficult to find good Chinese food in this area, and we've pretty much exhausted all of our options. Then... we discovered Chef Ping. It was as if the pearly white gates of Chinese food heaven had opened! My grandmother (from whom I get my love of Chinese cuisine) discovered Chef Ping, and insisted that I take her there. (Right after she found the place she was eating there multiple times a week, bringing whoever she could along!) Where to begin? Appetizers are always a good place to start... - Egg Rolls - made with spring roll skins instead of wanton wrappers - light and extremely crispy. - Shrimp toast - one of our favorites, some places get it... Chef Ping does! Dishes to share - Gan Pong Scallops - cooked perfectly, slightly crispy, perfect glaze, not overly sauced. - Moo Shu Pork - I've been obsessed with moo shu lately, and I love getting it when the server will make the 'burritos' for you. -Seafood Peking Noodle - how can you possibly go wrong with fresh, housemade noodles? I cannot wait to go back to Chef Ping... my mouth is watering already.
(5)Jon C.
This place is one of my 'regulars' for my family and friends. I love coming here to get some of their noodle dishes. I often see more Koreans getting these noodle dishes but if you're not afraid of trying new things and the spiciness, there is the spicy seafood medly noodle dish, and the spicy broth seafood noodle bowl. Not only that, but we end up ordering more than what we should because we love their taste of other dishes. We always get the Pong-Pong Chicken. It's got a sweet and spicy/asian taste to the crispy wings they prepare as a lollipop style. It isn't your average american chicken wing look but still the best asian chicken wings I've had in life. I also strongly recommend getting their mongolian beef, and their walnut glazed shrimp. Sooo good! Definitely worth trying but I guarantee you'll go for seconds. The bad thing is the dinner rush bc it gets overly crowded in the entrance area and if you're there on the weekends, expect to wait up to 2 hours. Lunch time and early dinner time is probably the best time. Also, they bring out the dishes one at a time but reason being is that they claim to make each dish from scratch and freshly prepared to be served right after it's made. After second thoughts on this issue, it isn't so bad to wait but I'm sure people will have different opinions about it.
(5)Ray C.
Korean and Chinese unite in this joint. Ask for Pong Pong Chicken, get some pea pod tips, and whatever else you want.
(4)Phyllis S.
Here's the deal. If you are going at lunchtime, get there by 11:30. Why? Cause if you show up after noon, this place gets packed and you will be waiting in line, otherwise. Seriously, at 11:40 on a Thursday there were like three tables of people eating; at 12:20 every table was full and there was a line out the door. And yeah, the parking lot isn't all that big. So as I walked in, I was impressed by two things, the nice decor, and the subtly sweet and spicy underlying aroma of ginger and garlic. I knew the food was going to be good. I was a little torn about what to get, since I am trying to keep the calories under control. Instead of the veggie stir-fry; I ordered the Thai noodles with seafood and asked them to make it a little spicy. It came with a small salad (nice ginger soy dressing), an eggroll and a fried wonton wrapper. The platter of noodles was A LOT of food. I could NOT eat it in one sitting. (Which is fine by me. The leftovers were a really nice lunch the next day! The food was subtly spicy, as I had requested, and was just wonderful. The seafood consisted of squid, shrimp and scallops and whereas I would have liked a few more scallops, I don't think the portion was skimpy. Also there were a few shreds of carrot, cabbage and a few baby bok choy in there. I'd have liked more veggies, but hey, that's me. I will say this. I was not impressed with the eggroll. It wasn't greasy, but it also didn't have much flavor. Meh. The tea was a nice oolong. (I am a tea snob, so that's saying something.) The price is damn good for the quality and portion size. Some dudes behind us were eating these HUGE bowls of noodles. Looks like each bowl could have fed three people.
(4)Ajay S.
Went here with a large group of family and friends, but made reservations a day befoe. That was a great idea as this place was packed at 7pm on a Friday night. My only complaint was that parking was full and we had to park next door at the banquet hall. We tried a little of everything, about 6 apetizers, and 4 dinners. They include tea for free, which was very nice. I really enjoyed the braised fish, curry chicken, and a noodle dish, which was amazing. Found it flipping through the yelp pictures. I will definately go back!!
(4)Jay S.
I had heard about this place from multiple Asian friends of mine, so I needed to try it out. Needless to say now I understand what they were raving about. Have tried multiple dishes now after going back 3 times in two weeks. Sesame beef and sesame chicken are both excellent. Even my picky boys loved it! Normally they eat nothing with sauce. The chicken pops have a savory spicy sauce that is to die for. Mandarin combo is flavorful with plenty of shrimp, chicken and beef. Also, the pot stickers are the best I have found in over 25 years since my favorite closed. Must go for the food. Atmosphere is really not much to speak of but that's not why you go here.
(5)Jackie L.
this is my go to place for korean chinese food. i love their champong, lahjoh mien and jah jang mien. i try to get their before the rush cuz they don't really have a big parking lot and tables. cuz if your order to go - don't get noodles, cuz they will explode. and if you are feeling extra adventurous - try their eggplant and mapo tofu. yumm!!! but that's cuz i love anything eggplant and seafood. def. prefer this place over yu's. yu's has been skimping on their seafood. i order the same noodle dish and ended up with lots of mussels and squid. and i hate mussels -- what happened to the shrimp and oysters? i hope chef ping's keeps the variety they have in their seafood platter the way it is. don't mess up a good thing. xie xie~~~!
(4)Kerosan L.
Awesome meal for New Year's day: tried szechuan egglant, crispy duck, noodle platter, orange chicken and shrimp eggroll. We wereny disappointed with the service, and food taste. Will certainly be back soon.
(4)Renee G.
The food is high quality, but their soups are not allergy friendly. All of them have shrimp. It would be nice if they had soups that didn't have shell fish in them.
(4)Jen J.
This place rocks! Great lunch prices, nice atmosphere, and fantastic food. Of the many things I've tried, I've yet to find one I don't like.
(5)Danielle S.
I actually came to Chef Ping completely on accident. We meant to go to another Chinese restaurant, but we passed by this instead. I had seen this place many times and wondered what it was like, so we decided to try it out. We were pleasantly surprised! We were seated right away (lunch time) at a clean table. Their menu is pretty small in comparison to other places, but the prices are very decent. We ended up getting tea (for free), soup, our entree, and an egg roll for about $10. Our server was super sweet, very attentive and helpful. She made conversation with us and really wanted to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is very calming as well. It was a great place to go during our lunch break, and we will definitely go again!
(5)Sam P.
Read the rave reviews... visited the restaurant... Food did not meet expectation. Thought it catered to Koreanized version of Chinese food (and in fact had some menu items printed in Korean), but the taste was so so. Nothing exceptional. It's a regular Chinese restaurant with more authentic (i.e. less Americanized) taste, but not a true Chinese taste either.
(3)Laura C.
Went here yesterday with my family. Some food was salty and some food was bland. The eggplant and pork pepper stir fry were salty, everything else was bland. The good thing was that the food came out really fast. Literally within 5 min of ordering, things started coming out. I really liked the vegetarian chicken. The waitress said I might not like it because it's an old style of cooking, but I wanted to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. It was really good. I highly recommend it to anyone that's vegan or vegetarian.
(3)Dan N.
First off a shout out to my Brother in Food Vince V. who took me here for the first time. I know it would be good since he has like 20 check ins here. The old owners of one of the areas great Chinese restaurents Yu's Mandarin oped this place. So there was no dough is was going to be excellent. The two of us ordered way to much food, I'm sure the people around us were asking themselves who are these guys. The FuChiFaePian was referesingly cold and spicy and perfect. The seafood noodles were excellent as well, there are not many places to get noodles like this, there noodles always were and continue to be special. The Walnut shrimp was one of the best renditions I have had. Like Yu's was their seafood always had a freshness that not may Chinese places have. The shrimp are so plump and crisp cooked perfectly. I am counting the days till I can get back there.
(5)Lisa C.
Best Chinese there is. Been eating with them for 30 years and 3 locations. Most of the customers are Asian , so you know it's the real deal. Best Moo Shu ever, but everything is outstanding. Never a bad meal.
(5)Michelle D.
My husband and I recently had our rehearsal dinner at Chef Pings. We are regulars at Pings and even got engaged there!!! So it was perfect to have our rehearsal there. It was about 40 guests in their private room. More food than we could have asked for!! Served family style: Schezwan beef, sesame chicken, green beans, Mongolian beef all delicious!! The owner was very accommodating for our event she even let us bring in our own desserts. I would definitely host another party there Cheers to Chef Ping
(5)Sonni W.
Are you kidding?!! The high ratings are completely misleading. The food was salty and awful. NOT GOOD. No better than "China Buffet" to be honest. If you want good food, this isn't it. If you enjoy salt, and consider Popeye's and Boston Market "4-star", then go for it. I ordered directly from the menu what was supposed to be "spicy with lots of vegetables" and a salad with ginger dressing. Even the salad dressing was so salty it barely tasted of ginger. Then "lunch" came. A scoop of white rice and a sticky glop of meat and sauce with barely any vegetables. Far from the menu description; not even 1/4 of it was vegetable. The Menu also described it as spicy (with a red pepper icon). What I got was super salty but not spicy... at all. I dug through the slop and found ONE little pepper -- still closed, with its hot seeds locked inside. I ate only the rice and the few veggies, letting them toss more than half the food on that plate. It was just awful. Nothing about it is five stars. We actually suspected the staff had written all the online reviews!
(1)Brittany V.
The food was great. You get a lot of food for what you pay. Our server wasn't very attentive, even though the place want that busy. I'm still willing to give this place another shot.
(4)D S.
Easily our #1 family Chinese food spot. The chef is always visible running the ship...GREAT food can't say we have ever had a bad meal...we just need more room on the table for all the stuff we order. I find it hard to go to other restaurants in the area for Chinese after experiencing Chef Ping!!!
(4)Jacob J.
IF you want the real deal, read Brian K's review first. I forgot to re-read it before checking this place out. I think had I, it would've gone far better. So because of Brian.. Way too much hype over this place. I got it, people assume well if Asians like it, it must be awesome. Not all of the time. It's good stuff, just not legendary. It was a Sunday evening and we were surprised at how busy it was. Parking was hard to come by; we waited in the car for a space to open. It's the suburbs and there isn't any available street parking. If you're daring one could park in another businesses lot and hope for the best. There were several family parties going on and many people with smiling faces, so those were all good signs. We ordered a few items which we knew to be good ones. Gan Pong chicken, Ping's chicken wing and a random vegetarian dish, all of which was for sharing. The two chicken dishes tasted similar to each other even though the waitress stressed to us they would be different. One of the two was left behind, but my memory is not cooperating with which, maybe you'll like'm both. We didn't care much, hence the leftovers which sat there uneaten. Imagining if time travel were possible, I would've rather opted to order something off their Korean menu. Their "black noodle" maybe (jja jjang myun) it was on almost every table and looked delicious. Eager faces slurping up noodles, before they got cold. Best way to be eaten. With an order of meager looking egg rolls and sodas our total was around thirty bucks. Their egg rolls look like veg egg rolls or spring rolls you may get at a Cantonese or Thai restaurant. Thin and long like lady fingers, not bulky with filling and crispy from egg roll wrapper. Nice place, great and lively atmosphere with attentive service. Party room available with round tables for many to be seated. However, service is lost in translation. Hard to come by or willing participation from waitresses, when suggestions are needed or a conversation is wanted when something is missing, where are you? Plating was mediocre, the guy doing plating up the street at Denny's does a far better job with their iceberg lettuce.
(3)Sandra Y.
Vegetarian Chicken was good! I really liked it, even though the waitress said I might not like it since it's a traditional Chinese style dish. Honestly, that intrigued me & made me want it more! :p I didn't really like the Szechwan Eggplant here. They used cheap pepper sauce that I always get at the store instead of authentic spicy chillies. I do like the cheap pepper sauce & use it at home, but I expected more from this place. The sauce they made with it was just salty & not very good. Other than that, some food was too salty, some was really bland. Meh. On the plus side, the food came out REALLY fast! As a drink, I had the cucumber mojito. It wasn't really pretty looking, but it tasted alright.
(3)Richard A.
Five stars. It's just really that good. In fact, I'd venture to say the best Chinese in the area! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, perfect for families. In fact, stop by on a Sunday afternoon and you'll find many enjoying a nice lunch. Try the wings. Crispy, spicy and good. Nothing like it!
(5)Stacey P.
I definitely like it here.... problem is it's so small. If you go on a saturday night, get there at like... 5pm for dinner if you don't want a line. NO, maybe 4 pm. Are they even open then? Yes, get there before they open, pitch a tent, and wait. Haha, no it is not that bad, but seriously, it gets crowded early!!! I have to say overall, I like the food. I would happily go back (if it wasn't so far from me) often. BUT...there is a but. It's not THAT good. The food is kind of a mix between westernized and not westernized. It's much better than the super westernized cantonese places like..chow mein house or something, but it's not much better than your other nice "chinese/mandarin" restaurants. Maybe I just didn't order the super good dishes though. I always like the walnut shrimp, because it's sweet and fattening..who wouldn't? I also enjoyed the fried egg plant...because it's sweet and fattening....who wouldn't? (Theme? yes). We also got their yellow leek and pork dish. I *love* that dish at authentic taiwanese/mandarin places, but it wasn't great here. It was just ok. boohoo, oh well. I guess that's about all I have to say for chef ping. It's a good place to eat but nothing that will blow your mind. For chicago, it's probably one of the better chinese places, sadly.
(3)Amy K.
Awesome service, even during extremely busy times. The hand-made noodles are always a hit, as is the fried s&p tofu.
(5)Maya S.
The best Chinese food ever. It's our favorite restaurant we go every week, sometimes twice a week. Great food every time. Everybody that goes there loves their food. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Make a reservation if you don't like to wait. :):):)
(5)Noomi J.
My favorite Chinese food restaurant. Fast service, delicious food with several standouts. Nice interior, always busy. I've been going here for years and haven't had a bad experience. Pongpong chicken ($12.95) - 5 stars. The reason why I go to Chef Ping's. I tried Yu's Mandarin's version, wasn't as good: sauce wasn't as tasty, had more breading, not as crispy. I prefer Chef Ping's tasty lil drummettes to Crisp's, Toreore's, Au Cheval's, Kyochon's, etc. Great Sea Chinese Restaurant's is just as good, more spicy and bigger in size (~$16). Egg yolk crab (market price, we paid $30) - 5 stars. Finger-licking good crust. It was my first time trying out this dish, and I'm so glad that I tried it from here. I love crab, and this was delicious. Jajangmyun ($7.95) - 4.5 stars. My go-to place for this dish. We always order this. It's hard to describe the taste, but it's a mainstream food in Korea. Adventuresome eaters should try this ;D Jjamppong ($8.95) - 4 stars. Decent spiciness. Hangover food haha, or rainy day food. Szechuan eggplant ($10.25) - 4 stars. Crispy with a sweetish sauce. My mum's favorite. Ping's noodle platter ($9.25) - 4 stars. Good amount of seafood chunks. Tame food that won't upset sensitive stomachs. Honey walnut shrimp ($15.95) - 4 stars. I can't remember the price, but I remember that everyone liked it. EDIT Aug 2014 - updated prices, except for jjamppong
(5)Pierre D.
My favorite Chinese spot in the suburbs. Before Ping had opened I had usually found myself going to YU's which is still good but does not compare to Ping! The Noodle Platter is always a good choice. It's packed with scallops, beef, shrimp, and plentiful vegetables. Honey Walnut Shrimp are huge, fresh, and delicious! While they may seem a bit expensive they're damn worth it, however the dish is soo rich that you should have it for sharing and not as a main course. I've had several other dishes here, and never have been disappointed. My only gripe so to speak is sometimes they get backed up and the wait times can be long. The parking lot is small so if you can't find a spot and they suggest you park next door then odds are you are in for a long wait. I'll give them a 5 cause well they're the best in the area!
(5)Derek C.
I've been here a couple of times and it's been a good experience both times. This place is comparable to Yu's mandarin, altho I still feel that Yu's is slightly better. They pretty much have the same menu. We came here on Saturday night, after trying to get a table at Yu's, but the wait there was horrendous, so we decided to give Chef Ping's a try. The wait time was less, but the place was crowded and so was the parking lot! the service was great and everyone was really attentive to our needs. two dishes I'd highly recommend are the honey glazed walnut shrimp and the szechwan eggplant. I'm a huge meat eater, so I wasn't excited about my wife ordering the eggplant, but after I tasted it, I quickly changed my mind! the honey glazed walnut shrimp wasn't as good as the first time I had it, but it could have been an off night for the kitchen. All in all, the food was delicious, and every enjoyed the meal. If I were to pick between Yu's and Ping's, I'd probably say Yu's, but Ping's is not far behind!
(4)Gary C.
Hands down, the best Chinese food in the Northwest burbs! I've eat there many times with family and friends and have never been disappointed. Chicken kung pao, pot stickers, hot sour soup, any noodle platter(Ping's seafood platter is my favorite), Spicy Beef Stew, orange chicken, General Tso's chicken, walnut shrimp are all out of this world! I ACTUALLY hate to share these complementary words...it'll only make the wait that much longer for me next time I go ;-)
(5)Sherwin C.
Relatively good food overall for both lunch and dinner. Sometimes can be a little heavy on the salt but the food is very flavorful. Don't miss the fresh noodles here or their specialties. Place gets very busy early so you need to either make a reservation or arrive early on most nights of the week. Service and cooking is relatively fast though so even if you have to wait it won't be extremely long (except maybe on weekends). If you want to eat authentic cuisine without the long wait, iChef in Hoffman Estates is a good alternative (Yu's Mandarin usually has very long waits as well).
(5)Phill C.
I've been here many times since they first opened... sometimes its 4 stars and sometimes 5, but the Pong Pong chicken wings are always tasty. Crispy & meaty chicken lollipops covered in a sticky sweet/spicy sauce. Highly recommended. You can tell they use quality ingredients and usually everything is delicious. I remember the first time I was there, we ordered a bunch of dishes and was even loving the crab rangoon. They use yellow cream cheese and real crab meat.... mmmmm. Also, any dish with noodles is usually very good, as the noodles are made in-house. Not sure if they still do noodle making demonstrations, as they used to when they were at Yu's Mandarin, but it's pretty cool how they make them by hand. Overall great quality food served in a modern setting. They have lunch specials too!
(4)Mike O.
I chose this place for our latest NW Suburban Dinner group gathering and it was excellent from start to finish. Chef Ping's reputation in other reviews convinced me to try the place. Located on Algonquin next to Oberweis, it really appears unassuming from the street. Once inside, it has the look of class, with its lighting and wall decor. We had a table reserved for 11 people. Service was prompt and friendly from the moment we sat down. They brought out water for everyone and a pitcher of hot tea. The table was round and had a large revolving glass tray int he middle, making it easy to share and pass around the various dishes, carousel style. Thanks to Rachel J, I didn't spend too much time studying the menu and went straight for the Mongolian beef, a favorite Chinese dish of mine. Sure enough it was an excellent choice. I don't know if it's the best I've ever had, but it certainly would rank right up there. Amaliya ordered sauteed peapod tips, which looked like a heaping plate of cooked spinach. However, it was a great dish too. I got to try a sample of it and would certainly consider ordering it next time I came here. In all, I'd say the staff made it a very pleasant dining experience, bringing the food to us faster then I would have expected at most places. They even sang "Happy Birthday" to fellow Yelper George R, in addition to a person at another table who was also celebrating a birthday. I'd recommend this place for upscale Chinese dining at its best.
(5)Matthew N.
Good food, decent price. If you order takeout on the weekends make sure to order about an hour ahead of time. This place is crazy busy on the weekends. Our favorites that we ordered were the cashew chicken, mu shu pork, and pork dumplings. We will go back soon.
(4)Brian K.
FAMOUS FOR (My rating in parentheses) - Champong AKA Seafood Noodle Soup (10/10) - Lajomyun AKA Ping's Noodle Platter (10/10) - Tang-soo-yook AKA ?? (9/10) - Yang Jang Pi AKA ?? (10/10) - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp (10/10) ALSO HAD: - Gan Pong Chicken (3/10) - Szechwan Style Prawn (7/10) - Mongolian Beef (5/10) - General Tso's Chicken (3/10) As you can see, I've been here a lot. Actually, my family and I have been coming here for about 20 years! "How can that be this place just opened?!" Well, I don't know the whole story, but this Chef Ping guy used to be a Yu's Mandarin, and that's where my family's been going. But several years ago, I got the Champong and it tasted a little different. Thinking it was a fluke, I went again later, and again, and again, and again, and each time it kept changing, and each time, the color kept changing. The real Yu's Champong should be something of an Orange color, but it was slowly becoming redder, which is a sign of it becoming more of a typical Korean-Style Champong, which is good too, in its own regard, but I'd take an authentic Yu's Champong any day! In any case, Yu's entire menu started to suffer. We found out after a year that the owners changed to some Korean folks, and as usual here in Chicago, Korean owned restaurants seem to suck. Needless to say, we were depressed, our only source of all those foods mentioned above were gone, because nobody made it like Yu's. Then, we overheard this Chef Ping business, and.... here we are! CHAMPONG Koreans like Mandarin food. Why? Mandarin food seems to have similar foundations as Korean food. One main ingredient is garlic. Koreans LOVE garlic, so everybody's happy! Now, I said earlier that Korean-Style Champong is redder. Well, almost all Korean Style Champong taste the same. It's a bit spicy, and has a sort of a mish-mash aroma with all types of ingredients. There isn't one ingredient that really takes the lead, and it all ends in a fairly satisfying dish. But Ping's Champong is totally different. It doesn't rely on red peppers to deliver the spice and/or taste, rather it relies on fresh vegetables, large and fresh seafood, and black pepper. When it comes out, you get this mound of boiled veggies on top of the noodles in this beautiful orange soup. The first thing you do is taste the soup and instantly, you get this mad rush like you want to down the whole thing. Good thing the heat stops you--or it'd be a waste! Immediately, you taste the black pepper in the front, with garlic in the background, and the whole thing just goes down so refreshingly, you gotta say AHH! I mix everything up and then basically put some noodle, veggies, and meat on the spoon, scoop up soup and eat it out of the spoon, all the way to the bottom of the bowl, till it's dry! The soup is the star of the show here, folks, not the noodles! But, having said that, the noodles are, usually, such great quality! Handmade, for sure, and not stringy, not oversaturated, but just perfect! I'm afraid of running out of room, so I'll mash it all together here. We typically order the YangJangPi first, sort of as an appetizer. It's finely sliced vegetables, sauteed onions, and egg along with mini shrimps, and pork or beef all in a horseradish sauce. It's just incredible and they get such a perfect amount of sauce all the time where it's not nose-hair-melting, but it's not completely weak either. We'll also order Tangsooyook to share, and individual Champongs/Lajomyuns. The Tangsooyook is probably called "Sweet & Sour Pork," but I don't know if there's a Korean/American distinction, because I've seen people order S&S Pork and it came out in a red sauce. This is supposed to be in a golden sauce. It was better at Yu's back in the day, but I guess this'll have to do, which is why it isn't 10/10. The concept is the same as S&S, battered deep fried pork with a sweet/sour sauce. It almost tastes like there's a pinch of honey in it. I'm not sure what the ingredient is, but this beats any red S&S sauce out there...at least on Pork. It's got such a sugary sweet side and such a not-so-tangy sour side that gives it an amazing balance! Champong I already explained. Lajomyun is kinda the same thing, but without the soup, it's more prepared in a Wok with its own sauces. I have such a hard time deciding between the two, because the Champong soup is so amazing, but the Lajomyun platter is so freaking good it makes me wanna melt! It's perfectly seasoned, garlic, soy sauce flavors are evident, but the huge shrimp and scallops with the noodles are just to die for! This & the Champong are the ways I learned to eat vegetables. I hated them as a kid, but they somehow cooked these so well so that the texture is almost completely preserved from when they were raw, but the veggie taste is lightened somehow so that a veggie hater like me could still eat them and enjoy! OuttaRoom!Funny thing is, this Chinese Rest. is so good at these dishes but suck @ standard PandaExp types of Chn Food.
(5)Nic Z.
As long-time visitors of Yu's, we had to try Chef Ping's when they opened, and we've been coming ever since. Although 'inspired' by Yu's, the food is distinctly different. There's something slightly less heavy and healthier about it. It just tastes good. Super friendly staff, delicious food. Not much more to say than that. Go!
(5)Andrew T.
Get their seafood noodle soup, or the Ping's noodle platter. The dining area is a little crowded, and you have to wait a while before getting seated because it is that good. Nuff said, go get in line.
(5)Pam D.
I must admit, I did come here with high expectations. I had Chef Ping bookmarked for quite a while. As we were going to be in the area, we made a point of checking it out for lunch before the holidays. The parking lot was packed and there was a line, but somehow we managed to get a parking space and our wait was only a few minutes for a table. I had hot and sour soup and the Mongolian Beef. The soup was hopelessly bland, even after I tried to doctor it up. My expectations began to fall a bit. The Mongolian Beef on the other hand was very tasty and the portion was quite generous. Christopher ordered the Chef Ping Noodle Soup, which came out quite a while after mine did. The moment I saw it, I knew this was NOT what Christopher had in mind. It was topped with all kinds of seafood and that is absolutely the last thing he will eat. He looked perplexed and said he did not see anything on the menu about seafood and there was another dish that was specifically a seafood noodle soup. We grabbed a carry out menu we had picked up and looked. Sure enough it listed seafood as a prime ingredient. I offered to trade with him, though I had my mind set on Mongolian Beef. At that point Christopher got up and went to the hostess station and checked one of the hard bound menus. In there, no seafood was listed. He decided at that point to send it back. The waiter told us that over time the recipe had changed, but the hard cover menus had not been changed to reflect it. Confusing to say the least. Chris ordered Orange Chicken and the wait began. By the time his food arrived, I was finished with my entree. His food was nice and tasty and very crisp. All the ingredients in both our entrees seemed very fresh. The dining experience was not fun for us, but the food for the most part was decent enough. It was ok, but not a spot I long to return to any time soon.
(3)Sarah S.
I went here for lunch today with four coworkers...we went at 1145 and just barely got a booth! The place gets packed fast after their 1130 opening time during weekdays lunch. We had a very nice waitress (although she did forget to bring my coworker hot sauce & only brought 1 fortune cookie for 5 people...super strange!). The decor is great on the inside! Loved the modern Asian feel to everything. I had the S&S Shrimp Lunch Special for $7.95. A good deal! You get a choice of eggdrop soup, hot & sour soup or salad...then your entree comes with an eggroll & some kind of fried won ton thing. The eggdrop soup was really good but unlike ones I've had in Chinatown. It was loaded with vegetables & had some baby shrimps & tofu in it. My coworker said his hot & sour soup was the best he's ever had. The veggie eggroll was very delish! My sweet & sour shrimp was extremely tasty as well and after all the food I took four fairly big pieces of it home. It comes with a semi fried rice...white in color....with some veggies in it. I didn't think it would come with that kind of rice so next time I will probably just ask for plain brown or white rice. A couple coworkers got jja jjang myun (black bean with noodles dish) & said it was really good with their homemade noodles. I tried it, as well, and I honestly didn't think it was much better then the jja jang myun at Assi. Two other coworkers had the mongolian beef & were extremely underwhelmed even saying they wouldn't ever go back. I didn't try the mongolian beef but perhaps it isn't their best work. They had no problem with splitting our check 5 ways...but that 1 fortune cookie thing was kinda odd. There were some waits to take our order & then to receive our bills which surprised me because I would think they would want people up and out quickly during the lunch hour! I would definitely go to Chef Ping's again but wouldn't go out of my way to eat here! :)
(4)Chelsea H.
Fabulous! We went on a Thursday night and were seated right away and we were served and out of there in half an hour. We ordered the vegetable egg rolls. Delightful! Crab Rangoon was the best I have had in years. The Mongolian beef was tender, tasty, and didn't skimp a bit on the meat. My dish was the General Tsao Chicken. AMAZING! Perfection in the amount of heat to the dish and flavor. It couldn't have been more perfect. Wait, it does... I had a malbec that hit the spot! Will definitely be coming back regularly. We have found our new favorite Oriental food spot!
(5)Sam Y.
4 stars for food and service - 1 for one of the worst jja jjang myuns I've ever tasted - 1 for trying to get tipped twice. (One of my biggest pet peeves) We had a large party. Overall experience was decent. Most of the food we ordered was pretty good. Not as good as Yu's for sure. But they tried to hide the fact that 20% was already factored into the credit card receipt they brought back for me and tried to get tipped twice. This is fraud in my opinion.
(2)Kim B.
I'm new to the area and heard Chef Ping is the best Chinese food in the north suburbs. The food was good but not great. The service was definitely slower than it should have been. I'll probably check out some other cheaper Chinese restaurants before I settle on Chef Ping's as my go-to place.
(3)Jennifer I.
"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand....." Mr. Werewolf of London can look for a place called Lee Ho Fook's all he wants, but on Superbowl Sunday, Melanie S. and I drove to the burbs looking for a place called Chef Ping. Turns out this was the perfect day to give Chef Ping a try...the game kept a lot of folks away. Rumor has it that it's very busy there on Sundays...and every other day of the week. So if giving Chef Ping a shot, be prepared to wait for a table. Snaps to the Chef Ping server for bringing hot tea without us having to ask. It did not take us very long to pick out which dishes we wanted....we ordered egg rolls, Mongolian Beef, Phoenix in Green (a chicken/vegetable dish), and combination fried rice. We enjoyed everything, but there was ham in the fried rice, which was not indicated on the menu...we were ok with it, but given some people's issues with eating pork, I definitely think they need to change the menu. However, the shrimp in the fried rice were a good size...not those lame dinky bay shrimp which you sometimes get, that I think are really Sea Monkeys. Don't waste my time.... Overall, thumbs up to Chef Ping. I'd like to meet his tailor.
(4)Robert B.
Hidden spot I don't think I would have been to. great recomendation by co-workers hotel staff. friendly staff and super good food. YUM
(5)Mark S.
I heard rave reviews about this place but... for a veggie it is a little below average. I did get the only veggie lunch option which was veggie delight (not my favorite), I am sad to say it was a disappointing standard Chinese takeout version of the dish. I imagined that they could make an amazing version of dish, not just the standard sauce on steamed veggies with white rice. I think I could have gone to any Chinese buffet and had the same thing for half the price... the only saving grace in the meal was a small salad with a Japanese style dressing. The non-veggie bean noodles looked really good and my fiend said that he loved it but there was no veggie version of the item, they said that it was not possible to make veggie. The place was packed and the service was fast and good, especially for how busy it was. The only reason this place gets three stars is that everyone I was with said that they loved their meal as a vegetarian at lunch I would say go someplace else with more selection and more taste.
(3)Tricia D.
Food wasn't particularly hot, in the Paris Hilton "that's hot" sense nor temperature-wise. Go to a Chinese restaurant - any restaurant for that matter - and hot food is expected! Our large party had what must have been 10+ courses of food, but none of the dishes were particularly memorable for me. The fried rice was prepared with pineapple and raisins and was creative, but not that great tasting. It was like a pilaf gone wrong. Fried beef wraps, cold appetizers, chicken and frozen veggie soup, steamed fish, green beans, duck, and shrimp... all of it was so-so. I did drool at the sight of the peking duck wraps that the table next to us had though. The most refreshing thing about the night was the watermelon served at the end of the meal and a fortune cookie that told me a cheerful message was on its way.
(2)Jo N.
Excellent food! Prob best Chinese food I have had in a very long time! Fried rice came with large shrimp :)
(5)Linda C.
FOOD: YUMMY! Portions were extremely generous and they certainly make sure you get your money's worth. For example, when we got the tofu and seafood dish, typically its mostly just tofu and vegetables with a few pieces of seafood. But here at Chef Ping's they give you just as much seafood as the tofu! The squid was perfectly cooked. SERVICE: so fast... that's all I can say... wow so fast! Their bus boys clear tables so quickly and the turnover rate for tables is extremely fast for the amount of people they have. We waited all but 5 minutes when it was bustling... I thought we'd be stuck waiting for a good 20 minutes! Just as I grabbed a menu to start looking it over while waiting, we were seated! Wait staff is also very attentive and make sure you get everything you need. ATMOSPHERE: clean, well maintained, and nice decor
(4)Sydney L.
This is my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant. I go here at least a 3 times a months with my family and co-workers. Other than the occasional frustration from waiting to get seated, the service and the atmosphere here is nice. But my favorite part is of course the food. I usually get almond chicken or crab rangoon. The taste is always right, never too salty or too sweet. Chef Ping is a must-go!!
(5)D J.
First time at Chef Ping's. It was awesome: The 3 of us were pigs and ordered tang syuk, pong pong chicken, black bean noodles, veggie/noodle platter, and canton noodles. We could have killed all, but we didn't ;). My only suggestion is more vegetables in the dishes. There were slivers of veggies in the various dishes, but there really should have been more. The pong pong needed more sauce too. The noodles were the best I've had in a long time and were amazing. I didn't see the restroom, but the place seemed pretty clean (asides from the funky odor of people on a muggy summer day in the foyer).
(4)Jenny C.
So my review is purely on the basis of placing an order by phone. This reflects nothing about the food because the food is definitely a solid 4.5/5. First a little background set-up: I was ordering on behalf of my coworkers for lunch. Their online ordering menu was down for some unknown reason which was totally fine. I understood that there are glitches so I was more than happy to call and just ask for the information instead. So, since I was trying to order from the lunch menu yet the lunch menu was not available for viewing at all, I needed to call to see what was available. I called and asked if there were any shrimp options on the lunch menu (mind you I was very friendly and was not at all being difficult about the online menu situation). She listed them and I needed to ask my co-workers (since we didn't know what our options were before) which of the three options they wanted. I asked for just a minute to confirm with my coworkers and then the attitude starts. The hostess or whoever answered the phone was not so subtly ticked off that I needed less than 5 secs to confirm which option we wanted. Then I ordered ganpoong shrimp instead of kung pao shrimp (I accidentally mixed up the words). So imagine my confusion when she said that was going to come from the dinner menu. I asked why when that was the option and the rudeness continued with her response of, "I already told you kung pao shrimp was lunch menu not ganpoong". The conversation ended very awkwardly as I was a little caught off guard at her rudeness. Honestly, I understand it is hectic when it is lunch time. However, I don't think I was being overly demanding, rude, or ridiculous. I wasn't taking my time thinking about the options and I mistakenly mixed up two confusing words . (Try saying each really fast...) But I don't think that permits rudeness from the person taking the order. Overall, it definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth with their unnecessary attitude. I love their food but it makes me a little hesitant to order from them again.
(2)Tim B.
Chef Ping is extremely delicious. The place was packed, indicating the popularity and success of the establishment. I tried three different dishes, and they were all absolutely fantastic. Chicken Wings Black Bean Noodles with Pork Asian Sweet Sour Crispy Beef I highly recommend this food palace for great service and great food at a great price. I look forward to my next meal at Chef Ping.
(5)Jessica Y.
I have frequented this establishment several times with family/family friends and coming with a group is the way to go because you get to try more dishes. Something that I crave from Chef Ping is their Summer Salad - Cold, hot and mustard salad, big serving is how it is listed on their menu or Liang Zhang Pi in Chinese. This dish consists of clear rice noodles, various julienned veggies, and shrimp/beef I think - refreshing, spicy, and has great texture. It is addicting and will clear your sinuses! This is a large dish meant to be tossed/mixed at the table and shared. We usually order a tofu dish, sautéed fish fillet, and noodle soup (Ma Mian). We have had lobster, squid, and various meat dishes that were all fresh and delicious. Décor is a step up from typical Chinese places and you can count on a great "home" meal. Order a couple of dishes and share family style like the Chinese do. Liang Zhang Pi....YUM!
(4)Pari P.
After reading all of the reviews, I set out to finalize the debate between Yu's Mandarin and Chef Ping's. Both restaurants specialize in Chinese cuisine and offer Korean-Chinese dishes but which one do I prefer? I decided to try Chef Ping's again but order something new on their menu that I have never seen on a Chinese menu, Pong Pong Chicken. I was hoping that this was the dish that would separate the two. When we arrived, I noticed that Pong Pong Chicken had been removed from their menu but was informed that they still offered it. A special off the menu dish? Even better. We ordered Pong Pong Chicken and Noodles with Black Bean sauce (jja jjang myun). When the chicken came out, I immediately noticed that it wasn't the same as their Gan Poong Chicken - this was something different. There was more breading and no vegetables - all meat and plenty of it. The plate was full of chicken wings - more than your typical order. The sauce was sweet and spicy and full of flavor. After the first bite, my wife and I both nodded acknowledging that it was good. The noodles came out shortly afterwards. The noodles were perfectly cooked with the right consistency - a little chewy which was exactly how I liked it. The sauce was savory with a meaty aftertaste. Honestly, it's been awhile since I've had homemade noodles this good. This was jja jjang myun done right. What surprised me the most was the service. When the noodles came out, the person who brought it out had two spoons and mixed our noodles for us. Then, our server came by and used scissors to cut the noodles to make them easier to eat. If you are familiar with Asian restaurants, then you'll know that this isn't a common practice. Pong Pong Chicken, homemade noodles, and excellent customer service - that's a triple threat. Chef Ping's wins the title in my book.
(5)Ryan M.
My absolute favorite Asian food. General tso is a great simple dish. Mu shu is excellent - recommend as a appetizer in place of egg rolls. Eggs rolls are not very good at all. Kung pao chicken is a tad on the spicy side beware. And their fried rice you won't be able to stop eating.
(5)Cathy S.
This restaurant is getting worse . Placed a carry out order which was supposed to be ready in 25 minutes. After 40 mins I ask where my food is and she says my rice has been ready for awhile but still waitin for my beef plate. Another 25 mins later my order is finally ready. $28 for two items and my fried rice was cold and smelt like a a burnt match. It tasted awful. Very disappointed again!!! My last visit was not good either but wanted to give it another try .... Sorry I give up!
(2)Junee M.
Well it's an ok restaurant, was my 1st time to try it out. Order for pick-up. I will not consider it an authentic Chinese Restaurant. Food was in a sweet side. Egg Drop was ok, too fancy for my taste. Mongolian beef was better but nothing like PF Chang. Their young chow fried rice was excellent. But the big disappointment was their salt and pepper smelt, not tasty at all. I specifically requested extra crispy smelt but when I opened it, it was very saggy that we need to toast it before we can eat it. To think, I just live 5 mins from this place. Nothing like the smelt from Red Star in Glenview.. Service was nice and pick-up order was fast.
(3)Tunaidi A.
I'm a huge fan of Chef Ping. It seems every time I'm back in the area, it's the one place my friends want to go to... and for good reason. I honestly think Chef Ping is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Chicago northwest suburbs. The decor is pretty modernized and the restaurant itself is very clean and inviting. This isn't all for show either, because the food definitely complements Chef Ping's attractiveness. I think what Chef Ping does best is that it incorporates many sectors of Chinese cuisine into its menu successfully. They don't do it haphazardly or in a jack-of-all-trades style, but excels in all facets of their food. From the "Americanized" Chinese, such as sesame chicken; to the authentic Chinese, such as the casserole varieties; to the Chinese delicacies, such as sea cucumber, abalone, and Peking duck; to the Korean influence, such as jajangmyun; and even to the pleasant inclusion of desserts (something that many Asian restaurants don't offer). Chef Ping is a winner.
(5)Karen O.
Good Food. Very chintzy on the steamed rice. Seriously... If u ask for more. They literally bring u out like 2 more tablespoons... Isn't rice very cheap?? Other than that... No complaints
(3)Jessica N.
Seriously, this is one of the best for Chinese in the Chicago area. And they get extra kudos for having cute decor (a thing most great Chinese food restaurants lack). Apologies for not knowing the english names for most of what we order when I go here with my parents I only hear in Chinese. Must Order: Spicy Eggplant Calamari Seafood noodles (fresh made noodles! SO GOOD!!) They also have a cold noodle dish with tons of finely cut veggies and a wasabi sauce that is so good! I heart this place! Definitely stop by if you are in the area but come early. It gets super crowded!
(5)Jason C.
Having arrived to Chicago after on the road for four hours, we were hungry and need to eat quickly... however when we pulled into the parking lot, it was full and our hope for quick seating disappeared... we slowly walked in and asked for table for two... the hostess asked if we wanted to sit at the bar and I said no... hostess said it'll be five minutes for a table and so we waited. As soon as we got seated, we ordered our food... jjajangmyun, champong and pong pong chicken (their version of kangpunggi). We expected that it would take about 15 minutes to get our food, but nope, we got our chicken within five minutes... then we got our noodles five minutes thereafter. The chicken was good, the only complain I had was that, the wings had very little meat on the wings... they were small compared to say Great Sea... nevertheless the chicken was good. Jjajangmyun - not sure if they have kang jjajang or mul-jjajang... but the one we got tasted a lot like kang jjajangmyun. It was bit on the salty side, but good... however Great Sea's jjajangmyun is still the nest. Chompong - the best champong I had in midwest... yes, in midwest... the one in LA still rains champ! Overall, I give this place four stars for 1) service and 2) taste of the dishes. They gave us our dish quickly and it really hit the spot. This place is far from downtown, so plan your visit wisely.
(4)E S.
Who doesnt love chef pings!?? Pong pong chicken all the way! I wish it wasnt so packed all the time.
(4)Vince V.
The parking lot was completely packed. It has been two years since I first set foot in the restaurant and Chef Ping shows no sign of slowing down. If anything, they've upped their game. The crowd this Sunday night is noisy, busy and visibly hungry. Dishes are flying out of the kitchen and the bar just like every table in the house is full yet the genius of it all was that we didn't wait too long for seating. Dinner itself was predictably fantastic, a greatest hits collection from successful past meals: potstickers, crab rangoon, the spicy seafood noodle platter, the decadent honey walnut shrimp and the ever-present sesame chicken. This was not a night for experimentation given the relatively conservative taste buds of my dining companions. This was a night of going for dishes everyone knew, understood and delighted in and true to form, every dish was executed deliciously.
(5)Charles L.
Fantastic place! Usually try out a place with Kong Pau and their's was great. I hope I get a chance to take the family back to this place.
(5)Sung L.
Great food, Great service, and Great prices! Chef Ping is The Best! Noodle Platter, Black Bean Noodle, Pong Pong Chicken.
(5)Chris D.
I do plan to return to experience the full menu. To have only one vegetarian option on the lunch menu was a disappointment. The food was very good, and I enjoyed the tea. I just do not enjoy feeling I only have one option. The prices are very reasonable. I liked that this restaurant had a diverse crowd, which I always take as a sign of quality.
(3)Esther L.
I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. My family loved the former restaurant these owners had, Yu's. But ever since they parted ways and started this restaurant, neither have been the same. The food is mediocre. Jam-bong is hit or miss; sometimes it is salty. It's best if ordered super spicy. This is my family's go to Chinese Korean restaurant. Generally, the food is pretty good. My family likes the jampong (spicy noodle soup), jajangmyun (black bean noodles), walnut shrimp, and palbochae (which I think is the happy family seafood). However, it's hit or miss. Some days, everything is great and other days, some dishes are off. I guess it depends on who is cooking. I had a pretty disappointing experience at lunch recently. The salad dressing was gross. It tasted like pure ground ginger with soy sauce. It was very sour. I wanted to replace the chicken with shrimp in the pad thai at lunch and the waitress said this would cost an additional $5, when the dish itself was only $6.50. So I would basically be paying double to substitute the shrimp for chicken. And of course I was charged full price when I asked her to hold the chicken. There was no discount for not having any meat even though she wanted to charge double for a different protein. The pad thai was just okay. It's not the best I've had. It was sweet and kind of boring. The flavor was missing. We also ordered the kung pao shrimp lunch special, the black bean noodles, and the noodle soup. Only the black bean noodles and noodle soup were good. I will probably not order from the lunch menu again and will stick to what I know is good.
(3)Yu H.
I've long dreaded reviewing this place. I've been coming here since it opened like twice a month but a part of me just doesn't want to review it. I don't want to, I don't want others to know but that's apparently already too late given the 45 minute waits for dinner on a Wednesday night. God this is painful to say but....this is my favorite restaurant. In my travels eating all over the place this restaurant in my opinion has reached the perfect balance of quality, taste, price, portion, service, and ambiance. God it love it so. Let me explain: I've had a history with Yu's Mandarin which used to be my favorite but as the rumors go, their head chef sold the place and quit. He waited a while and then opened up this place down the street with basically the same recipe's as Yu's but with slight improvements. Quality at Yu's declined over the years as it changed hands and now a lot of their formers followers moved to Chef Ping, I being one of them. I've eaten most of their menu but these are my favorites: Hot and Sour Soup: Unique to only YU's and Chef Ping, it tastes amazing and has that slow warming spiciness you get int he back of the throat with Szechuan flour peppers and white pepper. Not your average takeout hot and sour here. Mandarin Duck: Pretty much the only place to get it done right. These take like 3 days to make and the taste is impeccable. You probably won't find a better version of this anywhere else here or IN CHINA! Pork with Chinese Yellow Chives: Also hard to find in the burbs, Yellow chives are like regular chinese chives except not allowed to see sunlight so they turn yellow and has a very subtle taste to them similar to how they grow white asparagus. 8 Treasures: The ultimate smorgasbord of tastiness, they are fishball, sea cucumber, ham, chicken, tofu, squid, shrimp, and mushrooms. You can't go wrong with this dish. Steamed Flounder: Don't let the name fool you, theres more to this than a steamed fish, It comes on a giant platter with scallions and peppers and a wonderful sweetened soy sauce (See picture). Egg Yolk Crab: Pretty decadent, its a giant dungeonous crab cooked with the flavor of chinese salted duck yolks. Tastes like heaven, probably hell on your arteries. I could go on for another 2 pages but I'll spare you and let you explore for yourself. Being a new building, the place looks very nice with great lighting. Service is never slow and the kitchen cooks lightning fast. All the turnover ensures a fantastic fresh quality meal. In my opinion, this place is near perfect if not perfect. Definitely DO NOT take my word for it. Go and taste for yourself. I'll probably be the pissed off guy in the waiting area wishing no one else knew about this gem of a place so I can have it all to myself.
(5)Buortau L.
"Chef Ping" is awesome! If you've ever been to "Yu's Mandarin" before, then the food is just like that (Korean Chinese cuisine). If you're up for something unique, then I'd say you must give "Chef Ping" a try.
(5)Effie K.
Probably best Chinese I've eAten ever. Mongolian beef and Kung pao beef are delicious. My go to place to eat.
(5)George P.
Best Chinese in Chicago. Food is fresh. This is one of those places where you can pick something randomly from the menu and you won't be disappointed. Food comes out fast. Staff is attentive. Seafood is fresh. I'm shocked at how good this place is. It used to be an old Baker's Square. The interior looks like a hip restaurant you would find in Chicago. Best thing about Ping is how low your bill is after you order a lot of food.
(5)Dave K.
Plain and simple, Chef Ping = the best Chinese food I've ever had. Looking forward to returning!
(5)June P.
When it comes to dining on Chinese food, you're often faced with an indiscernible menu, a confusing experience with waitstaff, and questionable cleanliness. But as Chinese food becomes more and more a regular part of the American diet, many modern and trendy Chinese restaurants are popping up. The refreshing thing about Chef Ping is that it's what you would get if Nate Berkus did a makeover on your favorite old-school Chinese dive. There are many comparisons out there because of the connection between Chef Ping and the local favorite Yu's Mandarin, but to me, Chef Ping is where you go when you finally outgrow the long-standing relationship you've grown comfortable in with Yu's. At Chef Ping, you'll find that there's hardly a poor choice to make, and my husband and I have never been disappointed in our meals. Our favorite dish is the Pong Pong Chicken, a take on the popular kam-poong chicken wing dish. They push the meat on a fried chicken wing to one side, likening it to a lollipop, and toss it in a spicy, sweet, savory sauce that reassures you'll leave with a full belly and smile. The black bean noodles (jjajang myun) are done very well with chewy noodles and flavorful sauce that is neither watery nor full of cornstarch. Portion sizes are generous. The waitstaff are noticeably friendly and hold easy conversations. (This makes you feel ever better about betraying your parents' favorite Chinese restaurant.) I often noticed tables erupting in laughter with their waiter. This is always a good sign. The tables are also always full when we go, whether it's 5:30 or 9:30. It's good to make sure you give yourself at least 30 minutes cushion time, because it is a popular restaurant. My husband and I find that 6 is a great time to go in, as the rush seems to start around 6:15 on weeknights. Chef Ping harkens back to a day when service at Asian restaurants was more about welcoming customers warmly (including conversations and advise on how/what to eat, albeit likely with someone of their same ethnicity) and the food was authentic. In an age where "exotic food" is about as exotic as Panda Express, and turnover and minimizing costs is king, Chef Ping doesn't skimp on anything. Good food and service AND amazing turnover? Imagine that.
(5)Alice A.
Ever since this place opened, i have been coming here instead of Yu's. The food is consistent every time. In their lunch menu, the mandarin trio, ping's noodle soup and platter and yu-shang pork are all very flavorful. If you are craving for fresh seafood, their lobsters and crabs are delicious as well.
(4)Dan D.
Stopped in on a Tuesday for dinner. Nice decor, friendly & attentive service, waiter answered all the questions we had about the menu. My wife thought the egg drop soup was kind of watery and tasteless, but we agreed that the vegetable egg rolls were very well done. Entrees consisted of Gan Pong Diced Chicken (her) and Chef Ping Seafood Platter (me). The chicken was very good, spicy without being overpowering, and the portion was huge. The seafood consisted of shrimp, scallops, squid, and some other fish-like substance, along with broccoli and leeks in a light brown sauce. As with the chicken, there was more than enough to take home and still leave the restaurant satisfied. On the whole, we really enjoyed our dinner here. Close to home and work. We'll be back.
(4)Derrick T.
Given my second trip to have a meal at Chef Pings, I have to increase my rating. It's way past opening month, the food quality continues to be high, and the portions were pretty generous as of last night's meal. One of my boyz from the rural area of Springfield found himself missing true Chinese food, so we made our way to Chef Pings. Surprisingly busy on a Tuesday night, we had a 20 minute wait which turned into a 8 minute wait to a large family size table in the back room. Appetizer - Chicken Wings - Crisp and tasty, very small wings... but lots of them. Surprising, since the menu states 6 wings, but each of our platters had about 12 wings. Main Courses Swei Zhu Ru - (Spicy Pot Fish) - Soft tender fish, excellent flavor, nice presentation Pong Pong Gi - Crispy Fried Chicken Legs with Spicy/Sweet Sauce - Nice thick glaze, the chicken legs are trimmed near the foot end and the meat is pushed up to the top for easy of eating. Fried to a crisp and covered in sauce. Tasty. Ru Shiang Chei Zhe - Garlic Fried Eggplant - Again, wonderfully crisp on the edges, and perfectly tender in the middle, with a tasty sauce covering it. Whei Gou Ro - Twice Cooked Pork - Not quite what I was expecting, as it was a very lean meat with veggies. Tasty, but I think I had confused this with a different dish I was considering... Hu Tao Shia - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp - Phenomenal Dish. They've really perfected the balance of crispyness, sweet mayo/glaze, and candied walnuts. Don't overlook the decorative broccoli... it's steamed perfectly. La jao mien - Ping's Noodle Platter - The is a standard for what was once Yu's. Seafood mixed in with hand pulled noodles. Excellent dish, and in my humble opinion, the dish that built Yu's Mandarin's fame... every bit just as good here. Verdict: To quote a friend, "one of the best chinese restaurants in the burbs". Go and enjoy!
(4)Tony W.
Wasn't too impressed with the food. And discretion is not their strong suit. My friend discreetly pulled the hostess aside to ask her to bring her the check directly as she wanted to treat us to lunch. The hostess brought over the waiter and loudly instructed him to bring my friend the check when it was time. She sat there looking both annoyed and amused as we roared with laughter.
(3)Mike L.
I always try to find an excuse to go to Chef Ping whenever I visit my parents in the burbs. It's a well-dressed Chinese restaurant that is always at least 75% filled with asian patrons, so you know they are doing well. I've heard that the owners are the previous owners of the famous (or infamous) Yu's Mandarin, and I am glad they decided to get back in the restaurant biz. Be brave and order from the Chinese menu. My favorites are #1 (flat glass noodles with pork, veggies, sliced scrambled egg in a peanut/horseradish sauce) and #33 (tofu + beef brisket cassarole). I absolutely love #33 when it is made right (served hot, with a good amt of spice and tender brisket), but this has only happened 2 out of 3 times. You also can't go wrong with the jia jiang myun, underrated in my opinion. From peeking at other tables there are other good choices out there mixed with tackier choices, but I'll leave the menu adventures to the regulars. Would have rounded up to 5 stars if #33 was consistently good. However I am forgiving because they had the NCAA tourney playing at the bar.
(4)Nancy H.
An excellent suburban alternative to delicious Chinese food. There are a few items that also crossover into Korean cuisine, so the diners are mostly Chinese & Koreans. Overall, the food is actually really good, the restaurant is clean and attractive, the waiters are very friendly and speak English well, and even the service is pretty good. Minus one star for the price tag & small(ish) parking lot. Some of my favorite dishes: - honey walnut shrimp (perfect ratio of honey and mayo - not too much of either, and the shrimps are large) - Szechwan eggplant (fluffy, deep fried slices of eggplant in a sweet & spicy sauce) - egg yolk lobster (fried in a salted egg yolk batter) - noodles in black bean sauce (the slightly chewy noodles are supposedly made in house!) - any fried rice (I've tried two kinds, and regardless of the filler items, the smokiness of the rice from the wok is what really makes the difference here) The owners are relatives of the Yu's Mandarin owners, is what I hear, so some of the same dishes have been copied over to Chef Ping's menu.
(4)Genevieve L.
I usually get a carryout order but every so often, we'll dine in. Whenever I'm there, I order the Thai Chicken Curry and it's phenomenal every single time! They always give a huge portion of chicken in their dishes and the service is fast. I definitely recommend it.
(5)AJ M.
Came here with a group of friends. Heard alot about this place and on a friday night I saw why. This place got packed really quickly around dinner. And I have a theory that if a place gets packed they have to be doing something right. For appetizers the pork shu main, crag ragoon was great. Skip the egg rolls and chicken skewers. The orange chicken, General Taos, beef n broccoli are better then most chinese places. Service is good. Only problem is they only brought out a little rice out, although if you ask for more they will keep bringing more.
(4)Nomaan D.
Got the Mongolian beef, curry chicken, and Kung pao chicken. They were all excellent. Especially the curry chicken.
(5)Tracy T.
This is by far the best FOOD EVER!!! I cannot get enough. It's hard for me to stray from the sesame chicken and pineapple fries rice but when I do, I'm always thrilled. Great atmosphere, superb food!
(5)Quinn B.
As close to "the best" Chinese food I've ever had..... Fresh ingredients, timely service and nice atmosphere. I went for lunch and had sweet and sour chicken with hot and sour soup. To me, the state of the chicken always speaks of quality. Moist, great breading and tasted terrific. The hot and sour soup was not just an after thought either. It was prepared with care and seasoned well. The place is well worth checking out.
(5)Annie L.
Great food, friendly staff, fast service, very mod decor. It's like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Some recommendations: 1. salt and pepper shrimp with the shell on 2. clam and black beans 3. schezwan eggplant I took one star off because my friend and I were placed literally 2 feet away from the surrounding tables for dinner. I didn't mind it, but man it was interesting hearing people's conversations and I'm sure the same for them of us. haha
(4)G J.
I got here before 11:30 am and there were actually people waiting for lunch service to begin. There were people waiting in their cars and in the restaurant. This I have never seen at any restaurant. I ordered the Ja jang myeon and Tangsuyook. This was the best I've ever had of these dishes. The Ja jang myeon seems to have been made from scratch. Each pork pieces of the tangsuyook appears to have been meticulously battered and fried. By the time I finished my food the restaurant was packed. The restaurant had a somewhat upscale casual feel. I hope more chef ping's would open up as this place can show others how things should be done.
(5)William C.
Every country has their own take on Chinese food and I was very impressed with this Korean style Chinese restaurant since it is the closest thing you can get here. every dish is tasty and I even think it is better than San Francisco's. Summer Salad is a must have!
(5)C. W.
LOVE it. Any place where I can take my finicky girls to get fed and they're happy, we're happy. All four of my family likes this place, some of the best Chinese in the Rolling Meadows/Arlington/Mount Prospect area. I will build on others' recommendations to either arrive early or be ready to wait for a table. It's worth the wait.
(5)Cathaleya C.
I saw lots of asians here, and I've heard the chefs from Yu Mandarin came here for work since Yu is under new management... anyhow, we ordered the crispy intestine, asian style pork, and szechuan string beans. Good, good, and good. We are fans.
(5)Phil S.
I'm so angry that I didn't find out about this place sooner. I was a big Yu's fan in the past but wrote a scathing review due to their service. A friend later told me that the owner's of Yu's sold the place and opened Chef Ping's. I made it over here as fast as possible to get my fix of the good stuff I was used to and I was not disappointed. My wife and I hadn't had a decent Koreanized Chinese meal in a very long time so we already knew what we were going to order before we got there: jja jang myun, jjam ppong and tang soo yook. We arrived at 8pm on a Sunday evening to find a parking lot almost completely full. We had a short wait of about 5 minutes and were seated. Server took our order and our food was out in about 10 minutes even though the restaurant was still full. It was everything we missed and dreamed of and they even split the jjam ppong for us in to 2 bowls which seemed like 2 large bowls! Everything was hot and fresh and even though it was crowded the servers were very good at asking us if we needed anything else, or if everything was okay and refilled my water constantly. Not keeping my water filled is a big pet peeve of mine as I don't drink soda and I drink a lot of water with my meals. Even the manager (could've been the owner?) was bringing food out because they were busy. He was very nice and I wanted to tell him how much we enjoyed our meal but he looked really busy when we left so I didn't want to bother him. I'll have to try other items on the menu to compare them to Yu's of olden days but for now I am ecstatic that I never have to step foot in that hell hole Yu's ever again. Good riddens. I'll be back for more and more!
(5)Andrea W.
This is my favorite Chinese Restaurant in the Suburbs. High quality food with a nice atmosphere. Ping's Noodle Platter and Honey Walnut Shrimp are two of my favorites.
(5)jay t.
Simply amazing... All of the food I've tried there has been
(5)G E.
Good fresh food, good service, basically a new Yu's restaurant. Always busy but worth the wait.
(5)Peter R.
I heard thru the grapevine that the previous owners of Yu's Mandarin started a new restaurant called Chef Ping's. I was told that it was on Algonquin Road close to Golf. We recently drove by, and I realized that it used to be the old Bakers Square that closed down a couple of years ago. The wife and I finally decided to give this place a try yesterday. The parking lot was packed, but I found some PTP (Prime Time Parking) right up front. I thought there would be a wait, but the space inside is bigger that I thought it would be. The hostess greeted us with a smile and sat us right away. I found the ambience to be very welcoming. The room was bright with it being a nice sunny day and all. The menu is almost identical to Yu's Mandarin, and I see that some of the staff jumped ship and now works here. I decided to order what we usually get at Yu's so we can compare the taste of the dishes. We started off with the fried pot stickers, and ordered Mongolian Beef and Lemon Chicken for the main course. The dishes come with a small bowl of white rice, but I would suggest ordering the fried rice if you're really hungry. The pot stickers were pan fried deliciousness, and the dipping sauce was very good. Our food came out fairly quickly, which is good considering how busy they were. The lemon chicken was so tender with the right amount of sweet tart. I found the Mongolian Beef here to be more flavorful than the one at Yu's. That is saying a mouthful since I consider the Mongolian Beef at Yu's one of my favorite dishes. I feel like Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin younger, equally attractive sister. The menu and tastes are so similar, with a slight nod to Chef Pings for having tastier dishes. You really can't go wrong with either one. The only thing for me is that Yu's is 2 minutes away from pad, while Chef Ping's is 10 minutes away. I find that to be quite a delicious dilemma to have. FYI: They are closed on Mondays
(4)Yuntaek P.
A few weeks ago, my friend and I went this place. Very kind server and very yummy foods. Definitely a top pick in Chinese restaurant category. If you know Korean style Chinese food, this is a must visit.
(5)Nick L.
This is a fascinating restaurant. The decor looks good and the place smells like good food. Always busy, so they must be doing something right. But it did not work for me. I love my Vegetable Pad Thai. Thai Garden, Taste of Thai, Dan Thai in Hoffman Estates set a good benchmark. The Pad Thai from Chef Ping was dull and boring. Got it to go. Noodles with eggs, a sprinkling of tofu and a few bean sprouts. It was missing sauce and the only other vegetable I saw was some red cabbage for decoration. Must have something to do with the fact that they were probably busy.
(2)Shad A.
Szechuwan green beans and walnut shrimp are my favorites. This place is delciious.
(5)Richard C.
this chinese restaurant is authentic as it gets in suburb chinese. the place is clean, staffs are friendly and nice, and food is awesome. for noodle platter and noodle platter only, it is out of bounds good. this is must-have if you like any noodle dish. all other dishes are pretty darn good as well. it gets really packed on the weekend so be aware of wait time if you are taking a group to here. 6 star for noodle platter. 4.5 star for everything else. highly recommended!
(5)Gini O.
Yummy all-around. Have been coming here since it opened and have defected from Yu's which is still good. Great staff - warm and welcoming. They know our family and we are treated like family. Added benefit - nice decor. Truly some of, if not the best Chinese in the Chicagoland area. I lgrew up in NW suburbs, currently live on the north shore, former north sider and have been to most of the better places in China town and no place I've been to in my travels (even out of state) compares to Chef Pings as it delivers on all fronts. Only problem - it's almost always packed so sometimes there's a wait. :-) Really can't say enough. Try the mandarin trio, honey walnut shrimp -- super yummy.
(5)Matt J.
I've eaten here about a half a dozen times or so, so I figured it was about time I actually wrote a review. Probably the only negative thing you can say about this place is that unless you show up at an off hour, there is a high likelihood that you are going to be in for a bit of a wait, as the quality of the food and service here is the worst kept secret in the NW burbs. As someone that eats Asian almost daily (wife is Chinese and we spend 4+ months in China every year), I can say that this is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the city (along with a couple in Chinatown). Sure, it may be true that much of the menu could be categorized as "Chinese for the gweilos", you can't criticize the flavors or the portions. Also, if you become a regular and get to know the owner, you may just get some off-menu delicacies delivered to your table. Bottom line is that if you live on the NW side of Chicago, you are not going to find a better Chinese / Asian-fusion restaurant in your neighborhood, so pack up friends and family and head over early (or late) to beat the crowds.
(5)Luca B.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant, by far the best in the area. We loved the crispy duck, noodle platter, mango chicken... yum
(5)Sam S.
The food was very good, but service was lacking. The chicken wings were very good and spicy. I recommend them. Our service was not very good often having to request service and water refills. The parking lot is small and some of our party had to park next door and walk over. And the 11 per cent tax on Rolling Meadows dine in food was a bit of a shock. Overall food a 4 service and amenities a 2. Won't be back anytime soon.
(3)Garrett A.
There's a rumor going around that Chef Ping was started by an old Yu's Mandarin person, which absolute sense. The only difference between the two are the less crowded parking lot and the decor (Chef Ping is a quieter, lighter version, more bamboo than heavy walnut). The food is essentially the same, with two callouts. The Canton Noodles at Ping are thicker and of less quantity than Yu's Beef Flat Noodle, and the waiter recommended this "noodles with hot peppers" thing that ended up being delicious. Service was great -- we were seated at 6 pm and finished exactly an hour later. Mainly since the dining room is smaller and there was more wait staff, we never had to ask for a refill or more rice. But the thing that make Chef Ping stand on its own is the value of what you're getting. I came here with a group of five and it ended up being $65 without tax and tip. That's the equivalent of an Applebee's or Chili's, but with much better food. We also had enough leftovers for another meal. That's what I call a good deal.
(4)T K.
We took our family of 5 there for the first time. We had to wait 15 min but the service was awesome and the food was incredible. The Ping pong chicken, beef with pea pods, crab Rangoon and pot stickers were great. The kids really liked the beef lo mein. We wound up buying the hot sauce as it was fresh and perfect hotness. Traveled from lake Zurich to get here and will definitely be back soon and often.
(5)Jerome J.
Salted egg crab, honey glazed walnut shrimp, salt n pepper tofu tonight but can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Be prepared to wait since this place is so popular.
(4)Kel W.
Chef Ping is pretty darn delicious. I have only been there once. For drinks - I got a Zombie (sort of a more bitter Mai Tai and very strong) YUM, and a Crown/Coke - STRONG. Score one for them. Then, we ate all of our orders sort of family style. The potstickers were delicious and extremely savory. The egg rolls were really good but not my favorite I've ever had. On to dinner - Salt and Pepper Shrimp was very tender and not super fishy. Nice. Sesame Chicken OH MY GOSH! What was funny is our friend that was with us that ordered it, many at the table poked fun at him because it was on the kids menu, but honestly, it was the most delicious thing I tasted all night. The chicken was tender, yet crunchy in the right spots and the sauce was so yummy I could not get enough. I would go back just to get like three orders of the sesame chicken. Mushroom and Beef - YUM. I wasn't a fan of the Pong Pong chicken, which was bone in. Everything else was spicy or vegetarian (and not shared) so I didn't really get to taste much else. But overall, it was a really great experience for all of us and me especially. I would highly recommend Chef Ping as a lovely place in the burbs to go to with your family, friends or to take a date to. yum yum Enjoy!
(4)Michael L.
We came here to see if the hype from our fellow yelp friends were correct. was the new restaurant by the former Yu's Mandarin owners as good? I believe it was, but at a price. The interior is quite nice. small bar area with a TV (theyll even switch the channel on request- watched the bulls game). the food is better. Definitely order from the chef specials/favorites called old time favor from home section. we enjoyed the yellow leek with shredded pork and eggplant with oyster sauce. both tasted like home. the salt and pepper squid was good but def overpriced. also, you can't combine smelt with squid or others. lastly, the gan pong chicken was just okay. spicy but lacked richness and depth. service was decent as well. we will definitely be trying other dishes here.
(4)Deyu Z.
I waited almost 3 years to write the reivew. I have dinned in this place more than a dozen times in the last 3 years. I can spend a whole day to describe all of the dishes, but I will just do the review in short. Chef Ping offers a solid and consistent experience of chinese food, but almost all of the "authentic" Chinese dishes are slightly modified to suit a broader dinner basis. I am not against changes, but execution of dishes are lacking behind for me to give a 4-star rating. One dish I would rave about is the soy marinated duck, which is as close to authentic as possible in Chicago area. Though the quality went down a bit since the opening for that dish. My experience with the service was fairly good. My first visit and the most recent visit were excellent, and rest were just fine. The restaurants are busy during the weekend, so you may expect a 5 to 10 minutes wait and a push from waiter to turn over the table.
(3)Erin S.
They make hot & sour soup that's good w/o too much salt. Really great egg rolls too! I like their chop che and chow-mein dishes. I wish they didn't put shrimp in everything b/c my kid's allergic, it's sad she misses out on such tasty stuff! Lunch is very affordable but the place can be very busy, so leave time for that. I'd say if you're in the area, give it a try!
(4)Rich W.
Chef Ping is the new project by the people who previously owned Yu's Mandarin. It is Pan Chinese adjusted by Korean palate (I believe the owners are either Korean Chinese or Chinese Korean). Food was solid. The jelly fish salad was refreshing with a mix of great textures from the jelly fish, cucumber, and carrots. The Chinese vinaigrette was spot on. Mapo tofu was good. It was not as spicy as the original Sichuan version, but it had a great balanced flavor, which went well with rice. The gan-pung scallop was also less spicy than the original, but again had a great sweet and tangy sauce. The scallops were lightly breaded and cooked to perfection. Service was friendly and adequate. Decor was of a lounge/bistro style. A lot of dark wood tone. Overall it felt clean and comfortable. I prefer this place over the old Yu's Mandarin. Food is equally good, but service is better, and it's less crowded.
(4)Matthew K.
I tried out Chef Ping last night on the advice of my neighbor. So glad I went. The wait was pretty long even though I arrived around 5:45pm. Apparently it is best to make a reservation. But it was worth the wait. We all started with soups. The hot and sour, won ton, and egg drop soups were all very tasty. Very quickly thereafter, our meals arrived. I had Ping's Noodle Platter, and it was great. Everyone at the table, including my 4 year old and 11 year old, loved it. It was classified as spicy, but it wasn't very spicy at all. I also tried out the Hunan Beef, Mongolian Beef, and the Sweet & Sour Chicken/Shrimp. All were pretty good. Once again, the Hunan Beef was supposed to be spicy, but I don't think it was spicy at all. The service was good. Food arrived quickly and the wait staff was very diligent about coming by and filling our water glasses. We also had a manager (or owner?) come by twice to make sure our meal was okay. The portions were good size, we probably could have ordered one less entree. We will definitely come back the next time we are in the area.
(5)kevin w.
Super chinese food. Super friendly staff. Super duper clean.
(5)Cam W.
This is the best Chinese restaurant I have been to. The food is all freshly made from scratch and absolutely delicious. The potstickers are wonderful not too much dough and the meat is outstanding. The orange chicken is lightly battered and delicious. You can get white or dark chicken. All dishes can made to your specifications. I wish they would open another restaurant closer to me.
(5)Holly F.
Hands down (or rather towards the wings) Chef Ping's Chicken Wings are the best chicken wings I've ever had! The sauce is really good and they have a nice crunch on the outside, but they aren't bready at all. You have to wait a little for tables bc it's a popular place, but the service is great and you get a lot of food for a low price at lunch. It was also a nice suprise to have a pot of tea brought to us at no cost right away after coming in from the chilly weather. Everything we ordered was delicious, not greasy, and was really fresh. I'll definitely be coming back when I'm in town!
(5)Erika S.
Consistently great food and a great selection. Restaurant is clean and always busy. Only downfall us that most of the time there is a wait but not a terrible problem to have. Food is made to order and can be made with custom spice level.
(5)Benjamin S.
Wow great Chinese Food in Arlington Heights. I live in Wood Dale but will now come here to get food to bring home. They lose one star because the staff was over friendly and bothered us at our table to frequently and I dislike that and also the beer was not so cold. EIther way the food was great. The noodles could have used a few more veggies and such but they were fresh and delicious. The beef dish we got was great the soup and appetizers were amazing!!! great white rice and overall a great deal. Price is right and you get more than what you pay for as opposed to most Asian inspired restaurants in this area. Thank You Chef Ping...
(4)Vicky R.
I have only been to Chef Pengs twice now and I am addicted already. This place would be almost comparable to Yu's in Schaumburg but no cigar. My last two visits first one being take out, I got my food very quickly which is nice because you will wait through a storm at Yu's even if it's To Go. The price is very fair and the food so far has been great. Although the second time I ate in the restaurant and I feel you get more for you money especially with the lunch menu. It seems there is more on your dish then when you take out. And I love my food and getting my moneys worth but it's not always a option to eat in for me. My first visit I got the Mongolian Beef which was absolutely fabulous!! You get soup, egg roll and a fried thingy too. Recently, I ordered the sesame chicken and OH MY GOD!!! This place is so fabulous. I just loved the dishes, I could have had seconds on everything I ate it was so good. And to me it was the best Egg drop soup too. It gets very busy during lunch and it's nice inside, not huge but not small either. I doubt the waits are as long as Yu's. Yes, I compare to that restaurant because it's the best to me. But this has to be 2nd best in my book.
(5)Kathleen P.
When my husband mentioned there was a new Chinese restaurant and that it was really good, I replied with a sarcastic, "Humph!" I have been disappointed by Chinese restaurants. I admit that I had become bitter. Every time I tried to give it another shot, I would end up more disillusioned. Would I let myself be vulnerable one more time? I wasn't sure I could "put myself out there" again. Well, the next day, my husband surprised me by bringing home dinner. It looked so fresh. I could recognize the ingredients. It was delicious. Every dish had its own unique, enticing aroma and flavor. Was this some type of cuisine that I had yet to try? An Asian country that I had yet to explore? No and no. This was Chinese food from Chef Ping. We had Curry Chicken and Szechuan Eggplant, along with a couple of eggrolls. Perfection.
(5)Kei T.
Since I moved to Chicago, this has been my number 1 favorite Chinese restaurant. Probably the best in northwest suburb.
(5)Zhong Y.
Finally tried this place. This is a northern Chinese place with more than a hint of Korean Chinese flavor, and must be one of the most authentic northern place in these here parts as evidenced by the heavily northern Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean families dining here. The dead giveaways are the zhajiangmien, which is a northern noodle dish served with a thick black soy flavored meat or seafood sauce with onions, and the fried chicken wings, which were in a sweet spicy sauce. Both were quite good. I also had a fuqi feipian starter -- it's sliced beef and beef tendon, in a spicy chili oil with Sichuan pepper, cilantro, and crushed peanuts -- which was quite authentically hot, and absolutely delicious. A bit of a strange feeling to be eating in a converted former Bakers' Square, but, one gets over that quickly. Price was good for the value, and the service was attentive.
(4)Kelly M.
I am really at odds to the reviews here. We went to dinner here on Saturday night. Here's my interpretation: Pros- Decor- its nice in there. You would have NEVER thought it used to be a Bakers Square Staff- there are LOTS of them and we had people at our table constantly Clean- it was very clean Speed- It was INCREDIBLY fast Cons- Taste- it was just blah. I had Kung Pao Chicken- my mom had Chicken almond din. Both tasted REALLY REALLY similar- mine had peanuts on top- her almonds. Bother we just meh Crab Rangoon had no visible crab. No taste of it. Nothing The staff we had were NEVER the same, so it was awkward saying something about food when you weren't sure who to talk to? All in all- not impressed and won't go back.
(2)Angela H.
I asked the server what language he speaks because there are some food items I only know how to say in Chinese (also I wanted to figure out what food this restaurant specializes in so I know how to order). He responds, 'what language you want? i can speak it. chinese, korean, japanese, i know it all'. At first I thought he was joking, but he was for real! Chinese born, immigrated to Korea. Majored in hotel hospitality so learned Japanese in college. Wait a minute...that sounds a lot like the previous owner of Yu's. What did you say? You owned Yu's? NOODLES, please! I forgot how freakin good Yu's noodles are. Chewy, perfectly chewy. kiu kiu as we say in Taiwanese. Best noodles I've ever had and SO different from anywhere else I've ever had. We got the Ping noodle platter (la jao mien) and the Ping Noodle Soup (chow ma mien). I was a little hesitant because I recently came back from New England and had great seafood. Eating seafood in Chicago, not to mention the 'burbs, I was skeptical. But the seafood was amazing! So tender, succulent, not at all rubbery. Octopus, scallops, shrimp, perfectly cooked. It's so easy to over cook shrimp, but they didn't! I was amazed! Next time we'll have to try some non-noodle dishes. I'm so excited to go back!
(4)Samuel K.
We went to chef ping's last night with some family for my wife's birthday. Everything was great! The Pong Pong Chicken is awesome and so is the jjajangmyun! Our server Tim was great, even one of the other servers came by and noticed that one of our side dishes was low and offered a refill before we even knew that we needed more. I was very impressed. Our water cups never hit the bottom and were always refilled. The one glitch was that there was dust falling from the ceiling because it was the first time the ac had turned on for the year since it was unusually warm. When we made mention to one of the staff he brought out all new plates without us even asking. Later out we found out he was one of the owners! Overall chef ping's seems to have the recipe for success, great food, awesome service, good location, and owners who are involved and care. Only wish I didn't live 45 mins from the place. I asked the owner if they we going to build another one to hint making one by where we live. He said that the family sold Yu's so that they can enjoy retirement more. So it looks like I'm going to find myself taking the long drive up to rolling meadows more often.
(5)Joe D.
The Szechwan Eggplant was so good that we've already made plans for a return trip to get more. We went on a Saturday night and the place was packed, so you may want to plan ahead and make reservations. All the employee's we encountered were very pleasant and seemed happy. We had a great time and look forward to returning.
(5)Eric F.
This is a horrible experience and the worse one I've ever had. Last Sunday, 3/27/2007 at 11:45AM, four of my friends and I went to Chef Ping. There were not so many people yet, but it still took a long while for waiting the food coming. We have ordered a pork wrap. There are five of us, they only provided 4 wraps. So we asked the waitress to see if she can give us one more. She refused and claimed that this dish is designed for four, but we still have some stuffing in the dish which is far more enough to make another one. But she still refused. We moved over. Close to the end, we found we have only 4 dishes but actually we ordered 5. So we checked the waiter again. Was that so hard for him to say sorry? Yes, very hard. He blamed us that we did not confirmed our orders. OMG, what missing here was the first one we have ordered! OK, he is a young kid, we did not want to bring too much trouble for him. So we just sit there quietly for the final one coming. Finally, we can "enjoy" our last dish. The usher came and checked with us to see IF WE CAN LEAVE AT 15 MINS LATER!!! This really pissed me off and pushed my button. I can't believe they just want us leave. And can't we just have a pieceful lunch?! And it may take a while, but it is not our fault to wait for the final dish coming! I've never went to a restaurant that ask guest to leave after making their money. So we don't server their services?!!! I was so mad, but still left some tips. Since the Chef Ping may not behave, we should behave. But I will never come back to this restaurant again, no matter what! Generally the food is OK, but it is over crowded and pricy. The customer services is aweful! And the waiter actually will show their faces to you if you tip less. I just still feel shocked and angry! How this could be happend to us?!
(1)Melissa D.
I have to admit that hype impairs my judgment of restaurants and movies. I've been wanting to try Chef Ping's for quite some time from all of the good things I've heard about it. I decided to take my mom here for Mother's Day. We ordered the Braised Eggplant, Mongolian Beef, Gan Pong Shrimp and Jang Pong. All tasted very good, prices were reasonable and service was good. But I didn't walk away thinking the food was as good as advertised. Then, over the course of the week, I tried to compare other Chinese Restaurant's that were better. The only place I could think of was Great Seas and VIP in Chicago. What I liked about Chef Pings was that the quality was better and not as greasy as the aformentioned. The Shrimp for example, were huge pieces. The Braised Eggplant had more breading than I would have like but is something I would order again. The only complaint if any, was that the Jang Pong was not as spicy as I'm accustomed to. Overall, Chef Ping's is probably one of the top 2 Chinese Restaurants in the Chicagoland area.
(4)Sarah M.
"Everything was great! Friendly service, great ambiance, and yummy food."
(4)Jim T.
Very impressive experience. Started with the sizzling rice soup and was delighted by the flavor profile. Based on other Yelp recommendations I went 'safe' and had the Mongolian Beef. WOW! Maybe it's that I'm easy but I was very, very satisfied with the portion size, quality, and taste of the beef dish. Service was very attentive and made for a great experience too. Overall, a very pleasant meal and I recommend Chef Ping highly...
(4)Jason L.
Me and some friends went here for dinner the other night, Never again !!! the food was not very good, didn't seem fresh also so,so service, nobody was impressed by this place, save your money and go somewhere else.
(1)Sean Y.
Great food and in general, good service. The tofu dishes, combo chow mein, fried potstickers, and Chef Ping noodles are excellent! It is always crowded here that sometimes you have to park somewhere else!
(4)John K.
This restaurant has surpassed Yu's Mandarin in almost every category except for space as Chef Ping's is much smaller than Yu's. The Gan Pong Chicken and Salty Egg Crab are my favorites! In fact, the Gan Pong Chicken is the best I've ever had (yes, even better than Great Sea Restaurant).
(5)Antoknight B.
I love Chef Ping. It's my go to Chinese restaurant. Dishes to try- salt and pepper tofu, spicy pepper beef and lady moa tofu.
(5)christine c.
came here twice so far, once for lunch and one for dinner. both times were EXCELLENT. the chicken wings are sooooooo good and even though they're not on the lunch menu, you can ask for them and they will happily prepare them for you :) as always, i get the seafood noodles w/o soup. sucks for yus noodles - they had a terrible lawyer! should've placed a noncompete clause in there. so sad. i will probably never go back to yus - they totally skimp on their ingredients now
(5)Maggie G.
Oh em gee! We've heard rumors of Chef Ping's from fans of Yu's, so we had to try it. We ordered carryout, and had to get the barbeque fried rice. Everything you need in fried rice, but what's really spectacular are the noodles. We had something with lots of mushrooms, and they were fantastic, cooked to perfection.
(5)Barry G.
As a long time customer of Yu's, we eventually stopped going because the food got worse and worse with each visit. We were turned on to Chef Ping by a local chef that I admire, and an old relationship was rekindled. Same/similar items as Yu's has/had, but as tasty as the old Yu's was. Things will have different names, but you'll eventually find what you're looking for. As a bonus, the K menu now has english translations on it, so you'll be less surprised by some Korean-Chinese delicacies. My must-haves are the chop chae, Ping's noodle soup, black bean noodles, gan pong squid. The squid doesn't travel well, so eat it all while you're there... and don't be afraid of the whole hot peppers, they give a delicious smoky slightly spicy accent to the whole dish.
(4)Morry L.
Chef Ping has excellent food and reasonable prices. The problems on weekends are inadequate parking and too long of a wait which can exceed an hour. They do not take reservations for small parties.
(4)Kira C.
the food was good. our waitress was very attentive, I mean she walked around to refilled our tea pot quite often. crowed around lunch time, but didn't have to waite for long.
(5)Eugene P.
Ok, when I say, "I've been going to Yu's for a long time," I mean it. My family and I have been going to Yu's since the previous location on Roselle, before it move across the street to Golf Road. We've been regulars for nearly 40 years. If you are a Yu's regular, you may have noticed the quality of service and the food decline in the last year and a half. I believe that is because they changed ownership. Well the old owners opened a new restaurant, a few miles down the road, Chef Ping. Chef Ping has the same great menu that Yu's had, and the quality of food is back. Unlike the other reviewers, I didn't notice the smaller portions, so I can't confirm or deny that. I can say that the food is great. Yu's was our favorite restaurant, now Chef Ping is our favorite. My only concern is that Yu's started out small, they moved across the street and expanded, then they took over the stores next to them and expanded even more. I don't think Chef Ping can expand like that in their current location.
(5)Bert W.
all i can say is WOW! not only was the food great, but the service was AWESOME. you can't beat having both great food and service. it was a packed house but they still gave our family exceptional service!!! even when i needed a refill the hostess refilled my coke! the entire staff was extremely FRIENDLY! I LOVE THAT!
(5)Judi H.
I really wanted to like this place. i read all the reviews which sounded great. I like Yu's so I had high hopes. I ordered some food for carry out. The egg rolls were just okay, a bit greasy but okay. The chicken wing app was dry and flavorless. One reviewer was very enthusiastic about the sesame chicken so I tried that. It was just a pile of dry, sticky sweet ick. I hate to waste food but there was no saving it. Just flavorless dry stuff. A total waste of money.
(1)Teresa C.
I love their mapo tofu and kung pao shrimp.
(4)Julia J.
Chef Ping is one of our fave places to eat Chinese food. The owners and servers know us now because we've frequented their place so much. The best time to go for lunch is early or around 1ish because noontime is crazy busy, but the turnaround for tables is quick. Same goes for dinner. If you show up at 6 PM or later, you'll definitely have to wait. They do take reservationsn for groups of 6 or more; so it's recommended if you can plan ahead of time. Some of our fave dishes are the Ping's chicken wings, tofu with king mushrooms, pad thai noodles, and their dumplings. Their noodle soup is good too. You won't be disappointed if you go here!
(5)Adam N.
Food was great. Service was great. My wife and I will definitely return. This place is a great alternative to yu's mandarin where the service is terrible.
(5)Denise K.
Went here for lunch Saturday. It was nice as far as ambiance. Lunch was good, not great. The potstickers were good but falling apart. The waiter said it would be a 20 min wait for the steamed sumplings, but they were out in like 10 min. The crab rangoon was small and had a hint of something yellow in the cream cheese - perhaps curry powder. But you could not taste it. They were ok, but Noodles Delight were far better in taste and price. I had the mongolian beef which was good. It was nice for the rice noodles to be served on the side so they did not get soft before you got to eat them. My mom had mu shu chicken. She liked it but said it was very messy. She was glad the server rolled the pancakes as that is a bit tricky to do, and some places just leave you on your own to do it. The server was attentive and water/ice tea was never empty. It did not wow me, but I would go back to try other things on the menu. Mom was disappointed there was no lunch menu - as she is always looking for the bargain! lol. Lunch fir 2 was just under $40.
(3)Brandon V.
Great food! Sometimes the service is just average...when they are very busy. Understandable. Ping's wings are good. Also Mongolian beef, seafood noodle, walnut shrimp, fried rice.
(4)Allen L.
I came last week with a couple friends for lunch because I'm a big fan of Yu's (although no longer since ownership changed). Of course since the buzz is that the owners are now at Chef Ping, I had to give it a try. The place looks pretty good on the inside, neutral and classy. Our server was fine although it was a little hard to understand what he was saying, but nothing out of the ordinary for a chinese place. Now onto the food...like I said, being a longtime fan of the old Yu's, I was really really disappointed. We decided to try a couple different things and share. One of my favorite things was the Mongolian Beef and I was really hoping that it was how they used to do it, but instead the beef came out drenched in alot of sauce and the beef was a little rubbery. The brown sauce was just a salty flavor and nothing like how Mongolian Beef should be! I had the spicy seafood noodle soup which they are famous for. It wasn't bad, but not good either. It was full of noodles and vegetables, lacking in the seafood. While I like spicy, all I could taste was spicy...there should be some flavor...I dont know, maybe seafood? However, not all was lost...the soup wasn't bad and we had this spicy intestine appetizer that was probably the best thing we had there. One last thing was the egg rolls...maybe it was a bad batch, but I've had alot of good or ok egg rolls. Usually it's ok because egg rolls arent hard to make, but these were TERRIBLE. It was filled with mostly cabbage, I couldn't really find anything else and it was so bland in taste! Even sweet and sour sauce couldn't save it...and I rarely ever eat bad egg rolls. Maybe my expectations were too high...but considering what all the rave and reviews are about them being the Yu's owners, I feel that using that reputation to advertise deserves the same treatment back. I don't want to base everything on one try so I'll definitely try again another time (and update my review). But I feel like the old Yu's will never come back and alot of people are blinded by just the "name". I don't see how so many people can give 5 stars so easily for such a mediocre place.
(2)Bing B.
preface: yes, this place is the old yu's owners. yes, i loved (and still love) yus. this place, not so much. TL:DR? - they tell you to get the F out after youve eaten, but only if youve been a loyal customer to them for a long time. foods ok. review: food seems to have the same items as old yu's. seems like they re-tooled it to be a bit more of a "fast food" type but enough items overlapped that it can be considered similar. however, it maybe me but it just doesnt taste the same. something is slightly off and it doesnt have the same flavor/quality. now the new yus definitely has some differences, but i didnt expect it from chef ping. that alone would have put this place a 0.5 star lower than old yus and would have put it at about a 4.5. however, what bumped the rating down so low was the fact that the last time i was there, after we ate, after a few minutes, they told us to GTFO. we have been going to their establishments for as long as i could remember (been in that hood at least 25+ years. how long have they run yus again?) and they know at least our faces if not our names. so how do you treat your LONG time customers? why, by telling us to leave brusquely. at first we thought, oh, ok maybe we did stay a bit too long, we should leave. however after thinking about it for a while, we were somewhat upset in the way they told us. its not like we were camped out for hours, and we were still drinking after we ate! well, it turns out, they do this to not only us, but also to a lot of our other friends and family, leaving such a bad taste in our mouths that many have decided not to go there again.
(2)Alfred K.
A korean chinese joint in the burbs! Despite the poor review from another vegetarian, we wanted to give Chef Ping a try for ourselves and we're incredibly glad we did. We've had the Vegetarian Chicken, Szechuan Eggplant, Fried Bun (smirk), the Vegetable Noodle Platter, and #5 off of the Korean menu on the last page. Everything tasted great. The Vegetarian Chicken is a cold appetizer of rolled up tofu skin - reminds me of Shanghainese food. The Szechuan Eggplant was individually deep fried and then covered in a great spicy garlic sauce. Fried buns are fried buns. The noodles are made in-house which are always nice to have, although we've had better ones at Portland. The #5 on the last page is another cold appetizer of grass jelly and cucumber mixed in sesame sauce and szechuan pepper oil (the type that makes your lips numb...), just great flavors. Service is generally good. Nothing to complain about, except for the long lines and lack of parking...
(4)E S.
The noodle platter and hot and sour soup tasted exactly the same as Yu's. This is a good thing since I really like Yu's. The Kung Pao Chicken was also very good.
(5)Tracy F.
The veggies in all the dishes were not stewed to death, so I know each order was made fresh and not over cooked. Still some crunch to all the veggies which we love. Food was excellent / price was a smidge high, but worth it as we cannot find a single Chinese restaurant that is worth eating at in the area. Usually a wait to dine in, we have only ordered pick up.
(4)Heena T.
I absolutely loved this place. From the quality of service to the quality of food to the cost, this place is by far the best Asian restaurant I have dined at in a VERY long time. Extremely satisfied and will definitely return!
(4)s C.
I've mostly only had the korean-chinese food here, but it is EXCELLENT. Fresh, fast, and flavorful. The ttansooyook, lahjohmyun, and samsun jiajiangmyun are FANTASTIC. I'm a huge fan of Yu's, but have to admit the food here is a notch above and the ambiance is much nicer. We've also had the spicy green beans and pot stickers, both were delicious as well.
(5)Derek S.
The only reason I even give this restaurant one star is because it is actually a very nice looking place. Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end. I have had 2 bad experiences here actually, the first time I only called, and the automated answering service kept sending me around in a loop instead of connecting me to someone, I later found out it was Monday and they were closed, but it was still very frustrating having the automated service sending me around in a circle as opposed to just saying the stupid place was closed. So that kind of made me a little aggravated but I decided I'd give the place a second try anyway, and so we ordered food another day. We got sweet n sour chicken, combo fried rice and eggrolls with an order of crab rangoons. It was all crap. The crab rangoons were gross, and it was like it was made with egg yolk and cream cheese, and there was no crab meat at all. Gross. There was a huge egg shell in the fried rice, I have no idea how they missed that, it was the size of a quarter. Also gross. The egg rolls were the size of my pinky finger and covered in frying oil, and the sweet and sour chicken wasn't at all what I expected. Normally it would be fried pieces of breaded chicken, with sauce on the side but this was more like sesame chicken minus the seeds. It was lousy, all their food was terrible and I'll never go there again. China 1 right down the street has much better food, their restaurant isn't nearly as flashy but their food is awesome compared to this dump.
(1)Michelle P.
Went to Chef Ping last night for dinner. I must say, it is the best Chinese food I ever had. Fresh ingredients, great drinks, and wonderful service made for an awesome dining experience. Had the egg rolls, crab rangoon and gan pong chicken. The egg rolls were hand rolled and did not taste over fried or heavy. Same with the crab rangoon. The gan pong chicken was a spicy dish. Not too spicy though. Had just the right amount of bite. I highly recommend Chef Ping.
(5)Jill M.
This has to be the best Chinese food I have ever had, even better then when they owned Yu's in Schaumburg. I would highly recommend it!
(5)angelo h.
VERY happy with the service, atmosphere, and most importantly, the food! Reasonably priced menu, make sure you get there either at 11:30 for lunch or 1:00 after the noon rush is gone...it gets very busy and rightfully so! Yes, I am a former fan of Yu's and I have thankfully followed the old ownership to their new venture. This place is GREAT for American style Chinese food. It is unfortunate some folks on this review board use absolutely disgusting descriptors that certainly work towards the detriment of an establishment's better name. I personally know the owner and that person would NEVER serve 'rotten' flesh to anyone...what an outlandish thing to say...save it for a creative writing class please...I guess that is why there are professional food critics and the rest of us. On the same token...I will bring it up to the owner about the dirty serving wear...that is unacceptable and the owner most certainly would agree.
(5)Dan D.
Stopped in on a Tuesday for dinner. Nice decor, friendly & attentive service, waiter answered all the questions we had about the menu. My wife thought the egg drop soup was kind of watery and tasteless, but we agreed that the vegetable egg rolls were very well done. Entrees consisted of Gan Pong Diced Chicken (her) and Chef Ping Seafood Platter (me). The chicken was very good, spicy without being overpowering, and the portion was huge. The seafood consisted of shrimp, scallops, squid, and some other fish-like substance, along with broccoli and leeks in a light brown sauce. As with the chicken, there was more than enough to take home and still leave the restaurant satisfied. On the whole, we really enjoyed our dinner here. Close to home and work. We'll be back.
(4)G J.
I got here before 11:30 am and there were actually people waiting for lunch service to begin. There were people waiting in their cars and in the restaurant. This I have never seen at any restaurant. I ordered the Ja jang myeon and Tangsuyook. This was the best I've ever had of these dishes. The Ja jang myeon seems to have been made from scratch. Each pork pieces of the tangsuyook appears to have been meticulously battered and fried. By the time I finished my food the restaurant was packed. The restaurant had a somewhat upscale casual feel. I hope more chef ping's would open up as this place can show others how things should be done.
(5)William C.
Every country has their own take on Chinese food and I was very impressed with this Korean style Chinese restaurant since it is the closest thing you can get here. every dish is tasty and I even think it is better than San Francisco's. Summer Salad is a must have!
(5)C. W.
LOVE it. Any place where I can take my finicky girls to get fed and they're happy, we're happy. All four of my family likes this place, some of the best Chinese in the Rolling Meadows/Arlington/Mount Prospect area. I will build on others' recommendations to either arrive early or be ready to wait for a table. It's worth the wait.
(5)Cathaleya C.
I saw lots of asians here, and I've heard the chefs from Yu Mandarin came here for work since Yu is under new management... anyhow, we ordered the crispy intestine, asian style pork, and szechuan string beans. Good, good, and good. We are fans.
(5)Phil S.
I'm so angry that I didn't find out about this place sooner. I was a big Yu's fan in the past but wrote a scathing review due to their service. A friend later told me that the owner's of Yu's sold the place and opened Chef Ping's. I made it over here as fast as possible to get my fix of the good stuff I was used to and I was not disappointed. My wife and I hadn't had a decent Koreanized Chinese meal in a very long time so we already knew what we were going to order before we got there: jja jang myun, jjam ppong and tang soo yook. We arrived at 8pm on a Sunday evening to find a parking lot almost completely full. We had a short wait of about 5 minutes and were seated. Server took our order and our food was out in about 10 minutes even though the restaurant was still full. It was everything we missed and dreamed of and they even split the jjam ppong for us in to 2 bowls which seemed like 2 large bowls! Everything was hot and fresh and even though it was crowded the servers were very good at asking us if we needed anything else, or if everything was okay and refilled my water constantly. Not keeping my water filled is a big pet peeve of mine as I don't drink soda and I drink a lot of water with my meals. Even the manager (could've been the owner?) was bringing food out because they were busy. He was very nice and I wanted to tell him how much we enjoyed our meal but he looked really busy when we left so I didn't want to bother him. I'll have to try other items on the menu to compare them to Yu's of olden days but for now I am ecstatic that I never have to step foot in that hell hole Yu's ever again. Good riddens. I'll be back for more and more!
(5)Andrea W.
This is my favorite Chinese Restaurant in the Suburbs. High quality food with a nice atmosphere. Ping's Noodle Platter and Honey Walnut Shrimp are two of my favorites.
(5)jay t.
Simply amazing... All of the food I've tried there has been
(5)G E.
Good fresh food, good service, basically a new Yu's restaurant. Always busy but worth the wait.
(5)Peter R.
I heard thru the grapevine that the previous owners of Yu's Mandarin started a new restaurant called Chef Ping's. I was told that it was on Algonquin Road close to Golf. We recently drove by, and I realized that it used to be the old Bakers Square that closed down a couple of years ago. The wife and I finally decided to give this place a try yesterday. The parking lot was packed, but I found some PTP (Prime Time Parking) right up front. I thought there would be a wait, but the space inside is bigger that I thought it would be. The hostess greeted us with a smile and sat us right away. I found the ambience to be very welcoming. The room was bright with it being a nice sunny day and all. The menu is almost identical to Yu's Mandarin, and I see that some of the staff jumped ship and now works here. I decided to order what we usually get at Yu's so we can compare the taste of the dishes. We started off with the fried pot stickers, and ordered Mongolian Beef and Lemon Chicken for the main course. The dishes come with a small bowl of white rice, but I would suggest ordering the fried rice if you're really hungry. The pot stickers were pan fried deliciousness, and the dipping sauce was very good. Our food came out fairly quickly, which is good considering how busy they were. The lemon chicken was so tender with the right amount of sweet tart. I found the Mongolian Beef here to be more flavorful than the one at Yu's. That is saying a mouthful since I consider the Mongolian Beef at Yu's one of my favorite dishes. I feel like Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin younger, equally attractive sister. The menu and tastes are so similar, with a slight nod to Chef Pings for having tastier dishes. You really can't go wrong with either one. The only thing for me is that Yu's is 2 minutes away from pad, while Chef Ping's is 10 minutes away. I find that to be quite a delicious dilemma to have. FYI: They are closed on Mondays
(4)Yuntaek P.
A few weeks ago, my friend and I went this place. Very kind server and very yummy foods. Definitely a top pick in Chinese restaurant category. If you know Korean style Chinese food, this is a must visit.
(5)Nick L.
This is a fascinating restaurant. The decor looks good and the place smells like good food. Always busy, so they must be doing something right. But it did not work for me. I love my Vegetable Pad Thai. Thai Garden, Taste of Thai, Dan Thai in Hoffman Estates set a good benchmark. The Pad Thai from Chef Ping was dull and boring. Got it to go. Noodles with eggs, a sprinkling of tofu and a few bean sprouts. It was missing sauce and the only other vegetable I saw was some red cabbage for decoration. Must have something to do with the fact that they were probably busy.
(2)Shad A.
Szechuwan green beans and walnut shrimp are my favorites. This place is delciious.
(5)Richard C.
this chinese restaurant is authentic as it gets in suburb chinese. the place is clean, staffs are friendly and nice, and food is awesome. for noodle platter and noodle platter only, it is out of bounds good. this is must-have if you like any noodle dish. all other dishes are pretty darn good as well. it gets really packed on the weekend so be aware of wait time if you are taking a group to here. 6 star for noodle platter. 4.5 star for everything else. highly recommended!
(5)Gini O.
Yummy all-around. Have been coming here since it opened and have defected from Yu's which is still good. Great staff - warm and welcoming. They know our family and we are treated like family. Added benefit - nice decor. Truly some of, if not the best Chinese in the Chicagoland area. I lgrew up in NW suburbs, currently live on the north shore, former north sider and have been to most of the better places in China town and no place I've been to in my travels (even out of state) compares to Chef Pings as it delivers on all fronts. Only problem - it's almost always packed so sometimes there's a wait. :-) Really can't say enough. Try the mandarin trio, honey walnut shrimp -- super yummy.
(5)Matt J.
I've eaten here about a half a dozen times or so, so I figured it was about time I actually wrote a review. Probably the only negative thing you can say about this place is that unless you show up at an off hour, there is a high likelihood that you are going to be in for a bit of a wait, as the quality of the food and service here is the worst kept secret in the NW burbs. As someone that eats Asian almost daily (wife is Chinese and we spend 4+ months in China every year), I can say that this is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the city (along with a couple in Chinatown). Sure, it may be true that much of the menu could be categorized as "Chinese for the gweilos", you can't criticize the flavors or the portions. Also, if you become a regular and get to know the owner, you may just get some off-menu delicacies delivered to your table. Bottom line is that if you live on the NW side of Chicago, you are not going to find a better Chinese / Asian-fusion restaurant in your neighborhood, so pack up friends and family and head over early (or late) to beat the crowds.
(5)Luca B.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant, by far the best in the area. We loved the crispy duck, noodle platter, mango chicken... yum
(5)Sam S.
The food was very good, but service was lacking. The chicken wings were very good and spicy. I recommend them. Our service was not very good often having to request service and water refills. The parking lot is small and some of our party had to park next door and walk over. And the 11 per cent tax on Rolling Meadows dine in food was a bit of a shock. Overall food a 4 service and amenities a 2. Won't be back anytime soon.
(3)Garrett A.
There's a rumor going around that Chef Ping was started by an old Yu's Mandarin person, which absolute sense. The only difference between the two are the less crowded parking lot and the decor (Chef Ping is a quieter, lighter version, more bamboo than heavy walnut). The food is essentially the same, with two callouts. The Canton Noodles at Ping are thicker and of less quantity than Yu's Beef Flat Noodle, and the waiter recommended this "noodles with hot peppers" thing that ended up being delicious. Service was great -- we were seated at 6 pm and finished exactly an hour later. Mainly since the dining room is smaller and there was more wait staff, we never had to ask for a refill or more rice. But the thing that make Chef Ping stand on its own is the value of what you're getting. I came here with a group of five and it ended up being $65 without tax and tip. That's the equivalent of an Applebee's or Chili's, but with much better food. We also had enough leftovers for another meal. That's what I call a good deal.
(4)T K.
We took our family of 5 there for the first time. We had to wait 15 min but the service was awesome and the food was incredible. The Ping pong chicken, beef with pea pods, crab Rangoon and pot stickers were great. The kids really liked the beef lo mein. We wound up buying the hot sauce as it was fresh and perfect hotness. Traveled from lake Zurich to get here and will definitely be back soon and often.
(5)Jerome J.
Salted egg crab, honey glazed walnut shrimp, salt n pepper tofu tonight but can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Be prepared to wait since this place is so popular.
(4)Kel W.
Chef Ping is pretty darn delicious. I have only been there once. For drinks - I got a Zombie (sort of a more bitter Mai Tai and very strong) YUM, and a Crown/Coke - STRONG. Score one for them. Then, we ate all of our orders sort of family style. The potstickers were delicious and extremely savory. The egg rolls were really good but not my favorite I've ever had. On to dinner - Salt and Pepper Shrimp was very tender and not super fishy. Nice. Sesame Chicken OH MY GOSH! What was funny is our friend that was with us that ordered it, many at the table poked fun at him because it was on the kids menu, but honestly, it was the most delicious thing I tasted all night. The chicken was tender, yet crunchy in the right spots and the sauce was so yummy I could not get enough. I would go back just to get like three orders of the sesame chicken. Mushroom and Beef - YUM. I wasn't a fan of the Pong Pong chicken, which was bone in. Everything else was spicy or vegetarian (and not shared) so I didn't really get to taste much else. But overall, it was a really great experience for all of us and me especially. I would highly recommend Chef Ping as a lovely place in the burbs to go to with your family, friends or to take a date to. yum yum Enjoy!
(4)Michael L.
We came here to see if the hype from our fellow yelp friends were correct. was the new restaurant by the former Yu's Mandarin owners as good? I believe it was, but at a price. The interior is quite nice. small bar area with a TV (theyll even switch the channel on request- watched the bulls game). the food is better. Definitely order from the chef specials/favorites called old time favor from home section. we enjoyed the yellow leek with shredded pork and eggplant with oyster sauce. both tasted like home. the salt and pepper squid was good but def overpriced. also, you can't combine smelt with squid or others. lastly, the gan pong chicken was just okay. spicy but lacked richness and depth. service was decent as well. we will definitely be trying other dishes here.
(4)Deyu Z.
I waited almost 3 years to write the reivew. I have dinned in this place more than a dozen times in the last 3 years. I can spend a whole day to describe all of the dishes, but I will just do the review in short. Chef Ping offers a solid and consistent experience of chinese food, but almost all of the "authentic" Chinese dishes are slightly modified to suit a broader dinner basis. I am not against changes, but execution of dishes are lacking behind for me to give a 4-star rating. One dish I would rave about is the soy marinated duck, which is as close to authentic as possible in Chicago area. Though the quality went down a bit since the opening for that dish. My experience with the service was fairly good. My first visit and the most recent visit were excellent, and rest were just fine. The restaurants are busy during the weekend, so you may expect a 5 to 10 minutes wait and a push from waiter to turn over the table.
(3)Erin S.
They make hot & sour soup that's good w/o too much salt. Really great egg rolls too! I like their chop che and chow-mein dishes. I wish they didn't put shrimp in everything b/c my kid's allergic, it's sad she misses out on such tasty stuff! Lunch is very affordable but the place can be very busy, so leave time for that. I'd say if you're in the area, give it a try!
(4)Rich W.
Chef Ping is the new project by the people who previously owned Yu's Mandarin. It is Pan Chinese adjusted by Korean palate (I believe the owners are either Korean Chinese or Chinese Korean). Food was solid. The jelly fish salad was refreshing with a mix of great textures from the jelly fish, cucumber, and carrots. The Chinese vinaigrette was spot on. Mapo tofu was good. It was not as spicy as the original Sichuan version, but it had a great balanced flavor, which went well with rice. The gan-pung scallop was also less spicy than the original, but again had a great sweet and tangy sauce. The scallops were lightly breaded and cooked to perfection. Service was friendly and adequate. Decor was of a lounge/bistro style. A lot of dark wood tone. Overall it felt clean and comfortable. I prefer this place over the old Yu's Mandarin. Food is equally good, but service is better, and it's less crowded.
(4)Matthew K.
I tried out Chef Ping last night on the advice of my neighbor. So glad I went. The wait was pretty long even though I arrived around 5:45pm. Apparently it is best to make a reservation. But it was worth the wait. We all started with soups. The hot and sour, won ton, and egg drop soups were all very tasty. Very quickly thereafter, our meals arrived. I had Ping's Noodle Platter, and it was great. Everyone at the table, including my 4 year old and 11 year old, loved it. It was classified as spicy, but it wasn't very spicy at all. I also tried out the Hunan Beef, Mongolian Beef, and the Sweet & Sour Chicken/Shrimp. All were pretty good. Once again, the Hunan Beef was supposed to be spicy, but I don't think it was spicy at all. The service was good. Food arrived quickly and the wait staff was very diligent about coming by and filling our water glasses. We also had a manager (or owner?) come by twice to make sure our meal was okay. The portions were good size, we probably could have ordered one less entree. We will definitely come back the next time we are in the area.
(5)kevin w.
Super chinese food. Super friendly staff. Super duper clean.
(5)Cam W.
This is the best Chinese restaurant I have been to. The food is all freshly made from scratch and absolutely delicious. The potstickers are wonderful not too much dough and the meat is outstanding. The orange chicken is lightly battered and delicious. You can get white or dark chicken. All dishes can made to your specifications. I wish they would open another restaurant closer to me.
(5)Holly F.
Hands down (or rather towards the wings) Chef Ping's Chicken Wings are the best chicken wings I've ever had! The sauce is really good and they have a nice crunch on the outside, but they aren't bready at all. You have to wait a little for tables bc it's a popular place, but the service is great and you get a lot of food for a low price at lunch. It was also a nice suprise to have a pot of tea brought to us at no cost right away after coming in from the chilly weather. Everything we ordered was delicious, not greasy, and was really fresh. I'll definitely be coming back when I'm in town!
(5)Erika S.
Consistently great food and a great selection. Restaurant is clean and always busy. Only downfall us that most of the time there is a wait but not a terrible problem to have. Food is made to order and can be made with custom spice level.
(5)Vicky R.
I have only been to Chef Pengs twice now and I am addicted already. This place would be almost comparable to Yu's in Schaumburg but no cigar. My last two visits first one being take out, I got my food very quickly which is nice because you will wait through a storm at Yu's even if it's To Go. The price is very fair and the food so far has been great. Although the second time I ate in the restaurant and I feel you get more for you money especially with the lunch menu. It seems there is more on your dish then when you take out. And I love my food and getting my moneys worth but it's not always a option to eat in for me. My first visit I got the Mongolian Beef which was absolutely fabulous!! You get soup, egg roll and a fried thingy too. Recently, I ordered the sesame chicken and OH MY GOD!!! This place is so fabulous. I just loved the dishes, I could have had seconds on everything I ate it was so good. And to me it was the best Egg drop soup too. It gets very busy during lunch and it's nice inside, not huge but not small either. I doubt the waits are as long as Yu's. Yes, I compare to that restaurant because it's the best to me. But this has to be 2nd best in my book.
(5)Kathleen P.
When my husband mentioned there was a new Chinese restaurant and that it was really good, I replied with a sarcastic, "Humph!" I have been disappointed by Chinese restaurants. I admit that I had become bitter. Every time I tried to give it another shot, I would end up more disillusioned. Would I let myself be vulnerable one more time? I wasn't sure I could "put myself out there" again. Well, the next day, my husband surprised me by bringing home dinner. It looked so fresh. I could recognize the ingredients. It was delicious. Every dish had its own unique, enticing aroma and flavor. Was this some type of cuisine that I had yet to try? An Asian country that I had yet to explore? No and no. This was Chinese food from Chef Ping. We had Curry Chicken and Szechuan Eggplant, along with a couple of eggrolls. Perfection.
(5)Kei T.
Since I moved to Chicago, this has been my number 1 favorite Chinese restaurant. Probably the best in northwest suburb.
(5)Zhong Y.
Finally tried this place. This is a northern Chinese place with more than a hint of Korean Chinese flavor, and must be one of the most authentic northern place in these here parts as evidenced by the heavily northern Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean families dining here. The dead giveaways are the zhajiangmien, which is a northern noodle dish served with a thick black soy flavored meat or seafood sauce with onions, and the fried chicken wings, which were in a sweet spicy sauce. Both were quite good. I also had a fuqi feipian starter -- it's sliced beef and beef tendon, in a spicy chili oil with Sichuan pepper, cilantro, and crushed peanuts -- which was quite authentically hot, and absolutely delicious. A bit of a strange feeling to be eating in a converted former Bakers' Square, but, one gets over that quickly. Price was good for the value, and the service was attentive.
(4)Kelly M.
I am really at odds to the reviews here. We went to dinner here on Saturday night. Here's my interpretation: Pros- Decor- its nice in there. You would have NEVER thought it used to be a Bakers Square Staff- there are LOTS of them and we had people at our table constantly Clean- it was very clean Speed- It was INCREDIBLY fast Cons- Taste- it was just blah. I had Kung Pao Chicken- my mom had Chicken almond din. Both tasted REALLY REALLY similar- mine had peanuts on top- her almonds. Bother we just meh Crab Rangoon had no visible crab. No taste of it. Nothing The staff we had were NEVER the same, so it was awkward saying something about food when you weren't sure who to talk to? All in all- not impressed and won't go back.
(2)Angela H.
I asked the server what language he speaks because there are some food items I only know how to say in Chinese (also I wanted to figure out what food this restaurant specializes in so I know how to order). He responds, 'what language you want? i can speak it. chinese, korean, japanese, i know it all'. At first I thought he was joking, but he was for real! Chinese born, immigrated to Korea. Majored in hotel hospitality so learned Japanese in college. Wait a minute...that sounds a lot like the previous owner of Yu's. What did you say? You owned Yu's? NOODLES, please! I forgot how freakin good Yu's noodles are. Chewy, perfectly chewy. kiu kiu as we say in Taiwanese. Best noodles I've ever had and SO different from anywhere else I've ever had. We got the Ping noodle platter (la jao mien) and the Ping Noodle Soup (chow ma mien). I was a little hesitant because I recently came back from New England and had great seafood. Eating seafood in Chicago, not to mention the 'burbs, I was skeptical. But the seafood was amazing! So tender, succulent, not at all rubbery. Octopus, scallops, shrimp, perfectly cooked. It's so easy to over cook shrimp, but they didn't! I was amazed! Next time we'll have to try some non-noodle dishes. I'm so excited to go back!
(4)Samuel K.
We went to chef ping's last night with some family for my wife's birthday. Everything was great! The Pong Pong Chicken is awesome and so is the jjajangmyun! Our server Tim was great, even one of the other servers came by and noticed that one of our side dishes was low and offered a refill before we even knew that we needed more. I was very impressed. Our water cups never hit the bottom and were always refilled. The one glitch was that there was dust falling from the ceiling because it was the first time the ac had turned on for the year since it was unusually warm. When we made mention to one of the staff he brought out all new plates without us even asking. Later out we found out he was one of the owners! Overall chef ping's seems to have the recipe for success, great food, awesome service, good location, and owners who are involved and care. Only wish I didn't live 45 mins from the place. I asked the owner if they we going to build another one to hint making one by where we live. He said that the family sold Yu's so that they can enjoy retirement more. So it looks like I'm going to find myself taking the long drive up to rolling meadows more often.
(5)Joe D.
The Szechwan Eggplant was so good that we've already made plans for a return trip to get more. We went on a Saturday night and the place was packed, so you may want to plan ahead and make reservations. All the employee's we encountered were very pleasant and seemed happy. We had a great time and look forward to returning.
(5)Benjamin S.
Wow great Chinese Food in Arlington Heights. I live in Wood Dale but will now come here to get food to bring home. They lose one star because the staff was over friendly and bothered us at our table to frequently and I dislike that and also the beer was not so cold. EIther way the food was great. The noodles could have used a few more veggies and such but they were fresh and delicious. The beef dish we got was great the soup and appetizers were amazing!!! great white rice and overall a great deal. Price is right and you get more than what you pay for as opposed to most Asian inspired restaurants in this area. Thank You Chef Ping...
(4)Eric F.
This is a horrible experience and the worse one I've ever had. Last Sunday, 3/27/2007 at 11:45AM, four of my friends and I went to Chef Ping. There were not so many people yet, but it still took a long while for waiting the food coming. We have ordered a pork wrap. There are five of us, they only provided 4 wraps. So we asked the waitress to see if she can give us one more. She refused and claimed that this dish is designed for four, but we still have some stuffing in the dish which is far more enough to make another one. But she still refused. We moved over. Close to the end, we found we have only 4 dishes but actually we ordered 5. So we checked the waiter again. Was that so hard for him to say sorry? Yes, very hard. He blamed us that we did not confirmed our orders. OMG, what missing here was the first one we have ordered! OK, he is a young kid, we did not want to bring too much trouble for him. So we just sit there quietly for the final one coming. Finally, we can "enjoy" our last dish. The usher came and checked with us to see IF WE CAN LEAVE AT 15 MINS LATER!!! This really pissed me off and pushed my button. I can't believe they just want us leave. And can't we just have a pieceful lunch?! And it may take a while, but it is not our fault to wait for the final dish coming! I've never went to a restaurant that ask guest to leave after making their money. So we don't server their services?!!! I was so mad, but still left some tips. Since the Chef Ping may not behave, we should behave. But I will never come back to this restaurant again, no matter what! Generally the food is OK, but it is over crowded and pricy. The customer services is aweful! And the waiter actually will show their faces to you if you tip less. I just still feel shocked and angry! How this could be happend to us?!
(1)Melissa D.
I have to admit that hype impairs my judgment of restaurants and movies. I've been wanting to try Chef Ping's for quite some time from all of the good things I've heard about it. I decided to take my mom here for Mother's Day. We ordered the Braised Eggplant, Mongolian Beef, Gan Pong Shrimp and Jang Pong. All tasted very good, prices were reasonable and service was good. But I didn't walk away thinking the food was as good as advertised. Then, over the course of the week, I tried to compare other Chinese Restaurant's that were better. The only place I could think of was Great Seas and VIP in Chicago. What I liked about Chef Pings was that the quality was better and not as greasy as the aformentioned. The Shrimp for example, were huge pieces. The Braised Eggplant had more breading than I would have like but is something I would order again. The only complaint if any, was that the Jang Pong was not as spicy as I'm accustomed to. Overall, Chef Ping's is probably one of the top 2 Chinese Restaurants in the Chicagoland area.
(4)Sarah M.
"Everything was great! Friendly service, great ambiance, and yummy food."
(4)Jim T.
Very impressive experience. Started with the sizzling rice soup and was delighted by the flavor profile. Based on other Yelp recommendations I went 'safe' and had the Mongolian Beef. WOW! Maybe it's that I'm easy but I was very, very satisfied with the portion size, quality, and taste of the beef dish. Service was very attentive and made for a great experience too. Overall, a very pleasant meal and I recommend Chef Ping highly...
(4)Jason L.
Me and some friends went here for dinner the other night, Never again !!! the food was not very good, didn't seem fresh also so,so service, nobody was impressed by this place, save your money and go somewhere else.
(1)Sean Y.
Great food and in general, good service. The tofu dishes, combo chow mein, fried potstickers, and Chef Ping noodles are excellent! It is always crowded here that sometimes you have to park somewhere else!
(4)John K.
This restaurant has surpassed Yu's Mandarin in almost every category except for space as Chef Ping's is much smaller than Yu's. The Gan Pong Chicken and Salty Egg Crab are my favorites! In fact, the Gan Pong Chicken is the best I've ever had (yes, even better than Great Sea Restaurant).
(5)Antoknight B.
I love Chef Ping. It's my go to Chinese restaurant. Dishes to try- salt and pepper tofu, spicy pepper beef and lady moa tofu.
(5)christine c.
came here twice so far, once for lunch and one for dinner. both times were EXCELLENT. the chicken wings are sooooooo good and even though they're not on the lunch menu, you can ask for them and they will happily prepare them for you :) as always, i get the seafood noodles w/o soup. sucks for yus noodles - they had a terrible lawyer! should've placed a noncompete clause in there. so sad. i will probably never go back to yus - they totally skimp on their ingredients now
(5)Maggie G.
Oh em gee! We've heard rumors of Chef Ping's from fans of Yu's, so we had to try it. We ordered carryout, and had to get the barbeque fried rice. Everything you need in fried rice, but what's really spectacular are the noodles. We had something with lots of mushrooms, and they were fantastic, cooked to perfection.
(5)Barry G.
As a long time customer of Yu's, we eventually stopped going because the food got worse and worse with each visit. We were turned on to Chef Ping by a local chef that I admire, and an old relationship was rekindled. Same/similar items as Yu's has/had, but as tasty as the old Yu's was. Things will have different names, but you'll eventually find what you're looking for. As a bonus, the K menu now has english translations on it, so you'll be less surprised by some Korean-Chinese delicacies. My must-haves are the chop chae, Ping's noodle soup, black bean noodles, gan pong squid. The squid doesn't travel well, so eat it all while you're there... and don't be afraid of the whole hot peppers, they give a delicious smoky slightly spicy accent to the whole dish.
(4)Morry L.
Chef Ping has excellent food and reasonable prices. The problems on weekends are inadequate parking and too long of a wait which can exceed an hour. They do not take reservations for small parties.
(4)Kira C.
the food was good. our waitress was very attentive, I mean she walked around to refilled our tea pot quite often. crowed around lunch time, but didn't have to waite for long.
(5)Eugene P.
Ok, when I say, "I've been going to Yu's for a long time," I mean it. My family and I have been going to Yu's since the previous location on Roselle, before it move across the street to Golf Road. We've been regulars for nearly 40 years. If you are a Yu's regular, you may have noticed the quality of service and the food decline in the last year and a half. I believe that is because they changed ownership. Well the old owners opened a new restaurant, a few miles down the road, Chef Ping. Chef Ping has the same great menu that Yu's had, and the quality of food is back. Unlike the other reviewers, I didn't notice the smaller portions, so I can't confirm or deny that. I can say that the food is great. Yu's was our favorite restaurant, now Chef Ping is our favorite. My only concern is that Yu's started out small, they moved across the street and expanded, then they took over the stores next to them and expanded even more. I don't think Chef Ping can expand like that in their current location.
(5)Bert W.
all i can say is WOW! not only was the food great, but the service was AWESOME. you can't beat having both great food and service. it was a packed house but they still gave our family exceptional service!!! even when i needed a refill the hostess refilled my coke! the entire staff was extremely FRIENDLY! I LOVE THAT!
(5)Judi H.
I really wanted to like this place. i read all the reviews which sounded great. I like Yu's so I had high hopes. I ordered some food for carry out. The egg rolls were just okay, a bit greasy but okay. The chicken wing app was dry and flavorless. One reviewer was very enthusiastic about the sesame chicken so I tried that. It was just a pile of dry, sticky sweet ick. I hate to waste food but there was no saving it. Just flavorless dry stuff. A total waste of money.
(1)Teresa C.
I love their mapo tofu and kung pao shrimp.
(4)Julia J.
Chef Ping is one of our fave places to eat Chinese food. The owners and servers know us now because we've frequented their place so much. The best time to go for lunch is early or around 1ish because noontime is crazy busy, but the turnaround for tables is quick. Same goes for dinner. If you show up at 6 PM or later, you'll definitely have to wait. They do take reservationsn for groups of 6 or more; so it's recommended if you can plan ahead of time. Some of our fave dishes are the Ping's chicken wings, tofu with king mushrooms, pad thai noodles, and their dumplings. Their noodle soup is good too. You won't be disappointed if you go here!
(5)Adam N.
Food was great. Service was great. My wife and I will definitely return. This place is a great alternative to yu's mandarin where the service is terrible.
(5)Denise K.
Went here for lunch Saturday. It was nice as far as ambiance. Lunch was good, not great. The potstickers were good but falling apart. The waiter said it would be a 20 min wait for the steamed sumplings, but they were out in like 10 min. The crab rangoon was small and had a hint of something yellow in the cream cheese - perhaps curry powder. But you could not taste it. They were ok, but Noodles Delight were far better in taste and price. I had the mongolian beef which was good. It was nice for the rice noodles to be served on the side so they did not get soft before you got to eat them. My mom had mu shu chicken. She liked it but said it was very messy. She was glad the server rolled the pancakes as that is a bit tricky to do, and some places just leave you on your own to do it. The server was attentive and water/ice tea was never empty. It did not wow me, but I would go back to try other things on the menu. Mom was disappointed there was no lunch menu - as she is always looking for the bargain! lol. Lunch fir 2 was just under $40.
(3)Brandon V.
Great food! Sometimes the service is just average...when they are very busy. Understandable. Ping's wings are good. Also Mongolian beef, seafood noodle, walnut shrimp, fried rice.
(4)Allen L.
I came last week with a couple friends for lunch because I'm a big fan of Yu's (although no longer since ownership changed). Of course since the buzz is that the owners are now at Chef Ping, I had to give it a try. The place looks pretty good on the inside, neutral and classy. Our server was fine although it was a little hard to understand what he was saying, but nothing out of the ordinary for a chinese place. Now onto the food...like I said, being a longtime fan of the old Yu's, I was really really disappointed. We decided to try a couple different things and share. One of my favorite things was the Mongolian Beef and I was really hoping that it was how they used to do it, but instead the beef came out drenched in alot of sauce and the beef was a little rubbery. The brown sauce was just a salty flavor and nothing like how Mongolian Beef should be! I had the spicy seafood noodle soup which they are famous for. It wasn't bad, but not good either. It was full of noodles and vegetables, lacking in the seafood. While I like spicy, all I could taste was spicy...there should be some flavor...I dont know, maybe seafood? However, not all was lost...the soup wasn't bad and we had this spicy intestine appetizer that was probably the best thing we had there. One last thing was the egg rolls...maybe it was a bad batch, but I've had alot of good or ok egg rolls. Usually it's ok because egg rolls arent hard to make, but these were TERRIBLE. It was filled with mostly cabbage, I couldn't really find anything else and it was so bland in taste! Even sweet and sour sauce couldn't save it...and I rarely ever eat bad egg rolls. Maybe my expectations were too high...but considering what all the rave and reviews are about them being the Yu's owners, I feel that using that reputation to advertise deserves the same treatment back. I don't want to base everything on one try so I'll definitely try again another time (and update my review). But I feel like the old Yu's will never come back and alot of people are blinded by just the "name". I don't see how so many people can give 5 stars so easily for such a mediocre place.
(2)Bing B.
preface: yes, this place is the old yu's owners. yes, i loved (and still love) yus. this place, not so much. TL:DR? - they tell you to get the F out after youve eaten, but only if youve been a loyal customer to them for a long time. foods ok. review: food seems to have the same items as old yu's. seems like they re-tooled it to be a bit more of a "fast food" type but enough items overlapped that it can be considered similar. however, it maybe me but it just doesnt taste the same. something is slightly off and it doesnt have the same flavor/quality. now the new yus definitely has some differences, but i didnt expect it from chef ping. that alone would have put this place a 0.5 star lower than old yus and would have put it at about a 4.5. however, what bumped the rating down so low was the fact that the last time i was there, after we ate, after a few minutes, they told us to GTFO. we have been going to their establishments for as long as i could remember (been in that hood at least 25+ years. how long have they run yus again?) and they know at least our faces if not our names. so how do you treat your LONG time customers? why, by telling us to leave brusquely. at first we thought, oh, ok maybe we did stay a bit too long, we should leave. however after thinking about it for a while, we were somewhat upset in the way they told us. its not like we were camped out for hours, and we were still drinking after we ate! well, it turns out, they do this to not only us, but also to a lot of our other friends and family, leaving such a bad taste in our mouths that many have decided not to go there again.
(2)Alfred K.
A korean chinese joint in the burbs! Despite the poor review from another vegetarian, we wanted to give Chef Ping a try for ourselves and we're incredibly glad we did. We've had the Vegetarian Chicken, Szechuan Eggplant, Fried Bun (smirk), the Vegetable Noodle Platter, and #5 off of the Korean menu on the last page. Everything tasted great. The Vegetarian Chicken is a cold appetizer of rolled up tofu skin - reminds me of Shanghainese food. The Szechuan Eggplant was individually deep fried and then covered in a great spicy garlic sauce. Fried buns are fried buns. The noodles are made in-house which are always nice to have, although we've had better ones at Portland. The #5 on the last page is another cold appetizer of grass jelly and cucumber mixed in sesame sauce and szechuan pepper oil (the type that makes your lips numb...), just great flavors. Service is generally good. Nothing to complain about, except for the long lines and lack of parking...
(4)E S.
The noodle platter and hot and sour soup tasted exactly the same as Yu's. This is a good thing since I really like Yu's. The Kung Pao Chicken was also very good.
(5)Tracy F.
The veggies in all the dishes were not stewed to death, so I know each order was made fresh and not over cooked. Still some crunch to all the veggies which we love. Food was excellent / price was a smidge high, but worth it as we cannot find a single Chinese restaurant that is worth eating at in the area. Usually a wait to dine in, we have only ordered pick up.
(4)Heena T.
I absolutely loved this place. From the quality of service to the quality of food to the cost, this place is by far the best Asian restaurant I have dined at in a VERY long time. Extremely satisfied and will definitely return!
(4)s C.
I've mostly only had the korean-chinese food here, but it is EXCELLENT. Fresh, fast, and flavorful. The ttansooyook, lahjohmyun, and samsun jiajiangmyun are FANTASTIC. I'm a huge fan of Yu's, but have to admit the food here is a notch above and the ambiance is much nicer. We've also had the spicy green beans and pot stickers, both were delicious as well.
(5)Derek S.
The only reason I even give this restaurant one star is because it is actually a very nice looking place. Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end. I have had 2 bad experiences here actually, the first time I only called, and the automated answering service kept sending me around in a loop instead of connecting me to someone, I later found out it was Monday and they were closed, but it was still very frustrating having the automated service sending me around in a circle as opposed to just saying the stupid place was closed. So that kind of made me a little aggravated but I decided I'd give the place a second try anyway, and so we ordered food another day. We got sweet n sour chicken, combo fried rice and eggrolls with an order of crab rangoons. It was all crap. The crab rangoons were gross, and it was like it was made with egg yolk and cream cheese, and there was no crab meat at all. Gross. There was a huge egg shell in the fried rice, I have no idea how they missed that, it was the size of a quarter. Also gross. The egg rolls were the size of my pinky finger and covered in frying oil, and the sweet and sour chicken wasn't at all what I expected. Normally it would be fried pieces of breaded chicken, with sauce on the side but this was more like sesame chicken minus the seeds. It was lousy, all their food was terrible and I'll never go there again. China 1 right down the street has much better food, their restaurant isn't nearly as flashy but their food is awesome compared to this dump.
(1)Michelle P.
Went to Chef Ping last night for dinner. I must say, it is the best Chinese food I ever had. Fresh ingredients, great drinks, and wonderful service made for an awesome dining experience. Had the egg rolls, crab rangoon and gan pong chicken. The egg rolls were hand rolled and did not taste over fried or heavy. Same with the crab rangoon. The gan pong chicken was a spicy dish. Not too spicy though. Had just the right amount of bite. I highly recommend Chef Ping.
(5)Jill M.
This has to be the best Chinese food I have ever had, even better then when they owned Yu's in Schaumburg. I would highly recommend it!
(5)angelo h.
VERY happy with the service, atmosphere, and most importantly, the food! Reasonably priced menu, make sure you get there either at 11:30 for lunch or 1:00 after the noon rush is gone...it gets very busy and rightfully so! Yes, I am a former fan of Yu's and I have thankfully followed the old ownership to their new venture. This place is GREAT for American style Chinese food. It is unfortunate some folks on this review board use absolutely disgusting descriptors that certainly work towards the detriment of an establishment's better name. I personally know the owner and that person would NEVER serve 'rotten' flesh to anyone...what an outlandish thing to say...save it for a creative writing class please...I guess that is why there are professional food critics and the rest of us. On the same token...I will bring it up to the owner about the dirty serving wear...that is unacceptable and the owner most certainly would agree.
(5)Kobayashi K.
When my fiancé and I were apartment-hunting back in 2010, we happened to stop for lunch here. Chef Ping was our first and became our favorite local restaurant in the Schaumburg area. When we moved again in 2013, we chose to commemorate the occasion by eating our last lunch at Chef Ping's as well. ;_; The atmosphere inside is very welcoming and "upscale casual", with dark woods, simplistic style, and peaceful piano music. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always able to recommend something tasty. The menu includes a variety of traditional, fusion, and "Americanized" Chinese dishes, so you can really try many different things each time you go! * They also have a special room for larger dinner parties! (We held one of the hubby's birthdays there!) * The wait on the weekends can be long if you haven't made a reservation! This place is awesome and people know it! * We live 1 and 1/2 hours away now and we STILL drive out of our way to Chef Ping's to carry-out our favorites! Husband's Favorites: Ham-Fried Rice / Broccoli Beef My Favorites: Pad Thai Noodle / Shrimp Egg Rolls
(5)Jimmy W.
I've been coming here for a couple years and while some things got better some are not as good. I still give it 4 stars. Here's some comments... I love chicken wings. While some say the PongPong have no meat and are just fried bones these are my go to asian flavor wings. Sweet with some spice and nice crispy bits. I don't get tired of eating these!! Shrimp dumplings, another Chef Ping staple for me. Pieces of shrimp in a nicely steamed wrapper. Hunan beef & chicken. I always order this, why, I don't know, the flavor is so good to me... Pad Thai. This is one that went downhill. I love the noodle (Wide) which you don't see as much anymore, but the sauce on this dish is flavorless. Just look at the photos people post here. Barely any color and it tastes like it. To bad as I love Pad Thai.
(4)Abhinav S.
Went here as part of a treat. Friend had purchased a new car.. so yay free food. It was dinner time, fairly packed. Even though it was a Friday night, the wait time was short (10 minutes or so), perhaps we were lucky. Plan accordingly if you're hungry and wish to avoid the crowd. The place is huge with two dining areas and a nice ambiance. We ordered the Pong pong chicken, Sczechwan Eggplant and Gan Pong Diced chicken. They were all good. But I think every item that we ordered were breaded, deep fried and full of oil. That was my only qualm but otherwise it was good. Portions are huge and we probably ordered way too much. Next time gotta avoid going all wild and ordering so much. The chefs keeping walking around occasionally to monitor stuff as well. Bring up any issues if you have to them. It's a nice way to personalize the experience and receive active feedback.
(4)Monty W.
Dependable go-to spot for East Asian community in the northern burbs. Utter "Chef Ping" amongst the Chinese or Korean that live in the burbs and chances are that they go here for their family style Chinese/Korean meals. They do try to stress the quality of service here especially for the larger tables in the back with plate swapping near the middle of your menu. Some items that we usually have for family meals included the honey walnut shrimp. JaJa mein (though its never a favorite of mine). Salt and Pepper tofu (must get), The pong pong chicken (make sure to get extra rice for all the sauce haha!). Schezwan green beans are delicious. But garlic stir fried pea shoots for $16?! come on now...8 treasure rice for dessert is a different kind of dessert (not overly sweet) which Ping does fairly well. Chef Ping is a bit pricier and portions a bit smaller than the restaurants in Chinatown for family style meals, but still better than the alternative of driving from the burbs thru the traffic nightmare of the loop. Ample parking. Reservations are suggested especially on weekends. The wait could be considerable.
(4)Linh L.
Service was great. The food was meh. We ordered the following: 1. Homemade stir fried spicy noodles - it's ok. Spicy, but lacked flavor. 2. Chinese broccoli - tasted fresh and probably the best thing we ordered. 3. Chicken lollipops - this was so disappointing. It was skin and bones. They took out all of the meat! If you like this dish... You must visit Great Seas restaurant in Albany Park of Chicago. It is called "spicy chicken." Much better and more nutritional. I could get 10 chicken lollipops with rice and still be hungry.
(3)Julia L.
Pretty great! Fast and respectful service, I think the waiter gave my whole party a choice of soup or salad to start off even though maybe it only came with a lunch special? Also, I was impressed by the amount of customers they had on a weekday. We ordered sesame chicken, garlic chicken, pong pong chicken?, jampong and jajang. The sesame and garlic chicken came with rice an egg roll and a wonton crisp. They were perfectly prepared and not soggy at all!! I just didn't really like the garlic chicken - too strong, there's a weird after taste.. But that's my fault I guess. The sesame was amazing! The pong pong chicken was supposed to be spicier than kanppungi which is the Korean spicy chicken wings.. But it was very mild. Haha maybe it's cause we're so used to Great Sea's spicy, sweet, big kanppungi that the pong pong was a little underwhelming. But by no means was it not enjoyable! The jjajangmyun was thick and big portioned which is always good. You should ask for an extra bowl of sauce cause for the amount of noodles Chef Ping holds back that delicious black bean sauce.. it's so good why not have more to smother all over your face - I mean the noodles.. :) Now the only let down today was the jampong. The broth was not spicy and refreshing like it should be, but more milky and mild? I think Chef Ping doesn't like to make things too spicy in order to cater to the non-Asian customers, which they have many! But again, great big portion :) Overall, I would definitely come again, but just skip the jampong.
(4)angela l.
Were shopping in the neighborhood around dinner time and recalled being to Chef Ping several years ago. We had noodle, sweet pea tip, green bean and fish fillet and all were tasty. Good service! Shall be back again next time we are in the neighborhood .
(4)Sarah N.
My family and I came here with some friends who recommended this place. Typically, they go to China Town for good Chinese food. They said that this was the best place close by that was almost equivalent to China Town status Chinese food. But, at least it is closer than going to China Town, so I will be coming here more often now that I have been introduced to Chef Ping. Unfortunately, I cannot recall all the food we ordered as they were the ones who ordered for us, in Chinese. I will do my utmost best to recall what it was we ordered. I remember eating Salt and Pepper Squid, Walnut Shrimp, Szechwan Fish Fillet, Mongolian Beef, Sauteed Peapod Tips, Mandarin Bean Curd, and I'm sure there are others we ordered but can't remember. Salt and Pepper Squid was just to die for. If this is all we ate, I could eat this with rice and be happy. As for the Walnut Shrimp, this was also very addicting. The combination of the sweet sauce with the honey walnut and saltiness of the shrimp was perfect. Szechwan Fish Fillet was was another unforgettable dish we had. This is great by itself or even with rice. Just keep guzzling the green tea after each dish and your taste buds resets so that you can get the real flavor of the other dish you eat. The Mongolian Beef was also perfect with the rich flavors combined with the vegetables and beef. The beef was moist and not tough, just how we like it. Second to last is the Peapod Tips, this is a great dish to have for a vegetable dish. I believe hardly any Chinse restaurants serve this unless you're in China Town. I am in love with this dish. Lastly, the Mandarin Bean Curd is something everyone should order as an appetizer. It's a great dish to start the entire meal. I found my go to Chinese Restaurant.
(5)Amanda B.
I used to like Chef Ping a lot and it pains me to write this review but I can't eat there anymore. They USED to clean their bigger shrimp but the past two times, none of my shrimp were clean. I don't know about other people, but I prefer NOT eating the poop vein in the shrimp. When we told our waitress about it the first time it happened, she just said she would let her manager know and didn't even apologize or offer to get us clean shrimp. It happened again and the waitress didn't even care. I understand they don't clean the smaller shrimp, but the bigger ones they should clean. I can't eat at a place that doesn't clean their shrimp because if they don't even take the time to properly clean shrimp, then what else don't they take the time to clean?
(1)Soyoung S.
The management is absolutely flawed. We waited over TWO hours for three dishes, while everyone else around us that was seated WELL after us, were already served and nearly done with their meals. Our server clearly forgot to put in our order when we placed it, and didn't bother to come and communicate anything with us until the head server noticed us waiting at an empty table for hours while everyone else around us was being accommodated for My advice to management is to train your servers to be better organized, to apologize when mistakes are made, and to provide good customer service to make up for it. The food was delicious but after waiting for hours for it, the mood at our table greatly fell
(1)Tellsplatte ..
Good: good food. Excellent service. Felt like a king while sitting at the bar area. Wasn't expecting that. Friendly peeps. -1.5 stars for $$$ to value. Nonetheless, one of the better Chinese I had since moving to the northern Chicago suburbs.
(4)Ziyan C.
A go-to favorite for my parents, who more than anyone know good Chinese food! We showed up at 6:30pm on a Friday and were told it was a 45 minute wait for us 4. It ended up being about 25-30 minutes, which was a nice surprise. The service is really friendly, prompt, and the food comes out quickly. Our server made good recommendations when we were trying to figure out what to get from one part of the menu, say, the beef section. When we got all our dishes, we realized that three of them are kind of large combo platters (the Summer Salad, Noodle Platter, & Seafood Combo) and fairly similar. I wish our server could've noticed this and mentioned something about it. SALT & PEPPER FAMILY: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Salt & Pepper Tofu ($7.95) - 3.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Smaller than I'd expected; the tofu had a nice & thin breading to it, but with such thick pieces, even though they're flavored on the outside, most of each piece doesn't have much flavor on the inside. BEEF: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Mushroom Beef (beef w/ big sliced king mushroom in a delicate sauce. $13.95) - 4.5 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… The beef comes in huge slices and is incredibly satisfying to chew through, the meat is so good! The large mushroom slices are great too; they're not too overpowering as I often find with everyday Chinese dishes with mushroom. OLD TIME FAVORITE FROM HOME: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… 1. Summer Salad (cold, hot & mustard salad on bean noodle. $16.95) - 3 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… I didn't love the flavors in this - I could definitely taste the mustard/horseradish throughout, which was an odd pairing for me, and having a cold dish in November in the Midwest just isn't as comforting as the hot dishes. NOODLES & RICE: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… * Ping's Noodle Platter (seafood, pork, vegetables over noodles. $9.50) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… This was great - the noodles are pretty thick and soft, and there is just a ton of delicious stuff in the dish. SEAFOOD * Chef Ping's Seafood Combo ($14.95) - 4 stars pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef… Another good all-round dish, with lots of good seafood. VEGETABLES: yelp.com/biz_photos/chef…
(5)Real D.
This is a lame review because everything we ordered was great. The Ping noodles, you can taste how freshly made it is. Now I know what I am missing when I eat the typical dehydrated noodles. We were checked on frequently and we were just 2 people. The place is packed and it's wall to wall Asians, so Asians in the NW burbs know where to go, and that's at Chef Pings.
(5)Sang L.
My gosh, wish I would have visited this place sooner!!!!! I always see it but never stopped by. If you haven't done so, go now. Best Chinese food around the burbs. The food is authentic and tastes great! The service is good. The inside is a bit busy but that's because this place is great. Everything we ordered from fried rice to noodles to pong wings were delicious. I would definitely take guests from out of town here for great food and atmosphere.
(5)Joseph L.
I'm torn about this place because I want to give them 5 stars because they go the extra mile to make the food unique and tasty. I just feel as though the food could be given with better portions. If I go here again, I'm getting take out. I waiting 20 minutes to be seated and it took them a while to bring me my food when I did order.
(4)Lena M.
It's always a good sign when you walk in and it's filled with fellow Chinese people young and old enjoying their meal. I'm Cantonese but love cuisine of all sorts. My dinner was delicious! We had the crispy duck, honey walnut shrimp (my fave so I'm really picky!), and my husband loves their version of the General Tso. Take out was speedy and parking for take out is set good. Warning - this place is good so it gets pretty packed quickly. Be prepared to wait for both carry out and dine in.
(4)Bunny D.
their food quality is consistent. If I'm hungry for Chinese food, Chef Ping is the only place I go. Many choices to choose from, even some Korean dishes. My favorite is their Tofu dishes. Yum!
(4)Odranre B.
it's been 3 years since i reviewed this place, and have been continually dining here at least once a month...it still gets pretty crowded during peak hours...i started noticing some negative changes with the food quality and the portion last year, and steadily declining this year...i really didn't think about it too much until i started taking survey with my friends and families who frequent at the restaurant...i also compared a photo of champong (spicy seafood noodle soup) that i ordered on the first year they opened to the one i ordered two weeks ago and there was roughly 20% difference (and i don't think it evaporated on its way to my table)...sorry chef ping but yu's mandarin reclaimed the crown back...
(3)Morris N.
This review is for carry-out. I ordered online. The process of creating the account to place the online order was easy to do but kind of a pain especially on an iPad. However you only have to create the account once, then it's not bad at all. Even though it was during a busy dinner rush, the order was ready within 20 minutes as they had advised. We had hot & sour soup and wonton soup. Both were good. The fried pot stickers weren't the best I've had. We tried the noodle platter, sauteed fish fillet, and sweet & sour shrimp. All of the entrees were very good. The prices for the entrees seem to be on the higher side. The overall check amount wasn't too bad.
(4)Laurice M.
I absolutely LOVE Chef Ping!!! Excellent service-definitely not your typical Chinese restaurant. The servers are polite and attentive, not overbearing or rude. When my family and I went here, I felt really taken care of during the whole time we were there. Glasses were filled without us having to call them. None of them hovering near us but when you need them, easy to get ahold of them. Also, very polite (in my experience, a rarity in Chinese restaurants)!!! As for the food, love love love all the dishes we had ordered so far! I wasn't a fan of every dish but I love that everything seemed fresh and not ordinary. Favorites: - Salt and Pepper Tofu (small serving for the price but I would gladly pay for it because it's really good! So silky and tasty!) - Mongolian Beef (the beef is melt in my mouth tender) - Pong pong chicken (reminded me of Crisp) - Fried rice (the shrimps are BIG!!!) - Orange beef - Young chow fried rice Not my faves but still good - Noodle platter - Noodles with black bean sauce - Peking duck (I like the duck but not a fan of the crepes) - Sesame chicken Definitely recommend!
(4)Tina L.
Came here for the manfriend's birthday. Good thing we made reservations because this place is poppin'! We just ordered a variety of shushes and did family style: take some, pass it down! Each dish was delicious, I would do this the same again. I recommend the salt and pepper squid, mapo tofu (on the menu I think it's called Lady Mao bean curd) and Chinese broccoli.
(5)Shy Y.
This place is over hipe over price and down right not authentic Chinese nor Korean food. Food was one step above your regular carry out Chinese carry out, thats not a good thing. This place does well because of its masking appearance and the location, take away the location and its high dollar look and you get a normal carry out. Spent $70 their ordering assortment of food to give it a full evaluation. I'll keep it short and sweet. Not worth the $70 or anymore of my money. Ingredients and flavor was lacing freshness and true Asian flavors This is watered down again food no where near its claims of being the best. On a positive note. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. That's another key ingredient to its success Spend your money somewhere else find a place that focus more on its authenticity of Asian cuisines and the quality of food/ flavor.
(2)Megan Z.
My father and I live about a mile away from Chef Ping and always enjoy an excellent meal here! The other reviews are right, wait times can be excessive. However, you will understand why once you enjoy the food! We came in on a busy Tuesday night. It was a ten-minute wait for a table, so we decided to eat at the bar area. No regrets, we actually found it quieter and easier to have a conversation. Service here is always top-notch. Regardless of the crowds. We always start our meal here with a fresh bowl of soup. The wonton soup is excellent and is served piping hot! My father usually orders the Hot n' Sour Soup and raves about it. The menu here has some "americanized" selections, however they do offer favorites for those craving a taste from back home. You know it is good when you see a ton of oriental people packing the restaurant! (I say this with the utmost respect!) Next, we ordered the Mandarin Soy Duck! It was hands-down the best duck we've ever had. It is served at room-temp and is utterly amazing. The duck is so tender and the mandarin soy marinade just made it melt in your mouth! If you are a duck person, you must give it a try. The hot dishes as I mentioned before, are mostly americanized. However, do not let this shy you away. Chef Ping is NOT your typical "americanized" chinese joint. My favorite dish here is the Kung Pao Beef, when it comes to "americanized" dishes. The beef is so tender you barely have to chew. It is incredible. Plus, if you love it spicy like I do, just ask them to make it extra spicy. Chef Ping uses incredible seasonings and technique to raise the bar on Chinese Cuisine. Another favorite is the Salt n Pepper Smelt or Ping's Noodle Soup. The noodles are homemade and served in an amazing (spicy) broth abundant with veggies, squid, and shrimp! The Noodle soup is enough for 2 (maybe 3) people! As with all portions at Chef Ping, you can feed 2-3 people from any entree. Simply put, Chef Ping is the undisputed best in Chicago and in my opinion, the whole state! Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Lizzy C.
Definitely higher quality than most Chinatown restaurant. I ordered spicy fish and intestines. Both perfectly cooked.
(5)Howard W.
This restaurant has great food. Very tradition taste along with some western favors. The service is great as well. I would definitely come back again.
(5)Kenny L.
The place was packed when I came in for lunch, which is a really good sign. I was seated in about 15 minutes which was fine because I was waiting for my friend to arrive anyway. I ordered the homemade lo mein and my friend ordered the garlic chicken. We shared our dishes, and I was very pleased with both. The food was not too salty, and it was simply very good. Also, the lunch menu was very simple. It was not filled with a bunch of stuff to choose from. I do want to try their food for dinner. I am sure that they have a dinner menu.
(5)Lindsey S.
A couple fellow Yelpers have been telling me to go here and now I'm kicking myself for waiting. Hands down the best Chinese food I have ever had! Everything was hot and fresh, and their crab rangoon are to die for. Normally I'm not a fan of Mongolian beef because I find it to be tough, but it was tender and had amazing flavor here. The staff is outstanding, our empty dishes barely touched the table before being whisked away. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and who I can only assume was the owner stopped and chatted with us. We will definitely be back!
(5)Somchai S.
Started a new job, and went with my new coworkers to Chef Pings. We arrived around 11:45am on a Friday and the parking lot was packed. There was a 20 min wait for a table. The prices here are very reasonable, $10 a person off their lunch special, including tip. The lunch eggroll was gross, it had no meat. The hot and sour soup was very good. And the entree was filing. I can see why they've captured the lunch crowd. They get you in and out very quickly as well.
(4)Zoe Z.
I went here on a Tuesday noon. It opens on 11:30am. I got here around 11:28am. Most seats already taken. I got surprised by how organized it was even with so many customers. Very prompt service. Even my hot tea request got respond very soon Ordered Kung pao chicken. Very decent price for lunch menu. And too much food. It was a little bit salty. But overall tasted good.
(5)Catherine G.
My first experience with Chef Ping was through carryout. My sister in law ordered food for dinner for the family. It was surprisingly good and I enjoyed the various dishes that she ordered. The second experience was at the actual restaurant. Again, family style with an assortment of dishes from sweet and sour pork, mapo tofu, etc. This time though I couldn't get over the salt. Everything was salty! And we had two different types of noodle dishes too... the jajangmyun which is a black bean sauced noodle dish and a spicy soup noodle dish. Anyway.... the noodles were in one word, overcooked. I was hoping that since we were right there at the restaurant that it wouldn't be, but it was. My dad still enjoyed it as he LOVES noodles. And I still liked most of it, but I can't give it a 4 star review for that reason. Still, may go back and try again... you know what they say.. 3rd times a charm!
(3)Elena N.
I've been here twice since this is a favorite of the roommate's cousins. This last time was last month while we were in town for the wedding. They had the rehearsal dinner here on a Friday night. Summer salad: Cold, hot and mustard salad on bean noodle, big serving. I'd never had this dish before. It was cold and refreshing, but had a really nice kick from the hot mustard. Pong pong chicken: Hot & tangy sauce on a chicken lollipop. Yum! Sticky, garlicky, sweet, savory. Rivals my favorite wings in SF. Lady mao's bean curd: Well known folk dish, tofu with minced pork. Great with some rice! Gan pong shrimp: Original recipe dated back to the old san tung province, burned hot pepper with chopped garlic glaze. A shrimp version of the chicken wings I love?! Yes please! First time having this dish and I loved it! Combination fried rice: Shrimp, chicken, ham with a touch of soy sauce. Nicely fried and full of flavor! The kids loved this! Beef with peppers, onions and carrots: I don't remember this dish too well, but I do remember the beef and veggies were stir fried well. Asian style sweet and sour beef: I don't really like sweet and sour dishes but the roommate's brother loves it! Walnut shrimp: Jumbo shrimp in rich creamy sauce with honey coated walnuts and steamed broccoli. Yum! The shrimp were big and juicy! Sea cucumber and scallops with mushrooms, cauliflower and peas: I loved the scallops and veggies in this dish! Sauteed baby bok choy: Bok choy was cooked well and flavor was nice and garlicky. Noodles in black bean sauce: Pork, baby shrimp, onion & zucchini slow cooked in black bean sauce served over homemade noodles. The roommate loves this dish. And the kids were enjoying it as well. Ping's noodle soup: Noodle in spicy broth cooked with fine shredded pork, seafood and vegetables. One of my favorite dishes! The soup was spicy and savory and dish was full of seafood and veggies! Service was good, but it took some time for the last two dishes to come out. I understood since everything was pre ordered except those two. And every table was adding several orders of the last two dishes. I'm glad I was introduced to this place since I would definitely go back. I don't even need a rehearsal dinner as an excuse!
(5)Jon H.
The food was great and so was the service! I had a seafood mixed plate and it was very tasty.
(5)Starrlite D.
Chef ping is pretty awesome! Had to take away one star because their sweet and sour pork is mediocre at best, especially because i was hoping it to be more Korean-chinese style. However, their honey walnut shrimp, sichuan boiled fish, and other dishes are great. Jjamppong and jjajangmyun is good, but is quite different from the normal korean style.
(4)Abraham K.
Yum yum yum! If this is your first time here I recommend you order Fried Pot stickers for appetizer. For family sharing order sweet and sour Pork, home style sea cucumber (asian delicacy), and for the main dish try jjamppong (spicy noodle broth), noodle in black sauce (jajangmyeon)! Will feed 4-5 hungry people!
(5)barb z.
Consistently very good food. We only eat here now for Chinese food. No other local place is worth the time or money. If you like spicy try to Seafood Stew. Wonderful.
(5)Ramone B.
After an intense day of shopping at woodfield mall, my boyfriend and I worked up quite the appetite, and neither one of us care for mall food court cuisine. Out came the trusty yelp app!! #Love We originally found a place called the Hong Kong cafe, but when we arrived they had a sign on the door saying closed for vacation. I'm so glad the Hong Kong cafe was closed because we found our way to Chef Ping!!! It was a Thursday night and Chef Ping was rocking!! There was a short wait which wasn't bad because I observed other people scanning the menu while they waited, and my boyfriend and I quickly follows suit! Out waitresses name was Ann. I fell in love with her. She was too cool. Anyway we ordered the following: -chicken wings (I'm black and love fried chicken okay #DontJudgeMe. I've learned Chinese people can fry some damn chicken like no other. - Pot stickers -Mongolian beef -Salt & pepper smelt. I listed my boyfriends dinner as well because you know I tasted his food. #Gurl #DontPlay The chicken wings and the pot stickers were good! The Mongolian beef was awesome! I couldn't get over how tender the beef was. Somebody beat the sh*t outta that meat to get it so tender!! My meal was the salt and pepper smelt. Honey I could've slapped my dead granny back to life it was sooooooo good!! #JustSaying! The smelt had a perfection salt & spice ratio. I wanted to make room for desert so I didn't finish my smelt. I ordered the 8 treasure rice cake. I was unsure about this because I really wanted red bean ice cream, but since I always get that red bean ice cream. I opted for a change! When my rice cake arrived I was shocked. I was expecting a crunchy cake with some toppings on it. It was a cooked rice dish with what looked like honey, and a sweet bean paste. I actually liked it! I will be back! Funny story I originally ordered crispy fried intestine, and my waitress says "ooohhhh you like that?" I said "Gurl yes, those are called chitterlings (pronounced chittlins) to a black person. They just happened to be out that day, but I will go back to try them! Until next time!!!!
(5)Perry S.
Chef ping is excellent. We ordered a variety of food dishes and apps and everything was hot and flavorful. The place is busy but we arrived at 655 on Sunday and got seated immediately. One of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever eaten at.
(5)Mirta P.
My favorite, favorite Chinese restaurant. I eat so much and so often and I love it!!!!
(5)Venkata Tirupathi Raju B.
Food is very tasty and authentic. I really enjoyed the food. However waiting time for table is more than 15 minutes.
(5)Tom A.
With all due respect to Lincolnwood's delightful Great Beijing, Chef Ping claims the best garlic eggplant in the area. Friendly service, great tea, and plenty of veg. Options add to the fun.
(5)Sarah V.
The noodles are made fresh daily, the staff is friendly and they have spinny tables! What more could I ask for? The food is fresh and delicious! Despite their large menu, they manage to make it all taste amazing. The prices are great and everything is served family style. They only take reservations for larger parties, but I've never waited longer than twenty minutes. The seafood noodles are delicious and the Mongolian beef is my favorite! Next time you are in the mood for Chinese food skip PF changs and drive the extra two miles to Chef Ping! You won't regret it!
(5)Kristy S.
The food was great! It was surprisingly fast, and well made. My group of 6 got fried rice, Kung pao chicken, orange chicken, Mongolian beef, noodles, and soup. We all shared and everyone loved everything. The sharing is a great way to talk to others and enjoy everything everyone wanted. The waitress constantly filled up our drinks, I never sat waiting for my drink to be filled. The place was crowed and we along with the people around us were laughing and having a great time. I would recommend this place if you want to have good Chinese food!
(4)Claire Y.
A nice Americanized Chinese restaurant. Great dishes (even for someone like me grew up in China and normally hate Americanized chinese food). We ordered pong pong chicken which was supposed to be a spicy dish but it turned to be sweet chicken wings. Hot and sour soup was a bit disappointing, too much pepper. We also got the mushroom dish. It was ok. But it seems a lot of American people love it. I wouldn't mind going back and trying some more legit chinese dish on the menu. And service was really great, they checked in with us often.
(4)Albert C.
Food is always fresh Must try 1. Pom Pom chicken 2. schezwan eggplant 3. Combination fried rice 4. Walnut shrimp 5. Ping soup 6. It's not on the menu but you can make your own bao with pork belly. I think it's pronounced May-chai-ko-row Service is not always consistent but the food is great
(4)George H.
Well, we went back again, despite my vow not to (but it took a year and a half to convince me to) - my wife wanted to give them another try. Well, this visit was horrible. The shrimp dumplings were bland and the wrappers were exceedingly gummy. The pork Shu Mai were 'ok'. My daughter tried the egg drop soup and the flavor was off - I can't explain what was odd about it but it wasn't good. My wife had the Noodle platter (again) and it was tasty - it was the one highlight of our meal. This time I had Orange Chicken and the kitchen was able to saute' the chicken rather than deep frying it (yay!) but even though I SPECIFICALLY asked for it to be spicy, it again came out with no heat. My daughter had Pad Thai and it was good, but nothing spectacular. The main reason that bumps this visit down to 1 star (it would have been a two or three) was the service. I cannot fault the waiter this is FULLY on the kitchen. The time between our first entree and our third entree was over 30 minutes. When we pointed out the long wait to the manager, he blew us off and stated that they cook things 'family style' and that we should order things that everyone wants to eat so we can share. I am the customer, DON'T TELL ME HOW I SHOULD ORDER MY FOOD. If we order everything at the same time and all three of us individually order our items with the waiter, everything should be served at the same time. And EVEN IF we wanted to share, we would have wanted to share everything at the same time, not fill up on the first entrees and not eat anything of the third because people were hungry. We did not share our food, we all wanted what we ordered and not share. By the time my daughter's entree came out, my wife and I were done eating. UNFORGIVABLE. WE WILL NOT BE BACK!
(1)Matthew B.
The food here is pretty damn good, but you need to get the more authentic dishes for the best flavors. If you stick to the "American" Chinese dishes like beef and broccoli or general tso's, you'll be disappointed. For starters, get the Fu Chi Fae Pian. This was hands down the best tripe I'd ever eaten. Not chewy at all and lots of flavor. For the entree I had tried the Szechwan Fish Casserole, another amazing dish. This one can take awhile to prepare and apparently only 1/2 chefs that work there know how to prepare it, so you know that makes it even better. It has that spice in there that makes your mouth feel sort of numb without being overly spicy. Easily the best Chinese good in the burbs.
(4)Avinash K.
So, had gone for dinner. We had vegetable chicken - which was nothing but fried tofu. If you were expecting it hot, then THINK again, it was cold. Tasted Ok. My friend had fried eggplant with rice, that was pretty good. I had the ping noodles substitued seafood and pork with chicken. I asked for very spicy and it still wasn't as spicy as I wanted. Very friendly service. Just be warned. Food seems pretty good, but if you like spicy food this is not the place. I can safely say CHINESE FOOD is not for me. I gave an extra star just for the service. Will I go there again, most likely NOT. Sorry. FYI: One dish comes in huge quantity, is good enough for two guys to share. So please order one by one. :)
(3)Francis F.
it came highly recommended as best chinese food restaurant in IL for 2015 based on yelp ratings and reviews. They got us(4 adults,1kid) seated right away. Nice ambience. It was our first time here, so after browsing the menu, we ordered pong pong chicken, salt and pepper squid, walnut shrimp, shrimp in lobster sauce, and combination fried rice. Food was served abt 10-15 mins after we ordered and all were very delicious.Waitress was very attentive and awesome!
(5)Alma C.
To sum up the Chef Ping vs. Yu's Mandarin debate: people REALLY REALLY REALLY do NOT like change. Especially if they really liked a particular something something yummy, they will yelp and cry and scream about the change because this or that and something or another. Here's my 2 cents on the debate: - Chef Ping has some really good Korean/Chinese food (yu san sil, honey walnut shrimp, ja jang myun). - Yu's has very recently had some really good Chinese food (unidentified noodles that were so kickass that if you were holding them at that time, I may have chewed on your hand accidentally). Note: I too thought Yu's sucked for a long time after the ownership/chef changes. Now I think it's worth another visit (had a bunch of carry-out only can't speak for service). - Both Chef Ping and Yu's have some dishes I don't care for and both can both be very oily at times. My advice on Chef Ping and Yu's: visit both, try everything on their menu, form your own opinion, give peace a chance. Especially since Chef Ping has his own spot now, it's not like he's disappearing anytime soon. At least you better not Chef Ping. You almost gave me a heart attack when you and consequently my honey walnut shrimp disappeared at Yu's with no warning or explanation. Now that was just mean (I told you people don't like change).
(4)Ben K.
This place has the best Korean-Chinese food in Chicago and possibly Korea and China. You can tell that a restaurant is good when there is always a line out the door when you arrive (You can make reservations with parties of 6 or greater). Sometimes when I eat at Chef Pings, my food tastes saltier during the course of the meal because my tears of happiness fall into the food (that was a joke, Chef Ping food is not salty it is perfect). Chef Ping noodle dishes are second-to-none and here are the best ones: 1) Ping's Noodle Platter (lazomyun) 2) Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jajangmyun) 3) Ping's Noodle Soup (jiambong). Here are some non-noodle notable mentions: Pong Pong Chicken and Mongolian Beef One of my favorite waitresses works here too. During one of my first times visiting, after my meal I was mixing some rice in the black bean sauce (jajang) that comes with the Noodles in Black Bean Sauce dish (jajangmyun) and eating it. When the waitress saw me doing that, she gave me a container filled with black bean sauce (jajang) to take home and I didn't even ask for it! Don't ask them for a container filled with black bean sauce to take home now because they won't give it to you, but that one time she gave it to me I cried a little. Interesting fact: everyone that works here speaks at least three languages.
(5)Jack B.
This place is so disoganised, I'm surprised people just don't walk out and leave , regardless of the raves , if the services is bad the food tends to taste bad too..
(1)Andrea R.
I've been looking for good Chinese food in Chicagoland for the past decade or so. The good news is that I (finally) found it. The bad news is that it's 30-45 minutes from my house, but those who live in Chef Ping's hood should consider themselves lucky. Based on the Friday lunch crowd word is out about their tasty & affordable lunches. At Nicole W's suggestion I went w/ the seafood and pork noodles, but asked them to hold the pork. Each meal comes with soup or a salad. For once it was too hot for soup so I went the salad route, which made it's way to my table literally 3 seconds after I ordered it. The salad wasn't anything exciting, but that just meant more room for my incredible noodles. And yes, the noodles were incredible. The portion was also large enough for 3 people and it was impossible to stop eating it. I'm getting full again just thinking about it. One of my dining companions ordered the orange chicken, which appeared to be equally delicious. And like all good Chinese restaurants they delivered fortune cookies with the bill, which by the way was only $30 for 3 of us. My fortune cookie basically told me I'll be a billionaire one day. When that day comes perhaps I can open a Chef Ping closer to my house.
(5)Dorothy P.
I really need to stop hyping places just because of peer pressure. My hubs wanted Chinese and was all set to order from our favorite local place, but nooooo, I suggested Chef Ping because everyone around the office was talking about how awesome they are. Now, I'll try anything once, so I talked him into letting me pick up dinner. I even scoured the Yelp reviews for what to order. The consensus was Ping's Noodle Platter and GanPong Chicken. We were amply warned that the eggrolls were junk, but since my hungrier half is a sucker for eggrolls, we ordered them anyways. Pickup took 30 minutes, which was alright by me. I figured they'd be worth the wait. When I walked into the restaurant, it was buzzing. There was a wait on a Thursday night, which I thought was a good sign. I picked up the food and made my way home, salivating the entire way. Now, in Chef Ping's defense, it was a 40 minute trek home, and by the time I got there, everything had cooled down. The eggrolls are JUNK. I appreciate the skinny style egg roll in a wonton wrapper normally; this is the typical style that most Vietnamese restaurants (including my aunt's) carry. The filling was ridiculously tastless and sparsely filled. Dare I say that the restaurant supplied stock sweet & sour sauce packets made them taste worse? I'm not sure how, but they did. We were warned. I will pass that warning on. DO.NOT.GET.THE.EGGROLLS. Everyone was singing the praises of the Ping's Noodles. Did we get the same thing? The noodles reminded me of linguine that was WAY overcooked. Now, I don't mind squishy noodles, but the texture was just off on this whole dish. It also smelled of old, not so fresh seafood...The mix of seafood in it was interesting and included squid, calamari (?), and shrimp. I believe there was also supposed to be pork in it, but I never saw it. I did like what spices I could taste, and the dish had a nice amount of heat. The dish that I was most interested to try was the GanPong chicken because I had never heard of it before, and it sounded interesting. The dish itself was just a tub of fried chicken coated in a sweet/spicy/garlicky sauce with bits of carrot and green pepper mixed in for justification (it's got veggies, so it's healthy, right?). The problem is that by the time I got it home, the sauce had been so absorbed into the chicken pieces that it was dry. Now I'm not sure if the sauce is sparse to begin with, so I can't exactly give it a fair assessment. The flavor was decent, I will give it that. I'm torn. The dishes at Chef Ping aren't exactly cheap (the least expensive meat dish will cost you over $10). I feel like maybe we missed out on the full experience since we got takeout, but I'm not sure I want to try it again. I guess if my coworkers dragged me back here, I'd give it another go, but I doubt I'll be back on my own.
(2)Lily L.
Tried this place on a Sunday, packed! It didn't take very long to get a table though. Fell in love with this place the second I had my appetizer. It's the best I've ever had in Chicago area, and yes I tried everywhere. The long drive was so worth it.
(5)Susan S.
Hot and sour had good flavor, short on ingredients. Sake was brought to the table in a teapot of warm water but sake was cold. Had the garlic chicken was too salty asked them to remake it still salty . Needed balance added a little sugar even it out. Egg roll was sparse and tasteless. Noodle with onion shrimp and pork was tasty oodles where nice texture but really didn't see the proteins . Would I go back ? Probably not.
(3)Gerry A.
Lunch review updated and clearly slipping. After many alternating lunches at Yu's and Chef Ping's I have to give the lunch nod CLEARLY to Yu's and Ichef. I am a longtime friend of Tong's ( as in ACROSS the street on Golf :~) but it is hard to believe that anyone could have been able to put together a ruder lunch server group than Chef Ping's. They make Yu's servers look like the friendliest in town, and by comparison they are. Yu's lunch menu is MUCH bigger and their hot and sour is much richer and peppery, with meat AND baby shrimp, what a concept. Every time I come in by myself I have to fight for any kind of a decent seat as a single instead of the wobbly napkin leveled table they give to other roundeyes. Tong is not there at lunch and it really shows. Try them both for lunch, you'll see. Yu's will actually take your order until 3. You get attitude at Chef Ping's at 2:15. They don't need your money. Try IChef on the other end of Alqonguin in Schaumburg if you want easy parking, friendly service, and a larger more flavorful menu.
(3)Jui-Yang H.
Very nice Chinese restaurant, more like my mom's cooking. Taiwan/Chinese style. Must order a dish (forgot the English name) eight ingredient vegetable. It is seafood with Curly flower and sea cucumber. Kong pong chicken also good.
(5)Nate C.
Hands down best Chinese place in the area. Everything is very high quality...My favorites include the Curries, and the shrimp toast.
(5)Sung Y.
Chef Pings is one of the best Chinese/Korean restaurants in the Chicagoland area. Coming with a group of folks and eating family style is the best way to enjoy many of the wonderful dishes they have on the menu. On this visit we ordered the chef ping wings, honey walnut shrimp, sweet and sour pork, yang jang pi, jjampong, and jjajang myun. All dishes were excellent! Will return again and again!
(5)Angelica C.
We ordered the below dishes: Pineapple fried rice Chicken wings (MUST ORDER, phenomenal!!!) Baby Bok Choy Seafood Peking Noodle Mongolian Beef (highly recommended) Mao Po Tofu (ehh) Crab Rangoon (call me Americanized, but I love these nonetheless) Celebrated my 30th birthday here with my entire immediate family of 13. Since our party was so large we had to sit at two tables, but not a big deal. They did honor our reservation time, which I truly did appreciate as the 40 min hike from the city had my stomach growling. The chef did walk around and greet customers- a nice personal touch. We normally eat at the Malaysian restaurant down the street (ahem), but wanted to try something different this time and we fell in love immediately!
(5)Madison L.
The salty egg yolk crab is my favorite; it is incredibly fresh and delicious. All the dishes are quite appetizing, but this is by far my favorite. This is not something I find at every Chinese restaurant and I would definitely come back and bring family and friends. There seems to always be a wait; so if you are in a hurry - this is not the place. The parking lot is packed and the restaurant is always filled up. Chef Pings is a pretty popular & happening place Saturday nights!
(5)Al S.
My first visit to Chef Ping was Saturday Jan. 10, 2015. I grew up in Chicago's Chinatown so I fancy myself as having somewhat more experience with the cuisine than the average bear. It looked like a feeding frenzy was happening in both the parking lot and inside the restaurant. Positive signs. If you're in a hurry to dine and dash you'd be better off with carryout, as was my transaction . The front door was packed with people waiting to dine. Since it was my first experience with Chef Ping, my order included a sampling of the menu: egg rolls, shrimp dumplings, fried rice, and crab Rangoons. Overall, I was satisfied but I was not overwhelmed. The egg rolls were oily, the Rangoon filling just ok, shrimp dumplings bland, and the fried rice fair. I may give Ping another chance, maybe I will be more impressed with menu items with actual seasoning, spice and more flavor.
(3)Krishna C P.
I was introduced to this place by my central american friends. And they had hyped it up for me throughout the 40 min drive from Lincoln park. We ordered a few Chinese dishes which were good, almost comparable to the Chinatown restaurants. In my mind I was still thinking what the fuss was about. And then came the dish that blew me away.. BLACK BEAN CLAMS . there are no words to describe it .The flavors are amazing and once on the palate ,it all comes together. since then I have visited this restaurant eveytime I have been in the area and ate a full serving of the clams by myself. The place is almost always packed. Service and ambience , is much better than a regular Chinese place. I am giving it 5 for the black bean clams ,go try them.
(5)Sue T.
If you're headed here for lunch, come early or you'll have a tough time finding a parking spot and you'll stand in line. This is a popular place for a good reason. The great selection of lunch specials come with choice of egg drop or hot & sour soup or salad, rice, egg roll and crunchy won-ton. My favorite is the Mandarin trio - beef, chicken *and* shrimp with veggies in a savory dark gravy. No decisions to make; I get everything on one plate. Fast service and reasonable prices.
(4)David W.
This place is the bomb. Went with around 10 people and got to order around 10 different dishes. Everything we ordered was excellent, people's personal favorites were the "fried chicken" pong pong chicken. I personally enjoyed the salt and pepper squid. Definitely get a reservation, this place is packed until probably 8pm. We called a day in advance and couldnt get in until 8
(5)Andrew K.
I really enjoy this place and try to come here as often as I can. I like how the tables are served including the complimentary hot tea which is pretty good. Every dish I've tried here was very good. But some of them like Spicy Shrimp, seafood noodles and etc. are exceptional! This is the best Chinese cuisine place I have been to in Chicago and this includes best restaurants in Chinatown. The waiting stuff is very friendly and attentive. Overall this place is always a great experience and good prices on dishes and alcoholic beverages. The only downside (and this doesn't affect my 5 star score) that this place is hard to get into, it is usually packed so I try to go in not popular hours, like early dinner or lunch.
(5)Ryan O.
If I could rate this 6 stars , I would! Such incredible food and it is impossible to order something that isn't tasty. Service is always great, the place is always busy (the first sign its a hot spot) and the taste is always second to none. This is treasure of a spot and and the go-to when I need something to eat out
(5)Melanie D.
Love this place! My favorite item on the menu is the Chef Ping soup. It's perfectly spiced! I also enjoy their summer salad and lollipop chicken. I wish there was more seating, it's a bit crowded. On the plus side though, there is a small area that's secluded that you can reserve for a party. I don't like that when you leave, the smell of oil lingers on your clothes, but I guess that's true of any Chinese place you go to. The servers are all very friendly and accommodating! My son has allergies and each time we've been there, it wasn't a problem at all. Making reservations is easy :) The parking lot is tiny! I wish they would expand!
(4)Michael G.
The best place for noodle soup. Authenic and delicious ! The place is packed all the time, and the wait is worth it ! If you order " Take out " , add 15 minutes onto the time they tell you it will be ready. Food is excellent, the servers and the hostess are overwhelmed because it is so busy. Hostess can be less than friendly.
(5)Brian L.
First of all I am not giving three stars because of the food. I personally love the food especially the Three Treasures Delight. I do have a problem with the service though. I usually go during dinner time, and within that time we would have to wait half an hour up to hour and a half. In those days, when I go in, we would have to give them my name and the approximate wait time to get to my table. One instance that I keep remembering is that while waiting 45 minutes in, the lady at the podium called my name. Then she said "just checking to see if you were here" and I had to wait another 30 minutes to actually get seated. I don't know if she understands that me and my party were hungry and we do not need to get our hopes up when our name is called only to say "just checking" Another annoyance is that the waiters/waitresses seem to always rush you into ordering. I suggest knowing the menu beforehand before you order. While they do seem to know when you need a refill and usually come to ask if everything is okay, rushing someone when they are thinking about what else to order is very stressful.
(3)Kevin B.
Four of us stopped in for dinner before a concert at the Allstate arena. I'm glad that we went there 2 1/2 hours before our show because the place was packed and never did slow down. They don't take reservations so you have to go and plan to wait. The food was good and the portions were large and very "shareable".
(4)Pablosso P.
Definitely, this is one of the best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. I don't want to write too many words blah, blah, about their dishes, how they are exceptionally cooked, about their high quality and taste etc etc, all what you need is just to come and try their dishes. This time we decided to order only sea food and vegetable dishes (because of religious fasting). So, we had mushroom. Mushroom with tofu - very tender and Yum! Thai curry shrimp with bamboo shoots- orgasmic, must try, super Yum! Flat noodles with seafood and vegetables (don't know it's name)- very tasty, tender and delicious - love it! Sea food mixture- "U San Su" (not sure about spelling) with sea cucumber (the Oriental delicacy and dainty).
(5)Bob R.
The last time we went to Chef Ping was a number of years ago we went there for a party. We remember the food was really good so when my son and I were thinking about where to go, Chef Ping came to mind. It's located on the edge of Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg at just east of Algonquin and Wilke. For us, it's pretty convenient and we've talked about going back there for a long time. There is a very diverse clientele there which typically means to me that it satisfies a wide variety of people. The restaurant itself if very modern looking. But, the layout still reminds me of the Baker's Square Restaurant that used to inhabit the space. They have done a really nice job of redecorating, though, and making the feel much more exotic. Service was a little slow, but the server was quite pleasant. Since the menu is more exotic than most of the Chinese restaurants in the area, we asked lots of questions. She was very patient with us and asked as many questions about what we liked as we asked of her. We settled on an order of steamed pot stickers for an appetizer followed by "Chef Ping Noodles" and an order of twice cooked pork. The pot stickers were fresh - served in the steamer and were served with the traditional pot sticker sauce and chili sauce. The added spiciness added a lot. While I would classify the twice cooked pork as average, the noodles were outstanding. We later learned that the original chef from Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg, the one who made them famous for their hand stretched noodles, was at Chef Pings now. There was a wide variety of vegetables, pork and a number of kinds of shellfish with the noodles. It really was garlicky and scrumptious. Our meal ended up with the traditional fortune cookie. Interestingly, my son and I both had the same fortune - it was something about not having to worry about the future. That was a nice way to end the meal.
(4)Chris G.
Chef Pings is probably the best Chinese in Chicago. Not quite the same as on the coasts but still very good. Portions are large and food is good quality. The restaurant is also very clean which is a nice plus.
(4)Susan B.
Stayed a long 5 days in Woodale, IL. Ate nasty food for 2 days and then found Mr. PINGS. EUREKA! FINALLY DECENT FOOD! We ordered jjajamgmyin (black bean noodle), fried eggplant, spicy green, beans, Chilean bass, mapo tofu, and topped it all over our rice. Let's start with the jjajangmyun.... Handmade noodles were delicious. Black bean sauce was perfect. I could have gobbled down the whole bowl in 5 minutes. Fried eggplant. Seriously doesn't sound appetizing but was shoot good. Perfect blend of garlicky spicy.... Crispy... So flavorful. A must have. Spicy green bean. Decent. Nothing special. Chilean sea bass and the house tofu. Both top notch. Service was pretty good too. Never went low on water and they even brought us extra rice. This place saved me when I was low. Made me happy for 2 hours.
(4)Rebecca C.
This is hands down the best place to come for Chinese food. You will never go to P.F. Chang's or anything American style again. The portions here are overwhelming. We went our first time ordering a meal each and over did it, because we did not know how much food each one would have. Lesson learned but our bill was just at $50 for all of that food. Since then we have been back weekly and have tried the sesame chicken, sweet and sour chicken, salt and pepper shrimp, general Tso's chicken, shrimp fried rice, and shrimp egg rolls. Upon sitting, they bring you a teapot full of hot tea. Nice! The staff is very friendly and helpful. This is worth the hour drive from Chicago to come here and dine.
(5)Jim H.
If you want to just go to another Yu"s, and are a fan of efficiency, this is a good place for you. The food is somewhat unimaginative, at least at lunch, and the choices are limited.but if you were looking for quick Chinese this is a good a place as any.
(3)Min S.
Food is good however be careful when picking up carry out orders. Chef Ping has more than once messed up/mixed up with another carry out order. I ended up getting home and had someone else's dinner in my possession (stuff I'd never order- fried sweetened meat is not good in general.) The restaurant needs to train the staff to better manage orders and communicate from answering phones and putting the right ticket on carry out bags. Customer service and attention to detail is lacking in this regard
(2)Amstaff Y.
Believe the hype, this place is amazing. Epic pong pong wings, noodle dishes, great service and good value.
(5)Erick P.
I love Chef Ping, the food is excellent except it is ALWAYS packed. If you are hungry and want a quick Chinese place, this is not the place for you. Is the food worth the wait? Yes
(4)Johana K.
Good food and great service. Celebrated my birthday here with my husband. Ordered pong pong chicken and mushroom tofu. It was delicious! Will definitely come back again.
(5)Wally M.
We came early, about 5:00. We were seated right away. Right from the start the place gave off good vibes. Friendly hostess, more than half of the patrons were Oriental. Tea right away. Typical "hard to choose from" because it all sounds good type of menus. The boss going around making sure you were happy. We had fried pot stickers to start, wife had Dragon and Phoenix (Chicken and shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms) I had Spicy noodles with vegetables of which I asked for extra spicy. My dish was wonderful and just as spicy as I had ordered. (The noodles were made in house). Because of the mushrooms in my wife's dish and the size of the shrimp, she said she liked it better than Yu's where we usually go. We will be going back! Maybe it was because it was early, but the noise level was low enough that we could carry on a normal conversation. Generally not the case in Yu's Price for the two of us was $32 plus 6 tip. Cons:..... my fortune cookie said I'd have a visitor. . . . . . . I didn't.
(4)Seth M.
Excellent menu with really great sauces used on all dishes. This place is a real gem. Price is also extremely affordable. Would recommend the kung pao, garlic chicken, hunan chicken, and sesame chicken. Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu
(4)Devin W.
After living in China I'm always on the search for a Chinese restaurant that serves real chinese food. Look no further. Everything I've had here is really tasty. Must Go!
(5)Mancow M.
Hate the wait- love the food. PING IS THE THING when it comes to Asian chow chow. The fact that it's packed w/ Asians doesn't impress me. I kept hearing this from my friends like that would impress me. Having traveled the Orient, the fact that a restaurant (in America) is packed with Asians doesn't signify much. There's a waiting list to get into Japan's KFC. No joke. Having been to China I know they eat EVERYTHING and anything and proud of it. Stuff I wouldn't step in they eat. Their table manners by our standards are rather base too. Lots of slurping and sucking and disgusting noises. They aren't as picky as say the French. HAHA! I ordered as follows: House salad w/ ginger La Jiao Myun (exotic noodle bowl) Pong pong chicken!!!!!! Gon Pow scallops Birds nest shrimp (This was made especially for me and is their best item. It's known as "WALNUT chicken" usually when it doesn't have the deep fried noodle "nest" bowl. The bowl isn't needed however so don't sweat it if they don't make it my way.) Beef Pot (Its a collision of exotic flavors. Adventuresome eaters will thrill to this dish!) It was the greatest food of its kind. The dining room is charmless. The staff does their best to make a cramped uncomfortable waiting area as painless as possible. Management seems on top of the staff and tables. They WORK! The wait is uncomfortable but but but THE FOOD is great! The egg rolls are tiny and lousy. But everything is so reasonably priced that if you choose a dish you don't like it's no big deal. Take some chances here and make some palate advances.
(4)Georgene M.
This is an amazing restaurant. The only downside is that there is almost always a wait, but it is definitely worth it!! The staff here is also very kind.
(5)Aimi W.
Fusian style restaurant, yet they also have authentic homestyle chinese dishes. They have korean chinese food such as jjajangmyun and and jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup). A large number of diners are korean. I highly recommend trying the summer salad if you are into authentic chinese food. The name of the dish doesn't do it justice. It is a large dish that is enough for 2-3 people and far from just a salad. Its a mixture of wasabi based sauce with flat soy noodles, baby shrimps, squid, beef, and vegetables. Partially hot, partially cold, this unique dish is a multi-dimensional taste experience.
(5)Lindsey C.
I have come here for both lunch and dinner. Definitely a better deal for lunch with their lunch specials. My favorite dish is the Seafood noodle soup. Noodles are perfectly cooked and the broth is very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. Lots of seafood in the dish. Very satisfying.
(4)Rob W.
A strong 4 stars - practically a 5 and future visits might take it there if things go as well as my first visit. Went there for lunch on a Thursday around 11:45 - the place was already packed. Fortunately there was a spot at the bar open, so I was sat immediately. I ordered Mongolian Beef which is a favorite of mine when eating at Chinese restaurants. Great way for me to compare a place to others and this one did not disappoint! For $7.75 you get a fried won ton (garnish as much as anything else), a small, but tasty eggroll, a scoop of lightly fried rice and a healthy portion of flavorful Mongolian Beef. Just the right amount of oil used too - no residue at all. I was really impressed. While I probably could have asked for some, no sauce was offered for the eggroll. Service was prompt and attentive - especially considering how busy they were. Prices are a tad higher than a lot of Chinese restaurants, but this place is a little more upscale than most, so no surprise. Definitely worth a return trip for dinner - hopefully at a table so I can see if the service measures up as well as it did at the bar for lunch.
(4)M S.
We absolutely love the food at Chef Ping! Order any noodle dish and you won't be disappointed. Drinks are stiff and there is warm tea at every table. The food comes out piping hot! Sesame chicken is to die for. As a person who doesn't like seafood, The vegetable egg rolls are a delicious treat. You know it is good food when the restaurant is full of Asian customers. Expect to wait for a table, though. And, unfortunately on every one of our dine in experiences, we are usually forgotten about by the waiters because we are not Asian. We will return, because the food is that good!
(4)Jason K.
Their cooking was good as usual. But ingredients were not fresh. Unusually not fresh than any other days we had before. Today's bad ingredients are chicken, shrimp, If u see this today then u wanna avoid them. And we can't come back here often as we did.
(2)Richard L.
Considering myself a bit of an aficionado for Chinese food, I believe Chef Ping is the best in Chicagoland. Chef Ping is actually owned by the son of a Korean man who had a much larger and successful Chinese restaurant in Schaumburg for years but then closed it down due to retirement. We're lucky his son has carried on the family business. The quality of the food has no comparison in Chicago, with great prices befitting its suburban location. Our favorites: 1) Crispy spicy eggplant 2) Salt & pepper shrimp Note: There is a long wait on weekend evenings, up to an hour at peak time.
(5)Jennifer S.
Awww yeah...it is that good! Yelpers, you rarely lead me astray. Chef Ping's was quoted as being better than Yu's and I have to agree. Chef Ping did everything right from the word GO! Upon our arrival for a mid-week visit, we were promptly greeted and immediately seated. The gentleman who brought the hot tea said it was decaf when I asked and this is the only area that I wasn't sure about. He didn't even think about his answer and I have yet to visit a restaurant serving decaf hot tea. So, maybe I was lucky and Chef Ping's really is skipping out on the caffeine or maybe he was fibbing. I'll never know. I had one tiny cup just in case he was fibbing. We ordered pan fried potstickers and egg rolls. I often order an egg roll at a new-to-me Chinese restaurant to get an initial feel for what to expect. The egg roll was good, but didn't blow me away. The potstickers DID impress me and the sauce left me wishing this was an Italian restaurant where I could soak up the extra on my plate with a piece of crusty bread. I mixed both dipping sauces together. Oh yum! We ordered the combination fried rice to split, Kung pao chicken and the old family shrimp recipe. The combo fried rice was loaded with giant shrimp, white meat chicken and chunk of ham. It was flavorful and filling. I had one bite of the Kung pao chicken - delicious, but I didn't want to fill up. Instead, I munched on the old family recipe shrimp. Light crisp breading coated large shrimp and then seemed to be quickly wok tossed in a sweet and garlicky sauce. I am proud to report that I only ate a portion of this entree. It took self-restraint and perhaps it was a good thing that the service was really spot-on because I had our server wrap my leftovers before I could eat them! ;-) It's a welcoming restaurant with excellent quality and attentive service. I'll be back soon without a doubt!
(5)Laura C.
Chef Ping is authentic asian cuisine at its finest. The restaurant covers several types of cuisine from Korean to Szechaun. All very good. We have dined there twice and am looking forward to the next time. In this day and age when it is so easy to call in an order and go pick it up (They offer this service too) Its always nice to eat in. Service is ultra efficient and the restaurant is always packed. Look around you. Everyone goes to Chef Ping. If you are in the area, I hope you will try it. Be extra observant of the hours. They are closed for lunch.
(4)arlene c.
Best Chinese restaurant in the suburbs, I drive 25 minutes to this place one way. I think it's worth it you can't go wrong everything is good.
(5)Ãle S.
made mother's day reservation for 13 people. reconfirmed reservation twice on the day of the reservation before going to the restaurant. somehow we weren't on the reservation list when we all got there after a half hour drive. And 13 people left with great frustration and disappointment. I wish I could give 0 stars.
(1)Jenny O.
I can't believe I'm posting a review this late after coming here for years. My family and I eat here religiously almost every Saturday. Also, I should mention that the owners worked at Yu's back when the food used to be good, and we went there all the time ever since I was a kid. I actually like Chef Ping better than the old Yu's. It's very clean, and the service is good. Also, the owners are absolute sweethearts. My favorite dish here is the Chef Ping Wings. It might actually be my all-time favorite wings... It's very flavorful and perfectly crispy without being too greasy. My other favorite dish is the Noodle Platter. It always has plenty of veggies, meat, and seafood, and the noodles are cooked so well. The prices are very reasonable here, and I honestly don't think you can find better Chinese food in the Chicagoland area.
(5)Jaewoo C.
Really good food. Not too oily, which is something I look for when I go out to eat Chinese food. Was worth the drive from North chicagoland
(5)Jin H.
So this happened yesterday. I arrived at the restaurant and see their lunch hours ends at 2:30pm I was standing inside the restaurant and saw the clock it was 2:25pm I found it little odd, because when was the last time you saw lunch hour end at 2:30pm? In the middle of the hours. But anyway, I said to myself, phew~ I guess I made it. I stood by the counter waiting for a host to get me a table. There were people counting money by the bar, who saw me but didn't initiate to come help. I made eye contact with couple waiter and waitresses, but no one came by me still. It was now 2:36pm. A hostess came out of from what seems to be kitchen, didn't say two word. "Pick-up?" I thought that was rude to begin with. But I was amazed what comes after. I said, "No, there are two of us". Then she replied, "Sorry we closed", and went about her things and didn't even look back. I was looking at her back, with shock and amaze. Now, this might not come to you as a surprise if you weren't there. But to explain myself. I got into the restaurant before the lunch hour ended. I didn't even know that meant the whole restaurant was closing. Despite the effort to get some help for over a ten minutes, which by then, I was mad as it was, they made me stand there like an idiot. Now I'm thinking if they were all counting down the clock... To top that off, this lady did not welcome the customer or what so ever, nearly kicks me out because she "thinks" I'm 6 min late. It was first time visiting this restaurant, I was just in utter shock rude all the people were. No one cared to come over and explain I've standing there over ten minutes.... I didn't even want to waste a second of my time, arguing. For me, service matter a lot. I don't care if that have the best dish in the whole world. If I know I'm going to be walking out with disturbed by the service, I'm never going there. I can assure you, you will not enjoy visit, unless you are there strictly to feed yourself from starving. Or need some extra drama in your life. Most definitely, do NOT go with your date. You might end up fighting. I would rather go to place I can enjoy and feel comfortable; even if the taste is arguable. Honestly, I don't even care how the food is at this place. I know I'm not going back to this restaurant ever again.
(1)James L.
The reviews speak for themselves. I am definitely a fan of Chef Ping. My rating is based on overall dining experience. Food - 5 Stars hands down. For Chinese dining, this place has the highest quality food in my opinion (and several of my friends opinions as well, we often go in groups of 6-10 here). Some of my favorite dishes (if you're not korean/chinese, just try to sound these out like they're spelled and a waiter/waitress will most likely pick up on what you are trying to say): -"Wong Jong Pee" (tried to translate to english as best as I could haha) - this is a thin noodle platter (jelly noodles) with sauce that resembles spicy mustard undertones (but not too strong unless you drench the foot in it). This is probably my favorite dish here! Your server will mix this for you and of is it delicious! -Honey Walnut Shrimp - guilty pleasure of mine here. The sauce is a little thick, but the shrimp is cooked very tenderly and is overall, an awesome dish. -Double Fried String Beans - never have vegetables tasted this good. Very delicious, especially if you like string beans -"PONG PONG Chicken" - this is a very solid dish and you may not find it on the menu easily. This comes as a pretty decent serving of chicken marinated in a sweet sauce, and served on a bone. -"Tang-See-Yook" - kind of a like a sweet and sour chicken, but not the sweet and sour red sauce. Very good pork dish! -Jam Pong - very good, one of their staple dishes (for a noodle platter) The customer service is probably right around 3 stars. They don't stand out for being good or bad. The food comes out at a decent time and they will check on you from time to time. Servers can be hit or miss, but I have never run into a dine-in here with an absolutely terrible server. Definitely recommend!
(4)Arnold K.
A family outing experience led us to Chef Ping's. We arrived around 1pm on a weekend. There was a short wait in which during this time I took the opportunity to take a look around. What I found was a room full of people of asian decent. That's a good sign in my book. We ordered several dishes, all of which were very good. My favorite was the Spicy Beef Stew (which requires a bit more time than most), which seemed to be the most authentic. Definitely go, expect a short wait, and the food to come out fast (except for the previously noted).
(4)Ryne D.
You'll notice that 90% of the reviews here mention Yu's Mandarin. For DECADES, Yu's was the place to go for Chinese food in the northwest burbs. When I was growing up, my parents would take out-of-town visitors there for lunch. Whenever I visit my Lola (grandma), this is where we would go. But then...new ownership tanked the place. If you look at Yu's on Yelp, it has a decent rating, but you'll also see many people scorned by the place they used to love. I am no different. When I heard rumor that the previous owners of Yu's had opened Ping, I had to try it, with my grandma of course. For her birthday too, so my sister and I were praying that we had made a good choice. We had. Food came out almost shockingly fast. The noodles here were just as we remembered them at the old Yu's. Firm, oily (but not too much), and full of seafood. Not to say they don't have their own tricks - I don't remember Yu's having delicious fried chicken lollipops, but they do here. Most of all though, it got grandma's seal of approval. The only thing I'd recommend against would be the salt and pepper tofu - you only get a few pieces and it's not really worth the price. It's only 10 minutes from Yu's. There's no reason to go there over here. Thanks Chef Ping!
(5)Mercedes Z.
April 1, 2015 In one word: OUTSTANDING! Recommend: Mushroom Shrimp. It has huge, delicious shrimp in a very flavorful, light, delicate sauce served with a side of white rice. The mushrooms have a delectable taste and are huge. Recommend: Shrimp with Vegetable--you can't go wrong with this dish either. You can either sit in a booth which are large and very comfy or at a table and chairs. Restaurant has beautiful, new décor and the service is outstanding as is the manager. We cannot wait to go back again and try some other dishes and appetizers. Crowded on a Wednesday night. Be prepared to wait if you get there early. After 8:00pm is your best bet.
(5)Jie S.
I have been wanted to come here since they opened a few years ago. Finally we grouped 15 people and made the reservation on the Christmas Eve. It was a smart move to make a reservation before hand. The parking lot was packed and people were lining up for tables in a tiny waiting area. We also made the pre-order of Dragon Hair Fish and Seafood with Steamed Egg. Of course ordered more dishes when we were sat down. Too many dishes actually. Well All of them were really good. There are a few of them really stood out. Let's start with the cold dish - Summer salad. It is mix between flat bean noodles with all kinds of stuff, beef slices, egg slices, and veggies. It is a bit spicy due to the yellow mustard. Fresh, tasty and a bit spicy. It was different and really refreshing. Amongst the hot dishes, Sea Cucumber with Fatty Pork and Dragon Hair Fish were the winners. One was heavy flavored with soy sauce and Fish was light and refreshing. Both were delicious. The Spicy Seafood Noodles is a dish with Korean influence. I have eaten this dish a lot in a few other restaurants. When the dish is cooked right, it has a indescribable taste from right amount of hot pepper power and seafood. Chef Ping did a great job on this. It was just right. The services were super quick and friendly. I was almost amazed how quick they served us with our dishes even the whole place was fully packed. Definitely worth the drive to there again soon. My friend told me their spicy dishes were pretty good too which we didn't get the chance to try this time.
(5)Nicole W.
Too legit. Too legit to quit. Yeah, I pulled out some Hammer Time (sans parachute pants) at Chef Ping. The food is awesome and thus I had a hard time stopping myself from eating multiple dishes in one sitting. If you've been a Chicago suburban dweller for some time, it' Yu's circa 1999, when the gettin' was good. But Chef Ping now takes home the authentic Chinese cake for me...! Beyond the (frighteningly) fast service, Chef Ping is clean, modern and hosts a menu with a cornucopia of tasty Chinese and Asian eats. I tried the potstickers, crab rangoon, Ping's noodle platter and szechuan prawns. All were incredibly fresh and on point and it's definitely worth noting that both prices and portions were comparable for authentic Asian eats in the area. Go to Chef Ping. Go now.
(5)Krista G.
This place is always busy. Service is subpar if you go during their prime time hours usually lunch time til 8:30 pm. The food is good depending on the day you go. I've had some amazing meals at chef ping and I've had some bland meals as well. I'm guessing different chefs and cooks prepare differently? The Sapporo is cheap compared to other restaurants which is a plus. When it's busy and the food takes 30+ minutes those sapporros help with the eagerness of the wait.
(3)Jennifer Z.
I've come here quite a few times over the year whenever we are in the area. It's extremely well managed- very modern in decorations and decent size establishment. Every time we've stopped by- there's either been a wait for a table or it's been rather full. Business seems to be great for them so definitely call ahead if possible (I always seem to forget..) Also a side note: they're closed on Mondays and while I know that- I've definitely stopped by many a times then to find it closed! Some of my favorite dishes: 1) Salty Egg Yolk Crab - I'm not even a fan of seafood...let alone crab, but this dish is quite a spectacular combination as the salty egg yolk truly brings out the tenderness and flavor from the crab. Even the crab shell is delicious! 2) Pong Pong Chicken - the chicken wings are spicy and tangy dripping with a sweet, spicy and sour sauce that's delicious. 3) Home Style Toss - a great stir fry that's very comfort-food esque and authentic in both flavor and taste. 4) Noodles!! All of their noodles are fantastic,but my personal favorite is the Noodle in Black Bean Sauce which is dry and has no soup to it. Even though this dish is commonly popular dish in Korean, I believe it's origins are actually from Beijing, China. In Chinese cuisine, it's made slightly different from it's Korean version and Ping's makes it to perfection! My family's big on seafood so their top picks would be the Ping's Noodle Soup and Seafood Noodle Soup. Definitely worth stopping by if you're ever in the area. Some very innovative and creative Chinese food with authentic and delicious taste!
(4)Anthony M.
We have gone to literally dozens of Chinese restaurants over the last 40 years and I sincerely mean that this is the absolute best. The menu has both authentic chinese cuisine and also menu items that would appeal to those familiar witht the stock and trade selections. The staff has always been pleasant and accommodating. When ever I go to an ethic restaurant I look to see how many people from that country are in the establishment. Chef Ping enjoys quite a Chinese following as well as people who are not. We love the steamed dumplings, egg rolls, aged tofu and pork, sesame chicken, shrimp , chicken and vegetables, the combination fried rice and more. There are more items on the dinner menu than the lunch menu, but the latter has more than enough choices for the average consumer. Tony M
(5)Terri J.
Chef Ping has the best Chinese food in the area. This is the family that used to own Yu's back when Yu's was the best Chinese food in the area. Yu's has gone downhill, but thank God Chef Ping opened up. Their crab rangoons are very good, but a bit unusual (mustardy kind of taste). The lemon chicken and sweet n sour chicken are excellent. Other family members love the eggplant and beef selections. It's our go-to Chinese carry-out place. Luckily for us it's super close. Add a trip to Oberweis (next door) and it makes for the perfect meal. Carry-out service is best if you use their online ordering tool as we've had incorrect orders when placed over the phone. Overall - a great carry out experience!
(5)Gail D.
One of the best fresh Chinese food in town! Not greasy at all! Staff is super friendly. Has lots of options. From the typical Chinese favs to the more eclectic not your average dishes. I crave this place at least once a month!
(5)Marcus O.
This was an excellent experience. First off the food was top notch. I started with egg drop soup which was very good. For the main entree I had Ping's Noodle Platter which were probably the best asian noodles that I've ever had. The service was amazing as the staff was very attentive. I can't wait to go here again and would highly recommend!
(5)Jenny C.
So my review is purely on the basis of placing an order by phone. This reflects nothing about the food because the food is definitely a solid 4.5/5. First a little background set-up: I was ordering on behalf of my coworkers for lunch. Their online ordering menu was down for some unknown reason which was totally fine. I understood that there are glitches so I was more than happy to call and just ask for the information instead. So, since I was trying to order from the lunch menu yet the lunch menu was not available for viewing at all, I needed to call to see what was available. I called and asked if there were any shrimp options on the lunch menu (mind you I was very friendly and was not at all being difficult about the online menu situation). She listed them and I needed to ask my co-workers (since we didn't know what our options were before) which of the three options they wanted. I asked for just a minute to confirm with my coworkers and then the attitude starts. The hostess or whoever answered the phone was not so subtly ticked off that I needed less than 5 secs to confirm which option we wanted. Then I ordered ganpoong shrimp instead of kung pao shrimp (I accidentally mixed up the words). So imagine my confusion when she said that was going to come from the dinner menu. I asked why when that was the option and the rudeness continued with her response of, "I already told you kung pao shrimp was lunch menu not ganpoong". The conversation ended very awkwardly as I was a little caught off guard at her rudeness. Honestly, I understand it is hectic when it is lunch time. However, I don't think I was being overly demanding, rude, or ridiculous. I wasn't taking my time thinking about the options and I mistakenly mixed up two confusing words . (Try saying each really fast...) But I don't think that permits rudeness from the person taking the order. Overall, it definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth with their unnecessary attitude. I love their food but it makes me a little hesitant to order from them again.
(2)Tim B.
Chef Ping is extremely delicious. The place was packed, indicating the popularity and success of the establishment. I tried three different dishes, and they were all absolutely fantastic. Chicken Wings Black Bean Noodles with Pork Asian Sweet Sour Crispy Beef I highly recommend this food palace for great service and great food at a great price. I look forward to my next meal at Chef Ping.
(5)Jason C.
Having arrived to Chicago after on the road for four hours, we were hungry and need to eat quickly... however when we pulled into the parking lot, it was full and our hope for quick seating disappeared... we slowly walked in and asked for table for two... the hostess asked if we wanted to sit at the bar and I said no... hostess said it'll be five minutes for a table and so we waited. As soon as we got seated, we ordered our food... jjajangmyun, champong and pong pong chicken (their version of kangpunggi). We expected that it would take about 15 minutes to get our food, but nope, we got our chicken within five minutes... then we got our noodles five minutes thereafter. The chicken was good, the only complain I had was that, the wings had very little meat on the wings... they were small compared to say Great Sea... nevertheless the chicken was good. Jjajangmyun - not sure if they have kang jjajang or mul-jjajang... but the one we got tasted a lot like kang jjajangmyun. It was bit on the salty side, but good... however Great Sea's jjajangmyun is still the nest. Chompong - the best champong I had in midwest... yes, in midwest... the one in LA still rains champ! Overall, I give this place four stars for 1) service and 2) taste of the dishes. They gave us our dish quickly and it really hit the spot. This place is far from downtown, so plan your visit wisely.
(4)E S.
Who doesnt love chef pings!?? Pong pong chicken all the way! I wish it wasnt so packed all the time.
(4)Vince V.
The parking lot was completely packed. It has been two years since I first set foot in the restaurant and Chef Ping shows no sign of slowing down. If anything, they've upped their game. The crowd this Sunday night is noisy, busy and visibly hungry. Dishes are flying out of the kitchen and the bar just like every table in the house is full yet the genius of it all was that we didn't wait too long for seating. Dinner itself was predictably fantastic, a greatest hits collection from successful past meals: potstickers, crab rangoon, the spicy seafood noodle platter, the decadent honey walnut shrimp and the ever-present sesame chicken. This was not a night for experimentation given the relatively conservative taste buds of my dining companions. This was a night of going for dishes everyone knew, understood and delighted in and true to form, every dish was executed deliciously.
(5)Charles L.
Fantastic place! Usually try out a place with Kong Pau and their's was great. I hope I get a chance to take the family back to this place.
(5)Sung L.
Great food, Great service, and Great prices! Chef Ping is The Best! Noodle Platter, Black Bean Noodle, Pong Pong Chicken.
(5)Chris D.
I do plan to return to experience the full menu. To have only one vegetarian option on the lunch menu was a disappointment. The food was very good, and I enjoyed the tea. I just do not enjoy feeling I only have one option. The prices are very reasonable. I liked that this restaurant had a diverse crowd, which I always take as a sign of quality.
(3)Esther L.
I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. My family loved the former restaurant these owners had, Yu's. But ever since they parted ways and started this restaurant, neither have been the same. The food is mediocre. Jam-bong is hit or miss; sometimes it is salty. It's best if ordered super spicy. This is my family's go to Chinese Korean restaurant. Generally, the food is pretty good. My family likes the jampong (spicy noodle soup), jajangmyun (black bean noodles), walnut shrimp, and palbochae (which I think is the happy family seafood). However, it's hit or miss. Some days, everything is great and other days, some dishes are off. I guess it depends on who is cooking. I had a pretty disappointing experience at lunch recently. The salad dressing was gross. It tasted like pure ground ginger with soy sauce. It was very sour. I wanted to replace the chicken with shrimp in the pad thai at lunch and the waitress said this would cost an additional $5, when the dish itself was only $6.50. So I would basically be paying double to substitute the shrimp for chicken. And of course I was charged full price when I asked her to hold the chicken. There was no discount for not having any meat even though she wanted to charge double for a different protein. The pad thai was just okay. It's not the best I've had. It was sweet and kind of boring. The flavor was missing. We also ordered the kung pao shrimp lunch special, the black bean noodles, and the noodle soup. Only the black bean noodles and noodle soup were good. I will probably not order from the lunch menu again and will stick to what I know is good.
(3)Sydney L.
This is my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant. I go here at least a 3 times a months with my family and co-workers. Other than the occasional frustration from waiting to get seated, the service and the atmosphere here is nice. But my favorite part is of course the food. I usually get almond chicken or crab rangoon. The taste is always right, never too salty or too sweet. Chef Ping is a must-go!!
(5)Yu H.
I've long dreaded reviewing this place. I've been coming here since it opened like twice a month but a part of me just doesn't want to review it. I don't want to, I don't want others to know but that's apparently already too late given the 45 minute waits for dinner on a Wednesday night. God this is painful to say but....this is my favorite restaurant. In my travels eating all over the place this restaurant in my opinion has reached the perfect balance of quality, taste, price, portion, service, and ambiance. God it love it so. Let me explain: I've had a history with Yu's Mandarin which used to be my favorite but as the rumors go, their head chef sold the place and quit. He waited a while and then opened up this place down the street with basically the same recipe's as Yu's but with slight improvements. Quality at Yu's declined over the years as it changed hands and now a lot of their formers followers moved to Chef Ping, I being one of them. I've eaten most of their menu but these are my favorites: Hot and Sour Soup: Unique to only YU's and Chef Ping, it tastes amazing and has that slow warming spiciness you get int he back of the throat with Szechuan flour peppers and white pepper. Not your average takeout hot and sour here. Mandarin Duck: Pretty much the only place to get it done right. These take like 3 days to make and the taste is impeccable. You probably won't find a better version of this anywhere else here or IN CHINA! Pork with Chinese Yellow Chives: Also hard to find in the burbs, Yellow chives are like regular chinese chives except not allowed to see sunlight so they turn yellow and has a very subtle taste to them similar to how they grow white asparagus. 8 Treasures: The ultimate smorgasbord of tastiness, they are fishball, sea cucumber, ham, chicken, tofu, squid, shrimp, and mushrooms. You can't go wrong with this dish. Steamed Flounder: Don't let the name fool you, theres more to this than a steamed fish, It comes on a giant platter with scallions and peppers and a wonderful sweetened soy sauce (See picture). Egg Yolk Crab: Pretty decadent, its a giant dungeonous crab cooked with the flavor of chinese salted duck yolks. Tastes like heaven, probably hell on your arteries. I could go on for another 2 pages but I'll spare you and let you explore for yourself. Being a new building, the place looks very nice with great lighting. Service is never slow and the kitchen cooks lightning fast. All the turnover ensures a fantastic fresh quality meal. In my opinion, this place is near perfect if not perfect. Definitely DO NOT take my word for it. Go and taste for yourself. I'll probably be the pissed off guy in the waiting area wishing no one else knew about this gem of a place so I can have it all to myself.
(5)Irene Z.
It's been a while since my last visit, but came for lunch with a colleague 2 weeks ago, and it was so good that I ordered out for the family that weekend. It was packed at lunchtime! We arrived at the thick of the lunch hour, at 12noon. The parking lot here is small and we were one of several cars circling the lot. Unfortunately, there are no expanded parking options since the neighboring businesses have their own separate lots. We were planning to leave after circling for the 3rd time but were lucky and managed to catch a space right before we pulled out. So glad we were able to stay. Lunch specials are great and cheap (for the amount and quality of food). I went with the sesame chicken and my colleague went with the almond chicken. We both had the egg drop soup. Combos come with rice, spring roll and fried wonton. I forgot how good the food is here and I was so hooked that I ordered the sesame chicken again for the family, along with shrimp w/lobster sauce, and the spring rolls. My coworker was very happy with her almond chicken. We both had enough leftovers and had them for lunch the next day. There was a wait when we initially checked in at the host stand, but the other groups waiting were parties of 4 or more. Since we were only 2, they managed to squeeze us into one of the booth/chair tables. Loved that. Service was fast and pleasant. Sunday dinner carryout was easy and painless. Food was ready within 30 minutes even during the busy dinner rush. I was lucky and got the one 'carry-out' parking spot right up front. One new thing I learned - we're used to carrying out our Chinese food at Chef Ping's and only occasionally dine in. There was a noticeable difference with the sesame chicken dining in and carrying out. While both were delicious, it tasted much better and crispier when I dined in rather than having the sauce soak in and making the chicken softer by carrying it out. Good both ways, but I preferred the crispier chicken in restaurant just a tad more over the softer at home. In any case, sesame chicken is my new fave here!
(5)Francisco P.
Great food but felt rushed by our waiter.
(4)Jenny H.
Good luck finding parking on the weekends! We circled around and finally decided to camouflage our car in an adjacent lot. Thank goodness someone in our group made reservations. Otherwise, we'd end up with a at least a 40 minute wait. With six in our party, we were seated awkwardly, yet cozily in an elongated booth. Each ordered a dish and had a FEAST between the cantonese style lobster, jja jang myun, tofu, sauteed veggies, sesame chicken, etc. Of course, endless rounds of hot tea and rice all around. While Chef Ping may not replace the deep-rooted nostaglia I harbor for some of the older chinese hole-in-the-walls, it's very close. It is definitely chinese food done well and I'm glad for this addition in the 'burbs!
(4)Soo Jin M.
Pretty decent jja jiang myun. Slightly on the bland side but you can fix that with a little radish. Ggam poongi was ok too. Seafood stir fry thing was good as well. Not as good as great seas but will suffice.
(4)Sharon L.
We have been going to Chef Ping's since they first opened. We have never been disappointed. The service is fast, accurate and friendly. The food is delicious and consistent. We have tried many, many different dishes and have loved them all.
(5)Elaine M.
We are so happy we've found Chef Ping! Now we don't have to drive into the city and endure horrible service at Great Seas whenever we crave Korean style chicken wings. The pong pong chicken (not on the menu) aka lollipop chicken is SO good - we order it every time we come here. It's crispy, sweet, and the perfect amount of heat. In the three times that we've been here so far, we've also ordered chajangmyun, champong, gang pong chicken, walnut shrimp, salt and pepper squid, and szechwan eggplant. Always piping hot and delicious. The wait staff is great and managers / owners are always around to say hi or lend a hand. We will definitely be back! (Thanks to May of Body Accessory / Style4U for sharing your Chef Ping food porn with us on facebook!)
(5)Tom E.
Great food. Wonderful, prompt service. Affordable. Always full so I'm not the only person who believes in the place.
(5)Eugene P.
Went here for a rehearsal dinner and I kept on shoveling food in my face without even checking to see what it was. It was very tasty but my favorite would have to be the walnut shrimp and Peking duck. I basically had to be rolled out of that restaurant. It was good food, clean and great service.
(4)J J.
I've been coming here for years and it is my go-to spot! I'm happy to drive a decent distance to come here, because their food and customer service is the best. It has always been consistent and the entire staff is extremely attentive. Even the owner has come to our table before and he is very friendly and personable and gets us whatever we might want. It's an all-around awesome experience every time I come here and I always leave extremely satisfied, which is a testament to how good this place is. The restaurant is very clean as well, which means something to me, because the fact that they care to take care of the place, shows that they care about what they do. I've been to more than my fair share of chinese restaurants and so I have a lot to compare to. Plus, chinese food is probably my favorite type of cuisine. Needless to say, I'm obsessed with this place:) I only wish I could come here once a week! I love Ping's!
(5)Jean C.
I love their food but hate the wait for a table, especially on a weekend night. 15 minute wait turned to 45!!
(3)Mao W.
In my mind, Chef ping is one of best chinese food (if not THE best) in chicago area. Authentic and tasty. Service is great. Parking is crowded everyday, so get there early. If you want to try something different, I recommend: Steamed pot sticker (dipping into the hot source a little bit will enhance the flavor) Salty-egg york crab Beef belly and tofu stew Mandarin soy duck (cold dish) Hot braised fish Szhewan fish casserole (this one is spicy) Yu-Shang pork Chef ping seafood combo Sea food peking noodle and sea food noodle soup Yang chow fried rice
(5)Kenneth C.
This is a great suburban restaurant for Chinese food with an added Korean touch. While it may lack the authenticity of Chinatown, the dishes are made with fresh ingredients and are wonderfully flavorful. The restaurant is always crowded on the weekends but service is quick without being too intrusive. Korean dishes are decent too. You really can't go wrong here.
(5)D J.
First time at Chef Ping's. It was awesome: The 3 of us were pigs and ordered tang syuk, pong pong chicken, black bean noodles, veggie/noodle platter, and canton noodles. We could have killed all, but we didn't ;). My only suggestion is more vegetables in the dishes. There were slivers of veggies in the various dishes, but there really should have been more. The pong pong needed more sauce too. The noodles were the best I've had in a long time and were amazing. I didn't see the restroom, but the place seemed pretty clean (asides from the funky odor of people on a muggy summer day in the foyer).
(4)Lisa G.
amazing food for the price...the staff is helpful in finding a dish you like! they are really fast and have really decent prices for the amount of food you get! I really enjoy going there for any meal lunch, dinner or carry out! always busy every day!!! i heard through the grapevine that the owner is a former owner at Yu's mandarin when they used to be super busy! highly recommend this place!!!
(5)Buortau L.
"Chef Ping" is awesome! If you've ever been to "Yu's Mandarin" before, then the food is just like that (Korean Chinese cuisine). If you're up for something unique, then I'd say you must give "Chef Ping" a try.
(5)Effie K.
Probably best Chinese I've eAten ever. Mongolian beef and Kung pao beef are delicious. My go to place to eat.
(5)Vera F.
Best Chinese food in the area. Outstanding, exceptional in fact. We eat there. First no place to park so it took almost 15 to 20 minutes to get a parking place. Then a 30 minute wait for a table. This was at 5:00 on a Saturday. Service was not so good. Went with my daughter & husband. My husbands food came about 15 minutes before mine & my daughters. This was really irritating. Then the waiter seemed rushed and as if he had no time for us. Another waiter worked hard to help him out which was appreciated. In the future will carry out because the food is truly amazing.
(4)Kevin C.
Chef Ping serves moderately priced and very tasty Chinese food. It's a huge draw for Asian and white families alike, which is great for the waiters because Asian people tip like shit. It's hard to pin down the exact nature of the food here. On the one hand, you've got typical faux American-Chinese dishes like General Tso's and Cashew Chicken (the bologna of Chinese food). On the other, you have spicy fried shrimp and authentic chicken pops, and for some reason there's just one page in the menu that's written in Korean. MYSTERIOUS. I'm curious as to whether or not there's an actual Chef Ping, or if he's a fictional character like the Burger King. If it's the former, that's an extremely bold move naming the restaurant after himself. It'd be like someone naming a school "Principal Jones." If it's the latter, I'd like to shake his hand.
(4)Yane Y.
Okay, I've been here about 7 times or so, but for living in the area for about 6 months or so, I'd say that's decent! Soo, there are certain dishes that I order when I come here. We've tried a couple of dishes, but there are those "signature" dishes that we like - and stick to! Here they are: 1) Chef's Ping Seafood Noodle Platter - a must! OMG, sooo sooo good. If you've ever had "jjam-ppong" (Korean-chinese style hot and spicy dish), this is basically a "dry" version of it, i.e. without the soup. 2) Pong Pong Chicken - I think that's what it's called. They're tiny little chicken wings that are good. Pretty decent. 3) Ma Po Tofu - I lOVE tofu. So, this is a pretty good dish. 4) Sweet & Sour Pork - This is not the American style sweet & sour pork with red sauce. This is the Asian-style (not sure if it's Korean-style or Chinese-style, but definitely not an American red-sauce) sweet & sour pork sauce. 5) Black Bean Noodles (sometimes) - This is decent. Not the best ever. But it's aight.... **I tried their honey walnut shrimp dish because so many people raved about it here on yelp. However, personally, I'm not a big fan of THICK batter, and really thick and sweet sauce. It was a bit much for me, so I can't do that. **I tried their kang-ppong-gee (Korean style chicken wings) on another occassion - wasn't too impressed. My husband and I prefer the pong pong chicken over the kang-ppoong-gee. (spelling?) Too bad I can't comment on the other dishes.... Overall, this is what I would consider a "Korean-Chinese" restaurant. A lot of their foods and dishes, I feel, are more catered to Korean people or a Korean style. This is not an authentic Chinese restaurant, nor is it an "American-Chinese" restaurant. Soo, are you wondering what a "Korean-Chinese" versus "American-Chinese" versus Authentic Chinese restaurant is? Well, basically, the pre-fix describes the type of people that the Chinese restaurant caters to. So, Korean-Chinese restaurant would have your "black bean noodle" (jja-jjiang-myun) and your "jjam-ppong" (no idear! what this would be called in English, maybe Seafood Noodle soup?). Your American-Chinese restaurant will have food catered toward your typical American folks (example, P.F. Chang's). Your authentic Chinese restaurant is catered toward Chinese/Taiwanese, etc.!! Not Koreans, Not Americans, Not anyone else --- although you will probably find Koreans, Americans, etc. An example of a more authentic Chinese restaurant in the area is "Hong Kong Cafe". Now, you can look at their menu and tell that they are authentic Chinese... Hopefully this whole bit about "Korean-Chinese", "American-Chinese", and authentic Chinese make sense. haha.... good luck and hope you can find some good foods to enjoy here, as well! Cheers! and Happy eating!!!
(4)Frank A.
Again, I'm skeptical of Chinese joints in the burbs, but I gave it a shot based on people constantly recommending this place to me. So I finally drop by and it looks like a renovated Baker's Square. The interior has been revamped to include a small bar updated decor with a private room. Staff was nice and attentive. Ordered different items including duck, black bean seafood noodle dish, salt and pepper shrimp, pong pong chicken. I've also tried other menu items on different visits. Loved the pong pong chicken. It's basically chicken wings that have been half de-boned into a sort of lollipop finger food. Salt and pepper shrimp was de-shelled and had a light batter. It included bits of peppers for added spice. Like mentioned below, their noodles are not mixed with the sauce / meats. It is mixed as it arrives at your table. I actually liked that presentation because it looks fresh as opposed to some dish that was prepared ahead of time and could have sat there in the kitchen for who knows how long. Overall, a good dining experience. Only slight complaint is that it is slightly more expensive than traditional Chinese restaurants. This place can get super busy, so I usually try to hit this place up just ahead of the dinner rush.
(4)Dmitry G.
For those of you who love to pig out on this kind of slop--well, what can I say? For those who look for quality and are a bit more discerning, take heed: Ordered jia jiang myun, kung pao chicken and the 8 Happiness. It is very evident that they reuse their hot peppers (hence, the black, bitter taste to the peppers with absolutely no heat) and also pre-cook the sauces and chicken wings. The sauce was beyond salty because it had been heated and re-heated multiple times and the chicken wings were fried how many days before serving with the sauce applied at time of serving. Open your eyes people! I feel sorry for you--learn about quality--maybe learn how to cook for yourself. Also, they are very stingy with the napkins and chopsticks. The servers can use an attitude adjustment. Signed, someone who knows the restaurant business.
(1)Dr S.
never had a bad meal everything here is top notch and very delicious, if u want great chinese cusine, this place is a must.
(5)George S.
EXTRA CRISPY EGGPLANT! I get it every time, its a family favorite and a personal favorite. It is easily the best asian cuisine I have had on this side of the pacific. I have had many different dishes as well, like the lemon, orange, kung pao, chicken and the the fish filet, all is amazing. I just got the mango chicken the other day and it was delicious. The place gets pretty packed during lunch and dinner hours but its worth the wait regardless. I live in the city and have made trips out to this place because its that good. I don't know what else I can say about it but that its the best...
(5)J G.
Whole family loves this place and the food. We dine in and order carry out. Never disappointed.
(5)Mr C.
I love Ping! It gets crowded and you may have to wait to sit on a busy night. Overall, it's legit.
(4)Melanie S.
Chef Ping is pretty great, and second only to Yu's. This is not surprising since the owner of Chef Ping used to be the chef at Yu's. My friend and I came here on Super Bowl Sunday, and no surprise, it wasn't crowded at all. We were greeted warmly and shown to a comfy booth. Service is very friendly and attentive...almost too attentive. We weren't even settled in to our table before they were on us like white on rice (pun intended) to place our order. Since it was our first visit, we wanted to take our time and look over the menu carefully before making any decisions. They brought us hot tea promptly and by then we were ready to order. We tend to stick with the basics (no sauteed intestine with pickled cabbage for us!) and ordered egg rolls, Mongolian beef, Phoenix in green (chicken with vegetables) and combination fried rice. The egg rolls naturally arrived first, and were a great starter. They were hot, crispy, and not a trace of grease. They're on the small side, which is fine because there was plenty more food to come. The rest of our food came out quickly, and it was piping hot and looked delicious. Our favorite chicken dish at Yu's is Snow White chicken and Chef Ping's comparable version, Phoenix in Green, was quite good as well, and includes more vegetables, like zucchini and broccoli. It was good, but I have to give the edge to Yu's. Their Mongolian beef was a hair on the sweet side for me, but the beef was tender, and cooked well. My only nitpick is the combination fried rice. It was described on the menu as having chicken, beef, and shrimp, and instead of beef, it came with ham. Obviously I am a fan of the swine, but I was disappointed as I was expecting beef. I nicely inquired about it to a server who explained that the combination fried rice always comes with ham and not beef. Okay...that's fine, but why does your menu description say otherwise? Overall, we both enjoyed Chef Ping. It's comparable to Yu's on all levels, in quality, price and portion size, but we agreed that if we're hauling ass all the way out to the 'burbs for Chinese, we'll likely stick with Yu's. It's just better all the way around. Don't let this deter you from Chef Ping though. It's still head and shoulders above most Chinese restaurants out there. Just not Yu's :-p
(4)Uday K.
I stopped here for a quick lunch of vegetable fried rice. Awesome stuff. Non spicy and just right ratio of rice and veggies. Good place for an elaborate Asian lunch.
(4)Bob P.
One of the best options in an area of many restaurants I appreciate Chef Ping's because: 1) It is not a chain (although it is in the old Baker's Square building) 2) Prices are reasonable (lunch specials, I did not see what dinner prices are) 3) Portions are large enough 4) Service is great (kept the water filled, we served our own hot tea, closing check was quick). 5) Food was quick, hot and most importantly delicious. Went there for the 1st time a week ago. Just suggested it for another meeting next week where I will have to pass Yu's Mandarian and about 25 other restaurants to get there this seems one of the best options in the area, especially if you want something safe that meets most criteria (vegetarian, flavorful, not spicy or spicy). Best Chinese I have found in area. Best low/mid priced food in the area.
(4)Rachel G.
Best Chinese food in the area. Hands down! Sesame chicken is awesome. Mongolian beef awesome. Chicken with broccoli awesome. Egg rolls awesome. Ping wings awesome! (And spicy!) Fried rice awesome. Go eat there now!
(4)Anya C.
My favorite Chinese place. authentic Chinese food. Not too salty or oily, Fresh, get food right away after order. went there 10+ times
(5)Jan L.
Wow, this is by far the best Chinese food I've ever had. Let me first say that I am really picky about Chinese food and I don't like the American version of it. After reading everyone's review on Yelp I've decided to try this place. We had the shumai, it took about 30 minutes for them to cook but my goodness, it was worth the wait. So delish. Also had a couple of the home made noodle dishes... so good and so fresh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it now. Service was super friendly from the hostess to the bus boys and the waitresses. If you like authentic Chinese food this is hands down the best in the area. Try to go there during week days as the weekends can get really crowded (for good reasons I may add). I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(5)DEALS D.
stopped by for my birthday dinner with kids. all I can say is wow. the service and food A++++. the waitress that took care of us was perfect the food came up like clock work. the taste was incredible. tried the pong pong chicken and baby bockchoi seafood noodle platter will recommend and coming back. the favors the quality was incredible.
(5)paul l.
Best Jiang Ya (Mandarin Soy Duck) in the greater Chicago area. Ditto for the Summer Salad (Double Skin). My wife always orders Three Taster, as it has generous portion of sea cucumber slices than any other Chinese restaurants in the Chicago area, especially considering the $15.25 price. La Jiao Mien (Ping's Noodle Platter) is still as good as Yu's Mandarin days. I would prefer thicker/fatter noodles than the thin ones they are currently using. The owner is very courteous, going from table to table, fill tea cup(s) and asking for patrons' feedback.
(4)Aletta J.
Succulent shrimp, deep fried honey walnuts, green beans flash fried, mango tomato chicken, mushroom/tofu, pork tofu, and potstickers. Our lunch for five and the smallest takeout box ever! We went with frequent diner friends and enjoyed everything. I could leave the tofu mushrooms; a bit chewy and tofu reminded me of grade school tapioca pudding. I prefer the solid pack kind. Should have ordered 2 orders of potstickers---mmmmmmmmmm. We were back on New Year's Eve and it was PACKED, but we were seated w/in 10 mins of our reservation time. Our waiter was fun, flirtatious in a fun way and couldn't have been more non-imposing even though they were busy. Going back soon -- the chili oil is addictive!!!
(5)S I.
The food is as good as its ever been. I went about a week ago with the fellas and between three of us we ate 4 dishes and a few drinks each. Although it's not the cheapest around I think it's worth every penny. The food is amazing. Flavorful, fresh, meticulously prepped, presented well, and service is over the top good. I can't wait to take my folks and have a grand time with them as well. Only downside I can think of is no reservations but I'll wait for good stuff :)
(5)Jen H.
All I can say is horrible! By far the worst dining experience ever! We called in a carry-out order on Christmas and we were told it would be ready 45min. I got there 45-50 min after the order was called in and was told "just a few , they are working on it now" After 15min of me standing there waiting I asked again how long and I was told "it's almost ready" Another 15 min went by and I asked yet again and I was told "it's coming right up" then they said I could pay so as soon as it was ready I could go. I paid and waited ANOTHER 30min!!!!!! Finally after standing there for over a hour waiting by the bar for the order and asking numerous times how much longer would the wait be and at this time I let them know this was the first time we had ever ordered from them- I was told that they would "throw in some almond cookies and take 15%off" What a slap in the face that was but I just wanted out of there! It was Christmas and I had 8 people waiting for this dinner! When I finally got the order (2 hours after it was called in!!!!!) and got home(less than 5min away) 2 of the 4 dishes we had requested to be EXTRA spicy and they had absolutely no heat at all to them, all of the dishes and appetizers were stone cold and had NO flavor at all then to top it off 1 of this items was not even in the bag! The 1 item that was not even in the bag was for a child!!! I called Chef Ping to let them know how after waiting there for over a hour we did not even receive everything and the lady went on to make every excuse "we are busy" and "it is Christmas" and I even got "I noticed it wasn't in the bag but you had already left" Now mind you she had the telephone number on the receipt that she was HOLDING!!!! Then the final straw was when she said "you should not order out from a new place on a holiday" I worked in the restaurant business for 10+years and if ANYONE ever had to wait the first thing is you offer them something to drink-a water, a pop, tea or coffee. And if someone is there for DOUBLE the amount of time they are told, the smart thing to do is offer to comp the meal for them and try to get them to come back- word of mouth is key to any good business! Anyone can make good food when your slow but you show how truly good you are when you are busy and if that is how you treat all of your customers, I have a feeling there will be a new restaurant there in a couple years! Attached to the carry out bag it said to share your experience- Not only am I doing that on Yelp but I have already told 6 people who were talking about going there about my experience and how poorly I was treated, they are finding new restaurant in the area to go to!
(1)Vivian H.
My boyfriend's family has been coming here forever I guess, and there's a reason for that! Yummy korean seafood noodle soup, chicken pops, spicy shrimp.. scrumptious. And when we ordered wrong, the staff was nice enough to take it back and not charge us for it (UNHEARD OF, esp in Chinese restaurants!) It was a little weird that our waitress did not speak Chinese...
(4)Howard L.
This is a 6 month old (ie, new) Mandarin style restaurant, and located in a gutted ex Bakers Square restaurant. It's nicely done and comfortable inside. Every item we had was very good, and we had a lot of variety for our party of 8. Amongst the dishes: * cold duck and jellyfish appetizers * cold spicy beef appetizer * sea cucumber with the largest beef tendons I've ever seen * sea cucumber with shrimp and scallops * fish filet with yellow chives * beef stew in pot * Schezwan chicken wings * clam soup * Chef Ping spicy noodle soup One drawback is that there are no set family style menus. You are on you own to pick ala carte entrees to create your feast. They have a vibrant main dining room, but also a more private room in the back with 5 round tables for 10 each. They can tone the spiciness down nicely, as none of our dishes were overly spicy per request. Value is reasonable, given the new, clean, and convenient suburban setting. Their servings tend to be a little heavy on the use of sauce and gravy, and that's probably the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating for this reviewer.
(4)Mark S.
Definitely got what I paid for. $11 for Mongolian Beef with white rice, an egg roll, soup and a coke. Pretty good deal, but the food was not worth eating. I won't be back. It was very bland and the quality of the beef wasn't too good. Service was great.
(2)Michele B.
The food is great but got takeout for lunch. You cannot get the lunch special which includes soup so if you want it you pay extra!?!?! Told them I would be there in 15-20 minutes got there in 15 and the food was sitting on the counter COLD. Hope this improves in the meantime I will eat there.
(2)Alec H.
Best noodles around!!! I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter. Go early to avoid the long wait.
(5)Jon R.
Not the best place for 1 guy and a bar during the pickup takeout food hours. So I moved from bar to table. Hot and Sour soup is wonderful and peppery. Complimentary tea at the table...good stuff. I ordered a bottle of cold sake, Ozeki, great stuff. No complaints on pad Thai either. Rice noodles are made homemade daily. I could probably give this 5 stars, but I went with 4. Fast service, great tasting food.
(4)Rickson W.
i just dont understand this place.people who eat here act like its the best chinese place they ate.I ate thier pai thai and it wasnt good at all.However it almost seems like people are addicted to this place.I ask one question when you go to any chinese restaurant.are they using MSG in their food which stimulates your senses in your brain to like it better? Just ask
(1)Cherie R.
My parents and I have been coming here since it opened - and before used to go to Yu's Mandarin since I was about five. (The chef used to work there!) Suffice to say this is our favorite Chinese restaurant - for the Chinese Korean food! I used to order the Mongolian beef and NOTHING else growing up - and it's still as fantastic as ever. I have, however, branched out a little bit and eat the jjampong and the jajangmyun pretty frequently as well. Don't miss out on the noodles, people - we used to trek out here from downtown just to have them!
(4)Jennifer M.
We had dinner here the other night. The service was exceptional at being attentive. The appetizers were not very pleasant tasting. The main courses were good and plentiful. Ice water and a pot of tea were delivered to our table by the Busser immediately upon being seated. The Server came by and checked on us frequently for any additional requests we may have had. Throughout dinner, our empty plates were removed from the table. The restaurant manager walked by often to ensure everyone's happiness. The Clam Soup for 2: I didn't think there was enough clam in the soup. I thought it could use a little miso to cut the taste of clam in the broth. The Crab Rangoon: I've had better at the Red Lantern. I wasn't crazy for the cream cheese or its oily fryer taste. Mango Shrimp: I liked the gradual heat that comes through with every bite. Fish Casserole: Extremely hot. All the flavor is on top so be sure to stir the pot! Szechwan Prawn: It sure seemed like shrimp and not prawns to me! It could just be me. There's plenty of choices on their menu. We'll definitely be back; not on Monday's, they're closed.
(3)Rachel H.
I absolutely love Chef Ping. I have been frequenting this gem of a place the past year. Legend has it the owner used to own Yus Mandarin and sold it a while ago (15-20 years), retirement bored him, so he opened Chef Ping! We always get the The Seafood Noodle Platter no matter what other dishes we order, it absolutely rocks!! The Salt and Pepper Smelt is divine, always crispy and perfectly seasoned.I am particularly partial to the garlic and peppers that are sprinkled on it. The dinner menu carries a dish called "Fish Casserole", it takes about 20 minutes to prepare, but the wait is worth it. The fish is served in a spicy broth, think boiled fish from Lao Schezwan with Shitake Mushrooms. This is everybody favorite, whomever I take to eat here, falls in love with this dish.Other notable mentions are the Clams in Black bean, my oldest nephew (7 year old) can eat the entire dish all by himself, if we are lucky my sister or I distract him and steal a clam...if we are lucky. The dumplings are a good child pleaser, I havent me ta child who doesnt like them. Lunch options are pretty good. I see a lot of Chinese/Korean folks at lunch time. Most of them get some kind of a noodle in a black sauce. It is eaten with the pickled radish and onions...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I always vow to get it the next time, but somehow I default to the noodle platter!! They offer an arrary of cocktails, I havent had a chance to try them...yet. This is not your run of the mill Chinese restaurant, it is upscale, servers speak english and are able to guide you in case you needs reccomendations. A little on the expensive side, but so worth it.
(5)Jackie G.
What a disappointment!! This place was packed so I thought it would be good. I ordered Mongolian beef and crab rangoons. First of all, this place is pricey. If the food is good. I'm for spending a few extra bucks but my beef was just ok. Actually, it was very bland. The thing that bothered me was the crab rangoons. Yuck! They put cinnamon or cloves or something inside that reminded me of Christmas cookies. I've eaten rangoons from many places and have never thrown them out and not eaten them. I will Never eat here again. Waste of money.
(2)R T.
Meh. Passable Gan Pong shrimp and overly sticky Pong Pong chicken (loving the bouncy names). The Ping's noodle platter was quite yummy. We ordered everything spicy coz we like the occasional burn but the spice-o-meter was turned way down. No stringent complaints as the portions were plentiful. I would have added another star just for the noodle platter but the brusque waitstaff put a damper on our experience. Don't be shy about letting loose a few belly laughs. It will simply be drowned out by the noisy chatter. Oh and try the complimentary honey tea. Surprisingly flavorful and yet light.
(3)Erin Y.
We really like Chef Ping, and come here often. Our favorites are the jia jia mein with the black bean sauce, the seafood mein, fried squid with spicy sauce, pepper beef, and clams with black bean sauce. The texture of their noodles is perfect. You can easily tell that they're homemade. However, there are usually inconsistencies from our different experiences. The spicy seafood mein was way spicier than usual last time we came. A lot of people who don't mind spicy were complaining about it. Also, the fried squid, which is normally so delicious, did not have enough sauce on it, so it tasted kind of bland. It wasn't sticky like it should be. Anyway, usually our experiences here are pretty good but occasionally, they miss the mark. Overall, this is a good place to get decent Chinese food. They always facilitate reservations for large parties, and the food comes out fast. I'd recommend trying it!
(3)Valerie W.
So, Chinese food is kind of a big deal around my house, and we are p.i.c.k.y. about it. It's difficult to find good Chinese food in this area, and we've pretty much exhausted all of our options. Then... we discovered Chef Ping. It was as if the pearly white gates of Chinese food heaven had opened! My grandmother (from whom I get my love of Chinese cuisine) discovered Chef Ping, and insisted that I take her there. (Right after she found the place she was eating there multiple times a week, bringing whoever she could along!) Where to begin? Appetizers are always a good place to start... - Egg Rolls - made with spring roll skins instead of wanton wrappers - light and extremely crispy. - Shrimp toast - one of our favorites, some places get it... Chef Ping does! Dishes to share - Gan Pong Scallops - cooked perfectly, slightly crispy, perfect glaze, not overly sauced. - Moo Shu Pork - I've been obsessed with moo shu lately, and I love getting it when the server will make the 'burritos' for you. -Seafood Peking Noodle - how can you possibly go wrong with fresh, housemade noodles? I cannot wait to go back to Chef Ping... my mouth is watering already.
(5)Jon C.
This place is one of my 'regulars' for my family and friends. I love coming here to get some of their noodle dishes. I often see more Koreans getting these noodle dishes but if you're not afraid of trying new things and the spiciness, there is the spicy seafood medly noodle dish, and the spicy broth seafood noodle bowl. Not only that, but we end up ordering more than what we should because we love their taste of other dishes. We always get the Pong-Pong Chicken. It's got a sweet and spicy/asian taste to the crispy wings they prepare as a lollipop style. It isn't your average american chicken wing look but still the best asian chicken wings I've had in life. I also strongly recommend getting their mongolian beef, and their walnut glazed shrimp. Sooo good! Definitely worth trying but I guarantee you'll go for seconds. The bad thing is the dinner rush bc it gets overly crowded in the entrance area and if you're there on the weekends, expect to wait up to 2 hours. Lunch time and early dinner time is probably the best time. Also, they bring out the dishes one at a time but reason being is that they claim to make each dish from scratch and freshly prepared to be served right after it's made. After second thoughts on this issue, it isn't so bad to wait but I'm sure people will have different opinions about it.
(5)Ray C.
Korean and Chinese unite in this joint. Ask for Pong Pong Chicken, get some pea pod tips, and whatever else you want.
(4)Phyllis S.
Here's the deal. If you are going at lunchtime, get there by 11:30. Why? Cause if you show up after noon, this place gets packed and you will be waiting in line, otherwise. Seriously, at 11:40 on a Thursday there were like three tables of people eating; at 12:20 every table was full and there was a line out the door. And yeah, the parking lot isn't all that big. So as I walked in, I was impressed by two things, the nice decor, and the subtly sweet and spicy underlying aroma of ginger and garlic. I knew the food was going to be good. I was a little torn about what to get, since I am trying to keep the calories under control. Instead of the veggie stir-fry; I ordered the Thai noodles with seafood and asked them to make it a little spicy. It came with a small salad (nice ginger soy dressing), an eggroll and a fried wonton wrapper. The platter of noodles was A LOT of food. I could NOT eat it in one sitting. (Which is fine by me. The leftovers were a really nice lunch the next day! The food was subtly spicy, as I had requested, and was just wonderful. The seafood consisted of squid, shrimp and scallops and whereas I would have liked a few more scallops, I don't think the portion was skimpy. Also there were a few shreds of carrot, cabbage and a few baby bok choy in there. I'd have liked more veggies, but hey, that's me. I will say this. I was not impressed with the eggroll. It wasn't greasy, but it also didn't have much flavor. Meh. The tea was a nice oolong. (I am a tea snob, so that's saying something.) The price is damn good for the quality and portion size. Some dudes behind us were eating these HUGE bowls of noodles. Looks like each bowl could have fed three people.
(4)Ajay S.
Went here with a large group of family and friends, but made reservations a day befoe. That was a great idea as this place was packed at 7pm on a Friday night. My only complaint was that parking was full and we had to park next door at the banquet hall. We tried a little of everything, about 6 apetizers, and 4 dinners. They include tea for free, which was very nice. I really enjoyed the braised fish, curry chicken, and a noodle dish, which was amazing. Found it flipping through the yelp pictures. I will definately go back!!
(4)Jay S.
I had heard about this place from multiple Asian friends of mine, so I needed to try it out. Needless to say now I understand what they were raving about. Have tried multiple dishes now after going back 3 times in two weeks. Sesame beef and sesame chicken are both excellent. Even my picky boys loved it! Normally they eat nothing with sauce. The chicken pops have a savory spicy sauce that is to die for. Mandarin combo is flavorful with plenty of shrimp, chicken and beef. Also, the pot stickers are the best I have found in over 25 years since my favorite closed. Must go for the food. Atmosphere is really not much to speak of but that's not why you go here.
(5)Jackie L.
this is my go to place for korean chinese food. i love their champong, lahjoh mien and jah jang mien. i try to get their before the rush cuz they don't really have a big parking lot and tables. cuz if your order to go - don't get noodles, cuz they will explode. and if you are feeling extra adventurous - try their eggplant and mapo tofu. yumm!!! but that's cuz i love anything eggplant and seafood. def. prefer this place over yu's. yu's has been skimping on their seafood. i order the same noodle dish and ended up with lots of mussels and squid. and i hate mussels -- what happened to the shrimp and oysters? i hope chef ping's keeps the variety they have in their seafood platter the way it is. don't mess up a good thing. xie xie~~~!
(4)Kerosan L.
Awesome meal for New Year's day: tried szechuan egglant, crispy duck, noodle platter, orange chicken and shrimp eggroll. We wereny disappointed with the service, and food taste. Will certainly be back soon.
(4)Renee G.
The food is high quality, but their soups are not allergy friendly. All of them have shrimp. It would be nice if they had soups that didn't have shell fish in them.
(4)Jen J.
This place rocks! Great lunch prices, nice atmosphere, and fantastic food. Of the many things I've tried, I've yet to find one I don't like.
(5)Danielle S.
I actually came to Chef Ping completely on accident. We meant to go to another Chinese restaurant, but we passed by this instead. I had seen this place many times and wondered what it was like, so we decided to try it out. We were pleasantly surprised! We were seated right away (lunch time) at a clean table. Their menu is pretty small in comparison to other places, but the prices are very decent. We ended up getting tea (for free), soup, our entree, and an egg roll for about $10. Our server was super sweet, very attentive and helpful. She made conversation with us and really wanted to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is very calming as well. It was a great place to go during our lunch break, and we will definitely go again!
(5)Sam P.
Read the rave reviews... visited the restaurant... Food did not meet expectation. Thought it catered to Koreanized version of Chinese food (and in fact had some menu items printed in Korean), but the taste was so so. Nothing exceptional. It's a regular Chinese restaurant with more authentic (i.e. less Americanized) taste, but not a true Chinese taste either.
(3)Laura C.
Went here yesterday with my family. Some food was salty and some food was bland. The eggplant and pork pepper stir fry were salty, everything else was bland. The good thing was that the food came out really fast. Literally within 5 min of ordering, things started coming out. I really liked the vegetarian chicken. The waitress said I might not like it because it's an old style of cooking, but I wanted to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. It was really good. I highly recommend it to anyone that's vegan or vegetarian.
(3)Jenny V.
i love/hate coming here. hate mostly because its a semi small place and it gets so busy! my family and i like coming here because its closer than Yu's i think we all like it a bit more than Yu's. my favorite thing to get here is their honey glazed shrimp, SO GOOD! i also like to get their mango mochi ice cream definitely call ahead and make a reservation on fridays and weekends. ALWAYS BUSY!
(5)Dan N.
First off a shout out to my Brother in Food Vince V. who took me here for the first time. I know it would be good since he has like 20 check ins here. The old owners of one of the areas great Chinese restaurents Yu's Mandarin oped this place. So there was no dough is was going to be excellent. The two of us ordered way to much food, I'm sure the people around us were asking themselves who are these guys. The FuChiFaePian was referesingly cold and spicy and perfect. The seafood noodles were excellent as well, there are not many places to get noodles like this, there noodles always were and continue to be special. The Walnut shrimp was one of the best renditions I have had. Like Yu's was their seafood always had a freshness that not may Chinese places have. The shrimp are so plump and crisp cooked perfectly. I am counting the days till I can get back there.
(5)Lisa C.
Best Chinese there is. Been eating with them for 30 years and 3 locations. Most of the customers are Asian , so you know it's the real deal. Best Moo Shu ever, but everything is outstanding. Never a bad meal.
(5)Michelle D.
My husband and I recently had our rehearsal dinner at Chef Pings. We are regulars at Pings and even got engaged there!!! So it was perfect to have our rehearsal there. It was about 40 guests in their private room. More food than we could have asked for!! Served family style: Schezwan beef, sesame chicken, green beans, Mongolian beef all delicious!! The owner was very accommodating for our event she even let us bring in our own desserts. I would definitely host another party there Cheers to Chef Ping
(5)Sonni W.
Are you kidding?!! The high ratings are completely misleading. The food was salty and awful. NOT GOOD. No better than "China Buffet" to be honest. If you want good food, this isn't it. If you enjoy salt, and consider Popeye's and Boston Market "4-star", then go for it. I ordered directly from the menu what was supposed to be "spicy with lots of vegetables" and a salad with ginger dressing. Even the salad dressing was so salty it barely tasted of ginger. Then "lunch" came. A scoop of white rice and a sticky glop of meat and sauce with barely any vegetables. Far from the menu description; not even 1/4 of it was vegetable. The Menu also described it as spicy (with a red pepper icon). What I got was super salty but not spicy... at all. I dug through the slop and found ONE little pepper -- still closed, with its hot seeds locked inside. I ate only the rice and the few veggies, letting them toss more than half the food on that plate. It was just awful. Nothing about it is five stars. We actually suspected the staff had written all the online reviews!
(1)Brittany V.
The food was great. You get a lot of food for what you pay. Our server wasn't very attentive, even though the place want that busy. I'm still willing to give this place another shot.
(4)D S.
Easily our #1 family Chinese food spot. The chef is always visible running the ship...GREAT food can't say we have ever had a bad meal...we just need more room on the table for all the stuff we order. I find it hard to go to other restaurants in the area for Chinese after experiencing Chef Ping!!!
(4)Jasmin V.
Chef Ping's has almost the exact menu of Yu's with the exact taste. Smaller than Yu's and just as packed. Always filled with Asians and my parents believe that's the best review for Chinese resturants.
(5)Jacob J.
IF you want the real deal, read Brian K's review first. I forgot to re-read it before checking this place out. I think had I, it would've gone far better. So because of Brian.. Way too much hype over this place. I got it, people assume well if Asians like it, it must be awesome. Not all of the time. It's good stuff, just not legendary. It was a Sunday evening and we were surprised at how busy it was. Parking was hard to come by; we waited in the car for a space to open. It's the suburbs and there isn't any available street parking. If you're daring one could park in another businesses lot and hope for the best. There were several family parties going on and many people with smiling faces, so those were all good signs. We ordered a few items which we knew to be good ones. Gan Pong chicken, Ping's chicken wing and a random vegetarian dish, all of which was for sharing. The two chicken dishes tasted similar to each other even though the waitress stressed to us they would be different. One of the two was left behind, but my memory is not cooperating with which, maybe you'll like'm both. We didn't care much, hence the leftovers which sat there uneaten. Imagining if time travel were possible, I would've rather opted to order something off their Korean menu. Their "black noodle" maybe (jja jjang myun) it was on almost every table and looked delicious. Eager faces slurping up noodles, before they got cold. Best way to be eaten. With an order of meager looking egg rolls and sodas our total was around thirty bucks. Their egg rolls look like veg egg rolls or spring rolls you may get at a Cantonese or Thai restaurant. Thin and long like lady fingers, not bulky with filling and crispy from egg roll wrapper. Nice place, great and lively atmosphere with attentive service. Party room available with round tables for many to be seated. However, service is lost in translation. Hard to come by or willing participation from waitresses, when suggestions are needed or a conversation is wanted when something is missing, where are you? Plating was mediocre, the guy doing plating up the street at Denny's does a far better job with their iceberg lettuce.
(3)Sandra Y.
Vegetarian Chicken was good! I really liked it, even though the waitress said I might not like it since it's a traditional Chinese style dish. Honestly, that intrigued me & made me want it more! :p I didn't really like the Szechwan Eggplant here. They used cheap pepper sauce that I always get at the store instead of authentic spicy chillies. I do like the cheap pepper sauce & use it at home, but I expected more from this place. The sauce they made with it was just salty & not very good. Other than that, some food was too salty, some was really bland. Meh. On the plus side, the food came out REALLY fast! As a drink, I had the cucumber mojito. It wasn't really pretty looking, but it tasted alright.
(3)Richard A.
Five stars. It's just really that good. In fact, I'd venture to say the best Chinese in the area! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, perfect for families. In fact, stop by on a Sunday afternoon and you'll find many enjoying a nice lunch. Try the wings. Crispy, spicy and good. Nothing like it!
(5)John L.
Their food is phenomenal. I enjoyed some sort of spicy beef while my date had the mango chicken. With the large portions, I was able to take home a couple of lunches, beef and chicken. I could not believe the flavor combination of the mango chicken. Wow! A slice of heaven here in Rolling Meadows. Service was exceptional also. With a couple of drinks and a tip the prices were unbelievably reasonable. Don't miss this one if you are in the neighborhood. In fact go out of your way to visit! Thank you for an excellent meal.
(5)Wendy M.
Ok, I was skeptical of this place since I grew up in the Chicago Chinatown area but after been here a couple of times I changed my mind. I think the food is fresh and well prepared. We had a variety of dishes since we had over 10 people at our table and everything is served family style. My favorites were the chicken wings, walnut shrimp and Ping's noodle platter. They make their noodles fresh and you can tell. Definitely a must try if your in the neighborhood.
(4)Stacey P.
I definitely like it here.... problem is it's so small. If you go on a saturday night, get there at like... 5pm for dinner if you don't want a line. NO, maybe 4 pm. Are they even open then? Yes, get there before they open, pitch a tent, and wait. Haha, no it is not that bad, but seriously, it gets crowded early!!! I have to say overall, I like the food. I would happily go back (if it wasn't so far from me) often. BUT...there is a but. It's not THAT good. The food is kind of a mix between westernized and not westernized. It's much better than the super westernized cantonese places like..chow mein house or something, but it's not much better than your other nice "chinese/mandarin" restaurants. Maybe I just didn't order the super good dishes though. I always like the walnut shrimp, because it's sweet and fattening..who wouldn't? I also enjoyed the fried egg plant...because it's sweet and fattening....who wouldn't? (Theme? yes). We also got their yellow leek and pork dish. I *love* that dish at authentic taiwanese/mandarin places, but it wasn't great here. It was just ok. boohoo, oh well. I guess that's about all I have to say for chef ping. It's a good place to eat but nothing that will blow your mind. For chicago, it's probably one of the better chinese places, sadly.
(3)Amy K.
Awesome service, even during extremely busy times. The hand-made noodles are always a hit, as is the fried s&p tofu.
(5)Maya S.
The best Chinese food ever. It's our favorite restaurant we go every week, sometimes twice a week. Great food every time. Everybody that goes there loves their food. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Make a reservation if you don't like to wait. :):):)
(5)Noomi J.
My favorite Chinese food restaurant. Fast service, delicious food with several standouts. Nice interior, always busy. I've been going here for years and haven't had a bad experience. Pongpong chicken ($12.95) - 5 stars. The reason why I go to Chef Ping's. I tried Yu's Mandarin's version, wasn't as good: sauce wasn't as tasty, had more breading, not as crispy. I prefer Chef Ping's tasty lil drummettes to Crisp's, Toreore's, Au Cheval's, Kyochon's, etc. Great Sea Chinese Restaurant's is just as good, more spicy and bigger in size (~$16). Egg yolk crab (market price, we paid $30) - 5 stars. Finger-licking good crust. It was my first time trying out this dish, and I'm so glad that I tried it from here. I love crab, and this was delicious. Jajangmyun ($7.95) - 4.5 stars. My go-to place for this dish. We always order this. It's hard to describe the taste, but it's a mainstream food in Korea. Adventuresome eaters should try this ;D Jjamppong ($8.95) - 4 stars. Decent spiciness. Hangover food haha, or rainy day food. Szechuan eggplant ($10.25) - 4 stars. Crispy with a sweetish sauce. My mum's favorite. Ping's noodle platter ($9.25) - 4 stars. Good amount of seafood chunks. Tame food that won't upset sensitive stomachs. Honey walnut shrimp ($15.95) - 4 stars. I can't remember the price, but I remember that everyone liked it. EDIT Aug 2014 - updated prices, except for jjamppong
(5)Pierre D.
My favorite Chinese spot in the suburbs. Before Ping had opened I had usually found myself going to YU's which is still good but does not compare to Ping! The Noodle Platter is always a good choice. It's packed with scallops, beef, shrimp, and plentiful vegetables. Honey Walnut Shrimp are huge, fresh, and delicious! While they may seem a bit expensive they're damn worth it, however the dish is soo rich that you should have it for sharing and not as a main course. I've had several other dishes here, and never have been disappointed. My only gripe so to speak is sometimes they get backed up and the wait times can be long. The parking lot is small so if you can't find a spot and they suggest you park next door then odds are you are in for a long wait. I'll give them a 5 cause well they're the best in the area!
(5)Derek C.
I've been here a couple of times and it's been a good experience both times. This place is comparable to Yu's mandarin, altho I still feel that Yu's is slightly better. They pretty much have the same menu. We came here on Saturday night, after trying to get a table at Yu's, but the wait there was horrendous, so we decided to give Chef Ping's a try. The wait time was less, but the place was crowded and so was the parking lot! the service was great and everyone was really attentive to our needs. two dishes I'd highly recommend are the honey glazed walnut shrimp and the szechwan eggplant. I'm a huge meat eater, so I wasn't excited about my wife ordering the eggplant, but after I tasted it, I quickly changed my mind! the honey glazed walnut shrimp wasn't as good as the first time I had it, but it could have been an off night for the kitchen. All in all, the food was delicious, and every enjoyed the meal. If I were to pick between Yu's and Ping's, I'd probably say Yu's, but Ping's is not far behind!
(4)Gary C.
Hands down, the best Chinese food in the Northwest burbs! I've eat there many times with family and friends and have never been disappointed. Chicken kung pao, pot stickers, hot sour soup, any noodle platter(Ping's seafood platter is my favorite), Spicy Beef Stew, orange chicken, General Tso's chicken, walnut shrimp are all out of this world! I ACTUALLY hate to share these complementary words...it'll only make the wait that much longer for me next time I go ;-)
(5)Sherwin C.
Relatively good food overall for both lunch and dinner. Sometimes can be a little heavy on the salt but the food is very flavorful. Don't miss the fresh noodles here or their specialties. Place gets very busy early so you need to either make a reservation or arrive early on most nights of the week. Service and cooking is relatively fast though so even if you have to wait it won't be extremely long (except maybe on weekends). If you want to eat authentic cuisine without the long wait, iChef in Hoffman Estates is a good alternative (Yu's Mandarin usually has very long waits as well).
(5)Phill C.
I've been here many times since they first opened... sometimes its 4 stars and sometimes 5, but the Pong Pong chicken wings are always tasty. Crispy & meaty chicken lollipops covered in a sticky sweet/spicy sauce. Highly recommended. You can tell they use quality ingredients and usually everything is delicious. I remember the first time I was there, we ordered a bunch of dishes and was even loving the crab rangoon. They use yellow cream cheese and real crab meat.... mmmmm. Also, any dish with noodles is usually very good, as the noodles are made in-house. Not sure if they still do noodle making demonstrations, as they used to when they were at Yu's Mandarin, but it's pretty cool how they make them by hand. Overall great quality food served in a modern setting. They have lunch specials too!
(4)Mike O.
I chose this place for our latest NW Suburban Dinner group gathering and it was excellent from start to finish. Chef Ping's reputation in other reviews convinced me to try the place. Located on Algonquin next to Oberweis, it really appears unassuming from the street. Once inside, it has the look of class, with its lighting and wall decor. We had a table reserved for 11 people. Service was prompt and friendly from the moment we sat down. They brought out water for everyone and a pitcher of hot tea. The table was round and had a large revolving glass tray int he middle, making it easy to share and pass around the various dishes, carousel style. Thanks to Rachel J, I didn't spend too much time studying the menu and went straight for the Mongolian beef, a favorite Chinese dish of mine. Sure enough it was an excellent choice. I don't know if it's the best I've ever had, but it certainly would rank right up there. Amaliya ordered sauteed peapod tips, which looked like a heaping plate of cooked spinach. However, it was a great dish too. I got to try a sample of it and would certainly consider ordering it next time I came here. In all, I'd say the staff made it a very pleasant dining experience, bringing the food to us faster then I would have expected at most places. They even sang "Happy Birthday" to fellow Yelper George R, in addition to a person at another table who was also celebrating a birthday. I'd recommend this place for upscale Chinese dining at its best.
(5)Pam D.
I must admit, I did come here with high expectations. I had Chef Ping bookmarked for quite a while. As we were going to be in the area, we made a point of checking it out for lunch before the holidays. The parking lot was packed and there was a line, but somehow we managed to get a parking space and our wait was only a few minutes for a table. I had hot and sour soup and the Mongolian Beef. The soup was hopelessly bland, even after I tried to doctor it up. My expectations began to fall a bit. The Mongolian Beef on the other hand was very tasty and the portion was quite generous. Christopher ordered the Chef Ping Noodle Soup, which came out quite a while after mine did. The moment I saw it, I knew this was NOT what Christopher had in mind. It was topped with all kinds of seafood and that is absolutely the last thing he will eat. He looked perplexed and said he did not see anything on the menu about seafood and there was another dish that was specifically a seafood noodle soup. We grabbed a carry out menu we had picked up and looked. Sure enough it listed seafood as a prime ingredient. I offered to trade with him, though I had my mind set on Mongolian Beef. At that point Christopher got up and went to the hostess station and checked one of the hard bound menus. In there, no seafood was listed. He decided at that point to send it back. The waiter told us that over time the recipe had changed, but the hard cover menus had not been changed to reflect it. Confusing to say the least. Chris ordered Orange Chicken and the wait began. By the time his food arrived, I was finished with my entree. His food was nice and tasty and very crisp. All the ingredients in both our entrees seemed very fresh. The dining experience was not fun for us, but the food for the most part was decent enough. It was ok, but not a spot I long to return to any time soon.
(3)Sarah S.
I went here for lunch today with four coworkers...we went at 1145 and just barely got a booth! The place gets packed fast after their 1130 opening time during weekdays lunch. We had a very nice waitress (although she did forget to bring my coworker hot sauce & only brought 1 fortune cookie for 5 people...super strange!). The decor is great on the inside! Loved the modern Asian feel to everything. I had the S&S Shrimp Lunch Special for $7.95. A good deal! You get a choice of eggdrop soup, hot & sour soup or salad...then your entree comes with an eggroll & some kind of fried won ton thing. The eggdrop soup was really good but unlike ones I've had in Chinatown. It was loaded with vegetables & had some baby shrimps & tofu in it. My coworker said his hot & sour soup was the best he's ever had. The veggie eggroll was very delish! My sweet & sour shrimp was extremely tasty as well and after all the food I took four fairly big pieces of it home. It comes with a semi fried rice...white in color....with some veggies in it. I didn't think it would come with that kind of rice so next time I will probably just ask for plain brown or white rice. A couple coworkers got jja jjang myun (black bean with noodles dish) & said it was really good with their homemade noodles. I tried it, as well, and I honestly didn't think it was much better then the jja jang myun at Assi. Two other coworkers had the mongolian beef & were extremely underwhelmed even saying they wouldn't ever go back. I didn't try the mongolian beef but perhaps it isn't their best work. They had no problem with splitting our check 5 ways...but that 1 fortune cookie thing was kinda odd. There were some waits to take our order & then to receive our bills which surprised me because I would think they would want people up and out quickly during the lunch hour! I would definitely go to Chef Ping's again but wouldn't go out of my way to eat here! :)
(4)Matthew N.
Good food, decent price. If you order takeout on the weekends make sure to order about an hour ahead of time. This place is crazy busy on the weekends. Our favorites that we ordered were the cashew chicken, mu shu pork, and pork dumplings. We will go back soon.
(4)Brian K.
FAMOUS FOR (My rating in parentheses) - Champong AKA Seafood Noodle Soup (10/10) - Lajomyun AKA Ping's Noodle Platter (10/10) - Tang-soo-yook AKA ?? (9/10) - Yang Jang Pi AKA ?? (10/10) - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp (10/10) ALSO HAD: - Gan Pong Chicken (3/10) - Szechwan Style Prawn (7/10) - Mongolian Beef (5/10) - General Tso's Chicken (3/10) As you can see, I've been here a lot. Actually, my family and I have been coming here for about 20 years! "How can that be this place just opened?!" Well, I don't know the whole story, but this Chef Ping guy used to be a Yu's Mandarin, and that's where my family's been going. But several years ago, I got the Champong and it tasted a little different. Thinking it was a fluke, I went again later, and again, and again, and again, and each time it kept changing, and each time, the color kept changing. The real Yu's Champong should be something of an Orange color, but it was slowly becoming redder, which is a sign of it becoming more of a typical Korean-Style Champong, which is good too, in its own regard, but I'd take an authentic Yu's Champong any day! In any case, Yu's entire menu started to suffer. We found out after a year that the owners changed to some Korean folks, and as usual here in Chicago, Korean owned restaurants seem to suck. Needless to say, we were depressed, our only source of all those foods mentioned above were gone, because nobody made it like Yu's. Then, we overheard this Chef Ping business, and.... here we are! CHAMPONG Koreans like Mandarin food. Why? Mandarin food seems to have similar foundations as Korean food. One main ingredient is garlic. Koreans LOVE garlic, so everybody's happy! Now, I said earlier that Korean-Style Champong is redder. Well, almost all Korean Style Champong taste the same. It's a bit spicy, and has a sort of a mish-mash aroma with all types of ingredients. There isn't one ingredient that really takes the lead, and it all ends in a fairly satisfying dish. But Ping's Champong is totally different. It doesn't rely on red peppers to deliver the spice and/or taste, rather it relies on fresh vegetables, large and fresh seafood, and black pepper. When it comes out, you get this mound of boiled veggies on top of the noodles in this beautiful orange soup. The first thing you do is taste the soup and instantly, you get this mad rush like you want to down the whole thing. Good thing the heat stops you--or it'd be a waste! Immediately, you taste the black pepper in the front, with garlic in the background, and the whole thing just goes down so refreshingly, you gotta say AHH! I mix everything up and then basically put some noodle, veggies, and meat on the spoon, scoop up soup and eat it out of the spoon, all the way to the bottom of the bowl, till it's dry! The soup is the star of the show here, folks, not the noodles! But, having said that, the noodles are, usually, such great quality! Handmade, for sure, and not stringy, not oversaturated, but just perfect! I'm afraid of running out of room, so I'll mash it all together here. We typically order the YangJangPi first, sort of as an appetizer. It's finely sliced vegetables, sauteed onions, and egg along with mini shrimps, and pork or beef all in a horseradish sauce. It's just incredible and they get such a perfect amount of sauce all the time where it's not nose-hair-melting, but it's not completely weak either. We'll also order Tangsooyook to share, and individual Champongs/Lajomyuns. The Tangsooyook is probably called "Sweet & Sour Pork," but I don't know if there's a Korean/American distinction, because I've seen people order S&S Pork and it came out in a red sauce. This is supposed to be in a golden sauce. It was better at Yu's back in the day, but I guess this'll have to do, which is why it isn't 10/10. The concept is the same as S&S, battered deep fried pork with a sweet/sour sauce. It almost tastes like there's a pinch of honey in it. I'm not sure what the ingredient is, but this beats any red S&S sauce out there...at least on Pork. It's got such a sugary sweet side and such a not-so-tangy sour side that gives it an amazing balance! Champong I already explained. Lajomyun is kinda the same thing, but without the soup, it's more prepared in a Wok with its own sauces. I have such a hard time deciding between the two, because the Champong soup is so amazing, but the Lajomyun platter is so freaking good it makes me wanna melt! It's perfectly seasoned, garlic, soy sauce flavors are evident, but the huge shrimp and scallops with the noodles are just to die for! This & the Champong are the ways I learned to eat vegetables. I hated them as a kid, but they somehow cooked these so well so that the texture is almost completely preserved from when they were raw, but the veggie taste is lightened somehow so that a veggie hater like me could still eat them and enjoy! OuttaRoom!Funny thing is, this Chinese Rest. is so good at these dishes but suck @ standard PandaExp types of Chn Food.
(5)Nic Z.
As long-time visitors of Yu's, we had to try Chef Ping's when they opened, and we've been coming ever since. Although 'inspired' by Yu's, the food is distinctly different. There's something slightly less heavy and healthier about it. It just tastes good. Super friendly staff, delicious food. Not much more to say than that. Go!
(5)Andrew T.
Get their seafood noodle soup, or the Ping's noodle platter. The dining area is a little crowded, and you have to wait a while before getting seated because it is that good. Nuff said, go get in line.
(5)Chelsea H.
Fabulous! We went on a Thursday night and were seated right away and we were served and out of there in half an hour. We ordered the vegetable egg rolls. Delightful! Crab Rangoon was the best I have had in years. The Mongolian beef was tender, tasty, and didn't skimp a bit on the meat. My dish was the General Tsao Chicken. AMAZING! Perfection in the amount of heat to the dish and flavor. It couldn't have been more perfect. Wait, it does... I had a malbec that hit the spot! Will definitely be coming back regularly. We have found our new favorite Oriental food spot!
(5)Sam Y.
4 stars for food and service - 1 for one of the worst jja jjang myuns I've ever tasted - 1 for trying to get tipped twice. (One of my biggest pet peeves) We had a large party. Overall experience was decent. Most of the food we ordered was pretty good. Not as good as Yu's for sure. But they tried to hide the fact that 20% was already factored into the credit card receipt they brought back for me and tried to get tipped twice. This is fraud in my opinion.
(2)Kim B.
I'm new to the area and heard Chef Ping is the best Chinese food in the north suburbs. The food was good but not great. The service was definitely slower than it should have been. I'll probably check out some other cheaper Chinese restaurants before I settle on Chef Ping's as my go-to place.
(3)Jennifer I.
"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand....." Mr. Werewolf of London can look for a place called Lee Ho Fook's all he wants, but on Superbowl Sunday, Melanie S. and I drove to the burbs looking for a place called Chef Ping. Turns out this was the perfect day to give Chef Ping a try...the game kept a lot of folks away. Rumor has it that it's very busy there on Sundays...and every other day of the week. So if giving Chef Ping a shot, be prepared to wait for a table. Snaps to the Chef Ping server for bringing hot tea without us having to ask. It did not take us very long to pick out which dishes we wanted....we ordered egg rolls, Mongolian Beef, Phoenix in Green (a chicken/vegetable dish), and combination fried rice. We enjoyed everything, but there was ham in the fried rice, which was not indicated on the menu...we were ok with it, but given some people's issues with eating pork, I definitely think they need to change the menu. However, the shrimp in the fried rice were a good size...not those lame dinky bay shrimp which you sometimes get, that I think are really Sea Monkeys. Don't waste my time.... Overall, thumbs up to Chef Ping. I'd like to meet his tailor.
(4)Robert B.
Hidden spot I don't think I would have been to. great recomendation by co-workers hotel staff. friendly staff and super good food. YUM
(5)Mark S.
I heard rave reviews about this place but... for a veggie it is a little below average. I did get the only veggie lunch option which was veggie delight (not my favorite), I am sad to say it was a disappointing standard Chinese takeout version of the dish. I imagined that they could make an amazing version of dish, not just the standard sauce on steamed veggies with white rice. I think I could have gone to any Chinese buffet and had the same thing for half the price... the only saving grace in the meal was a small salad with a Japanese style dressing. The non-veggie bean noodles looked really good and my fiend said that he loved it but there was no veggie version of the item, they said that it was not possible to make veggie. The place was packed and the service was fast and good, especially for how busy it was. The only reason this place gets three stars is that everyone I was with said that they loved their meal as a vegetarian at lunch I would say go someplace else with more selection and more taste.
(3)Tricia D.
Food wasn't particularly hot, in the Paris Hilton "that's hot" sense nor temperature-wise. Go to a Chinese restaurant - any restaurant for that matter - and hot food is expected! Our large party had what must have been 10+ courses of food, but none of the dishes were particularly memorable for me. The fried rice was prepared with pineapple and raisins and was creative, but not that great tasting. It was like a pilaf gone wrong. Fried beef wraps, cold appetizers, chicken and frozen veggie soup, steamed fish, green beans, duck, and shrimp... all of it was so-so. I did drool at the sight of the peking duck wraps that the table next to us had though. The most refreshing thing about the night was the watermelon served at the end of the meal and a fortune cookie that told me a cheerful message was on its way.
(2)Jo N.
Excellent food! Prob best Chinese food I have had in a very long time! Fried rice came with large shrimp :)
(5)Linda C.
FOOD: YUMMY! Portions were extremely generous and they certainly make sure you get your money's worth. For example, when we got the tofu and seafood dish, typically its mostly just tofu and vegetables with a few pieces of seafood. But here at Chef Ping's they give you just as much seafood as the tofu! The squid was perfectly cooked. SERVICE: so fast... that's all I can say... wow so fast! Their bus boys clear tables so quickly and the turnover rate for tables is extremely fast for the amount of people they have. We waited all but 5 minutes when it was bustling... I thought we'd be stuck waiting for a good 20 minutes! Just as I grabbed a menu to start looking it over while waiting, we were seated! Wait staff is also very attentive and make sure you get everything you need. ATMOSPHERE: clean, well maintained, and nice decor
(4)George P.
Best Chinese in Chicago. Food is fresh. This is one of those places where you can pick something randomly from the menu and you won't be disappointed. Food comes out fast. Staff is attentive. Seafood is fresh. I'm shocked at how good this place is. It used to be an old Baker's Square. The interior looks like a hip restaurant you would find in Chicago. Best thing about Ping is how low your bill is after you order a lot of food.
(5)Dave K.
Plain and simple, Chef Ping = the best Chinese food I've ever had. Looking forward to returning!
(5)June P.
When it comes to dining on Chinese food, you're often faced with an indiscernible menu, a confusing experience with waitstaff, and questionable cleanliness. But as Chinese food becomes more and more a regular part of the American diet, many modern and trendy Chinese restaurants are popping up. The refreshing thing about Chef Ping is that it's what you would get if Nate Berkus did a makeover on your favorite old-school Chinese dive. There are many comparisons out there because of the connection between Chef Ping and the local favorite Yu's Mandarin, but to me, Chef Ping is where you go when you finally outgrow the long-standing relationship you've grown comfortable in with Yu's. At Chef Ping, you'll find that there's hardly a poor choice to make, and my husband and I have never been disappointed in our meals. Our favorite dish is the Pong Pong Chicken, a take on the popular kam-poong chicken wing dish. They push the meat on a fried chicken wing to one side, likening it to a lollipop, and toss it in a spicy, sweet, savory sauce that reassures you'll leave with a full belly and smile. The black bean noodles (jjajang myun) are done very well with chewy noodles and flavorful sauce that is neither watery nor full of cornstarch. Portion sizes are generous. The waitstaff are noticeably friendly and hold easy conversations. (This makes you feel ever better about betraying your parents' favorite Chinese restaurant.) I often noticed tables erupting in laughter with their waiter. This is always a good sign. The tables are also always full when we go, whether it's 5:30 or 9:30. It's good to make sure you give yourself at least 30 minutes cushion time, because it is a popular restaurant. My husband and I find that 6 is a great time to go in, as the rush seems to start around 6:15 on weeknights. Chef Ping harkens back to a day when service at Asian restaurants was more about welcoming customers warmly (including conversations and advise on how/what to eat, albeit likely with someone of their same ethnicity) and the food was authentic. In an age where "exotic food" is about as exotic as Panda Express, and turnover and minimizing costs is king, Chef Ping doesn't skimp on anything. Good food and service AND amazing turnover? Imagine that.
(5)Derrick T.
Given my second trip to have a meal at Chef Pings, I have to increase my rating. It's way past opening month, the food quality continues to be high, and the portions were pretty generous as of last night's meal. One of my boyz from the rural area of Springfield found himself missing true Chinese food, so we made our way to Chef Pings. Surprisingly busy on a Tuesday night, we had a 20 minute wait which turned into a 8 minute wait to a large family size table in the back room. Appetizer - Chicken Wings - Crisp and tasty, very small wings... but lots of them. Surprising, since the menu states 6 wings, but each of our platters had about 12 wings. Main Courses Swei Zhu Ru - (Spicy Pot Fish) - Soft tender fish, excellent flavor, nice presentation Pong Pong Gi - Crispy Fried Chicken Legs with Spicy/Sweet Sauce - Nice thick glaze, the chicken legs are trimmed near the foot end and the meat is pushed up to the top for easy of eating. Fried to a crisp and covered in sauce. Tasty. Ru Shiang Chei Zhe - Garlic Fried Eggplant - Again, wonderfully crisp on the edges, and perfectly tender in the middle, with a tasty sauce covering it. Whei Gou Ro - Twice Cooked Pork - Not quite what I was expecting, as it was a very lean meat with veggies. Tasty, but I think I had confused this with a different dish I was considering... Hu Tao Shia - Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp - Phenomenal Dish. They've really perfected the balance of crispyness, sweet mayo/glaze, and candied walnuts. Don't overlook the decorative broccoli... it's steamed perfectly. La jao mien - Ping's Noodle Platter - The is a standard for what was once Yu's. Seafood mixed in with hand pulled noodles. Excellent dish, and in my humble opinion, the dish that built Yu's Mandarin's fame... every bit just as good here. Verdict: To quote a friend, "one of the best chinese restaurants in the burbs". Go and enjoy!
(4)Tony W.
Wasn't too impressed with the food. And discretion is not their strong suit. My friend discreetly pulled the hostess aside to ask her to bring her the check directly as she wanted to treat us to lunch. The hostess brought over the waiter and loudly instructed him to bring my friend the check when it was time. She sat there looking both annoyed and amused as we roared with laughter.
(3)Mike L.
I always try to find an excuse to go to Chef Ping whenever I visit my parents in the burbs. It's a well-dressed Chinese restaurant that is always at least 75% filled with asian patrons, so you know they are doing well. I've heard that the owners are the previous owners of the famous (or infamous) Yu's Mandarin, and I am glad they decided to get back in the restaurant biz. Be brave and order from the Chinese menu. My favorites are #1 (flat glass noodles with pork, veggies, sliced scrambled egg in a peanut/horseradish sauce) and #33 (tofu + beef brisket cassarole). I absolutely love #33 when it is made right (served hot, with a good amt of spice and tender brisket), but this has only happened 2 out of 3 times. You also can't go wrong with the jia jiang myun, underrated in my opinion. From peeking at other tables there are other good choices out there mixed with tackier choices, but I'll leave the menu adventures to the regulars. Would have rounded up to 5 stars if #33 was consistently good. However I am forgiving because they had the NCAA tourney playing at the bar.
(4)Nancy H.
An excellent suburban alternative to delicious Chinese food. There are a few items that also crossover into Korean cuisine, so the diners are mostly Chinese & Koreans. Overall, the food is actually really good, the restaurant is clean and attractive, the waiters are very friendly and speak English well, and even the service is pretty good. Minus one star for the price tag & small(ish) parking lot. Some of my favorite dishes: - honey walnut shrimp (perfect ratio of honey and mayo - not too much of either, and the shrimps are large) - Szechwan eggplant (fluffy, deep fried slices of eggplant in a sweet & spicy sauce) - egg yolk lobster (fried in a salted egg yolk batter) - noodles in black bean sauce (the slightly chewy noodles are supposedly made in house!) - any fried rice (I've tried two kinds, and regardless of the filler items, the smokiness of the rice from the wok is what really makes the difference here) The owners are relatives of the Yu's Mandarin owners, is what I hear, so some of the same dishes have been copied over to Chef Ping's menu.
(4)Genevieve L.
I usually get a carryout order but every so often, we'll dine in. Whenever I'm there, I order the Thai Chicken Curry and it's phenomenal every single time! They always give a huge portion of chicken in their dishes and the service is fast. I definitely recommend it.
(5)AJ M.
Came here with a group of friends. Heard alot about this place and on a friday night I saw why. This place got packed really quickly around dinner. And I have a theory that if a place gets packed they have to be doing something right. For appetizers the pork shu main, crag ragoon was great. Skip the egg rolls and chicken skewers. The orange chicken, General Taos, beef n broccoli are better then most chinese places. Service is good. Only problem is they only brought out a little rice out, although if you ask for more they will keep bringing more.
(4)Nomaan D.
Got the Mongolian beef, curry chicken, and Kung pao chicken. They were all excellent. Especially the curry chicken.
(5)Tracy T.
This is by far the best FOOD EVER!!! I cannot get enough. It's hard for me to stray from the sesame chicken and pineapple fries rice but when I do, I'm always thrilled. Great atmosphere, superb food!
(5)Quinn B.
As close to "the best" Chinese food I've ever had..... Fresh ingredients, timely service and nice atmosphere. I went for lunch and had sweet and sour chicken with hot and sour soup. To me, the state of the chicken always speaks of quality. Moist, great breading and tasted terrific. The hot and sour soup was not just an after thought either. It was prepared with care and seasoned well. The place is well worth checking out.
(5)Annie L.
Great food, friendly staff, fast service, very mod decor. It's like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Some recommendations: 1. salt and pepper shrimp with the shell on 2. clam and black beans 3. schezwan eggplant I took one star off because my friend and I were placed literally 2 feet away from the surrounding tables for dinner. I didn't mind it, but man it was interesting hearing people's conversations and I'm sure the same for them of us. haha
(4)Alice A.
Ever since this place opened, i have been coming here instead of Yu's. The food is consistent every time. In their lunch menu, the mandarin trio, ping's noodle soup and platter and yu-shang pork are all very flavorful. If you are craving for fresh seafood, their lobsters and crabs are delicious as well.
(4)Nelson M.
Restaurant Review Holy asian! Chef Ping rivals Yu's and recently tops it. The type of asian food you get here is a fusion of korean and chinese which is a unique experience. It has the spiciness of korean food while maintaining the stir fry component of cantonese cooking. The one major downside is get a reservation or you will be waiting a while. A lot of the waiters speak mandarin and their english is so so which is always a mark of a good traditional asian restaurant. So from my memory that good items to try include the pong pong chicken which is a chicken drumstick lollipop with the spicy ping sauce. The chef ping stir fry noodle is a bit spicy but has a good balance of seafood. Another item is the aged salty egg coated dungenese crab. Simply amazing, not to mention through the roof in cholesterol. There is also a noodle dish that has multiple layers including pork, egg, etc that comes not mixed and it is mixed at the table. The sauce they use reminds me of wasabi. IMHO those are the best dishes to try. Pro- unique korean/chinese fusion, fresh food Con- some of the dishes have now shrunk in size compared to before, long wait time Hidden deal- If the parking lot is full, park over at the banquet hall parking lot. You may get towed if you parking in the next door ice cream store lot.
(4)Spencer H.
I have been a big fan of Yu's Mandarin for years & I have been told to check this place out repeated times. This place has a pretty big buzz & it hasn't worn out. I was told that many people here were former employees including one of the old bosses of Yu's & when I went here to eat, the waiter confirmed this for me. We started off with some iced teas & hot & sour soup. It was not the best hot & sour soup I have had but it was good & I would order it again. For the main course we ordered a beef & chicken hunan style, kung pao chicken & shrimp fried rice. The beef & chicken hunan style is a dish I have only eaten at Yu's Mandarin because they perfected it. So I was very curious to see how good it would be here. The food came out about 10 minutes after placing the order. One thing I noticed right away is that they used larger shrimp in their shrimp fried rice & there were a lot of shrimp. Most places only use small shrimp. The kung pao chicken was good but the real surprise was the beef & chicken hunan. It was just as good as at Yu's Mandarin. This is the first place in years that has been as good as Yu's Mandarin. Overall the experience was great. The food was good & the service was fast. It was on the pricier side but it was worth the experience. I would definitely eat here again if I was in the area.
(5)Gianni P.
Ordered takeout for the office after we seen it was ranked #1 in Illinois by Yahoo. Wait time for sit in lunch is extremely long so carryout worked. Place is exactly as everyone says...... AMAZING!
(5)Michelle F.
From one bad Asian food experience (here's looking at you, WildfishofArlingtonHeights) on Monday night to an experience at Chef Ping that can only be described as AMAZEBALLS! This food is knock-your-socks-off fresh and flavorful! They have really great service, wonderful prices, and a really wonderful ambiance. My friend and I were never left wanting anything. So let me preface this with the fact that my fellow Yelper and I (shout out to my wannabe Asian friend Cristie! She is my expert for many things Asian-food-related!) ordered enough food to feed a small army (or better yet, us two and then our significant others later on that night). Everything we ordered was delicious, and it came out piping hot! It was fairly fast from the time we ordered until the time we received our food. Ten minutes, maybe?? WHAT WE ORDERED: Stir Fried Mushrooms Shredded Pork Fried Rice Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter Sesame Chicken WHAT WE ENJOYED Every gosh darn bite of everything WHAT WE DID NOT ENJOY ::Crickets:: But seriously, the food was amazing! The sauce on the sesame chicken will haunt my dreams. The noodle platter was delicious (and they were able to make it White Girl Spicy--woot). The fried rice was really good, and not dry at all (I hate when it gets dry!) and the mushrooms are out of this world! But word to the wise, these are HUGE slices, and hard to cut. So you will need a knife! We arrived right around six on a Tuesday night. There was no wait when I got there, and the restaurant was about 1/2 filled. However, before we had even figured out what we wanted to order, the place was PACKED. So this place really knows how to keep them coming!! I can't wait for my next outing to Chef Ping. I saw about 18 more things I wanted to order. I might have to try and space them out among a few visits, though...or not...
(5)Christy S.
Delicious authentic food! We love this place, their Vegetable Noodle Platter is the best thing I've ever tasted! Salt and Pepper Shrimp is delicious! My husband loves the sweet and sour chicken, the Hunan Beef is his favorite. You have to go early, before 530, or there's a wait. But it's SO good! Oh and the wonton soup, great!
(5)Cristie F.
I had been longing to eat at Chef Ping since I heard about it a couple months back. The time had come and my excitement was uncontainable. First things first. I'm not sure who this Chef Ping is, but I'm madly in love with him. ((Well, I'm assuming it's a him - either way)). CP brought me back to everything I was missing at my previous favorite Chinese restaurant ((eh...ahem, Yu's)). In the middle of a monsoon I was surprised to see the restaurant packed. Apparently a little ((or a lot)) of rain doesn't bother Ping diners. After my experience, a tsunami wouldn't stop me from heading there. The point - get there early, take it to go, or expect a wait. The menu consists of a variety of meats and seafood, as well as quite a few vegetarian options. I was stoked to see king mushrooms on the menu, but the long-awaited sesame chicken was taking the priority that night. Dinner consisted of Sesame Chicken and Ping's Vegetable Noodle Platter. Both were incredible - duh. The sesame chicken was everything I imagined it would be and more. The chicken was fresh and juicy, lightly breaded, and tossed in the best sesame sauce known to man. The veggie platter had fresh stir-fried veggies and an abundance of house made silky noodles. The portions were huge, so two entrees for two people was more than enough. Service was fantastic. The hostess, staff, and our waitress were extremely friendly and seemed genuinely happy to have us there. That was a welcomed change from many other restaurants I've visited. Our dishes came out fast and our glasses were always full. The only thing I'm unhappy about and regret is not knowing about Chef Ping sooner. Chef Ping - I love you. Thank you for bringing back the amazing Chinese dishes I so desperately missed.
(5)John L.
Worth the 1 hour wait... In fact, I would wait 2 hours to eat here again! The place had extremely fresh ingredients and an amazing menu! I strongly suggest the jajangmyun but don't plan on splitting it with someone because you'll want the whole bowl! The chicken wings are legit as well. I don't think you can go wrong on anything on the menu. It took a while to get a table, but the service was incredible right when we sat down. Even the bussers were smiling...not to day bussers aren't friendly, but let's face it, they typically don't have the friendliest personalities. The place was booming and service was great...nuff said
(5)Melissa G.
This is literally the best Chinese food ever!! It has always been busy every time that we have been here, but there is a reason for that, and it's well worth the wait! I absolutely love the spicy seafood noodle soup - so delicious!!!! My fiancé loves the Mongolian Beef and Chicken Pad Thai, but whatever you order, make sure that you ask for some of their homemade noodles! Can't recommend this place enough!
(5)Billy W.
This place is always premier. Our waitress way very attentive and so personable. She took our order and served our food when it came out. Food was amazing. I have tried something different every time I am here and I haven't been disappointed. The interior is nicely designed. Make sure you call ahead to see how long the wait is. They are usually busy.
(5)Alison G.
Now after 2yrs they grow so fast now you can see long wait Food sometimes is 4stars sometimes 3. I give it 3 because the recent visits were about 3 Looking forward for better food when I come back
(3)Kevin G.
Have been here many times. Food is just simply amazing and great flavors. For the quality of food that you get it's an absolute bargain. Seriously! The steamed pot stickers were amazing. pork MuShu off the hook. Just go - You'll luv it. Makes all other Chinese food places inedible.
(5)Monica J.
Really yummy and reasonably-priced food. My family and I used to go to Yu's Mandarin all the time and then we heard the owners switched to Chef Ping. We love the mushroom dish, tofu, and their veggie noodles are really yummy. Great place for take out or dine-in. Be prepared to wait, though, as this restaurant is usually quite packed.
(5)David L.
There is never an issue with the food at Chef Ping. It's consistently good. The atmosphere at Chef Ping has decreased significantly as Chef Ping tries to maximize revenue and squeeze people in like sardines in a can. It's become increasingly difficult to get to and from the table without bumping into neighboring patrons. Just today, I was asked multiple times by one member of the wait staff if I was done eating. I was not even done chewing and was making sure my son was eating his lunch. This is a business and you are out to maximize revenue, but packing in tables to the point walking is difficult and pestering customers to leave does not make for a relaxing atmosphere to grab a meal.
(3)Katie F.
Food was fantastic! Prices were great for huge portions. We had pong pong chicken (without the sauce, which was way too hot), veg fried rice, and veg noodles (not spicy). Our waitress was super friendly and helped us pick our dishes. The only downfall is the wait, so make sure you get there early or late.
(5)Dinah T.
Chef Ping is a high end type of Chinese establishment. It's located on a main road and the parking lot gets busy. They are closed on Monday's, yes a restaurant that is NOT open 7 days a week. I believe most Chinese restaurants are closed on Monday's. I've been here several times from seating for 2 to a private wedding engagement party in the back room, jammed pack of people. This place gets VERY busy during the weekend so expect to wait if you didn't make RSVP. So sit by the bar and people watch. Or if you don't like the crowd, then take out is just as good. If you see a lot of Chinese customers coming here, then you KNOW it will be good! Every item that we have order from the menu was pretty good, it taste even better for leftovers! Keep in mind their food is not like you would get in a divey place in Chinatown. They do serve their dishes family style which I like. So what do I like? Well here you go... Wonton Soup (very clean and the shrimp filled wontons were full of filling). Not really authentic Chinese soup-Chinatown style but pretty good. Hot n' Sour Soup, very peppery and thick. Hubby likes this soup. Clam Soup for Two is a clear broth soup of mini manila clams. I get then when my family is in the mood, it's a lot of soup for 1 person as an appetizer. Better if it's a meal. Fried Pot Stickers flavorful and tasty, not too oily and crispy yum. Crab Rangoon stuffed with filling, really good. I'd get this again. Walnut Shrimp (sweet creamy sauce with deep fried jumbo deveined shrimp, candied walnuts, and steamed broccoli on the side). I'd get this again and again. Shrimp in Lobster Sauce jumbo deveined shrimp, thick sauce with a salty taste. Steamed whole Pike and Flounder- flaky white fish with a sesame oil with soy sauce, etc. If they are not too busy, they will filet the fish and serve you by table side (to avoid seeing the fishes face, lol!). Mongolian Beef, soft meat and well-seasoned. Can be a bit oily though. Orange Chicken has lightly crispy battered pieces with a sweet sauce. One of our favorite dishes we order. Szechwan Eggplant is a lightly battered pieces with a tasty garlic sauce. Another favorite dish Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce is fresh, not over cooked vegetables. Seafood Peking Noodle (home-made noodles with a black bean sauce). Ping's Noodle Platter a spicy dish that you can ask for less or extra spicy. I love this home-made noodle. Pineapple Fried Rice and their shrimp fried rice (their deveined shrimp are medium size rather than the baby shrimp which I prefer and they put peas and carrots in their fried rice which I don't care much for. But the flavors are there). The space is a dark dining experience in the front area of the house. In the private rooms in the back are well lighted. The overall experience is very nice, good service, quick, and the food is yummy too! This is my go to place when I'm in the area!
(4)David M.
Had Crab Rangoon which were unique and delicious, not the standard fair by any means. Shared an order of General Taos, Beef and Broccoli, and Chicken Fried Rice. All were excellent. The food alone made this a 4 star experience. The service was extraordinary, and I will feel like a terrible person if I didn't give this place a 5 star review. Friendly, attentive, expedient, and courteous. Happy to have found this place, and happy to offer my repeat business.
(5)Shelby B.
I have such a love-hate relationship with this place. My husband and I have been here at least 10 times, and my review is consistent with these experiences. The reviews from "white people" who are impressed by the Asian clientele just baffle me. Everywhere I go is all white folk, and I certainly don't ooh and aah think these places are so great. Having eaten plenty of vegan Chinese food in China (a difficult find!), Chef Ping is on par. So... the food is delish, but the service is awful. The servers are jerks, and when I go with my American husband, we are not given chopsticks unless we ask. When I go with my Chinese friend, they appear at our table automatically. Come on, give chopsticks or don't! For my last order, I requested that they add straw mushroom, and I'd be happy to pay extra. My order came without any straw mushroom, and when I pointed this out, the server said, " I think you have enough mushroom." Well, they weren't the straw variety! ofc, I was charged $3 for the straw mushroom, and had to have a battle over it. Also, I always have leftovers as their portions are huge. If I ask for extra rice while we are dining, they will pack up any leftover rice along with my tofu and veggie dish at no charge. If I don't ask for it while dining, and ask at the end of the meal, they charge us for it. My husband loves the noodles here, so we'll always go back. I am South Asian, and thus, a rice, not a noodle person. I love their veg dishes, and as a vegan, happy to get tofu prepared as well as they do it, but would be happy never to go here again because their service is reliably awful.
(3)Steve J.
Our office is in the area, so Chef Ping's is our go to place when we want great Asian food for lunch. No, we have never tried it in the evening. For lunch, the place is fantastic. The pricing is great and the service (even when the place is packed) is always friendly and reasonably fast. Even the front desk (with people lined back to the door) is always professional and nice. Our general rule for lunch, is if you don't want to wait, make sure you are there by 11:45. Parking also gets a little hairy past that time (private lot). Hot and Sour Soup is wonderful as are all the other lunch dishes we have tried.
(5)Chung W.
Food is good but the service is bad. One waiter told us to leave table in an hour even though we got there at 4:30 PM. He said someone reserved the table at 5:30 PM. He rush us to order and finish our food. If you want to enjoy a dinner with your friends and family, this may not be a good place.
(2)Jen Z.
Great food, very authentic! Been there a few times and never disappointed. Much better than Yu's. Wish it's closer to me so I can go there on a weekday when it's not so packed and there's no wait time. We had to give up the place after learning about the 1-hr wait on a Saturday night recently.
(5)B M.
Awesome awesome awesome. I go here for lunch. The menu is great. Favorite is the ping platter from the lunch menu. From the dinner menu the mango chicken is awesome and so is the chicken wings. I have never had a bad meal and have tried almost everything on the lunch menu. Lines are long very busy so you have to have time to eat here. The service is as quick as it can be when a place is this packed and don't be surprised if it feels like a long wait for your food. If you know that going in you will have a great time and great food.
(5)Sven B.
I started a new job and my colleague wanted to go here for lunch last week. I have worked in this area for a long time, and have seen Chef Ping - just never have I gone there. Man, I have been missing out! My favorite Asian places in the area are Yu's Mandarin and P.F. Chang's in Schaumburg. Now, Chef Ping is right up there with them! It was so busy at lunch time (for a reason) and the food was outstanding! Very fresh, delicious, etc. Service left a bit to be desired both in terms of speed as well as having food come out at the same time. Still, it was so good! I got the combination lo mein for lunch with the egg drop soup. Their tea is really good too! I am going back tomorrow with a few colleagues to partake in some more Chef Ping goodness. Highly recommended! :)
(5)Irene O.
The black bean noodle and seafood noodle soup are amazing. The portions are relatively large and they'll split them into two bowls if you'd like. I always get the orange beef here and it has never disappointed me. The beef is always juicy and tender. I am also a huge fan of the walnut shrimp, tangsooyook, and kkanpoongi. The service is always great and they remember your face if you come pretty regularly. This is definitely the best chinese restaurant around, especially for the korean-chinese menu.
(5)Julie Y.
OMG need to get the pings chicken wings- chicken lollipops and whatever else is on the menu. Seriously.. so good and not too salty like other Asian restaurants can be. im a fan.
(5)Anthony A.
Tried this place a few times now and the food has yet to disappoint. Kung Pao Chicken was very good and the Ping's Noodle Platter was excellent. My wife is a hot and sour soup connoisseur (I can't stand the stuff) and she said it was some of the best she's had in a while. Definitely recommend.
(5)Shelly M.
My boyfriend and I have ordered carry out from Chef Ping a few times. We have never ate in the restaurant because it is always busy and there is always a wait for a table. We order the pong pong chicken which is delish. We also order the noodle platter which my boyfriend loves. Food is always good. The prices are on the higher side, but worth the try!
(4)Trina J.
This place is a Chinese food lovers heaven. You get authentic, great tasting and affordable chinese. I love this place. So much so, that I happily take the 15-20 minute drive to check this place out. It really is that good. Never have I seen a chinese restaurant with such a large crowd. People literally wait for them to open for dinner. They are staked out in the parking lot. How do I know this? I decided to stop for take out when heading home. I thought I would be first because it was ten minutes prior to opening. When I pulled up, there were at least five other cars waiting. If this place were closer, I would eat here even more. Chef Ping, chinese by any other name is just not the same.
(5)Larry C.
It's good here Get the egg yolk crab It's legendary!! If you go on Sunday, there are a bunch of hot girls eating bowls of black noodles. If you eat at the bar, sometimes they'll ask you to join there table. Place a bible by your Kan Tsao Nue Fan and you will get solicited to join the big tables that are round in the back. Brush up on your Bible verses cuz quoting people quoting Jesus is a great way to pick up Christian chicks!! Oh. There is an oberweis next door so that is where the Christian AfterParty is. PRO tip: park there at Oberweis because Chef Ping's lot is PACKED!!! PRO TIP: the asian girls hitting on you are Korean
(5)Khris L.
This place is a gem. The food is a bit pricey, but so damn yummy. It seems that I'm not the only one that feels this way as this place was packed to the brim while I was there. Everyone was eating, talking, laughing, and basically having a great time. The service was phenomenal, with many people checking up on us to make sure we were enjoying our time there. The food was good, the service was great, and the place was clean. What more can you ask for? Try this place out!
(5)John G.
I loved the food at Chef Pings but my last experience has left me unhappy and I will not be back. The wife and I ordered our food. I ordered General Tao's chicken and asked for all white meat. Our food came and I was given dark meat. I dislike dark meat and told the waiter I had ordered General Tao's and requested all white meat. He told me if I wanted white meat he could put the order in again but he would have to charge for both! Neither my wife nor I will each dark meat. I told him to take the food away then and basically we paid our bill and left.
(1)Violet C.
Great Birthday Parties we had there with friends and family. Getting ready for one more tonight. Food is great! Fun place! Hope we don't get rushed. Looking forward! Happy Birthday DC and JC!
(4)Jay Y.
I went there for the JaJangMyun for nostalgic reasons but was sadly disappointed. It just seemed to lack a little love. I can say the same thing about the spicy seafood noodle soup. The broth tasted like instant Ramen broth. On the other hand the tempura shrimp and pong pong wings were absolutely superb. I can't wait to try some noodle dishes on my next trip.
(4)Char A.
Tried Chef Ping for the first time. The hot and soup soup was the best I ever had! Based on a recommendation here, I tried the noodle platter. It was good, just a little too much seafood for me. The noodles were homemade and delicious.
(5)Ian B.
The food is great but the staff at the hostesses stand is a mess. Waiting 1 1/2 hours when we had a reservation... The one lady lied to my face about double booking parties. Not coming back
(2)Food L.
This place is great, in never disappointed me when it comes to the quality and deliciousness of food. Their Kung Pao chicken is the best I had in town and all their dishes are full of flavor and enjoyable to eat. Their seafood dishes are 5 stars, I can say with confidence that the chef is so talented and like an artist, he knows how to delight your taste buds with colorful dishes full of flavor and freshness. Sometime it takes us 45 minutes in line until we are seated, but it is worth it, even if I waited double the time... This is a king of authentic Chinese food cuisine in the northwest suburbs without a doubt!!
(5)Kevin T.
Best Chinese food I have ever had! Great service, Jerry is a great server. I tried the crab rangoon, egg rolls and shrimp egg rolls. All were the best quality I have ever tasted! I ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet (Sea Bass) and it blew my MIND!!! Soooo Gooood! Their Mai Tai was excellent as well. If you're looking for good Chinese food at an affordable price you have to try Chef Ping!
(5)Shawn M.
I travel to Asia frequently and have been looking for an authentic Chinese food spot. This is the best we've found, period. Amazing, fresh ingredients, tasty dishes, always busy. Those are some of the words I'd use to describe Chef Peng's. The owners are also very nice and always smiling. I'm guessing that because they're always busy has something to do with it. An hour wait is typical so plan ahead or get there early. The wait staff can be short with customers but they are still better than wait staff in Chinatown restaurants.
(5)Stephanie K.
What is there not to like about this place? Fantastic curry. Great hot and sour soup. Good chicken wings. Fantastic shrimp kung pao. Basically, this is the best chinese restaurant ever. I used to eat here all of the time when I lived in Palatine. Now that I'm living in Crystal Lake, I don't make it out there very often but just thinking about it makes me want to make the drive. Thank you Chef Ping for never disappointing and not giving my subpar Chinese food like every other Chinese restaurant here in the Chicago suburbs.
(5)Julie R.
This IS the best Chinese food outside of Chinatown in all of Chicagoland. Fact. And I think those that have had Chef Ping know this as well BECAUSE there is ALWAYS a crazy wait to dine here on a Friday or Saturday night. But I will not down grade to a 4-star just because they're popular ;) We always get the Orange Chicken- amaze. The Won Ton soup is very fresh and light. Crab Rangoons are generous in proportions. Ordering the pot-stickers pan fried is worth the wait rather than having them deep, fat fried or just steamed. There was also this shrimp dish, it sounded gross because the sauce was mayonnaise based BUT it was SO GOOD! Mu shu pork is super filling- its like Asian burritos, create-your-own style. I think what really makes this place stand out is that their flavors do NOT taste muddled as I feel that many other Chinese restaurants tend to do... I also think the service is pretty good from the few times I've been. While you're waiting for your table, get a cocktail at the bar. I really wanted to try the Cucumber lemon mojito but they were out of mint. :(. Instead, I had the Malibu Mai Tai which was very sweet and tasty- that's how I like 'em though. This place NEEDS a larger location. No doubt.
(5)Erv T.
Amazing and very good. We are vegetarians and love the vegetable noodle dish . They get very busy so order online and pick it up. Plan 60 minutes extra on Fridays and Saturdays.
(5)Justin R.
Some of the best chinese food available in the Chicago area.
(5)Nita L.
Delicious! Served family style so plan to share dishes or you'll have tons of leftovers, which isn't really a bad thing. They did bring us one dish we hadn't ordered, and after we dished it out they asked us if we liked it. At that point I asked if we had the right one, and we learned it wasn't our dish They promptly replaced it with the right dish. The feeling I had was that if I hadn't asked, they would have just let it slide. Not positive that's what would have happened, just a sense. That said, it was delicious and we will return!
(5)Judy H.
Best chinese food in the NW suburbs, and better than most places in Chicago's chinatown. My family and I have been coming here since the owners sold off Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg and created Chef Ping in Arlington Heights. We always order: - Salt & Pepper Shrimp - Szechwan Eggplant - the eggplant is lightly fried, so best enjoyed in the restaurant, but can be good as leftovers too. Just will be soggy. - Yellow Leek with Shredded Pork - Seafood Noodle Soup or Ping's Noodle Soup - YOU MUST GET THIS. They make their own hand-pulled noodles. It's the best. - Noodles in Black Bean Sauce (jia jia mien) Other menu items are good too. Can't really go wrong.
(4)M K.
Awesome Chinese food. The Ping's noodle platter was excellent and the Black Bean noodles were just as we wanted. Great service and good food along with reasonable prices make this one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area.
(5)Christina S.
"Where do you want to go out to eat?" Chef Ping, CHEF Ping, CHEF PING!!! I do not get sick of this place so my answer is not going to change. EVER. What can I say that hasn't been already said. Probably nothing, but damn, this is some awesome Chinese food. But, it's the NOODLES that are beyond fantastic. That is to say particularly, the handmade noodlles, and that is not necessarily all of the noodle dishes, so definitely ask which dishes those are before you order. I like to get the Ping Noodle Platter, either vegetarian or the combo but I opt for no seafood- unless I forget that part like I did once, and I still thought it was phenom, despite the fact that I am not a scallop or calamari girl. Don't get me wrong, I didn't eat every morsel of seafood, but I totally handled it which speaks to the freshness and technique offered at Chef Ping. And I will slap your mama before I will let her have any of my noodles! Yes, they are that good, and even the lunch special, which comes with an egg roll and soup, is large enough for three meals. But I want every one of those three meals over the next two days, so NO, your mama can not have any of my noodles!!! Except for egg drop soup, which is not my thing, I've never had anything bad here. The pot stickers are very good, and the pong pong chicken was a HUGE hit shared at our table of five last visit. There is still so much on this menu that I want to try. I find it annoying that my husband, who very much enjoys his meals here, is not as big of a fan of Chinese food in general, so I do not get here as often as I would like. If this was in my neighborhood however, I would be their best customer, especially considering they are pretty reasonably priced. Don't miss out on trying Chef Ping. You won't regret it. And if you go, can I come, too? Pretty please?? P.S. Authentic Chinese menu available as well as a banquet room, I believe.
(5)Candice G.
When I go out to eat and see a menu item called 'Vegetarian Chicken' that's described as 'tofu created to taste like chicken by ancient Buddhist Monk', well, you better believe I want that ancient Buddhist not-chicken on my plate and then promptly placed in my mouth. Unfortunately, I tried to order that here last night and our server responded by asking me if I'd ever had it before. I said 'no', but mentioned that I was really excited to. She responded by describing the dish to me in what had to be the absolute most complicated way possible, involving an almost egregious amount of hand motions and her using the word 'skin' no less than eight times till finally ending on her physically reaching over the table to take the menu away from me and turn to the next page to randomly point out some other menu item that was in almost no way related to the one I just said I wanted. Uhmmm... ya know, I think we're gonna need another minute to look over the menu (and talk about how f*cking awkward that interaction was). So that was weird, right? And, like any 20-something American raised by cable television, being told I couldn't have something only made me want to order it more... but, due to my lack of cultural studies and state of intimidation left by a waitress who took a menu away from and looked straight in my eye and told me to order something else, I didn't know how I would go about ordering the now shrouded in mystery ancient Buddhist not-chicken, so I just picked something else at random and sat somewhat silently while i contemplated the whole thing. Things I did and have ordered in the past: ** Kung-Pow Tofu: A rather ironic dish to order given the aforementioned interaction, as it's not listed on the menu, but they suggested I could get the kung-pow style dish regardless of it not actually being available there... and it was so freakin' good. They should put that on the menu and maybe consider taking items off that they won't let you order anyway. ** Salt & Pepper Tofu: Amazing. The tofu is softer than you'd expect, but the flavors and the little cut of bits of pepper and spices that I incorrectly and refer to as 'salsa' because I don't actually know what to call it is outstanding. Those smoky hot peppers are so good. I want to eat them popcorn. ** Mandarin Bean Curd: It's good. I like a bit more flavor and spice in my dishes but for the average tofu dish it was pretty good. Very salty, but I've come to recognize that as being a common denominator in most of Chinese food I've had. Luckily, you have a big glass of ice water in front of you. Oh and every table has a pot of of tea on it, though if it's worth mentioning, they don't give you the real ceramic tea cups, they're just crummy plastic ones that may or may not leak toxic plastic poison into your piping hot tea... though personally, I'm not too worried about that. I spent a good part of my childhood with my face pressed against the microwave window watching the guts of my hot pockets simmer and seep onto the protective sleeve.
(4)Kat L.
Ho. Ly. PING!!! It's about time i find an amazing Chinese spot around the area! Went here for lunch with the fam, as recommended by my cousin's wife. So many hits that I'm sure anyone could find a dish to like. Here's some takes on our chinese shchmorgasboard: salt and pepper squid: I could have done with a bit more seasoning, but if a Chinese McDonald's decided to have a squid mc nugget, this is pretty much what you'd get. i swear, the texture is just like chicken mcnuggets! and oh?! fancy that. sweet and sour sauce on the side. lol summer salad: a myriad of textures. hot and cold and crunchy vs. rice noodles and the clean crisp of (ginger? or onion?) and all sorts of things. I so recommend if you're aiming for refreshing but somewhat filling. Thai seafood noodle: wide rice noodles perfection. texture is spot on. some parts soft with a slight bit of a crisp on other ends. DELISH! Mango shrimp: uhm. i will probably order this. over. and over. and over. a lil sweet. a lil heat. and a whole lot of YUM!! mango and shrimp? BFFs. why can't everyone do this? crab rangoons: standard Shrimp dumpling: YES!!! for dim sum fare!!! fish with wood ear: also delish! great for those who aren't fish connoisseurs. i love the mushroom. Pineapple fried rice: so delicious. and there were raisins, which makes it kinda close to filipino home (arroz valenciana? sorry if i botched the spelling). Geez. Louise. We obviously went to town ordering a wide variety of things. I was pretty happy with everything. Service was quick and on point (they actually had forgotten to put in our table's order for soup, but the entrees came out on the fly so we didn't mind). Portions were fair for pricing, and I'm happy to pay a little more for some great quality food. COME HERE. You won't regret it.
(5)Vina O.
This place is ALWAYS crowded on weekends. I've only gone here for dinner and the food is decent. I live extremely close to Chicago's Chinatown and I'd personally rather go there anyday, but I guess this is the best place to go to if you want semi-authentic Chinese/Korean food in the suburbs. Favorite dishes by far are the fried lollipop chicken and black bean mussels!
(3)Stephen M.
I love the place! I took a star out cause it was a hassle to find parking! But then again it was a Sunday and if the parking lot is full, that means that their food is pretty damn good and is worth waiting for! :) I love the service here..the people are very friendly!
(4)Lisa C.
So far, their lazzamyun, tang su yuk, jjajangmyun were all delicious. Their jjamppong was also really good but I was disappointed that it was not spicy whatsoever. The fried potstickers were pretty good too. The service was much better than expected because everyone was really on top of things, fast, and polite. Definitely will be going back.
(4)Jim F.
Hey Esther....sounds like you went to Yu's vs Pings!
(5)Marlo P.
I was here for the first time yesterday and I was really surprised at how busy this place is! So rumor has it that the old executive chef of Yu's Mandarin quit that place, took all his recipes, and opened his own restaurant. At least that's what my father told me. This place is pretty small and really busy. I went at 6pm on a Friday and there was a line out the door. I tried the seafood peking noodles, shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour shrimp, crispy duck and szechwan eggplant. The noodles were the highlight. You could tell these were fresh noodles. The seafood was cooked nicely in the dish and my family (we were a party of 6) ordered two bowls of it. The other stuff was just what I expected. Nothing great about it. I didn't expect the eggplant to be battered and fried though, but it was still decent. The crispy duck just tastes like the deep friend the whole thing and put it on a place with some hoisin sauce. The prices were pretty decent. For a family of 6 (all adults) with four beers and two soco and cokes, 6 entrees and one order of egg drop soup the bill came out to be $104 with taxes. I think that's pretty decent. I can't wait to go back and try other dishes.
(4)Nick S.
I've had Chef Ping twice. I liked everything except the Szenchuan eggplant. It was bland and on the greasy side. I'm giving them the benefit b/c two of my foody type friends love this place.
(4)A. L. P.
My go-to local chinese place, since I live right down the street. The inside is very nicely decorated and clean, the portions are large (two dishes and an appetizer typically feeds our group of 4), they have the best fortune cookies around, and there are always asian people eating here. Win! Would definately recommend taking your out of town relatives here.
(4)Cerise M.
Food is pretty good, not as greasy as chinese food usually is. We tried the famous pong chicken, salted egg king crab, sizhuan beef and shimp with walnut. They taste decent, but not that spectacular. Service is good though, servers are nice and attentive. Would come back here.
(3)Barman S.
For my family, this is an upgraded version of Yu's Mandarin, which makes it the best Chinese Restaurant in Chicago Suburb. We heard that the owner of Yu's Mandarin sold the restaurant and opened this one and we believe it because the menu is very similar if not the same except for some changes in the names. Our #1 favorite is Ping's Chicken Wing (Yu's chicken wing in Yu's Mandarin). Menu (9/10) Almost everything you want in Chinese food is available here and they taste pretty good too. The only complaint I have is that their Mongolian beef isn't as good as the one in Yu's Mandarin because the meat is harder although the taste is exactly the same. Price (8/10) It's more expensive than most Chinese restaurants out there, but this is a fancier Chinese restaurant as well, so that's kind of expected. Ambiance (9/10) I really like the restaurant's settings, from the tiles, the furniture, and the dish. It's more modern than Yu's. The toilet is very clean too, which is unheard of for a Chinese restaurant. Service (7/10) The service is average because the waiters and waitresses have so many patrons to attend to. When the restaurant is empty (very rarely), you get a much improved service from them. Location (8/10) It's about 15-20 minute high way drive without traffic. With traffic, it's more like a 30 minute high way drive, so it's not as close as I prefer. We normally don't go there unless we're closer to the area, which is usually on Sunday after church. Overall score: 8/10
(4)Jamie M.
Based on Yelp reviews, we celebrated my wife's birthday at Chef Ping's with Pam, my mother-in-law. We got to the restaurant at 7:30 on Saturday and it was packed - always a good sign! Also a good sign were the facts that the signs and menus were in English and Chinese, and 1/2 the patrons were Chinese. As the whitest country-kid I know, I always look for restaurants frequented by people of that culture. They should know better than I, right? If only the food had been better. Based on reviews, we ordered the crab rangoons, one of my favorite dishes. They tasted like someone had left out the crab. I thought maybe I was missing something, but I broke it open and poked around, and there was no hint of crab inside. Normally you can at least see something in the middle. It tasted like cream-cheese only in a fried wrapper. I couldn't take any seasonings at all. Pam agreeed - we were both disappointed and didn't finish the plate. I also started with the sizzling-rice soup, and after giving a half-hearted sizzle, the rice tasted a bit like foam pellets in a weak vegetable broth. 0 for 2. My entree was the Ping's Noodle Platter - the menu said they were famous for their noodles so I thought it was the way to go. This was tasty. The scallops and shrimp were cooked just right, although I did get a couple of odd bits of calamari. The noodles were nice and tender, and I enjoyed the seasoning. Slight red curry taste to it. Yum! As a matter of fact, I just ate the leftovers for lunch. 1 for 3. Pam ordered the almond chicken and Kelly got the kung-pao chicken. We were sharing, so tried them both, and they both tasted almost exactly the same except that someone threw almond slivers on Pam's and peanuts on Kelly's. The nuts didn't even get stirred in at all, just tossed on top. If I gave you a bite of each and you didn't get a nut, you wouldn't be able to distinguish. The was a lot of chicken in each, and it was tender with a slightly sweet taste to it. Each of them rated their food as "meh." We'll give that 1/2 start for each dish, so that is 2 out of 5. Service was awesome - in fact, it's the only reason I didn't give Chef Ping's only 1 star. The staff was definitely working as a team filling drinks, running food, clearing dishes, etc. Truly exceptional. When we found it, Pam realized it is located in an old Baker's Square location. Kudos do whoever did the remodel / decor - it looks beautiful and you would never guess the buildings history. I am at odds with all the other great reviews on here, but it just wasn't that good. Hopefully we went during an off night or something. I would go back based on my dish to try again, but I don't think I could convince the others to.
(2)Jessica Y.
I have frequented this establishment several times with family/family friends and coming with a group is the way to go because you get to try more dishes. Something that I crave from Chef Ping is their Summer Salad - Cold, hot and mustard salad, big serving is how it is listed on their menu or Liang Zhang Pi in Chinese. This dish consists of clear rice noodles, various julienned veggies, and shrimp/beef I think - refreshing, spicy, and has great texture. It is addicting and will clear your sinuses! This is a large dish meant to be tossed/mixed at the table and shared. We usually order a tofu dish, sautéed fish fillet, and noodle soup (Ma Mian). We have had lobster, squid, and various meat dishes that were all fresh and delicious. Décor is a step up from typical Chinese places and you can count on a great "home" meal. Order a couple of dishes and share family style like the Chinese do. Liang Zhang Pi....YUM!
(4)Pari P.
After reading all of the reviews, I set out to finalize the debate between Yu's Mandarin and Chef Ping's. Both restaurants specialize in Chinese cuisine and offer Korean-Chinese dishes but which one do I prefer? I decided to try Chef Ping's again but order something new on their menu that I have never seen on a Chinese menu, Pong Pong Chicken. I was hoping that this was the dish that would separate the two. When we arrived, I noticed that Pong Pong Chicken had been removed from their menu but was informed that they still offered it. A special off the menu dish? Even better. We ordered Pong Pong Chicken and Noodles with Black Bean sauce (jja jjang myun). When the chicken came out, I immediately noticed that it wasn't the same as their Gan Poong Chicken - this was something different. There was more breading and no vegetables - all meat and plenty of it. The plate was full of chicken wings - more than your typical order. The sauce was sweet and spicy and full of flavor. After the first bite, my wife and I both nodded acknowledging that it was good. The noodles came out shortly afterwards. The noodles were perfectly cooked with the right consistency - a little chewy which was exactly how I liked it. The sauce was savory with a meaty aftertaste. Honestly, it's been awhile since I've had homemade noodles this good. This was jja jjang myun done right. What surprised me the most was the service. When the noodles came out, the person who brought it out had two spoons and mixed our noodles for us. Then, our server came by and used scissors to cut the noodles to make them easier to eat. If you are familiar with Asian restaurants, then you'll know that this isn't a common practice. Pong Pong Chicken, homemade noodles, and excellent customer service - that's a triple threat. Chef Ping's wins the title in my book.
(5)Ryan M.
My absolute favorite Asian food. General tso is a great simple dish. Mu shu is excellent - recommend as a appetizer in place of egg rolls. Eggs rolls are not very good at all. Kung pao chicken is a tad on the spicy side beware. And their fried rice you won't be able to stop eating.
(5)Cathy S.
This restaurant is getting worse . Placed a carry out order which was supposed to be ready in 25 minutes. After 40 mins I ask where my food is and she says my rice has been ready for awhile but still waitin for my beef plate. Another 25 mins later my order is finally ready. $28 for two items and my fried rice was cold and smelt like a a burnt match. It tasted awful. Very disappointed again!!! My last visit was not good either but wanted to give it another try .... Sorry I give up!
(2)Junee M.
Well it's an ok restaurant, was my 1st time to try it out. Order for pick-up. I will not consider it an authentic Chinese Restaurant. Food was in a sweet side. Egg Drop was ok, too fancy for my taste. Mongolian beef was better but nothing like PF Chang. Their young chow fried rice was excellent. But the big disappointment was their salt and pepper smelt, not tasty at all. I specifically requested extra crispy smelt but when I opened it, it was very saggy that we need to toast it before we can eat it. To think, I just live 5 mins from this place. Nothing like the smelt from Red Star in Glenview.. Service was nice and pick-up order was fast.
(3)Tunaidi A.
I'm a huge fan of Chef Ping. It seems every time I'm back in the area, it's the one place my friends want to go to... and for good reason. I honestly think Chef Ping is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Chicago northwest suburbs. The decor is pretty modernized and the restaurant itself is very clean and inviting. This isn't all for show either, because the food definitely complements Chef Ping's attractiveness. I think what Chef Ping does best is that it incorporates many sectors of Chinese cuisine into its menu successfully. They don't do it haphazardly or in a jack-of-all-trades style, but excels in all facets of their food. From the "Americanized" Chinese, such as sesame chicken; to the authentic Chinese, such as the casserole varieties; to the Chinese delicacies, such as sea cucumber, abalone, and Peking duck; to the Korean influence, such as jajangmyun; and even to the pleasant inclusion of desserts (something that many Asian restaurants don't offer). Chef Ping is a winner.
(5)Karen O.
Good Food. Very chintzy on the steamed rice. Seriously... If u ask for more. They literally bring u out like 2 more tablespoons... Isn't rice very cheap?? Other than that... No complaints
(3)Jessica N.
Seriously, this is one of the best for Chinese in the Chicago area. And they get extra kudos for having cute decor (a thing most great Chinese food restaurants lack). Apologies for not knowing the english names for most of what we order when I go here with my parents I only hear in Chinese. Must Order: Spicy Eggplant Calamari Seafood noodles (fresh made noodles! SO GOOD!!) They also have a cold noodle dish with tons of finely cut veggies and a wasabi sauce that is so good! I heart this place! Definitely stop by if you are in the area but come early. It gets super crowded!
(5)Kevin W.
first the good - Very good noodles, especially the Chef Ping noodle platter. Cooked just right, reminded me of italian home-made noodles. We also ordered the chicken wings which were pretty tasty. Kind of reminded me of Thai/korean chicken wings, very tasty and succulent. then the meh: But honestly, the Chinese food here is not even close to Chinatown. Honey Walnut shrimp is to die for? Why is it $16? I order walnut shrimp all the time in Chinatown and its only $8 there. whack. We also tried the dumplings with homemade wrapping. it was just okay, actually the dumpling wrap was a little too thick and the pork filling wasn't even amazing. The spicy beef pot was too oily and over-saturated. A group of 6 of us took home all of it because we barely touched it. I was also told to order the Sweet and Sour Pork, which I thought was going to be something special but it was just your old breaded pork with sweet and sour sauce on it, just a tad better than panda express. The ambiance was nice, the service was good, but overall the food was just okay. I would go here if I was dying for Chinese food and was stuck in the burbs. The bill might be tolerable at about $20 per person, but its Chinese food...
(2)Brian C.
What is it with all these places that throw the bland 1000 calorie glaze on every dish? I had a fried squid dish which didn't have a lot of flavor, just the heavy glaze with some chili peppers to make me think there was some heat and flavor. If I wanted heat, I had to suck on one of the chili peppers. It just didn't work. I was with a big group, and I tried some of the other dishes ordered. My wife had a noodle dish which had that same bland and heavy glaze. Another member of our group had the General Tso's chicken, and it too had the bland glaze with no flavor whatsoever. And the portions were enormous. If you want to understand why this society is so fat, come to a place like this and you'll see why. Oh, and be sure to air out your coat when you get home because it will reek of the essence of this place.
(2)Justine R.
Two words: Homemade Noodles. Every time I've gone here, I leave disappointed that I can't fit any more food in my stomach. I guess you need to order the right stuff though, because once I went with my husband, and the couple next to us seemed disappointed with their selection (and kept staring at our orders). We always get the Ping's Noodle Platter (please don't ask for this "not spicy".. it totally takes away from the flavor) and Peking Duck. The Duck is pricey, but they wrap large pieces of duck in mandarin pancakes (think: asian mini-burrito). The plum sauce and scallions are a perfect pairing to the duck. Sigh, I wish I were rich and could go here more often. It's not that they're that expensive, but coming here too often can break the bank a bit. Plus it's a good 30 minute drive just to get to the restaurant. Nevertheless, I still dream of those two dishes occasionally and convince my husband to make the drive with me at least once every two months =)
(5)D. C.
A taste of Chinatown for the suburbs. Chef Ping is a slick, modern looking restaurant cooking up food that's comparable to (if not better than) that served down in Chinatown. Our feast included approximately 11 different items total from every section of their menu; everything looked beautifully fresh and tasted wonderful. I can see why this place was packed from the time we arrived and still had a large group waiting when we left. I'll definitely be back now that I know this place exists!
(4)Demetrio P.
Food was okay here. My brother recommended Chef Ping as coworkers recommended this place to him as well. Ordered the Chicken Wings, not too spicy, little sweet, noodles with seafood, was okay, and the combination fried rice, which was okay as well. I can't say the food blew me away, but the food was tasty, place was clean, and the service was attentive. I wouldn't drive out from Chicago just to go here...but if I'm ever in the vicinity, I may visit Chef Ping when in the mood for Chinese food. Overall, okay food, okay prices, okay service.
(3)Valentin S.
This is my favorite restaurant when it comes to Chinese food. Move over P.F. Chang
(5)Jen Y.
As a visitor to the area, this review is based more on the merits of the restaurant versus a comparison to local competition. Food gets a solid 4 stars. The menu has the typical Chinese restaurant fare with a few Korean staples. Everything was great--delicious flavors without an MSG overdose or too much grease. Service was very friendly, but as it got busier, we were a bit rushed. Having arrived at 11:30 am, just as they opened, we got a prime spot. Good thing, because 30 minutes later, this place was packed and there was a wait to get a seat. But given the quality of the food, I can see why this place draws the crowds!
(4)Alex K.
The atmosphere was great, the Szechuan string beans were fantastic, and the servers were the most attentive of any restaurant I can remember being to. The only downside was the limited vegetarian choices, but the people I went with who weren't vegetarians enjoyed their dishes immensely. We'll be back!
(4)Jin Joo L.
How did I manage to skip over this hidden gem? I've been here a million times and the food never gets worse and the service is always great! This place is very similar to Yu's Mandarin in cuisine but the dishes are presented very differently. I like the jjajangmyun, jjampbong, walnut shrimp, mushroom and tofu, peapod tips, only to name a few. The dumplings are also one of my favorites here. I love their dumplings more than any other place I can think of right now. This place is great for family gatherings, big parties, business meetings, or just dinner for two. They don't deliver but carry-out is always an option. Note: they do not take reservations unless it is for six people or more.
(4)Elizabeth A.
Chef Ping's is my favorite Chinese/Asian restaurant. They are always busy so plan on waiting. It is worth the wait! Try the Seafood Noodle Soup, it's delicious. Actually I haven't had anything I didn't like and I have tried many things on their menu.
(4)Ray P.
I'm giving Chef Ping 3 stars, albeit against my better judgment. Don't get me wrong, they have delicious food AND CP's is much closer to my sister's house than Yu's. Proximity is worth 4 stars alone, especially as good Chinese restaurants in the NW suburbs are few and far between (no, Chinese Munch In, you are not a good Chinese restaurant. I'm sorry). So, as for the food, it was okay. Some dishes were downright delicious. Just some of the dishes we ordered were terribly disappointing. Let me start with the Szechuan Eggplant. The eggplant is BREADED. And, I mean like eggplant-parmesan-breaded. This was NOT tempura breading, either...it was like a batter applied to the eggplant pieces and deep fried then bathed in sauce. Those poor guys were soggy soggy soggy...and, thus mushy mushy mushy. The sauce was delicious....but, I spent far too much time picking off the soggy breading. Szechwan FAIL (anyone know how to say FAIL in Szechwan?). The Mongolian beef was incredible -- tender, flavorful, charred spring onions (I could've eaten those on their own without the beef). AND, I was glad they served the crispy vermicelli on the side so they weren't soggy. The clams in black bean sauce were delicious. I love anything in black bean sauce. But, Chef Ping, could you please clean the clams so I'm not grinding down my tooth enamel on grit? Thank you. The Chef Ping Seafood Platter was good. Not great. Good. Great sauce. Chef Ping, put cuttlefish in there instead of squid, ok? The chicken with broccoli was meh. They used American broccoli, which was a soggy green mess by the time I got it home. Chef, use the bitter Chinese broccoli...it's soooo much tastier! Combination chow mein was okay. Not good, not bad, just ok. I don't recommend it. If you live in this area, trust me, Chef Ping is your best choice for good Chinese food. Unless, you want to trek waaaay out to Yu's.
(3)Howard L.
OK.......this is the new Yu's right..? Yes....they used to own Yu's and now they are on their own. No secret there, everyone knows...or at least, they can see and tasted it. Noodle platter...just as good. All the appretizer are great. Food are great...the place is definitely nicer then Yu's as they do have their interior designer to work out the place....alittle DARK for what I like but I know alot of customer do like it. I am more the Asian type and would like to see what I eat....LOL Overall, a great place for chinese food....between this and Yu's. I will pick it due to the distance....if I am at Woodfield mall, this is closer then Yu;s...yes, it is stupid. The only complain....PARKING. It is a McDonlad size parking lot. (it was a old baker square store)...you have to wait 15-20 minutes for parking on weekend, then another 20-30 minutes for table....be there early.
(3)Deepika B.
This was recommended by my husband's Japanese friend when we were hunting for chinese restaurants as there was a huge queue at Yu's Mandarin.So we decided to try this place. However, it was definitely worth the try. The staff welcomed us as we got in and we were immediately given a table. The decor was simple and the ambiance good. This place had a mixed crowd. The staff was extremely friendly and warm and the service was great. I shall go back to this place for their friendly staff. We ordered the hot and sour soup which was good and spicy as indicated. Steamed pot stickers and the orange chicken were good too. The fried rice was the best and we loved it. Overall, a great experience and we shall definitely keep coming back to this place for the service and the food.
(4)Fi Fi R.
I have been to this place for lunch and dinner several times and I have to say that the food is AMAZING!!! Not to mention the owners always remember you. When you walk in, you feel very special because they always remember details about you. Since I live kind far from them and do not go there as often as I would like to, they do not forget you at all - no matter when you come back... Any time I am in the area, I try my best to come in and eat there.
(5)Sofia M.
I kept driving by and seeing the parking lot full all the time! so could not resist and went in. It is like Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg but better looking and newer. The food was delicious and greatly priced!! I am a fan, i go there all the time.
(4)Donaye N.
Must order: Pong Pong Chicken!!! I liked the Szechwan Eggplant, too! It is a long wait...especially on a Sunday dinner time!
(4)Sandra G.
The homemade noodle do not meet my expectation, very disappointed. I tried to order crab and I asked the server to ask their kitchen to make sure the crab is meaty otherwise I don't like to order, but the server told me the kitchen do not know whether the crab is meaty or not. Very disappointted.... how the chef does not know how to select the crab. The restaurant should be able to deliver a good service to their customer but I don't find this quality service from this restaurant. Very disappointed.
(2)Amaliya L.
Hands down, one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the burbs.... No joke, and I am Chinese. We decided to celebrate my parent's 40th anniversary and Christmas Eve at Chef Ping's last night. We were on a time crunch; we had to be at Willow Creek for Christmas Mass by 545pm. Luckily, my sister had the foresight to reserve a table in their private party room the night before. The place was packed! The food? PHENOMENAL!! We ordered 10 dishes plus 2 appetizers. Everything arrived in time and piping hot. Our seafood selections featured bountiful deveined shrimp, melt in your mouth squid, and tender scallops. Beef and Chicken selections were moist and flavorful. Vegetables and Noodles were all cooked to perfection. The pocket tofu was delicious. As a bible thumping meataholic, this dish almost converted me into giving up meat. The texture and flavor was unlike most vegetarian dishes. Another notable dish is their pork and chives that featured peapod sprouts. I have no idea what the other names of the dishes we ordered were, but I can definitely attest that I was nearing foodgasm. My face felt flushed and I could feel my eyes rolling backwards. We ate silently savoring every single morsel. The service was amazing. One of the best that I have ever received in an Asian restaurant. They timed the order perfectly. There was always a waitperson waiting nearby to refill our water glasses, tea, or clear empty plates. Dinner for 12 including tip amounted to only $165!
(5)Cindy K.
It takes a lot for me to tolerate traffic and venture from the city to the suburbs. Great friends and good food is one such reason. Chef Ping's is Yu's Mandarin's cute little sister. The food is comparable (which means artery clogging, food coma inducing, and damn good) and the space is smaller. Service was better and the decor was nicer. It gets packed, which goes to show that the food is worth it. I do have to say that the jajjangmyun is better at Yu's.
(4)Kelcey K.
The food here is great but the service isn't as good as their food! 3 of us visited this place for lunch, we ordered the walnut prawns, the chef ping's fried chicken and the noodle platter. We were in love with the walnut prawns and the fried chicken! The prawns were kinda coated in a mayo sauce and the walnuts seem to be coated with honey. I'm not too sure about that but the walnuts were crunchy and tasty. The fried chicken ain't your normal Popeye's friend chicken. They fried it and drench them in a somewhat sweet and sour sauce that made the chicken really yummy! The chicken itself was well marinated and juicy too. The noodle platter was interesting. It contained squid, prawns, scallop and many other ingredients all mixed together I couldn't really differentiate them. As mentioned, it's got a unique taste but I don't think I'll order it again. I'll give these guys 4 stars if not for the service. During lunch hour when it became rather crowded, the servers kept trying to clear our dish and wanted to drive us away even though we weren't done with our food! And when we told them we were waiting for a couple of other friends to arrive, they rolled their eyes in our faces. If not for their fried chicken, I doubt I'll visit this place again. But it's too yummy to ignore!
(3)Al M.
OK, I'm Asian, but not a fan of Asian food. I'm always hungry 30 minutes later. But this place is pretty good. The food was served within minutes. The food itself, was above average. The fried wontons, weren't flaky. The egg rolls weren't soggy. The salad wasn't wilted. The wait staff was very attentive and friendly. The place was nice and clean. It's packed around lunch. Do yourself a favor, go around 11 or after 1 or else you'll be waiting for a table.
(4)John K.
I come here for every special occasion. And too bad the secret is out because I can hardly get a damn seat anymore! Pong Pong Chicken, chang chang myun, and jampong are to die for. I love this place. One of the few places I salivate over when I come back from a trip to another city. Good food made consistently never goes out of style.
(5)Insun M.
Always a good sign if the parking lot of a restaurant is full. I wanted to compare the Ping's noodle platter to the one a Yu's. Conclusion: both places are equally delicious. The Gang Poong shrimp was ok. Shrimp was cooked right but the breading and sauce could have been more flavorful. The service was attentive and quick. I must have looked like I was having trouble scooping the noodles because one of the ladies swooped in and did table side service of mixing and serving us the noodles. No complaints about that fo sho.
(4)Mai T.
GENERAL: A friend of ours use to live where we recently moved to. He had talked about this place and said it was a great place. So, since I had Yelp at my fingertips, I looked on Yelp as well as did a quick "google" search on this place. Upon my research, I found that the owners use to own Yu's Mandarin but ended up selling the place and later on opened this place. I had high expectations only because if they use to own Yu's, I would think that they helped build it's reputation and would then carry on that hard work to there own restaurant. SERVICE: When we approached this place, the parking lot was jammed packed. Instantly, I thought that it must have been a really good place. We went there around dinner time on a weekday so that could be why. There were cars waiting like eagles to catch an open spot. We came in with no wait at all and were seated right away. I don't know how they have their system there, but our waiter was not attentive to us at all. He was more worried about his other tables, and if he were at other tables, we would be looking away from the tables to look at other tables as well as the number of people coming in. It was slightly annoying as it took us longer to place an order. We finally placed our order and I had asked for chop sticks (didn't get them), then asked for more napkins (didn't get them) ,and finally asked for more rice (guess what? didn't get them). I didn't want to remind him because I didn't want him to "hate" our table even more since he probably didn't know we existed half the time. FOOD: I ordered the honey walnut shrimp. Let's just say that the walnuts were outstanding, yet the shrimp (main part) wasn't to good. Something about it didn't seem right but I couldn't put my finger on it. The breading that was surrounding the shrimp tasted very stale (I know, that sounds impossible right?) The mayo/honey sauce that they had concocted was not sweet. It had a weird taste. If you do get it, you can definitely taste the difference compared to Yu's. My little one had the Seafood Thai Noodle and the BF had the Sauteed Canton Flat Noodle. Let's just say that they both tasted the same, one was with seafood and the other was with beef. The Seafood Thai Noodle didn't have a distinct taste. It was bland. The only good thing about it was the seafood within the dish. They had succulent squids, shrimps, and scallops. Man-O-Man were those items delish. I've been noticing the difference between many restaurants. Most of them will cheap out and not give you "real" seafood items but in stead will substitute them with smaller sized shrimp that already look cheap or squid that you only get 2 of in an entire dish. This place wasn't horrible. If I'm looking for Chinese that's not in the mall or not 1 hour waits like Yu's then I would choose this place.
(3)Bari L.
I was not to excited to go back but since my friend was having a birthday dinner there I had no choice. Since there was more of us there was a larger verity of food on the table so I was able to try more. Let me give you a little background on myself. I come from a very diverse family and my step-grandmother who I love dearly is Chinese so when I think of Chinese food I think of her fresh and delicious home cooking. Chef Ping is not bad for what it is but all it is American version of Chinese food. Sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken, orange beef. I did order some buk choy and it was ok but it was still a little more saucy then I prefer. For the price nothing knocked me off my feet and unless someone is having another birthday dinner I'm going to take a pass.
(3)Doug w.
The best way to summarize Chef Ping is to say that if you miss the 'old' Yu's Mandarin, this is the place to go. The food is noticeably better than Yu's (now) and the menu looks very similar. Was interesting to note that some of the items on the Chinese menu at Yu's have made it to the English side at Chef Pings...Unless memory fails (as it sometimes does) Yu's has Sichuan fish hotpot on the Chinese menu, but it's in English at Ping's. It's also about 1/3 of the size of Yu's and a nicer interior. Service was a bit on the slow side and prices are higher. But for something approaching real Chinese food in the 'burbs, Chef Ping is probably the place. Still looking for a place with real mainland Chinese...Shanghai, Hangzhou and/or Beijing style.
(4)alan q.
It's a very clean and new restaurant but kind of small. Make a reservation! This place was packed when we came at 6:30 pm on a Saturday. We made a reservation and still had to wait 20 minutes. Food was good. Chicken wings and Fried Rice were solid. Spicy Korean noodle seafood soup was tasty. The Korean Noodle in Black Bean sauce was decent, but had better. They have a big menu and need to try other things when I'm back.
(4)Tiffany L.
Yup, food tastes just like Yu's Mandarin in its glory days. Got the following dishes: - Ping's Noodle Platter - Noodle in Black Bean Sauce - Ping's Chicken Wing - Szechwan String Beans (these are awesome btw, double fried) - Clams in Black Bean Sauce The noodles were slightly overcooked and there was some confusion about the chicken*, but overall a good meal and I'll definitely be back. There are apparently some secret items off the menu that I'd love to order as well, like some sort of beef/tofu stew dish, and a beef/scallion burrito type wrap thing wrapped in foil that is a chinese staple. *Here is the confusion about the chicken, maybe you can help me out. Yes, YOU. Before I came people kept telling me to order the "Pong Pong Chicken". Thinking this was just the korean chicken wing ("gan-pong-yi), I thought I was good to go. Upon looking at the menu, they had 3 different listings of this chicken on the menu: Ping's Chicken Wing, Gan Pong Chicken, and one on the korean menu. No listing of a "pong pong chicken". We quickly figured out that the "Gan Pong chicken" was boneless so we didn't want that (even though it SOUNDS like "ganpongyi". VERY CONFUSING CHEF PING!). We asked our waitress if the Pings chicken wing was just the same as gan-pong-yi, and she said yes, so that's what we ordered. However when we received the dish, even though it tasted the same, the cut of the chicken was different than I remembered -- more like chicken wings, verses the korean style w/ the large head of meat attached to a skinny naked bone. This leads me to believe that "Pong Pong Chicken" might be the more authentic korean style chicken that I'm more accustomed to, and it is a secret menu item. Besides they are meatier as well. Anyone have an answer to this? Anyone? Bueller?
(4)Stevie V.
This place is amazing. We finally decided to grab dinner here and so glad we did. Our server was very attentive and food came out quickly. We were 3 for 3 on our meals. Ordered shrimp curry (amazing), some beef thing, and general tao (also amazing). It was very clean and overall great environment. My friend made a joke that there were a lot of Asian people eating there so it has to be good.
(5)Pete C.
In a nutshell, the food we ordered was wonderful. We ordered the Schezwan Eggplant, Pong Pong Chicken, Salt and Pepper tofu and the Honey Almond Shrimp. Good size orders, friendly attentive staff and fast service. I want to go back...very soon!
(5)Nick D.
This place is the best Chinese in the area - Hands Down. Anyone that says Yu's is better is full of it. Yu's has been going down hill since they sold it. Try the Szechwan Beef, Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp, Sesame Chicken, Mongolian Beef. All of these dishes are out of this world. I was a cusomer of Yu's for 15 Years, Ping's is a cut above.
(5)Leon D.
We ordered take-out last Wednesday from this favorite restaurant. When I got our order home, we discovered that my wife's entree was missing. I called and spoke with Angela. She didn't even hesitate, she offered to make it right on the spot. We have always loved the food here, but food and excellent service explains why this parking lot is always jammed.
(5)Jay S.
Best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. Long wait but it must mean it's good and it was. Pong pong chicken is the best wing I've ever had. La-jo-myun (seafood fried noodle) was a bit salty but still good. Sweet n sour pork w/ pineapple was real good too and I like the fact that it's the clear sauce, not the nasty red sauce a lot of other restaurants use. I'm sold.
(5)V.i.o.l.e.t.t.a. D.
Are you people mad???? How the hell did this place get four stars????? I was just here for lunch today and it was HORRIBLE. They gave us DIRTY glasses with lipstick on them, and plates decopaged with dried food....ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I should have left right there and then but against my better judgement I stayed and asked for different glasses and plates. I ordered vegetable tofu and it came with HUGE honking pieces of rotting flesh atop a bed of rubbery noodles...when I asked to have it remade because this wasn't what I ordered the waiter looked at me as if I were a complete bother even though I clearly stated previously that I'm VEGETARIAN and I DON'T want meat with my food. He was rude from the get-go..very short and unfriendly and it took everything in me not to chuck my silverware at him. I finally got my food...but, by that time my companion was already finished.............fan-tas-tic. NEVER. again.
(1)Grace L.
I know this place has its' history with Yu's, but I'll keep the review to just Chef Pings. Came here on a busy Sat night, busy at 8:30pm that is. The place was packed, and it got me excited since a busy Chinese eatery in this area usually means something good. But then, there aren't that many Chinese eateries in the area. (Maybe 5-6 not counting Panda Express?) The greeter was extremely friendly, as was our server as well. We got seated and water and hot tea was already made available..yippee. We ordered steamed dumplings for app, gan pong scallops, and Mongolian beef, all of which were from previous Yelper's reviews. ;-) The steamed dumplings are not the kind that are soupy inside and you eat with black vinegar. They are the potstickers that are just steamed instead. They also take about 15-20 min to prepare and there are six for the app. There are two accouterments that came with it, a soy based dipping sauce and a spicy chili sauce. Both went well with it. The filling was just ok and the skin a bit thick, but better safe than mooshy. The scallops were lightly fried and tossed in a nice dark sauce. They were large scallops and quite tasty. I do wish there was a bit more sauce on them, but they were good as is. Unlike some other gan pong anything, these were not spicy, don't let those red chilis in the sauce fool you? Mongolian beef was also really good, the beef was thinly sliced and there was a good balance of white/green onions and meat. The beef was cooked well, had a good texture and wasn't too salty. Both of our dishes, albeit not amazingly cheap, were of decent portions and reasonable. Service was very attentive, almost a little too much, as they filled our tea cups, were watching from the corner, asked us profusely how things were going and made sure everything was ok. Just a little trying too hard to please, or maybe we are just not used this. The only negatives in the service was that dessert was not an option given, which was noted at a table near us who actually wanted it, and our doggy bag boxes were presented with a used plastic bag to store them home. Hmmph, doggy bag...anyway. Decor is greyish chic, as it is a newer place. There is a small bar in the front, about 10-15 tables and a party room in the back with about 3-4 larger tables. Food is decent, price is reasonable for the portions/quality, and of course, we will be back for the noodles.
(4)Eric Y.
This is a very good Chinese restaurant for the suburbs. I've been there twice, both times with big family gatherings so I've tried multiple different things. The highlights have been the clams with black bean sauce - large, juicy, sweet, simply delicious. The fried squid with spicy sauce is really excellent - squid "crack" - it's addictive. The noodles are pretty good - all handmade on-site - the texture is nicely firm and chewy but the sauces and accoutrements are just ok. There is a rolled onion pancake with beef that on one occasion was good and on another was just ok. The dish is need of a sauce, something to give it a little oomph. The peashoots are good. We had a dish of stir-fried tofu, chive flower and tiny fish. It was very good but I would prefer the chive flower to be cut in smaller size to facilitate eating with rice. Servers are very helpful, food arrived pretty quickly. This place is very busy and if you try to go for lunch on weekends, be prepared to wait! One more thing, I usually don't comment on the background music but when it is so inane - the worst type of Muzak - I can't help but say something about it. Note to owner - it's a restaurant, not an elevator!
(3)Anna V.
My family all agrees the food is great. The place is very clean. The lady owner greets us every time. I usually like to frequent the city but for Chinese food this is the place.
(5)Jen K.
Yup, it's same owners that sold Yu's and started this place... it is crazy, ridiculously busy here at Chef Ping's! Main reason is that it is a smaller space but they're pretty good about getting tables in and out... on a Sat. night, our party of 4 was seated in about 25-30 minutes. Anyway, nothing super spectacular with the menu... most staple Chinese/Korean dishes. I think the winner of our dinner was the gan pong chicken... sauce was delicious that we all fought for it at the end :p They do serve the typical Asian selections of alcohol -- they have a bar as well but it didn't look fully stocked. For Chicago, I'd say it's one of the better Chinese restaurants but living in the SF/Bay Area, it'd only pass as mediocre.
(3)Christine L.
Actually, while I am a fan... it is my husband who is super fan when it comes to Chef Pings. He is there 1-2 times per week. Friendly staff, generally fast service, good quality food and a good variety of choices. We live just a few blocks west of the restaurant and while we choose to eat in, we have neighbors/friends who often call in and run over to pick up their food. The egg drop soup is not the egg rich variety that is my preference and I could do without the tiny shrimp... but that is just me. The owner/manager circulates, they know and acknowledge their regulars. There is a diversity in the clientele demographic which speaks to the authenticity and high quality of the food. We are delighted to see a full parking lot regularly... that doesn' mean that it's difficult to get in, but rather that the business is succeeding, because they do what they do well.
(4)monty m.
Brown lettuce in salad however; everything else was excellent in taste, service , price and selection. i found nothing bad about the place besides the brown lettuce. Not good for groups of more than 5 people as the space is small and fills quickly.
(4)Ayumi K.
If you've been to Yu's Mandarin in the past and liked it, you'll like Chef Ping's. The old owner of Yu's sold the Mandarin and opened up Chef Ping's, so the menu is somewhat similar and is right up to par on taste as Yu's. Though I haven't tried everything on the menu (yet), I'm pretty sure everything is good. If you go, I highly recommend the honey-glazed shrimp with walnuts, the combo fried rice, and the champon (for some reason, I don't really know what champon is listed under, but if you say 'champon', they'll understand which noodle soup you're talking about). The food is good, the service is good (and fast!), and the prices are even better. The place is also really clean, so that's an added bonus. They have lunch specials too, so be sure to check that out! Might want to arrive early, though, as this place gets crowded quick. PS: Dinner entrees come out with individual white rice. Just thought I'd let those of you who love white rice know.
(3)Katie K.
In an area full of stripmall Asian restaurants, Chef Ping is the real deal. You can tell because the place is completely full after 5:30pm on a weekend night. Everything is great here: the service, the food, the ambience. Servers are prompt, courteous and efficient; we were served quickly but without feeling rushed. The (presumed) owner (or at least manager) stopped by to check on us, and even took an order for an extra dish we had just decided on. The food was all hot and tasty. And the price was reasonable. Chef Ping will get our repeat business for sure!
(5)Geoff N.
Great quality food at a decent price for the portions you get. Wait staff is attentive and it's a wonderful place to meet with groups large and small...if you can get a seat! This place is always packed and for good reason. I don't think there's another Chinese restaurant like it in the entire area. To be quite honest, Chef Ping's food rivals some of my favorites from NYC's Chinatown. Come here to eat and you won't regret it. Just be prepped to wait for a little bit before you get seated (unless you want to order take-out).
(4)Rebecca Huicha K.
Move over Yu's, there's a new place in town! Yes, like the previous reviews this place is owned by the old Yu's owners. Honestly I wasn't too excited to try this place since Chinese is not exactly diet food and I just didn't expect too much from it. We had reservations for 630 on a saturday night and I'm glad we did cause this place was PACKED. Most of the customers were asian, which is a good sign for an asian restaurant! The place is definitely not as big as Yu's, probably 1/4th of it's size. We had a bit of a wait even though we had reservations which typically would rub me the wrong way but the staff was really friendly and apologetic for the wait. Our group of 5 ordered 7 dishes which gave a perfect variety. The food is REALLY good though the portions are a bit smaller than yu's. If you're in the area and feel like yu's, I'd recommend you try this place instead. The food is comparable if not better and the place is cleaner and more up to date.
(4)Rick C.
A few friends of ours had recommended this place to us, so we decided to check it out on our way back from Woodfield. The place itself was nice, more modern than most Chinese places. It was also busy, most of the tables were filled, which was a good sign. We sat down looked at the menu and nothing really stood out for us. They have a lot of different types of asian dishes, from Chinese to Korean to Thai, I just don't think we were particularly in the mood for anything. We decided on two noodle dishes, the seafood peking noodle and the noodles in black bean sauce. The noodles in black bean sauce is a dish we've had in some Korean\chinese places and it's noodles with cucumber, covered in a black bean sauce with seafood. It comes out unmixed, so it looks like noodles with a bowl of black goop which might seem unappetizing to some. The owner came by and mixed it for us and explained that these were homemade noodles and that we should mix them as early as possible. They were great. The noodles were perfect and really made the dish. The Peking seafood noodles were a little spicy and we enjoyed those as well. We liked everything so much we came again a few days later. We didn't have problems picking out dishes this time around. Since our first visit, we've tried the Pong Pong chicken (yes, it's Ping's Pong Pong chicken). Anyone familiar with spicy Korean chicken wings will enjoy these. They're not on the menu, so ask for them by name. We've also had the sweet and sour pork and the sesame beef. If you're in the area, I'd recommend this place. The portions are ample, the staff is helpful (sometimes overly so), and the food is tasty.
(4)Joanne L.
My first review! Finally joined the gang=) I will go out of my way for chinese or korean noodles, so very happy to see both on their lunch menu. Heard about this place from several friends, glad to finally check them out. I agree, lunch portions are a nice size and the prices even better! ($6.75-$8.75/dish). We ordered 2 of the 3 most popular noodles dishes: Noodles with Black Bean Sauce Spicy Seafood Noodle Platter Excellent! Noodles cooked al dente and if you've eaten at Yu's, the black bean sauce tastes pretty much the same. Noodle platter came steaming with plenty of fresh tasting seafood and veggies. nice flavor. Next time i'll try their Noodle Soup (a lot of folks sitting around us ordered the Noodle soup). also ordered mongolian beef and impressed with how tender and flavorful the meat was. high quality for a $7 dish. highlights: cheap, closer drive than Yu's (we were on the way home from Ikea), clean, modern, & friendly service. FYI..smaller place than Yu's, i noticed they had a back area for larger groups but there were only 4 tables that seated 8-10. definitely make reservations. We came on a tuesday...Lunch starts at 11:30am, we got there at 11:40 and were seated right away. By 11:55, the place was packed... If your kid likes jia jian mien, my kid wolfed that dish down-very messy so bring bibs!=) Will come here again! Off to eat my leftovers..=)
(4)david l.
Food was very good but wait was a little on the long side (at least an hour and a half just for two people), it's silly how they dont take reservations unless you have a party greater than 6 people. Just show up super early.
(4)Patrick M.
After being a fan of Yu's for as long as I can remember, I heard that the owners had moved on and created a new restaurant so I had to check it out. So I grabbed a bunch of friends, and we all LOVED it. We each got an entree and two appetizers for the table. We all shared each other's food and were amazed at how delicious and flavor-filled the food was. This is easily #1 on my list as best Chinese food in Chicago, you can't find anything better! As far as atmosphere goes. I love the look of the restaurant, it's got a darker atmosphere than Yus. Such that I'd still easily go with a group of friends or just a date with my girlfriend. The staff we dealt with was also super friendly with all of us, it was quite abnormal but in the best way. I couldn't find anything wrong and can't wait to go back!
(5)DB A.
The secret is out. Too late to keep it to myself. This is the legitimate heir to Yu's Mandarin's reputation. Oh sure, Yu's is still there, but it's slipped in the past few years. This place is as good as Yu's was in its heyday. Go there. Try the Seafood noodle platter. Your mouth and tummy will thank you.
(4)Michael L.
This place is pretty good for Chinese food. Sweet and sour pork is awesome. And the Mongolian Beef isn't full of green onions like it is at other places. We get take out a lot, I would like to see how it is sitting down. Good Chinese takeout place though.
(4)Bill H.
Chef Ping is no longer the best kept secret in the northwest suburbs. The food is great. The atmosphere is pleasant. The service is prompt. The room for improvement is more room in the parking lot. Maybe a valet would help. Mc Donald's next door is not a friendly neighbor. I have thought about parking on the street median. Maybe a drive through for the take out orders would relieve congestion. Just an idea Tong ! Bill Howe Food Critic
(5)Joy L.
This place is amazing. The food is wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. Reservations on the weekends are a must as it fills up quickly.
(5)Andrea L.
Portions are good, food is tasty, and pricing is reasonable. The decor is certainly nice (the newness of the place helps!), and definitely provides a comfortable ambiance. Good place to catch up with friends, especially as Chinese food is always best done family style! I very much enjoyed the honey-glazed walnut shrimp. The Szechwan Eggplant was unexpectedly fried and crunchy, but otherwise delicious while still hot. My friends highly recommend the noodle platter, but I have not yet tried it!
(4)Monica K.
This place is like Yu's Mandarin but cleaner and much more modern (better service too in my opinion). It's a Korean-run Chinese restaurant so all of your favorites (like jja-jang-myun and jjam-bbong) are here and they're delicious! The general tao's chicken is not too spicy, sometimes can be too much breading and a little too fatty but the flavor is just perfect. The gan-poong scallops are a family favorite, also not too spicy. We've generally enjoyed every single dish here, the service is great/friendly and prompt. This place is so busy now on the weekends that you're better off making reservations. Went on a Sunday afternoon at 5:30 PM and we were lucky enough to get the last table before the crazy rush.
(5)Mark W.
Some of the best Chinese in the suburbs ! Real Chinese food without the Americanized style. Staff friendly and attentive. Weekends really busy, worth the wait.
(4)Mark B.
Great seafood soup.
(4)Kyle M.
Aside from the Chinatown in McHenry, this is the best place in the NW Suburbs!
(5)Scott S.
This place is pretty money. Just as good, if not better, than the "old" yu's mandarin (when it was under old ownership). There was a 30-40 minute wait when we went there on Saturday night, but the crowds died down around 8pm. I highly recommend the salty egg crab (a deep fried dungeoness crab)....everyone loved the crab legs and the batter they use is very tasty. the la-joh-myung is not listed on the menu, but is a yu's mandarin favorite and they will make it for you. everyone thought it actually tastes better here! (it is a savory noodle dish with seafood). Kung Pao Chicken, chinese broccoli, gang pon scallops, and honey & walnut shrimp were all good dishes. I'd agree that the portions are a bit smaller, but the quality is very good. their mai tai's are pretty yummy, too. Though it took us a while to get seated, the staff was very friendly and attentive! We all liked the place a lot and agreed we'd all come back for sure. That is a big compliment considering we are all asian and pretty picky about our asian food!
(4)Ever D.
My family ate here for Father's day, and both the food and service were better than I expected. I normally would go into the city for special occasions, but we had lots of kids in our group, so this dictated the choice and location of what restaurant we were going to go to. I had never eaten here but read the reviews and have to say that this place surprised me. The food was better than expected. All of the dishes were in good portions and tasted delicious. If I am ever out in that neighborhood again, I will definitely stop to get a bite there.
(4)John Y.
Another one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. When they first opened, I was a little worried about this place. Food was good, but maybe not as good as Yu's in Schaumburg. In subsequent visits, it became more and more obvious: Chef Ping's easily outshines Yu's Mandarin.
(5)Yaeko M.
I have been to there for lunch with co-workders many times. I went there for dinner first time. We ordered schezwan eggplant (crispy fried eggplant with spicy sweet sauce) -- this was great!!, walnut shrimp (popcorn shrimp with cream sauce)-- this was great!!, scallops and squid with leek - this was excellent!!!, sauteed peapods tips with garlic -- this was good too!!. All dishes were very good. I wanted to order more. As of conclusion, I ate too much because the food was really tasty. The dinner menu variety is so much better than lunch menu. I wanted to order more and try different dishes. I saw other nice looking dishes at next table and I wanted try. I will go back soon there soon!. This place is always popular!
(5)Andrew C.
Excellent Asian cuisine and first rate service - almost TOO attentive (I lost count after about seven different staff members stopped at our table to see if we needed anything - while the restaurant was quite busy!). Try the eggplant - crunchy and spicy. Yummmm.
(4)Nari H.
OK. So heard the former Yu's owners opened up this restaurant, Chef Ping after selling Yu's, so a few friends and I decided to eat here. Interior: being new, it's got a much nicer interior. Feels nice being there. Food: It's got all the favorites we would always get whenever we go to Yu's, and the food was really good, esp. the Champong. One dish looked smaller than it used to be. Service was friendlier than usual (Ha!) and the managers came around to check up on us to make sure everything was going well. Yu's is closer to where I live, but the food here at Pings is a little better. So I'm torn, but minus the sketchy opening, I'm a fan. I'll be here if I'm in the area and would tell others about it :)
(4)Jyo H.
We've been to Chef Ping's few times. Dine-In experience is okay... Taste wise, nothing to write home about. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants that taste like it or better. Carry-out experience was not so good. You get no utensils, napkins, soy sauce. Nothing..! Only your order in plastic containers. That's it. That is just serious carelessness. Customer shouldn't need to remember to ask for every little thing that needs to go in the bag. Other restaurants seem to do this very well. Seems like Chef Ping people just don't care. Lunch Specials are a bit pricey for what it is. Corner cutting is bluntly obvious and apparent in the presentation and in taste. Wonton Crisps are a joke. Eggrolls - if you can even call it that - are low-grade supermarket frozen variety. Staff 'sound' polite but lack sincerity. Overall a bit disappointed.
(2)Nicole M.
Move over Yu's, my new fav is Chef Ping! I started noticing the quality of Yu's food was not as good as it use to be and I found out the original owners opened Chef Ping in Meadows. (or something along the lines of that) And which I live closer to. (bonus!) I ordered take out from there because the place was soo busy! But now I know why because it's really GOOD! I ordered the Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Combo Fried Rice... All delish!! Not dry and very tasty! From now on I'm going to Chef Ping! :)
(5)Food For thought C.
2 Stars- C'mon Man I usually agree with most of yelp nation reviews this one I have to say is far off. The food was very blah and the service was next to non existence. I have drove by the place a couple of times and seen a good crowd. It was very typical of most Asian places, meaning the Asian people there were eating something completely different then everyone else in the place. I would say past on this place and try your nearby mall food court area if you have a taste for Chinese food. Maybe I missed something here but I doubted that I will be going here again in this lifetime or the next.
(2)David C.
When I think about Chef Ping, one word comes to mind: consistency. From the standard Korean-favorite dish of jjajangmyun (black bean paste noodles) to the traditional sweet and sour pork, there is quality throughout the menu. Each visit to this Chinese restaurant reminds me not all food places decrease in value as time progresses. This is the beauty and genius of Chef Ping! Without fail, it is possibly the easiest, most convenient place to set up couple dates to family gatherings. Why? The food will satisfy and the service will deliver. It can fit as a casual meet-up with a colleague to a business dinner with clients. And the restaurant carries a diverse group of people too. There isn't an exceptional dish I can think of; however, there are many really good dishes. I recommend this place to anyone at any given moment. Lastly, the atmosphere is solid. The building design is clean and modern. The overall setup is a little cramped, and the lighting is on the dimmer end. Also, the wait usually can get to 40 min. for a table. Prepare to wait! Other than that, hope you enjoy what will be a quality experience! Food recs: - LaJoMyun (spicy seafood noodle platter) - JjamBbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) - Pom Pom Chicken Wings - TangSoo Pork (sweet/sour pork) - Walnut Shrimp - String Beans
(4)Kathy F.
For lunch, anyway, four stars. I went early (11:45a.m.) since the first two times I tried to go to Chef Ping for lunch I could not find parking and ended up elsewhere. Very fast service! Great value! Big portion (I had to take home half of my lunch)! I started with the asian salad-not a stand-out but I cannot do egg drop soup and was not in the mood for hot and sour. Sweet and sour chicken (came with rice, wonton strips and an egg roll) was fresh and delicious. I was impressed with the freshness off all the items I ordered. I will definitely return for lunch!
(4)Steve W.
Just had an awesome lunch at Chef Ping! Potstickers are a must to start! Then had Yu-Shang Pork and Ping's Noodle Platter. Both were fantastic! Will be back soon.
(5)Ray M.
Crab is awesome n pong pong chicken is very good!
(4)Johnathan K.
This place just opened near my house and I stopped in for lunch this afternoon. The restaurant is very nice and spacious, and immaculately clean. I came for lunch with two other people, so it was pretty empty. We started off with hot tea before looking over the lunch menus we were given. Lunch orders (not sure about dinner) come with your choice of soup or salad as well as an egg roll and a couple of fried wontons. I ordered vegetable fried rice, the rest of my party ordered sweet and sour shrimp and Pad Thai. They liked their soup (hot and sour and egg drop). I went with the salad which was underwhelming as the dressing was too thin to stick to the lettuce, meaning that I ate plain iceberg lettuce, carrot and cucumber, and then had a centimeter of dressing in the bottom of my bowl. Bummer. On the bright side, my main course was really delicious; a huge, steaming hot portion of rice with carrots, egg, baby corn, mushrooms, broccoli and peas. I really enjoyed it, some of the best fried rice I've ever had. The other portions were also very generous, especially for the moderate prices. Everyone loved their food. Service was quick and attentive and everyone we dealt with was very nice and friendly. I will definitely be back, hopefully for dinner so I can check out the full menu.
(4)Anthony V.
Two forks, way up.
(4)Beth G.
My Pad Thai dish gets three stars from me (hey, I'm really picky about Pad Thai, and theirs is just sort of boring), but I'm adding an extra star for the company and ambiance. Had my first Yelp (non-official) event here, and that was awesome. The back party room had three tables, with a birthday at each table (including ours). It was fun to sing "Happy Birthday" three different times. The waitstaff were all smiles for that, and so was I.
(4)Sandy T.
This is the only place that my family and I go to for Chinese food other than China town. It is AWESOME. The service there is great and everyone is always so nice to us. Some things are not on the menu that we order (like salt and pepper squid/shrimp etc.) but they will customize your orders. I never had anything that I did not like from Chef Ping. The go to foods are definitely Mongolian beef and orange chicken, but if you are not picky, try something like the jellyfish salad. It is so yummy. I would definitely recommend Chef Ping, especially for groups so you can eat family style.
(5)Becky K.
beautiful ambiance, mini bar, and great food... having been a server before, i know what to look for in my service...and let me tell ya, my tea and water glass NEVER went half way...it actually got kinda annoying...let me take a sip before you refill, hot damn! but anyways, food was great...not so much the honey walnut shrimp though...but other than that, i mos def recommend this family joint.. a nice sunday dinner at chef pings, and you cant go wrong :)
(4)Dina I.
Not as good as Yu's but comes close. Love the yellow leeks, the mushroom and tofu dish, any of the noodle dishes...
(4)Julie P.
Yum! Chef Ping is my go-to Chinese place, whether I want take out or to dine in. The food is very consistent and well prepared. Love the crab rangoon especially, and all of the entrees I've tried have been good.
(4)Liz M.
I wish I didn't like their food so much here. Let me explain. These people are RUDE. I come in from downtown to visit my parents in the suburbs, and we come here often for lunch or dinner. Many times my mom and I come at 11a for lunch. We are promptly seated. Before I can even ask my mom how she is doing the waiter is at the table asking if we are ready to order. We kindly say no, we haven't looked at the menu yet. 5 minutes later (if that) he comes back- are you ready to order? Feeling the pressure we usually just order an appetizer to start. Another 5 minutes- are you ready to order your entree? Dear goodness man!!! Can I visit with my mom for just a little bit?! We order. 10 minutes later- the food is out. Before my mom and I are even halfway through our meal the check is on the table and he has come by twice asking if there is anything else we need. At first I thought it was a one time problem. WRONG! EVERY TIME I come here, this happens! Lunch or dinner. If you are planning on visiting with your table, having a nice relaxing meal, DONT GO HERE. If you want to be in and out quickly for lunch, this might just be your place. Like I said, I wish the food wasn't so good. Unfortunately, it is pretty much my favorite so I keep coming back. Their lunch specials are excellent. Plenty of food for a very reasonable price. I've never had anything I didn't like here. Chef Ping- please listen to your costumers and let us enjoy our meal without you stalking our table.
(3)Jasmine S.
This place is more like a Korean Chinese restaurant. My favorite dish is the Pocket Tofu and Sea Cucumber Pork Belly for now. Zam Bong is pretty good with sea cucumber - it's beige color - not red. They have a very nice party room with 4 round tables. Decor is contemporary. Price range is wide. You can have a $12 dinner or a $40 dinner. Big parking lot - but it was full for a saturday night. Will go back and try their Sze Chuan dishes next.
(5)Gina D.
When it comes to Chinese food, I enjoy consistency. Now that my husband and I have eaten here four times, I can say that the food has been excellent each and every time. We are happy to find such quality and authentic flavor in the suburbs. The restaurant is always jam packed so expect to wait a good thirty minutes to well over an hour if you get there during prime time (that includes weeknights). I love that the waiters work together and remember the regulars; major plus! If you're in the area, stop in; you won't be disappointed!
(5)Michelle W.
Amazing restaurant all around! Food, decor and service were spot on. I loved the handmade noodles - they were the perfect texture and very tasty. I would definitely come back again!
(5)Emme K.
Love this place as an alternative to Yu's.
(5)Michael R.
Fantastic lunch special and good beef! Will definitely come back again!
(5)Jim G.
I really don't understand all the great reviews for this restaurant. I write this with severe gastrointestinal issues and wishing I had never gone there for dinner. Ordered salt and pepper squid. I was surprise when I saw it was deep fried. Very little salt and pepper either. Just tons of grease. They didn't seem to even drain it before plating it. The chicken (which was expected fried) was dried out. It was like eating chicken wings which were deep fried twice. The classic tofu dish was slimy fried tofu with almost no vegetable. The only good thing was the spicy beef and tripe appetizer. As for service, what was first thought to be overly attentiveness turned into a rush job to turn over the table. We were asked repeatedly whether or not we were done. The bill came and for the 4 items and two sodas it cost over $55. What?! For Chinese food? This place is an overpriced grease pit. You are better off eating at the McDonald's next door.
(1)Matt F.
This place is really good and always pretty busy. I recommend the Ping's Noodle Platter.
(4)Lynn L.
the waitress didnt get my order quite right due to language barriers, but aside from that, the food was delicious. chef pings chicken wings were amazingly delicious. i wanted more the next day.
(3)Janice L.
so the word is the previous amazing chef from yu's mandarin opened up chef ping.. but i don't understand why the food isn't as good as yu's mandarin a few years back. the decor, atmosphere, and service are all superb, and the food 'looks' delicious but definitely lacks flavor.. and i don't know if it's the lighting or what the food looks very fake and shiny (too much peanut oil?) but lunch is great.. there are lots of options and pretty well-priced. the kung-pao beef and noodles in black bean sauce are my faves. the seafood family and sweet and sour chicken are pretty good as well.
(3)Thao N.
This place really surprised me! The sever's were friendly and accommodating. They greeted us with a warm welcome and we parted with them saying thank you. The staff demonstrated great appreciation towards our visit and that for sure will get me to come back. My family and I went for Father's Day dinner and even though the place was packed, we were able to get seated pretty quickly. What I noticed first was the modern decor and how clean it was. Even the feel of the napkins shows how different this Chinese restaurant is. We ordered family style and so we ordered a lot of food, How else would you get a feel for their menu? To start, we had Hot and Sour soup, which was definitely Hot and not too sour. Just the way I like it, with bamboo shoots and tofu. Then we got into the dishes, my brother is big on beef, so he ordered the Scallop Beef (under Seafood) and Broccoli Beef (under Beef). The Scallop Beef contained big chunks of tender scallops, sliced beef and mushrooms in a brown sauce. Not like anything else I've had at any other Chinese restaurants. The Broccoli Beef is pretty self-explanatory but still the tenderness of the meat was unmatched. My sister in-law ordered the Clams in Black Bean Sauce (under Fresh Catch from the Sea) and it was served in a mini wok over fire. The clam meat was so fresh it kind of melted in your mouth, not rubbery like the ones that have been frozen. My mom ordered the Szechwan Fish Fillet and I can't really form an opinion on this dish because I don't really like dishes like these. But be warned, this had a warm, spicy, sensation going down your throat. My step-dad, whom this dinner was for, didn't order his own dish but I did get to order the Honey-Glazed Walnut Shrimp. The shrimps were far from itty bitty, the walnuts weren't overly coated with the sweet stuff and the sauce actually tasted light, considering what it's usually made from (mayo and honey). We also ordered the Combination Chow Mien but it wasn't what we thought it was so I shouldn't state an opinion about this dish either. All in all, it was a great dinning experience and I would recommended this place the next time you go out for Chinese.
(4)Eric P.
I went here again Saturday only to find out they do not have their lunch specials. That is okay but then when I ordered Mongolian beef, pon pon chicken, walnut shrimp, and ping's noodle and found the price was pretty high and the quantity was pretty disappointing. Yes it did feed 6 people but then again we weren't stuffed. The walnut shrimp was way too sweet like eating candy... to say the least if you want to spend the money for quality this is good but don't expect quantity. I would have to debate whether to go back here unless its for lunch or just for the ping's noodle dish.
(3)K W.
Excellent, authentic Chinese food. Each dish had a unique flavor. I went here with my relatives who are very particular about Chinese food and they like it a lot. The fried chicken wings were my favorite. I personally don't like sea cucumber but my relatives loved it and this is one of the few restaurants that serves it. This is their new favorite restaurant after Yu's Mandarin closed (which they used to own).
(5)Bob S.
It is the very best of all the rest; Oriental food that is fresh, delicious and made from only the finest ingredients that cannot be beat. From over 50 visits in the past two years the food has been consistently outstanding so go with confidence that it is the best around-including Chinatown. We love the Chop Chae, walnut shrimp, lemon chicken, mongolian beef, hot and sour soup and really everything on the menu. Also the carry out has been consistently excellent. Our goto carry out is an order of Mongolian beef with egg rolls; $18 for a very generous portion of the beef and six egg rolls that cannot be beat. Compare that in quality to nearby fast food restaurants and it is the best bargain around. Try it!
(5)Melissa C.
I grew up in Schaumburg, and Yu's was always the fam fave. When my bros & I were kids, we would always ask to get up to watch the cooks do their thang. Since my fam moved to CA in '05, Yu's was the first place we would go to on their Chicago visits. We had our high school AND college grad parties there. And then it happened.... the mongolian beef got too peppery. Something was missing in the soup. The quality still seemed to be there, but it just wasn't right... what happened to you, Yu's??? ...and just when I had almost given up, I found out that Chef Ping happened. Since this realization, we've gone here several times--the owners remembered us from way back when (moreso my brother, the pilot, who since the '05 move would fly back for a day and make sure that he made a trip for his fave kung pao beef, alone, like a lame--who wouldn't remember that? =]). Thank you yelp... for bringing my fave Chinese food back to me. Prices have certainly gone up since way back when, but that's expected. This place has the best beef dishes I've ever had at a Chinese restaurant. Get the walnut shrimp. Get some of their yummy homemade noodles. ALL the soups are SO goood! I can go on... but you can just read other reviews. =]
(5)Kirk W.
Honestly some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. Lunch menu VERY reasonably priced - but get there before 11:45!! Pad Thai is outstanding.
(5)angie h.
We have been customers since they opened. Today my whole family was there, with my parents, cousin and niece. Food is ok, not as good as when they opened. But what we are unhappy about, is that they charge a WHOPPING 18% Gratuity for a party of 6 adults and one kid. We had worked in restaurant industry while going to college some years back and know the standards. In today's economy, 18% is not exceptable. We don't mind 15%, but they forever lost this family as customers. It's just not right. That 3% difference should be left to customers, not forced on us. We Will Not Be Back.
(2)Clayton B.
Hands down best place I have been to in a long time amazing service and great food they will even make things for you that's are not on the menu and let you know what's good. Will be going back soon I made a yelp account just to say how amazing this place is and let everyone know! Even though I have been using yelp for years this was the place that I want to tell everyone about!
(5)B T.
Great place. Love the noodle platter. Always busy
(5)William P.
Used the online ordering for my first Chef Ping experience. We had 3 orders and ordered at 11:45. We showed up at Ping's around 5 - 10 after... and had to wait another 10 minutes for our food. The place was mobbed with people walking in and looking for tables (which they were not able to accomodate). I am a big fan of Yu's, and am now a big fan of Chef Ping's. The honey glazed walnut shrimp was absolutely amazing (but not in the edible bowl like at Yu's). The dish might have actually been better at Ping's than at Yu's. We ordered two other items off of the lunch menu and were shorted an egg-roll and wonton chip... but alas, the other two orderee's ended up happy with their orders. The black bean sauce noodles were reportedly as good as Yu's... and the Kung Pao chicken was reportedly tastey and spicy. At a lunch rush (and probably dinner, too), I don't think there is a better way to go than to order online and pick it up if you live close. Just be sure to give about a half hour on the order.
(4)Jason B.
I was debating back and forth whether I should give Chef Ping a 5 star or a 4 star rating. I decided to go with my gut, and give it 5 stars. Yu's was always my go-to for Chinese for years, but as you know, Chef Ping was opened by family. The menu is pretty much the same, however, in my opinion, the noodles are not a perfect as Yu's- for obvious reasons. The service however, is what gave it the fifth star. During my latest visit, I learned from past visits, and went during a non-peak time. Usually when you're at a restaurant and they are slow, you may see a few servers BS-ing amongst themselves, paying little, or no attention to other server's tables. This is not the case at Pings. We literally were assisted by 3 servers, and we didn't have to ask either. This was done in a way in which we didn't feel crowed or disturbed. I ordered jangmyeon (black bean sauce over noodles), and when it was brought to the table, a random server saw this and came to our table, being super sweet and proceeded to mixed the sauce and noodles for us. Not knowing that I'm half Korean (I look as white as they come) and actually lived in Korea (this is a Korean-Chinese dish...I think), she wanted to make sure I was enjoying the dish fully. They are the epitome friendly and attentive, this being true even when Ping's at it's absolute busiest. If you go, you MUST order the szechuan eggplant.
(5)Vanessa M.
had lunch here with the family tonight. had an awesome experience. the ambiance, food, and service were all amazing. we ordered egg rolls, crab sho mai, combination fried rice, hunan beef, kung pao shrimp, seafood noodle soup, and the whole steamed flounder....and all of it was crazy good. all this for only $80. i can't say enough about the service. our server was really friendly and funny, he was also very attentive. he even de-boned our steamed flounder at the table. they were closing in order to get ready for dinner service later that night, but we were still eating and chatting. they didn't rush us at all. we were a group of 5 adults, we all had a great experience. can't wait to go back with my husband. its a great date place. atmosphere is romantic and relaxing.
(5)Jordan B.
Easily the best (Chinese) food around!
(5)Picky C.
Chef Ping....I heart your noodles! Soupy, spicy pan-fried, Korean style, Chinese style...I've missed it so! I loved the noodles at Yu's and was miserable when I couldn't find them anywhere else. The mix of Chinese and Korean foods is awesome and for those of you who like wasabi and chewy, crisp/crunchy interesting savory textures (this dish really is good), ask for the Fu-Chi-Fay-Pian appetizer dish. It's a large family style dish, and can get pricey due to the shrimp, meats, etc. But they are the only ones who get it right in the burbs. The parking lot is always packed when there are so many other Asian restaurants around a .3 mile radius. This should tell you something. The crowd is equal parts Asian and non-Asian. They have Americanized Chinese food but I encourage the eaters who have not ventured to try our something different, to ask your neighbors about what they ordered. You will find the most delicious dishes here. It's clean, it's updated, the food smells outside the restaurant entice you in and the service and quality food keeps you coming back for more. Long live the original owners for venturing out and updating their look and style! Eat on! I highly recommend this place.
(5)S M.
yus mandarin tastes better. Somehow, everything tastes the same to me...but making everything tasting the same should be a miracle on the chef's side. Decor is ok, normal. Hostess = ok. Staff = ok. Nothing that bad overall except that the food isn't what I liked.
(3)Frederick T.
Drove by for months before deciding to stop in for lunch. good thing. the food was great. The place is beautiful and the staff extremely friendly. Will be back again for sure. this place gives PF Changs a run for their money. PF you are still king but Chef Ping is right there.
(5)Jack L.
Finally, we can go back to some of the best Chinese dishes in Chicago's northwest suburbs. This place beats Yu's any day of the week and the chef and some of the wait staff came from Yu's. So it's like coming home again. The atmosphere is good and service is outstanding.
(5)Justin S.
Honey walnut shrimp: excellent! Nuff said.
(4)Shark S.
Trust me, I don't give 5 stars for nothing. This is the real deal. Honey walnut shrimp and lightly breaded scallops, try and find it better, you can't.
(5)David M.
Food quality is quite good, as is the atmosphere. Prices are somewhat higher than other Chinese restaurants in the area and the volume of food is slightly less. With that said, I would rather dine at Chef Ping's than most any other Chinese restaurant in the area. The number of Chinese people dining the restaurant is a testament to its authenticity.
(4)Darlene L.
Loved this Asian cuisine in the northwest suburbs. We waited the requisite fifteen minutes to have the healthier version of the pot stickers which were steamed. They were plump and delicious with the hot and mild sauces.Both the cashew chicken and mu shu pork were well seasoned and served in generous portions. Nice consistency to the mu shu pancakes which the waiter filled with fresh ingredients. The cashew chicken had plenty of tender chicken with a bowl of steamed rice on the side. Tea was served immediately in a pot left on the table. Service was efficient if not a bit rushed. We barely finished the appetizer when the entrees arrived. The crowd was coming in so they clearly wanted to turn the table. This is not leisure dining but the food is quality.
(4)Griffin Y.
Chef ping is awesome!! The food is delicious. Soo yum! And their prices are legit. Go in for a bite, you wont be disappointed. Guaranteed!
(5)David M.
The food here is great. We've only done takeout though, because we're a little intimidated by the crowds. Interestingly, the clientele seems to be almost entirely Asian. i imagine that says good things about their authenticity.
(5)T. E.
This is not your typical Americanized Chinese food. This is authentic and classy. The food is not overpriced either. The fu chi far pian was amazing with the right amount of tingle on the tongue. A little packed and if you come at the wrong time there's a bit of a wait and they don't always take reservations but that's an attestation to the good food they have. Definitely recommend and would be back.
(5)Thomas S.
Chef Ping is the best Asian dining in the Arlington Heights area. It stands head and shoulders above every place else we've tried. It's a family run business, where you can really feel their pride in providing great food and service. Try it and you'll be back as a regular!
(5)Sonny P.
Went to Chef Ping on a Wednesday night with 3 of my other friends. We ordered the Veggie Egg rolls and Crab Rangoon to start it off. Both were good, nothing spectacular. We then had the Szechwan Eggplant which is a MUST, this dish had flavor and was cooked perfectly, Veggie Noodle Platter, and Kung Pao Chicken. The noodle platter lacked flavor and was not spicy at all but when we asked her if the dish is spicy, she replied "oh yes! very much so!" Also, the best part of this restaurant is that they have MOCHI! However, they only have one flavor which is mango. I would try this place out again.
(3)Liz B.
We have enjoyed Chef Ping every time we have been there. The lunch special are good and we think amazing value. Having lived in the city for many years with many Chinese Restaurants to choose from we find Chef Ping to be the best in the NW burbs. Will be returning!
(5)